MISSION 1: Curse of the Bloody Puppets

With a quiet hum, Abe turned on the projector. The theater darkened, as the images were projected up onto the big screen.

"I'm excited," Ruby squealed. "I can't wait to see what Jaune Arc does next!"

"Is that because he's your husband now?" Yang asked teasingly. Ruby immediately blushed.

"Jaune and Ruby got hitched?" Sun asked in surprise, turning to Weiss. The heiress nodded, smirking.

"Yes. Just like Yang married Mercury." Now it was the blonde's turn to blush.

"Everybody, quiet!" Nora pointed. "It's starting!"

The scene opened to show a fiery background, flames crackling and embers dancing in the wind. In front of the flames was a black figure. He was dressed in heavy black armor, covering all parts of his body. His helmet was bone white, and resembled the skull of a dragon. A pair of red eyes glowed on his darkened face. He clutched a huge sword, which bore a resemblance to Harbinger.

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"Who... is... that?" Blake gasped in amazement.

"He looks like a Grimm!" Pyrrha announced.

"Hey, That sword looks like Uncle Qrow's weapon!" Ruby pointed.

The armored swordsman began to perform a slow kata, as a narrator's voice spoke up.

"Two millenniums ago, there was a war. Between the Human World and the other... the Grimm World."

"And that war still has not ended," Ozpin whispered sadly. "For Salem is a powerful ruler, and no one has been able to kill her yet."

"But somebody from the Grimm World woke up to justice, and stood up against this legion, alone." The narrator continued his story, as the armored knight continued his swordplay. "His name was Ozma."

"What?" Glynda's eyes widened. Ozpin's jaw dropped. He was a Grimm in this? But that was all wrong! Qrow could barely contain his laughter.

"Ozma was a Grimm?" Yang asked in surprise.

"That's so cool!" Ruby cheered. "A Grimm that fights against his own kind!"

"Just like Jaune!" Nora smiled.

"What?!" Ghira coughed, as Kali side a double take. "Jaune's a Grimm, too?"

"Not exactly," Cinder shook her head. "You'll see."

"Later, he quietly reigned the human world, and continued to preserve harmony, until his death. He became a legend. The Legendary Dark Knight, Ozma." As the narrator finished his story, the armored man, now known to be Ozma, finished his kata, holding his sword in front of him as he faces the screen.

The scene changed to show the broken moon of Remnant, as another figure appeared in the center of it. It was a woman dressed in black leathers, with long red hair and a pair of sunglasses over her eyes. She landed in the middle of the empty streets of downtown Vale. She put her hands on her hips as she stared at a shop at the end of the street. Big, neon letters stood over the doorway, reading Grimm May Cry.

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"There's Jaune's shop!" Ruby pointed excitedly. "It looks like he got it repaired after it got destroyed." Ren turned to Pyrrha.

"I can't help but notice that the woman onscreen sort of resembles you," he stated. Pyrrha looked at the woman onscreen, and shrugged.

"I will admit, our hair and bodies are pretty similar," she admitted. "But I could never see myself dressed like that."

"Too bad," Coco sighed. "You'd look pretty sexy in that get up. Jaune would probably be all over you."

"...I'll consider it."

The scene changed again to show the inside of Jaune's shop. His Scroll was ringing on his desk. Jaune's hand came down and picked up the Scroll, the Huntsman sitting in his chair nearby.

"Grimm May Cry," Jaune greeted, dressed in a red trench coat, with a tight black undershirt beneath. His usual jeans were now replaced with a pair of red work pants, and his combat boots. His hands were now equipped with fingerless brown gloves. His wild blonde hair was now a bit longer, hanging down to the back of his neck.

"So this is Jaune Arc," Kali mused, staring at the older Huntsman up on screen. Her lips curled into a smile. "Well, he certainly looks the part of a Huntsman, wouldn't you agree, Ghira?"

"Indeed," Ghira nodded. "Of course, looks are hardly of relevance to a Huntsman."

Jaune listened as whoever was on the other end of the line spoke.

"Sorry, we closed at nine." He hung up his Scroll, setting it back down on the desk, which was soon joined by his feet, as he recliner backwards. "Again, no password," he mused. "I can't seem to get any real business..." Jaune's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of an engine revving. His eyes fell towards the front of his shop as the revving got louder, before the woman from before smashed through the doors of his shop, riding atop a motorcycle.

