He stretched his arms and torso, testing the armor that Gunmetal had fixed up for him. It felt like his old one, in every possible way. Which made sense, since it WAS his old armor, plus a shining new helmet. No more headshots for good ol Jauney anymore! Not that he received many (or any at all), but it still felt nice to know that he was protected.
He thanked the blacksmith with a bob of his head, heading up the elevator to link up with Taiyang and head back to Ansel.
He really wasn't looking forward to visiting his old home once again, and technically he wasn't forced to. He could just move on to Vacuo and look for Ruby and the Sword of Destruction… but he felt compelled to take this detour. He could only hope that it would be worth it.
Wouldn't that be something new, for once?
"There you are. How does your new armor feel? You definitely look ready to continue onwards".
He flexed his hands, before grabbing the helmet and placing it on his head, signaling to Tai that he was ready to go.
While they walked, his older friend filled him in on the current situation in Vale.
"I've quelled the Turned, for the moment. If there are any left, they're doing the smart thing and hiding. From what I've observed, they behave exactly like the Grimm. The more they stick around, the more intelligent they become. As for Grimm themselves, Ursa and Beowolves are getting more and more scarce… in their place, more powerful ones are raising their ugly heads. Which is why I insisted on accompanying you".
More powerful Grimm… he didn't even have to ask where the hell they came from. Now that the Relics were back in the open, they were attracting more and more bloodthirsty beasts… and poor Tai here was the one getting the brunt of it, since he was the one carrying his Relic the longest.
"You don't need to worry about me Jaune. I'm a professional Huntsman, this is nothing for me! Besides, it hasn't been that long. Maybe a week at best, though it's hard to keep track when the sun never raises…"
Well… that's good to hear, at least. He didn't want to say that it was a lingering thought, but his mind would sometimes stray to his first ally in this… crusade of his. It hadn't been that long then…
Which only meant that his downfall had been spectacularly fast.
And we're still nosediving all the way down. Not much time left by now…
Which only meant that this… distraction has to be brief. He still had to unlock the way to Vacuo, find Ruby, deal with her and then…
Then what? Ozpin told him that, once team RWBY is revived, his contribution to this story would be over. Could he still help? Or will he be pushed aside to rot on his own, only to be put down like a rabid dog once he loses himself?
He honestly had no clue. Not that he minded too much, his personal journey had only one ending no matter what, but it felt disgustingly familiar, being a means to an end and nothing more.
Just like every other Huntsman and Huntress that ever existed.
He was snapped out of his thoughts by his companion.
"Heads up Jaune. We have company".
He stopped, straining his eyes and ears for any sign of danger. He knew that Tai was right, his instincts were screaming at him that something was stalking them. But what…?
His only warning was a serpentine hiss, followed by soft slithering. Taiyang and him dived in two different directions, barely avoiding a pair of jaws that snapped where they both were just a moment earlier, at the same time. His own dodge was clumsy though, which caused him to still get hit, making him spin out of control for a couple of seconds. He landed and looked up…
A black and white giant snake, with two heads connected to the same body. And in the air in front of it… the key that he was going to use back at home. The lighter of the two heads saw it and gulped it down, without hesitation. Almost as if it was aiming for it specifically…
Godsfucking damnit…
King Taijitu. Great, why the hell not. He did have it a tiny bit too easy lately, of course it just couldn't last.
Lost: Mysterious Key
Bastard even ate his key! It looked at them both with satisfaction, almost as if asking what were they going to do about it.
"You take the white one, I'll deal with the black. Be careful, it looks old…"
Obviously. He nodded, quickly evaluating his options.
Shield? Useless against something this big. Trying to stand his ground and block would do nothing but harm him. More Celeri was quick, but those scales might as well have a "no daggers allowed" sign stapled onto them. It was just going to bounce on them. Mors Renata was an option, but only if he managed to aim for the eyes. Which was possible, his aim had gotten much better ever since gaining his gun, but he doubted that the thing would just stay still and let him shoot. Still a decent second option.
