Gamer4 in. Welcome to the latest step towards my collapse beneath the weight of my own hubris. Not only did I decide to hop on the bandwagon and start my own RWBY react fic, Yet Another Multiverse, but here I am starting a spin-off. As anyone who reads me likely knows, I'm in a funk right now- there's one central thing I want to write for, and I keep getting sidetracked. That thing, of course, is my favorite series of all time, the Xeno video game franchise. From Gears to Saga to Blade, I love this series with a fevered passion- nothing else could encourage me to start a reacts story where RWBY exclusively reacts to themselves within that series. It's all about passion, you see- if you can pour your passion into a story, and communicate it to the reader, that makes the best stories. And there is little I'm more passionate about than the Xeno series. I hope you can enjoy.
Disclaimer: Because it would be incredibly awkward to skip over the beginnings of these stories, the first episode here is a repeat of episode 20 from the original Yet Another Multiverse, with a few adjustments based on feedback from that episode. Timeline-wise, this takes place immediately after episode 58 of that same story. Also, apologies if anyone expected this to be about Dragonball, I couldn't think of a better name and Georgie told me to keep it this way for the lulz.
Yet Another Xenoverse
Episode I
The Road to Shambhala
"Meow!"
Teams RWBY and JNPR turned away from the screen upon which they'd been watching alternate universe's versions of themselves to see a young cat padding her way into the room- she was white except for a patch of grey each on her head, right side, and tail. She ignored all of them and made her way towards their current host, Vanessa Paisley, who quirked a smile when the cat leapt up onto her lap and curled up there, purring. "Hello, Nia. Let me guess... a message from the Hand?"
The teams listened in interest. The 'Hand,' AKA, the Crazy Hand, was the very man who had taken them to this strange place to begin with.
"What does he have to say?" Weiss asked, crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes severely.
"Let's see..." Vanessa had taken a scroll from around the cat's neck and unrolled it. "Oh- sounds like he wants to focus on one world in particular for the foreseeable future. Kind of."
"What do you mean, 'Kind of?'" Jaune pressed.
"We've seen a bit of it before," Vanessa recalled. "Let's see... the world of titans, I believe he called it?"
"Oh, yeah!" Ruby snapped her fingers. "Let's see... Chronicles of the Crescent Blade... Road to Shambhala..."
"Chariots of Fire starring Renny!" Nora butted in.
"Last Contact, and Thus Spoke Salem," Blake ticked off on her fingers. "Yeah, we remember those. He kept saying they were connected somehow, but he wouldn't tell us how."
"Well, now he wants to focus on the stories of that world... and yueah, there's a lot of them. All the ones you listed, and still one more- Childhood's End."
"Six worlds for the price of one?" Pyrrha asked, bewildered.
"Technically, they're all one world... or two, depending on how you want to look at it... maybe you could argue three..." Vanessa shook her head. "Yare yare dawa, let's just watch them."
"Wait, wait, wait, are we starting from the beginning?" Yang asked. "You kinda make it sound like we're starting from the beginning, but we've already seen most of these beginnings, so-"
"Oh, right." Vanessa considered for a moment, then pulled out a phone. "Hello, Harry? Can you-"
With a pop, a young man in black robes with a lightning-shaped scar on his forehead. "Bloody yanks again... I have a game to be overseeing, you know!"
"Last time, I promise," Vanessa declared.
"Do you?"
"Last time I'll call you," Vanessa ammended.
"Oh, all right," Harry sighed. "Obliviate!"
A flash of light later, and the teams were rubbing their eyes. "What was that?" Yang demanded angrily.
"I had him remove your memories of what exactly the worlds entail so we can get more authentic reactions from you going forward," Vanessa explained.
"Do that again and I'll break your neck," Yang growled.
"Duly noted," Vanessa nodded. "Thanks, Harry, and good luck with the new game."
Another pop later, and Harry had disappeared.
"Alright, everyone get comfortable," Vanessa instructed. "We've got a ways to go."
Yang directed her fingers at her eyes then back towards Vanessa, before finally resuming her seat.
The screen opened up to a young man standing on what seemed to be a cliff above even the clouds. He was wearing a diving suit, up to the helmet, but the style of it all- especially the rabbit head on the chest- left no doubt in anyone's mind who it was.
Without warning, he dove into the clouds.
"What?!" Ruby panicked, eyes widening. "Jaune, no! You have so much to live for!"
"I doubt I'm killing myself," Jaune assured her. "Never really been my style. I'm sure there's something else going on here."
As he fell beneath the clouds, they seemed to transform, appearing more like water the deeper he went. Soon, he was swimming through them, appearing just like deep-divers on DustTube.
"Clouds... atop the ocean?" Weiss wondered.
"The Cloud Sea," Vanessa explained. "It covers the whole world."
"But... how?"
"Long story. Move along."
Along the sandy bottom of this bizarre ocean, there was a large crate. Jaune reached into a pack slung over his back and placed a large circular object onto the crate- it latched on immediately, before opening up and ejecting a balloon of some sort- it filled with air and began lifting the crate back up towards the surface.
"So, he's a salvager, of some sort?" Weiss pondered.
"That's what it looks like," Jaune nodded. "An honest living, I guess..."
Jaune turned, and began making his way back up to the surface. Soon, they both emerged right near the cliff he'd dove in from, now revealed to be a small island.
Jaune removed his helmet and wiped his brow. "Not too difficult- this one was just begging to be caught!"
"Indeed, I expected you to be down there for several more minutes still."
The audience started. "Ozpin?" Ruby asked in surprise.
"That's his voice, alright," Blake nodded. "But where is he?"
From the head of the 'island' rose a lengthy neck ending in a large head- something like a dragon, with a horn protruding from the forehead. Jaune showed no panic as it turned to face him with very familiar eyes. "I assume you intend to open it now, my boy?"
Jaune smirked as he headed to a nearby shack and began foraging around in it. "You know me too well, Gramps."
"The island... is Ozpin?" Nora asked, stars in her eyes. "Sooooo COOL! AM I AN ISLAND?! AM I?!"
"No, you're not," Vanessa shook her head.
"Phooey," Nora muttered, crossing her arms and pouting.
"He must be one of the titans," Weiss surmised. "So large that Jaune can live on his back like that..."
Jaune emerged from the shack with a crowbar and dug it into the crate. "Payday!" he grinned as he struggled to lever it open. "Just... a little... more!"
