Chapter Unedited (No Beta Reader, we die like Ace).
Hey guys, it's great to be back! Unfortunately had a covid scare about two months back. While the covid was actually quite tame, at least for me, it highlighted other issues that led to me being hospitalized for a few months. But no worries! Thankfully I am back and completely 100% healthy with no complications or possible long-term issues…well so far anyway. Any who, welcome to the latest chapter of The Arcane Craftsman!
The Arcane Craftsman: Chapter 15
The Wayward guild base was beginning to look like a proper guild house. Jaune smiled from the foyer as a blue light beamed from the upper floors. His hand was placed on Velvet's shoulder as the ARCHITECT used him as a portable mana battery. Velvet began to sweat as her eyes remained shut in concentration. Thankfully, the light faded before Velvet collapsed in exhaustion. The girl smiled at her work; the upper floors were completed.
"You alright" smiled Jaune.
Velvet nodded.
"Yes, I'll be fine. I'm not entirely used to being able to use resonance with anyone, and you have a…lot of mana. It's almost too much sometimes."
Jaune frowned, noticing the strain in Velvet's voice.
"You didn't have to do this, you know? You could have just focused on your rooms. The others and I are leaving today anyway; not like we're using the bedrooms."
Velvet gave Jaune a stink eye.
"Would you leave a project half-finished?"
Jaune opened his mouth and closed it. She had a point. Unless circumstances forced his hand, Jaune would work till the job was done, As Roman could attest to. After his guild completed their C rank dungeon, Jaune immediately returned to hammer out the remaining projects Roman had acquired for him. They were all relatively simple, with four blades and a single shield. After working on the weapons, he had before, Jaune had to admit that he found the projects…lacking. He wanted a challenge, something that he could wrack his brain around. Most had ordered a simple sword that shot out flames using their mana. Jaune didn't see the appeal…but then again, he could summon magic like that with an accidental fart, so his perspective was slightly skewed. Velvet had rushed upstairs to grab their things and left Jaune to his thoughts.
Jaune would have stopped her and grabbed his things for himself, but Velvet could be oddly hostile about rejecting her courtesy. Near the door was the rest of the guild, double-checking their equipment. Yang smiled at a pair of gauntlets she had purchased from the market, enjoying their feel.
"Ready to head out?" asked Weiss, rechecking her checklist for what had to be the eighteenth time.
"Weiss, we'll be fine," smiled Jaune.
Nora rolled her eyes, her demeanour calmer now that she had a taste of combat.
"Now you jinxed it, Jartorious!"
"For the last time, just call me Jaune," he sighed.
Nora gave a demonic grin and said nothing. She knew she had him. Ren patted Jaune on the shoulder while Pyrrha was inspecting her spears. As it turned out, the CHAMPION had numerous armaments but could only carry three at a time. Pyrrha had always held her favoured sword and shield, with two other weapons and the elixir item in her inventory. The rest were held in storage at Beacon. When the others had learned of the nature of Jaune's existence, the obvious question had been what was different. Eventually, this led to everyone learning of Jaune's bottomless pit of an inventory.
To put it simply, Nora had dumped a shit ton of non-perishable food and water into it while the others kept the weapons, they couldn't carry with Jaune. Jaune had no problem being their backpack, but he had to admit that he wasn't entirely used to looking at his inventory and seeing 99x pancake batter.
"Do we have water?" demanded Weiss.
Jaune nodded.
"Canned food?"
A nod.
"Potions?"
A nod.
"HP and MP?"
A nod.
"Are you sure?"
Jaune tilted his head.
"You don't trust me?"
Weiss stared at Jaune, concern on her face.
"I do! I just…I admit that my enthusiasm for this quest has…dimmed somewhat. I want to make sure we are prepared for anything and everything."
Jaune would have ordinarily called her paranoid. But considering the circumstances, both personal and divine, Jaune would rescind his judgement.
"Jaune, catch!"
Jaune turned to the sound of Yang's voice and caught a package. It was a hefty thing, wrapped like it had come from the butcher. Yang smirked as she bumped shoulders with Ruby.
"A gift from Patch. A little later than I would have wanted but we got it."
Jaune rose an eyebrow.
"…what?"
Yang's smirk faltered.
"You know? For Ruby? The scythe?"
"I already settled that with Ruby before I even started the project" chuckled Jaune.
Yang gave Jaune a blank stare.
"….yeaaaa…no more of that" muttered Yang.
Jaune shrugged helplessly as Blade patted him on the back. Jaune considered it a victory that he didn't flinch from the surprise.
"I think what Yang means is that you shouldn't be quick to offer free work."
Jaune understood where they were coming from, but honestly it wasn't as if he did it for no reason. Another pack settled on in Jaune's arms as Ren placed a smaller box in his arms. Jaune looked at Ren as the man gave him a peaceful smile.
"For services rendered."
Jaune rolled his eyes but took the gifts and opened them. From Yang was a collection of B rank materials. The clothe, a different breed of holy shroud, having suppressed the mana from leaking. A small collection of horns, bones and other tough materials were open to him.
ALERT!
You have gained Bicorn's horn x2
You have gained beast claws x4
You have gained the fur of an "Ice Yokai".
Jaune smiled at the small haul. It was diverse and the horns of a Bicorn would be fun to play with when he had the chance.
"Thank you, Yang."
Yang smiled.
"Dad and Mom collected what they could. Most Hunters don't bother with gathering materials so they could only grab a few. Dad said he would be storing whatever materials they can grab for you as well."
