Legend of Remnant

Chapter 9: Split Second

For a moment, Jaune feared he was too late. Even as he watched the blade come towards his unprotected face, he was already trying to push off the ground, to leap backwards to avoid the hit, but the blade felt like it was moving faster than his body could. He watched as the edge of the blade came so close, he could see every chip, every notch, every rusted and broken piece of it in vivid detail. With adrenaline pumping through his veins, time felt like it had slowed to a crawl in that span of a few seconds. Then, Jaune's feet touched the ground, and the entire world dimmed.

There was no other way to describe it; it was as though all the light in the world had been turned down like someone turned down the dimmer switch on the sun itself. Jaune blinked in confusion. "What the-" he turned to Link, and blinked again. Link was hovering in the air, seeming frozen in place. Then, he turned back to the Stalfos, and found to his shock that the skeleton also seemed frozen in place, still in mid swing. Had time stopped? Jaune waited a few moments more, wondering if he'd gone insane. Move! Link's voice snapped in Jaune's head, startling him out of his reverie. 'Right. Focus.'

Jaune brought the Master Sword to bear, and rushed at the now defenseless Stalfos. He swung the silvery blade, and it bit deep into bone. Strike after strike, Jaune laid into the monster as fast as he could in the window of opportunity afforded to him by the frozen time; and then, the world began to move again. Everything brightened at once, and the Stalfos moved, or tried to anyway, but slash after slash had done a number on the construct and as it moved forward to try to attack Jaune, it instead fell apart at the spine, it's arms crumbling into separate bones that remained still. Jaune stared at the unmoving pile of bones, sword and shield still held up, and waiting with baited breath for it to get back up. He waited for a minute or so, before being sure that the skeleton swordsman was no more, then turned to Link, eyes wide.

"What…" Jaune began, swallowing, "What the hell was that?!" Had he just somehow stopped time?

"That," began Link, floating over to the pile of bones as though to inspect it himself, "Was what I named a 'Flurry Rush.'" Seemingly satisfied with the results, the fairy simulacrum flew closer to Jaune.

"A…'Flurry Rush?'" Jaune sounded less than enthused with the moniker Link had bestowed onto the ability.

Link huffed, and the glowing orb of light vibrated angrily. "What would you have called it?"

"I dunno," Jaune murmured. "Just...I freakin' stopped time! Something like that's gotta have a cooler name!"

"Technically you didn't stop time; you increased your own time both physically and mentally in proportion to normal time. That was what I meant about pulling on the river flow of time. It's not easy to pull off, but if you can master that ability, not many enemies can hope to stand against you."

"You mean I have to almost get hit every time?" Jaune groaned.

"There is no reward without risk. I don't expect you to master that in a short amount of time; just know that it is part of your new arsenal. Same as this." Link finished, floating over towards a large wooden chest that Jaune had never noticed before.

Jaune approached it, tilting his head quizzically. "What...is it?"

"It's a chest." Link shot back wryly.

Jaune glowered. "Yeah, I can see that. What's in it?"

"Your reward. Open it."

Jaune shrugged, and knelt down, grasping the lid to the chest. It didn't seem like it was locked, and slowly, he lifted the lid, peering inside. The inside of the chest was lined with red velvet, and sitting in the middle of it was an object that was at once both familiar and new to Jaune. He lifted it out of the chest, holding it to the simulated sunlight above. "It's a-!" Jaune started, then paused. "...what is this?"

The object in question looked partially like a gauntlet, made of bronze or a similar material. Instead of ending at the fingers of a hand though, it ended in a large three-pronged claw. "That," Link spoke, "is known as a Clawshot. It fires a variable length chain at a target, and latches onto it. You can use it to pull smaller objects towards you, or pull yourself to heavier objects. Try it on."

Jaune shrugged, and slipped his hand into the bronze gauntlet. It fit his arm perfectly. Inside, there was a bar that he assumed that his hand was supposed to grip onto, and his index finger rested lightly against what felt like a lever, or trigger. He lifted the claw, and swept it around the room. "Where is the chain?" He asked, noticing the lack of space between where his hand ended and the claw began.

