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The Path (Elden Ring x RWBY) - Chapter 1
🕑 Added 2024-08-17 11:27:03 +0000 UTCAnother commission, this time with Penny and Jaune ending up in the Lands Between after Volume 8. Given that this is Elden Ring, expect things to be pretty angsty and downbeat for the most part.
Next chapter will either be a smutwork for Dedicated Readers or the next chapter of Minecraft Jaune. We'll see.
Wanna commission me? Email me at: storylover543@gmail.com
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When Jaune fell into the abyss, he thought it was the end. Watching the bridges fade and the portals disappear felt...odd. He knew it meant dying just like...just like Team RWBY. Watching his friends die and...and Penny...
Too much. It was too much. As much as he hated to admit it, a part of him just wanted it all to end. He hated himself for - so many people were still fighting - but he couldn't lie to himself anymore. As the last of the light faded and he was left alone in the void, Jaune closed his eyes and waited for oblivion. He only wished that he had a chance to say goodbye to everyone. His family, his friends...he hoped they'd be alright. He fought as hard as he could, now it was time for him to-
Everything stopped.
...
...
...
Jaune shot up with a gasp. His chest heaved with every strangled breath and he placed both hands against his chest. His heart beat so fast that he could've sworn he felt it even through the breastplate. He...He wasn't dead? Or at least he hoped not, cause the ringing in his ears and pain in his temple didn't exactly scream peaceful oblivion. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath to let his heart calm down. It felt like minutes before it felt like his chest wasn't going to burst open.
"Wh-Where...?" He looked around, his vision slowly clearing as he made out the details of dull gray stone walls. Remnant didn't have a real centralized religion. Sure, everyone knew about the Brothers, but they weren't universally worshipped any more than The Tortoise of Creation or Albion, the Goddess of Life. That meant everyone had their own ideas of paradise and the afterlife. Heaven and Hell. For him and everyone back home, heaven was open fields and lush forests where no one wanted for anything.
It definitely wasn't a cave that stank worse than a Vacuo latrine.
Jaune stood up and stumbled, barely managing to keep himself balanced by grabbing the (thankfully dry) wall, "Fuck..." he cursed, the word tasting weird on his tongue. He generally tried to avoid doing it - growing up with three younger sisters tended to do that - but he felt like he deserved it. Where the hell was he? Ruby made it sound like falling off the bridges was just death. Maybe not even going to the great beyond, but just...not existing altogether.
Well, this sure didn't feel like either.
His cynical thoughts were cut off by a weak moan. Jaune turned to the source of the noise and froze, "P-Penny...?" He pushed himself off the wall and stumbled towards Penny's prone body. He fell to his knees and reached a hand out, fingers freezing an inch before making contact with her dirty blouse. He could see it again. Penny begging, so weak and desperate, for him to end her life. A sacrifice to ensure that monster Cinder didn't get the powers of the Maiden.
No, he had to make sure she was okay.
Softly, gently, Jaune pressed both hands against her side and rolled her onto her back. Her clothes were filthy (so were his), the blouse and skirt marred with dirt and dried blood. On her chest was a thin hole where...where...
Where he stabbed her through the heart and watched her die.
Jaune shook his head. Stop. Breath. He took a deep breath and looked down at Penny again. He pressed two fingers against her neck and felt the pulse through his gloved hands. Alive...she was alive. Jaune almost broke down in tears then and there, but he forced himself to stay calm. He still had a bit of Aura left. Activating his Semblance, he pressed both palms against her stomach and concentrated, willing his Aura to join Penny's and heal her.
Penny's eyes snapped open and she gasped. Jaune was pushed back slightly when she suddenly sat up, covering her mouth with both hands as she coughed, She looked awful, but he was pretty sure that he did too. She continued to cough for a few more seconds before her eyes turned to him. He flinched. Jaune expected her to fear him. Hate him. It was a stupid thought - she was the one who'd begged for his...his help - but it stayed and continued to fester.
The last time he'd looked into her eyes, it was when he watched the light fade from them.
"J-Jaune...?" Penny asked, her voice scratchy and weak. There was no hate or fear in her eyes, only confusion and even a hint of relief. His gut churned with guilt, "Is...are we..."
She didn't get the chance to finish before Jaune suddenly pulled her into a crushing embrace, "I'm sorry...I'm so sorry..." Jaune whispered. He said it over and over again without caring about how crazy he sounded. Penny was alive. She wasn't dead. She wasn't-
"Jaune..." Her arms raised and she weakly reciprocated the embrace. Her grip was weak, but he still felt it even through his chestplate, "I...I am sorry as well. I shouldn't have...you didn't deserve to..."
