Hello everyone! I decided to write this RWBY x Elden Ring story after being so obsessed with the game for months on end. Here's hoping they announce some DLC soon, as the game has a lot of cut content and remaining mysteries to flesh out!
I'll try my best to adhere to the canon of the game's lore as much as possible, though due to the way the game was made, a lot of the story and lore is left up to interpretation. For this story, I'll be writing about the game's story and lore using a combination of my own interpretations of the story, lore discussed by Vaatividya, and I'll be using the Japanese translations/source material for certain item descriptions and dialogue provided and interpreted by Youtubers The Last Protagonist and DoogManGuy. All three of these guys have incredible videos about the lore of the game, and I highly recommend watching them! If you feel that I got a part of the lore incorrect or I used an incorrect translation, feel free to let me know.
Of course, I do not own RWBY, Elden Ring, or any of their characters. All rights go to Rooster Teeth and FromSoftware/Bandai Namco.
My Lord, and thy warriors. I divest each of thee of thy grace. With thine eyes dimmed, ye will be driven from the Lands Between. Ye will wage war in a land afar, where ye will live... and die.
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It was with both jubilation and sadness that Jaune Arc, lying on the ground in the middle of a dim-lit forest, opened his eyes to be greeted by the sight of the shattered remains of the moon hanging in the sky.
Though it paled in comparison to the majesty and dark yet soothing chill of the Dark Moon that hovered over the Moonlight Altar, its familiar presence gave him pause, elation, and finally somberness building up in his heart. How many times had he dearly wished to return to Remnant and see the shattered moon in the world of Remnant, back when he was just a weak and foolhardy Tarnished wandering about in the Lands Between? How many times had he wished his body was bathed in the chill of the moonlight rather than the golden rays of the Erdtree, whose brilliance could overshadow even the very stars of the night sky and the Sun during the day? Seeing the broken pieces of the moon hovering in the cosmos above Remnant, its white visage imprinted over the night sky unimpeded by the bright rays of gold from the Erdtree finally drove home a key fact:
Jaune was home, finally free from the Lands Between. His journey, his trials and tribulations, all the pain and suffering he endured, and all the people he had lost, were all real. He had really died, been resurrected by the Guidance of Grace, crossed the Sea of Fog, and became one of many Tarnished who were summoned to the Lands Between to challenge the defiant Demigods, seek the Elden Ring, and become Elden Lord.
For a moment, Jaune wished that his entire journey in the Lands Between were nothing but a fleeting nightmare, a horrible turn of events conjured by his brain as his body and mind were consumed by exhaustion on his journey to Vale to become a Huntsman. Though it felt like a lifetime ago, he could now remember it clearly: how he had dreamed of becoming a Huntsman, a hero, like his father and forefathers before him. How his parents and sisters, concerned for his safety and as the only male child of the family, tried to discourage him from his dream. How his father refused to train him and how he ended up resorting to using fake transcripts to get him admission to Beacon Academy. Despite his acceptance, his parents encouraged him to return home whenever he wished, and he felt betrayed and heartbroken at how little his family believed in him. In his ability to succeed, to become a strong Huntsman, to become as great as the heroes he was descended from like his great-great grandfather.
If only they knew just how far back the family line went when it came to spawning heroes of legend. If only they knew of the woman who started the entire family line and who's blood ran in his veins, allowing him to be summoned to the Lands Between…
Furious at his family's reluctance to let him pursue his dream, Jaune decided then and there to leave and never look back. Taking Crocea Mors, the famed sword used by his great-great-grandfather during the Great War, Jaune set out to Vale on his own with just his clothes, weapons, Scroll, and his determination to succeed. He passed through Forever Fall, hoping to get some light training in before he continued to Vale and hopefully to Beacon as well.
Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned, and as Jaune attempted to get some training in with Crocea Mors in Forever Fall, he was ambushed by several Grimm who were easily able to get the jump on him. Having never gotten his Aura, the manifestation of the soul and a key power used by all Huntsman and Huntresses unlocked, Jaune could only put up a whimsical defense before the Grimm savagely tore him to pieces without a scratch inflicted on them. As he lay on the ground bleeding copiously and on the verge of death, Jaune could only lament his own weakness and how maybe his family was right to try and discourage him away from the path of the Huntsman. How could a failure like him succeed when all he had was an antique used nearly 80 years ago, when he had no training, let alone Aura, to carry him? He didn't have a cool transforming weapon, he could barely fight and hold his ground against even the weakest student of Signal Academy let alone fight a simple Beowolf, and worst of all he couldn't even ask out a cute girl despite all the advice from his father saying that all women love confidence. As the last drop of blood spilled from his body and his breaths started to diminish, Jaune could only pray that he wouldn't be born as a failure in his next life, before he breathed his last.
Fate, however, had other plans for him, as a tiny golden bead of light filtered down from the heavens into his palm, reviving the dead teenager and transporting him from Remnant through the Sea of Fog to a land bathed in rays of Gold. Where he would be embroiled in a journey filled with conflict and death in a predestined quest to become Elden Lord.
Where he would eventually meet her, a woman of incredible strength and kindness. A warrior who guided him throughout the Lands Between, trained him to fight and survive when no one else would, and who gave him a shoulder to cry on when he felt overwhelmed in this strange world that wanted him dead at every turn. A woman who became a second mother to him.
It wasn't just her who impacted his life to such a great degree during his time in the Lands Between. He had met many great and terrible people during his journey together with her. He had faced beings far more powerful than he had imagined, and creatures who could have come straight out of the many fairy tales told during his childhood.
He had even fallen in love.
But like all Tarnished, he would come to lose everything. He had lost the love of his life, had seen many of his friends and allies die horrible or pitiful deaths, had slaughtered hundreds, thousands of people and animals in his quest to seek the Elden Ring, and worst of all he had betrayed her trust, and dabbled in powers far beyond his capabilities.
He was broken, shattered just like the Elden Ring itself, and all he had left was to fulfill her dying wish. And so it was, that he finally returned home to where it all began, so that he can make amends for his mistakes and fulfill her last request.
For no matter how many times he failed himself and others, he swore he will never fail her again.
Looking down at himself, he could only sigh as he noticed he still wore the armor of the Carian Knights instead of the hand-me-down armor and embarrassing bunny hoodie he once wore that drove her to tears of laughter when she glimpsed it for the first time. The blue-colored armor, reinforced with steel and bits of Glintsone mined from the caverns surrounding Raya Lucaria, was still in pristine condition with nary a scratch on it. Strapped to his left hip was Crocea Mors, still in mint condition and now imbued with magical affinity, and on his left arm was the Carian Knight's shield. Hooked to his right hip was the Carian Regal Scepter and though not physically present on his person, he could still feel the presence of the sword his ally and patron gave to him shortly before his final fight in the Lands Between.