"No clue. Magic, most likely." Link replied.

Jaune began to scoff at him. "Pff, magic doesn't-" he began, then froze. What was he saying? He was in a mental dungeon, fighting off a skeleton, and being mentored by a centuries, if not millenias-old fighter! There was no other explanation other than magic! The very concept suddenly had his head reeling, and he had to force himself to shove that particular topic to the back of his mind for another time. "Never mind. What should I aim it at?"

"Grates, bars, soft targets," Link began. Jaune stared at him, then slowly lifted the claw at him. "Not me," he continued in a dour tone that quickly deflated Jaune's shit eating grin. "How about, I don't know, using it to leave the room?"

Jaune grumbled. "I was going to get to that, jeez." He turned on his heel, facing the door he'd entered in, and glanced up. "Is wood a 'soft' target?"

"Soft enough."

Jaune lifted the claw, aimed it at the wooden stylized placard above the door frame, and pulled the trigger. The gauntlet kicked slightly, as though a spring had fired, and with a rapid clicking noise, the claw launched itself at where Jaune was pointing, connected by a thick, shining metal chain. Then, the claw made contact with the wooden placard, and Jaune watched the claws dig into the soft wood, holding fast. The chain went taut, and Jaune blinked, pausing. "So I just pull the trigger…?"

"And hold on tight," Link confirmed.

Jaune nodded, gripped the inside bar, and pulled the trigger. There was a sudden lurch, and Jaune suddenly found himself rocketing towards the door at incredible speed, the chain being drawn back into the gauntlet, and bringing Jaune along for the ride. He was moving so fast, that the door came up on him before he was ready and-

WHAM!

Jaune groaned and slowly peeled himself from the unforgivingly hard stone wall he'd just flown into. Faint emerald light shone as Link flew up to him. "You're supposed to stop yourself with your feet before you hit the wall."

Jaune rubbed his head and slowly staggered to his feet as he tried to get his world to stop spinning. He affixed Link with a glare. "That would have been nice to know before I tried to meld with the wall…"

"Consider that payback for aiming that thing at me." Link replied airly.

Jaune continued to glare. "You suck." After a few seconds, the world stopped feeling like a tilt-a-whirl and Jaune was able to get enough purchase on Terra Firma to start trying to walk again. He glanced down at his arm, still gripping the Clawshot. "Wonder how I'm going to store this…" No sooner had he spoken those words, than the Clawshot suddenly began to glow, and began to start coming apart into motes of glowing light, as though it had been made of fireflies that were dispersing. "What the-?!" He began, watching as the item vanished completely into the motes of light, which in turn vanished themselves like so many sparks, "Was that it? Just a one-use item?"

"Don't be daft," Link chastised. "You can call upon any of the Sacred Tools in your arsenal at will, just as you can store them."

Jaune's eyes widened again (they seemed to be doing that a lot as of late) and he turned back to Link. "Wait, you're telling me I've got Hammerspace?!"

"I- come again?"

"You know, an inventory screen? Dimensional Storage? Sack of Holding?" Jaune rattled off examples.

"I...guess Dimensional Storage sounds accurate enough? Look, I know you said you had time to explore this dungeon, but not time to sit here wasting on trying to come up with names for where your Sacred Tools are being stored!" Link snapped.

Jaune frowned, reaching out to touch the door back out of the room. "Sorry, but I've never experienced anything like this. Like, before I met you and all this, magic never existed for me. There was no such thing as 'Sacred Tools,' or whatever. It's...kinda a lot to take in."

Link fell silent as Jaune began to make his way back through the dungeon, backtracking to the first room. It wasn't until the stone door fell back into place as Jaune walked out into the first main chamber, did Link finally speak up again. "Look, I know this is a lot to take in. I mean, this world might be the one I once lived in, but it's so different from what I remember. No doubt, taking in my memories isn't much better. Just know that I'm only hounding you to improve. We have plenty of time to worry about the form and function of the Sacred Tools after you manage to complete your current task. You need to stop focusing on things that aren't affecting the here and now."

