Arc II: The Knight Life
Chapter 7: Trials of the Sword
The ethereal forest ruffled slightly in the breeze, seemingly breathing life into a memory long forgotten and washed away by the river that was time. It was the kind of wind which would calm a man from a long day's work under the blazing sun, and sail his boat into the vast expanse of the ancient ocean.
It also had the effect of slightly cooling Jaune as held his shield up in preparation for another of Link's unforgiving strikes.
"Damn it…it feels like we've been going at this for hours! My sweater and jeans are completely soaked through!"
And his momentary lapse in judgment proved to be his undoing as Link rushed him, bashing his shield away with his own and driving a powerful kick into his gut, the force of which sent him flying back into a tree trunk.
"Gah!"
"Focus Do not let your mind wander beyond the scope of the fight. The enemy will not hesitate to take advantage." Link chastised, voice mellow but eyes as sharp as iron.
"Yeah, you could say that again." Jaune grunted, pushing himself off the ground and dusting himself off. "Okay, now –"
"And neither will I."
"Whoa!"
As soon as Jaune stood up he widened his eyes and slashed with Crocea Mors instinctively as Link rushed him again, forcing the latter to parry and allowing Jaune to stumble away and create some distance.
And yet it was not enough as Link leapt after him, aiming cleave his skull from above. His blade met with Jaune's shield, a sharp clang ringing loudly through the forest and painfully through his arm as it absorbed the impact.
Jaune yelled out as he thrusted above, aiming to skewer the green clad warrior but met only air as Link had jumped back and rushed him once more. Shield met with sword as the two exchanged a deadly series of slices, thrusts and parries around the forest clearing.
What started to wear down Jaune, however, was the fact that despite how exhausted he was, Link looked fresh as ever with an expression that teetered somewhere between boredom and frustration.
As the two came into a deadlock with their blades, Jaune leapt back and sighed, wiping some sweat from his brow.
"Oh my Gods, this man looks like he barely broke a sweat. Is this like some sort of side effect of being trapped in my mind or something?"
"Hah…damn, how are you…hah…not tired yet?"
"Tired? We spent only a few moments sparring and you are already spent. Has your experience in Initiation taught you nothing?"
"Hah…what? No! That was…hah…probably the hardest fight of my life until…hah…I met you."
"Hmm. I see. To answer your question, I lost the ability to feel exhaustion since the day I first died. And yet, I still grow tired…"
Link pointed his blade at him, eliciting a groan as Jaune sluggishly assumed a defensive position once more.
"…of you thinking that you can just hide behind your shield when faced with a superior opponent."
"Huh?"
Within a second, Link went from pointing his sword at him some distance away before suddenly closing in. Jaune brought his shield up and held it tight, expecting Link to try and deflect it away, but instead was rewarded by immense pain lancing up his arm as Link crashed his sword into shield.
"Ow! Damn it!"
Jaune jumped back, aiming to make space to wield Crocea Mors but Link was upon him again, forcing him to power through the waves of pain shooting through his arm as Link bashed his sword over and over into the shield.
It wasn't long before he noticed cracks appearing on the inside of the shield, loosening the grips a little.
"Whoa, hey! Cut it out! You're gonna break my shield!"
As if emboldened by his cry, Link stepped back and leapt, aiming his sword point down as if to pierce through the very earth itself.
"Shit, I'm not taking that head on!"
Jaune felt his Triforce slightly flare as he used all his strength to leap out of the way, not wanting to risk his shield. It proved to be a good call as Link slammed onto the ground, small shockwaves emanating from his landing point.
"Good."
His praise, whispered so quietly that Jaune could barely hear it, was the only warning he got as Link rushed him and drove his blade in a cross slice that forced him to bring up his shield in reply.
The response he got was perhaps the most horrible sound he'd ever heard, steel screeching against steel as Link's sword cut his shield into two uneven halves, the top third falling uselessly onto the grass.
Jaune looked dumbfounded in shock, sadness and rising anger as he switched glares between his family's broken heirloom and the man who caused it so.
"You…"
"But not good enough."
The Triforce flared once more as he focused solely on Link, seeing his blade thrusting forward to impale him on the stomach. Jaune tried to dodge as fast as he could, the blade instead glancing him across the arm.
