Arc V: Path of the Hero

Chapter 51: How To Kill Your Dragon

There he was, cloaked in blazing heat. Suffocating clouds of ash and the ground shaking beneath his feet. Most people would've turned back long before they could run into a herd of Dodongos or get flattened beneath a flaming car-sized boulder.

Not Jaune. He had his own deadly trials to face.

Stop it. Do you want to go deaf from an ear infection?

Namely, the perpetual itch of a newly installed earring.

"Not if I scratch myself to death first," Jaune mentally groused. The Aura sparkling around his healing piercings felt like insects drilling into his ears. "I may be a huntsman, but my mother and sisters are the real heroes for taking these without complaint. Though I gotta admit the Fireshield Earrings look kinda cool."

Better yet, let us hope they work as advertised, Link humphed. A fair statement when they stood halfway up Dragon's Roost before a cave entrance amidst blazing heat and echoes of hungry monsters.

"So this is where you entered last time?" Nora asked, unholstering her grenade launcher.

"Yes. There are labyrinths of unexplored tunnels, but we were lucky that Cinder and her group ran into some that were already mapped. We call it the Dragon Mines because of what lies within," Teba replied. "Unfortunately, we sealed access to the deepest parts and destroyed the key to contain the monsters after they escaped. You'll have to find another way through."

Revali crossed his arms and stared at Jaune. "Don't worry. I have the utmost confidence you'll make it out alive."

"Even if you wish the opposite," the latter sighed. "And aren't you gonna stay and help us?"

"Oh, I'll be helping, alright. By hunting the stragglers you let escape. We're only a scroll call away, but since you're the hero of this show I'll give you a chance to prove yourself." Revali smirked as his Semblance propelled him airborne in an updraft. "Have fun sealing the darkness!"

The five watched him and an apologetic Teba disappear into the sky. Jaune sighed. "Or maybe you're just scared to get your ass kicked a second time..."

"Jaune. Focus."

"Sorry," he mumbled to Ren as his Fireshield Earrings flashed from the skyrocketing heat of the first room: a rectangular lava cavern dotted with pipes and grates in the walls, exposed stone platforms following the wall in a crescent while lava columns erupted all around. There was a tall ridge on the left and a northwest door at the end of the platforms, guarded by a trio of green lizards with razor-like metallic spines.

"Alright, this is what we trained for," Oscar said, stepping forward. "We just gotta avoid falling into the -"

Something moved up top, and Jaune yanked him back when a chihuahua-sized flaming mollusk fell from the ceiling. They swiftly dealt with the Torch Slugs until nothing was left until smoky Malice.

"Exactly. Death can come from anywhere, so remember to pay attention," Jaune warned. "I don't want to be caught lacking when it matters the most."

Oscar grinned sheepishly before pointing at the lizards. "Sorry. So what do we do about those?"

Dodongos. Volcanic lizards with thick hides and even thicker bones, giving some value to their hides as commodities, Link observed. They also gain the ability to breathe fire as they age, but certain spots on their bodies are weaker than others.

"...hit the tail, flip it over or shoot its mouth," Jaune relayed, leading them over the stone platforms. They timed their jumps to avoid the periodic lava columns until reaching safer ground on the other side, facing the Dodongos that were equally prepared. Two charged and a third began inhaling, with Jaune back slicing one's tail while Ren sidestepped his so that it rammed the wall and flipped itself. After Oscar slew it, they collected the Dodongos' skins before the rest of their carcasses dissipated.

There was a muffled explosion as the third Dodongo swallowed Nora's grenade. "Now we can - wait. It's locked. Jauney, did we miss anything on the way here? Or maybe...hmm...Revali..."

"Let's investigate before we go on the warpath. Can get up there?" Ren replied as a hookshot appeared an inch from his face. "Good point."

Nora cackled, latched it on a metal grate and sailed through the air, letting go when fire shot at her from the ridge. She slammed her hammer down on what was apparently a fourth Dodongo before humming excitedly. "Ooh, treasure chests! Lemme see, lemme see...found one!"

Jaune caught the red rupee flying his way while Nora returned with a small key. Much like the atrium, the next room was also a magma chamber, though circular and elevated on a ridge skirting the western wall. A door to their left was open while a boulder blocked the northern one, but above a lavafall on the eastern wall was a crystal switch.

Ren fired a burst that pinged it yellow, thinning the flow to reveal another tunnel but not enough to grant access. "Interesting. But how exactly do we get there?"

"Only one way to find out," Nora replied, pointing her hammer at the western door. When it opened, the temperature plummeted due to a cool breeze and a lack of lava. Vine-encrusted tunnels were held up by rotting wooden beams, illuminated by a few cracks in the walls. It didn't stop their footsteps from echoing, and as they reached a split, they headed left to find a dead-end.

There was a muffled scream, and they turned to find Oscar already half-swallowed by Deku Babas on the ceiling. Nora yanked him out while Jaune and Ren carved a path to the other tunnel -

One proving even more ominous as thin veins of mostly mined-out Eldin Ore reflected off what little light remained, leaving dark patches of suspiciously large rocks. Worse, the door at the end was barred and the floor switch beside it looked rusted beyond functioning. Jaune stomped it to no avail. "Ugh. I don't have the muscles for this. Nora?"

"On it!" she chirped, but the pink powerhouse couldn't make it budge even though the walls shook with each impact. After a few more tries, Nora squatted against the wall and panted.

Until something un-Nora-like echoed from down the tunnel.

Judging from the others' looks, he wasn't the only one to feel chills down his spine. They turned to find glowing orange eyes staring from a dark patch before uncurling into a familiar, hunchbacked crystalline being. Others followed suit, some still wearing mining helmets with the Goron ruby.

"N-Nora! Better hurry up!" Jaune yelled as he caught a rolling Fygor on his shield for Ren to slash into. Nora's reply was lost in the chaos, but a quick glance revealed the switch only halfway pressed, and it wouldn't be long until the Fygors began forcing them back.

"Uh, Jauney! It's not going down! And I don't know if it ever will!"

He watched a Fygor drive a nasty punch into Ren's ribcage. "Dammit! At this rate, we'll -"

Stay calm. Remember the Goron hero's words.

"...of course. We need more time. More...power..."

Jaune shook his head. "That's it! Nora, cover Ren and Oscar!"

"But -"

"Do it! On my mark, hold fire and fall back!"

A volley of grenades sailed beneath the ceiling into the Fygors that swarmed the tunnel. "Now!"

