HoloRWBY-Alternate

An: A huge shoutout to all the guys that helped get this chapter done and ready! I apologize if it's terrible. I had envisioned more grandiose battles, but this chapter ran FAR longer than I wanted it to. I hope y'all enjoy it, nonetheless.

Chapter 9: Rumble in the Jungle, Part 2

?

Deep within the inky blackness of the Void exists a massive monolith of stone and steel. It floated within the darkness, suspended by magical tethers that anchored it to multiple realities. Massive spotlights fueled by ambient magic dying in the Void were situated across the varying levels of the structure. Magical and Spatial shields circled the dark edifice as floating runes of otherworldly energy spiraled around within the soupy shields. Its name was simplistic, yet it brought an ungodly chill to the spines of all who heard it.

The Cell.

A gigantic prison for anything and everything that could potentially end reality or multiple realities, good or bad.

Deep within the Cell's impressive fortifications, one of the Cell's more infamous inmates was…

"Haaaahhhhh…!"

…bored out of her skull.

Once more, a day passed with little fanfare. Even the twin puppers couldn't lift her spirits. It was soooooooooooo boring here!

But it was only a matter of time. Her plans were almost ready. All she needed was…

"A-ha-ha!" A sudden laughter spooked her, causing her to jolt up from her rested position and look around, only to feel something land in her lap. Confused, she looked down to see a note and a set of car keys.

Picking up the note, there was only two words written on the paper: Drive safely!

She laughed.

Redwood Forest, California, USA; 1:03 A.M.

Jaune raced around trees and jumped over bushes and roots as he tried to locate one of the groups of hunters. Having cursed the darkness, he had lost time running back to grab a flashlight, which he found one thankfully fairly-easily, and was Amping the Aura in his legs to try and catch up.

Soon, he heard people screaming and the familiar ring of gunfire. Veering to his left he jumped down from a cliff to see the dark furred Bigfoot assaulting a group of hunters. He landed with a loud thump and jumped forwards, Crocea Mors already in the air slashing at the beast's right arm.

He roared in pain as the broken blade bit into his triceps, making him turn to the culprit. He growled at the sight of Jaune. "Perfect!" he snarled and diverted his attention to Jaune. Jaune ducked under him and slashed at his ankles, making the Cryptid roar in anger as he turned. However, Jaune was prepared and feinted an overhead strike. When the Bigfoot moved to block, Jaune threw his arms down and charged forward to stab the simian in the stomach.

He roared and tried to grab Jaune as he was stuck, but Jaune was ready again and jumped up to slam both feet into the Sasquatch's stomach, using Aura Amp to increase his dropkick and remove his sword quickly. The Huntsman tried to roll back to his feet, but the Bigfoot recovered faster than he anticipated and grabbed him by the neck, making Jaune choke as the grip tightened.

"You are strong, for a human!" the Bigfoot growled. "Your blood will be perfect to water the alter for the ritual! However, this shield of yours is bothersome! Whatever it is, I see no alternative but to wear it down!" With that, he started punching Jaune in the face, each punch making air bellow out from the impact.

Thankfully, Jaune Amped the Aura in his face, but his Aura was depleting as fast as he was Amping it. He started panicking. 'Dammit! I'm soooo dead!' he thought in between the onslaught of punches. 'Think Jaune, think! You've got to get out of here!' He felt his grip on Crocea Mors slip, and a mad idea crossed his mind. 'But…can I do it? If Crocea Mors wasn't broken, I could…' Another punch slammed into his face, and he felt his Aura flicker. 'Dammit all! No time to think! A half-ass job is better than dying for this monster's ritual!'

Plan in mind, Jaune funneled his remaining Aura into Crocea Mors as the Bigfoot reared back for another punch. Once he had enough Aura channeled into his sword, Jaune Amped it up as much as he could and swung upward. As his sword traveled up, the leader of JNPR noticed a golden aura extend out of Crocea's Mors' broken end, coalescing into a bladelike structure. He also felt a surge of power running through him as this happened, like when his Aura was awakened, but stronger.

Jaune didn't have time to contemplate this because Crocea Mors soon connected with the Bigfoot's arm…

…and promptly removed it without issue.

The Sasquatch roared in pain as it grabbed its stump and stumbled away from Jaune. Meanwhile, Jaune fell to the ground hard, coughing and gasping for breath as he removed the claw from his neck.