"Nggggh! You…that was my family heirloom!"
"Would the enemy care if you told them that? Would he deign to listen if you ranted at him so?" Link growled, azure eyes as hard as ice.
"RAGH!"
Jaune angrily swung Crocea Mors in his direction, earning another burst of pain as Link swiftly caught it and disarmed him, sending his weapon flying into the bush out of sight and out of reach.
The blonde's eyes widened as he watched it go, only to swing his gaze back forward as he felt his enemy close the distance and place the tip of his sword on his stomach..
Link's eyes narrowed.
"You lose."
Fully expecting him to ream his blade through, instead he stepped back and delivered a powerful roundhouse kick, sending him flying across the ground before coming to a rest against a small boulder.
Slumped on the ground, Jaune dazedly lifted his head to see Link sheathe his weapons, and then fell limp as the darkness claimed him.
()===|=====+
"…"
"…"
Jaune stirred as the sounds of forest ambience slowly began to fill his ears; the songs of ghostly birds and the crashes of waves upon shores long gone chasing away the last of his unconsciousness. He squinted his eyes open, wincing at the brightness before slowly shifting and attempting to move.
"Agh!"
He jolted wide awake at the sheer ferocity of pain that instantly lanced throughout his body, his back and arms groaning in protest as he fought through to sit up more comfortably against the stone he lay against. At least that mitigated the soreness somewhat.
He closed his eyes and sighed, the very act of breathing an exhausting act. "Ugh. Everything…hurts."
"I would imagine so. Never before have you fought so intensely against an opponent who outclassed you in every way."
Jaune looked up, only to look back down as a water skin plopped down into his lap. Ignoring the tingling of his muscles, he opened it and greedily drank, all pain and soreness forgotten as he realized just how thirsty he was, how dry his throat and mouth were – and all soothed as he consumed the water as if it were the nectar of the Gods.
He closed it and put it down, noticing that Link sat on a nearby log with his sword and Crocea Mors resting neatly against it.
"Has anybody ever told you that you're too good?"
"There's no such thing as 'too good'. Only experienced." Link replied as he stretched out his arm and caught the water skin sent back in response. "I have been blessed to have great teachers, but many of the lessons I've learned were paid in blood."
He took a sip of water and faced the slumped blonde. "Enough about me, let's talk about you. How do you think you did?"
"What do I think? You kicked the shit outta me!" Jaune wheezed, wincing slightly. "You knew what I what was gonna do, you're too strong…I mean, I don't know. You just completely wrecked me."
"Yes. To say I merely defeated you would be an understatement."
Jaune whined.
"There is no doubt that you have some level of basic training, and that you put the lessons you learned during Initiation to good use. From when you sparred with your father, I can see that you grip is better, your stance is steady and you take greater heed of your surroundings."
Jaune looked at him inquisitively. "Wait. You…you can see through my memories?"
"Yes. Do remember that I am a part of you, awakened when your partner unlocked your Aura."
Link stood up. "But we can get to that later. Frankly speaking, you were outclassed in every way. Without your team, you would dead and rotting on the forest floor.
Jaune sighed. "Yeah…yeah, I know. There's no denying it. It's just that, even compared to sparring with my dad, I've never been so…so…"
"Humiliated?"
He tried but failed to muster a glare at Link. "…yeah. And you could probably beat him yourself. I know he was holding back, but-"
"I know that your relationship with your father was…strained," Link interrupted. "Today, I only sought to test the waters and see for myself where you need the most help. Everything from your strength and technique needs work, and it is something that will come through only with continuous practice and experience."
Jaune's eyes widened as the canteen sailed back towards him, catching it before seeing Link sheathe his blade and walk away towards the cliff. "Your first lesson is to keep yourself fit for battle. Drink up. We're done sparring for now."
"Uh. Right."
With a grunt, the blonde stood and took a swig before reclaiming Crocea Mors and following after Link, who was leaning against a tree with a wide, and, Jaune thought, beautiful view of the rest of the island and ocean.
Sitting down by a tree beside Link's, it was then that he allowed himself to fully be at ease as they drifted into a companionable silence. His…mentor? Guide? Teacher? Or simply just Link, for lack of a better term was lost in thoughts, gazing far beyond the coast and into the horizon. And, Jaune thought, what a view it was. With his heart rate calm and steady, he began to appreciate the little things he couldn't on during the fight – be it the gentle sea breeze cooling the last of his sweat away, or the distant songs of birds up in the canopy.