Ren, Oscar and Nora sprinted past while Jaune withdrew the Goddess' Harp -

And they halted when Goron's Lullaby pierced through the chaos. Their roars quietened and a few approached with what could pass as curiosity, but when he finished playing, the Fygors had curled into boulders sound asleep.

"Darmani, I owe you one."

"W-whoa."

Ren hissed and cupped Oscar's mouth, but none of them stirred. "Good. That leaves us more time to take care of this." He headed for the switch but paused when Jaune stepped in between. "What are you doing?"

"You, uh, might want to stand back. And I promise I'll explain everything."

He slapped on the Goron Mask before they could protest. Though he'd done it before, Jaune had a feeling he'd never get used to transforming into something he wasn't; bones stretched, muscles snapped and in a final flash of light, his Goron form stood feeling like he could bench press a mountain. Oscar no doubt believed it, but seeing the somewhat terrified expressions on Ren and Nora...well...

The switch went down with one punch. Thankfully, the next room was a proper hall with ruined bunkbeds stacked on either side and some desks at the end that Oscar went to investigate. There was a side room with pipes and an archaic water compressor, though Jaune decided not to pull its lever just yet.

Instead, he turned to face the wrath of his teammates. "So. Uh. Yeah," he began, scratching the back of his head with a voice several octaves deeper. "This is a thing."

If only "no shit" could be an expression. Ren and Nora hadn't taken their eyes off him since, and even if he couldn't blame them, it almost hurt to see his teammates doubt that he was still Jaune. Nora hesitantly patted his rock-like belly.

"W-what are you...?"

She kept his hand on his belly as he recounted - without mentioning Oscar - sneaking back to Gut Check Rock and meeting Darmani. Nora sighed heavily while he could feel the daggers from Ren's glare. "I'm sorry for not saying anything. I didn't want to risk you guys when there could've been nothing worth the danger."

"What kind of excuse is that?" Ren snapped. "After all this time, this is the best you have to say?"

"I'm sorry. I -"

Ren's glare cut him off. "No. I heard more than enough. Even amongst RWBY, it seems I am the only one here who's been taking our mission seriously. Perhaps I should take care of this dungeon alone."

Jaune's gaze fell. "Ren…"

"Um, sorry, am I interrupting something?"

They turned to find Oscar with a stack of old papers, upon which the latter activated his Semblance to suppress his frustration. "Not at all. Everything's alright," he whispered harshly. Jaune flinched. "What did you find?"

Oscar laid the papers out on a destroyed bunkbed. One was the Dungeon Map, another, a diagram of the Goron ruby but sequentially coloured from the left in red, orange, brown and yellow, and the last seemed like schematics on how to operate a forge. The sight made Ren fish out an odd mould that Nora explained was gifted by an elder of the Skygor Tribe, while the map itself featured a room labelled as a forge. Mould Fragments, if anything, and if they were combined…

"...they'd form the shape of a boss key. But we'll need to split up since they're scattered around the dungeon." Jaune whispered, pointing to circled areas on the third floor. "How about Oscar and I investigate up top and find a way to stop the lavafall so you guys can explore the lower floors?"

"..."

"Ren," Nora hesitated. "Are you down for -"

"Yes. Don't take too long," he mumbled, taking the Mould Fragment and leaving the room. After taking pictures of the Dungeon Map and sneaking back to the lava pond room, Jaune transformed once more and pushed the boulder blocking the northern door onto a rusted switch, opening it. Nora pulled him aside when he reverted. "I'll deal with him, but he's got a point. Don't be stupid, okay? At least not without us behind your back. You owe us a lotta pancakes after this."

Jaune nodded in agreement. For now, they had people to save and a dragon to kill, but for going behind their backs, that was a price he'd gladly pay.

(==|======-

The next room almost blinded them. Mainly because it wasn't a room at all.

They squinted against kicked-up dust until the impromptu wind tunnel ended with a sunny panorama of the Stovepipe Islands. Some belched smoke, others fed lava into Eldin Bay and if he stared hard enough, an edge of green was just visible on the western horizon. Just because it was a dungeon didn't mean he couldn't appreciate the scenery.

Which was why a sudden landslide prompted them to throw themselves against the wall until it stopped. "Please tell me there's a way up that doesn't involve getting blown off."

"If only," Jaune sighed. "This is the only way to the third floor, so just stick close and don't fall."

Oscar gulped, not that Jaune could blame him. How could he when even he felt sketched out by constant eruptions and the path thinning to a few feet wide? Dungeons and heights were no joke.

"I just hope Oscar can keep up the further we go in. It's one thing fighting monsters, another solving puzzles, and then there's both at the same time."

Have you had any experience clearing temples before the Shrouded Shrine?

"I...well, no, but I do this because I have to, and I at least got some time learning how to huntsman in Beacon. Oscar didn't, and while it's not his fault being Ozpin's host...I dunno. Maybe I'm just worried." Jaune sighed. "In the end, it's on me if he gets hurt. And we know what happened the last time I had a partner."

Link didn't respond, but Jaune felt it for the best when they rounded a bend to find the path leading to the door destroyed. By the looks of it, perhaps long before they even entered the dungeon.

"It's too far to make the jump," Oscar observed, peeking over the edge. "Ugh. I can see the door just around the corner, too. Should we get Nora to - oh! What about Revali and Teba?"

Jaune relented since neither the rock spires to their left nor the mountain face to their right had anything hookshot-able. But before he could message them, Oscar pointed west to a pair of oncoming birds.

"Hmm. Last time I checked, Revali and Teba weren't red and had only two wings each."

The Furnixes agreed by spewing some fireballs. Jaune perfect-parried one at the first, but it dove, raked its tail across his shield and blocked his Aural sword beams. When it chased him down the path, Jaune leapt off the mountain face with a downward spin attack and chainsawed through its torso.

"N-no, don't take over! I got this!"

He turned right and paled, for Oscar kept parrying the second Furnix's fireballs until it swung its tail to smack him off the ledge. It actually achieved its goal...but not the way it expected.

"Oscar, no!"

Like a nature biopic gone wrong, man and bird screeched as the former hung onto its tail for dear life. Jaune tackled them to the other side in a flurry of feathers, but when they killed the last Furnixm scores of Kargaroks took flight from their rock spire nests. They rushed inside the third floor and collapsed.

"Hah. I did it. I actually did it," Oscar laughed despite looking like a ruffled cat. "All without his help, too."

"Sure, but you know you could've been knocked over the edge, right? You don't wanna take more risks than you can handle, especially in a place like this."

