So, time travel! WHOOPEEE!
Ok so a big disclaimer: This is kind of a divergent timeline? Idk how else to describe it.
Vale. Vacuo. Atlas, Mistral.
Kingdom, Sultanate, Tsardom, Empire.
What did the history books omit?
Jeanne D'Arc was a normal girl in the small village of Domremy in the Greater Kingdom of Valea. She stayed within the village walls, she prayed to the lord, she abided by the 9 Virtues and 4 Medicines, and abstained from the 9 Indulgences and 4 Evils. She farmed with her father and her seven brothers, she ate what she was given, and she cleaned up the house when it was her turn to do so. On Giving Day, she'd use what little she had to fashion presents for her entire family. She was, by all accounts, a very normal girl.
When the knights of the local lord would come by on cleansing runs, she'd admire their hard work while also admonishing their tendencies for flirtation. Then again, they were constantly risking their life to slay the woodland beasts, so she had no room to judge.
But, something was on her mind. Something was calling to her. For weeks before the knights were scheduled to arrive, something would call to her, like a voice. She'd hear someone over her shoulder whispering something, only to see but clear sky and clouds. She'd follow the whispers around buildings, only to find phantoms. And when the knights failed to arrive, the whispering became heavier and heavier. When word came that the land and its people were being besieged on all fronts by a pitch black tide that threatened to fracture the kingdom, the voices were practically yelling.
And after months, it had become a vision. Not something conveyed with words but images, feelings, and pure knowledge. She was filled with visions of trampled towns, of her fellow man slaughtered, of her family fleeing Domremy with nothing! They were terrible visions that she couldn't bear to see, that made her toss and turn as she pray in the church.
But then, they changed. Instead, the visions were of a peasant army, armed with swords and spears, lead by a holy maiden on horseback wielding the banner of war, and slaughtering the raging beasts. But, it was no lord appointed knight taking up arms against the beast, it was her. She was wearing armor and wielding a flag as she ran up to a wolf made of shadow and skewered it before crushing the skull of a large bear.
And the rest of the sights changed. Instead of trampled towns, there were battered by still standing walls. Instead of slaughtered men, there would be battered but alive villagers cheering. Instead of of her family being left with nothing, they were still happily farming, all 9 of them still working the land.
Her course was set. Her decision was made.
She would-
"OW! HOLY FUC-" Jeanne's eyes bolted open as a new voice shook her of her concentration. And out of nowhere, a blond man in white fell before the alter, cursing all the way down the aisle. She noticed his pristine white armor, the unknown crest upon it, his sword, and the rather fine clothes he wore.
What was a greater knight doing here? To wear clothes such as that, they'd have to be in the employ of an extremely wealthy lord. Perhaps they had gotten lost? Or was it a lordless wandering knight?
"Ow, ow, ow, OW!" And then he got up. He was obviously intoxicated, blush present on his cheeks. And then he vomited in a corner, making her question his fortitude.
"Oh lord, is this a blessing?" Jeanne wondered out loud. She was given a holy mission to bring righteous wrath upon the shadows, after all, what better help to give than a knight?
"Huh?" The man quickly got up. Jeanne wasn't an expert, but she was pretty sure such light armor wasn't normal. Most knights wore full sets of armor that were custom made to have more flexibility than normal platemail and simply trained with the weight. "W-where am I?" He stumbled and tripped a bit, definitely inebriated.
"You are in Domremy, good friend."
"..." The man, for some reason, counted his fingers. And then he looked around the church in confusion. "I know this might seem crazy but, what year is it?"
"... It has been about 1530 years since the founding of the kingdom. And forty years since the queen took the throne."
"..." The man seemed extremely confused, which only befuddled Jeanne more. What knight didn't know this sort of thing? Was he someone from even farther? Had he simply stolen the armor and clothes of a knight in order to have a night of luxury? No! She couldn't suspect people of wrongdoing without reason. "... Queen." The man clapped his hands and put them to his nose before inhaling for a long time. "Ok. Ok. Yea, ok." His eyes bore the weight of the world, as if he'd seen everything.
"Excuse me, good sir?"
"Yes?"
"Who are you?"
"Oh!" He seemed a bit flustered at the realization. "Sorry, I guess I was being a bit rude, eh? Well, my name's Jaune Arc. Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue, ladies love it~" Jeanne blushed as the fairly handsome man flirted so shamelessly. "Wow, first time for everything." And he seemed surprised it worked! "So, what's your name?"
"Jeanne D'Arc of Domremy. It's a pleasure to meet you." She smiled, because while he wasn't perfect, something was telling her this man was at the very least capable of defending himself. And she'd need all the help she could get on her journey. "Yes, I know, our names our extremely similar. Do you perhaps know why? I can't imagine my father siring another."
"..." The man muttered something beneath his breath before shaking it off and speaking out loud. "Ok, so, tell me if these words mean anything. Hunter."
"Like the ones that shoot deer?"
"Great War."
"We haven't had a war since Catherine the Almighty united the kingdom."
"Dust."
"The things sorcerers use?"
"Grimm."
"The shadowy beasts in the woods?"
"Vale."
"Don't you mean Valea?"
"..." Jaune's eyes widened in pure disbelief. He searched his person and panicked upon realizing a certain deck of cards was missing, but continued on until he pulled out a bottle. Jeanne looked with interest at the extremely fine bottle with paper on it! Meanwhile, Jaune stared at the bottle, which was labeled 'Time Twister Whiskey.' His mind, for once, actually stopped dead in its tracks.
Jaune Arc had officially seen it all. He had gone back in time. And apparently, he'd gone back in time a couple hundred of years! Back when kingdoms actually had fucking monarchs! What the hell!?
"Sir?"
"Hmm?"
"May I ask of you something?" Jaune nodded. "I beg of you, lend me your aid!" She fell to her knees before him and his eyes widened in shock. "I have received visions from the lord, imploring me to relieve our land of the vile monsters that plague it, to save it from the greatest hordes we've seen yet. I know I ask a lot of a-"
"Say no more, I'm in."
"Eh?" Now it was Jeanne's turn to be shocked. If Jaune (wow the similar names were going to get confusing) was being honest, he thought the surprised look on her face was pretty funny.
"Look, you need help and I'm around, so why not?" Jaune totally wasn't putting off the fact that he had actually closed himself off from his world and had as good as died. Totally. "Plus, I'm a bit of a stranger around these parts-" A lie, technically. "-So I'll need all the help I can get acclimating! So, if you'll allow it, I'd be happy to join you." The alcohol was definitely making it easier to not freak out. "Uhhh, what were the words? Oh yea! Unto you, I pledge my faith. On the name of Arc, I stake my claim. Or something."
"..." Jeanne gave a toothy grin at the reversal of modesty. "Thank you, lord, for blessing me so." She whispered under her breath before nodding. "Very well, we shall head to Orleans at once. It has been besieged by the creatures of the night for months now, starving it out slowly as the soldiers and knights present try to thin the horde. My mount shall carry us there and we shall bring an end to their suffering."
"Alright!" Jaune smiled, more than a bit tipsy, but eager as ever to help out.
So, without a single word to her parents or siblings or anyone, she took off.
Deep within the woods near Domremy, there was a pool of water perfectly placed to garner moonlight at midnight. It practically glowed white as the broken celestial reflected the sun's gaze unto the ground below. There was a popular tale among the children of Domremy surrounding that pool of water, that if one grabs a cup of it at midnight and waters the crops with them, a harvest will come immediately. Now, nobody really knew if that was true or not, but one thing was for certain.
All the children who tried were dead.
That's why Jeanne's parents always told her and her siblings about the monsters that lurked in the forest, about the creatures that would gore children who got too adventurous. And they listened, because the funeral the day before had shocked them to the point where things such as leaving the village walls were considered suicide, at least on ones own it would be.
As a growing girl, Jeanne's fear of the world outside the walls shrunk a bit. She still didn't venture into the woods, but she didn't quiver in her boots at the thought of meeting a Grimm.
She really should've.
It stood at ten feet with jagged black claws and a white bone mask. It was wolf-like in a sense, except perverted to the point of only loosely resembling the animal in question. Its maw was filled with razor sharp teeth that could gut her like a fish, its eyes glowed with hatred, and its bone mask bore bloodstains.
"Oh please, lord, give me strength." She muttered as she shook the knight, praying that he'd wake up on time.
He didn't.
Her horse began to run, bucking the knight and farmgirl off in fear as the Beowolf began to lurk forwards, claws tilling the ground in teasing anticipation for the kill. Jeanne gave up on trying to wake Jaune up after a few more tries and drunken mutterings and instead chose to grab his sword. It wasn't easy, but she managed to do so and turn around.
She held it up against the Beowolf, hoping something would happen. The knights always made it look so easy!
With a force she likened to a rampaging adult boar, Crocea Mors was casually flicked away and lodged in a tree. Jeanne stumbled and began to ran, with the Beowolf chasing after. Jaune was having sweet dreams, so the Beowolf ignored his minuscule negativity in favor of the beacon of panic and fear.
"Please, do not let me fall here." Jeanne could only pray as she ran. Her clothing, rather simple all things considered, hampered her speed. The only reason she wasn't felled right then and there was the Beowolf's sadism. It was drawing out the kill, milking the mark of all of her negativity. It'd be easy to crush her like a bug, but it'd be far more fun to break her before doing her in.
Such was the way Grimm were.
She ran through the woods, weaving between trees in order to try and slow down the chasing monster. She tried to catch her breath, back against the trunk of a great oak, only for it to be erased with the cleave of the wolf's claw. She jumped away, splinters hitting her arm and cheek, tears streaming from her eyes.
"Oh lord, I am sorry, I have failed you." Jeanne fell to her knees before the monster, seeing no other paths. "Thank you for your gifts, they shall be returned." And she sat there, palms glued to each other, praying as she waited for the darkness that never came.
What came was a growl and clashing. She heard claws scrape against steel, a subdued grunt, and finally flesh being torn apart as blood gushed onto the floor. She opened her eyes to see Jaune, his air a bit ruffled up, his eyes dull, and his face set in a slight scowl as he nursed his hangover from a heavy drinking session. Turns out, whiskey strong enough to send him through time was also strong enough to give him a headache that got closer to killing him than anything else he had faced before.
"Are you ok!?" Jaune rushed to Jeanne, whose eyes were wide with shock as she came to terms with the fact that she wasn't dead. Turmoil calmed, but she was still paralyzed, the only thing moving being the tears down her cheeks. Jaune was focused on her wounds. Numerous splinters and a few slashes were all parting gifts from the Grimm.
Jeanne tried to stifle her sobs, she tried to hold them back. She had to. She couldn't cry.
Jaune wasn't having that.
"Hey, it's alright if you want to." And with that, she let it go, she cried into Jaune's somewhat dirty armor, cleansing it with tears as she clung to him.
The next few minutes were a blur of bleeding emotions, with Jaune occasionally getting up to fend off the coming Grimm. Soon enough, Jeanne had cried enough to make her mouth sting with dryness. Jaune knelt before her, putting his canteen to her lips. Fresh water reinvigorated and marked the end of her lament.
Jaune stared her in the eye and asked of her, "Are you sure about this?"
"What do you mean?" Jeanne composed herself fairly quickly, though the stains on her cheeks weren't easy to ignore.
"The Grimm. Are you sure about going out and doing this? I can't blame anyone for not wanting to fight. I wouldn't blame you if you went back home and-"
The crack of a slap echoed through the forest. Jaune could barely feel it while Jeanne's hand stung. It wasn't meant to harm Jaune, it was meant to prove a point.
"If I were to go home, I may live to see another day, but countless more would die deaths that I could've stopped. If the Radiant One wills it, I will take up arms against the shadows." Her hand was red with pain, but her gaze was iron. Her resolve was undying. Her passion was burning. Jaune cracked a smile and sighed, shaking his head wearily.
"Alright, alright, I hear ya. But, if you're going to do that, you'll need a little something." And he put a finger on her forehead. "Now, how did this go? Oh yes!" He cleared his throat. "It is in memories of the people we help in which we achieve immortality. Through endless hardship and thankless work, we may brighten the days of people we'll never know. Infinite in kindness and wielding burdensome chains, I release your soul, and by my shoulder, protect thee."
With those words, Jeanne's soul changed. A drop of aura was multiplied and grew within her, spreading through her entire body, coating it and getting to work. Her wounds began to close, splinters were ejected, and an outline of white light surrounded her. She felt light, lighter than she had ever felt before.
And in pure exhaustion, she fell asleep, collapsing in Jaune's arms.
Without a horse, their journey to Orleans proved longer than expected. Still, they moved at a steady pace, only stopping at the end of the day in order to make camp and forage for food. Since their rations were on the fleeing horse, they had to resort to living off the land. Luckily, Jaune was used to this and made for a good cook.
"I thought knights were dedicated entirely to the craft of combat? What type of knight is such a master at cooking?" Oh yea, Jeanne had a tendency to call him a knight.
"A wandering one. What, do knights normally live differently?"
"Yes! Knights are all in the employ of their lord, who they usually take residence with. Either that or they have their own estate. On occasion they're called by their lord to slay Grimm nearby towns and village, where they take residence in while they do their task." Ah, so like hunters. That explained it. "Still, that crest you bear is unfamiliar. Who do you serve?"
Jaune looked at the double crescent moon and wondered why his family had it. Perhaps it was just a pun on their name and the arc the moon's greatest fragment created. Jaune threw out the possibility of nobility. Helios Arc was but a lowly foot soldier before forging himself into a fine combatant in the crucible of conflict. Arthur Arc was a capable statesman that simply worked to keep the nation running while it was still in the decades long conflict. Prometheus Arc was but the descendant of two well known legends.
Jaune eventually decided on a technical truth. "It's my own family's crest. They're-they're-" Now, what to say at this junction? For all intents and purposes, they were dead. Deader than dead. But, to him they were still alive. It was him that was dead, wasn't it? "They're not around anymore." Good enough.
"Oh." Jeanne's eyes were filled with sympathy.
"Ah! Don't worry about it." He chewed on some fish they managed to wrangle from a river to skewer and cook over their campfire. Honestly, he was taking the whole 'being as good as dead and never being able to see anyone he knew or loved again' a bit well. Perhaps it was just the prolonged isolation from home. "Anyways, do these knights have aura?"
"Aura?"
"The thing I just gave you."
"Oh! So that's what it's called." Her gaze occasionally darted to her wrists in amazement at the ambient light radiating around her. "Well, the knights do have an otherworldly endurance. I've been told that they're blessed by the church, with the Royal Guard being touched by the queen herself!"
"Never thought I'd live to see the day when kingdom actually means having a monarch," Jaune muttered under his breath before immediately speaking up and saying, "So, tell me about this queen."
"Sure! Currently, our queen is Catherine the Almighty." She rubbed her chin, as if she was struggling to recall distant memories. "And, uhhh, I'm pretty sure she's been queen for a long time now? Her royal consort is Oziel the wise, also called Oziel of the Silver Crown. Hair and all." Jeanne shrugged. "I dunno much else. I only know who the queen is because the royal decrees that come around mention her name a bunch." The name made Jaune think of how many people in the history books had their name begin with 'Oz'. Ozymandias, Oziel, Oswald, Ozborne, and even Ozpin. In class, some of his classmates joked that it was secretly all the same guy, though their history teacher said it was far more likely that 'Oz' was simply considered a name for the powerful.
"Hmm. By the way, what's your plan about clearing the Grimm?"
"Eh?"
"Like, you said you wanted to do that and all, but how?"
"I-Well-Uh." Jeanne was stumped. She hadn't exactly thought that far. Most of her actions were simply impulsive decisions she made due to the urging of her visions, not actual well thought out choices with intent. She would still follow through, but she had no clue about how she'd go about destroying the Grimm. "Hmmm." Well this was certainly something.
"Do you even know how to fight?" Jeanne froze. "Know how to fight a Grimm?" She gulped. "How to wield a sword?" A bead of sweat ran down her forehead. "What a Grimm even-"
"B-be quiet!" She pouted as Jaune burst out laughing from her petulant expression. "I-I suppose the reason you are here is to teach me all of this. Is it not? What other reason would there be for you to appear from nowhere in front of me?"
It was either admitting to Jeanne that he appeared because of a very poorly planned drinking session or going along with the lie. He went along with the lie. "Sure. I guess we'll have to start with the basics of swordplay? Or maybe Dust? Hmmm." How did Raiden teach him? Suddenly, his entire body began aching with phantom pain as every single 'lesson' that Raiden had imparted onto him flashed through his head. He shook the thought away, beating her into oblivion probably wasn't the best idea, all things considered. "Let's start with aura, alright?" That was probably best. Swords and Dust was nice, but aura was universal. If she couldn't reinforce herself in a fight, she was as good as a slightly more durable civilian.
