Arc II: The Knight Life
Chapter 20: Breach of the Peace
"Urgh. Why...so...loud...shaddup!"
Yang lay comfortably sprawled out on her bed, scrunching her eyes shut at the multitude of vaguely panicked, indescribable noises coming in all around. The blonde, feeling not so bombshell today, wished only that whoever was making all that noise would quiet down real fast - no one would dare to get between her and her beauty sleep. Even Weiss, for all that she was with being punctual and waking up on time, found that background noise involved the least amount of protests and sarcasm when it came to starting the day.
Unfortunately, some lessons could only be learned the hard way - a fact that made her sigh internally as she curled up further upon her bed of concrete and burning shrapnel.
"Wait...this isn't my bed...this isn't Beacon! Why am I here? What's going on -"
Yang's eyes shot open, wincing not because of an early hour awakening, but rather of blowing dust and a harsh midday light. As if somebody cranked up her internal stereos to eleven, what was once distant ambience exploded into screaming, roaring and mass panic.
It was the logical sequel to what was once their end of semester mission: the White Fang, having established a base of operations within the shell of Mountain Glenn teamed up with Roman Torchwick to ram a freight full of explosives into the walls of Vale. Where a street and walled off exit stood, a gaping hole now replaced it as White Fang grunts, machines and Grimm poured into the heart of the city. Civilians were still desperately trying to flee from the scene and consequently drawing their enemies deeper in, barely slowed down by the few police units that happened to be in the area.
It was chaos. Anarchy. Fear. The kind to force others in abandoning reason, then run straight into the jaws of merciless Grimm.
A loud roar sounded off from her left, forcing her to roll and dodge a swipe from a Beowolf, then fire back with Ember Celica. Turning around and locking eyes with a Teryx, she braced herself as it dashed towards her, though it limply crashed at her feet when Weiss intercepted and sliced it apart, covered from behind with Ruby and Blake firing away.
"Focus, Xiao Long," the heiress growled, coming to stand beside her against the Grimm onslaught. "This is no time to sleep in on the job."
"Ugh. Save the sass for later, Ice Queen," Yang winked back, managing a tired grin to which Weiss returned with a sigh. "The real question is, how exactly do we go about stopping this?"
"There's too many Grimm for us to handle alone," Blake responded before she was cut off with a startled yelp; each of them dodged just in time as a White Fang Paladin crashed right where they were standing on moments earlier. Fighting a retreat to the centre of the plaza, eventually they stood back to back surrounded by the terrorists and Grimm, daring them to make the first move.
"Yeah, no kidding," she panted, eyes locked on the creatures to their front. Her stomach dropped, however, as she spied several civilians trapped within the rubble of a store, and upon hearing cries for help from others throughout the plaza.
"Seems like not everyone made it out on time!"
"And that's gonna be our first priority," Ruby replied, grip tightening on Crescent Rose. "Thin out the Grimm and get them to safety!"
"On it!" she yelled, scattering as Team RWBY went on the offensive. Leaping with the aid of her gauntlets, Yang slammed into a mass of Grimm and stunned them long enough to create an opening for Ruby and Weiss to dash through. No pause was needed as she and Blake fell upon the horde right after; a couple of Beowolves lashed back, though she backflipped before they could hit her. Taking the rebound, she fired off a volley of shots that sundered through, but several Nevermore intercepted her midair and raked their claws down the span of her back, causing her to meteor back down to Remnant.
"Ugh. That. Freaking. Hurt!"
Growling, Yang dusted herself off, only to be met by several Ursai led by a Major announcing their challenge. The moment Blake regrouped, they immediately split and charged the pack of Grimm; eyes flickering crimson, she went straight for the Ursa Major, delivering a powerful haymaker to its jaw but forced to retreat as the smaller Ursai rushed to protect its alpha. One was beheaded by Blake's passing strike, but the Ursa Major took advantage of her distraction, however, as the moment she blew one's head off it lashed out, managing to catch her on the side and sending her sprawling to the ground.
"Yang! Hold on, I'm com - oof!"
Blake was clotheslined when she tried to rush over, and seeing her fall to the Grimm was enough to ignite her rage. As her eyes saw red, Yang activated her Semblance, the force of which caused the Ursa Major to stumble back with a cry right before it could strike her. Hitting the ground running, Yang dashed to its stunned form to deliver a flurry of jabs before finishing with a solid elbow to its solar plexus.
"Looks like somebody got into your bad books."
"You're one to talk," Yang groused back, earning an eye roll from Blake as she regrouped beside her. Before her partner could retort, however, several explosions rippled through the back of the plaza, lighting up the gap in a wave of heat, force and light. Atlesian Bullheads soared overhead, while the sound of oncoming footsteps heralded the entrance of several teams of students, amongst whom she recognized the fabulous form of Coco and the rest of CFVY alongside the eye candy that was Sun Wukong's abs. Immediately they threw themselves into the Grimm, backed up by Atlesian droid infantry that shored up the police officers escorting civilians safely out of the warzone.
"About time the cavalry showed up! Now I'm all feline pumped to fight!"
Blake silently huffed and turned to regroup with Ruby and Weiss.
"No, wait, come back!" Yang laughed as a pack of mini dinosaur-like Creeps that tried to rush her from the right was blown away by Sun's nunchuck shotguns, smoothly sliding into place beside Yang.
"What's goin' on, guys! Thought you might need a hand."
"And you're in luck, because we're hiring," she winked back, earning a charming smile while he silently glanced towards Blake. The cat faunus sighed and returned with a good natured eye roll, enough to visibly pump him up and charge into battle with Neptune, Sage and Scarlet in tow. In the distance, Yatsuhashi slammed his sword into the ground, knocking back a surge of Grimm that tried to rush him while Coco and Fox shielded Velvet as she rescued several civilians trapped under an overturned car.
"Seems the odds have been evened," Blake surmised as she stood beside her, watching the onslaught of reinforcements begin to push Grimm back. "At this rate, we'd be able to seal up the breach in no time."
Yang reloaded and cocked her gauntlets, ready for round two. "I'll bet. Follow my lead!" she yelled, beginning to charge and join the melee -
Only to be interrupted as a deafening, groaning roar tore through the plaza, followed by a quake that almost knocked her to the ground. The breach quite literally erupted in a shower of dust and debris, announcing the entrance of a fresh horde of Grimm, and not all of them were common fodder. Multiple Deathstalkers, Theropods and King Taijitu surrounded another in the centre; not only was it larger, but it also had eight heads to boot.
"W-well...that's new. Can't say I've seen that before."
"There's a reason why some call it the Hydra," Blake growled, loading a fresh magazine into Gambol Shroud. "Still a King Taijitu though, just twice as powerful. Or eight. Take your pick."
