Arc I: Prologue
Chapter 5: A Major Test of Strength
A loud, metallic clang rang throughout the forest. Jaune twisted Crocea Mors alongside the Deathstalker's stinger and managed to deflect it to the side, wincing at the pain shooting up his arm as he jumped back and assessed the creature once more.
If my Aura was still unlocked, that would've bloody well torn my damn arm off.
The arachnid Grimm hissed violently at them, its large size giving it enough volume to sound more like a loud, raspy roar than an actual hiss. It swiftly brought its tail down for another strike, Jaune once again bring up the sword to deflect it to the side as he jumped back and allowed Pyrrha to seize the advantage.
From his peripherals, he watched her leap from a running start and aim to sever the stinger with Miló in its blade form.
Said appendage had other plans as he saw the Deathstalker subtly shift its gaze towards the champion and lashed its tail out in response, catching her in the shield she brought up just in time and sending her flying back into the depths of the forest.
And now its attention was back on him, as evidenced by the loud chittering and the rather fast advance, aiming to cover ground and perhaps tear him with his claws.
Nope. Not gonna have that.
He dodged back as a claw snapped towards him and began sprinting towards where Pyrrha was flung, following the line of broken trees and pieces of local flora. It didn't help, however, to hear the intensifying sounds of falling trees and churning earth as the Deathstalker was covering the distance quite rapidly.
Even more so when he tripped on a low branch, falling forward on his torso and catching a glimpse of a limp form with autumn red hair.
Shit. Shit! This is bad. What do I do. What do I do?
Another roar answered him as he turned on his back to see the stinger raise itself once more to strike at him. Quickly, he looked to the sides and thought maybe he could roll…and still get pierced by it as he did. Standing up? No, that would take too long.
Get your shield up.
!?
"Wh-what!? Who's there?"
The sharp rush of wind washed away his question as he widened his eyes and quickly brought up his shield in time catch the stinger, dispersing the force across his body with more force and pain than he'd ever felt in his life.
It was also at that moment Jaune thanked his Aura once again, for without it he was sure his back would've been broken from the top to the bottom.
Damn it. I've got to get out of here!
A peek yielded the stinger again rearing itself for another strike, and, with adrenaline flowing, the faint rushing of wind causing him to roll hastily to the side, stinger missing and burying itself rather deeply into the ground.
Buying him and Pyrrha some time as the Deathstalker let out a frustrated hiss and tried to pull it back.
Jaune gripped Crocea Mors as leverage to scramble back standing, taking in the soon-to-be-free Grimm and Pyrrha, lying against a tree with the force of her landing indented into the trunk, though she was beginning to stir and move around.
Great, she's alive. Okay. Think, Jaune.
Resolute, he nodded and steeled himself for a fight, sheathing his sword and shield and facing the beast head on with a determined glare.
Said beast responded in kind with a raspy roar and veritable crash as it finally heaved its stinger out, quickly glancing at it as if it were some lost, reclaimed treasure –
And looked back to nothing but empty forest as Jaune ran back, scooped Pyrrha up bridal style and ran towards what appeared to be a clearing just on the outer edge of some of the trees.
"…ugh. Jaune?"
"Uh? Hey, Pyrrha! Come on, wake up, wake up!"
Pyrrha shook her head groggily, some life coming back to her eyes as she blushed upon seeing her position but was soon fully awake after being assailed by brighter light.
Jaune carried her out of the thicket and into a relatively open field. He gently dropped her on her feet as they both dusted bits of leaves and broken branches from the forest. Still wasn't very safe though, if the intensifying rumbling and falling trees were any indication.
Damn. That thing's still coming but I guess it'll be easier to fight it around here without all the ruts and trees in our way…
He looked around until some distance away he spotted what seemed to be an old, broken down stone structure and rapidly waving figures in brightly coloured outfits.
Perfect.
Turning to look at Pyrrha only to see her looking back at him, they nodded and began sprinting to the group of other young studentsbeforea loud caw rent through the air. The giant black Nevermore flew in and began circling the field above them, its giant avian body easily casting a large shadow over a portion of the field.
But not so much as to completely obscure his view of a falling object from the Nevermore itself.
One that was coloured white and relatively Weiss-shaped.
He stopped suddenly and was then promptly shoved forward from Pyrrha throwing up her arms as she collided into him.
"Jaune, what's going on?"