They talked over one another, apologizing for what the other had to go through. Jaune didn't know how long they kept at it, but eventually, they separated. Alive. They were both alive...somehow.
"Where are we?" Penny asked.
"I have no idea." He stood up and offered her a hand, which she gratefully took. Jaune pulled her up and looked around. This was definitely a cave. His eyes trailed to a wide hole a few paces ahead and far above them. Too high to jump, especially not in the state they were in. Ruby's Petal Burst or Weiss' glyphs might've made it, but not him.
Penny followed his gaze and her brows furrowed, "That might be the way out..." she murmured. She took a few hesitant steps and closed her eyes, face scrunching up in concentration. Her expression turned to one of frustration after a few seconds, pale skin turning an angry shade of red. He wondered if she should do something before her eyes suddenly widened and she gasped, both hands suddenly grasping at her throat.
"Penny, are you alright?!"
"Y-Yes!" She coughed, "I...I simply forgot that I must breathe now."
Jaune blinked before the realization set in. She'd only been Human for...what, a few hours? At best? It was a miracle she could walk around and fight as well as she did. Maybe if she'd still been a robot, they could've...
He shook his head. No time to dwell on what-ifs.
"Why were you so focused?"
"I was...trying to see if I could tap into the magic of the Winter Maiden and fly us through the hole, but...it appears to be lost..." She put a hand to her chest, fingers tracing against the bloody slit in her blouse.
"Yeah. Winter, she...she has the magic." But it didn't matter. She failed. They failed. Cinder still got the Relics while he and Team RWBY fell into the abyss. He didn't say that, though. She didn't deserve to have that weight on her shoulders.
"Oh...I see." She nodded, her expression unreadable, "That's a good thing. She can help everyone with it." She chewed on her lower lip, "But it'll make leaving this place more difficult."
"We'll find a way. We've survived so far." Somehow. He peered into the darkness and raised his scroll, using it as a flashlight, "The cave goes deeper. Let's see if we can get out another way. Can you walk?"
Penny looked down and wiggled her bare toes, "Yes, I'll be fine." She smiled at him. He could tell it was forced, "But...I don't have any weapons. I created replicas of Floating Array using the Maiden magic beforehand, so if we run into any Grimm or other hostiles..."
"We'll get to that later." He wasn't much better. He unsheathed Crocea Mors and frowned at the sight of the broken blade. Cinder had been furious when the magic was 'stolen' from her. He could still fight with it, but it wouldn't be at its best. He still had his shield, at least, "Come on, let's go." He turned the sheath back to its shield form and held it tight. The last time he went into a cave it ended up with him and Pyrrha being chased by a deathstalker.
Jaune made sure to keep ahead of Penny. She could take care of herself, but like she said, she was unarmed. A part of him also wondered just how good she'd be in combat without the weapons she was used to. Had she even been trained (or downloaded) the knowledge to fight with regular weapons? He shook his head. No time to worry about that now. First, they had to get out of this damn cave before they passed out from the smell of rot.
For a few minutes, there was no sound outside of their footsteps against the stone. The quiet made his thoughts go back to what happened before. He wasn't dead, and neither was Penny. How? Maybe Ruby was wrong about what falling into the abyss meant, but what about Penny? She died. The Maiden powers wouldn't have transferred to Winter otherwise. He watched her take her last breath, saw her body go still, and felt her blood on his hands.
Even now, his gloves were coated in her dried blood.
"How are you feeling?" Jaune asked, mostly to break the silence, "Are you hurt?"
"No...not exactly. My body feels sluggish and heavy, but I cannot be sure if that's not simply a side-effect of my transformation. I...do not appear to have any wounds either." Meaning she didn't have a hole where her heart should be, "And you, Jaune?"
"I-I'm fine. I still had a bit of Aura left when I...fell."
"Fell..." Penny's footsteps slowed, "Jaune...what happened after I..." Died, she didn't say, "Did we-"
Two years of impromptu Huntsman training had given him a sense of danger. As soon as he saw the hint of the shadowy figure far above and ahead of them, his arm moved to cover his upper body with the shield. And not a moment too soon. A second later, an arrow bounced off the shield.
He didn't even have to say anything before Penny took position behind him, making sure to keep herself covered, "Let's go!" Jaune shouted. Penny grabbed his right shoulder with one hand and kept pace as he walked ahead steadily. The angle of his arm meant he couldn't raise his scroll anymore and see who was shooting at them. All he could do was keep his shield hand firm and make sure that Penny wasn't hit.