"What is this?!" the Bigfoot roared as he Altered his arm to stop the bleeding.

Jaune quickly regained his breath and tightened his grip on Crocea Mors. With a shout, he returned to his feet and slashed at the distracted Cryptid. However, the Bigfoot noticed him and snarled furiously. He lunged forward and jabbed his stump into Jaune's chest, making his Aura flicker as a gasp escaped his lips as the Bigfoot reached out and snagged Jaune's broken blade with his good hand. Jaune was sent flying back into a tree, making a massive indention in the bark as he groaned in pain.

"What have you done?!" the Bigfoot snarled as he clenched his hand, completely destroying what remained of Crocea Mors. Jaune stared at the fragments of his family's sword in shock. He slowly made his way back to his feet as the Bigfoot stalked up to him and grabbed him by the neck again. He started struggling to breathe, but a loud roar caught the attention of the Sasquatch. He roared back in anger.

"Recovered, have you?! Then come!" the Bigfoot roared as he threw Jaune away. The blonde knight screamed as he soared through the forest. His Aura flickered dangerously as he sailed through several trees, making him groan in pain. He broke through another tree and found himself crashing through a cabin. He cried out in pain, his Aura flickered frantically as he slammed through the floors of the two-story house and landing harshly onto a coffee table. The table shattered under the force, and he broke through the floor and impacted the ground below.

He moaned painfully as his Aura finally flickered out, and he fell unconscious.

Back at the village

Altare burst through the tree line, breathless. He scanned the village and saw Mark and his friends directing some hunters into some of the undamaged houses while Vesper healed some of the wounded. The Guild leader caught his breath and walked over to the Scholar.

"Any luck?" Vesper asked as he got close.

"A Bigfoot got the group before me," he said. "Valentine and his men are scattered now."

Vesper cursed as he finished healing up a man's leg. "You're good now."

"Thanks, kid!" the man said gratefully as he slowly stood. Vesper stood and turned to his leader.

"Any sign of Mags, Jaune, or Axel?" he asked, and Altare shook his head.

"I looked for them too," he admitted. "But the dark furred Squatch came at me, so I had to disengage." Vesper cursed again.

"So, what's the plan?"

"The only thing we can do at this point," Altare sighed. "Help the wounded into a secure position, set up a defensive perimeter and pray our boys out in the woods make it till morning."

Vesper grimaced. "I don't like that plan…"

"Me neither." The two stood in silence for a moment.

"By the way, earlier, what did Kobo-senpai want?" Vesper asked, making Altare groan.

7 hours later

"Damn those idiots!" Josiah shouted. His new scythe banged against a tree trunk, making him curse. "I told them to form a defensive measure, but then they run away like little girls!" The scythe gets caught around another tree. He cursed again.

"And this damn scythe is getting annoying!" he screamed. He dislodged it from the tree with a bit of effort and growled, "Who made this thing so huge?!"

He grumbled and cursed the morning dew on the ground as the sun started poking out from the horizon. He turned away from a creek to a small clearing and paused. Standing in the early morning light was a figure in a red cape. The hood on their head obscured most of their features, but Josiah made out enough to see the figure was female. He smirked and brought the scythe up and stabbed it into the ground by the blade at the end of its shaft.

Putting on a charming smile, he proceeded to walk towards the person. "Hello, there, miss," he called out. "Are you one of the missing campers? You're lucky to be alive! There are monsters roaming around these woods!" He pointed to himself and said, "But there's no need to worry, miss! My name is Josiah Valentine, and I'll protect you!"

The figure started walking towards him, making him smirk. "I'm glad you trust me! And you needn't worry about payment! We can discuss that later-" He was cut off when the woman was suddenly in front of him and looking up at him, eyes glowing a reddish, amber gold color.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Jaune jolted awake at the sound of a woman crying in terror. His eyes went wild as he tried assessing where he was and what had happened to him. He found himself lying in a crater. Moreover, he saw he had crashed through a house's floor and was in its crawlspace. The hole above him showed the knight that he had gone through the building from the ceiling and made his way down…the hard way.

The events of the night finally decided to replay before his eyes as he groaned in pain. Stiffly making his way to his feet, he noted that his Aura was recharged. "That's some good news," he mumbled as he rotated his head, groaning as he worked out the soreness. He jumped out of the hole onto the wood floor of the house and made his way out of the house. He noticed a machete next to the door as he exited. He then remembered that his sword was destroyed by the Bigfoot, which greatly upset him. However, he quickly shook his head. No. He could mourn his family's sword's destruction later. Mission first.

