Hello again!
I still feel like I'm dying, but I'm bored out of my mind, so I'm back to writing.
Is it a bad idea? Probably.
Do I care? No.
Before we begin, I thought I should mention something.
Some of my more consistent readers have already seen it, but there's a non-canon spin-off of this story called Ripples of Time that I update whenever I don't feel like writing a chapter for the main story.
Ripples in Time may get more love in the coming days as I feel like I'm on death's door.
Anyway, onto the chapter!
It took a full hour of being scolded by the angry blonde woman in front of him before Jaune realized something.
Salem was jealous.
He almost burst out laughing when that clicked in his mind.
After both he and Ozma told her about his breakthrough with natural mana manipulation, her eyes widened before the biggest pout Jaune had ever seen crossed her face.
that led him to his current problem.
Salem was giving him the cold shoulder.
It was more adorable than insulting.
The trio had been walking for nearly three hours, and Salem still hadn't spoken to him.
In his place she had chosen to talk Ozma's ear off. Poor guy.
Jaune figured it was Salem's attempt to make him jealous, it was incredibly funny.
"...and that's when my father screamed 'This is filth!' and burned my stepmother's book collection," Salem finished her remarkably long story with a smile. "Oh, Ozma, look! We're nearing the forest!"
Jaune was dragged out of his thoughts and looked to where she was pointing. For some odd reason, it looked familiar.
"That would be forever fall, my lady," Ozma spoke in an extremely put-on calm voice. "It's a vast forest that stretches around a large mountain."
Jaune raised his eyebrows at Ozma's words. He was thousands, if not millions, of years in the past; to hear that Forever Fall had existed for so long was insane. It really did live up to its name.
There was also the realization that the Kingdom of Everyday was most likely the prehistoric version of the Kingdom of Vale. Perhaps the capital would be the ancient equivalent of the City of Vale.
"Chaville is at the base of the mountain, right?" Jaune asked "We can probably make it there before the sun sets."
Ozma hummed in agreement. "I imagine we'll only be walking for a few more hours." The brown-haired Knight scanned the edge of the forest before speaking again. "I am concerned about Lord Zeus' warning. We haven't encountered a single Grimm since we left Sevres."
"Maybe we got lucky and the Grimm moved on," Salem suggested. "I feel as though we are owed at least some good fortune."
Jaune shook his head. "I doubt it. If the Grimm are still here, they'll be hiding in the forest."
Salem dramatically looked left and right, "Ozma, did you hear something?"
The brown-haired knight laughed, "Perhaps it was just a rather annoying gust of wind."
"Ha ha," Jaune deadpanned. "This annoying gust of wind will make sure to send all the Grimm your way."
The blonde-haired knight smiled. Traveling with Ozma and Salem reminded him of his journey through Anima with Team RNJR.
In the short time he'd known the eccentric duo, they had quickly become some of his best friends. They reminded him of his team in the early days of Beacon.
Jaune's smile dimmed at that thought. He was enjoying his time in the distant past, but he couldn't deny the feeling of being homesick. He closed his eyes and shook his head; that chapter of his life had passed, to dwell on it would only lead him to madness.
Jaune was pulled out of his thoughts by Salem's scream; his hand shot to the hilt of Crocea Mors as his eyes focused.
"What in the name of the Brother Gods are those things?" she howled in disgust as she hid behind him and Ozma.
Jaune couldn't contain his laughter at seeing what the blonde-haired woman was so terrified of.
"Those would be a small swarm of Rapier Wasps, Lady Salem," Ozma explained. Jaune refused to believe he wasn't holding back a laugh.
"Kill them all!" Salem ordered frantically. "Those vile creatures do not deserve to exist."
Jaune's laughter turned into a howl. "Don't tell me the Great Princess of the Everyday Kingdom is afraid of a little insect."
Even Ozma had a small smile. "You have nothing to worry about, Lady Salem," the brown-haired knight reassured the practically quivering princess. "They will not attack unless provoked."
