42Author's Notes: It is no secret that Tock is based on the crocodile from Peter Pan so, I thought it would be hilarious to have Hook and even Peter Pan in the story. But to make that idea work, some things needed to be changed. I will be explaining what changed, how it changed and when possible, why it changed via flashbacks. Needless to say, this will be a different Jaune and thus some of his relationships will also have changed.
But, enough talk!
Let's get this Train Wreck Rolling!
Captains Log:
The day that we all have been waiting for is almost upon us, tomorrow my team and I along with most of the freshman class will be going on our very first official mission. Why is it that a few of the teams have already left on missions like our sister team RWBY who left just a couple of days ago, I couldn't tell you but I think it was because sending us in waves was easier to manage. I have no evidence to support this other than the fact that there are still some teams that are waiting to go on their missions, but that's not what really matters. The mission my team is on will be to assist another Huntsman with what should be a simple investigation and possible extermination mission at a small settlement that doesn't even have a name yet. Interestingly Ren and Nora seem especially eager and maybe a little anxious about this mission, I wonder if it has something to do with what happened to them in the past. Though, I'd be lying if I didn't confess that I wasn't the most nervous one on the team and the worst part is that I can't even hide it from anyone! Though I have tried to just tell them that I'm nervous about getting on a Bullhead and thanks to what happened on my very first day at Beacon, everyone believes it without question even if they aren't fully convinced. For example my best friend Ruby seemed to suspect that I'm lying to her and Pyrrha... well, there was no way I could hide it from her. I know that they just want to help me but I wish that they would stop looking at my arm like I'm some kind of invalid.
Other people are even worse, I remember when I first tried hitting on Weiss, she looked like she was going to tell me off and then she saw my cheap prosthetic arm and just... I don't want to be pitied and I don't want my parents to worry or blame themselves just because they couldn't afford anything more expensive than the literal bottom of the barrel and above all, I do not want my sisters to think for even a second that it is their fault that we couldn't afford something far more durable to serve as my arm, it's not like I even need two arms to wield my Rapier so it's alright.
But I'm getting off of the subject, the point is that tomorrow Team JNPR goes on its first official mission and I will finally prove once and for all that I "Captain" Jaune Arc am a real Bonafide Huntsman despite my missing arm and despite my transcripts! Then I will finally be able to stand beside everyone else as a true equal and prove that pirates can be Huntsmen too!
Note to Self: Remember to try and Find a fancy hat at the Settlement or anything else I could add to complete my pirate aesthetic.
Second Note to Self: Try to find out what Beacon's policy on pets, maybe I can get a bird or a crab of some sort.
Fifty miles isn't a great distance not by any means. But, there are times when it feels like an impossible distance, an invisible barrier separating one location from another. In the world of Remnant, where actual Soulless monsters existed and wanted to kill you for the crime of living, fifty miles between a small settlement and the safety of the capital can be a Death Sentence. That's why Jaune couldn't fail, that is why he and the rest of the Team JNPR had to succeed on this mission, because they were the only ones wh-!
"Hellllooooo, Remnant to Jaune! Remnant to Jaune, do you read me?"
Snapping back to reality he answered, "Heh, I read you loud and clear," he then turned to face his concerned friend and teammate Nora Valkyrie also known to some as the Pink Grenadier or at least she insists that some people knew her by that title though Jaune himself never met anyone who actually called her that.
"Well duh, you can hear me! It's not like you've suddenly gone deaf, Wait! Can you suddenly go deaf without any warning whatsoever!?" Nora was suddenly right next to her best friend Ren and she grabbed him by his arm and began shaking him, "Ren, am I suddenly and inexplicably going to go Deaf!?"
"No, Nora. You're not."
"Oh, well in that case, Jaune what's wrong?" Nora asked with a look and tone that made it clear that this was serious question.
Dammit, I forgot just how perceptive Nora really was, I need to lie… again, "Well as you know we are about to climb into a Bullhead and I do have a history of getting a bit… airsick." he rubbed his stomach as he said this hoping that the dramatization would be enough to get Nora and everyone else off of his back, at least for now, I'm sorry Nora, I'm Sorry Ren. I want to tell you about my transcripts, hell I want to tell Ruby as well and I will, right after I prove myself on this mission.