Jaune sighed. "Yeah, I know, I know." He paused. "So if I want to get the Clawshot again, what do I do?"

"Just will it into being."

"O...kay?" Jaune reached a hand out, and focused on the image and feel of the Clawshot on his arm. There was a sudden, quick golden flash of light, and much to Jaune's amazement, he found himself once more gripping onto the bronzed gauntlet. "That's...freakin' awesome."He paused, and turned to Link. "Wait… can I only use this in my mind?" Jaune asked, sounding almost disappointed.

"No," the answer came quickly. "I'll explain more at another time, but the Sacred Tools you earn here translate into the real world, in both form and function. Think of it less finding them, and more earning the right to call upon them."

"S-sure," Jaune began, not sounding entirely convinced, but decided to run with the explanation for the time being. He lifted the Clawshot, and gazed around the main room, glancing up at the wooden beams of the platforms above him. He took aim at the edge of the platform, and pulled the trigger. The chain fired, and went taut as the claw dug into the side of the platform. "Alright. Second time's the charm?" He swallowed, and pulled the trigger again.

Like the previous time, Jaune found himself rocketing up towards the claw. This time, though, he knew what to expect. That, however, did not save him from not being able to react quick enough, and ending up driving the edge of the wooden platform into his stomach. Thankfully, he was able to hold onto the Clawshot tight enough not to end up taking a fall to the first story below. "Man, that isn't as easy as I remember…"

"I believe," Link spoke up, floating lazily up to Jaune and watching as the Huntsman-in-training hoisted himself up onto the wooden platform, "the correct phrase is, 'third time's the charm. And it helps if you visualize how you plan to stop yourself before you fire the Clawshot."

"Duly noted," Jaune groaned. He got to his feet and dusted himself off, looking down at the Clawshot on his arm and focused on storing it away. Like before, the Clawshot began to fade away into motes of golden light, and in seconds it vanished completely. Jaune shook his head slowly, still surprised at what he was seeing. "Alright. Let's do this thing." Jaune walked forward, and extended a hand, touching the door, and the stone door once more slid open, allowing Jaune to walk inside…

Like before, Jaune adapted to the dungeon with an alacrity that surprised Link. Sure, some of it was definitely those...video games, but some of it was testament to Jaune's burgeoning skill. He'd been slowly learning how to use the Clawshot properly, utilizing it to cross chasms, get to higher ledges, and even bring items to himself. While he still needed the occasional prodding, he even managed to keep focused on the task at hand. Of course, the dungeon wasn't quite finished with its surprises.

Jaune once more found himself entering a rather sizable room, much like the one he'd fought the Stalfos in, but without the elevated entrance. There was another very distinct difference in the rooms as well; four large, stone pillars jutted from the floor, nearly touching the ceiling, placed equidistant from each other. Lastly, as the door slammed shut behind Jaune, the young man noticed that there was no pile of bones in the center of the room. No, this room contained something much different.

Three strange beasts wandered about, almost indifferent to Jaune's entrance. They looked vaguely porcine to Jaune, almost like a smaller Borbatusk, but without the giant wicked tusks they were known for. Like said Grimm, these too wore masks, but they were not the white and red bone masks that the Grimm sported. Instead, it looked like they all had metal masks on, made of some sort of dull, iron-like material. "What the…?"

"Helmasaurs." Link stated plainly. "Their diet consists of minerals and dirt, and because of said diet, have grown a face plate to protect themselves from frontal attacks. Even the Master Sword can't cut through that."

"So, I've got to hit them from the sides, or behind?" Jaune asked. Then, as though they heard and understood his words, all three Helmasaurs suddenly froze, and all turned to face him, causing a chill to run up his spine.

"Indeed. A little easier said than done," Link ominously intoned.

SKREEE! Jaune winced as the three beasts squealed simultaneously, sounding not unlike screeching metal against metal, and then, they charged. Jaune took a tentative step back as the squat beasts bore down on him, then turned on his heel and began to flee. The Helmasaurs weren't particularly fast, but they were tenacious. Jaune found himself running in circles around the four stone pillars trying to wait for a chance to actually fight back. In spite of the beast's lack of horizontal movement, they could turn in place rather quickly, which meant that even if Jaune was able to lure one away from the pack, it would simply keep turning to face him, keeping him from getting to its vulnerable flank.