"Well, you know what? If it breathes, we can kill it," she replied, dashing into the fray with a grimmer outlook. The monsters themselves seemed emboldened as they crashed back with a renewed lust for fear and violence; fighting against the growing tide, Yang dodged under a Beowolf's swipe and delivered an uppercut while Blake used it as a footstool to leap up and slice several Nevermore diving towards them -
And was blown back midair as the air erupted with the colourful streaks of tracer fire, an unlucky shot making striking the Aura on her temple. The Paladins of the White Fang chose that moment to join in, scything through the few Grimm that chose to attack them but otherwise content to let the creatures of darkness do the lion's share of the work. Before she could react, the sound of a pained yell echoed as Sun, having seen Blake fall was blindsided by a charging Boarbatusk when he tried to rush over, and though Team CFVY held their own, it seemed Coco's minigun couldn't keep them at bay forever despite its high rate of fire.
And then it clicked empty, the Grimm crashing into them the second after.
"Dammit, Blake's right. They're getting replaced faster than we can kill them, and we've killed a lot so far. We need help, and soon!"
Gritting her teeth, she turned and ran towards her partner, seeing Ruby and Weiss do the same from across the plaza. Ducking under the swing of an Ursa, Yang and Ruby dove to Blake's fallen form while Weiss, taking the forefront, spawned a sharp wall of ice that impaled the charging Grimm.
"That's the last of my ice dust," Weiss panted before she fell to a knee in exhaustion. "This won't hold them for much longer. How is she doing?"
"Coming to," Yang replied, kneeling by her partner and examining the side of her head. "Looks like her Aura saved her life, judging by that nasty bruise. Can't say she won't have a concussion, though."
The Grimm evidently agreed when a Beowolf's arm suddenly burst through the ice wall, to which Weiss sliced it down to the socket and caused it to retreat. "She'll need to be evacuated then. Can you carry her through the Grimm, Ruby?"
"Leave it to me!" their team leader replied, sheathing Crescent Rose, "Blow a hole through on my go. Three, two, one...now!"
Weiss blasted the wall open with fire dust while Yang let forth a salvo to clear the Grimm on the other side. Ruby, hefting Blake on her back piggyback style, charged out into the plaza -
And then the whole world went white as the ground around them erupted in a deluge of explosions.
Ringing was all she heard as she came to several seconds later, although her body felt like it was on fire - and for the first time, not because of her Semblance. Though her Aura crackled like electricity as it began to work, the sheer volume of the explosions temporarily deafened her, along with blowing them all back from a sizable crater. Her team was similarly incapacitated, and though they were groaning and moving they were clearly in no position to defend themselves.
Powered only by adrenaline, Yang tried to crawl back but was instead kicked hard across the pavement by an Ursa. Looking back up, she could see Doctor Oobleck and Zwei dash towards them, but were accosted by a multitude of Grimm that despite being torn apart easily, they wouldn't be able to make it in time.
She spat a wad of blood to the other side, idly noting a familiar armoured blonde figure running at her full speed with his sword drawn back.
"V...vomit boy...? Aren't you a knight in shining armour."
In her haze, she didn't think much of how, at first glance he appeared to be somewhat taller and bulkier, coupled with a roar that snapped her attention back to the front. The Ursa, deciding to finally claim its victory took a final step forward. Her eyes blazed red with hate to match its own, refusing to die without going down fighting. For a moment, it almost looked like the Ursa reconsidered.
It growled instead, raising its arm and swinging the killing blow -
()===|=====+
And Ren dodged it, running past its guard and unloading a salvo into the Ursa's chest while Nora leapt from behind. The Grimm collapsed as hard as its forehead, disintegrating as JNPR rushed towards the site of the breach.
But despite the one or two encountered along the way, he found himself unable to push aside memories of the recent past. Through the help of his Semblance he forced himself to remain calm, but every so often the chaos underneath clouded his vision.
A torrent of darkness burst into the sky, raising fetid horrors long buried beneath stone and time.
His heart rate spiked at the truth of what they unearthed deep within the sacred grove. The revelation of Jaune's destiny, along with what was ostensibly a small taste of the evil he had to confront left them nothing less than scared. It got to the point where the flight back had been uncomfortably silent, even at the sight of the city skyline awash with Nevermore chased by Atlesian Bullheads, and coupled with how they all needed to now focus on the present, it proved only barely effective as a distraction from those awful sights and sounds.
Screams fit to wake the dead echoed through the chamber and temple, paralyzing their spirits and will with the promise of oblivion.
Ren gripped his pistols tighter, angrily slicing through a pair of Beowolves that ambushed them the next block over. He unloaded another volley into the back of one's head while Pyrrha used it as a pedestal to leap and spear midair a Nevermore that swooped from above. Beside them, Qrow and Nora downed a Manticore that burst out the remnants of a corner store, while Jaune charged ahead to kill a straggling Ursa. Taking a moment to clear the street of Grimm stragglers, the remaining few were blown back as a platoon of Atlesian droid infantry reinforced them from behind, laying down effective fire that all but mopped up the remaining creatures in this block.
"This worries me," Pyrrha confessed as they regrouped, shoulders heaving lightly with spent effort. "I hope that this was the extent of Grimm that made it into the city."
"I hope so too," Nora added. "But wait. Didn't Atlas bring its fleet here a week ago or something? Why not use them to blast the Grimm away? Maybe even seal up the breach like that too."
"Two words: collateral damage," Qrow grunted, whipping out his scroll for updates. "You can't exactly deploy an aerial battleship unless you want to destroy the whole block, plus the one or two civilians hiding behind the rubble. That and their firepower'll take the good guys out in the process, too. At least Jimmy's not sitting idle, though. He's sending what he can, and it's better than nothing."
Behind them, a pair of Bullheads zoomed by overhead while a section of droid soldiers lined up beside the door of a condemned building. The breacher blew the door open and they streamed in, with gunfire and the screams of dying Grimm filling the air a second later.
"I suppose," Pyrrha sighed. "How much farther until the breach itself?"
"A couple of blocks. Before we go, I need to ask," Qrow replied, turning to Jaune. "How're you doing there, kiddo?"
They all turned to face Jaune, haggard and having spaced out until his attention was called back. "I'm fine," he answered, looking anything but as he blankly checked the Aura on his scroll. "The injections helped a lot and the ride over here gave us some time to rest. I mean, I'm still standing."
"Yeah, but can you still fight?" the huntsman questioned, narrowing his eyes. "Ever since we touched down, you've gotten sloppy. Distracted. Considering earlier I don't really blame ya, but can you look me - or your team - in the eyes and say you're fit to lead them right now?"
Jaune kept silent, but his eyes faltering as he fought to affirm sowed plenty more seeds of doubt in his heart.
"I won't lie either...I'm worried for him and us. We have a job and we need to stay focused right now. I feel that we're all just as worried, though he's taking it much, much harder...perhaps what troubles me is that he has every right to do so as well."
