Remnants of Tears
Ch 6: Hateno Village
Multiple days later, Jaune had now collected 12 Lights of Blessing. As he approached a Skyview Tower overlooking Lake Hylia, he grabbed onto Farosh as the dragon dove into the Depths and grabbed a scale from her before teleporting back. One Skyview Tower near Dueling Peaks had been out of order, but the worker couldn't get the doors open. It had taken Ascend to get inside...where two sticks were blocking the door mechanism, before he could get the map. Not only that, but Jaune encountered a Blue Lizalfos-whose horn looked like a Katana Blade-and a Black Bokoblin.
Not only that, but Bokoblins were making stone into armors to block bladed weapons.
"No fair. Bokoblins are supposed to be stupid!" Ruby complained. He understood her frustration-she specialized in bladed weapons.
"So, use bomb flowers." Jaune said, elbowing her teasingly.
They made their way back to the Popla Foothills Skyview Tower...and inside noticed the control panel was on the fritz.
"Strange." Ruby noted, "Purah is immediately notified and someone from Hudson Construction is on the site in no time flat."
"Maybe he fell into the Well?" Jaune said, pointing at the stone well. As they approached said well, they heard a faint echo of a "Help!".
"Huh. He actually did." Jaune said, before hopping into the well. He landed into a deep pool of water and used a bomb flower to destroy a pile of rocks blocking an opening. In there, he saw stone bars blocking a man in with an open treasure chest.
"Y-You! What are you doing in a place like this?!" Elmerson said, "No, no. It doesn't matter. Could you just help me? I set off a trap in the ruins, and now I'm stuck. Oh, what a mess... Can you see a switch on the other side? If you press that, you should be able to get me out of this. There's a cave entrance over on that side. I got in that way."
Ruby used her Semblance to circle her way up the well basin, but was surprised when Jaune ascended through the ground and popped out of the ground in front of her. "Right. I forgot you can do that now."
They both entered the cave as a flock of keese flew out in a panic-not even bothering to attack them. Using Ultrahand, he pulled a rock out of the ground and set it on the switch.
"Thank you! I knew you'd rescue me!" The worker said, "I don't have much, but...Please, take this. With that, he gave him a purple rupee. "That is what lured me into the trap. I don't even want to look at it anymore. Do whatever you want with it...Wait! I don't have time to chat! I have urgent business at the tower, so I have to go. Thanks again!"
Jaune put on the Gliding armor as the man ran off, and nodded to Ruby before grabbing her and pulling them up through the ground with Ascend. Once they got to the tower, the worker had already fixed it, and Jaune launched himself to scan the map of the area. For some reason, there was a large area in the sky islands covered in a constant thunderstorm cloud. He landed on a sky island, being hit with a rocket attached to an arrow and falling into a pond on the island before destroying the construct... and then catching the three fairies on the island before landing back next to a shrine Jaune had completed in their search earlier by the dueling peaks river across from where a Sheikah Tower used to be.
"This shrine. That was an interesting puzzle." Ruby said, "Keys made from water. Would have never guessed it was ice."
Plus as Jaune worked on making a brace for a Hudson sign in the rain, Ruby recalled how surprised she was when a new plant started growing. Hylian Tomatoes. They were smaller than regular tomatoes, but not as small as the tiny ones. Looking at Jaune as he finished bracing the sign, it was hard to believe he was already 22 years old...phyisically. Technically 122 due to their 100 year healing sleep. Addison may refuse to let anyone else hold the Hudson signs, but he was generous about rewarding those who helped support the sign for him to finish putting them up. At a nearby cooking pot, after clearing away the blue Bokoblins, Jaune cooked up a tomato and mushroom stew, Energizing Fried Wild Greens, Hasty Salt Grilled Mushrooms (which he ate to restore some of his dangerously low Aura), Hearty salt-grilled gourmet meat, sticky elixir, Energizing Elixir, and Energizing Mushroom Skewer.
Ruby watched him cook while he gently was humming Epona's Song, and gently going through a recipe book Ruby brought him while looking at his ingredients.
