It wasn't hard to figure out he was in Vacuo. The rolling desert more than gave it away, but even if that hadn't then the headscarf he was wearing wrapped around his head and lower mouth would have cinched it. There were others wearing the same, waiting outside a camp on the dunes. Despite the rolling heat, everyone was wrapped up in loose cloth, all of it designed to protect against the coarse sand whipped up into their bodies.

With everyone's fades covered, there was no telling who might be the dreamer. In total, there were some twenty people, varying in height – from about five feet tall to six – but all rather similar in shape. Thin. Jaune considered himself a lithe person, hard to put fat on with their level of exercise, but he was much bulkier than even the biggest person here.

Some noise from the largest tent in the camp drew his eye, and a well-dressed man came stomping out a moment later, flanked by two other men who looked to have some huntsman training. Or, at least, huntsman weapons. Bodyguards of a sort. The man in the centre reminded him of Oobleck, except far wealthier if the golden bangles were anything to go by. He was of Vacuan descent with tan skin and numerous golden piercings on both the left side of his nose, but also his cheek reaching up to his ear. A large gemstone flashed from a single earring.

"Is this all of you that are brave enough to take up my offer?" he called out to the twenty or so people. "I should complain. No matter, you are the brave ones. And soon to be the rich ones, eh?" He laughed. "We shall all be rich once we unearth the great treasures of the mad king, Malik."

Malik. The name was vaguely familiar, but only in the sense of some ancient conqueror who ruled a kingdom hundreds or thousands of years ago. It was ancient history, the kinds of which were consigned to documentaries voiced by hushed men in daytime hours when the more popular shows didn't air.

The man's bodyguards stepped out and called for everyone to step in line. One by one, the people were given some money. Jaune waited until last to receive his, which totalled about five hundred lien. That kind of money was nice, but not special. It wouldn't cover a week's rent in Vale, but then Vale was a big city. Back home in Ansel, he'd have been able to buy a new and highly priced computer game from the store, or maybe three or four meals at a cheap place.

It was an average amount of money for what Jaune suspected would be an above average amount of risk. They were outside the city of Vacuo, in the desert, and this man had two huntsmen with him. Plus, this was to be a nightmare. Jaune could read between the lines easily enough.

But the people here desperately accepted the money.

Which meant they must have needed it.

"You've all also been fed on my money today," said the rich man. "And we have supplies aplenty. You will have full bellies while you work for me! In return, I expect your best effort. Now, let us begin. The sunken temple lays close and you have much sand to shift."

The dream morphed, then, wiping away what was probably hours of travel and allocation of tasks, skipping ahead to the next important bit like an impatient viewer skipping through an online video.

They were on the sunny side of a huge cliff, with wooden poles holding up cloth to shade them so people wouldn't die of heatstroke. The many people had their shirts and robes off now, though they kept their scarves on given the sand being tossed about. Jaune could see gaunt bodies, thin and skeletal, and small enough that he knew many of them were children and young teenagers.

That didn't stop them digging at the sand, tearing up huge chunks of it and tossing it into wooden wheelbarrows that were dragged away by others to be dumped where it wouldn't blow back. The roof and arches of a structure were beginning to show themselves, a building of some sort that had been buried by the sand, likely because the cliff it was built into acted as a wind barrier, collecting sand kicked up in storms and allowing it to pile up rather than be blown further away.

Ornate bronze pillars with sculptures half worn away were appearing before their eyes, the centuries old paint long gone but occasionally showing some ruddy, mottled amount of colour to hint that it had once been a glorious golden and blue.

"This is the real deal, eh?" said a boy beside him. He had sunkissed skin and a little muscle, but it was hard to tell if that wasn't just easily defined because of how thin he was. His face and hair were wrapped up tight.

"Excuse me?"

"This job," the boy continued. He sounded young. "You get them all the time and the sign-up fee is nice and all, but you never expect it to go anywhere. Most of them don't find anything. Old stories of treasure and all that." He snorted. "But this place ain't no old story. Makes me wonder if we really will find treasure inside."

Jaune was about to answer when someone else beat him to it. "What makes you think the man will share it if it's true? We'll be lucky to escape with our lives."