"Above us!"
Pyrrha's eyes widened as she followed his gaze and noticed the falling heiress. She quickly scanned their surroundings, making note of the oncoming Deathstalker and the lack of any suitable nearby cover, save for some scattered trees amongst the plains.
"Okay, listen. I'll distract the Deathstalker and lure it away from you. Focus on catching Weiss."
Gulp. "On it!"
He scanned for anything that could resemble anything remotely close to being helpful, seeing only Pyrrha speeding away with an angry Grimm scorpion hot on her tail. Looking up, he could see the Weiss-shaped meteor slowly become larger as she kept falling closer towards him.
Jaune looked around, as if trying to incite a non-present crowd to come to his aid. "Um. I don't know if this will work, but…any ideas, voice in my head? I could really use your help here!"
Silence, and the distant rumble of violent Grimm.
Damn it. Okay, what've we got? Maybe if I can slow down her fall somehow. Hmm. What's the tallest thing around here…? Ah. Perfect.
He quickly scrambled up the nearby oak tree, testing his foot on a thicker branch until he was certain that it would support his weight.
Weiss was dangerously close now, plummeting really, really fast…
Three, two, one…
Now!
The blonde leapt off the branch to catch her in midair, slowing her descent so that their Auras could take the fall with minimized damage. He could at least say with some amusement on how funny her expression was when he caught her, a mixture of disbelief and annoyance that was so inexplicably and undeniably Weiss. They didn't have much time to enjoy (or seethe) at their physical situation, however as they quickly remembered that they were indeed still falling.
Oh shit!
He briefly noticed the flashes of Aura covering their bodies – his own pale green and Weiss' pure, snow white -
And then quickly maneuvered her so she would land on top of him, in an attempt to prevent her from the brunt of the damage. Said attempt was somewhat ruined by the fact that her face collided directly with the steel of his breastplate, eliciting a pained oof from the heiress.
Whoops.
In any other situation, he would practically pay to have cute girls literally fall on him, but considering the danger of their situation, he was sure that it was perhaps the deadliest cockblock he'd ever gotten.
He wasn't pleased, but right now he couldn't afford to care.
Weiss shook her head and picked herself off him, fixing him a scowl.
"My hero."
Jaune groaned and closed his eyes. "Ugh. My back."
A slight kick to the ribs made him open them back up as he saw her holding out her hand, and with a heave took it, the heiress grunting under her breath as she helped lift him off the ground.
"Well. I suppose I should say thank you."
"You know, I'd really like to hear that but I feel too beat to even ask right now." Jaune breathed as he tried flashing her another one of his award winning smiles, which came out as slightly pained grimace instead. Instead, she rewarded him with a glower.
"Don't push it."
He scratched the back of his head. "Right. Um, yeah. You're okay though, right?"
The heiress nodded back. "Yes, I am." Weiss turned her head to gaze at the rest of their unofficial group. "We should hurry back to them. Looks like they're getting busier."
Following her gaze, Jaune noticed that the Deathstalker had caught up to the group, Pyrrha and the other students fighting a retreat towards the back of the ruins before disappearing behind the trees surrounding it.
It was probably for the better too, seeing that the Nevermore was showering them with its feathers from above.
He made to run, but Weiss grabbed him back with a vicelike grip. Probably enough to crush his wrist then and there, the slight glow of his Aura on his hand proving her strength.
"Ow! Hey, that hurts!"
Another stern look. "Consider this your thanks for helping me down."
"What? What is-whoa!"
Weiss summoned what appeared to be glowing snowflake sigils, spaced out in a line straight to and past the ruins. Her grip suddenly tightened as they basically flew, each of the sigils providing her with a boost of speed and Jaune flapping behind her like a flag on its pole.
Dodging some trees and lethal Grimm feathers, they soon caught up to the rest of them, the heiress gracefully slowing down while releasing Jaune and letting him stumble forward into the dirt.
"Better late then never, eh, Vomit Boy?"
He looked up with a deadpan expression at Yang, coughing out dirt before taking her offered hand up. "Gee, thanks. She practically flew me over here but it's a wonder I didn't just vomit right onto you here."
The female blonde laughed before smiling and activating her Aura, covering her in a deep yellow shine.
Well I'll be damned.
…she's hot.
"Let's not have a repeat of that again, shall we?" Yang added a bit more intensity to her grin, turning it almost a bit feral and – were her eyes always red, or purple?
