I am crossposting this story from other sites, but I suggest hopping on Questionable Questing if you would like to see some character portraits. Or join me on Discord, server code is vN7sTYhEp6

  I will be posting four chapters daily on this site until it catches up with other sites.

  Fie

  “I was born in the northernmost part of the Hellenes, north of Mistral and well beyond Argus. I couldn’t tell you where - all I remember from my childhood was a mining vilge in the mountains and the cold air. I didn’t have any family. I couldn’t tell you if I even had parents or if I spontaneously appeared out of the wilderness, yet the vilgers treated me well enough when I showed up suddenly. I remember an old man teaching me how to read and write and be kind and polite. I remember exploring the mines with the other kids. It wasn’t a happy childhood, yet being an orphan, If I could feel a smidgen of the love the other parents gave their children, I was content.”

  Even though she couldn’t even remember the faces or names of those people from long ago, she still felt a smile on her face as she thought about them. About the mere idea of friends and family. Oh, how she still yearned for a family of her own.

  “Yet, that all changed. The vilge was being forced to pay tribute to a certain bandit tribe in gold and other precious metals from the mines, but they had seemingly decided that our payments weren't enough anymore. It was a poor vilge, and the mines produced purely conventional metals. No Dust, otherwise, the Kingdoms would have gdly provided aid. Why would Mistral or Ats bother with a backwater vilge in the middle of nowhere? I don’t know if the vilge elders decided to be defiant or if the mines had run dry. Whatever the reason, the bandits attacked the vilge, killing the men and ensving the women and children, myself included.”

  Fie could feel Jaune’s emotions spiking, but she continued with her tale so as to be done with it as soon as possible.

  “Sara already expined the concept of Grimm Bait, right?”

  She could feel Jaune nodding, “In the simplest of terms, It’s a despicable method that bandits and their ilk use to turn a person, usually a child for their pliable nature, into an unhinged mass of fear, hatred, pain, and all sorts of other negative emotions to cause a Grimm horde to form around them. Sometimes, they would try to unlock the child’s Aura as well, but considering not all people have the potential to unlock it. Even then, there are certain conditions to do so, and failures happen more often than not. Should they succeed, however, that child becomes a beacon for every Grimm for miles around them. All the bandits need now is to lure the Grimm and drop the… bait in the middle of a town, and people’s first instinct would naturally be to help the poor child…not realizing that they are holding a ticking bomb. By the time the Grimm are done with them and moved on, the bandits would swoop in and loot the town for all it's worth.”

  He pced his head over Fie’s and hugged her tightly, “What did they do to make a Grimm Bait, Fie? Sara never expined how… What did they do to you?”

  “…How would they ensure that a child would know nothing but fear, anger, and hatred? They would make sure they never feel safe, that they are always wronged, and instill in their minds that they are weak. That there’s nothing in life for them. It was almost a science how they were careful with their torture; rarely would they resort to physical torture as they wouldn’t want to break their precious bait after all. A broken bait is apathetic and wouldn’t care about anything anymore, so the Grimm would ignore them, thus making them worthless. They would always keep a sliver of either hope or defiance for the child to cling to, no matter how bad the torture would get…”

  Jaune hugged her tighter, and she could feel his emotions were in turmoil. Rage, sadness, and anger at her situation, although he was careful not to lose control.

  “You survived, though.”

  “…I did. Although, I wonder at times if I’m just dreaming and one day, I will wake up and be back in that cell.” She huffed humorously.

  “They were getting desperate as they were pressured by a rival tribe and took extreme measures to create their secret weapon. Usually, it would take days or weeks to create a Grimm Bait. There were a dozen of us at first, all of us under ten years old - all of them were kids I knew. Yet, I was the only one who survived in the end. It was so, so horrible, Jaune.”

  She hiccuped a sob as she recollected the faces of her dead friends and the terror they all felt. She felt tears gathering in her eyes, but she felt Jaune would not judge her for mourning her childhood.

  “They resorted to such painful methods, especially with me, since I managed to unlock my Aura. It was a lot more than they expected, but that was a boon for them. ‘She could just heal from whatever we do to her,’ they would say, ‘We’re wasting time, just fy her skin or whip her bloody, and it will grow back.’ It hurt so much. Pain was my constant companion during those days. They knew that with my Aura, it would be difficult for them to instill fear or hopelessness in me, so they tried their best to make me hate them instead. And how I hated them with every fiber of my being. Something must have broken inside me from the sheer hate or stress, I don’t know. One day, I noticed my hair lost its brown color and became bone white.”