"Waugh!" Tai jumped, much to Qrow's amusement. "I wasn't expecting that!"

"Seriously?!" Ruby shrieked. "His shop has just been repaired, and then that lady goes and pulls that?"

"Whoa, slow down babe!" Jaune chuckled, showing no sign of surprise at what had just happened. The red-haired woman stepped off her motorcycle, staring at the Huntsman from behind her sunglasses. "Well, well, what do we have here?" Jaune continued, eyeing the woman as she studied the room around her. "Nature's call? It's in the back."

"Ha!" Sun laughed. "Well, this Jaune is certainly more confident than the one back at Beacon."

"I know, right?" Mercury grinned.

The woman put a hand on her hip, her focus shifting back to Jaune.

"So, you must be the handyman who'll take any dirty job, am I correct?" she asked. Jaune smirked.

"Almost..." he stood up and turned his body, to pull a familiar sword off the wall behind him.

"It's Crocea Mors!" Nora smiled. "I wondered where that old fossil went!"

"I only take... special jobs, if you know what I mean," Jaune told the woman, casually giving his sword a twirl. The woman folded her arms in front of her, tilting her head.

"You were one the of the students at Beacon when it fell to the forces of darkness," she stated matter-of-factly. "You're also a descendant of the Legendary Dark Knight, Ozma. Isn't that right, Mr. Arc?" Jaune shrugged.

"Well, the way I see it, in this business a lot of your kind come along, and if I kill each one that comes, eventually I should hit the 'jackpot' sooner or later." He pointed his sword at the woman, who's lips curled into a smile.

"In that case," she whispered. "You should be used to this sort of thing." Instantly, one of her hands flew up to blade of Crocea Mors, her fingers wrapping around it as yellow electricity leapt from her arm. It travelled down the blade and into Jaune, who screamed in pain as lightning coursed through his body.

"JAUNE!" Ruby and Pyrrha screamed.

"Holy shit!" Qrow swore. "What was that, a Semblance?!"

As Jaune's body went limp, the red haired woman attacked, spinning into a roundhouse kick that struck the Huntsman across the jaw. She followed up with a leaping knee that sent a Jaune flying backwards, smashing through his desk as he fell to the ground. The woman grabbed Crocea Mors, which had fallen on the floor, and lobbed it at the Huntsman, the blade sinking into his right shoulder. Jaune continued to scream in pain as the woman discharged more lightning into the sword, electrocuting him.

"This is awful!" Kali cried, grabbing her husband's arm tightly. Ghira's fists clenched, as he stared at the screen in a mix of shock and outrage.

"Come on, Jaune!" Sun groaned, throwing a hand out. "Fight back!"

The woman laughed as Jaune's body writhed in agony, smoke curling off his body.

"Are you really the descendant of the Legendary Dark Knight Ozma?" she demanded. "Didn't your daddy ever teach you how to use s sword?" The woman lowered her hand, ceasing the bolt of lightning that continued to fry the Huntsman. She grabbed the motorcycle she had used to smash through the entrance, and lifted it over her head.

"A sword?" Jaune wheezed, looking at the woman in pain, before he grinned. "Ha, ha, ha!" The Huntsman only laughed as his attacker lobbed her motorcycle at him. His hands flew behind him, pulling out Ebony and Ivory as they twirled in his hands. "Time to go to work, boys!" Jaune fired his twin handguns over and over at the motorcycle, stopping its descent and forcing it backwards. The woman watched in surprise, then horror as the vehicle began to catch fire.

"No!" she screamed, diving for cover as the motorcycle exploded in midair. Flames fell about the room, crackling in the darkness. The woman turned her head, flinching as Jaune approached her, a pistol in each hand, and Crocea Mors still buried in his arm.

"Wow, the tables just turned really quick," Emerald gasped, amazed and slightly terrified of the scene before her.

"Jaune Arc," Cinder whispered with wide eyes. "You are the strongest, and now the scariest Huntsman I have ever encountered."

"Even as a child, I had powers. The blood of a Grimm dwells within me!" Jaune told her. The woman attempted to crawl backwards, but flames from the explosion blocked her path.

