Minecraft Jaune - Chapter 8 (In-Progress/One-Third Finished)

Patreon Note - Posting this for now. This is still a work in progress, but I'm hoping I can finish it soon. I'm sorta excited about this since this is the first time we've seen Jaune's POV (at the allowance of the commissioner)

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For the first time in months, Jaune felt excited.

The blonde whistled a jaunty tune as he made a larger teleporter on the cliff overlooking the Emerald Forest. That was another place to gather some materials, though there wasn't much there apart from some garden variety Grimm, trees, and stones. Nothing really worth stockpiling. He reminded himself to head over to the Ever After to get the pieces he needed for Infinity. He couldn't wait to see Ruby's smile when she got it. An engineer after his own heart.

His own smile dimmed slightly when he remembered that Coco girl. It wasn't the first time people asked him for stuff. Back when his Semblance first showed, he took just about any request people made. It was only after Dad sat him down that he learned to be more selective. He still took requests, but only if he liked the person or they were doing it for someone else. He still remembered little Marko who wanted a new wheelchair for his granddad while offering him all the allowance he saved up for that year.

He always wanted to be a hero. When he was a kid, he dreamed about taking Crocea Mors and wandering the land like a knight errant. Protecting villages, saving people in distress, or rescuing people at the last minute. Sadly, his skills never matched up to his dreams. He tried, of course, but he was a kid from the countryside. Most aspiring Huntsmen came from Huntsmen families or could afford training inside the kingdoms. There were exceptions, of course, but he wasn't part of that group. Huntsmen level training from personal mentors didn't come cheap and there weren't any combat schools near where Domremy was.

Ironically, he had more than enough money now to get whatever training he wanted, but the thought of being a regular Huntsman was the farthest thing from his mind now. He still dreamed sometimes of being the wandering hero, of coruse, but he knew that he could do more than just kill Grimm. There were thousands of Huntsmen across Remnant. There was only one (at least far as he knew) person with abilities like his. With great power came great responsibility and all that.

Which was why he was doing this now.

Jaune almost finished up the portal. He rubbed his forehead with the back of his hand and looked back at the group watching him. Headmaster Ozpin, Professor Goodwitch, and those two people from Atlas. General Ironwood and Winter Schnee. He could see the resemblance to Weiss clear as day.

His eyes flicked over to the General briefly. He liked to think the best of people, but the General's first impression was a bad one. Their first meeting and he was already asking - demanding, really - that he work for Atlas. Jaune wasn't against working for good causes. Heck, it was pretty much the only thing he could really do right now. He had more than enough money to last ten lifetimes for him and his family and Domremy was as stable as it could be. Helping people was the only real thing he could devote himself to outside of just retiring and spending the next 60 years coasting on what he already did.

But the General wasn't asking for help. He was demanding his Semblance for Atlas like he was entitled to it. Atlas didn't need help. They were the most technologically advanced kingdom in all of Remnant. They didn't need the help. Sure, the General tried to frame it as helping against that Salem monster, but he didn't seem like the type to just hold up his hands and go "that's enough, thanks for all the help". He seemed like the type to keep asking for more.

Ozpin coughed behind him, "Mr. Arc, could I ask what exactly your plan is?"

"You'll see." He hammered in the last block. The portal suddenly activated, the ethereal gate twisting gently. The General's brows furrowed and he muttered somehting under his breath that Jaune couldn't make out, "Uh, you might all wanna step back."

The first footsteps made Winter Schnee draw her sword. The four of them looked with wide eyes as the first of the knights stepped forward. The General Knights came first. 20 feet tall with ornate black and gold armor. There were only three of them, but that was all he needed. They were his strongest creations. The ones who led the Legion. If all else failed, they were the last line of defense. And they were worth all those Ever After materials.

