Stacking the Deck

Summary: When Jaune's friends turned on him upon finding out about his transcripts, he felt more lost than ever. By chance he happened upon a stand in Vale, and his life would change forevermore… "I'm not a Huntsman… I'm a Hero."

Rated T, possibly M later.

Pairing: ?

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY. RWBY was created by Monty Oum and is owned by Roosterteeth. Please support the official release. I also do not own Fate Series (I don't know who has the rights to that one.)

I: First Card

"You disgust me!"

"You could have gotten people killed, you idiot!"

"Stay the hell away from my little sister!"

"I should kill you! Nora could have died thanks to you!"

"Jaune… You never should have come to Beacon…"

Those words rang throughout Jaune Arc's head as he wandered through the streets of Vale, a vacant look in his eyes.

The previous night, after losing to Cardin once again, Jaune had called everyone to the roof of the school to confess something. The guilt of having faked his transcripts was eating him up and he just couldn't lie about it to his friends any longer.

'Friends… Yeah, right…' Jaune thought to himself bitterly.

Yang had been the first one to turn on him. She'd screamed at him, calling him a fraud and a cheat, and told him to never go Ruby again or he'd pay the price. He'd tried to explain himself, apologise, but she just repeated her warning and dragged Ruby off the roof before the girl could even say anything.

The next one to speak, surprisingly, was Ren. He'd snapped at him and, in a huge break of his usual character, slugged him across the face.

Jaune had been so stunned, even Nora looked shocked by Ren's actions. Ren screamed at him, not for cheating his way in, but for putting Nora's life in danger because he'd cheated his way in. He once again said to never go near Nora again, and dragged her away.

The next one was Blake. She hadn't said much, only that he disgusted her. He didn't know why he disgusted her, as she didn't elaborate. She only said that and walked off without another word.

The next one, one that stung his heart, was Weiss. She cursed him out and called him all manner of things. Idiot, moron, fool, and several other colourful words and names that Jaune didn't know, since they were quite sophisticated. She marched off, furious.

The last one there was Pyrrha. His beloved partner, and honestly his closest friend. She looked into his eyes, his own pleading, and she'd simply said to not come back to the dorm room. That he never should have come to Beacon… And then she'd left, not one more word spoken between them.

Jaune couldn't stay there another moment. He'd gotten an overnight plane to Vale and planned to try and not linger too much on what happened. He would find out his arrangements at Beacon later but, for now, he just wanted to be as far away from that place as he could.

He could admit that what he'd done was reckless. The fact he didn't know what Aura was didn't paint him in a great light, and he'd had little to no physical training… And he didn't exactly think that running away from his sisters that just wanted to dress him in effeminate clothing counted.

But he had wanted to be a hero. His family… He loved them dearly, but they were never supportive of his dream to be a Huntsman. They all kept trying to push him into doing other things. Sewing, ballroom dancing, cooking… Anything to stop him from thinking about becoming a huntsman.

But he never relented and so one day his family gathered and held an intervention for him. They told him in no uncertain terms that he would never be a Huntsman, that it was not his fate. It wasn't what he was destined to do.

From that moment on, Jaune loathed the word destiny. And so, he'd done something horrendous, awful, and something he'd never forgive himself for.

He lied.

He lied to his family, telling them that he understood, and told them that he'd stop pestering them to become a Huntsman. The relief on their faces, the joy, would forever haunt Jaune due to the lie.

If they wouldn't let him be a Huntsman, if they wouldn't give him the training and support, then he would take matter into his own hands. He took over half of his life savings and went to Vale and met with someone called Junior. He forged Jaune's transcripts and had them sent off to Beacon, something that would make Jaune forever thankful.

But now… Jaune was wondering if it had really been worth it. What had cheating himself in gotten him now? Loneliness. All of his 'friends' had turned their backs on him, and he felt himself falling into a dark well of which there wasn't a bottom.

Jaune allowed a bitter chuckle to escape from his lips… He hadn't wanted to linger on what happened and yet here he was, lingering on it and letting it affect him.

Distracted as he was, Jaune practically ran into a small stand on the corner of the street. "Ah, I'm so sorry!" He apologised quietly, bowing in embarrassment and shame. He couldn't even walk down the street without causing people problems!