"Hey Kids, are you coming or not?" Shouted the rather impatient Bullhead pilot who did not appreciate all these little delays.
"Well Captain, shall we depart?" Asked Pyrrha as she already began to board the Bullhead, she soon was followed by Ren and Nora who all asked the same question in their own playful way until Jaune was the only one who wasn't aboard the metal vessel and not wanting to keep them waiting he started to climb aboard when before his eyes, history was made...
BOOOOOOOOOM!
The sound of the explosion lasted for only a second before fading away as the blaring sound of alarms filled the void as the sky began to be choked with smoke. However the echoes of that singular found was reverberating the through the streets of city and inside the hearts and minds of the people who were either frozen in shock or running away in panic as their lives were irreconcilably changed for the worse, morale was plummeting and all too familiar bestial howls began to fill the air as the screaming began. Soon after that, the entirety of Team JNPR along with every Huntsman and Huntsman-in-training available to respond received the Code Red emergency notice on their scrolls which confirmed their worst fears: The Walls had been Breached and the Grimm were inside the city.
"Take us to Vale!" Jaune screamed at the pilot who was already planning out the new route, he then turned to face his teammate Ren whose normally stoic face was now painfully easy to read and twisted by conflicting desires and shame. "Ren, you have my word that when this is over, We'll go and save that village, I promise."
For a second he just stood there but that indecision on his face was quickly pushed back by the conviction of a true huntsmen, "Thank you captain," With that said, he climbed aboard the Bullhead and Team JNPR flew into a kingdom that was under attack.
There was a breach in the wall. For the people of Vale who have spent generations living in near perfect peace and safety, thanks to the massive wall which shielded their city from the hordes outside, a breach was unbelievable and even the tragedy of Mount Glenn could not shake this faith and in fact it only made it stronger since Vale had been spared from the horror thanks to the wall. The very idea that anyone would plot to put a hole in that venerable shield, was laughable and yet that was exactly what happened. A brave group of heroines under the guidance of a vaunted professor tried and failed to stop a train addled with explosives from bursting through the wall thus allowing the Grimm to enter and destroy. The old Guardian of Vale failed in its duty all thanks to the efforts of a very angry and confused group known as the White Fang working under the orders of an manipulative abusive taskmaster working under the "Suggestions," of a self-important Pawn.
The sight that greeted Team JNPR from the Bullhead was the results of years of planning and work by cruel minds having finally come to chaotic fruition and upon landing and reaching the location of what would become known as the Breach, they saw a glimpse into a dark potential future that would freeze the hearts of those unprepared to handle the sight. However JNPR did not care about that possible future, not when in the present they could see their sister Team known as RWBY exhausted and desperately trying to valiantly to hold back the black and white tide of Grimm as well as a few surviving members of the White Fang who were trying to decide between fighting the Huntresses or fleeing from Grimm that they had allowed into the city.
The situation offered countless questions and not a single answer, but right now they just didn't care. What mattered wasn't that Team RWBY were supposed to be on a mission in Mount Glenn nor was it how they ended up Back in Vale fighting a losing battle against the monster flowing out of the old train tunnel that connected the Kingdom to that massive graveyard on the mountain. No, what really mattered right now was that RWBY as a whole were moving sluggish, they were being sloppy and fighting in a bizarrely defensive manner and the reason why became abundantly clearer and clearer the closer Team JNPR got. It was exhaustion, their sister team had been fighting over an extended period of time, while injured and against overwhelming odds. They needed help and they needed it now, or this was going to turn into a last stand.
On the front line stood Ruby Rose who was tired but she couldn't stop, if she stopped then she would die and it wouldn't be just her, the civilians who were depending on her and the rest of her team would die as well. The mission was a complete failure, her team was battered, they were all running on fumes and already too many Grimm had managed to slip past them but they were still standing their ground, they didn't have a choice. Retreat would only leave themselves open to the monsters while putting someone else in danger, they needed help and so far it didn't seem like reinforcements were on the way. Ruby looked around and saw that both Weiss and Yang were close to their limits and Blake wasn't too far behind, she also saw that a new wave of Grimm were charging towards them and instantly knew how this was going to end, Well, mom… looks like I'll be seeing you soon.