After the Generals were the regular knights. He had tens of thousands stockpiled under Domremy, but he figured maybe four to five thousand would be enough? He wasn't exactly planning to rush this. Mount Glenn had been abandoned for decades and the Grimm weren't going anywhere. Plus Grimm didn't know anything about siege tactics. Even then, he expected that the majority of the Grimm extermination would take maybe a day or two. The biggest issue was with the stragglers.

Professor Goodwitch, Winter Schnee, and General Ironwood all looked surprised when they saw the knights marching into the cliff. The area wasn't big enough to hold all of them, so he'd have to keep them marching straight into the airship docks. Or maybe make a portal straight to Mt. Glenn. He'd need to check his material stockpile to see if he had the stuff to spare.

Ozpin coughed, "Mr. Arc, this may be an odd question to ask, but do you believe in magic?" The other three looked at him in alarm.

"Uh...yeah?" Jaune shrugged, still watching the knights file out in single form, "I've been to the Ever After. Some things you just can't explain with science." Especially that little bastard Jinxy Peddler. That guy gouged him every time they met. Which was impressive considering the Ever After didn't have currency.

"And do you believe that your Semblance is magical in nature?"

"What? Of course not. It's a Semblance, not magic." Jaune rolled his eyes.

"I...see. If you're certain." He took a sip of his hot chocolate, "Perhaps we should talk about your plans before James' head explodes." He gestured to General Ironwood. The older man was looking at his knights with an intense stare that said a thousand words. Jaune said he was willing to loan out his knights, and he needed to stand firm on that. Another lesson his parents taught him. Be kind, but make sure to draw a line in the sand so people didn't exploit you.

"I assume this will be the main force you'll be using, Mr. Arc," General Ironwood said.

"Yep." Jaune patted one of the knights, which saluted in response, "You said you were willing to lend ships. They'll bombard the Grimm and hit the ones in the air like Nevermores. My Knights will deal with the horde when they came scattering out." He jerked his thumb to one of the General Knights, "Galahad can lead the front and the purging outside. Lancelot will deal with Grimm inside the tunnels. Mordred will

"Interesting names..." Winter Schnee muttered.

"Always liked the old stories." Jaune shrugged with a smile, "Anyway, once the place is cleared out, I can start rebuilding."

"The issue comes with Vale." Professor Goodwitch adjusted her glasses, "Technically, Mt. Glenn is considered public property since no one wants to deal with a Grimm-infested husk, but the council will definitely be interested once Mr. Arc starts rebuilding. They'll claim ownership or bring up some obscure law to justify taking once you've done all the work." She nodded at Jaune, "Politicians can be cutthroat, sometimes literally."

"I can handle that in exchange for certain favors," Ozpin said.

"Depends on the favors."

"Nothing different than what you're already providing, I assure you. I've no interest in personal power, only stopping Salem." He believed him. Even with the bad first impression, "This will also help in that regard. Salem feeds on despair and hopelessess. Showing that we can fight back will bolster everyone."

"I'd prefer if we focused on direct solutions over propaganda victories," General Ironwood said with a frown.

"There are thousands of Huntsmen. Not a lot of people who can give people homes in days." He remembered the place Blake took him to. So many people homeless because the other option was risking it outside the walls where the Grimm could get them, "It'll be nice to help people with more than just surviving the next Grimm attack. They need homes, farms, a place to sleep without worrying if they'll be able to survive the next day."

"A noble sentiment. I approve." Professor Goodwitch nodded.

"Beacon can house these Knights while we transport them to Mt. Glenn. I'm sure Atlas will be more than happy to assist in that regard."

"Provided we gain some knights, yes."

"You can have them for a while, like I said. You can't keep them." The General's lips pursed and he looked like he wanted to argue. Jaune was already walking away, "Before we do that, I gotta go to the Ever After first. Get Ruby her gift." He smiled. He couldn't wait to see the look on her face once she got Infinity. He ignored the memory of that Coco girl again. Ruby didn't ask for anything. He offered and she accepted. She didn't act entitled to it.

