KnK: ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY CHAPTERS!
Knox: This is nuts!
King: Right? Anyway, we also hit 13 million, which is beyond mad. Anyway, after getting back into an old series, I had an idea for what's next. Well... a few. But I'm going to leave the specifics to you all. The ideas are listed below with no context. If you get it, you get it. If you don't no worries. Each one has a specific story idea, but they all have a unifying theme. You can vote like last time, but remember, actually say something. Don't just vote. Anywho, hope you enjoy the chapter. Let's go!
Inspiration: Arthurian Legend
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And so, another world began to run without much fanfare.
The screen opened to a dark day, rain falling over a grassland as the camera tracked along the ground. The viewers could hear the sounds of steel striking steel over and over. The camera flew up over a hill and revealed a massive battle being waged in the fields. Men in armor of various forms, in colors of red and gold, opposing each other. Blades swung through the air and clashed either with the steel of its opponent or the flesh of its target. It was truly a microcosm of the brutality of war.
Tyrian giggled like a mad man, "Yes! A wonderful start~"
The rest of the viewers not affiliated with Salem did not feel the same way. There were clear flinches as swords tore into the bodies of the armored soldiers.
As the two armies continued to clash, the storm began to pick up. Rain fell to wash over the ground and the blood. Impacts of steel kicked up droplets of water that covered the armor of the soldiers.
The camera tracked off to find two men clashing more fiercely than those around them. They were both covered in full armor, each shown to be more ornate than the common soldiers. As they clashed again, a voice over played out in the background.
"It is the natural conclusion," the voice was revealed to be Ozpin's, "when a King dies without an heir, it is expected of his family to battle for his throne. From battles of brothers to the most distant of relations coming to claim a throne they never could otherwise. And so, Vale, lacking a King, was torn apart by many royals who seek their greatness."
Oobleck sighed, "So that's what's going on. A war of succession."
"But if they're family, why would they fight?" Ruby asked.
"Power can overwhelm anyone's reason." The Doctor explained. "It's also possible the two never met and are simply related by the narrowest margins."
The two swung blades again and struck steel before a snap and ring followed. The man of the red army swung back again, his weapon broken. The man of the gold army grabbed his weapon's blade half way at the blade and plunged the point hard toward his opponent's chest. The weight and movement tore into the armor and punctured the man's gut. The golden ruler slammed the blade in harder and pushed the red leader to fall to his back. The golden leader took a step away, his breathing heavy. He shakes his head and makes his way forward. He reached for the sword buried in the body of the red leader. The man had been his cousin, a lesser noble from the north related through his mother's sister. But it meant nothing to him now.
"It is also a necessary fact that in war, there is death. And so, in death is the path of the throne. So many would be lost on this path. But who was to know how this could be made to end?"
The storm clouds suddenly tore open as the sun fell upon the world. A figure was revealed in the light and shown to be a woman in flowing blue clothing. Her dress moved like a rippling lake. The camera moved to show the form of the non-Grimmified version of Salem.
Tyrian recoiled, not used to the idea of his 'goddess' as anything other than she was now.
Salem blinked in shock as well. She'd given up her past long ago and seeing it again actually made her a little angry.
"Who was to know a goddess would appear?"
And suddenly Tyrian was all good again. "At last! Another who sees the goddess for the glory she truly is!"
Ozpin just sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.
Salem wasn't much better with her reaction.
The scene showed as Salem floated over the armies, causing the battle to stall as the men looked upon a being so much greater. She took the broken blade of the red leader and fueled it with power.
"Taking up the blade of the fallen, she turned to the mortals before her."
"This war has gone on and soaked the earth with blood. You have corrupted the land with your war and greed. You desire a King? So be it!" Salem threw the weapon onto a nearby stone, the shattered blade burying in an inch. "By my will, know the name of your selector."
The camera hung on the blade as a light began to travel up from the stone. Dull steel became shimmering silver. Iron crossguard becoming a glowing gold. The sword became something new, something touched by a goddess.
Ruby was wide-eyed at the change of the sword. It was like a holy blade from a fairy tale.
Salem continued, "Know its name is Caliburn! Hear my words and take them to heart! This blade shall know your soul! Your very being shall be judged! And so it is decreed! Whoever shall separate sword from stone shall be your King of Vale! That is the will of a goddess!" And, as suddenly as she appeared, she was gone.
"Damn." Yang sat back with a grin. "That's pretty cool though. Just pull a sword and it knows who would be a good king? Would at least be easier."