Finally, the lid gave way- and a large crab flopped out, immediately standing on guard and snapping its claws threateningly when it spied Jaune.
"Oh, dearie me," Ozpin noted drily. "You seem to have disturbed his slumber."
"Well, that only means one thing to me: lunchtime!" Jaune grinned as he pulled a ratty, makeshift sword up from the ground nearby.
"Interesting... this Jaune seems to already have a grasp of basic swordplay," Pyrrha noted, watching closely.
"Yeah... good for him," Jaune muttered.
"Don't feel too bad!" Pyrrha quickly amended. "He knows the basics, but his form is still leagues behind yours now!"
"If you say so..."
Indeed, Jaune's form left much to be desired, but against a simple overgrown crab, it was more than sufficient. It wasn't long before the beast was slain, and he was igniting a furnace near the 'island's' center.
"Ah... I do enjoy the fire," Ozpin sighed blissfully. "It does these old bones good..."
"Huh, I'd have thought it would hurt him," Yang pondered.
"Not if it was done right," Ren shook his head. "Indeed, even to humans, properly implemented heat can work wonders."
"I love it when Ren heats me up," Nora beamed.
"...Quite."
Jaune was still waiting for the flames to burn hotter when a loud, forlorn sound echoed across the clouds, stretching endlessly in all directions. Jaune turned and spied... a titan.
Ozpin was a titan, yes, but a rather small one, as titans went. What he saw now was a true titan, the type upon which kingdoms were built.
"Wow..." Ruby's eyes widened in wonder. "So that's the type of titan this world is made up of!"
Jaune put a hand over his eyes to see better as the immense creature- a landmass in the vague shape of a woman- lumbered off into the distance, a noticeable slouch in its gait. "Oh... another one's going west," he said sadly.
"Summerton... I will miss her," Ozpin nodded, his voice equally sad.
"'Going west?'" Blake asked.
"When titans die, they leave the area of the Cloud Sea- they go west, beyond its boundaries... into the unknown," Crazy explained.
"So... that titan's dying," Ruby summarized, a tear forming in her eye as she watched the great beast plod its way towards its own grave.
"Even titans don't live forever," Ozpin noted gravely as Jaune finally readied the crab for cooking. "Not even in the old days..."
"You wanna talk about the old days, old man?" Jaune asked, eyes lighting up.
Ozpin chuckled. "Oh, I'm sure you don't want to listen to me blather on again..."
Jaune did want that. He never tired of hearing Gramps's stories, and he was sure Gramps never tired of telling them.
"So... Ozpin is like... my caretaker in this world?" Jaune pondered.
"Sweet! With him around, I'm sure everything will be fine!" Ruby whooped.
The others weren't so sure.
"Oh, very well," Ozpin sighed, putting on his best show of exasperation. "As you know, in the beginning of time, humans and blades alike all lived together with our divine creator, the Architect. We lived in the Holy Land of Shambhala, up above the clouds, in a land of endless green and bounty."
"Wait, wait, wait," Yang interrupted. "Humans, I get- but what are blades?"
"Basically living weapons," Vanessa sighed, already well aware of what she'd just unleashed.
Everyone turned to Ruby, who's eyes were positively glowing. "Living... weapons?" she asked, vibrating in her seat.
"Oh, boy..."
"LIVING WEAPONS, YANG, LIVING WEAPONS! OH, THAT SOUNDS SO COOL- I COULD ACTUALLY TALK TO CRESCENT ROSE! OH, MYRTENASTER WOULD BE LIKE YOUR MAID, WOULDN'T SHE, WEISS?! AND STORMFLOWER WOULD BE CUTE LITTLE TWINS, AND-"
Yang reached out and grabbed Ruby's neck vulcan-style- whether or not she knew what that was. Ruby suddenly collapsed back onto the couch, slumping into her sister's shoulder.
"Only way to stop her when she gets on a roll," Yang explained offhandedly.
"Will you teach me sometime?" Ren implored, eyes flicking towards Nora.
"I'll try- but it might only work with her."
"However, the Architect's creations grew proud. In their strength, they sought to overthrow their very creator, launching a war against her that lasted countless millennia. As punishment, they were cast down into the cloud sea below.
"In the Cloud Sea, humans struggled to survive- they cried out to the Architect for mercy. Despite the wrongs committed against her, the Architect was moved by their pleas, and summoned forth the titans, tasking them with humanity's care.
"As one final act of reconciliation, she created a bridge between Shambhala and the world below- a great tree around which the titans would walk eternally, until humanity was ready to be judged. When they were ready, they were to climb the great tree back into Shambhala- if their hearts were noble enough to ascend to the top, the Architect would once again permit them in paradise."
"That's... quite the story," Pyrrha considered.
"Sounds like something Yang would tell me when I was young," Ruby nodded, a little muffled by her sister's shoulder.
"What tree is he talkin' about?" Yang herself asked.
Almost as if in answer, Jaune smiled and turned to Ozpin's opposite side, where he could see the great tree itself, many miles away from their position, roots out of sight beneath the Cloud Sea, branches extending so far up into the sky the top was invisible.
"...That tree," Weiss guessed after picking her jaw up off the ground.
"You know the name of the tree, correct?" Ozpin prompted.
"Of course!" Jaune nodded. "It was named by Monty Oum himself... looking at it now, I think I knew what he was talking about..."
He recited the poem the great Oum had allegedly written five hundred years ago, when looking upon the tree from his golden throne. "What miracle is this, this tree? It stands ten thousand feet high, but doesn't reach the ground- still it stands. Its roots must hold the sky... Yggdrasil."
"Well remembered," Ozpin praised.
"Beautiful," Pyrrha smiled.
"Another world referencing Oum," Ren commented. "I assume he performs a similar role here."
"Quite so," Vanessa agreed.
"...Jaune, I believe the fire is hot enough."
"Oh, right!"
Jaune quickly turned the crab over, inhaling deeply and happily as it cooked. "Ah... smells good!"
"I presume you're going to want to take your earnings directly to Argentum?" Ozpin guessed.
"Of course!" Jaune agreed. "And since I caught my own dinner, I can send the rest back to Saphron!"
"Argentum? I know Saphron is Jaune's sister, but what's Argentum?" Ruby asked, a question mark appearing over her head.
"The biggest trade guild in Remnant," Vanessa provided. "Headed mainly by nopon, it-"
"Wait, wait, waitwaitwait." Blake interrupted. "Nopon?"