He walked over to the dorm room across team RWBY's and knocked on the door, "Coming~!" The door opened and he was greeted with Nora's beaming face, "Oh! Hey, Jaune! What's up?"

"Picking up a friend." He looked past her and saw Curious chatting with that Ciel girl. Ren and Pyrrha were nowhere to be found, "Curious! I'm heading to the Ever After, you coming with me?"

"Hm?" The multi-colored cat looked up languidly, "Why ever would you want to return to that place after Jinxy made you do that three hour jig?"

"Need materials for Infinity, you know that."

"Hm. I suppose it has been a while since I visited home." He stretched and disappeared for a second before suddenly appearing on Jaune's right shoulder, "And someone has to watch over you and make sure you don't have to share your embarassing memories in front of a crowd again."

"That was one time! Jinxy had that transcendent bark I needed and he wasn't gonna sell it for anything else."

"A shame the Ever After doesn't have the luminous rectangles. I would've enjoyed recording that."

"It's called a scroll, and you aren't recording jack!" Jaune crossed his arms and walked off, saying goodbye to Nora and Ciel as he did. He made his way to the portal located in the room designated for it. A quick swipe of the runestone and he was back in the portal room at his castle. He definitely needed to make sure to keep the runestones close. It was the only way to use the portals. Only team RWBY had copies so far and they were keeping them under lock and key.

It took him over 12 hours - the whole afternoon until 6 am the next morning - until to gather the required materials, and that was him getting lucky with Jinxy only asking for a hug this time (apparently they were very valuable in the Ever After). That wasn't to say it was easy, of course. He had to kill the Jabberwalker twice for shadow skin, go through a punderstorm for truth essence, then beat the Red Prince in a game of chess (then run away when the sore loser tried to have him executed) for perfection porcelain.

By the time he got back, Jaune was haggard and covered in substances that shall not be named while Curious' face was knotted in distaste, "Every time we return there I'm reminded of why I was so eager to leave," his friend's voice was dry enough to peel paint, "I certainly hope this human girl you're so affectionate with is worth all this trouble."

"Ruby's great. Just wants to be a Huntress to help people."

"Hm, is this what people in this world regard as courtship rituals?"

"Wh-What?" Jaune's face flushed slightly and he laughed, "Come on, Curious, it's not like that. Ruby's just a friend!"

"And what about the rest of that team? The girl with the cat ears, the ice princess, and the fire woman?"

"They're friends too." He shook his hands to wipe away some of the gunk clinging to his fingers, "Don't make it weird, man."

"Perhaps one day I'll tell you the story of the Oblivious Prince." The Afteran sighed and hopped off his shoulder before Jaune could respond. Jaune shook his head and walked over to the runic table. Whatever, Curious was always making comments like that. He focused on creating the Infininty rune. Once he was done, all they had to do was bond it to Crescent Rose. The bonding would be permanent, so no need to worry about someone else stealing it.

It took him almost six hours to get everything right. One mistake and the materials would've been wasted and he'd have to gather them up all over again. Every step had to be checked and double checked. By the time he was done, his scroll had 11:56 on the screen. Lunchtime at Beacon. Perfect.

Jaune pocketed the runestone and walked through the Beacon portal with a skip in his step. The students were already in the dining hall. Another thing he was proud of. He still wasn't sure who the jerks were who ruined that place (and the highway and the docks), but it gave him a chance to do some redecorating. People seemed to like it too, especially the Ruby statue. That was one a spur of the moment addition. He needed something to fill the center.

He stepped inside and bumped into a big, burly guy wearing armor. He didn't know his name, but he glared down at Jaune like he spat in his Pumpkin Pete's, "Watch where you're going, civvie."

"Hey, you bumped into me." Jaune walked past him and made his way to Ruby's table.

