I see you found my newest story and I bid you welcome. Now you might be wondering, why is Darkbetrayer, who has several good stories he needs to finish, writing a new one? That's an excellent question and one I am happy to answer. This story has been rolling around in my brain for over a year and recently, it's become more prominent when I've been planning my other stories. So much so, it's interfering with my other work ideas. The way my brain works is once I write the ideas down and post it, I stop thinking about it and continue moving forward. Once this chapter is done, I can focus more on other stuff. Of course, eventually, the next chapter will develop in my subconscious and I'll have to write it down at some point. My main focus is still on The Choices We Make though. That fic is planned out for quite a ways.
This story is going to focus more on events outside of Beacon, along with a brand new plot driven sequence. I learned in TCWM that being in Beacon really limits what you can do. When outside in Remnant, there's so much more potential. Countless characters, brand new opportunities for new characters, and plenty of interactions that never occurred in the main show. So this will be a fun adventure for Jaune to travel outside of Beacon right from the very beginning.
Also, because I KNOW people will ask. There is no current planned pairing. If the story decides there will be one, it will progress naturally until I realize what the pairing is. I can say this most likely will not be a Lancaster fic.
Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.
Engines roared to life on the Bullhead as it began to lift into the sky from the Vale airport. A Bullhead was a Vertical Take-Off and Landing Tiltjet aircraft, meaning that it was an aircraft that could hover, take off and land vertically. It was primarily used for transportation of supply cargo and troops. This one was filled with large crates and one tall blonde teenage boy wearing a pair of jeans and a black hoodie with a rabbit face on it. The boy was staring dejectedly at a piece of paper in his hand.
"You're lucky kid!" The pilot called over his shoulder as they began to move out past the city walls of Vale. "Not a lot of ships head to Ansel. If you didn't catch me, you would have been stuck here for a couple of weeks at least."
"Yeah… thanks a lot for taking me home." The teen sighed. "Things didn't work out in Vale and now I'm pretty much broke."
"Ah, that sucks." The man sighed and shook his head. "Happens all the time. People move to Vale to try to make it big or follow a girl and get their hearts broken. Did you break up with a girl or did your dream die?" The pilot flinched for a moment, suddenly looking embarrassed. "Ah sorry, you don't have to say. It's just been ages since I've had someone to talk to on a flight and I tend to run my mouth."
"My dream died." The boy answered, depression echoing through every word as he slowly looked up. "I was so close, but it was pulled right out from under me."
"My condolences. Hope things pick up for you."
The boy nodded, more an automatic reflex than anything, and turned his attention back to the piece of paper in his hand. The letter was short, but had completely crushed his hopes and dreams. Once more, for the countless times, his eyes traveled over the words. Every line made him feel like throwing up, but he couldn't stop himself. He had been so close to being a Huntsman. One of the heroes who fought the monsters of Grimm to protect humanity.
To Mr. Jaune Arc,
It has come to our attention on a secondary review that the transcripts you have submitted were far from accurate. Upon further inspection, it was determined that most of your transcript was completely fabricated. You may not be aware of this, but forging these documents is a crime punishable by up to a 1000 Lien fine and one year in jail, not counting the fact that without proper training, you could easily lose your life or those you're responsible for. Being a Huntsman is a dangerous profession only a few people can qualify for every year.
Headmaster Ozpin has agreed to keep the details of your forgery a secret and no legal actions will be taken. However, your spot at Beacon Academy has been revoked, primarily for your own safety. Should you wish to contest this ruling, you may contact Beacon Academy. We advise against this, but it is your right. Please refrain from doing anything like this in the future. Lives are dependent on our students having a solid combat foundation.
If you are still interested in pursuing your noble desire of protecting Vale and Remnant as a whole, then we would kindly implore you to seek a role within the Vale Police Department or Vale Military Unit .
Professor Glynda Goodwith.
When he received that letter at his temporary location in Vale, he had fallen apart. His older sister had let him crash there, but she and her wife were moving to Argus in Mistral, so he couldn't stay for much longer. The only place he had left was his home in Ansel. His parents were going to be furious at him for stealing the family heirloom sword and shield. Not to mention, the forged transcripts. Then he would get lectured on how they always knew he wasn't cut out for it.
He was tired of being treated as a damsel in distress.