"Damn it! How the hell am I supposed to get these things to sit still long enough to hit them?!" Jaune groaned, feeling a twitch of irritation develop in one eyebrow.

"Look around you. Use everything to your advantage. Your arsenal, your experiences, and your environment. Your repertoire consists of more than just a sword and shield." Link lectured.

Jaune wordlessly nodded, mind racing. Getting around them wasn't going to be easy, so that was out. He could try and attempt a Flurry Rush, but he wasn't feeling too confident in his ability to dodge, and while the Helmasaurs weren't the fastest, he got the feeling that getting trampled by even one of them would be a very painful and injurious event. Equipment. What do I have? Sword, Shield, Magical Grappling Claw. Jaune frowned. Neither of them was going to directly help him; those iron face plates looked too dense to be attacked directly. He jumped to the side as the thunderous hoofbeats of a Helmasaur brought him back to the present, and the beast rushed by him, too fast for him to bring his sword to bear. Environment. Hang on… Jaune looked as the Helmasaur that had just rushed him bounded forward, then tried to turn around, but its momentum kept it from making a hairpin turn, and it slid forward before it could get enough purchase to turn around. I'd only be able to hit it once at best if I waited for them to turn around, at least before they were able to hit me. But what about… his eyes glanced over to the four stone pillars in the middle of the room. Aha. Jaune grinned, moving himself into a better position for his plan.

As he expected, two of the Helmasaurs who could see him began to thunder right at him, their stubby legs carrying them with surprising rapidity for their size, but still giving Jaune enough time. His back to one of the stone pillars, Jaune glanced around quickly, and looked up at the canopy of branches and leaves with fake sunlight shining through. As the Helmasaurs grew closer, Jaune willed the Clawshot into existence, and aimed it upward. Then, he fired the claw, and felt the claw grip onto the mesh of vegetation above him. The Helmasaurs grew closer, so close that Jaune could see the muscles beneath their leathery skin bulging. Then, he pulled the trigger, and the chain yanked him up into the air, just as the faceplates of the Helmasaurs converged onto his former position.

CLANG! Jaune couldn't help but grin from ear to ear as the sound of both Helmasaurs running headlong into both the stone pillar and each other echoed through the room. He released the trigger, and the claw released in turn, letting Jaune drop to the ground behind the two Helmasaurs, and he turned on his heel to find himself facing their unprotected flanks. He drew the Master Sword from its sheath, and swung, once, twice, and both beasts gave a great keen like metal against metal, before falling limp, disappearing quickly into puffs of airy purple smoke.

"Excellent work," Link mused, as Jaune turned on his heel to face the third Helmasaur. "Now, let's see if you can do the same thing without the Clawshot this time."

Jaune grimaced. "Really? We're doing challenge runs now?"

"Well. You don't have to. You know, if you don't think you're good enough to do it." Link continued, his tone just under mocking.

Jaune gripped the Master Sword tighter, keeping an eye on the last Helmasaur, but still glaring. "Fine," he grumbled, "Guess I might as well show I've learned something."

The Helmasaur scratched a single hoof against the ground, snorting in a manner that was eerily reminiscent of the Borbatusk that awaited him at the end of his trial. It was a sobering thought, and Jaune tensed. He had to force himself to stop thinking about it, instead trying to focus on the present. Don't let your mind wander, Jaune internally mused, Worry about that when it comes. He raised his shield, eyes locked onto the Helmasaur, which gave an angry squeal, and rushed forward. Watch its movements carefully...wait for it...wait…

Jaune tensed his legs, and as the Helmasaur got even closer, leaped to the side. He swore he could feel his pant legs brush against the creature's face plate as it passed the spot he'd been standing less than a second prior. All at once, there was a clattering of metal against stone, the world dimmed once again, and Jaune's feet touched the ground. This time, however, he was ready. He rushed forward the moment he noticed the world dimming, and drove into the beast's unprotected backside with slice after slice. The world once more brightened, and the beast shivered, and collapsed, vanishing quickly into the purple airy smoke like the others. "Well well," Link spoke up, "I wasn't expecting you to pull off another Flurry Rush so soon. Not bad. We might just make a Hero out of you yet."

