A/N: knightmare of the abyss-
I just want said that is kinda hard for me to know who is talking especially when Glynda and Nimued argued together. I need to read back couple time before i know who it's talking.
But who am I talking to, i do the same mistake and even worse.
Yeah, not gonna lie, that is kind of a doozy. I probably should have made it clear who was yelling in that yelling contest, but here's a good excuse: Arguments are hard to follow anyway, right?
Yeah, I'm probably reaching, but that's what excuses are for, right? VIVA LA LAZY!
Guest-
Fanfiction writers lol
Yeah, we're a different breed. Some of us a pretty... unique.
Guest-
I like chapters like these. Some down time with small humorous shenanigans XD
Well, well, well Glynda's arrived. 3 relic sisters, dated 2, married 1, and Jinn loves teasing him/maybe secretly likes him? Gooood luck Jaune XD Excited for more dude _
Probably the same guy as above, but who cares? I don't mind chapters like this either. No big bad trying to kill our heroes. No political drama. No drama at all. Just some crazy, humorous shenanigans. It took my dumbass to realize you meant Nimueh when you said dated 2. I'm the damn writer, and I had a brainfart that made me forget Jaune likes to take Nimueh out on dates. Maybe I need more moments of them going on actual dates instead of just referencing them. And yes, Jinn LOVES teasing her brother-in-law. She's not romantically interested in Jaune, but she already loves him like family. Still, with three relics in his life, our hero definitely needs more good luck.
The King's Glaive rushed down the road, nothing in its path. True, Jaune stopped every once in a while, to save some civilians being attacked by Grimm or bandits, taking down and/or Conquering any Grimm that attacked them, or collecting some useful items; but they were making good time. Apparently, they had enough time to fish at a nice pond they found. The look on Argent's face when he reeled in a bass the length of Crocea Mors. Nimueh got a good laugh when the fish slapped Jaune in the face.
It was a bit of a ride, but they were reaching the border between Vale and Vaccuo. Right as they were about to cross the border, they reached a gas station with a garage and a restaurant.
"Finally. I was getting hungry," Argent said as he got off.
"I thought so. Go inside the restaurant. I need to sell some of the stuff we got."
"You don't need it," Argent asked.
"Not all of it. That fish of yours, for example, is better off at a restaurant instead of turning smelly with us."
"Not arguing with that," Nimueh giggled.
"Plus, I have some business."
"You're going to buy armor," Argent asked.
"No. It involves King's Glaive."
"Oh, my midnight stars." Jaune chuckled at the familiar dixie accent. "Is that who I think it is," a kind woman's voice went.
Jaune turned toward the voice. "Hey, Sandy."
"Jaune Arc! I knew it was you," a beautiful woman about as tall as Nimueh said. She had an hourglass figure, blonde pixie-cut hair hidden by a red baseball cap with the garage's logo on it, and some seriously short shorts that showed off her toned legs. She wore cowboy boots, a yellow jacket, and a pair of goggles around her neck. She had a bit of a tan and eyes as blue as the Arcs', and a very nice pair of breasts under that jacket of hers.
"Ah, and there's the wife! As pretty as a mined Ice Dust shard as always."
Nimueh giggled. "You haven't changed, Sandy."
"Hm? And who's this cute little fella," she asked as she knelt down towards Argent.
"I'm not cute!"
"Oh, feisty. I like him."
"He's my son," Jaune went.
Sandy looked at Jaune in surprise before looking at Nimueh. "I didn't know weapons could get... ya know."
Nimueh sighed. "As much as I wish he was, he's not mine by blood."
"Oh. . . Ooooh, that's right," Sandy began as she took out her scroll. "Guess that ol' rumor was true. Ain't you a wolf in heat," Sandy said as she side glanced at Jaune teasingly. Jaune sighed.
"Dad, who is she? She's really pretty."
"Boy's got good eyes like his daddy. Mm, and maybe his mama, too, seeing who HER wife is."
"Sandy..."
"I'm just sayin'," she shrugged.
Jaune sighed. "This is Sandy Aurum. She's an old friend of mine, as well as my mechanic for King's Glaive. She's one of the few in the world that Dante actually respects. They'd both kill me if I took the Glaive to anyone else."
