Welp this month has been the worst if I gotta be honest. Barely managed to avoid a financial crisis on my end, my dog passed away two days ago and my family and I buried him yesterday…

It's honestly been stressful and classes aren't making it any easier…

Sadly that is how life is… things happen when you least expect it and isn't gonna stop for you. Luckily I am managing not to have these situations bring me down and look even forward to life. As some say, the right path may be the most hurtful and painful. But in the end you'll be successful.

Well that's enough about myself for now and hopefully you enjoy the chapter!

After a good lunch and talking about their day, the group began to make their way towards combat class. They questioned Jaune on his injuries but he assured them that it was just a small mistake he made in Professor Peach's classroom. After explaining Yang and Ruby laughed at him while Nora deemed him a 'noob' at dust handling.

"Alright, alright I get it. Really funny!" Jaune said sarcastically.

"It sure is!" Nora said as she grabbed Jaune's shoulder from behind and began to push and guide him. "Now let's go to class faster!"

Jaune was unprepared for when she jumped and wrapped her arms around his neck and legs around his back. He nearly fell forward but managed to balance himself before that could happen. "Onward my steed!"

Jaune now giving Nora a piggyback ride, turned to Ren questioningly.

"You get used to it." Was all he said with a smile.

"Aww, I want one too!" Exclaimed a pouting Ruby.

"Wow, I didn't know my sister was bold enough to want to ride Jaune. Daring~" Yang said a bit deviously.

Ruby's face became red. "Not like that you sicko! Ugh, why do I have to suffer at the hands of my sister!"

"Easy there Ruby, Yang just meant it as a joke." Pyrrha said with a bit of red on her cheeks.

"Quiet!" She said, pointing a finger to her. "You were thinking the same thing too! Everyone's minds are just filled with nothing but filth! Filth!."

"We're here!" Yang said. She grabbed Ruby's shoulder and pushed her in while Ruby kept on spouting the word 'filth.'

"You have served well my steed, but alas, the journey ends here." Nora exaggerated. She then got off and patted Jaune in the head. "Now let's go in!"

"Is your back okay? Nora did just jump on you without warning." Pyrrha asked as they walked inside.

"It's fine, nothing serious. Didn't hurt, it was more like… surprised. Yeah, didn't really expect that." He said. "But anyways, let's go sit with the others now."

They all sat down and waited for Goodwitch to begin her lecture. It was still just a few minutes early so she must have already been making her way towards the classroom. Supposedly today she was going to mostly talk about missions, quests and other things they needed to know. Jaune has heard of the terms before as people who came to his village were often there because of missions.

The sound of doors opening grabbed the attention of everyone in the room. Goodwitch strode down the stairs and soon was in the center of the arena.

"Good evening class, today there will be very little combat as most of what I will discuss takes up most of the class time." She said.

With that she began to discuss the topic that would be covered today.

Missions and Quests.

Missions were small tasks that could range from killing Grimm off near Vale to helping with community service.

Missions were ranked from 'I' to 'D' which community service being 'I' and killing Grimm would be 'D.' Recommended for first years.

Those that were ranked 'C' and above would be considered quests. Quests can range from delivering important documents to defending a political figure from assassination attempts. Quests could only be issued from the Headmaster or the Council. The ranks were 'C,' 'B,' 'A,' and 'S.' Glynda explained that 'S' ranked quests were a rarity. It all depended on the job and the danger level it presented. Even defeating Ancient Grimm was considered to be 'B,' or 'A' level quest.

Goodwitch explained that missions can also be completed by a group if the mission allows it. And she would highly recommend working in groups as the fatality rate is considerably low compared to solo missions. But the one thing that got everyone's attention was what she mentioned next.

"The Guild Festival will be coming soon. In order to participate, one must obtain two hundred and fifty points in order to participate. Deadline is three days before festivals begin, that is two months exactly from now." She said. There were groans around the classroom.

"Now you may think it is unfair but it is not. The Guild Festival is a place in which students fight in a free for all match while also completing objectives. Here is where you will be scouted by others to join their guild. There will also be spectators from the city and possibly around the world." She said shushing the students.