  Fie could feel that Jaune was getting very close to losing control. He was unconsciously leaking Aura, and she could feel the malice and rage from it. She should be worried about him losing control and attracting the Grimm, and she idly thought that the middle of the forest wasn’t the best pce to have a heart-to-heart. Yet, the fact that Jaune was losing control for her sake was strangely heartening.

  It was proof that he cared.

  “For what it’s worth,” Jaune gritted out before releasing a breath, “I like your white hair. I even thought you might be a secret Schnee or something.”

  She let out a wet giggle at that. Her? A Schnee? A Cat-faunus being mistaken for a Schnee?

  “How did you escape?”

  “They never expected me to discover my Sembnce. What were the odds of someone unlocking their Aura in the first pce? If it is not done by a close family member or someone they feel utterly safe and ambivalent around, it's nearly impossible to unlock Aura unless you are a child in a stressful situation. With the minuscule chance of unlocking Aura in mind, what are the chances of someone discovering their Sembnce shortly after unlocking their Aura?”

  Jaune remained silent for a moment, “Astronomical, to say the least.”

  She nodded, “They thought I was under their control, that while I hated them, I was powerless to do anything to them. They were wrong, and they paid the price for their arrogance. I managed to kill my torturer by shoving my wind-infused hand into his eye and through his brain. That was my first kill, and it was cathartic as hell. I knew I needed to escape now. The wind was on my side, and I could seemingly hide from their patrols, even when I was right in front of them. I didn’t make it far before I was out of Aura. Then… I was caught by that other tribe.”

  Fie stayed silent for a while, though she appreciated Jaune rubbing her back soothingly.

  “Then what?”

  She sighed, idly running her hand on Jaune’s back.

  “The other tribe took me in, but don’t think it was out of benevolence or sympathy. They saw potential in me and trained me to be the opposite of what the first tribe desired. I’m sure you noticed, but Grimm Baits are not really that practical. In the bluntest of terms, they are a one-use-only trick that is extremely dangerous to keep around. The tribe that kidnapped me needed to use me quickly before I dragged a Grimm horde on their heads. They had pnned to drop me in the middle of a rge town simir to Celdic, which was under the protection of their rivals. My new tribe…They expected more from me. They wanted me to be their hidden weapon, an assassin. It took years of brutal training to control my urges and emotions to consciously lure Grimm instead of being a shining beacon all the time. Not to mention the physical conditioning and combat training they put me through. I never compined, though, for I had sworn that never again will I ever be weak. I shall never allow anyone to make me feel weak again. Suffice to say, they got their weapon.”

  An ominous silence followed her statement, and Fie lost herself to the soothing caresses of Jaune’s hand on her head and back. Yet, she didn’t believe she deserved such treatment.

  “I killed people, Jaune.” His hands paused for a second before he resumed comforting her, which encouraged her to carry on. “Men and women, some even innocent people who refused to pay tribute or bow down to tyranny. Those who trained me were still vicious bandits and marauders. I didn’t care, not at first, for they purposely weaned me into the killing business by having me solely target that old tribe who turned me into what I am before they had me kill other rivals and detractors. I will not lie, Jaune. I relished in killing them, in avenging myself from the pain and misery they inflicted upon me. I would even convince myself that I was doing it for the greater good, for they wouldn’t be able to harm anyone anymore. If I occasionally ended up mixing an innocent with my tormentors’ face, then it was worth it! Eventually, we wiped them all out, and then…then I was lost. I didn’t know what to do now. Aside from constantly getting better and gaining the strength to never be in that situation again, I had no more goals in life. And then…the weight of my actions crashed onto me.”

  “How old were you when you wiped out those monsters?”

  “…Twelve, I think. Maybe thirteen? I was never sure when my birthday was, although I think it was te August, when my Aura usually matured the most. Anyway, with my tormentors dead, I could finally take time to contempte my actions. I finally acknowledged the innocent blood on my hands. That realization nearly broke me. I didn’t have anyone to talk to or confide in. I had no one to console me. All I could do was rely on my training and shove everything into the back of my head.”

  “I will not cim to understand what you were going through, Fie, but for what it’s worth, you were not at fault. You were a victim of circumstances completely out of your control.”