"Another race in this world," Vanessa explained offhandedly. "And the founders of the Argentum Guild- who Jaune works for. He always makes a point of sending some of his earnings back to his sister Saphron- she runs an orphanage."
"Oh, that's so sweet, Fearless Leader!" Nora melted as she glomped him.
"Thanks... Nora... can't... breathe..."
Just about everyone else was eyeing the Jaune on-screen with a newfound respect as well.
Later that day, Ozpin was pulling up alongside the Argentum Trade Guild- contrary to most titans, it was more like a hot air balloon- a giant ship being held up by its titan, which even looked the part of a balloon- large and round, though with the occasional fin to help it propel itself through the air.
"I forgot how coooooool this world is!" Ruby drooled.
"I suspect our hosts may have something to do with that," Weiss muttered, producing a handkerchief and wiping the drool away for her.
Jaune hopped off onto the dock and rushed into the main building, which was populated mainly by-
Ruby squealed. "Oooooohhhhhh, what are those?!"
"Those?" Vanessa asked. "Those're nopon."
"Those are nopon?" Blake asked.
"Yup, them's nopon."
"Those are nopon?!" Nora beamed.
"Yup- that's a nopon right there."
"Those. Those are nopon?" Yang asked, just for clarification.
"Yup. Nopon, those are."
"Those are-" Jaune started, but Weiss interrupted.
"Ugh, we get it! Those are nopon!"
"...Yup, that's a nopon, alright," Vanessa agreed.
"When you said they were another race, I was imagining something like the faunus!" Blake interjected. "Not... this!"
The nopon were large balls of fur with faces, a tuft of hair on top, two stubby arms at their side, two stubby legs on bottom, a sort of tail in back, and two larger arms protruding from the back of their heads.
"Not arms-" Vanessa corrected- "those are wings."
"Wings?!" Jaune exclaimed.
"Yup- wings."
"Those are... wings?!" Ruby's eyes lit up even further.
"Yup- them's wings-"
"ENOUGH, ALREADY!" Weiss shrieked again.
"That said," Vanessa grunted as she pulled herself to her feet, "they can't really fly- moreso kinda... hover over the ground a bit. They basically treat them like bigger hands."
"So... those are nopon, hmm?" Pyrrha pondered aloud.
"Yes. Those are nopon, and we are continuing now," Vanessa said firmly.
As Jaune moved through the shops and crowds around them, he was intercepted by one nopon in particular. "Oh, hey, Muimui!" he greeted.
Ruby squealed again. "Even their names are adorable!"
"Jaune-Jaune get here just in time!" Muimui said quickly. "Chairman Corman asking after you!"
"And the way they talk-"
"We get it, Ruby," Weiss cut her off. "We get it."
"Uh-oh," Jaune smiled sheepishly and rubbed at the back of his neck. "Hope I'm not in trouble?"
"He no tell Muimui," Muimui shook her head. "Just say to get Jaune-Jaune into office!"
Jaune shrugged. "Well, guess I can hardly keep him waiting..."
"Wait..." Blake interrupted. "Chairman Corman? Does that mean...?"
Everyone winced as they prepared for the worst.
Which is exactly what they got. As Jaune stepped into the office, Chairman Corman turned out to be another nopon- but not nearly as adorable as those bustling around outside. He was far larger, dressed in gaudy robes and even a monocle, his fur was all greased back, and there was an overall air of sleaziness about him. "Ah, Jaune-Jaune finally come," he drawled in a voice almost as oily as his fur.
"...He's not so cute," Ruby muttered.
"Well... when the chairman himself has a request... who am I to... refuse?" Jaune asked, glancing uncomfortably to his sides, at the scantily-clad women at Corman's side.
"Back off," Pyrrha snarled.
"He doesn't really seem interested," Ren steadied her. "More... intimidated."
"Corman hear that Mr. Arc is salvager of some renown. As happens, I have job for you."
"A request... from the chairman himself?" Jaune asked, looking a little taken aback. "I... I'm not sure..."
"Chairman not entrust this to any salvager. Reward is one hundred thousand lien..."
"A... a hundred thousand?" Jaune stammered.
"In advance," Corman continued. "Another hundred thousand upon completion."
Now Jaune looked like he was on the verge of fainting. "Two hundred thousand... for this job..."
"Indeed, it sounds too good to be true," Weiss pondered through narrowed eyes. "There's something else going on here, and I don't care for it."
"Yeah, for that much money, I'm guessing it's no simple job," Yang agreed.
"I'll do it! I'll devote all my skills to ensuring this job is a success!"
"...Not that he seems to care," Blake commented.
Jaune blushed furiously.
"You not even know what job is, but are already accepting?" Corman pointed out, stroking at some hair that took the loose form of a moustache.
"Oh- right!" Jaune stood straight. "Er... what exactly is the job, sir?"
"As for that, Corman will let the crew explain."
"The... the crew?"
A set of doors nearby and five newcomers entered the room. Jaune's jaw dropped as he took them in. "Drivers! And... and their blades!"
"So... if blades are living weapons..." Pyrrha pondered.
"Then drivers are the people who wield them?" Jaune concluded.
"Correct," Vanessa confirmed.
At the head of the group was a dark-haired woman with cat ears- at her side, a tall, well-muscled blond with a monkey's tail. Next came a tall man in steely grey armor with red hair gelled into a pompadour. Just behind him was an even taller man with a well-groomed moustache. Bringing up the rear was a man with red hair and a mask concealing the upper half of his face.
"Cardin?!" Ruby gasped. "Cardin is asking for Jaune's help?!"
"I was more thrown off that he was working alongside Adam!" Blake put in. "I'd think those two would murder each other before ever considering working together!"
"So... Cardin, Adam and Blake are all drivers... while the others are their blades?" Ren interrupted with some speculation.
"Pretty much. I'll use Sun and Blake as an example- Blake uses her sword like normal, but Sun provides her with energy and boosts her abilities using ether- essentially, this world's version of dust," Vanessa explained as briefly as possible.
"So, Sun is my... blade?" Blake asked, not sure how to feel about this whole setup.
"Seems rather complicated," Weiss noted.
"Jaune seems rather starstruck," Pyrrha noted. "I'm guessing not just anyone can be a driver in this world."
"Nope- they're kinda like superheroes to most people," Vanessa concurred.
They... they look so cool! Jaune thought to himself.