The man in gold looked from the space the goddess had just occupied before turning to the sword. Five years of bloody war and likely many more in the future, all made unnecessary by a piece of ornate metal shaped into a weapon. The man made his way to the blade. The armies around him looked on, apprehensive of what was about to happen. The man looked to the blade as he stepped before the sword. Hand raised, he took hold of the hilt with one hand and tried to remove the blade.
It would not move.
He tried two hands.
It would not move.
He placed his foot onto the stone, trying any leverage he could.
It would not move.
The man was tossed from the blade and stumbled backward. He looked to the blade before falling to his knees. The storm above, having reformed from the goddess' departure, finally burst. Rain fell upon the world as the man in gold looked on with emotional horror.
Qrow took in a sharp breath. "Well that would probably suck. You spend five years fighting your family for a throne and get told you aren't worthy. To be told everything you worked for wouldn't matter."
Ozpin and Oscar felt several pangs of emotion in their souls. Some of the previous lives had to deal with that exact realization in their lives. It was hard to move past such an end, and everything piled up and made at least three of the lives just give up entirely.
The man in gold spun to the armies, shouting something the audience couldn't hear.
All the while, Ozpin's voice over continued again, "It is said that the first to try was a lesser noble. Unable to claim the blade after five years of war with his family, he was struck with grief. He commanded his army to claim the blade. For someone to be made King from all this. But none could claim the blade. Thus ended the tale of the War of the Throne in Vale. And for years the blade sat, unclaimed and without a King to hold it aloft. Who is to know how long it shall wait for its claim?"
The moment transitioned away from the blade into the sky. The clouds faded away to represent the flow of time. As the camera fell back down again, it showed the blade resting in a makeshift altar area with a wooden fencing around it like a monument to the war.
The camera moved back long enough to show Jaune looking over the blade. He was dressed in baggy dark pants and a gold jacket with a white hooded cloak. He held a wooden staff that twisted around at its top with red, blue, and green ribbons wrapped around the section from various directions like a net.
Nora gasped, "Could we get King Jaune?!"
Jaune took a breath before picking up a basket resting nearby. With the wicker item in hand, he walked off to the town.
Nora cried out in exasperation, "Aw! Come on. He won't even try?"
Jaune made his way through town and ducked each of the incoming townsfolk around him. He was used to the town, but didn't live within it. His home was on the opposite side of the old battlefield. He only ever visited when he needed to buy something, but he knew everyone thanks to his business. He knew this peaceful little hamlet near Vale like the back of his hand.
Which is why he was surprised to hear the sound of a shattering plate to cut through the calm. He turned to the sound to see the local tavern/inn. With a raised eyebrow he made his way to the establishment. Inside was a fairly normal scene, save for the owner Junior Xiong chewing out what looked like a waitress or bar-maiden. This was weird to Jaune since Junior never hired anyone to do that job before now.
And said waitress was very much not the kind of person he'd hire. She was a young girl (duh) and definitely had that cute factor to bring in and hold customers (again, duh, it's basic barkeeping). But what made her so odd in this scene was the pair of rabbit ears on top of her burnette head.
Coco felt her eye twitch in annoyance at this jerk yelling at her friend. Not just because he was yelling at Velvet, but because he was yelling at his employee in front of everyone. He was obviously just trying to humiliate her.
And this same fact didn't sit well with most of the audience. Velvet sunk a little in her chair, but an odd feeling got her to turn to a certain knight next to her. She could swear she saw his aura flickering in and out, showing a sense of anger being suppressed by the theater system.
Jaune's eyes narrowed before making his way over.
Junior let out a growl of annoyance. "Whatever! I've given you plenty of chances since I brought you in off the street! Go change out of the uniform!"
Velvet, at the verge of tears, tried to speak up, but found it hard to do so in the situation.
"No!" Junior took a deep breath before continuing, far calmer. "You earned up enough to stay the rest of the week, with food, but after that you're out. Use this time to find somewhere else to stay."
Velvet nodded slowly, her body shaking. She turned and moved to the back room. It was impossible to argue this and she knew that.
Velvet felt her counterpart's pain and it made her feel worse. But a hand on her own pulled her back to reality. She expected a comforting hand, likely from Jaune given which side it was on, but it clutched down and pulled her out of her seat. It was revealed to have been Nora who pulled Velvet out of her own chair and onto Jaune's lap.
