Shout out to kingsguardian12 for letting me use his OC Alister Kurokoko and for the inspiration for this story. Also fair warning I'm going to be making some speculations on discrimination based on sexuality in Remnant this chapter. Beta read by Khor Evik Vlakhavlakh. I do not own RWBY or the Nasuverse.

Chapter 1: The Cards We Are Dealt

Jaune slammed his fist against a tree deep in the Emerald Forest; the bark breaking around his fist. Anger had long since overridden the despair and sorrow that he had felt since he had been called into Ozpin's office. It would have hurt less if he hadn't seen it coming. Ever since they had met Alister Kurokoko month ago his friends had slowly been shoving him aside.

'I thought that they actually cared.' Jaune snorted at that. Things had been tense after he revealed his transcripts; only the fact Blake's past deeds was worse kept Weiss, Yang, or Blake herself from turning him in. Yet as the months passed and he made a decent showing in the first two rounds of the Festival he thought they had forgiven him or at least accepted him; he wouldn't say he was close with the three of them but they no longer excluded him on principle. Yet than Alister showed up.

Alister was from Haven, apparently the numbers ended up with him being the odd one out. The Headmaster of Haven therefore arranged for him to transfer to Beacon to gain some new experiences to make up for his lack of teammates. Jaune himself had welcomed the boy with open arms and so did the rest of the gang; Alister had taken to the group like a fish into water. The black-haired boy got along with everyone; everyone but the knight. Jaune didn't see it at first but two weeks into Alistair's stay and it became clear that the transfer student aimed to replace Jaune and he was successful.

Slowly but surely Jaune found himself shoved aside for Alister. WBY was easily foreseeable; Jaune had only made bad impressions on them and they never forgot the idiotic pick-up lines, the air-sickness, or his initial weakness. Alistair in comparison was a strong guy who was willing to pun with Yang, discuss business-related stuff that went over most people's head with Weiss, or talk about various ways to advocate for Faunus Rights with Blake. Jaune could understand those three, he could deal with it. It hurt but compared to the other four it was a minor sting.

Nora, practically a ninth sister after his blood-kin and Terra, moved Alister up to the title of second favorite guy after it was revealed he could make amazing pancakes and high-level explosives. His willingness to go along with her antics was just a cherry on top. The Valkyrie could then be found talking Alistair's ear of whenever Ren was busy, an honor that Jaune had once held with pride.

Ren had been the member of the JNPR that took his transcripts the worst but Jaune had felt that a fight between them, aka Ren beating the crap out of him once, had solved their issues and that they had truly become brothers since then. Apparently that was one-sided as Ren took to spending as much time as he could with Alistair to discuss aura manipulation and various herbal remedies. The two could be found meditating, something that Jaune tried and failed to truly get into. Than finally he lost Ruby and Pyrrha, the two he was closest to gone.

Ruby; the girl that was his first friend at Beacon. The girl that had stood by him at all times and helped him through so many rough patches and who he had helped nearly as many times, his fellow leader who had promised to stand by his side as they made their teams two of the greatest in Beacon's history. She stuck by him at first, spending more time with him than Alistair yet slowly that changed. More and more often she would be discussing weapons with Alistair, going over complex forging methods or possible upgrades for everyone else's weapons alongside their own. Jaune noted his was never brought up despite the numerous times Ruby had at one point begged to do something with Crocea Mors. And when Alistair made her apparently divine cookies Ruby was lost to him, despite her assurances they were still friends, that he was still her greatest 'guy-friend' Jaune knew they were empty words.

Pyrrha, his partner, his teacher, the first person to ever believe he had potential. She was the one to awaken his aura, to train him, to give him some actual confidence. Ever since the dance, ever since he got over his childish infatuation with Weiss, he had begun to fall for his partner. He had even been deluded enough to believe Pyrrha had felt something more for him than mere comradery and familial bonds. Now such a thought made him scoff; Pyrrha had clearly just been keeping up appearances or some such thing. With every one of their friends that began to favor Alistair Pyrrha had begun to spend more time with the transfer student and less time with her partner.

