Sorry this took so long...I'm not gonna lie, I lost a lot of motivation because Bumblebee (BlakexYang) fans verbally attacked me when I was talking to someone about "Letting the writers focus on story instead of shipping"... then one kept trying to guilt trip me into becoming a FAN of the PAIRING!
Know what? No. I never truly disliked pairings before...but you know what? I do now. Bumblebee. I don't want it canonized because of how the fans act.
Hell, I saw Bee fans say "Sun (the one who helped Blake open up emotionally) should be killed with Blake and Yang doing each other on his grave".
No. From now on, this author page is a Bumblebee-free-zone. Being attacked for discussing an opinion really just pissed me off.
On other news, I have been dealing with storms and I have a single computer I share...so I don't always have access.
Remnants of Hyrule
Ch 5: Crocea Mors
Jaune stared at the book lying open on his desk as ink dripped from the quill in his hand. Things had been very crazy lately, with searches going into the Dark World. They had gone into Death Mountain and found a Moon Pearl into the Dark World, only to emerge in a snowy mountain range that rivaled the Hebra Mountains.
Guilt ate at him as he saw the rest of JNPR and RWBY with casts on either an arm or leg. He should have KNOWN Vaati was onto them. He should have KNOWN something was wrong when the recon teams never returned from this region.
Yet he didn't, and they were ambushed by six gold Lynels as soon as they emerged. While Silver Lynels felt like attacking a rock with how powerful their defensive skin was with the almost insane amount of health, attacking Gold Lynels was like trying to slice apart a sheet of metal with a dull sword. Thank goodness he had completely stocked up on homemade Aura-Boosting foods. Now, their food pouches were nearly completely empty from the ambush. For Hylia's Sake, he even had the pull out what was possibly Link's most dangerous Hidden Skill: The Mortal Draw.
This skill was within the bloodline and Spirit of the Hero for a reason. The user kept their blade, shield, and bows sheathed and let the enemy approach while seemingly remaining relaxed. At the last possible second, the user would spin while simultaneously drawing the blade-the momentum creating an instant-kill slice. Yet this came with a lot of risks; as it let foes with larger weapons get within their striking distance before he could retaliate.
Letting out a long sigh, Jaune placed the quill back in the inkwell and stood up, kissing Yang, Ruby, and Pyrrha before moving to the kitchen to cook more meals. As he chopped up the Hearty Durians, he recalled the dream Ruby told him his fiancées shared. Even though he had only heard about it, he still kept the names of the future generation they dreamed of in his memory.
Taiyang Rose-Arc, Zelda Rose-Arc, Lily Xiao-Long Arc, Link Xiao-Long Arc, Rutella Arc, Persues Arc, and Helena Arc. He perfectly understood why Ruby and Yang wanted their family names passed on to their kids; their parents. Taiyang Xiao-Long was an important figure in his Rose's and Dragoness's lives before their Slumber of Restoration. Then there was Summer Rose.
When Raven Branwen did the unthinkable; abandoning her baby girl and husband to become a bandit of all things, Summer Rose took over. It didn't take long for Taiyang to fall for her, and thus Ruby was born. Her untimely death had taken a HUGE toll on her husband and two daughters. Despite not giving birth to her-it was obvious that Summer was Yang's mom. Yet, despite her deplorable actions, Jaune was somewhat thankful for Raven Branwen… for she brought Yang into this world.
The Master Sword remained on his belt; sheathed in the Protector's Shield Ruby had made. Glancing at it, Jaune started wondering what the legacy he would leave for the future generation was. He gave a somewhat lopsided grin as he moved to his Sheikah Scroll and pulled up a picture King Ozpin sent him that he found in the records; his sisters and himself rambunctiously sitting on the couch with him in a little Pumpkin Pete's hoodie; hair pulled into twin pigtails as he stared blankly ahead holding up a sign with the word "HELP" on it. He glanced down at the knife he was cutting the fruit with. Tomorrow...he would make a physical legacy for his family.