A familiar voice interrupted their conversation before he could stare any further for confirmation. "Perhaps it would be wise to keep your stomach contents inside and that we move soon."
The two blondes turned to see Ren approaching them, flanked by the rest of the group of students he saw at the ruins previously. Weiss stood beside Ruby, albeit with a bit of distance, while Pyrrha and a girl with black hair and a large, prominent bow on top stood next to her, scrutinizing him with a neutral expression.
"Ren!"
A polite nod and smile. "Jaune."
"Nora!"
He made to shake his hand if not for the spontaneous burst of pink, orange and unrivalled enthusiasm. Said colours glomped Jaune with enough force as to slightly damage his Aura, stopped only by the intervention of her much calmer partner.
The blue of the sky was immediately covered in shadow, however as the massive Grimm bird of prey flew overhead, cawing loudly before perching on a cliff in the opposite direction of the cliff. An even louder rumble came from behind them, the group turning in sync as the Deathstalker arrived in a burst of splintering trees and debris.
Jaune subconsciously took a step back and found that the rest of the group did so as well, forming a loose circle against the oncoming Grimm.
Hmm.
Looking back, they were more or less against a cliff with ruins on one end, with the bird perched on a valley wall across it and ready to dive in for the kill. A thick forest with an angry scorpion that can outlast us in any run was the other option in front of them.
Two Grimm, and eight of us. Perfect.
"Everyone!" the blonde quickly called out, eyes not once leaving those of the Deathstalker. Like the Nevermore it seemed content to react to whatever move they would make, thinking that both of them would enough to handle these young upstarts.
In the pit of Jaune's mind, he was tempted to agree.
"Me, Nora, Pyrrha and Ren will take care of the Deathstalker. Rest of you guys go for the Nevermore!"
"On it!" Came Ruby's voice from behind him as he felt them break off and head towards the cliff. The cry of the Nevermore and hiss of the Deathstalker replied as the Grimm began advancing in earnest, ready to permanently fail their exam.
Jaune quickly looked to his sides, seeing the three that were left with him give reassuring nods and steeling themselves for the fight ahead.
He exhaled a breath he didn't realize he was holding and charged, trusting the rest to follow alongside him.
=== /\ ===
Ren steadied his breath as he, Nora and Pyrrha ran alongside Jaune towards the Deathstalker, leaving the Nevermore to the other four girls behind them.
If it was one thing that he was really thankful for, it was Nora. The girl somehow managed to find him after they were launched to ensure that they remained partners. Statistically, considering the amount of other people launched it was unlikely it would've happened.
And yet, I wouldn't have it any other way.
Upon seeing their advance, the Deathstalker made to charge as well, claws snapping and preemptively readying its pincer for the first to reach it. Fully expecting one of the students, its claws covered its face as Nora unleashed her hammer Magnhild, switching to its grenade launcher form and blasting the scorpion with its high explosive Dust rounds.
Welp. You can always trust Nora to bring the boom.
"Uh…hey! Nora! Keep it up and keep it in place!"
An enthusiastic laugh. "On it, captain!"
"Ren!"
He stopped and looked over to Jaune and Pyrrha. "Let's circle around and hit him from the back!"
Nodding back, the three simultaneously rushed to try and flank it. A loud roar was their enemy's response, the Deathstalker suddenly rearing its tail and lashing out in a wide arc, hoping to catch all of its distractions at once.
Ren leapt and ducked under the tail, noticing Pyrrha do the same before hearing a loud clang and see Jaune fly back, clutching his shield defensively in front of him before colliding on a tree trunk and slumping down.
"Jaune!" The ninja yelled before he grit his teeth and jumped back again, narrowly avoiding the claw which tried to snap forward and crush his spine.
"Ren, go get him. I'll distract the Deathstalker!"
He nodded and ran towards the fallen blonde, finding that he was already coming to, though still quite dazed if the slight swagger in his demeanour could tell.
"Ugh…" He looked blearily up at him. "Everything hurts."
"At least you're still alive, then." Ren sighed as he took Jaune's arm and helped him up, the blonde testing out his shield arm before picking his weaponry back up. "Hmm. We need to find a way to pierce through the shell."
They both gazed at the rapidly oncoming Grimm, Pyrrha and Nora fighting a tactical retreat closer to the cliffs and consequently, their position. It seemed said Grimm was more aggravated than actually hurt, though moved a little more sluggish and haphazardly swung its claws and stinger around compared to before.