On top of that Alistair began to flirt with Pyrrha, began to court the champion with what was eerily a more streamlined and polished version of the way Jaune attempted to win Weiss's affections. Jaune watched as Alistair constantly made Pyrrha's cheeks red, as he won the champions heart over. When the two became a couple Jaune accepted it, realizing he lost his chance. It hurt, it hurt more than any other failure in his life ever had. True his partner had promised she'd still spend time with him but it knew that was a lie even before the first time she cancelled a training session.

Everything led up to this morning when he found himself in Ozpin's office and listening to his team make an argument to replace him with Alistair. To his horror Ozpin's initial denial provided the knowledge that this wasn't the first time such a notion had been brought up, that this was the third time they had argued for Alistair to take his place.

"Jaune simply has no aptitude for this lifestyle and will never make it as a Huntsman." Gone was the belief Pyrrha had once had in him; or perhaps it had never existed.

It touched Jaune that Ozpin stood up for him, that he defended the boy that had faked his way into the man's academy. He was just as shocked at Goodwitch's defense of him, the woman had made no secret of her dislike for him and he was surprised she wasn't on NPR's side. The fact the combat instructor said he had a great deal of potential filled him with warmth.

In the end Jaune decided to save everyone the trouble and relinquished his position on JNPR once it's former members said they'd transfer to Haven to form a team with Alistair with team RWBY most likely following them. Ozpin had actually looked nervous at that and Jaune knew why. JNPR and RWBY were the first two first-year teams to make it to the finals of the Vytal Festival since team STRQ. On top of that each team contained members whose backgrounds and popularity could cause problems for Beacon if they all left.

Pyrrha Nikos, enough said.

Ren and Nora had become a rags to riches success story thanks to some vultures in the media digging up their pasts after their success in the Festival and discovering what happened to their hometown. Apparently they had provided a major inspiration to those that lacked the means to easily gain the training and equipment to enter a combat school.

Weiss Schnee, also one who needed no further explanation.

Blake Belladonna, while he wasn't the smartest or the most knowledgeable Jaune had actually recognized her last name as the leader of Menagerie thanks to knowing a former Fang member from his hometown that left once Ghira stepped down. Admittedly he didn't realize she was his daughter at first but it wasn't like he knew what the man looked like or if he even had a family. If she left it would be a powerful statement about Beacon's relationship with Faunus even if Blake didn't advertise her species.

No, better he bow out than cost Ozpin seven amazingly talented students and give him a whole lot of PR problems. After relinquishing his position he gave Ozpin and Goodwitch his thanks and walked into Ozpin's elevator. Once the doors closed he collapsed down and cried at the turn of events; he had pulled himself together by the time he reached the ground and rushed over to the room that once belonged to JNPR and packed a rucksack of essentials. He jotted down a quick note to his family explaining what happened that he stuck in a mailbox on his way to his locker to get his armor and weapon.

Oum, just as he was finally repairing things with his family. It wasn't that they were bad people, he knew they had always loved him and he them, but most of them didn't have the most flexible mindset. His sister Saphron was a perfect example, when she came out as being homosexual their parents didn't take too kindly to it as they held the typical view that most people not living in the main areas of the kingdom take.

If it doesn't produce children a relationship is wrong. The concept was based on the high mortality rate that could befall these areas and it had been around for generations and with each generation its meaning had become more focused. Where once it meant that all relationships that didn't produce children improvements in science had led to the view now focusing solely on homosexual relationships. Such an idea held no water in the more populated areas but in areas with low to medium populations it was sadly common. In the end Saphron had eloped with her girlfriend Terra Cotta and moved to Argus leading to everyone else going there to work things out. It had taken time and effort but his parents had come around and welcomed Terra into the family.