"Alright!" Well, at least she was enthusiastic.
"Ok, Jeanne, we're here." There they were on the grassy hill overseeing the field before Orleans. And it had definitely seen better days. Both Jaune and Jeanne could see a giant hole in the stone wall, which was filled with workers repairing it and also overseen by archers who'd rapidly shoot any approaching Grimm. And plenty were coming by. A few knights had actually been deployed and were hacking away to form a sort of barrier around the hole in order to protect the workers and the breach. Jaune, looking at the general discipline of the Grimm, guessed that a Goliath was nearby. That or an extremely old alpha.
"My stars." Jeanne was horrified. In the field between the forestry and walls, where farms were supposed to be, there were only ruins. Buildings were trampled, farms were uprooted, and corpses lay rotting. The Beowolves actually had dragged corpses into piles so they wouldn't get in the way of further slaughter. Soldiers, farmers, knights, and more lay dead, their blood coagulating in the earth below like a tumor in flesh.
"So, what do we do?"
"Well, we-"
"We're not just running in and beating the Grimm. There are way too many." Seriously, Jaune could sense so many in the surrounding area that he was scared that there were more Grimm than trees!
"Hmmm. What about we go to Orleans, rally the knights, and prepare for a counter assault?" She said that like it wasn't basically throwing people into the grinder.
"Uh, I don't think that's a good ide-" Suddenly, a shiver ran through Jaune's spine. Jeanne didn't notice, but Jaune had spent far too long in the wild and his senses were sharpened to be as sharp as a razor. His eyes darted, his muscles tensed, and his fingers curled as he looked for the source.
And there it was, in all of its horrible glory, a Goliath. A really powerful Goliath. Taller than the walls themselves and with enough strength to break cities on its own, it stood far above the trees as it trekked towards Orleans. Jeanne's eyes followed Jaune's and found the giant elephant-no, mammoth as well. As if on cue, they could hear screaming from the city. The breach was not breached, but the archers noticed the titan, and it was the straw that broke the camel's back for them.
For months, the archers stood upon those walls, taking down Grimm after Grimm, and watching their fellow man die. Many had seen a friend whose head was crushed by a diving Nevermore. Many had seen their enhanced knights be crushed by Beowolves. Many had seen as the hordes simply took their arrows and cannonballs, ten more monsters replacing every fallen. All of it was for the promise of a blue sky to come, of a day which they may spend with their weary families.
The Goliath crushed that pretense and made many drop their bows.
The workers stopped placing bricks. The knights let their weapons meet the floor, their arms slack. The villagers who could see what was coming covered their mouths or screamed.
Jeanne stayed standing. And then her legs began to move.
"What are you-?" Jaune turned around to see Jeanne running, with his sword and shield in her hands. Her clothes weren't made for combat! She was barely proficient at wielding a blade without hitting herself! She could barely reinforce her skin to prevent splinters! WHAT THE HELL WAS SHE-!?
Before Jaune could catch up, Jeanne was before the wall, before the breach. She had run past the hordes of opportunistic Grimm that rushed from the wild to converge on the breach in Orlean's moment of absolute despair. But before they could rush in for the kill, the maiden descended from the hill and spoke.
"PEOPLE OF ORLEANS!" She faced the breach, ignoring as Jaune and Grimm alike ran towards her back. The knight tried to ignore the swings and pounces made towards him but eventually got caught up in a scuffle, cursing all the while as he tried to end it before any Grimm could get to the untrained Jeanne. "DO YOU DESPAIR NOW!? WHEN THE TITAN FINALLY REARS ITS HEAD!?" Her voice was loud, it was practically amplified by something otherworldly. People heard, from all over Orleans, they heard. As they saw and felt their wills crumble before the Goliath, they also heard Jeanne's cry. "DO YOU RESIGN YOURSELF TO THIS FATE?
Do you not wish to see your families tomorrow? Do you not wish to plow this soil again with seed instead of death? Do you not wish for food? For water!? For the feast that shall come once this is all said and done!? WHY DO YOU FEAR THE APPEARANCE OF THE ENEMY'S HEAD!? Why do you shudder under its gaze!? WHEN THE ENEMY EXPOSES ITS FACE, THAT IS WHEN YOU PIERCE IT WITH A MIGHTY SPEAR! So, people of Orleans, ACT AND GOD SHALL ACT! IF YOU TAKE FATE IN YOUR HANDS, THE LORD SHALL GRANT US MIRACLES!" It rang through the area, making many pause at the sheer audacity. "PICK UP YOUR BOWS, ADEPT ARCHERS! PICK UP YOUR WEAPONS, GALLANT KNIGHTS! PICK UP YOUR SPEARS, DETERMINED FOOTMEN! PICK UP YOUR PITCHFORKS AND SHOVELS, FARMERS SCORNED! PICK UP YOUR WEAPONS AND RISE!"
Jaune couldn't hear anything she said, focused on trying to catch up to and snap the neck of the Alpha Beowolf that was about to cleave Jeanne in two. He had to reach her. He had to save her. He couldn't let her die. But he was twenty paces too far. He was seconds late. He wasn't strong enough. His flare gun wasn't strong enough. He could-
A sizable arrow whizzed through the air and planted itself through the eye socket of the Alpha Beowolf. A long time guard on the wall quickly notched another one, releasing it with quick precision. Seconds later, ten more followed. Then a hundred. Then hundreds more. The cannon crews joined in, an orchestra of fire Dust explosions filling the quiet. The despair gave way to determination. The holy woman in front of them smiled as the sunlight made her hair and the sword she had planted in the ground glow. She was a sign from god that they were to survive, that the people they were guarding were not to fall. They had to live. And they would live. And they would act.
The knights picked up their axes, their swords, their spears, and their hammers as they went about their task with more vigor than before. Many smiled towards the stranger who came and gave them hope once more.
From the distance, the Goliath looked upon the humans with mere curiosity. So its appearance alone failed to dissuade them from the futile endeavor of life. Hmm, it would simply watch. Through its spectation, it would decide on whether or not to fall back.
Meanwhile, Jaune, reassured of Jeanne's safety, began to brawl with Beowolves and Ursai himself, playing it extremely safe as he gradually made his way towards Jeanne. As he crushed the last skull and waved his sore hand, he gave a proud smile to Jeanne.
"Didn't think you were a skilled orator as well."
"It just came upon me, seeing their faces. I had to act. The lord compelled."
"Yea? And just what were you thinking when you ran face first into the fray without an idea of what you were doing?" His smile became a bit more strained as Jeanne squirmed under his gaze. He sighed and rolled his eyes, letting her relax. "Well, it worked either way-"
"FOR VALEA!" Jaune noticed very quickly that the breach was being breached, just not by Grimm. Normal people ventured from their homes and ran out. Farmers, bakers, stonemen, blacksmiths, and essentially ever man and women of fighting age and health were rushing out of the hole in the wall with weapons of all sorts. Pitchforks, spears, axes, knives, hammers, staves, and more were carried as they rushed out. There were a good mix of regular guardsmen with them, though even with their training they lacked aura. Jaune and the Knights seemed wary of their coming, but Jeanne merely smiled.
"WE SHALL FIGHT!" Jeanne pointed Crocea Mors forward, towards the rapidly approaching horde of Grimm, smiling. And, to many's shock, the peasant mob didn't immediately die against the Grimm horde. Many took blows, slashes, pounces, but they all somehow found themselves stronger, faster, and more durable. They were made into a proper fighting force, in body if not in mind. They formed a giant blob that the Grimm couldn't harm.
Jaune's eyes widened, he realized what was happening. The same holy glow that shone from Jeanne's skin was also emanating from the mob's. They were all being blessed with aura. But he noticed that Jeanne was crumbling, she was weakening. And if she fell, the people would be slaughtered and their morale would be back to nothing. More importantly, she'd probably fall unconscious and be vulnerable to assaults. Jaune rushed to her side and held her hand, pumping aura into her while amplifying what they both had. Jeanne found strength in her legs once more that she used to stand up.
"Thank you, Jaune." She smiled as she found her footing once more and raised Crocea Mors. "ONWARDS!" Wow, his ears hurt. Disregarding the ringing, they began charging. Jaune would occasionally give Jeanne a tap and boost in aura, draining some of his own in exchange. Meanwhile, the mob grew bolder and bolder. Small groups former that teamed up on individual Grimm, killing Beowolves and Ursai through deaths by a thousand cuts.
Many Grimm died in the meat grinder as the mob of thousands became a whirlwind of blunt weapons and blades. The knights stayed in their position, not moving an inch even as they were made to be a sort of final defense. It meant a break after hours upon hours of constant duty, so they wouldn't argue. The archers had to shoot far and wide in order to avoid accidentally firing on their own allies, with only their most confident daring to try and get a good arrow in on a lone Grimm. The rest settled on picking off the various airborne Grimm.
And in the distance, the giant Goliath watched. And watched. And watched. It was given a task, to destroy the mortal kingdoms. Specifically, all the Grimm across Remnant were told to move under its command, so that it may defeat humanity in detail by destroying each region one by one. Even if the other mortal havens grew in power and size without their presence, they'd become complacent in their absence. The fertile fields were chosen over the arid deserts, the snowy tundras, and the dense jungles for one reason, its open nature. It was a perfect place for humans and as such, if left alone it'd grow the most. It was optimal to destroy it before all others. And so, it waged war. Its campaign was slow, which got jeers from the bloodthirsty children it commanded, but there was a reason for that. A simple reason.
It could afford to be slow. Their mission was not one based in bloodthirst, it was a methodical execution. Their master did not care when and how the blood is shed, only that the mortals were eradicated.
So, the Goliath simply watched.
It could divert more forces towards the city in order to completely crush it, but that would also weaken the forces that were isolating nearby targets. It'd make their entire offense weaker, it'd compromise the mission. It could not afford to do that. So, in order to save on losses (because despite their overwhelming numbers, they did need to prevent casualties. Their master was very clear that the creation of the Goliath and its vast amount of additional forces caused the primordial soup to dry up, meaning that reinforcements simply could not be made), it pulled back from Orleans, though only to the forest line. If the humans so wished, they'd fight in the wild, where the Grimm had home turf advantage.
That was not what most saw. The civilians could only see the beasts of the knight flee in supposed terror. The knights saw another blessed break brought upon by the maiden before them. But to Jaune, the fleeing only made him worry. After all, the only reason Grimm retreated was so that they could attack in a smarter manner on a further date.
Still, Jaune didn't have it in him to break the news to Jeanne, whose smile glowed like a thousand suns, just yet.
"Hello, Oh Holy one." Jaune, on his bed in their quarters, smiled smugly as Jeanne grumbled under her breath.
"I do not know where they get the impression. I was simply a young farmgirl speaking her mind, not a saint chosen by the lord."
"Well, those vision-"
"I am merely a tool for his will, there is no need to exalt me just as there is not need to honor the hammer of a blacksmith or the axe of a woodsman." Jeanne seemed tired, which was fair all things considered. She had spent the past half day experiencing unbelievable fame as many who went into the fray fell to their knees praying before her and many others who didn't blessed them a thousand times for her making sure Orleans' people lived to see another day. "Plus, you did most of the work."
"..." Oh right, Jaune hadn't told her. Technically, it was true that Jaune killed more Grimm than Jeanne. She had given him Crocea Mors once more as someone handed her a banner to hold, letting him go to town on the Grimm in brief skirmishes before returning to her side in order to provide her with more aura. "Uhh, you do know that normal people shouldn't be able to fight Grimm, right?"
"Hmm? What of it? I thought the lord simply blessed them with temporary power."
"..." Was this how it felt to talk to him!? "Ok. Do you know how math works?"
"What is a math?"
"Oh right." Ancient Valean farmgirl. He'd later learn she was also illiterate. "Uhhh, ok, imagine there are two cups, one has water, right?" Jeanne nodded as Jaune pulled out appropriate items to use as props. "This empty one is the farmers and the other one is you. And the water is aura, right?" She nodded. "Now, if you lost aura and the farmers got aura, how do you think it would-"
"Ohhhh!" Now she got it! "So I sacrificed my own power so that the lord may bless the footmen?"
"..." Jaune blinked. "I-you know what? Close enough." Seriously, a cloud shaped like the insides of a Beowolf's ass (Do not ask how he knew what that looked like) could be a sign from the lord with this girl.
Well, with the sheer amount of coincidences happening, it really could've.
"Basically, you have a power. Do you notice how knights can do stuff like, uh, extend their bodies, turn into stuff, or create things?"
"Yes, occasionally a knight would display extraordinary powers. I recall that one was able to manipulate the plantlife to ensnare a Grimm."
"Ok, so you have one of those. And you can, with your aura, empower other people." Sorta like his. Well, except it was ten million times better. She didn't need to touch them, it seemed she could bless them with both aura and innate knowledge of its usage (or just have it be automatically used), and she could give it to way more people. She could basically buff an entire army if she had enough in her. The only thing he had on her was that his semblance was still useful without an army and he could essentially super-buff a single (or handful of) soldier(s).
His semblance was really powerful, but an army of people acting at 110% of their strength was better than a single person with 200%.
"Hmm, that sounds rather dull." To be fair, it was fairly mundane in comparison to farting lasers or telekinesis. But also, with proper training, it had the power to be horrifically powerful. At least, in evacuations and last ditch defenses it was extremely powerful. Though, the fact it relied on her average aura (which was effected by her semblance like butter in an oven melted) was a downside. "But if it means I can keep others alive, I'll make do with it!" Glad to see she was looking on the bright side.
"Anyways, you didn't tell me how your meeting with the Paladin went." Apparently, the crown's top knights, the Paladins, were acting as generals of sorts in the prolonged campaign against the Grimm.
"Oh." Her mood soured. "They said that while my arrival was a blessing, that we shall keep defensive positions." Jaune could understand that. A frontal assault wasn't a good idea, even with a power like Jeanne's. Her existence was a morale booster that staved the Grimm off. There was a somewhat researched phenomena in the modern world where Grimm seemed to be tougher to beat the more people in the area feared them. Though, Jaune didn't read about it enough to know what the paper really said. "I argued and argued that we should take the fight to enemy! Chase them into the forests and cut off the head of the horde! But he wouldn't listen."
Well, that was a quick 180 from grumbling to passionate fury.
"Woah, Jeanne, I get ya, but there is a reason to this, you know." Jaune got to idly wiping his sword. It had gotten a bit dirty over the past few days and he rather liked having it shine.
"And that is? All I see are a bunch of cowards waiting to die."
"Yea?" Oh god, was she as stubborn as he? "Jeanne, I'm not asking for you to roll over and follow everything they say. An aggressive push actually would be a good idea-" Because the Goliath was still in view, though a bit farther, and killing it would mean disorganizing the local forces of Grimm (and, unbeknownst to him, the entire country wide siege). "-but they can't put too much into an assault. Less people here means less people defending the walls. And I think I heard that there were only, what? A company of 1000 knights here? I think that's barely enough to hold the walls."
"..." Jeanne, though hotheaded, cared more about civilian lives than her own passions, so she calmed down and thought about it. "Ok. Though I do wish to end this prolonged nightmare, I shall heed your worries." Thank the brothers for that. "The Paladin, Astolfo, has offered me armor, arms, and training as a field leader and fighter."
"Huh." That was a pretty generous offer. Then again, it made a lot of sense. Jeanne was basically revered in these parts for rescuing them from what seemed like their darkest hour. Even if only a fraction saw her speech, the word spread like fire of the holy maiden who inspired otherworldly strength in the townsfolk. "You should take it."
"I shall. It is the best way to serve the lord and his purpose. And while selfishness is an Evil, bloodletted arms is an Indulgence."
"Wait, what?" Jaune hadn't heart that one before.
"Hmm?" Her eyebrows quirked as she stared him in the eye. "Do you not know the words of the Radiant One?"
"I-Uh." He swore he heard something like that once! "No." Might as well be honest. It didn't seem like Jeanne was angry, just surprised. Luckily for him, she was glad to fill him in.
"There are 9 Virtues and 9 counterpart Indulgences as shown by the Radiant One. Likewise, there are 4 Evils and 4 tempered Medicines that make up the One Below All." She actually seemed pretty happy to talk about this. Maybe the knowledge had been rattling around in her head for a long time. "That reminds me." And then she fell to her knees a feet or so before him, with her head facing the floor.
"Eh."
"To you, I pledge my devotion. To the people, my love. To the needy, my bread. To my creations, my pride. To the cause, my unyielding determination. To the clear skies, my ambition. To the wronged, my justice. To the repenting, my forgiveness. To the different, my tolerance." Honestly, it was kind of awkward. He appreciated the gesture, though. As she rise again, slightly embarrassed, Jaune sat, confusion evident.
