Okay, clearly I have problems holding myself to my word because I'm writing a fic in the RWBY section and I put on my profile I wouldn't do that.

I dropped the idea after the God awful ending in the last season came back playing in my head. What I hated the most was the death of Pyrrha and the sinking of Arkos. That was one of the most important reasons I loved the series.

This isn't the original idea I had. Not even close. I have written a similar chapter out already, but just to vent my frustration and ideas.

Frustration for two reasons. One. I'm still mad about the finale of Season 3. I don't why, but I don't take peace with it. It doesn't add up.

Two. I had two weeks of holiday at my place. I wrote quite a lot of chapters. I have updated two stories and I spent two days of full writing. I haven't got a single review on them.

That really ticked me off.

So that's the other reason.

Sorry for the rant up there. Not the greatest way to start a story, but I really needed that.

As for this story.

I chose Jaune to change as changing him, changes the whole plotline. It's weird that he as deuteragonist is the one who can change a lot in the plot. That's why I chose him to alter. I got inspired by a few other fics like Journey: Path of Hero, Stand and Fight!, Grimm may cry or the Kings's Heir.

All great fics who altered Jaune a lot. Now for my try.

Like you read above in the summary, I made a mercenary of Jaune. Why? Well, because for some reason, I like the idea behind it. It's not the first time I used a mercenary in a story. Just the first canon one.

Jaune won't be a super dark or a gun blazing idiot. He will be more the type of guy who just did what he had to do. He is troubled by it, but I'm not the type of writer that will go all emotional on that. I'm not easy with that. It will have some mentions in it who will talk about it.

If you can say something, he'll be similar to Blake who has a realistic view on the world of Remnant, but unlike the Faunus, he has the idea he can change things. Not for the whole world, but at the very least for himself and for those around him.

Unlike most Hunters, Jaune will have little problem with taking a life. For him, killing humans is no different from killing Grimm. He reasoned you take a life. No matter what kind of living thing it was.

He'll also be using an assault rifle instead of a sword. Why? Because I'm more fond of guns as the idea of making a mercenary comes from the unhealthy amount of shooters I play. Don't worry. He'll have a melee fighting style. I am not saying I would stay with that. Things can pop up and go down.

If you didn't catch my rant in the beginning, this story will have a Massive Arkos from the begin. I think Pyrrha as champion will have some nice effects for him as Weiss is actually more a tsundere in my idea. Not like the canon Jaune, but at other points.

Also, because Jaune hasn't stayed at a school or even one of the cities, he'll treat Pyrrha as a normal person.

Now, sorry for the rant and long explanation, but I needed that. I got the comment I write a little darker than the canon. We'll see how this turns out.

Jaune was walking through the city. It had been months since he'd turned up in Vale. He was glad to be somewhat back in the city as it felt like home to him. Stupid idea. He didn't have a home. He moved from place to place.

After all, that was his job. The seventeen-year-old had everything to become a hero, but instead he wasn't. He wasn't even an anti-hero. No; Jaune was a mercenary.

It was a terrible job to have with lots of risks. Even at his age, the amount of things he did was something nobody should do. He didn't care. For him, it was easy.

I just do what they ask me to as good as I can. That's all.

He had no remorse nor pride for the lives he took. Be it to wipe out a Grimm nest on behalf of a village because he was the only one who could fight, or to annihilate a White Fang base, he did it.

He was just good at his job. And it was his job that had brought him here.

Not that Jaune wanted to do this for his entire life, but at this point he didn't have a choice. Besides, why should he stop? If he stopped, things would be set in motion. Things he'd rather avoid. Not because it would kill a lot of people. No. But because his life would become more difficult than it already was.

He couldn't help but think like that. Nothing and no one in this world gave a care about him. Why should he care? And becoming a Huntsmen? No. Too many restrictions, not enough freedom. He didn't care about all that.

The idea played in the back of his mind, but who would take such a notorious killer on as student?

On his back, his weapon was strapped. It was a weird type of rifle. Unlike most weapons, it didn't have a closed up form. It was a rifle, and that was the end of it. Jaune found it somewhere on a mission and from then on, he'd been using it.