A stinger connected to a thinner tail…
"Perhaps first we relocate to a safer position?"
Jaune nodded back. "Agreed, and I may have an idea."
=== /\ ===
The two burst forth from the treeline, joining the two girls as they showered the Grimm with a deadly hail of various Dust projectiles. "Hey guys! The stinger! Get the stinger!"
"Alright, let's move!" Pyrrha shouted as she and Nora jumped to the side, dodging as the Grimm surged forward with its claws. Turning around, the stinger came in for another sweep but the blonde jumped just as it would've made contact, giving a few slices to its side before falling back.
As he landed he noticed its right claw attempt to grab him, were it not for Pyrrha, who slammed the claw out of the way, the force of the impact reverberating even through his body.
"Careful, Jaune. Wouldn't do to lose my partner during initiation now, would it?"
A small wave of happiness coursed through his heart, though it was promptly cut short as the other claw snapped at him. Several pink coloured explosions rocked the ground around him, as Nora let loose another barrage to cover for Pyrrha and Jaune to charge up to it and give it several more slices. The champion then hopped back and threw Miló at its face, scoring a shot to one of its eyes and causing it to roar in pain.
Momentarily stunned, it also dropped its claws as it fought to regain its senses.
"Ren, now's our chance! Cut that stinger off!"
"On it!"
Said ninja dashed forward, firing his pistols before leaping once more on top and delivering a quick one-two with its blades to the tail.
It failed to sever, hanging on as if by a thread.
Another roar, and his balance became unsteady as it twisted around to shake him off. Ren jumped off safely and looked back, eyes momentarily widening at sudden oncoming claw. It sent him flying until his back connected with a ruined stone wall.
The ninja struggled slightly to stand, but eventually collapsed and remained unmoving.
This time, the entirety of the team's eyes widened in shock, more so when the Grimm noticed his lack of movement as well and made to capitalize on it with pincers and certain death.
"Ren!"
"Renny!"
"Nora, focus! Go get Ren, me and Pyrrha will distract the Deathstalker!"
The ginger haired girl wasted no time as she sped in his direction, launching salvo upon salvo of grenades while Jaune and Pyrrha rushed towards the Grimm.
Damn. This wasn't supposed to happen!
He glanced at Pyrrha, who was currently holding her ground and deflecting the pissed off Grimm's claws with her shield, though since she was without her sword she was slowly being pushed back little by little.
And that wouldn't be a problem, if not for the fact that they now moved almost beside the cliff, right across where the other team of four where battling the avian Nevermore on the other side of the cliff.
Ren, meanwhile, was still knocked out though his ever faithful companion had arrived to take care of him.
"…une!"
Huh?
Pay attention to what's in front of you.
Huh!? Wait, what!?
"JAUNE!"
The blonde felt an instant pang of regret for taking too long to stare, as his lack of situational awareness was rewarded by Pyrrha's desperate screams, followed by a very large claw colliding just in time to hit his shield.
That did nothing to stop the monumental amount of force behind it, causing him to yell out as he was tossed away from the battlefield and into the crevasse below.
As he began to fall from the cliff, all he could see now behind his building panic was the Deathstalker turn its attention towards Pyrrha, who literally summoned her sword back and began hacking with all her fury at the creature who just killed her friend and partner.
Mom, Dad…guys, I'm sorry. I guess this is the end, huh?
…was this what it felt like? To know that these are your final moments?
…but I don't want to die, not when I my friends are in trouble, all because I failed them!
One more last, desperate idea.
Please, voice in my head, I don't know who you are or what you are and I'm surprised I haven't completely panicked and lost it every time I hear you. But please –
One more glance back up top, seeing Pyrrha struggling against the Scorpion –
Whoever you are, if you can help me now, please, now's the time!
Nothing.
The rush of wind as he began to fall in earnest after being launched.
And then the world seemed to slow as his vision faded to black.
=== /\ ===
Darkness.
Once again, as far as his eyes could see, shadow reigned in the vast expanse of the void.
Yet this time, there was a noise, growing louder and louder as time went on.
And with it, a sickish, yellow light at some distant point.
Jaune blinked, and suddenly, he was in what appeared to be some sort of throne room, giving off ominous light and lightning as his gaze drawn to a figure floating above the floor - the same one from his earlier vision.