Jaune just wanted to be a hero and be of use to others, but no one would give him that chance. He had paid a guy in Vale a lot of money to forge those papers, yet he still failed. Apart from his sister providing him a place to sleep in until initiation, that packet of paper was the closest someone actually came to supporting his dream. The guy did warn him that transcripts were no substitute for training, but Jaune was sure classes at Beacon would teach him what he needed to know.
Now his sword was sheathed next to him in an empty seat as he looked out the window. It was going to be a long few hours of dreading how his parents would react to the news. His sister offered to let him stay a little longer if he needed some time to process, but Jaune decided he made enough mistakes in his life already. It was time to face the music and confront his parents. Still, even being over six feet tall, he felt like a child in front of them.
'It really was a stupid dream of mine.' Jaune internally kicked himself. 'I should have realized I'll never be a hero.'
The rest of the trip was mostly quiet, with a few small exchanges between himself and the pilot. He was a nice guy and Jaune appreciated his efforts in trying to cheer him up, but the boy just wanted some time to think. More like wallow in his own self pity. Regardless of the reason, Jaune wanted some alone time. Sighing loudly, he stared out of the window.
"Huh?"
Blinking, Jaune thought he saw something in the distance. There shouldn't be any other Bullheads around here, should there? His home town of Ansel wasn't a big city so there wasn't a lot of air traffic. Even the pilot admitted that. So what was that? Jaune pressed his face against the glass and narrowed his eyes. Whatever it was grew closer. The silhouette of its shadowy figure became clearer as its large and black body approached.
"GRIMM!" Jaune yelled in panic, falling back out of his seat, panicked and landing with a thud.
"What?" The pilot looked back at him. "There's nothing nearby on the radar?"
"Look out the window!" Jaune pointed in a panic. "It's right there."
"How can you see something when it's not even on the radar…" The pilot started to laugh when the alarm went off on his console in front of him. There was a moment of silence as the man stared at it. "What the… it's fucking huge!"
Turns out the reason Jaune saw it was because the radar was only designed to detect anything that approached within a certain distance of the aircraft. Normally no one would have noticed something approaching before the ship's sensors went off. The only reason Jaune saw a black shape before the radar was the sheer size of the Grimm. A great black bird that dwarfed the Bullhead Jaune was on. Grimm tended to look like animals, just warped and twisted, along with being black and pale white bone.
This one was a Nevermore. One of the more common flying Grimm in the Kingdom of Vale. Its bony white mask had four red eyes and its wings ended in sharp deadly claws.
"Kid, buckle up!" The pilot told him. "We're going to try to lose it!"
"Can you shoot it down?!" Jaune cried, scrambling into his seat to grab his seatbelt. "Don't you have missiles or something?"
"At this distance, there's a good chance of missing." The pilot told him, as he flipped some switches and turned the steering wheel. "And I have limited ammo. A Grimm that size would take a lot of hits to take down. It would be better to escape and get some help from a town."
"Does this happen often?" The boy asked, a little calmer since the pilot seemed experienced.
"Enough." The man grumbled. "You don't leave the safety of the cities if you aren't prepared."
Engines roared loudly as the pilot accelerated and Jaune was pushed back into his seat. Grimm were powerful and deadly, but airships were faster than them. After all, flapping wings wasn't going to compete with powerful Dust Engines. Jaune didn't know a lot about how specifically Dust worked, but knew the history of the energy source. Feeling better, the poor boy relaxed a tiny bit, though his hand still tightly gripped the arm rest.
Things seemed to be going well. The Bullhead was gaining distance from the Nevermore and soon it would most likely give up. For some reason, Grimm were attracted to negative emotions. Recalling that, Jaune felt kind of responsible thinking it was him that lured the giant bird at them. He was depressed from being rejected from his dream school. Which he also realized was now just making things worse, but it wasn't like he could just turn off his feelings. Relief from escaping the Grimm at least helped lessen his negative emotions.
"What the hell…?" The pilot suddenly growled as several beeps appeared on his radar. "Shit, there's more? What kind of luck is this?"
Jaune's stomach churned over and he remained silent as the pilot went to work. The last thing the boy wanted to do was distract him and get them killed. Being inside Ansel all his life, he really didn't have experience facing Grimm. There were plenty of Huntsmen in town that handled any that approached. Seeing them in action filled him with fear.
'So that's why Beacon rejected me when they found out about my transcripts.'