The thing he liked about the rifle was its reliability. Nowhere in the world was a similar kind of gun that could withstand the things Jaune experienced. He'd been using the rifle for nearly five years and it still hadn't lost its efficiency. It had a rugged design: a wooden butt and he could attach a bayonet to it when he wanted to fight melee. Not that it often happened, but he could use it to perform take downs.

He walked aimlessly around until he heard some shots. Couldn't be good, and that explained why someone wanted him here. Supposedly, someone gave him quite some cash to take care of Roman Torchwick. Jaune knew who he was.

A top criminal and someone who earned his own personal grudge. Jaune had seen him escaping a few times.

This time, he would end up dead.

The mercenary began to run. He would find it. This game would end now. What Jaune didn't expect was seeing a girl with a scythe – a weapon as unique as Jaune's – taking care of a few goons. She looked like she could handle herself, so Jaune just took his rifle from his back, hid behind the corner and used his sight as he preferred that over a scope to scan for his target.

He found the criminal soon enough. There was one problem. The girl was standing in the flight path of his bullets. While Jaune didn't actually care about lives, he had that certain code that forbade him to kill civilians or those who weren't involved in the world he was in.

So Jaune waited and saw how the criminal ran away after he'd fired a shot at the girl. Jaune ran to him, breaking off the criminal's path. Roman's eyes went wide as he recognised the hoodie.

"You?!" he spoke out in fear and surprise.

Jaune just aimed his rifle at the man's head. "You better accept the offer. See you in Hell if that exists."

His hold on the trigger increased, but before he could actually pull it, something flew in his way. The girl that had been fighting Torchwick got after them. Roman managed to avoid her, but Jaune wasn't so lucky. The girl wore a hoodie like him and was dressed in red and black. It reminded of his own style of clothes.

Roman could kill the mercenary, but he knew Jaune would beat his shots, which meant he would just waste his time. So he quickly went up the ladder and went to up the roof. Jaune was struggling with the girl. Clearly, she didn't notice him before as she was as surprised as him.

"Get off me," she said in a high pitched voice.

Jaune's eyes twitched. That girl had gotten in his way twice in only five minutes. Most people would have been dead by now, but she wasn't one of those. He couldn't get away with it. So he pushed the girl (softly) off him while giving her a glare. She tensed up and got up as well. Jaune could just see Roman's feet.

"Fuck. How the hell do I get up there?"

The girl felt bad for him, so she got an idea. "Hold on tight," she spoke while she turned her weapon upside down.

"What the damn hell do you think you're going to DOOOOOOO?" he shouted while she fired a shot and the two landed on the roof. Jaune could just see Roman at the ship.

"Well, Red. Meet my old friend. And now it's the end of the line." He threw a dust vital to him. Jaune knew what was going to happen, so he pulled Ruby aside by her hoodie. "Wow, thanks for that." She spoke in slight awe.

Jaune just shot her a dead look and took his rifle back on. He aimed for the criminal, having the fear his bullets wouldn't hit him. Before he could shoot, the girl stood in his way.

"You cannot shoot him. He is a human."

Jaune would shoot in her face, he didn't care. But for some reason, he couldn't. Not wit her present. But for someone like Roman he didn't care.

Roman shot again at the two, but this time, the teens were shielded by someone. A woman stopped the bullet by using a glyph. It looked like she was trained for it as she used her crop to make a glyph.

She made a 'hmph' and focused back on the ship. She launched several attacks on the ship, causing Ruby to look in awe, but Jaune had the feeling this was going to get him back. He hated when the authorities meddled in his work.

She then launched a storm at it. Jaune couldn't believe it. He'd heard of things like this happening, but he couldn't care. He would sneak out, but if he tried the woman would flare him.

After that, a new person was standing at the plane, replacing the criminal. Jaune had just the time to see some fire coming down on them. For the first time in his life, he couldn't return fire.

The floor beneath them went red and by pushing Ruby aside, the two women could avoid it. Jaune's instincts were more developed than those of most Huntsmen, so he could avoid it by simply jumping aside.

