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Rusted Knight 09
🕑 Added 2024-04-30 14:43:48 +0000 UTCJaune found himself pulled into Team RWBY's room and the first thing he says is this.
"Bunk beds, huh? I didn't know you could do that."
"Focus, Jaune. We have more important things to talk about than our awesome bunk beds." Ruby snaps her fingers in front of his face, causing him to lean back.
"Uh, what?"
"She's talking about the Rusted Knight, you dolt. What else could it be? What did you two talk about and what do you think about him?" Weiss rolls her eyes at him.
"I...uhmm...I don't think I should say. He talked to me alone for a reason, you know?"
"Please, Jaune. This is important." Pyrrha adds, looking at him with pleading eyes.
"Et tu, Pyrrha?" jaune whispers slowly with wide eyes.
Pyrra blushes but her eyes stay pleading at Jaune. He could only sigh in resignation as he remembers his conversation with the Rusted Knight.
-----
"Now? Now we call our parents." His older self, Arc the Rusted Knight, says with a grin on his face.
"We're going to tell them?" Jaune gulps, cold sweat appearing at his back at the prospect of talking to his parents
"We have to if we are going to make a believable identity for me."
"...Again, do we really have to?" Jaune whines
"Yes, now give me your scroll." Arc only rolls his eyes at that before approaching Jaune and reaching out his hand.
"Wait, wait, wait. Shouldn't we tell our team first?" Jaune rushes to defend, leaping away from his older self's hand.
"No. They can never know about this." Arc says gravely, causing Jaune to tilt his head in confusion.
"What? Why?"
They're their team, right? And by how he talked about them, shouldn't his older self trust them immensely? Like family, in fact?
The Rusted Knight only sighs however before looking at him firmly.
"Think, Jaune. Think. What do you think they'll do if you tell them?"
"Uhm...nothing?" He answers, causing the professor to throw his hands up exasperatedly.
"They'll freak out, mini me! I just told them my partner died and if you tell them that I am you-"
"Then they'll know Pyrrha died." Jaune finishes in realization, face paling at the reminder of Pyrrha being murdered
"Exactly and if you tell your team and Nora tells Team RWBY, which she definitely will, then you've got four badass girls panicking with you who is liable to run face first into the hands of trouble again and again."
By the way his older self said it you'd have think that Team RWBY was just a magnet for trouble.
"They're not that bad, right?"
Arc only laughs woodely at him for that.
"Ha. Ha. Ha. Trust me, they are. Team RWBY had run ins with a criminal mastermind and a terrorist organization even before we left Beacon the first time. They are that bad."
Jaune imagines the four schoolgirls fighting bad guys and terrorists in the middle of Vale. He can't help but think that it sounded too much like an animated show. Still, he's not gonna refute his older self. Those girls took on a Giant Nevermore. Seems like they can take on a couple of people too.
"So...what do we do?" Jaune asks curious after a pause to which Arc only laughs before answering flatly.
"Nothing."
"What?!" Jaune's eyes widen as he shouts in surprise.
"Like I said before. I will handle it. You on the other hand just have to cover for me and train hard to be the best Huntsman you can be." His older self shrugs casually before putting an arm on his shoulder.
"You really think I can do it? Be a Huntsman, I mean?" Jaune gapes at that.
Him? A Huntsman? It's only starting to sink in right now.
The Rusted Knight smiles at him before lightly shaking him by his shoulder.
"Of course! I'm you, remember? If I can become a licensed Huntsman then so can you."
Jaune feels rather silly at that reminder. Right. This was his future self. Who was apparently a Huntsman. He also happens to be the Rusted Knight. Pretty cool, huh? Yeah, well, Jaune can't help but be dizzy at that realization.
"Sorry. Forgot for a moment there. It's just...nobody believed I could do it, you know?" He replies slowly, remembering his family's reaction to his dream of becoming a Huntsman.
"....Yeah, I know." The Rusted Knight says slowly and Jaune can't help but cringe at the suddenly heavy atmosphere.
"Sorry."
His older self only rolls his eyes at that before smiling back at Jaune gently.
"No need. Besides, you're already better than i am when I first started so you've got nothing to worry about."
Right, he almost forgot. He wasn't trained so even he knew his movements during their fight should have been impossible to do for the current him.
"Yeah, what's up with that? I think I saw some of your memories while we were fighting."
Arc straightens at that question before putting a hand under his chin in thought.
"Soul resonance. It's a thing that apparently happens when we share memories."
Jaune frowns at the vague wording. It's a thing that happens?
"You don't sound so sure."
"I'm just spouting off from someone else's experience." His older self shrugs carelessly at his remark.
Jaune, for his part, jolts in surprise. There was someone with the same experience as him?!
"There's someone else with the same experience?!"
"Not exactly the same but nothing you need to worry yourself about." Arc waves his concern away dismissively to Jaune's disbelief.
"...That sounds exactly like something I need to worry about."
"Don't worry about it. Like I said just do your best and live the best life you can for me, okay?" Arc rolls his eyes once again with a smile. A sad smile if Jaune was being perceptive about it.
"What about you?" He asks gently
"What about me?"
"Don't you have a life to live as well?"
"Let me worry about that once you are all safe. Now, give me your scroll. Time to call the parents." Arc only shakes his head at him sadly before holding his hand out once again.
"Wait, wait, wait! Can't you at least give me some time to prepare?!" Jaune flinches back, his hand going to the opening of his pocket where his scroll was located.
"You have five seconds."
"No! I mean at least give me a few days. I don't want them barging in when I haven't even had any time to enjoy Beacon yet." Jaune shouts before putting his hands out defensively.
That seems to get through to his older self because the man sighs in resignation.