He grabbed the machete and made his way outside. The morning sun shone brightly through the trees and made Jaune shield his eyes as he surveyed his surroundings. He was in another small settlement, though the houses almost all were two story cabins. Jaune looked around at the mostly barricaded homes, then down at his pilfered machete and sighed. "Even with Amp, I doubt this will help much against that thing," he grumbled.

He looked back up and noticed something that he didn't catch at first. One of the houses had lights flashing through the front windows. His eyes widened as he jogged briskly towards the building. He could make out some kind of music being blared inside the residence, making him sigh in relief that they were ok. He knocked on the door, but he received no answer. He knocked again. "Hello?" he called out, loud enough to hopefully catch the residence's occupants, but no such luck.

He huffed and tried the door. It was unlocked, so Jaune carefully opened the door to see multicolored strobe lights spinning around the darkened room as a man in a long sleeve pink dress shirt and yellow slacks tapping his foot on the ground. He had a pink jacket hanging over his shoulder as he hummed to the beat.

After a moment, he pointed to the ceiling and shouted, "You got to feel it!" Jaune flinched back in surprise at the familiar sounding voice.

"Mark?!" he shouted.

"Huh?" 'Mark' turned around, and Jaune noticed that, while he looked like Mark, he wasn't. The man looked a bit older and had a mustache that seemed like it was dyed pink at its tips. When the man saw him, his expression turned stern. "No. No! That's bad!" he shouted, pointing accusingly at Jaune, making him back up a step. "You're not supposed to be here!"

"L-Look, I-" Jaune tried to say, but he was interrupted.

"I know why you're here!" the man commented, retracting his finger. "You're looking for a Plot McGuffin, but it's not here!" He started aggressively pointing at the blonde teen again. "No! Naw! That's bad! Go back to the main story!" the man told him and waving at him to leave. "You'll find nothing here!"

"But sir, there's-"

"OUR meeting isn't until Book 2!" the man interrupted and aggressively held up two fingers. "Which is not now, this is only the prologue of Book 1; go back to the main story!" He calmed down and tossed his jacket over his other shoulder. "It's a good story. Lots of intrigue and suspense. Though I…I'd avoid red capes in the future if I were you, my boy." The man chuckled. "It might be the end of you, I'm afraid. Or is it the end of her?" he asked himself, looking contemplative. "Hmm…the author's not sure on that point yet, but…"

"Look, sir, there's a very dangerous-" Jaune tried again to cut through the man's ramblings. He wasn't making any sense. What on earth was he talking about? 'Our meeting?' Book 1? 2? And why avoid red capes? What was even going on right now?!

However, the man quickly cut him off again by exclaiming loudly and pointing a finger at Jaune's mouth. "No, no, no, no, no, no! Don't give me those puppy dog eyes! You're no Chica! Or are you?" he asked, with a wink. Jaune felt weirded out. "You might be a Zwei. Good dog, that one! Can't wait to-"

He cut himself off when Jaune tried to step forward again. "Noooooo! Listen, I like you, boy! You're an inspiration, and all that, but this isn't what you need to be doing! Now turn your little butt around and go back!" Jaune, finally deciding that this was a lost cause, turned around and started walking out of the house.

He heard the man sigh. "Always so stubborn. I hate that I must be so strict with the boy, but he won't listen, otherwise..." the knight heard the man mumble as he shut the door.

"…Just what the hell was that?" Jaune muttered under his breath.

Somewhere in the forest

Altare and Vesper were swiftly making their way through the woods, hoping to find…well, anyone. They ran around tree and jumped over bushes as they surveyed the area when suddenly, Vesper's head turned to the right. "People!" he called out, quickly changing direction.

Altare was quick to reverse course and follow his friend, and the two quickly found themselves face to face with Valentine's men. Instantly, the men turned, training their firearms at the duo. "Don't shoot!" Altare shouted, his arms raising in the air followed quickly by Vesper's.

"Stand down!" the leadman ordered, and the guns lowered. The man was stocky with dark hair and brown eyes. "Regis," he greeted with a nod. Altare returned it.

"Tommy," he greeted back. "Glad to see you're safe."