Salem glared at the poor man. "Lies!" she hissed. "Look at them! Those disgusting little cretins are plotting the destruction of mankind."
Jaune was laughing so hard he felt tears coming on.
"Shut up!" Salem screamed; A prominent blush colored her face. "Do something you oaf!"
Jaune dramatically cupped his ears with his hands. "What was that?" he asked in a booming voice. "Ozma, I think I just heard a really aggressive gust of wind."
Ozma had to quickly cover his mouth to suppress a chuckle.
Salem's response was short and simple; she blasted the pair of knights with freezing cold water.
Jaune couldn't wipe the playful smile off his face, no matter how much his thoughts drifted back to his first life. He would never allow himself to neglect this life.
Salem was not having a good day.
To start, her student ran off to learn from another teacher. she felt like a wife who had just learned her husband was seeing a younger woman.
How dare Jaune go see someone else for magic advice? He was her student! Hers!
Salem felt as though her annoyance was justified.
She'd spent the better part of the day very visibly giving him the silent treatment. Her eyes twitched nearly an hour after they began traveling again. It was almost as if he was ignoring her ignoring him.
How dare he?
Her blonde-haired companion even had the nerve to laugh at her when she ordered the eradication of the vile species called "rapier wasps".
Salem would never forgive his insubordination.
She was prepared to argue with the duo of knights more, but paused when she saw Jaune's expression.
Salem considered herself a very perceptive woman; she paid especially close attention to her best friend and his mannerisms.
Right now Jaune was wearing a rather vacant expression; she had noticed he would occasionally seemingly stare right through her when they were having a conversation as if he were looking at someone else.
Salem had once read about a phenomenon called "survivor's guilt," a condition that affected the minds of individuals who survived while their comrades did not. It was possible that Jaune saw his old teammates in her and now Ozma as well.
Her mind drew back to her conversation with Jaune in Sevres. "I'm all on my own now," he had told her.
Salem felt a frown forming on her face as the man in question playfully swiped his hands at Ozma to dry them.
She occasionally wondered if he was truly happy to travel with her.
Salem was dragged out of her thoughts by the sound of Jaune's sword being torn from its sheath. As she looked up, she was met with a grotesque bipedal Grimm. From the look of the beast, she assumed this was what Jaune had referred to as a "Creep."
In Salem's humble opinion, the name fit the creature quite well; the very sight of the foul beast was absolutely repugnant.
"I'd say this is the perfect learning opportunity," Jaune said as he put his hand on her shoulder, his eyes never leaving the Grimm. "You're in dire need of combat experience."
"Jaune! You can't just throw Lady Salem at a Grimm," Ozma chastised.
Jaune raised an eyebrow. "Why not?" The pure confusion in his voice only seemed to anger Ozma more.
Truthfully, Salem felt anxious at the thought of fighting. For the first time in her entire life, she was doubting her abilities.
She didn't get an opportunity to voice her thoughts due to the creep lunging at her.
Jaune comically slapped the creep away with the flat of his blade. "See? It's weak." The blonde-haired knight gently pushed her forward. "It's the perfect training dummy."
Salem nervously looked up at Jaune. "But... you never told me its weakness," she despised how vulnerable she sounded.
"You'll just have to figure it out," he said, not missing a beat. "One of the most useful skills a fighter can learn is how to judge their opponent."
"Unfortunately, Jaune does speak the truth," Ozma reluctantly admitted. "It is essential to assess your opponent's strengths and weaknesses before you engage in battle."
Salem nervously shifted her eyes toward the toppled-over Grimm that was struggling to get back on its feet. "It... doesn't seem to be very intelligent," she said, her voice sounding more like a question than a statement.
Jaune lightly chuckled at her words. "This creep is still pretty young; it hasn't lived long enough to understand strategy. All it has is mindless aggression."
The blonde-haired knight strolled over to the beast and kicked it hard enough to send it reeling back onto its feet.