"Comfort. You need it." Nora stated, matter-of-factly.
Velvet blinked in surprise and turned to Jaune, who had the same surprise on his face. But soon she found herself leaning against him to make herself feel better. Jaune responded in kind with his arms wrapping around her. It was heartwarming to many.
And it got Kali to look up to her husband.
Gira just sighed and looked toward his wife. "Fine."
Kali cheered before moving to sit on her husband's lap as well. She smiled and practically purred.
This all caused Blake to bury her head in her hands in embarrassment.
Jaune walked up to the now separated scene, "What was that about?"
Junior turned to the voice and sighed. "Hey, Jaune. Sorry you had to see that. The kid just can't drill this stuff into her head. I've lost too many dishes at this point and I'm losing customers, many of whom complain about the service she's giving.
Jaune raised an eyebrow and glanced to the side, seeing a few of the patrons grinning and sharing a sneaky high-five under the table. I'm thinking those complaints weren't in good faith.
This display got Sienna to grind her teeth in anger. The theater kept her from doing any more, but it still happened.
Junior sighed and moved to a bar stool to sit down. "From what I've seen, she's a good kid, but business is business. She'll find somewhere to work, probably."
Jaune doubted that. At least anywhere in town. "Do you vouch for her work ethic?"
"Huh? Yeah, I guess. Long as you don't ask her to handle anything breakable."
Jaune nodded. "Alright then."
Velvet slowly made her way out from the back, now in a solid brown dress that was clearly cheaply made and likely cheap to buy.
Coco felt a shiver up her spine, but she put that feeling aside for now. This was kind of serious, not the time for fashion headaches.
Jaune waved to the girl, "Velvet, right?"
Velvet turned to him, surprised. "Oh! Um.. yes?"
"I heard you're looking for a job. So, I'd like to hire you as my assistant."
Velvet was silent before a moment, the only thing that came out of her mouth being, "huh?"
"Limited time offer. If you want the job, say your piece now."
"Y-y-yes please!" Velvet bowed toward the man at a right angle at her waist, "Thank you very much, sir!"
"None of that 'sir' stuff." Jaune held the basket out toward her. "Your first task is to carry my basket while we shop for food. If you're going to be a full time assistant, I need to at least cover your lunch meals at work." Jaune started to think as he rubbed his chin. "Actually, from what I heard, you're homeless." He walked around her as he dropped the basket in her hands. He tapped his staff against her leg, then her side, then her opposing arm. "You have some potential. Alright! You'll be my apprentice! I'll teach you my skills, but that'll mean you'll also be living with me, so you'll have your work cut out for you carrying things today." He didn't even consider that he was saying anything odd or that how he was saying it was strange.
"What just happened? What's he talking about?" Velvet turned to Doctor Oobleck, hoping he had an answer.
And as the Doctor adjusted his glasses, an answer she would receive. "From what I can tell, this takes place in a Dark Era setting. Apprenticeships in this time were a live in position where the apprentice would live with their teacher/master who would teach them their trade and habits to help in such careers."
Jaune stepped out of the tavern area, calling back to Velvet, "Come along now! I want to get back before dark!"
Velvet, after a moment of surprise washed over her, scrambled to follow him, giving a slight bow to Junior and thanking him for her first job. After this, she ran out the door to catch up with Jaune again.
"And despite how bad he was, she's still polite as ever." Coco shook her head, with a bit of a playful jab to her teammate.
Junior just shook his head and turned back to his work. This allowed for a transition to follow Jaune and Velvet. As they walked, Jaune was grabbing various food items and putting them into the basket as coins replaced them. "Now, tell me what I'm working with. What skills do you have?"
"Skills?" Velvet was starting to have difficulty as the basket accrued more and more items.
"What have you learned to aid in your survival? Maybe some kind of hobby?"
"Um…"
Jaune finally stopped and turned to her. "Can you read?"
Velvet was silent, an embarrassed blush forming on her face.
"She can't even read?" Ruby was taken aback. "That's, like, a really early thing to learn."
"This actually makes sense for the time." Oobleck explained. "Literacy was often the sole purview of the powerful. The peasantry had no need to learn and so didn't. All they needed to know is how to do their jobs and earn a living. Literacy was often only held by Nobility, early bureaucrats, and religious leaders."
Jaune was quiet for a moment before sighing and going back to shopping. "Going to need to set up a lesson plan then. First, reading. Then writing. Then we can work on teaching you the real work."