Oscar's grin faltered as he turned to survey the area. The ridge they stood on led south from the northwest corner to a hefty stone block encrusted by dried lava. Thin stalagmites jutted from a magma lake on the second floor, which was sustained by lavafalls in the north, south and a massive one east while pillars of it erupted at various heights and intervals. Some formed a line along the north, elevating stone platforms that, if timed right, bridged the gap to a wall that was spiderwebbed with cracks.

Most importantly, the lava glowed a faint magenta tint. "It doesn't look like anything we've seen before. Is it saturated with Malice?"

Likely when you consider Volvagia is infected with it, Link hummed. I can only assume the effects will be felt the deeper we go.

"I think I see something," Oscar interrupted from further down the path, pointing at three rock spires angled away from the door. There were crystal switches embedded within, and three sword beams later, they pinged yellow and the lava level receded somewhat. "You think Ren and Nora are good to go?"

Jaune shrugged. "I'm not sure but keep an eye out. We'll press on once we clear this floor of anything useful."

Oscar nodded, scanning along the edge while Jaune dispatched Fire Keese with spin attacks by the block. Several Igneo Pebblits that burrowed out of the crust proved trickier as they were impervious to steel.

But could they withstand a thousand pounds of Goron force?

Jaune was also curious as he donned the Goron Mask and slammed down in ball form, flattening them while blowing the dried lava away. When he pushed the block off, it plugged the southern lavafall and uncovered a second floor tunnel behind it.

"That should do it," he replied as they stopped before the line of lava platforms. "Now, are you ready?"

Oscar's eyes were bright and innocent. "Ready for what?"

When the lava pillars formed a bridge, Jaune grabbed him and rolled into a ball, gaining speed with Oscar's screams to beat the platforms as they fell. They crashed through a cracked wall and waterfall behind it onto a razor-thin path, bowling through boulders and steam geysers until they reached a hollowed-out entrance.

After the pain of transformation disappeared and Oscar steadied himself, they crossed the threshold into the fourth floor -

Only to be trapped as a barred door fell.

"Called it. So what exactly are we dealing with?"

Steam obscured an open-air oval-shaped chamber with an overflowing hot spring, making every step feel invigorating. Three stone pillars were arranged in a triangle while a crevice at the northern floor fed the waterfall they burst through, and to their left was a prison-like cage. Inside was a large chest and an old lever beside a closed metal hatch.

Jaune watched Oscar fiddle with the door to no avail. "I'm willing to bet that's another Mould Fragment, though there's gotta be something that can open it -"

Behind you, watch out!

He rolled aside from a stream of fireballs that exploded ineffectually on the cage. Fire erupted atop a column, followed by what sounded like...laughter? Its low tone was smooth, almost sultry, and it coalesced into a humanoid figure whose limbs were fire and hands and feet were bony claws. Above its black, rock-like chest was a flaming head with green slits for a mouth and eyes that winked suggestively.

"…Cinder, is that you?"

Close. Flare Dancers are malicious spirits whose fire and agility make them deadly at any distance, Link replied as Jaune blocked a fire beam but was dashed against the wall. The monster pirouetted onto another stone column to avoid Oscar's leaping thrust. If you can do something about its flames, maybe you'll have a chance.

"And a chance is all I need," Jaune gritted as it showered Oscar with fireballs and gracefully hopped away from his jump attack. The Flare Dancer smiled when he missed a second try and on the third, it left behind fire mines that sent him into the water – a distraction that allowed Oscar to land a solid thunk on its back –

And was burned by its fiery aura before joining Jaune below. The Flare Dancer chuckled and summoned a large fireball that shot smaller ones around the room. "You alright?"

"Ugh. Not when we can barely land a hit and if we do, it's us who gets hurt."

He scanned the room for anything they could use before realizing the answer was all around them. "Then we take it out of its comfort zone. I may have an idea -"

"Okay, I'll cover you."

Jaune eyed him carefully. "Are you sure? I don't want you to overexert yourself and -"

For a moment thought Ozpin was in control by how determined he looked. "Alright, then. On your mark."

"Now!" Oscar yelled, dashing right and drawing the monster's attention. Gone was the disco ball of death as it cast a fire beam –

And fell into the water when Goron Jaune crashed through the column like a linebacker. The Flare Dancer screeched as its flames were doused, more so when they began whaling on its vulnerable body.

After downing it two more times, the monster summoned three fire pillars that began circling the centre while superheating the water into the world's most hostile sauna. Accordingly, it prepared for round two by skimming the surface on flaming skates, which it then used to spin-slash around Jaune like a dervish before backflipping into a jump attack. When Jaune did the same and locked blades, the Flare Dancer retreated atop a pillar to continue shooting fire.

And then it stopped.

Because Oscar failed to sneak behind it undetected, and so all three fire pillars swallowed and ejected him into the wall. Horrified, Jaune ran over to find him motionless with sizzling Aura. "No, Oscar! Wake up!"

He shielded Oscar against a stream of fireballs, though it became a fire beam and pushed him back. "Dammit, don't give out on me just yet!"

"...n-no...I...control..."

"Oscar!"

His body glowed faintly and his eyes flickered open to reveal someone else. "Not Oscar. Ozpin. Apologies for the tardiness, but I - hrk!" Light flashed and it was Oscar once more. "N-no. I will fight. I'm sorry, but Jaune needs me...help me so I won't let him down."

Oscar staggered to his feet while continuing to whisper, and the light surrounding his body faded. So did his Aura...and moments later it sparked up as fierce, crackling lightning -

Revealing Oscar with arms outstretched and protected by a spherical energy shield. The sight shocked the Flare Dancer and Oscar himself, the former halting its attack long enough for Jaune's sword beams to knock it down. Oscar threw it up again when the Flare Dancer charged, claws grating harmlessly across its surface until Jaune back-sliced it away.

"Okay, now it knows what it's up against," he gritted when the three fire pillars merged into a large one for the Flare Dancer to hide in, all while shooting projectiles and spawning more minions. "So we're gonna have to bring the fight to it. Think your shield can take a little more punishment?"

"I...I don't know. It's really draining my Aura, and fighting like Ozpin will..." Oscar shook his head. "No, it's okay. I'll give it my best!"

"Then follow my lead!" Jaune yelled, morphing, then rolling from a fire beam. After bowling over some Keese and nearing Oscar, he uncurled into a flying punch. "Now!"