Jaune appreciated it. He couldn't tell precisely why Yang's father seemed to be so indebted to him but he would take the free materials while he could. Ren's gift was a surprise though. A small cake was within the box, the aroma of cherry wafting to Jaune's nose.
"A cake?" chuckled Jaune.
Ren shrugged.
"I figured it was best to get something we could enjoy on the trip. I had it transported from a bakery from Vacuo."
Jaune blinked.
"…A bakery has access to teleportation magic?"
Ren smiled.
"They are considered one of the best bakeries in Vacuo. Their daughter owed me a favour so I requested a cake to be delivered."
Jaune smiled. He wasn't going to tell Ren he already had another cake hiding in his inventory. Two was better than one after all. The group finally began to move after another of Weiss's inspections. The trek was rather simple, if annoying.
Deep in the Southern quadrant of Beacon was a man-made river system for ships. The harbour was responsible for most of Beacon's supplies. A simple straightforward walk along the paths would bring one to the ships. The path was simple, the gazes were not. Eyes, sharp with something indiscernible to Jaune, were eyeing the Wayward Guild. Jaune struggled with the weight of their gazes. His reputation, the feats of the guild, and the penalties that the Mercenary and Merchant guilds were going through told quite the story. Jaune would have felt pride in the Guild's progress if it wasn't for the fact that everyone else was crippled in comparison, hence his discomfort.
The Merchant and Mercenary guilds had long since hampered the progress of free form groups like the "Wayward Guild". So, becoming one of the rising "rookies" of the school wasn't difficult in theory. Wasn't exactly hard to be in the top three spots of the first years when there were only three competitors to begin with. Apparently, things were not this bad last year, but the change of leadership and a sense of complacency in the larger guilds had led to reckless and outright thoughtless decisions. The thief's guild would have been put into consideration but sadly they were not a combat-orientated guild and as such lacked the numbers to be considered one of the top three this year. Jaune called bullshit on that but wasn't in the mood to figure out what the thieves guild was up to.
Jaune couldn't help but wonder what kind of talents were hiding in Beacon, obscured by the shadows of the greater guilds. With their hold lifted and several guild laws passed within Beacon, perhaps these shining talents would appear. Regardless it mattered little. Jaune's focus was now in the harbour, eyeing the ship they would be sailing with.
"That's…." muttered Ren.
Ruby whistled.
"Now that's a boat!"
"The term ship is far more appropriate for this beauty, no?"
Ruby nearly jumped out of her skin as an older man chuckled behind her. He walked on a cane and slowly limped passed Ruby and the others on his way through. While his face signified a man of great age, his youthful enthusiasm was apparent.
"WHO WHAT!?"
The older man continued to laugh as he finally laid eyes on Jaune.
"It's been a time little dragon."
"Mimir!" smiled Jaune.
Mirmir, the ORATOR. A bard-esque class focused primarily on buffs and illusions. He was getting on in his years, but in the lands of Remnant this was a sign of great wisdom and knowledge. Even now the old man continued his post as a "Knight" of the Roundtable, sharing his knowledge of history, warfare, diplomacy, and even magic with the younger generation. He was the premier historian of the lands of Camelot. He knew every tale ever told, every deal struck, every tactic used. He was-
"Greetings!" smiled Mimir, bowing to the others "The name's Mimir, the smartest man alive!"
Pyrrha squealed as she saw him, making the others look confused.
"You know this old man?" asked Yang.
Blake blinked in surprise at seeing a ram Faunus with such small horns but was otherwise unperturbed.
"Mirmir is a popular performer" explained Pyrrha "he uses his illusions to bring many of his tales to life. Oh, I loved the tale of Prometheus! Your rendition of the Forge God was astounding!"
As Pyrrha gushed about many of Mirmir's tales, Jaune blinked.
There was a Forge God? The only gods Jaune had been aware of were those who reigned over society, war, and magic. The fuck, where the hell was this asshole for all the laborers? Jaune shivered as he felt the possessive hands of Salem wrap around his heart.
"It was just a thought Salem; I'm not going anywhere".
Sure enough, the cold feeling lingered for a moment. It dispersed but only after what felt like a sudden cold breeze blew through his skull. If Jaune had to guess, Salem basically brain scanned him for his sincerity. Jaune shuddered to think of what would have happened if Salem thought he was aiming for a different Patron.
He'd probably be dead…or worse.
"Gods are terrifying. Helpful, but terrifying."
Still, Jaune couldn't help but wonder about the Forge god. Maybe a tale from Mirmir during their time at sea. Speaking of.
"I hate to interrupt" smiled Jaune, making Pyrrha blush as she finished gushing "but why are you here Mimir?"
The older man smiled.
"I am here to check on you little dragon. When rumours reached us that you might be alive…well…you didn't expect me to just sit around did you? Nor the rest of the roundtable?"
The thumping of the boarding plank echoed through the harbor. Not a soul was in sight aside from the Wayward guild and the sailors of Arturia's ship "Pridwen"…which was also her…shield…
Weapons were weird.
Jaune smiled brightly as he saw the several knights of the roundtable in full regalia. Their steps echoed through the harbor like the sound of thunder. Their weapons drawn, their armor shining, the knights created a pathway for Jaune and the guild, slamming their weapons into the ground in unity. 18 knights, nine on either side, echoed together as one.
"All hail Artorious!"
Jaune blushed horribly.
"Ah no" he muttered, they wouldn't.
Another slam echoed through the harbor.
"All hail Jaune of Arc!"
Nora got into the spirit of it as she yelled out
"ALL HAIL JARTORIOUS!"
One of the Knights looked at Nora, than the other. Together they shrugged and once again slammed the ground.
"ALL HAIL JARTORIOUS!"
