Hello again!
I'm still alive, I swear!
Look at how the mighty have fallen... I've gone from uploading daily to like once a year.
Skill issue honestly, i just need to get a better gaming chair.
College has taken up a lot of my time lately, but I really do dearly want to continue writing. Luckily for me, I have some free time scattered throughout the coming months.
My unintentional hiatus has brought about many issues, the primary one being the disconnection from this story. The passion I have for this story does not burn quite as brightly as it did when I first began writing it.
To remedy this, I have decided that I'm going to post a few one-shots here and there in hopes of sparking my creative drive.
Given the disparity in interaction between this story and Ripples in Time, I doubt the majority of you will read them; however, to those of you who do, just know that I greatly appreciate your support and feedback.
keeping in line with what I just mentioned, I'm going to have a poll at the end of this chapter. The rankings from that poll will dictate the order in which they are written.
Anyway, with that being said, you've all waited long enough. Onto the chapter!
P.S I'm in the process of making a dedicated Discord server for you all to be able to personally interact with me. Until that's done, you can reach me at baton0363.
Jaune was becoming seriously fed up with these bandits.
In his first life, they had only served to be a mild nuisance; but it seemed as if their ancestors were far worse.
Cinder Fall herself would be weak in the knees at the mere sight of these pyromaniacal bandits.
Juniper rushed down the mountain with Jaune in tow; however, it was clear she had not yet recovered from their earlier spar.
"Hey Jun!" He called, as he began flooding her body with healing magic. "This should be enough to keep you steady. Once we get into town, I want you on the move. I'll take care of the bandits myself; you take care of the civilians."
Juniper made a noise of agreement before speeding up. Just as they reached the base of the mountain, they were interrupted by a sudden cawing; the bird who looked to be Qrow perched on his shoulder.
"Has Ozma already gone down?" he asked the crow. All he received in response was a nod.
"Alright. Change of plans." He slid off of Juniper and looked at her. "Juniper, go pick up Salem. Once you do, run to the village. It'll be quicker than if we both go." Jaune turned his attention to the crow perched on his shoulder. "Qrow, you're coming with me. With a pair of eyes in the sky, it'll make it easier to find the attackers."
Juniper and Qrow both nodded, without any other words, the trio separated.
Ozma was experiencing quite an odd feeling, almost like an amplified sense of nausea. Humans were not meant to direct themselves through a third-person perspective after all; he thanked the gods he hadn't been cursed with motion sickness.
Raven seemed to relish in his anguish, much to Ozma's annoyance; he had quickly learned that his avian summon was quite the... character. By "character," he of course meant a giant pain in his behind; she acted more like a scorned cat than a graceful bird.
Naturally, as if sensing his thoughts, the infuriating raven decided to perform a series of barrel rolls that sent his mind spinning and caused him to run straight into a tree.
Ozma certainly had his work cut out for him.
Thankfully, Raven was able to recognize the severity of their current situation; otherwise, he feared she would torment him even more.
Ozma cut their link – which he still hadn't come up with a name for – and burst through the back gate with a strong burst of wind magic.
An interesting thing he had discovered during his time spent training was that, through his connection with Qrow, he had a passive effect of boosting the power of his Wind Magic. The boost wasn't significant, but it was still noticeable; with the addition of Qrow, a small burst of wind could evolve into a localized tornado.
Ozma almost regretted not bringing him instead of Raven; it would have made clearing things up much easier.
... that and he was morbidly curious to see if he could flatten the village like a warrior in a fairy tale.
Gods...These bandits were really messing with his head. Ozma blamed Raven, it just felt right.
Returning his focus to his duty, Ozma rushed into the village. Through Raven's Eye—oh, that's not a bad name—he was able to get a full view of Chaville.
This force was significantly larger than the small team that had attacked Sevres; instead of a small team of five, there now stood a collection of forty bandits!
This was a far bigger effort than they had originally believed; it was too…coordinated, it didn't make sense.
Bandits had never been a particularly large problem in the Kingdom of Everday; sure, you had the occasional attacks here and there, but very few people made a living from banditry. It seemed that Eris wasn't the only one whose mind was consumed by insatiable greed for the hidden amulet. Even still…something wasn't right.
Ozma didn't have long to reflect on that thought before being met with the sight of three bandits about to execute a weeping woman.
Every cell in the brown-haired knight burned with fury as his mana flowed to his hands. It was an unfortunate reality of this world that such brutality was commonplace, but nothing could be done about it; Ozma learned this lesson before he was knighted. The only response to these foul creatures was an equally violent response.
In only a second, all three men were dead. It was a quick and painless slaughter, much better than what they deserved, but even still Ozma felt queasy.
The brown-haired knight wasn't accustomed to taking human life; clearly, this wasn't his first time dealing with the art of death. However, that didn't make it any easier, no matter how justified it was. Ozma found the act of murder deplorable.
such thoughts should be reserved for the bitter aftertaste of battle; right now, there are more important things to attend to.
"Are you alright, madam?" Ozma asked as quickly as he could, although he wanted to ensure this woman's safety, there were many others who also needed his help.