This also applied to their belief he couldn't become a Huntsman and the steps they had taken to ensure he never did. They purged their house of all but the most generalized information of the trade and any mention of aura, they threatened the local library to keep similar materials away from him, the local blacksmith was told to never produce armor or weapons for him, anyone that could teach him anything of fighting was kept an arm's length away from him. The only reason they went along with his fake transcripts idea was because they expected him to be turned away or fail miserably.

Yet after the Vytal festival they called him up; true they attributed most of his team's success to the other three, which he agreed with, but they told him how proud they were of him. His father had promised to teach him a few tricks when he came back for a break, even if he said that it was so he would be of more use to his team. Now any progress made on enhancing their opinion of him would take a good hundred steps back.

As he was putting on his armor and strapping on his sword Ozpin had sent him a message saying that he was more than welcome to stay but understood why he wouldn't want to do that; therefore he would check with the other Headmasters to see if there was an open slot for him and would message him once he had something. Once more the Headmaster's belief in him touched Jaune and this time he let out a few tears at this. A second message from Goodwitch both praised him for his rapid improvement and admonished him for even coming to Beacon so unprepared before giving him the backhanded praise of 'succeeding where most everyone would fail' made it rather hard to dry his eyes. While it was kind of his teachers to look for another team for him to join Jaune doubted it would work out; once word got out his team and their sister team had blacklisted him no-one would touch him. His dream was unobtainable now, this had been a desperate last hope at reaching it and it was all for naught.

And that realization led him to the heart of the Emerald Forest. If his dream was dead, if he was going to leave in disgrace than he was going to prove even if just to himself that he had reached a level where he belonged at Beacon. It wasn't perfect but his self-made test was the best he could come up with on short-notice. He was going to redo the Initiation in a sense, there would be no relic this time merely getting to the ruins were the chess pieces once sat and making it back to Beacon in one piece. Was it a bit in his favor after going through it once, yes it was but this time it was just him rather than a group of seven and one anchor. Going to the cliff and dropping his rucksack there he hopped on a launch pad and was flung into the Emerald Forest.

Landing was interesting this time, taking a straightforward approach Jaune just put his shield in front of him and rammed through everything, letting the shield and his aura take the damage. Once he hit the ground the Grimm were upon him, his emotions drawing them in despite his efforts to control them.

For once Jaune was grateful for the Grimm, cutting them down was therapeutic. All the anger and hate that had boiled below his other emotions, that had built up for months as he was systematically purged from his friends' lives, he could finally just let it go and release it at something. Grimm after Grimm came at him, mostly Ursa, Beowolfs, and Boarbatusk, and they all died. Yes, Jaune didn't come out unscathed but he took only minor injuries that healed soon after. Once he buried his sword in the skull of the last soulless monster his fist slammed into a tree.

Taking deep breaths, relying on the few meditation techniques that he had picked up from his brief foray into mediation with Ren he managed to calm himself down. Yes he had taken care of those Grimm just fine but they were grunts; no need to call some Alphas down upon him. Finding the old ruins was easier than he thought it would be after he stumbled upon the trail of broken trees that the Deathstalker from Initiation had left. Following the trail of destruction brought him to the ruins; more Grimm fell to his blade on the way. Jaune smiled to himself as he managed to continue to kill them without taking major injury but when he saw the ruins he frowned. In his mind it was too easy; the path created by the Deathstalker had made this test worthless.

The ruins that held the chess pieces still stood, Jaune had honestly thought the Deathstalker had destroyed them as it chased them. Jaune decided to take a closer look, bitter sweet though it may be this was still a place that he treasured.

"Huh? What are these?" Eight cards lay on the one of the pillars of the ruins; each one depicting a different figure. There was a sword-wielding knight, a spearman, an archer, a chariot-driver, what appeared to be an assassin holding two knives, a mage, a humanoid beast, and the last bore the image of a decrepit figure chained in a manner similar to the design of a straight-jacket. "Was Ozpin holding another test out here soon?" Jaune thought aloud before shrugging and pocketing the cards, he'd give them to Ozpin and ask him.