"Queen Anne's Revenge!" Suddenly the oncoming wave of Grimm was buffeted by a barrage of bright neon pink grenades which then covered the battlefield in an equally pink haze obscuring everything inside. However from within that haze, Ruby could make out two figures darting through the smoke and cutting down any of the Grimm who survived the initial strike and then her heart soared when she heard a friendly familiar voice behind her, "We have been practicing that move in secret for months. To prepare for the Vytal Festival, shame we couldn't have for then."
Ruby turned and to her great relief, she saw her best friend Jaune standing there with his Rapier drawn and ready to cut down any Grimm that came near, "Oh thank the Brothers! Quick, Jaune we need your team to hold the Grimm back if you do that Weiss might be able to seal up the hole."
"I don't know Ruby… there's a lot of them. Maybe we should be retreating at least until more help arrives," he answered nervously as a new wave of Grimm replaced the once that had just been destroyed by his team.
"No! You have to listen to me, if we don't stop them here-!" Ruby never got a chance to finish and she didn't have to because at that moment the blessed sound of chain gun fire began to drown out all other noises as bullets came flying from above cutting down Grimm and creating the space need for Team CFVY to land in the middle of the chaos so they could get to work cutting a swath through the monsters. However even this team of upper years would not be enough to make a real difference today, good thing then that it wasn't just them as Bullhead after Bullhead appeared bringing teams of Huntsmen-In-Training as well, Professionals and Professors of Beacon who immediately went to work and producing instant results. Not only that but the Bullheads themselves were also providing supporting fire and much needed surveillance so no one would be caught off guard. And finally but not least the Atlas Cruisers came in provided the push needed to end the Breach by deploying the Atlasian Knights who thanks to their number and disposable nature as droids were able to effectively fill in any gaps within the defense preventing anymore Grimm from entering the city, but there was still the issue of the ones who had already broken through.
"Miss Rose, Mister Arc could I have a moment of your time?" Ruby and Jaune turned to see Professor Glynda Goodwitch looking at them with a rare expression that made no effort to hide both the relief and pride that she had for them and all her students right now, "Miss Rose, you and the rest of Team RWBY have done well, go back to Beacon and rest. We will handle it from here. As for you Mister Arc, some Grimm have managed to break through so I will assign you and some of other of the more mobile teams to hunt them down while everyone else holds this position. Am I understood?"
"Yes, Ma'am!" Ruby and Jaune responded in unison.
When you are a Bounty Hunter the possibility of betrayal or an ambush is an unignorable risk that for many in the business was an eventually. It was just something that would happen sooner or later and no amount of planning could prepare you because it was just how things worked out in this profession and the only way to avoid it was to quit or die before it happened. In fact, Tock could remember her dear Grandma once claiming that it was a rite of passage and that it didn't matter whether you were a Bounty Hunter, a Huntsman or a Mercenary or even how long you've been in the business, in her eyes you were greenhorn until you had survived at least one betrayal or ambush, preferably both. Well Granny would be proud to know that her granddaughter "Captain," Tock was no greenhorn by any standard and neither were her "crew" as they had already survived more than their own fair share of ambushes and even betrayals, some which were admittedly well-earned. Hell, they did more than survive! They learned turning every experience into a lesson that they took to heart! And it was thanks to one such lesson that they even came to Vale, because even though lawmen and proper society rules could be a pain in the ass, they were also a shield.
Had they gone to some random bar located in the middle of nowhere then sure they could have celebrated their latest success in a truly wild manner but, then anyone who they pissed on during the job could track them down, which wasn't too hard since Tock was crocodile faunus and those were rare, and attempt revenge regardless of who got caught in the crossfire and while she and her enjoyed a good scrap, they also had no deserve to drag others into a fight that had nothing to do with them. However here in Vale, anyone who tried to pull a little frontier justice would be doing so with the understanding that the police and Huntsmen Academy would step in and for many, that was too much of a risk. Vale was their safe haven.