"I wonder what effect those Brightcaps have..." Jaune said out loud, before putting four in with a raw bird drumstick and cooking it-making a Bright Meat and Mushroom Skewer.
"Bright?" Ruby said, "Wait...is it...glowing?"
"It looks like it. I think it would make your Aura glow so it light ups a dark area slightly." Jaune said, writing that down. She noticed that he had two "Magic Rods" and had fused a sapphire to one, and a topaz to another. "Oh. Those. They say they are filled with magic, and gemstones were said to be containing elemental power...so..."
"Can I see you use one?" Ruby asked, and he grinned and grabbed the sapphire rod. When he swung the one-handed weapon, a powerful blizzard-like cloud of ice and frost launched forward like an Ice Lizalfos Frost Breath.
"That. Is. So. COOL!" Ruby said with starry eyes as he changed back to a Soldier Reaper. Talking to Beedle, he sold gemstones and bought arrows and rice, leaving him with 1,212 rupees. Arriving at Riverside Stable, Jaune checked in and earned a reward: the towing harness for having three points...and two more points would earn him the "Horse-God fabric" for his paraglider.
That...was news to him. He could change the design on his paraglider! Also, he could change it at the dye shop in Hateno!
There, exhaustion caught up to him and he payed 20 rupees to sleep until morning. He WANTED to keep going... but he'd be no use if exhaustion made him sloppy. This also got him a pony point.
Lightning struck around him as he ran to the nearby shrine-thankful his currently equipped weapons were not metal. When he emerged an hour later, the skies had cleared up.
On the way to another stable, they were sidetracked by a cave, getting some gems and a bubblgem. Once he got to the stable, he talked to Beedle and sold his sapphire, topaz, opal, and two amber. This brought him to 1,495 rupees. He then checked into the Wetland Stable, earning the Horse-God Fabric. Two more points would earn him access to a special bed called the Malanya Bed.
Talking to a child named Ami, he learned that the child had made a second well entrance...but Monsters moved in and took over the area in it...and the poor kid was worried they'd eventually attack the stable. Once there, they were confronted by a blue moblin and three lizalfos...which they made short work of before Jaune jumped into the well and caught a tireless frog, a gem deposit with an amber and sapphire, and he ran into a woman named Fera. who said she was a well enthusiast...who dreamed of seeing all 58 wells in Main Hyrule...and would give him 10 rupees per location he gave her...which wasn't bad as he had found 7 so far. If he found more, she told him she'd be in the well at Lookout Landing.
Climbing up the ladder, he was greeted by Ami-who had saw them take out the monster and gave them 2 pony points each. Three more points would give him another registry slot for a horse, before he went into the nearby shrine. Once he got to the stable during another thunderstorm, he bought arrows from Beedle, as well as Smotherwing Butterflies (Beedle said their science name was Papilio vulvensis) and two tireless frogs before selling his sapphire and amber to bring his funds back to 1,345 rupees.
With his knowledge of bugs, it seems Beedle liked insects...his favorite may be beetles with how he muttered about them.
Going into the wetlands, his armor-shard shield and soldier reaper broke against Lizalfos, so he equiped a soldier's broadsword fused with a blue bokoblin horn, and fused a lizalfos horn to a boomerang one had before equipping a Shield of the Mind's Eye.
"I also can't believe a outcropping was still floating high enough that you needed to use the Skyview Tower to reach the shrine." Ruby said, as water splashed with each step of their travel.
"Must be some ambient technology...or magic...or both." Jaune said, "How else could the islands stay in the sky?"
"That would explain the strange designs where the fallen pieces of islands meet the ground." Ruby acknowledged, as they found yet another Korok... this was their 11th seed.
"Wait. Weren't we going to go to Hateno Village?" Jaune asked.
"I was following you!" Ruby said, and they both laughed before teleporting to the shrine on the Dueling Peaks, overlooking the Dueling Peaks Stable. Checking into it got a pony point, and this was now familiar territory-even if it wasn't mapped yet...and a man near the cooking pot said something...interesting.