"Blake, have you ever heard the saying Curiosity Killed The Cat?" Yang asked as Blake hobbled over to the book Jaune left on his desk and flipped it to the first page, leaning against a walking stick to keep her weight off the cast on her leg. A Savage Lynel Crusher when your Aura is low would break more than just your Aura, she found out.
"You can't tell me you don't wonder about your love's diary." Blake said, her cat ears twitching.
"Journal!" Ruby, Yang, and Pyrrha said at the same time, before looking at each other. Blake grinned. Apparently they were; as Jaune had corrected them on what to call it. Her eyes narrowed when she saw that he had written in Hylian instead of on of the languages of the Districts. Still, she took a breath and started reading.
"So...This is a journal...something King Ozpin gave me to give myself a way to...vent. Release Stress. Whatever you want to call it. Either way, I'm not gonna be writing in it like I am talking to somebody...that might make me actually start having conversations with myself. So, I think I will start with my memories of the beginning." A quick giggle from Ruby at that statement was a positive sign for Blake. They too wanted to know about their Knight.
"I had grown up with seven sisters, and my childhood-while I loved my family...I won't pretend it was the best. Due to how much I loved my sisters, I couldn't even dream of even smacking them, so my only "defense" against them was to be annoying. Yet, that didn't always work and I would end up in dresses or having his hair dolled up. Yet, for all the love I have for my sisters and parents, my childhood until I was sent to Hyrule Castle was filled with ridicule. No one ever believed in me...They told me stories about the heroes and bold warriors his family produced...and then told me to give up on his dreams. I just wanted to make them proud; to live up to my family name...They wanted me to be a farmer or some other civilian. They denied me any training. Yet, I am an Arc. The blood of a warrior flowed in my veins. I wouldn't just roll over and give up. Then Ozpin showed up; picking me to be one of eight kids to train at Hyrule Castle. Not only that, I was to lead a team."
Pyrrha's eyes widened at that. Her heart clenched in her chest. Despite how...cute...it would be to imagine Jaune in a dress with his hair dolled up, to hear that his own family hadn't believed in his dreams was heartbreaking. Ruby clenched onto her sister. "That would be like Dad telling me to quit being a Huntress cause I can't box." Ruby quietly said as Yang stroked her hair.
"There, I met Ruby Rose. My first friend. She is a cute, quirky girl...who could easily kick my butt without breaking a sweat. The same could be said for her beautiful blonde dragoness of her sister; Yang Xiao-Long. Sure, a lot of people think her puns are bad...me, I just like how she uses them to try and cheer up others around her. Too bad for her Ruby promised me to try and not laugh at them; some of them are actually good! After all, an Arc never goes back on their word."
"You did what?" Yang said, ruffling her sister's hair, "That is a low blow sis." She said with a grin.
"Then there was Weiss Schnee. A girl from the Schnee family whose name was now in tatters. Yet...I could see she was relieved about...something...yet she was also lonely. Being who I am, I tried cheering her up...though...I think I got bad advice from my dad. She seems more annoyed than cheered." Yang let out a chuckle, yet at the same time she felt-dare she say-territorial. It was...unique enough to share her husband with Pyrrha, her sister, and the Zora Princess. She wasn't gonna let just ANYONE come near their man; let alone one who had been as...harsh...to him as Weiss was.
"Blake Belladonna. A silent cat Faunus. Though I do not have anything against the Faunus, I fear that any attempts to try and cheer her up will be...less than successful due to how things went with Weiss. I don't want any misunderstandings to ruin things, so I'll just let her dictate our friendship. No offense to her, she seems to like her privacy anyway." Blake paused in her reading for a moment, remembering Pollux Wukong-descendant of her friend Sun. More than once, Pollux and Sun had a case of 'open mouth, insert foot'. So it was nice to have a friend that understood her need for privacy.