  She smiled wanly, “…I know. Sara told me the same thing. I didn’t have any friends or confidants in the tribe who trained me, for they never truly accepted me as one of their own. They feared what they had created, and they hated that I never lowered myself to their level of sadism and debauchery. With how they trained me, I could lead entire hordes of Grimm to their doorstep, and they would be none the wiser. They never trusted me, especially after we wiped out my tormentors, for I had the habit of sparing some of their targets that I didn’t believe deserved to die. Time and again, they tried to have me join in their raiding and pilging, killing people for sport or torturing them for fun. They wanted me to be as bad as them, to have the same morality or ck of, in order to be accepted in their ranks. I refused. I even killed one of their own when they tried to rape a kid younger than me. I was even responsible for a sve revolt once. They really didn’t like that, but there was nothing they could really do. I had become too strong for them to control, and they knew I wanted to be free of them, so they gave me one st mission, and then they promised to let me go. To never hunt me down or put a bounty on my head. Assassinate a powerful adventurer hired by a rebelling town for protection.”

  “I guess it was a setup? They never expected you to survive?”

  Fie chuckled, “No, they didn’t. The adventurer was powerful, one of the toughest fights of my life. She was new to the profession, but she was a Huntsmen-in-Training before that. I waited until she was out of town, then decided to kill her in her sleep. I snuck into her tent, preparing for the killing blow. I would like to say that I hesitated or had second thoughts, but I didn’t even have the time to doubt myself before the adventurer somehow sensed me, and the fight was on. I won’t bore you with the details, but I was outmatched. I was faster, maybe even more skilled with my bdes, but she had stamina and sheer power in spades and a lot more experience. Her usage of Dust was also devastating. Dust users are incredibly rare, and I don’t think my tribe even realized how strong she was. I was losing stamina and Aura, yet the adventurer only got faster as she shook off the grogginess of being suddenly awoken… or her hangover, I could never tell at the time.”

  “Why do I feel like I should know that adventurer?” Jaune gave a strained chuckle, and she even managed a small grin.

  “Eventually, we called a truce when my tribe, thinking we were weakened, attacked us mid-fight. After we took them down, one thing led to another, and the adventurer took me in as an apprentice. With the help of some other adventurers and huntsmen she knew, we wiped out that bandit tribe. And that wass how I met Sara.”

  “Called it,” Jaune sighed in exasperation. “Figured it would be an insane first meeting between you two.”

  She giggled in turn. They remained silent for a few minutes, Fie hugging Jaune and listening to his beating heart. Considering how fast and powerful it beat, he was clearly affected by her tale. Opening up to Jaune was a relief. She felt like a heavy weight was off her shoulders, though she couldn’t remember why they started this conversation. Worryingly, she could tell Jaune was still trying to rein in his emotions.

  She wasn’t worth getting so worked up on.

  “Fie?”

  “Hmm?”

  “Thank you for telling me your past. I have one st question before I let you go to sleep.”

  The mention of sleep had her yawning. She was still a growing girl and needed her beauty sleep.

  “Go on.”

  “Did Sara never offer to adopt you? To give you her name?”

  Fie giggled, “I’m sure she would make a fuss about being too young to have kids. But no, she did not. Mostly because she had no real name to give me. Valestein was simply the name of the Mantle orphanage she grew up in.”

  “I see.”

  Suddenly, she felt…something… flowing through her, removing all her drowsiness. She had no idea what it was, and it was definitely not Aura. She looked up quickly at Jaune, only to see his eyes closed in concentration. This continued for a few seconds before he let out a breath and looked at her.

  “How do you feel?”

  Fie inspected herself, but she didn’t really feel any different. Maybe she could feel the wind better?

  “What did you do? What am I looking for, exactly?”

  “Hmm, try to think of Sara and her location for now.”

  Fie focused for a moment before gasping as she could feel Sara’s slowly recovering Aura mending her wounds a short distance away.

  “I-I can feel it. I can tell exactly where she is! Was that Search?”

  “Yep. Cool, huh?”

  Fie smiled happily, “It is! But… I don’t actually have Aura sense, Jaune. I hope you didn’t waste this on me.”

  “Don’t worry about it, and It works solely on your thoughts. Aura sense helps, but it's not a requirement. Besides, I have a feeling that you will develop your own Aura sense so long as you practice and remember that feeling. It’s like a new muscle, and it needs time and practice for it to get stronger.”