"Rumor has it that deep in a forest somewhere, there's a legendary pumpkin called the Master Gourd. I heard the flavor was powerful enough to defeat any monster, no matter how strong its stomach!"
Jaune just shook his head, wondering how rumors of the Master Sword turned it into a pumpkin called the Master Gourd.
"This field...it looks so different with all of the ruined Guardians gone." Jaune said, "More...peaceful."
"Yet now there are more monsters." Ruby said, pointing out a wandering Hinox a distance away as they traveled through the field. Of course, Jaune had to destroy the Hinox-lest anyone less skilled run into it and become it's meal. There was already a traveler's sword, traveler's spear, and soldier's bow. With his Blue bokoblin blade broken, he grabbed the traveler's sword as Ruby grabbed the spear, and he replaced his traveler's bow with the soldier's bow-as Ruby grabbed the dropped bow. Jaune used Fuse to put a Lizalfos horn on the sword and spear after felling the Hinox without taking a single hit.
Once he Hinox was dealt with, he stopped and knelt next to the memorial for Link and Zelda in that field and just prayed for them. Jaune needed a couple of fairies used to replenish depleted Aura as they were caught off guard by a huge monster encampment outside the entrance to Fort Hateno full of black bokoblins, a few blue bokoblins, and a blue moblin as Jaune would put his own body between a swarm of Monsters and Ruby as she picked them off from a distance with her spear, and his new blade broke-as well as his shield-so he grabbed a Traveler's Spear and a Soldier's shield...and then fused a blue moblin horn to the spear.
Equipping his boomerang, he swallowed a hearty steamed meat and nodded to Ruby once the monsters were dealt with. Jaune started burning the sharp wooden stakes with fire fruits before Ruby grabbed his face.
"Never. Make yourself a target in place of me while you're weakened! How do you think we'd feel if our man died!" She scolded him.
"...Sorry. Habit." Jaune said, making her sigh. Jaune had developed a habit during their attempted monster extermination after the fall of Calamity Ganon to take blows for those with less Aura because he had highly defensive armor AND the most amount of Aura. Now he had neither.
Coming across a Korok separated from his friend, Jaune groaned seeing as the friend was not only on the other side of the river by Dr. Calip's shack (which was now open to any traveler's as he was investigating "Zonai Ring Ruins" that fell in Kakariko Village), but past another monster camp.
Seeing an aerocuda, Jaune got curious and attacked a keese eyeball to an arrow before firing the arrow at it. The eyeball gazed at the aerocuda and, to his shock, turned the arrow to ensure his target was hit. The rest were easy once he used the same fusion against the archer-easily dispatching the lizalfos and blue bokoblins and earning an eightfold longblade to replace the lizal boomerang. Bringing the Korok to his friend for two korok seeds, he noticed Ruby making notes about the monster eye fused to the arrow trick.
He stopped where a sheikah shrine used to be, but saw no shrine.
"They...were empty, so we reused the materials for my house Guardians." Ruby said sheepishly.
"I wonder where the interiors went." Jaune muttered to himself as a blupee led him into a cave. Near the entrance was a stone slab with writing engraved in it. Treasure sleeps beyond the path shown by the stone statues. "Well that is interesting!" He said, moving to go deeper into the cave. They moved through it quickly, grabbing gems and luminous stones-and bomb flowers and brightboom seeds while following the path the stone statues lead to. He found a bubblfrog, and then went back to look at a gate blocking a tent...before dropping down a hole made in the floor after a fight with a boss bokoblin leading blue bokoblins, and emerged with the Barbarian Helm. The duo then retraced their steps back out of the cave.
As they continued the path to Hateno Village, Ruby made one of her thoughts known. "Man, I hate the Upheaval and Gloom for making weapons break again...just 4 years after I made weapons that don't break, this Gloom comes along and undoes my work!"
