Summary: With the revelation of his forged transcripts, Jaune Arc is expelled from Beacon and exiled from the four kingdoms. With nothing left and his heart completely shattered, he gives up on life and leaves the Continent of Remnant on a small rowboat hoping that an aquatic Grimm will end his life. But what happens when he meets someone from a certain empire who can help give him a purpose? Someone who can give him a reason to live? And someone who can truly love him?
Story Categories: RWBY/Zoids
Takes place in Chaotic Century. This chapter is going to be the prologue to the full story. Be on the lookout for when I post it, because it's going to be a wild ride full of passion, romance, and Zoid Battles abound!
Pairing: Jaune x Rease (Zoids character)
Sub Pairings: Van x Fiona, Irvine x Moonbay
Story Title: Zoids Arc Century
Chapter Start…
Floating along aimlessly in the middle of the sea was a small rowboat that definitely looked like it had seen better days. And within that boat lying in a fetal position was a young man with blonde hair that was caked with dirt and grime. His skin had become quite tan due to being out in the sun for so long, but his clothes look like they've definitely seen better days. His jeans were torn above the knees and his sweater and shirt were practically rags hanging off his upper body.
But now that we take a closer look at the boy, we can see that he's nothing but skin and bones. His ribs and cheek bones were quite prominent due to malnutrition, and his eyes looked sunken due to both the previously mentioned malnutrition and dehydration.
The boy groaned weakly as he rolled over onto his side and struggled to lift himself up. Kinda hard when almost all of his muscle mass and body fat has been eaten away by his own body. He looked over the side of the boat and saw a large shadow rising up from the depths. He just smiled, even though he knows that it could be a giant aquatic Grimm.
"So… my end has come…? Finally…" he said to himself.
He plopped down onto his back and stared up at the sky. His eyes drooped as the last of his strength left his body.
"At last… my suffering has come to an end…!" he said.
With that last thought uttered, the boy closed his eyes and fell into blissful unconsciousness. But little did he know was that what was rising up from the waters was not going to end his life. Rather, in a way, it was going to restore his life.
The shadow breached the surface revealing itself to be a giant metal coelacanth of sorts. But it certainly looked far more advanced than anything that was built in the kingdom of Atlas, that's for sure! The machine was built in a gray and ocean blue color scheme with a green canopy and two red knobs just behind the head.
The odd metal creature hissed before the canopy opened up to reveal two men it diving suits. Both of them have the same emblem stitched onto the left breast of their suits, and rushed to the edge of their transport's cockpit.
"Hurry, there's someone in that boat!" urged one of the men.
They quickly got into the boat and knelt beside the boy, taking a moment to assess his situation. They both cringed at the condition the boy was in.
"Oh my god! Is he…?" asked one of the soldiers.
The lead soldier, who was piloting the giant metal coelacanth, placed two fingers to the boy's neck where an artery was. After feeling around for a minute, the man gave a smile and a thumbs up signalling something that made his partner sigh in relief.
The boy's alive. And he needs help right away!
"Quick, get him into the Warshark and ready the onboard medical equipment! We've gotta get him to dry land as soon as possible!" ordered the first pilot.
"Yes sir!" replied the second.
The second pilot carefully slung the blonde boy over his shoulder in a fireman's carry and quickly got him aboard the now named Warshark and got the medical equipment ready for use while his partner got into the pilot's seat and lowered the canopy. The Warshark hissed loudly before diving back into the depths below.
Its destination? Dry land far away from Remnant's waters. Fortunately, it seems like the Warshark is well armed and more than capable of taking down any aquatic Grimm that try to attack it.
*Much Later (Unknown Continent)…*
The blonde boy groaned and slowly opened his eyes. His vision was blurry, but he could still make out the sounds of a beeping heart monitor and see the white colors of the room. As his vision cleared and he began to come to his senses, the boy could tell that he was in a hospital room and was lying down in a bed that felt softer than most of the beds he's slept in.