  She nodded her head rapidly, even as she felt Jaune slowly severing the link they had. Fie worried a bit that she would lose that connection to him as well as her newly found abilities, but she needn’t have worried. It was much weaker, but she could still sense Jaune in front of her. Although she could barely feel Sara, she had hopes that she would be able to train her Search.

  “Now, how about you store your Chasers away? They have been digging uncomfortably into my thighs for a while now.”

  Fie blushed in embarrassment before acknowledging his words.

  “Storage?”

  At his nod, she instantly tried it out, and to her surprise, her gunswords were gone, yet she instinctively felt that she could still access them. Suffice it to say, Fie’s first order of business once they were back in Celdic was stocking up on ice cream and a ton of explosives…literally.

  A few minutes ter, Fie had finally calmed down and hopped to her feet. She twirled in pce and gave a brilliant smile to the man who had opened a new way for her to view the world.

  “How did you even do this, Jaune? It’s nothing like Aura.”

  Jaune hummed, “I guess I can tell you a bit. To put it simply…Magic!”

  T*A*M*S

  Jaune gazed at the sleeping form of the young girl he had come to cherish so much. Despite only knowing her for a few days, he could not help but feel that Fie was the younger sister he had never had. He bemusedly thought what the rest of his family would think of her.

  It was past midnight, and the girl had exhausted herself to sleep as she practiced her Aura sense. He took a deep breath and did his best to shove what he learned today to the back of his mind. There were a few things he needed to do before he lost control.

  First among them, who would have thought that the third aspect of his Sembnce would be so…broken!

  He thought about the Challenges that Krystal gave him and the magic points he had earned. He got one point for sying the Goliath and a bonus one for killing another one at the same time. Krystal said something about style points and that it was a double kill or whatever. One point for the Cenitaur, despite Sara being the one to kill it, and another for it being over one hundred years old. One more for the Geist as well as five points for its age. Twenty-two points for sying Grimm over one hundred years in that first charge, with help from Sara and Fie, and finally eight points for Fie’s demolishing of the Sulfur Fish and the kills the troops had made on the horde. This all combined to give him forty extra magic points plus the eight he originally had, for a total of forty-eight. Subtract the six points for granting Fie both Search and Storage, and his current avaible magic points would be thirty-nine.

  ‘Status’

  Profile:

  Name: Jaune Arc

  Css: TBD

  Age: 17

  Height: 6’2”—6’3”

  Build: Lean-Muscur

  Race: Human

  Stats:

  Aura Points: 1700/10,000 (200/hr) (DEBUFF to 150/hr) (07:39)

  Aura Control: 23%—>31%

  Strength (STR): 81—>82

  Vitality (VIT): 98

  Dexterity (DEX): 85—>86

  Agility (AGL): 62—>63

  Perception (PER): 55—>57

  Intelligence (INT): 93

  Special Stats:

  Magic (MAG) [Recharges every 9 days]: 39/42 (8 days to regain one MP)

  *Gained one permanent point from awakening the System early, merging with the System, and from the Arc Moon Bloodline perk.

  Perks (Stacks):

  Arc Moon Bloodline (inherent): The god of the moon has blessed your bloodline in ancient times. Grants bonuses to Vitality and Aura. May the light of the Moon watch over you. Moonlight boosts Aura Recovery by 50%. Moonlight boosts stats by 10%

  Savant (inherent): Increased battle instincts and tactical awareness. Allows the user an easier time in learning skills and understanding concepts.

  Lightning affinity: Your reckless absorption of a raw and unrefined high-quality Lightning Dust gave you a high affinity for Lightning. Makes Lightning Dust/Abilities easier to use.

  Aura Battery: You have survived forcibly expanding your Aura reserves. Increased Aura regeneration by a ft 100/hr.

  Sembnce: OVERDRIVE

  *SECOND WIND: Allows instant refilling of Aura to the maximum once every 24 hours at the cost of halving your Aura recovery for the same period. Using it again within the Cooldown period provides only 25% of your reserves, as well as disabling Aura recovery for three days. After three days, Aura starts recovery at 25% on the first day, 50% on the second, and 100% on the third. Can not be used again until AR fully recovers.