And as for the ocean?
Well.
Few things could steal his breath away. It almost reminded him of his hometown of Hudson, on the coast south of Vale. Local histories always taught that the area was settled before Vale even became a kingdom, with ruins of the original town by a lake further inland as testament.
And yet, though the sight of the open water was something that he grew acquainted with over time, being on the island filled Jaune with a sense of peace his hometown could never give him, dream or not. Perhaps it was the lack of bad memories in the place compared to Hudson, but aside from the distant, ever present nostalgia buried deep within his gut, he couldn't find it in him to complain, regardless of the similarities.
"Something on your mind?"
Jaune broke out of his reverie, shaking his head before looking over and seeing him still gazing into the distance. "Yeah. Just thinking about how this reminds me a little of home."
"Home…" Link breathed, testing the words as if it was some long forgotten, rediscovered concept. "Yes. I could see why."
"Well hey now, that's cheating." Jaune replied sardonically, earning a loud exhale of air from Link that could've been mistaken as a snort. "How about you? Was this your home?"
"In a manner of speaking. I spent some time growing up in the village down by the coast."
He pointed towards the cluster of rooftops, of which Jaune now had a better view. He could make out several houses as well as a taller tower on the water itself, connected to the mainland by a wooden plankway and used presumably as a lookout.
"Looks really peaceful."
"Yes, it was, at least for the most part. But let's not beat around the bush. Though you are resting, you also need to learn about all this," Link nodded around him before turning to face him directly.
"You mean, about everything? I have, like, a million questions and don't know where to start."
"Then we shall pick up where we last left off. What do you remember?"
Jaune scratched his head. "Uh. Well…something about the…Triforce, and how it's some ultimate power, I think? And apparently, according to you I possess the Triforce of Bravery." He held out his left hand, the emblem pulsing a faint gold against his skin.
"Courage. But yes. It is the source of all magic in this world," Link replied as he drew a small knife and turned to face the tree, carving the familiar three triangles into the bark.
Jaune scratched the back of his neck.
"You know, it still feels really weird that magic is a real thing."
"Well, the warriors – Huntsmen, rather – of your world fight with abilities imbued from energy deep within their soul. Does that not sound like magic to you?"
"Well…yeah. But it's not like any of us can shoot fireballs or create thunderstorms with spells. Just enough to enhance our own strength, you know?"
Link shook his head. "No. At some point in the past, humanity's ability and knowledge to cast was lost to time. All that is left is a sliver of magical affinity sustained by the Triforce and inherited from your ancestors who could, hence what you call a 'Semblance'."
"I…I see."
"Yes. Now, the Triforce has two other parts – Power and Wisdom." Link pointed to the diagram as he listed them off. The back of his hand pulsed warmly as if in response.
"Okay. And I guess, judging from the names…Power makes you strong, Wisdom makes you smart and Courage makes you brave?"
Link sighed. "An extremely simplified understanding but you are correct. Now, hold out your left hand."
"Wait, so do you know what this means? Like, why only half is glowing? I mean, I've been having dreams about seeing the Triforce in full, and someone who looks like me but darker having the other half and how he's always trying to-"
He fell silent when Link turned back to him and raised a hand. "Calm, Jaune. Now, you said you were having dreams of the Triforce and someone…pursuing you for it?"
"Yes. Someone who looked like me, but…darker? Edgier? Like, he looked exactly like me but his eyes were red instead of blue, and he was dressed in really dark clothing."
"Right. Is there anything else?"
Jaune racked his mind for a moment before shrugging. Link made to comment but he quickly interrupted him. "Oh! Yeah, one more thing. He was, um, wielding an interesting looking sword."
"Hmm?"
"Yeah. It had a blue guard and it glowed, almost like one of those beam swords from the space movies. I only really paid attention to it because every time I looked at it, it seemed really familiar. Only that I've never seen it before."
Jaune grew increasingly concerned as he listed off the details, Link's face darkening and chest rising and falling with each breath. The two were silent for a moment, though it felt like an eternity as Link closed his eyes and steadied his breathing.
