When Jaune finally thought to check his watch, the numbers made him blink. Six hours. He'd been in the LUCID base that long, bouncing from one instruction block to another, learning the basics of firearms, safety, and weapons maintenance. School had already ended on the surface, and here he was, sweaty and faintly sore from hours of drilling.
He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "So much for catching the train home…"
Before he could spiral further into that thought, the doors at the far end of the range hissed open. Two figures stepped through, their silhouettes framed in the glow of the barrier walls. Ruby and Yang.
Jaune straightened, surprised at first, then was immediately distracted by what they were wearing. Both girls were clad in standard LUCID rune frames.
Ruby's was a sleek black that clung snugly to her petite frame, accented with thin streaks of crimson light that traced from her shoulders down to her boots. The glow pulsed faintly, like embers smoldering beneath the surface. Somehow, it fit her perfectly, sharp yet understated.
Yang's, on the other hand, was… well, Jaune had to work not to stare. Her rune frame was cut from the same black base, but the accents blazed golden-yellow, bright and bold, running across her chest and down her thighs. The armor hugged every curve of her figure in a way that seemed entirely deliberate, radiating confidence, strength and allure.
"Hey, Jauney boy," Yang greeted cheerfully, striding up with the easy swagger of someone who knew exactly how she looked in her suit. She gave him a couple looks over. "Looking sharp."
Ruby nudged her sister with an annoyed sigh. "Yang."
"What? He does." Yang gestured at Jaune, who had just remembered he was still wearing his own rune frame, the black-and-blue accented version that counselor Vex had assigned him. Compared to Yang's radiant golden glow, his felt almost plain. Still, the sleek design hugged his body better than a training uniform ever probably could, and he had to admit… he did look at least a little cool.
Jaune coughed into his fist. "Uh, thanks? I think?"
Yang's eyes sparkled mischievously. "Oh, don't act modest. You clean up well, Jaune. Bet half the girls in school wouldn't even recognize you like this." She leaned closer, voice dropping theatrically. "Bet they'd stare, though."
Jaune's face heated but he kept his cool. "I seriously doubt that."
Ruby stepped in before Yang could pile on further. "How's integration going? With training and everything?"
Jaune gratefully latched onto the question. "Honestly? It's… a lot. They've been passing me around to instructors all day. Bellion was great though—patient, even when I couldn't hit a moving target to save my life at first. I'm learning, but it feels like I'm starting from zero compared to you guys."
Ruby smiled, encouraging and warm. "That's how everyone starts. You'll get there."
"Yeah," Yang added, slinging an arm casually around Jaune's shoulders. "Don't sweat it. Nobody walks into LUCID and starts blasting like an action hero. Even Ruby here used to flinch at the recoil."
"I did not!" Ruby protested, her cheeks turning pink.
"You totally did," Yang said, grinning. "The first time she fired one of the carbines, I swear she almost toppled over backward. It was adorable."
Ruby crossed her arms, muttering under her breath, but Jaune laughed despite himself. It felt good, being around them—it cut through the sterile, heavy atmosphere of the base.
Yang finally released him, stepping back with a sly grin. "Anyway, we didn't come down here just to see how you were holding up. We got permission to bring you to the training rooms. Real test stuff."
"Oh, you mean the holographic grimm rooms?" Jaune asked, eyes lighting up. "Seriously?"
Ruby nodded. "Mmhm. You'll get to try out a private chamber. The private one have functions that can adjust terrain. It's safer than the Dream, but close enough to give you an idea of how combat feels. Well... you've seen your fare share but now... we get to mentor you. Of sorts."
The thought made Jaune's heart pound. He'd been itching to test himself, especially now that his stats were gone. Maybe, just maybe, he could manage to scrape a win against a hologram.
"What about Nora and Ren?" he asked. "Aren't they coming too?"
"They'll join later," Yang said with a shrug. "Busy with super secret important stuff. You know how it is."
Jaune deadpanned and almost did ask—curious as ever—but the growing excitement drowned it out. Instead, he nodded. "Okay. Let's do it."
The three of them left Bellion behind. Jaune gave the instructor a wave. "Thanks again, Bellion. See you later."
"See ya later, kid," Bellion replied with a rare smile.
The training wing was quieter than Jaune expected, the hum of the base's machinery muffled by reinforced walls. They passed several of the open training halls along the way—vast chambers where groups of operatives sparred against holographic enemies under the watch of supervisors. The holograms flickered and reshaped themselves in seconds, cycling between Grimm, combat drones, and even humanoid opponents.