Jaune gave a small chuckle. "Y-yeah." A flash of green light in Jaune's periphery alerted him, and he turned to the source to see another large treasure chest sitting in the middle of the room, right between the four pillars. "Another item?" He approached it, and gently kicked it open. "It's another key?" He reached down and picked it up from the chest. The key looked different from the others he'd acquired; it was covered in gold with a horned eye for the handle. "What's this?"

"The Boss Key." Link explained. "There will be an obvious locked door to use that on in the dungeon. I'll explain things from there."

Jaune grimaced. A Boss? He was already starting to feel a little winded and tired from the dungeon, and he wasn't sure he could face another powerful monster and the Elder Borbatusk. Once more, he shook his head, bringing himself to the present. "You're talking about that big door with the giant lock we ran into earlier?"

"Exactly. Head back there."

Jaune took a breath, and nodded, turning on his heel towards the door, and tried to quell the quickening of his heartbeat…

It didn't take very long to get back to the large double doors that Jaune had found previously, and as he stood before the massive entrance, kept sealed by a large lock and golden chains, he shivered. "Jaune." Link's voice broke him out of his musing, and he turned to face the glowing ball of emerald light. "Listen carefully." The fairy simulacrum floated just out of Jaune's reach. "Once you step through that door, you'll be back in the real world, facing off against that beast. I know you're nervous, but if there's any one thing you should hear, it's this: you're ready. I know it doesn't feel like it. What you're about to face seems like an insurmountable challenge even in comparison to what you've already faced. But I know for certain that you can do this. You have all the tools you need, you've learned what you need to. All you need now is courage."

Jaune nodded, and glanced back to the door. On one hand, he was glad that he didn't have to fight both a Boss and the Borbatusk. On the other hand, the fact that the Borbatusk was the Boss was cold comfort. Could he actually beat it? Him, with so little prior experience? He glanced back at Link. "You...you really think I can?"

"As long as you remember the lessons learned, then you will triumph."

Jaune nodded again. I know Ruby's going to get Ms. Goodwitch, but I'd just be having them clean up my mess. Plus, I'd just be putting Ruby in danger again. No. I've got to take this thing on myself. Jaune squared his shoulders, and set his jaw. He reached up, key in hand to reach for the lock. To his momentary surprise, the key floated out of his hand, up to the lock, and slid inside, turning of its own accord. The chains loosened, and the lock fell to the stone floor below with an echoing clatter. Silence followed for a few moments; then, the two doors began to move, shaking and dislodging dirt and dust. Light poured forth from the entrance, so bright that Jaune had to look away from it.

Then, he blinked, and was face to face with the blood red eyes of the Borbatusk.

The Borbatusk snorted, a low basso rumble that Jaune could literally feel in his chest, even from a distance, and Jaune's eyes snapped open in surprise. He was back in the real world, just as Link said, and if he was right, it was only a brief moment after he'd left. A massive good scratched the ground, and Jaune grimaced, getting into a battle ready position. The massive beast lifted its head, and let loose a porcine squeal that was so deep, it was more of a roar.

This is it, Jaune thought to himself, his thoughts nearly drowned out by the blood pumping in his ears, here goes nothing!

vs. Remnant of Hatred: Twrch Trwyth

A/U: Yeah, another cliffhanger. I figured ending the chapter right before the Boss fight made the most sense narratively. Jaune learns how to use the Clawshot, fights more Zelda enemies, and gets ready to face the culmination of his first major test. Can he win before Ruby and Glynda show up? How can he beat an Elder Borbatusk with just a sword, shield, and magical grappling claw? And what will the rest of RN(J)R say when he comes clean about his forged transcripts? All this and more, same Lefou time, same Lefou channel!

Signing off for now, this is LaughingLefou.