The blonde looked at his hand, holding the Triforce close in a vulnerable gesture. He muttered under his breath, something suspiciously sounding like 'I can't hear him', though a deafening roar and a loud rumble interrupted before he could finish. A large Deathstalker made its presence known, and without hesitation charged down the middle of the street. Nora was the first to react, showering its face in a cacophony of pink explosions, followed by gunfire from Ren, Pyrrha and Qrow. It proved their undoing, however, as it created a smoke screen which hid the monster for just a second - enough for its massive scorpion form to suddenly charge through and scatter them.
Reloading his machine pistols, Ren dashed around, distracting the Deathstalker and allowing Nora to rush in, then fall back as the scorpion Grimm used the turning momentum to swing its tail in a wide arc. It nailed a solid blow on Jaune's shield, the teen's boots dragging back on the concrete, but it allowed Pyrrha and Qrow to jump over and aim for its head. The Grimm absorbed their strikes on its pincers and then swung it to ward them off, barely fazed by their initial assault.
To make it all worse, he ducked instinctively at the whiz of small bullets, seeing that a small troop of White Fang Paladins entered the fray. Though the Atlesian droids reacted immediately, they were heavily outgunned and began to take casualties, forcing Qrow to disengage and support them - leaving JNPR to take on the elder Grimm one against four.
In short, it was Initiation all over again.
Ren gritted his teeth. "...this isn't good. If this will be anything like the last one, we're gonna need a plan," he thought before seeing Jaune rush up behind the Deathstalker and deliver several good hits on the fleshy underside of its tail. Roaring in pain, said tail then went rigid before slamming down - a second's hesitation staring frozen cost him, though he managed to bring up his shield atop his head.
It saved his life, but the blonde's cry matched the Deathstalker's, Aura flashing through his body as the tail forced him a foot or two into the concrete.
"Jaune! Damn," Ren cursed, unloading another salvo before he tackled his leader away from another swing of the tail. He stood and offered a hand, which Jaune took a second later. "...are you alright?"
"I...yeah. M'fine," he whispered before focusing back on the Deathstalker before them. Shaking his head, he made to sprint but paused at the hand on his shoulder. "Ren! What are you doing?"
"Seriously worrying about your fitness to fight."
"Making sure my team leader is okay. What's your Aura at?"
"I still have enough," he replied before being held back once more. "Dude, come on! We can't just stand still when we have Grimm in front of us!"
"And I have to make sure you don't get yourself killed," Ren admonished and raised his voice, delivered with a forceful tone that he so rarely used. The surprise was enough to halt him completely, turning sideways to keep the Deathstalker in his peripherals. "Look...it's not like we've forgotten what we saw back there either. I hate how I can still hear the screams of the dead ringing in my ears. But that doesn't matter right now, because what we need is a plan. What need is a leader. Let's take it slow, okay?"
Jaune's blank gaze regained some trace of surprise before switching over completely to guilt. The blonde glanced between him and the giant scorpion, seeing it distracted by Pyrrha while Nora reloaded. And though Pyrrha kept firing away with her spear's rifle form, the way she kept glancing over grew increasingly desperate as the Grimm readily advanced and she ran low on ammo.
"So. What are your orders?"
After several more seconds Jaune sighed and cracked his neck before he steeled his gaze upon the Deathstalker. "You know the drill. Just like last time, right?"
Ren nodded and replaced his magazines. "Ah, look, a memory we're both happy to remember."
The two shared a chuckle and nod before they charged the Grimm. Perhaps sensing they were behind it, the Deathstalker brought up a claw to shield its face as it swiveled to face them; Ren halted it by firing anyway, then backpedaling from the downward lunge of its stinger. Surrounded on all sides, it roared and made for the first person it saw, though Jaune leapt and landed on top to avoid getting charged. Jaune managed to get a few strikes in, but perhaps stayed a tad longer than he should've as the Grimm thrashed about and threw him off. A cry of surprise came from Pyrrha as he was knocked into her, then it slowly turned until he came face to face with its beady glare.
"..."
"You and me both, buddy."
The scorpion chittered in agreement as they both immediately charged each other. Just before they met, it raised its tail, stinger poised to impale him through -
And Ren nimbly dodged at the last second, jumping onto the tail and emptying his guns as he ran across its length. He nodded to Nora as he landed back down, who, with a grin swung with all her force into its exposed back, managing to make it stumble forwards, then backwards as it flinched from the water of a broken fire hydrant jetting into its face. Enraged, it brought up a pincer to shield its face, dashing through the bullets and trying to knock them back with a swing -
Only for Jaune and Pyrrha to flank it as it came to a stop, distraction doing its part.
And it's part, it did admirably; they managed to land several slices along its legs and the sides of its carapace as they passed by, earning a shrill that reverberated through the block.
"Pyrrha, now!"
"On it!"
Without sparing a moment, Pyrrha's shield sailed through the air, intending to sever the sting from its body -
But missed as it saw her attack, bringing its tail down and saving its most potent weapon. Akoúo lodged into an electrical pole instead, causing it to teeter while several wires sparked with deadly voltage.
Jaune took a second to look at it before sidling up to Nora while keeping his eyes on the oncoming Deathstalker.
"How you feeling right now, Nora?"
"All pumped up, fearless leader! But you know, I should be asking you that too."
"Well...let's just say I'm feeling a little sparky today." He kicked the ground with his foot and splashed some water, upon which Nora returned a mischievous grin.
"Pyrrha! Ren! On me, we'll distract it over to the phone pole. When I give the signal, it's all on you, Nora!"
JNPR split down the middle to avoid the charging Deathstalker, and right as the ginger broke off, Jaune lunged forward to keep its attention on them. Slowly and surely, they fought a retreat, giving ground defensively and taking care to conserve their Aura. Though they outnumbered it and proved both stronger and more experienced now than their Initiation days, it was still a powerful, older type of Grimm that could easily whittle their Aura down with only a few clean hits. The fact that they weren't fresh and running on meds from the ride over meant that while they had some to spare, it was all the more crucial to apply it when and where it was most critical.
A moment he saw as they reached the edge of the curb, right beneath the deadly shock hazard.
"Everyone! Out of the water, now! Nora!"
He wasted no time as he dove out the large puddle that the fire hydrant had been spewing over the course of their fight. Pyrrha dodged the Deathstalker's tail and leapt behind, calling her shield back with her Semblance to strike it in the face and stun it for just a second -
Which was cue enough for Nora to smash the base of the pole, toppling the crackling wires onto the puddle underneath the Grimm. A bright flash akin to lightning lit up the Deathstalker, and its shriek lasted for several seconds until the sparks faded, collapsing dead and particularly crispy.
Ren regrouped with them as they stared at its decaying corpse. "Well, that's certainly one way to do it."