Convinced now that his entire journey wasn't some horrible fever dream, he stood up from the ground and attempted to reorient himself to the world of Remnant once again. Thinking back to the last time he was on Remnant, and noticing the red-colored leaves on the trees around him, he could suddenly recall where he landed at.
"Looks like I ended up back in Forever Fall again." Jaune remarked, as he finally pieced together where he appeared at. "Come to think of it, this might even be the exact same spot I first died at."
He wondered how long it has been since the time he died and his subsequent return. The Lands Between, just as its name suggests, seemed to be a world set in between all others, separated by the Sea of Fog and only accessible to outsiders like himself through the Guidance of Grace. Time itself felt convoluted there, and there's no telling how much time had passed since his first death.
Looking around the area, he did a quick scan and finally noticed a large, red stain on the ground alongside what appeared to be bits and pieces of torn clothing.
Placing his fingers on the red-stained ground, he lightly rubbed the area before bringing his fingers up to his nose and slightly recoiled at the familiar scent that entered his nostrils.
"Blood. Could this have been my own?" Jaune tried to recollect where he exactly died his first death, and soon began inspecting the scraps of torn clothing littered around the area. After a few minutes of searching, he eventually found a backpack of scattered supplies including other sets of clothing, a Scroll, and embarrassingly a blue onesie complete with blue bunny slippers and a white bunny face on the chest.
"Dear Gods, did I seriously consider wearing this stuff for my first year at Beacon? No wonder she thought I looked like an idiot when we first met." Jaune could only mentally facepalm at the embarrassing first encounter with his future mentor and friend. He spent the first day in the Lands Between wandering about like a headless chicken, being chased by giant golden knights on horses larger than cars, before he accidentally ended up in a large lake and being chased again by a massive wyvern flying into the air and raining down a torrent of fire on top of him. It was only thanks to her timely arrival on a odd-looking horse with antlers on its head that he was able to escape, hopping on at her insistence and grasping her waist as they both rode away from the agitated wyvern to the nearby ruins and Site of Grace. The moment they dismounted the horse however, his savior took one look at him and his black hoodie with a white bunny logo plastered on the chest before she burst into laughter, drawing out tears as she laughed her lungs out.
Just remembering their first encounter filled him with humiliation. He really did look like a complete fool with his armor pieces nearly torn up, his pants and backside scorched and still smoldering from that wyvern's flames, and a black bunny hoodie that just screamed to the world how much of an immature and out-of-place dork he was in this land of Demigods and monsters. Yet, he wouldn't trade that encounter for anything else in the cosmos. It was thanks to his idiotic wandering that led him to meet his fellow Tarnished, and from there he followed her throughout her journey in the Lands Between. After she finished massaging her ribs from laughing too hard, she introduced herself and her beautiful, yet mysterious, "Finger Maiden" Melina whom he quickly formed an accord with to help them on their path.
Quickly burying the fond memory deep within the bowels of his mind, Jaune steeled himself and opened up the Scroll. Glancing at the screen, he soon realized that the Scroll was indeed his, and after checking the date, Jaune was stunned to see that only a mere 3 days had passed since his death. He found a series of messages from his sisters begging him to return home dating back 3 days ago, and looking at the date listed on the screen only confirmed the amount of time that had passed.
'This means that I still have a couple of days left before Beacon's term begins. I'll have to find her soon before I leave for Beacon for the foreseeable future.' Jaune thought as he placed the scroll in his pocket and gathered the remaining bundles of clothing and supplies that survived the Grimm ambush. Pulling up a map, he began his trek through Forever Fall as he made his way to the city of Vale.
He wasn't sure what he expected, but to his surprise the city of Vale looked just the same as when he last saw pictures of it on his Scroll. Even though he couldn't really chart the passage of time in the Lands Between, he felt as if he had lived there for years on end marching through the world, slaying all manner of monsters and men. Despite his Scroll showing that only a few days had passed on Remnant, a part of him still held disbelief that such a short amount of time had passed in this world and that a dozen years should have gone by since the time of his death. Yet Vale looked the same as ever, with hardly any noticeable changes. The same advertisements were visible on buildings and signs, the same news broadcaster relayed today's list of events, and the same peaceful-turned-violent Faunus group, the White Fang, were still dominating headlines. Shaking his head at the same news reports of the extremist group, he wandered through the streets, taking note of what buildings were around and where he could find any necessities he would purchase before he left for his goal and eventually Beacon. Thankfully, the Grimm mauled his body but left his clothes, Scroll, and most importantly money intact, and remembering what his mentor and friend told him about Dust and how it was used as ammunition and a source of energy back on Remnant, Jaune set out to hopefully learn more about the material and whether he could incorporate it into his current arsenal.
Finding a store named "From Dust till Dawn" still open late into the night, Jaune sighed in relief knowing that he wasn't too late to buy what he needed, and soon began walking down the street towards the shop.
Just as he began to make his way towards the store, a small group of men moved towards the store led by a man wearing a white coat topped with a black and red bowler hat and smoking a cigar. Noticing the crowd split apart and move away from the group only confirmed to Jaune that this group meant bad news.
'Looks like these guys might be trouble. I hoped I wouldn't have to use any sorceries this soon, but it looks like these guys mean business.' Jaune kept his right hand near the pommel of Crocea Mors as he slowly followed the group of men entering the store. Just as he arrived a few meters away from the entrance, a body suddenly flew from the window before landing painfully on the asphalt groaning in agony.
The person who followed the goon out the window then blew his breath away as he beheld the young red-hooded girl opening up her comically large red scythe from its compact form.
'It can't be… is that...?'
Ruby Rose couldn't have been more excited for her sister when she got the news that Yang was accepted into Beacon Academy!
One of the most elite Huntsman academies across all of Remnant and the very school that her mom, dad, and Uncle Qrow graduated from, Beacon was the final step aspiring students took before they became fully fledged Huntsmen and Huntresses.
Oh, she was so happy yet so jealous of Yang!
Ruby herself was only 2 years younger than her blonde brawler of a sister, and so had to wait two more years before she could finish up at Signal Academy back on Patch and hopefully be accepted to Beacon herself. She didn't doubt she had the skills and strength needed to make it to Beacon, but she was so looking forward to spending time with her sister as classmates when she would inevitably come to Beacon to train herself.
