Arc II: The Knight Life
Chapter 11: Of Students and Soldiers
"Hah!"
"Nnngh!"
"Raaagh!"
Steel rang loudly through the arena as Crocea Mors deflected the Executioner. Jaune ducked under a wide swing by Cardin, but was promptly shoulder checked by the larger boy and collapsed to the ground. Before the taller boy could drive his mace into the fallen blonde, he quickly rolled around just out of harm's reach and used his momentum to try and trip him.
Damn it. Cardin proved to be too heavy and stable, failing to trip him though he did stumble sideways to regain his footing. Without missing a beat, Jaune used the momentary lapse to jump back up, just in time to catch his opponent's mace by his side, arm and shield practically melding into his side from the sheer brute force of the swing.
In response, Jaune jutted his right leg out behind to stabilize himself, grunting under the impact and the effort needed to jump sideways after Cardin brought the Executioner up and crashing down in an overhead swing. Though the ginger proved faster and more street fight savvy than expected, a couple of seconds was all he needed, delivering a couple slices and a thrust to the larger teen's exposed side.
"Argh, fuck that hurts! You're gonna pay for that you little twerp!"
"Over my dead - whoa!"
Cardin rushed him with another shoulder check, to which Jaune caught on his shield. The momentum forced him to stumble back, while also allowing him to concentrate on securing his balance. Distracted, it was too late when he felt a hand grab the side of his shield and force his arm roughly away, leaving him wide open for a powerful kick that sent him sprawling several feet away onto his back. Aura crackled lightly as he fell; glancing to the side, Jaune noted with disdain how his Aura meter indicated the lower yellow, although Cardin's was not too far above his.
"Huh. Well, at least it's better than last time."
Shaking his head clear, he scrambled back up as a loud yell interrupted his thought process. Cardin was just several feet away, running in an attempt to pulverize him into the arena training floor.
Yet, dangerous as it looked, with the majority of his senses screaming for to either raise his shield or dodge - to do anything, really - there was some part deep inside him that felt in control. Aware of the options before him. What he could do to respond, and how to execute them.
The best part was, he didn't feel that familiar burn on his hand. Certain as he was that the Triforce was somewhere in his soul, waiting to be the clutch that he was growing to see it as, it wasn't any of that. Instead, it was something just as valuable: experience. Instinct. This was no Lynel, no Deathstalker, and certainly not Initiation.
Though Link said before the spar that he would remain silent for the duration of his matches, Jaune could feel the muscle memory from both his duels against him and fights against the Grimm begin to kick in.
Narrowing his eyes, he raised his shield and held his sword to the side, patiently waiting those long few seconds as Cardin rushed him.
The taller boy raised his mace -
Jaune began to raise his shield to meet it -
And his eyes widened just a little bit in surprise as he saw him smirk, almost missing the whispered "gotcha" under his breath. Cardin feinted, shifting his weapon to the side as he brought it down so as to miss Jaune's block and instead strike the shield from the edge and sending it flying out of bounds - noting simultaneously that they too were quite close to the edge.
The two watched it clatter off the platform, before slowly turning their heads in unison to face each other, one with a grin and the other a glare.
"You lose."
Instincts screamed like crazy throughout Jaune's mind as Cardin struck his elbow out in an attempt to strike his face, but muscle memory and training kicked in, ducking below and to the side so that it only glanced across his temple. Aura flashed but Jaune gritted through it, stepping forward with a yell and landing a powerful strike with the pommel of Crocea Mors into Cardin's gut right below the armour.
Aura crackled and flashed across the taller boy as he stumbled back and wheezed, coughing several times as he clutched his gut.
Stepping back, Jaune felt confidence, determination and a smile form on his face as he realized that he had a chance. This was it. Cardin was wounded and left wide open.
Not wanting to waste the opportunity, he rushed forward, preparing to thrust his sword into his opponent. Senses kicking in, Cardin glanced up and with his mace deflected the oncoming blade to the side and pushed him back. For the first time in the spar, he was truly forced into the defensive as Jaune relentlessly swung and struck, aiming to wear him down not through sheer strength but to press on while the ginger still recovered. Steadily, Aura declined as the blonde's sword landed several successful hits and pushed him back against the boundaries.
Better still, Jaune couldn't help but feel a bit of pride as through all the adrenaline, he heard in the background Ruby cheering him on, with Pyrrha, Yang and Nora joining in a cacophony of voices.