It was the sound that alerted him, that made him leap to the side as a drill rammed into the stone pillar behind him and turned it into rubble. If he hadn't have moved he would have been pinned, trapped as that weapon ate away at his armor and aura if it didn't break through them instantly. Jaune faced his attacker and fought the urge to rub his eyes.

Standing before him was a humanoid figure that at first thought would make you believe it was a Grimm if not for the lack of bone armor or glowing red marks and eyes. No this was like liquid darkness had been poured into a mold shaped like a well-built man. What he had thought was a drill was in fact a sword, clearly one built to work like a drill but the way the figure held it showed it was without a doubt a sword.

Jaune's quick deployment of his shield was what saved his life because the figure swung at him, its odd weapon spinning once more. Crocea Mor's shield, something that had never needed anything more than minor repairs at best in all the time he had used it, shattered on impact.

"GAAAAHHH!" Jaune screamed as he was launched back, his arm broken from the force of the blow and a few chunks of his shield stuck in his arm. By the time he hit the ground his aura had closed his wounds and forced the chunks of metal out as well as making sure his arm was more fractured than broken. The knight didn't stay on the ground for long as his attacker was on him again, swinging its blade up and catching him with the tip. Jaune's armor gained a nasty gash and his chest was cut into as he was sent flying once more, when he hit the ground he hacked up blood with his cry of pain. Crocea Mor's blade lay embedded in the ground out of his reach.

'So this is how it ends.' Jaune's head lolled to the side and took in his approaching killer as the creature flipped its weapon into a backwards grip. 'No-one is even going to know how I died, people will probably think I jumped and scavengers got the body.' His hands clenched into fists as he tried to rise, if he died here, if people thought he killed himself then that would just prove to them that Pyrrha was right, that he couldn't handle the life of a huntsman. The creature stood above him; the drill spinning so fast that you could see the air moving around it. It raised the weapon up, both hands on the handle to plunge the weapon down.

"No way, I refuse to die like this." Forcing his aura to spread throughout his body forced his body to rise and slammed his shoulder into the being. The humanoid didn't even budge; one hand moved down to grip his arm and throw him to the side. Jaune skidded on his back for a few yards before shakily climbing back to his feet. "I'm not going to die, not until…" Jaune's eyes gained a dark glare and a light emanated from his pocket. "… not until I prove everyone wrong!" His parents, his sisters, NPR and RWBY, all of them. He wanted … no needed to prove them wrong.

'Oh yeah! Now that's what I like to hear; tell them all where to stick it! Show them all just how great you are!" Jaune froze at the sound of that voice and then lunged to the side to avoid another blow. It was then he noticed the light coming from his pocket and pulled out the glowing card that depicted the knight. "Alright boy; let's call this a trial run. Show me what you can do with my power! Say the words and let's crush this guy!' Jaune looked at the card in shock before wincing in pain as two words were screamed in his mind.

"What the hell, let's try it. Install Saber!" Red Light emanated from the card, a gasp escaped Jaune as he felt a foreign energy flood his body. Visions flooded into his mind of a young girl desperately seeking her father's love; soaking herself in blood to prove her strength in her quest for approval. He saw her father deny her, saw her lead a bloody revolution, saw her father run her through with a lance. The creature charged him with that sword, a howl escaping it. Jaune reached out on instinct, his hands closing around a hilt materializing in the air. A name formed on the tip of his tongue.

"Mordred, LETS GO!"

! #%$!$ %$!

From his seat Kischur Zeltretch Schweinrog watched as his chosen entertainment called upon the power of a class card. The centuries old vampire smirked at the sight, truly the boy was going to be interesting.

