Beneath The Elder Tree Chapter 6
"BUUUUURRRPPP…. that was filling. Well guys see ya'll at Prof. Ports class. I got stuff I gotta attend to", Jaune said as he was wiping his mouth with a napkin and swiftly pulling out his notebook on advance techniques on Aura Meditation, putting it in front of his face, reading it as he made a light jog to his destination, gracefully weaving in and out of the crowded entrance of the cafeteria.
The two teams were dumbfounded once again at the reoccurring spectacle they had just witnessed, with eyes and mouths wide open. Jaune had just out eaten Yang And Nora for the whole week, not only in sheer quantity but in speed.
"This has been going on for about a week or two now. What's going on with Vomit Boy? It's really wierding me out how he's been at it like this for the past few days." Yang exclaimed as she tore into her t-bone steak
"I honestly thought that maybe Jaune was just feeling the pressure as the Vytal Festival is in a few days from now… but I can't help but feel that something is Happening again and he isn't telling anyone…again." Pyrrha sounding distraught because she honestly believed that they were already past keeping secrets with each Other. She was actually surprised to find that Jaune proactively wanted to triple the intensity of their morning training sessions and for the whole week he has been Consistently following the routine without a single complain.
"Is it Cardin again!?.. Can we PLEASE break his legs this time!?" Nora pouted as she was vibrating with excitement
"I highly doubt that, Believe it or not, Cardin and his team are really trying to change their ways and haven't been causing trouble for anyone. They're now legitimately part of the top ten teams for the 1st years", Ren chimed in non-chalantly as he stroked his chin.
"I think it's a good thing that he is taking his stay here more seriously but he could at least enjoy his food, it's quite rude" Weiss voice containing a hint of concern. All eyes were looking at her questioningly."What? Even I can see that he could be running himself ragged!"
"Well as a fellow leader I say we just give him the benefit of the doubt!" Ruby optimistically gives her say in the matter and everyone nods in agreement, "After all, you've all seen how much better he is now and I'm sure that it isn't anything too serious."
Blake sat there in letting her thoughts wander as she was nibbling on a piece of salmon while she trying to read her usual book on her left hand, her bow twitching ever so slightly. She had noticed that Jaune's usual routines have changed this past week; He sleeps more in the Sanctuary, has been regularly asking Prof. Goodwitch on Aura Control Tips and has also been frequently visiting the library more on his own, while keeping his usual training regiment with Pyrrha. It's surprising that he hasn't keeled over yet.
The way he moved showed something different, it was not simply on a whim or out of curiosity that he moved, every step he took had purpose, a conviction pushing him onward.
"But whenever he is with us, he reverts back to the Jaune we know, and I understand why everyone else is concerned.", Blake thought to herself
Blake's lips curled into a smile," I suppose it wouldn't hurt to "gently" ask him about it."
Prof. Port was once again regaling one of his tales when he was crossing the Sapphire Sea towards the desert city Sirione, building up to the climax.
"…AND THEN AS THE BEAST WAS ABOUT TO TAKE A LARGE CHUNK OUT OF MY DELICIOUS…."
"AHHEMMM….. Professor Port please excuse me, I would like to take a bit of your time to announce the official categories for the tournament."
"Ahh, Professor Goodwitch, please by all means, do take your time."
"Thank you. Listen well, the official tournament categories will be hunter vs hunter, hunter vs grimm, team vs team, team vs grimm. It is mandatory that you all participate during the team battles as this would be a great opportunity for everyone to learn. The solo events however are for the top 10 teams. So everyone continue their studies and prepare accordingly. Also there will be a special showcase for the defense council and we have been requested to select a hunter to show the capabilities of their newest project, the hunter will be randomly chosen during the tournament. For any further updates regarding the festivities, refer to Beacon's dust net page. Professor Port, students, enjoy the rest of the day."
Glynda promptly left to prepare for her classes.