Jaune feinted from the right, successfully duping the heavily breathing Cardin's guard and instead struck from the left, sending his Aura deep into the red, and the taller boy to his knees.
"This is it. One...more...strike!"
Feeling victory just within reach, he yelled and committed to one more thrust which would end the match once and for all -
And so it did, as Cardin glanced to the side with the last of his strength, grabbing the blonde's wrist and forearm as the blade scraped harmlessly across his chestplate.
The cheers died out and Jaune's expression morphed from conviction to shock as the ginger heaved with all his might, collapsing at the effort of hurling Jaune off the arena and out of bounds. A loud bzzzzzzzzzzt rang throughout the arena, Glynda Goodwitch stepping up to the stage and heralding the end of the match.
"Students, as you can see, Mr Arc has been thrown out of bounds, and in an official tournament style duel, an official would call the match as a win for Mr Winchester by ring out."
Jaune, dazed from the fall and in denial of defeat, slowly sat back up and looked at the Aura status. Cardin's was just above the threshold for defeat, while his, though red, was clearly much higher than his.
"No...how? I was so close! I could've won, how -"
"Mr. Arc."
Goodwitch's voice snapped him out of his thoughts and he swiveled his head to meet her piercing, critical expression.
"...yes, Professor?"
"As you no doubt feel, this was a winnable fight. Just because an opponent is wounded does not mean you should sacrifice your guard for a killing stroke."
Jaune nodded numbly, too caught up in the shock of his defeat.
"However, your offensive and defensive skills have much improved. You took advantage of several openings to the best of your ability and you fought with much more focus and drive, considering the field trip to Forever Fall not too long ago. Do you feel any excruciating pain or injuries?"
He shook his head. "N-no. I'm fine."
She nodded and softened her gaze just the tiniest bit. "I see. Remember to be cautious, and refrain from overextending past your ability to retaliate effectively. All things considered I commend you for your improvement."
He gazed back at her with a slightly more resolute expression. "Thank you, ma'am."
"Mr Winchester," she called, turning towards the kneeling teen. "You used your location and surroundings well, as you turned around what would've been a clear defeat for you. Opponents adapt, sometimes what may have worked before will no longer do so in the future. A decent performance, but a fight is mental as it is physical. Do you feel any injuries, or need medical attention?"
The ginger grunted as he used his mace to help himself up, putting it away upon doing so.
"Got it, Miss. And no, I'm fine."
"Very well. This is the last fight of the class, and you both may return to your seats." She turned back towards the class. "Remember, everyone! The Vytal Festival is only a few months away. It won't be long before students from the other kingdoms start arriving in Vale, so keep practicing! Those who choose to compete in the combat tournament will be representing all of Vale."
The school bell rang and she glanced at the clock above the door before turning back. "Class is dismissed. Have a good day, everyone."
Sounds of chairs scraping back and students beginning to chatter immediately filled the room, with some rushing towards the door to avoid the horde of people trying to get out. Meanwhile, as Jaune sighed, about to get up himself, a tall shadow immediately blocked out some of the room's light and caused him to look up.
Cardin stared down at him with a frown and an expression that was...rather hard to place. Weirdly enough, though he would hardly call it a look of respect from a victor to loser, Jaune couldn't feel any real malice in his stare.
For a few long seconds, the two looked at each other before Cardin offered a gloved hand out. The sight of it momentarily confused the blonde, before snapping out of it and accepting it out of instinct, letting the armoured teen help pull him up. At that, he stared at Jaune for another second before walking away wordlessly, regrouping and heading out the door with his team.
"You alright, Jaune?"
Pyrrha's voice surprised him, and the redhead came to view as he turned in the direction of her voice, finding her walking up to him. Behind them, he could see the other two following behind Team RWBY as they walked down the stairs from the stands; Yang and Ruby were jostling around to get ahead first, with Nora all the while yelling -or agitating - with encouragement, Ren trying to rein her in, Weiss simply just shaking her head and Blake failing to react at all.
"I don't think I'm the one you should be concerned about," Jaune nodded in the direction of their teams.
Pyrrha glanced back and stifled a chuckle at the sight of Yang at the door holding Ruby away by the head, grinning her trademark smile while the smaller girl flailed around uselessly and complained about something regarding milk.
"I see," the redhead replied. "Poor Ruby. Siblings can be so cruel."
A snort. "Oh yeah. Believe me, I know. As if having seven sisters wasn't enough."