"That ain't true. There are a few people in Anima we'd let see the ol' girl. Besides, killin' you is something we leave to yer wife," Sandy said as she playfully punched Jaune's arm. "An' speakin' of the ol' girl," Sandy began as she walked over to and inspected King's Glaive. "Mm, ol' Inferno went all out with her this time. Though, she doesn't seem quite done. Hover feature doesn't seem included like the last model."
"Dante said he'd need some more materials to complete her. I think I found some of the needed items," Jaune said as he opened the saddlebag.
"Hm... Yup. This'll do it. Long way to go, but a good start. Hm? Jauney, yer plannin' on ridin' through the desert on the Glaive, right?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"These tires won't do."
"Huh?"
"I mean, they're great fer drivin' on Solitas ice and Vale dirt road, but sand? You'd sink faster than a Boarbatusk in the deep end of the lake."
"Great. And there would be plenty of Sand Sharks and Deathworms ready to tear my ride to shreds if that happened."
"And we can't have that."
"Alright, Sandy, how much will the mod cost?"
She then sighed. "That there might be an issue, darlin'."
"Huh?"
"Our supply truck? It went missin' not two days before y'all showed up."
"What? I thought I took care of the Road Warriors years ago."
"Honey, they may have been the biggest band at that time, but they weren't the only ones. Yes, you and yer lady scared the dickens out of plenty of rodeo clowns when you took down Water Joe, but you've been gone long enough for new names to pop up. None nearly big enough to get the big bad Hero of Remnant involved, but big enough to be a thorn in our keister. Our local Huntsmen have been able to handle them, but they're still a bit annoyin'."
"Who are they?"
"Ah, they call themselves Fury Road. Just some varmints that highjack anythin' big on wheels. Just so happen this one had all of the tools I needed to make Glaive desert worthy."
"Any idea where they could be?"
Sandy raised an eyebrow. "Darlin' you don't need to worry yourself over small fry."
"Sandy, I'm still a Huntsman. An International 1st Class, if you wanna be specific. I can still take on jobs."
"Hm. Oh, alright. You're gonna wanna talk to Sam. The guy in our diner."
"Sam? What happened to Will?"
"He moved back to Vaccuo to help take care of his grandbabies."
"Ah. Well, thanks, Sandy."
"Anytime. Good luck, sug'!"
"Heh, like I'm gonna need it," Jaune said as the family walked into the diner.
"Welcome to Hammerhead Diner. What would you like to- JAUNE ARC," a bald, black man yelled in surprise.
"That would be me."
"Oh, i-it's an honor, sir! Please, let me get you somethin'! It's on the house!"
"No, no. That's not necessary, Sam."
"Wait, how do you know my name, sir?"
"Sandy told me."
"Y-You know Sandy?"
"She's my mechanic."
Sam's eyes widened before he sighed heavily, burying his face in his hands. "Dammit, Sandy. You couldn't a told me you knew the greatest Huntsman in the world? You tryin' to give me a heart attack, girl?"
"Don't take it personally," Jaune said as he sat down with his family. "Sandy and I are old friends, so she probably doesn't see knowing me as a big deal. She saved my ass quite a few times, modifying my bike."
Sam groaned. "Customizin' the Vale Knight's bike ain't a big deal? What's wrong with you, girl? Oh, uh, so, Mr. Knight-"
"Just call me Jaune."
"Uh, sure. Uh, what can I get for ya?"
"Sandy told me you were the one to talk to about jobs."
"Jo-" Sam laughed nervously. "No offense, Mr. Arc, but most of our jobs are pretty low on your payroll. You're the best of the best. Can't have you wastin' your time on a little blip on the map like ours."
"I'm still a Huntsman. Besides, like I said, Sandy's my friend. I'm not about to walk away from something damaging her livelihood."
"Plus, we need certain material to upgrade our ride," Nimueh said.
"Nim!"
"It's the truth," she shrugged.
"Ah, I know what you mean," Sam said as he took out his scroll and showed the local listing. "The Fury Road Fools. Objectives: take out the fools and take back what they stole. This was their last known location. It shouldn't take too long on a good ride."
"Looks like we could run there," Nimueh said.
"Yeah. We could."
"Huh," Sam went.