  *CRITICAL BOOST: Provides a 600% stat increase that can be distributed evenly or focused on one or more stats. Costs 10 AP/hr for every 1% stat boost. Can only be activated in increments of twenty minutes. Increasing stats to 100 does not have adverse health effects. Increasing stats beyond 50% of your current maximum may cause adverse health effects. Incremental increases beyond that will cause adverse health effects.

  *EMPOWER: Allows you to transfer the effects of an ability to a target with an Aura link. ?-?-?

  Special Abilities

  Observe (D-rank): The most basic ability of the “Extrasensory Perception” ability tree. Allows you to view information on a target within your sight. Must have visual confirmation on the target. Range depends on Aura usage. Information depends on Aura usage. Aura Sense implemented into the ability; you can now view the target’s emotions.

  Storage Space (D-rank): The most basic ability of the “Pocket Dimension” ability tree. Provides you with one cubic meter of space where you can store non-living things inside it. Must be touching the item to store it. Does not require Aura to use but could have additional features through the application of Aura.

  Search (C-rank): Allows you to track and monitor a target through their energy. Current energies that can be tracked are Aura and Magic. The base range limit is one mile, but can be expanded through Aura. Can use more Aura to track more than one target at the same time.

  Sub-Ability: Pathfinder: Can use Aura to visualize the most direct route to your target.

  Skills:

  Crescent Wave: Channel 100 AP to a compatible weapon and unleash a one-meter-wide Aura attack with a range of 10 meters. The speed of the attack depends on the skill and power of the swing. Can channel more AP for more devastating effects.

  Aura Sense: Can passively sense targets that have Aura. Can be actively used to sense targets within a certain range for their Aura and emotions—costs 1 AP per second for every meter away from the user.

  Arc-Us: Create an Aura link and attach it to a target for up-to-date thoughts and intentions. The target must be friendly and trust you. Allows you to use abilities that require physical touch through the link.

  Status Effects:

  Sembnce Overused I: Aura recovery reduced to 50% (Time remaining: 7 hours, 39 minutes). Ability [Second Wind] disabled until Aura recovery returns to 100%.

  Blessings of the Moon: You are under direct moonlight. Aura recovery increased by 50%. Stats increased by 10%.

  His stats had marginally increased across the board, and his AC improved exponentially. As expected, however, granting someone Magic completely removed it from his pool. He would have had forty-eight MP without granting Search and Storage to Fie. It was still an insanely rge amount that he had, and considering his chosen profession, he would be drowning in MP soon enough. Though perhaps he should save the points for the higher-ranked abilities.

  He would rather use it to help people, especially those he cherished and trusted, instead of hoarding it in the hopes of getting good abilities. Jaune would rather trust in himself and his Sembnce to win the day over a random power that he may or may not get.

  Speaking of his Sembnce, Empower was the reason both Sara and Fie could sense him. He had unconsciously allowed them access to Aura sense when he pced the link on them, and looking at Fie’s status, she had managed to develop the ability to sense Aura from a bleeding effect. Sara already had the ability, but it was quite primitive. Maybe she could train it up ter on?

  Arc-Us was a basic skill, in his opinion, but Jaune had a strong feeling that it would be invaluable when he got his own team.

  ‘But what’s up with the names, Krystal?’

  It suits you. Empower because you are granting power to your targets. I would advise exploring it more, by the way, as it seems to be a very beneficial power.

  ‘So it would seem. I might have an idea or two on how to use it. But, Arc-Us? Really?’

  Arc-Us…well, you are an Arc, and you are bringing us, the people, together…thus, Arc-Us.

  ‘Lame.’

  If you hate it so much, you could rename it if you wish. I’m sure you would be able to come up with a more apt name for the ability.

  ‘…Never mind, Arc-Us sounds good. Anyway, will you expin why you didn’t let me grant Observe to Fie, now?’

  Certainly, an ability like Observe requires a system to transte what it sees. I am the one who transtes its results into numbers and words you can understand. If you had granted her that ability, she would have seen the information about her targets in the rawest and most primal way, which could have driven her insane.

  ‘…Damn. Didn’t think of that. Thanks, Krystal’

  Anytime.

  Jaune moved to Sara’s side of the tent. The woman was grimacing in her sleep, clearly in great pain. The medics have done all they could for her, even injecting her with Morphine to ease her pain, but she would need proper medical assistance once they return to Celdic. Time to see what Empower could do.