Team RWBY and Team PNCR were already seated. Ruby looked up when he approached and waved, "Hey, Jaune! I got you a tray!" She gestured to a tray full of eggs, bacon, and french fries next to her. For some reason, Blake and Weiss frowned, "Where've you been?"

"Just making something," he said, holding back a grin.

"Would it have something to do with those Knights we've seen wandering around?" Weiss asked.

"No, that's another thing. I made something different." He held up the runestone towards Ruby. She looked confused for a second before her eyes widened and she gasped, both hands covering her mouth, "I did it, Ruby. Infinity! Let's put it on Crescent Rose when you finish eating!"

For a second, the entire table was quiet. And then Ruby squealed loud enough to almost hurt his ears. Jaune was almost forced off his feet as his new bestie jumped into him with her arms wrapped around his neck in a tight embrace. He hugged her back automatically while trying to make sure he kept the runestone from falling, "Jaune! Thank you, thank you, thank you~!" Her legs swung up and down, which made keeping his balance even harder.

"Y-You're welcome!" He laughed and set her down. He offered her the runestone again and she took it carefully, making sure to hold it gently like it could shatter at any second, "Remember, once you bond it to a weapon, it's permanent."

"That's not a problem! Crescent Rose is my forever weapon!" Ruby bounced on the balls of her feet, looking down at the circular stone with awe, "Jaune...this is amazing. If you ever need anything - anything - don't ever hesitate to tell me, okay?"

"I'll be sure to-"

"And I mean ANYTHING." She leaned forward, eyes wide and face just inches away from his, "Don't even think about if it's something I won't do, cause I'll do it! Anything! No matter how weird or d-dirty it is, I can-"

"Okay, let's dial it back a bit sis." Yang grabbed Ruby's collar and tugged her back. Ruby yelped and struggled while Yang manhandled her with one hand, "We're still public here. Let's keep it PG-13."

"Haha, I'm glad you like it." Jaune grinned. Seeing Ruby smile so sincerely was worth all that work.

"That was very...generous of you, Jaune," Weiss said. Her smile didn't quite reach her eyes, "I'm sure Ruby appreciates it, though I can't help but wonder if some other people might've benefited from such a beneficial upgrade."

"Yeah, maybe." Jaune shrugged noncomittaly. That Coco girl probably saw all that, but he didn't really think about that now. She was just some stranger expecting things from someone she didn't even know, "But I've seen Ruby work. She can do a lot of good with Infinity. Lot of bang for your buck."

"Indeed, though force isn't the only factor when it comes to combat. Versatility and grace, I'd argue, is far more beneficial."

"Your green eyes are showing there, Weiss Cream." Yang snorted.

"My eyes are crystal blue, thank you very much!" Weiss glared at her.

"Ammunition that never runs out," Ciel muttered, "The Atlas military and Specialists could benefit heavily from such an upgrade."

"Yeah, well, it's not exactly something I can mass produce. This one's special." He sat next to Ruby and pulled the offered tray close, "Besides, doesn't seem like Atlas needs any help. They've already got the best tech in Remnant."

"Exactly. Atlas, the SDC...all of them hoarding technology and benefits," Blake said, "Meanwhile, other people have to make do with whatever they can get. Doesn't seem fair, does it?" She sighed sadly.

"Yeah, it isn't." Jaune nodded sympathetically. She was right there.

"And yet that technology means it can do the most good if led properly."

"While everyone else just has to wait. Typical." Blake rolled her eyes.

"You-"

"Rrgh, stop arguing! You're ruining the mood!" Ruby slapped both hands on the table, "Jaune just got me the most amazing present ever, you two aren't gonna ruin it!"

"We're not-"

"She started-"

"That was a very kind gesture, Jaune," Pyrrha said, cutting off both Blake and Weiss, "I'm sure Ruby will be an even better Huntress with your help."

"Here's hoping." Jaune nodded again. Maybe she'd get a chance to prove it sooner rather than later.