Velvet ducked to the side to catch a small bag of apples in the basket. "Um… what exactly is it you do?"
Jaune tossed another bag into the basket, "We'll have time to discuss that away from eavesdroppers. I'd like to keep my trade secrets as they are. Secret."
Yang chuckled a little. "He's got a point."
"For now," Jaune continued, "let's get this back to the homestead and teach you to read. Come along, Velvet. I plan to have you proficient in my trade within two years!"
"T-two years?! Isn't that too fast?"
"Hardly~" Jaune placed a small block of cheese at the top of the pile in the basket. "The hardest part will likely take the first year. After that, it'll all fall into place. Now, let's get going. We have work to do."
The camera moved upward to the sky. This allowed clouds to move through and act as a montage showing Jaune teaching Velvet. Pictures of him in front of a blackboard with letters and words as she sat in a chair. The next moved on to show her actually writing something down. Then it progressed to mathematics, then basic chemistry, and other pursuits.
Coco chuckled and elbowed her teammate, "Finally learning to read, eh Vel?"
Velvet rolled her eyes and gave her team leader a playful punch to her shoulder.
Soon, the camera fell back to the ground level. The camera now showed a four story cabin situated in the woods. A section of the roof on the fourth floor looked like it could fold to the side and open.
Yang let out an impressed whistle. "Damn! Guy lives pretty well. What the heck does he do to afford that?"
The camera moved inside to show Velvet handing a small bottle to an elderly woman. "Here you go. Two drops in your cup every morning."
The woman smiled and took the bottle. "Thank you, dearie. I don't know what I'd do without you and Jaune's help. This potion has done wonders for my back."
"Okay, a doctor." Yang tapped her foot on the ground. "I guess that makes sense."
Velvet smiled with a certain pride, "We're happy to help if we can." As the woman left, Velvet moved to the door and stepped outside to take down a wooden sign. The sign tells everyone the shop is open, so without it means that they aren't open to the public. With that done and the sign placed away, Velvet made her way to the stairs.
As she moved up the floors, the viewers got a look at each of the floors. The ground floor was like a shop with various shelves and displays. The second floor was a more common living arrangement for the era with a small library area to the side. The third was something like a massive bedroom, shown with two beds on opposite sides of a golden curtain.
Velvet blushed a bit at the implications. As did Jaune. Nora just giggled and gave them both a smack on their shoulders, causing them to seize up from how strong the girl was, even when she was being playful.
The final floor was a massive lab area. There was a chemistry table on one side, a large telescope under the section of the roof that could open, and at the far end was a strange area with various crystals. Jaune stood in this section with his staff as he looked over one of the crystals.
Weiss raised an eyebrow. "It doesn't look like Dust. But what else could it be?"
"Maybe he moonlights as a jeweler?" Blake offered.
Jaune tapped the crystal on the table before letting it go. It caused the crystal to float in the air for a moment. After observing it for a moment, he smiled and picked up the gem and placed it at the top of his staff. The angle showed the staff actually had a series of small gems placed in the staff. After wrapping the cloth around the top again, Jaune tapped the staff and let go, causing it to float in place.
"Oh! That's so cool!" Ruby was wide eyed at the floating staff. She wondered if there was a way to make Crescent Rose float, too.
Velvet made her way up to the lab area as she watched the staff. "Got it working again?"
"Yep." Jaune smiled as he took the staff in hand again. "Now then, is everything set?"
"Yep." Velvet stepped to the side and to a larger clear crystal.
"Go ahead then. Show me how you've improved."
Velvet nodded and took a deep breath. She held her hands out to the crystal. After a moment, her hands started to glow with a pink aura. The aura moved outward from her hand and into the crystal, turning it red.
"What was that?" Velvet blinked in surprise.
King snapped his fingers and pointed to the screen. "Magic."
Velvet let out a breath and turned to Jaune, awaiting his response.
Picking up the crystal, Jaune looked over the design and color before nodding. "Excellent work."
Velvet had the proudest grin on her face since she was a child. "Thank you, sir!"
Jaune took a breath before lightly smacking the top of her head with his staff. "What did I tell you about the sir thing? That was day one." He paused for a moment before turning a bit somber. "That said," Jaune placed the crystal down and tapped it with his finger. This caused the crystal to shatter into a small statue of a sword resting in a stone pedestal, "why this for a subject?"
"Why'd he get serious all of a sudden?" Coco felt her hand tense a bit, nervous.