"There's something we want to haul up," Adam opened the conversation without preamble. His voice was calm and collected. "Near the deepest part of the Cloud Sea- we need an expert salvager to help us with it."
"He's being... surprisingly straightforward," Blake commented nervously. "But still... I can't..."
"Between him and Cardin, I don't trust these guys," Yang nodded, "but then... what are you doing with them? Especially with Sun, too?"
"Yeah, Sun's throwing me off, too," Blake admitted. "I know... I know Adamcould lure me in, but Sun? Not so likely."
"They come to Corman, and Corman promise a veteran," Corman put in. "They very adamant that salvager come from Leftheria."
"Well, I'm from Leftheria, alright!" Jaune nodded, managing to hide his uncertainty.
"You sure about this, Adam?" Blake asked, circling around Jaune and eyeing him from head to toe. "This is just a kid. Hope you're not counting on me to babysit."
"Hey!" Jaune objected. "You don't look much older than me, lady!"
"Ohhh, sticking up for yourself, huh, VB?" Yang smirked.
"Don't pick on Jaune, Blake!" Ruby pouted.
Blake tilted her head. "Maybe... I'm trying to keep him out of... whatever's going on here?"
"Maybe not, but I'm not the one wetting myself over two hundred grand," Blake countered.
"She says that like it's nothing..." Ren pondered. "Perhaps she's rich in this world?"
Blske blanched and pulled back into herself.
"Are you trying to say something?" Jaune asked indignantly.
Suddenly, Sun appeared between the two of them. "Hey, there- Jaune, right?" he asked. "Sorry 'bout Blakey here- she hasn't really had the chance to hone her social skills, if ya know what I'm sayin'."
"Sun!" Blake objected. "What have I told you about speaking for me?!"
Yang burst out laughing. "Some things never change, I guess!"
"Sh-shut up..." Blake muttered, her ears flat against her head.
"Cool it, Kit-Kat," Cardin interjected flippantly, earning himself a narrow glare. "Though... I do see your point... How's about a quick test?"
Without any further warning, he had produced a mace and was rushing at Jaune, who only barely drew his own sword in time to parry.
"Whoah! Whoah! Not cool, not cool!" Nora cried.
Jaune spun around in time to block another strike, locking their blades together.
"What... the hell... are you doing?!" Jaune asked through fiery eyes.
Cardin smiled, broke the lock, and sheathed his mace without a second thought, leaving Jaune stunned. "Hmm... well, there you go. He'll work for what we gotta do."
"That's his idea of a test?" Yang snarled. "Start swinging at him out of nowhere, and see if he's fast enough to not die?"
Blake wasn't taking it much better. "Cardin, what are you doing? He's just a kid!"
"The kid who's supposed to help the expedition," Cardin casually countered with that hateful smirk. "You said it yourself: what if he's not up to it?"
"That is not what I meant!" Blake objected.
"Regardless, he'll do," Cardin. "Not even a driver, even... where did you learn swordplay, runt?"
"My gramps is a good teacher," Jaune shrugged off, still not sheathing his sword- much to Cardin's apparent approval.
"At least he's not letting his guard down after that little display," Weiss sniffed. "Atrocious..."
"Work hard, and we'll get along just fine," Cardin finally said before turning and leading Adam and their blades from the room.
"Welp, looks like you got the job, bud!" Sun thumped Jaune on the back.
"Sun, we're going," Blake muttered, not meeting Jaune's eyes.
Sun gave an apologetic smile. "Guess we'll get a chance to talk on the ship, huh?" With that, he followed his driver out of the room as well.
"They make one heck of a first impression," Yang muttered.
"Friends are quite the rowdy bunch," Corman muttered drily. He reached down with one of his 'wings' and produced a sack of cash. "Here is advance- use to buy any equipment you need. Friends will meet you on starboard."
"Got it!" Jaune saluted before dashing out.
"Does he still not suspect anything, or does he simply not care?" Weiss asked.
"For two hundred grand, I'm guessing he's willing to overlook quite a few red flags," Yang muttered, biting her thumbnail.
Jaune's first move after leaving the office was to head down to the docks and report to Ozpin.
"...and that's about that," he concluded. "So, I'll be going- should be back in a day or two! Take it easy, alright, Gramps?"
"Take it easy?" Ozpin repeated, looking down his brow at his charge. "You ask for quite a lot under these circumstances, Jaune. You've taken on a job for people you know nothing about, for an unknown goal- how am I supposed to 'take it easy' knowing this?"
"It came through the chairman- I'm sure it's all on the up-and-up!" Jaune defended himself.
"Well, if he's trusting Corman, he can't be a great judge of character," Nora noted regretfully. "That guy's slimier than a salamander, and not even one percent as cute!"
"...Yeah," Jaune muttered, unable to find words to defend his other self.
"Anyways, I gotta get going!" Jaune turned. "Try to relax while I'm out, okay!"
He dashed off against Ozpin's continued protests, back into the guild's main building.
The next scene cut ahead to Jaune approaching the ship Corman had selected for the voyage. "The Maelstrom itself!" he exclaimed, almost as starry-eyed as when he'd first laid eyes on the drivers. "I've never seen it in action before!"
"If you're trying to convince me of your maturity," snarked a voice from behind him, "gawking at a boat like a twelve-year old isn't the way to go about it."
"You don't have to be a preteen to appreciate a great feat of engineering!" Jaune objected.
"Yeah!" Ruby cheered, slapping Jaune a high-five.
"Besides, what's your problem? We're just about the same age!"
A slight smirk crossed his face. "Oh- and if you don't watch your step when we cast off, you're gonna get dragged along."
Blake looked down, and panicked- arched back and all- when she saw her foot inside a loop of rope. Jaune burst out laughing- Sun allowed himself a smirk, but made a point of looking away to hide it from his driver.
"Always like it when VB gets some backbone to him," Yang smiled.
"Yeah... backbone..."
"All aboard!" announced Cardin as he stepped out onto the deck. "Kid, you get first watch tonight!"
"Aye-aye!" Jaune nodded as he hurried aboard.
A second later, it was sunset, and Jaune was relaxing in what seemed to be his temporary cabin. "Hmmm... I guess Gramps had a point... I oughtta talk to these guys, get to know them a bit before I take look-out duty..."
He bumped into Blake first. "You doing alright? You look a little seasick."
"I don't get seasick," Blake crossed her arms. "I'm just... not used to being around this many people..."