"Damnit Nora" whined Jaune.
The once serious, seemingly unaffable knights, began to shake in laughter, their armor dispersing into their inventories. Men and women of various ages all smiled dearly at one Jaune Arc.
"It is good to see you lad." Said one.
"In good health I see."
"A prestige class! HA! Oh the Irony of it all."
The sounds of echoing laughter and joy was present for a few minutes. That was until a shadow fell, a presence that seamlessly spread across the gathered people. Agravain had arrived. The man summoned a pocket watch and glared at the time.
"We are wasting travel time. We can talk on the boat, I'd rather not give Uther's spies any leeway."
Some of the Knights rolled their eyes. It was not a lack of faith in Agravain's abilities or knowledge. No, their annoyance lied in the fact that Agravain could be overly paranoid. As powerful politically as Uther was, his power was concentrated within the Clocktower of Atlas. The idea that Uther somehow had a spy in Vale was laughable. But regardless, the Knights did not ignore the wisdom of Agravain and quickly loaded Jaune and his guild into Pridwen. To the shock of no one, the interior of the ship was far larger than the outer. A combination of magic that all coming together to create a single ship that could house the entirety of the roundtable, their armaments, and their vehicles. It was the pride and joy of Arturia. It's use would certainly tip Uther off that something was amiss. However, that was merely the beginning of Agravain's plans.
As for the Wayward Guild, they were busy amusing themselves with the amenities of the ship. While it was the flagship of the Roundtable, it was also a ship well equipped for diplomatic missions. As such there was a wide variety of different spaces for the duration of their trip. The first of which being the Guest Wing.
"…"
Jaune blinked.
"Uh…"
Ren stared at the room, his hands laxed.
"…..So….damn".
The guild swallowed as one, with Weiss being the only one unaffected by the extravagance of the rooms. Referred to as the "Guest Wing" the rooms being used by the Wayward guild were designed with the use Leaders in mind. A way to show strength and wealth to foreign sovereigns. As such, most of the guild was rather put off by the rooms. The single room, one that Weiss took for herself, was easily the size of four standard bedrooms. A large fluffy bed stood in the center of the room, with dressers and drawers spread across the room. A door leading to a bathroom and another leading to a kitchen was present as well. The Kitchen acted as the center of the guest wing, with several corridors leading from the kitchen to each individual room in the "Guest Wing". Although calling it a Kitchen was a bit misleading. Jaune swallowed and shook his head.
"I forgot how…nice this ship was."
Yang narrowed her eyes at Jaune.
"You forgot? How?"
Jaune shrugged.
"I didn't really stay here much. My family usually used the Kitchen but that was it. Most of the time we were on the upper deck with the rowers and fisherman."
Ruby smiled, seemingly becoming immune to the extravagance of the room.
"OOOH! So you sailed often!"
Jaune smiled, a fond memory playing in the background of his thoughts.
"Yes. My mother loves sailing. She often told me about her adventures at sea and that her dream was to travel the whole world by ocean one day with dad. I remember the time she caught a Leviathan by herself. We ate that thing for weeks!"
Blake looked at Jaune bug eyed. Even Pyrrha seemed a little unsettled at the idea that someone would willingly hunt Leviathans for food. Considering they were one of the few high-tier monsters in remnant, most never hunted them.
"Right" drawled Yang "So how long is this trip of ours going to take?"
Jaune shrugged.
"Depends on the wind and whatever obstacles we might encounter. Usually, a trip from Vale to Atlas is about…two weeks."
Yang sighed and rolled her shoulders.
"This is going to be a long two weeks."
Jaune shrugged again and smiled.
"Depends. If we go to Camelot the trip is only about five days."
Weiss nodded but Blake shook her head. For what felt like the first time, Blake willingly removed her cloak, showering her features in full for the first time. Her jet black hair, grown to her shoulder blades, and searing yellow eyes created quite the exotic image for any young man. Even Jaune had to blink for a moment, captivated by her beauty. However, it would take more than that to make Jaune a sputtering mess. After all, his entire guild was filled with nothing but beautiful women…actually his entire life was filled with nothing but attractive people. It actually made Jaune wonder if magic affected more than just a persons physical and mental capability.
"Thoughts for later".
Blake sighed, letting the darkness that seeped around her feet dissipate.
"You don't usually turn off your passive?" noticed Nora "What's up?"
Blake's ears twitched, her Faunus features on full display.
"My passive is mostly for emergencies. While Vale's leadership has come a long way, there's still some resentment for the Faunus people."
Jaune rose an eyebrow. He didn't really notice it himself, but than again he himself was never subjected to such racism, so what did he know.
"It is also easier to hold a conversation if I'm not slipping in and out of shadows."
Everyone muttered a sound of agreement.
"So Jaune, I'm curious. Why is it that you refer to Camelot and Atlas as separate entities? On the map I have the isle are simply referred to as Atlas. Yet, Weiss tells me that most call the Atlas Tower the clocktower?"
Jaune rolled his shoulders.
"…Might be easier to talk about it in the Kitchen. I'm not really an expert on the history of it but I'll try my best."
"I admit that I am curious as well. I've tried reading up on the subject more, but the history books of Atlas are disturbingly lacking." Said Ren.
Jaune opened the door of the room and entered the large Kitchen. It was a chef's paradise, designed by Jaune's father himself for his culinary passions. Dark granite table tops. A high wall filled with different knives, pans, and specialty tools. Yet, at the center of the Kitchen was none other than Mimir himself. The man was currently cutting rows of meat and whistling a jaunty tune.