"Uh, what was that?"
"Oh!" She remembered he wasn't the most well versed in faithful matters. "It's a pledge of sorts. New mothers and sisters take it when they are fully initiated. Knights also say it. And you pledged your devotion to me. I thought it'd be rude if I didn't also give it to you." Jaune enjoyed her bashful blush. She must've noticed his smug smile. "S-shut up! You essentially proposed to me in the church!" That got Jaune's mood to drop easily.
"Eh?" He did what?
"Y-yea!" Now with an advantage, Jeanne pushed. "Y-you got on one knee and pledged your undying loyalty to me!"
"Eh!?" Though his memories were fairly good, they were also pretty devoid of actual details. He only retained the important bits, like who Jeanne was and where they were going.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
"Ma'am!? Are you in here? Sir Astolfo is calling for your presence!" A footman knocked on the door and interrupted Jeanne's counterattack, much to her dismay.
"Alright!" Still, this meant that they were going to do something!
"Sir Astolfo, I understand you wished to teach me the basics of field strategy, but I must pose a question: What are we doing with these elongated pots?" Jeanne looked at the large metal cauldron with confusion. Astolfo, a rather androgynous man with pink hair, merely stared back.
She wore armor that she was provided and wielded a vibrant battle standard, with a sheathed shortsword at her side.
"Madame Jeanne, I understand your confusion, but I must pose a counter question: What is that man doing putting his upper body in said 'elongated pot'?" Astolfo pointed at said man, Jaune, flailed from within the cauldron. He was actually beginning to suffocate in the thing and couldn't get out, much to his dismay. The Paladin was smiling, barely able to keep their laughter in check. Eventually, he helped the poor guy out, who began hacking out the excessive amounts of Dust and ash that he had inhaled. "Hahahahahahahha!" And Astolfo keeled over laughing.
Jeanne had only met the Paladin once before and he had composed himself fairly well. She had just assumed his cheery nature was from shock and relief, but now she realized that it was just him being normal. In fact, according to a few knights and guards, he was always rather chipper. It was vaguely disturbing, given the circumstances.
"O-k, that was funny!" He smiled and pat Jaune on the back, surprising the poor knight who was just getting over his wheezing with a 'pat' that made him fall flat on the floor. Evidently, Astolfo was bad at controlling his strength. "S-sorry!" Jaune gave a shaking thumbs up, which caused Astolfo to laugh even more. Some of the nearby guardsmen and knights rolled their eyes, long since accustomed to the Paladin's fits of laughter. "Alright! Jeanne, these are cannons."
"As in, canon?"
"Well, as funny as it would be if these shot holy books, no." He went to a nearby chest and grabbed a giant metal shell and a small wooden chest. "This elongated pot uses Dust and something or other to shoot this giant metal thingy really far and really hard." It was a good enough explanation. He opened the chest to reveal fire Dust crystals, which he put in the breech before loading it from the front. Then, he angled it directly upwards. "Now, by lighting the fuse, you can make it go 'boom!' and get the metal thingy to go flying!" He lit the fuse and backed up, as did Jaune and Jeanne (the former in knowledge and the latter because everyone else was), and they all watched as an explosion rang out, the cannon was shot into the dirt from the force, and the cannonball was sent flying up into the air. Astolfo, disregarding all common sense, jumped on top of the sky facing cannon, and grabbed the cannon ball.
For some reason, his arm did not shatter (how strong was he!?).
"See!" He threw the cannonball back into the chest, missing both the box and a nearby soldier that saw his life flash before his eyes by a few feet and a few inches respectively.
"I see." Jeanne was speechless at the insane display of strength and technology. "And why are you showing me this?"
"Wow! You're pretty slow on the uptake, aren't ya!" Jeanne's eyebrow twitched, she was beginning to get irritated with this lackadaisical paladin. "These are some super awesome things! One of them is able to tear through a big mean wolfy guy with just one blast!" Though, if Jaune remembered correctly, they were so slow to reload that they were less efficient than arrowfire.
"Hmm." Jeanne put a finger to her chin as she got to thinking. "Well, with how slow you loaded it, I'd say that it's better relegated as fire support. And it doesn't look very accurate. I'm guessing you want me to use these against large enemies?"
"..." Astolfo blinked. "Right on the money!" And smiled.
"You want us to take down that Goliath?" Jaune surmised.
"Huh, that's what they're called? I thought my name of 'super tusky boy' was pretty good." Jaune blinked. "But that one's also nice! But yea, I want you to help kill it. I've given Jeanne's arguments some thought. Plus, the Grimm are doing nothing, which is kinda creepy. So I'm thinking we kill that super tusky boy-" What happened to using Goliath? "-and get rid of a big future headache!"
"Will I be joining?" Jeanne seemed excited.
"Eh?" Astolfo seemed shocked at the idea. "No. You'll be here, defending." Astolfo pointed to the ground, for extra measure, causing Jeanne to deflate. "I'll be leading a personal company of 500 of my best knights to take it on. You-" He pointed at Jaune and continued, "-Will be joining. I'm getting good vibes from you. The plan is to board it before killing it with a super cool big awesome attack. You-" He pointed at Jeanne. "-can just stay around. I'm training you so that, if Orleans comes under attack while we're gone, you can lead your own forces to defend it. The cannons are for really big Grimm or dense clusters."
"Eh?" Jeanne looked a bit stupefied.
"So! Let's get back to cannon stuff! We have a buncha super cool things!"
A part of Jeanne desperately wanted to protest, to take the fight up with the enemy herself, to lead the charge with her banner, and to fulfill the task the lord gave to her. But, that part was tempered by the one that told her to heed the warnings of her colleagues and companion, to listen and consider. After all, her powers as they were weren't really all that helpful with a company of knights who already had aura. But, in a place absolutely filled with footmen who didn't bear the shield of the soul, it was exponentially more useful. Eventually, the side of caution won out, if only because she knew that rushing into battle only to sate her own hunger was likely just her own indulgence. Following through on that determination, Jeanne decided to put her all into learning what Astolfo had to teach.
"Alright!" With the most eager smile she could muster, Jeanne met Astolfo's eyes.
Turns out, the towns weren't starving due to good planning. Someone had advised many lords to keep a stock of green mana Dust for prolonged sieges and that stockpile was apparently the only thing keeping the places from falling in days. It was heavily rationed, of course, but it was still enough to feed the people. With a potential breakthrough, the local lord saw fit to donate a portion of his boars and bovines for a feast. It was a town wide celebration with extra rations for the townsfolk and a cut of meat for the knights.
Jaune could see why the lord would do it. With a pivotal attack days away, raised morale would be a good idea. It may not be wise to bet so much food on such a thing, but if the attack failed they were essentially screwed anywaysa. Sir Astolfo was taking half of the city's knights with him. If they perished and the Grimm went on the offensive, then there was little chance of them surviving. Might as well have a good feast to put the knights in a good mood and let the townspeople celebrate.
And celebrate they did. Everyone drank and ate to savor, cheering and singing and dancing with their plates and mugs. The food was far from what they had in the past, but it was something sizable after years of small portions. Musicians played lyres and flutes and pans and drums to create a harmonious melody that rang through the streets. Everyone was in a good mood.
Jaune smiled as he passed through the crowd, spotting empty wooden mugs and filling them with water from his canteen. Those who received the drink were surprised from the appearance, as they usually had to stick to ale. Many proclaimed that the presence of the holy maiden had given many the blessing of clean water. The knight didn't have it in himself to dissuade the notion. Plus, if she got embarrassed about having another miracle attributed to her, all the more benefit to him!
Jaune had spent most of the early day sketching out the landscape from the wall, conversing casually with an archer and actually making friends with the guy. His name was Alan, a conscript who took up the bow in his wounded father's name. He had gotten quite skilled, actually catching up with the rest of the archers in record time. They all had to be precise, able to nail a Beowolf through its mouth or eye from hundreds of feet away. Really, the archers were a good part of why the Grimm hadn't overtaken Orleans and Vale in general.
The Goliath kept on watching Orleans. If the size wasn't an indication, then the restraint the lurking horde was showing was proof enough of its leadership. He went down from the walls after a few good sketches, hoping to meet up with Jeanne. She was dedicated, if nothing else, forgoing the festivities in order to spent the short time she had training. Physical conditioning, aura discipline, the usage of the banner and a sword, and even limited field command. Astolfo, even before being informed of her power, was set on making Jeanne a properly trained knight commander.
Still, she should have a little fun. It was still a few more days before their assault on the Goliath was set to happen and the point of the festival was to relax.
He found her in the barracks training yard. Jeanne, sweating pools in her hot armor, was wielding her banner with grave. With plated hands, she thrust into straw training dummies with rapid precision. Her form was a little awkward and she could definitely cut the time between followups, but it was still a far cry from the farmgirl who could barely wield a sword just days prior. Perhaps she was just better suited to spears?
"Nice work, but you look like you're about to fry." Jaune emerged from the shadows of the barracks building, his voice surprising Jeanne, who had put all of her focus into the exercise.
"Hello, Jaune. Did you enjoy watching the birds?" That was what he said he was going to do.
"Yep. And have you just been training this entire time? It's already afternoon." As if on cue, Jeanne's stomach growled. "I'm pretty sure there's still a bit of pork and poultry left~"
"I-I do not need it." The drool running down her jaw and the rumbling coming from her chest were painting another picture. "Gluttony is an evil."
"Really? Cause I grabbed a plate for you on the way here. If you don't want it I guess-"
"Well if you've labored bringing me a meal, who am I to say no? To do such would be ungrateful." Jeanne refused to meet Jaune's gaze, which was filled with mirth. He handed over a plate with some meat and veggies along with a mug of water. She looked around his age, so he refrained from getting alcohol, mostly because it was hunter grade.
"I wonder, where do you get the water that's in your bottle?" Jeanne, with manners befitting a farmgirl, spoke as she chewed ravenously. It also could've been the intense hunger that was coloring her actions.
"Uhhhhh-" He could explain his semblance and how Dust worked, or he could just not. "-It's connected to the ocean." Good enough.
"Oh! Really? I've never seen the ocean, but I've heard it's crystal clear! That must be why the water from it is so clean!" She swallowed, choking a bit from the sheer amount of food she tried to shove down her throat, and washed it all down with water. "Have you seen the ocean?"
"Hmm? Oh, yea, I have." Old memories came to mind. They seemed so distant, yet he could recall them fairly easily. "It's an experience, I'll tell you that."
"Were you on a large boat for a naval battle?"
"Eh? No, nothing like that. I could only get a small little thing, you probably could fit twenty in a river width wise. And I've only gone out for short fishing trips." And that one time when he was stuck on sea for a week or so with only fish and his canteen to sustain him. It ended up with him landing on Menagerie, much to the shock of a very embarrassed couple. But that was a story for another time. "It's relaxing, minus the Grimm."
"There are Grimm in the ocean?"
"Oh, yea, lots!" Jaune chuckled, remembering the dozens of times his boat was almost capsized by a school of Shredders or a Whitefin moving at arrow speeds. "And you should look at the teeth of some of them! There was this one big one that had like a hundred of these large things that looked like curvy swords! They could probably shred through metal!" Jeanne looked disturbed at the description, her imagination likely taking the description and running wild.
"I-I suddenly want to see the sea less."
"Oh, c'mon Jeanne, it's not that bad!" Jaune chuckled a bit. "Anyways, I've picked up a little gift for you."
"Hmmm?"
"Tadah!" Jaune pulled out what looked to be a spearhead made from a fine gem. "Try putting it on." Jeanne seemed a bit confused at the sudden gift, but followed his instructions. "Now try hitting the dummy." She nodded and did a strong thrust into the bundled up straw. Suddenly, power radiated from the tip and large transparent spikes emerged in a second, completely obliterating the dummy.
"What!?"
"It's a fine Hard Light dust crystal, its sturdy, and runs out of power slower than normal Dust." On his drunken person he found a number of unfamiliar things, one thing of notice being a ring with a fine hard light dust crystal in it. He took it out and had it fashioned into a spearhead for her, mostly because he didn't really have much use for it. "With that and these, I can teach you some basic Dustwork." He pulled out a few other dust spearheads that he created from the gifted crystals he received as reward for their service.
"Really?" Jeanne was thoroughly impressed by the gift and seemingly moreso by his offer of training. "Then again, I probably should've expected this from you. You're proficient with a sword, a shield, your fists, a pan, a kitchen knife, and now sorcery as well. What is next? You're well versed in dancing like a nobleman?"
"..." Jaune gulped, she hit it right on the money.
"Well, if I ever have to dance, I guess I should take you up on that."
"Yea, maybe. Though I'm pretty sure you'd suck at it." Jaune gave a teasing smile while Jeanne huffed.
"Well I'm not of noble birth, the closest to dancing I've been is festivals!" She put down her banner and jabbed at Jaune with her fingers instead, who chuckled at the petty assault.
As they continued to talk on and on, occasionally switching to training, all Jaune could do was savor these peaceful moments while they lasted.
It was the day of the assault. Astolfo took Jaune and half of the knights from Orleans to lead a frontal charge against the Titanic Goliath, which the paladin dubbed 'Astolfo's Manhood.' After a round of groaning from the knights present, he gave it the proper name of Gigant. Among their company was 100 veteran knights who each had at least a decade of service, 350 with 5 to 10 years of experience, and 50 of the best rookies. Breaking up the numbers further, 100 were armed with bows and arrows and they had brought several cannons with them. There were 50 heavily trained Dust knights. The rest were armed with various spears, hammers, and swords.
Every horse was able to carry two knights. Apparently, the reason why their mounts weren't crumpling from the weight and were actually going really fast was because they had aura. The horses all had aura.
He really felt silly for laughing at Amber now. It made sense, why not make the horses more durable? Anyways, the force left Orleans an hour or so ago and went through a clearing that led to the Goliath. The problem was the horde of Grimm that began chasing them. There were flocks of Nevermore bombarding them with suicide rushes and feather blitzes. Beowolves leapt out of the woods whenever one strayed too close to slow a knight or so down. If they were skilled, they could dispatch it easily and catch up. The unfortunate were knocked off of their horses and consumed by their pursuers, dying screams sending chills down their spines.
Ravagers made patches of dirt explode, often forcing the group to split in order to avoid their horses slipping in the disturbed ground. Swarms of Wheatkillers were fended off by Dust-Knights who shot clouds of icy mist to kill them in droves. Sulfur Fish clusters began assaulting them with a rain of fire, bigger constructs throwing smaller ones in an attempt to crush them under their red hot bodies.
Under the constant assault, Jaune kept vigilant. His shield blocked a blow every other second as he swung at opportunistic Beowolves and amushing Ursai, with Astolfo covering the front with his lance. And he was skilled with it, making thrusts that instantly shattered even Alphas as he lead the cavalry charge. The other knights were also holding up pretty well, holding up their shields as they weathered blows and slaughtered Grimm. The thing was that even with the kill to loss ratio being heavily skewed in their favor, it wouldn't matter in the slightest given that they were outnumbered 10,000 to 1.
Still, they approached.
"Wait." Jaune realized something. They were heading at high speeds towards the Gigant. The plan was for all of them to board the giant. The problem? "How?"
"What!?" Astolfo heard him, somehow.
"How are we supposed to get on that thing!?" Seemed like a pretty freaking big oversight from the Paladin!
"Oh, don't worry. You'll see in a minute. Just, make sure you're steady on to Rabicano!" He then yelled to the other knights. "WE'RE BOARDING, MEN! DUST KNIGHTS, READY YOURSELVES!" Jaune could see several knights fiddling with their equipment. Some changed out Dust crystals in their gauntlets, a few others switched the orb in their staff, and some just grabbed another wand. Either way, after a few moments, all was ready. "AND LIFT!"
Jaune thought he had seen everything. He was wrong.
A cavalry charge of around 250 horses suddenly began to fucking fly. It was by a slight incline, but they were definitely beginning to tilt upwards. Jaune sheathed Crocea Mors and dedicated all of his strength to holding on for dear life as they began going upwards at a 90 degree angle up the Goliath's leg. Flying Grimm followed, with archer knights on horseback shooting them as they approached. On the ground floor, most Grimm found themselves incapable of moving upwards. Then, the Beringels grabbed their smaller brethren and began throwing them upwards.