And the weapons! So many different varieties, so many different transformations, so many possibilities! Just the mere thought of all the amazing weapons that other students would use and what Yang would no doubt see on her first day just filled Ruby with envy. It's just no fair! Nearly everyone else's weapons back at Signal were plain and paled in comparison to her darling weapon Crescent Rose. She shed many drops of blood, sweat, and tears to create her and mold her into the Grimm-slaying masterpiece it is today, but the thought of all the new possibilities and upgrades that she could put into her baby after seeing all the various weapons Yang and the other training huntsmen would use just brought a smile to her face, one that started to drop when she remembered just how long that would take, and whether Yang was willing enough to send her pictures of all the weapons she could find…
'D-don't worry, Ruby! It's only 2 more years! Just 2 more years and I'll finally be able to go to Beacon, see all the amazing weapons I want, and become a Huntress just like Mom!' She thought to herself as she made her way to the city of Vale. While she was super happy that Yang would fulfill her dream of becoming a Huntress like Mom and Dad, part of her couldn't help but feel sad that she'll be unable to see Yang for several months. Being the socially awkward dork that she was she had little success in finding any friends at Signal, unlike Yang who drew the eyes and attention of nearly every boy and girl back at school. The unfortunate side-effect being that the only kids she interacted with were people who only tolerated her so that they could spend time with Yang.
Not that she could blame them. Yang grew up to become an absolute beauty since her time at Signal. Her hair grew long and luxurious, her body filled out drawing the attention of people and Faunus of both sexes, and she had the cool, suave personality that easily let her attract people and make them want to hang out with her. Ruby, on the other hand, was the short, dorky, weapon-nut who devoured cookies and strawberries and spent more time on maintaining and building her weapon than she did her own personal hygiene. It didn't help that back when she was young, she had a terrible fear of crowds that helped contribute to her social awkwardness.
Though she didn't mind that much and was more than happy spending her time making her baby become the tool of destruction that would make Uncle Qrow proud, she still hoped that she would make some really good friends back in Signal. She did manage to make a small group of friends, but at most they seemed like close acquaintances rather than close-knit friends. Still, maybe now that Yang was heading to Beacon, she can now be able to branch out more and make some really good friends.
And if there's one thing that Ruby knew better than Yang or anyone else, it was how to make and maintain a weapon. For all her good looks and cool personality, Yang couldn't smith a weapon to save her life (or her hair), and being the adorable and loving little sister that she was, she jumped at the opportunity to help forge Yang's weapon Ember Cecilia, a pair of gauntlets functioning as both arm guards and shotguns when transformed. They were absolutely perfect for a frenzied brawler like her when she wants to punch first and ask questions later but they were a bit too complicated for Yang to perform maintenance on, at least on her own, for now.
And that is what led to her staying late at night in the city of Vale, a couple of days before the Bullhead brought Yang to Beacon. Out of nowhere, Ruby encountered Yang punching someone out the window at a busted-up club. Though she was tight-lipped on why she decided to destroy a club and beat up everyone inside, she begged Ruby to head into town and help fix Ember Cecilia, which had started to malfunction, and restock on ammo before she hopped on Bumblebee and drove away from the scene before any police could show up. Understandably confused and slightly worried that Yang might have let her temper get to her head again, Ruby left the scene and decided to head to "From Dust Till Dawn" to get what she needed to fix Yang's weapons.
With her business concluded, Ruby decided to put on her headphones and listen to music while she internally screamed in joy looking at the various firearms and weapons in the fittingly titled "WEAPONS" magazine. All the incredible ammo types, the various Dust-infused bullets, the huge variety of melee weapons, all of it was amazing! Of course, nothing could top her own weapon but she could still spend hours here just browsing and seeing all the possibilities and creative ways she could upgrade Crescent Rose!
Until a sharp tap on her shoulder drew her attention. Regretfully looking away from her magazine, she was met with a clearly frustrated-looking man dressed like a mafia member with a red machete in his right hand while his left gestured to his ear.
"Yes?" Ruby asked as she took off her headphones.
"I said, put your hands in the air, now!"
"Are you…robbing me?"
"Yes!" the stranger said, clearly pissed at her nonchalant attitude.
Finally putting the pieces together, Ruby couldn't help but slowly smirk at the opportunity to finally show off her weapon! Grabbing her compacted weapon, she rammed it right into his stomach before twirling in the air and landing a kick on his chest, sending him flying across the store and landing painfully on a pile of scattered boxes. Soon, another henchman rounded the corner and pulled out a firearm on her. Not wanting to start a firefight in a small store like this, she activated her Semblance and flew herself and the gunner straight through the window. Unveiling her Crescent Rose in its full form, she smiled and dug the blade of her scythe to the ground, taking aim at the suspected leader of the robbers, a man with orange-hair, white coat, and a black-and-red bowler hat, who ordered the henchmen to charge at her.
'Time to show these guys what you can do!' Ruby thought as she swung her body over the long handle of her scythe before landing a devastating kick to the face of one grunt, and then using the barrel on her scythe to rapidly swivel herself and her weapon, slamming and knocking out several more grunts and using her Semblance to dodge the hail of gunfire heading towards her.
"You were worth every cent, truly you were." The leader said, watching the last of his men get pummeled to the ground and feeling incredibly disappointed that the men Junior lent him couldn't even handle a tiny teenager. As much as he would have liked to take out his frustrations on the young girl, the commotion they caused had alerted almost everyone in the vicinity to run in panic, and soon the police and other Huntsmen might arrive. He can always gather more Dust later, and soon there'll be a big prize.
"Well, Red, I think we can all say that it's been an eventful evening. And as much as I would love to stick around, I'm afraid that this is where we part ways." Putting out his cigar and aiming his cane towards the girl, he fired a flaming cannonball from the tip! Ruby twirled her scythe and prepared to jump and avoid the ball of fire careening her way…
Until someone suddenly threw themselves between her and the fireball, blocking the entire blast with his shield as both of them were covered in smoke from the explosion.
Coughing, Ruby rubbed her eyes and tried to make sense of what was going on. Seeing the smoke clear, she could finally glance at the person who blocked the attack. He was covered in blue armor lined with soft leather decorated with several jewels and inlaid with silver-steel that covered his arms and hands. He carried a straight sword imbued with a blue gem, and on his left arm was a silver heater shield that remained miraculously intact even after taking the full brunt of the explosion. Having checked that he blocked the projectile, he turned around and Ruby could see that her savior was a young man, probably a year or two older than her, with blonde hair and blue eyes that gleamed with an oddly golden glow.
She noticed how he seemed to almost tear up at the sight of her, his face slowly morphing in grief. Before she could thank him and ask if he was okay, she quickly noticed the leader of the criminals climbing up a ladder leading up to the roof of an apartment building. Casting a quick parting glance at the young man she activated her Semblance, bursting into petals and flying up the ladder. Landing on the roof, she spotted him climbing onto a Bullhead before turning around and pulling out a red Dust crystal.