"What strength..." the woman choked in fear, as the Huntsman stood before her.

"You were the first one to know about my vengeance," Jaune growled, pulling Crocea Mors out of his shoulder. His Aura flashed, signifying that the damage had been repaired, before the Huntsman jammed the sword blade first into the ground. He aimed Ivory at the woman's head. "Looks like I'm getting closer."

"Kill her, Fearless Leader!" Nora called out. "Make her pay for trashing your shop!"

Jaune continued to point his pistol at the woman, but did not pull the trigger. Eventually, the woman stood.

"It seems that way," she spoke. "But I'm not your enemy."

"All evidence to the contrary," Blake snorted, the carnage from earlier still fresh in her mind.

"My name is Trish," the woman introduced herself. She turned her back to the Huntsman. "I came here to seek your help. To put an end to the Grimm World."

"What?" Jaune tilted his head in confusion. The woman removed her sunglasses, and turned back towards Jaune, revealing her green eyes. The Huntsman's own eyes widened as he looked down at a picture that had fallen on the floor. It was a picture of Team JNPR, but the only member he was focused on at the moment was Pyrrha. A close up of her face was shown, as lightning flashed.

"It would seem Jaune thinks the lady on screen resembles Pyrrha as well," Ren noted.

"Yeah, but..." Pyrrha was at a loss for words. "Didn't I... die?"

"All will be explained in time!" Abe's voice called from the projector's booth.

The scene changed to show the Moon of Remnant, as Trish spoke over it.

"Twenty years ago, Mundus, the Emperor of the Grimm World, resurrected."

"Mundus?" Jaune's voice asked.

"I didn't know the Grimm had a king," Yang cringed. Weiss put a hand to her chin.

"It would explain how those mindless beasts could coordinate such complex attacks," she conceded.

"Mundus?" Now Ozpin was thoroughly confused. What happened to Salem?! She was the biggest threat to Remnant, by far! And now, this man called Mundus shows up, claiming to be the King of all Grimm?

"Yes," Trish's voice said gravely. "His powers were sealed by Ozma. He's attempting to take control of the Human World again." The moon transformed into a blue orb, with purple flames crackling in the center of it. "He's attempting to open the gate on..." the scene changed to show a large island in the middle of the ocean, under the setting sun. "...Mallet Island."

"Mallet Island?" Glynda wondered. "I've never heard of it before."

"Could be a fictional location," Qrow suggested. He turned back towards the projector booth. "Ain't that right, Abe?"

"Yeah, I used more creative liberties," Abe admitted.

The scene changed to show a pair of large wooden doors, both of which swung open with a deafening boom. Jaune stood in the open doorway, Crocea Mors out in front of him. Beside him stood Trish, who walked ahead, then looked up to the side of a large cliff along a stone walkway leading up the side of the plateau-like island.

"The castle is above this cliff," Trish told Jaune. "Come on, let's go!" She took a running leap, and landed on the top of the cliff, disappearing from the Huntsman's sight a moment later. Jaune shook his head, and began to make his up the side of the cliff, via the stone pathway. After a few minutes, the ominous Castle of Mallet Island stood before Jaune.

"That's a big castle!" Weiss breathed.

"And old, as well," Ozpin noted. "It must date from before the Great War."

Jaune made his way over to the side of the castle, where a small cave awaited him. He entered the cave, and found himself standing next to a large staircase on the other side. He was now inside the Castle of Mallet Island. As he took a step forward to study his surroundings, the hole in the wall from which he entered slid shut behind him.

"Eerie!" Velvet squeaked.

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Jaune studied his surroundings carefully. From what he could see, he was in the castle's central chamber. In front of a large staircase that split off in two directions was a statue. The decoration depicted a knight on horseback, his halberd pointed up towards the heavens, which could be seen through a skylight above. Behind the staircase was a second, much larger statue. It was a marble bust of a handsome, muscular man, bare chested with a toga covering his legs. His left arm was resting down by his side, while his right hand was outstretched, clutching an orb of blue fire that crackled between his fingers. A black gem was embedded in his forehead, in between his eyes. Jaune stared at the two statues, in awe of their craftsmanship.

"Is it just me, or does that big statue look like an idol?" Blake asked.