  The young man pced his palm over Sara’s head and focused. He tried to use Second Wind on her, but it appears the cooldown included using it on others. Jaune hoped that the ability wouldn’t time out after using it on one target — a ping from his soul — and never mind. Overdrive assured him he could use it on multiple people so long as he didn’t overuse it on himself or others.

  With SW having to wait a few more hours, Jaune was at a loss. He was tempted to boost her VIT with Critical Boost, but that would only be a temporary measure. A stop-gap at best. He entertained the idea of using CB on something more esoteric rather than stats, like her healing ability itself, but again, without Aura to fuel her healing, he could do more harm than good.

  ‘This is getting annoying.’ Unknowingly, Jaune had channeled Aura into his hands, and with Empower technically active because he had Arc-Us on Sara, his Aura flowed through his hand… and into Sara, causing her to release a small gasp.

  “What?”

  Jaune stared in shock as Sara’s body greedily drank in his Aura. He never expected this! He had never heard of a way to transfer Aura to others. Empower really did live up to its name, he thought, as he channeled more Aura into Sara, and he could even hear faint popping sounds as her bones mended and the slight scars and tiny blemishes on her body disappeared. He could see her AP rising, but it was slower than he was transferring as her body went into high gear, using all that extra Aura to repair the damage. It was soon approaching half-–

  STOP, JAUNE!

  The blonde jerked in surprise at the sudden shout in his mind and removed his hands from his patient. He had never heard Krystal speak in anything apart from a calm and cultured voice. Now, he could detect a hint of worry from him.

  ‘What is it? What’s wrong? Sara is still injured, and her Aura is depleting even now to heal the damage.’

  No, Jaune. That is not her Aura healing her, rather, it's yours.

  ‘Mine? But, I can clearly see in her status that it's hers.’

  I did not expect your Sembnce to be able to transfer Aura as well. On a healthy human that would normally not be a problem so long as their Aura reserves were low to take in your own. Your friend, however, was severely injured and does not have any Aura of her own. Your Aura is incredibly potent, Jaune. I’m not speaking of its amount, although that is another matter, but rather of its quality. It has an inherent healing aspect, and it has served you well during your training with your grandfather and in your fights.

  ‘Okay, I sort of already knew that I’m awesome. What of it? My family always healed easily even when our Aura was locked. What does that have to do with anything?’

  The issue is that Ms Valestein is not your blood. Her body is not acclimated to your incredibly potent Aura. Can you not see how she is burning up? Your Aura was both healing her yet also killing her.

  At that, Jaune quickly checked the woman’s body and noticed that Krystal was correct. Her face had an unhealthy blush as if she was drunk, and she was breathing easier now that her ribs were mended; however, her breathing was also quicker, and her body was hot and sweating like crazy. Panic started to take over.

  ‘What the hell?’

  You will need to cool her down, Jaune. Quickly, the water bucket and towel.

  Jaune quickly grabbed several wet towels, produced an Ice Dust Crystal, and pced it in one of the towels before slowly channeling a minuscule amount of Aura into it to cool the wet towels even further. He pced a towel on Sara’s forehead while he wiped her body with the rest. It was a good thing that Krystal had stopped him in time, as even as he watched, Sara’s breathing slowed, and her temperature gradually returned to normal.

  You have done enough for her for now, Jaune. With the amount of Aura you transferred, it should be enough for her to fully heal by morning. Once she’s awake, you could expin what happened and see if she is willing to test more Aura infusions. It might work better if the recipient is conscious and channels the Aura properly rather than instinctively.

  ‘Thanks for the save, Krystal. I don’t even want to imagine what would have happened if I didn’t stop.’

  Anytime. I recommend you take a walk outside and get some fresh air. You are still worked up from your conversation with Ms Fie, and I believe it affected you when you were treating Ms Valestein. Some venting would do you good.

  ‘You’re right, but before that.’

  Jaune had a choice, and he easily made it. He trusted Sara and felt that they had formed a bond of camaraderie when they fought together. He pced his hand on her head once more, and after a moment of focus, he was down six more MP.

  Jaune thought about her weapons, Ace and Joker, and imagined transferring them from his Storage to hers. It surprisingly worked, though he was unsure if it was due to the link he had yet to sever or because Sara was unconscious and unable to reject the trade, so to speak.

  Regardless, Jaune stood up and silently made his way out of the tent and to the edge of camp. He was excited about what his Sembnce had to offer and was a bit jumpy from nearly accidentally killing Sara. He hoped she would be cool with it in the morning and maybe follow Krystal’s advice to explore more with Empower?