"Ahhh I remember the good old days, the Vytal Tournament was so different. Why I remember that you had to sign a waiver because we didn't have all those fancy safety protocols and aura meters. We either knew we could handle it or were just plain arrogant. I being the former, but it looks like we don't have much time anymore so as always… STAY VIGILANT."
The students began packing their belongings and made their way to the locker rooms to change in to their combat gear.
As Jaune began to stand up, his vision got a bit blurry and his head began to spin a little, he began to wobble a bit but Ren firmly grasped his shoulder.
"Jaune, do you need to go to the infirmiry?"
"Nah Ren. I'm okay, just felt a bit weird there. Thanks for worrying"
Pyrrha and Nora were at the door way looking in their direction, wondering what the holdup was.
Pyrrha gave Ren a worried look in which Ren responded by nodding, which confirmed her suspicion. She was sure Jaune couldn't handle another day more of such intensive training; he was already doing four times the load that any first year should have to do.
"Come on guys, We'll be late!"mentioned Jaune as he trotted past them.
Jaune Arc VS Yang Xiao Long
"Oh dear…" Ren muttered as he rubbed the bridge of his nose.
Pyrrha shared the same sentiment as Ren, while Nora happily cheered on, telling Jaune to give it his best.
"Hey vomit boy, you ain't looking to good, I won't hold it against you if you forfeit. After all, Pyrrha seems to have been riding you too hard this week", Yang said with a cheeky grin.
Pyrrha went red as a tomato
"Here we go…" Ruby sank into her seat
"YANG!" Weiss screamed in outrage
"…" Blake blushed and was a bit peeved. During their extended training sessions, Pyrrha would ogle Jaune as his sweat glistened of his body, his shirt clinging to his now well toned body. She would even feel up his body a little bit when she assisted him in stretching and cooling down. Jaune being none the wiser simply thanked Pyrrha.
"It's alright Yang, I asked her to do it. Thanks for your concern though"
"Somebody likes it rough…" Yang gave a toothy grin
Jaune simply sighed deeply and drew Crocea Mors, her blade singing, shield up front, body slightly profiled.
Yang loaded up Ember Cecilia, and got into her boxing stance.
Jaune was pretty sure that Yang would try to end this fight quickly but if he wanted to get stronger then he needed to get Yang to fight seriously.
Suddenly the familiar voice chimed in his head again
"Hmmm… yep, you're in the perfect state to use the Ironheart Second Wind Technique. The best time to use it is when the body is in a exhausted state, edging in and out of consciousness, it amazes me how fast you acquired it and that you were actually using it passively throughout the day but remember, you need to actually maintain that steady pace of deep breaths in combat for you to breathe in the ambient aura constantly. Don't let her hit your solar plexus, for I highly doubt you could get up. So shield up!"
" Okay, but I still don't understand why I need the technique when you confirmed I had a huge reserve of aura."
"If I had a paper fan and limbs I would smack you just like I did Elias. This technique was designed for those stupid enough to stay on the frontlines and extended combat far beyond the ken that physical conditioning can achieve. Against tireless beasts that could easily outnumber, whose tireless bodies were designed to end life? Are you so arrogant to think that a large aura reserve would be enough?"
"…Got it…"
"You know the key to winning battles. I don't need to remind you"
"One must put themselves beyond the possibility of defeat, thanks Great Godfather", Jaune whispering to himself.
"I thought I told you to call me Uncle Raz, winning at this point is impossible, never hut to try though but at best we can see how far you have grown within this week. Now eyes up front, Its not nice to keep a lady waiting."
Yang confidently charged in throwing a powerful straight, hoping to push Jaune out of the stage but he simply twisted out of the way and almost got her with a shield bash but she managed to easily jump out of the way.
"Interesting…", Yang thought as she licked her lips. Jaune's style of fighting had changed drastically in the past few weeks. It seemed to be working for him better though and as much as she wanted to run him ragged, he honestly looked like he would keel over.