Oscar threw up his shield and jumped, grunting against Jaune's blow -

And piercing through the fire beam to slam the Flare Dancer into the water, stunning it for Jaune to Goron ground-pound. Oscar's shield cracked on the second hit and shattered on the third, but by that time, the monster was too weak to keep fighting; when it was knocked prone, the Flare Dancer glanced between them and sighed when Jaune impaled it with an ending blow.

The pillars ceased erupting and both doors opened but Jaune focused squarely on Oscar. "Hey, wake up. Open your eyes."

A second later, the latter sat up with a foreign, yet familiar calmness. "Oscar is currently unconscious from the pain and exhaustion. Have you any medicine?"

Jaune handed over red and green potions whose taste Ozpin winced at but forced down regardless. They watched his bruises lighten and Aura stabilize. "We only have a few left so we gotta make these count. But what exactly did you do to him?"

"Despite my warnings, Oscar pushed himself beyond his body's limits and called upon my power." Ozpin frowned. "Let me be frank. We may have won for now, but my power is something he must use in moderation, for the more he relies on it, the more he accelerates my curse."

"And as he keeps fighting with us, especially against tougher enemies…"

He kicked at the water when the realization set in. "I trapped him between a rock and a hard place. Dammit. We may have won, but at what cost?"

"I am aware that this is of little consolation, but neither you nor Oscar are at fault for my curse. At the very least, his experiences will strengthen his body while giving precious memories for him to remember."

"Memories of losing his mind and becoming like you?"

"Memories of fighting with you without being a burden."

Jaune froze, upon which Ozpin chuckled dryly. "You really haven't noticed? Perhaps it is something to think about when he wakes up. For now, why don't you check what we came for?"

Ozpin slouched against the wall, and with a troubled mind, Jaune entered the cage to find the third Mould Fragment. Pulling the lever opened the hatch to pour water down the third floor, dousing the eastern waterfall and creating a smoking stone platform before another tunnel entrance.

"...and according to the Dungeon Map, it leads to the boss room. Three down, one to go. I just wish I knew beforehand…"

Ozpin, while dangerous, has a point. I've seen how Oscar looks at you when he thinks you wouldn't notice. I share your concerns for a grim burden as his, but he fights anyway to become like the Hero he believes you to be. And he has grown.

That...hit him deeper than he expected. Despite his fears, Oscar followed him against a monster beyond his level, and Jaune never noticed when he blamed him for the sins of another. But it didn't change the fact he should've been there. Who else knew what it meant to have two souls?

Even looking at the sleeping farmboy felt like staring in a mirror. Once, a long time ago, that would've been him after combat class or fighting some Grimm, only that he had a partner through it all.

How ironic, Jaune realized, that he now stood in Pyrrha's place. While Oscar would never replace her, he swore never to let him down. To be the Hero he believed Jaune to be.

Just like how Pyrrha once did.

(==|======-

Ren, however, relied on his Semblance to hold onto his sanity.

Having cleared out the atrium, retrieved the Dungeon Map and other valuable paperwork from the abandoned mines, there was nothing left except wait and sweat through his clothes. He almost wished they had more Fygors to fight, the reminder of earlier igniting his anger once more.

"...I'm. So. Sweaty. Why can't these things protect against heat as well?"

"It's a volcano, Nora. We'd have burned up on entry without them."

"And I'm already drenched!" Nora whined. "We're so going to Argus when this is over. I miss snow."

"We're stuck until they find a way to let us into the second floor, " Ren stated. Nora looked like she wanted to respond but remained silent instead. "We have a long way to go. The Dungeon Map indicates multiple rooms before the forge, which, need I remind you, is useful only if we gather all the Mould Fragments."

"We'll find them. Us and Jauney both. I still have faith in our leader."

Ren stayed silent and Nora frowned when he didn't echo that. He felt guilty, to be sure, but how could she blame him for trying to steer them back towards a mission Jaune himself proposed, only to get distracted by trivialities? The fact he snuck out behind their backs sealed the deal.

"You're supposed to be our leader, Jaune. I care less about you transforming into a Goron and more about you being forthright. Maybe things would've been different if he knew what it meant to lose your home to a monster you couldn't hope to kill. Perhaps I should've gone alone..."

He stopped dwelling on it when the lavafall dried up, exposing some metal grating for Nora to hookshot and swing them into a tunnel. It climbed to the second floor - a Malice-tinted lava lake straight out of a fantasy underworld with rivers of it falling from the north and east. Ren pointed south where a massive stone block plugged a lavafall and exposed a door. Water pots lay before the edge, and they tossed some overboard to create a dried lava bridge between rock islands to the south.

A fire maze waited for them beneath some stairs, but aside from a few stone walls, they garnered a hazy view of the room through the burning gas geysers; further south was a barred door guarded by three cyclopic statues with Goron ruby eyes, and a large chest sat in the southeast corner.

Nora ignored them and headed northwest to a floor switch amidst a cluster of brown pots. While it wasn't rusty, it refused to stay down when they stood on top, even with the local pottery.

Ren hummed. "We need something heavier."

"Well, what about those statue thingies? I think Jaune called them Armos after that thing he fought with Weiss. One's probably heavier than both of us combined."

"And injure ourselves with a hostile paperweight? We'd be lucky if it even stayed put, like that chest."

She raised an eyebrow. "You really think a chest'll do the trick?"

Ren replied by entering the maze, hearing her sigh as she followed seconds later. They turned left, right at a split and left again to find a lava pond hidden between stone walls. Ren walljumped across and when they backtracked with the chest, it still wasn't enough.

Nora kicked it open for a purple rupee. "At least you got something out of it."

Ren's eyebrow twitched, and this time, they headed right at the split between periodic geysers and multiple dead-ends until finally reaching the southern door and its gatekeepers. Ren drew his pistols when Nora poked one with her hammer -

And backflipped as two of the Armos Knights whirred to life, hopping forward with gaping mouths. Easy to dodge, but since their bodies proved impervious Ren played the distraction so Nora could force-feed them grenades. When the third Armos Knight proved a dud, they dragged it back to the switch that now stayed down for good.

"See? If you listened earlier we could've dealt with this faster," Nora eyed him pointedly. "Was I right or was I not wrong?"

"Moving on," he grumbled, entering a room with a lava lake like the second floor, though it emptied into a massive chasm that split the room north-south in half. Four thick stalagmites towered from the abyss in a diamond pattern while a stone platform beneath a stalactite jutted out the centre. Directly east was an alcove with another barred door.

"...but what worries me are those holes along the northeast wall. I can only imagine what might come out of them."

"We gonna keep moving or what?" Nora called from the coast, next to some half-submerged spherical boulders. The look in her eyes said it all.

"Nora, no."