Class Cards, such a wonderful yet terrifying invention. To allow one to claim the power of a heroic spirit was something to behold; it was why he confiscated as many as he could in every dimension that they popped up. One mishap could have a corrupted version of the spirt running amok just like the one that attacked the young Arc or they could possess a being and make them rampage. Sadly during his last raid, for lack of a better word, he had made to take them himself. That version of the Ainsworth family fought back and during the struggle the box holding the cards broke right as he made to leave the dimension.

Now those cards were scattered across this dimension, one of the Remnant timelines where two beings of divine power formed before the other gods could and stopped all the others from forming. On top of that True Magic ran wild for a time in this world before becoming scarce when the Brothers had their tantrum. Now only scattered pieces remained and any magic wielder was little more than a novice level magus, the majority only capable of bending the elements to their will.

Worlds such as these were abandoned by the "World"; no Counter-Guardian would ever set foot on it to help them, the inhabitants were left to whatever calamity befell them. That was why he chose to help this world once the cards fell into them.

Zeltretch may have cast aside his humanity long ago but he still had his moral as loose as they could be. He caused the problem so he would help fix it, even if he did so in such a way he would be sure to be entertained.

The obvious way to fight Class Cards was to use Class Cards, well that or a Kaleidostick but Jaune Arc, despite probably being willing to go along with transforming into a magical girl, had enough self-esteem problems without a magical wand insulting him.

Oh yes Zeltretch had already chosen Jaune Arc as the one to recover the cards after watching how impressive so many of his other selves were. Be they villain, psychopath, hero, ruler, or revolutionary Jaune Arcs had a tendency to leave a mark upon their world.

True the journey would be difficult and every third timeline saw Jaune dying during it but it was better than if he didn't intervene. If he didn't given the boy the Cards he would have died at this moment and even without cards if he did nothing Jaune Arc would not see the vast improvements he had made thanks to his extreme self-deprecation and low opinion of himself. At some point down the line he would kill himself; the time and method changed: hanging himself in a motel before returning home, walking off into Grimm-infested territory after returning home and fighting till he dies, or even just killing himself right there at the ruins but in the end it was inevitable that Jaune would die by his own hand.

'Yes, Jaune Arc is much better off as my helper/entertainment.' So Zeltretch had made his own set of class cards, ones that provided Jaune Arc a variety of skills that his tactical mind could make use of. These Cards were special however, normally when a Class Card was created the Heroic Sprit inside was stripped of their reason and ego in order to prevent them from possessing the user but this was also what made them so dangerous as if the Spirit manifested through possession or the construction of a body they would always rampage.

In Zeltretch's opinion this also decreased the amount of power one could get from a Card so he skipped that part and instead simply made sure the spirits used were ones that Jaune Arc could connect with or wouldn't cause him to many problems.

Mordred the Knight of Betrayal; the saber class servant. The child of King Arthur that craved her father's love and acceptance yet was denied it. Filled with self-hatred and loathing that she soon turned on the king; in her rage the Knight led a rebellion against her father and was struck down by the king but not before dealing a lethal blow herself.

Diarmuid Ua Duibhne; the lancer class servant. The twin spearman that was cursed with a magical love spot that made any woman that gazed upon it fall for him instantly. This led to a series of events that started with his king's fiancée falling for him and using a spell to make him run away with her to his tale ending with his king letting him die in a fit of hatred and betrayal. Despite all the suffering their actions caused him till the end the knight refused to feel any hatred for them.

Atalanta; the archer class servant. Abandoned by her father for being born a girl rather than a male heir to his throne, rescued by the Moon Goddess, making a name as one of the greatest hunters in all the lands, forced to marry by her father, tricked into marriage by a suitor and a cruel goddess of love despite her vow of Chasity to the Moon Goddess that saved her. Her distrust of men might be a problem at first but Zeltretch knew she would work with Jaune soon enough.