"Wait, wouldn't it usually be Jaune who gets motion sick?" Yang asked.
"Not in all worlds, clearly," Pyrrha shrugged. "Though, even in ours, he's been making great strides in overcoming it!" She pointedly grinned in his direction, prompting a blush and lookaway.
Jaune chuckled. "Well, better get used to it soon, or you'll be useless by the time we get there!"
"I can take care of myself," Blake practically hissed, glancing the other way. Sun met Jaune's eyes and rolled his own in clear amusement. Jaune shrugged and continued on.
Next, he was face-to-face with the tall man in the mask- Adam. "Er... hello!" he greeted, somewhat nervously.
"He should be," Blake whispered to herself. "Unless this world is vastly different, Adam hates humans of any type."
"Which explains why he's working with Cardin 'I-Hate-Faunus' Winchester?" Yang quipped.
Blake wasn't sure what to say to that.
"...So, you're from Leftheria, kid?" Adam finally responded.
"Fonsett Village, to be exact," Jaune nodded. "Right on top of the cloud sea, so I've been swimming almost longer than I've been walking. I guess that's why salvaging comes so naturally to me."
"Hold confidence in your skills, boy... it will take you far in this life."
Jaune nodded his thankfulness for the advice before hurrying away.
"That went... far better than I expected," Blake readily admitted.
"Doesn't mean we should let our guard down," Ren put in. "It could be a convincing veneer..."
Blake nodded her acknowledgment of the possibility.
On the top deck, he found Cardin gazing at the clouds surrounding them. "Here to chat, runt?" she asked as he approached, without even turning.
"You can... just call me Jaune," he almost whispered, looking clearly intimidated. "Er, I wanted to thank you for choosing me, but... I also... thought I'd ask... could you tell me what exactly it is we're looking for out here?"
"Don't worry about it," Cardin smirked, patting him condescendingly on the head. "Strict need-to-know basis."
Ruby and Pyrrha both bristled. "How dare you treat him like that..."
"That gonna be a problem?"
"No- of course not," Jaune shook his head as he pulled away. "I mean, of course I'm curious, but for a hundred thousand lien, I'm willing to just shut up and do my job."
Cardin chuckled. "Good man, Arc. Good... man."
Pyrrha and Ruby were on the verge of rising to their feet, but thankfully, Jaune turned and hurried away with an uncomfortable look on his face before anything else could transpire.
He made his way up to the crow's nest and prepared for his shift.
The moon was high in the sky before he heard another voice- "Ugh, it's cold up here. I don't know how you stand it."
He turned to see Blake standing there- on her own, this time.
"You don't have your blade with you?" he asked.
"No, Sun's below decks- I told him to relax. Like I said, I can handle myself. Anyways, it's my turn to watch, you should go join him."
"It's kinda early- you didn't want to join them yourself?"
"Other people... aren't my cup of tea," Blake said simply. "Besides, I don't need the headache."
Jaune's lips curled upward. "Good thing you're not a salvager, then. 'Swim like a fish, and drink like one too: Rule 34 of the Salvager's Code.'"
"Thirty-four, hmm?" Blake smirked, as though he'd said something particularly amusing.
"What's so funny about thirty-four?" Ruby pondered, tilting her head.
"I don't know, which means we should probably be asking Yang," Weiss muttered.
"Er... move along!" Yang decreed loudly.
Between that, Jaune's equal confusion, Blake and Pyrrha looking like they were going to die of blush overload, and Ren facepalming with one hand while silencing Nora with the other, they figured they weren't going to get their answer.
"Yeah, don't think I'll be changing careers anytime soon," Blake nodded.
"No need to get so broken up about it," Jaune chuckled. "I mean, you probably make more per job as a driver than I make in a month."
Blake tilted her head. "So... kid..."
"Jaune."
Blake closed her eyes and smiled minutely. "Alright... Jaune. What got you started salvaging in the first place?"
Jaune turned slowly around, then pointed. "That. Right there."
Blake followed his finger, and spied Yggdrasil off in the distance. "The world tree?"
"'What miracle is this, this tree? It stands ten thousand feet high, but doesn't reach the ground- still it stands. Its roots must hold the sky,'" Jaune quoted again, smiling wistfully at the great tree. "There's so much you find, digging stuff up from the bottom of the ocean. Trash, treasure... but all remnants of people who're long gone."
"How poetic," Pyrrha smiled, placing her hands together.
"Hmm... guess I never really looked at it like that before," Blake pondered.
Jaune turned back to the railing, folding his arms over it. "There've been fewer and fewer titans lately... I saw one going west earlier today- a pretty big one. I'm sure the people all evacuated in time, but there may have been animals left behind- entire ecosystems dying out because the titan just can't support them anymore. And with every titan that dies... that's less living space for us, too. Eventually, the titans will have to take us west with them. But... up there... there's the promised land... Shambhala."
It was greatly to his surprise when he heard Blake burst out laughing. "Sham- Sh- Shambhala?" she forced out between her chortles. "Don't tell me you actually believe in all those old stories!"
"Why not? Stories have to start somewhere," Jaune countered.
"Yeah!" Ruby quickly sided with her first friend. "Don't be laughing at our dreams, Blake!"
"...I'm very sorry, Ruby," Blake decided.
Blake got her laughter under control rather quickly. "So... that's why you're a salvager, huh?"
"Not the only reason, but probably the biggest, yeah."
"Well, let me clue you in, Jaune," Blake met his eyes, all trace of laughter removed. "Shambhala is a story for children, and Yggdrasil is just an overgrown shrub."
"Can you say for certain?" Jaune challenged. "Have you climbed to the top yourself? Found some secret path at the tree's roots, beneath the Cloud Sea? Is it really such a crazy idea?"
Blake remained silent, taking in his determination.
"If we could ascend to Shambhala, we'd have plenty of land and resources- there wouldn't be any need to fight over them. We wouldn't have to live with fear in the back of our minds- fear that one day, we'll wake up, and the land beneath our feet will be sinking into the sea! Peace... security... even if it is a dream, isn't it a dream worth believing in?"
Blake remained silent for a long while. "Some dream, hm?"
She turned and faced Yggdrasil herself. "In my experience, people are stupid... and selfish... but you..."
Ruby and Pyrrha felt a bolt of anxiety in their chests. Oh, no...
"You have any parents?" she asked.
"No- they died when I was young," Jaune shook his head. "I was raised by my sister, Saphron, and Gramps."