"Nothing. So... what's on the menu?"
"HUH," Sam went nervously.
"YEAH! I'M STARVING," Argent went in excitement.
"Oh, uh, here's what we have to offer," Sam went as he gave the family menus, obviously nervous about serving Remnant's greatest hero and his family.
A Blunderhorn (rhino Grimm) was walking through the grasslands of the Vaccuo-Vale border. Its ear twitched, making the Grimm look up. It looked around, searching for whatever it just sensed. Then, it was spun around after two incredibly fast forces raced past it. When it was done spinning, the poor Grimm shook its head before looking in the direction, seeing two dust clouds rushing towards the nearby forest. It gave a cute and tired groan as it got up and walked away, not wanting to deal with whatever that just was.
The dust clouds were being caused by running. The running of Jaune and Argent Arc, Nimueh sheathed at Jaune's hip.
"Hey, dad, why are we running to the speculated area of the mission?"
"Asks the boy who's having so much fun running, he's doing it backward."
"Shi-shi-shi," Argent went with his hands behind his head as he continued to run backward, keeping up with his father.
Jaune rolled his eyes. "King's Glaive isn't exactly stealthy. The engine might not roar as loudly as most cycles her type, but she would still alert our targets. Can't let them know anyone is close to them, or else they would either increase their defenses-"
"Or just book it," Argent asked.
"Bingo. You'd get a passing grade in one of Port's classes with knowledge like that, kiddo."
Argent gave a toothy smile.
"Also, Sandy wanted to analyze King's Glaive and see what Dante did to upgrade it. She's the type who needs to know everything to she can do her maintenance as close to perfect as possible. She feels like she fails if she so much as leaves a scratch on the paint. She once tackled me when she realized she didn't screw a bolt all the way."
"She didn't forget one?"
"Nope. Just didn't screw it as tight as she thought it should have been."
"Hm? But aren't we pretty loud ourselves?"
"At most, we sound like either a trampling herd or thunder, but it won't matter once we reach the forest."
"Huh? Why no- OOOOH! Wait, Aunt Blake taught you ninja techniques?"
"What? Hell no. Ren did," Jaune said before he jumped into the trees, Argent following after. "Sun also taught me a few tricks or at least tried to. Most of his moves involve his tail, and since I didn't have a tail, it couldn't work."
"How about now?"
"Blade-Tail Wachas (a monkey Grimm based on the Lion-tailed macaque) are extremely rare. Even I haven't fought many of them. It's hard for me to imagine their tails. It's been literal years since I fought one. Fortunately, their territory is in the Vaccuo region. If we're lucky, we might get to fight one."
"WE GET TO HAVE A MONKEY GRIMM," Argent asked in excitement.
"I have a giant gorilla. Why are you so excited over a monkey?"
"Because like Uncle Sun always says: MONKEYS ROCK!"
Jaune sighed with a chuckle before he got a serious expression and stopped, raising his fist, a sign Argent knows means 'cease and silence'. It also meant the beginning of sign language.
10 METERS. LOW TO THE GROUND. WHAT DO YOU SEE, Jaune signed.
Argent Enhanced his eyesight. A TRANSPORT TRUCK. IT HAS SOME COMPANY'S NAME ON IT. REMNANT ROAD ROLLERS. "WE'LL ROLL IT ANYWHERE IN REMNANT."
THAT'S THE COMPANY SANDY USES. THAT'S OUR TRUCK.
I SEE ABOUT TEN AROUND THE TRUCK.
Jaune then looked up into the trees. SIX SNIPERS. THEY'RE WELL GUARDED. GEAR LOOKS LIKE SHIT, THOUGH.
DEFINITELY NOT NEW MANTLE GEAR. LOOKS AS BAD AS MR. SHAY'S LAME GUN.
PROBABLY SELF-MADE, BUT DEFINITELY NOT SIGNAL ACADEMY QUALITY.
SO, WHAT'S THE PLAN?
WE COULD DO ANY NUMBER OF THINGS. STEALTH TAKEDOWNS, FULL-ON ASSAULT, OR EVEN JUST DRIVING AWAY IN THE TRUCK, BUT THE LAST OPTION IS MY LEAST FAVORITE. TOO RISKY. WE CAN'T LET THE TRUCK GET DAMAGED. WORSE THAN THAT, WE DON'T KNOW THE STATE OF THE DRIVER IF THERE WAS ONE.