They looked at the attacks on the ship who were fended up and the ship flew away. Ruby fired at them, but the bullets were deflected. Jaune would have done the same if that woman hadn't been around. After that, the ship flew off. Jaune joined the two and he spat on the ground. He'd hoped he could kill Roman this time. Now, that chance was lost.

The girl looked back to the woman. "You must be a Huntress. Can I have your autograph?"

Jaune just face-palmed. How old was this girl? Mentally if he wanted to be sure.

It didn't take long before the girl and boy were taken away. Jaune wanted to protest, but he knew better than to speak. He nodded and followed them.

"I hope you realize that your actions tonight, young lady," the Huntress said to Ruby, who was now feeling down for the things she did. She sat down in a metal chair while Jaune was leaning at the farthest wall. She shot a hopeful look at Jaune who just ignored her and looked away. He wouldn't help her. She fucked up his mission and he wasted his time with this mess.

"And you." The woman looked at him. "Where did you think you had the right of fighting that man?"

Jaune shrugged. "I don't need a right like that. I don't have anyone to answer to. Especially not the likes of you." It was met by a slap on his cheek. It burned, but not for long. Jaune was used to a whole lot more of violence. This was a nuisance.

The woman sighed and turned her attention "Well if it was up to me, you would be sent home with a pat on the back." This caused Ruby to smile, but it soon disappeared due to the words and actions that followed.

"And a slap on the wrist." She immediately hit the table, causing Ruby to yelp. Jaune didn't care. If he could get out it was for the best. How sooner, how better. "But there is someone here who would like to meet the two of you."

She stood up and a man appeared. The man had white hair, a pair of glasses and his clothes were a mix of green and black. Jaune had a hard time believing someone like the man he saw would be in the same room as Jaune.

He carried a plate with cookies and a cup. Jaune hadn't gotten a meal since last morning, but extensive training helped with dealing with petty urges like hunger.

"Ruby Rose," he spoke to the younger girl, getting her attention. "You have silver eyes." The boy didn't care about the sentence. After all, legends weren't true at all. You could do some things yourselves. Before she could react, a screen was posted up, showing her skills as a warrior. "Where did you learn to do this?"

The girl smiled. "Signal academy."

Jaune had heard of the school. A kind of prep school where children got taught by teachers for the higher schools like Beacon. Jaune looked back to the three. If that was the best they had at Signal, then he thanked his life. He was much stronger, better and more prepared for fights than they would ever get in those schools.

"They taught you to use one of most dangerous weapons ever designed?"

Jaune grinned. Dangerous? Don't make him laugh. His weapon was much more dangerous. But yeah, his weapon was unknown.

"Well, it was one teacher in particular," she told the man.

"I see," the man replied. "It's just that I've only seen one other scythe wielder of that skill before. A dusty, old crow." He wandered back in his mind.

Jaune thought on the words. Crow? Jaune put his finger before his chin. He had met a Huntsman going by that name. It was one of the few times he met a Huntsman that didn't try to kill him.

So Jaune didn't do the same thing and they had an awkward truce.

"Oh, thash muh unkel!" she exclaimed with a mouth full.

"Don't talk with your mouth full!" Jaune shouted at the girl, getting the attention back to him.

"Sorry. That's my Uncle Qrow, he's a teacher at Signal! I was complete garbage before he took me under his wing. Now I'm all like…" She started making ninja noises and movements with her hands as though she was one.

"So I've noticed. And what is an adorable girl such as yourself doing at a school designed to train warriors?"

Jaune couldn't help but mock the man. This girl, a warrior? Maybe in skill, but in her head she was a goddamn kid. He couldn't believe it. She wielded a weapon like that but acted like a fucking child. He was maybe two years older than her, but his mind was like that of a mercenary. He fought and was serious in his ways.

"You want to slay monsters?" Jaune raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah! I only have two more years left of training at Signal, and then I'm going to apply to Beacon. You see, my older sister is starting there this year and she's trying to become a huntress. And I'm trying to become a huntress so I can help people, and my parents always taught us to help others, so I thought, 'Hey, I might as well make a career out of it!' I mean, the police are alright, but Huntsmen and Huntresses are just so much more romantic and exciting and really, gosh! You know!?"