Medusa; the rider class servant. Cursed by a goddess that was jealous of her and her sisters' beauty Medusa and her sisters sought isolation. Yet despite that the gods sent 'heroes' to slay them and so Medusa killed those that came for her life, using her now-cursed eyes to turn them to stone. Eventually she was consumed by hatred and became a true monster that even killed her sisters. She was eventually killed by a hero. As a servant she was in the state she was right before madness consumed her. She would cause Jaune no problems however, Medusa was a Spirit that showed loyalty to her Master whenever summoned.

Kiritsugu Emiya; the assassin class servant. A man that wanted to save the world no matter the cost he steeled his heart and killed anyone that threatened the world no matter the cost. In his eyes ten innocent casualties were a worthwhile cost if a hundred more were saved. In the end his ideals betrayed him and he died cold alongside having accomplished nothing. His existence was an odd one; he was a Counter Guardian and yet he name had been etched into the Throne of Heroes after events that occurred in one dimension. His ideals would clash with Jaune but he would work alongside the boy if it saved lives.

Medea the Witch of Betrayal; the caster-class servant. Born a princess she was made to blindly love a traveling hero named Jason by the same goddess that later tricked Atalanta who at the time was a crew-member of Jason. Under the goddesses spell she not only helped Jason steal one of her countries greatest treasures but also killed her brother. Her magic was then used to secure Jason's spot on the throne but his crew betrayed both him and Medea unknowing of her lack of choice. Jason eventually wed another woman and in a fit of rage at his betrayal despite all she had done for him she appeared at his wedding and killed everyone but him before disappearing. Jaune's likeness to Jason would cause problems but as long as he was sincere with her he shouldn't have many problems with her. Maybe, honestly Zeltretch was hoping he did so that there would be some more entertainment.

Frankenstein; the berserker class servant. Created by a scientist that aimed to create life, tossed aside when she failed to meet his expectations, denied a mate by him, she chased her creator down after he fled when she killed those close to him before he died to deny his creation her wish. Frankenstein ended her life by burning herself on the pyre. Zeltretch smirked at the thought of this servant, if Jaune didn't watch himself he might find himself as Frankenstein's bridegroom.

And finally Edmond Dantes; the avenger class servant. Betrayed and unjustly imprisoned for fourteen years this man broke out and brought vengeance upon his betrayers, catching countless innocents in the crossfire. Zeltretch looked forward to seeing how the Avenger interacted with Jaune. Would he inflict his hatred of reality upon Jaune or would he be content to just support the boy?

Yes those eight servants would do just nicely for Jaune. He already had Mordred's interest if she was letting him use her power.

#$% #$

The creature that attacked Jaune swung once more but this time its blade was stopped by another. Jaune was now clad in the thick silver armor decorated with red highlights that had clad Mordred in his visions. His face was obscured by a thick helm with two gigantic horns sticking out of it; in his hands was Mordred's large two-handed silver blade that radiated power.

"Now then…" Jaune's voice was now overlapped with the one from the card "… payback time!" Right as he made this proclamation Jaune released one hand from his sword and used it to punch his attacker. The creature was sent flying from the blow and Jaune on it; tearing into it with his sword and making it screech in agony. Jaune snatched it by its head and slammed his armored knee into his opponent's gut.

"Not so fun when it's you, is it bastard?!" Jaune punctuated each word with another knee to the gut before throwing the creature away almost contemptuously. Red lightning began to dance across his blade as he pointed it towards his foe.

"CRIMSON LIGHTNING!" the lightning struck his opponent, sending it to the ground screeching. Once the lightning ended Jaune walked up and flipped his sword into a one-handed reverse grip. "Shut up." Driving the blade down into its chest the creature's screams ceased. Jaune then watched in interest as rather than dissolve like a Grimm its body was absorbed into a card just like the one he used, it even had a knight on it. His armor disappeared right after his foe did.

"Heh, not bad. Then again with my power there was no way you could fail. All right its settled; I, Mordred; Knight of Betrayal, accept you as my Master. Let's show this whole world our greatness!"