"End of the line, Red!" Roman shouted as he tossed the crystal at Ruby's feet before pulling out his cane-cannon, preparing to fire once again. Right before he could pull the trigger, a small ethereal blue sword flew straight towards him, knocking the cane out of his hands and leaving a large cut on his hand. As he loudly cursed holding his bleeding hand, Ruby turned around and saw the same knight from before holding up his scepter in the air with a look of cold fury on him. Grabbing the scepter with both hands, he thrust it downwards and a large, purple sigil briefly appeared before several purple orbs spawned near his feet and suddenly flew towards the rising Bullhead. Each little purple orb buffeted the ship, slowly causing it to sink towards the ground.
As Roman stumbled and made his way to the pilot seat, he called to attention the lone pilot as he began bandaging up his wounded hand.
"We got a Huntsman over there! Deal with him!" he shouted as the pilot left for the side of the Bullhead. Roman cursed as he manned the Bullhead. 'Dammit, how did that punk get me to bleed? I had my Aura activated the whole time?'
Making her way to the side of the Bullhead, the female pilot readied herself, bathing her arms in flames as she hurled a large fireball at the knight below. Although expecting some kind of defense, she was shocked to see her fireball be dissipated into nothing as the knight bashed the fireball away with his silver shield, turning it into 3 more of those floating blue swords that once again flew towards them. Destroying them with more fireballs of her own, she braced herself as the knight held his scepter aloft, charging more blue energy at the tip before thrusting it forward and a massive, blue cannonball flew towards them. Charging her arms with fire once again she hurled a massive fireball herself at the incoming projectile, colliding together and causing a massive explosion that made the Bullhead begin to careen out of control.
The mysterious female cursed silently. Whoever this knight was, he was stronger than she anticipated, and if she spent too much time here, she would only be stalling until other Huntsmen and the police showed up. Noticing the lone silver-eyed girl hanging behind the knight, stunned by his unique abilities, she used her abilities to form several flaming sigils all around the two. The knight, noticing the building energy within each, immediately grabbed Ruby by her waist and dived away before the sigils exploded. Ruby, jolted back into action by the explosions, noticed the Bullhead start to leave and switched her scythe to its sniper form, shooting multiple times at the unknown pyromancer who simply blocked each bullet with her hand. The knight charged up his scepter once again and launched yet another blue fireball at the ship, which dodged it in time, leaving its trajectory unknown as it crashed farther away down the street resulting in a massive explosion.
As the Bullhead started to make its way out of the area, the female warrior couldn't help but grimace at the surprising difficulty she had in driving off the knight and silver-eyed warrior.
'Whoever that knight was, his abilities were no fluke. Something isn't right… those attacks he used were easily a match for the Maiden's powers, and he could bat away all my attacks without blinking an eye. Whatever it is he's doing, it's definitely not the work of some Semblance. Did that fool Ozpin have something to do with this?'
'No matter. Regardless of whatever new pawn he has, he and all the others will fall in time. Soon, I'll figure out where he kept the Fall Maiden, and when I claim the rest of her power, Vale will fall all the same.'
Ruby slowed her breathing as she saw the Bullhead shrink and eventually disappear in the night sky. Although she was glad she was able to stop the robbery from concluding, she couldn't help but feel disappointed that she wasn't able to apprehend the leader in time. And that weird glowy woman! She was able to easily block all her bullets like they were nothing, and she was going toe-to-toe with that knight too!
Speaking of that knight, he was slowing his breathing too, and once he got his bearings back and looked back at her, she couldn't help but cry out in glee.
"Ohmygoshthatwassocoolwhatyoudid!" Ruby yelled out as she started praising him. "What was that stuff you just did? Was that your Semblance? How did you shoot out all those swords? What kind of Dust did you use? Is your scepter your weapon? Oh, it looks amazing! Who built it? Is that a Dust crystal at the end? How did you bat away those fireballs with your shield?"
"No way…are you a Huntsman!?" she finally squealed as she looked at him with awe in her silver eyes. "Can I have your autograph?"
As the knight before her started turning red in embarrassment scratching the back of his head, a blonde woman dressed in a formal white shirt, black skirt, and purple cape leaped to the top of the wrecked roof armed with only a black riding crop. Immediately, the knight locked eyes on her and placed his shield at the ready, jumping in front of Ruby as the blonde woman raised her eyebrow at his behavior.
"You can put aside your weapons, I mean you two no harm. My name is Glynda Goodwitch, a Huntress from Beacon. However, you two are in a lot of trouble right now. If you don't want to land yourself in even more of it, I suggest you come with me immediately." The knight looked behind him towards her as he raised his own eyebrow, asking the silent question of whether to listen to the blonde witch or not. Ruby didn't feel like getting into more trouble than she's already in, and she couldn't imagine the scolding Yang or Dad would give her once she got back home, so with a heavy heart she nodded in agreement.
Of all the things Jaune expected to happen today while he was walking through Vale, attempting to stop a robbery and then getting arrested for said attempt at stopping a robbery wasn't one of them. Both he and Ruby were kept in a small dim-lit room in the Vale police station with Glynda Goodwitch silently pacing back and forth while looking at her scroll. Several times she looked up and glared at the two of them, causing Ruby to flinch and Jaune to narrow his eyes at her in return.
Seeing how distressed Ruby was with the complete silence that permeated the room, Jaune lifted his hand and lightly patted Ruby's arm, doing his best to give her a reassuring smile. One which she returned as she started to cheer up.
"I hope you two realize that your actions tonight will not be taken lightly. You put yourselves and others in great danger." Glynda said, finally lifting her eyes off of her Scroll as she paced behind them.
"They started it!"
"Not to mention I didn't see you or anyone else coming by to help out. You sure took your sweet time getting there." Both Ruby and Jaune let out their retorts and grievances as Glynda once again gave them both a cold glare.
"Don't get me started there young man. While it is true that I wasn't able to get to there in time, I would also like to remind you that your reckless use of your… cannonball, caused a massive explosion in the next street that left a crater in the middle of the road! Consider yourself lucky that that street was completely empty of all civilians before it was destroyed, otherwise you would have been legitimately arrested and tried for gross negligence, harm to civilians, and wanton destruction of public property." Glynda remarked, giving a disappointed glance at the knight who slightly paled at the implication.
"If it were up to me, you'd both be sent home with a pat on the back," Ruby briefly brightened with glee, "and a slap on the wrist." Glynda concluded, smacking her riding crop on the desk in front of them. Ruby recoiled and Jaune once again glared at Glynda.
"But, luckily for you two, there is someone here who would like to meet you." Glynda moved aside as an older gentleman came in carrying a plate filled with cookies and a cup of coffee. He gave both Ruby and Jaune an amused yet calculating glance, before fixing his attention entirely on Ruby.
"Ruby Rose. You… have silver eyes." He said as he leaned forward and gazed at her eyes. Jaune tensed up, ready to intervene if necessary, but the older man in front of Ruby leaned back and placed the plate of cookies in front of them.