By the time they reached Hateno Village, Jaune had already helped Addison...again... two different times. He also heard a rumor about one of Misko's treasure in a cave that runs through Walnot Mountain... and it was already 8:25 am... and a young kid was doing the role of gatekeeper since his dad was at Lookout landing.
There were mushroom statues with mushroom designs around the village...and he recalled something Ruby told him.
"Ruby. Would the signature look of this fashonista Cece be about mushrooms?" He asked.
"Yeah? Why do you ask?" Ruby said, oblivious to Jaune's confusion about the mushroom statues. There were many villagers wearing mushroom-shaped hats with the mushroom pattern on them, probably people who were fans of Cece. Three people in mushroom dresses and hats had gathered around the clothing shop, but left to explore the town when they heard only one could go in, which Jaune took advantage of.
There was a portly woman with short pink hair and a purple mushroom dress and fancy white had looking over headgear that resembled her hair and hat.
"Ahhh. Another practically perfect masterpiece. It's an exemplar of the form from every angle. This is the sort of thing on which I've built my name and reputation as the world renowned Cece. Hmm?" She turns around and looks at Jaune "Oh, pardon me. Are you an admirer here to meet the incomparable Cece?" She muttered about his "unfashionable looks", before turning around.
"Welcome to Ventest Clothing, the only boutique in the world which carries the Cece brand. And if you weren't aware...You stand before the very woman who changed this fusty old village into the birthplace of nouveau fashion! As proof, I present you this!"Cece said, before gesturing to the hat in the display. "The Cece hat, the newest and most magnificent work by yours truly, Cece!" She gushed over the subtle details, before saying she wasn't selling it-but looking for someone worthy of wearing it.
Then, Mayor Reede pushed his way into the shop, starting an argument about Hateno's history as a produce village vs current fashion village...before Cece decided to have the people decide with a mayoral election. With that, Reede stormed out to prepare. As Jaune went to go to the dye shop, he was stopped by Cece's sister-Sophie-who wanted him to follow her at night as she kept sneaking out.
Arriving at the dye shop, he got a Cece fabric for his paraglider before dying the rubber armor and Hylian Hood yellow and changing the paraglider design to the Horse-God design. Once that was done, the shop owner asked a favor. He wanted Jaune to take pictures of animals and monsters to design new fabrics...luckily he already had his first request: a picture of an ordinary chuchu...and Jaune noticed one design was of a Gleeock-a new monster. It resembled a large, three headed dragon that would launch elemental attacks. A flame Gleeock launched fire, Thunder launched lightning, and Frost launched ice...and then there was rumor of a "King Gleeock" that had a head for EACH element.
As dangerous as that was...Jaune thought of Yang... Her full name; Yang Xiao-Long in one of the District of Hyrule's languages meant "Sunny Little Dragon"...He needed that fabric! Ruby just took a look at his expression and sighed.
Either way, Cece wouldn't make her move until night, so they headed to their house to get some sleep until nightfall.
The house...had different decoration. The weapon stands were gone, replaced by cupboards and photos. One photo upstairs remained the exact same: The photographs of the Champions and RWBY and JNPR.
There, on the table, was something that caught Jaune's eye.
Yang's journal-2nd edition.
Almost every time, Jaune would ignore it...except she was missing, and this may have clues to her whereabouts.
After the Calamity, we needed a way to rebuild Hyrule. As we had traveled to defeat Calamity Ganon, I saw how much damage Hyrule had sustained. King Oz was rally upset about that, but took hope in the people of Hyrule; Their spirit's were not broken. He called the subjects and their strong wills "Hyrule's Greatest Treasure". One thing we wanted built was a school, and Pyrrha instantly suggested one being built in Hateno Village. In hindsight, it's kind of obvious with how many children are there. King Oz put Symin from the research lab in charge of teaching there. With so many monsters returning, we all deemed it necessary to have monster combat lessons. I followed my father's footsteps and decided to teach them-like he taught me. I may be more specialized in hand-to-hand combat and blunt, heavy, slow weapons, but I have enough experience to cover the basics of other weapons thanks to lover boy and Ruby.