"I... I'm okay," the woman breathlessly replied, wearing the expression of someone who was experiencing shock.
Ozma released a sigh of relief before helping the nameless woman to her feet. "Head to the forest," the brown-haired knight ordered, leaving no room for compromise. "It will be far safer than here." Ozma didn't say another word before rushing even deeper into the heart of Chaville.
The farther he ran, the more disgusted he felt; the beautiful village he had known only a few hours prior had been bathed in fire and blood. As he ran, he was met with the sight of several very clearly dead citizens, whom he had spoken to so recently... just seeing their lifeless faces filled him with a burning fury.
Even still, he continued to push forward; that was his duty.
As the flames continued to spread across the humble village, only one person stood happily; that person was responsible for the attack itself… Eris, daughter of Zeus.
The woman in question despised that title; even just the mere thought of that geezer sent a flood of anger through her veins. It was his fault that she was doing this! It was his fault those people had to die!
The woman grimaced before marching toward a rather large house. Zeus might have tried desperately to hide any and all information about the amulet, but he stupidly let one thing slip... Her uncle Hades also knew its location.
there she stood, locking eyes with the man in question as the village he so proudly curated was consumed by an inferno.
"I always knew you were a brat," Hades growled as he brought his hand to grip a sword at his waist. "But I didn't think you would be stupid enough to attack my home."
Eris replied with a vicious grin, "I had no other choice, Uncle! That amulet will be mine, no matter what it takes... or who I have to kill."
The woman had pursued this goal for far too long to have insignificant things like morals hold her back now. Her avarice wouldn't be satiated until she was the strongest being on the planet!
Hades wore a quite grim expression; it was a definite contrast from the jovial man she had known since her childhood. "Just because you're my brother's bastard doesn't mean I'll spare you," he said. "You won't see another sunrise, little girl."
Every cell in Eris's body burned with hatred as she listened to his words; how dare he look down on her? "You will tell me where the amulet is… or you will die alongside your pathetic village."
Hades responded to her ultimatum with a grin, "bring it on, brat!"
Salem couldn't quite put her finger on it, but something felt... off. It was as if something was missing from the air; its absence made her feel uneasy.
Skiá picked up on her emotions as the dragon stared at her compromised position. Salem was lying face first on the ground, or rather half of her was. The other half was on the complete opposite side of the cave.
She was still intact, but she was far too drained to be able to move. Naturally, her adorable little summon was having the time of its life at Salem's expense.
"If you weren't so cute," Salem growled through a fierce pout, "I'd smite you." Skia, of course, responded with a sound that sounded suspiciously like laughter.
After a moment, Salem managed to gain enough strength to pull herself fully out of the portal. Although her recovery was swift, she couldn't hide the burning embarrassment she felt. At least Ozma didn't see her... or Jaune.
Speaking of Jaune, despite the silly bet the two of them made, Salem was taking it very seriously. In the short time that she had been training, she had made a staggering amount of progress.
Skiá was truly a wonderful little creature. Her innate magic combined with Salem's knowledge and magical prowess was a near unbeatable combination.
The duo had devised a set of three techniques. The first was basic but effective all the same; it involved using general portals. Much to her annoyance, Salem's portals had an extremely limited range. After their hours of training, Salem and Skiá managed to boost her portal range to a respectable 20 feet.
The second technique was a little more… unorthodox. Salem had chosen to take a rather Jaune‐like approach to innovation and crafted what could only really be described as an annoyingly effective technique. The technique focused on fixing the biggest disadvantage that mages had… spell travel time.
even the strongest of mages were useless if their spells couldn't even make contact with the enemy. using Skiá's skills that– admittedly– surpassed her own ability to create portals, Salem could simply fire an attack through a portal and strike a target before the enemy could even realize they were being attacked. it was the embodiment of an old quote she once heard from a man called Tzu Sun, "let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night, and when you move fall like a thunderbolt."
The final technique was far more…experimental. That was to say that Salem had discovered it completely by accident and she had no idea how it worked. It was hard for her to even describe it. When she placed two portals facing each other in close proximity, a rock that sat between them just…disappeared. Salem tested it several times and, sure enough, it resulted in the same thing every time.
as exciting as that was, she was wary about experimenting with it. Magic was already above the head of an average person; messing with those powers without understanding how they worked was a recipe for disaster.
All in all Salem considered the past two hours to be quite a success!
"Perhaps I should go brag," she joked with a smug little smile. "I can't wait to see Jaune's face when I... beat... him." Her voice became quieter as her mind managed to break through her competitive spirit, and a realization dawned upon her.
She immediately began frantically pacing and biting her nails; in her hubris, she hadn't quite realized what exactly she had agreed to. Her cheeks flushed with red, she continued to think about it.
It was only by virtue of Juniper tearing into the cave that she didn't have an absolute breakdown. Although that relief soon washed away when she realized what state she was in; her hair was a mess, her clothes were dirty, and it looked like she had been hit by a natural disaster. Juniper didn't look quite as worse for wear, but it was apparent that she was on high alert.