"So. Where did you learn to do this?" the man remarked as he gestured to Glynda's Scroll. On it was video footage showing Ruby's fight between her and the robbers.
"Uhm… Signal Academy?"
"Really? They taught you to use one of the most dangerous weapon combinations ever designed?"
"Well… one teacher in particular." Ruby finished as she timidly gazed down, becoming more uncomfortable with the newest batch of questions. Seeing her growing reluctance, the gentleman pushed the tray of cookies towards her. Once she took one and bit into it, her timid nature seemed to pass away in an instant, and soon she started swallowing cookie after cookie in rapid succession. Jaune could only raise his eyebrows at the speed and energy she devoured those sweets in.
"My apologies. It's just that I've seen only one other person before using that weapon combination and fighting style before. A dusty old crow…"
"Oh, that's my uncle Qrow! He was a teacher at Signal! I used to be complete garbage before he trained me, and now I can do all these cool things with my baby Crescent Rose!" Ruby exclaimed as she finished the entire tray of cookies in a matter of seconds.
The man couldn't help but chuckle at her energetic remarks. "So I've noticed. And what is an adorable young girl such as yourself doing in a school designed to train warriors?"
"I want to be a Huntress."
"You want to slay monsters?"
"Yeah. I only have 2 years left at Signal, and my sister is starting at Beacon! She wants to be a Huntress, I want to be a Huntress, and my parents always said to help other people, so I thought, why not make a career out of it? And being a Huntress sounds so romantic, cool, and exciting and yeah!" Ruby exclaimed with happiness practically oozing out of her as she revealed her passion towards being a Huntress to the whole room. Glynda merely gave her a disappointed look clearly unimpressed by her less-than-mature reason for being a Huntress, the spectacled gentleman only giving a polite and calm nod, and Jaune giving a slight smile at her happy smile. A smile that slowly faded away as she started to gaze at her knees.
"And also… to make my mom proud."
Glynda and the man both raised their eyebrows, whereas Jaune's eyes shot wide open at her last sentence. Something that the man noticed but shelved into his mind for a later discussion.
"Your mother?"
"Yeah, my mom Summer. She… disappeared when I was a little kid, and hasn't come back at all, nor has anyone ever seen her again. Dad said she died out on a mission, and I always wanted to be just like her! My dad, uncle, and sister always said that she was an amazing Huntress, one of the best out there, and I wanted to become a Huntress as amazing as her! And maybe…find out what happened to her out there."
Jaune began to cast his gaze to the floor, unable to look at Ruby anymore. The man gave a slight smile and tilted his head back to gaze at the ceiling in quiet remembrance.
"Ah yes, Summer Rose. Leader of Team STRQ, one of the most accomplished and legendary Huntsman teams ever to graduate from Beacon."
"Wait, you knew my mother?"
"Of course, don't you know who I am?"
"Yeah, you're Professor Ozpin, Headmaster at Beacon!"
Jaune audibly gulped. He had been practically giving Ozpin and Glynda the stink-eye ever since he and Ruby arrived at the police station, and he prayed that he didn't give them a terrible impression of himself.
Ok…he probably already gave a horrible impression thanks to the sizable crater he left on the street, but come on! What kind of bad luck did he have to run into them after such a crazy evening?
'Oh Gods, I hope they don't ask me about my transcripts!'
"So, miss Rose. Would you like to come to my school?" Ozpin asked as he leaned forward toward Ruby.
"More than anything in the world!"
Sharing a quick knowing glance at Glynda who could only roll her eyes in disbelief, Ozpin nodded towards Ruby. "Very well. You're in. It is my privilege to welcome you to Beacon Academy. I'll personally send notice to Signal Academy, and handle all the paperwork needed to bump you to Beacon's first year. Congratulations, young lady."
As Ruby's eyes widened in happiness, Ozpin finally casted his eyes toward Jaune, who had remained mostly quiet throughout the conversation.
"I apologize, I didn't mean to ignore you for so long. You are Jaune Arc, yes?"
Jaune audibly swallowed and gave a small nod.
"I believe you are also an incoming freshman at Beacon, yes? I saw the footage captured, and I couldn't help but be impressed by the unique arsenal you wielded against Roman Torchwick. Though you did cause some collateral damage, you have my thanks for assisting in stopping the robbery attempt and for protecting miss Rose here." Ozpin smiled and gave a polite nod to Jaune.
"Though I do have to ask, how exactly did you perform all these feats? Pardon me, but I've only known a very small number of people in my lifetime who were able to summon glyphs similar to yours and create projectiles that powerful. Tell me, Jaune, are you in anyway related to, or are familiar with the Schees?"
The Schnees? Jaune didn't have any clue who they were, and he doubted they could do anything remotely similar to what he was able to do. Not unless they were secretly sorcerers themselves.
"Sorry, I've never heard of them before." Jaune said as he gazed downward.
"Really? You've never heard of the Schnees? Not even the Schee Dust Company, which supplies the vast majority of Remnant's Dust? The very same Dust you yourself use?"
Jaune's eyes widened in shock. How could he not remember something that important?! He needed to cover this up, lest someone like Ozpin try and inspect his belongings and see things definitely not powered by Dust!
"O-oh! Of course! Can't believe that slipped my mind, haha! Sorry about that, it's been a really long night for me, I haven't slept in ages, and to be fair Ruby ate all the cookies so I'm completely starving as well!"
Ruby gasped, having completely forgotten that Ozpin gave enough cookies for two people, and started spitting out apologizes to Jaune who waved them away with a smile.
"It's quite alright. I shouldn't keep you two here any longer anyways, as you both have a couple of busy days ahead of you before you both arrive to Beacon. Congratulations again you two, and I hope to see you both at Initiation in a few days." Ozpin smiled at them both before he and Glynda left the room.
"I can practically feel your eyes glaring at the back of my head, Glynda." Ozpin stated as he and Glynda left the police station and made their way to their Bullhead to transport them back to Beacon. "What seems to be the problem?"
"The problem, Professor Ozpin, is that I believe it was a mistake to admit Miss Rose this early into Beacon. She's only 15, and has 2 years worth of classes at Signal to make up for when she arrives. She's too young, and I fear she lacks the maturity and level-headedness that Huntsmen and Huntresses need on the field." Glynda made it perfectly clear what her thoughts were on Ruby Rose, and though Ozpin could see where she was coming from, he felt that the girl was more than ready to tackle the challenges Beacon posed despite her young age. He knew Qrow extremely well, and he knew that Qrow would train her well to become a proficient and deadly Huntress if her choice of weaponry was any indication.