"Nora, yes! How else are gonna make it across? You really think they can hold our weight?" She groused, pointing at the stalagmites. To her credit, they'd probably crumble against the tiniest breeze. "Besides, I'm not saying we should join a circus after we save the world but haven't you at least imagined what it'd be like?"

Ren stared.

Nora pouted. "You're no fun. Stay here while I -"

He leapt on top and almost fell over when it proved more sensitive than it should've been. Nora joined him in logrolling through the lava lake, fighting against the current while slithering past stalagmites and trading fire with Magma Spumes. They flattened one upon docking at the platform, only to run behind cover when burning rock grenades rained around them. The boulder wasn't nearly as lucky and exploded.

Ren's worst fears were confirmed when he peeked around to find Fygors lining the northeast cave holes. They returned fire, but with lava on one side and death by height on the other -

"- we have nowhere else to go," he grunted, tracking another burning rock that exploded against the fat stalactite above them -

A stalactite whose tip wasn't just coloured an odd green and orange, it twitched.

"We can't stay here for much longer!" Nora growled, and again when he swiped her hookshot. "Wait, Renny, what are you doing!?"

"I'm not sure, but I hope it works!" he yelled, firing at the stalactite.

It worked.

They were zipped up, then showered with dirt as the spire shook itself loose from the ceiling. It wasn't a stalactite. It was a hibernating adult Peahat, and it was a miracle they weren't knocked off when its propeller-like leaves began spinning inches from their heads. Doubly so when it began hovering over the abyss.

Nora screamed.

So did Ren when Darbus emerged from the crowd and began throwing dust crystals.

"Renny, swing right! Make it go right!"

They tried but were too cumbersome to generate momentum. "The Peahat's too strong and we're too heavy!"

"Are you calling me fat!?"

"What? No!" Ren cried, then ducked beneath an accurate rock grenade. Darbus roared. "And even if we could move, we have no way of opening that door!"

"Then we'll blast it open! Anything better than this!" Nora swore as she shot back at the Fygors. Ironically, her weapon's recoil did more to move the Peahat, enough that a glint of light below caught Ren's eye. Within the four stalagmites were crystal switches, and one turned red when he shot it. Firing at a different switch made it red as well, and shooting it twice turned it yellow.

"Great. Not not only do we have to hit all four, but they have to be in the same order!"

"Whatever you're doing, better hurry up!"

"I'm trying!" Ren shot back. "Think. Think. Any patterns we saw, other puzzles - wait. That diagram!"

With the left switch already red, Ren fired at the top, bottom and right to turn them orange, yellow and brown, respectively. He did so while Nora swung them away from oncoming rocks, but all eventually rang together to unlock the eastern door.

They needed no other cue, propelling their Peahat taxi east until they could dive through the exit. The last Ren saw before the door closed was a glaring Darbus.

He was coming for them.

He couldn't care less and slouched against the wall. "That...that was -"

"Awesome!" Nora crowed, smirking. "I thought I was supposed to be the crazy one. Well, me and Yang, but hot damn, Renny! For a second, I actually thought we weren't gonna make it."

Of course she'd focus on the insignificant. "A few more seconds and we wouldn't have," he snapped. "When accuracy matters, please keep still so I can hit things on the first try. Speed is of the essence, is it not?"

Nora looked vaguely offended. "Excuse me for making sure my partner didn't get pelted in the face with rocks. But I'll let them the next time we dangle over the abyss, okay?"

Ren flinched, but followed her through a northeast corridor to a cage that guarded a barred door. The Dungeon Map revealed another corridor northwest and a tall ridge along the southern wall, but before they could investigate, Nora latched her hookshot through a hole at a ceiling target, pulling it down to let them through.

Inside was a bowl-shaped mechanism connected to the wall by the door with various pipes, and it remained inert after Nora fiddled with it.

"I think we're supposed to put something inside."

"Duh," she deadpanned. "Wanna go find it?"

Ren shrugged and they wandered to the northwest corridor, finding another cage blocking a flooded, sloping channel and some sort of mechanism at the bottom. Beside the southern ridge was a small well overflowing due to a waterfall, but submerged not too deep down were a block and switch.

"Up here!" Nora called, and Ren joined her atop the ridge to find Igneo Pebblits nesting among dormant lava vents. "Aren't they the cutest rocks ever?"

"There must be a reason why they're clustered here," Ren replied as one lunged at him. Unable to beat his super ninja huntsman speed, the Igneo Pebblit tumbled into the water and was doused with a soft hiss, stunning it. "Why don't we drop it in the mechanism from earlier?"

Nora deadlifted the junior Talus and waddled back to the forge door, upon which she heaved it in to do...absolutely nothing. It woke back up and tried to tackle her, only to fall into the water and knock itself out.

"Maybe it really is broken," Ren conceded. "Perhaps that's what those other mechanisms are for, but we have no way to access them when they're underwater. Should we freeze the floor with ice dust and dig through?"

"...or why don't we just take the water away?"

Ren stared.

Nora walked back and duped another Igneo Pebblit into falling over, placed it before the well and decided her hammer was good enough for golf. Too good, perhaps, since she sacrificed three Pebblits with three misses, but the fourth slammed into the crevice that fed the waterfall, damming it for good. The well drained and Ren shoved the block onto the switch, opening a canal that drained water levels across the room.

It also revealed an open space below the northwest cage while exposing the mechanism completely - a bowl-shaped trench similar to that of the forge door.

Nora returned with a pair of smaller Pebblits and dropped them at his feet. "I hope you get a strike on the first roll."

Ren was unfortunately not a bowling champion as his first roll pinballed between various rocks and missed. The second Pebblit spun around the edge before slipping into the bowl, making the rim and door mechanism flash yellow. It now sucked in the first Pebblit when they placed it back and granted access to the forge.

They traded glances and went inside with weapons drawn, finding...

A forge. And an ancient one at that. To their right, the Igneo Pebblit sat in a cage-like device that pumped its fiery energy as lava into the machine through a grounded pipe while another to their left stayed dry. The last Mould Fragment sat within the machine forge next to some old tools, and checking the schematics confirmed that once the others returned, they'd have everything needed to forge the boss key.

"...Ren? Nora? Ah, there you guys are!"

Jaune and Oscar entered not long after, albeit looking like they crawled through a poorly maintained chimney. "It's one thing reading the map, but seeing what you guys went through to get here was pretty rough."

"Well, look who's talking," Nora chuckled. "If anything, I'd say you guys had it worse."