Crocea Mors' regular blade was probably strong enough to penetrate the scales, but at that point he might as well tickle the Grimm to death. Ah… the illusion of choice. Lovely, isn't it?
He hefted his greatsword onto his right shoulder, in a very similar manner as his older self. Very well then, big metal stick it is!
The white snake wasted absolutely no time in diving towards him, giving him no choice but to roll sideways to avoid being eaten. He turned around, swinging his blade viciously…
It bounced. The weapon almost as big as him, carefully upgraded, able to deal damage to big dudes with armor…
Bounced on the scales of this overgrown lizard. He was utterly speechless at this point. He knew that it was old, but was it so absolutely ancient that its scales turned into steel?!
He jumped backwards to avoid the Grimm's retaliation, the beast also keeping its face out of reach of all his weapons and its eyes covered by his gun.
Welp… the battle just started and he was already out of options. Now what?
He dodged once again, stuck into an endless loop of sidestepping and rolling with no consequences, when his eyes stole a peek at his companion, which was faring much better than he was.
Taiyang's fists were covered in aura, giving the man the power to punch and bludgeon his heart out, the scales doing absolutely nothing to stop him. If only he learned how to do that as well… or if only he had a mace or anything along those lines. He knew that his arsenal was missing something!
One more dive and the King Taijitu got a mouthful of a tree instead of his flesh. He was getting nowhere… he still was far from tired, courtesy of his infection, but he really didn't want to wait for Tai to deal with all of this alone. He needed to come up with something, both for that particular situation and for any future fights that featured shit like this.
Think, think, think!
He could figure out how to infuse aura and use it as a weapon, his older self could do it with those flames, which meant that he could as well. What he was missing was a proper vessel for it. He was no good at punching, plus he wasn't willing to risk losing a limb to what amounted to an experiment. His sword had proven itself ineffective, he needed something blunt in order to deal damage. Something like…
His shield!
He swapped weapons during another desperate dodge, holding the kite shield with both hands. All right then… just focus his energy inside the sheet of metal and strike. How hard could it be?
The answer was… mildly difficult. First time, he didn't use enough aura, leading to a bash that did absolutely nothing. He swore he could feel the serpent's eyes on him, silently judging him for his pathetic attempt
Second time he used too much, which led to a small explosion that blasted him away and almost caused Tai to lose his footing.
"Woah! Careful with that! Now is not the time to fuck around and find out, Jaune!"
He shouted an apology, getting back to his feet and feeling his aura missing a decent chunk, both because of the explosion and the impact of the blast itself. He just had to find a middle ground.
His third attempt was better, but the Grimm could still barely feel it. Fourth caused it to recoil a bit…
The fifth, he finally figured it out. Having been fighting with the damn thing for a bit, Jaune finally figured out its pattern, allowing him to dodge just enough to not get hit while still remaining in range of his weapon. He poured aura into his shield, wound back… and striked from top to bottom.
The white head of the Grimm hissed painfully, its jaw having been smacked onto the ground, which left it stunned. Vulnerable.
He saw his chance and took it with no hesitation. He climbed its snout, Mors Celeri in his hand and quickly found his target… the eye.
With a shout, he raised his weapon and stabbed down, enhancing his strike with aura, just for good measure. Blood spilled like a fountain from the wound, the head of the King Taijitu spasming and buckling in pain… but somehow, it managed to keep its bearings. And it too saw an opportunity.
With a roar, the serpent started spinning its head, with Jaune still attached to the eye through his dagger, which started slipping out of the wound. Several spins later, and much cursing from our hero, it gave out, which sent the Brave Huntsman flying up and then tumble down…
Right into the King's open mouth.
Taiyang, still occupied with his own head, could do nothing but watch in horror as his friend was gobbled down like nothing.