"Hohoho! It's quite alright young man!" The stall owner said, making Jaune pause and look up at the man.

He had hair of fine white, slicked back, and a beard just as fine. He had no moustache, and the wrinkles on his skin were visible. But his eyes held a spark, a mischievous glint, as if he were a child that were about to pull an excellent prank.

Jaune's eyes finally moved up to the name of the stand. 'The Stand of Heroes.' He couldn't help but sweat drop at the name. It sounded a bit cheesy, and farfetched.

"Ah, are you interested?" He said as he eyed Jaune. "Oh yes, you may be the most interesting one yet!"

"I'm sorry, what do you mean by that?" Jaune asked, a curious look on his face.

"Oh, do not worry!" He waved it off. Instead he pulled out 7 cards and spread them across the table. "Have a look at these! Just one of these will be guaranteed to make a hero out of you! It comes with my personal guarantee, a young man before you did the same!"

Jaune blinked at how absurd that sounded. How could someone become a hero with just a card? Still… It wasn't as if he had much to lose. So, he sighed and sat in a chair across from the man. "Hit me with it."

The man grinned, first gesturing to the leftmost card. It depicted a knight, holding a sword. "The first card, Saber," he said. "A heroic wielder that carries a blade, who strives to protect the innocent and vanquish evil."

Jaune nodded as he stared at the card, finding a kinship with it. For that was exactly what he desired to do. To wield Crocea Mors and be a hero. To vanquish Grimm, the evil of the world, and to protect any innocents. Human, faunus, it didn't matter to him. So long as they were safe.

For a moment the card seemed to sparkle, before it died down and Jaune thought he must have imagined it.

"The second card, Lancer," he spoke as he gestured to the next card to the right. It depicted dressed in light armour, the lance in hand. "Agile, excellent at close combat, and are particularly skilled in hit-and-run tactics. Essentially hit once, retreat, and repeat."

Jaune stared at the card and nodded. He could understand it, at least. Not all fights were won with tanking blows, he'd seen that in combat class enough. Sometimes you had to play it smart. Get in a light hit and retreat, over time the enemy would fall.

Once again, he swore the card sparkled.

"Archer, the third card," the man spoke as it depicted a young woman, bow in hand, and a quiver resting on the back of her hip. "Warriors that excel in the use of projectile weaponry, not necessarily just bows. Can be highly effective as scouts. Most importantly, they are free spirited and often travel as they please."

Jaune's eyes glistened at that. Freedom. It was a beautiful thing, and something he could understand the want for. To not be bound by the shackles of others, to be the master of your future. To make your own choices. It was a beautiful thought.

"Number four, the Rider," the man spoke as Jaune's gaze was drawn to it and missed the sparkle the Archer card gave off as a result. "Heroes most famous thanks to their mounts. Like a great general that commanded a battleship, or one who rode a horse into battle. The hero that will always rush into battle to fight for what they believe in."

Fighting for what they believed in… Jaune could relate to that. It's why he applied to Beacon at all. He believed that maybe he could make a difference. If he could save even one life, one person, then he could make a difference. It drove him to want to be a Huntsman. To be a hero.

The Rider card glistened softly, so softly that Jaune missed it, as the old man directed Jaune's gaze to the next card over.

"Assassin, the Fifth."

"Wait, Assassin?" Jaune asked, cutting the man off before he could continue. "I don't mean any disrespect, but how on Earth is an Assassin a hero?"

"Assassin's rule in the darker parts of the world," he told Jaune. "They do the dirtiest of work many heroes dislike: killing humans in cold blood. Some do it out of joy, some do it out of sadness… But many do it out of duty. For sometimes only the vilest of scum can fall to the hands of an assassin."

That made Jaune pause… And strangely, he could understand. Throughout history there was assassination and espionage galore. In one of the earliest wars, centuries ago, the Tyrant King died to an assassin. After his death, the Assassin willingly gave themselves up. They had lost their family to the Tyrant's cruel actions and sought to end him so that others would not need to suffer.

"I see…" And he truly, truly, did. He understood why Assassins would do what they'd do. Sometimes, Assassination was the only option left.

"The sixth card is Caster," his voice tore Jaune's gaze one card over, to the card depicting a man in robes holding a staff. "One who focuses primarily on wielding powerful forces, the forces of magic. They create barriers, heal wounds, and bring ruin."