"Gramps... the one who taught you how to use a sword?"
"Yeah... kinda tricky for him, given... circumstances."
"Circumstances?" Blake allowed a small smile to cross her face. "Not sure I get it, but he must be alright, if he raised someone as... alright as you."
Jaune laughed. "I'll go ahead and take that as a compliment."
"...Take it however you want," Blake muttered distantly.
"So, we gonna check out the other stories soon, or what?!" Ruby suddenly burst out.
"We're almost there," Vanessa assured her.
Jaune was awoken from his sleep by alarms blaring all over the ship. He momentarily panicked, only to realize they were signifying how close they were to their goal. Remembering his instructions, he grabbed his helmet and rushed up to the deck.
Cardin's blade was presiding over the diving procedure; Jaune had learned his name was Watts.
"Your target is 450 peds down," he announced. "Attach your floatation devices to the target and bring it up to the surface- do not attempt to investigate on your own, understand?"
Everyone saluted, and was off. Jaune followed the rest of the salvagers to a dock, where they prepared to leap. Jaune glanced around. I wonder if everyone else is being paid as much as me... how much money can whoever's running this have?
"A good point," Weiss nodded. "Would that you considered it before you were this deep in."
In formation, the salvagers dove into the sea.
It took several minutes of submerging before Jaune finally saw their target through the darkness of the water- the wreck of an ancient ship, sitting complacently on the bottom of the seafloor. He couldn't see the damage it must have sustained to end up in this position.
"That's... a big ship!" Yang noted, wide-eyed.
"And there's something on it that Cardin wants," Pyrrha crossed her arms.
I've never seen a ship like this before, Jaune thought to himself. I don't even recognize the make- it doesn't match any kingdom I know...
"Maybe it was made by a kingdom that's not around anymore?" Jaune speculated. "I mean, seeing how old it is and all..."
The raising operation took roughly ten minutes- it was to Jaune's great relief when he was able to surface and reboard the Maelstrom. When he did, he was astonished to see that the ship they'd raised dwarfed even their own ship in size. No wonder it had required so many salvagers to bring to the surface.
"She's a beauty," Cardin smiled unpleasantly, "but the question is- does she have what we're looking for?"
"Proceed to phase 2!" Adam barked. "Separate into teams and commence exploration! Arc, you're with us!"
Jaune nodded, and came to his side, along with Cardin, Blake, and all their blades.
"Nice work there, bud!" Sun smiled, thumping him on the back again. "Even Blake's impressed- good luck getting her to say so, though."
"Let's not get carried away," Blake crossed her arms. "He does this for a living, after all."
Sun gave another smirk and good-natured roll of the eyes.
Ruby wanted to chastise Blake again for putting Jaune down, but... on the other hand... less competition was always a good thing in her book.
"Let's get moving," Adam ordered again, taking point and leading them towards the stern of the ship.
The doors they were approaching began to tremble, before abruptly bursting off of their hinges, making way for a large creature resembling some sort of giant mollusk to come through.
Watts turned to Cardin, and a sort of golden thread appeared, connecting them. Cardin's eyes were alight with fire as he smirked and drew his mace. "We don't have time for small fries."
And just like that, the mollusk was smashed to pieces.
Jaune watched with wide eyes.
"Watch carefully, kid- this is the power of a driver and his blade," Cardin smirked as he moved ahead of Adam, leading them deeper into the ship.
"That's... some serious power, alright," Ren nodded, eyes narrowing, attempting to take in everything he could.
"I really don't like where this is going," Nora muttered.
"Nor do I, Nora... nor do I."
The inside of the ship was a labyrinth of twisting passages, leading the group on quite the roundabout path as they delved deeper in search of... whatever they were trying to find. Periodically, another creature would attack them from the shadows, only to be swiftly dispatched, be it by Adam or Blake's sword, or Cardin's mace. Jaune, never one to sit back and let everyone else do all the work, kept his sword drawn, but thus far hadn't found reason to actually use it.
Finally, Cardin's eyes widened very minutely in excitement, and he nudged Adam to grab his attention. "Adam, look- the seal of Oum."
Jaune moved forward to see that they were looking at a door- at the center of which was a symbol he only vaguely recognized- a large circle, a few squiggles near to the bottom left. He'd seen it several times around his hometown, but had never known quite what it meant.
"The seal of Oum? What... what does that mean?"
"It means you're up, kid," Adam muttered. "You're the only one who can open that door."
"Only Jaune-Jaune?" Nora wondered aloud. "Why him? Is he related to Oum in this world?"
"Not exactly, maybe?" Vanessa didn't seem too sure herself. "Bit of a toss-up on that one, to be perfectly honest."
"I... I don't get it..."
Nevertheless, Jaune reached out and brushed his hand against the door anyways. As if responding to his touch, the seal began to glow, before disappearing altogether. Within moments, the door was sliding open to permit them entry.
Blake and Sun drew nearer, looking over Jaune's shoulder to see a lengthy tunnel that opened up into a colossal chamber on the other end. Adam, Cardin and Watts were hot on their tails.
The chamber was huge, cylindrical- probably fifty feet in diameter, and stretching up further than Jaune could see. But the items in the room were what truly caught Jaune's eye- a large tube stood dead center. Plunged into the ground before it was a sword with a crimson cross-guard. Within the tube, however, was a young woman, seemingly in eternal rest, her long red hair cascading down her back in crimson waves.
"Whaaaaaaaat?!"
"That... that's me!" Pyrrha gasped, raising her hands to her mouth.
"How did Pyrrha end up in a tube at the bottom of the ocean?" Nora wondered, raising a hand to her chin.
"And why does Cardin want her?" Jaune asked, hostility rising in his voice.
Upon realizing just what a valid question that was, everyone fell silent and watched with bated breath.
"A... a girl?" Jaune wondered, staggering towards the center of the room in an almost dreamlike trance. She was dressed in spartan armor, but the most notable thing was the crystal seemingly embedded into her chest- beautiful emerald fashioned into a shape similar to a cross, though the horizontal piece was rather shorter, the vertical rather plumper.
His eyes went from her to the sword. An odd feeling overcame him, drawing him closer to the sword, encouraging him to reach out and touch this bastion of ancient history...