"....Fine, you get a few weeks."
Jaune sighs in relief before asking a question that's been plaguing his mind since he found out he was looking at his future self. It was obvious he didn't want Jaune's friends finding out who he really was.
"....Alright. In the meantime, what should I tell the team if I can't exactly tell them the truth?"
"Ideally, nothing but I know them too well that they wouldn't be satisfied with that."
Jaune smiles at that answer. He was right. He doesn't know how but his feelings about his friends tell him the same thing.
"...Yeah, I've only met them yesterday but I already feel like they would pester me just to get an answer."
The older man laughs at that before getting back to his seat.
"You got that right, though if they ever do ask then tell them that we're still deciding on our relationship and need to call your parents first."
---------
Yeah, no. He wasn't going to do that.
Jaune nodded his head at that memory but deep down he knew what he would do.
As he faced Team RWBY and his own team, he opened his mouth to speak.
"He's me. The future me."
Yup, sorry future Jaune. But Jaune Arc won't keep that secret from his friends. Besides, if there was danger coming to them then he and his friends need to be prepared.
He might have only met them for two days but it already feels like he could trust them with his life.
A possible effect of the soul resonance maybe?
Or maybe he just feels that he could trust them that much naturally.
A question for later, right now he has to focus in the here and now.
He could literally feel the eyes gathering on him and for one single moment, Jaune felt the world pause.
Silence.
Then laughter.
Loud uproarious laughter came out of Yang and Weiss' mouths.
Even Ruby, his very first friend in Beacon, laughed albeit a little nervously at him.
Only Blake took a moment to look at him before to his own surprise, actually hissing at him like a cat.
Welp, there goes his confidence. Pain lances through his heart as each member of Team RWBY says their piece.
"Hahahaha! That's the best joke anyone has ever told me!" Yang laughs out of her belly and straight into his face.
"Indeed. It was certainly amusing." Weiss says through her dying giggles.
"Ha ha ha. I mean it was really funny." Ruby tells him in a flat tone, looking nervously at him and her teammates. Seems like she's unsure what to believe but at least she's not glaring at him like Blake was.
"My fanfics....my smut... it just can't be. You can't be him." Blake growls and Jaune would have flinched if it weren't for the content of her words. She wrote fanfics. She wrote smut of the Rusted Knight who happens to be him? Yeah, heat naturally went straight to his face.
Ignoring Blake's words with a blush, Jaune focuses instead on his own team's reaction.
Ren was actually silent for the most part and Jaune has the distinct feeling his male teammate was using his experience from Nora's own brand of chaos onto him.
Pyrrha was actually looking at him thoughtfully, causing Jaune's heart to beat rapidly in nervousness. Will she believe him or not?
Yet for all the skepticism and mockery aimed at him. There was one vocal voice supporting him.
"What?! It could totally happen!" Nora says indignantly to his defense.
"This noodle?! The Rusted Knight?! Hahaha, real funny Nora." Yang snorts, approaching him to slug him on his arm
"Hey, I'm not a noodle and that hit totally didn't hurt."
It totally did but he wasn't going to say that.
"Setting aside the dolt's noodleness or not, how would that even work?" Weiss pipes in.
"Time travel. He said it himself, Silly-Weissy."
"Don't call me that! Besides, his story is more than a century old. He was referring to how he was shot forward in time to now."
"Him being the future would explain how he can use Gravity Dust with his shield however."
"Dust has been around for a long time now, you dolt. Just because he uses it doesn't mean he's you from the future."
Huh, he could've sworn Dust was a relatively newer discovery but he could be wrong. He'll defer to the actual SDC Heiress on this one but still he knew for a fact one thing Weiss wasn't taking into account.
"Yeah, but Crocea Mors can't do that. Crocea Mors can't even mechashift to a greatsword either. The only way it could do so would be if I have it upgraded in the future."
Gasps erupt around him as he points that particular fact.
"Or it just so happens the Rusted Knight's sword isn't Crocea Mors but a whole different one altogether." Weiss points out.
"One that can mechashift? It can't be. " Jaune shakes his head.
"I-it checks out." Ruby adds nervously, causing Jaune to smile and getting everyone's attention before continuing. "As far as I know, mechashifting weapons only started appearing after the Great War. That's way after The Girl Who Fell Through The World was written."
Silence once again envelops them but this time... no one was mocking Jaune.
"I-it can't be. My Knight....My smut.....It's you?" Blake mutters with a blank gaze that makes him squirm uncomfortably.
Weiss goes further than that however. She stomps towards him with furious steps and pulls him down by his collar aggressively. Any other time, Jaune would have loved to be in this position but the fury in Weiss' eyes causes him to squeak meekly.
"No....no, no, no, no! You can't be the knight I imagined sweeping me off my feet and taking me away from my family!"
Wow, family problems, huh? He didn't know she had problems like that but this could be his chance.
Jaune gulps nervously before he tries giving her a confident smile. He fails and what appears on his face can be described as being between a smile and grimace.
"Uhm, I can still do that if you want, Snow Angel."
Weiss scowls at him before pushing him away and stepping back towards her team.
"Ugh, no."
Yang then takes the opportunity to pipe in shakily.
"Y-yeah, VB! P-pretty convincing but you can't tell me I just flirted with an older you back in your office, right? Right?!"
Jaune looks away nervously with a blush at that.
"I-uhm, I'm not?"
"Y-yeah! You aren't!"
A horrified gasp from Ruby however draws all their attention away from Jaune.
"D-does that mean Pyrrha dies?"
They all turn slowly in horror at Pyrrha who was frozen stiff at that being pointed out. They would never forget how the Rusted Knight told them his partner died first. And if Jaune was the Rusted Knight then that means..... Pyrrha dies.