The evil man seemed to have cast some sort of spell, as his face glowed with the purest form of malicious enjoyment as a green clad warrior wielding that familiar blade fell into the depths, laughing as he did.
He ran over and peered over the edge, only to gape as what he saw not only shocked him, but caused his head and hand to burn with unbridled pain, releasing such a strong sense of nostalgia caused him to keel over and begin to black out once more.
But not before hearing the warrior yell with resolve and seeing him somehow initiate a flying spinning attack to rise back and challenge the evil man.
…wait.
That's it.
His hand continued burning with light as the darkness overtook him.
=== /\ ===
Upon opening his eyes, the daylight blinded him but it mattered little as he felt the surge of power overtake him, the raw courage reigniting unknown memories as he drew his sword back to spin back up.
He narrowed his eyes and with every ounce of his will screamed and simply desired to get back up there, feeling the natural inclination to use that burning power to swing his blade.
One swing became another, until the world revolved around him in a blur that soon changed from foggy abyss to dirt and stone as he flew up and over the ledge, crashing his sword into the Deathstalker and rending its tail in two, having the fortunate side effect dropping its stinger right through its body and eliciting an enraged roar from the beast.
=== /\ ===
Pyrrha was confident in her abilities as a championship fighter, but that also meant recognizing when she faced an opponent of equal or greater strength. And sure, she has killed her fair share of Grimm too. Beowolves, various types of Ursai – variety was definitely not lacking.
A Deathstalker, one on one, however?
Yeah. With an elder Grimm of this strength and endurance, even she wasn't so sure she could face it alone and win, at the very least survive.
At least she had a team with her – Ren was coming to after being hit hard, and Nora did what she could to ward it off by supporting her with grenade fire. Still, after going all out with her partner being thrown off the cliff and another injured, at the most it was an even fight, and not for long either.
All the more why her expression morphed from one of barely concealed rage to one of bewilderment as she noticed Jaune launch himself from over the edge, spinning so furiously towards the Grimm that as soon as his sword made contact with its tail, it completely severed it, driving the stinger through its bony plates and saving her.
Meanwhile, her partner landed roughly behind it, panting heavily and falling to one knee as the Deathstalker roared in pain from being stabbed by its own appendage.
No. This has to end, now!
Angling herself so as to be not visible to the rest of them, she sheathed her sword and took off in a full sprint before jumping and launching herself downward into the stinger, using Akoúo to hammer the stinger home and finally end the Grimm threat into gurgling noises and slowly dissipating wisps of black smoke.
"Hah…finally. Jaune? Where are you? Jaune!"
And there was the matter of her partner. She spotted Nora supporting Ren as they slowly made their way over to him, and she jogged to quickly closed the distance.
Hmm, he seems to be alright, Pyrrha thought as she knelt by his lying down form. His Aura was shining particularly bright – especially for some reason his left hand, as light was practically streaming out from other his glove – but soon began to fade away, and Jaune opened his eyes after, blinking away the bleariness.
"Ugh…man…are y-you guys alright…?"
She gave him a genuine smile. "Jaune…how did you…? No, it doesn't matter. We're all fine, see?" She swung her arm and pointed at Ren and Nora, who joined her in kneeling beside him.
"It'll take more than a few Grimm to break us, Jauney boy!" Nora exclaimed, though she also had a soft and caring look in her eyes. Such a statement was soon echoed by a loud caw as the group and turned to look at the cliffs where the other team went off, seeing the Nevermore get eviscerated by their teamwork and collapse into smoke running down the cliff.
"It seems they too have finished up." Ren grunted as he sat and crossed his legs. "Well done, Jaune, we did it. We passed Initiation."
"Oh! That reminds me! What pieces did you guys pick?" Nora asked, pulling out a ivory coloured rook that looked like it belonged in a particularly expensive and ornate chess set.
"Hmm? Oh…uh. Are those the relics we have to get?"
Pyrrha laid a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, just stay here and rest. I'll run back and get our own."
Jaune watched her run off towards the direction of the ruins before collapsing his down with a sigh and closing his eyes, feeling the exhaustion take over and lull him to sleep.
I can't believe it. It still feels like I haven't.
…hey, voice. If you're in my head somewhere, just wanna say thanks for helping me out there. If you haven't, well. I don't think I'll be able to tell you this.