The only bed that could've felt softer was his own bed back home.
But that's beside the point. The point is that the boy was very confused about why he was in a hospital.
'Where… am I? How'd I get here?' he asked himself in his head.
The boy looked around and saw that unlike most hospital rooms back in places like Vale, this room wasn't all white. Instead, the roof was white while the walls were painted a beautiful fiery red color with golden trim along the floor moldings. He also saw that there were a couple of IV drips hooked up to him, providing him with nutrients to help him recover.
The door opened and the boy looked up to see a man and a woman walk into the room. The woman had brown hair and eyes and was wearing a standard nurse's uniform and was carrying a tray with food on it. And even though it was hospital food, the boy couldn't keep his mouth from watering at the sight of real food after so long without eating anything.
The man appears to be a tall, well built man with red eyes and stark white hair. He wears his hair long and held in a loose pony tail and is wearing white armor accented with red that matches his eyes. He has very angular face with the outer sides of his eyes bearing an up swept angle and he lacks any facial hair except for eyebrows and eyelashes.
"Oh good, you're awake. You gave us quite the scare, young man, being brought here by my men from out in the middle of the sea." the man said. "When you arrived here, you were in very bad shape. You still are. You've been unconscious for a full month and the doctor who treated you didn't know if you would ever wake up."
The boy tried to sit up and grunted as he felt his bony arms failing to lift him up more than a couple of inches. Seeing how hard of a time he was having, the nurse set the tray on the desk next to the bed and carefully helped the boy sit up, propping him up against the pillows.
"Where am I…? Who are you?" the boy asked with a raspy voice.
He groaned and reached up to rub his dry throat, feeling like he's been gargling a smoothie made from broken glass and razor blades. The nurse handed him a cup of water which he gratefully, if a little hesitantly, accepted and began to drink. His parched throat felt sweet relief at the feeling of hydration.
After all, in his rowboat there was water… water… everywhere… and not a drop to drink.
"You're on the continent known as Zi. More specifically the palace of the Guylos Empire's hospital wing. As for who I am, I am Gunther Prozen, the Regent to the Guylos Empire's Prince Rudolph. But you can call me Prozen." replied the man.
The boy bowed his head as a means of bowing to someone of a higher rank than him. It didn't feel as that comfortable due to having been lying unmoving on his back for so long, as he was still very stiff.
"It is an honor to meet you, Prozen. I am Jaune Arc of the Arc… family… uh, last name's… Arc." the boy said awkwardly.
And who could blame him? I mean, he's technically speaking to a royal here and he doesn't have the best of luck when it comes to high class people of any sort! Prozen chuckled at the boy's nervousness and just walked up and put a calming had on his shoulder.
"There's no need to be so nervous, Jaune. To be honest, I absolutely ABHORE the use of formalities and just wish to be called by name rather than by a title! Unless I'm at work in the military, of course." Prozen said.
Feeling a little bit better, Jaune relaxed and allowed himself to breathe easier. He'd been taking pretty shallow breaths due to being in the presence of a high ranking figure of authority. That and after what had transpired several months ago, he was dead afraid of anyone of high power and social standing.
The nurse took a minute to check over Jaune's vitals and the status of his recovery and after writing everything down on a medical sheet attached to a clipboard, she took the tray she'd brought with her and set it on the tray table she set up in front of Jaune. The meal consisted of a well cooked fish fillet, a steaming hot bowl of white rice, a bowl of miso soup and a bowl of neapolitan ice cream for dessert.
"Here you are, mister Arc. You must be hungry after sleeping for so long. Go ahead and eat, and the doctor will be along to run a few tests when you're finished." said the nurse.
As the two left, Jaune looked down at the food before him. It looked and smelled amazing! Much better than the food that was given to him whenever he ended up in the infirmary at Beacon. But underneath the plate of fish, Jaune saw something sticking out.