"They will only seek those with knowledge and strength. Hence why to enter, you must prove your worth." Glynda said, pushing up her glasses. "And those who place within the last five remaining have the opportunity to join any guild of their liking."

"More of those rules will be told to you when it is time for the festival and those who participate. So if you want to join a guild, I highly suggest doing it. Now joining one will also give you many benefits. Although that will solely depend on what guild you happen to join." Glynda said.

"I should also mention the Vytal Festival but that will be for another time." She said. "Now remember, if you want to participate in the Guild Festival, be sure to head to the Grand Hall. There, missions will be posted on the bulletin board. Do not be afraid if missions run out. There will always be missions available almost everyday."

"After completing the mission, head to the reception where the mission will be confirmed and processed. Afterwards you will receive your rewards." She began to the exit before turning around. "When you reach the Grand Hall, head to the registrar and ask for your ID in order to be able to undertake missions." She looked around to make sure everyone paid attention. "Class is dismissed." She then walked out.

The group began to talk quickly about what their plans were as soon as she left.

"So what's the plan guys?" Yang asked, looking at everyone.

"Hmm, I really am not sure? The idea of the Guild Festival does seem interesting." Ren said.

"I think it's a great idea! We should all go and join a guild together! It would be so cool!" Ruby said as she jumped up in excitement.

"Yeah! I wanna beat some people to the ground!" Nora said with passion as she held a fist in front of her.

"It really doesn't sound like a bad idea, what do you think Jaune?" Pyrrha asked, only to see Jaune sitting there lost in thought. "Um… Jaune?"

"Oh god! If I do participate, so many people are gonna see me!" Jaune said as he grabbed his head with both hands. "What if I embarrassed myself! No! What if my image gets ruined!"

"How can you ruin something that you don't have!" Yang joked.

"Not now Yang!" Ruby berated.

Pyrrha placed a hand on his shoulder. "Jaune, it's okay. You have nothing to worry about. You don't have to participate, we are not going to force you."

Jaune sighed. "I… I know, it's just… there is just a part of me that thinks it would be a bad idea. But… part of me says that I got to." Jaune scratched the back of his head. "How long do I have to decide?"

"Well from the information that was given to us, the festival will be held in two months." Ren said. "I recommend taking the rest of the month to think it over and if you do decide to join, start next month. Doing things last minute can drain you mentally and physically."

"In the meantime, let's all go and see what kind of missions they have. Momma wants to kill something!" Nora said, running towards the door.

"Well, that's our cue to follow," Yang said with a shrug.

"Yeah, let's all pick out a mission together!" Ruby said, pumping her fist in the air before running after Nora.

"You know, taking care of those two are going to be a handful." Yang said, a long sigh escaping her lips.

"I believe we'll manage." Pyrrha laughed a bit.

"Well, let's go then." Jaune said standing up.

Entering the Grand Hall,

"Oh oh, look over here! One of them says they need a whole nest to be dealt with! Oh! And this one says that we just need to secure some cargo from a grimm infested forest! These are all so cool!" Exclaimed Ruby.

As soon as the group arrived, Nora and Ruby were scouting for missions that were dangerous and to their definition, 'fun.' The group began to look for missions that would allow a party of six or more to be able to participate. There were very few but most of them were more about community service and by the definition of Nora and Ruby… 'boring.' Soon they were able to find a mission that had to deal with a growing nest of grimm northeast from Vale's border. Mission details explained that one of the routes used for traveling was getting swarmed with grimm.

"This one seems pretty good! What do you guys think?" Ruby asked, ripping the paper off the bulletin board and making her way to the group.

"Let me see." Jaune grabbed a hold of the paper and began to read. The rest tried to look over his shoulder but realized that Jaune was the tallest of the bunch. Jaune noticed this and bent his knees a bit.

"Not funny Jaune!" Ruby yelled.

"I don't know how to feel about this." Nora said. "But I will have you know that I have the sudden urge to break some legs."

Jaune laughed it off. The group now paid attention to the piece of paper in his hands.

Mission Rank: D

Level recommended: Level 20 and/or above Tier 2

Group availability: 5 minimum - 10 max

Location: Northeast of Vale, Border, Travel Route 6

Reward: 1,000 Lien x participants

Task: Get rid of the grimm that have been swarming around the route. Several people have claimed that there were more than 20. Number estimated to be more. Lodging and items will not be provided.