She turned back with a wide-eyed expression. "Seven sisters!?"
"It's exactly as bad as it sounds," Jaune groaned, eliciting flashbacks of tea time and sibling favouritism at his expense, to Pyrrha's not so hidden amusement. "My youngest sister Amber was the worst. She never missed a chance to pester me to play games with her."
A chuckle. "Sounds horrible."
"Heh. Well at least I always won. Or most of the time. The worst was when she made this cute, sad puppy face, and then I'd feel all bad and -"
"Guys, hurry up! I wanna eat already!"
Nora's voice cut through his thought process as both of them turned around, seeing Team RWBY exit, the ginger waving at them and Ren standing silently and politely. Seriously, he wished he could have even a fraction of his patience.
Jaune and Pyrrha looked back at each other. "Look, I'll catch up with you guys later. I gotta go shower first. And don't worry," he interrupted as she raised a finger, as if to interject with a question. "I feel perfectly fine. It's only my ego that's been bruised. But thanks for asking."
Satisfied, she lowered her arm and flashed him a smile. "Alright, don't take too long. We'll be in the cafe."
"See you then," Jaune replied with a smile of his own, watching her walk away to regroup with the rest of their teams. Soon after the voices of RWBY and his team faded into silence as the training hall was emptied once more, he couldn't help his thoughts begin to come crawling back - ever so slowly, but certainly. And as he reached the door to the communal showers, he hesitated in opening them, picturing for a moment that instead of his palm resting on the door itself, it was gripping his shield in preparation for one of Cardin's blows.
Your performance in combat was much better than the last time you faced him. Your professor gave you both crucial advice and an honest assessment.
"Yeah...I know. Low key, it still kinda stings, but you know what? I've thought about it. Considering the Lynel couple days ago and sitting down with my team, it's kinda easier accepting losses now. Obviously I still want to win, but hey. Just gotta take things as they come, right? I'll do it eventually, you know?"
Hmm. Good. It's good to see you approaching this without thinking it's the end of the world. Tonight, we'll continue our practice sessions, but don't forget about Pyrrha's offer as well. Now, I believe we've been standing here for too long. Why don't you finish up and regroup with your team?
Jaune nodded, the sting of defeat dulled, and pushed open the door.
()===|=====+
"So. There we were...in the middle of the night..."
"It was day..."
"We were surrounded...by Ursai..."
"They were Beowolves."
Nora suddenly shot up, eyes wide in fear as if recalling a haunting memory, though the effect was somewhat diminished by the grin on her face.
"Dozens of them!"
"Two of them." Ren added with a tired voice.
"But they were no match!" the ginger continued, animated and looking for all the world as if telling a particularly epic story to a group of excited primary schoolers. "In the end, Ren and I took them down and made a boatload of lien selling Ursa skin rugs!"
She plunked down, enjoying Yang's enraptured attention and Ruby's curiosity for all things adventurous. Even Blake, whom Jaune quickly learned to be a rather avid reader, glanced up every now and then. Ren merely sighed, taking a sip of green tea.
"She's been having this recurring dream for nearly a month now. One night it's Beowolves, then Ursai, then Beringels."
"Variety is the spice of life! If anybody's interested, Nora has wares, if you have lien~"
Jaune sat munching away on steak and mashed potatoes, listening to her beginning to explain the merits of effectively starting a Grimm trapping company. At the same time, Pyrrha took a sip of water and turned to face him.
"If only Nora could actually get that money from her dreams, we could probably afford to buy our own Bullhead by now."
The redhead hummed in agreement. "Yes. Though knowing her, she'll probably spend most of it on weapon upgrades more expensive than the ship itself."
"Yup. Somehow I don't doubt that. If you had that kind of money, what would you spend it on?"
She looked to the side with a thoughtful expression. "Hmm. Good question. I honestly don't know," she admitted with a half smile. "I wouldn't say my family was rich, but...let's just say I didn't grow up worrying about finances. But that doesn't answer your question. So...maybe a vacation?"
"Right. So a trip to Vacuan beaches then."
Pyrrha shrugged. "Sure. I've never been to the beach at all, so why not. How about you?"
This time, it was Jaune's turn to be introspective. He closed his eyes, droning out the loud, animated ambience of the cafeteria. All his wants flashed through his thoughts and memories, remembering feelings of desire throughout his childhood. Amongst all he could've asked back then and now, being a Huntsman aside, was none other than -
"- a copy of the first edition of the original X-Ray and Vav," Jaune proudly declared, opening his eyes and resolutely gazing at his partner like a man with a lifelong mission.