How did people fight Grimm so easily? Was it all the cool weapons they had? He only had a sword and a sheath that transformed into a shield. Some of the Huntsmen in Ansel had mechashift weapons that could turn into all sorts of cool range and melee weapons. Plus they were incredibly strong, able to do superhuman feats. Jaune must have been missing something they had to be able to do that.
'Probably training.'
His parents never let him train to be a Huntsman. When he tried, his dad told him he didn't have the aptitude and refused to go any further with him. Jaune was hurt deeply because his family had a long line of heroes ever since the Great War. Now he was considered a disgrace to his family name. In order to achieve his dream of becoming a hero, he had to get into Beacon, the top Huntsman Academy, but even that had failed. Fate it seemed did not want him to be one.
An explosion shook the ship and jolted Jaune back to his senses.
The pilot had fired a missile at a Nevermore not far away from the front of the ship. The Grimm was only about three-fourths of the size of the Bullhead and most of it was blown apart by the attack. Jaune's ship flew over the remains as they fell to the ground. However, multiple Nevermore were surrounding the ship. Missiles were flying but soon, there was a loud clicking sound as the pilot kept pulling a switch.
"Uhh…" Jaune did not like the sound of that.
"Kid… hold on tight." The man's words were not pleasant. "This isn't going to end well."
Any remaining nerves Jaune had flickered away into nothing at that moment like the last embers of a fire. Buckled up, drenched with sweat, and shaking like mad, the boy's hands were gripping his seat for dear life as the ship swayed back and forth. Shrieks penetrated the metal body from the multiple Grimm surrounding them. Even if the Bullhead was faster, it couldn't turn on a dime to avoid them. High pitched, earsplitting metal tearing filled Jaune's head, making it hard to think. The ship was shaking and smoke was flowing out from the wings.
"We're going down!" The pilot cried out. "Brace yourself!"
What happened next was only a blur.
The ship crashed, Jaune was sure of that. Explosions rocketed through his body and he was slammed around but the belt held him mostly in his seat. Things grew blurry and he must have lost consciousness at some point. The next thing he remembered was blinking heavily, something warm and wet trickling down the side of his head. Touching the source, his hand came back covered in red. Standing up, he stumbled forward, not able to think clearly. Jaune's head was pounding. Fire surrounded him, the smoke making it hard to breath and he saw the pilot's arm, sprawled out behind some torn metal plating.
"Are you alive!" Jaune called out and then started hacking as his lungs were filled with smoke.
"Run, kid… I'll hold them off."
"I can't leave-..." The boy started to respond, stepping forward.
"JUST GO!" The man yelled and must have done something because the door to Jaune's right opened partially. The way the metal was bent around the pilot, there was really no way out for him and the guy knew it.
Understanding he was right, Jaune never hated himself more than at that moment. Weak… that's what he was. Unable to protect a single person right in front of him. And he had wanted to be a Huntsman? What an idiotic laughable dream. The message from Goodwitch saying he would die without training now made perfect sense. A childish fantasy that would never come true. He should have just stayed home and followed his parents' life path. Fate would never allow him to be a hero.
Jaune never recalled pushing open the Bullhead door and escaping. All he could remember was his current predicament as he ran through the trees away from the wreck. The only object in his hands was his family sword in its sheath. Howls and roars of land-based Grimm were growing louder, attracted by the crash. Lungs burning and legs feeling like lead, Jaune had no choice but to keep pushing forward as fast as he could. Staying behind would mean becoming Grimm food. The howls and rustling in the woods behind him were getting louder. Grimm were stronger and faster than he was and Jaune was probably giving away his location with plenty of negative emotions.
"Shit, shit, shit, SHIT!"
Breathing was difficult, every breath causing a sharp pain in his chest. His legs burned from running on the uneven ground and from the bashing he took during the crash. It was a miracle he didn't have any broken bones. However, with the monsters closing it, that small silver lining was quickly fading away. The trees were getting thicker and Jaune was moving slower. At least the Grimm were larger than him, so they would have trouble navigating the foliage too. Until he heard trees cracking and then a loud thud as they fell.
The Grimm were simply knocking down trees.
"I'm going to die!" Events began to flash through his eyes. All the fun times he had with his sisters, his mom holding him when he was a baby, his friends from school doing stupid things and getting into trouble. Tears began to fall and he wiped them with his sleeve. "No, I can't die! Not yet! I can't make my sisters sad!" Gritting his teeth, Jaune kept pushing forward, no matter how loudly his body screamed at him in pain.