"If it works, it works. About the second time Nora delivered the killing blow too," Jaune shrugged, taking a moment to crack his neck while the person in question flashed a toothy grin. "At least that's over. Good job guys."
"I suppose this means we've gotten into Beacon twice now," Pyrrha added dryly before turning to Jaune. "How are you feeling, Jaune?"
"Well, terrible," he stated plainly, glancing at his Triforce hand. "But you guys are right and in the same boat too, no matter how much I just want to keel over. I guess I'll just have to be fine anyway. At least we're almost done, though."
A deafening roar echoed through the skies, followed by a rumbling that reverberated from the site of the breach. Ren looked to Jaune with a vaguely annoyed expression to which he sheepishly scratched the back of his head.
"Not bad," Qrow interrupted, rejoining their group huddle. "Not bad at all. In any case, the Paladins are done and their pilots detained. I've got word that Oz's finally managed to scrape a platoon of huntsmen to come over and they're coming over to seal the breach permanently, but we still gotta buy them some time. Day's not over yet, folks. Here, give yourselves a moment to heal up. Once we're good, we're charging in."
Team JNPR nodded at the packs of dust injections Qrow handed out, taken from the Atlesian droids now watching over the downed White Fang. Ren felt both gratitude and a little prick as he injected himself with the disposable needle, taking a moment to be thankful for Atlas' thoughtfulness with their military designs. From what he can remember, General Ironwood had been actively advocating their droid army to his own kingdom first and now Vale, and though one or two of those mechanical soldiers were little in the face of powerful Grimm they still proved invaluable. Many of them were outfitted with medical supplies in case they reinforced friendly huntsmen, and when used strategically quantity did have a quality of its own.
Just like the horde of wolf monsters and undead that threatened to overwhelm them in the depths of an ancient temple -
Ren forcefully shook his head to dispel the thoughts. This was no temple and there were no ReDeads here, only several teenagers standing in a group injecting needles into their arms to feel better about themselves.
"...wow. What a horrible way to put it," he chuckled internally as they took off down the road once more. Mr Branwen was right, though. The day wasn't over yet and they had to keep going, even though it was almost over. No time for anything else. A one-track focus was key; it was what kept him and Nora alive in the wilds of Mistral, and though the thoughts encroached at the edge of his mind, he pushed onward and paid little heed, amounting to little more than a muted reminder. Perhaps it was the adrenaline coursing through his veins and rapid heart rate that helped, as Jaune himself looked a little less troubled than before.
Whatever it was, though, he was sure they'd need more of it when they rounded a corner and entered the plaza, taking in the panorama of pure, rampant chaos.
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As if welcoming them to the party, the hydra-like King Taijitu roared the moment he and his team rounded the bend, halting them in place. Thankfully, unlike the ReDead it wasn't enough to completely paralyze their will and bodies in place, but there was no less cause for concern either.
He did a double take of the scene in front of them; the eight headed Grimm made the entrance of the breach its throne and path to Mountain Glenn from attack. Flanked by several Deathstalkers, Theropods and smaller, normal King Taijitu, it made an imposing and frankly demoralizing sight upon the plaza, which was currently a smorgasbord of Grimm pushing against their fellow students. Several Bullheads streaked by overhead, laying down effective fire into the mass of Grimm, but as one fell several more replaced it, and the Bullheads had to pull back soon lest they fell victim to either flocks of Nevermore the Paladins' anti aircraft fire.
He spied RWBY amidst the carnage, defending against a relentless assault. Charging over while ducking under the swing of an Ursa, its death cry echoed behind as it was sliced apart by his team.
"Wha-? Jaune! You're back!"
"And ready to help," he replied, standing beside Ruby as his team joined the second after. An Ursa barreling towards them was swatted aside by Nora unleashing her signature smash midair, while Ren methodically picked off a flock of Nevermore that pursued from above. To their right, Yang was reinforced by Sun's team, who held off the Grimm as she rendered first aid to Blake.
Ruby quickly glanced between him and the horde. "But you were just here a moment ago!"
"I was? We literally just arrived."
"I - ah - gah! Never mind!" the redhead griped, as she reloaded Crescent Rose. "We can discuss your teleportation and how you saved us from the Grimm after. For now, we gotta hold on until reinforcements come...they're coming, right?"
"Right you are, kiddo," Qrow grunted, stepping up beside to Ruby's excited cries. "They're on the way, but until then we're it. Me and the pros'll go on ahead and let loose. You kids deal with the ones that slip through, got it?"
"Got it!" his niece saluted as Qrow took off, grouping up with Doctor Oobleck as they fought against a troop of Paladins. The moment right after, several Theropods and Ursai charged across the plaza, intent on mauling their way through the thin huntsman line. Nodding to Ruby as she left to regroup with her team, Jaune called Ren and Nora back to centre stage.
"Alright guys. Me and Pyrrha will hold the line. Nora, Ren, dash out and support us. We stop them here, and give it everything you got!"
"On it!"
"Heehee! Yes sir!"
Understood!"
Jaune stared with narrowed eyes at the three-headed raptor Grimm leading the pack and angled Crocea Mors towards the enemy.
"Three..."
The Theropod screeched as he took a step forward, eyes not once wandering from the brim of his shield.
"Two..."
Nora and Ren reloaded and braced, safe behind the shield wall of gold and crimson.
"...and..."
The Wolfos charged with its jaws wide open to crush his neck, flanked by skeletal Hylian knights that now serve the Calamity against the light.
"...one."
Through sheer force of will, all sound seemed to pause as Jaune yelled to force the images away and brace for the impact within the present. Triforce flaring, he thrust out his shield to parry the Theropod backwards onto the Grimm behind while Pyrrha repeated with her spear. Halting the pack's momentum, Nora literally leapt into action, vaulting over and aiming to pound the Grimm at the rear while her partner dashed out from the side and unloaded upon the stunned monsters. Not to be outdone, the Grimm recovered quickly, though he and Pyrrha immediately charged before they could retaliate. A jump attack severed an Ursa's arm, giving an opening for the champion to lob Miló into another just before it could bite Nora from behind. Wanting to keep the momentum up, they fought through several of the Grimm in the way, but a sudden, errant swing by an Ursa forced him to duck and leave his guard vulnerable for a critical second. A Theropod took advantage the next second and bit down on his sword arm, sending up waves of pain that caused him to drop Crocea Mors and stumble to his knees.
"Jaune! Ren, cover me!" Pyrrha yelled from up ahead, although she was forced to defend herself as a Beowolf got in her way, while the ninja was ambushed by an Ursa to the side. He could hear Nora's cries in the background before he let out his own, the Grimm digging further into his Aura with two heads and roughly tossing him several feet away. Jaune grunted and got up his shield in time to block the Theropod's bites, then lashed out with a kick that did nothing else than annoyed it. With all three of its heads it ripped the shield off his arm, leaving him open as the dinosaur Grimm snapped for the kill -
And was promptly blown away in a searing burst of fire. Jaune stared dumbfounded at its dissipating form before another figure, though this time clad in white, stepped into his view.