Yang began to throw vicious combinations of punches and kicks that would put lesser hunters into a coma but Jaune stood his ground not even giving an inch, skillfully blocking every avenue of attack with his shield and sword hilt. She hadn't realized it but she was already using dust rounds to augment her strikes and now some of her blows were actually getting though and Jaune was slowly being pushed back. Every Blow taking a chunk out of their auras
Jaune was giving it all he had, even with the movements being telegraphed to him, she was still too fast for him to block everything, now that she began to use her dust cartridges.
In her excitement she swung a powerful haymaker at Jaune but he deftly dodged it and went for a shield blow to her gut, and she quickly retaliated with a unforgiving elbow strike to his face. And for every strike he got in, she would throw in double.
Jaune breathed heavily and began to gather his courage. His body began to glow faintly and the edges of his eyes seeped out aura. Yang stopped her charge momentarily before charging off again towards the knight.
"Ren look at that!"Nora jumped excitedly in her seat.
Ren and Ruby both looked at each other wondering what Jaune was capable of doing in that state but to be honest they too were eager to see it.
Jaune met Yang mid-charge and simply charged with his shield face forward and Yang was judiciously repelled backwards by his shield but quickly rolled back into her stance and they began their exchange of blows once again.
Jaune had thrown a might horizontal swing with his sword arm and Yang narrowly dodged it before throwing an uppercut that connected with Jaune's chin followed by a head butt but this time was repelled again, the force originating from Jaune's forehead this time.
Jaune was seeing stars at this point, he was pretty sure he would not be able to defeat Yang yet but took pride that he was giving her a run for her money, that and the look of disbelief in the classroom helped.
Jaune was taken out of his musing by a flying knee that connected with his shield and his knees buckled slightly before quickly trying to riposte Yang.
"Time to end this I suppose", Jaune gathered his remaining aura towards his sword arm, glowing brightly as the aura circled and surged violently around it and Yang understood that this would be the final move of the match.
"Let's go vomit boy!" She pressed her two knuckles together and her fiery aura surged from her.
The two charged to end the match.
Mid-charge Jaune fired for the first time, multiple aura slashes, that threatened to put down the blonde brawler but she gracefully dodged each and every one.
It was such a small margin between victory and defeat but Yang managed to nail Jaune before he could recover from the motions of using the aura slash and was sent flying though the wall.
"Winner… Yang Xiao Long…"
After hearing that Yang layed on her back shortly after, reminiscing the feeling of fighting the loveable knight and how far he had grown.
"Miss Nikos, please retrieve your leader and send him to the infirmary please", Glynda calmly spoke to the remaining members of JNPR whose faces were still in disbelief. "And please tell him, I was impressed with his efficient aura usage for this match."
She watched with mirth as Jaune's teammates frantically searched for where their leader had landed and when they did, began shaking him hysterically. It was due to the intervention of Ms. Belladonna that they actually began moving towards the infirmary.
Flashback to the start of the week, In the Sanctuary deep in the heart of the Elder Tree
"OK just so you know after that flash back or whatever I haven't been able to sleep now that I know. So what am I supposed to do now? How do we even know if the barrier is still active?", Jaune asked, hoping for a direct answer.
"Faith… Faith that they are still fighting and buying us all the time they can. They've done so much for us and yet we don't have much to show for. And so it falls to us or in a more physical sense for you to get us back on track despite the limited time frame." The Voice said solemnly.
"I was afraid of that", Jaune said dejectedly
"Be at ease. I have a means of knowing and so far we still have time. I sense we still have at most three to four years. So your immediate concern right now is to become the best hunter that you can be and to get as many allies and connections, and to know as much about the things that you will face."
"Alright… Man, it's as if I don't have enough on my plate already… Who are you anyway?"
"Me? Hahaha… after all this time being stuck with only Celador here for company made me forget my manners." The voice spoke sheepishly.
"Jaune" The ambiguous voice changed into a rather deep masculine voice and it carried so much warmth in it that he was actually stunned.