Suddenly, he was alone against both heads of the Grimm, its red orbs staring at him like a mouse into a corner. It hissed, liking its fangs and slithering towards him, intent on finishing the job…
Before it stopped. The thing only had time to widen its eyes… before buckling. It roared, turning around and slamming its stomach against a tree, but it was all for naught. It buckled again and again, before Tai finally saw something incredible.
The tip of a sword started making its way out the Grimm's body. Slowly and painfully, like a knife through butter. The weapon flickered with aura, finishing its journey out of the snake's guts… ending with a savage cut, which ripped open the skin and scales that were previously thought to be impossible to sever. Jaune jumped out of the tear that he caused, paying no mind to the monster screaming behind him, his right eye glowing a crimson red through his helmet and holding the key that the Grimm previously swallowed.
Oh yeah… I think we figured this aura infusion thing out.
Obtained: Mysterious Key
Eventually, the white half of the beast stopped struggling, flopping down lifeless, leaving only the battered and bruised darker part.
Tai was staring at him with a mix of emotions, raging from awe… to fear. He was scared shitless. Of what? He had no idea. He never felt better!
With a grunt, Jaune called his partner, reminding him that they were not done yet.
"R-Right! I'm with you!"
The Brave Huntsman's gaze swept back to their opponent, who was not looking nearly as smug as it was back at the beginning.
He chuckled maliciously, clutching his greatsword and letting it rest over his shoulder.
Yeah, I just killed your other half. What are you going to do about it, snakey?
Keep some distance and stare at them apparently. He could see its brain running in circles and calculating, trying to find a solution. It really was ancient, wasn't it?
Then it pulled the trick out of its hat. The dark head bent down, grasping its other half with its jaw…
And ripped, getting rid of the dead weight, before turning tail and fleeing.
What the actual fuck…
Both him and Tai were speechless.
"Did it just… do what I think I saw it did?"
It sure did. Intelligent AND with a sense of self preservation. There was something different with that Grimm… something that no other monster had up until now. This defied simple age due intelligence. He furrowed his brows, half debating what happened and trying to find a logical explanation…
And the other unreasonably angry that his prey ran away.
It's injured and in pain. Plus, its leaving a perfectly nice trail for us to follow. Tracking it down and finishing it would be child's play…
Later, maybe. Right now, he had bigger fish to fry. They were reasonably close by to Ansel, the curiosity about this damn key burning him. He knew that it led down to the basement, but he had no idea what he was going to find there…
He grasped Crocea Mors by the blade, close to the cross guard, not even bothering to turn it back into its sword and shield mode, and injected a booster to top himself off, ready for the final stretch…
Mastered: Aura Infusion
"Jaune? Can we talk for a moment?"
Hm? Now what?
"I'm not going to circle jerk around this, so I'm going to be straightforward and ask directly: you're infected, are you?"
… Well, damn. He figured it out.
I wonder what gave it away? The red eyes, the unneeded brutality or the malicious giggling?
He could try to lie about it… but he knew better than to think that it would work. So, he confirmed with a nod.
The older man's eyes narrowed.
"For how long? And how come you're still sane? Mostly…"
Welp… no reason to keep the secret. He briefly explained the whole situation.
"You have no idea when exactly, but my daughter and her friends' auras are keeping you afloat for now. I suppose you don't know when it will take over completely, do you?"
Not a single clue. Only that he had a bit of a tight window.
Taiyang sighed, passing a hand through his hair.
"Well, there goes that hope as well…"
What hope? The simple fact that he even had some hope left was astonishing, to be perfectly honest.
"Hope that you'd get to live in peace after all of this is said and done. I do see you as a friend, and you're so young… knowing that you'll die before I do doesn't sit right with me".
Heh… he was a good man. And he appreciated the sentiment… but he made peace with his fate.
"I'm sorry for the fourth grade, but I had to make sure that we were on the same page. So, ready to go on? Ansel should be just up ahead".