"And do you really believe this is a good idea to bring miss Rose in so soon? She will no doubt become a new target due to her silver eyes, and we don't know of any other Silver-Eyed Warriors out there, Professor. I wouldn't be surprised if miss Rose turns out to be the last of her kind, and if she dies then the Silver-Eyed line is gone forever. There will be no one else able to stop her. The Grimm Reaper has been out of action for decades, Summer Rose died only a decade ago, and now you're sending her daughter out onto the battlefield."
Ozpin could only sigh in resignation. "It's because she has silver eyes that she must be introduced to these challenges sooner than later. At least she can be safe at Beacon and train to become an accomplished Huntress with a team to protect her. Even if I didn't offer her a spot at Beacon, she will no doubt still be a target and as much as I trust Tai, he alone cannot protect her forever. Like it or not, she is a part of this war now, and it's best to prepare her for it. You can see that Qrow had taught her well. I'm sure she will shine during her time with us."
"And what are your thoughts on Jaune Arc?" Ozpin asked as he turned to Glynda. "You were clearly unamused by miss Rose's acceptance, but you seemed particularly raddled by the footage of Mr. Arc."
"I don't trust him, Professor. I've seen my fair share of Semblances over the years, and there is absolutely no one on Remnant who shares any similar Semblance to his. Have you not seen the destructive capabilities of his "Semblance"? I doubt even Winter Schnee could pull off something of that power. In addition, he is clearly hiding something. He may have acted all nonchalant when answering our questions but even a monkey could tell he wasn't telling us everything. Do you not find that at all suspicious? Especially with the recent state of Miss Amber?"
"I do, and that is one of the reasons I didn't try to question him further." Ozpin could tell almost instantly that Mr. Arc was hiding something. Being as old as he was and having experienced nearly every possible human life that he could, Ozpin could see from a glance that Jaune kept a lot of secrets and peculiarities. For one, both the video footage and the conversation at the police station showed that Jaune was very protective of Ruby Rose. Oddly enough, he had a peculiar reaction to hearing Summer Rose's name. Ozpin briefly wondered if he had ever encountered Summer Rose in the past, but quickly discarded the idea. Jaune Arc seemed to be only a few years older than Ruby, and Summer Rose disappeared over a decade ago. Even if he had met Summer in the past, it was most likely that she had met him for only a brief period, and as a child.
And he doubted Summer was still alive. Summer had gone on a dangerous mission all by herself to the Grimmlands, with neither Qrow nor himself knowing why or how. When Qrow went to try and find her, all he found were bloody scraps of her once pristine signature white cloak. Knowing the long string of deaths of various Silver-Eyed Warriors over the years, and certain that she was likely involved in what happened, Ozpin and Qrow could only conclude that Summer was indeed killed.
"Do you think that Mr. Arc is potentially involved in what happened to Amber? Do you think he-" Glynda said, bringing Ozpin back from his thoughts. While he did entertain the idea, the evidence just didn't seem to add up.
"…No, I don't think Mr. Arc was involved in the attack on Amber. I don't think that he is the thief behind the loss of some of the Fall Maiden's powers. The power of the Maidens can only be passed from one female to another, and if he was against us, he had plenty of opportunity to kill Miss Rose before we arrived." Of course, there existed another potential possibility, and one that filled him with dread but then was quickly discarded. She never seemed the type to share her powers with anybody else unlike himself.
"However, I still would like for Mr. Arc to be kept on watch just in case. If he's not aligned with the group who attacked Amber, then we will have welcomed a formidable future Huntsman into our ranks. If he was involved, then where better to catch him in the act, when he's right under our noses? Amber is safe with us, and our enemies know that too. I imagine that their next step will be to infiltrate Beacon in some manner. That is why I've called Qrow and let him know to return as soon as he can."
"You're really calling Qrow back for this? Do you really think he can keep watch on Mr. Arc, protect Miss Rose, and watch over Amber at the same time?"
"Whatever you think of his drinking habits, Qrow is still one of the most accomplished Huntsman in Remnant, and has never failed us even to this day Glynda. And besides, now that his protégé and niece is coming to Beacon, that should be sufficient motivation for him to keep up the good work, don't you think?"
Ruby couldn't stop smiling even as both her and Jaune made their way from the police station to the docks. Never in her wildest dreams did she think that she would be suddenly accepted to Beacon so fast! Oh, her friends back at Signal would be so jealous! And she would get to be with Yang again as classmates! She can't wait to finally get to Beacon, reunite with Yang, see all the amazing weapons everyone uses, and finally accomplish her dream of becoming a Huntress!
"Oh man, I'm soooo excited! I can't believe this is actually happening!" She was so excited she could barely stop herself from bouncing around.
"I was surprised that you got accepted so quickly too. Congratulations, Ruby!" Jaune said as he smiled at her.
"Oh, I never got to thank you properly for your help back there at the store and roof! You really saved my butt with all the cool stuff you did back there! I didn't know you were also a new student going to Beacon too! Guess that means we'll be classmates!" Ruby said as she smiled at her new friend. Take that Yang! She just made a new friend all by herself! "My name's Ruby, Ruby Rose!"
"Nice to meet you, Ruby! The name's Jaune, Jaune Arc! Short, sweet, rolls of the tongue. Ladies love it!"
Ruby could only giggle at his lighthearted greeting. "Do they?"
"You'd be surprised. I can tell you that a few people definitely liked it! In fact, my mom always says that…um, never mind." Jaune would have jokingly said more, but the thought of his mom only dampened the lighthearted mood he set up. How could he even face his family after everything that happened to him? She felt more like family to him in his entire time during the Lands Between than his own family at this point. Ruby noticed his depressed mood and quickly tried to come up with something to distract him from his negative thoughts.
"Speaking of, how did you do all that stuff from earlier? You deflected that huge fireball like it was nothing!"
"Oh, it was nothing special. You could say it was my Semblance. But forget about me, you were really cool back there, taking out all those goons by yourself. You're amazing! No wonder Professor Ozpin bumped you up by 2 years. If anyone deserves admission to Beacon it's definitely you!" Jaune said without a single bit of doubt in his voice. The way she moved and easily took out the goons was incredible. She moved in bursts of petals moving like she was easily dancing around all of their shots and strikes.
Ruby couldn't help but blush at the lavish praise Jaune gave her. "Aw, thanks! But honestly, the real star tonight during that robbery was my baby, Crescent Rose!" Ruby said as she unfurled her weapon to its scythe form, twirling it around and slamming it to the ground leaving a sizable imprint on the ground upon its impact. Jaune couldn't help but jump back at the speed and ease she twirled her admittedly large weapon around.
"It's also a customizable, high-impact sniper rifle!"
"A what?"
"It's also a gun." Ruby smiled as she reloaded her weapon.