"Stop!" Cardin shouted when he saw him. "Damn brat, don't even think about touching-"
Jaune hardly seemed to hear him as he reached out and placed his hand on the blade's guard. The moment he did, he felt a sensation similar to a static shock- but far more pleasant- it seemed to fill him up with energy. He felt as if he could run a thousand miles, lift a thousand tons... even ascending Yggdrasil itself suddenly seemed-
His thoughts were interrupted by an excruciating pain in his back, spreading through to his chest. He looked down to see a bloodstained sword emerging from the center of his ribs- he vaguely recognized it as Adam's. And just like that, all the strength began leaking out of him.
A roar of fury echoed throughout the audience at the display.
"W...Wh...Why?" he struggled to ask, before being interrupted by a bout of violent coughing- blood spurted from his mouth with each convulsion.
"You have no idea what you just did, kid," Adam whispered in his ear. "Trust me- this is an act of mercy."
He drew his sword back, leaving two gaping holes in Jaune, from which a fountain of blood erupted.
"That bastard's dead!" Yang roared, smashing her fists together.
"Get in line, Long!" Pyrrha snarled, reaching for weapons that were still back at Beacon.
"You sit back, too, Pyr!" Nora belted out. "I'm gonna break his legs!"
Blake and Weiss watched in mortified, terrified silence. Ruby was struggling not to use those words that would make Yang wash out her mouth with soap, and while Ren had yet to say anything, there was clear fire in his eyes.
Jaune rubbed at his chest, imagining what his other must be feeling right now.
Jaune collapsed onto the ground, unmoving. With another strike of his blade, Adam destroyed the sword in front of the tube. "Alright... we're done here. Let's move out."
Blake, who'd been watching with open-mouthed horror, finally found her voice. "ADAM! WHAT DID YOU DO?! WHY?!"
Adam didn't bother answering, beckoning to Cardin and Watts as he took the lead back towards the top deck. Blake looked between them and Jaune's body, tears forming in her eyes. She felt a weight on her shoulder, and saw Sun looking at her with an uncharacteristically grim expression. He motioned with his head. She reluctantly nodded and took off after the rest.
"You're still following them?!" Weiss asked indignantly.
"For now... I'm thinking that's all she can do," Ren finally offered his opinion on the proceedings.
Against all odds, however, Jaune found himself opening his eyes- but when he regained his vision, he wasn't on the ship- rather, he was on the gentle slope of a hill in the center of a large, grassy field. In the distance, he could hear a bell chiming- he supposed it was what had awoken him in the first place.
"Wait- Jaune's alive?" Ruby asked hopefully.
"He shouldn't be, after a wound like that," Pyrrha acknowledged fretfully.
He rose to his feet somewhat unsteadily, and took in his surroundings. In the center of the hill was a large tree- less than a fraction the size of Yggdrasil, of course, but great by normal tree standards. And beneath it was a girl- a very familiar girl. "Um... um... excuse me?"
The girl looked around at him, smiling, and finally revealing her crystal green eyes. "It's a beautiful sound, isn't it? Even after all these years, it hasn't stopped..."
Nobody even tried commenting- they were too eager to see where this was going.
"You mean... the bell?" Jaune asked, looking around. "Er... could you tell me... where we are?"
"This is... Shambhala... the Promised Land," the girl said airily. "Where humans once lived, so long ago, with their creator. Our birthplace..."
Jaune looked around at the landscape with a newfound awe. "No way- really? This is Shambhala?"
"My memory of it, to be exact," the girl nodded. Jaune took her in, his eyes once again drawn to the cross-like object embedded into her chest.
"A... core crystal?"
"Core crystal?" Ruby asked.
"Drivers resonate with core crystals to awaken the blades, moving on," Vanessa explained quickly.
"My name is Pyrrha," the girl finally introduced, placing a hand over her chest and bowing.
"Oh, right!" Jaune suddenly seemed to realize he hadn't introduced himself. "My name's-"
"Jaune, right?" Pyrrha interrupted, smiling gently.
"How- how did you know-"
"I'm sorry!" she apologized quickly. "It- it happened just now, when we came into contact..."
"Came into... contact?" Jaune asked, racking his memories for anything like what she was describing. Suddenly, he doubled over as the memory of getting stabbed returned- he almost vomited as he felt the sword piercing him once more.
"I... I remember... I remember!"
Bile rose in his throat- it was a great effort to keep it down. "That bastard- that bastard stabbed me in the back!"
He slowly turned back to Pyrrha. "Does... does that mean I'm..." he couldn't bring himself to ask.
Pyrrha placed a gentle hand on his shoulder- her hand was warm, comforting. "Jaune... I can save your life. But... in return, do you mind if I ask one selfish request? I... I want you to take me to Shambhala."
"But... isn't this Shambhala?" Jaune asked, too overwhelmed to say anything else.
"Only my memory," Pyrrha repeated. "This is Shambhala as I recall it. In the real world, I'm still on that ship in the middle of the Cloud Sea... with you. To get to Shambhala, I'd need a driver- and for them to take me themselves, to the top of Yggdrasil."
"But... but I'm dead!"
"And like I said, I can save your life," Pyrrha repeated, smiling gently. "I can grant you half of my life force. I don't like to brag, but... I'm a rather powerful blade. It would be more than enough to heal you. You would be my driver... the driver... of the Holy Grail."
"The... the what now?" Jaune asked, nonplused.
"Will you do it, Jaune?" Pyrrha asked- her crystal beginning to glow.
"So... Shambhala... it's real? It's actually, really real?"
"Yes," Pyrrha nodded. "This place exists, above the clouds of Remnant... and if you bring me here, I believe we can save the world. Reverse the slow death to which it has been condemned."
Slowly, Jaune broke into a smile. "In that case... I'm not seeing a downside here. Let's go to Shambhala!"
Pyrrha's smile widened, and the glow from her crystal grew brighter. "Thank you, Jaune. Now... put your hand on my chest..."
"Whoa, P-Money, slow down a little, you're gonna scare him away!" Yang burst out laughing, no small part of which was in relief.
"I'm sorry!" Pyrrha squealed, hiding her face behind her hands.
The scene cut back to the ship's top deck, where Cardin, Adam, and Blake had just emerged. Adam carried the tube containing Pyrrha over his shoulder.
"Blake, kill the rest of the passengers," Cardin ordered gruffly.
"W-what?!" Blake asked, taken aback.
"Their job is done," Cardin shrugged offhandedly. "We have the Grail- and that's all we need."
"Such callous disregard for life," Weiss snarled.
"No more than I'd expect from him," Pyrrha growled.