The ones with claws like Beowolves and smaller Beingels clung to the long fur of the Goliath's leg, using it to climb upwards towards the rapidly ascending cavalry. Meanwhile, the Gigant was actually panicking. Sure, it doubted what the mortals could do to it, but it had virtually no defenses against something on its body. All it could do was command the smaller troops to board it and dispose of them. That and try whacking them with its tail, but they were too far up its back to be in range. Tipping over wasn't an option either, since no other Grimm was actually large enough to flip it over again.
All it could do was hope that its natural defenses were enough to fend them off so that the smaller Grimm could kill them.
Meanwhile, the company of knights had arrived on top of the Gigant. From Orleans to there, they had lost many. Around 50 knights had fallen, but there were 450 more ready to end the fight. Meanwhile, from the edges, Grimm were starting to emerge on the Goliath's back, ready to slaughter the foolish mortals. Hateweavers had crawled upwards with the help of their sticky webs. Beringels and Beowolves used the fur like rope. And packs of Manticores and Griffons picked up smaller Grimm to drop them in squads on the Goliath's back in routine runs, usually deploying Ursa Majors or large Boarbatusks.
"ALRIGHTY MEN! GUARD THE DUST KNIGHTS AS THEY GET TO WORK!" Astolfo was still in high spirits, Rabicano sprinting around the formation the knights created. The Dust Knights slowed completely, pulling out their materials and getting to work. They had to borrow a lot from the Lord's own Dust, but if they could defeat the Gigant, it would be worth it. Jaune could see clusters of knights using rock Dust crystals while others used gravity Dust to hold up the constructs. Meanwhile, knights defended them with their own weapons, letting their weapons cleave through the flesh and bone of both approaching Grimm and the hide of the Gigant.
Meanwhile, Jaune jumped off to act as a skirmisher. He told Astolfo he had plenty of experience fighting (and running) against large Grimm, so the Paladin gave Arc the task of holding back anything too big. He patted himself down, checking his ammo. Flares were rare here, but he could make due with makeshift metal ones he had forged. In his pockets there were 3 fire Dust, gravity Dust, ice Dust, and electricity Dust flares. If he was stingy, it might last him for a while.
He steadied his breathing as he approached a Terrorantula the size of a tank, his body tense.
It tried to crush him under its armored leg, but he dodged with a roll. Then, he transitioned into holding his shield at an angle to deflect another attempted impaling strike before using his aura to protect Crocea Mors from getting stuck on the giant arachnid's webbing as he sliced a blast of it aimed at his face in half.
As he hacked away at the Terrorantula, Astolfo was having the time of his life. He discovered that just a touch from his golden lance (that he somehow got while drunk years ago) was enough to throw even the largest of Grimm off of the Goliath's back. He didn't know why, but he'd gladly abuse the fact as he charged by crowds of Ursai and Beowolves, sending them flying as Rubicano passed by. He actually helped Jaune out, slamming into the large spider Grimm just as it was about to slam into Jaune once more.
"Thanks!" Jaune didn't do much more, focused on his job. There were a few hundred or so Manticores in, Griffons, and Giant Nevermore in the air all grabbing and bringing up Grimm reinforcements. Meanwhile, Sphinxes were doing strafing runs to scorch the knights. So, spotting a Giant Nevermore rising upwards, he jumped off of the Gigant's back, eventually grabbing onto its head and avoiding being skewered by the beak. After a few minutes of wrangling, he was on its back, hands around its neck. He began leaning in order to steer it, forcing it to continue its path upwards. The Ursa it was carrying could do nothing, lest it destroy its carrier and fall to its death. And that wasn't even counting the fact that its arms were too stubby to be capable of reaching him.
They continued rising until they reached a suitable height, whereupon Jaune pulled out Crocea Mors and beheaded the Nevermore, using its rapidly fading corpse as a platform to jump off of in order to board a Manticore. He landed on its back and made to block the stinger that was aiming for his form. As it bounced off of his shield, he cleaved it off with Crocea Mors, leaving the Manticore with few ways to get rid of him.
Well, ok, it had a few. Namely, it just did a barrel roll, forcing him off of its back. He had to use the jets from his armor in order to jump on a nearby sphinx. He dodged its snake tail and wasted no time in shooting the back of its head with a gravity Dust. The explosion the projectile created was able to cave in the Sphinx's skull, killing it.
He'd continue this pattern of leaping off of a Sphinx or Manticore or Griffin, killing it, and jumping off once more. The Knights on the ground were faring just as well, keeping up their lines and guarding the Dust Knights as they continued working. Many fell to the unbelievably large horde that seemed to be unending, but many more survived.
Meanwhile, the Goliath had given up on conserving numbers. It was calling more and more to its position in order to dispose of these mortals. It could sense something was happening that had the potential to kill it. And it was intelligent enough that it had self preservation.
Archers loosed arrows as Nevermore, Griffins, Manticores, and Sphinxes alike tried smashing into the rock constructs that were hovering above the Gigant. Their arrows, tipped with ice dust, pierced their necks or exposed parts of their heads and began to rapidly freeze the insides. The frozen blood would rapidly expand and, in seconds, the Grimms' heads would explode. Still, they saved those for the ones too close to the construct to risk missing or needing another shot. For the farther ones, they confidently fired regular arrows that would take off wings or land through the gaps in their armor.
The Dust Knights, meanwhile, all had chests full of high quality dust that they worked through at astonishing speeds. Now, they could all see what was being made. Several large spears of stone were being held above the Gigant, with enough distance and weight that when released, they would pierce its back and tear through its flesh. Jaune found himself amazed at the sight, the only thing hampering his enjoyment being the constant aerial combat he was engaging in.
He was conserving ammo fairly well, left with about half of the flares he originally had and at around 30% aura. And he had been going at it for around an hour by then. Just the exercise probably depleted 10% as his soul tried to make up for the stamina loss. 45% was from fighting off the venom from a Sphinx's snakebite while 15% was from sparse usage of the dust in his armor.
But, it wasn't enough. Jaune noticed that Grimm were actually in higher numbers than before. There were more airborne menaces dropping in more Grimm and the lines were buckling, though still holding strong. Casualties were building up and morale was being chipped away. All skirmishers except Astolfo had fallen back into the lines, otherwise they'd be overwhelmed. The only reason he hadn't felt the enemy reinforcements was because the Grimm had enough sense as to not attack their own kin.
"HOW MUCH MORE TIME!?" Astolfo yelled from his position as he got off his horse to personally destroy countless Grimm, letting his horse rest as he created a one man perimeter to guard it.
"TWENTY MINUTES!" A Dust Knight yelled out. The stone spears needed to be heavy, stable, and sharp. Just creating the pillars was one thing, but shaping them? That took effort and time. If they released it now, there was a good chance the thing would just collapse or snap on the hide of the Gigant.
"ALRIGHT MEN, COVER YOUR EARS!" The Knights did so in a panic. Jaune as well decided to heed the Paladin's warning as, from out of nowhere, he pulled out a giant horn.
And then he blew it.
Even with plugged ears, Jaune knew that the sound it created was absolutely horrible. It was cringe inducing and it made him shake in his greaves. His fingers were actually hurting from having to block the sound. The Grimm too felt the effects.
Many fled. There were plenty who didn't, but they quickly learned to fear the horn when out of nowhere, the ones who didn't run found their heads exploding. And after what seemed like eternity of that accursed noise, it stopped. The Knights had been given a small time to rest, a greater gap between them and the Grimm, and Astolfo's attack had depleted their numbers. It was barely a splash in the pool, but it was still sizable, and it reinvigorated the men.
Jaune was amazed at the fact that the Paladin somehow had such a powerful magical artifact on him. In fact, now that Jaune thought about it, he had two: The lance and the horn. And he could've sworn the man had another one on him. Anyways, the knight noticed Astolfo was strewn about on the floor, completely wiped out of energy from using the horn. Wasting no time, Jaune descended from the skies onto the Gigiant's back and put Astolfo on his horse before leading it behind friendly lines.
"Whew, that was awesome," Astolfo weakly muttered as Jaune jogged with the Horse away from encroaching Grimm.
"Yea, it was." The Knights were in high enough numbers that they could take turns holding the lines, occasionally switching out so that one group could take a breather. Some had even brought food or drink to consume while doing so, though must stuck to sharpening their weapons or fastening their armor. A few gave pats on the back to the tired Paladin while others raised morale by cheering the efforts of their comrades. A few even gave Jaune friendly fistbumps for his risky but effective air combat.
"Wowzers, I'm all sore now. This is why I don't use the horn." Astolfo bemoaned his aching muscles as he tried to stand up on the back of his horse, yelping quietly as Rubicano bucked him back to laying down for his own sake.
The next few minutes were a blur as they regained their bearings and stamina, though Astolfo was still down for the count. Eventually, Jaune joined the front lines and worked hard to keep the Grimm from reaching the Dust Knights. He tried boosting the people he could, jumping from bubble to bubble in order to save anyone who was injured. He saw a few die before he could reach them but only let that quicken his pace as he trekked through the tides of Grimm on a fraction of his power to sacrifice it for others.
Eventually, the Dust Knights had finished. Five giant spears of stone were held above the Gigant, ready to end the fight.
"PALADIN ASTOLFO! WE'RE READY!" A Dust Knight called out to their commander, who smiled.
"ALRIGHT MEN!" He raised his fist weakly, though his voice kept strong. "GROUP ONE, DROP!" The most hindward spear was raised ever so slightly before being let go, gravity going to work as it was accelerated by the Dust Knights. With a mighty groan that all could hear, the Gigant was pierced through the back by the giant pillar. Gravity Dust was used to plunge it deeper and deeper while the knights furiously defended their position as they ran the final part of the marathon. "GROUP TWO!" Another. "GROUP THREE!" An agonized cry. "GROUP FOUR!" Wailing, thrashing, screaming. It tried hitting them with its tails and trunk to no avail, for it couldn't reach. "GROUP FIVE!" And the final one fell. Jaune and Astolfo were near it and could feel wind kick up from the impact, they were splattered with Grimm blood that made Jaune cringe, even as it evaporated into nothingness. "PHASE TWO!"
"Wait, what?" Jaune thought that this was it. The five spears had already pierced the Gigant with almost their entire length. Although it wasn't impaled, it certainly was in tremendous pain. How could they outdo this attack?
The answer was given when Jaune realized there were holes in the spears. They were partially hollow, created with numerous shafts that Dust Knights began pouring vast quantities of fire and gravity dust through. Those grains and crystals slowly worked their way down the spear until they reached the bottom, which rapidly moved upwards as more and more air was forced out by the dust.
And soon, all of their fire dust was gone,
"IGNITE!"
What happened next was something Jaune couldn't describe. Suddenly, flaming Fire Dust crystals were sent down the shafts, with air dust being used to quicken its pace. As if synchronized, all of the dust was detonated at once. Packed tight and given very little room, large explosions went off in the Gigant, destroying its internals. Astolfo wasn't too sure about the Grimm's anatomy and as such, simply shrugged and decided to stab everywhere.
The Gigant, something so mammoth that if it were to appear in modern day Remnant, everybody might actually join hand in hand to destroy it with haste, exploded. Fire dug through its flesh and burst out of its skin, creating pillars of flame and black dust that shot out of its sides. Flesh was torn apart, bone was shattered, and its form crumpled. Disorienting everyone on the back of the Gigant, it buckled and broke, sending people flying through the air as their once stable ground was destroyed and began to fade.
"GOOD JOB, KNIGHTS! WHEN WE'RE BACK DRINKS ARE ON ME!" To that, everyone cheered. Many picked up the wounded and mounted their horses even with the shaking, readying themselves for the fight of their life.
Because around them were the certifiable legion of Grimm that couldn't make it up on time. And from the corpse of the Gigant came out black ooze which began to spawn Grimm of its own, large Grimm, angry Grimm, Grimm that no longer were disciplined by a commander.
And then Jaune realized something.
"Shit." Orleans was vulnerable. It was nearby a giant horde of Grimm (more than he thought, since the Gigant began calling more local forces to kill its attackers), it had 500 mostly rookie knights, and had tons of civilians. "SHITSHITSHIT!" Jaune began running off, only stopped by Astolfo.
"Yo, what's the matter?"
"Orleans! It's going to be attacked!"
"EH!?" Astolfo's face dropped at the news. "Well, don't let me stop you, get to it! We'll just slow you down, take Rubicano and get there quick!" Astolfo urged Jaune to go and he didn't argue, mounting the understanding horse and setting off, boosting its aura to make it go faster while using his sword and shield to cleave a path forward.
The battle was won, but there were more on the rapidly approaching horizon.
Jeanne D'Arc was standing on Orlean's walls, looking at the distant battle. All the Grimm seemingly left the forest to congregate on the Goliath, practically swarming it with their numbers. Many archers seemed relieved that no Grimm were attacking and some even began to relax properly, but Jeanne kept vigilant.
And then her spine shivered and images flashed through her head when the Goliath fell, even as the men began cheering.
She froze up when confronted with these images, fearful of the forces she'd seen. The attack on Orleans days before was nothing compared to the numbers here. If that was a small skirmish, this was a slaughter waiting to happen. She felt her knees quiver and her palms shake, but words found her ears before fear took her.
"Remember, when you're the commander, you gotta be fearless!" While they were training, Astolfo had given her that advice when he suddenly foisted a hypothetical situation onto her out of nowhere. She had a duty to the men here who were willing to follow her and that duty became determination that reinforced her resolve and let it weather through her fear.
"Men! Ready your bows and arrows! Send for more archers to reinforce this direction! A battle is coming and we will not be found unprepared!" She commanded without hesitation, making the jubilant archers shake with her sudden directions. Still, they complied. The holy woman who said she had received visions from the Lord had already proven herself once by coming in their darkest hour, so they would heed her words. A few men excused themselves to walk down the wall to call the other archers to fill their side. Obviously, they'd leave a few on their flanks, to do otherwise would be suicide, but they assumed she had a reason to call for this. "Are there any dust knights still present!?"
"No Ma'am! They all left with the assaulting force!"
"Do we have water and ice arrows!?" Some advice Jaune gave her when she asked about defensive tactics came to mind.
"Yes!"
"Spread them out between the men and have them wet the ground before freezing it. Make sure they do not fire until the Grimm come into view!"
"Of course!"
"From there, fire upon the Grimm from afar. I'll be leading a force of foot soldiers and knights on the ground."
"Yes Ma'am!" None questioned the normally suicidal move, assuming the miracle she preformed before was going to be done again. Meanwhile, Jeanne switched out the tip of her banner to an ice Dust spearhead before moving to the barracks closest to the gate facing where the Gigant used to be. She moved like a blur through the street, her serious face making all who saw her move out of the way.
She was a woman on a mission and could not be stopped. She slammed the door to the barracks open and began issuing orders to the foot soldiers inside. "Men! Retrieve pikes and heavy shields, then meet me at the northern gate! Send people to five others barracks to spread the message! Send another man to the knights' quarters and have all of them make haste as well!" She left as quickly as she entered in order to head to the gate.
She was at the front door to Orleans, watching the woods. To most, it seemed peaceful, with all the action happening near the decaying Gigant. But Jeanne knew better, Grimm were coming their way, and she had to stop them. Soon, hundreds of men wielding pikes and shields were in row in front of her, standing straight and staring at the back of her head. Along with them were the 500 rookie knights, far more capable than a footman, but still rather weak on their own.
"Men! Form a defensive line! Grimm will be coming this direction." Astolfo's advice surrounding how to utilize normal troops against Grimm came to mind. "Keep your shields up! Do not hesitate to fall back! Our goal is to keep them from reaching and breaching the walls, so work with haste!" The men nodded and shuffled into formation as she instructed, forming large rows of pikes that the Grimm were going to run into. Jeanne's semblance blanketed them with a golden glow. "Knights shall spread out as well, reinforcing parts of the line that buckle!"
And then something came out of the woods. The discipline of the archers kept them from firing as they saw it was a knight coming out. Specifically, the knight that came with the holy maiden on the Paladin's horse. He seemed in a hurry and quickly reached Jeanne, letting the horse come to a halt as he jumped off.
"Well, I was going to tell you to get ready, but I guess you already did." Jaune was surprised and proud. Did she guess that the Grimm, without their leader, would break ranks and charge blindly at them?
"I received a vision and acted upon it. Your presence is appreciated, I will need your help in keeping these soldiers alive." He nodded and let Rubicano trot back into Orleans to get some rest while he stayed by Jeanne's side. Some of the men got a bit antsy with the waiting, but her worries were vindicated when the Grimm emerged from the forest in vast numbers. Trees actually began to be uprooted by the sheer numbers that flooded out. The footmen shook but held the line, steady in their faith. Archers fired from their walls onto the floor, first flash flooding the ground before rapidly freezing it.