"Stop shooting! We're not hostile!" Jaune shouted.
The archer didn't care. Arrows impacted his shield and bounced off or cracked when they hit. He was used to blocking Dust rounds, so arrows were pretty easy to deflect too unless they were added on top of something else. Still, he didn't allow himself to get cocky. Not when he and Penny were in such dire straits. He kept walking and grit his teeth with every arrow that bounced against the shield. As he got closer, he could see who exactly was shooting down at them.
A knight, or at least someone that looked like one. The armor's details were hard to make out and the face was obscured in shadow, but at least he could see them now. They were stood above them on a natural ledge too high for either him or Penny to jump. He suddenly regretted the fact that he didn't have a gun. If not to shoot that bastard right in their damn face, then maybe to use the recoil to boost himself up and snap that bow over their head.
They eventually managed to get far enough that the knight couldn't shoot down at them anymore. Jaune turned around and kept his shield raised in case their attacker decided to jump down and attack them head-on. Behind him, Penny lowered herself into a combat-ready stance. Even in their state, they were still both Huntsmen.
The two of them stayed like that for a minute. Jaune's heart pounded in his ears and he tightened his grip on his broken blade. Despite that, the knight didn't come back down, "...We should keep going, Jaune. I shall keep an eye on our rear to make sure he doesn't surprise us."
"Got it." Jaune spun around and walked forward at a brisk pace while Penny made sure the knight didn't try for a surprise attack. What the hell was that? Why did that knight attack them? They'd completely ignored his shout too. Bandits, maybe? They'd run into their fair share of them back when Team RJNR was making their way across Anima. But what kind of bandit wore knight armor and hung around caves all day shooting at whoever they saw? There was no way anyone knew the two of them were here either.
None of this was making any sense.
They walked for a couple more minutes before Jaune saw a light ahead. He slowly turned off his scroll and peered ahead. Dozens of Candles lined the walls and bathed the tunnel in a warm orange light. Jaune let out a small breath. The natural brightness and smell of burning wax were oddly comforting despite their situation. He didn't even question who would spend their time lighting dozens of candles in some dank cave.
"I can't hear footsteps. I don't think he's following us anymore," Penny murmured.
"Yeah..." Jaune still kept his sword and shield out, "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, like I said before." Her words were just a bit too insistent than he'd like. Jaune didn't push her on it, "However, I don't like the fact that I'm currently unarmed."
"We'll get you something when we find the next town." Because there had to be a town somewhere here. There were people here. Hostile, sure, but people nonetheless. But first, they needed to get out of this damn cave then find some shelter, and maybe some food. All of them had been running around almost non-stop for the past few days. Aura allowed them to go longer than the average person, but even they couldn't keep going on fumes like this.
The tunnel curved right. Jaune and Penny both stopped when they rounded the corner and saw what was at the end. A large, thick wall of puke-yellow mist that completely blocked their view. The two shared a glance before they both cautiously walked towards it. As much as neither of them wanted to, they didn't have much of a choice. The way back was a dead end (and that fucking archer), so the only chance they had was to keep moving forward.
The pair stopped in front of the mist wall, "If it's not one thing..." Jaune raised his sword and tentatively poked it against the mist. There was only a slight bit of resistance. Taking a deep breath, he pressed his right palm against the wall and pushed lightly. He winced at the feeling. It was like...pushing through week-old custard. Still, it didn't seem to be harmful. He couldn't feel his Aura draining, at least. And they had no choice but to keep going, so...
"Take my hand."
Penny looked down at his offered hand and nodded. She gripped it firmly as they walked through the mist wall. Jaune held his breath, though it ended up being pointless when they made it to the other side in just a couple of steps, "What the...?" What greeted them on the other side was...different. A large circular room that was illuminated by a natural light. The floor was covered in water that was high enough to cover their feet. Penny let go of his hand and shuddered slightly, kicking her feet up and displacing the (oddly clear) fluid. He could feel how cold it was even through his boots.
It wasn't empty either. There were coffins, each of them empty and scattered haphazardly around the area. One corner even had them stacked up against the wall. Across from them at the end of another tunnel was a second mist wall. Was that the way out?
Jaune took two steps forward and stopped when he heard the sound of charging footsteps and clanking armor. He unsheathed both sword and shield again right as another knight charged out of the mist, both hands holding onto a greatsword. Now that they were in a brighter room, he made out more details. It - he - was tall, easily a head over him in size, and covered in rusted iron plate from head to toe. Across his chest was a faded green and orange surcoat emblazoned with a tree and what looked vaguely like a lion.