"Yeah, well, not all of us can say that," Tommy replied. "Lost ten guys last night to the dark haired Bigfoot, and Josiah is MIA." Altare grimaced.

"Yeah, a few of our own are missing, too," he admitted. "We're meeting back at the village to try and have safety in numbers." Tommy nodded.

"I have no problem with that, but you know Josiah," Tommy said. "Hopefully, I can convince him, but-"

"SIR!" a man shouted. Everyone turned to a younger recruit shaking violently. "Y-YOU NEED TO SEE THIS!" Tommy looked to Altare, and the two nodded. The whole group ran after the recruit as he directed them to whatever he had found.

They reached a clearing, and everyone gasped. The whole area was covered in blood. "W-What the hell…?" Tommy stuttered, gazing at the area in horror. Altare frowned and stepped forward with Vesper. They examined the area and found the scythe Jaune said belonged to his friend standing tall amidst the blood field, not even a speck of blood on it.

"What the hell happened here…?" the Tempus leader wondered when a sudden rustling caused everyone to turn to a patch of undergrowth as Jaune ran out of it.

"Guys!" he gasped and ran up to the Tempus members. The three exchanged a quick bro fist. "Glad to see you're ok!"

"Same to you Jaune!" Vesper smiled. "We thought you might have been seriously hurt!" Jaune chuckled sheepishly.

"Almost! But Aura took the brunt of it!" He finally noticed the area he was standing on, and his eyes widened. "W-What the hell…?"

"That's what we're trying to find out," Altare assured him as Jaune took notice of Crescent Rose. His eyes narrowed as he walked up to it and grabbed it, quickly depressing a trigger and causing the massive scythe to revert to its compact form.

"Hey! That's the guy who decked Valentine!" a man shouted. He tried to run up, but Tommy stopped him.

"Stop that," he told him. "Now's not the time!"

"But it is!" a growling voice snarled, as suddenly the dark furred Bigfoot suddenly materialized from behind a tree. Everyone screamed and readied their guns, but the Sasquatch grabbed one man by the head and threw him at Vesper and Altare. Altare ducked while Vesper grabbed the man, but the Bigfoot was ready and kicked the Guild leader into Vesper, knocking the two into a tree. Turning the simian Altered his claw, elongating them, and slashing at the group behind him, injuring several of the men. Jaune poured Aura into the machete and raced forward, but the Bigfoot's other hand, the one Jaune was sure he cut off, reached out and grabbed his arm.

"It took a great deal of effort to reattach my arm, human!" he growled. "But I suppose it is just as well! Because now I know your trick! To think I would find amongst humans one who can draw upon the Great Changing's powers like my kin, but for your soul instead of your body! What a worthy challenge!" Jaune struggled to free himself, but it was no use as the Bigfoot used the knight as a bludgeon to attack Vesper, Tommy, and Altare. This also caused Jaune to lose his grip on Crescent Rose.

The three Earthlings were knocked back to the ground, and the Sasquatch returned his attention to Jaune. "You are untrained, but soon your power will grow like the forest! I had believed you perfect fodder for the ritual, but if I spare you, and you expand your abilities, then a fight between us will warrant me even more power in the future!" He leered at the Huntsman. "So…" He stabbed Jaune in the stomach, easily breaking through his Aura and piercing his stomach. Jaune screamed in pain. "You need to be indisposed until my ritual is complete!" Again, the Bigfoot threw Jaune through the forest, crashing through the redwoods and destroying several trees in the process.

Jaune placed his hands over his wound and gritted his teeth in pain as he continued soaring through the woods until he felt himself landing in water with a loud splash.

Back in the area

"JAUNE!" Altare and Vesper shouted as the Bigfoot growled and turned his attention back to the largest of group.

"You'll suffice for tonight!" he snarled and grabbed several of the uninjured ones. "No time to waste anymore!" He ran off into the woods.

"Oh, no you don't!" Vesper shouted and fired off a wave of electricity at the Bigfoot's back. His attack hit true, causing the Cryptid and making him roar in pain. However, the Bigfoot didn't stop his escape and disappeared into the woods.

Altare hissed and checked on the injured. "Ves! These guys need medical attention!"

Vesper cursed. "What about Jaune?!"

"I'll go find him! You get these guys fixed up!"

"Right!" Vesper looked disgruntled as Altare ran off, quickly grabbing Crescent Rose as he raced after his friend.