"Huh!?" Jaune looked at the card in his hand to see that one side had been replaced to show a picture of the armor he had just worn only the helmet was missing. This revealed that the one wearing it was a young woman with blond hair and green eyes.

"Perhaps I can explain everything young man." Jaune turned to find an old man in a black suit with silver trimmings. In one hand he grasped a cane and in the other he held out both Jaune's rucksack and his sword. Jaune's eyes widened as he saw the sheath/shield was fully repaired. "I think you'll like what I have to offer."

#$% #%

Jaune's head spun as he tried to take in everything the old man named Zeltretch had said.

"Right so just so I'm clear you are a mage, which are people that use magic that science can replicate, that possesses a form of True Magic that allows you to travel between dimensions along with seeing into future timelines and you lost a bunch of these Class Cards that are now scattered across Remnant. And your brilliant idea to recover them is to give me some Cards and have me trek all across the world for them."

"That is the gist of it young man, glad to see you understand. Of course from what I can tell Atlas has only three luckily; nothing good comes from them poking around with things they don't understand like the Cards."

"And you can't get them yourself why?" Jaune watched as the man shrugged dismissively.

"Don't feel like it."

"WHAT?!"

"Don't bother Master, mages at his and that flower freak's level are all flighty bastards that take delight in watching others struggle." Jaune felt his eye twitch at Mordred's words. This day had gone from bad to worse and then to ridiculous.

"Right, so young man I figured I'd drop you off where the largest concentration of Cards are and let you work your way from there."

"I never agreed to help you!"

"Then by all means go back to returning to your home in disgrace." Jaune froze at that. Zeltretch was right, the only other option he had was going home. "Don't try and fool me or yourself boy." Jaune watched as a serious look came on the old man's face for the first time. "You are not the kind of man that can stand by while people are in danger. Allow me to paint you a picture of an incredibly likely scenario, one of these cards possesses a Grimm leading to a strong enough being to tear the kingdoms' defenses apart like wet paper. Another would be these cards possessing someone or materializing a body like the one that just attacked you and in a search for the fuel they need to survive the corrupted Spirits devour every soul they get their hands on." Jaune paled at that.

"Oh yes that is what your fate would have been if you died; your soul would have been the Spirit's first meal." Zeltretch stepped forward and Jaune felt an oppressive weight emanate from the man and settle on his shoulders. "Your world can't handle this. Huntsman and Huntresses won't stand a chance against most of these spirits if they're given a chance to grow; perhaps a team of the best could handle a newly formed one but otherwise they are just sheep to the slaughterhouse."

"B… but…"

"BUT NOTHING BOY! A Heroic Spirit is something beyond anything someone of the living can handle, only specific circumstances could lead to a human standing a chance against them." Jaune gulped at that; to hear how the greatest fighters in Remnant would be useless was jarring. Zeltretch held out his hand, a stern look on his face. "Now then, will you accept the cards and defend your world?"

Jaune looked at the hand stretched out in front of him as he clutched the Saber card in his hand. He was terrified to admit it but the power flowing through him when he used it was intoxicating. After being the weakling for so long, to have such vast amounts of power, even borrowed as it was, was a rush. To have Mordred accept him was thrill, once they were connected he realized that if she desired to take his body the knight could have done so in a second yet she let him be in control. This deal, it was a risk. He could die or even worse be devoured by a rampaging spirit.

Yet he could be a hero, he could be a defender of those that couldn't defend himself. His dream was in reach, all he had to do was reach out and shake Zeltretch's hand. He didn't even realize it that his hand did so without him thinking of it, before he even registered it he was shaking the vampire's hand. Zeltretch's teeth gleamed as he smiled down at Jaune.

With this action Jaune Arc had chosen to walk with death.

Thoughts? Ideas? Heroic Spirits you want to see later on? For those that didn't know the spirit that Jaune ran into was Fergus mac Roich. Hope you all enjoy this one.