With the initial shock out of the way, Jaune spent a few moments gazing at the large scythe Ruby easily hoisted onto her shoulders despite the vast difference in size. While he could easily admit that he was still a complete novice when it came to transforming weapons, he could easily admire the craftsmanship of Crescent Rose. The entire weapon gleamed without a single speck of dirt or dust on it, the scythe transformed without any odd squeaking, and each part looked like it was handcrafted by an exceptionally talented blacksmith. Whoever built Crescent Rose clearly put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears into forging it, and the passion put into its creation was apparent even to Jaune.
"It's amazing! Whoever built this clearly put all their heart and soul into it!"
"Well, hehe. I'm kind of a dork when it comes to weapons! I did kinda go a bit overboard when designing her!"
Jaune could only gape at that. This tiny girl created this absolute behemoth of a weapon? By herself!?
"Wait, you made that!?"
"Yep! All students at Signal forge their own weapons. Did you make yours?"
"Oh, no it's just a hand-me-down." Jaune said as he unsheathed Crocea Mors.
Ruby let out a passionate 'ooh!' at seeing Crocea Mors fully unsheathed. While simple in design, the blade still shone with a brilliant silver hue, and like Crescent Rose it too looked to be very well maintained. At just under a meter in length, Crocea Mors was a simple straight sword with a large blue gem embedded at the base of the blade, with a golden cross-guard and bound with blue leather at the handle.
"And I got this shield and staff," Jaune said as he also showed off the rest of his gear. The shield also shone with a brilliant silver hue just like his sword, and was covered in elaborate carvings with a blue gem embedded in the middle. The scepter was also around a meter in length, with the top section covered by a large blue crystal and surrounded by metal that twirled around the top. Each one of these items were all intricately designed and Ruby could tell that these were all made by master craftsman like herself.
"Oh wow, they look really good! Are you sure they're just hand-me-downs?"
"Well, the sword is mostly a hand-me-down. My great-great-grandfather used it back during the War, though my family says that the sword is actually even older than that. No one knows where it came from or who made it, other than that it was used by my family for centuries."
"Well, that sounds like a family heirloom to me! And did you say it's been in your family for centuries? Most metals would have rusted to dust by then! And yet it looks as though it was forged just yesterday!" Ruby stated, shocked at that tidbit of info. She's never heard of a sword that lasted that long in mint condition before! And this sword was used during the Great War too! "How did your family keep it looking so good all this time?!"
"No idea. According to my grandfather and Dad, the sword stayed in mint condition like that for centuries. They said it was first wielded by my ancestor, the first of the Arcs, way back in the day, and it was passed down from her to her son, who passed it on to his, and so forth. As for the shield and scepter? Well, those were… given to me by an old friend of mine."
Ruby couldn't help but passionately squeal at what Jaune said about his gear. To think a relic that old was still in mint condition! So much history behind it!
"Well, I like it! Not many people have an appreciation for the classics these days, and the classics definitely delivered tonight!"
"Thanks! And don't think Crocea Mors is just a classic sword. She can do a lot more than that, although if I were to try and show off, I might end up destroying the road again. And besides, I have another sword that I use that's even more incredible, although I'm saving that for when I feel like I've earned the right to use it."
The two teens smiled and continued on their way, now waiting at the docks for the next Bullhead to arrive.
"So, why'd you save me back there? You suddenly swooped in and tanked that cannonball earlier, and followed me up to the roof too."
Jaune paused for a moment, before replying, "Eh, why not? I couldn't just leave you like that, all alone against those guys. And besides, my mentor used to say that strangers are just friends you haven't met yet! Or at least, most of them."
Soon the Bullhead arrived, and Ruby made her way to the entrance before waving back at Jaune. "Thanks for helping me out back there, Jaune! Hope to see you at Beacon!" she replied before heading inside, only to be surprised when Jaune followed her in. "Wait, you're also heading to Patch?"
Jaune's happy mood slowly dwindled, and he soon grew more morose.
"Yeah. You see, I was wondering if you can show me around Patch for a bit? I… I'm kind of new to Vale, and I came here to take a Bullhead to Patch anyway. I, uhm, I wanted to go say goodbye to my mentor. She's from Patch and she helped train me to become the Huntsman I always wanted to be. She… passed away recently and I wanted to pay my respects before I head out to Beacon. Kind of want to get wished good luck before I start my new life as a trainee Huntsman." Jaune said as he scratched the back of his head, gazing down.
Ruby gave him a comforting pat on the back as she too had someone she wanted to see before she left for Beacon. "Don't worry, I can show you around! Oh, and I should probably introduce you to Yang, my sister, and Dad! They'll probably want to thank you for helping me out for earlier…," but then Ruby remembered just how overprotective Yang and her dad were, and she shuddered at the mothering and tongue-lashing she would get if they ever heard what happened to her and that she got accepted 2 years early into Beacon.
Not to mention how they'd both react if she brought a boy home. N-not that she thought of Jaune that way! But Yang would either ruthlessly tease her for bringing a potential boyfriend home or would most likely threaten Jaune with tearing his manhood out if he even so much as touched her, and Dad would no doubt go crazy and give Jaune the stink-eye the same way he would for all the guys and girls Yang brought home for dinner.
"On second thought, maybe it's better if I just show you around town. If my sister or dad learn how I thwarted a robbery, they'll go crazy over me." Ruby apologized, worried that she might not help him much.
But Jaune only gave a lighthearted laugh. "Don't worry, I get it. I have seven sisters myself, and my parents are way over-the-top when it comes to being overprotective."
Ruby could only gape at him. Seven sisters!? She tried to imagine being in a house surrounded by 7 Yangs.
Nope. She would have died long before she reached her 15th birthday.
As the two talked about their respective families, the Bullhead finally landed at the island of Patch, and true to her word, Ruby gave Jaune a quick tour of her hometown before finally heading back home.
"Well, that's my hometown! I'm sure if you ask around, someone will be able to guide you to where you need to go. See you at Beacon, Jaune!" Ruby waved back at him as she left for her home.
Unfortunately, Professor Ozpin had notified her sister and dad of what transpired as well as her subsequent admission to Beacon, and as expected they freaked out at her recent exploits as well as how she got pushed ahead 2 years.
2 days later, Ruby strode forward through the grassy area near her house before heading towards the top of the cliff overlooking the forest below. At the very edge of the cliff lay a marble gravestone. Inching her way forward, Ruby finally reached the cliff's edge and looked down at the grave with a small smile and a bouquet of flowers in her arms.
"Summer Rose. Thus Kindly I Scatter" was imprinted at the base of the gravestone. Ruby set the flowers at the base and knelt down, stroking the grave with her hand.