"I see your skills have diminished in the time since we last sparred, Arc."
"I...um -"
"Consider us even from Initiation," Weiss huffed as she turned back towards the fight. "But you can thank me later, since we still need to deal with this issue. Do you think you can still keep up?"
Jaune's eyebrow twitched.
A Beowolf promptly charged from the right the second after, to which he rolled deftly out of the way and grabbed his sword. Tanking a strike on the flat of its blade, he weathered its assault and slowly gave ground until its patience snapped; lunging forward, it intended to disembowel him but Jaune pivoted with his heel rather than fall back, stumbling the heavy creature. With a cry, he hefted his shield and drove it down into the base of its neck several times until a final crack heralded its end.
"..."
"...I mean, I think I got it."
"I see," Weiss replied, all but conceding the point as a loud, shrill cry echoed over the ambience of battle. The giant King Taijitu, who had been content stay at the rear now began slowly moving forward along with its posse of strong Grimm.
"I hope you have more of where that came from, Arc."
Jaune gulped in worry. "Yeah. Me too."
"Me three!" Ruby added, panting, speeding over amidst a trail of rose petals. Taking a pause, her eyes narrowed as she leaned on her scythe and gazed at the oncoming Grimm. "We've got more good guys coming in and the civilians have been evacuated, but if we don't do anything about that, they're gonna get through deeper into the city. We can't hold on forever. People are gonna get tired soon."
A quick glance behind showed several more teams of students arriving on the scene, with some escorting the remaining bystanders safely out of the way. It was enough to check the incursion, but like a wound upon a major artery, there was a large chance they could still bleed through past their defences.
"Well, I'm already dead tired, but I agree. Ruby, I know you're not gonna like this, but you think...maybe we should -?"
"Nope. And yup," she replied, reloading Crescent Rose. "If that thing still stands, we're gonna lose control of the plaza for sure."
Jaune looked back towards the big one, whose eight heads began striking at his teammates and the other students; one of its heads snapped forward in an attempt to gobble up Yatsuhashi, which he deflected but was then knocked back by a rampaging Deathstalker, and another withdrew after Velvet and Fox leapt and struck back.
"...it's fast. At least, it attacks fast, but compared to the smaller King Taijitu it moves much slower. If we all take it on at once it shouldn't be too much of a problem, but those Deathstalkers are strong and will definitely get in the way..."
"Jaune! Watch out!"
His eyes widened and instinctively brought up his shield, just in time to deflect several rounds of tracer fire from some of the Paladins hiding within the rubble beyond the plaza itself. It soon let up, however as their focus shifted to Qrow and Doctor Oobleck, stealing their attention whilst Coco, having perched herself atop a balcony, rained fire upon those that attacked them from behind.
"...but it looks like at least the Paladins are taken care of. Now, Jaune. We need to take care of this thing now!"
"Ruby! Gather the other teams and follow our lead!"
With a grunt, Jaune dashed out from cover and regrouped with his team; he rolled underneath the legs of an Ursa right before it was felled by Pyrrha, and then used the forward momentum to leap towards another Beowolf and impale it through the knee. Stunned, Nora followed up by walloping it in the chest and breaking the Grimm in place.
"Jaune! You alright?"
"Never been better," he grunted, standing back to back with Pyrrha. "Listen, we're not gonna be able to do much if we don't do something about that Hydra."
"Right. What's the game plan, then? We're not gonna last long if its just us against all that Grimm."
"Who said anything about just you four?"
Yang dove from above and caved in the skull of an approaching Ursa, while Weiss and a mostly recovered Blake followed behind. "You guys aren't gonna steal all the thunder! This is our show too. Ruby's going around to each of the teams, so we gotta make this one count, Vomit Boy."
"Agreed," he mentally replied and nodded, gaze forward as they began to move. "...Link, I don't know if you're still there, or if you can even hear me, but I'm really hoping you can guide me through this all."
The Grimm replied instead as they noticed their approach; several Theropods and two Deathstalkers began advancing, with a few Beowolves breaking off from where Qrow and Doctor Oobleck had been going to town. Falling back under the huntsmen's assault, only the stronger Grimm remained the last major obstacles to victory.
"...I can't do this alone. But then again...I never am, am I?"
Courage flared and pulsed through his veins as he finally, truly accepted that fact, with the last traces of doubt melting against the cries of his friends around him as they charged once more against the tide.
Taking the lead, Jaune leapt and jump attacked the leading Theropod, cleaving one head while Pyrrha and Ren followed up on either side, simultaneously impaling and raking its body with gunfire. With Weiss' glyphs glowing under her feet, Nora propelled forward and swung in a wide arc, launching two Beowolves away and making space for Blake and Yang to dash through. Using her Semblance, Blake spawned several clones that temporarily distracted a Theropod, allowing Yang to punch through it out of sight and knock it to the ground. Cleaning up the fodder, a series of loud roars forced them to double take as the Deathstalkers and King Taijitu large and small entered the fray, with one scorpion heading for them while the other went to his friends to the left.
And just when he thought he would have to call for a retreat in the face of overwhelming odds, the smaller snakes were shredded as their bodies lit up with gunfire; Coco Adel laid down fashionable death from a distance while her team fended off those that tried to assault the high ground. Having taken care of the Paladins, Qrow and Doctor Oobleck returned, lending extra strength against the weakening line of Grimm to the point that their Deathstalker was quickly overwhelmed, while the other retreated under Pyrrha, Blake and Yang's relentless assault.
Jaune couldn't help but grin, though it quickly faded when Nora was swatted away by one of the Hydra's heads. Cursing, he sidestepped to avoid a randomly charging Boarbatusk and advanced on the Hydra. A head lunged but was deflected to the side as Weiss launched a gale of wind dust, creating an opening for him and Ren to take advantage. Both of them managed to strike and stagger the head in front before another came down to relieve it; Jaune rolled to dodge, but Ren was unluckier as he was blown away into the rubble.
"Dammit. Weiss! Gonna need help here!"
"I'm...a little...busy! Agh!" the heiress called out as a Theropod raked a claw down the length of her arm. To his left, Pyrrha, Blake and Yang faltered as other Grimm kept interrupting their fight with their Deathstalker. To make matters worse, two King Taijitu made it past CFVY's assault and attacked from the side; gritting his teeth, he rolled past one snake's lunge -
Only to find himself at another's open, rushing jaws.
With a cry, Jaune backpedalled and tripped, seeing nothing but the darkness of its maw -
And a figure of light tackled him from the right, saving him from being eaten alive.