"Do you know who I am?" the man asked the girl. Even Jaune who lived most of his life outside the Kingdoms knew who the man was.

"You're Professor Ozpin. You're the headmaster at Beacon."

"Hello," he said for a proper introduction.

"It's nice to meet you," she said.

"Do you want to go to my school?"

"More than anything." The woman turned away. Ruby was about ready to scream.

"But before we can go further into the matter… Please, miss Goodwitch, can you please escort miss Rose out?" Ozpin cut her off and got the gratitude of the three men. "I need to have a discussion with this gentleman."

Jaune scoffed at the way Ozpin described him. The girl was escorted out and Jaune took her seat. He stripped his weapon off his back and looked the man in the eyes.

Ozpin didn't know what he saw.

Jaune's eyes were that of every normal teenager, but they lacked the brightness so evident in Ruby's. Jaune's mouth wasn't drawn in a scowl, but more in a neutral line. Ozpin guessed that he was holding himself back. Over Jaune's right cheek, he could spot a nasty scar.

The man sighed. "Do you know who I am?"

Jaune nodded. "Of course. Like that kid pointed out. You're professor Ozpin, headmaster of Beacon."

Ozpin could taste some respect for him. As he knew what type of kid Jaune was, that he got respect from him was a lot. "Do you know why you are here?"

Jaune shook his head. "I have some ideas. But please enlighten me, I don't know what I should say," Jaune told the man.

"I know who you are, Jaune Arc." Jaune nodded. "Well, I have heard stories of you, mister Arc. A mercenary who didn't have a record on anything. Your past is a blur. Eight years and suddenly you appear. A guy, a child if I may be so blunt, on par with most of the best-trained Huntsmen. While you aren't a wanted criminal, you surely are a mystery."

Jaune shrugged and looked back. "Why are you keeping me here?"

Ozpin sighed. "I know a lot about you, despite everything I just said, Jaune, and you impress me. I have never seen a man – human nor Faunus – develop a style that can be used to hold yourself against many opponents, as well as be usable against man and Grimm."

"So it's safe for me to assume that you know I have taken human lives. For the record, I never kept count. That's not good for your sanity or your conscious. If I had that in any case."

Ozpin sighed. "True, but the circumstances were unclear, so the most of your actions are unknown."

Jaune pulled his hands together. "Why did you want me here? And why did you keep me here?" He was fed up with this game. He didn't like games like these. In his world, why is a question you don't ask. But information is something valuable. "Mister Ozpin. Tell me what you want of me and we'll discuss the matter further. I may look like and I certainly have the age of a kid, but I can assure you that I have done a lot of things that are beyond my age. Actually, things nobody should do."

Ozpin sighed. "Jaune, would you like to join my school?" The question was open. Suddenly, Jaune knew why he was here.

"To become a Huntsmen and fight for a Kingdom that left me to rot?! No, I kindly thank you!"

Ozpin rubbed his temples. Jaune's anger was justified, that was something Ozpin couldn't deny.

"Jaune, I know that life hasn't been fair to you, but at this rate, your life will end earlier than you think. And I believe that if you stay at my school, you will find a better purpose. I may tell you that Huntsmen can work as a freelancer. It wouldn't be any different than your current work. In the end, it's legal and it might give you a way to deal with your past. At least consider it."

Jaune sighed and complemented his options. He wouldn't have to sleep in the streets anymore, not that it is such an issue he could eat three times a day, he finally had some time to learn about the world instead of shooting it. With his last task, which he fucked up thanks to a scythe wielder, on the streets he wouldn't live long enough with his employers showing up. And his search would go easier.

"Fine. I'll accept. Can I ask you to disclose the information to your staff and give them the order not to tell any student. Also, if something of my past comes to bite me back, do you mind if I take care of it personally?"

Ozpin sighed. Jaune would be an extremely good hunter, at least. As the four years could change his mind-set.