"Maybe, but it was worth it," Jaune replied, nodding at Oscar to the latter's surprise. "He held his own against a pretty tough monster."

Ren sighed impatiently. That was good to hear, but there was no time to stay and chat. "Did you get it?"

Jaune's grin fell as he surrendered a Mould Fragment. Ren placed it inside and pulled a giant lever on the side down.

Nothing happened, though air wheezed through the left pipe.

Ren growled and referred to the schematics once more. "There's no way we missed anything. We've been to every possible area before the - oh. Of course. We forgot to turn the water on for cooling. Remember that machine in the abandoned break room?"

Jaune turned to go before he could. "Yeah. I didn't activate it because I didn't know what it was, but I'll go take care of it now."

When the water began flowing into a cauldron, they arranged the Mould Fragments in order beneath a spout and pulled the lever to pour lava. As the Goron machine forge whirred to life, Ren couldn't help but appreciate that even though its creators were long gone, it worked seamlessly as if nothing changed at all. It passed the test of time.

After a short while, Ren grabbed the now-cool boss key from the water cauldron and vowed that the Skygors would do so as well.

(==|======-

The boss door lurched open with a low, rumbling whoom from chains that haven't moved in centuries. Minus the time Revali and Teba came, anyway, and they were also greeted by rough-cut stairs descending into the abyss. Jaune's scroll illuminated their descent, but while Oscar and Nora were apprehensive, Ren was on the line between calm and angry. To Jaune's remorse, he knew exactly why Ren felt that way.

But before he could bring it up, he was interrupted by something low. Something...guttural.

Something behind them.

Jaune drew his sword as the ground shook and ignited it with his Semblance, revealing a swarm of orange eyes behind them. "We're not fighting in this bottleneck. Run!"

They took off as if their lives depended on it - which to be fair, they did. But the Fygors' roars were faster, echoing down the tunnel with shrieks that stood between furious and pained. The closer they drew, the higher his heart rate shot because falling took one misstep and he'd be consumed by the mass of jagged, outstretched arms.

An odd smell soon tickled his nostrils and hit him full force when they entered the heart of Death Mountain itself. The boss chamber was a giant lava pit, but like twisted roots, Malice tendrils snaked out of the molten rock into the walls with a terrible odour. Where death permeated the Shrouded Shrine, this place smelled of infection.

Nora hefted her hammer as they were cornered against the lava by Fygors pouring out of their only escape. "I'm sure we can take 'em, but is there another way out of here?"

A quick scan revealed a partially collapsed tunnel on the other side, but it wasn't at all encouraging. "At this point, our only option is to go up the cone."

"We don't leave until after the dragon is dead," Ren gritted. "Even if we have to carve our way through them all."

"No need. I'll take care of this," Jaune replied as the Fygors charged. He drew the Goddess' Harp with one swift motion and began the Goron's Lullaby -

And was blown forward when something heavy landed behind them. Darbus pelted Oscar away and hauled Jaune up by the neck. "You...traitor...why?"

"H-how - hrk - am I a t-traitor? I haven't done anything!"

"You...hunt us...like fish men...and tree children. All...dead. All...murder!"

Despite the pain, Darbus' words rang in Jaune's head. "Fish men? Tree children?"

Zora and Kokiri?

He didn't do anything, but if what Darbus said was true...he did, didn't he? At least that other part of him. No wonder the Gorons disappeared ages ago. "D-Darbus...p-please..."

"We...hide...survive...now, you die! Gor!" Darbus snarled, tightening his grip and cutting his airflow. Ren and Nora tried freeing him but were waylaid by multiple Fygors. Darkness blurred all but Darbus' fury, hatred and sorrow -

And a massive shockwave freed Jaune from his grip, followed by a lava explosion that sent Fygors panicking into the tunnel. At least until a falling flaming boulder caved it in.

Not Darbus. Not the ancient, warped Goron leader that punched a gargantuan mass of rising lava, only to be swallowed before he could a second time. When the lava cleared, Volvagia, the Cursed Subterranean Firewyrm, crunched down and the Fygor Patriarch was no more.

"Split!" Jaune yelled as the dragon belched a molten Malice beam. Its scales alternated between deep red and sickly purple light that pulsed with its heartbeat, and Malice growths across its body insulated it from direct attacks. Case in point when it shrugged off a volley of Nora's grenades. "Scatter and don't stop moving! Don't make yourself a target!"

"You betcha!" Nora hollered as Oscar cracked a Bokoblin's skull with his cane. "Ren! Help me provide covering fire while - wait, what are you doing!?"

"Cover me!" he cried back, backflipping over Volvagia's sweeping arm and leaping onto its face, only to slip from the Malice caking its snout. Ren fired ineffectively at its eyes until Volvagia smacked him midair into the wall.

Nora's scream was drowned by Volvagia's roar, followed by another fire beam at the downed ninja -

And hit Oscar's energy shield, cracking it from the pressure. Jaune's sword beams stole its attention and fire beam, chasing him for a short distance until Jaune spun and perfect-parried the immense force with all his might.

Volvagia, in turn, resounded with a mighty boom but recovered quickly while exposing something bright, unnatural and very, very vulnerable.

Images of Kuchinashi, Farozu and Sun flashed through his mind when he and Oscar took cover, with Nora and a bruised Ren hunkering down several feet away. "Oscar, you and I are gonna play cat and mouse. Ren, Nora! Aim for the glowing wound beneath its snout!"

"Yes, sir!" Nora saluted, dashing away with Ren when Volvagia's fire beam slammed into their cover, melting it. He stood back to back with Oscar to face Fire Bubbles rising from the remnants, allowing Ren and Nora to flank it, but upon being noticed they weaved between strikes and fire beams until Nora hurled Ren under Volvagia's neck -

Who roared and fell limp after Ren unloaded into the weak spot. But even with Jaune and Oscar, Malice diluted their blows until Volvagia returned to the air to rake stone off the walls.

"Dammit, we got no way to bring him down, so we're effectively suppressed. This is no longer the monster the Hero of Time once fought."

Who's to say you must fight Volvagia the way he did?

Jaune conceded, but it was too high for the hookshot and reception here was weak. They were running out of time and if he didn't come up with something quick -

"..."

"..."

Quick.

Fast. Extreme.

Extreme violence.

Jaune heard Oscar call his name as he transformed and sprinted into a roll. Goron strength propelled him through the cavern until he built enough escape velocity to spiral up the walls. Dodging Volvagia's strikes and fire, Goron Jaune rocketed off and speared into Volvagia's wound.