The Grimm, mindlessly rushing with all intelligence muted by repressed bloodlust, could only blindly slip and fall on the ice, which slowed their momentum as more and more tripped. Others climbed over their fallen kin and continued rushing, with arrows picking off many.
But the ones who didn't slammed against the wall of pikes, finding unexpected resistance from the seemingly puny mortals who shivered but held firm against their charge. Many were impaled and began to disintegrate as their momentum worked against them. Jeanne found a sliver of her power draining as she reinforced the forms of the men to keep them from falling. Really, she lost the most aura when she protected someone from a direct slash. Most other things were rather small losses.
Jeanne didn't stay passive in the back. In fact, the moment she could, she charged forward with her banner and began lightening the load for the soldiers under her command wherever possible. Grimm were skewered, barrier erected out of pure light, and occasionally a pillar of fire would roast a Grimm alive as the footmen backed up. Jaune followed after her, acting as a shield whenever necessary and pouring aura into her occasionally.
They had created a more efficient blender that worked efficiently at disposing of the waves of Grimm. The only problem that they swiftly grasped was numbers. They were, regardless of efficiency, very outnumbered. The archers and the ice did well to slow down and caused them to choke as they tried to climb over towers of their own kin instead of using an ounce of intelligence by going around the stacked bodies, but regardless of that fact, they were extremely outnumbered. It was to the point where Jeanne had momentary slip ups where her semblance couldn't cover the soldiers.
The deaths began adding up and Jaune became more attentive to Jeanne's aura levels, constantly keeping it up as she tried to protect her soldiers. A part of her wanted to break down crying at the sight of the gored and mangled man, but she knew that she couldn't. To do so would let down the others, it would only create more corpses.
She changed out her spear heads fairly often, boiling an Ursa alive before zapping a giant Nevermore with lightning and then creating a spikes of stone that impaled a Beowolf that was about to pounce on a guard. Her sword didn't go unused either. After she stabbed the banner into the ground, she pulled out her shortsword and slashed wildly at approaching Grimm. It was obvious she was barely trained, what with her lackluster form and bad grip, but the Grimm were so densely packed that it didn't matter what she did, practically any attack would kill something.
Still, they were losing, even if just barely. More troops were mobilizing as their initial guards began dropping, but it was a problem of competing meat grinders.
And then they heard it.
"WE'RE ALIVE!" Astolfo's ever cheery voice rang out from the forest as the 234 strong company of knights bolted out of the forest. Many had been lost, but there were still plenty left, and they were more than ready to kick Grimm ass. The sizable black sea was now surrounded as the knights charged forward, slaughtering Grimm left and right as the guards held their ground with even more determination. The archers began shooting arrows at an even quicker pace, downing Manticores and Nevermores at higher speeds now that an end was in sight.
From there, the battle was a blur. The fighting was fierce, had many close calls for everyone involved, but it ended with the Grimm completely annihilated. Despite the massive death counts, all everyone could do was cheer because for once, there were no Grimm nearby Orleans.
It was the night after Orleans was finally freed from the Grimm's siege. Some farmers had already begun moving out of the walls to re-stake their claims to their land and plant their seeds in the fertile soil. Out there under moonlight there was little life to be seen except the occasional wanderer. But, there was one who stood out.
With barely a grunt or groan, Jaune had carried more and more dead to a single space. He arranged them properly, laying on the floor and facing upwards, with graves dug out nearby ready to be loaded with bodies. The ones who were more gore than man were burned. Bugs and maggots and bile oozed from the corpses, but Jaune did not shy away from his duty. He had been working ever since he finished dinner, having forgone the further drinks and celebrations in favor of burying the dead.
It was tradition for him. Whenever he defended a town, he'd take up the gravework while others celebrated. Perhaps he just wanted to say goodbye to these people he never knew, perhaps his soft heart couldn't rest easy without giving the perished some dignity. Whatever the reason, he continued to search for bodies. Piles were spread out, horses and armored men were dragged from the forest. Occasionally, he'd find a living knight and restore his aura before letting them go back to Orleans to get some care and rest.
It was quiet work, his only music being the chirping of the crickets.
"Jaune?" And suddenly, her eyes met his. She saw a tired man dragging himself further after the fight of his life. He saw a worried friend. "What are you doing?"
"Laying the dead out. There'll be burials soon. I'm just preparing for it. There's many left to mourn, so I'll let them choose what to do." Jaune sighed as he scanned the area once more. It was a bit past midnight. An hour or two ago, he had finished up on the corpse piles made by the Grimm. After that, it was just blind wandering through the woods.
"... Come inside."
"No, Jeanne, I can't. You should instead."
"Hmph." She sighed, knowing that her plea would go nowhere. Instead of trying to convince him further, he joined him. She knelt besides a body and began to pray, muttering to the heavens so that the dead would all go to Heaven for their service. Jaune, having exhausted himself with the constant work, simply sat down with an undignified thud from the dirt.
They sat in silence for a while, the only sounds being Jeanne's prayers and the crickets.
"Is this the path of a knight?" Jeanne looked at all the bodies and finally let her emotions overtake her. Her voice cracked and wavered, tears flowed freely down her cheeks.
"Yep." Jaune drank from his canteen, finally noticing how dry his throat was. "You'll see this a lot. So many dead." Faces flashed through his vision, almost haunting and taunting him with their mortified expressions. He much more liked the dead with peaceful faces. Perhaps it was selfish, but he felt more at ease when it looked like they weren't absolutely terrified as their road was cut off. "It's why I want you to go inside. Celebrate."
"And why won't you?"
"Cause there's work to be done." Another swig, it seemed like he needed more water than he thought. "There's people to save. And I didn't really do much. Do I really deserve to have toasts made in my name? To be cheered and pat on the back? For grieving families to thank me from the bottom of their hearts even though-"
"Don't I deserve the blame?" Jaune looked at her. "They were under my command. I led them into battle. I told them to make war. Their deaths are my fault, are they not?" Jeanne was not having his self pitying spiel. "And yet the people of Orleans call me a holy maiden who will bring peace and prosperity to the land once more. Astolfo called me a true hero. The knights offered countless praise whenever we crossed paths. But I am a simple farmgirl who simply did what was right." Jeanne stood up. "Jaune, I know not what guilt you carry on your back, I know not why you insist on burdening yourself like this, but I do know that you chose this path to save people. And you did. We did. We helped save the people of Orleans. So please, take my hand." She stood up and offered it under the glow of the moon which made her eyes shine like priceless gemstones.
"When did you become such a passionate orator?" Jaune chuckled under his breath as he took her hand and almost made her fall with his weight as he tried to get up. "Alright, alright, I'll have some more food."
"Good."
The sound of grunting and dirt being displaced was a common occurance near the knight stronghold of Orleans, where those present often went to practice their skills. In the days following the Battle of the Gigant, many had taken breaks in order to recoup after such an event. But even as her seniors waned in their duties, Jeanne and Jaune never stopped practicing.
Well, until now.
"How are you so good at this!?" Jaune cried out as Jeanne stole the ball from him once more. They were playing soccer and Jeanne was delighted at how she finally found another thing she was better at than Jaune. One would think the knight would have all the necessary skills, coordinated footwork, strength, and stamina were things he had in spades. But despite that, Jeanne managed to run circles around him.
"I think the problem lies in your skill!" To add onto the pettiness, Jeanne stuck her tongue out before reeling the ball in so Jaune only kicked up dust. He fell on his ass and, as expected, cursed quite a few times as pain jolted through him. Most of his body was armored, but his rear was still exposed and was battered by the fall.
"I swear I'll win one of these times." Jaune got up again, undeterred as per usual and continued to engage her in close quarters combat.
Really, they were just doing this because sparring had gotten extremely repetitive at a point and they had up and decided to do something else with their time.
So, they played ball. Jaune got the idea after finding a piece of pig's skin discarded and soon they were having fun.
And then more decided to join. Children who had snuck away from their duty watched as the young savior of Orleans played with her companion, laughing all the while. Jaune noticed them and motioned for them to join in, with Jeanne smiling as the kids enthusiastically did so. They had been through so much already, these moments were needed.
And so, the group played ball. They formed teams, strategies, and they even made up rules on the spot as they tried to get an edge over each other with increasingly bizarre strategems. It ended with all of them laughing as the ball bounced off of several walls before breaking a window and exploding in the shards.
"Hahahaha!" And Astolfo was there watching them. Jaune and Jeanne made their way to him, shaking off the mirth as they privately wondered why he was there. For the past few days, he'd actually been busy working, assigning knights to public duties like rebuilding or farmwork. The two of them actually had spent the past day plowing the fields.
"Hey, Astolfo, what's up?" Jaune spoke first, interrupting the Paladin's laughter.
"Oh, heya Jaune!" The Paladin stood up straight once more. "And you're here with the Lady of Hope, great!"
"Lady of-" Before Jeanne could question it, Astolfo interrupted.
"So, uh, I got some new orders! You see, we've destroyed the Grimm near Orleans, but there are still a bunch more everywhere else. And while some have attacked, there are still way too many for a counter assault to be effective. So uh, you two will lead a force of knights to purge the Grimm nearby several towns. After that, I'm told you'll have to go to the palace."
"Eh?" With the sudden flood of new information, Jeanne's jaw was hanging.
"Oh yea! Your coming was actually prophesized! According to this old thingamajiggy, a child of rivers-" Basically anyone born to a farmer. "-shall rise up in Valea's darkest moment and save it from the darkness." The silence between the three was palpable. "Yep! So, you're now an official holy girl. Good job on the promotion!"
"Eh!?" Jeanne seemed even more confused.
"Huh." Jaune was only barely shocked. Really, nothing could top the fact that he somehow was thrown back in time by a very rough bender.
If someone screams and nobody is around to hear it, did the scream make any sound? Well, to Salem, it certainly did. She had been screaming for hours in pure rage as her plan crumbled into dust in seconds. She had finally mustered her resolve after centuries of stewing in her own misery and actually decided to apply some of that tactical genius she and Ozma were known for. She had a good plan, choosing the most prosperous kingdom for humanity's defeat in detail. She created a formidable general for the Grimm that actually bore an inch of intellectual prowess, and then some FUCKING FARMER SHOWED UP AND RUINED IT ALL!
She wished she hadn't focused so much on the cities, she wished she hadn't had the swarms choke out those bastions and instead had her armies simply destroy the land as they roamed. But she didn't, she had to destroy those havens of brick and wood because she was spiteful of Ozma's great kingdom. She had to because she despised how they stood against her armies, as she could imagine him laughing at her.
And now she was seemingly powerless to do anything but watch. She couldn't create any more Grimm, she had dug deep and caused the pools to dry up with her usage of their contents. They wouldn't refill for years! And even then, the process of repopulating the world with Grimm would be arduous and long. It'd give humanity an even stronger edge that she couldn't afford!
Yes, she was immortal, but she was still frustrated with the sudden turning of tides.
And then an idea popped into her head. The Grimm pools weren't the only source of Grimm. No, long ago, the dark draconic lord of destruction had created the first Grimm with its own infinite apendages. It had plucked hairs off of its own skin and spun a tapestry that would become primordial devestators of all that was living.
She just had to kill one.
And that's what she got to doing. She began to walk through the Grimmlands, to where she knew an elder Grimm was. Where she knew it lurked. Where she knew it watched.
She delved deep into the darkness, with the air becoming ink as she immersed herself into the shadows of the cave. She walked and walked and walked and walked until she was face to face with a monster far surpassing any of her creations. She was in the presence of a being far older than she, of a being that could destroy entire armies.
It was Fafnir, the mouth that ate. It was a greedy existence that existed to consume and hoard. It was something whose stomach was a world of its own, whose horde was so dense with riches of the old world that it had its own gravity.
The Witch approaches, looking for power. She will find nothing.
"Fafnir! I have come to claim your head and blood!"
You will claim nothing but disappointment and misery.
And so they clashed. The woman born a savant with magic began clashing with the ancient Grimm that had surpassed mortal form. It was a light show that could've destroyed nations. Salem actually felt her circuits fry as she dedicated her entire eternal being to destroying Fafnir in her absolute rage.
And in the end, she won. The darkness subsided until she was left with a corpse oozing primordial chaos. With that essence of the Violet Drake, she began to weave monsters that were like nothing ever seen before, beasts that would scorch Valea alive and render it nothing but an ash filled wasteland.
It was a rare moment of rest for Jaune and Jeanne. The two had been working hard at the mission the Paladin has assigned them. And now, they were taking a break. And by that, Jaune meant sitting sitting in the room a local lord had offered them and having some food. Jaune had decided to cook, much to Jeanne's delight. With full access to the kitchen and its surprisingly diverse array of spices and herbs, he was able to call upon the full extent of his culinary skill to craft a fine dish. Specifically, he made glazed lamb chops.
"I think I did well in today's spar." Jeanne decided to speak first after savoring a few bites of her meal.
"Mhmm." She really did, having been steadily improving ever since she began her training. She was still working on physical conditioning, but they did get to working on her footwork and spear technique. He had no training but he could guess the proper way to use it and that was honestly good enough. "Hey, you ever wonder what your family's doing?"
"Hmm?"
"Like, at Domremy. How's your family? Did they have any protection?"
"Oh." So that's what he was talking about. "Well, Domremy had natural barriers that protected it. And it was so small that the Grimm seemingly ignored it in favor of Orleans. My family is probably doing well, tending to the land as they always have. Though, they're probably furious with me for leaving out of nowhere." She laughed guiltily, knowing how much of a lecture she was in for.
"That sounds about right." Jaune's fond smile was betrayed by the hint of loss in his eyes.
"Jaune-"
"It's fine, it's fine." He wiped some small tears that were forming as he set down his fork. "I left home to become a hero and I guess that was the price I had to pay." At least he knew they were alive, even if he could never see them again. They'd probably wonder where Jaune was. Perhaps Darling told them that he had disappeared.
"A hero, huh?" Jeanne looked at the knight for a moment, considering everything she knew about him. "I think you've become a fine hero."
"Eh?" He blushed a bit at the compliment. "Oh, uh, thanks. But don't sell yourself short."
"Yes, yes, if you continue to insist." She rolled her eyes and deflected as per usual. There were a few moments of silence as they continued to eat before something flashed through Jeanne's head. "Would you like to hear about them?"
"Hmm?"
"Would you like to hear about my family? If you're missing yours. It won't compare to being nobility, but I hope you'll enjoy it nonetheless."
"Hmm, sure." Jaune smiled, he always wondered about the life she left behind.
"Well, Domremy is a small town, and as such-" And so they chatted away the night, with Jaune getting a full and vivid picture of Domremy painted for him, chalk full of descriptions of the buildings and tidbits about the residents. For Jeanne, it was a nice trip down her idyllic life before. For Jaune, it was a small break from his eternal tiresome trek.
"Well, that sucked."
It had been months. Actual months had passed since the two of them were given that mission by the Paladin. They had set out with a small company of around a hundred knights along with food for them. They had visited various towns and cities, always charging through the siege to enter the gates and get a hold of the situation. They had met many people. They had fought countless battles.
They had argued with a lot of people.
Turns out, many of the lords were kind of dicks. They had argued for hours with one in the vain hopes that he would cut down on his extravagant lifestyle, only to almost be expelled from his town for being rude. Still, they fought the Grimm. The knights seemed rather happy under their command with the constant work as they tore a path through Valea.
And now, they were here. They were at the capitol of the kingdom of Valea. They were at Albion's Keep. It was an absolutely ginormous city that looked out of place among the medieval architecture, with layers upon layers of Byzantine walls and arches keeping the Grimm out. They trekked across a long plains filled with arrows, swords, and ash as they made their way to the main gate.
They brought their company of knights, which had grown to a sizable 1500. Many had jumped at the chance to join them on their offense against the Grimm, eager to let loose once more after months of being locked behind the walls. It had been a long and arduous campaign, but they eventually finished and made their way to the throne to report their progress.
"Yes, it did." Jeanne sighed wearily. "But it must be done, even if it is a chore."
Plus, it was definitely way easier than their assault on the Gigant, so there was that. Even if there were a ridiculous amount of Grimm around Vale. Seriously! Jaune was pretty sure that if this amount of Grimm suddenly just popped up out of nowhere, the council would have a collective heart attack! Hell, a sizable amount of people might faint in shock from the numbers alone! They once found a cave that was filled to bursting with Grimm, with barely any room to breath as it was jam packed with the monsters of the night. It was almost laughable if it weren't for the corpses nearby.
Anyways, Albion's Keep practically put Vale to shame with its scale. Even beyond the battered walls that still stood after what seemed like months of assaults, there was the gate that stood taller than many buildings, which was slowly opened for them. Inside were paved streets, rustic buildings, and people. There were lots and lots of people. And they looked healthy, not even a bit thin! In the distance, they could see rows upon rows upon rows of housing and yet, Jaune couldn't find someone starving. Did Albion's Keep have a plant dust deposit or something?