As Pyrrha looked with wide eyes full of fear and worry, Jaune's body moved on its own. He surprises himself with his own boldness as he steps towards her, opens his arms, and takes her in for a tight embrace.
"No."
That broke the silence as Pyrrha gasped in his arms. His eyes grow wide and he immediately jumps back once he realized what he was doing. "S-sorry!" He squeaks out, holding his hands out placatingly.
"I-it's okay, Jaune. I was just surprised is all."
"S-sorry, I just wanted to tell you that it's going to be okay. I'm not going to let you die."
"O-of course it is going to be okay! That's because you are not the Rusted Knight so that means Pyrrha doesn't die." Weiss
"No, regardless whether Jaune is the Rusted Knight or not, we all have the possibly of dying in this line of work."
"Pyrrha..."
"Besides, nobody lives forever, right? I just hope that when I do die, I die doing the right thing."
"Well this got dark all of a sudden." Nora remarks with an undaunted smile while putting her hands on her hips.
"Sorry." Pyrrha apologizes in her unique Pyrrha way.
Weiss shakes her head however before speaking.
"No, Pyrrha. It's not your fault. If it's anyone's fault then it's Jaune's."
Jaune gasps back at that.
"W-what?! Why me?!"
Weiss only snaps at him with narrow eyes.
"Of course it is your fault! Why would you even joke about being the Rusted Knight in the first place?!"
"I-I'm not joking though." He replies shakily.
"Quit it, VB! It was funny the first time but it is not funny now!" Yang cuts in angrily, causing him to gulp as she cracks her knuckles.
"What would it take you to believe me?"
"Nothing! Because you are not the Rusted Knight!
Jaune could actually frustrated tears from Weiss' eyes at that outburst. Did...he actually hurt her by pushing too hard? His heart aches as he sighs defeatedly.
"Would you believe me if it came from Professor Arc, who is my older self, himself?"
Weiss reels back at that before gathering managing to collect herself again.
"T-that is if he even is your older self. Besides, if he really was you then why hasn't he told us in the first place?"
"Because he didn't want us to worry. I only found out about it because I saw his signature. It's the same as mine." Jaune points out calmly but before anyone else could reply, someone gasped.
"My autograph!" Blake gasped, clasping her notebook to her chest tightly while looking worriedly at him.
The world paused as everyone's eyes snapped toward her. The solution suddenly crystallized in Jaune's smile and he couldn't stop the grin from appearing on his face.
By the way Blake flinched while looking at him, anyone would've have thought she was seeing the devil. But Jaune didn't care. He had a simple solution to solve all of this.
"Blake, give me the notebook and I'll write my signature right beside the Rusted Knight's."
"NO!"
Blake crumpled to herself so much that you would think Jaune asked for her firstborn child but Jaune was undeterred.
"Okay, I'll write my signature on another piece of paper as long as you tell everyone if it's the same signature in your notebook." He says with a smile, checking his pockets if he had a pen with him.
Blake's response however freezes him in his tracks.
"No...Please, I beg of you." Her whimper was so out of character to her cool and mysterious vibe that Jaune can't help but go pale.
"W-what?" He asks shakily.
"I don't want to know if it's you. Please just let me live in fantasy that he isn't you."
Was....was he that unlikeable? Surely not, right? Sure he cheated his way into Beacon. He made a fool of himself during Initiation. He got his ass kicked in Combat Class, which by the way, didn't they all? But surely he's not that detestable, right? Right?!
"HAHAHAHA! Oh damn! That's just cruel Blake!"
Yang's resounding laughter sends a lance of pain straight into his heart even as he sees Blake's apologetic look.
His shoulders slump in defeat as he hears Ruby and Weiss giggle along with their teammate. His first friend and his crush. Could this get any worse?
"It's okay, Jaune. I believe in you." Pyrrha puts an arm on his shoulder comfortingly.
Yeah, sure. Pyrrha might believe him that the Rusted Knight is his older self but even he could see the grimace gracing her face.
If Blake's reaction to him being the Rusted Knight was like this then...
"I'm always gonna be a virgin, aren't I?"
His knees crash into the floor as his mouth blurts out his thoughts before he could even stop it.
""""HAHAHAHAHA""""
Oh great, it just got worse.
Weiss and Nora have now joined Yang in laughing out loud. Hell, even Ren was snickering behind him like Ruby while trying to cover their mouths with a blush on their faces. Only Pyrrha does not laugh at him. Blake didn't laugh as well, only looking at him in horror, but she doesn't count because she's the one who caused this pain in the first place.
Pyrrha kneels beside him, sensing his distress as Jaune's arms crash onto the floor as well.
"I-it's okay, Jaune. I-I'm sure you'll find someone fit for you."
He doesn't notice her blush as he leans back to gaze forward blankly, eyes making contact with Blake's now worried eyes.
"Thanks, Pyrrha. But what's the point? My older self is a 40 year old virgin. I'm doomed to suffer the same fate, aren't I?"
"WAIT! He's a virgin?! The Rusted Knight's a virgin?!" Yang shouts with wide eyes, mirth turning into shock.
"No comment." Jaune grimaces in realization as his eyes snap back into focus.
Right, all his older self told the other's was that he never had a girlfriend. Not that he was actually a virgin. He only told that to Jaune himself. Sorry older Jaune, looks like he's revealing a lot more than he intended to.
"W-well, play your cards right and you might lose your virginity soon." Pyrrha interjects, getting Jaune to snap at her with a blush.
Out of everything Pyrrha could have said, that was the most unexpected one Jaune could have thought of.