"Oh! Hello there lads, wasn't expecting you here so early. I'll be out of your hair in just a minute. Want some steaks?"
Nora chuckled as she approached the man and sat her self down at the counter in front of Mimir. The others joined suit with Ren apologizing for Nora's grinning attitude.
"Nonsense" smiled Mimir "food is meant to be shared after all! Besides, too much meat here for an old man like me. So what brings you here? Hungry?"
Jaune smiled.
"Somewhat. Actually, Mimir you know this better than I do. Mind telling us a story?"
Mimir grinned, twirling the knife he was using with an experts touch.
"I'm always up for telling a tale lad. What interests you on this fine day? Shall I spin a tale of Ragnar the red? The Witcher of the Frozen Plains? Or perhaps the tale of your father himself? You always enjoyed that one."
Jaune blushed horribly at the reminder but spoke quickly.
"No no, I just wanted you to explain to the others the history of the isles. About why we're so divided."
"Ah, now that's an interesting tale, if a tad boring. Did you want the gritty details or the neat and quick of it?" asked Mimir.
"Just enough detail to make sense of it" requested Blake.
"Of course. Hmm…I think the best place to start would be at the very beginning of Atlas as a whole. Ya see, before the common language and peace you have today, the isles of Atlas was a dreadful place."
With a sizzle, meat was placed into the pan, some smoke rising from the pan. In his unique tongue Mimir spoke some words. Only now as an Arcane Craftsman could Jaune understand the words that Mimir said.
Let the past be shown, and tales be sung.
The smoke lit a brilliant blue as it seeming came alive. The runes for music, history, and stories now known to Jaune. The smoke expanded and surrounded the Kitchen, now showing an area embroiled in warfare, shadowy figures fighting each other with steel and magic. Mimir's voice seemed a tad more enthralling, his words carrying the history of Atlas.
"Separated only large rivers and lakes, the people of the Atlas archipelago waged war after war. A battle for resources and land was a constant reality. Even the laborer's were forced to fight at the behest of nobles…for the vaunted hero classes had rendered themselves nigh extinct in the ensuing conflicts."
All the hero classes blinked in shock. The idea that there almost existed a society without the combat focused heroes almost too foreign for them.
"As decades passed, the flames of war ebbed and flowed. Whenever the heroes became plentiful, battles would ensue, and the number of heroes would fall. Again and again this cycle of bloodshed found itself, seemingly with no end. Until a particular Knight stood amongst the masses. Artorious, the first of the Roundtable, stood against the madness of the isles. One by one the Knight brought others under his banner and did the one thing no one ever thought of doing."
Mimir's glowing eyes smiled as the smoke shifted, showing a man clad in midnight blue armor raising a sword in front of villages.
"He attacked the Grimm. He attacked the very shadows that threatened the masses. He cared not for war, only for fighting back the abyss and the Grimm that followed it. He fought for no lord, only for the people. Others began to follow from all walks of life. Noble, Labor, and Hero alike fell under Artorious' banner. Trade became possible as other islands settled their differences in the face of a common enemy. Many called for Artorious to become a King, the first non-noble to become so. It was unprecedented. Those that called for the destruction of the caste system clashed against those that wanted nothing more than to maintain the status quo. Most of the remaining heroes at this time had been magic based. Those that mastered spells instead of combat arts. They sheltered what few melee classes remained, creating the relationship that would eventually become the Sentinel system. Thus the divide began."
The show of a tower growing from the earth, with people heading away to the tower. The tower glowed brightly to the guild and runes began to dance around it.
"As time progressed, the feelings of the past echoed into the present. The isle had peace, but it had come at a cost. Artorious, for all his strength, was weak in politics and truthfully cared little for the nobles and more about the masses. Some speculate that he was an abnormal, a hero born to two labor classes. As such the division had cemented unimpeded. The magic classes retreated to the tower, unwilling to help the laborers fend off beasts and monsters alike. The laborers refused to stand with the mages, restricting their food and services to themselves alone. The hero and noble classes split asunder. Some left, following the ways of Artorious and serving society as a whole. Others followed the mages, their sense of honor calling for them to repay the protection that the mages had brought them. As time passed these divisions proved themselves to be wide spread and enduring. The Roundtable protected what they called "Camelot" the kingdom of the people. The sentinels protected what they deemed the tower of magic "The Clocktower". Arturia, in a bid to ease this division, accepted the position of sentinel for Ironwood some years ago. However, it has done admittedly little. Although that is a story for another time."
Mimir's eyes blinked, the glow leaving and the smoke clearing.
"So, does that answer your question!"
Blake nodded slowly.
"So…it's a generational hate?"
Mimir rolled his tongue.
"Yes and no. You must understand, what Artorious the Abyss Walker provided in those ancient times struck the people deeply. The struggles, the loss, the carnage…no one in Atlas wants to be the one that breaks the peace…that ignores the sacrifices of the Wolf Knights, the Ancestors of the Roundtable. And so an unspoken rule has come into being."
Mimir raised his left arm.
"Those raised outside the tower, call themselves citizens of Camelot."
His right arm raised.
"Those that call the tower their home refer to themselves as researchers of the Clocktower."
Mimir clasped his hands in the middle.
"And in politics we unify only in referring to ourselves as the Kingdom of Atlas, in remembrance of Artorious' home island."
Blake pursed her lips.
"It seems overly complicated."
Mimir chuckled.
"Perhaps. But the history of Vacuo, the homeland of the Faunus, is a place riddled with history and the warring of clans. Even now your people are still locked in the era of Three Kingdoms."
Blake blinked.