"Did…did I say something wrong?"
"…"
"…"
"Jaune."
"Yeah?"
"The Master Sword is known as the Blade of Evil's Bane, and the greatest weapon ever wielded by the forces of light against the darkness. It is a blessing and burden to those who carry it. It is an ancient, sacred weapon. In the fight against evil, it will be one of the most powerful tools at your disposal."
"The Master Sword…"
Jaune shuddered upon hearing those words, the distant sense of nostalgia present once more. It was beginning to frustrate him, with how much so much seemed so familiar and yet how he knew nothing.
"And…how do you know of it?
"Because I was the one who forged and wielded it over the ages."
The blonde fell silent, waiting for Link's response as the latter dusted himself off and walked over to stand with him eye to eye.
"I know you have a lot of questions, Jaune, and I reiterate again that I will do my best to answer them all in due time. For as you can see, you will be soon be waking up again."
He nodded towards the horizon, and Jaune followed it to see darkness encroaching from the horizon, almost as if choking the very light out of the view.
"Let us start with what you have. You have a fragment of the Triforce of Courage within you. Having that piece, even if not complete, was probably why you were able to push yourself to succeed Initiation, despite your lack of training or experience." Link replied as Jaune nodded.
"Yeah…yeah, I guess. But wait. You can see through my memories, right? Can't you at least see my dreams, or visions, or whatever they are?"
Link sighed, frustrated and roughly scratching the back of his head. "I cannot. Though I can see your memories and those of your previous incarnations, the visions you are having are likely of a prophetic nature, one for you and you alone."
"Previous…incarnations? Does this have to do with the things you mentioned? Something about heroes fighting evil and stuff?"
"Listen. Within the depths of your mind, you feel as if many of the things you either see in your dreams or hear of from our conversations stir yearning, even if you've never seen them before, correct?"
"Y-yeah. That's right."
Link nodded. "Good. It's because your line of thinking is wrong. And wrong in a special way. You have dealt and handled many of these things, be it the Master Sword, or your dark interloper, for example, before in previous lives."
"…wait. Are you saying that-"
"You are a reincarnation, the successor in a long and ancient line of heroes."
The blonde took a step back, mind ringing with a myriad of emotions – confusion and surprise, he was sure, but also a sense of…emptiness. Numbness. A void, like the darkness that had already consumed the ocean and coastline.
And yet, despite the thoughts swirling in his head, as soon as Link said that, he could almost feel like some sort of light switch deep within him had clicked; perhaps he couldn't fully believe it but he had nothing he could deny it with.
Reluctant acceptance in denial at best.
He shook his head as if emerging from a trance, only to see Link having unsheathed his blade and resting it on the ground, hands on the pommel. His eyes were closed, deep in solemn remembrance.
"I…I…"
"I understand you find it hard to accept. Believe me, I know that feeling more than anyone. In more lives than I can remember now, I strove to reject it, to bargain or find another way around it."
He opened his eyes, a steely blue locked onto his own frightened ones.
"But that is the cycle of destiny we must endure. I've done so since my first life, when I fought with the Goddess Hylia to protect our people's escape into the heavens against the demons of the underworld. In my second life, I did it again when the demon god was freed-"
Jaune gripped his head, whimpering under his breath as a headache began to form, along with brief flashes of memory; brightly coloured birds soaring in beautiful, sunny skies.
"I…"
"…I did it when I was a child younger than you, orphaned in a world that forgot the darkness that never reigned…"
The headache and his groans intensified as he saw a face quite like his, along with a beautiful blonde princess face down a monster of terrifying proportions.
"Please…"
"…And again when the twilight invaded and sought to plunge both worlds into eternal shadow."
Ringing.
His ears were ringing as he finally lost control and screamed, keeling over as the images of a chained wolf, the same wolf facing down a demonic boar and a laughing imp assaulted his mind painfully and thoroughly.
"…among many, many more."
"Please! Make…make it…stop!"
The pain disappeared in an instant as he felt a hand gently touch his shoulder, and he looked up through tearstained eyes to see Link kneeling beside him. A sorrowful and determined expression graced his face, features slowly dimming as the darkness had finally reached them.
"Jaune. You are my successor, the fated hero of this new world. Though I will be here to guide you, be brave. As ancient evils buried beneath the sands of time awaken, so must you in your duty that destiny has burdened you with."