They were unaware they were being watched by a curious bystander.

?

He saw himself older, with rusty armor. He watched as he led a girl and her brother around a bizarre world, with a plaid coated cat tagging along. He watched the tragedy of the girl poisoning him, and the cat growing…sinister. Or at least, that's what it looked like to him, watching from afar.

He watched as he found Team RWBY in the world, though they looked like they hadn't aged a bit. He watched him get frustrated with them and the cat more. Then he watched as they defended a village of-paper people?-from some kind of Grimm. However, Ruby was terrified of…something and almost got hurt.

[Ruby!]

He tried to save her, but he couldn't reach her. The scene got worse as the village was flooded and Ruby snapped, wondering why she didn't matter. His heart constricted. He didn't realize her insecurities ran so deep…

"I'm sorry, is this a bad time?!" she raved. "Should we be sad for Jaune's make believe friends?!"

[No. Ruby, don't!]

"They're gone…because of YOU!" the older Jaune growled. "Neo came here, because she HATES YOU!"

[No, she's not! And you can't blame her for Neo!]

"And let's not forget why we're in this situation!" he shouted as he marched up to Ruby. "It's because of YOUR plan, that DIDN'T work! What about you?! IT'S ALL ABOUT YOU!"

[You agreed to the plan, idiot! You can't complain about it!]

This path may still come to be.

[Who said that?!]

It can, however, be altered.

[How? How do I do that?]

Would you? Would you walk the path of strife to change your fate?

He hesitated.

'Tis not a path so easy to choose.

[What would happen to Ruby in that path?]

Her choice. None but her can choose how her story ends on that path.

He didn't like that answer. However, he thought back to all the times she helped him, then to her broken expression after that fake him yelled at her. His resolve hardened.

[I won't let myself be the one to break Ruby.]

Then, you would walk the path of strife?

[I would!]

Then it is good. He chose well.

[Who chose well?]

Take your sword. And conquer, my Good King.

He felt something tease his palm, and instinctually, he grasped it. Suddenly, he was made aware of his surroundings. Murky water swirled around him as he floated in place. A light shone above him, stinging his eyes a bit. He reached for the light.

At the pond shore

"…what if it's someone in trouble?!" Mark asked/shouted. "They could drown!"

"Mark does raise a good point; plus, look at the blood!" Bob commented.

The group of four were herding wounded hunters into secure houses when something slammed into the pond next to the village. They rushed over to investigate with some of the few able hunters, but they ended up arguing over what to do.

"Look, I'll go!" Wade volunteered. "I'm the best swimmer here, so-" They were suddenly interrupted as Jaune broke the surface with a loud gasp. He floundered a bit as he found he was still in deep water.

"JAUNE!" the guys shouted as Jack and Wade ran over to the dock and jumped in to save him. Jaune struggled to stay afloat because of his wound, but thankfully, Wade and Jack were quick to reach him and quickly grabbed his arms. They kept him above water as they slowly made the trip back to the dock.

"Come on, come on, come on! Right there! Hold up! Give him here!" Mark instructed his friends as they reached the docks. They hoisted up Jaune, allowing Mark and Bob to pull the knight onto the dock. Jaune gasped as he coughed up some blood.

"My gosh, Jaune! What happened?! Where are you bleeding?!" Mark asked frantically.

"More importantly, where did you get the sword?" Bob asked.

"H-Huh?" Jaune mumbled as he finally regained some of his senses. He looked down at his right hand and saw he did have a sword. It was an impressive longsword with a fuller down its center and a crescent shaped cross-guard with strange runes etched on it. The pommel was large and circular with a bluish-purple gem in its center, and a dragon etched on the metal housing the gem.

"What is…?" Jaune tried to ask before pain spiked in his gut. He gasped and called for his Aura to heal him. Surprisingly, it responded faster than he expected it to, and he could feel the pain steadily begin to fade.

As he was healing, the group heard someone running through the village. Mark and his team turned to see Altare running towards them. The guild leader's eyes widened. "Jaune!" the Hero cried as he rushed to the dock. He skidded to a stop and fell in front of Jaune. "Are you ok, buddy?!"

"Y-Yeah…" Jaune grunted. "Wound's healing now." Altare sighed.

"Good. I was scared when that Bigfoot broke through your Aura," Altare commented.

"Shocked me too."