He nodded, frowning behind his helmet. He knew, in his heart, that Tai's hope had died before it could even begin. A happy ending was not in the cards for him. But that's fine, he supposed.
Ever since his new journey started, back when he met Ansel's last guard, it had been his duty to receive the burdens of those that he encountered.
For each Turned that he slayed…
For each person that he failed to save, or protect…
For each friend that he hunted, staining his gloves with blood…
Their pain was his to bear. Their suffering his to shoulder. Their fighting spirit his to inherit.
For that…
Is his curse.
Hello?! Is this thing on?! It is?! Noice.
Welcome back, dudes and gentleladies, to another episode of Auraborne, the show where, sometimes, a person only exists to suffer.
Yes, I recently replayed God of War 3 and watched Goblin Slayer, how could you tell? Lmao.
Been awhile huh? At least a month, if I'm not mistaken. I don't really have much of an excuse to be honest, I just procrastined and got lazy, until eventually I realized that I took a long enough break. It did serve to ward off the burnout (four stories at the same time was NOT the move…), so… here I am, ready to continue onwards. So uhhhh… I'm sorry, I guess? Not good at apologizing…
Review Responses:
merendinoemiliano: I… huh, never thought about that. I can see the resemblance, both story and gameplay. Thanks and sorry for the wait
behaartzas: Yup, they are. But only Jaune's friends can "interact" with his soul, for reasons that will be explained later.
The brothers are still alive, betting everything on Jaune to succeed. Why? What's their angle? We'll have to wait and see, won't we?
Behind the locked door is a nice surprise. I'll give you a hint: you're not right… but you're not wrong either.
The Rusted Knight reward was the armor. The aura didn't come for reasons that, again, will be explained later.
I mean, that in a way, Weiss was born to lead. She had received the education to, one day, take over the SDC, being an heiress and all, but also going to Beacon expecting to lead her own team. I suppose the difference is that, while Weiss was "forced" to be second to her father, in Beacon she did so willingly (after a while at least), which put things into perspective and kick-started her development. Maybe Ruby wasn't "necessary" per se, but without her, she probably would have developed differently. And the shipping bothers me too tbh, mostly because it takes away from the characters agency a little bit.
Again, inconsistent is Ruby's second name. She talked well enough with Jaune, and she apparently had friends before Beacon, but the show goes out of his way to hammer home the fact that Ruby is socially awkward. It's not a bad thing, humans ARE inconsistent, but compared to everyone else in the early season, she felt a bit lackluster. Doesn't stop me from adoring the tyke though, she's adorable.
Magic was specifically made to defy logic in a way, sticking rules to it is going to be difficult, but they could at least try. Or… they could have tried. Too late now, I guess.
The show is full of dumb and obviously overpowered Semblances, huh? Especially compared to the villains. Never realized before, but now that I think about it, it makes me wonder how come Salem managed to gain so much ground lol.
Dunno, tbh. I don't think I'd be able to write them well. Maybe I'll try one day, when I'll have more experience, but no promises.
Essiter1987: Honestly? I did too for a bit, lol. That's how old of a set up it was. Fortunately I remembered it just in time.
Yeah, killing Mohg again is gonna be a pain, especially because my character relies quite a lot on bleed. Let's just hope that it won't take me another two days to beat him again (clown noises).
Better not bring them up again, agreed. There is no worse insult to any piece of media than to be boring, so the less said, the better.
RT going down was not a surprise in the slightest, but I'm sure that RWBY is going to continue. Too much of a cash cow not to, especially if WB is involved. But maybe the new management will capture what made the show special in the early volumes. Here's to hoping!
I think that the big flaw in the pacing is the fact that there's just too many characters, so the show struggles to make them feel "genuine" while at the same time moving the already confusing plot along. I suppose this is why Volume 9 is considered one of the best, there's less than half of the characters normally involved in any other Volume, so we all get to breathe and enjoy the ride more. Just my opinion though.
That's all folks! Ta-ta for now!