Guild Festival Points (If applied): 6 each member

"Hmm, this looks good. How far is it exactly from Vale? Not really from around here."Jaune said, turning back to the group.

"That would be maybe less than a twenty miles from Vale's border. Dang, that's gonna be a long walk." Yang complained.

"So what do we do now?" Jaune asked.

"Now we take it to the registration desk and register the mission under our names. After that we should be good to go." Pyrrha answered.

Jaune passed the paper onto Pyrrha, "Let's go."

The group walked all the way to the back of the hall and there were ten registers open with a glass window separating them. Behind the glass, there were people documenting and organizing papers. From the looks of it, they were stamping approvals for missions. Jaune saw a person walking away from the window with his paper and saw an imprint of the Beacon insignia. 'Huh, I guess that's how we get the approval.' Jaune thought.

There wasn't much line to begin with so getting to the window was quick.

"Hello, how may I help you?" Asked the lady in the front. She wore a very formal black blouse and skirt. Her brown hair tied back in a ponytail.

"Uh, we were told by Goodwitch that we can pick up our ID's here so that we can do a mission." Yang said waving the mission handout.

"First years then. May I have everyone's name please?" She asked.

"Lie Ren."

"Pyrrha Nikos."

"Yang Xiao Long!"

"Uhh… Oh! I'm next!? Uh, it's Ruby Rose!"

"NORAAAAAAA VALKYRIE!" I'm gonna break some legs!"

"Uh, Jaune Arc."

The receptionist looked at the group for a moment before standing up and walking away.

"So… what does that mean?" Asked Yang.

"I really don't know." Jaune replied.

Soon the receptionist came back carrying small box with her. "Here you all go, these ID's have the basic information. Your name, date of birth, class, and level. If you are participating in the Guild Festival, your points should also be showing up." She then handed out clear rectangular crystals. As soon as Jaune touched the one that she held out for him, it glowed a bit and slowly words appeared and soon his information was displayed on the crystal with the Beacon insignia on the back.

"Wow, this is awesome!" Ruby exclaimed, holding hers close.

"Aww yeah! Time for some grimm hunting!" Nora said.

Jaune motioned his head towards Yang who had the paper. As soon as she got to the receptionist, Yang handed the paper to the receptionist.

"Are you sure about taking this mission?" The receptionist asked once she looked through it. "While you meet mission requirements, since risks involved are higher than usual, I must ask if you are all certain that you want to participate?" "

Jaune looked back and saw everyone nod.

"That's a big yes ma'am!" Yang cheered.

"Please don't call me ma'am. Makes me feel old." She said tiredly. She then took out liquidized wax and a stamp. She poured the wax over the bottom of the paper and then stamped it. When she removed it, the Beacon insignia displayed proudly. "There you go, tomorrow after class you will be heading out to complete this mission. Start today by obtaining transportation since it's going to take an hour or two to get to your location." She then handed out the paper to Pyrrha who approached the window.

"Thank you very much!" Pyrrha said.

"No problem, have a nice day." She said and then the group left.

Once the group left the hall, she let out a breath of air.

"Yo, how was it? Attending the Necromancer?" Asked one of the receptionists.

"A bit nerve wracking but managed anyway. That was a bit scary to be honest but… he really didn't act the part." The girl said. "He acted too much like a goody two shoe kind of guy."

"I noticed. Hmm."

"What's wrong?"

"He looked kinda cute don't you think? Wish I tended to him." The other receptionist said, only for the girl to look at her baffled and unimpressed.

The next day was the same as the previous, go eat breakfast, go to class, eat lunch, go to class and then the day was over. However today would be different for the group. Today they were going to have their first mission. Beacon managed every student's schedule enough for school and missions. They would have class early in the morning in order to have the whole afternoon to either finish up school work or to have time for missions.

After classes, the group made their way out of Beacon and into the bullheads. After landing the group went to search for supplies. Like always, Jaune did receive a few stares here and there but nothing was thrown or said so it was a win-win kind of situation for him. Probably since Nora was looking at anyone who looked towards the group's direction with a threatening face. Nora was indeed scary. After getting the supplies, they began to make their way towards the entrance of the city.