Bolson, before retiring, was commissioned by King Oz to build the school. Of course, Jaune-being the lovable goofball that he was-immediately volunteered to help, even without pay. Mmmm- the sight of him working shirtless was...let's just say I had VERY pleasant dreams.
Jaune heavily blushed at that, before something caught his attention.
I payed Bolson to make a hidden workroom for me, where I can try to replicate the Master Cycles. If I can fully recreate them, we can give the citizens a new way to travel-in style!
Before he could sleep, Reede's wife entered the house and started cleaning it...before asking Jaune to investigate why her husband shut himself into the shed every night, by finding a way to enter the shed at midday. Agreeing to help her, he laid his head onto the bed, pulling Ruby into a tight hug against him, and quickly fell asleep until night.
At 9 pm, Jaune left the house as Ruby started to tinker with some weapons parts she had, and climbed onto a windmill to get a good hidden vantage-point. At 10:05, Cece left her store. From his vantage point on a wooden outcropping leading to the second story, he could see her-but she couldn't see him. She was tense, moving her head from side to side to see if anyone was watching. She went around the side of the windmill and saw her enter..before going through a box of swift carrots.
"Perfect. I do believe nobody saw me." She said as she went through the carrots. "I'm free to enjoy another of my late-night meals in secret! Ahhh, how I enjoy my nightly vegetables!" She held up a large swift carrot.
"The shine, the luster, the fragrance...Yes indeed. Now this is luxury dining! And so, without further ado, let us tuck in." She was eagerly eating the swift carrot. "*Sigh* SO scrumptious. The crisp, smooth taste is a sign they were grown on a diet of pure water. Thanks to the farmer's deft touch and the quality of the soil, I can even eat the skin without misgivings. Honestly, vegetables from anywhere but Hateno Village simply don't count. They're nowhere near as filling. Though I've built a reputation on flash and glamour, here in private, I must admit that the simple, unadorned things are best. There's simply no denying it, alas. But now that I'm full for tonight, it's best that I return home."
So she liked the simple things-especially Hateno vegetables...That wasn't something Jaune expected when she was sneaking out. It was already 5 am when she left, and he reported what he found to Sophie. Sophie then complained that both Cece and Reede wanted the same thing-for Hateno Village to prosper...and wondered why they couldn't work together.
He went in and told her that he was a Cece voter...(despite being undecided) and Cece requested his help to deliver a Hylian Shroom to the 8 undecided voters in the village outside of Reede's family...and children.
Once outside, he got tackled by an armored figure.
"FEARLESS LEADER!"
Jaune groaned. "Please get off of me, Nora."
She stood up, revealing her pink-dyed Hylian greives and armor with a pink Hylian Hood...and the handle of a sledgehammer with a horriblin horn bolted on in place of the decayed head of said hammer. One thing was very different...besides her older look and slightly longer hair.
A gold metal ring over the armor on her left ring finger.
"It's been too long...Nora Ren." Jaune said, enjoying how red she turned at her new name and dreamy sigh now that she married the man she had sought after for so long. "Where's Lie?"
"Right here." Right he was really good at stealth, wearing a pink Hylian hood and Green Sheikah Stealth trousers and armor. He had an eightfold blade, but he could see the blade replaced by a bolted-on blue lizalfos horn.
"Sorry you got roped into this mess." Lie Ren said, "I've tried to mediate for a long time but..."
"They're stubborn?" Jaune supplied.
"Like Nora being told no pancakes.' Lie said with a grin, having a matching ring over his armor.
"Ruby wanted you two to travel with us again...I...got hurt pretty bad and need the shrines to recover my Aura." Jaune said...before putting on the Archaic tunic top on and showing off his right arm, making Lie flinch, before putting his rubber armor on.
"Once this mayor business is done, we're free to go!" Nora said, "I'm ready to break some monster legs!"
Jaune started the strenous task of finding the 8 people to give the mushrooms to as Nora entered the house.
"CRATER FACE!" She yelled, startling Ruby and making her scatter parts.