Oddly enough, Juniper chose to turn to Skiá rather than to her. Even more shockingly, it seemed as if the two were capable of communication. After only a few moments of an exchange of odd sounds, Skia suddenly began tugging on her arm.
Salem couldn't quite put her finger on it, but she could tell that something was wrong; without a second thought, she mounted Juniper. A gut feeling told her that something was very, very wrong.
Ozma wasn't a man who was easily surprised; however, the sight before him was simply surreal. His miniature rampage was nothing compared to what he was now witnessing.
Hades was absolutely wiping the floor with Eris. Even that phrase was an understatement; every opening that Eris had was being ruthlessly punished by the mountain of a man.
Ozma wasn't the only one watching with awe; the few remaining bandits had formed something of a gladiatorial circle around the two fighters.
Eris could not have been more clearly outmatched; truthfully, it was amazing that she had even lasted as long as she had. From the short time that Ozma had spectated the fight, he had noticed several things, the most important of which was how poor of a matchup it was for Eris.
Eris was a more nimble fighter who used short arms and mainly relied on magic to attack, while Hades was the exact opposite. Hades wielded a broadsword; he was slower, but his attacks were easily three times as powerful as Eris's. The hulking man wasn't even using his famed flame magic and yet he was still winning by an overwhelming margin.
"You can do better than that," Hades taunted with a cocky grin as he wiped some blood from the corner of his mouth. "Don't tell me you really are that pathetic."
Eris didn't take kindly to the man's words, as a matter of fact it looked as though steam was shooting out of her ears... but suddenly an odd calmness overtook her features. Without another word, she lunged at the taller man's jugular; only to be parried and swiped away. However, when Hades moved to strike once more, something odd occurred; Eris was replaced by Persephone!
A gasp escaped the man's lips, but before he could react, something horrifying occurred. In the split second that Hades hesitated, the image of Persephone faded into mist, and Eris slashed his neck with a vindictive grin. The world seemed to stand still in that moment; even Ozma was paralyzed with shock.
"I win!" Eris laughed maniacally as she roughly pushed the gasping Hades to the ground. "I am the victor! Me! You are nothing!"
Ozma's mind sharpened as he stared at the fallen warrior. 'Damn it!' He cursed under his breath, 'Where are you, Jaune?'
Those thoughts persisted for only a moment before Ozma's face was overtaken by a dark shadow; if he couldn't save Hades, then he could damn sure avenge him. Unfortunately, Ozma didn't even get the opportunity to take so much as a single step.
The shining blond hair of his fellow knight was all he saw before a horrifying shriek reached his ears. As his eyes refocused, he was met with the sight of Eris on the floor and Jaune tending to Hades, with a severed hand lying on the ground next to him.
Eris shookly rose to her feet, clutching the stump that used to be her wrist. "You... you son of a bitch! How dare you?" Tears leaked from her eyes as she snarled through gritted teeth.
Jaune made no move to respond; his eyes were laser-focused on Hades's neck. The soft white glow of his healing magic was the only light illuminating the immediate area.
"You're a healer?" Eris chuckled and began to stalk forward, "I'll make you a deal; you fix my hand and I don't murder the rest of this shitty little village." Her unhinged laughter echoed around the clearing.
As Jaune finally stood to face the woman Ozma had to take a solid step back. In all the battles that he had fought against all different types of Grimms and even people, he had never seen anything quite like Jaune's expression, those eyes held so much bloodlust that he could almost legitimately feel it. It seemed as though Eris was much the same.
"Ozma... Protect Hades." Jaune called out without taking those terrifying cerulean orbs off of his target; the long glistening blade of Crocea Mors hissed as it was removed from its sheath. "I'll handle the rest."
That's all for today!
The chapter turned out a little edgier than I liked, but hey, you've gotta show that the good ol' angry Jaune is still in there somewhere!
On a separate note, I do apologize for how long this chapter took. It was a nasty mix of writer's block and life that prevented me from pushing it out sooner.
I doubt I'll be able to get back to my "one chapter a day" schedule, but I do hope to upload more frequently.
Now then, as I stated at the beginning of this chapter, I'm going to do a poll for future stories in an attempt to rekindle my writing flame.
Here are your options.
1. Unrivaled Under the Sun: An Adam/Amber Story following the aforementioned characters and Adams redemption at the hands of the whimsical maiden. This story would be a multi-chapter fic similar to this one, but with a slower pace.
2.) Forever Falls No More: An Arkos (Jaune/Pyrrha) Slice-of-Life Story in a similar vein to Mallobaude's "Going Out With Yang." It would focus on the fluffy shenanigans between the two. It would likely only be a handful of chapters.
3.) A story of your choosing. An opportunity for my readers to pitch me ideas that I can put into practice. I might do this anyway and make it a collection of one-shots, which would be fun.
4.) By a Torch's Flame: A Glynda/Roman Story about the forbidden love between a uptight Deputy and the Gentleman Thief who stole her heart. I can see this being a decent sized fic but I will just say maybe 10 chapters.
You can either vote in the reviews or message me on Discord, I look forward to hearing from you all!
until next time!
...whatever that may be.
PS if you get the reference that is Salem's third technique then you're a real one