"Oh my." Jeanne had a hand over her mouth, never before had she seen such majesty.
"Yea." The streets were clean, the people were overjoyed, and the sun was shining. He could understand a city as well fortified as Albion's Keep, which was built using mountains as part of its walls, being safe from the Grimm, but it baffled him how it seemingly thrived under such a threat. "Look, your adoring fans."
And the people crowded around the procession of knights that went through the streets. Many reached for the holy maiden who had brought their kingdom salvation. Many dropped down in prayer immediately. Jeanne modestly blushed, for some reason still insisting on modesty. Jaune rolled his eyes but kept his distance as well, it was her celebration, not his.
As they went further down the streets, with their knights soaking up all the appreciation with a smile, the royal palace came into view. It was large, to say the least. He had seen pictures of Beacon and the castle was essentially just a larger version. There were spirals, towers, bridges, arches, domes, and buttresses that created a huge tapestry of stone that was incredibly pleasing to look at. There were carefully pruned trees and bushes, flower gardens all around, and even fountains of water.
And soon, they were brought through the main hall into the palace, which continued to impress him with all of the carpetry. He could see well dressed men and women walk around with their fine clothing talking in rather fanciful accents. He felt like a country bumpkin compared to them. And that was saying nothing about Jeanne, who could only stammer when one noble rushed up to talk to her.
It felt like only a second later that they were brought to the throne room and kneeled in unison with all others. Elevated above all others, on a grand throne of gold, silver, and steel with silk cushions, was the queen. She was a regal figure with an air of authority and power. In fact, the energy she was subtly radiating reminded him of Amber. She wore a large dark green dress with various cloaks covering her torso and arms, with a fur one on top of all others. On her ears were fine emerald earrings, her neck had a silver necklace with the green gem as well. Her makeup made her seem like smooth stone, with her eyes closed in front of them. In her right hand was a scepter and in her left was a black book. And on her head was a crown that shone like no others, made like twisted roots of wood petrified and eventually made into steel. It had one gem in it, an emerald, but as Jaune stared at it, it felt like it was staring back at him. It was almost as if something in it was laughing at him.
"All rise for the Indomitable Lady of Iron, Unifier of Twenty Kingdoms, the Inheritor of the Blessing, the Majestic Master of Magic, the Rightful Ruler of Albion's Keep, the Will of the Land Made Manifest, the Pontiff of the Church of the Radiant One, and Queen of Valea! CATHERINE THE ALMIGHTY!" The court crier's voice was passioned and loud and with the end of his announcement, all rose and stood at attention in front of her. With closed eyes, she rose her scepter and struck the ground with it, creating a sound far louder than she should've.
"Lady Jeanne D'Arc, you are here to tell me of your deeds, correct?" There were mutterings between nobles at the queen's choice to address Jeanne as 'lady' and some were wondering if her reward would be an elevation in status. Perhaps she'd become an official knight? Or maybe her deeds were so large that she would be given some of the Queen's land and made a countess of the court?
Jeanne swallowed and thought over he words, determined not to fumble at this critical junction. "Your Majesty-" She decided to kneel as she said it, some nobles nodded in respect at the surprising amount of manners from a farmgirl. "-I recieved many visions from the lord. They told me in my home to take up the banner and go to Orleans. They told me to become a leader worthy of your ordained knights. They told me an attack was coming to Orleans and that I would have to defend it at all costs. They told me that I would have to end this accursed nightmare. And I have done so. And now I kneel before you to tell you of my deeds. We have entered nearly two hundred engagements with the monsters of the night by now, some happening within the same day of each other. We have slain countless of their legions. We have lost many great men, but we have saved many more. That is all."
"..." The queen took that all in with those closed eyes of hers, unmoving. The nobles' chatter grew curious and louder by the second, but it all fell dead when her scepter met the floor once more. "You have done the land a great service. And what of a reward? I can offer you riches, knighthood, and many other things. If you so want, I may even give you and your family land and a title to pass down."
Jeanne didn't even waste a second thinking about it. "N-no, I respectfully decline. I merely acted where I needed, I merely did what the lord commanded. I need no praise nor award for what I have done. I merely wish to return to my family safely."
"..." And now the nobles and knights joined together, with the discipline of the latter breaking for a moment as they wondered what was Jeanne doing? She could've asked for half of anything and the queen probably would've given it to her! Jaune, meanwhile, rolled his eyes. Of course she'd say that, of course. "Very well. But, if you will, I would like a feast to be had in celebration of your accomplishments. Think of this not as a reward for you, but for your men as well. Is that fair?"
"Yes, of course it is." Jeanne nodded.
"Then that is all I need to hear from you. You may leave."
"You know, I was kind of expecting you to ask the queen for a bed made from the royal stable's hay to sleep in." Jaune jested as they ate dinner, getting Jeanne to blush from the tease.
"I apologize, sir Jaune, but would you not ask for a mighty steed with aura? Nobody missed how you stared longingly at the mounts of our men, as if wanting to b-"
"Shut!" Jaune scowled halfheartedly and Jeanne smiled smugly. "Look, it was silly at first, but now I really really really want one! Seriously! I'll call him Baron or Sol and I'll ride him off into the sunset! It'll be really cool and why are you laughing!?" Jaune groaned as Jeanne couldn't hold her mirth anymore. "Yea, yea, whatever."
"I'll be grabbing some more food and will be back in a second." Jeanne got up and moved towards the table bearing all the food. The feast that the queen had arranged for them and their large company of knights was certainly extravagant, with countless dishes that she had only heard about from boys who always clung to the knights when they came to town. She dressed formally, thankfully the white dress was provided by the queen. Jaune opted for sticking to his armor, though he combed his messy hair and shined the metal before he went.
"Ah, lady Jeanne, how lovely it is to see you on this pleasant evening." A young man came up to her wearing blue robes. He had a pleasant face and well trimmed hair that seemed to reflect perfectly in the room's lights. He even knelt down and kissed her hand, making her blush instinctively. She knew it was just common courtesy, but she wasn't used to such things.
"It's a pleasure to meet you as well-" She trailed off, realizing she didn't know his name. If it offended him, he didn't show it as he laughed.
"Oh, don't worry. I'm Sir Darius of the Tritons."
"Well, then it's a pleasu-"
"Harassing the fine young lady?" A rather unpleasant voice interrupted what she was about to say. An older man, about in his forties, walked up to the two. He wore fine yellow in contrast to Darius' blue. "Darius, you do know I won't tolerate such behavior. It is unbefitting of a member of the royal family to act like such in these walls." He turned to Jeanne with a slimy grin. "I apologize, my name is Leo of Nemea. I would like to formally invite you to eat at my table so that we may discuss some matters."
"Stop." Channeling her general's voice, she brought a halt to their argument to come. "You have interrupted a conversation between I and the fine young man over here. I'm afraid you misunderstood his intentions." She stood steadfast against his blatant rudeness.
"No, it's you who misunderstands! This young man is a conniving tool of his father that wishes to-!"
"I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to go back from whence you came." Jeanne cut him off and turned around. "Meanwhile, I will be talking to the fine young man here." Darius' eyes widened but he didn't make another sound as he followed her, leaving Leo fuming alone.
The members of the court who were allies with the Tritons smiled to themselves, another asset was coming into the fold. One of their youngest members had preformed well in charming her. And the allies of the Nemeans looked amongst each other. They knew that sending in Leo, the wife of the princess, was a bad idea, but he insisted on 'charming the farmgirl' for some odd reason. The Queen, with her eternally closed eyes, gulped, and the royal consort merely picked at his food with slightly more force.
Jaune, who was unaware of what was happening, simply swallowed his food.
Jaune always wondered how medieval people kept clean. In most villages they visited, they simply filled a large wooden tub with river water to bathe in. They occasionally used various herbs as cleansing soap. Jaune had tried that method plenty of times, with Jeanne being the one to inform him of it when his stench had grown rancid after days of battle in dirt and mud. Anyways, it was a pleasant experience, if a bit cold. That was why he used some dust to heat up the waters, which made it just like a normal bath.
In towns, there were bath houses that the villagers were free to use. Water ran freely as the people cleansed themselves in the waters.
It shouldn't have been surprising that the royal palace had a bath house as well. It shouldn't have been surprising that it looked like a spa from a luxury hotel in Remnant for how luxurious it was.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhh~" Jaune took the time to ease into the hot waters, letting the dirt and grime practically jump off of his body. The parts of him that weren't submerged immediately formed beads of sweat that slowly grew and grew until they ran down his skin and into the greater pool of water below.
Man, when was the last time he did something like this? Vale didn't have many of these types of places in the modern day, but Atlas, Mistral, Vacuo, and Menagerie did! Atlas was obvious, given how cold it was, hot springs like these always had residents. Vacuo's public baths were colder, more like a public pool than anything. The rooms themselves were steaming hot while the water could range from room temperature to ice cold. Still, in that heat, it was more welcome than anything. As for Mistral and Menagerie, they mostly took after Atlas and Vacuo respectively.
He reminisced on times long gone, with people he probably would never see again. He could almost imagine them sitting next to him. Dad gruffly cleaning up, letting out subdued grunts as his scars ached under the heat. Talos curiously consuming shampoo, conditioner, and soap before using it properly to clean his form, shining by the end of their session. Qrow and Winter bickering with each other, with the latter only agreeing to go into the mixed one because Qrow goaded her into it. Darling poking and prodding at him as he made his hair white with soap suds. Maria chastising him for his poor hygiene. Oscar finally letting himself relax in the hot waters after being at attention for so long. May and him bickering with each other and eventually making battle with splashes and taunts-
No. He couldn't keep on focusing on the past. He couldn't keep on sulking about what he lost. What mattered was that he was in a new world, he wasn't alone. He had friends here as well. Friends he wanted-no, needed to protect. There were people to save and Grimm to stop. Even if he was thrown through time and space, he was going to be a hero. He was going to save whoever he could. Even if he lost everything else, he still had that old dream of his.
Determination renewed, Jaune stopped idly relaxing in the cleansing waters, calling upon his sore arms to begin scrubbing the filth from his body.
"Hmph." A man who acted far older than his body was sighed as he read a book. His whitened hair and weary eyes scanned the pages in a dull manner, as if just trying to kill time. His gaze barely shifted as the door to the library swiftly opened and closed. "And in comes the savior herself."
"Huh?" Jeanne turned around to see someone in the library. Specifically, it was Oziel the Silver Crowned, wearing his formal clothes, and casually sipping some wine. "Oh, your-"
"Call me Oziel, please. We're not in the court and neither of us have need for pretenses. So please, come, sit." He motioned in front of him, where nothing was. Jeanne blinked in confusion, until the furniture around the library began to move on its own. Soon, a table with a fully set up chess board and chair was in front of him.
"Very well." She made herself comfortable in the chair, letting her muscles loosen. "I'm sorry, how do you play this?" The game was foreign to her.
"Oh, yes." Oziel sighed. "Well-" The royal consort went into extensive detail explaining the game, stopping when he realized his information was too esoteric to bother. He soon restarted, simply instructing her on the base rules and forgoing anything complicated. He made a note in his mind not to castle or en passant. "Got all of that?"
"Uh, sure." She nodded, remembering a solid half of his instructions.
"Ask me if you require a refresher. Now, your move first." She spend a few seconds contemplating her first move before choosing her right-most pawn. "Sure." And so, the game began. It was as far as an even match as one could get. On one side was a man who had lived countless generations, spending so many of those years simply mastering such a simple yet complex game. On the other hand was a farm girl who had only learned of the game's existence a few minutes ago. Still, Oziel played to stall, intending it to be a pleasant distraction. "I suppose you intend to ask me questions?"
"Hmm? Would it not be rude?"
"No, it'd be ruder if you withheld inquiries because of my status."
"Very well. Then, may I ask why you seem to be looking at me with such contempt in your eyes?" She tilted her head, confusion evident. "I'm sorry if I did something to offend you."
"..." Oziel found himself at a fork, both conversationally and literally (she had made a lucky play and forced him in a tough position on accident). He could play it off and lie, but there was literally no point. And he had spent so much of this life simply staying silent. Why not let loose just this once? "How can you smile like that and say so earnestly that you did everything in the name of your god?"
"Huh?" She was shocked at the question. "I do not understand."
"Why is it that you cling to your faith? It has done nothing but burn, maim, and murder." Oziel groaned, clutching his head as it was lit aflame with pain. "Why do you insist that the lord has done you anything? Why do you believe in him? He has abandoned you, your people, and this world as a whole. He has deemed us failures and turns a blind eye at every atrocity committed against us as a sort of karmic punishment for some long forgotten sin. He has let so many die, he has killed so many in his false justice, and he expects all to bow before him and his rules as if he was the sovereign of everything." Maybe he was letting too much slip, perhaps he was being too harsh on her, but it felt so good to let it all out for once.
"Hmm, I suppose it is simply because the lord has never given me reason to question."
"What." That gave him pause. Did she not listen to anything he said?
"Yes, there have been countless dead. There have been countless tragedies. And there have been countless evils in the world. But I still believe in the lord. He was with me in Domremy, he followed me in Orleans, and he followed me here with his radiant light. Amongst the muck I see shining marble. Husbands, wives, sons, and daughters rising up in their darkest hour and raising their weapons in a last bid to give their loved ones even seconds more to escape. Footmen armed with nothing but spears and useless armor facing the hordes of nightmares for the sake of their homes. I have seen priests open their doors and give out bread to the hungry. I have seen a beggar sharing what little food he had with a small child who had just lost his father. And I have seen the looks of overwhelming joy on everyone's face as my company brought food to them after so many months of dwindling rations." Even though the near endless conflict weighed heavily on her, there was always light at the end of the darkness.
"But, but! That wasn't the actions of the lord. That was you! You acted, not your lord! You took fate into your own hands and saved the people, not your god! Angels didn't descend from the earth to ravage the Grimm, you had to! You and your men bled, not the Radiant One. The lord has done nothing but watch from afar, using us as its own amusement."
"Then why did a simple farmgirl from Domremy receive visions that compelled her to do the unthinkable, venture into the wild with but a single escort, and participate in combat with the creatures of the night with barely any training?"
"..." And the question gave him pause. Oziel couldn't answer, he had nothing. He couldn't think of a reason for someone to do something so blatantly stupid and suicidal beyond pure insanity. And while she was clearly a fool, Oziel would not stoop so low as to call her insane.
"Sir, I know this likely doesn't mean much to someone with such bitter resent towards the lord, but I believe he is here even now. You seem to have lived a life of misery, I can see it in your eyes. And I believe that you will find salvation as well. It is in the darkest of hours, in the most bleak of moments, in which we may find comfort in the fact that there are better days to come. Even if you do not wish to believe in his kindness, at least believe in the world's ability to bring happiness to people." She gave him such a pure smile that he couldn't help but scoff and roll his eyes.
"I'll keep that in mind." He looked down and found the board was in checkmate, his win. He snapped and rearranged the board. "I still will not pray to him."
"Nor would I force you to."
"Good." Oziel put down his book and flexed his fingers. "Now, your strategy had many flaws. May I show you exactly how?"
"Of course."
And so, they played and played. The person bearing the name Oz throughout time would keep this memory safe, even if his future self would forget many of her finer details. He would remember the kind young farmgirl who walked up to the royal consort and managed to give him a flicker of hope once more.
And he'd always remember how badly the world failed her.
"Oh Lord oh Radiant One, please give me strength." Jeanne found herself praying. A few weeks ago, a new force of Grimm had appeared in Valea. It was disparate sighting at first but now it was confirmed, there was something scorching the land itself. A horde of dragons had appeared, creating a large black cloud that blotted out the sun wherever it went, replacing its warmth with a chaotic storm. Many villages and forts had been reduced to rubble, though luckily most had been evacuated before the dragons hit.
Still, the casualties were already staggering.
As expected, Jeanne was given a force to deal with it. A large amount of Albion Keep's own force of knights and many from other towns were loaned. War machines were built and scouts worked tirelessly to provide information so that the high command could predict where on Valea the dragons would run by next. They had sightings all over the country, but they were always on towns and villages. It was one day at midnight where a revelation was had.
"Wait, they're systematically scorching all of Vale." Jaune had pointed out that the dragons first went for the ports, destroying them with ease. Then they worked slowly inwards, like a reverse spiral. Using that information, they guessed the next target and set off. There was some argument amongst the other knights for a more pragmatic choice of arena later down the line for its advantageous placement, but Jeanne wasn't having it. Choosing that would mean sacrificing a town to the flames.