"A nice observation, Miss Belladonna," Ms. Goodwitch praised. "It does indeed look like the statue of a god."

"I've never seen that god show up in any of the fairy tails," Ghira mused.

"Perhaps he was created specifically by the people of this island," Kali suggested.

Finally, Jaune stopped looking at the statues. With a shrug, he turned around and spied a large door underneath a wraparound balcony that made a walkway for the second story of the main hall. Jaune approached, examining its blue color with the silhouettes of a pair of knights painted onto it. He attempted to open the door, but the handle would turn.

"Locked," he muttered. Turning away, he spied another door on the wall to his right, red in color. Jaune jogged over, and attempted to open it. The knob turned, but the door remained closed. "Must be stuck," he realized. He took a step backwards, then charged forward, driving his arm into the door, which shifted under his weight. Smiling, Jaune grabbed the knob again, and this time, the door swung open.

On the other side of the door, Jaune found himself standing inside the entrance hallway on the castle. He could see the entrance doorway on the other end of the room, but his pathway was barred by a large, raised portcullis.

"Guess I'm stuck in here until I can raise that thing," Jaune sighed.

"Guys, has anyone noticed the distinct lack of fighting in this episode?" Ruby asked.

"Yeah, normally Jaune would be hacking his way through Grimm by now," Yang nodded. Meanwhile, Emerald leaned over towards Cinder.

"I can't help but feel on edge, like something could jump out at any moment," she whispered. Cinder nodded.

"This castle does have a creepier atmosphere than Ozma's Tower."

As Jaune went to turn around, he spied an open doorway built into one the walls. Inside was a spiral staircase. Jaune entered the doorway and made his way up the stairs. Once he made it to the top, he found himself inside what looked to be a study, with a barred window opposite the staircase. As Jaune took a step forwards, he found himself staring down at a large, wooden figure lying in the center of the floor. It had exaggerated joints, and a masked face, like an oversized marionette that a puppeteer would play with.

"Well, that's creepy," Jaune frowned.

"Yeah," Coco shuddered. "Why would you have something like that lying around in a castle?"

"Rich people have weird tastes," Weiss shrugged. "Trust me, I know quiet a few rich people."

As Jaune stepped over the puppet, he noticed a hole in the ceiling. An overturned cabinet was laying beneath, so Jaune used it to give himself a boost up into the room above. It was another study, and another puppet stood upright, propped against the wall. In one of its hands was a rusty key. Jaune smiled as he approached the puppet.

"Thank you," he said, taking the key from the puppet's hand. He turned to drop back down the hole, only to feel something fly past his neck. A large throwing knife embedded itself into the wall in front of him.

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"Ah!" Weiss jumped, grabbing Sun by the arm, much to her embarrassment.

"Where did that come from?!" Velvet gasped.

Jaune whirled around to see the puppet, its hand outstretched. The puppet began to move on its own, reaching behind it to pull out a pair of daggers. As Jaune watched the puppet hobble towards him, a second dropped down from behind, clutching a pair of crescent-shaped blades. It raised its arms over its head, preparing to attack.

"Look out, Jaune!" Nora shouted.

Jaune ducked as the Marionette swung its blades, the weapons traveling harmlessly over his head. The Huntsman quickly stood, then drew Crocea Mors and spun into a slice, bisecting the wooden puppet in one hit. As his ambusher collapsed in two pieces, the other Marionette rushed him, stabbing at him with its daggers. Jaune deflected the attacks with his sword, before hacking off both its arms. A simple push sent the puppet toppling to the ground. The puppet writhed, then was still, its body and weaponry crumbling to ash a moment later.

"There's definitely Grimm on this island," Jaune grimaced. "Their foul presence is allowing them to give life these oversized dolls." He dropped back down the hole, watching as the Marionette he encountered earlier rose to its feet. It quickly tossed a dagger at Jaune, but the Huntsman caught it by the handle as it whizzed by and threw it back, nailing the puppet in between the eyes. "Well, bring it on," Jaune chuckled, watching the Marionette disintegrate. "I didn't become a Huntsman for nothing!"

"Well, as creepy as those oversized toys are, it's nice to see the kid in action again," Qrow chuckled.

"Yeah," Tai agreed. "He reminds me of those Huntsmen that I used to idolize when I was a kid."