"Ah right, not something that's usually discussed. Now that is an interesting story! It all started-"
Jaune laughed as Mimir began to discuss the history of Vacuo and how each of the clans of Vacuo could trace their allegiance to one of three original clans, hence the title "The War of Three Kingdoms". Jaune enjoyed his steak for quite some time. It wasn't the equal of his father, but things seldom were.
"Ah, that was good" smiled Nora "…kind of want me some cake."
Jaune rolled his eyes and opened his inventory. Mimir made a joke as Jaune tried to grab the cake.
"Ah, A cake in the inventory huh. That reminds of a joke I heard in northern Minstril."
Before anyone could speak a loud splat was heard as the Shadow Wyvern plopped to the counter, their stomach bulging as a piece of the cake that Jaune wanted all those years ago was slowly being shoved into its large open mouth.
"Grrk" it squealed adorably, its little wings flapping as it consumed the last of the cake. Jaune blinked as he stared at his shadow pet. The cake slowly, impossible, sliding down the creatures esophagus.
"…..Is that?" muttered Weiss.
"….Huh…a shadow. Haven't seen that in a very long time. Rare little buggars, usually never leave the shadows of their hosts. Friend of yours?"
Jaune nodded lifting the poor creature into his arms, it cooing weakly as its stomach bulged.
"I bonded with it in the last punis…er dungeon. It's a shy wyvern, never really wanted to leave till now. I thought they don't eat?"
Mimir rubbed his chin.
"It's not that they don't eat but more that they can't. They don't have a stomach or a digestive system. It's more solid than a normal shadow, I'll give it that much, but on the normal side, these little creatures don't need more than the mana they devour from their hosts. Cute though."
Mimir chuckled as he rubbed the little wyverns tummy, making the creature gurgle. The creature hrked as it began to choke. Before anyone could move the Shadow Wyvern's stomach flattened as it threw up a blue crystal. Jaune stared at the crystal with trepidation.
Mana Crystal (C Rank).
A shard of condensed mana. Forged in the stomach of a creature of shadows, mana was condensed and mixed with matter to create this raw and pure mana crystal. The energy and properties of these crystals can be altered depending on the materials used in its construction.
Purity: 80%
Shine: Grade – A
Unique Properties:
Smells like Vanilla and sprinkles.
Note: The construction of mana crystals cannot be done by normal methods. The "Stomach" of a shadow is "infinite" in the respect that space has no concept. The energy of the shadow churns and shaves away impurities from mana and condenses it with matter. This is only possible due to the nature of your bond. The Wyvern is incapable of absorbing more mana, since it has required all it needs from you, its hosts. As such the matter and left-over mana have calcified into this chunk of mana crystal. With no place left to go, the crystal is dislodged.
Weiss stared at the wyvern who now seemed to be intimately aware that they were out in the open. The poor thing squawked and dispersed into Jaune's shadow. Weiss giggled a bit, seeing two blue circles peering out from Jaune's shadow. The rest of the guild stared directly at the two lights, leaving Jaune to his pondering of the crystal in his hands.
"I should be surprised" sighed Blake "but honestly at this point I'm beginning to get numb to it."
Nora was poking Jaune's shadow, her face close to the ground.
"Is it gonna come out?" she muttered.
Weiss cooed as she rubbed her fingers outside the shadow.
"Come here you adorable wittle thing."
Yang's face turned blank as she stared at Weiss. Surprisingly the shadow's head peaked out and peered at Weiss. It sunk back in but slowly eased out again. It hesitated before slowly going to Weiss and tilting its head. Weiss's hand caressed the underside of the Wyvern's face, making the creature sink into her palm. Weiss was soon able to pick it up and held it close to her.
"Oh whose the cutest wittle baby!"
The Wyvern blinked slowly before seemingly falling asleep. Ruby was tickling it and while the creature seemed utterly content, it soon dispersed into wisps that travelled into Jaune's shadow.
"Aww" muttered Ruby.
Mimir chuckled.
"Not surprising. Creatures like that shadow can rarely maintain physical form for long periods of time."
"Must be pretty weak" muttered Yang.
Mimir's face became serious as he shook his head.
"On the contrary they can be devastating. If I recall, Agravain has a shadow familiar as well. If they become strong enough, they can exert great destructive potential. They become stronger the more they can absorb from their host. They're a symbiotic entity so there's quite a bit that I don't know."
Mimir chuckled at their confused expressions.
"Just because Agravain has a shadow familiar doesn't mean he talks about it. He avoids answering the question. Supposedly he's embarrassed of his familiar."
"is it weak?" asked Blake.
In the world of remnant a weak familiar was something to be despised. Some would judge the strength of the summoner based on the overall ranking of their summon.
"Quite the opposite. Supposedly it is so powerful that it can match Gawain in close combat, even under the evening sun."
Yang almost spits at Mimir's explanation.
"WHAT!?"
Mimir smiled.
"Oh, so one of you knows the strength of the gallant Gawain?"
Yang smiled awkwardly as she shook the back of her head.
"Well…"
Ruby giggled.
"You can say that! She's got the biggest crush on him! She has posters and ever-URK!"
Yang grabbed her sisters collar and glared at her, her hair burning and her eyes red.
"Shut. Up."
Ruby smiled awkwardly and nodded. Mimir laughed as Ruby nodded, slapping his hand agaisnt his knee.
"There's no shame in that! There are many who do not deserve such admiration but the Gallant Gawain is certainly worthy of it. Say, that reminds me of a ta-"
The boat shook. The shaking was horrid as many items fell to the wayside.
"Is this normal?" yelled Weiss.
Mimir blinked in awe.