…
…
You have much to learn.
Jaune sighed and passed out completely.
=== /\ ===
"…from this day forward, you will be known as Team Juniper, led by Jaune Arc."
"Congrats, Jaauunne!" followed by a glomp from a very happy rose.
"Ooh, Jauney boy! Do I get to call you captain now?"
A slight gasp and said blonde opened his eyes, startling awake. He rustled slightly in his bed, still not fully used to the mattress and room where he would be spending the next four years of his life.
He was also feeling the sorest he ever felt in his life.
After Initiation came the actual ceremony, where – surprisingly – he was appointed his new team's leadership role out of the blue.
Him! The least and qualified person in the team, leading people much stronger and experienced for the next four years.
Four!
…at least moving in and unpacking was easy.
"Ughh…" He groaned and shifted to his side, turning away from the wall and coming face to face with an equally awake Pyrrha, eyes widening as he met her own.
"Ah!"
"Ah! Jeez, you startled me," Jaune whispered as he settled back down and scratched the back of his head.
"Ah…sorry. I couldn't sleep and I heard you mumbling, so I thought you were having a nightmare." She whispered back sheepishly, moving back up to the backrest of her bed and sitting upright.
"Oh. No worries, I'm fine. Thanks."
A slight smile, and the two lapsed into silence, staring at the darkened ceiling and letting the ambience of the outside and Nora's slight snoring dominate their eardrums.
"…"
"…"
Come on, Jaune, think! What do I say to her to make this not so awkward?
He looked back at her for inspiration, only to catch her in the act of turning to look at him, causing both to look away with blushes on their faces.
"Uhh….so!" He nervously began, looking back at her and realizing how the moonlight shone gently, accentuating her emerald irises, enhancing her smile as well as her fi-
No! Bad Jaune!
He turned away again in embarrassment, before hearing a stifled giggle and looking back with curiosity.
"I'm sorry…I'm not too good at this myself," Pyrrha breathed, looking away from him and letting her head fall back to rest on the wall. "Is…is there anything on your mind?"
The embarrassment faded as he leaned against the wall flush against the side of his bed, and took a deep breath.
"Well, I mean…yeah. It's just, I can't believe I actually done it. I passed Initiation and I'm actually a student here now. Not only that, but Ozpin made me leader too. Like, right out of the blue. Is that normal? Is any of this normal? It's just a lot to take in."
Especially since Ozpin kept looking at me like something he's never seen before, or hasn't seen in a while, even after our turn on the stage. Come on, man! The pressure is real here!
He sighed and looked down, before looking back at her. Pyrrha herself looked lost in thought before smiling slightly and making eye contact with him.
"Yeah, it's a lot, isn't it? I'm sure we'll get used to it in time, and we are a team now. Whatever comes our way, we'll face it together."
Jaune nodded back. "Yeah. Guess it's just a step by step process, eh?"
"Hah…yeah."
"…"
"…"
"…Jaune?"
"Yeah?"
"Do you…ahem." She coughed and brought her knees up, hugging them close. "I…do you think we worked…well enough together? If I messed up or couldn't help you in time, like when you were knocked off and I thought that you were gonna –"
"Pyrrha."
She looked up. "Yes?"
He gave her the gentlest smile he could muster. "I think we worked well. Like, I'm not exactly the best fighter, or the…most confident, and I actually owe you for saving my life!" Jaune spoke up a little with excitement, putting his fist into his open palm. Pyrrha blushed a little at that statement, but returned the smile all the same.
"I…yes. I'm glad," She returned. She held his gaze for a little moment as if scrutinizing something, before smiling slightly and sliding back under the covers. "Jaune…thank you. I…look forward to being your partner."
A quiet chuckle. "And same to you. Good night."
She turned her head slightly and gave him a soft and sleepy smile before turning her back to him. "Good night."
The blonde laid back down and as the memories of the previous day came back to him, his lips pulled into a slight frown, drifting off to sleep upon remembering his last ditch attempt at not only passing Initiation, but also saving his life.
I could have never pulled that off without…whatever is going on with me. Dad never taught me anything like that too.
He looked over, and upon seeing Pyrrha turned the other way withdrew his left hand from under the covers and examined its back.
Nothing. And yet…I know that's not true.
…What are you?
Jaune sighed and turned to his side, content to let it be a problem for another day.
=== /\ ===
Darkness.