There before him stood a man in his prime with black hair, deep purple eyes, clothed in a dark grey suit and armed with a unique set of Ebony Gauntlets and Greaves, looking straight at him with a proud smile on full display, hoping to impress his best friend's descendant.
"I am your Ancestral Godfather, Raziel Ironheart, Elias' and Illiana's best friend, and the first true headmaster of Beacon…impressed?"
"….", Jaune stood there Gob smacked. Not sure what to think.
"I know this is a lot to take in…" But before Raziel could continue
"Are you a ghost? Here to haunt beacon!? How are you even still here!?"
"It's complicated but you will know the truth in due time. I promise. But moving forward, how would you like to hear what our training days were like back then?"
Jaune gave an earnest smile and nodded
"But before I forget… Jaune meet Celador, the Great Ancient of Vytal, and he is quite happy with what you've done with the flower gardens and is eternally grateful."
"It wasn't my intention but I'm glad he liked it."
Out of the blue a large booming voice had spoken
"I very much do… Mankind has forgotten that they too are stewards of this world. I'm pleased by the fact that you seem to remember that ancient promise, despite knowing nothing about it…"
Raziel ruffled Jaune's hair fondly, "Well lets go on a trip down memory lane"
Jaune witnessed the Three as they experienced a rather more primitive version of what they experienced at Beacon. He watched as they grew through the days and months under the watchful eyes of the Elite Hunters in the Hunter Corps Main Base, The Citadel, located where all the kingdoms intersect, Vale.
Jaune couldn't help but notice that The Citadel is right where Beacon ought to be.
He observed how his ancestor trained and wielded Crocea Mors and his Aura. He mentally noted the techniques that Elias had developed and would try to incorporate and maybe even improve.
Elias' sword and shield play was using a different kind of style than what Pyrrha was teaching him. It was smooth and free flowing, it was a style that Raziel helped him develop. He used his shield to redirect and move with the blow, weaving, twisting and turning, like water. It complimented his build which was very similar to Jaune's, it was enchanting as it was devastating, for Elias would counter viciously with his sword and shield, Aura enforced bashing and slashing with his shield and Crocea Mors directed at anatomical weak points in the Grimm Physiology, would downright pulverize the target area or decapitate with minimal effort, and slashing. He could generate aura slashes that could hit targets at midrange and also double as a medic. He remembered that he started using that style not too long ago and would work hard to perfect and surpass it. He was given the Moniker, "Aura Knight".
Jaune noticed how Elias' team mates fought
Raziel Ironheart's weapons reminded him of Yang's Ember Cecilia, His weapons were tailor made for him by Jurgen Arc, they were a pair of virtually indestructible gauntlets and greaves that were apparently called Amethyst's Embrace, They were a dark steely ebony color with light violet Linings and there were retractable blades from the elbow and knee joints. His aura aspects "Mind of Steel" would allow his mind to create hundreds of calculations for every situation; "Body of Steel" would allow his aura to reinforce bone and muscle allowing him to generate more powerful blows and to survive them too; "Heart of Steel", Pain is numbed and the concept of fear and hesitation is non-existent while active.
All these allow him to charge into the middle of a pack formation and stay there, lopping off limbs and piercing vital organs, a living tornado of blades, fists and kicks with near limitless stamina. His purpose is to draw the attention of the pack as the vanguard, protecting his teammates from the worst of it like he always has and to allow them more time to better position themselves.
Raziel got the title, "The Indomitable", during the first week of training, to grasp the capabilities of the trainees, they were made to fight one vs one, and the winner would fight twice the amount of opponents and the numbers would increase until the trainee could no longer fight. Raziel had made it up to ten opponents, fighting a mix of second and third years. Half way into the round his opponents kept attacking him more blows battering his body until one of the second years noticed that the light in his eyes were gone but his body was still moving albeit very sluggishly but there was still power enough to knock any of them out. They asked if they should continue, since he was still capable of fighting.