"Aww, don't be like that." The first laughed. "How do you think he is going to get all the gold out anyway? If he tells anyone, they'll look to double cross him and take it for themselves. The way I see it, it's easier to pay desert rats like us than it is to find trustworthy people."

"Mark my words, Sun, this is going to end badly."

Sun...? Sun Wukong? Jaune peered at the first boy, trying to picture Sun in his place, but it wasn't easy. Sure, the skin was the same tone but that was it. The Sun he knew had a perfect physique, muscle blended healthily into a lean frame with broad shoulders. This was a scraggly, half-starved boy.

Isn't Sun from Haven Academy, though...? I guess he might have lived in Vacuo before he applied.

It was obvious he hadn't studied at whatever pre-academy Vacuo had, the equivalent of Signal and Sanctum. He must have been self-taught. That, or he managed to use riches from today to afford to pay someone to teach him. Given that Sun had survived this, he felt that his confidence here might be founded.

"At least we're fed like this," said Sun. "Better than the alternative. Have I ever led you guys wrong?"

"Not yet, but there's always time..."

"Heh. Well, you can be the first to say 'I told you so' if that happens."

The dream warped again. Vast amounts of sand shifted away before Jaune's eyes, representing what might well have been a whole day's worth of work from the young men. It happened in the span of twenty seconds to reveal a narrow entranceway into a temple of sorts, tall pillars holding up the arched roof they'd been talking in front of moments ago. Behind those pillars, indented a few feet, a solid wall reached down to a much smaller opening only six feet tall.

It made sense a temple in the desert wouldn't be as open as they might be in other nations. What with the risk of sandstorms and all, they'd want as few openings as possible, and the door might have been solid wood to be sealed in the event of a storm back when this was in use.

The rich man was back with his guards, and they were lighting and handing out big, flaming torches to the various teens. Why they couldn't use actual dust-powered torches, Jaune wasn't sure, but he accepted the flaming brand and held it aloft. Maybe they thought it might be too cold in there, or perhaps they planned to lay and light other torches along the way.

"Half of you in first," said one of the huntsmen.

"Us?" asked Sun, alarmed. "Is that safe!? What about Grimm?"

One of the huntsmen laughed harshly. "If there were Grimm inside, boy, they'd have attacked us while we were digging. You looking for Grimm, you want to look outside. But, hey, if you want us to go on in and leave you all defenceless, I'm game."

It didn't feel like a lie and yet it also felt very wrong at the same time. The man was correct to say someone should stay outside in case of Grimm, and to hold the rear, but there were two of them and one could have entered first without compromising that. At the same time, he made a good point about the lack of an attack from within. The only problem was that Jaune himself had walked into a cave in initiation on the same assumptions and had been made to look a fool for it.

The children were nervous.

Which was why Sun stepped forward. "Alright, lads. It's just a bit of dark." He tugged his headscarf down to reveal his face. It was definitely Sun, but boyish and chubby in the cheeks. Jaune would have put him at eleven or twelve. "Nothing desert rats like us can't handle. Keep your eyes out for snakes and scorpions and biting insects. This is a dark place and they'll love to live here. I'll go first."

Sun turned and walked into the entranceway with fake confidence. He wasn't alone, though. Jaune walked on his left, and the other boy from earlier – the one who'd complained – walked on his right. Their burning torches cast light around the gloomy interior. A scorpion, its carapace shining black with reflected light, scuttled away into an open doorway. A few other insects chittered across the walls as they rushed to escape the light.

"Thanks," Sun whispered. "Didn't much fancy walking in alone."

"Someone has to have your back," said the other boy. "Not sure why I drew the short straw."

"Come on, Joss. You've always been my honorary second-in-command."

"Woe is me," said the boy, Joss. He pulled his own scarf down to show black skin and shining brown eyes. "Place looks spooky as all hell. You think they set traps?"

"Nah, man, that's movie nonsense. People would have lived here til they didn't. When would they have had time to boobytrap the place? Course, that doesn't mean it isn't dangerous. Watch your step."

"Tell me about it. Poison on the floor and the risk of the roof collapsing on us from above." Joss let out a heavy sigh. "There better be some treasure in here, Sun."