Once again, as far as his eyes could see, shadow reigned in the vast expanse of the void.
Light.
A dim, white light, cascading in intensity before blinding him with its sudden peak, Jaune having to close his eyes and let it slowly adjust.
He took note of his surroundings, taking in the gentle white fog collecting around his legs and stretching into far distances – into horizon of which there was, in front of him, the beginning of a large forest, in another a range of snowpeaked mountains, to his right the edge of a vast expanse of desert and behind him –
Perhaps the largest – and to be fair, only – castle he had ever seen, standing tall and proud as one fit for the most powerful of kings.
Yet, despite the landmarks, what caught his eye was the figure turned away from him, facing the castle as stiff as a statue could be.
Despite that, he felt no immediate sense of danger; instead, a distant longing and desire to get closer.
And so closer he became, Jaune walking slowly as if almost in a trance, mesmerized by the sight of the red caped figure until stopping a good several feet away from him.
Enough to react in the case of a sudden ambush.
Said figure seemed to have read his mind as he slightly tilted his head to the right.
"Long has it been since I walked this world."
"…!"
"You…you're that voice, right? The one who helped me? You must be!"
The figure stood silently for what seemed to be an eternity before turning around and looking him in the eyes. His long, sandy golden hair was swept neatly to the side underneath an odd looking green cap, completed by a green chainmailed tunic that he wore underneath a red cape and shoulder guard.
Yet, what shocked him the most was his face, because despite the pointed ears, there was something in his eyes; there was a sense of judgment and criticality that defined his gaze, the intensity from which he quickly found himself looking away from, before looking back at him again.
But most importantly, it looked almost exactly like his, and once more gave that sense of misplaced longing.
"…you know nothing, do you?"
"I…who are you?"
The man narrowed his eyes slightly.
"I am you, Jaune Arc. My name is Link, and I was once the hero chosen by the gods."
/AN\
Hey all, and welcome to Chapter 5 of A Descendant of Legends!
Have to say, this was perhaps the most difficult chapter of the story to write so far. Never written a battle scene before, and even with the show to guide me on how it plays out, I still wanted to add my own little twist to and man, the demand for creative juice required for that - especially after having to write a couple of essays due this week - was quite heavy. Even then, I still feel it's a little rough but can't shoot for the stars without building a spaceship. As per the title of the chapter, this was also for me a major test of strength. I also planned to update this the past weekend but alas, life and work gets in the way and you have to take care of things. Also, a quick warning - do not be alarmed if you see updates within the next day or two as I will be editing the previous chapters not for content, but to fix general formatting and appearance for consistency.
In any case, with this chapter also ends the first arc of the story and its true beginning. Up until now this was basically the prologue story and setup, but now it begins. The Zelda involvement will now begin in earnest, since as from the past few chapters Jaune is beginning to awaken to the notion that perhaps there might be a bit more to what's going on with him.
Once again, thank you to those who have favourited / reviewed the story, and if anyone has criticism / feedback on how to improve please let me know, and thank you all for reading this and the rest of the story so far. In addition, I'll be trying a new format for responding to some feedback as well. If this is method well received then rather than being vague in future ANs I'll be using it from now on to respond to be more personable in responding to further reviews.
Cheers!
Spartastic 4: Yes! For sure. I planned to add my own twists here and there and though the story will follow canon for a little bit, I felt that the overall "atmosphere" of the story would change alongside Jaune's progression. Otherwise yes, I do want to be a bit more adventurous and to spice things up a bit, following alongside canon rather than in it.
ENDDRAGON369: Ah well...spoilers? I can say for sure that I won't take Zelda out of this story, but saying now what happens (or happened) to the concept of Zelda the person would be spoiling a bit too much at this time.
hirshja: Yes, so regarding Chapter 4 my thought process was to have Jaune still be amazed when seeing Aura-influenced actions, as he himself hadn't unlocked it yet and thus displays that kiddy excitement until he gets it. Sorry if I didn't make that clearer back then.
Lastly, thank you to all those named previously above along with kenmadragon, The Good Life Creator 678, Fyr RedNight, MeraHunt, Unknown Hunter, 6tailedninja, and Dragon lord Syed 101 for the reviews. Seriously, knowing that people liked some of the things I wrote helps immensely.
The Legend of Zelda and RWBY are properties of Nintendo and Rooster Teeth, respectively.