"No, not even close. This ship is pure magic, not even the worst of waves should be able to shake the interior."
Mimir licked his finger and held it up. The tip, turned blue.
"Huh, I'll be damned."
Mimir jogged out of the room, followed by Jaune and the others. Through the various room of the legendary ship, Jaune noticed how hectic the crew had become. Some were mages, trying to maintain the interior, others were trying to keep things where they belonged. Yet, out of everything that Jaune was expecting, it certainly wasn't this. At the deck of the ship Jaune's eyes widened at the sight of a monstrous Grimm. The entire creature was huge, its bone white carapace easily dwarfing anything that Jaune had fought before. Jaune began thinking of ways to fight the creature.
INSPECT!
Grimm: Kraken! (Rank: A+)
A legendary beast of the sea, this species of Grimm are formed deep in the ocean, born from the despair of drowned sailors. They suffer no natural predators on Remnant and as such can grow endlessly through the bounties of the sea. These creatures gain a bonus to all stats while in the sea and can regenerate endlessly through the ocean's mana. While weaknesses do exist, they are not exploitable by the player at this time.
"KRAKEN!" yelled one of the sailors.
Agravain appeared, cursing to the wind.
"Get back into the ship!" yelled Agravain.
Jaune went to argue, but no words escaped. Instead, the wind was torn from his lungs at the force of a newcomer, one that dwarfed the Kraken by leagues, destroying it instantly. Jaune stared at the serpent of the seas. It's gargantuan body slowly rising from the ocean, crushing the Kraken in its jaws.
"Is that" whispered Yang.
Jaune nodded dumbly.
INSPECT
Jormungandr, The World Serpant (Rank: SSS)
Level: !
Titles: Guardian of the Seas, God Slayer, Divine Destroyer, Devil Breaker, World Ender, World Saviour, Lord of the Giants, Planeswalker, Pl-
A beast of legend said to have slain the God of Thunder in another world. Jormungandr is a refuge from across the planes, forced into the position of being a boss in a yellow dungeon. It has taken it upon itself to defend the people of Remnant from the terrors of the deep. It has been referred to by other names, such as Leviathan and Juggernaut.
Jaune stared into space as he realized something.
"I CAN INSPECT PEOPLE!?"
Jaune stared at his hands in sheer shock at his own stupidity. If he could inspect weapons why not people? Jaune turned his attention towards the massive creature. Jaune had never met the great Jormungandr himself, but tales of the great serpents exploits were famous amongst sailors.
"This is unusual" muttered Mimir, flanking to Jaune's left "Jormungandr doesn't usually stick around…but…".
Sure enough, the great serpent's head seemed to be looming over them, sinking closer and closer to the ship. The grey scales shone with the light of the sun.
"Who…are you?"
Jaune pointed to himself and the serpent nodded.
"I'm…I'm Jaune."
"That is not your name" grumbled Jormungandr "not the name engraved upon your soul. I see it, the flames, the shadows. I see you, Artorious Pendragon."
Jaune blinked. It dawned on Jaune a certain possibility.
"Are…are you like me?" asked Jaune.
"Chosen by the gods" murmured Jormungandr "if that is what you mean, than yes."
Jaune laughed and turned to his friends.
"Guys there's…"
Jaune's smile faded as he saw everything around him was frozen. The world was a hazy grey, a strange visible gust bellowing around his feet. Jaune turned to the great serpent.
"Did you just stop time?"
Jormungandr's massive frame loomed towards Jaune, it's large eye mere meters from Jaune.
"A discussion like this should stay between the likes of us. I have no need for others to sully our discussion."
The god damn super serpent stopped time. Jaune wasn't going to argue with it, regardless of how he felt.
"Where is she."
Jaune blinked.
"Who?"
"Your sire. The one who smells of dragons and light."
Jaune visibly deflated.
"She's…she's in a bad place right now" admitted Jaune.
"Hmmm…to be separated from ones sire unwillingly. This is a pain I know well."
The serpents head turned towards the north and back to Jaune.
"You seek to return to what the humans call Atlas?"
Jaune nodded.
"The home of your sire…and where she must currently be kept."
Jaune nodded again, confusion written across his features.
"Very well. I shall assist."
"But why?" muttered Jaune.
"I have been a plaything of Gods and men in my time. If I can ease our shared pain, than I shall do so. Besides, your mother was one of the few who attempted to communicate with me as an equal, even if my languge is indecipherable to all but others like us."
"You sound fine to me" smiled Jaune.
Jormungandr chuckled. It shook Jaune to his very frame, his skeleton shaking within the confines of his flesh. It wasn't a pleasure to experience.
"My voice was born from giants of frost. The language I speak has been dead for longer than your plane has existed. As an avatar of the system, we are capable of conversing, regardless of any barrier that would normally bar our communication."
Now that Jaune thought about it, the great serpents' words didn't match the pacing of its mouth. Jaune attributed that mostly to the fact that the serpent was unnaturally huge. It would appear that there was more to the system than Jaune had witnessed so far. Goody. Hopefully it wouldn't be as bad as what Oberon had done to it not all that long ago. Jaune smiled as color began to return to the world around him.
"Before I assist you, know this young one."
Jaune turned to the great protector of the seas, a sudden pressure weighing on his chest.
"You are being watched."
Jaune twitched a little, hoping, praying even that it was just the gods watching through whatever means they used to watch mortals.
"I'm afraid your hopes are invalid little one. A creature of the abyss stalks you, I see its wretched mark on you. Be careful of where you tread little one."
Jaune sighed as the system pinged.
ALARM!