"Whew. Thought I wouldn't get to you in time," Sun quipped as his Semblance carried him to safety. A streak of red petals heralded Ruby's entrance, followed by the rest of SSSN in a sudden surprise attack that managed to incapacitate one of its eight heads.
"Peachy," Jaune clapped his shoulder as he took the faunus' extended hand. "Remind me to buy you a drink at the cafeteria once this is all over."
"Heh, I'll take you up on that. We've got seven heads left to go," Sun agreed as they both rejoined the fight. Despite its versatility, the Hydra began to take more hits as it became increasingly outgunned, and with Doctor Oobleck leading CFVY to stem the flow of Grimm from the Breach itself it soon found itself outnumbered as well. A head swiped at Jaune, which missed as he dodged to the left and allowed Ruby to rush up and slice an eye, rendering it half blind. Roaring in pain, several more heads that were defending the Deathstalker hissed and rushed over, though she nimbly avoided them with her Semblance. Meanwhile, Qrow hopped atop the Grimm's body, landing slices left and right as he travelled across its body before, in a swift, practiced motion, transformed Harbinger into its scythe form as he landed safely back down. The second head followed shortly, dissipating into dust with the wind.
Sensing its end, the Hydra redoubled its efforts; it snapped forward, catching Sun in its jaws, though he managed to hold it with his extended staff long enough to retreat. Disengaging with his team to deal with several Ursai that entered from the side, Jaune linked up with Ren and Ruby and quickly assaulted it before it could attack anyone else. Strike, dodge, counter and defend became routine, but with less heads and Grimm it became easier nonetheless, enough for Jaune to tank a swipe with Ren holding him from behind. Grunting as they strained with effort, their eyes were drawn to glyphs that spawned in a line upon the ground, soon followed by Weiss speeding along and surgically piercing its skull with her rapier.
The fall of the last scorpion Grimm all but sealed the deal as RWBYJNPR assaulted the big one in earnest. Its heads flailed, and jaws snapped left and right as they whittled it down, no longer piecemeal but now the entire full course. Qrow claimed the fourth head as Yang unleashed her Semblance to deflect it with several well aimed punches, allowing him to counter with a slice that cleaved its skull in two. Simultaneously, Nora returned with Valkyrie fury, leaping into the fray as she smashed a head down upon the ground, allowing Blake and Pyrrha to slice it apart in a streak of black and red. Reduced to three heads and no longer imposing, they all charged once more to end it for good. Fighting to the death, the snake snapped out jaws open with two of its heads, while the third reared back in preparation to bite.
"Ruby! Quickly, distract up top!"
Nodding, the reaper took off to draw the third's attention, firing away with Crescent Rose while the power duo of Yang and Pyrrha engaged the one to the left. Joining the fight, he and Ren defended against the head, drawing it into the centre of the kill zone.
Both heads reared back to strike, and his instincts kicked in as he called for him and Ren to dodge -
And leapt out of the way just in time as both heads snapped forward, causing a howl of pain to echo through the plaza as the giant King Taijitu essentially chomped on one of its own heads and stunned itself.
"Weiss, Nora! Do it now!"
Without missing a beat, the ginger leapt from behind as Weiss shot forth a bolt of lightning dust, sparking up Nora's Semblance as she hammered down with an almighty smash. The ground beneath cracked under the pressure as the two heads were obliterated in a thunderous explosion, leaving behind nothing but lifeless hatred. A death cry soon followed as Yang delivered a Semblance enhanced punch to Pyrrha's shield, rocketing her forward in a spiral that ended with her spear transfixed upon the crown of the last head.
Jaune ran back towards the front, taking in the disintegrating Grimm. "Did...did we do it?" he huffed, shoulders sagging despite the adrenaline high controlling his body. "Did we win?"
Ren, following behind, made to respond but was interrupted by an almighty rumble that had them gripping their weapons defensively once more. Fearing another surge, they all turned together back to the breach itself -
And saw fellow students retreating as the once gaping hole began to seal itself up with the rubble around it. A squadron of Bullheads bearing Atlesian and Beacon insignia arrived above, with huntsmen and combat droids dropping in to reinforce the beleaguered defenders. Squinting, he could make the form of Glynda Goodwitch using her Semblance to cover the path to Mountain Glenn, with the last remaining Grimm crushed beneath the weight of broken stone.
Taking in the sight, within the next second Jaune felt the Triforce slowly fade and strength begin to leave him. Relief began to replace the adrenaline coursing through his veins, as Beacon's deputy finished plugging the gap and ending the threat to the city.
Jaune fell to his knees and almost passed out from exhaustion, with Ren running over to his side. But deep down, he knew it was okay because the Grimm were defeated. The battle had been won.
Because of their efforts, the Breach had been successfully sealed.
()===|=====+
Jaune upended the rest of his canteen upon his head, letting water and grime run down his face as they circled around in the middle of the plaza. He was tired, bruised and sweaty, and even though it was only a small splash of water, it almost felt enough to fully reawaken him.
To ensure that he didn't pass out on the spot, he took a quick survey of the area around them; sections of droids, along with various upper year teams rotated in and out in patrols, while the other students who fought lounged around on the curb or on the few benches not destroyed in the carnage. In fact, he spotted Sun in the distance hanging upside down from a tree, perfectly relaxed. Behind him, however, the seal on the breach held firm, though several platoons of the droids remained on standby, with the Bullheads' guns trained on the rubble. But those were the only guns deployed; between the sheathed weaponry and ambience of casual conversation, it was a remarkably different atmosphere from the chaos just under an hour ago.
"...right. Thank you!" Pyrrha replied to an Atlesian army medic as she returned with an armful of water bottles and distributed it amongst the eight of them.
Yang slurped loudly and burped with a satisfied grin. "Ah, that hits the spot. Gotta say, can't wait to get back to Beacon. I can already see it: a nice, warm shower, a hearty dinner then straight off to bed."
"Seconded," Weiss agreed, looking haggard as her partner beside her. "Although, knowing you, Xiao Long, you will have no more than ten minutes in the shower once we get there. You take forever!"
The blonde smirked and winked. "I make no promises, Ice Queen."
"Ugh," Nora cut in, unashamedly leaning on Ren in her fatigue, who didn't react to it all in the slightest. "I'm just happy we're all done. What a way to end the semester."
"But the White Fang still hasn't been defeated," Blake argued back. "I mean, we've beaten them for sure, but they're an organization with resources across the globe. They'll be back, and we need to be there to stop them."
"And we will," Weiss replied, matching the faunus' concern with a firm, but gentle disposition. "But we're only eight against, what, hundreds? Do remember that we just stopped a major terrorist attack and Grimm incursion all in one - though we may outmatch them individually, if we somehow find more and fight them now when we're deprived of Aura, dust and sleep, the odds won't be so odd against them."