The instructor wasn't sure what to make of it but decided to just end the match and told them to put him in the med bay. When they tried to tell Raziel to stop his body lashed out and continued to fight.
Elias and Yuki, exiting the medical tent while nursing their bruises having reached versus seven and versus eight respectively, saw the commotion and charged into the scene to calm their best friend.
"Don't get near him, he's gone full psycho!" one of the third years shouted but the two continued onward and embraced Raziel and whispered to his ears, "You can rest now".
And like a puppet with its strings cut, Raziel fell to his knees, and was carried by Elias into the medical tent.
Illiana Yuki had definitely grown with grace, her strawberry hair was waist long, a bit on the slender side but she was definitely eye catching and she knew if she was going to stick with her two best friends, she had to be able to keep up. She had become a force to be reckoned when she mastered the use of Gentle Prison also forged by Jurgen Arc, Sister Whips that were colored Amber and Black, which moved exactly how she wanted it to. Her fighting style was inspired from one of the first Hunters, Lord Belmont, who was a master whip user and tamer. She asked Raziel to teach her some kicking techniques that would compliment her whips.
Her Aura as she called it was Gemini, Allowing her to create almost complete copies of herself that she can command allowing more tactical options, though one peculiar quirk about it is that they would carry one particular part of her psyche and obviously the more there were, there harder it was to get along with herself. She would trap Grimm allowing Raziel or Elias some breathing room when things got too hectic or lock the prey in place for the killing blow or just outright tear them to shreds.
"The Mistress" was a moniker she got when one night she was practicing her semblance when one of her "selves", Lust, escaped her and went around the camp tying up and whipping their fellow trainees, some discovered their masochistic tendencies. Funny thing was that when Elias showed up to stop her, Lust acted very demurely for an aspect of lust. That raised one of Raziel's long standing suspicions and after that fiasco she had gained quite a following that the name just stuck.
Together they were the Hunter Corps Assault Division, "77th Rook", led by Elias Arc. Their first debut was for their valiant defense of a small town right at the heart of a sudden Grimm infestation. The town garrison kept the beasts away from the gates but they were running out of ammunitions and the gates could only hold for so long. They were given direct orders to regroup immediately but Elias being the man that he was had other plans. Time was of the essence as the structural integrity of the walls were far more compromised than what the initial reports were.
After determining a tactically defensible pass close to the village, Elias devised a simple strategy to get the beasts away from the town. Raziel would stand right at the mouth of the pass, while Illiana and her "selves" would support them from higher elevation and Elias would be in the middle. He flared up his aura, lighting up the night sky and the creatures of Grimm began flocking to their positions.
"Hey Raziel, you remember that ancient mistral folk tale about the 300 soldiers that defended some pass?" Elias asked as the ground rumbled, a sign that the horde was on its way.
"… If you're asking if our situation is similar then it probably is… though it would still be nice to have the other 297 comrades to show up", Raziel deadpanned
"Guys… they're almost here. I sent Anger and Brave to whittle down their numbers a bit and they're making their way back, Gloomy is on overwatch, says that our end is coming in about one minute." Illiana reported.
"Everything couldn't be any more perfect eh? Elias? I got my two best friends on a perfectly clear moonlit night, getting into trouble again. You know that we are going to get grilled for this.", Raziel softly spoke, "Life is good", a savage grin on his face as the first wave of Grimm emerged hot on the heels of Anger and Brave, where it seemed Anger was lugging a uncooperative Brave.
"Unhand me coward! I will not shame myself by RUNNING!
"DO YOU WANT ME TO BASH YOUR HEAD IN!? CAUSE I WILL!"
The battle progress just as planned, the key to success was Illiana's semblance, which allowed her and her "selves" to keep the beasts funneled by using her whips to ensnare them into Elias' aura slashes for deadly effect and keeping them clustered so that Raziel could gracefully rip them limb from limb without having to chase after them too far or if they tried to go further around and flank them, they would be torn to shreds. It was an effective plan that required complete trust and confidence that your teammates had your back.