While Jaune wasn't a big advocate of bringing ruin, the healing and being a shield… Jaune was fascinated by that. But he could understand the need to bring ruin. There were times to heal, to protect… And there were times to fight.

"And finally," his gaze was once again drawn away from the sparkling card and to the last one. One that depicted a human wearing some sort beastlike mask, wielding a claymore in just one hand. "The Berserker. One who tried to find a path on any of the others but lost themselves to madness for one reason or another. Obsession, the loss of a loved one, betrayal…" That struck a chord with Jaune.

The Berserker was like him right now. He had been turned on, betrayed, by those he'd trusted. By those he had considered friends. And he could understand just why the Berserker would fall into misery, and rampage.

"I'm sorry…" He whispered in a genuine voice. This time he was certain the card sparkled, there was no way he could miss it with how hard he was focusing.

"I'm in a generous mood," Jaune's eyes snapped up. "So, you can take any of them you want! Just tell me which!"

Jaune looked over the cards one by one. He considered the pros, the cons, of each… And it wasn't long before Jaune had his answer. "All of them."

"Huh?"

"If it's not too much trouble… All of them," Jaune repeated. He'd brought his wallet, of course he had, and was willing to pay whatever he had to. He felt like these cards were special… He wanted to take them with him.

"All of them… All of them…!" Jaune was surprised by the giddy voice the man was making. "Yes… Yes, you are truly interesting!" He laughed aloud. He scooped up all the cards and handed them to Jaune. "Yes, Jaune Arc, take the cards! Keep them very close to your person at all times! I promise they will be very useful to you in the future! Now hurry along, you don't want to miss the bullhead back to Beacon!"

Jaune's eyes widened as he checked his scroll. "You're right!" He yelped, grabbing the cards and stuffing them in his back pocket. "Thank you for your help!" He said before he rushed off to get the bullhead.

It was only once he got back on the bullhead and thought back to the man, that a chill ran through his spine.

"I never told him my name…"

And that was the last thought he had before his motion sickness began to kick in.

~~Stacking the Deck~~

Jaune, unsurprisingly, found himself not allowed back into his dorm room. He didn't even both asking Team RWBY, simply deciding to sleep on the roof that night.

He didn't have the best morning either. He'd felt the scornful looks from his team and RWBY and had opted to sit alone that day. He didn't stick around very long after he'd finished his meal, heading straight to class, making sure to sit as far back away from his team as possible.

The classes and day dragged on like that, and Jaune couldn't be happier at every opportunity he got away from their glares and just generally being in their presence.

The day suddenly became worse when combat class started.

"Our two participants today are Jaune Arc and Cardin Winchester!" Glynda declared, making the class talk about 'another easy win' for Cardin. Even his team and RWBY were saying it… It infuriated Jaune, but he had no choice but to obey. "Go to the locker rooms and change into your combat uniforms."

Cardin grinned smugly as he made his way there, Jaune lagging with a dejected look. He sighed as he changed from his uniform into his combat outfit. Cardin finished first and went ahead. Jaune finished a short while after but took a moment to just sit there.

'What am I even doing here…?' Jaune thought to himself. 'I have no talent… No training, no nothing. I'm the weakest one in school, the rankings show it. But even so… Even so…!'

'Do you desire strength?' A voice spoke, and Jaune whipped his head up and looked around.

"Who's there?" He demanded, instantly on guard. His hand rested on the hilt of Crocea Mors.

'Do you desire strength?' The voice repeated. It was disembodied, as if it was coming from nowhere but everywhere at the same time.

"I…" Jaune shook his head, ignore the voice. Just ignore the voice, he didn't want to think himself crazy. He must be under a lot of stress to start hearing voices.

'Do you desire strength?'

"Of course, I do," he muttered, if only to shut up the voice. Obviously, he wanted strength… He wanted to be strong enough to fulfil his dream. To stand high… To be a hero.

'Then use me…' The voice spoke. 'For I am but a tool, to be used by a wielder.'

Jaune froze. He wasn't hearing voices… He knew he wasn't. It was one he'd never heard before, and it was responding to him. But how? Why? "Where are you…?"

'Your back pocket…'

Jaune hesitantly reached into his back pocket and pulled out all seven cards. Among them, one was glowing gently.