But, then something happened. A loud boom, alarms, people screaming and the all too familiar sound of monsters out on the hunt all joined together to tell the story of how something had gone wrong on a fundamental level, however the worst part wasn't the chaos or the death but rather the sick feeling in Tock's guts, the same feeling that she could see on the face of her entire crew as each one slowly began to suspect the same thing, that they... were somehow responsible for this. Meanwhile it didn't take long for the other patrons of the bar to pull out their scrolls to try to figure what was going on and even less time for them to find out, "There's a Breach in the wall and the Grimm have entered Vale!" someone foolishly shouted, sending half the bar into a panicked frenzy while the other half was frozen in either disbelief, confusion or fear.
The Crocodilian Huntress and her crew belonged to the latter half as they remained in their seats trying to convince themselves that everything going on was a mistake or was actually a small issue blown out of proportion but reality of the situation became harder and harder to deny as the sounds of chaos grew. Soon they had no choice but to accept what was going on and carefully weigh the options that they now had before them: Should they ditch the bar they are drinking in and run leaving the patrons and the admittedly cute but also rather dickish bartender at the mercy of those devils? Or do they play the role of heroes? Was that even an option anymore considering what they had done?
Eventually someone who was close to the window decided that it would be a good idea to peek through and see what was going on outside. The bar was located inside an alleyway which made it a little awkward but he could see the crowds running to the shelter and instead doing the smart thing and joining them he instead did the stupid thing and just continued to watch as his imagination ran wild. Soon enough he saw something or at least he thought he did, the truth would never be discovered and even if he had seen something it could have easily just been the shadow of a cloud. But fear and paranoia were calling the shots now so he just screamed, "They're coming! The Grimm are already here!" Whether this was true or just a panic born hallucination no longer mattered as the words triggered a chain reaction that spread to all the patrons. Fear and panic skyrocketed which naturally grabbed the attention of several Grimm who were now converging on the establishment sealing the fate of all those who sought to hide within its walls as even more monsters were drawn in.
The time for deliberation was over, Tock and her crew needed to make their decision now. So, without saying a word to each other they finished their drinks, gathered their stuff, readied their weapons and began walking towards the door, their choice firmly made.
Many believe incorrectly that the glory and honor of battle belong solely to the ones fighting on the frontline like RWBY had done to the best of their ability and while there can be no denial that they deserved all the praise they would receive for their heroic actions, they were far from the only ones fighting. All over Vale there were people struggling to protect others from the Grimm even if they weren't Huntsmen such as the police department who was doing their best to lead people to shelters or the Atlas Droids and Soldiers on the ground providing additional backup and support and there was even a certain nightclub owner that had opened the doors of his establishment as a safe haven as his men and lovely bodyguards kept the monsters at bay. All these people and more were unsung heroes of the day whose actions would go unrecognized and in the future JNPR would look back on this day and proudly count themselves among them.
However in the present the only thing they could see were smashed cars, broken windows and the rare but still far too common corpse that only hammered in the importance of their mission which they carried out with great ferocity engaging and cutting down any of the beasts they came across, such as a Beowolf who before it even processed what was happening met its end when Jaune's sword pierced its neck and it wasn't alone. Off to the side on top of a car was a monkey like Grimm known as a Varana which was a species notorious for its ability to wield weapons, however it could not keep up with Ren's martial prowess and died screaming as the Huntsmen broke its neck. Meanwhile Nora was in the middle of the street, locked in a contest of strength with an Ursa who could only feebly growl as its body began to break under her might.
And finally Pyrrha was skillfully dispatching an Elder Creep when by pure chance she spotted movement in a nearby alleyway and proceeded to investigate, what she found was a horde, tightly packed by the walls of the alley and crowded towards the end, We might have missed these guy entirely… but what could be here that attracted so many of these Grimm? Overhead she spotted a sign advertising a bar that was apparently located here, There must be people in there!, "Guys! Get over here!"