"Guys!" Everyone turned and looked up to see Vesper run up to them. "Jaune!" the not-vampire cried as he saw the teen. "What's the damage?!" he asked.

"Healing," Jaune told him as he struggled to his feet.

"Careful! Careful now!" Mark admonished him as he and his friends aided Jaune to his feet. The wound in his stomach was quickly closing.

"Whoa!" Wade shouted.

"Neat!" Bob agreed. Jaune gasped as he reclaimed a deep breath and looked down at the sword in his hand.

"Where did you get that?" Altare asked.

"Don't know. But…" He turned to Mark and frowned. "Do you…have a family member with a mustache?" he asked suddenly.

Mark blinked in confusion. "Nnnooo…? Why?" he asked. Jaune shook his head.

"Nothing."

"Glad you made it, Ves," Altare said with a smile. "How was everyone?" he asked as he handed Crescent Rose back to Jaune. He took it gratefully with a nod.

"Not good. Most are going to be out of commission for a long time," Vesper explained. Altare cursed.

"And our furry friend is reaching his endgame, and we don't know where he's hiding," the leader of Tempus groaned.

"Not necessarily." Altare turned to Vesper, who continued, "The last spell I used is a longer lasting than others, and the Bigfoot is likely still suffering from the discharge. And if he is, I can track it." Altare nodded.

"Good. That's one problem solved." He turned to Jaune and asked, "You up for another round?" Jaune nodded.

"I am," he said as his grip tightened on the sword.

Altare nodded and turned to Mark. "I hate to ask, but…"

"Don't worry about it! We'll hold the fort down here!" Mark told him, and his friends nodded.

Tempus and Jaune nodded, and the group walked off the dock. Jaune asked Mark to look after Crescent Rose for him while he helped Tempus, and the man agreed readily.

"Ok, boys, here's the plan," Altare told Vesper and Jaune as Mark and his friends ran off to fortify the village more. "We need to find Mags and Axel. Then we-"

Suddenly, they heard something slam into the ground behind them, making them turn and ready their weapons.

"Yo!" The three looked shocked and relieved to see Axel standing before a dead bear. "Looking for us?!" he asked with a smirk as he took a bite out of roasted bear leg.

"What's up guys!" Magni said with a wave. He was being carried piggyback by Axel, and his leg was wrapped up. "By the way, thanks again for the help and killing that bear, man, and for carrying me those twelve miles. Your physical stamina is impressive."

"No problem!" Axel turned to Altare and asked, "What's the plan, boss?!"

Altare smiled. "We've been thrown for a loop by this bastard all night. Now…"

"We take the fight to him."

At the altar

He growled in satisfaction as he finished tightened the last restraints on his sacrifices. The night had finally set in, and he was finally ready. Now nothing would stop him from his destiny.

He laughed. "Rowraka!" he growled. "So nice of you to join us tonight!" The light furred Bigfoot walked up to the altar and growled.

"Growlanka," Rowraka snarled, making the now named Growlanka chuckle.

"You wish to kill me? Then come and try!" Growlanka snarled, bringing his arms out wide. "The dark moon is nigh! And the ritual is ready! All I need now is your blood!"

"We won't let that happen!" The two Sasquatches turned to see Tempus walking up to them. Growlanka growled in glee.

"You have made it!" he snarled. "More blood for my ritual! And you! Golden warrior! Fortune is truly smiling upon me tonight!"

"You won't be thinking that once we're done with you!" Axel growled, activating his face mask.

"Humans," Rowraka growled, his voice less gravelly than Growlanka's. "Don't interfere. This is my fight."

"But he made it ours when he attacked our people," Altare told the Squatch. He readied his gun and continued, "We have a common enemy; best thing for us is working together."

Rowraka snorted and turned his attention back to Growlanka, who laughed loudly as the altar behind him glowed an ominous green. Suddenly, his own eyes glowed the same green color. "NOW!" he shouted. "THE RITUAL HAS BEGUN!"

"Tempus, move!" Altare shouted, and the group separated quickly. Rowraka roared and charged at his fellow Bigfoot, Altering his arms' muscle density. Growlanka laughed and jumped towards Rowraka, his claws growing thicker and sharper as he instantly appeared in front of the golden furred Sasquatch. His claw came down, but Rowraka grabbed it, the force of the sudden stop causing the ground around them to shatter into a massive crater. The Cryptids grappled with each other for a moment until Growlanka proved himself stronger as he started pushing Rworaka backwards.