And so, they were on the field. Ballistae and catapults were built, Archer Knights with great bows were at the ready. Dust Knights began preparing their crystals dust in preparation to divert dragon breath as the black cloud grew closer.
"This is it." Jaune was tense, though still unshakable. Jeanne appreciated his presence, it was like an anchor. Through their travels, he had been constantly by her side to comfort, tease, and advise her. And now, he was here at the climax of their journey. Maybe after this she could introduce him to her family. Maybe they could finally go fishing at the sea. Maybe life could return to normal. "Sometimes, I still wonder if this was all a dream."
But first, they had to kill the dragons. Scouts identified six major ones. There was the Incinerator, which had a head with four large twisted horns, a protruding belly full of flame, and a spiny tail. Out of its mouth it could let out fire that was capable of turning forests to ash in seconds. There was King Frost, which had chunks of ice sticking out of its Grimm black scales. Its breath was capable of freezing lakes solid. Then there was the Mountain Eater, whose veins glowed green and mouth spat out acid so strong that it could eat through heavy armor in seconds. There was the Stormlord, whose four wings buzzed with electricity that was let out of its mouth in giant bolts. There was the Calamity, whose extremely large wings created and dropped flaming meteors that exploded on the ground, creating wide craters. Finally, there was the Wyvern, whose scales oozed black sludge that other smaller Grimm rose from. Nevermores and smaller drakes crowded around it like a pack leader.
Even with all of their artillery, even with all of their preparations, and all of their numbers, every single one of them were terrified at the prospect of fighting the dragons.
"Men!" Jeanne was at the front, ready to issue commands when needed. Feeling merciful, she spoke. "If any one of you would like to flee, I ask you do it now and not in battle. If you are to do so, nobody will begrudge you for it. This is a task I would not wish upon anyone, but it is a task I will do. All I ask is if you will follow me into the jaws of death!?" She looked at the approaching cloud on the horizon, feeling her resolve creak and groan as it was tested by the monumental weight of the conflict ahead.
She heard no footsteps. She turned around to see that her entire company stayed, weapons at the ready, and their faces resolute. They were all scared, yes, but nobody was willing to abandon their post. They were knights and above all, they were there to fight. If the Savior of Valea was staying, then they were as well.
"Very well. Men! Prepare to fire the ballistae! When you are certain they are in range, fire! Aim at the wings of the main seven. Prioritize the Wyvern and the Calamity. Those two are the most dangerous in the air." Because the Wyvern could create air support that would hog the attention of their arches while the Calamity's meteors could only be dropped from the air.
"Yes ma'am!" The relevant knights nodded. She had thought about taking footmen, but she was not interested in a massacre. She had grown to understand her semblance better, using it to improve the performance of a unit in the case they were losing or if they were retreating. She used it strategically and it showed, with her help lives were saved with a well placed enhancement. Even if the knights all already had aura, her power enhanced their strength and stamina at the cost of her own.
"Hmmm." Meanwhile, Jaune was thinking. His mind was racing as he made sure everything was in place. He knew Jeanne was worrying over this as well, but continued to do so. Fretting over every last detail was a good idea as he did mental checklists over and over and over again. Anything was better than waiting in silence and contemplation.
He and Jeanne had come up with plans for how to deal with the six Dragons of Devastation. They used the reports given by scouts to form a broad picture and to come up with counter measures. Using their forces, they created several squadrons, each would be dedicated to a single dragon once it was grounded. Each squad was given a few skilled Dust Knights, who would use various elemental dusts (usually wind) in order to redirect the breath of the dragons.
Still, plans almost never survived contact with the enemy.
"FIRING!" A knight operating a ballista yelled out before the sound of the sound barrier being pierced boomed through the air and the large projectile was sent flying. More identical cries were yelled out and more ballista bolts followed. Many knights also fired using bows with dust enhanced strings that shot out arrows at even higher speeds. There were so many projectiles in the air that it actually formed a small cloud of wood and steel that flew through the air.
And it was immediately turned to ash by the Incinerator. It was to be expected, which was why many abstained from firing. Their first round was simply to test the waters while the waters were a distant wave, not an imminent tsunami.
Since their normal fire didn't work, they loaded up alternative bolts. The Dust Knights at the Ballistae began loading in custom made bolts with arrow heads full of fire dust and with the wood hollowed to be jammed full with gravity and wind dust to create a pseudo-missile. It was Jaune's idea and after a few tests, they perfected the ammunition and created more for usage.
Meanwhile, squads of knights were sent forward to attract the attention of the dragons while the ballistae shot from afar. The knights were on their horses and rode off in their large platoons in squares, with their Dust Knights ready to counter any of the dragons' deadly attacks. The wyvern dropped several Manticores to deal with the pesky knights while it began to circle around them. The Calamity dropped meteors that were shattered in the air, the blasts sometimes accidentally killing nearby Nevermore and Manticores.
Meanwhile, the Incinerator, King Frost, Mountain Eater, and Stormlord kept on going towards them. At Jeanne's signal, the first round of missile fire was let out, which blew back the giant bows with the sheer force. Thankfully, they reinforced the wood to prevent it from splintering in the air and losing all of their fuel. The dust made good work as the missiles accelerated faster and faster and faster.
And while the Incinerator tried to burn them, the fires just couldn't ignite the bolt heads before the arrow shot through the flames and pierced its wing. The explosion, ironically enough, incinerated one of its wings down to the bone, forcing it to spiral in the air to make an emergency landing. The missiles also hit King Frost and Mountain Eater, with only Stormlord escaping the wrath of their newly forged artillery. Its lightning was far quicker and had a far better reach than the flames of the Incinerator or acid of the Mountain Eater and as such, it jumped to and set off the warhead of the missile before its wing could be hit.
Still, that was three out of six dragons downed. Unfortunately, the two most dangerous in the air still had their wings. And Calamity was being especially troublesome, almost annihilating an entire squadron before Jeanne used her semblance to enhance their speed just enough to get them out of the blast radius. Or at least, far enough so that the Dust Knights' walls of stone could actually stand up against the force. The Wyvern was being even worse, summoning more and more Grimm that stalled squadrons of knights and even broke some up. And even as they tried to pierce their wings to ground them, the Stormlord kept on prematurely detonating their shots.
"Oh boy." Jaune got the stupidest idea.
And Jeanne wasn't even around to hear it. She had already left with a squadron in order to back them up as they fought the Mountain Eater on the ground.
"Eh?" One of the knights manning the artillery heard his grumbling and tapped him on the shoulder.
"Alright, fuck it." He shrugged and turned to the artillery Knight. "Ok, I need twenty crystals of compound gravity and wind Dust. If we don't have that much, just get me whatever you can find to make something fly. I'll man your post." The knight nodded and got to running to their supplies, frantically searching for where they kept such dust. After a few minutes, he came back with crystals in his arms. Thank the brothers for medieval Vale and its stupid amount of Dust. "Thanks." He said it with an earnest smile to the Knight, who practically swooned. He was a rookie who had been assigned artillery duty mostly because Jeanne didn't want them to die needlessly. And while Jeanne took most of the attention, Jaune was also admired for being the commander's right hand man.
Jaune walked to the edge of the hill where the artillery was placed, shoving the dust into his pockets. And then, he took one in each hand, and activated them. Unlike before, where he'd substitute his own aura for the internal power and simply use the dust as a filter, he instead actively burned the energy inside of it. The only hint of his influence was him shaping the blasts of powerful energy so they created two hyper focused streams of force that shot him up like a rocket. Knights pointed at him in shock as the second in command for the Savior of Vale literally began flying like an arrow or bird.
Meanwhile, Jaune's eyes were on the prize, the Stormlord. If he could ground it or even miraculously kill it, the ballistae would be able to ground the Wyver and the Calamity. From there, they'd follow the plan and kill the Calamity before moving onto the others. The biggest advantage the dragons had was their flight, so theoretically it'd be easier after that was taken away. As he flied, he occasionally would dispose of used up crystals and retrieved new ones while his momentum still carried him up.
"Please work." Despite himself, he prayed. Perhaps Jeanne's influence was seeping in. Or perhaps he genuinely touched his distant faith in this desperate attack. Whatever the case, he continued on. And then his heart almost stopped when he realized something very important.
He had no clue how to stop himself from being hit by the Stormlord's lightning. His mind raced for ideas to counter the lightning blast as he came closer and closer. Well, lightning was just a bunch of energy, right? And when it rushes through him, it bypasses his aura in order to surge through his system. The deadly part usually came in the insane amount of energy that ran through his body, which created burns and simply destroyed things like the nervous system. And it was even worse for him because he wasn't standing on the ground! All of that energy was going to enter him and go nowhere, basically boiling him alive!
Jaune cursed his past self so many times he was pretty sure that even someone on the moon could've heard it. But after that well deserved verbal freakout, his mind continued to work. So, he had to counter this by somehow getting rid of all of the energy-
Wait. WAIT WAIT WAIT! Jaune began to almost laugh as he thought of something extraordinarily stupid. This was a gamble that had one to a million odds. And while Darling wasn't with him anymore, he was still the gambler she loved.
He quickly turned the gauntlets that were attached to his belt upside down after shoving his current crystals in them, using them as temporary thrusters. His aura made sure the gauntlets stayed intact. So, one might wonder, what was his master plan to avoid exploding into giblets from the insane amount of electricity that the Stormlord was capable of shooting out? What was his mad slap dash last ditch effort to live? What was he going to do?
He simply pulled Crocea Mors out of its sheath and raised it.
And then watched with glee as all the lightning the Stormlord shot out was absorbed by Crocea Mors, causing it to glow. Words from the distant past came to mind.
"Helios Arc could pump enough heat into this things to make most metal turn liquid and it'd stay alright, not even a hint of softening up."
Simply put, where other metal would simply let the lightning pass through and him him instead, Crocea Mors' material soaked it up.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHHA!" Jaune laughed so much that the Stormlord was confused at the beacon of positivity that was bolting right at it. Usually, anything that it shot would've died. But this? This thing was ecstatic! Was it crazy!?
The answer was probably yes.
And so, Jaune reloaded the crystals as they burnt up and continued to hold Crocea Mors up as more and more lightning entered it. As the Stormlord took breaths to regain its power, he sheathed Crocea Mors and let the titanic amount of electricity be absorbed by the metal of his sheath.
After what seemed like hours of pure laughter as the Stormlord actually began to flee from the dangerous mortal, Jaune had boarded the Stormlord. He swung Crocea Mors around a few times, actually sweating with how brightly it was glowing. Stalling no longer so that the Stormlord wouldn't have any more time to buck him off, he plunged Crocea Mors into its back. The heat was so intense that it cut through its back like butter. He dragged Crocea Mors' blood boiling blade around it and eventually cut off one of its wings, forcing it to spiral in the air and even shoving Jaune off of it.
But it was too late, for it was already being grounded. It was also at that moment where Crocea Mors' very durable grip materials simply burnt up from the heat. And so, the knight and his beloved blade fell to the ground like a shooting star, with Jaune quickly grabbing some more dust crystals as to prepare to slow his descent.
Meanwhile, the artillery crew cheered as they saw the Stormlord fall. They had used the opportunity Jaune's distraction gave them to shoot missiles towards the Wyvern and Calamity. And while they forced the huge dragon to fall, accidentally forcing several squadrons to run rapidly away in order to avoid being smothered by its wings, the Wyvern persisted in the air. It simply created Sphinxes and Giant Nevermore to soak up the missiles. And while they had a limited supply of those, the Wyvern had practically infinite summoning potential when it came to lesser Grimm.
Still, five out of six were grounded. And the five on the floor came to the same conclusion, that defeat was imminent as they were. Their wings were clipped, the mortals were prepared, and they were spread out. So, they did something that nobody could've predicted.
The dragons all began rushing towards each other with fury nobody had ever seen before practically taking limited flight with their torn wings as they rushed towards each other. The Wyvern, sensing what was happening, could hear the greater will's call to join them, to join the final attack. But it had a mind of its own, one given to it in order to properly shape and use the Grimm it could summon. And with that came a sense of self preservation.
So the Wyvern turned tail and set off for the horizon, deciding to abandon the battle in favor of survival. For this act of extreme cowardice, the Grimm Mother would hunt it down and bury it underneath a mountain for further use.
Anyways, as for the remaining five, they all smashed together and created a new beast, a different beast. It was one with five heads with extended snake-like necks. It had a shared body with 18 legs and 5 tails. It had 14 wings, some of them clipped, and was definitely grounded.
But that didn't matters as all five heads, each of them from a different dragon, began to unleash a nightmarish assault. Meteors that would expode into acid, lightning bolts that would instead create giant explosions, and giant balls of fire and frost were all unleashed in new quantities.
Jeanne stood at the forefront with her men, desperately using her semblance to keep some alive while also using the dust tips from her banner to help the Dust Knights shield their detachment. Knights were dropping like flies as the assault continued. A lucky missile actually managed to behead the Incinerator's head, getting cheers from the knights who could see its flesh be torn apart.
But then those cheers grew into cries of terror as two heads sprouted from it.
The five dragons had turned into a Hydra that was going to kill them all.
"..." Queen Catherine the Almighty sat on her throne in her throne room. It was empty. All of the guards were at their stations, just in case the knights failed and the dragons came by. They had recieved reports from Jeanne's army, but those had stopped as of recent. The last one simply informed them that they were going to attack the dragon horde head on.
Queen Catherine the Almighty found herself reflecting on her rule. From the beginning, where she was but the eldest daughter of the previous queen, and to the turning point, where she had inherited the Blessing from the previous Pontiff. It was there that her rule became more than just a standard generation of slow growth. With her new dual position, her territory was automatically expanded as she worked to integrate the Church of the Radiant One into her kingdom. From there, she began to expand, using force and diplomacy to make all of Valea her vassals.
Though, that part was due to the advice from her beloved husband.
Well, beloved at the time. Oziel was a charming man, a sweet man. She had met him when he was but a lowly librarian and made pleasant talk with him under the secrecy of night. Her power as Pontiff and Queen, not to mention the Blessing itself, was enough to secure her rule. It was enough so that she never really needed to marry. And so, after courting him in private, they were wed. Their life was so beautiful for a moment.
And then he started hearing voices, he had visions, and slowly but surely she saw her beloved husband fade away. He told her everything. He was being absorbed by a parasitic existence by the name of Ozborne, who had existed for century after century jumping from host to host, accumulating knowledge as they went about their eternal task of fighting some Queen of the Grimm.
Catherine tried so desperately to save her beloved, but in the end she suddenly woke up to find her husband look at her with a foreign expression, eying her with nothing but apathy. That wasn't to say he didn't try. Oziel, as he now was, was kind. He made efforts to connect with her but they both understood that it wouldn't work. She couldn't help but feel intense rage. The court gossiped at the development, wondering how the famously strong couple could wither so easily.
Still, she kept Oziel around. While he wasn't her beloved, he was useful in other ways. He was wise, he was knowledgeable, and above all else, he knew what the Blessing was. He knew how it worked. And he knew how to control it. And so, he taught her. He taught her how to manipulate her unlimited powers in ways never seen before, creating miracles almost unheard of. She made infertile fields bloom with crops. She cured droughts with sudden rains. She brought prosperity to her people.
But then this happened. This whole mess. Oziel begged her to stop, imploring her to not go out and try to fix the problem with her own two hands. He said that this entire thing was a trap by the Grimm Queen, a trap for her. He said that if she went out, she was giving up the unlimited power of the Blessing to the Matriarch of the Grimm, that Valea would fall if such a thing would happen.
She listened and followed his advice. So, she sat on her throne and simply commanded her Paladins to spread out and protect the kingdom to weather this assault. She even put on some mystical artifact that Oziel insisted on in order to make decisions. Speaking of, time to face the music.
She opened her eyes.
"Heya." And in front of her was a creature most irritating. They were dressed in glowing robes that covered their eye-covered skin. Their tongue was a snake and their actual eyes were pits. They had four wings, two of them angelic in shape, but the feathers had been replaced by hands that wriggled every second. The other two were devil wings, but instead of scales there was an endless tapestry of diverting roads that stemmed from the bones. "Well, your good ol' pal Helel is here. Would you like to make a choice?"
Curse Oziel for making her wear this. Yes, under its influence she had managed to choose a fate where her kingdom didn't fall, but she was endlessly cursed to hearing this annoying thrice damned demon dilly dally in a disrespectful dialect.
"Yes." Catherine sighed wearily.
"Cool, cool. Coolcoolcoolcoolcool. Is it about your heir? Are you choosing someone else? Cause like, this seems like a mess."
"Yes, I am very aware." Catherine sighed, so many problems, so little time.