Pyrrha snorted. "I see. You know, I used to read some Detective Universe Comics here and there," she remarked, causing Jaune to almost choke while drinking some water. "I know how you feel."
He turned back to her and smacked his fist into the palm of his other hand, delivering the guilty verdict. "That settles it. This weekend, when we go to Vale we'll check out some of the bookstores in town. All the X-Ray and DU Comics you could ask for, in the palm of your hand. Just..."
He reached for his wallet and quickly rifled through the contents. "Heheh. I really wish Nora's business was a thing now."
Pyrrha giggled, both of them turning towards the boisterous ginger, who apparently had just finished another epic tale, standing with one foot on the seat like a pirate captain, accepting applause from her crew mates. Only difference was, Yang, Ruby - and the rest of their teams, for that matter - suffered from a serious lack of eyepatches and blunderbusses, though perhaps Professor Port could help with the latter. Ren looked exasperated, as if coming right out of an exam he was sure he bombed, though, upon looking closer, he did have a small smile on his face.
"...news. Huntsman Joe's was broken into early in the morning, bringing the total number of Dust shops robbed in the Commercial District up to five in the past two weeks alone. Lisa Lavender has the story."
The sounds of the breaking news, playing from some of the cafeteria's wall mounted televisions, had several people, including the entirety of their tables, to turn towards the nearest one.
"Thank you. At about three thirty in the morning, Huntsman Joe's was robbed, leaving the human run shop it dry of its lien and Dust supplies. Vale PD is currently investigating, but has so far confirmed that there were no deaths or injuries in the incident. For now, wha - are you sure? I...gotcha."
The televised reporter, shown against a backdrop of a vandalized store, touched her ear and looked offscreen for a moment.
"We have just received confirmation and footage from official police channels that infamous criminal Roman Torchwick, along with the White Fang is responsible for this attack. Cyril?"
The screen transitioned towards one of slightly grainy CCTV footage, showing a white, unmarked van pull up to the street beside the store, and several figures hopping out of it. Though in black and white, The most famous criminal in all of Vale was clearly recognizable with his bright white suit and bowler hat, all the while surrounded by familiar masked goons running to and from the shop, carrying dust supplies.
Jaune heard a loud clatter right behind him, but paid no mind, instead watching as the news network played the last of the footage and transitioned back to the lavender haired reporter.
"Damn, that's the, how many has it been now? Five? Six?" Yang wondered aloud, causing the two teams to look back.
"The fifth, I believe," Ren answered.
"Huh. No wonder Dust's so expensive these days!" the blonde girl exclaimed, leaning back and stretching. "And now Torchwick's working with them. And it makes me so proud that my lil' sis actually fought and beat him!"
Ruby gave a strangled hrk of surprise when her older sister suddenly appeared behind her, hugging the smaller girl tightly while she struggled to get free.
"Ugh. Yang! I...didn't...let...guh. Go!"
She fell forward and gasped as oxygen filled her lungs, recovering from her smiling sister's loving assault.
"Beaten or not, Torchwick is still free. And has proven himself low enough to work with those despicable murderers."
The group turned towards the white haired heiress, who was still focused on watching the TV screen with punitive interest.
"Weiss?" Ruby asked.
"All I'm saying is that it's only natural that a criminal of his station was bound to end up working with those filthy...murderers. Degenerates."
"But are they all murderers and degenerates?" A new voice popped up. Weiss and the rest turned to see Blake having put down her book and focusing squarely on the heiress. "I don't think all of them actually joined up just to kill other people."
"True," Weiss evidently agreed. "Perhaps one or two, but it doesn't matter now. They joined an organization who do nothing but terrorize and murder innocent lives -"
"The same way the Schnees do to faunus in their mines?"
Jaune - and perhaps the rest of their teams, if by the sudden stilling of backs and breaths were any indication - felt the temperature around their table drop by several degrees.
"...excuse me? What are you -"
"I think that you shouldn't be so quick to judge," Blake chastised, meeting head on the heiress' piercing gaze. "Working with Torchwick and robbing stores is bad, but it's rather hypocritical for you to preach about what's right and wrong when your own company abuses people and breaks apart families themselves."
"I am not my father's company," Weiss growled back through gritted teeth.