Jaune slowed once or twice, staring in awe. "Those are the open chambers, right?"
"Yep," Ruby said. "Anyone can watch. Good for squad training and sharing strategies."
"But we're not taking you to those," Yang added with a knowing grin. "You're getting the VIP treatment."
Sure enough, when they stopped, it was outside a sealed door with a glowing panel beside it. Ruby pressed her wrist to the scanner, the lights along her armor syncing with the system. The door hissed open, revealing a smaller but fully enclosed chamber.
Inside, the space was empty but for a projection hub in the ceiling and recessed emitters along the walls. The floor gleamed faintly, lined with faint hexagonal patterns that Jaune recognized as energy projectors.
"This one's private," Ruby explained as she led him in. "Still monitored for safety, but it's shielded from prying eyes."
Yang smirked, closing the door behind them. "Translation: we get to see what you can really do without the peanut gallery."
Jaune swallowed, glancing at his reflection in the smooth black floor. He looked… like an operative, now. Armor glowing faintly, posture straighter than usual, flanked by two cute girls who clearly belonged here.
Yang gave him a once-over and whistled. "Gotta admit, Arc… you seriously pull off that armor better than I expected."
"Uh, thanks?" Jaune said again, cheeks heating.
Yang's grin widened. "Careful though—if you stand next to me too long, people might think you're my partner or something."
Ruby groaned, exasperated. "Yang, stop."
"What? I'm just saying!" Yang laughed, clearly enjoying herself. "Relax, Rubes. You should be proud—Jauney here, looks like he belongs." She looked Jaune up and down again. "Although, let's be honest, you're staring at me way harder than I'm staring at you."
Jaune coughed, slightly embarrassed. "I wasn't!"
Ruby pinched the bridge of her nose. "Yang…"
Yang raised her hands in mock defense, grinning. "Hey, no shame in it. This suit was designed to show off. Why else do you think I picked yellow accents? Gotta shine." She flexed an arm dramatically, the runic lights across her bicep pulsing brighter.
Jaune smiled. "You're impossible."
"Flattery will get you everywhere, Arc," Yang teased.
Ruby coughed into her hand, trying to drag the conversation back to task. "S-So, uh, let's set the parameters. We'll start simple—low-level Grimm, single wave. See how you handle the basics before we up the difficulty."
Jaune peeked between his fingers, grateful for the subject change. "Sounds fair. Let's do it."
Ruby approached the control console on the wall, her nimble fingers moving quickly across the glowing panel. A holographic rune flared in midair as the chamber hummed to life, the rune projectors along the walls shifting. "Alright," she said, tapping in a few commands, "we'll start simple. One, grimm, a beowolf at a time—just to warm you up."
Yang leaned back with her arms crossed, a lopsided grin spreading on her face. "Don't go embarrassing yourself now, Juane. You're in front of pros now."
Jaune shot her a look, lips tugging into a dry smile. "Really, 'Juane'? We're starting with that again?"
"Always," Yang said with mock solemnity. "It's tradition."
Ruby giggled, covering her mouth, and Jaune sighed. "Fine. But don't come crying when I show you up."
The first Beowolf shimmered into existence a few meters in front of him, its black fur glistening unnaturally, glowing red lines crisscrossing its form like circuitry. It snarled and lunged. Jaune raised his new sword—its edge catching the holographic lights—and sidestepped cleanly before bringing it down in a sharp arc. The beast flickered, burst into motes of light, and vanished.
Ruby blinked. "That was… quick."
Yang's grin seemed to grow, but brows rose in slight shock. "Hmm. Not bad, blondie."
Another Beowolf spawned. Jaune didn't even wait this time. He stepped forward, blade flashing. One, two—clean strikes. The creature's head came off in a burst of pixels before it had even raised a claw.
Ruby's eyes widened. She quickly tapped the console again, upping the simulation speed. "Okay… maybe a few more."
The third came faster, snarling with more aggression. Jaune met it head-on. His stance wasn't textbook perfect nor were his movements polished, but there was a hint of budding experience in there, something raw. Each swing was committed, clean and efficient. He didn't hesitate nor did he falter. The third wolf dissolved in seconds.
Ruby blinked again. "…Huh."
Yang let out a low whistle, tilting her head.
Jaune straightened, sword resting against his shoulder. He chuckled at their stares. "What? You thought I'd just trip over myself and get eaten?"