  All of these, however, were just random intrusive thoughts that Jaune engrossed himself in so he would not lose control over the hurricane of emotions brewing in his chest. His repressed thoughts and emotions about what Fie had told him erupted like a volcano.

  ‘Why? Why the fuck would people do shit like that?!’

  He punched a tree with all of his strength to vent his rage. He gred at the innocent tree as he withdrew his arm, leaving a gaping hole in it. Jaune knew that people could be terrible but to that extreme? It made no sense! The entire concept of Grimm Bait was incredibly inefficient, yet some insane lunatics still did it? Was it just an excuse to sate their sickening lusts for inflicting pain and misery?

  Jaune could understand to an extent the fact that warlords and bandits existed, even accepting them as a necessary evil in some cases. With the constant threat of the Grimm, as well as the fact that the kingdoms could not protect everyone, especially those in the frontier nds, strong men would appear and assume the position of protectors for those towns. Conflicts over resources would be natural, and a few fights here and there were understandable. But to essentially ally with the Grimm?! The enemies of mankind?

  He remembered how Grandpa Max had once told him that the worst enemy of man was his fellow man. The Grimm, despite their savage and monstrous nature, were predictable. Humans, on the other hand, and Faunus for that matter, were unpredictable, and despite being the only creatures on the pnet capable of empathy, mercy, and compassion, they were also capable of the greatest of atrocities.

  Inadvertently, Jaune’s thoughts went back to how vulnerable Fie was. Her shaking body, and her shimmering eyes, angered him so much that someone would do shit like that to her.

  …And then he imagined that same thing happening to one of his sisters.

  An enraged growl burst out of his mouth as he stifled the urge to scream in rage. A snapping twig grabbed his attention, and he turned to see a lone Ursa approaching, clearly attracted by the turmoil in him.

  A savage grin overcame Jaune as he found a vent for his frustrations. Before the bear-like Grimm could attack or growl in challenge, Jaune was upon it, his fist coated in Aura shattering its throat, causing it to gag and be unable to make any noise.

  “Fucking filth!”

  Jaune allowed his rage to consume him as he flooded his body with Aura, not bothering to use Critical Boost but relishing in the primal power that recklessly flooded his being. He punched the Grimm in its armored chest several times until its armor broke, ignoring the easier and softer targets, craving to unleash wanton destruction. He tanked a panicky swipe of its cws, feeling his Aura dwindling, but grabbed the offending arm and broke it in half at the elbow. The Ursa fell to its knees and squealed in pain, its busted throat not allowing it to scream properly. Jaune grabbed its throat, shutting it up, as something Fie said came to him in his bloodlust, and shoved his other Aura-infused hand through its eye and into its brain. With a savage heave, he dislodged the entire thing’s head from its body and beat the Grimm’s headless corpse with its own head.

  Jaune couldn’t tell how long it took for him to vent his rage. He only stopped when the Grimm disintegrated, its head trying to evaporate as well, but as he unconsciously fed it his Aura, it remained solid in his hands. It would make a good trophy, the first-ever Grimm trophy, but Jaune couldn’t bring himself to care.

  He remembered Sara mentioning the child abductions that had happened recently. He vowed to himself right then and there, with the shattered moon as his witness, that if he ever caught the peopl– no, the monsters responsible, he would kill them.

  Kill them all!

  The moon seemed to shine brighter at his vow.

  Some may think Jaune wasted his magic points on people he barely knew. That might be true, but he had always pnned to spread his magic to others over wasting it on gacha which might lead to nothing. Besides, with this act of kindness, he had guaranteed the eternal loyalty of a ninja-cat. That’s more important than any power up :)

  Jokes aside, he is still experimenting with his abilities, and gaining magic isn’t really that hard for him, as you have seen.

  As mentioned several times, Grimm are attracted to negative energy. It stands to reason that normal folks would be taught how to control their emotions when young, whether through meditation or something simir to the Pavlov Effect, to train themselves to be happy. So, what happens when that ability is weaponized? The answer is Grimm Bait, for humans are very creative in weaponizing things.

  The bandit tribes that Fie describes are inconsequential as they are both dead and destroyed. They share no simirities with two rival groups from the game that Fie is from. Nope, not at all. It had nothing to do with my personal grievances over the fact they created a child soldier and are proud of it.