Jaune made his way out of the lower study, down the spiral staircase, and back out of the entrance hall into the central chamber. Whistling, he approached the locked door with the knights painted onto it, and inserted the key into the key hole. With a click, the door was unlocked. Jaune pushed his way inside, and found himself standing in a large workshop. An older model of a Bullhead sat in the center of the room, rusting away.

"Man, I never thought I'd see one of those dinosaurs in anything but a museum," Jaune chuckled, admiring the outdated flying contraption. "Well, looks like your flying days are over, old boy." He went to leave the workshop, only to slam into the door he tried to enter. Rubbing his head, he examined the door, which was red and had the silhouettes of a couple Marionettes painted on it. There was an inscription written in the door. "The fifteen puppets are my masters," Jaune read. "There will be no admission as long as my masters are here." Immediately after he read this, there was a rattling sound, and down from the ceiling dropped a plethora of Marionettes.

"Get 'em, Jaune!" Ruby called to him.

Jaune drew Crocea Mors, ducking under a slice from a crescent-shaped blade. He stood and sliced at the Marionette, one of its arms and its head clattering to the ground. The Huntsman dodged a stab from a dagger, then sliced off the legs of a second Marionette, watching it collapse to the ground. Putting away his sword, he drew Ebony and Ivory, rapid firing his twin handguns, reducing another three puppets to splinters. A sixth Marionette managed to get the drop on him, however, and slashed him across the back. Jaune grunted as his Aura flashed.

"Ouch," winced Sun. "Thank the gods for Aura!"

"Indeed," Ren nodded. "Especially since Jaune's got an exceptionally high quantity."

Undeterred, Jaune shoved the barrel of Ivory in the face of the Marionette that cut him, blowing its head to pieces. A seventh puppet charged at him with a dagger. Jaune stepped to the side, grabbed the Marionette's arm as it thrusted harmlessly past his chest, then pulled it into a throw. The puppet sailed backwards, slamming into two more Marionettes, which smashed against the side of Bullhead, falling to pieces. A tenth Marionette leaped at the Huntsman, wrapping its legs around Jaune's neck, preparing to slash at Jaune's face.

"Uh-oh!" Pyrrha gasped.

Jaune pulled out Crocea Mors, and drove his sword through the Marionette's head. The puppet collapsed lifelessly to the ground. An eleventh puppet tossed a dagger at the Huntsman, who's Aura flashed briefly as the blade grazed his cheek. Still, Jaune deflected a second projectile with his sword, and shot off all four of the Marionette's limbs with Ivory. Just then, a small explosion rocked part of the wall beside him.

"Whoa!" Mercury jumped. "What was that?!"

"I don't know, but that sounded like gunfire!" Cinder said in surprise.

Jaune watched as a twelth Marionette approached, a shotgun in its hand. It spun the firearm like a pistol, doing a trick, before opening fire again. Jaune rolled out of the way, dodged a slash from another Marionette, then stood up, and decapitated the puppet. As the gun-wielding Marionette drew close, Jaune waited for the puppet to spin the shotgun. Then, as the firearm stopped spinning, he swatted it aside with Crocea Mors. The shotgun discharged onto a fourteen Marionette, blowing it to bits. Jaune laughed, then sliced his sword upwards, hacking part of the gunman puppet in two. As the final Marionette rushed him, Jaune dodged its slashes, then leaped into the air, and brought Crocea Mors down on its head, bisecting his last wooden attacker. Jaune looked around the room, watching as the remains of the Marionettes crumbled to ash.

"I love my job," he chuckled. A series of bullet holes filled the screen, signifying the end of the episode.

"Alright!" Nora cheered. "Fearless Leader is back in action!"

"This Jaune is awesome!" Sun laughed. "I would love to spar against him."

"This Mr. Arc is indeed a skilled individual," Ghira smirked. "I would like to see more of him."

"As would I," Kali purred. "He's much more handsome, and not nearly as foul-mouthed as that Spruce Willis man."

"Can we watch the next episode?" Velvet asked.

"No problem," Abe called from the projector's booth. "Let me just set it up, and next episode, we get to see the debut of one of my favorite weapons in the series."

"I can hardly wait!" Ruby grinned.