"You do realize that your kingdom is like, facing SO many disasters, right?"
"Yes, I am aware." Catherine could feel her patience waning.
"Like, it's fucking insane! By my eyeball, I have not seen such a disaster in a long time. I mean, first there's the succession crisis. I mean, your daughter dies and the rules say that your granddaughter is going to inherit the throne. But that skips over your other two daughters. And like, that's textbook crisis right there. Give it like ten or twenty years after your death and this court will be stained in blood with the amount of civil wars that'll be had. And that's not even counting how a large amount of Valea's stability is due to you and you alone. I mean, there's the noble houses being dipshits with their bickering! Remember the dinner!? And let's not get fucking started with this Grimm shit. Like, holy fuck! If some of your vassals grumbled about being conquered and made subservient, they are absolutely PISSED at how you left them to dry! The only reason they're still loyal is because they're really weak from the sieges and they know that you can kick their asses-"
"Silence." While powerless in front of Helel, the demon of the Relic of Choice, she still had a very authoritative voice. "I am aware of how many problems my rule has had."
"And you'll blame them all on the fucking wizard?"
"Mostly the Grimm problem. Though I had followed his advice, he was the one who continued to insist I stay here."
"Ehhh, I mean, you're the fucking queen. What could he have done? Huh? The other things are also your fault. But hey! Nobody's perfect, am I right? Am I right?" He made finger guns and clicked his tongue, amplifying her exacerbation by a thousand. "So, why are you calling on good ol' Helel here? Want to know an optimal way to prevent a succession crisis? Here's an answer! Kill your granddaughter!"
"Absolutely not."
"Why not!? It'll be simple, just smother her while she sleeps! Fuckin' behead her, stab her, shoot her, incinerate her, freeze her, or do whatever the fuck you need to kill her so that one of your older daughter can take the throne instead! Hell, kill two of your ch-"
"No." While Helel certainly had a point in doing it now to save the kingdom future grief, she was a mother. Though her children had grown distant and cruel, she loved them all with all of her heart. And she could never bring herself to kill them. Beyond that, the people of Valea were also her charges as well. And staying aside and letting them be ravaged by the Grimm hordes slowly broke her. She used her miracles to make Albion Keep's people as happy as they could be, but it would never be enough, as Valea as a whole was still miserable.
That was why she could've cried and embraced Jeanne as she stood before her, dignity and appearances being the only reason she didn't. Jeanne had done what she couldn't, save her kingdom. She had left her comfortable life and brought hell to the Grimm. She had willingly jumped into the jaws of death where she, the High Queen of the land from ocean to mountain, couldn't.
And now, Jeanne and her leagues of knights were facing a threat far beyond anything they'd faced before, only matched by the reportedly gargantuan mammoth that commanded the siege of Valea. She could practically see it, a five headed, no, six headed beast that was laying so many of her people low. And here she was, the Queen of Valea, doing nothing.
She would have no more. Screw Oziel. Screw it.
"I have made a decision." She stood up.
"Huh?" It seemed that Helel was just fooling around, tripping over himself in surprise at the sudden movement. "You have? That was quick."
"In order to save Valea, I will kill myself. I will give my power to Jeanne D'Arc so that she may destroy the Hydra that threatens to destroy us all."
"..." Helel, with his body of eyes, stared at her in silence. His mocking smile faded as she resolutely announced her own death. If she was being honest, she had been contemplating it for a while, ever since she had gotten news of the attack. And now, she knew what needed to be done. If she had to die to save her people, to save her kingdom, even if it was doomed to tear itself apart, then so be it. At least the wars between her daughters and their daughters would ultimately leave survivors, unlike what would happen if the Hydra won. "I-uh-wow. Hmmm." Helel met her gaze, impressed.
"And what is my path?"
"... Well, alright then. This is your choice." Helel blinked in solemn silence before slowly fufilling his purpose. "Well, you want to die a dignified death, am I correct?" Catherine raised an eyebrow. "I'll take that as a yes. So, if that's the case, I got an idea. First, write your last message down. Alright?"
"Of course." She swiftly wrote down something quick. A mere 'I have given my life for my kingdom,' would suffice as an explanation. In her haste, she turned back to Helel. "What's next?"
"..." Helel was clearly privy to something she didn't know, but he couldn't tell her, as she'd already chosen her path. "Well, you simply need to destroy your own body. Try using so much magic that you turn to ash, alright? Prepare the task before doing it all at once so that it's painless, got it?"
"Of course." And so, the circuits began to spread across her body as if they were outlines for disection.
"... Hey, I know it's a bit late, but I just want to tell you that, even if your bloodline will fall apart, even if you're fated to fade into merely a legend in the history books, I just want you to know that you will be remembered. Hundreds of years into the future, I can tell."
"Really?" Catherine was curious.
"Yep. Bastard he is, the wizard never forgets someone he respects. And for all your blunders, you were a pretty good queen."
"Hmm. I'm comforted, even if it's only slightly, by that fact."
"Good. Seems you're ready."
"Yes."
"Then do it."
And so she did. In a second, magic flooded her circuits and began to burn her. Her last thoughts were for Jeanne, who she wished would rise to the occasion and use her powers to better Valea as a whole, starting with beating that Hydra. Or, failing that, to live a simple and happy life.
Helel, as his form clung on the floor amongst ashes and fallen robes, shed a single tear. The path she had chosen was one where her last wishes would go unfulfilled.
Seconds later, Oziel appeared in the throne room in a panic, and found Catherine's remains.
Jeanne thought this was it. The Hydra had created a tsunami of wildly deadly projectiles. Its added head was only adding more to the storm of absolute death. She had thought this was it, they were going to meet their fates.
And then she felt a wild surge of power rush through her. She felt renewed and instinctually, began to boost her soldiers.
She realized seconds later her semblance touched all of the Knights, thousands of them. She felt a burning in her soul, but she ignored it as she yelled out her orders.
"SHIELDS UP! DUST KNIGHTS, DIVERT! CHARGE!" She yelled out as the Knights also found out about their new strength. And, with their second wind, they began to charge. They actually made progress, with her power actually making the Knights and their horse move way faster. Their shields were more sturdy, their sword cleaved through flesh easier, and blows were shrugged off.
In the distance, Jaune emerged from the woods with Crocea Mors in tow. He came out to see that the dragons had somehow merged and despite the seeming humongous gap in power, the knights were actually beginning to turn the tables. On the ground floor, it was a furious melee as the knights converged on the Hydra like a mob that constantly stabbed at it and cut its heads, creating more in the process. Still, they continued to stab and stab, creating more and more and more heads. They hoped to exhaust its supply but soon found too many necks to be able to cut it. The Hydra had only grown in size and power with their assault.
So, they did something smart.
They stabbed it in the chest.
And that was where the Hydra began to panic. Its hundreds of heads began spewing out all sorts of projectiles that sometimes cancelled each other out in order to kill the mortals that were attacking its body. It was all in vain, as Jeanne managed to plunge her spear into the Hydra's chest and pierced its heart, causing it to explode from the pressure, and for the beast to go limp.
There were no words to describe the celebrations that were had, the joy everyone felt, and the soreness of their limbs. Jeanne searched for Jaune in the distance and after a frantic moment of darting eyes, she saw his blonde mop. And even from afar, she smiled as she saw him give a bright smile and thumbs up.
Their relief was only dampened slightly when they came back to the reveal that Catherine the Almighty had perished out of nowhere.
Oziel hated politics. He truly did. Sometimes he bemoaned that Salem got the easy job of trying to destroy humanity while he was saddled with the eternal chore of wrangling humanity together so that they didn't trip on their own toes and fall face first into the jaws of a Beowolf.
Now, Jeanne D'Arc was a hero. He was under no illusions that she was anything else. But, she had also become a political pawn. The two factions created by Catherine due to the eldest daughter dying, leaving a very young girl on the throne, were eternally bickering. They were constantly looking for new pieces to bring to the board in order to gain an edge. Merchants, lords, and new thinkers were brought on board in order to up their prestige and wealth.
Jeanne D'Arc was basically a diamond rabbit for how rare and valuable she was. She was the Hero of Orleans! She was the Savior of Valea! The Banner Saint! So, when Darius had managed to charm Jeanne into becoming friends with him, the Nemeans began to worry. The Tritons having such a powerful piece was something that could not be allowed. But, Jeanne's time was blocked. She spent a large amount of it with her closest advisor, the similarly named and haired Jaune, and what remained on her own to pray or with Darius of Triton.
So, they did the next best thing. If the Nemeans couldn't have Jeanne, the Tritons couldn't either.
Ignoring the fact that Jeanne said she was going to leave after the Queen's funeral.
So, the Nemeans, using their connections in the church, captured Jeanne and prepared to have her go on trial for witchcraft.
And Oziel could do fucking nothong. He didn't know where she was kept, he didn't know where the trial was happening or with who, and he had no authority. His host was but a librarian before Catherine had married him and now he was back to being just that.
So, he could only watch as a tragedy unfolded.
Jaune really hated having to be a hero. He hated having to keep his ideals. He hated having to keep his morals. He hated how he couldn't cut up the smug Nemean noble as he practically bragged about having his friend in chains. He hated the fact that she was suffering. He hated how she was being accused after saving the damned kingdom! He hated how his Tritonian 'allies' were treating Jeanne's life like it was some chess piece! She was a brothers damned person and he would not stop until he found her.
If he wasn't a hero, he would've cut a bloody path through Valea until he found her. He would've forced her location out of the Nemean's lips. He would've stormed her holding cell with no remorse for the guards. But, he was a hero. He swore to not cut down others so needlessly. He swore to not engage in wanton cruelty. He swore to not engage with his bloodlust.
But it didn't mean he had to like it.
He had heard that she had tried to escape, somehow exhibiting 'heretical' abilities as she did. He heard of her being a demon as she tried to escape her holy confines. Over weeks, he desperately searched and listened for any information regarding her. He was welcomed by the Tritons and they even shared some of their intel, but none of it was useful in the slightest to locating her. She must've been taken far away.
And that's when he heard it. She had been sentenced to burn to death for the crime of witchcraft at the town of Rouen.
He took a horse as fast as he could and bolted for the town.
And he arrived just on time to see knights guarding a pyre where a starved Jeanne was tied. Civilians cried, some trying to beg for mercy on her. The Knights seemed conflicted as well, but treachery was rewarded only with a beheading and none of them were willing to risk it under the scrutinizing gaze of their lord. Standing next to their patron was the condemning Cardinal, who held a torch and stood in front of the pyre.
"And so, may your damned soul torment us no longer." The Cardinal was about to light the pyre, except a whistle rang out. Jeanne's eyes opened at the familiar sound as a wind flare put out the fire quickly as Jaune jumped from the shadows, over guarding knights, and cut Jeanne's ropes.
"J-Jaune?" She was incredulous at the interruption, having given herself up to her faith.
"Yep, I'm here, I'm going to rescue you, you're going to live, alright? Alright." He picked her up and used his armor to jet out of there while everyone was still shocked.
"GET THEM!" The lord cried out and the knights got to work, picking their weapons up and splitting the crowd as they chased after the white man in armor running off into the distance with their capture heretic.
"Jaune, why are you here?" Jeanne weakly spoke, with Jaune briefly holding her with one hand so that he could hand her his canteen. It wasn't food, but it was enough to give her an ounce of strength.
"Why do ya think? To rescue you, of course." He gave a wide smile, as if nothing wrong was happening.
"..." Jeanne looked at the incredulous man carrying her and smiled, weakly chuckling. Of course Jaune would do this. What else would he be doing?
"Ack!" Jaune cringed as arrows smacked against the back of his head and the unarmored parts of his body. His aura did well to shield him but it didn't help the searing pain and lingering numbness as parts of his body felt like they were being stabbed a thousands times over. Still, he had seen worse. Hell, he was pretty sure the archers were being half-hearted in their aiming, not really motivated to shoot the heroic knight with as much vigor as they would a Nevermore or Manticore.
"Oh Radiant One, thank you for this blessing, for saving me in my darkest moment. Thank you for guiding me on this hallowed path, thank you for your protection, and thank you for being so kind as to give unto me a companion most kind." Jeanne could do nothing else but pray. While she was imprisoned, she had been starved and beaten and constrained to the point where her aura was the only thing keeping her alive, which was the point. It made her easier to transfer, made it harder for her to escape, and made her execution easier as well.
She still had an odd power in her, but she didn't know how to call upon it. And after the one time she did, accidentally blowing up a wall in the process, she was still too weak to do anything else but be captured again and bound in further chains.
"Oh boy." Jaune made liberal use of his armor jets as he jumped over buildings to avoid blockades of guards. He desperately went back and forth through the rat maze looking for the exit. Eventually, he managed to barely make it through a hail of arrows and burst through the gate just before it was closed. His aura was dwindling, his lungs burned, and his legs were threatening to give out. But he continued on without pause, he had to run, he had to make it out, she had to be alive. His eyes constantly shifted between obsessively making sure Jeanne was alive and averting his eyes in the fear she wouldn't be.
He ran and ran and ran and ran. He felt arrows pierce his legs, his aura finally giving out, but he continued to run. Even as Jeanne screamed in terror at the sound of flesh being pierced, as an arrow lodged itself in his shoulder and began spraying blood. He bled and bled and bled, painting a portion of the forestry red as he continued to run despite the pain. His determination refused to die, he refused to give up, and he refused to let Jeanne die.
"Please, please, stop." Jeanne begged him to drop her, to do anything. But he wouldn't.
He ran for what seemed like hours. His lightning dash slowly became a painfully slow shuffle and Jeanne's desperate cries became apologizing whimpers for the fate he had inflicted upon himself.
"Please, do not bleed for my sake." He let her down in a cave before finally collapsing. "Please, do not get up."
But he couldn't. He knew more were coming. There were ripples in the Calm Waters. There were more. He said as much in his weak groans as his bloodied, battered, and torn arms began moving once more, only causing Jeanne to cry more as he forced himself to continue despite being riddled with arrows and bloodied to the point where his armor was practically painted red. She pleaded with him as he pulled out Crocea Mors, as he used it as a lever to force himself up.
Her emotions tapped into her powers as she tried to push him down, to force him to go to safety, and they did something unpredictable. They answered her wish for Jaune to be sent somewhere safe by utilizing a method he had already used once before. And thus, Jaune began to fade away as a feeling so familiar to him overtook his senses.
"No, no, no! Please, Jeanne, please, I need to-" Jaune was silenced with a single weak finger on his lips. Jeanne cried a single tear, even if they would never see each other again, she knew that he would be safe. Something inside her told her that this would send him somewhere where he could heal his wounds and smile once more. All that was left were some final words.
"Carry my faith, even as I walk to my death, as I bleed for those I love, as I give you all I have left, as I keep your hands warm with my fading light, as I lighten your burden, as I see the sky coming closer, as I right the wrong of your own demise, as I forgive the ones who will spill my blood, and as I continue to bear unyielding love for everyone. My duties are done, all except one. All that remains is you, my greatest ally. Jaune, thank you so much for what you have done. Thank you for believing in me. Thank you for being there. Thank you for everything. We will meet again, so please, live your life with your head high." She smiled as he finally faded away, leaving nothing but golden dust. She heard the sound of leaves crunching and armor clanking.
She stood up and turned around, her body shaking in absolute fear. It was time to face the music.
Jeanne D'Arc would remain a folk legend of the past, with her existence questioned by modern scholars. But for those who were interested in the niche legends, she would stand out as a hero that brought hope to the despondent people as well as a tragic victim of selfish games played between powerful families.
And in the formative years of the Great War, a young orphan would give himself the name of Arc as he marched towards the battlefield, determination shining like the bright sun above.
Meanwhile, Jaune Arc would be flung through time once more. He would not return to his home, but instead would be thrown even further from it.
So, this is part of a new multi-chap saga I guess. There are a few changes from the Vytal series though. First, there will be no set in stone cast (besides Jaune). Second, I won't just dump them in order. I'll probably put the next part for you guys to vote for along with just normal unrelated chaps. The idea is for 6 chapters in total. 4 for the 4 kingdoms (I have an idea as for what to do with Vacuo and Mistral, though not Atlas) and 2 for other times.
Also, Fate references.
Also, thanks to Rambler for All the Difference in the Worlds cause I'm just stealing from ur own Jeanne D'Arc section
Also, HOLY SHIT THIS GOES OFF THE RAILS! Like, I kind of had a hint that this was going to be weird, but fucking dragons? And I gave lore to the Wyvern? I hope its good cause if I'm being honest I was kind of in a daze when I wrote the dragon part.
Also, this was mostly a chapter for Jeanne, if I'm being honest.