"I'll give you a hint for free," Jaune teased. "Creeps rely heavily on their balance."
Salem barely had a moment to think before the creep began charging at her once more. She panicked and launched a large wave of flames at the incoming beast.
Much to her annoyance, Jaune stepped in and redirected her fire magic into the sky. "Wrong," he said before grabbing the creep by its tail and tossing it a few feet back. "When fighting Grimm or anyone for that matter, it's important to minimize the amount of energy you expend and maximize the amount of damage you deal."
"Your teaching methods are just as barbaric as you are," Ozma commented dryly, with an undertone of disappointment.
Jaune's eloquent response was to raise his middle finger at the brown-haired knight.
Salem ignored the two bickering knights and stared straight at the creep as it regained its balance. She had always considered magic an elegant yet blunt weapon, but Jaune's words did make sense.
Throughout all the stories Salem had read, the protagonist was often locked in long engagements where they would have to carve a hole through a giant horde of enemies. Truthfully, she'd never thought about how important maintaining your stamina and mana would be in long-term engagements.
Salem paused for a moment as she had a realization; she had never really tried to tone down her magic before. Her mind began to whirl at that thought. What if her magic was too weak? What if she couldn't kill the Grimm before it turned her into a chew-toy?
Jaune seemed to notice her anxiety, instead of reassuring her, he did something she could only describe as a very Jaune thing to do. "Don't tell me the Great Princess of Everday is scared of one little Grimm." The infuriating blonde man taunted.
Her mind sharpened at his annoying words. In the short time Jaune had known her, he'd mastered the art of getting under her skin. As much as Salem loathed to admit it, his words served as wonderful motivation.
Salem's eyes shifted back to the Creep as she scanned it for any possible weaknesses. Jaune had mentioned that Creeps heavily relied on their balance; perhaps it was possible to forcefully offset the Creep.
Her eyes drifted down to the creature's legs; both of which were largely covered in white bone. However, there was a small opening where its legs connected to its torso.
With her target in sight, she waited for the perfect moment to strike. The creep had grown incredibly angry from being tossed around like a children's toy; it let out a fierce roar and charged at her for a third time.
Once the creep got within two feet of her, Salem cast a concentrated slice of wind magic and successfully amputated the Grimm's left leg.
Salem couldn't deny the feeling of pride that washed over her as she watched the creep collapse and its severed limb evaporate.
She stalked over to the half-dead Grimm and extended her hand before launching a spear of ice through the beast's skull.
That felt incredible.
Salem paused for a moment before looking back to her two companions. Judging by the looks they were giving her, she must have looked like a psychopath. "Whoops..." Nice save Salem, nice save.
An awkward silence lingered for a few seconds before Jaune burst out laughing. "How can you go from coldly executing a Grimm to acting like an embarrassed schoolgirl in just a few seconds?" His laughter grew as blood rushed to her face.
She turned to Ozma, hoping for an ally against her blonde-haired buffoon of a pupil, only to see that he too was laughing.
Traitors, the both of them.
Jaune finally managed to compose himself. "C'mon, let's keep moving." The blonde-haired knight sheathed his sword and turned around. "Grimm don't usually travel alone; let's see if you can't get some more practice in before we get to Chaville."
A large smile made its way across her face; her day had gotten much better.
Ozma looked to the sky, nearly three hours had passed since the trio encountered their first grimm.
In the time since then, Salem had begun acting like a serial killer whenever they encountered a Grimm.
Twenty creeps, ten beowolves, and two Boarbatusks fell victim to the raging might of the Princess.
Ozma was only slightly worried.
"Oh, there's another one!" Salem cheered gleefully before running off to add the poor thing to her kill count.
Okay, he was more than just slightly worried.
Ozma had never seen a woman so eager to dirty her hands. He would never say it out loud, but that was surprisingly attractive.
Perhaps he was the one who had a problem.