"Very well. Those conditions are acceptable. In the coming hours, a ship will come and it will bring you to Beacon. Oh, and Jaune. Where did you get your weapon from?"

Jaune took it. "I don't know. I only know it doesn't have a closed up form, using the regular dust rounds, but it can only use its own magazines. I only have seven of them. After that, I'm dry and I have to put the bullets manually back in. I can use it for melee as well, like you pointed out in my own style."

The man nodded and Jaune left. In this morning, Jaune got himself a proper life. Maybe the idea of becoming a Huntsman wasn't such a bad thing.

The next morning, Jaune fell asleep on the ship. He knew he would get sick, so he slept through it. Unfortunately, someone decided he couldn't sleep. His rifle was sitting between his legs, but it was taken away. His reflexes were very sharp and he made a fist, ready to punch the same girl that had fucked up his life.

Their eyes met and Ruby was shocked by the high dose of killing intent. She had her hands on Jaune's weapon.

Jaune didn't know what he should do, but his reflexes told him to duck. He avoided a fist that was aimed at him. If that had hit him, even he would have problems. He looked up and saw a blond girl standing. She was older, had a leather jacket on, and her assets were hard to ignore.

"Get your hands of my sister!"

Jaune glared at her. "Fine, if you tell her to get her hands of my weapon!" He pointed at the rifle Ruby still had in her hands. She looked at it and grinned sheepishly.

"Ah, haha, sorry," she spoke and she threw it back at Jaune. He caught it and put the weapon on his back. He was still glaring at her, causing Ruby to gulp. "I just wanted to see it."

Jaune sighed. "You just had to ask. I don't like it when people take things that are mine."

The blond girl put her hands on her hips. "Sorry, my little sister is a bit of a weapon freak. Who are you? Little sis here told me that you helped her at the robbery."

Jaune shrugged. "My name is Jaune Arc. Who are you? I caught Ruby's name with Ozpin."

The girl smiled. "I'm Yang. Yang Xiao Long. Ruby's older sister."

Jaune raised an eyebrow on the name difference but decided to ignore it. "Nice to meet you." He sat down and saw Ruby coming at him with her eyes sparkling.

"Hey, hey. What kind of weapon is that?"

Jaune sighed and showed it to her.

"It's a mid-range assault rifle I found somewhere on my journeys. It's my most preferred weapon. I can use it for long range , but I don't like that. It contains thirty rounds and you can only use it by using these cartridges." Jaune unloaded it. "It has a ridiculous high fire output and reliability. It's also useable in melee."

Yang crossed her arms. "How'd you do that? Using a gun like that as melee."

Jaune turned back to her.

"You'll find out," he said.

"What's its name?" Ruby asked him. Jaune thought about it.

"Kalash."

"Kalash?" Ruby and Yang said.

"I don't know. Look." He waved at Ruby to come closer. "There." He pointed above the trigger. And indeed, just the words 'Kalash' were visible. "I don't know the entire name and I have travelled it, but nobody has ever seen a weapon like it."

Before they heard the news changing.

Something of the White Fang. Jaune had a hard time killing them. Faunus were subjected to second class citizens. While Jaune had an absolute hate for people who treated Faunus like trash, he had a similar drive towards the White Fang. Just because injustice happened to you still didn't mean you were allowed to use violence.

But Jaune realised how hypocritical he was. He used the same excuse to kill those very Faunus. After that, the screen changed and the woman that had interrogated them – as a lack of a better term – got up. Jaune looked outside, not interested in the crap they would shove him up. He thanked his training to himself; he would use his skill only for himself.

"My name is Glynda Goodwitch. You are among a privileged few who have received the honour of being selected to attend this prestigious academy! Our world is experiencing an incredible time of peace and as future Huntsmen and Huntresses, it is your duty to uphold it. You have demonstrated the courage needed for such a task, and now it is our turn to provide you with the knowledge and the training to protect our world."

For Jaune, who saw the world as it was, he knew better than to believe the crap. He twisted his bayonet. Maybe he could pick up a few other things that he could actually use.