"There will be. Trust." Sun leaned in and whispered. "Just keep an open mind on what that is, yeah? We let the boss take gold and jewels. Look for anything old, like an antique or historical piece we can sell to a museum. Those'll be worth just as much and we won't be caught trying to smuggle treasure out."

Joss nodded, then stepped back. "I'll tell the others it's safe to come in."

It wasn't long before the rest of the children entered, fanning out to form a circle of light so that the wealthy patron and the two bodyguards could stand in the middle safe from poisonous critters. They had actual, dust-powered torches to see with, and it quickly became clear the reason for the flaming brands was more to scare away critters than provide light. The torches cast a narrow beam, whereas the fires Jaune and the rest wielded cast orange light in a full circle around them, ensuring no dark spots where a venomous snake could slip through and bite anyone important.

"Wonderful!" crowed the man in the centre, the archaeologist-slash-possible-graverobber. "Simply wonderful. I told you all, didn't I? This is the real deal. Spread out and set the torches in any braziers you find. Go now, let's light this place up!"

Jaune did as he was told with the others and soon the entrance hall was illuminated in full. The ancient braziers were empty, of course, the wood rotted, but they were still spaced and elevated on stone plinths, and they had brought wood aplenty to restock them. Everyone seemed a little calmer for having light. The fact that there had been no Grimm or traps or accidents likely factored into it.

"We'll hold the entrance here," said the archaeologist. "It'll be your jobs to explore the various hallways and chambers." The news sent a nervous murmur through the children. "Worry not, this is for your safety. From here in the centre, we can respond to any cries for help. And, again, there have been no Grimm."

"He's right!" Sun called out, silencing the kids. "There's no way any Grimm inside wouldn't have heard us by now. Come on, everyone. We promised we'd do our best. Let's show the boss what we're made of."

The archaeologist clapped. "Bravo! Bravo! Yes, like he said. And remember, there will be a hearty meal for everyone later. Tonight, we shall rest here in this ancient temple. How exciting that will be!"

Jaune followed Sun and Joss as they headed down a corridor. Technically, the other corridors weren't going to exist since Sun had never seen them and thus wouldn't know what they looked like. The one they went down was narrow, but not claustrophobic. It had been made long ago for processions of people and was so tall that their firelight didn't illuminate the ceiling. All part of the sentiment of religious wonder, no doubt. The numinous.

"I'm guessing your excitement there is the idea of us being able to find treasure before they do," said Joss.

"Course it is. If they want us to find it first, all the better for us. Just keep in mind they'll definitely check us when we come back. We'll find somewhere to stash it, then we can pick it up when all is done or even come back for it later."

Joss nodded. "Smart."

"Hey, I can be smart sometimes."

"Heh. You're not dumb, Sun. We wouldn't listen to a word you say if you were."

They travelled on down the corridor checking a few chambers here and there. Although there were old bits of pottery and the like around, there was little of the promised gold and treasure. Jaune suspected that, if there had been any, it had been taken away by the people who lived here when they abandoned the temple in the first place. Or it had been stolen if the temple had been sacked.

"What if we don't find anything at all!? What then? He'll be angry—"

"We'll burn that bridge when we get to it!" Sun hissed back. "Stay calm, man. There has to be something of historical worth around here."

"And if there isn't?"

"Then we don't get the promised riches but what is he going to do, kill us over five hundred lien each? That's not worth the heat it'd bring."

"What heat? We're rats. Nobodies."

"Still be dead bodies he'd have to hide, and then the Grimm would be drawn to the negativity. Stop freaking out and focus. You almost stepped on that snake!"

It was a dark conversation. Jaune wondered how many times Sun and his friends had been taken advantage of like this, or if it were a case of them hearing of others who had trusted the wrong sort and paid the price.

Either way, they were lucky today, because they made their way into the last room – a bigger one than the others – and quickly spotted an object raised on a stone pedestal. Jaune thought it a club at first, but maybe sceptre was more accurate. It was about two and a half feet long with a thick, round head. There were no gems in it, and the thing looked to be brass rather than gold. Still, as Sun had said, its value might be based more in its age than its materials.

"Jackpot," whispered Sun.

"You think it's worth anything?"