He carefully pulled it out and saw that it was a letter from Prozen. He must've slipped it under there while the chefs were still preparing his meal and he was still out cold. Jaune's eyes skimmed over the words as he began to read the intricate cursive writing on the paper.
'Dear boy,'
'I am terribly sorry for calling you boy, but as of yet I don't know your name. Anyway, while you were sleeping, I had the palace doctors run a few blood tests on you. Just for health purposes, I assure you! And while they did this, they discovered a wonderful surprise. You are related to my friends in the Arc Family on the continent of Remnant.'
'Perhaps you are their son/nephew, but honestly that's not as important right now. Right now, what is important is the offer that I have for you. You see, there is a rebel group that is causing great strife in the land. Taking fathers and sons from families for their soldiers and burning down any and all villages and cities that are allied with Guylos! Even the neutral ones and everyone in them are destroyed if they don't affiliate themselves with the republic! That is where you come in.'
'You see, what your parents/aunt and uncle might have neglected to tell you is that your family is not only descended from a long line of Huntsmen, but you are also descended from a long line of great Zoid Warriors! Your great, great, great, great… uh, how many greats would that be? Ah, well, that little detail's not as important. What is important is that while your ancestor Julius Caesar Arc was a huntsman who fought against the foul creatures of Grimm that reside on your home continent, your other ancestor, Joan of Arc as you might know her, was a Zoid Warrior who piloted her trusty Helcat into many battles and always emerged victorious! And all the while, she never lost a single troop in those battles!'
You might not have gotten very strong huntsman genes from your parents, but something tells me you might have landed in the Zoid Warrior part of the gene pool. And so, I make you this offer. Become a part of the Guylos Empire and its military force, where you will be treated as a friend and comrade. You will be tested for skill in handling a Zoid in the field and will also take a written test to determine your level of knowledge. Once the evaluation is finished, we will place you at a rank that fits your abilities.'
'I understand that you may need some time to think about my offer. So I shall return to hear your answer when you are deemed well enough to leave the hospital. You will receive your place of living upon being released, so you will not have to worry about finding a place to stay, at least. I trust that you will decide with your heart rather than your brain.'
'Sincerely, your friend of the family, Gunther Prozen.'
'P.S., During your test, should you decide to join our ranks, you will be free to choose the Zoid you pilot. We have quite a few to choose from, so I will help you familiarize yourself with them.'
Jaune stared at the paper with a bit of shock on his face. Him? A member of an elite military force? And for an EMPIRE no less?!
This whole thing sounded too good to be true, yet at the same time he felt as though he honestly had nothing to lose by doing this. He's already lost everything that ever made his life worth living, and he can't go back to his family due to certain circumstances. So honestly, the choice seems pretty obvious.
Still, it might not hurt to think about this just a little bit more rather than to just charge in blindly like a certain pancake guzzling, sloth obsessed, hammer wielding girl whose name shall not be mentioned. He's not like her. Not like any of them…
Jaune was broken from his more depressing thoughts when he felt and heard his stomach growling, begging for the food that's in front of him just WAITING to be eaten.
'I'll think about what to do later. Right now, I better eat this before it gets cold. And before that ice cream melts.' Jaune thought to himself.
So he set the letter down on the nightstand and began to eat at a slow pace, yet with as much gusto as a starving boy like him can have. And even though he resolved to think about it later, deep down Jaune knows that he's already made his decision.
*To Be Continued In The Full Story…*
Okay guys, Im'ma start working on the full story now, but I need your help! In the reviews for this chapter, I need you guys to send in your ideas as to what Zoid Jaune should pilot. Just remember that it HAS to be one that's used by the Guylos Empire! It can be a Saber Tiger, or a Rev Raptor, or a Warshark, or an Iron Kong or whatever. JUST! NOT! A REPUBLICAN! ZOID! Well, I'll see y'all in the full story!