WHAT DO YOU MEAN?
NEW MANTLE HAS BEEN IMPORTING DRONES TO HELP OTHER KINGDOMS. EVEN SOLD A FEW FOR MORE MENIAL LABOR LIKE DRIVING. I'M NOT SURE IF RRR STILL HIRES WORKERS OR JUST USES DRONES FOR SAFETY. STILL, LET'S NOT TAKE A CHANCE.
ALRIGHT. OH, WHAT ABOUT GRIMM? CAN WE USE THEM?
Jaune began to concentrate. THERE'S A PACK OF BEOWOLVES NOT TOO FAR FROM US. THERE'S ALSO A NEARBY URSA. HM, I SHOULD BE CAREFUL. THERE'S ALSO A DEATHSTALKER. THAT THING MIGHT ACCIDENTALLY DESTROY THE TRUCK.
WOULDN'T THE BEOWOLF PACK AND URSA DO THAT, TOO?
BEOWOLVES AND URSA AREN'T AS DESTRUCTIVE AS A LARGER GRIMM LIKE DEATHSTALKERS OR KING TAIJITU. WORST THEY CAN DO IS TEAR A HOLE INTO THE HULL OF THE TRUCK OR SLASH A TIRE. OTHER THAN THAT, THEY'RE OUR BEST BET. PLUS, IT WOULD BE EASIER FOR ME TO CONQUER AN ALPHA BEOWOLF OR AN URSA THAN GIANT GRIMM.
ALRIGHT. WOLVES AND BEARS IT IS, Argent signed in excitement.
Jaune then cleared his throat. He then took a deep breath and howled.
"The hell was that?"
"Sounded like a Beowolf."
"YO, EAGLE-EYE! YOU SEE ANYTHIN'?!"
"WE'RE GOOD FOR NOW! SOUNDED FAR OFF ANYWAY! WE WON'T-"
"SHIT! BEOWOLF PACK," another sniper yelled as he began to shoot.
A bear roar was heard next.
"CRAP! AN URSA! WHERE IS IT COMING FROM!?"
A screech was then heard.
"Please tell me that wasn't a damned Nevermore."
IS THERE ONE NEARBY, Argent asked.
NO. THAT WAS A SCARE TACTIC. WATCH AND LEARN, KIDDO. Jaune then grew his wings.
One of the snipers saw a charging Ursa and was about to shoot it until he noticed it was darker. He looked behind him to see a winged Grimm, its eyes glowing blood red. He was about to shoot it... until he was kicked right in the chin, falling out of the tree and landing with a heavy thud. He tried to get up, only for the butt of his own rifle to slam onto his face, knocking him out.
One of the bandits was then smacked away by an Ursa's paw, the Grimm roaring and getting the attention of the other bandits. Unfortunately for one of them, this was enough of a distraction for a Beowolf to pounce on him and tear him to shreds.
"DAMMIT," a sniper went as he aimed towards his screaming comrade.
"Ew. That's gory." The man looked next to him to see Argent standing next to him. "And mom nagged my dad for letting me watch horror movies. If he hadn't, seeing this would have messed me up." Argent then looked up at the bandit. "Hi." He then punched the guy in the solar plexus, knocking him out. "At least one survived for interrogation." Argent then whistled loudly.
Jaune whistled back before looking back at the fight between the bandits and the Beowolves and Ursa. He then saw the Alpha Beowolf. Flapping his wings, he shot towards the Beowolf and tackled it into a bush.
Before it could try to attack Jaune, he grabbed the beast by its muzzle, keeping its mouth shut, and began to Conquer it. He found it much easier than before. Conquering the more common Grimm was getting easier. After he was done with the Alpha, putting the rest of the Beowolves under his control, he looked towards the Ursa. It had just begun to maul the last bandit, throwing the man away before standing and roaring at Jaune.
The beast then charged at Jaune before it tried to pounce on him. Jaune countered with a well-timed palm strike to the chin, making the beast stand and stumble back. Jaune then placed his palm on the creature's belly, Conquering it. The beast groaned a bit before it fell on its back.