Velvet looked over the tiny statue. "Well, we pass it all the time going into town. And I thought it would be a good subject."
Jaune picked up the statue, holding it to his face. The details are too impressive. This isn't just another good subject… "Alright. We're heading to town today anyway. Get your things and get ready to head out."
Velvet nodded, "Yes, sir!" She chuckled and ran off as he shouted after her about the 'sir' thing.
This got a few in the audience to laugh, now realizing that Velvet was doing that on purpose.
The scene changed again to show as Jaune and Velvet made their way across the field. As they passed the blade, Velvet found her eyes straying to the metal again. It was only ever for a second, but it still happened. And this wasn't lost on Jaune.
Jaune let out a quick chuckle. "Maybe you should give it a try. Who knows? Maybe you'll be Queen."
Ren tapped his chair's armrest. "That does seem to be what's being hinted at."
"Makes sense." Ilia responded, "There's an old adage that those who live without power are those who can best wield it for others. So, since she's presumably an orphan and had no one to spoil her, she better understands what it's like to be powerless."
Velvet turned to him as they walked, "Did you ever try to pull out the sword?"
Jaune shook his head. "Nah. Could you imagine me as a king? Get real."
Both stopped for a moment, barely fifty feet from the blade, as they noticed a plume of smoke in the distance. In the direction of the small village.
Nora sunk a little, "Oh no."
Velvet instantly ran forward to see if she could help in some way, only to have her shoulder hooked by Jaune's staff. When she turned to tell him to let go, he pointed to the area immediately before them. This allowed her to focus on the approaching group of armored men. Five men atop banner-covered horses trotted forward. Four of them wore dented and scratched armor, clearly having experienced a bit of combat. Meanwhile, the one in the center of the group was adorned with polished and pretty garish armor and robes. He was obviously a noble, likely a minor noble given the style.
As they approached, about to pass the two, the noble turned his nose up at the duo. "A vagabond and an animal… Can't you bother to find any actual company?"
This ticked off every faunas and friend of Velvet in the room. They hadn't even known this prick for a minute and they already hated him. But there was also something in the room that felt off. It felt… cold.
Velvet felt her anger build up, but she was cut off as Jaune responded, "Unfortunately I'm the best she could find~"
Yang grinned with her arms crossed, "Good comeback."
The noble man sneered and huffed. "You think you're being cute?"
Jaune's smirk spread a bit wider, "Bitch, I'm adorable."
Coco clapped once and smirked, "Best comeback."
This got under the noble's skin. "I should have you strung up for that alone!"
"You can try." Jaune turned away and motioned for Velvet to follow. "Come on, Velvet. Let's get moving."
"Is that what you call your pet, then?" When he didn't get a reaction, the noble just gained a small smile and turned away. "Doesn't matter. Once I claim the sword, I can deal with the infestation."
That cold feeling felt like it was growing hotter. No one could really say what was happening. It felt a little familiar, but also somewhat foriegn.
Jaune slammed his staff on a rock in the ground, causing an echo effect to ring out in the area. "Want to put that by me again?"
This got the nobleman to pause and turn his horse and men slightly to hold position again. "You have a problem? I'm about to be king. I can do whatever I would desire, right?"
Ironwood felt his eye twitch and he sighed, dragging his hand over his face. "I hate people like that…"
Jaune was quiet for a tense moment before bursting out laughing. "You? King? Oh please. I'm more likely to be king than you."
The noble snarled and glared daggers toward Jaune, "I've had enough of your damned tongue! Men! Seize him!"
As the men leapt from their horses, Jaune passed his staff to Velvet. "Hold this a moment."
Velvet took the staff and nodded, gaining a little distance.
As the armored men approached Jaune, he cracked his neck and smirked. "Who's first?" He ducked to the side of an armored fist before grabbing the wrist and wrenching it to the side with a twist. "Come on now. I thought you were supposed to seize me, not the other way around." He dipped under another attack and used the first to take the hit. As the other two tried to swarm him from behind, he jumped over the first two and away from the incoming attacks.
"Nice!" Yang would occasionally swing an excited punch. "Kick their butts!"
"Yeah!" Many of the students in the group shouted in unison.
As Jaune made the bodyguards look like chumps, the noble's eyes narrowed. He had enough of this damned peasant and wanted him to learn his place. But no! His men can't even handle a no-name hermit! That was when he noticed the faunas girl nearby again. He watched as she seemed perfectly calm. Perfectly collected. He saw a rock fly toward her face only to ricochet off the air!