What really drew Jaune's attention was the knight's face under the open helmet. Splotchy gray skin and an ajar mouth that exposed rotted teeth. He looked like a corpse and yet was undeniably moving towards them both.
The knight didn't say a word or give out any warning, "Penny, get back!" He raised his shield to block the clumsy, powerful strike. Unlike the arrows, he felt the strain against his arm with that hit. Jaune hopped back to avoid the next strike and gripped Crocea Mors' broken blade tightly. A broken blade and an Aura that was near to breaking entirely. It didn't matter. He was a Huntsman, and they fought to the bitter end.
Jaune charged forward and rammed his shield against the knight before he could wind up for another hit. Jaune slashed his opponent twice in the chest, and while he didn't feel the telltale block of a full Aura, the knight didn't seem to care either. No blood spewed from the wounds and the damage the armor received didn't seem to bother the pallid swordsman in any way.
The knight raised the greatsword overhead and brought it down in a powerful strike. Jaune deflected the blow and stabbed the knight in the torso where his heart should've been. Again, Crocea Mors pierced through the old, rusted armor, and again, the knight didn't care.
"Hey!" Penny shouted right before throwing a decent-sized stone at the knight's head. For someone without Aura, that should've been enough to knock them out, if not break their neck entirely. Instead, the knight ignored the force of the impact and charged straight at Penny. The former android's eyes widened and she hopped back to avoid the blow.
"Don't you touch her!" Jaune growled. He jumped in the air and brought the broken blade down across the knight's back. The sounds of metal against metal echoed throughout the wide room, quickly followed by another as Jaune slashed perpendicular to the last line.
The knight turned back to him and raised his sword at an upward swipe to Jaune's right side; the one opposite where his shield was. He blocked it with his blade, the the greatsword's edge inches from his torso, and used the momentum to stab the knight in the stomach and twisted the hilt
No scream, not even a pause, before his enemy to suddenly reached forward with his left arm and grabbed Jaune's neck. The hand felt like a vice around his throat and Jaune grunted. Jaune grit his teeth, grabbed Crocea Mors' handle, and pulled it away before stabbing him again.
Jaune stabbed the blade into the pallid swordsman's gut. One stab, two, three...the knight's grip loosened for a moment before he let go of the greatsword in favor of strangling him with both hands. With a sudden burst of strength, the knight pushed him into the water and kept his head under the surface. Jaune struggled against the surprise drowning, grabbing at the knight's arms with one hand and pushing against his face with the other, sword and shield forgotten.
He stayed under the water with his vision slowly fading when he heard a muffled shout, "Let go of him!" Penny came from behind and bashed the knight across the back of his head with Jaune's discarded shield in a running strike. The sudden burst of strength faded and Jaune managed to kick him away with enough force to knock him on his back. Jaune scrambled to his feet and gasped, desperately trying to take in air, but he didn't slow down. Instead of grabbing his own broken blade, he grabbed the fallen greatsword and brought it down on the knight's head.
The pallid swordsman had barely gotten to his knees before the greatsword practically split his face in half. For a second, Jaune expected it to ignore the mortal wound and somehow keep going. It didn't. The knight stayed kneeling like it was frozen before Jaune scowled and kicked it again, dislodging the blade as the pallid knight fell onto his back for the second and last time.
Jaune let go of the greatsword and panted with his hands on his knees. Nearby. Penny carefully set his shield on the ground before making her way towards him, "Jaune, are you okay?" She rubbed circles across his back.
"Y-Yeah, just...ugh, I feel heavy." He shook his head and wiped away some of the water clinging to his skin. Running around for days, fighting non-stop, falling into the void...he wasn't just running on fumes. No, he was running on the vague memory of fumes. That and there was something about this place. Maybe it was just his imagination, but he could've sworn he felt weighed down ever since he woke up in this damned cave. Like his arms and legs were clamped down with weights.
They needed to get out of here. Now.
"Thanks for helping me." Jaune stood up straighter and gave Penny a somewhat strained smile.
"I only wish I could've done more. Without my previous systems, I have to rely on 'muscle-memory', but even that is difficult since I've only had this body for less than a day."
"You're the first robot to ever turn Human. You're doing pretty good, I think." He picked up his sword and shield before looking at the fallen greatsword and the body of its former owner. They couldn't afford to be picky. Taking a deep breath, Jaune picked up the greatsword and handed it to Penny before kneeling down over the fresh corpse. His mouth curled up in a disgusted scowl at the sight of the nearly-bisected head and the gray skin. This wasn't Aura. Jaune had stabbed Crocea Mors clean through multiple times and the bastard just kept going. The wounds were still there too, so it wasn't like he healed fast like when Jaune used his Semblance.