By the end of it, they received punishment publicly for endangering themselves and the whole operation but the commander in charge, also commended them privately for their initiative and courage but warned them not to do it again without his approval while they were under his command.
"I believe that is enough for now Jaune", Raziel ending the memory, seeing how Jaune had started showing signs of drowsiness, That and it was almost time for curfew.
"Aww, I wanted to see more of what it was like back then.",Jaune sleepily rubbing his eyes.
"All in due time Jaune…"
"All of you were such great hunters that I can't help but feel…"
"Enough of that…" Raziel interrupted Jaune sternly," I will not have you entertain such thoughts. You are so much more than you think. And when I am done with you, you will see it yourself because you already have the most important thing that a hunter needs."
"And what is that?",Jaune asked tilting his head.
"Now that would be telling", Raziel laughed heartily while Jaune just pouted. Raziel laughed even harder, tears forming on the edge of his eyes. "You two are so alike, now off you go, get as much rest as I will be running you ragged. So good night Jaune."
Jaune began walking but quickly turned 180 and embraced Raziel, "I'm really glad and lucky… that I managed to meet you", before exiting the heart of the Elder Tree.
Raziel stood there shocked but smiled and began to recede back into the heart of the Elder Tree. He began to speak the words from one of his favorite books, The Age of Dragons Volume II, excited that his long wait is finally over.
"Reach down into your heart and you will find many reasons to fight.
Survival… Honor… Glory…
But what about those who feel it's their duty to protect the innocent?
There you will find the warrior savage enough to match any dragon…
And in the end…
They will retain what the others won't…. Their Humanity." –Varric: Dragon Age 2
"Isn't that right Elias?..."
Side Stories: How Crocea Mors got their sheathe and the 3 Heroes Biggest Supporter
And in their 2nd Year they met their handler. A hunting team composed of 3 hunters and 1 handler, who would provide, intel, mission objectives, equipment maintenance, logistics, support and etc.
Her name was Scarlet Summers, she was a short girl sporting shoulder length dark red hair and a Hunter Corps Beret tipped to the left and wearing large round glasses framing her apple green eyes. Everyone thought she would be a hard ass handler. That was until she literally squealed in delight when she noticed the signature markings on their weapons; apparently she was a big fan of Elias' dad.
She was one of the more sought out new handlers for the predominantly male teams because she was very cute and despite her height, she was rather abundantly "stacked" in the right places. But what really got people's attention were all the firearms she carried on her person and could fire it from any position with accuracy. Apparently she was a gun lover and inventor and she swore that one day she would perfect the art of combining multiple weapons into one so that it would be more convenient and efficient.
And Crocea Mors current sheath was forged when she overhead Elias complaining about how he had to carry a large shield on his back when they travelled, when Raziel was simply wearing his weapons and Illiana used hers like a belt. So she spent time researching for her project and even involved Jurgen, requesting the same materials he used to create Crocea Mors and together they created the prototype of all Mecha-shifting weapons, Crocea Mors' sheath. Once Elias received it he was very grateful but he noted offhandedly that it somehow was a bit heavy.
"That's as light as I can make it. Honestly! You are fighting creatures that are easily a hundred times larger than you and you want a lighter shield?! Think before speaking!"
Elias was trying to calm Scarlet as she went off tangent on her tirade.
"Wow… Scarlet kinda reminds me of Ruby"
"Yes… they do share some quirks … well at least now you know about your sheath…"
"I still think it's a bit heavy though…"
And the two laughed heartily.
A/N: I RISE FROM THE GRAVE!... not. Wow, it has been that long since I updated huh. Real life sure does get to ya.
Shout out to Mysteriousblade.Razyangel is still alive and kicking, THIS STORY WILL NOT DIE!
Not until we have the anticipated Kaiju battle at least and thats CHAPTERS AWAY! Forgive me if its a bit lack luster but it will improve moving forward. So, I ask, Shall we weave this tale together once again?
A secret between the two. Romance in the next chapter.