GRAND QUEST – From the Shadows it Watches (A). Step 2
Lurking across the threshold between this world and the abyss, something strange stalks your scent. It's intentions are unknown but it's presence lurks ever closer. Learn what existence is stalking you and what intentions it has for you.
Rewards for completing step two: Massive XP, Medium XP for all skill trees, Key to "The forgotten Forge", Store Coupon (Limited).
Reward for Completing Grand Quest: Massive XP, five levels, 15 stat points, 1 A rank weapon.
Hints acquired so far: The creature hails from the Land of Shadows.
Jaune sighed. Just great, something else hunting him down. He never understood how it was that he completed the first step for this Grand Quest, but at least the second step is more straight forward.
"Thanks for the warning, sir."
The great serpent nodded, disappearing under the waves. Everyone began moving again but before words could be spoken, the boat shook as giant spikes of scales scrapped along the sides of Prydwen.
"What's happening!" demanded Agravain.
"I don't FRIGGEN KNOW!" shouted a Sailor "maybe ask the giant snake!"
Suddenly the boat lurched forward at an impossible speed. The sea blurred as Jormungandr's skull pushed the boat across the vast seas, until in the far distance, not but a speck, was land. Jaune fell to the deck, the sheer force bringing him to his knees. Agravain narrowed his eyes.
"Unexpected" he muttered.
Than he promptly dispersed into his shadow. Jaune shook his head, the rest of his guildmates struggling to get up. Nora, of all people, looked ready to hurl.
"Renny, I don't feel so good."
Ren blinked, attempting to clear his head of the sudden force of their movement.
"Where are we?" muttered Blake.
Mimir chuckled, his voice carrying across the ship.
"I'll be damned. It would seem that we've been carried across the seas right to isle itself!"
Mimir's eyes shone, a toothy grin spread.
"Welcome to Atlas."
-END-
OMAKE….or is it?
Before anyone could say a word about being close to Atlas, a loud thunk hit the deck. A massive scale landed near Jaune. Jaune inspected the scale and nearly crapped himself.
The Scale of Jormungandr Rank: RESTRICTED
The scale of the great lord of the seas, the serpent that can circle the world to bite its own tail. Its power remains locked within the scale, making most of the properties unknown. A frigid, howling cold echoes from this scale. WARNING: Interfacing with this material at your current level will kill the player. NOTE: All restricted items will kill the Player outright.
ALERT!
The Player has met a friendly player! The Store trade system has been unlocked!
Jaune didn't really care about the store much. All he cared about was the material that just landed in his lap. It would kill him if he tried to use it, but god damnit if another goal has not entered Jaune's life. Tears, manly tears fell from his face as Jaune gripped the restricted material, the mana locked safely within the confines of the scale.
"I'll make a weapon out of you!" declared Jaune, tears streaming down his face "I swear it!"
The rest of the wayward guild stared at their forlorn craftsman. Weiss turned away in embarrassment like the others, while Nora nodded sagely, plans for making Jaune forge an axe already in the works. She could feel it in her bones, the echo of a weapon of legend.
"Ren."
"Yes Nora?"
"Why do I feel the sudden urge to say boy?"
-END- (I promise)
The ending was a bit more abrupt than I wanted it to be. But to be fair, anything further from this deserves to be its own chapter. In fact, any attempt to go beyond this point just made the worst of cliff-hangers, which I try to avoid. Don't get me wrong, they have their place for suspense and what not, but at this point it would just be annoying.
Now about the Omake. Up to you guys if you want it to be real. Jaune has unlocked the trade system, since he met a fellow player named Jormungandr. The rest of it? Consider it my excitement for God of War Ragnarök. If I make the leviathan axe, it would likely be for Nora, rather than Jaune. Fits her battle crazy fighting style that I have and would give her a stun freeze that would be helpful. Haven't decided if I'll go down that route entirely though. Now next chapter will set foot in Atlas and we'll be hitting the ground running! The expected length of this arc should be between 12-20 chapters. Oh yea baby, we're here for the long haul.
Next update: Fate/Clover and Fate/Shield.
The main reason I say both is because I am alternating between writing the two stories, my muse screaming at me to write both. In fact, I have another muse…one for one piece. It hit me while I was in the hospital bed and it hasn't left me since.
It's annoying. A buddy of mine might take up the project with some direction from me, PM me your thoughts regarding the synopsis below and I'll see if she'll take the project! Warning, she's shy so she might now respond to reviews or PMS if she takes the project, hence the communication with me.
One Piece: The Legend of the Straw Hat Pirates
Usually when one is thrown into another world, its an exciting time. Most are thrown into a world of magic and adventure and think to themselves "I'm good to go!" "I got this!" or perhaps "BITCHIN I HAVE MAGIC!".
John McCallum was not one of these people. In fact, he was the furthest thing from this people. He didn't even know what happened to him. It felt like he was in the middle of having a whiskey with his father and brother and blink, he was stuck on a random island surrounded by the freakiest fruits he's ever seen and a disembodied voice laughing all around him. Hungry and terrified, Johnathan eats a fruit to get energy.
It tasted like vomit mint. The world becomes surrounded by ice, John knows no more. He awakes from a glacier on an unknown island, this time with people. He learns that he's in a world far, far, far away from his own. This wasn't his home and there was no conceivable way back home. The poor man wasn't killed. There was no portal, no gimmick, no instructions, no system. He had nothing. This new world wasn't even anything like his own, so there was no safety in familiarity. After all, his world didn't have tigers and bears and GOD DAMN CHICKENS THAT FIRED PELLETS OUT OF THEIR FACES!