"You know I never thought to ask but what if there's a mission that can't be done in one day?" Jaune asked.

"Those would usually be reserved for weekends. Beacon makes sure that upperclassmen get those kinds of missions since they have fewer classes. We can get them but must be a two day frame and can only be done in our days of rest." Ren said, informing Jaune.

"Sometimes there can be missions that last up to five days but that would depend on how the situation goes. Like a mission gone wrong." Pyrrha added. "Quests are usually the longest kind. They can last from two weeks up until… years I suppose."

"Wow, they sure planned this out. So we should be able to finish in time right?" Jaune questioned.

"Are you kidding!? With me by your side, you won't even have to lift a finger!" Nora said, puffing out her chest.

"Um, I'm a Necromancer. I literally don't need to lift a finger Nora." Jaune said, sweat dropping a bit.

"See! There you go!" Nora said.

"Well with that aside, how long do we have before the sun goes down?" Asked Pyrrha.

"We should have about six, max seven hours." Ren replied.

After a little more walking, they reached the entrance. They were then stopped by a few guards.

"Halt. May I know the reason as to why you are leaving." The man in armour asked.

"We are on our way to complete a mission." Pyrrha said as she handed over the paper. The man inspected it and waved for the other men to open the gates. "A Nikos huh?" He said, nodding towards the insignia on her sash.

Pyrrha just nodded.

The guard looked around the group and his eyes landed on Juane. "Are all of you students of Beacon?"

A collective of yes's answered. "So the rumor of a Necromancer in Beacon was true huh?" He said nonchalantly.

Jaune grew a bit nervous under his gaze.

"Will there be a problem sir?" Nora asked nicely. A little too nicely.

"I could not care less. I'm not running the school. And your headmaster is known for making some bizarre decisions in the past so this is no surprise. I suggest being careful out there. They won't take kindly to… well you know." The man said, offering his word of advice.

Jaune nodded, appreciating the man's warning. "Alright guys, let's go."

As soon as they made it out, they were greeted with the sight of a camp of some sorts. More like for cargo inspections and resting areas. On one side there were stables and carriages for those who would be venturing out. Jaune looked around and could also see a few people or in this case, huntsmen. Some wearing shiny armor and some wearing robes with nice weapons. It sure made Jaune a bit jealous since he would like some good equipment. Shaking his head, he focused on the mission first.

"Okay then, so what are we going to be taking? Carriage or horses?" Jaune asked.

There was silence.

"Uh, guys?" He repeated.

"Who was in charge of getting transportation?" Pyrrha asked, a little bit worried.

"Wait, did we even assign one!?" Yang shrieked.

"Oh no! First mission and we just screwed up!" Ruby yelled, clutching her head.

"Dang, how are we going to find transportation? I mean most are already taken and it's gonna take a whoooooole day!" Nora said. She gasped, "That means I won't be breaking any legs today! Noooo!"

"This is bad." Ren said. "We can't just ask someone to lend us their horse and not only that but we need a total of three in order for us to go."

The group began to think of anything they could do in order to go ahead with the mission. Jaune began to think hard. 'What can we do? No, what can I do?' Then a second later it clicked. "Guys! I have an idea but I think it's best if we were a bit far from here first."

The group looked at him. Ruby spoke. "What's the plan?"

"Woooooo! Yeah! This is the best idea ever!" Screamed Nora while she brought her hand up over her head.

"Nora! Grab the Beowulf before we fall!" Ren said while clutching Nora for dear life.

"Booooo! Fine!" Nora said as she gripped the hair from Jaune's summoned beowulf.

"Honestly as cool as it sounded, it's not so cool doing it!" Yelled Yang a bit behind them while Ruby was clutching on to her.

"Plegh! Your hair is getting in my mouth! This is why I wanted to be first!" Ruby screamed.

Jaune's crazy idea was for him to summon three of his Beowulf's so that they can ride on them. The group contemplated his decision but then agreed to it.

"Seems like they are having fun!" Jaune shouted. The sound of strong wind passing through his ears. He looked towards his back to see Pyrrha with her head resting against it.