"W-what?!" He shouts incredulously even as he hears the rest of his friends gasp or squeak in shock.
"Wow, did it suddenly just get hot in here or is it just me?" Nora cuts in with a grin.
"No, no. I feel it too." Ren adds in support, a small teasing smile appearing on his face.
Pyrrha suddenly rushes away from Jaune while waving her hands defensively in front of her with a blush.
"I-I mean now that you've seen your future self, you could take steps to avoid that fate, right?!" Pyrrha adds panickedly, her face glowing as red as her hair.
Jaune's expression turns into one of joy as he takes in that realization.
"Right! You're so smart, Pyrrha! You always know what to say! Thanks!"
"R-right. You're welcome, Jaune." Pyrrha replies while looking away from him. He couldn't blame her for that. Saying that he might lose his virginity soon must have been embarrassing for her as well as his.
Still, reinvigorated by his partner's words, Jaune Arc stands up once again before coughing away the blush on his face..
"Alright, if Blake won't let us use the autograph, what else could I do to convince you?" He says, looking at Team RWBY once again with energetic eyes.
"This again? You certainly don't give up, do you?" Yang rolls her eyes to which Jaune only gives her a beaming smile.
"You know it."
"Here I thought you would've loved not ending up as a 40 year old virgin." Yang smirked at him, causing Jaune to grimace.
"Right, I certainly don't want that."
As cool as the Rusted Knight was, there's no escaping the stain of that title. A title he had no wish achieving for himself.
"Frankly, it's a little disquieting that we are even entertaining this line of thought. The only thing that would support your theory is if Professor Arc confessed to it himself, which so far he has not." Weiss points out with a roll of her eyes.
"Alright, bet."
"W-what?"
That seems to take Weiss aback but Jaune was on the roll. He wasn't going to let the momentum get away from him again.
"You said so far. So if Professor Arc says it himself for whatever reason then you would believe me, right? Believe us that is?" He asks firmly.
"I-How would we know if it's the truth? The two of you could just prank us or something." Weiss replies, eyes suddenly narrowing at him.
"Do you really think I will lie about something like this?"
"I don't know, maybe you would if you think if it would get me to like you." She glares at him, effectively stopping him on his tracks.
Jaune flinched away from her at that. Sure, his crush on Weiss might have been obvious but surely she could see he's not that kind of guy, right?
"Weiss, I'm not that kind of guy." He says slowly, looking at her with hurt eyes.
"You've already lied your way into Beacon, what's to say you're not lying about this?"
His breath gets trapped in his throat at that even as gasps fly out of everyone's mouth.
Ruby immediately to her partner's side to pull her back by her shoulder even as Pyrrha holds his.
"Woah, Weiss, calm down. The faculty said they accept Jaune being here so that's that." Ruby points out but Weiss was merciless.
"It still doesn't change the fact he faked his transcripts."
"Weiss, I'm-" Jaune flinches before moving to apologize but he is cut off by Weiss.
"Enough. I don't want to talk about this anymore. We pulled you in to talk about the Rusted Knight but if you are being like this then it is clear we are just being unproductive."
"Hey, that's not fair-" Pyrrha steps forward but Jaune pulls her back.
"No, Pyrrha. She's right."
"Jaune?"
"We are being unproductive this way." He says with hooded eyes.
"I'm glad you finally see it that way." Weiss huffs before crossing her arms and looking away in a sign of dismissal.
Jaune however continues, resolve gathering in his chest.
"Yes, I see you won't believe me no matter what I say."
Weiss scoffs at that before looking back at him.
"Obviously, what you're saying is hard to believe after all."
"Hard to believe or maybe you're just in denial?" He asks, a smirk slowly appearing on his face at Weiss' offended look.
Any other time, Jaune would've reeled back from Weiss' fury but her expression right now was a delicious balm to his pride. He so loves it when gets a reaction out of her.
"What did you just say?!"
"He uses a mechashift weapon. He has the same signature as me. And I don't doubt that he also knows more about you than me." Jaune points out while counting each point with his fingers with a smile.
The gasps that follows were music to his ears as everyone looks at him stunned. That's right. If the Rusted Knight, Professor Arc, was really from the future then he should know things about his friends that he didn't know yet. Secrets and information revealed through years of interaction.
Weiss must have realized the same thing because her demeanor changes. From a haughty to a downright serious one. The difference was stark now that he was feeling it. He might not have felt it earlier but it seems like she was underestimating him. Looking down on him, in fact. Now however, he has her full and undivided attention.
He smiles at that and Jaune would literally swear he saw her eye twitch in response.
"Alright. I'll give you that. If he does confess to it and.....tell us our secrets or any confidential information then that means....you are telling the truth."
A thunder could have boomed beside them and none of them would have reacted to it at that point in time. That was how focused they all were as Jaune and Weiss stare at each other. As the rest of Team JNPR and Team RWBY witness their confrontation.
Eventually, it is Jaune who moves first. His countenance softens as he smiles sadly at Weiss.
"Believe me, Weiss. I wish I was wrong."
"Then why push it?" Yang pipes in, stepping beside Weiss to face him.
Jaune shakes his head before speaking.
"Think about it. Why would someone like me time travel?"
"Because Pyrrha died, right?" Ruby answers nervously, eyes flicking back and forth between him and Pyrrha.
Jaune glances back at his partner at that, seeing her take a deep breath before looking at him with a resolute smile.
"It's worse than that, Ruby. From what he told me....It was bad. Really really bad." Jaune answers grimly, turning his head back towards Team RWBY.
They fall silent at that. The atmosphere, now completely serious in contrast to their previous joyful conversation. He takes the blame for that but this is something he feels the need to do. Before he can speak however, a voice behind him beats him to it.