Jaune looked down at it before whistling upward. Argent landed near the bear, kneeling down to get a better look at it. "It looks so... lazy," he said as the bear just stared blankly back. Argent then scratched its chin, making it groan as it wagged its leg. "See? Now, THIS is cute. I'm not cute. This is." As soon as Argent stopped, the Ursa rolled back onto its feet and began to walk away, roaring softly as it returned to the forest. Jaune waved his hand, the Beowolves vanishing as well.
Jaune and Argent were now alone, standing before the barely dented truck.
"So... mission accomplished," Argent asked.
"Mission accomplished," Jaune answered as he ruffled his son's hair, making the boy giggle.
Jaune used his magic to make handcuffs out of stone for the last remaining thug, using all of his spares on the others. "Man, magic is useful. Arie, found any hint on who drove this rig?"
"Unfortunately," Argent called back.
Jaune sighed. "Dammit." He sped over towards his son's voice. When he appeared next to the boy, he saw the child looking down sadly at something. Jaune followed his gaze to see a man's body propped up against a tree, wearing a jumpsuit that had RRR on it... parts of the suit darkened by blood. Jaune knelt down and saw that the man's eyes were still open. He then closed the man's eyes before shaking his head. "I'm sorry."
"Could we... could we have saved him," Argent asked with a heavy gulp.
Jaune stared at the body before looking at his hand. Jaune then held it, opening the palm towards Argent. "Touch it."
"H-Huh?"
"It's not disrespectful towards the dead. It's also something you need to learn... as well as get used to. Touch it."
Argent, for the first time in a long while, looked nervous. He took off his glove and slowly placed his hand on the dead man's palm.
"How does it feel?"
". . . Cold. Kinda stiff. Like touching something soft yet hard. It feels kinda clammy, too."
"Do you know what that means?"
"N-No, sir."
"It means this man was dead long before we arrived," Jaune said as he gently placed the hand on the man's lap.
"So... what you're saying is-"
"There's nothing we could have done."
". . . Oh."
Jaune sighed. "Argent, I know this is hard to accept, but no one has the power to save everyone, not even me. We're Huntsmen, not omnipotent gods. We can't be everywhere at once, meaning we can't prevent every horrible thing in the world from happening. Even with heroes like your mother, aunts, or uncles around, there will always be a tragedy that can't be stopped. All we can do is prevent the next tragedy that comes our way. It is our job to save everyone we CAN, not everyone we WANT TO." Jaune stood up. "Remember, Argent, if you try to save everyone, you won't be able to save anyone. Don't let your failures define you. Instead, learn from your failures to help you grow, and allow your successes to make you strong."
Argent looked at the corpse before his eyes steeled with resolve. "Right!"
Jaune then held up his hand, showing a scroll.
"Hm? That's not yours."
"You're right. It's his."
"Um, dad, why did you take his-"
"Scrolls have many uses, son. They let us communicate, take pictures, watch videos, and hold some of our most important documents. They also chart and monitor our health. Notice how it has our Aura levels on screen?"
"Yeah."
"A scroll can also monitor heart rate, blood pressure, and brain activity. Once your scroll becomes yours, only you can use it, only you can unlock it, and only you can allow others to use it. It is basically a part of you. It also reveals one's time of death, location of death, and any other important details. In short, scrolls are basically dog tags. This scroll... is proof that this man existed. Whenever someone dies, it usually falls to whoever found the corpse to return the scroll to a nearby police station or Huntsmen Guild so they can find the next of kin or determine the next course of action."
"So, we take someone's scrolls to the authorities and let them deal with what happens next?"
"Basically," Jaune said as he pocketed the scroll.
Argent looked at the corpse. "What about... him?"
Jaune looked back. "The scroll has his exact location pinpointed. Most Huntsmen just leave the corpse out in the open. Heard a lot of Huntsmen who went to retrieve the corpse found either drag marks or a bunch of meat and blood littering the area."
"What... What do YOU usually do?"
"Me," Jaune began as he turned towards the corpse. "I carry the body back to town." Argent shuttered, and though Jaune's back was turned towards his son, he sensed the boy's discomfort. "We don't have to do that, Arie. We can bury him here. I've done that before, too."