"Are you sure? You were basically lumping all faunus together as thieves and murderers."
"I never said anything like that!"
"What did you call them? Filthy degenerates?"
"Because they are! They're a radical group of terrorists!"
"Stop being pretentious and thinking that every faunus is out to get you!" Blake all but yelled, angrily glaring at Weiss.
"Well, stop defending terrorists who kill innocent people! They're nothing but pure evil!" the heiress yelled back.
Blake began to slowly rise, until she was standing above the heiress. "There's no such thing as pure evil! Why do you think they hate humanity so much? It's because of people like Cardin, people like you, that force the White Fang to take such drastic measures!"
Weiss rose in response. "Like me."
The black haired girl nodded back. "Yes. You're discriminatory!"
"I am a victim! You know why I can't exactly trust the faunus? It's because you never know which one of them is okay, and which one is secretly plotting to slit your throat that night! I've had relatives, friends and company workers disappear and found dead two weeks later because of the White Fang. They are liars, thieves and murderers!"
"Well maybe it's because -"
"Guys!" Yang interrupted with a pleading tone. Blake paused, her angry glare briefly roving to her partner before returning to Weiss. "Guys. Can't we just...sit down and talk about this, or something?"
Though the two girls continued to glower at each other, chests rising and falling with emotion, Jaune felt relieved when, in the end, they both sat down without further argument. The cafeteria ambience replaced the yelling by the table, a sense of normalcy descending in all but name as the two teams sat stunned, and in silence. A few people were also looking their way, though they quickly dispersed once they realized that the drama was finished.
A few tables over, a brown haired girl with rabbit ears quickly left the dining hall, taking full advantage of the distraction to escape a team of human boys giving her dirty looks.
Tell me. These...faunus. They face discrimination in your world?
Link's voice surprised him, earning a slight jump that rattled the table, and caused Ruby to briefly glance over to him. He gave an apologetic smile.
"Yeah. The people with...uh...animal parts are called faunus. I honestly have no problem with them, but a lot of people don't like them for some reason."
Fair enough. Racism is an age old weakness of the heart, disgusting as it is unfortunately enduring. The one with the bow is called Blake, correct?
"Yeah, that's her name. Why, what about her?"
I see. Just lost in thought.
Link went silent after that, and his attention was soon drawn back to their table. A tense hostility emanating from Weiss and Blake caused an atmosphere of awkwardness to hang over the rest of them, with even the normally bubbly Nora looking rather sad.
"Hey, guys. So...are we still on for this Friday?" the ginger piped up. "There's this new pancake place that just opened up downtown, and I'd love to try it!"
"Totally! We've all the time in the world," Yang agreed, taking the cue for what it was. "Right guys?"
"Yep, sounds good to me!" Ruby added.
"I'm fine with that," Pyrrha also added, to which Jaune, with a mouthful of steak, gave thumbs up instead.
Ren merely shrugged, while Weiss and Blake remained focused on either a TV or a book.
The bell rang, calling the end of lunch and the start of the next period of classes.
Teams RWBY and JNPR stood up along with the majority of the cafeteria, carrying their trays towards one of the nearby trash bins.
"What class do you have next?"
Jaune, focused on not getting lost in the throng of students jostling to either dump their trays or head out the exit, turned to see Pyrrha scooting up beside him as they both were pushed in with the crowd.
"Uh. Weapon Maintenance with Professor Mulberry. You?"
"Intro to Politics with Professor Oobleck," Pyrrha replied, complete with a subtle undertone of dread to his amusement.
"Heh, good luck with that. Um. By the way, are you still up for...?"
His partner perked up. "Oh! Yes, I am. I'll reserve an arena for then."
"Sweet! Sounds good."
Pyrrha smiled and hummed in agreement.
A few seconds passed by with the two standing around awkwardly, shuffling in place.
"I should really get going -"
"Oh, yes, sorry, I should be off -"
"Come on, Pyrrha, we're gonna be late for class!" Nora interrupted. Pyrrha elicited a surprised yelp as the ginger grabbed her hand and was led away, sparing a polite smile that screamed "help me" back towards him.
He realized he kept looking in her direction a little too long when he heard a cough, finding Ren standing politely beside him and clearing his throat.
"You ready for class, Jaune?"
"Oh, sorry. Yeah, let's go. Just...thinking about earlier," the blonde replied, beginning their trek towards the next class."