The noble's eye twitched the moment he saw that. "You…" His fist shook as he reached into his cloak. "You taught that thing the goddess' magic?!"
Ozpin finished a sip from his mug before speaking, "So, magic is an accepted part of this world?"
King nodded. "It's pretty hard to deny when a literal goddess comes down and says, 'fuck all y'all, I'll tell you who your damn King is.'"
"Good point."
The others didn't take well to that noble calling Velvet a thing though. In fact, that cold feeling was fading into a full on heat wave. And now, people could see where it was coming from. They all looked on to see Jaune with genuine anger in his eyes. His aura was flaring out like a white flame around his body. A few could even swear they saw a pair of red reptile-like eyes flowing in and out.
This caused a few to recoil, but Nora looked on amazed, "What's that about?"
This got Jaune to blink as the effect faded, "What?"
"Your aura was going crazy!" Ruby explained in a rather animated way.
"What do you mean?"
"I can explain." King hopped up to the screen's platform, getting everyone's attention. "It takes many forms, but it is a secondary effect of his Semblance."
"My Semblance?!" Jaune was instantly on his feet, finally confirming his Semblance.
King nodded before continuing. "Your Semblance is in fact Aura Amplification. It's the ability to increase the effects of aura on others and can be used on yourself. It can 'refill' aura at times as well. That said, it does also come with extra, unforeseen abilities. For instance, it also boosts the power of the other's semblances."
"Wait," Velvet interrupted, "what would happen if he used that ability on himself? Can his semblance boost itself?"
This time King shook his head. "No. His Semblance cannot boost its own ability. Instead, it creates a… different effect. It makes your emotional state more powerful, so to speak, and can have effects on others. I call it Overpowering Aura."
As Jaune let that sink in, he fell on his chair as he was just amazed to finally have his Semblance.
But King threw a wrench in, "But you can't quite use it to your fullest abilities yet. You still need to learn to access and utilize the power. It will likely take time. But for now, I'll get out of the way and allow things to continue."
The noble growled as he pulled a rudimentary firearm from his cloak.
And Jaune's mood instantly dipped again.
Ruby blinked as she saw a gun typethat was as old as the kingdoms, if not older.
Velvet saw the item, confused. What on Remnant is that?
Oobleck adjusted his glasses slightly, "Interesting. This is likely taking place in the earliest years of the kingdoms. Firearms were rare at the time, and few people would know what they are. And at the time, that made them more dangerous."
The noble pointed the weapon toward Jaune, offended that he would teach magic to a faunas. After a moment, he pulled the trigger. A loud boom rang out over the area, causing Velvet to recoil due to her more advanced hearing abilities. But that was purely a reaction. Her eyes were stuck wide and her mouth agape. To her eyes, Jaune was suddenly bleeding from his upper chest. She cried out and ran over toward him as the noble focused on reloading (it was a process given the type of weapon).
Velvet pushed against the noble's guards, but ended up getting pushed away. She tried to use magic, but her abilities were too weak to truly do anything. It was enough to kick the guards back but not enough to knock them away. One of the guards grabbed her and tossed her aside, causing her to fall with her back hitting a large stone nearby.
This got Velvet to recoil in sympathy, but also could only understand why she ran in. Even if they didn't have the same relationship, if Jaune ever got hurt like that, Velvet wouldn't take it well.
Velvet winced as her body screamed out in pain. But her fears for Jaune, the man who not only gave her a chance but taught her to be more, was able to override her physical issues. She used the stone to try to stand, finding a handle of some kind to help her to her feet. The staff?
Ren blinked before thinking things over for a moment. "Was that the…?"
Velvet was finally on her feet again, shaking. She looked up to find the noble pointing his weapon toward Jaune again. "Get… get away from him!" She pulled the staff forward, finding some odd resistance, but ultimately held it forward to use the gems' magics. Only to find a blade pointing at the men instead. There in her hands was Caliburn, the mighty Sword of Selection. In her hands was the blade to decide Vale's King.
Coco let out a big cheer and grabbed her friend's head in a one armed hug. "Go Vel! All hail Queen Velvet~!"
"Blasphemer!" Nora shouted.
"Yeah!" Shouted by Tyrian. Though for a different reason.
One of the guards turned around to her and his eyes went wide. "Uh… boss."