"There is also Pyrrha Nikos. I didn't even recognize her looks or name until Weiss pointed it out. Still, she seems rather...how do I say it...awkward about her fame. She is rather nice though; helping me with the training my parents denied me. Though I don't know why she turns as red as her hair around me. My mom and dad told me to avoid those people; but Pyrrha is nice! There is no way she is going to hurt me outside of training...right?" Pyrrha groaned and mentally cursed Jaune's parents.
"I think I know why lover boy is so dense now." Yang said with a concerned look, "That 'advice' from his parents along with the ridicule he faced...I heard of extreme parenting but keeping your boy isolated and in denial that someone could like him romantically...yeah, that is telling about his lack of a love life. I think his parents wanted to determine who he ended up with."
"Then there was my new brother and sister; cause you can't list one without the other. Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie. A stoic ninja and a bubbly war maiden. Both seem attached to the hip, though they deny that they are 'together-together'...which probably means how one of my sisters is with what my mom calls her 'girlfriend'. Either way, both seem to get stressed when separated from the other, despite how well Ren hides it."
"Now...then there was my new brother...the Hylian knight Link. Another who helps me with training. Unlike Pyrrha, Link understands my fondness of using a sword and shield. That isn't to say that I only learn from him. No way! Link loves homecooked meals, but has absolutely no experience in making them. Now, I can use one of the skills I learned from my family to use! I learn how to fight, he learns how to cook! It's a win-win!"
"Princess Mipha is...different. She is a Zora, a member of their Royal Family. She is rather... soft spoken. Like Pyrrha, she seems to get rather flustered easily, especially after Link and I helped fight of a Lynel attacking her. Still, she is always willing to heal me, regardless of the severity of the wound-from a small scratch to a severe gash. Yet...these people all had something in common: They were all the first to truly believe in me. That, I could never repay. Yet...they have no clue how much that means to me. I am willing to DIE for them, if it will keep them safe and happy."
Pyrrha, Yang, and Ruby felt an almost uncontrollable urge to rush down and cuddle with Jaune. Yet, broken arms and legs (arm for Ruby and Yang, Leg for Pyrrha) kept them from doing so. Yang and Pyrrha recalled how Jaune behaved when he scouted Hyrule Castle during the Calamity Crisis. How he was willing to push his body past the breaking point, even if they were afraid of him, to keep them safe. Now they knew why.
No one had ever believed in him before. Such a thought was very troubling. Silver eyes met Lilac and Emerald. From now on, they would show how much he meant to them.
"Then came the escape of Calamity Ganon. The day I lost Link. I recall that day very clearly now...but I remember awakening with only my name and the moment Link died in my memory. Soon, I relearned everyone's names...and thank goodness I subconsciously remembered my fighting and cooking lessons. Still, here I was...being called Heir to the Sword that Seals the Darkness. The Next Hylian Champion. Yet...I had no clue what it meant. I was Jaune Arc...but what did it mean to BE Jaune Arc?"
"Even now, after the defeat of Calamity Ganon, with the Master Sword on my person, I wonder what it means...what does it mean to be me? Am I truly supposed to be a bumbling fool whose family sword was destroyed by the Yiga Clan? Or who I am now is truly what I meant to become? Now I know why Link didn't talk much after drawing the Master Sword. I feel like everyone is judging me. I need to leave more than just combat lessons and cooking lessons for the next generations." A trail of ink splotches crossed the page, like the writer had paused and did not know what to say.
"Crocea Mors, The Yellow Death, my family blade, is truly lost. Destroyed in the lava of Death Mountain. Yet...that doesn't mean the legacy of Crocea Mors has ended. I have watched Ruby forge weapons many times now, even things way more complex than a soldier's broadsword. I have watched her create a few mecha-shift shields. I will remake the lost blade of my ancestors. This is the least I can do for my children in the future. Rutella, Taiyang, Perseus, Link, Zelda, Lily, Helena...Daddy will try and make you all proud."
Ruby sat there with stars in her eyes. "Well, I am proud of him." Pyrrha said, "There is so much pressure...and here he is...focusing on the future instead of the present."