The Lancer.

"What is this…?"

'Use me, my master.'

And suddenly, Jaune knew just what to say. "… Install Lancer."

The locker room was bathed in light.

~~Stacking the Deck~~

Everyone waited for Jaune to return, but he was taking quite a while. Two minutes passed… Then three… then four… Then five. People were starting to get annoyed of him not showing up.

"Heh, he must have run away because he was scared," Cardin jeered. "He knows he can't win, so he ran away with his tail between his legs!" He bragged, before becoming subdued with a glare from Glynda. He wouldn't dare speak with that glare at him.

The teacher sighed. "Under these circumstances, I have little choice but to name Mister Winchester the winner by default-."

She was cut off when the doors to the arena opened, and through them stepped one clad in a holy white.

Jaune Arc held a serene, gentle, smile upon his lips that all who knew him were stunned to see. He seemed to calm, so at peace, as if all were right with the world.

The classes eyes fell upon what seemed to be his new attire. Bare feet and hands, with pants of pure white, and what appeared to be a very oversized white shirt that reached down to his shins.

Jaune's eyes were closed and yet he effortlessly walked, almost glided, across the floor and into the arena. "My apologies for my tardiness," he said to Glynda, his very voice seeming to ease everyone there. "I was debating on if I should try out a new fighting style rather than rely on my sword. I believed now would be a good time to try it."

"Do not let it happen again Mister Arc," she said firmly, before glancing back and forth. "Standard Tournament rules. If you are out of the arena or your aura is in the red, you lose. Are both combatants ready?"

"Of course," Cardin said cockily.

"Yes, Professor," Jaune said serenely.

"Begin!"

Cardin wasted no time in charging at Jaune and swinging his mace down. Arc had never stopped him before and, with his shield not even present, there was no way he would be stopped this time either.

Yet when Cardin's mace came down, Jaune was not there. Instead he was behind Cardin, simply walking around the arena looking fascinated. It was as if his eyes could see something that nobody else could, something beyond their comprehension.

Cardin, not deterred, once again moved in to attack Jaune. And once again, his attack missed the mark as Jaune just continued to walk around the arena after seemingly vanishing.

"Stay still damn it!" Cardin roared in frustration as he began to wildly swing at Jaune in a frenzy.

The class were treated to a rare sight, a very rare sight, as Jaune effortlessly dodged all of Cardin's attacks. And never once did that serene smile leave his face. It was as if he were in total control of the situation, as if he could end the fight whenever he wished.

Finally, when Cardin stumbled after a swing, Jaune acted. His foot stuck out and he tripped Cardin to the ground, causing the man in question to drop his weapon.

Before he could even go about getting up, Jaune crouched down and touched a hand to the ground. "Age of Babylon…" His voice was soft, yet it held power beyond anything the others had ever felt. The words felt like a declaration more than simple words, they felt powerful. They couldn't help but wonder just what on Remnant they meant...

They didn't have to wonder for long.

From the ground arose shimmering golden chains that were quick to bind Cardin to the ground. As if that were not enough, all manner of weapons rose up from the ground of Remnant. Swords of all varieties, spears of all designs. Each of them the absolute peak of craftsmanship… And each of them pointing down at Cardin, ready to strike him until his aura went into the red.

"Give up," Jaune's voice came as he looked Cardin directly in the eyes. With a shudder, Cardin realised something about the Arc he hadn't seen before. Whereas before his eyes were blue, they were now a radiant shade of gold.

"Give up," Jaune repeated as he stared into Cardin's eyes. "I will not repeat myself for a third time, Cardin Winchester. As the current situation stands, you cannot escape from my chains. Nor shall you be able to flee from any of my weapons. It is in your best interest to surrender now… Please."

Cardin could say nothing… How could he? Something had changed about the Arc, and he didn't know what. Not one day ago, Jaune had been the weakest, the most worthless, student in the entire academy. And now here Cardin was, trapped and helpless as Jaune pierced his very soul with his eyes.

At that moment, Cardin knew his days of bullying were over. He could see it in those eyes, that no further attempts would come to fruition. Jaune would not be intimidated. And after seeing how he was humiliated in front of the entire class, with how quickly the video would get around, nobody would take him seriously ever again.