Tree trunks were annoying close together and now Jaune couldn't squeeze between them. It was so weird how close they were. The sky above him was blocked out completely by thick leaf covered branches, casting him in deep shade. Unable to get past, he turned and moved at an angle, looking for a hole of some kind to get through. If he could slip by, the thick woods should be able to stop the Grimm and let him get some distance. Yet the wall of trees was unnaturally solid, never opening more than an inch apart between the trunks. How they could do this so uniformly was a mystery, but not one Jaune had time to ponder.
"HAH!"
At last, a ray of hope shined on him. Between two trees the ground had risen slightly and the roots had grown up to create a small hole under them. Large enough for a normal person to get through. Jaune was kind of tall, but desperate times called for desperate measures. Light seemed to come from the other side, so this had to be a way through the trees. Jaune got down on all fours and started to pull himself through. It was tight and muddy yet no complaint escaped Jaune's lips as he pulled himself through. Inch by inch, fingers dug into the dirt, dragging himself with all his might. The little tunnel was farther than he was led to believe and he felt like a rabbit fleeing from a fox.
Which wasn't completely inaccurate.
Finally, he reached the end and hope entered the boy's heart. Fresh cool air entered his lungs as his hand gripped the opening. Scrambling faster, Jaune pulled himself out and flopped down on the grass. All the howls and roars seemed to have vanished for the moment as the Grimm lost him. At last Jaune could finally take a break. Still, not able to lower his guard quite yet, he looked around to see where he was.
An empty clearing greeted him, which Jaune was plenty thankful for. Not a Grimm in sight. The only thing in the clearing was a single tree. A tall magnificent tree with a twisted and curved trunk, along with long spindling branches that had a thin covering of bright pink petals. Within the branches, a single black bird, maybe a crow, was perched there, seemingly staring at him. A soft glow seemed to be radiating from the leaves.
"Hehe, I'm imagining things." Jaune chuckled, finally able to find some humor in his situation. Slowly, he stood up and began to walk toward the tree. Using a sleeve, he wiped some of the dried blood off the side of his face. Plopping down at the base of the trunk, he laid his sword next to him and stared at the distance. Tall trees surrounded him and he couldn't see anything except for the sky. Not only was Jaune finally able to rest and process things, it was also the first time he looked up since escaping from the Bullhead wreck.
It should have only been around midday… so why was the sky dark and full of stars?
He knew he saw light from the tunnel, so what the hell was happening?
"Maybe I'm dead…" Jaune realized. "This can't be real. Things instantly change from day to night, I can see perfectly fine in the dark, and all the Grimm disappeared. Is this the afterlife?"
"You aren't dead, human."
Jaune flew into the air in shock as he bolted to his feet and spun around, trying to find the source of the voice. It sounded male, but a little high pitch and cackly, like through an old radio. Not that Jaune cared about what the person sounded like. It was the fact someone just spoke to him when he was sure he had been alone. His head kept jerking back and forth, trying to find the source of those words. Only silence greeted him as the clearing was completely empty except for him and the tree. Panting, Jaune leaned against the tree and covered his heart with his hand.
"Okay… maybe I am going crazy. Now I'm hearing things."
"You're not hearing things either, human."
"Lalala!" Jaune sang, sticking his fingers in his ears. "I can't hear anything! Voices in my head aren't real! I fell asleep on the Bullhead and I'm dreaming!"
A sharp rap on his head sent a wave of pain through him and he reflexively pushed himself off the tree and lurched forward, spinning around to face his attacker. To his surprise, it wasn't a human. Nor was it just a sharp branch he hit his head against, which would have been the most likely culprit.
The crow had descended down and decided to peck at his head.
"What the heck?!" Jaune shouted. "Sho! Get away from me!" The bird tilted its head in confusion, but its gaze was fierce. "Don't make me do anything." He reached for his sword on his hip, but remembered it was laying on the ground beneath the crow. His eyes flickered to it and then back to the bird. Suddenly feeling stupid, Jaune couldn't believe he was afraid of a bird.
"You trespass in my domain and then threaten me? How arrogant have you humans grown with our absence?"
Jaune's mouth fell open.
The bird was talking!
Blinking, Jaune rubbed his face with his hand. "Yep, I'm crazy. Haha…HAHAHA… that crash either killed me or I'm stuck in a dream…" His laughter was far from humorous and sounded forced, if not depressing.