The ships landed and they finally could get out. Jaune was never good with dealing with these. He travelled around the world with just his own two feet. He preferred it. He had to get used to his feet standing on the floor again, so he pointed to Ruby and Yang to go on ahead.

The two were taken away by the sight of the whole school. The whole tower and everything else. Now, they were finally at school. Jaune caught up when Yang left Ruby, surrounded by her friends. The young girl fell down in a few suitcases and Jaune caught up.

"Did your sister just ditched you?" he asked her with a bemused tone.

The girl sighed. "Yeah. Hey, Jaune; what are you going to do?"

The mercenary shrugged. "Don't know. There got to be directions or something. Or stick around and I'll find us a way."

Before the two could leave, they heard a voice saying, "What are you two doing?"

They looked up and saw a girl, completely dressed in white with some marks of red. Even her hair was white. Her eyes were some light blue. Jaune might have found her attractive if it hadn't been for her personality. He had the idea he knew her or someone of her family.

"Sorry," Ruby reacted.

"Sorry? Do you have any idea of the damage you two could have caused? And why don't you say anything? You should apologise as well."

Jaune looked back. "Why? I haven't done anything and she apologised. Pipe down a notch for fuck's sake," He nearly growled at her. The girl took the suitcase.

"This is Dust. Mined and purified from the Schnee Quarry. What are you, brain dead?"

Jaune crossed his arms. He knew of the Schnee company. If that girl was the girl he thought she was, Jaune knew why she acted like that. Her father offered him a few times to work for the company, but Jaune always refused. Killing someone is one thing, but sending a message like what he always wanted was a bridge too far even for him.

"Fire, water, lightning, energy! Are you even listening, is any of this sinking in? What do you have to say for yourself?!"

Jaune saw her spreading the Dust in Ruby's nose, so he removed himself. Just in time, because Ruby sneezed and created some fire of her nose, literally exploding over the girl. Jaune covered his mouth and suppressed a snicker.

It served her right. She had no right to talk like that to Ruby. True, she was a nuisance, but still. You didn't deserve such a lecture. The alabaster girl glared at him. That glare didn't put Jaune off. No, he knew that he had seen scarier.

"Why are you laughing?"

The mercenary shrugged. "Because it's funny. Got what you deserved."

The girl was ready to explode. "Ugh. You complete dolt. What are you even doing here?" Turning back to Ruby, "Aren't you a little young to attend Beacon?"

Ruby looked at Jaune. He just shrugged but gave her some supportive looks. He wasn't the one for talking, so he held back. But it wouldn't take long before he would snap.

"This isn't your ordinary combat school, it's not just sparring and practise, you know. We're here to fight monsters, so watch where you're going."

Jaune had enough. He went to stand in her way, having her back to Ruby and his attention on the girl.

"She said she was sorry. She didn't know of the materials you were carrying. For your information, you were the one who was sprinkling her in Dust, making her sneeze and you got back what you deserved. It's been enough! Stop before I really get angry!"

The girl was taken aback by the sheer rudeness of him. "Excuse me? Do you have any idea to who're you talking?"

Jaune crossed his arms. "No, should I?"

Before she could react, another voice came out. Jaune turned around and almost, for some reason, he felt the need to grab on to Kalash but held it in.

"Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust company." Jaune knew he was right. "One of the largest producers of energy propellants in the world."

The new person was dressed in white and black and wore a bow on her head. Just like Jaune, her weapon was stretched to her back. She had black hair and ember eyes.

"Finally, some recognition." Weiss had a look of pride on her face.

"The same company infamous for its controversial labour force and questionable business partners."

Jaune knew it. One of the other reason he didn't like working with Schnee was this. Making profit was one thing, but exploiting your workers was something else.

"How dare you? The nerve of?"

Jaune gave the new girl an approving nod. Weiss took the bottle and left.

"I'll promise I make this up to you!" Ruby shouted after the Schnee heiress. After that, she turned to the other girl, but that one had already left as well. She fell down. Her sister had left her and she'd exploded someone. "Can this get worse?" she whined.