"NORA!" Ruby yelled angrily as she stomped her foot and pouted.
Jaune meanwhile wanted to pull his hair out. People kept moving around-making it hard to find the undecided, let alone remember who. Reede wanted to bring back a food his grandfather created that wasn't popular back then...and his secret was that he was working on developing a Cece-inspired pumpkin species. He gave three acorns to a farmer who used them in his special feed for his cows...and saw a farmer girl worried cause the bottle with her grandfather's recipe was in the lake... the same recipe Reede was trying to remember. On top of that, he had the Shrine to have three lights of blessing after two Aura upgrades and a stamina upgrade. By the time he got her recipe out, a blood moon had risen.
Then she made the recipe...Hateno Cheese...and he got a deal where he could trade a bottle of milk for a slice of cheese...and she kept muttering about him needing to come back.
Giving them one to Reede, he got a silver rupee-and finally found the last person to give a mushroom to.
Then, during a rainstorm, he found Yang's secret workshop-in a well near the back of the house. He found a book with half-made cycles...and a book that he started to read in case of a hint to her location.
Though the Calamity is over, its scars remain. We and King Oz face a mountain of problems blocking rebuilding efforts. No matter where us Princesses go, Jaune remains with me, P-Money, and Sis...and Mipha-which to be honest has taken a visible toll on his clothing. That's why us four future Mrs. Arc's put an order in for a new and improved Champion's Tunic, just for him! I can't wait to see the look on his face when we surprise him with it! With King Oz's permission, we hid it under the throne room so he won't find it until after we investigate under the castle. Even he probably wouldn't expect that the torches are the key!
The girls...made a new outfit...for him? Could he really wear it? The mummy and Gloom had torn apart the one he'd been wearing! If something happened to THAT one, he'd never forgive himself! (He would eventually find a different Tunic he would be known for)
Once the rain finished, he checked in with Cece to let her know he finished handing out the mushrooms-earning a big hearty truffle. Just in time too...as it was time for the election.
The citizens gathered as Reede talked about the village's heart being it's pastural culture and their new specialty of Hateno Cheese...and Cece talked about how her fashion would bring in money to the village...and then the two started arguing. Reede pointed out how fashion trends come and go, and Cece said how the trends shape the world...before Sophie-quiet, meek Sophie...yelled.
"THAT'S ENOUGH! Both of you are just arguing for more of what you like-not what's best for Hateno! You can't fool me, Cece. You've loved simple, plain things forever, including the vegetables of Hateno Village! I know for a fact that you hide in the silo at night to snack on vegetables!"
Then Clavia-Reede's wife-spoke up. "And you, Reede! Your secret's out too. I know why you've been secretly studying Cece's designs in the shed. You think there's something there you can use to get the youth to care about vegetable farming."
Both of them admitted to each other their mistakes...and how their pride got in the way...and Cece even admitted the trends and style she made her name on were built on the foundation of traditional culture their forebears worked for...and withdrew her candidacy.
Reede admitted she had a big part in making the village flourish, and she even praised his idea for a new vegetable.
"People of Hateno, we've come to a decision." Reede said, "The best way to keep Hateno Village vibrant is to work together to combine traditional culture with new ideas."
Cece had him come into her boutique-pointing out how she told her how Jaune helped them resolve their differences...and gave him the hat she'd been saving. Not only that, she also taught him a trick to keep the hood of his yellow Hylian Hood lowered. With that done, she put out the clothing for the shop. Though it was currently out of his price range, he noticed among the Hylian outfit, there was a Royal Guard Uniform.
He then heard two gossipers talking about Robbie...and how his son Grante moved to Tarrey Town...and had been so desperate for a job that he changed his name.
Plus, he now had enough Lights to unlock another chunk of Aura. Still, 900 Aura Points (9 hearts) was a far cry from his original 3,000 (30 hearts).
He stood by the gate as Lie and Nora joined up with Ruby climbing onto his shoulders.
"Now on to save to world!" Nora said, as they took their first steps out of Hateno.