"I did not expect Blake to get as emotional as she did," Ren admitted with a wince. "I could understand Weiss, but I guess it's why they always say it's the quiet ones."
Jaune sighed. "Yeah. It kinda makes me worried how this weekend's gonna go. It's supposed to be a fun time to chill, considering we've finished most of our work for now with the end of the field trip earlier this week."
The two shuddered at the memory, a slight chill going down their spines as images of a rampaging monster breathing fire flashed before them.
"Agreed. All things said, a little break every now and then wouldn't hurt."
"Heh. With Nora by your side all the time, do you ever really have any, anyway?"
Ren looked to the side with a nostalgic expression. "It's a lifestyle. You get used to it," he finished with a shrug. "But do you ever wonder, though?"
"About what?"
"Forever Fall. It's not...something we ever faced, nor were ever taught about."
Jaune felt the urge to explain how the Lynel was, in fact, a beast of malice from beyond recorded history, a champion of darkness against heroes of the light -
"No. I mean, yeah, like, it's impossible to forget, but I didn't know what it was either," Jaune admitted, scratching the back of his head. "The teachers said the next class anyway that it was a Nuckelavee, or some other sort of rare Grimm like that."
Ren was silent for a moment, before breathing out. "I see. I assume it was to help us and some of the other students cope after dealing with something like that."
"Yeah."
The two boys of Team JNPR were silent the rest of the way, passing by some other students in the usual hustle and bustle of Beacon Academy. Eventually, they got to their class, but before Jaune could open the door, he felt a hand on his shoulder.
"Jaune."
"Yeah?"
"You...did well today, in the spar before lunch. You may have lost, but...your skills have improved a lot. Just wanted to let you know."
The blonde's eyes widened, before he settled down from surprise. "Thanks, Ren."
His teammate nodded, opening the door and heading past him inside. Jaune soon followed suit, contentedness replacing the last of his disappointment.
"Hey. Baby steps, right?"
()===|=====+
"Yes. Baby steps. Not much so far, but anything is monumentally more useful than nothing."
Glynda Goodwitch sighed, before pulling out a chair in front of the Headmaster's desk and sitting down with a tired expression, looking over at the mess covering his desk. They two sat in silence for several seconds, basking in the sunset of the sun and letting both the muffled churning of cogs and the occasional sound of coffee being drunk fill the void. Various older looking tomes of different colours and thickness were spread across his desk, complimented by even older looking parchments and scrolls as well - the written kind. Some of them, she noticed, were written by languages either long dead, or so rarely spoken these days that they, in fact, might as well be. In addition, his terminal screen displayed a series of characters, some of which had translations to modern day letters.
"I see. And what have you found so far?"
"As we both know, the Grimm has been a plague towards human and faunuskind since recorded history, at least, since my first reincarnation. And as we also both know, that beast in Forever Fall was no Grimm. From its appearance, combat strategy and death, it was clearly a monster, and not some rare or undiscovered Grimm."
The deputy nodded. "Yes. I still remember the looks on some of the students' faces when they realized that as well," she sighed. "The official explanation is somewhat mitigating concern, but they are Huntsmen in training. They knew the truth when it stared at them in the face."
Ozpin leaned back, sipping some coffee. "A clearly dangerous truth, no doubt. The Council called earlier this morning, but they believe our story for now. I'm sure rumours have already begun to spread as well, so it won't be long before they come back to us about this."
He pointed to one of the opened books, which she noted was written in the same script as displayed on the screen.
"What does it say?"
"Sometimes, the stories told to keep us safe at night were once inspired by truth from an age long past," he replied, taking another sip. "I pulled some strings, and managed to discreetly...requisition some artifacts from the Valean Museum of Natural History. All these books here tell of histories, myths and legends before the time of the Kingdoms, and some of their predecessors as well. This particular item here is one of the last surviving copies of the Book of Mudora, a guide to some ancient cultures and folklore written in their original languages."
She could feel a vague feeling of impatience rise within her, although she firmly squashed it in favour of both dealing with her longtime boss and the need to understand how this could help in their fight against their enemy.
"And does it say anything useful?"
"Possibly. Looking back, I'm rather grateful to remember some of the languages of the times I once lived in," Ozpin sighed. He then pointed at a particular segment in the ancient book. "This was written in the Calatian language, perhaps a thousand or so years ago and an incarnation or two back. It tells of a story where villages in the south and east of the country were occasionally assailed by fearsome beasts."