"I… Forfeit…" Cardin finally spoke. Despite how quiet his voice was, it rang throughout the deadly silent arena.

Everyone kept trying to process what they'd just witnessed but to no avail. Jaune Arc, the weakest student, had just humiliated and decimated Cardin Winchester without breaking so much as a sweat… Or losing a single bit of his aura.

"… Ah," Glynda Goodwitch finally seemed to snap back into it. "Winner by Forfeit, Jaune Arc!" She declared. "I must ask you release Mister Winchester now, Mister Arc."

"But of course, Professor," Jaune said. He slowly stood up and, just like that, all the weapons dissolved and vanished completely. It was as if they'd never existed in the first place.

"Mister Winchester," the Professor spoke. "You grew too quickly frustrated once your first few swings missed, and it led to your defeat. Temper your emotions and think things through next time."

Cardin could only nod as he stood up, retrieved his weapon, and made his way back to his team. They tried to cheer him up, but Cardin just kept staring at the ground without saying a single word.

"Mister Arc," she turned on the young man in question. "I am not quite certain what changed between yesterday and today, however I am glad to see that you are improving. Your only fault was prolonging the fight and letting yourself get distracted. If it was all part of your strategy to get Mister Winchester to lose his temper, however, then I applaud you for a job well done. From now on I will expect a performance like this from you in all combat classes."

"Of course, and thank you, Professor," Jaune replied as he turned and headed to the locker room to change back to normal… And missing the looks of shock he received from his team and RWBY.

They all looked between one another, baffled. Jaune had not been this strong, not even close, yesterday. He had not had power like that yesterday… And he had certainly not held the sense of calm and peace they'd felt from him yesterday.

"What the hell happened after we left?" Yang said, the only one among them who seemed to be able to speak.

Nobody answered.

~~Stacking the Deck~~

When Jaune stepped into the locker room he all but collapsed onto one of the benches from being so nervous. 'God, that was so nerve wracking! I almost thought I was gonna lose it for a second!'

'You did quite well, given the circumstances, Master,' the voice responded to him serenely. 'You performed admirably. Not a single drop of your aura was lost, and you showed that maybe they should all put more thought into you more.'

"Thank you… Um…" Jaune looked quite uncomfortable as he held his hand to his chest. He concentrated for a moment, and his new white clothing was gone. Instead, he was once again clad in his usual combat gear and, in his hands, was the Lancer Class Card.

'You are quite welcome, Master,' the voice responded to him. It was neither male nor distinctly female, so it was hard to place a gender to the voice. 'I am but a tool to be used. It is my greatest pleasure, and honour, to serve you.'

"I'm still in shock," Jaune muttered. These powers… They were beyond anything he'd ever dreamed! These class cards were the key… The key he'd been seeking. To grow stronger. To finally achieve his dream. And he was not going to let this opportunity pass him by.

'Thinking big is fine, Master,' the voice chided gently. 'But focus on the present first. Change back into your uniform, you must discuss your new sleeping arrangements away from that vile group you call your team.'

Jaune was in agreement with that as he began to change, shedding off his armour, and slipping on his school uniform. "I never got your name… Or why exactly you are in the card," Jaune realised.

'My apologies for not introducing myself sooner,' the voice chuckled lightly. 'My name is Enkidu, Master. I am the chains that bind the gods, and lead humanity out of their reach. How I ended up in this card… I'm afraid that is going to take a bit longer…'

"I have time," Jaune replied lightly as he buttoned up his shirt.

'Well… Outside of both time and space, resides something known as the Throne of Heroes…'

As Jaune listened carefully, he became aware that his life would never be the same again. And, somehow, he was perfectly okay with that.

First Class Card

True Name: Enkidu

Class: Lancer

Alias: "The Chain of Heaven"

Gender: ?

Height: ?

Weight: ?

Origin

Region: Mesopotamia

Source: Epic of Gilgamesh

Alignment: True Neutral

Parameters

Strength: A+

Endurance: B

Agility: A+

Mana: A+

Luck: C

N.P: A++

Skills

Magic Resistance: ?

Transfiguration: A

Presence Detection: A+

Noble Phantasm

Age of Babylon - The Wisdom of the People: ?

Enuma Elish - O' Humans, Let Us Restrain the Gods: A++