"What do we do, Jaune?" Nora asks meekly, clinging to Ren's sleeve in nervousness.
Nora....ever cheerful Nora was acting meek. He's only met her yesterday but he knew she shouldn't be this meek.
Jaune...well, Jaune gives her a confident grin.
"We do what we can."
The beaming smile she gives him makes him feel like the fearless-leader she always called him as.
"That's why you're our fearless-leader." Nora says with a smile as Ren nods in agreement beside her.
Jaune couldn't help but laugh loudly at that. And just like that, the serious atmosphere was broken by a gust of warm optimism.
"That's fine and all but I still don't believe you." Weiss pipes in but Jaune could see the playful smirk growing on her face.
Heh, got her. It seems like she approves of what he just did. Looks like he has his chance.
Giving her a warm smirk of his own, he speaks as confidently as he can. "Don't worry, Snow Angel. I'll make a believer out of you yet."
Cheesy, he knows. But it does get her to blush so he'll take it.
"Don't call me that!" Weiss shouts while looking at him with a red face, causing everyone to laugh at them.
Still, as Jaune enjoys the warm atmosphere, he can't help but think about Nora's question.
What do they do now? They need to know the threat obviously but to do that they have to talk to the Rusted Knight.
Hopefully he could use his friends to guilt trip his older self into telling them but if it fails...they would need to look for the threat themselves.
It was something he didn't really want to do but will if they must.
Ideally, the Rusted Knight would handle it, Jaune was in agreement with the older man there, but what Jaune wanted was he should do it with their knowledge or support.
It would hardly do them good after all, if the Rusted Knight failed while leaving them alone in the dark. Better to have backup than none at all.
With that thought in mind, their course of action was clear. Talk to the Rusted Knight.
Speaking of the Rusted Knight....Jaune can't help but compare his own situation to him. Jaune himself was surrounded by his friends while the Rusted Knight was all alone.
It's certainly a sad life that Jaune and his friends could hopefully help with but in the meantime, all Jaune could do was wonder what his older self is doing right now.
==========
"""CHUG! CHUG! CHUG! CHUG!"""
Glynda sighed at the sight of Jaune Arc being fed a barrel of booze by Ozpin, Port, and Oobleck.
"They do know we still have work tomorrow, right?"
Tsune, her fox tail swishing behind her, laughs beside Glynda before clinking her own glass of bear with Glynda's cup of tea.
"Lighten up, Glynda. You're the one who organized this party in the first place."
Glynda rolls her eyes at that, watching as Jaune passes the barrel back to Port with a roar of laughter and cheers from the others.
"Yes, but I didn't expect there would be this much alcohol. Where did they even get that?"
"P-Peter was apparently keeping one in reserve for manly occasions or so he says." Peach nervously answers, face reddening because of the alcohol they were drinking beside Tsune.
"Men." Glynda sighs resignedly as she watches their male colleagues cheer and laugh at the same time after managing to empty the barrel.
Don't get her wrong, she's happy Jaune was bonding with their colleagues. It was the purpose of this gathering, after all. To introduce their new faculty member to his peers. Glynda thinks they succeeded wonderfully at that but did they really have to be such...men about it?
When Jaune punched Peter in the throat, she was afraid any notion of friendship between them would have been impossible. Which in turn, could have possibly created a hostile work environment for Jaune.
Contrary to her beliefs however, Jaune seemed to have stumbled into the perfect way to create a positive relationship with them.
None of them expected Port to proclaim Jaune as one of his bosom friends after regaining his breath.
It was the most incorrigible interaction she has seen but from Peter's words of: "Any man able to knock me down in one punch is a man worth having as a friend!" Glynda was ready to accept it as it is if it means all would be well.
She just didn't expect it to devolve so much as shown by their current behavior. With the alcohol gone, the boys have now amused themselves by setting the now empty barrel as an arm wrestling table as if they were on a tavern instead of the Faculty Lounge.
Arm wrestling. They were going to be arm wrestling if you can believe it.
"Come on lad! Let's see how strong that arm is!" Peter calls out loudly, setting down his right elbow on top of the barrel while his left hand grips the edge.
"You've felt it to be strong enough." Jaune scoffed good-naturedly, setting himself across Peter in the same position with a smile.
"Bah! A lucky strike. Now, this! This is a contest of strength!" Peter laughs loudly as their hands clasp together.
Glynda however was jolted out of watching by Tsune playfully elbowing her.
"Well, I certainly understand why you put in the effort to organize this party."
Glynda tilts her head in confusion before asking. "What are you talking about?"
Tsune only tilts her head to a certain direction before answering with a smile. "He's cute, isn't he?"
Glynda gasps, her eyes catching Jaune's laughing face as he banters with Port and Oobleck.
"Tsune, that is inappropriate!" She swats her friend with a blush on her face.
"Come on, Glynda. Live a little. This is the first time we'll have a hunk as a colleague." Tsune laughs at her before wagging her eyebrows suggestively.
Heat rushes to Glynda's cheeks as she begins to retort but someone beat her to it.
"Quiet, you two! It's starting." Peach shushes them uncharacteristically, her eyes blatantly roaming Jaune's form.
Glynda had half a mind to scold these two for their lecherous behavior but Peach was right. It was starting and Glynda can't help but copy Peach's action with a blush on her face.
Jaune certainly made it easy to ogle him by wearing a form-fitting black shirt under his armor. Without his armor now however, all they could see were muscles struggling to get out of that hot shirt.
"Mama likes." Tsune licks her lips slowly and Glynda has to fan herself as she nods subconsciously in agreement.
Ozpin immediately appears to mediate between the men holding both hands in the middle with his own.