All that escaped his mouth was an exhale and a whimper as the void finally consumed them both.
()===|=====+
When Jaune did wake up, it was with soft gasp and with a rapidly beating heart.
The sounds of deep snoring echoed across Team JNPR's room as he sat up, eyes wide awake and alert as if on guard for a possible enemy threat.
"Hah…hah…"
"Holy shit. Holy fuck…what -"
He looked around, trying to steady his breathing and dealing with the faint flashes of memory that were not his in an attempt to keep his teammates from waking up. Pulling out his scroll, the lock screen clock read 5:01 while his agenda displayed Combat Class with Professor Goodwitch scheduled as the first class after breakfast.
"…Damn it, Jaune. What did you get yourself into?"
Sighing, he quietly left his bed and headed to the washroom. Shutting the door and turning on the light, he washed his hands and face, the cold sting of the water jolting away the last of his tiredness away as his adrenaline began to wear off. Looking at himself in the mirror, he found himself not at all impressed at the slightly bloodshot eyes and heavy bags under them staring back.
At least the physical soreness from their sparring faded, but he was still mentally spent all the same.
"Looks like it's gonna be a rough day then. Might as well load up on the coffee during breakfast too."
Jaune glanced at the back of his left hand, the Triforce no longer radiating and hidden from view.
"…and then there's you, huh? What…what do I ever do with you?"
He looked up and stared at himself in the mirror, and for a moment he could almost picture his dark counterpart meeting his gaze instead of his reflection. After all, according to Link, he was some sort of evil version of himself, as well as an 'interloper' – whatever that meant. Of that much, he was sure.
And yet, one answer begat more questions. Where did it come from? Why was it after the Triforce? And most importantly, what was going on? Who really is Link, and is hereally the next hero?
The questions assailed Jaune's mind as he padded back to his bed and lay silently, desperately willing himself to go to sleep but unable to. In a way, it reminded him back of school in Hudson, where he would stay up anxious all night before a big test, or field trip around the town.
Only except now, the school he was in taught its students how to be the perfect warrior against Grimm; a school he nearly died to get into. And the only reason he didn't was because he had his team and Team RWBY to help him –
And the Triforce, along with the personification of the voice in his head.
Jaune frowned and turned to the side.
At first, he thought about trying to reach the man himself, but stopped himself before he did. Link himself would probably want him to take some time and process things. Despite everything the man had told him, he still couldn't accept everything that was basically dumped on him. If anything, he knew for a fact that what he said was undeniably true – some part of him deep down inside simply resonated with that statement.
So then…why was he in denial? Was it because everything he was taught about the world was all a lie? Or that perhaps some of the fairy tales from his childhood might actually be based on truth?
"Pfft." Jaune snorted internally as he thought about that briefly, before remembering that seeing the Triforce give him the strength to save his life, as well as talking to the man who had the answers to almost all his questions, that he was in no position to deny it any more.
And yet, as the adrenaline completely wore off and Jaune began to fall asleep once more, he realized that perhaps he was simply too scared to admit and accept. Too scared to fight have his dream taken away from him.
"…I'm a Huntsman. I'm gonna be a Huntsman, whatever it takes. I've come this far. I won't falter. It…won't change. Just a…little bit of extra…work. Just…a…zzzzz."
"…"
"…"
"Zzzzz…"
"…"
As Jaune mumbled and tossed, Pyrrha shuffled and looked over worriedly at him before turning back and falling asleep.
()===|=====+
"Jaune, are you sure you're feeling okay?"
Upon hearing Ren's question, Pyrrha, Weiss and Ruby looked over, while Yang and Nora were engaged in an arm wrestling contest and the girl with black hair and bowtie – Blake, as her team leader introduced her – continued reading a book, although looked briefly over the top to glance at him.
"Uh…yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little tired. Didn't get much sleep last night."
"Are you sure, Jaune? It's just that you really seem…not okay. Like, kinda troubled." Ruby piped up, silver eyes full of concern.
Pyrrha gently laid an arm on his shoulder. "You're barely managing to stay awake. At least have a snack or something light. You already skipped breakfast and class is about to start. You'd need to be at your full strength if you're called to spar then."