"You don't listen well do you?" The bird asked, sounding more and more annoyed. "I told you that you weren't dead and not hearing things. I am indeed talking to you and you should be honored."
"Er…" Jaune took a moment to process this. The boy still thought he was hallucinating, but it seemed oddly real. It wouldn't hurt to humor this, would it? "Who… who are you?"
"Don't humans consider it proper manners to introduce themselves to their superior?" The crow demanded.
"Right, sorry." Jaune apologized out of reflex. "My name is Jaune Arc and… I'm sorry for disturbing you."
"That's better." The crow spread his wings and seemed to puff up. "Humble yourself, human. I am the Guide Yatagarasu, God of Travelers."
Yep, Jaune had lost it and this entire thing had to be a dream.
"Yeah, sure. A god." A chuckle escaped his lips. "And I'm the King of Remnant. You're just some figment of my imagination." Jaune rubbed his head. "The stress is getting to me."
The bird calling itself Yatagarasu stared at him in silence for a moment, making Jaune think he finally shattered his delusion. Out of nowhere, the crow flew at him and pecked his head rapidly, the sharp beak digging in. A cry of pain escaped the boy and he swiped a hand at the bird to knock it away. Yatagarasu dodged easily and flapped its wings to fly back to its perch.
"What was that for?!" Jaune demanded, stomping his foot.
"If this was truly just a hallucination, would you have felt that?" Yatagarasu asked simply.
Silence followed the question and Jaune could only stare stupidly at the bird. Things finally began to dawn on him. Yatagarasu was right on the money. If all of this wasn't real, the bird wouldn't have been able to hurt him. Which meant this wasn't a dream or hallucination. This was real. Everything up to now really did happen. His eyes went wide as he stepped back and truly took in his surroundings and everything Yatagarasu told him.
"So I'm alive… and you're really a god?" The blonde gasped.
"About time." Yatagarasu cawed humorously. "I was quite surprised when you stumbled into my domain and woke me up. It's been years since I've seen a human. In fact, you shouldn't have been able to get in here. How did you achieve that feat?"
"There was a hole under the trees and I squeezed in there." Jaune explained and then remembered what had transpired before that. "I was chased by Grimm and they might know I'm here!"
"The creatures of darkness can not enter here without my permission." Yatagarasu assured him. "Your kind call them Grimm now?"
"They've been Grimm for ages…. How old are you?" Jaune blinked and the question blurted out of him.
"I'm a god, we don't age like mortals. I've merely been asleep for many years. Like most of the others."
"There's other gods?" Jaune blinked, taking in all this information. Now that he realized this wasn't a dream, even if the bird's story seemed unrealistic, he was keen to learn more. "How many?"
"I don't know, but our numbers have waned." Yatagarasu admitted. "Most of us have been sleeping, locked in our domain for far longer than you can imagine."
"Okay, why have you all been sleeping for this long instead of… doing god things?" Jaune couldn't resist asking.
"So now you believe I'm a god, human?" Yatagarasu asked, almost sounding judgmental.
"I mean… I don't really have a choice?" Jaune rubbed his neck. Offending the bird was probably not a good idea so he was trying to be careful with his words. "You brought up some good points and I've never seen a god before. I just heard stories from different religions. Aren't you supposed to be humanoid and really big? Powerful too?"
"Pssh, just like humans to think they were made in the image of gods." Yatagarasu scoffed. "Gods come in many forms. We are born from the very will of the world or can be born through a more powerful deity. Or a parent as many mortals like to phrase."
"Oh, sorry for offending you earlier." Jaune apologized quickly. "I was thinking straight due to being attacked by Grimm."
"That's better. And what did you ask earlier?"
"Er… about why you were all sleeping and not out being gods?" Jaune recalled after a moment's hesitation.
"Hmm, that doesn't concern you and I don't remember the specifics, it was so long ago."
Jaune was a little suspicious of that answer. It was kind of evasive and he felt like there was more to that story then Yatagarasu was telling him. Or maybe he didn't really remember? Often in the morning, Jaune found it hard to remember things when he was groggy. He couldn't imagine what it would be like after sleeping for hundreds if not thousands of years. Though there was still a chance this wasn't a god and just a talking crow.
50-50? Maybe closer to 60-40.
Better play it safe.
"I didn't mean to offend, it's just you're the first god I ever talked to and I have so many questions." The boy replied, not wanting to draw attention to his concerns.