"Alright, you two. You know how this goes. No lifting your elbow off the barrel. Other than that, anything goes! We start on my signal. Ready?"
""Ready!""
"GO!" Ozpin shouts immediately, surprising Jaune even as a grinning Peter pushes with all his might.
Glynda sees Jaune's eyes grow wide as the back of his hand almost touches the barrel. He grunts in an effort not to lose as Glynda's eyes grow wide as veins pop out from his hard wiry arm muscles. Damn.
"W-wait! There's no countdown?" Jaune asks with gritted teeth.
"Haha! There are no countdowns in life, lad!"
"I-is that so? Then take a load of this! ORAAAAAAAA!" Jaune screams loudly, Aura cycling all over his body as he suddenly starts to glow while his strength increases.
"O-oi! Not fair! You're using your Semblance!" Peter cries out as Jaune starts to push him back.
"Ha! Ozpin said anything goes-guh!" Jaune smirks but is interrupted by Oobleck adding his own hand over Peter's.
"What are you doing, Peter?! Don't let the new guy humiliate us veterans!" Bartholomew Oobleck yells passionately, taking everybody off guard.
"T-two against one?! How is this fair?!" Jaune exclaims frustratedly.
"Anything goes, right?! Thank you, Bart! Let's show this upstart what we're made of!" Peter retorts with a laugh.
""AAAAAGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!"" Bartholomew and Peter shout at the same time, their Auras' working overtime to counter Jaune's strength.
The world divides into Jaune's white color, and Bartand Peter's crimson and green.
Glynda's jaw drops however as Jaune's eyes suddenly burn afire.
That was new.
The first time they saw him, he had glowing eyes under his helmet when fighting her and Ozpin. She saw something like this during his fight with Team JNPR but it only manifested as a bright glow which left trails. This however.....this was a literal fire like a-
"Maidens." Ozpin whispers beside her with wide eyes himself.
Glynda lurches in surprise. It seems in her focus to watch Jaune, Glynda has failed to notice Ozpin approach her. Now that she's aware however, they lock eyes and think the same thing. Jaune's power was growing. How?
Before they could think more on it however, another voice interjects from beside Ozpin.
"Well, he's having fun."
They snap their eyes toward the source and they see the Curious Cat licking their paws.
Glynda has complicated emotions about the Cat. From Jaune's story, she knew this being killed Alyx, a little girl. But for the life of her, she can't help but find it's appearance cute. She shakes her head of off that thought immediately. A Beowulf could be cute but Glynda wasn't going to start petting one. She settles for glaring at the Curious Cat instead.
"Speak plainly." She demands cautiously even as Ozpin stays silent.
Jaune's warnings told her that the Cat loved to speak however, as much as they want to ignore or dismiss it, its words always held meaning. One just needs to parse through the manipulation the Cat weaves into their words.
She sees the Cat shrug at her caution before turning fully towards her.
"I'm just saying, he's being too carefree."
Glynda raises an eyebrow at that. She wanted Jaune to be carefree. They all know that poor man has been through enough. So to hear the Cat mock her efforts to give him a good time sits sourly with Glynda.
"Shouldn't he be? He is among friends here."
The Cat rolls their eyes at that before stretching lazily over Ozpin's feet.
"You seem to think that everything would be so easy and that's all he'll ever need but you seem to forget something. " The Cat purrs for a moment before a grin forms on its face aimed right at her. "There were three of us who went through the veil of time, space, and reality. Where do you think the third one is? More importantly, what do you think she will do after meeting it?"
Oh.
Oh shi-
BOOM!
===========
"What is that?"
"It appears to be the Jabberwalker from one of Remnant's Fairy Tales, my Queen." Arthur answered her question as they both watched Tyrian play with the being like a dog.
To be more specific, they both looked like dogs playing, biting, scratching, and running after one another in the middle of her courtyard with Hazel being there to make sure they do not get out of hand.
"I know that, Arthur. But what is it doing here?"
"I-I don't know, Your Majesty. Forgive me." Arthur bows his head.
No, she could hardly fault Arthur for not knowing the answer to her question.
After all, these were godly matters and not for the likes of mortal men like Arthur.
When the Jabberwalker shot towards her from the horizon, she felt her soul link with it. It took a moment before she felt something else. The God of Darkness.
Salem will admit that she was overcome by rage and she almost destroyed everything around her but a sudden warning from instincts long thought dead warned that that course of action would be a mistake.
And so she was forced to watch as the Jabberwalker crashed in front of her in dark motes of light. It raged. It cried. It shouted. And Salem felt....kinship with it. She gasped as the black light surrounding it disappeared together with the Dark God's presence.
Still, that begs the question. What now? What were the Gods playing?
Surely there was a reason for a fairy tale monster to suddenly appear in Remnant and being soul bonded to her. The reason eludes her still but it's not like Salem doesn't have a solution for that.
"Arthur, contact Cinder. Tell her to focus her efforts on finding the Spring Maiden while she is in Mistral. We need the Relic of Knowledge."
"What about our preparations in Vale?"
Vale. Ozpin was there. If the Jabberwalker arrived in her doorstep, did he receive one as well? Another creature from another fairy tale perhaps?
Too many questions with no answers to show for them. Salem clenches her hand in frustration. All her plans going down the drain because the Gods have chosen to meddle. Typical.
Still, maybe she doesn't have to give up all of her prior plans. She could have someone go to Vale to spy on Ozpin while continuing their preparations but who? Not Tyrian, obviously. Cinder was already in Mistral. That only leaves Arthur or Hazel. The answer was obvious when framed like that.
"You will go to Vale to make sure Cinder's contacts do not get out of line while Hazel will take a seer and head to Mistral to assist Cinder in her search for the Maiden."