"I can't really say they are having fun but Nora is for sure!" Pyrrha replied. Her face was a little bit flushed.

"You okay?! You seem a bit red! You aren't sick are you!? We can stop if you want!" Jaune shouted.

"No it's fine! Don't worry about me right now! Focus on keeping your summons stable, we wouldn't want an accident right now! Especially with how fast we're going!" She said.

Before getting on to the Beowulfs, they decided to split into the groups. Nora and Ren were together since they've known each other. Ruby and Yang went on another one since they were siblings. Lastly, Jaune and Pyrrha. Jaune didn't seem nervous at all… until they were getting on the Beowulf did he realize that he would be close to a girl. This was his first time even close to one. Not just side by side but her clinging on to him in an embrace. Jaune's face became red but didn't notice that Pyrrha's face was also a bit red. Luckily as the trip went on, he momentarily forgot about it and focused on keeping his summons stable.

Unluckily for Pyrrha, the thought never left her mind. She was right here riding on a summoned beowulf while embracing the back of a boy. This was the first time she was ever this close to a boy. Her sister wasn't fond of her getting close to any boys back in Mistral. "How long do you think it's going to take to get there!?" Pyrrha shouted.

"Maybe forty minutes! Or I can do it in less if I pick up the speed!" Jaune shouted. One thing that Jaune was grateful for was the amount of magic he had at his disposal. Holding them for longer would be a piece of cake but if they were to start fighting against other nearby grimm then his magic would drop pretty quick.

"Do it!" Nora shouted from far.

Jaune looked around to see that they were going fast. Trees blurred by as they continue with the current speed. They were covering more ground than any horse or carriage could. Beowulf's were known to be fast and agile creatures.

"Everyone has got to be sure about it first!" Jaune shouted back. All of them nodded except for Ren.

He felt bad for him. "Sorry Ren! Majority vote!"

"Didn't you say everyon- woah!" Ren tried to say only for the summon to pick up speed making him latch onto Nora securely.

"Yeaaaaah!" Nora screamed while raising her hands in the air again.

"Nora, please!" Ren shouted as he felt they were going to fall off.

"Never!" Nora shouted into the air.

While riding, they failed to notice an eagle high above and within seconds it vanished.

"Hmmm, that is very interesting." He said.

Traversing through the woods. High and far into the distance was a black robed man. The man merely went about his way until he felt a presence. A familiar yet different feeling caught his attention. The robed man materialized a bird out of thin air and sent it flying over the location of where he felt the source. Minutes passed by since he had sent the flying animal.

Soon he felt his mind shift. Memories started to pour into his head from the eagle's point of view. He could see people riding on Beowulfs at a fast pace. He knew one could not simply ride a grimm. Which left a few possibilities.

"Ah, Necromancy?" He questioned himself. "How very strange."

Taking a closer look through the eyes of the bird he materialized earlier. "Students…"

"Beacon." He concluded.

"So the rumors of a Necromancer in that fools school is true. My, the things I could do." He said and then the eagle began to make its way back towards him . "But now is not the time. I'll wait and see what uses he has."

He lifted up his arm and a dead looking eagle with blotches of glowing green and black landed on his equally grotesque arm. The man's mask resembled that of a birds beak as it stretched a bit far and curved slightly downwards. The sockets resembled that of goggles, all black with two wide green glowing orbs underneath the hood. The eagle then dusted away in green glowing particles before he too disappeared in a smoke of dust.

Stats:

[Necromancer]

Jaune Arc: Lvl. 23

HP: [1150/1150]

MP: [4880/5000]

POW: [C307]

RES: [D129]

SPD: [C412]

MAG: [B606]

WILL: [B540]

Abilities:

[Call of the Dead]: Attempts to raise dead body as loyal servant. Have to be used within 15 minutes of targets death. If target was more than 5 levels higher than Necromancer, chance of success diminish sharply with each level.

Well I hope you all enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. Just want to give a shout out to my beta reader Cr00cy for editing even when they might have troubles of their own too. Thank you. And check out his stories too, here in fanfiction!

Well then I am off to finish homework and hopefully have time to write more since I am losing material to work with ;-;

Take care everyone!

Next Update: I'll try and be quick about it ;-;