"Eheh, well as you can see, it won't really matter as I'm already not at a hundred percent. I'm fine."
"Yeah but even then, um. Still-"
The doors opened, and all classroom chatter died when Professor Glynda Goodwitch strode confidently into the room. So too did many others' bravery when she narrowed her eyes and scanned the classroom.
"Everyone, welcome to the first of many combat classes you will have here at Beacon. Here, and during mandated training time you will all work towards honing your martial abilities – be it in teams or solo practice. Here, in class, you will each have turns to have a quick bout, after which we analyze the fight as well as strengths and weaknesses."
The professor walked to the centre of the platform in the middle of the lecture hall and drew her riding crop. "And now, we start. Do we have any volunteers?"
Silence permeated the classroom as the students looked all over, eager to see if any would put up their hands but also nervous enough to refuse eye contact with the teacher, should they get chosen.
"Yeah. I'll go, Miss!"
All eyes turned to the back left of the classroom, and Jaune narrowed his eyes as Cardin Winchester raised his hand eagerly.
"Very well. You may get your equipment and change. Are there any others, or shall I have to pick one?"
Again, silence. Only this time, as Jaune finished looking around and drew his gaze back to the front did he notice the professor have her gaze stop and meet his.
He gulped audibly.
"Mr. Arc. To the change room, please."
"Y-yes, Professor."
He made his way down to the back, entering the change room and grabbing his equipment from the locker. When he made to reach for the door, a hand grabbed his shoulder from behind and force him back, sending him stumbling into a locker with a clang, eliciting an oof from the blonde in response.
"Sorry, pal. Winners first." Cardin jeered as he grabbed the door and exited.
"Tch."
Jaune followed suit and met the professor and Cardin in the middle of the lecture hall arena.
"Here are the rules for this match, and for all others in the future. I will be adjudicating, so it would be in your best interests to adhere to it. All of you," Glynda narrowed her eyes and scanned the room once more, as if daring any to challenge that.
Not surprisingly, there were no objections.
"Good. Now, each of your scrolls have been synced to the room's terminal, displaying your overall Aura. Green for full, yellow midway and red when nearing empty. Should the bar reach the red, a combatant knocked unconscious or driven out of bounds, the spar will end and the student with most Aura remaining declared the winner. Any questions?"
She looked over to Jaune and Cardin, who both shook their heads in the negative.
"Very well. Opponents, to the ends of the platform." She intoned as she stepped off to the side.
"Draw your weapons."
They both complied, Jaune deploying Crocea Mors and its shield while Cardin hefted a large, black mace with a red jewel on top.
"Huh. That's probably Dust or something dangerous. Don't know if he could use it here, but…best be on our guard."
He adopted a defensive stance while Cardin smiled and adopted an arrogant and confident one.
"Uh. Link. Link, are you there?"
"…"
"…"
I am, yes.
"Great. What can you tell me about him?"
Nothing.
Jaune's eyes widened in alarm. "Wait, what? What do you mean noth -"
There are many things I could tell you about him. What purpose would it serve if I spoon fed everything and not give you the chance to let you think and learn for yourself? Analyze him and fight the best you can. All I will say right now is what I always have. Your blade has no strength unless you fight with courage.
"Come on! Just a little tip, or-"
"Begin!"
His eyes snapped back to the front as Goodwitch called the start, Cardin adopting a neutral expression and charging at him. As his heavy footsteps pounded the arena drew closer, Jaune tightened his grip on his weapons and rushed to meet him.
"Damn it. Okay, so he's big and has a lot of power, especially with that mace. Uh. Um, let's see. He should be a bit slower then-"
The pair met roughly in the centre. Cardin raised his mace to strike him from above, and Jaune grunted as he raised his shield up, bracing for the inevitable impact.
"…!"
Only to stumble and fall backwards as it proved a feint, Cardin not following through and instead swiftly smashing into him, causing him to lose balance and leave himself wide open.
With a sneer tugging at the corner of his lips, it was then he tried to bring his mace onto Jaune, but he quickly flopped to his side, the brutish weapon crashing to the ground but leaving him unscathed. He scrambled back up and away from him, adopting a defensive position once more.
"Shit, this guy is actually fast!"
"What's wrong, Jauney boy? You seem awfully rusty for a knight in shining armour, no?"