Ozma's eyes drifted over to his fellow Knight, who was chuckling at the sight of Salem impaling a Beowolf. Perhaps it was Jaune who influenced her behavior.
What an incredibly dysfunctional group he had found himself in. It felt almost insulting that he fit in so easily.
Ozma felt more at home here in the wilds with Jaune and Salem than he'd ever felt with the Emerald Knights.
Maybe once they reached the capital, he could suggest they create their own guild…?
Ozma shook his head, dismissing the thought. Salem would likely have to attend to royal duties, and Jaune... well, Ozma wasn't quite sure what Jaune would do once their mission to reach the capital ended.
He could always offer the blonde-haired knight a position in the Emerald Knights. Ozma looked at the man in question before shaking his head once again; Jaune didn't seem like the type who enjoyed serving under others.
Regardless of all of that, Ozma had come to a conclusion; he really didn't want this journey to end.
Ozma tensed as he felt a sudden weight on his right shoulder. "Hey Oz, are you alright?" The voice of his fellow knight called out. "You look out of it."
"I'm fine," he replied after a moment. "Just thinking about how much longer it will take to get to Chaville."
Jaune hummed, "It won't be much longer, an hour at most."
Ozma raised an eyebrow. "What makes you say that?"
"Look around you," Jaune replied. "The forest has grown clearer; a sign that people have been coming here to gather wood."
Ozma quickly scanned the area, true to his word the forest was a lot more open than it had been. "How did you know that?" He would take any opportunity to learn more about the enigma that was Jaune Arc.
"I've spent a lot of time out in the wilds," he lightly laughed. "I'm more surprised you didn't realize."
Ozma flinched as though he'd been hit. "Most of my missions with the Emerald Knights kept me in more urban areas," he admitted. Truthfully, he felt as though he was just a glorified intern half of the time.
"Do you know anything about Chaville then?" Jaune asked. "I've never been there."
Ozma took a moment to think before responding, "I've never personally been there myself." He stroked his chin for a moment. "My mentor in the Emerald Knights often spoke of the village though. It is known for its large archive, second only to the Grand Archive of Versailles, and its large population of mages."
Ozma nearly burst out laughing when he saw Jaune's face. He looked like a child who had just been given free sweets. "I take it you're interested," he joked.
"Are you kidding? Absolutely!" Jaune sounded like a hyper child. "Chaville sounds like a hub of magic! Who knows what kind of things I could learn there."
Ozma couldn't stop a smile from spreading across his face whenever Jaune spoke about magic; it seemed as though he were so much more alive.
"Jaune! Ozma! I think I can see the village," salem shouted as she hurried even farther ahead of them.
Ozma and Jaune shared a quick look before running to catch up to the overly-enthusiastic woman.
As the duo of knights ran, an idle thought came back to haunt him.
I don't want this to end.
That's all for today.
I'm feeling a bit better today, thankfully, and finally managed to finish this chapter.
Being sick has given me a lot of free time to read and plan.
I have a lot of ideas.
How would you all feel about a story in a similar vein to Problems Dating The RWBY Girls by Obsequium Minaris?
I doubt I'd update nearly as frequently as this story, but it would be nice to have another outlet to pour my thoughts into whenever I don't feel like writing here.
I would love to hear your thoughts.
Speaking of, onto the reviews!
roxasdualwielder: Thank you. I actually have an ability similar to this coming soon. I'm still working on it though, at face value it's far too useful not to have some type of downside or caveat. As I mentioned, I don't want to have Jaune ridiculously OP at the start of the story, I want to have a realistic progression of his strength.
jayz21501: A fellow D2 Gremlin I see, have you tried the new dungeon? I got my Day One clear and have been farming it ever since.
Dread Guy: I'm glad you enjoyed it and thank you!
I'm hoping to get back to daily uploads soon, but I'm not going to push it.
That's all for me today.
I'm going back to my coma.
Actually, before I go, Xyrothor, if you're still reading, I beg of you, please update online friends. I'm dying for another chapter.
Until next time!