Ruby rubbed the back of her neck, cheeks pink. "I mean… a little? I knew you'd survived alone for a while, but… I didn't realize how good you'd gotten. That was really impressive, Jaune."
Yang smirked and jabbed a thumb at him. "Guess you're not completely hopeless." Then, narrowing her eyes, she added with mock suspicion, "Unless… are you secretly some kind of monster-hunting prodigy?"
Jaune rolled his eyes but couldn't stop the faint grin tugging his lips. "Hardly. Honestly? That felt… easy. Too easy." He glanced toward the console. "Can we try something harder?"
Ruby tilted her head. "Like what?"
He gestured with his blade. "Instead of one at a time, make it a pack. That's how they usually fight."
Ruby hesitated, fingers hovering over the controls. "You've fought a whole pack before?"
Jaune's grin faded. His tone shifted, quieter. "…Yeah."
Yang's smirk slipped away at the weight in his voice. Ruby leaned closer, curiosity and concern flickering in her silver eyes. "When?"
Jaune exhaled slowly, lowering his sword. "My third night. Second night, I got curious and accidently led a pack of them straight to my house… barely made it out. Next night, the Dream threw me back into the same place, but this time, it was all of them at once. I didn't know they would stick around the area... and I nearly died."
The silence that followed was a little heavy. Even the hum of the projectors felt muted.
Yang's fists clenched at her sides, her voice lower, almost reluctant. "…Damn."
Ruby's gaze softened. She reached out and gently squeezed Jaune's hand, her small fingers were warm against his gauntlet. "That sounds... I… I want to know. All of it. Everything you went through before LUCID found you."
Her silver eyes locked onto his, earnest and unflinching. Jaune's just stared back, perhaps longer than he should have. There was something grounding in those eyes, something steady. Eventually, he nodded. "Alright. I'll tell you. After this."
Ruby smiled faintly, gave his hand a last squeeze, and let go.
Yang, watching the exchange, arched a brow but didn't comment. Instead, she cleared her throat and smirked faintly. "Well, if Loverboy here wants a pack, I say we give him one. Let's see if the 'almost-died-but-didn't' story matches up to reality."
Jaune rolled his eyes, though the heat in his cheeks betrayed him. "You're never going to stop, are you?"
"Not in this lifetime." Yang winked.
Ruby tapped at the console, hesitating for just a moment before confirming the command. The room darkened, shadows rippling across the simulated ground. Growls echoed all around them as multiple red eyes appeared in the gloom. One by one, Beowolves stalked forward—then another, and another, until there were half a dozen encircling Jaune.
Ruby grinned now, excited to see his moves. "Be careful, okay?"
Jaune exhaled, steadying his grip on the sword. "I've done this before."
The beowolves pounced.
It was different this time—faster, more chaotic. He couldn't rely on obstacles or overwhelming strength the way he had in the Dream with his boosted stats. Each swing required more effort, every dodge was narrower. Claws scraped against his armor a few times and though the Rune Frame absorbed the blows, he still staggered under the pressure. However, the blows were definitely weaker than what their dream counterparts could achieve. That was for sure.
But he held his ground. He fought with grim determination, recalling the rhythm of that nightmarish third night. The snapping jaws, the crushing weight, the endless pressure—it was all familiar. And familiarity gave him an edge.
His blade carved through one beast, then another. He twisted, ducked under a swipe, slammed his shoulder into the next, and finished it with a thrust. The simulation adapted, wolves trying to flank him, but Jaune kept moving, kept cutting.
Ruby watched, hands clasped nervously, while Yang's grin returned—not mocking this time, but genuinely impressed.
Finally, with a last slash, the final Beowolf dissolved into motes of light. Jaune stood in the center of the chamber, chest heaving, sweat running down his brow beneath the helmet. He lowered his sword, panting, but smiling faintly.
"…Still standing," he muttered.
Ruby clapped, beaming. "Jaune, that was amazing!"
Yang whistled. "Not bad at all, Arc. You really are much tougher than you look."
Jaune chuckled between breaths, wiping at his forehead. "Guess I'm not just dead weight, huh?"
Ruby shook her head, her smile soft. "Never thought you were."
Yang smirked, stepping closer and giving his shoulder a heavy slap. "Careful, Ruby. At this rate, you're gonna make him blush so hard his helmet fogs up."
Jaune groaned, but he couldn't help the grin tugging at his lips again.
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AN: Advanced chapters (up to 10) and character images(free) are available on patreon.