Jaune sighed and looked at her. He offered her a hand. "Hey, I'll help you up."

The scythe wielder nodded and took it. She couldn't believe that Jaune had such strength. "Thanks, Jaune."

The boy shrugged. "No problem. You were funny there." She gave him a punch on his arm. "Hey, I showed my weapon, but what's yours? I saw you fighting." Ruby gave him a smile. "Besides a scythe, what is it? You could shoot with it."

Her smile widened. "It's also a customizable, high impact velocity sniper rifle," she explained.

"Cool." Was Jaune's only reaction.

"Hey, Jaune. I forgot to ask. Can't you modify Kalash?"

He shook his head. "Nah. If I do, it will ruin the gun's output and it took a long time before I got even used to it. Now I can use it to its fullest potential, I'll stay with the way it's now. So I don't use it like that. I don't even have a scope."

Ruby looked surprised. "How do you aim then?"

He pointed at two metal rings. "I prefer iron sights, Ruby. I don't think I'm the only one preferring these."

Ruby looked awestruck. "Wow. Hey, where did you find it?"

Kalash was slung on its wielder shoulders. "That's a long tale, Ruby."

The girl got an idea. "Hey, how about a race?"

She ran away with Jaune just making a shrug. He followed her by foot. He wasn't interested in making an effort. Ruby got there first, looking back at Jaune. He had the idea where he had to go because of his life outside. Picking up traces was easy for him. After that, he got in the room where the rest of the school was assembled.

He saw Ruby waving at him, standing next to Yang. Unfortunately, the girl who had been mouthing them before did the same thing. "Yeah, and we can braid each other's hair like rugged, scarred and rude over there."

Jaune crossed his arms and went to stand in her way, but before he could open his mouth, he was cut off.

Ozpin began his speech, "I'll... keep this brief. You have travelled here today in search of knowledge, to hone your craft and acquire new skills, and when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose, direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step."

He left and Glynda took over. "You will gather in the ballroom tonight. Tomorrow, your initiation begins."

"Well, that was really motivating," Jaune summarised before he turned to Weiss. "So what was that?" he asked about her earlier comment, causing Weiss to gulp leave. He looked to the sisters. "See you later," he said when he removed himself.

He took out his armour and put Kalash in his locker together with the magazines. He got his hoodie out and wore his shirt at to sleep in. His shirt had no sleeves and his scars were for the world to view. They didn't even hide the scars on his upper back. He went into the room and saw Ruby writing and Yang next to her.

"What are you doing, Ruby?" the older girl asked her sister.

"Writing a letter to my friends at Signal. I promised to tell them all about Beacon and how things are going."

Yang sighed, "Aw, that's cute."

Ruby sighed, "Yang, stop." She began to find it annoying.

"Yeah, but you have to make your own friends. What about the guy in the airship?"

Ruby shrugged. "I don't know. I think he's a good guy, but a bit of a loner. Besides, I'm pretty sure that dad wouldn't approve of the co-ed situation."

Yang purred. "I know I do."

She looked around at the boys in their underwear before the two saw Jaune standing with a neutral look on. Both gulped. Jaune was well built, looked good and had some kind of bad boy appearance with his sleeveless shirt. His scars were for the world to see, but he couldn't care. They suited him for some reason. He gave them a nod and went to take his spot.

Glad that he could sleep in a real bed or inside for the past four months, he took his spot. He hoped he could shut his eyes soon, but saw Ruby, Yang, Weiss and that girl from the landing bickering. He walked to them, gave his best glare and tapped Weiss and Yang on the shoulder. The four gulped, the new one included.

"Look. Can you keep this conversation for tomorrow? I'm really fucking tired and you guys are keeping me awake. I'm getting annoyed. So get in your sleeping bags now!"

The three were gone in a flash.

"Sorry." He looked back the girl reading her book. "I didn't want to interrupt you, but I'm really tired."

The girl nodded. She wore some kind of yukata if Jaune wasn't mistaken. "No, it's okay. I understand. Do you want me to blow out the candle?"

