RWBY x T.A.O.TRQS (Vol. 1)

11. Jaunedice Pt.1

[In the arena]

3rd Person POV

Cardin Winchester with The Executioner perched on his shoulder and Jaune Arc opposite him with Crocea Mors drawn, leaning on his weapon as if exhausted, in the spotlight shining on the Beacon Academy auditorium stage.

He looks at Cardin, who laughs at his opponent's tiredness, and Jaune gathers his strength to charge forward and swing his blade at Cardin, only for him to jump out of the way. Jaune looks back, surprised, as The Executioner sends Jaune's shield - and himself - flying back. Now only armed with his sword, Jaune continued to try and attack, but is blocked by the mace's hilt. Their weapons locked, Cardin forces himself up, towering over a struggling Jaune.

Cardin: "This is the part where you lose."

Jaune: "Over my dead-!"

Jaune is cut short as Cardin knees him in the gut, making Jaune drop his sword and fall to the ground in pain. Cardin raises his mace and is about to slam it down on a worried Jaune just when the buzzer rings, the lights come back on, and Glynda Goodwitch's voice causes him to stop.

Glynda: "Cardin, that's enough! *he relents and walks away as she comes onto the stage, tapping her tablet* Students, as you can see, Mr. Arc's Aura has now dropped into the red. In a tournament-styled duel, this would indicate that Jaune is no longer fit for battle, and that the official may call the match. *while Jaune still lays on the floor in defeat and Pyrrha Nikos looks sad, Glynda turns her head to look at the losing warrior as he pulls out a smaller tablet with his low, blinking stats and that of his entire team* Mr. Arc, it's been weeks now. Please try to refer to your Scroll during combat. Gauging your Aura will help you decide when it's appropriate to attack, or when it is better to move to a more... defensive strategy. We wouldn't want you to be gobbled up by a Beowolf, now, would we?"

Cardin: "Speak for yourself..."

Glynda: (to the seated and standing students, such as: Yang Xiao Long, punching the air in anticipation; Weiss Schnee, shaking her fists with an excited smile; T-Burn sleeping in the chair; and Ruby Rose, shaking her entire body with enthusiastic energy while squealing softly) "Remember, everyone, the Vytal Festival is only a few months away! It won't be long before students from the other kingdoms start arriving in Vale, so keep practicing! Those who choose to compete in the combat tournament will be representing all of Vale!"

The bell rings, and students start leaving while Pyrrha continues to frown sadly. Jaune, still sitting on the floor, hangs his head in shame as the scene goes dark.

[In the Cafeteria]

3rd Person POV

Nora: "So! There we were, in the middle of the night..."

Ren: "It was day."

Nora: (to Blake, paying no attention as she is lost in her book, and Yang, who is hanging on her every word with her hands cupping her face) "We were surrounded by Ursai..."

Ren: *holding a coffee cup* "They were Beowolves."

Nora: "Dozens of them!" (she screams this as she stands at the table of both Team RWBY and JNPR, where Weiss is ignoring Nora and filing her nails, Ruby and Pyrrha are listening politely, and Jaune is messing with his food)

Ren: "Two of 'em."

Nora: (while Ruby and Pyrrha now look at a distant Jaune with concern) "But they were no match... And in the end, Ren and I took them down and made a boatload of Lien selling Ursa skin rugs!"

Ren: (sighs) "She's been having this recurring dream for nearly a month now."

L.E.A.D: "How do you know all of these details if it was a dream."