Did he mention he somehow got super powers? Ice keeps sticking out of his face every few hours, his body is reduced in age, and it doesn't even hurt when he fires ice spikes out of his back. He was done. Finished. He was an ice man freak taken from his family and home. Left to rot in a world that was completely bonkers. In all honesty…he was ready to end it. That was until a little kid made of rubber showed him that even when life kicks you in the balls and takes everything…that there's always a reason to keep moving forward, to keep living.
John wouldn't replace that for anything…even if teaching the kid common sense was kind of annoying. What the hell was wrong with the adults in this town? Who leaves three children alone in the woods with bandits? It would have been fine if the bandits at least taught them some stuff, who was John to judge the standards of a world entirely different than his own. However, when asked "Where babies come from" Dan Dan, a name that John refuses to believe is her actual name, just cries about asking someone else. That someone else tells them to ask someone else and so on and so forth. Even the sweet and pretty bartender wouldn't answer the poor kids. Granted it's a weird subject but the kids were thirteen and fourteen and they still didn't know? Jesus Christ.
If no one else will teach these kids common sense than fine, John will do it himself. Now if only John knew that would result in Luffy dragging him along on a pirate adventure that he didn't want…at leas he got to try a bunch of interesting whiskeys…the poor bastard would need it.
Main Focuses of the story: The multiple devil fruits idea (Due to the massive size of the one piece world, I believe there are multiple fruits for any given Logia, Paramecia, or Zoan. However, the Mythical or Divine Zoan fruits are the exception) and the idea of how friggen busted OP a genuine average intelligence luffy would be. I know our boy aint dumb…but lets face the truth that he does lack common sense.
Canon divergence.
Common sense Luffy (I.E Basic education).
The idea of Luffy's sexual interests or even lack of thereof! (Always an interesting topic to me because the common consensus ranges from Asexual, Polyamorous, and in my case the idea that he is Demi-Sexual, subjected to change as more canon information pops up. My friend may have her own opinions and changes to bring).
Pairings: Perhaps. I've always wrestled with the idea of Nami and Luffy as it brought an interesting clash between their personalities but the pairings will not be for sure. Definitely no Nami X Sanjo or god forbid John x Nami.
Sanji: Sanji is admittedly my least favorite straw hat. Don't get me wrong, a solid character! But his blantent borderline harassment of women is kind of…off putting. To be fair it's a gag in one piece and is funny, but in this story canon will not be followed religiously and as such the comedic nature may perhaps be absent from Sanji's mannerisms. I'm not entirely sure what that entails for the character but it will be an interesting road regardless. I refuse to bash this character because he is legitimately great but I believe that I'll be having a confrontation or two with the character.
OC: The original character John McCallum (Name placeholder, may change if my buddy or even myself take up this MASSIVE project). His appearance is identical to Charlie Hunnum. He's a morose sort of character, calm and collected. He experiences body dysmorphia due to his regressed age and that fact that he flesh and blood…than pure ice/snow. He begins the story with some serious depression. He has no way to go home and be with his family. He wants to go back home but is ultimately realistic and faces the fact that some higher power flipped him the bird. He has NO knowledge of one piece whatsoever. No future knowledge, no nothing. Because he was originally around 27 years old, before being regressed to the age of 16, his understanding of himself is quite immense. Him and Nami will have what I'll call a Haki Echo. In essence they've unlocked specific Haki but lack the awareness and strength to properly utilize it or train it.
Straw hat strength: There will be no focus on just the monster trio. The entire ship, spurned on my John, will train together. Nami may or may not get a specific devil fruit while the others actively train. John is an athlete in this story and as such has basic knowledge when it comes to physical fitness and nutrition. Together with Sanji and Chopper, John will maximize the training ability for each member of the straw hats. As I mentioned in many a story….FUCK CANON.
LUFFY IS THE MAIN CHARACTER: No disputing the king of the pirates. However, certain canon fights may change either because they don't make a lick of sense (how the fuck did Sanju survive that lightening strike from Enel? Late Game Sanji? 100% would survive, maybe even kick Enel's ass by himself. But early game Sanji? Come on man). Other fights will change because Nami and the others will be stronger and more than capable of taking care of themselves. Everyone will help everyone, they are a crew. Sometimes Nami will need saving other times Sanji, Zoro, and even Luffy may need saving. It's all about perspective.
For instance, Luffy believes that John "Knows Everything". This will be played mostly for jokes but Luffy genuinely believes his friend knows literally everything. For instance, questions like "why's the sky blue" will amaze Luffy because John explains it in a way that the average person with little education would understand it. He helps Luffy understand himself and John's also an ice man. John's understanding of basic science lets him know that freezing rubber to a certain extent makes it vulnerable to cracking and even shattering. He demonstrates this to Luffy to give him the idea that being made of rubber does not in fact make him invulnerable to all damage. Luffy outstrips John on near all scales in the beginning of the story. But that one fight where John caught him off guard will have Luffy fall under the impression that John is the strongest of the crew, getting John stuck into the most god awful situations in their adventures. The crew will also have a round table mentality, with Luffy having final say on all destinations and goals, but wanting to hear the perspective of his crew members.
Never before in my life as a muse of a story remained this strong for so long. If I put pen to paper, so to speak, I'll post it but for now it is not overpowering my desire for the other stories. Besides, my ideas keep churning for this story so things are subjected to change. One massive one is the possibility that Ace survives. Not sure yet if I'll do that.
Thank you all for the support and patience you've had with me, I appreciate it. Just to let you guys know I've quite my second job so even more free time will be available for my writing hobby! So, cheers to future chapters coming in faster than ever! Just a reminder that his chapter remains unedited.