Within moments her teammates were by her side trying to decide what was the best way to approach this situation, Ideally we would just carpet bomb them but the people inside might get caught in blast,... we'll have to get the Grimm to come to us, Jaune scratched his chin for a bit before a plan came to him. "Pyrrha, Ren get their attention and see if you can draw them away from the buildings. Nora when you have a clear shot, let them have it but use the weaker grenades to limit the damage to the buildings. We'll have a fight on our hands but we're more than capable of taking out what's left!" With their orders issued, Team JNPR took positions and got to work.
The first step was the easiest as Ren and Pyrrha opened fire on the Grimm and had no space to even try and dodge the bullets coming at them and just like they hoped it didn't take long for some of the Grimm to finally take notice and switch their focus onto the huntsmen gunning them down. The first to charge was an Ursa who had its attention on Ren but found itself blocked by a pack of eager Beowolfs and Creepers who also rushed forward and accidentally crashed into each other. However, the pile-up didn't last long as some of the Grimm simply climbed over their trapped kin and resume their mindless bloodthirsty charge which forced the Hunstmen to brace themselves for melee combat but just before Grimm could leave the alleyway, Nora began to fire her grenades at the rabid monsters resulting in the first wave being decimated.
It was however was a small victory as the Grimm who had been killed were the smaller less armored varieties, the ones behind them who then took their place were older, stronger, smarter and it would take more than a weak explosion to even slow them down. They broke through the pink smoke and with a mighty bone chilling roar engaged the Huntsmen in battle where the smallest mistake would have dire consequences. But JNPR were not the only ones participating in this fight.
Tock ducked under the bone-breaking swing of an Ursa Minor and took the opportunity to take her rapier and stab it through its foot which she immediately followed up with a rising swing from her cutlass which split Ursa's face in two instantly killing it. She then looked to her left and saw her hammer-wielding crew mate Cecco crushing a Creeper's skull with pure strength while the eye patch wearing Mason provided covering fire with his rifle killing a Beowolf that thought itself clever. On her right was the Bar counter and behind it was the mask-wearing Turley whose machetes were making short work of a different Beowolf who could do nothing but snarl as it died pathetically. Once Turley was done the four bounty hunters took the opportunity to gather and look around the bar where they soon noticed three things. The first being that everyone else had already successfully hidden within the back of the establishment where they theoretically ought to be safe provided that no one does anything stupid but given what had happen earlier, they weren't willing to bet on it. The second was related to the third and it was that the Grimm Horde was distracted by someone who was either tough enough or stupid enough to go out of their way to pick a fight with actual soulless monsters. Which one it was didn't matter, what did matter was what they were going to do with this opportunity.
"Oi, Boss. Got any ideas?" inquired Cecco.
"Well, let's see love. On one hand, we kin go round th' back 'n' sneak out of th' bar, sin we cleaned up hings ere th' people hiding in th' back won't be needing us no more, especially sin it looks lik' th' cavalry has arrived." Tock said while stroking her chin.
"The other option is to go out the front entrance and help with the fight, though that won't help us in any way. So I vote to duck out the back," said Turley while taking a moment to fix his mask.
"Now ye see Turley, das how come a'm th' leader 'n' not ye," Tock said with a wide grin that showed off the teeth that she was so proud of, It hurt lik' a bitch tae file mah teeth tae look lik' this bit 'twas sae worth it.
"And how am I wrong?"
"Th' deal is, security is gonna be a mite tight for a bit, aye? We huv a go 'n' sneak out now 'n' we'll just be giving our… former gaffer th' heads up," She then began walking toward the front entrance of the bar while playfully twirling her swords, "But, we help wash hings up now and when th' time comes tae leave, no one wull stop us."
Mason was the first to understand what their leader was trying to say, "We got to assume the worst and act assuming that bastard will be watching the city exits and waiting for us to show our faces but, if we lay low. He'll think we bit the dust!" he declared excitedly.
"And if we make pals with some huntsmen, they might share a sweet tidbit of info." Cecco was now fully on board with Tock's plan.