"Of course you would be in awe of my majesty." Yatagarasu seemed to enjoy flattery, even making up words Jaune never said. "But answer me this, Human. Why were you out here so far away from your civilization? The creatures of darkness are prominent here and you humans tend to avoid them."
"I didn't have much of a choice." Jaune paused as he went through the day's events that led up to this situation. The boy felt tired and weak all of a sudden. "I was escaping from Grimm after losing out on my dream."
"Your dream?" Yatagarasu looked down at him and tilted its head. "What was it?"
"I wanted to be a hero." Jaune slumped down at the base of the tree. "My family wouldn't train me to be a Huntsman, so the only way I could was to get into one of the combat schools. I paid a guy to falsify transcripts so it looked like I had experience. It almost succeeded, but the school discovered it and I was heading home. Grimm attacked us and the ship I was on crashed."
"Right, that's why you're here." Yatagarasu remembered. "You ran away from the creatures of darkness."
"We call them Grimm." Jaune reminded the bird.
"Good for you. That name changes often."
Jaune bit back a response as the bird pruned itself.
"So what are you planning to do now?" Yatagarasu asked.
"Do you really care?" Jaune asked. "I'm just a human who disturbed you."
"It's more curiosity than anything else." The god admitted. "A god's domains are not easily breached, even if mine are weaker than others. As a god of travelers, I move from place to place and set up temporary domains to avoid unnecessary interruptions. After being asleep for so long, this one must have started to decay and that's how you broke in." Yatagarasu paused and stared at Jaune. "It has also been a long time since I've talked to your kind and wanted to see how you have changed. I must admit, I'm a little disappointed."
A vein throbed in Jaune's head as he looked up in annoyance.
"Sorry for not being born some amazing hero." The blonde scoffed. "I never asked to get stuck here."
"I have never guided someone who was born to be a hero." Yatagarasu snapped and a cold breeze blew through the clearing, causing Jaune to shiver. "A hero is made by their environment. They are those who rise to the challenge presented before them when no others can. A farmer who inspires his town to stand against barbarians, a peasant who takes up the sword to free his land from a corrupted noble, a knight who faces a monster beyond anything witnesses beforehand, or a child who crosses the sea to find help for his people. None of them were simply born a hero, human."
Jaune froze as he stared up to it. Those words resonated with something deep within him.
"Saying you weren't born a hero is just a way for you to give up without blaming yourself."
There was no good comeback for those statements and Jaune just sat there, feeling like an idiot and thinking through what the god had said.
"So what do I do now?" The boy asked.
"What do you want to do?" Yatagarasu questioned simply.
"I…"
Jaune took a deep breath. What did he want to do? This was no ordinary bird and the more Jaune spoke with it, the more indepth and powerful it felt. Not just physically, but the very aura it projected. Being in a safe location, the boy finally had a chance to stop and consider the god's question. Everything he had tried to do to achieve his goal in the past had failed in some way. No matter what he did, it seemed he wasn't cut out for being a hero. Should he just give up? Go back to being nobody? At least then no one would be hurt. The note from Beacon stressed what would happen and having no choice but to leave a trapped man behind reinforced what they warned about.
Jaune truly considered that possibility.
Then came the image of the pilot, telling him to run while he held the Grimm off, even at the cost of his own life. A person who put his life on the line for another, with no expectations. That man, who didn't know Jaune for longer than a few conversations, was more of a hero than anyone Jaune had personally met. A sour taste filled his mouth as his hands gripped into tight fists, turning white from the stress. He scrambled to his feet and stared directly at Yatagarasu. All doubt was gone from his gaze as he spoke, his words ringing with determination.
"I want to be a hero! I want to be someone who can protect others instead of being someone who needs protecting! If I was stronger, I could have saved that man rather than letting him die! He was someone who deserved to live! If I can help even a single person like him, then I will keep trying to move forward!"
Those words echoed in the clearing before silence eventually followed.
"Interesting choice." At last Yatagarasu spoke. "Now I have a choice for you. Remember, I am the God of Travelers. Should you wish for it, I can safely guide you to a human settlement. You can be with your kind and be safe from the creatures of darkness."
"You can take me home?" Jaune asked softly.
"I'm a guide, human." Yatagarasu reminded him. "It would be a simple task."
"If you can do that… then what makes it a choice?" The boy was confused and didn't understand the options. "Are you saying I can refuse or something? Why would I do that?"