"Yeah, well…um. Let's see who here really is the rusty one." Jaune retorted, cringing slightly.
"Now I kinda want to ask Link if he can teach me some insults too."
"Tch. Well then, I'll entertain you," Cardin smiled as he charged at him again. This time, Jaune made himself nimble, anticipating either any oncoming strikes or feints –
And was rewarded when he swung overhead again, the blonde jumping to the left and earning a swift cut on Cardin's armour for it.
The taller boy flinched and stumbled, responding a loud grunt as he surged back to his right with his elbow extended, catching a glancing blow on the side of Jaune's head but not much else as he already retreated several feet away from him.
When he turned around, he found the blonde swordsman grinning slightly from behind his shield.
"Alright then. Playtime's over, kid."
"Back to bedtime for you, then?"
"Tch."
Cardin walked towards him, mace in two hands and to the side, ready to strike from the waist or from below. Jaune, however, quickly moved forward to meet him, executing a probing thrust.
Said thrust was deflected as Cardin batted it away with his forearm braces, Aura crackling slightly but allowing him the advantage as he stepped in, delivering a solid thrust of his own with the head of his mace to Jaune's surprised face and sending him sprawling backwards.
The blonde fell, slightly dazed and with his own Aura crackling, only to bring his shield up on instinct as he heard Cardin pound his way over to him. It proved the right moved as there was a momentary pause, only to be followed by an earth shattering noise that almost sounded like an explosion.
Pain lanced through his arm and Aura crackled more fiercely as Jaune's shield withstood Cardin bludgeoning it like a hammer, over and over.
"Damn, I can't go on like this! What to do, what to do –"
Jaune glanced from below to the holographic display at the top of the class, eyes widening upon noticing his aura already halfway through the yellow while Cardin, while also yellow, was right below the green.
"Okay, okay. Um. Think Jaune, think! What would Link do?"
A swift kick to his side earned a pained grunt and also had the effect of him dropping his shield, exposing him fully to Cardin's attacks.
Said opponent hefted his mace with an angry grunt and expression, hoping to end the fight for good.
Jaune's eyes widened in panic as he brought the mace down –
And away as he panicked and thrust Crocea Mors into Cardin's arm, sending him flinching backwards and giving Jaune space. Not wanting to waste the advantage, scrambled to his feet and rushed him, Cardin finally forced on the defensive as Jaune wildly rained on him with slashes, most parried some finding their mark.
Eventually, however, Jaune yelled and brought his sword in his own overhead strike, but experienced a flash of worry as he saw Cardin briefly smile and raised his mace to meet his weapon.
The two weapons crossed –
And Crocea Mors was sent flying away and out of bounds, earning a few gasps from the audience.
Jaune looked back in alarm as his opponent, face set in an angry snarl, brought his mace down again. He managed to get his shield up to meet him, pain lancing again through his arm, although Cardin's stronger physique started forcing him back in the test of strength.
"This is the part where you lose," Cardin whispered under his breath.
"No-ugh!"
Excruciating pain spread from his knee, the taller brute having kicked it and forcing him into a kneeling position with the mace still crushing him from above.
He knew his position was precarious, but at least he could tell what his enemy might do next.
Experience helped him as he saw Cardin begin to launch his knee to his side, the blonde scrambling back and barely missing knee or mace, and limping on wounded knee to meet Cardin once more.
The Winchester swung underhand, aiming to catch his chin –
And missed, Jaune having strafed to the side and landing a devastating blow with the side of his shield to Cardin's side, right below the armour protecting his ribs and earning a painful grunt.
"Yes, just got to keep up the pressure now -"
Unfortunately, it didn't last very long as despite a few more good hits from repeated shield bashes, Cardin simply caught the next one by the side and, locking Jaune in place, jabbed his mace into Jaune's gut.
"Hrrrrngh!"
Aura flared and nearly failed him, but held. He nevertheless felt the pain and it immobilized him, forcing him to kneel and crutch his stomach.
Vision partially obscured by sweat and by Cardin panting and taking a step back to stabilize himself, Jaune glanced up towards the display, smiling with a slight wince to see Cardin's Aura in the bottom half of the yellow.
It quickly died and was replaced with shock upon seeing his right above the threshold for red.