The noble growled and spun to his subordinate. "What?" Then he saw her in his peripheral vision. "No… No. No! NO!"
Jaune started to lean up, able to see what was happening before his eyes went wide. "Holy…" He winced as he started to stand properly. "So she's the chosen. How about that."
The noble, however, wasn't taking that well. "Hell no! I refuse to accept this!"
One of his guards spoke up, however, "But… she pulled the sword. That means she's Queen by order of the goddess. Right?"
"Don't be stupid!" The noble kicked the guard from atop his horse. "Kingdoms are ruled by strength anyway! If I kill her and take the sword, it'll be mine by right!"
Raven nodded with her arms crossed, "He's not wrong."
Yang turned slightly to glare at her, "You really are an awful person, aren't you?"
"You call it awful. I call it realism. Power rules the world. That's all there is to it."
Salem tapped her finger in thought. She agreed, but not as far as the woman was suggesting. Power was absolutely what held power, but power on its own will create those who seek to take it from you.
The noble leveled his weapon toward Velvet, causing her to jolt up in fear. A sword had no real way to fight a firearm, especially in this age. However, the blade began to glow. As the bullet flew toward her, a light flew out from the weapon and seemed to push the bullet's path away from her and into the ground.
The noble grit his teeth and tossed his gun, drawing his ornate sword. He charged toward her from his horse, only for the light to flash again and cause the horse to rear back. The noble fell flat on his ass as the horse ran off. The noble roared and stomped back up to his feet. "I don't need a horse to kill a damn rabbit! You hear me?!"
Nora felt her eye twitch, "I really hope she knocks him down again."
"I agree, but I don't think I can…" Velvet rubbed her arm, slightly embarrassed. "In that world, I apparently have some magic, but I don't think I would need to learn sword skills. I think most nobles would at least have some sword training. I'm at a disadvantage."
Velvet tried to move away, but the noble kicked her in the heel. Now, off balance, the noble brought his pommel against her cheek and knocked her onto the ground. She hit the dirt and grass beneath her with a thud, but her fingers remained wrapped around the hilt of the blade, as if by instinct.
This caused Jaune to get mad again, but his aura remained unaffected this time. Apparently, knowing about his Overpowering effect caused a dampening effect on its activation.
The noble started to try to stomp down on her hand to make her let the weapon go. "Why! Won't! You! Just! DIE?!" He raised his blade up and slammed it down onto her back, a spray of blood flying up from the attack.
This made the crew gasp.
Of course Tyrian was having fun.
As the noble felt his adrenaline fade, he noticed the blood to the side was strangely… pink? A breeze came through and caused the pink stain to fly upward, revealing them to be a group of flower petals rather than actual blood. As he stumbled back, he found himself stopped by something behind him. Turning around, he found a very pissed off Jaune.
Sun took in a sharp breath with a smirk, "He's a dead man."
Meanwhile, Ruby was wide eyed given his flower petal aethstetic.
The noble swung his blade up, only to find Jaune's staff flying in from behind and smacking his across the back of his head. Jaune capitalized by reaching up with one hand to catch his staff and the other placed onto the man's lower torso. After a moment, the noble was sent flying back and back first into the rock that once held the weapon. Jaune held his staff up, light starting to emanate from the top. After a moment, a beam of power shot out and flew toward the noble as he tried to stand. The beam enveloped him before bursting with a series of petals.
Jaune lowered his weapon as the noble fell to the ground with a light groan. "That should keep you down for a while." He turned to the other men and struck his staff on the ground, causing them all to scramble away. With them gone, he turned back to Velvet.
The girl was sitting up on the ground nearby, having taken each hit up to the pommel strike. She looked up toward him with a look of shock. "What just…"
But for the moment, Jaune was silent. It was impossible to truly tell what was going on now. Then, he slowly lowered himself to a kneel, his head lowered. "It's pretty crazy to think about, but the results don't lie. You are truly the rightful Queen. Go figure, right?"
Velvet was still having a hard time comprehending what was happening. She'd grown up in the lowest parts of society, and now some sword was trying to say she was the Queen!
Ilia thought about it for a moment. "I guess… That makes sense she'd react like that…"
Velvet watched as Jaune stood up again. "But I… I can't be…"
Jaune waved her off. "No worries. As the Royal Advisor and Court Mage, it's my job to help you out."
This got Velvet to blink in surprise. "The what?"
Jaune nodded, but found words unformed.