Hazel would look to closely on Ozpin while possibly neglecting their preparations. Alternatively, he might just blow his cover just to assault her husband's current form.
Arthur, on the other hand, will never work with Cinder who will certainly need some help when trying to search for one person in a whole continent.
"It will be done, my Queen."
Salem nods absently at that, dismissing Arthur from her presence as she keeps her eyes on the Jabberwalker.
As Arthur departs, she takes a hold of her soul link with the Jabberwalker and sends one message through it.
End me.
The Jabberwalker shakes in head in frustration, ignoring her and returning to its activity with Tyrian.
Salem sighs resignedly. It seems she has no choice but to live on despite her wishes.
She has no choice.
========================
"Is that your choice then, Juniper?" The Blacksmith asks Juniper, watching as the Rusted Knight's old companion nod and whinny before looking back at the house behind her.
She could feel the presence inside the house of course. The human called Neo. She wasn't being subtle trying to spy on them and the Blacksmith couldn't help but laugh.
She smiles as Juniper turns toward the girl peeking through the window. It seems her decision to remove the barrier between the Ever After and Remnant was right.
As it is, one could only move through worlds using her Great Tree but even then, the concepts and ideas from Remnant was already influencing Afterans.
After all, Juniper has just decided purpose on her own. To stay here and mend broken souls.
She pats the Jackalope's snout. Stroking the soft fur with her metal hand.
"Alright, I will not force you to leave this place, Mender of Souls."
Juniper nuzzles her hand gratefully.
"Do you have any words for him, however?" The Blacksmith tilts her head and she hears one answer when Juniper closes her eyes.
Live.
"Alright, then. I'll make sure he hears it." The Blacksmith nods before turning around to gaze at her Tree, already knowing Juniper will return to coddling her new ward.
It takes less than a twitch of the Blacksmith's hand for her to appear inside the Tree once again.
As happy as she was for Juniper being able to choose a purpose of her own, it still doesn't solve her problem of her Champion lacking a partner. She sighs thoughtfully as she absently materializes her own forge when she hears a shout.
"I can't believe you slept with Jaune and Pyrrha!"
That's right. She still had Team RWBY here watching the different worlds and possibilities of Remnant.
Transporting herself to the theatre while keeping herself invisible, she sees Team RWBY in various states of stress.
"It's a different world, Yang! I never slept with Jaune nor Pyrrha in ours!" Blake Belladonna yells panickedly at her frowning partner.
"You still found it hot!"
"What if I did?! You did too!"
Yeah...Nope!
Goddess and Mother to the Brother Gods she might be, there were still some drama that she wouldn't get involved with. It's a good thing Weiss Schnee and Ruby Rose weren't causing a ruckus of their own and giving her a headache.
"I miss the part where we found out Jaune was the Rusted Knight." Weiss sighs absentmindedly as she watches her teammates bicker and makeup for the dozenth time.
"Yeah, me too. But I was looking forward to finding out what happens to us in Vacuo." Ruby replies, watching the same scene as Weiss while occasionally glancing at the screen. The screen showing Blake Belladonna getting railed by Jaune Arc in another timeline. "I didn't expect to see another world where Jaune actually inherits a memory where he was the Vytal Champion and the only student in our year."
The Blacksmith shakes her head at that. It seems in her neglect, Team RWBY has managed to access other timelines for viewing.
Still, the mention of her Champion's name gets her worried. Perhaps she should see Jaune?
Willing herself to cross the veil between worlds, the Blacksmith immediately takes in a transparent form so as not to scare any mortal she may encounter. Landing in Beacon's Auditorium, she hones in on her Champion's location and instantly teleports herself there.
She witnesses something phenomenal as she beholds her Champion's sleeping form. More precisely, his soul.
Being someone who has forged and molded Afterans' souls, she was naturally proficient at analyzing and observing one. She knew this was not normal.
Deep inside Jaune Arc's soul, where the core which generates Aura is located, two other cores exist where they should not be.
One was white while the other was black. Both, however, spun around his larger original core. Both....held divine power.
The strangeness doesn't end there however. The Blacksmith saw his main core send out arcs of energy into the two other cores, making them bigger, stronger, and faster. It was his Semblance. His Semblance was amplifying the Divine Cores.
She has never seen anything like this in a mortal and for the first time in her existence, the Blacksmith stands awed.
"Jaune Arc, are you becoming a God?"
If he is, then the Blacksmith is witnessing history in the making. The first mortal to have taken a step towards Godhood. Not even Salem nor Ozma came close to taking such a step. Frankly speaking, she didn't even know that was possible.
"I....to....see....you."
The Blacksmith jolts as Jaune murmurs some words but she calms down when he is evidently still asleep. It seems like he was just sleep talking.
She leans down when she sees his mouth move and then..... a crimson spark lights up in his soul. It was there one moment and gone the next but the Blacksmith saw it. It seems there were more than just three cores deep in his soul. There, as she peers deep beneath his dense main core by straining her Godly Sight, she sees...a sliver of Crimson. One miniscule layer hanging on to existence by the sheer indomitable will of the human spirit.
And again, the Blacksmith....has never seen anything quite like it. It seems her Champion is just full of surprises, isn't he?
=================
Jaune Arc opened his eyes only to see green eyes looking back at him.
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
........I have no words. Even I'm surprised I ended up here. What do you think?
EDIT: I added something! Something I've been alluding to the past chapters! The original plan! let's see how this builds up. Thanks for reading!
Comments
Biggs Ringor
Team RWBY has only met Jaune for 2-3 days. At best they are new friends-acquiantances right now. But don't worry, their friendship will grow. The White orb was from the Curious Cat's essence. The Black was from the Jabberwalker. RK Jaune got it when he linked up to Ampilfy them to break the wall.