"Because I would like to request your assistance in helping me awaken the other gods."
Whatever Jaune had expected, it wasn't that.
"You want me to what?!" The blonde spluttered.
"I would like to request your assistance in helping me awaken the other gods."
"Er?! Why me?!" Jaune waved his hands as he wasn't sure what was happening and seemed taken aback by the request. "Seriously? There's probably millions of better people. I don't have any talents or skills that could possibly help you do that."
"You found this place when no one else has." Yatagarasu commented. "That's enough for me." Really, what could Jaune say to something so vague as that. "Will you cooperate?"
"I have so many questions." Jaune rubbed his nose, a throbbing in his head making him scrunch his eyes. Though at the same time, an exciting churning in his stomach started to form.
"I shall answer them as best I can." Yatagarasu told him. Huh, he was being helpful at least. This task of his must be incredibly important.
"You didn't know why all the other gods were sleeping all this time," Jaune started, thinking about what he wanted to know. "How do I wake them up?'
"You go to their domain and intrude upon it." The god sounded like this was obvious. "The specifics of what will happen in each of them might differ though. I do not know how all the others will react."
"Didn't you say you didn't know for sure how many gods are left?" Jaune pointed out and the crow seemed to shrug. "How do I find them then?"
"I will be traveling with you and guiding you as I locate them. How long it takes to detect their presence will vary based on the power of the god and the strength of their domain."
"So you don't know how long this will take?"
"I do not."
The headache Jaune was experiencing was increasing with every response. This was so sketchy. Yatagarasu didn't seem to know half of the important information and the boy was wondering why. The bird seemed to have some issues with long term memories. When the term 'bird-brained' came to mind, he almost smiled, but held back. The last thing he wanted to do was get pecked again. There was still one thing that Jaune wanted to know because of how focused Yatagarasu was on the task. A very important piece to the entire puzzle.
"Why do you want to wake up the other gods?"
"Because this world is dying…"
Ice cold blood coursed through Jaune's veins as he heard this. The air grew cold. For some reason, it didn't sound like a lie. Part of him seemed to instinctively know this to be a fact, even when logically, he didn't know that.
"...darkness is polluting the land and if nothing is done, all will be destroyed."
"Do you mean the Grimm?" Jaune asked quietly.
"The creatures you call Grimm are merely a symptom." Yatagarasu answered in a serious tone. "The source of darkness slowly corrupts the world with every passing day."
Ominous, and Jaune did not like the sound of this. At the same time, it sort of sounded like a quest a hero would take to save the world. Was Yatagarasu being serious or just humoring him because of what Jaune told the god? So far, nothing the bird had said or done got him into trouble. Nor had the Grimm found him and if they were tracking his negative emotions, he should have attracted every monster within a 500 mile radius. Taking a deep breath, he considered the two possible outcomes.
Either Yatagarasu was lying or not.
If the god wasn't lying, then the gods needed to be released or everyone would die. Jaune couldn't run away knowing what he did now. He was the only one who could do something because for some reason he could find God domains. Now, if Yatagarasu was lying, what would be the reason? Was it really just some talking bird that was trying to make itself seem bigger than it was. Or was something more sinister in play? In some of the video games he played, there were evil gods who wanted to destroy the world. If Yatagarasu and the others weren't good gods…
But the crow did save him from the Grimm and Jaune knew they were evil.
"If you need help, I'm willing to do what I can…" Jaune gulped, fear and a little excitement coursing through him. "So these other gods could be anywhere on Remnant?"
"Yes, you will have to do a lot of traveling." Yatagarasu confirmed, seeming to smile with its beak. "Since your previous plans have fallen through, I assume you have free time?" It seemed almost amused to Jaune, annoying the boy even more.
"Very funny." The boy growled. "Maybe I should just have you bring me to a town so I can go home instead."
"It's up to you, but then what would you do with your life, human?" The god continued to ask. Of course, Jaune couldn't answer that as more than likely, he would have to get a 9-5 job and hate his life. After a few moments, Yatagarasu took his lack of response as his answer. "It seems you know what you want to do."
"I wish you could have answered more of my questions about what happened in the past." Jaune deflected.
"The past is the past. I focus on the present. Too much happens over the years to remember every little thing. Find one of the others who deals with the past if you want that information."
"I bet you just don't remember and are playing it off."
That smartass remark got him pecked on the head again.