Blake's face fell. "I-I know, but -"
"But first, you must engage in an activity known as 'relaxing'," Yang replied in a horrible South Mistrali accent, slinging an arm over her neck and almost toppling them both to the pavement when she leaned just a little too hard. "It is also known as 'chilling' or 'unwinding', depending where you are in Remnant. Maybe after we've taken a small break we can get back into the swing of things, no? That way we can fight them better too. We did, after all, thwart the Grimm and the White Fang, who were also working with Roman Torchwick. Boom. Three in one."
"...you're right. I'm sorry. Perhaps it's just the fatigue getting to me."
"You're not alone in that," Ruby smiled before turning him. "But yeah. Some mission that was, right? How about you guys? What happened with yours?"
And the contentment that came with listening to his friends banter suddenly evaporated upon that reminder. Pyrrha, Ren and Nora looked similarly uncomfortable, but was beaten to the punch right before he could verbalize an answer.
"Teams RWBY, JNPR," Glynda Goodwitch intoned, nodding to them all as she approached them with Qrow in tow. "I trust you are all feeling well?"
A series of silent nods softened her taciturn expression. "I suppose nothing is better than something, though if there are any medical concerns, please see one of the medics here or our own nurses back at the school. In any case, I'll get straight to the point, beginning with you, Mr Arc. The Headmaster wishes to speak with you when we return. Alone," she finished as both teams began to protest. Deep down, he felt grateful, but having come to terms with it over the past several hours, the concept didn't feel as nervewracking as before - at least, when it came to discussing these things with his friends.
"Yes, Professor. Though, if it's okay...I'd like my friends to be there when I do."
"He asked specifically for you and no one else."
"Right, but...if it's about what I think it is, well, my team already knows. I don't want to keep them out of the loop over something like this."
"But -"
Qrow came to his defence. "Come on, Glynda. I mean, it's not like he could keep it a secret forever. What's stopping him from telling after anyway?"
A disdainful glance eventually changed to resignation and a sigh. "...nothing. Regardless, there are some things that must be kept discreetly and for your ears only. I still ask that you come alone and listen to what we have to say - you can then make your decisions with greater input. You will not be betraying your friends this way."
Jaune's head fell slightly, disappointed but accepting that it was going to be the best he can get. "I understand."
Glynda nodded. "Good. Secondly In light of the reports from your teachers as well, you have all passed your missions, though you will receive your grades upon returning to Beacon. That being said, before we leave, there is one other person who would like to speak to you."
She turned and called out to someone behind her, next to a landed Bullhead. His friends' eyes narrowed at the sight of Roman Torchwick handcuffed and being led into the airship, but what caught his attention was who the master thief was glaring daggers at.
The tall, imposing figure of Richter Arc approached with a confident, yet guarded stride, his one good eye appraising them all before returning to his. He wore a frown upon a weathered face, weary after scores of battles through the years. Coming to a stop in front of Jaune, his armour clinked lightly, with the crescents of the Arc sigil emblazoned brightly upon the breastplate, and the sword-whip that hung sheathed was ready to be drawn at a moment's notice.
"Hey, Dad."
The Arc patriarch nodded, taking a moment to look him up and down before replying with a deep, coarse voice. "You participated in this battle?"
"I did. We were on a mission, and then flew over when we got the call."
"Hmph. So was I," he replied, turning to his team. "And your mission. Did you all succeed?"
Jaune's face fell. "Well...I -"
"We did," Pyrrha replied, stepping up beside him. Behind her, Ren and Nora made to follow suit. "As our leader, Jaune led us well and got us out alive. I wouldn't trust anyone else to do so."
Richter turned to face Pyrrha's determined gaze. "You must be the girl from the house of Nikos. Are you my son's partner?"
The redhead nodded.
"...I see. Take care of my boy. I would not have him return home in a body bag."
"With respect, I'd do that for any of our teammates. I'd rather die before and in place of any of my friends."
"You'd die!?" Richter suddenly barked with a mocking laugh. "Don't use words you don't understand the true meaning behind. "Gods, it's a meaning I pray none of you ever learn. And on that topic -"
Jaune and Pyrrha startled when he reached over and drew Crocea Mors in a quick motion. "You wield a fine weapon. I am interested as to where you've stumbled upon it."
"Dad...I needed something to use in Initiation. Ilia and Karane wouldn't lend me any of theirs either. And I mean, I've gotten this far with it too. Like, I wouldn't be able to have done it with just a shield -"
"All that makes a tool a weapon is your intent to use it as such. But yes. You have passed Initiation and your first mission. I can see it in your stance. Your gaze. You're still weak, though above when we last sparred. When I last forbade you from pursuing this path."
His eyes widened in surprise as his father slid the sword back into its sheath. "You're...you're not taking it?"
"No. Even though I fought so that none of my children should have to learn the huntsman's sacrifice, it seems that once again I have no choice. You must learn firsthand that this is more than just a sword. It is a burden. A legacy. A responsibility borne only through blood, so that others may live. You must learn that weight, and never take it for granted."
Richter sighed and took a step back as Glynda cleared her throat. "Ah. Right. Has the Headmaster begun to move?"
"He has. The Atlesian fleet will carry the huntsmen, and the path to Mountain Glenn shall be permanently sealed, end to end."
"Good. As it should've been long ago. And you...my son. The path of a huntsman is long and hard, but you have survived the first of your trials - and they are games compared to your missions in the future. Grow strong, and do not disappoint me."
He met the harsh gaze of his father. "I will."
Richter nodded before taking on a gentler tone. "When you get back, do remember to call your mother and sister. They miss you terribly."
His face fell at that cold reminder as his father left, followed by Glynda and Qrow. Turning around, he was met with Ren, Nora and Pyrrha's worried glances, and the confused but equally concerned looks of Team RWBY.
"Um, Jaune," Ruby started, voice small and uncertain. "What's going on? What did we miss?"
He couldn't help but sigh.
"It's a long story."
()===|=====+
"All in all, I call today a success."
"But those stupid kids really made a mess of things."
"Yeah. A lot of the faunus didn't make it out of the tunnels. Got trapped with the Grimm and all that," Mercury added. And though she cared not for the faunus, Emerald did have a minor point: it was somewhat unfortunate that the attack was defeated, though not unsurprising with Ozma at the helm, even if he remained at the academy. That wasn't to say that victory was the main goal of the breach in the first place; a test, rather, of Vale and Beacon's response to a major crisis in the city. With this, they gathered important information that would be used to make some...adjustments to the final plan.
Adjustments the old wizard would never see coming.
"Do you think after all this, the faunus are still gonna listen to us?"
"No, but they'll listen to me."
A crimson haired faunus stepped up from behind on the rooftop, who, despite his sheathed sword and non aggressive motions seemed to radiate an aura of danger and control.
Not to the same level as herself...but close enough.
"Many brothers and sisters were lost in this attack. There better be a silver lining to their sacrifice, Cinder."