Jaune entered the back room of the Weapons Rose Emporium in Hateno Village with a hand full of steel and Topaz. Placing goggles over his eyes, Jaune fired up the forge and watched the blue flames roar to life. He split the metal into two piles, one with the topazes with them before he melted both of the piles and started shaping them. There were pieces of gold metal and silver metal. Taking one of the silver pieces, he placed a long bar into the fire and watched the metal until it started glowing a yellow-orange and placed it on an anvil and started hammering it out.
He had seen this process many times, and remembered that the support brace that went inside the handle itself also had to be tapered. Many blacksmiths made an error that the support brace had to be thick, and the impact actually would create a point where the blade would eventually snap unless it had a way to evenly disperse the impact throughout the blade and handle itself. He gazed at the bar in front of him, somewhat starting to take the form of a broadsword. He dipped it into the cooling liquid, careful to evenly coat the heated blade and not spill, and watched as scorching steam rose inches from his face. As that was cooling, he took out more metal and started to heat pieces together, adding gears and springs as he started forming the basic shape of a large heater shield.
The Master Sword shivered in excitement, and Jaune grinned as he continued his work. He could hear the voice of the spirit Fi helping guide his hands across the seemingly heaps of metal. After the moon sat high in the sky, Jaune was finishing grinding and sharpening the edges of a pristine silver-colored blade with a golden hand-guard shaped like a Royal Broadsword with blue-dyed leather wrapped around the handle. Next to it was a white scabbard with golden decals all over it. Pressing a switch, the sheathe expanded into a Heater Shield with golden borders. The Arc Family Crest sat in the center of the shield in gold, sitting over the Triforce which was also in gold. Turning it back into a sheathe, Jaune slid the new blade into it... only to flip a switch in the handle and two blades extended from the scabbard as it locked into place and formed a makeshift great-sword or claymore.
Jaune swung his new "Family blade" and watched as chains on the other side of the room rustled from the air launched from his swings. Smiling to himself, ht flipped that same switch and the sheathe returned to normal.
"I know I am not as good as Ruby is...I just hope she will be proud of me..." Jaune said, as Mipha, Yang, and Pyrrha's faces flashed through his mind, "That they all are proud of me." Stepping out of the forge, he jumped into a bath to clear up the stench of the heat from his body before putting on his Trousers of Twilight. Afterwards, he stepped outside and looked out at the moon sitting high in the sky, watching the red color of the moon shine upon the land without the dark choking presence of Ganon's power. In his Hylian Hood and Hylian Tunic, he just smiled at how quiet the night was with Restless Crickets chirping from out of view.
Then, he saw a dark figure standing by one of the trees. Most of her body was obscured from sight by the shadows. She had flaming yellow eyes with what looked like orange fire spewing from the corners of her eyes. Time seemed to stand still as their gazes met. She held her palm at him; a fireball flaring to life in her palm, before she threw it at her feet. An explosion of fire hid her body from view as Jaune drew the Master Sword. He held the blade pointed in front of him as the winds drew the fire away from the plant life and extinguished it. When the fire cleared, the mysterious woman was gone. Jaune scanned his surroundings; Daruk's Protection flaring to life around him as he stood rooted to his spot. If it was an ambush, he would lose the advantage by trying to move.
She had seemingly made a mistake, being spotted by him. By staying in his spot with Daruk's Protection, he could deflect any attack and tell where she would attack from. All he had to do was remain patient.
Yet the attack never came.
Even as the sun rose over Hyrule, Jaune stood there before tentatively dropping Daruk's Protection and spinning around, pointing the Master Sword in front of his eyes. After an hour, he sighed and sheathed his sword, tapping the new Crocea Mors on his belt. Still, Jaune had questions.
Just, who was that woman, and why was she trying to spy on him?
I think I am coming down with a cold, so I will be taking a break. I don't want to try recording this while in a fog and screw up important details.