A flashback started showing Jaune, exactly the same as he is in the present, standing beside a man lying on a bed. The man on the bed was old, sickly, and clearly losing his fight for life. The man coughed and looked up to Jaune. "You still haven't aged. It's hardly fair."
"So Jaune is older than he seemed." Coco chuckled a bit. "I bet people would pay to know his secret."
Jaune nodded with a somber smile. "It really isn't. I'm sorry."
The old man laughed it off. "Hey, it's fine. My issues will be over soon enough. You've got the rest of eternity… But it could be worse right?"
"Yeah. I guess it could." Jaune clutched his fingers around his staff. "Too bad you never could get an heir though…"
"Not for lack of trying!" The man tried to laugh hardily, but ended up with another cough. "My Kingdom is going to rip itself apart, isn't it?"
"Such is the nature of monarchy without an heir."
The old King nodded. He took in a ragged breath and turned slightly to his oldest friend. "Then I want you to take my place."
Jaune shook his head. "You know I can't do that. I'm not material to be king."
"If you don't, then Vale is at risk. You don't have to be King forever, just long enough to find someone worthy. Vale deserves someone who will truly care and act in her interests and the interests of her people. And, no offence to my extended family, but they aren't that."
Jaune took in a breath and let out a sigh. "I'll see what I can do."
Jaune turned away from the screen for a second.
"Jaune?" Ruby looked to him, concerned. "What's wrong?"
"It's…" Jaune sighed and looked back to the screen. "'I'll see what I can do' is a phrase in my family that means, 'I'll make an effort, but I'm not promising you to do so.' It's not a promise, since an Arc never goes back on his word."
The King laughed. "I hate it when you say that." His laugh faded out to a contented smile. "Listen real quick. I've got last words to say."
"Hey, come on," Jaune tried to put on a brave face. "You've still got time before you need that."
"Shut up and listen." After a moment of silence, the King continued, "I hope beyond hope that Vale may one day be a grand Kingdom. That whoever follows me will be worthy for all time. If I'm to have any regrets, it's that I died without heir." He paused a moment before turning to his friend. "Tell my wife I'm sorry that we couldn't bear a child."
Jaune laughed, his eyes watering as his friend died, "You never got married, you dumbass."
The king let out a weak laugh. "Oh yeah. It was a fun ride, and I'm thankful for everything. Goodbye, my friend." The king fell from consciousness. He would die soon after.
Most of the room felt somber, reminded of those they lost. Some with peace. Others without a final moment. Loss was a constant reminder of reality.
For most anyway.
"Boring!" Tyrian was very vocal. "He didn't even get to die in a bloody fashion! We came back just to get bored!"
Salem pinched the bridge of her nose in annoyance. Even Salem can run out of patience with Tyrian.
The scene returned to Jaunne and Velvet. Jaune pointed his staff slightly toward her, "I admit, I should have heeded his words. Even if it meant going against my preferences, I should have done what he asked before the wars broke out. Despite my failure, if you'll allow it, I'd like to help you. To teach you more and support you and your new rule."
The scene faded off to black for a moment, leaving the scene open.
"Heck of a way to find a successor…" Harriet fell back in her chair a bit more.
Coco chuckled and playfully punched her teammate's shoulder, "But that sword picked a pretty good one, huh Velvet?"
Velvet was embarrassed, still not used to being the center of attention, even by proxy.
In the background of the dark scene, they heard Salem speak. "While I agreed to this, I have to ask why you're so adamant about using my power here. Why not enchant a blade yourself?"
They heard Jaune laugh, somewhat bitterly. "Come on. A literal goddess comes down to put down the law, people listen. My word can erode. Yours makes them follow."
"I see. Then let us see what shall come from your decision, Mage."
"Trust me. I can see the next ruler being quite impressive."
The darkness was sliced apart by a gold and blue sword being planted into the ground. The scene showed Velvet in her mid-twenties, accented by the regalia of royalty and ornaments of power. The Queen of Vale, undisputed and grand in her name.
"I look forward to seeing who shall be worthy."
And so the wars of Valen Succession ended at last.
"Go Velvet!" Nora jumped up before picking up the faunas girl in a hug.
It was a heartwarming scene for most.
And as Knox watched on, he wondered. Next up I'm thinking fruits~
/\
King: Your options are as follows:
Suna
Pika
Magu
Ito
Gura
Uo: Seiryu
King: Forgot to say you have a week after upload to vote. Good luck~!