Jaune shook his head. "I slept through a lot, so no. But thanks for the offer." He gave her a nod.

"Wait." He looked back at her. "What's your name?"

Jaune cast a look over his shoulder. "Jaune. Jaune Arc. Yours?"

"Blake Belladonna."

The boy nodded and went to his bed.

It has been a weird and long day for Jaune. Maybe this place wasn't so bad.

He couldn't mistake someone was looking at him for some reason, but in this room, that was like looking for a needle in a high stack. He closed his eyes and fell asleep.

The next morning, most students were up in time, Jaune included. He didn't sleep very deep, but at least he'd had one of his better nights. He went to get Kalash, but his route was blocked by Weiss.

She was currently talking to another girl. A red-haired student with armour on. A bit similar to his own. He didn't know why, but something in him was stirred up. The girl saw him and if his instincts weren't leaving him, he saw her eyes getting some light. He went to tap Weiss on her shoulder. The girl turned around and gulped when she saw Jaune.

"Why do I catch you in my ways?" he said in a rough voice. "Good morning," he added in a softer tone.

"Ugh, you. Why are you here?"

Jaune sighed and opened his locker.

"Because my weapons and equipment are stored in here." The other girl looked a bit surprised as Jaune took up his armour and was busy strapping it on. He looked up to her. It was like she was dreaming away. He smiled and waved at her.

"Eh, hello," he said while ignoring Weiss. It was like she snapped out of her stupor.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Good morning."

He smiled and went back to his locker room.

"Jaune," Weiss addressed him. The mercenary took his knee protectors and looked at her.

"What is it, Ice Queen?" he asked a bit more annoyed.

"This is Pyrrha Nikos."

Jaune shrugged at her antic. "Yeah so?" he asked Weiss a bit annoyed.

"She graduated at the top of her class at Sanctum!"

Jaune scratched his head and look at Pyrrha. "Doesn't ring a bell," he said in some kind of apologetic tone to the girl. Pyrrha had the idea he meant that only for her.

"She won the Mistral Tournament four times in arrow, a new record," Weiss went on.

Jaune shrugged. "Never heard of it. Nor do I gave a care" he spoke faster.

If Jaune would break Weiss, he really did a good job.

"She's on the front of every Pumpkin Pete's Marshmallow Flakes box!"

Jaune took Kalash and strapped on his back. "Eh, look. Not that I want to sound stupid, but I have lived most of my life outside the Kingdoms. What is cereal? In my life, you eat the remains of your dinner as breakfast."

Weiss had no idea how to react, but Pyrrha got in her way. She had some smile on her face and looked up and down.

"Your name is Jaune, right?"

The guy nodded.

"Yep. Full name is Jaune Arc. Do you know where the initiations are? I have not a clue."

She smiled and showed him the way. "Hey, Jaune. Why don't you fold up your weapon?"

Jaune gave her a small smile and a shrug. "Can't do that. Kalash has only one form. The one you see. The weapon is just too good for me to choose another one."

Pyrrha crossed her arms. "That's interesting."

Jaune scratched over his neck. "So you won a tournament four times. Wow. Must have been hard."

Pyrrha smiled. "Yeah, but it was fun."

They left Weiss behind who was trying to get in her head what just happened.

Okay. This was quite a trip writing. I really enjoyed it, working with and trying a bit out. Why I did this?

Well, I don't know. Because I was bored or pissed or something like it. And that's why I made this.

As for the title. Mercenary of no kingdom. It's inspired by a song of Sabaton. Soldier of three armies.

It has some elements I will imply in this.

As for Jaune's weapon. For those who have guessed I'd use an AK-47, you're right. I'm a fan of these weapons in video games and I just like them. That's all. And because fighting melee with a rifle is something different.

Who can guess about who I based Jaune's preference for an iron sight? It's a person of this world.

If you want me to publish my tryout chapter I wrote a few days ago, just let me know in the reviews or at a poll on my profile.

Sorry to put this up to vent me, but hey. I think it's decent enough to publish.

I have to thank Caroline98 for reading through this chapter as beta reader. I owe you one.

Saluut.