They collapsed amidst dust and magma, but when they approached the downed monster, it shrieked defiantly into the air as a tremor sent waves through the cavern -

And to their horror, also the lava.

Columns of magma began erupting like geysers, and Volvagia, the bastard, snorted almost smugly since it could fly. Meanwhile, the two tunnels were more or less caved in.

"Jaune!" Ren snapped, shaking him loose. "Is there no other way to get out of here?"

He gazed at Volvagia as it took to the air.

"Only one. Hold on tight!"

Before they could protest, Jaune grabbed Nora's hookshot and fired at its tail. The momentum carried him and his surprised teammates halfway up its body, and all they could do was hold onto Volvagia's pulsing spines as they soared up the cone. Air, dust and sulfur whizzed past their faces while something deep rumbled from below.

It stopped in the face of warm, fresh air. Bright light and blue skies amidst white and grey clouds.

It resumed when their hearing was reduced to painful ringing on account of a frankly monstrous explosion. The shockwave hit moments later and when Jaune glanced back, lava raced down the slope and a gigantic plume of ash towered into the sky.

"...une, we got incoming!"

Ren's voice cut through the haze, redirecting him back to the monsters that coagulated from swaths of Volvagia's Malice. Despite fierce headwinds and slippery footing only several feet wide, Jaune led the charge through Bubbles and half-formed Bokoblins, shooting Eyes of Malice to gain passage when the sludge proved impassible. A quick glance ahead, however, revealed they were almost near the volcano's base, with Golow Village not too far ahead.

And the last thing he wanted was to bring more death to another village.

Jaune equipped the Goron Mask and with a cry, ground-pounded Volvagia's skull, stunning it long enough to crash land on a mesa overlooking the town. It was just like the crater when he staggered to his feet; rivers of lava cornering them, an angry dragon facing them, the once-clear skies raining with stone and flights of Kargaroks weaving through it all -

Only to explode in the face of multiple bomb arrows. Revali spiralled through the birds in a whirlwind, and a familiar roar behind them revealed Daruk leading his warriors against monsters that clawed their way up the Malice lava.

"We'll take care of the small fry!" Teba called from overhead. "The dragon's all yours! We end this here and now!"

Volvagia roared its defiance.

Team JNPR roared back.

Jaune struck the first blow by deflecting its claws and slicing along its forearm before firing sword beams at its weak spot. Volvagia blocked them and spewed a fire beam that warded a flanking Ren and Nora away, but stopped when Jaune, like the Flare Dancer, slammed a shielding Oscar into its maw.

The dragon choked on an explosion, then retaliated by repeatedly pounding the ground until the tremors killed their momentum. The monster rammed Jaune into a boulder while spewing fireballs to keep Oscar in place until Nora broadsided its rear with grenades, but Ren used the distraction to parkour up its side and spiral down into its eyes with automatic fire.

Volvagia retreated, backing into a waiting Nora -

Only for her, Oscar and Ren to be sent flying when the monster caught them in a desperate tailspin.

…une! Wake up, your team is in trouble!

It wasn't Link, but Ren's scream that snapped Jaune from his daze as Volvagia stomped on him. Surrounded by his downed teammates, Jaune met the dragon's glare with righteous fury.

"Oh, are you trying to make my friends bleed?"

Volvagia roared, unleashing a fire beam with more power than previous attacks -

"Guess I'll have to teach you this lesson a second time."

- and it was nullified by Jaune's Bombos attack, the smokescreen from which he used to transform and meet it head-on. Pain lanced through his body as Volvagia pushed him back, but while the ground beneath gave way, Goron Jaune locked his knees and they skidded to a halt. Remembering those beside and behind him, Courage flared and Jaune heaved Volvagia aside as if wrestling an unruly animal. Weak spot exposed, it shrieked from his punches until a desperate slice smacked him away, and Jaune watched the Malice on its head recede to cover the weak spot for good.

The sight only emboldened him as images of a young man in red flashed through his mind, and judging by the way Volvagia reacted when he grabbed Nora's hammer, it probably followed his train of thought. Another fire beam and Jaune sprinted into a roll spanning the mesa's edge, building speed until Volvagia clawed down -

Only to launch skyward so he can meteor back down, driving Magnhild into the dragon's skull with megaton force.

The shockwave boomed across the mesa, but when Jaune reverted, the only noises Volvagia emitted were the rumble of its falling corpse and the Heart Container it dropped. Moments later, Death Mountain erupted in a second explosion that dwarfed the last, collapsing part of the crater while the cloudy ring surrounding it lost its fiery luster. In the distance, he could also hear the Skygors cheering as the monsters were driven back for good.

Golow Village was saved.

And yet...he couldn't feel completely at ease.

"...it's not right," Jaune mentally sighed as the Skygors celebrated their victory. "Why do I feel like we missed something?"

(==|======-

"I can't believe we missed this."

"To be fair, it was either escape or drown in lava," Jaune replied to Ren as they surrounded the once-partially collapsed tunnel, now open to the public through the services of the local volcano. Despite Volvagia's death, knowing there was one more unexplored room meant that the last thing they needed was to half-ass their job and get people killed when they left.

Thankfully, Dragon's Roost was calmer, the Fygors were nowhere to be seen and the magma returned to a natural red hue - the light accentuating how terrible his teammates looked. It was like they were run over by a combine, but after slaying a dragon on its home turf, Jaune felt that was more than justified. He himself was probably worse for wear.

"Let's just get this over with," Ren sighed, and they followed Jaune when he ignited Crocea Mors with green flame. The tunnel was shorter than the route leading to the boss chamber and upon reaching a split, Ren and Nora went right while he and Oscar went left -

And was almost blinded by a cavern that glimmered with Eldin Ore veins spiderwebbing across the walls while a row of old chests sat waiting to be opened. After checking for traps, Oscar grew more excited when they yielded their rupee contents, and even Jaune was hard pressed not to smile when a large one contained a bottle of Gold Dust.

"Every dragon has its hoard, I guess, but maybe there really wasn't anything to worry about."

"Uh, Jaune? You might wanna take a look at this."

You spoke too soon.

Jaune sighed and regrouped at the room's end with Oscar, who looked down at the remnants of another chest. While the others were old, wooden and innocuous, this one was ugly, wrought with black iron and seemed to suck in the surrounding light. It was empty, but Jaune still felt a chill run down his spine.

This chest...look at the designs. Hyrulean runes and Sheikah sigils similar to the protective wards from Kakariko. The contents may be gone, but its presence lingers.