"Now c'moan wee jimmies, let's mak' some new friends 'n' who knows, we might become heroes by th' end o' this," Tock said as she stepped outside to join the fight along with the rest of her crew.
Tock had a powerful semblance but it came with a crippling weakness. For sixty seconds she could become invincible however the catch was that it needed to drain the entirety of her Aura reserves to fuel it leaving her completely vulnerable at the end. Fortunately she understood her limits, that's why she carried an alarm clock on her waist and why she hadn't used it back in the bar, sure she could have slaughtered the Grimm inside within the sixty seconds, but then what about the Grimm waiting outside? Her minute of glory would have just left her tired and exposed and without their captain to lead them who knew how well her crew could handle things. However all those concerns were now in the past, here in the present they had reinforcements that could back them up allowing them to go on the attack instead of playing defense; the tables have deliciously turned and so she set her alarm clock, licked her teeth and with her crew by her side, let the Wankers have it.
On the other side of the carnage Pyrrha Nikos was almost a serene image of grace and cold brutality as she performed her dance in between the beasts, cutting and stabbing and bashing them aside with her weapon of choice Miló and her shield Akoúo̱. Alongside her was Nora swinging the War hammer Magnhild in devastating arcs shatter bone and sending the monsters flying with each strike often killing them before they could hit the ground. Beside her was Lie Ren who was living up to his reputation as a ninja as he dashed past the beasts cutting and shooting with his duel pistols Storm Flowers while occasionally delivering devastating unarmed strikes. And finally was the leader Jaune who wielded his nameless rapier with a certain degree of undeniable skill being able to to stay out of danger's reach and striking back whenever the opportunity arose, though it was clear that he still had much to learn in comparison to the rest of his team but he was getting there.
The Grimm trapped between the two forces were quickly annihilated.
It was only after the violence was concluded did the two groups finally meet in the middle and get a good look at each other neither were prepared for what they saw. On one side stood Jaune who looked like a proper Corsair right out of a book thanks in small part to the red coat he was wearing and a large part due to his prosthetic hook hand, that in his rush he had forgotten to take off, and finally the fact that his weapon was rapier was just the sweet cherry on top. And on the other side stood Tock was also the very image of a scalawag thanks to her tight striped trousers and a corset while she was wielding both a rapier in one hand and a cutlass in the other. For a while both groups just stood there staring right at each other with no one having any idea what to say, except for Nora "Oh my God, you're Pirates!" she declared and with that, any intention of simply slipping away disappeared from the mind of Tock and her crew. After all, it wasn't every day that you met a fellow pirate and at the very least they were going to share some drinks with their "Colleagues."
Jaune woke up the next day in a hotel room that he did not recognize with a killer hangover but, even then he was able to notice several important details. The first was that he wasn't wearing his prosthetic hook hand which didn't really bother him, at least I finally remembered to take it off before going to bed, but where is it? He couldn't see the arm from where he was laying but he could see his clothes on the floor which led to the second thing that he noticed and it was that he was fully naked, which was odd because he was not someone who usually slept in the nude. However, that was nothing compared to the third thing that he noticed and it was that he wasn't alone. There was a warm arm covered in light green scales resting right on his chest and following the arm he soon found that it belonged to a certain crocodilian Faunus and fellow "Pirate," named Tock and his mind nearly shut down. Why am I sharing a bed with a professional Huntress!? I must be dreaming! That's the only explanation! He then pinched himself and looked again but Tock was still there sleeping happily right next to him and even though she was covered by the blanket he could tell that she was equally naked. Calm down, Calm down! Just think this through and-! Suddenly the arm resting on his chest pulled him closer to the woman who was now embracing him in an unbreakable hug all still asleep and trapping him against her toned body.
There was no escape for him, "Captain's Log... Help."
Author's' Notes: This is a little side project that I would work on whenever I found myself stuck while writing Dead Last. I was originally going to post this story months ago but I got wrapped up in a certain film project and when I did have the time I quickly found that the chapters I had written... were absolute shit. It took awhile to make the changes and in future Author's Notes, I'll explain what the original story was like and why I had to make the changes.