"I reckon it must be. Only problem is its size." Sun mulled over it, picking it up in his hands carefully. "There's no way we can hide this. We'll have to hand it over. Have a look around while I wrap it up. If we can distract him with this, we might be able to smuggle something smaller out."

Joss nodded and went to do as he was told, and managed to come back with some ancient coins, thin and dusty. "Found them under a pot in the corner."

"Nice!" Sun grinned. "Coins must be worth something."

"I'll hide them in my clothes."

"No." Sun stopped him. "That's too dangerous. We need to hide them here. Make it so we can come back and collect them."

Joss hesitated, then sighed. "Fine. Help me find somewhere."

It took them a while but they managed to carve out some ancient gristle between the flagstones and then slip the coins between them and cover it up. At a glance, Jaune couldn't tell where they were hidden at all, and the boys seemed satisfied with it. They headed back, Jaune following as a silent observer.

For a nightmare, this was without much in the way of horror, though Jaune fully expected the archaeologist to turn on them at some point. That point wasn't now, it seemed. Sun and Joss returned and offered up the wrapped sceptre to the man, who accepted it with giddy eyes as he unfurled it.

"Marvellous! Simply marvellous! You were careful with it, yes?"

"Of course," said Sun. "It doesn't look all that valuable but I figured it'd have some worth as an antique or something."

"You're right, of course. Ah, but this is everything you found, yes?"

"It is."

"You would not mind emptying out your pockets, then?"

Sun smiled and did just that, and even held his arms out so the huntsmen could pat him down. Joss did the same, and neither had anything on them thanks to Sun's clever thinking. The huntsman nodded and the archaeologist smiled brightly, the piercings in his face glinting like dimples.

"Such honest young men! You shall receive double rations tonight!"

"Thanks, boss! You're awesome! But do we have the stocks for that?"

"Ah." The man's smile faded. "We do now. I'm afraid that three of your friends have run into accidents." Sun's smile dropped. "No Grimm nor traps. Two have been bitten and expired before we could reach them, and we'd have had no idea what antivenom to give them even if we had. One tripped on a loose flagstone and cracked his head open."

Sun cursed.

"Yes, it's regrettable to be sure. The corridors are dark and the ruin is, understandably, in some disrepair. You all need to be very cautious in here."

"Yeah..." Sun clenched his eyes shut. "Did you bring their bodies back? I'd like to know who they are. Take the news back to anyone... you know..."

One of the huntsmen pointed to the corner of the hall where some bodies lay under a tarp. Sun nodded and headed off, dragging Jaune away from the archaeologist as he looked over his new toy. At the bodies, Sun peeled the tarp back and took in their faces.

"Pierce, Cliff and Rasim. Damn it, you guys. I told you to be careful."

"Looks like they were telling the truth about how they died," Joss whispered. Two of the boys had swollen faces and blue lips, while the last didn't have much of the back of his head left. "At least we know they weren't killed for acting out."

"Doesn't make it any better."

"We all knew the risks, Sun. We're all out here hoping for that miracle find to drag us off the streets. You know how it is. Find treasure or die trying."

"I know." Sun sighed. "I know..."

He drew the tarp back over them.

The dream morphed again, so far in fact that they were back outside the temple approaching it across the sand – except that the procession was gone. There was no archaeologist, no huntsmen, just Sun and Joss in their robes with their faces wrapped up, moving across the sand in the middle of the night with two small torches clasped in hand.

From that, Jaune had to draw his own conclusions. Obviously, the hunt had continued and had been in some small way successful. The archaeologist apparently had not turned on them, or neither of them would be there. But it was also obvious there hadn't been that great a monetary find, or Sun and Joss wouldn't need to come back for the coins. They'd probably found some artefacts to be sold off, but only enough to justify the trip and make the three men behind it some profit. Not enough to make any of the children hired for it "rich beyond their wildest dreams" or whatever it was the archaeologist had promised.

Inside, they withdrew their scarves to show their faces and Joss pulled out a small lighter, using it to light some of the remaining braziers. "Can't believe we made it all the way here on our own like this."

"I told you, man, the Grimm aren't a problem if you're quick and don't linger. They have to be drawn to people. They're not going to be here waiting for us."