"Why would I kill them?!" Blake asked, eyes wide in horror. "They've done nothing wrong!"
"Fine," Cardin sighed, producing his mace. "I'll do it myself."
Before he could move much further, though, the coffin Adam was carrying burst into flame, drawing everyone's attention. Cardin's brow knitted. "What?"
Adam dropped the coffin out of sheer shock- Pyrrha's body within remained motionless as the flames consumed its container... until it exploded.
An arc of fire soared above the ship, finally connecting on the opposite end- where they finally saw Pyrrha, standing on the deck like she hadn't been in a coffin until moments ago, glaring at them. The crystal on her chest had fragmented, somehow, the points of the cross separated by a missing X.
A circle of fire formed on the deck, and soon, it had exploded too, the form of a young man erupting up in a fountain of flames. Jaune landed on the deck, a reformed sword in hand. Upon his chest was the remaining X from Pyrrha's crystal.
"Jaune?!" Blake asked, eyes wide in shock.
Cardin's smile had thoroughly vanished, transforming into an ugly snarl. "That's not possible!"
"Very brave of you to stab a man in the back," Jaune growled, brandishing his sword in Adam's direction. "How about a straight fight this time around?!"
"YEAH! BREAK THEIR LEGS, FEARLESS LEADER!" Nora cheered, just barely rising above the din of cheers from everyone else.
"Cover me, Pyrrha!" Jaune called.
"Of course!" Pyrrha nodded, summoning great balls of fire and throwing them down towards Cardin and Adam.
Cardin wrapped both hands around his mace. "Leave them to me, Adam!" he ordered, leaping forward and knocking Jaune back. "Sorry, runt, but I can't just let you run off with power you don't understand."
Pyrrha swooped in from above and began attacking alongside him.
Blake watched the battle go back and forth with a growing expression of horror. "Cardin, stop, he's just a child!" she cried.
"He lost the right to call himself a child when he took the Grail!" Cardin snarled, furious as she struggled to break through their defenses. Bonding with Pyrrha had given him a great deal of power, and if he ever launched an attack that should finally stop him, Pyrrha herself lunged in to take it and turn things around.
"I'm glad to see we're still such a good team," Pyrrha smiled wistfully, while Ruby pouted in furious jealousy.
As the battle increased in intensity, the remainder of the crew from the Maelstrom rushed back to their own ship, not eager to stick around. In fury, Cardin sheathed his mace, instead summoning spheres of darkness to his palms and taking aim- only for Jaune to force him back on the defensive. "You leave them alone! Try picking on somebody your own size!"
Pyrrha grabbed Jaune, wrapping both their hands around the hilt of her sword, and guiding them up into the air.
"BURNING... SWOOOOOOOOORD!" they shouted as they brought down an entire column of flames onto their enemy.
Cardin managed to block them, nearly buckling under their combined weight. "You... damn brat!" he snarled. Into his hand came more of what could only be described as black flames, filling his arm with strength before swinging it towards them- they only barely dodged.
The Maelstrom took her chance and took off.
Cardin growled, and lashed out with an entire wave of black fire, finally knocking his opponents onto their backs. Pyrrha's sword skidded off, landing several feet away from either of their hands.
"Don't get cocky, you little shit," he snarled, preparing his mace- only for another sword to appear, blocking him again. A sword held by Blake Belladonna.
"Yeaaah, Blake! Represent Team RWBY!" Ruby cheered.
Sun was behind her, running his hands up and down Jaune's body, light pouring from him and flowing him into Jaune, renewing his energy.
"Belladonna, have you lost your mind?!" Cardin roared.
"You've lost yours," Blake rebutted. "Trying to kill those people- trying to kill a child?!"
Cardin sighed. "You really don't understand the position you're in, here, Kit-Kat. You're starting to piss me off!"
With no further preamble, Cardin was trying to kill her, too, swinging his mace with cold calculation- but his job became harder when Jaune and Pyrrha both got back to their feet as well.
"Tch," Cardin growled. "Pretty spry, for someone just waking up after five hundred years. I liked your old look better, though. I'm guessing you're heading for Shambhala, too..."
"Of course," Pyrrha nodded. "And we will get there, no matter what gets in our way!"
"Pretty words, but they don't amount to much in the real world," Cardin smirked.
"JAUNE, THEY'RE BACK!" Blake cried- he turned to find that the Maelstrom had circled back, now aiming its guns at the four of them.
"Oh, crap!"
Sun leapt between them, and when the bullets came near, they failed to pierce some sort of field before him. "Nope," he smirked.
"YOU'RE FIGHTING A LOSING BATTLE!" Cardin bellowed as he dove towards Jaune.
"JAAAAAAUUUUUUUNE!"
The scream was like music to Jaune's ears, as he looked up to the sky and saw the great form of Ozpin himself soaring through the clouds towards their location. He opened his mouth, and breathed shots of fire down upon the Maelstrom, forcing them to evasive maneuvers.
"Stubborn old bastard," Adam growled, as he drew his own sword, striking the fireballs and striking them from the air.
"JAUNE, GET ON!" Ozpin cried as he swooped low. Jaune grabbed Blake as Pyrrha guided Sun towards the edge of the ship- as one, they all leapt from it onto the back of the passing titan.
"SHOOT THEM DOWN!" Cardin roared to the people aboard the Maelstrom. "SHOOT THEM DOWN, SHOOT THEM DOWN, SHOOT THEM DOOOOOOOWWWWWWWN!"
The guns turned towards Ozpin, but even as they opened fire, Ozpin was far too distant for it to truly matter.
"Give it up, Cardin," Adam muttered. "They're out of range. But I saw a few shots land..."
"We'll find them," Cardin snarled.
"Later," Adam instructed. "We have more important things to take care of for now- as long as the Grail's awake, our job's done. Have Mercury hunt them in the meantime."
Cardin groaned. "That... will have to do." He looked after them. "But make no mistake... I will find you, Pyrrha... and show you to the gates of Hell."
XXXX
Again, I apologize sincerely for the repetition- I promise next episode will be new content- which, in this context, means either another episode of Xenoblade 2 or the first episode of Xenoblade X. Feel free to let me know if you have any preferences. Feel free to let me know if you enjoy my writing, have suggestions for it to be better, or you want to impale me on a spike, Vlad Tepes style. Just let me know. Until next time, please R&R, and don't you dare go hollow (I'm trying not to,) Gamer4 out.