She looked over at the page, and the few parts that were not too faded by time - Atlesian preservative technology was simply just too good - showed a couple of diagrams which featured houses on fire and terrified villagers running, all away from a creature that was easily the size of one of those houses, with a design that looked eerily close to the monster at Forever Fall.
"The untrained eye could confuse this for a Nuckelavee."
"Which is why our story still works in our favour. But this is proof that something like this is not alien to this world. Mentions of creatures like this, along with others that do not match any description of known Grimm, are seen only in the oldest of transcripts. Nothing from the previous one, two or five hundred years, but up to at least two thousand years at a minimum."
Glynda leaned back, all traces of exhaustion gone as she steeled herself in focus.
"Ozpin...this is unprecedented."
"In our current lifetime, yes. Which is why it worries me so," the enigmatic Headmaster sighed, taking his cup of coffee and standing by the window, looking out into the horizon. "Why now, out of all times? Even in my first life, before I came back into the world...these were merely bedtime stories, the kind of which were perhaps told to only those in the most remote of villages where oral tradition was at its strongest. Never once had I faced a monster such as this."
The clicking of heels echoed through the room as she joined him, standing side by side at the window. "Perhaps the young boy would know more. Not only has he faced it in single combat, but you said that he also reacted to your magic."
Ozpin nodded. "Yes. There is something within him that...jumpstarted my own, for lack of a better term. Magic which I had thought almost completely gone since the creation of the Maidens, and something that may be the key to figuring this out," he replied, turning towards her. "I will speak to Mr. Arc tomorrow. We will make no mention of this to anyone for the time being. Not even James. I do not want to cause panic and drive security of the Festival away from Beacon."
She hummed in agreement, producing her tablet and firing off some messages. "I've sent a notification, and scheduled for him to come by during a spare right after lunch."
"Thank you. Any updates from Qrow?"
"Nothing yet. Only that he's investigating some potential leads in the frontier villages to the southeast of the city."
"I see. Alright then, that'll be all for now."
He walked over to a coffeemaker by the side of his desk and glanced over to her. "Coffee?"
The deputy humphed. "I refuse to drink your overly caffeinated mix, Ozpin," she retorted, instead producing a canteen filled with, if the smell was any indication, some sort of herbal tea. "But thank you for the offer. If you'll excuse me, I have to go deal with seems to be some sort of prank by the fourth years," she ended with an exasperated note, earning a chuckle from the Headmaster. After the elevator doors closed, however, his smile dropped, and he once again turned to face the window, ancient tome in hand.
"These old records tell of villages and armies falling to the onslaught of these Lynels, along with...what did they call them? Moblins here, Darknuts there...it seems I have to look further into the past than expected."
He sighed, looking out into the distance.
"I sincerely hope that the fairy tales of that long, lost kingdom remain to be just that, but...it's starting to look like that is not the case. Salem...whatever are you planning?"
Ozpin lifted his mug up and downed the last of his coffee.
()===|=====+
The door closed, and Pyrrha, standing in the centre of the arena, turned around to face him.
"Hey Jaune!"
"Hey," he waved back, smiling in response. "So. Here I am, I guess."
His partner nodded. "Yes, you are. How are you feeling?"
"Good, I think. Still kinda sore from this morning, but otherwise I'm fine."
"I see. As good as a fight you put up, Grimm won't care whether you're tired or not."
Miló was unsheathed with a loud shing, followed by Crocea Mors in response. Gold faced crimson as he hopped up to join her on the platform, and adopted a fighting stance, feet shoulder width apart.
"See? I'm learning your lessons already."
"You won't have a bed to fall back on this time," she replied, adopting one of her own along with a smile that bordered on excited. "Or much time to prepare."
And all of a sudden, the sight of her almost blurred as she dashed towards him, easily dodging a thrust given instinctively by the blonde, resulting in her counterattacking with what was essentially a clothesline, tripping and disarming Jaune.
"Oof! Hey, no fair!"
"Heheh. Sorry, couldn't help it," she chuckled, offering a hand to which he graciously accepted. "Always be on your guard, Jaune. Even when you feel safe."
He scratched the back of his head. "Yeah. This morning kinda proved that. Guess I haven't learned my lesson yet."
Pyrrha hummed. "I see. So. Shall we remedy that?" she offered, holding her sword out towards him.
He looked at her weapon, and then to her smiling expression, before clinking the sword with his own in a warrior's salute.