"Very well, since you made your choice, is there a particular place that would make it easy for you to travel. I am aware that humanity has developed creations to move from one place to another quickly."
"Airships?" Jaune blinked. "Yeah, that's what I was on when we were attacked. Vale is probably the closest place and since it's the capital of the kingdom, I would be able to go anywhere on Remnant from there. But traveling costs a lot of money. Plus food and housing, unless I plan to camp outside, then I need equipment and all sorts of stuff. That's not even counting the risk of Grimm. There's no way I could afford to do all that."
"Ah, right. Humans desire things they deem valuable." Yatagarasu paused and looked up at the night sky. "Does your kind still obsess over shiny metal and rocks?"
"What?" Jaune had no idea what the bird was talking about when he heard some sliding noise at the base of the tree and then saw some dirt roll down the gentle slope. Taking a step around the trunk, Jaune noticed that a hole opened up between the roots of the pink leaf tree. It wasn't empty and what Jaune saw made his mouth fall open. "HOLY F-...!"
A pile of gems sparkled in the starlight, consisting of a multitude of different colored stones. There were diamonds, emeralds, rubies, and more. Not only that, jewelry that looked to be made out of gold and silver littered the pile. There were also some objects made of precious metal and stones. Jaune saw a gold cup with multiple sapphires decorating it. It was something he expected to see in a museum or a rich person's collection.
It was more money then Jaune could ever have hoped to see at once right there within the reach of his fingertips.
"H-How did you get all this?" Jaune gaped at the bird. "Weren't you asleep for years?'
"Back when your kind worshiped us, they were obsessed with giving us these trinkets." Yatagarasu yawned. "Why? I don't know. It was something they put great value in and wanted to show how much they worshiped us. So my collection grew." The bird shook its head. "I much prefer when children give me gifts of sweet bread. Much better than these useless things. Feel free to take as much as you want, human."
Jaune knelt down and ran his hand through the pile, lifting a dozen or so gems in his cupped hands. Still dumbfounded, no words escaped him as his brain tried to process this. Any doubt that Yatagarasu wasn't special disappeared at that moment. Jaune still couldn't say with absolute certainty that the bird was a true god, but it wasn't just a "normal" talking bird either. Opening up the tree revealed it had powers to some degree.
"Will this be enough?" Yatagarasu questioned, actually sounding curious like it didn't know for sure. "I can access these trinkets from any tree I am nearby, so you don't have to try to carry it all at once."
"No… this is plenty…" The blonde dropped the jewels back into the pile. "I could buy a city for this and still have money left." He slowly stood up, still in a daze. "So once more, if I come and help you wake up the other gods, it's going to save the world?"
"Yes, or at the very least, give it a fighting chance against the darkness." Yatagarasu replied, sounding serious and losing all amusement. "Are you ready to go to the city you called… Vale was it?"
"If you can get me there in one piece, lead the way."
When Jaune woke up that morning and boarded the Bullhead, he had been depressed, anxious, and hated the direction his life had taken. After the Grimm attacked, he had expected his life to end. Meeting a god was not even a consideration. Now Jaune had a chance to do something good for Remnant, to repay the debt he owed to the pilot who gave himself up so he could escape. Jaune was going to make something of his life to show that the man's death was not in vain. It was time to find these lazy gods and wake them up!
Hopefully nothing went wrong.
Feel free to leave a review, comment, suggestions, or ideas, I love reading them. If you have a question you wish to ask and would like a quick answer, feel free to message me directly. I try to respond to those within a day or two. Comments, I tend to respond to in the next chapter.
I finally had some time to finish this chapter. A bit of set up, but a lot of known RWBY characters will be making an appearance. Next chapter will contain several. Having the main plot being outside of Beacon means I have the entire world and countless characters who get little screen time and a chance to shine. This doesn't mean the main cast won't show up eventually.
I currently have 3 more gods planned out, but if anyone has cool ideas, feel free to post them in the comments or even message me. Sorry that I can't give out what the ones I have planned are though. It would ruin the surprise and they are really unique, so I believe at least. (A friend and I had fun coming up with them.) I just don't want to spoil it for all the readers because you guys are one of the main reasons I write.
If you continue to enjoy my stories, feel free to check out my p a treon.
P a treon . com (Slash) Dark Betrayer
Thoughtful Pug - Beta'd this for DB. Interested to see where he's gonna go with this. And he unintentionally gave me new fic ideas along the way.
(You better keep doing TCWM or I will find you).