"Fair enough. You got a buyer lined up?"

"Yeah. Wants to see the coins first but he's a decent sort. Won't turn on us."

"Who is it?"

"Old man Reed. You know him?"

"I know him," said Joss. "Didn't know he dealt in old stuff like this."

"He doesn't, but his brother works for a guy who says he's a descendant of King Malik. Crazy huntsman guy, bit of a nutjob from what I hear, but he's got money. Asturias. I think that's the name."

"Never heard of him."

"Me neither, but if he's paying then what does it matter?"

Sun led the way, allowing his faunus vision to give him the edge on avoiding trips and any dangerous creatures en route. Yet again, the hallways had been overtaken by critters, but the light shone about sent them scurrying for cracks in the rock wall to hide in. Soon, Sun and Joss were back in the chamber where they'd found the sceptre.

Setting the torch down on the floor, Sun knelt and drew a small knife to dig away at the grime they'd packed in around the coins. He was cautious, not wanting to damage them, but also aware that it was a bad idea to stick around for too long.

"You found them?" asked Joss.

"Yeah, they're still here. This is it, man. With these, we can bring the whole gang up off the streets."

"Yeah." Joss stepped forward. "Yeah, we can."

Jaune saw the blow coming but could do nothing to stop it. The heavy torch slammed onto the back of Sun's head, sending him careening forward with a cry and knocking his head against the floor. The other boy was on his back instantly, grasping Sun's hair in both hands and slamming his face down on the stone until he was bloody.

Only then did Jaune reach him, grabbing the boy by his collar and yanking him back. Neither Joss nor Sun acted like he even existed, and his intervention didn't stop other wounds appearing as if by magic over Sun's face. Evidence of what had happened, even if Jaune had stopped the rest of it from being played out.

By the door, Joss stood panting with the coins in hand, looking down on them hungrily. Sun, meanwhile, was on his back by the wall, sat against it with a hand over his bleeding nose and tears running down his face.

"Bwhy?" he asked, his voice nasal.

"What do you want me to say, Sun?" asked Joss. "You know why. Cut seventeen ways, this is barely going to get the gang off the streets. I'd have suggested you and I share it and not tell the others but I knew you wouldn't go for it. You're always too damn loyal."

Sun wheezed for breath. "Traitor..."

"We all knew the risks, Sun. We're all out here hoping for that miracle find to drag us off the streets. You know how it is. Find treasure or die trying. I'll make sure the others know it was a Grimm that got you."

"You... You gonna kill me, then? That it?"

Joss put the coins in his pocket and pulled out a rusty knife. "Yeah. Yeah, I am. But, for what little it's worth, I'm sorry it had to come to this."

"Yeah." Sun closed his eyes and let his head fall back against the rock. "Me too."

He moved suddenly, whipping his other hand around and launching something at Joss. The object, which Jaune expected to be a knife or an extra coin, or even just a bunch of sand, turned out to be a living creature. Launched by its tail, the serpent hissed and buried its teeth into Joss' neck, injecting its venom directly into his jugular.

The boy fell with a startled scream, then began to spasm and thrash on the floor as the snake slithered away. His legs and arms kicked, his neck swelled, and Sun pushed himself up and limped over, a dead expression on his face.

"It didn't have to be this way, Joss," he whispered down to the dying and terrified boy. "It didn't have to be this way."

Joss, just another unknown orphan, let out a final breath and then went still.

"We could have both been off the streets," Sun said to him. "We could have... no. It doesn't matter." Sun knelt and rummaged in the boy's pocket for the coins, collecting them and a few other belongings before standing. He stared down at his friend, his second-in-command, for a few long minutes. "For what little it's worth, I'll tell them you died to Grimm," he eventually said. "I'll tell the others you gave your life so I could get away, and that your last words were shouting at me to take the Desert Rats out the alleys and into a real life."

Sun knelt once more and closed the boy's eyes.

"I'll tell them you died a hero's death."

His piece said, Sun stepped over the body of his best friend and walked out the temple. Jaune could feel the dream ending and wondered at its conclusion. Evidently, Sun had found a good buyer and gotten himself off the streets if nothing else, and he'd found his way to Haven to become a huntsman.