"Good morning, Mom. You wouldn't believe all the crazy things that happened recently! Yang just graduated from Signal, and she got accepted into Beacon! I was so happy for her, but I was kinda sad that she'll be gone while I catch up at Signal, especially since my grades there haven't really been that great. But guess what! A couple days ago, I was shopping for some of Yang's stuff when a bunch of robbers came in! I wish you could have seen me go at them! I was swooshing in, going all "Wham" and "Hyah" at them! Unfortunately, one of the robbers got away, but I made a new friend! His name's Jaune and you should have seen the way he used his Semblance, shooting all these cool blue swords and later showing me his weapons. Can you believe he said that his sword is centuries old? And yet it looks so brand new! And he says he has an even cooler sword!"
Ruby smiled as she candidly spoke in front of her mother's grave. "But the best news is here! Professor Ozpin himself came to me and actually allowed me to be accepted to Beacon 2 years early! Can you believe it!? I really gotta thank Uncle Qrow next time he comes back from a mission. If it weren't for him training me, I would have never made it this far! I still can't believe I'm going to Beacon with Yang! It feels like such a dream come true!"
Ruby could soon hear the roar of a motorbike engine heading her way. Knowing who was likely coming, Ruby smoothed out her skirt and gave a final glance to the grave. "Soon, I'm gonna be a Huntress just like you, Mom! I hope I make you proud, wherever you are. And I hope I can see you again if you're out there. Wish me luck Mom!"
Soon, a large yellow bike arrived near the clearing before twirling to a complete stop near Ruby. Disembarking off of the bike, a tall, young woman with golden-blonde hair removed her helmet and glasses before waving at Ruby with her lilac-colored eyes gazing at her in affection.
"Hey Rubes! What were you talking to Mom about?" Yang asked as she grabbed Ruby in a tight embrace.
"I was talking about our acceptances to Beacon! I'm so happy that we're heading there together!"
"You and me both, Rubes!" Yang said as she smothered Ruby into her chest. Her adorable little sister was actually coming with her to Beacon! Winking at her mom's grave, she could easily imagine her and her little sisters being the bees' knees, becoming one of the best Huntresses to graduate from Beacon just like their mom! "Come on, we gotta head over before the Bullhead leaves!"
Leaping onto Yang's bike, both sisters eventually departed before casting one final glance at the grave. As they left the forest, Ruby swore that she would become the best Huntress she could! She would make her mom proud of her!
Jaune stood near the trees to the side of the cliff, making himself hidden as he heard the engine of Yang's bike slowly dwindle, taking the two sisters away from the area. Once he made sure that no one was around, he exited the cover of the trees and slowly made his way towards the edge of the cliff.
Arms clad in several bouquets of flowers, he made his way to the marked grave, emotion flooding his heart.
To Summer Rose's grave.
To say goodbye to the Tarnished who saved his life time and time again. Who believed in him when no one else did. Who took the time to train him in combat, and protected him during their perilous and death-ridden journey through the Lands Between. Who became a second mother to him, and comforted him whenever the multitude of deaths he experienced overwhelmed him with sweet words and a warm hug not even Fia could match.
And despite everything she had done for him, he squandered his love and respect for her with the worst betrayal imaginable.
He should have been the one with a grave marked for him instead of her. No, he didn't even deserve a gravestone. After all the chaos he caused, all the friends he failed to save, he could never deserve something as grand as a hero's farewell.
Summer should have been the one to survive. She alone deserved the title of Elden Lord.
No one else could have ever been as kind-hearted and warm as her. She tried to save everyone she could, she treated her enemies with compassion and respect, and she was a powerful swordswoman as well.
There was hardly a single person at the Roundtable Hold or out in the Lands Between who didn't hold her in high esteem. Roderika was in awe of her, Nepheli Loux idolized her, Boc loved her, Diallos probably fell in love with her, Hewg considered her a daughter to him as well, and even Gideon Ofnir, that pompous ass, respected her.
Finally arriving at Summer's grave, tears running down his cheeks, Jaune placed the many flowers all over the gravestone before kneeling and placing his hand over the Rose emblem decorating the top of the grave.
"I'm sorry, Summer." Jaune said as he continued to openly weep in front of the grave. "I'm so, so sorry. For everything. Not a single day goes by where I don't think back on our journey through the Lands Between. Where I always regret what happened between us. I screwed up, I did something incredibly stupid, all in the hopes that I would stop being a failure. That I could actually be of some help to you. But all I've done is just once again show how much of a complete loser I am. I could never be as strong or as kind as you. I could never be worthy of the title of Elden Lord. I'm just a pretender, a false Lord. I could never be worthy to consider myself your friend."
Overcome with emotion, Jaune collapsed in front of the grave on his knees. He couldn't hold back his emotions any longer as he openly shed bitter tears, their drops raining down on top of the grave. He no longer cared if someone caught him grieving over Summer's grave.
He really was a failure. In the end, Varre was right about him after all. He should have just gone and died in a ditch somewhere, alone and forgotten.
But he would be damned if he didn't do all he could to make things right.
Jaune shakily stood up, and steeled himself. Wiping away his tears, his face and will resolute, he clenched his fist before making his final declaration.
"I may be a failure. I may have failed you, but I refuse to be a failure one last time. I refuse to stay as the pitiful Tarnished who couldn't even save and help his best friend."
Clenching his fist and raising it to his chest, Jaune steadied himself and spoke with more clarity and conviction than he had ever done before in his past life.
"I will not fail you this time. I promise to fulfill your dying wish. I… solemnly swear upon my family name and my very being, that I will protect Ruby Rose. Even if I die a hundred thousand more deaths, even if the Outer Gods curse and wreck my body, even if I lose my mind and sanity, I will save her, and I will protect her from all harm. This is my promise to you, Summer, and even if you believe that I'll fail, which I don't fault you for, I vow that I will not fail here."
"Thank you, Summer Rose. For everything." Jaune concluded as he gazed at Summer's grave one last time. Turning away and never looking back, Jaune made his way out of the forest before heading towards the docks, where he will no doubt be joining Ruby and Yang as the three of them began their journey as Huntsmen together in Beacon.
Where he will finally find his redemption.
And that's a wrap! Apologies for the lengthy first chapter, I wanted to get this set-up chapter done so I can finally get to the meat of the story I have planned out. While most of the story will take place on Remnant and mostly follow RWBY's canon story, there will be a large section of the story later on which focuses on Jaune's entire journey in the Lands Between. Some flashbacks will be shown here and there, but the entire story of Elden Ring that Jaune takes part in won't be fully revealed until much later. Sorry if any of you were looking forward to what happened in the Lands Between, but please bear with me!
This is my first story every written on this website, so I appreciate any and all constructive criticisms and advice! Like I said earlier, I'll try to be as lore-accurate as possible though I will put in my own personal interpretations of the lore as well as other tidbits like some cut-content and Japanese translations.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this story!