The golden Sasquatch gritted his teeth in rage as he Altered his legs to increase his muscle mass, but it was useless. His feet dug into the ground futilely as he strained to hold off the overpowered Bigfoot. Thankfully for Rowraka, however, he wasn't alone. Several loud bangs resounded through the area, and Growlanka roared as his back erupted in pain from some of the bullets piercing his skin.

Altare quickly jumped away as Axel rushed forward and lashed out with a brutal kick to Growlanka's leg, making him stumble a bit. Axel then retaliated with several brutal punches to the Bigfoot's face, making him snarl and swipe at the demihuman. However, Axel was quick to jump back, and thankfully so, as Rowraka quickly pulled Growlanka's arm and punched him hard in the face.

The dark furred Sasquatch snarled and tried to attack again, but Jaune jumped in and swung his new sword at the Cryptid's arm. Jaune poured Aura into the blade and Amped it up, causing the blade to glow a bright gold. The sword swung up, causing an arc of gold energy to fly from the sword and cut Growlanka's arm and his nose off. Jaune's eyes widened at this as the dark furred Bigfoot roared in pain and broke off his assault of Rowraka, his hand waving from his arm and face as he tried to decide which to hold first.

"Holy shit!" Axel shouted.

"Jaune! When'd you learn to do that?!" Magni exclaimed.

Jaune was stupefied. "How did I just do that?!"

"Less talking; more fighting!" Vesper shouted as he waved his sword to draw a flaming seal in the air. "Let the chill of Death embrace you! Artic Crypt!" Instantly, the seal glowed and vanished while several large icicles formed around Growlanka, encasing him. His form glowed, and abruptly, the ice flash-melted in an instant thanks to his fur being ablaze.

Rowraka had been shocked by the blonde human's power for a moment, but after the vampire unleashed magic, he knew he needed to finish Growlanka fast. His Altered himself, constricting his mass into a more streamlined form and then he surged forward like the wind. He reached the other Bigfoot quickly and slammed a fist into his head, making the Squatch roar pain as he was thrown into one of the upright stones of the altar. It lurched backwards from the impact, and suddenly, the green light emitted from runes on the ground flickered.

Growlanka noticed this and snarled in fury. "NO!" He jumped off the stone and tried to realign it, and Jaune noticed it. He stopped for a moment and observed the scene with wide eyes as a plan began to form in his mind.

"Guys!" Everyone turned to Jaune. "The stones!" They looked to the altar, quickly understanding what Jaune was talking about.

"You heard the man!" Altare shouted. "Aim for the altar!"

"WHAT?!" Growlanka snarled as Axel ran up and started breaking one of the stones into pieces. "THE ALTAR!"

Magni wove a string in his hands and threw it forward. The string became a winged serpent which wrapped around another of the stone pillars. With a sharp tug, the serpent pulled the stone out of alignment as well. "STOP THAT!" Growlanka screamed, but before he could do anything Rowraka appeared in front of him and started slamming his fists into the dark Bigfoot's sternum, making Growlanka roar in pain as he tried to heal the damage.

Vesper lit his fingers ablaze and drew a seal in the air. "Melt to slag! Magma Tongue!" he shouted as the seal glowed red. A red seal appeared under one of the pillars, which caused it to start melting at a very fast pace.

Growlanka roared in fury as he grabbed Rowraka and threw him away. He tried to turn on Vesper, but Altare fired several armor-piercing rounds into the Bigfoot's back, rediverting his attention elsewhere. Meanwhile, Axel grabbed his slab and with a loud snarl of exertion, he lifted the ruined piece up and swung it at Growlanka.

Unfortunately, the dark furred simian saw it coming and grabbed it, halting it. However, Rowraka took the opportunity to jump in and shatter the stone and grab Growlanka's face. Growlanka snarled, but Rowraka quickly responded with several punches to his fellow Cryptid's stomach. Growlanka's form shook as the power within him started seeping out from his pores.