"No. He... He deserves to be buried by his family and be brought back respectfully."
Jaune looked at his son. The boy was shaking. This was the first time he ever dealt with a corpse, after all. Seeing death was one thing, but interacting with it? There are different feelings at play in scenarios like this. Still, Jaune was proud of his son's genuine resolve. He could sense that Argent wasn't trying to impress his dad or trying to be a Huntsman. . . Argent was trying to be a good man.
Jaune then opened the back of the truck, seeing that it was still full of supplies, including the tires he needed. 'Were they that far from their destination? Or were they waiting for their crew to show up and help them stripe this thing clean?'
Not wanting an answer, Jaune closed the door and checked the inside of the truck. It was as big as he heard it was, seeing what he was looking for behind the seats, a cot.
"Arie, I plan on putting his body on this," Jaune said as Argent popped his head next to him. "Are you alright with that?"
"Yeah. If we're going to bring him back, it might as well be respectfully, right? If we put him in the trailer, he'd probably be crushed by those heavy-looking tools." Jaune rubbed his son's head with a smile, making the boy giggle.
Jaune gently placed the corpse on the bed before throwing the surviving thugs into the back of the truck. They'd survive... probably. He then sat in the driver's seat. He took a deep breath to calm himself before turning the ignition, the truck roaring to life.
"Hey, dad?"
"Hm?"
"Think I could drive," Argent asked with an innocent smile.
"Hmm. Should I let my ten-year-old son, whose legs are barely touching the floor, whose head is barely over the dashboard, and has never driven so much as a toy car, drive a 25000-pound truck? Pfft, yeah, that'll get me the Dad-of-the-Year Award. And I'm sure your mom would LOVE to hear how I irresponsibly let her 'Cookie' drive this thing."
"Shi-shi-shi. Lighten up, dad. I was only joking."
"Mhm. Stick to lifting trucks, kiddo," Jaune said before driving off.
"So... when are you going to teach me how to drive?"
"When you're about fifteen."
A/N: This was one of my favorite chapters, not because of the fight or action or Sandy (whom a lot of fans of a certain long-running franchise should recognize). I liked it because of Jaune's interaction with Argent at the end.
Say what you will about my fic: it's a power fantasy. It's just another story about another OP Jaune. It's another harem fic. Ect, etc.
In the end, one of the core themes of the story isn't Jaune growing as the new Grimm King, it's him trying to be a good father to Argent.
Like I said in the last chapter, I HATE modern cartoon dads. Homer Simpson, Peter Griffin, Jerry Smith... *ulch* Richard Watterson *spit*. All of these fathers are absolute idiots that shouldn't have kids. Hell, when there are episodes that show their family would be infinitely better without them, then you fail as a father in my eyes.
I don't want Jaune to be that kind of dad. Sure, he messes up royally by letting his kid join him on what would be categorized as an S-Class Mission, possibly even higher (at worst, SSS, the highest of the high), but I want people to see Jaune as what an ideal father should be: a teacher, a guardian, and a someone to look up to. I don't want him to be fat (all but Jerry), lazy (all, though Jerry's a bit debatable), an idiot (all), or someone so useless that the family is better without him (all).
This is one of the few times, the very few times, where I'm actually going to BEG the readers to leave a review. Please, let me know if Jaune is a good father. Yeah, he's a himbo who slept with a lot of women, who has many children he has no idea about, and caves into letting his son follow him into incredibly dangerous situations, but he's still Argent's teacher. He still would gladly jump into the jaws of death to keep not just Argent, but all of his kids out of harm's way if possible. He's still a man who wants the absolute best for his kids.
I want to make Jaune into a father.
Please. PLEASE. Leave a review. Rate Jaune as a father. Some of you already mentioned that Nimueh is... iffy as a mom. Sword Mom is a bit possessive, jealous, a bit of a bitch. . . Wait, she's a modern cartoon mom! I literally just described Beth Smith, Lois Griffon, and Nicole Watterson. Except for Lois, I love those moms! I never liked Lois.
Hm, maybe one day I'll ask you guys to rate Nimueh as a mom, but for now, I just want to know what Jaune is like as a dad.
Please leave a review, guys, and look forward to the next chapter.
Until next time!