"...and it doesn't feel right," Oscar whispered, narrowing his eyes. "I'm getting creepy vibes just looking at it. Is it weird to say it feels almost...evil?"

Jaune shook his head. "No. I feel the same. Remember what Revali and Teba said about Cinder? This probably contained the moon pearl she stole, so I'm not surprised it rubbed off on the chest. They're conduits for energy from the Dark World, after all."

"Should we, um, do something about it?"

"There's nothing we can do since the moon pearl is gone," he replied, turning to leave. "But Ren and Nora need to know what we found."

Oscar followed him down the other tunnel, which slowly descended while widening enough that even a dragon could crawl through. The implication and a familiar infected odour caused them to pick up the pace, only to stop upon coming face to face with something else entirely.

Forget ostriches. With some reaching Oscar's height, these were probably the largest eggs ever laid on Remnant, and given recent geological events, they might also be the most endangered. Almost all were broken apart by fallen rocks, a sight made even more grotesque when some of the contents appeared deformed, perhaps due to the influence of Malice.

"Holy shit..."

"Jaune! Is that you? Over here!" Nora called from further down the room.

They braved the odour and pushed through, finding Ren and Nora beside a broken one that also appeared...healthier than the others. Jaune coughed. "It's a good thing we came back. Imagine if we left without finding this."

"Precisely. We would've risked more innocent people dying to dragonfire," Ren growled, causing Nora to square up. Jaune and Oscar traded glances. "See? Jaune understands why this must be done."

"On an innocent creature?" Nora snapped, standing her ground. "What's it ever done to you or me? Absolutely nothing!"

"Better scared or dead than rampaging across Mistral." Ren moved towards a stalagmite but Nora barred his path. "Move, Nora. If we spare it, we'll regret it forever."

"Spare what?"

Nora stepped aside while maintaining her glare at Ren, allowing Jaune and Oscar to cautiously peek around -

Only to hear something squeak before recoiling from a small jet of smoke. Another careful glance revealed what could only be called a baby Volvagia - no larger than a small dog - retreat against the corner with fearful eyes.

Jaune's heart sank.

"No, stop. I can't let you kill a defenceless creature!"

Ren's gaze softened but remained resolute. "I hate this as much as you do, but have you forgotten what we came here to do? What this monster will do if we let it live?"

"Nothing if we raised it right." Nora's eyes took on a pleading edge. "We can compromise. Teach it to love and protect people instead of -"

"It's a feral dragon, not a domesticated dog! Would you be willing to risk Daruk's people for an uncertain chance? If you grow attached and it rampages, are you willing to put it down yourself?"

"That's...not fair..."

"It's not fair to those who lost their homes and lives because of monsters like that!" Ren yelled. The baby dragon mewled in fear. "It's not fair to us, Nora, to spare them when they're what took my family from me!"

Nora gasped, and so did Ren a second later when she wiped her eyes. That was enough for Jaune to step in. "Both of you need to stop. I see where both of you are coming from, but in the end, I'd rather spare you guys from something that isn't your responsibility. What happens now is on me."

Ren narrowed his eyes. "You don't mean..."

He wished he didn't. Deep down, he was torn - an ounce of prevention was worth a pound of cure, but was it right to judge a child for the sins of its parent, much less for crimes it may not even commit?

Would he have the strength to face the families of those killed by something he spared because of misguided compassion?

In the end, it was his choice. And he never knew how much he hated it until now.

Link...what should I do?

The old Hero remained silent, but brief images flashed through his mind. The same man in red, fighting the same dragon...now, a young boy while playing with an infant one.

And the young man again, kneeling by the dragon that called his name as it died.

The one before them squeaked nervously as he approached, blowing smoke in his face that was no doubt meant to be fire -

But Jaune knelt, extended a hand and didn't react. After some time, it cautiously approached and sniffed his fingers, upon which he petted its head.

"...Ember. I'll call you Ember because you may be small, but even the smallest ember can start the wildest fire. Goddesses, what am I even doing?"

Guilt lanced through his heart as Ren stormed out, and again when the baby dragon looked at him with curious eyes.

Ember purred.

Jaune sighed.

"I hope Team RWBY's having an easier time than us..."

- AN -

And thus concludes our story's Fire Temple, though it seems they'll carry a part of it wherever they go...

Welcome back to A Descendant of Legends! Writing this chapter was both interesting and challenging in that half the creative process was spent building the dungeon and the other, combining plot with puzzles for the characters to solve. Considering that Zelda dungeons grow more complex in succession, so too are the Dragon Mines compared to the Shrouded Shrine, and while I usually don't like my word limit reaching the 10k mark, I didn't want to cut too much out either - the original draft actually had two or three more puzzles, but maybe in future temples where I can focus exclusively on exploration, I can go nuts :P

For here, at least, I wanted to end off with something both good and terrible; namely, Jaune's distant relationship with Oscar and the tension between Ren and Nora. I have some ideas of how I want them to bond despite the cloud of Ozpin hanging over their heads, but for the latter, I still feel like I could've given them more individual spotlights to shore up their friction, but hey, that's what future chapters are for. The ending's given me plenty of fuel for that as well, lol.

We'll see how that goes, but until then, thank you for sticking around and I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Hope to see you next time!

- Reviews -

Super heavy weapons guy: Definitely, if not crucial! While I wanted my Volvagia fight to be unique, it'd be a disservice not to at least reference the OOT boss fight and the Gorons' relationship with Volvagia. Poetic justice, if anything.

Dragon lord Syed 101: One down, and potentially more to come. We'll definitely have to see how RWBY will fare!

Guest: Glad you enjoyed it, thank you!

PF115: Still can't process I'm now past the fifty chapter and three year mark (just saying it out loud made me age like that Saving Private Ryan meme), but thanks for sticking around thus far!

Guest: I'm happy you liked it! There'll definitely be major kinks to iron out for RWBY's side of things, while the Mould Fragments were more of an OC-like item I used as an excuse for JNPR to collect the Boss Key, rather than just finding it as a whole near the end. Thankfully it works, considering I used Wind Waker's Dragon Roost Cavern and Twilight Princess' Goron Mines as the main inspiration for the Dragon Mines, but as for Ren and Nora...we'll have to see how they take it from here. At the very least, I'm happy to know you're still enjoying how things are progressing.

Until next time!

- Stats -

Upload Date: Nov 30 / 2022

Chapter Word Count: 9858

Approximate Page Length (Times New Roman, size 12, single-spaced): 24.8

- Disclaimer -

The Legend of Zelda and RWBY are the respective properties of Nintendo and Rooster Teeth.