/AN\
Welcome back to Chapter 11 of A Descendant of Legends!
First of all, I just want to say thank you to all you guys for sticking with me on this journey thus far. When I first started writing this, and up to now, it was still an "experiment" to see exactly what the limits of my creativity for writing could be – something which I have honestly never done before. Writing for school essays and other assignments, be they in high school or now at the end of university is a different, yet related beast; one where I have indeed learned to improve writing over the years, but not in the same vein as making a story out of two of my favourite communities. Sometimes, it's hard for me to believe that I'm still writing this now since starting last August, but overall I'm glad that I both pushed myself to continue despite the occasional life event, and that you all have stuck around thus far in a journey to see both these universes cross over. Ten chapters later – technically eleven, if counting the prologue – is a milestone for me, so I just want to say thank you all for reading and sticking around so far. To those who have left reviews: thank you. From the simplest compliments to in depth analysis, it honestly feels amazing to hear genuine feedback, especially when some go out of their way to point out flaws and things that could be improved to make it all better. Without holding up the rest of the AN further, thank you to all of you, and ADoL will keep delivering for as long as I am able to (spoiler alert: I am).
In any case, on with the AN! I intended this chapter to be a little bit more slice of life, as well as both character dialogue and to showcase a bit of the day to day routine as a student at Beacon. Or at least, if you were a student named Jaune Arc.
Beyond that, again, thank you all for sticking around thus far! Constructive criticism and feedback are always welcome.
Cheers, and hope to see you all next chapter!
The Real Hell Fire: I understand. Thanks for sticking around for the time that you did, and happy readings ahead to you!
MeraHunt: Haha yup, bit of a stubborn bugger, eh? Who knows what our Headmaster will do as he learns more about the hero to be. Thanks, and hope to see you next time!
Spartastic 4: Thanks! Good to be back. To be honest, I want chapter titles to mean something, and be indicative of what the "theme" of the chapter is about. Maybe it's just me, but I feel like it can help set the mood for what's to come. And yes, fair enough. Despite the showcase of routine, hope it did have a little bit more as well. Thanks, and hope to see you next chapter as well!
ZenithTempest: Thank you! I was honestly debating whether including the Weiss flashback would be a detriment to an otherwise JNPR centric chapter, but glad to see it paid off. Out of all the things I've done so far in creative writing, writing character dialogue, and their conversations have been the toughest challenge so far. I set a mini goal this chapter to work on that, and looking back, I feel that it's perhaps more "natural" than previous ones – I see what you mean when you meant that the conversation was awkward. I will admit that I did have to force myself here and there to write some of it down, and thus translated onto the story. Link's personality, yes, is supposed to be that of an asshole / tough but fair character. I feel like I haven't made him enough of an asshole, and honestly I feel like I should perhaps use his training personality (as in much more unforgiving, aggressive) to help mold and counterbalance his otherwise patient demeanour, without sacrificing justification. But maybe that's just me. In addition, yeah, perhaps I've written a bit too much focus at the start with the whole "being wrong" trope. Better mitigate a problem at the earliest point, and though I want to focus on a change and transformation – developed properly – in Jaune's character later through the story, I agree when too much of anything can wear people down. To address your last point, there are some things in which I have already decided for lore and to be "canon" within the context of the story, and many other in which I have not just yet. To be honest, this is mainly due to just…real life. I do have a headcanon right in which I know where he stands relative to others in terms of power; perhaps I didn't write that in well enough? It is somewhat tough and freeing to come up with ideas for the lore, but I want to do my best to keep things consistent. I'd rather not come up with major changes to key details in either character or world development suddenly. I agree that it is unfair for, everyone, really, and I want to do my best not to have the readers go through that with my story. In any case, thank you for the feedback, and looking forward to see you next time!
KlonoaFan64: Thank you! Who knows what Ozpin (and Remnant) will find as he digs into the mysteries of the past. Hope to see you next time!
Fyr RedNight: Thanks! Seems like including the Weiss bit was the right decision. Awkward as they were, glad to also know that Team JNPR's moment touched the hearts of more than just the team itself : ) Who knows what Ozpin may or may not do? Sometimes, he mysterious enough that even I wonder what he would do in certain situations. Again, thanks a lot, and see you next time!
Dased22: Thanks a lot, cheers bro!
The Legend of Zelda and RWBY are properties of Nintendo and Rooster Teeth, respectively.