"Make no mistake. There is," she purred, facing him head on and looking directly at his eyes beneath the mask. "This was never meant to be a total victory. More of a raid, of sorts. We have learned crucial information from which to alter the plan, and most importantly, word from the Queen mentions that a new...representative will be sent to join us. One whose capabilities will greatly augment our own upon execution of the plan."
She was sure Adam Taurus raised an eyebrow beneath the bone-white mask. "Oh? And who might this person be?"
Cinder merely turned away and smiled.
"That is something our valiant defenders will soon learn for themselves."
/ AN \
Welcome back all to A Descendant of Legends!
Firstly, before the AN proper, I finished the chapter half an hour before midnight, and right before I could export it, the writing app promptly reset and for some reason deleted the last two scenes and ~3k words. Rewrote those scenes as close to the original as possible, but still.
Aggggghhhhhhhhhh.
Anyway! Bit of an action packed chapter we have today, with me busting out the epic movie and anime OSTs as I kept writing – 300, Man of Steel, Hiroyuki Sawano, the original Shrek soundtrack. Stuff like that. Whereas the original episode of the Breach was more lighthearted in nature, I wanted to make my version of the Breach a little bit more…chaotic. Not exceedingly grim, but just serious enough to present the situation in a more somber atmosphere. That's not to say I wanted to take everything out; I loved how they used it to showcase RWBY and JNPR's skills and teamwork, and so I decided to add a bit more, and then some extra spice in the form of CFVY, SSSN and an unofficial boss fight marking the end of the action for Arc II. I do wish that they actually called the eight-headed King Taijitu a Hydra or introduce a Hydra-like Grimm into the show beyond the manga simply because I just like cool looking monsters. But hopefully I didn't tire y'all out along the way, and I tried my best to intersperse some short dialogue and inner thoughts to break up what would otherwise have been ~9k words of straight action.
In any case, thank you all for sticking around! Constructive criticism is always welcome. Hope to see you all at the conclusion of the Arc!
Fyr RedNight: Thank you! Glad to know you enjoyed it. I do promise as well that I will not be skimping out on monster variety – all the better when I write more in as chapters progress.
And this is the first and action focused half of the Arc's conclusion, but though the next chapter will be slower paced than this one, I have a very special…something to bring both the chapter and the Arc to a close. Thanks, and hope to see you next time!
Dragon lord Syed 101: Yup, fair enough! I hold nothing against those who have differing preferences in ships, and the ones for this story was chosen at the start. Arkos is one of them, as it helps develop Pyrrha's, but most importantly Jaune's character throughout the story. All the while interwoven with the JNPR dynamic, yet at the same time distinct.
The fallout from JNPR's mission as they update RWBY (and Ozpin + Glynda, courtesy of Qrow) is something that will be covered next time, though it won't be the overarching focus of the chapter. They will still have to grapple with the truth, as Jaune's team is still similarly coping, but only time will tell how they act. Thanks, and hope to see you then!
Roy4: Thank you. I hope you know how much it means to hear your appreciation like that. Even though the story started off quite wonky – and even now, there is still much room for improvement – I refuse to edit the earlier chapters to never forget where I started. I will do my best in improving to continue writing things I enjoy while giving you and all a story worth remembering.
But enough emoting from me, lol. JNPR as a family is a level of bonding I do intend for all of them to achieve, and even though they're not all the way there yet, they've established the foundations to grow into it. You are right when they are no less important to Jaune and the fate of the world. They just fully understand that yet, but they're not a group of four living in a dorm – they're a team. There are many goals I want this story to accomplish, and forging their bonds through the harshest fires is one of them, even if they're not the direct key to Remnant's salvation. Again, thank you and hope to see you next chapter!
Spartastic 4: Oh yes, on a very, very consequential level. But hey! If it stirs the imagination, then all the more power to it. Heh, imagine the reactions if I pull a M. Night Shyamalan like that. "Pyrrha is Ganon or the Princess confirmed", lol. Definitely wild, and definitely coming on the next episode, with several seasons ordered to boot. Thanks, and hope to see you next chapter as well!
The Black Wolf of the Arks: Yup! I've pulled inspiration from OoT on how the Master Sword does act as a spiritual seal / key that not just guards the entrance to the Sacred Realm, but more so binds the darkness within. What I will say is that Salem does not hold Wisdom in her hands. The fate of Wisdom is tied to that of the previous Hero, and so the lore and therefore significance of what Jaune did will be explained as chapters progress.
As for the origin of the Spiritual Stones / Pendants of Virtue, I can't say for certain whether those were forged with the influence of the flames, but perhaps I missed something in the wiki after I checked. In a similar vein, I have taken inspiration from the childhood phase of the game in that Jaune and co. quest to restore and prove worthy of the Sword, learning of the consequences along the way, though that is something that comes after this and the next Arc. That goes for items as well; he will get more that are Zelda items, or at least heavily inspired by, with a couple being essential as they progress. Again, in time.
In any case, thanks for sticking around! The next chapter will detail some of the fallout with RWBY, along with interactions in the future with Ozpin on his status. This is one secret that he's not running away from. Hope to see you next time!
jeremiahkelley93: Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it. Hope to see you next chapter!
AdinPryde: Yes. Jaune holds only a half shard of Courage, with other residing within Dark Link and the "why" of such answered in time. And glad to know you like that! A slap in the face with heavy consequences, but perhaps it's the one that he needed to smarten up and realize that the easy way doesn't always exist. Thanks, and hope to see you soon!
Guest: Spoilers for the specifics on what items I have chosen to write in, but you haven't seen the last of those. The hookshot was just the first, and there are a couple others that will prove essential as Jaune and co. quest to seal the darkness. Thanks, and hope to see you again!
Warlus999: Since Ozpin's more...magically inclined than many others, especially at a time when Remnant's experiencing magical drought, it does "react" to them, especially to Ruby and Jaune as both her silver eye magic and him are directly influenced by that of the God of Light, and to Jaune because he carries a shard of the last remaining infinite source of magic on Remnant since Brother Darkness left. Magic is...stagnant for now, seen best in the form of Semblances (which are leftover slivers magic, then socially normalized as not) but with the machinations of the villains in the background, this might not last forever. We'll just have to see.
And thank you! I'm happy to know you like it. That's one of the first ideas I've ever had before I even began writing this story: what if the universe of Zelda once existed within that of RWBY? As such, I definitely plan to give Jaune his own version of the hero's journey with all the good times and bad, and the theme of light vs darkness will take on many forms - some literal, some thematic and symbolic. These themes and questions are becoming all the more important to Jaune and his friends, and they will have to learn the skills, lore and answers in order to defeat encroaching evil. Thanks, and hope to see you next time!
The Legend of Zelda and RWBY are the respective properties of Nintendo and Rooster Teeth.