Brian Alwes
I dont like how team rwby was treating young jaune, they went to far. Also im interested in where your taking this; Is the older team Rwby appear with jaune? Is the black orb pyrrha? (she had black aura) Is RK jaune gonna get the therapy he needs?
Biggs Ringor
I have seen it and all I can say is I freaking love it! Arkos, whether it be angsty, wholesome, or romantic, I will consume it.
Lucifer Diavolo
Rusted Spartan here we gooooooooo! But no seriously, have you seen the art of when Pyhrra fell instead of Jaune? It's so cool!
Biggs Ringor
Thanks! I'll take it all into account
Biggs Ringor
It will be trauma related that's for sure. Haha
Jamieoeyes
Well, if RK Jaune dose become a God I can see his domain being Balance since he embodies both light and darkness. Heros is also a good one it's just a matter of what he's good at that can be made as part of his domain, but I think Balance is the big one. Also, if you do go the Harem route, I recommend leavening it at four so we got Glynda so far so the other potentials would be Winter or if not her then maybe Willow since RK Jaune would definitely help Weiss with dealing with her Bastard father which means Willow will be free, Sienna could also be a potential one depending on how you spin the story. Amber is another one since with both his Semblance and now magic he could wake up Amber without the need of sacrificing her for Pyrrha or someone else to get the other half of the Maiden powers, and if Traveling dose become one of his domains then Jessica Cruz can defiantly be a potential Harem member but that would involve getting the rest of the Justice League involve which I don't know if you would want to do so if not then discard that idea. And finally, there's Peach and Tsune if you want to give minor characters more importance but it's up to you in the end either way, I'm eager to see how this story goes.
Biggs Ringor
EDIT: I ADDED SOMETHING AT THE END OF THE CHAPTER! Check it out, it's part of the original plan I was thinking of.
Biggs Ringor
Thanks for the feedback! Young Jaune telling his friends the truth is a mix of hero complex, thinking he can solve the problem by being involved, and the misplaced notion that teenagers are immortal as fuck if they work together. He's young, stupid, self-important, and has an ambition to live up to his older self that will be apparent in the next chapters. Don't worry, as you guessed, he will be punished and eventually grow out of his immaturity. The timeline has drastically changed while RK is still clinging to his original plan to wait for Cinder. Depending on events, Cinder could either arrive the same time as canon(unlikely), arrive a bit later (Possibly), or not arrive in Vale at all (we will see). We are officially off the rails baby. Add to that, Arthur Watts being in Vale will complicate things if Team JNPR or RWBY or RK encounters them. The Path to Godhood has been introduced (to my own surprise, there was nothing like that there during my initial draft but it wrote itself in when I finished the chapter). As I was saying, the Path has been introduced but it is a path not easily taken. Decisions must be made. Sacrifices might be offered. Death is required. If he ever does become a God, I can see him being a Multiversal God, Traveler of Worlds. Alternatively, he can become a Protector God, Defender of the Innocent, Patron of Heroes. Who knows? He might not become a God at all. RK Jaune is already trying to plan how to deal with Ozma and Salem's curse but he's currently making it up as he goes. To harem or not to harem? I do not know. We'll just have to see.
Jamieoeyes
*Pinch the bridge of my nose as I take in deep breaths* Jaune WHAT THE FUCK WHERE YOU THINKING!!! Your older self pacifically said for a reason not to tell them, if it where me and I found out what you did I would beat the everlasting shit out of you. Hell, I'll make your time at Beacon a waking nightmare GRRRR seriously I'm not impress with Younger Jaune immediately going off and saying that the Rusted Knight is his future self, I hope RK Jaune beats the shit out of his younger self and then read the riot act with Team RWBY and JNPR for getting involve especially now that the timeline has drastically changed thanks both him and the Curious Cat and Jabberwalker getting involve with the latter two connecting to Ozpin and Salem. *sigh* I hope RK Jaune knows how to work around this because it's way too soon for Team RWBY and JNPR to get involved, anyway just like I thought the welcome party is a smash hit and it seems that not only Glynda but Peach and Tsune also find RK Jaune to be a wonderful specimen hehehe. And it looks like he's becoming a God somehow as well if the Maiden like powers that his eyes were doing was one thing, then this one when the Blacksmith eventually tells him is going to shock not only him but Ozpin and Salem. I wonder what he will become the God of? and not only that but he would probably be the first ever Human to ascend into a God heheh that's probably going to piss Cinder right off, and maybe once he reaches deity status RK Jaune can try and do something to finally help break Ozpin and Salems curse. There's so much more I want to say but this comment is long enough and I need to sort the rest of my thoughts on what I just read before I feel like commenting on anything else, anyway this was a good chapter mate and I can't wait to see what happens next, though one question for you since RK Jaune is basically going to become a God does that mean he can get away with a Harem or is he just going to stick with Glynda? Just curious to know anyway take care mate and have a good one.
Biggs Ringor
Many many barrels. Each having a story of how he acquired them. From saving a village from Grimm, convincing a bandit clan to reform, to sleeping with a councilman's daughter.
Mercer Smiit
How many barrels does Port have? Helluva party if Qrow joins.
Biggs Ringor
Open to change in the next few days. Send your thoughts and suggestions. I'll update you if anything major is changed.
Biggs Ringor
Yes. A big brown barrel stored by Port for very manly occasions like being punched in the throat and making a new friend.
Aritra Roy
Ah yep, there's the Glynda we know and love. Thank God for Port being okay, and also, thank God of Aura Amp because, an entire barrel of booze? A BARREL?