"ENOUGH OF THIS FARSE!" Growlanka roared loudly. He slammed a fist into Rowraka's neck, choking him enough for the dark Sasquatch to grab him and throw him onto the altar. "YOU ARE PREY DEFYING A SUPERIOR BEING! NOW-"

He was interrupted by Jaune appearing and cutting off his other arm. Growlanka roared in pain as Jaune spun on his feet went to stab him in the heart. The Bigfoot snarled and Altered his vocal cords, letting loose a deafening roar. The force started pushing Jaune back as he brought his shield up and dug his heels into the dirt. He gritted his teeth and poured Aura into his ears to keep himself from going deaf. The roar continued and Jaune gritted his teeth as he poured a great deal of Aura into his sword. The sword glowed blindingly gold, and Jaune roared himself as he swung it in a wide arc.

A flash.

That was all the others saw. One second, Jaune was struggling against a anime-style roar, the next the sound was silenced as a bright flash of gold shone through the forest. Everyone in the vicinity covered their eyes as the flash happened, but when it dimmed, they looked up to see Jaune standing there, sword to the ground panting as Growlanka stood motionless with only the whites of his eyes showing.

Suddenly, the Sasquatch fell backwards, blood streaming from a diagonal cut to his chest and hit the ground in two pieces as several trees fell from the slice as well. Jaune fell to his knees, still panting, as Tempus swarmed him. "Holy crap, Jaune! That was epic!" Axel shouted with a grin.

"I guessed your new sword was magical, but I never expected it to have this much power!" Magni told him, a grin was wide as Axel's on his face. "You got several trees with that last strike!" He looked out to the woods. "I'd say it's about a quarter of a mile out from here!"

"Indeed! And those slices were pure light, so that will help narrow down its origins," Vesper noted.

"You did good, Jaune!" Altare said with a smile. "That sword is no joke!"

"Yeah," Jaune agreed. He picked it up and looked at it. He returned his shield to its sheath form and frowned. "But how am I going to carry it?"

Sheath your sword, my Good King. The sword will handle the rest.

Jaune blinked at the sound of the voice again and turned to locate it. "Jaune?" Altare asked with a raised eyebrow. Jaune shook his head.

"Sorry. Thought I heard something," he said, turning attention back to his new sword. With a shrug, he did as the voice instructed.

"Jaune, what-?" Vesper tried to interrupt, but he was silenced when the sheath magically changed shape as the sword slid into place. It completed with a loud click and held it up at his face to look at it.

"…Magical swords don't do that," Magni pointed out and walked closer to examine it. His eyes widened at cross-guard. "Wait. These runes…these are the runes of the fairies!" The others were shocked, but Jaune looked confused.

"Huh?" the knight asked in confusion.

"Fairy runes. One of the most powerful magical written languages in the world," Vesper explained. "Here. Let me see. I've studied them a bit." He held out the sword for Vesper, but as soon as the Scholar's hand touched it, his glove burnt off. "Ah! Shit!"

"The fuck?! Its got sentience?!" Axel shouted in disbelief. Vesper looked disgruntled but not seriously harmed. He looked down at the cross-guard and conjured a light to examine them better. When he did, however, he gasped.

"That's…that's not possible…!" he stuttered out.

"What?! What is it?!" Altare asked in confusion. Vesper turned sharply to Jaune.

"Are you sure you're not from Earth?" he demanded. Jaune flinched back at the seriousness in his voice.

"W-What? Yes! I didn't even know this place existed before I landed here!" Jaune told him.

"How can that be?!" Vesper questioned aloud. "This shouldn't be-Wait. Remnant appears to have surprising correlations with Earth. Could it be…?"

"Uh…Vestie…? Care to clue us in?" Magni asked slowly.

"Huh? Oh, right. Sorry!" He turned to Jaune and said, "Jaune. On this planet, and the planes closest to ours, there exists a myriad of magical swords and weapons, each with their own unique traits and varying in levels of power. However, one such sword exists that is considered one of the most powerful, and is easily the most recognizable."

"Most recognizable? Ves, what-hold on. Pure light, Fairy runes, most powerful and recognizable? Vesper, is that-I mean is it really-?!" Magni asked in shock, while the other two's eyes widened. Vesper nodded solemnly.

"It is. The facts are too glaring for it to not be." Vesper gave Jaune a serious look. "Jaune, the sword in your hand is no mere magical artifact. It is the magical artifact. The symbol of the realm of Avalon; the Sword of Kings…"

"Excalibur."

An: Excalibur?! Naniiiii?! What am I cooking up?! Anyways, hope this has interested y'all into staying with the story a bit longer. Prologue is essentially over with only an epilogue left, then…hehehe…we get to the good stuff! 'Till next time!