He glanced back at Cardin, who had since trudged forward with mace to meet him.
"Ughh…please. Triforce…hey, Triforce of Courage, give me some help here, will you?"
His eyes widened when Cardin stood over him with the telltale sign of his power missing, his hand clammy and sweaty but without the burning when it flared to life.
Jaune looked back up, and the last thing he saw was the butt of Cardin's mace rush towards the side of his head, before being replaced by nothing but darkness.
/AN\
Hello all, and welcome back to Chapter 7 of A Descendant of Legends!
First off, I just want to apologize for the release date. I expected to update this around Monday - Tuesday at the latest, but as life gets in the way, so I must adapt and rejig things to deal with them. I will make sure to update the range for release dates of future chapters closer to when I feel that it's closer to being actually released. Don't want to have people coming back and leaving disappointed when there's nothing new.
I also have a quick PSA to make here. Due to upcoming exams / work commitments between now and early December, the next chapter will likely come in three weeks instead of the usual two. I'll will be still working on it, but starting next week I won't have as much time to do so. In short: not cancelled, but will take slightly longer. Updates will be posted on my profile.
Now that I got the meta stuff out of the way, we can finally talk a little bit more about the story, lol. I felt that it was a bit long winded, especially during Link and Jaune's interactions dealing with exposing the latter to more and more of the Zelda lore. I will say though that despite that part undergoing a few rewrites here and there, exposing Jaune to Zelda more was one of the more satisfying parts of the story. Finally, the two can tackle some of the more serious things, and see where it goes from there.
In any case, thank you to all who have read the story thus far, along with those who have favourited and / or reviewed. Once again, any criticism / feedback for improvement is always welcome. It's always good to hear from the readers, and I enjoy seeing what could've been done better or knowing that some enjoyed parts here and there.
Until Chapter 8!
The Good Life Creator 678: 100%. Especially as with stories like these, a good chunk of why Zelda and RWBY are successful is the dynamic between the different characters, amongst other things (eg. world building and lore, especially in the case of LoZ). I hope that I didn't overdo the interactions with Link / Jaune, but otherwise, yes. When writing, I rewatch parts of the show as this story progresses so I can remind myself of how characters talk and act in certain situations. Learning how to mix the dynamic well, especially as it continues is one of my bigger challenges but one I am doing my best to keep at it. On a side note, I'm sorry and totally forgot to reply in my previous AN but yes, I've checked out Trollhunters as well. Man, I love the good old Dreamworks charm. I'll start watching the show alongside Rick and Morty S4 and I'd like to see where that goes. In any case, thank you!
Spartastic 4: Link as Jaune sees him here is the Link as seen in the Skyward Sword prequel manga. However, you are also correct, as the concept I'm applying is that every individual hero from SS and onwards (including Jaune) are different personalities / consciousnesses, but all within the same soul. That's why Jaune can remember memories from previous lives. I'd also like to add as an informal PSA that I will be adding some OC heroes to the story - not self inserts or major characters, but instead as my attempt to explain some of the things that happened back during Zelda times. For example, a concept I really liked was the concept of Link, Ganondorf and Zelda being friends growing up and having to deal with Demise's curse despite that. Anyway, hope I answered your question and clarified it. Thank you!
ENDDRAGON369: PM sent.
MeraHunt: Thank you! It makes me happy to know that you really enjoy Jaune's character, be it buildup or action. As funny as it sounds, I too am interested in seeing how Jaune also grows and develops as a character, even if I'm the one writing him. It's a good challenge, and satisfying to see him evolve with the experiences he deals with. And yes...it's a mystery of who has the other pieces, isn't it? ;)
Fyr RedNight: Thank you, thank you and thank you! Glad to know that it was much smoother to read as well. Plus, as one other reviewer pointed out, yes - interactions between different characters are what stories like these are all about. Heavy with Link / Jaune in this chapter, but our main blonde protagonist has to start learning more of what he truly is. Especially with Weiss / Jaune; I'd like to emphasize why she seemed much more hostile in the first part of RWBY instead of overtly being rude for the sake of it. Combine that with a more grounded Jaune, and I'd like to see how their interactions would go. Thank you, and until next time!
The Legend of Zelda and RWBY are properties of Nintendo and Rooster Teeth, respectively.