Ignoring his feeling of disgust, Jaune grabbed the straps of the back scabbard and pulled it away from the dead body, "Ugh..." Jaune looked at the cracked, dull brown leather. It looked about as good as the sword and armor, but beggars couldn't be choosers. He shook it to try and dislodge some of the water before he put it on, "Penny." She handed him the greatsword again. It was big - obviously given the size of its former wielder - but he could still use it and he had experience with greatswords.
"Here." Jaune offered Penny Crocea Mors. He knew how morbid it was to offer her the same weapon that he used to...do what she wanted, but it had to be done. He crushed down any guilt he felt right at that moment and focused on the fact that they needed to survive.
"What? Jaune, that's...I can't just-"
"You're unarmed, Penny." The blunt interruption made her wince, "We can't be picky. I know it's broken, but it's still better than nothing. He offered her the shield too, and she reluctantly accepted both, "We can find something better once we get to the next town, but right now, we'll make do with what we have. Or do you prefer this?" He raised the greatsword slightly.
"I..." She held Crocea Mors' blade with her right hand and swung it experimentally, "No, I think this would be better. My fighting style focused on speed over power. A greatsword would be more difficult."
"Alright." Jaune nodded, "Let's keep going. Keep the blade close. There might be more of these bastards around."
They went through the next mist wall and ended up in a pathway overlooking a wide tunnel filled with more coffins. Ahead of them at a far drop at the edge of the path was a set of stairs leading up to a large set of double doors, "That's the way out. It has to be." He looked down and saw a shimmering golden tree under the drop. The bright, almost majestic light was a stark contrast to what surrounded it. Piles of dead, rotting bodies so thick that he could barely see the ground. The smell of it nearly made him heave. Was that what they were smelling when they first woke up?
Penny looked over the edge too and shuddered, "Oh no..."
"We have to keep going. Come on, it's not a steep drop and then we can leave."
"A-Alright."
Jaune held his breath and jumped down first. His boots landed on one of the bodies with a disgusting squelch and he covered his mouth and nose to keep from gagging when he saw guts and some black, noxious fluid seep from under his feet. Fuck. He scrambled away from the pile towards the tree. As soon as he got close, the smell of rot and decay disappeared and he suddenly felt like he was back home snug in his own bed. His eyes drooped and he almost fell asleep then and there.
And then Penny shrieked.
Jaune turned, ready to fight, to the sight of Penny trying to rush out of the corpse pile towards him. It wasn't an enemy, though that might've honestly been easier. She practically collapsed next to him and looked down in both surprise and disgust at her feet. Her bare feet. Damn it, how the hell had he forgotten that? He could barely stomach it and he wore thick boots meant for the Atlesian tundra. He didn't even wanna know how it felt getting anything from that pile on his bare skin.
"Shit, I'm sorry!"
"I-It's fine." It clearly wasn't, but she forced herself to smile anyway, "I...I suppose I simply have some things to get used to when it comes to being Human."
"Yeah. People tend not to react well to gross stuff." Jaune forced out a little laugh, "We'll...We'll find you some shoes when we get outta here." He sighed, "Look, we gotta leave, but I'm not making you step in that again. I'll carry you. And no arguing!" he said before she could protest, "It'll just be for a bit."
Jaune stood up and felt a sudden weight on his right hand. A small golden ball clung to the palm of his glove. He didn't even remember picking it up. Shaking his head, he put it in his pocket and sheathed the greatsword to leave his hands free.
"Ready?"
"Yes."
She hopped up slightly and he picked her up in a princess carry. In any other situation, he might've found it funny or cute, but right now all he cared about was putting all this behind them. Holding his breath again, Jaune stepped over the decaying bodies and ignored the sounds of squelching flesh. He carried Penny up the stairs and didn't let go until after he forced the double doors open with his shoulder. The room on the other end was covered in stone bricks, which was a good sign. That meant people built it.
"Thank you," she murmured.
"Don't mention it." He pointed to the next set of stairs, "Come on, we're getting higher. Let's keep going.
The stairs led them up to another hall and then an elevator that was activated by a pressure plate. Jaune's heart beat louder as the elevator reached the top. One more set of stairs and finally a door with no knob, "Huh..." He pressed his hand against the surface for a few seconds till he saw the handles at the bottom. Taking a deep breath, he crouched down and held it with both hands before pulling the thick metal door up.
The light that greeted them was almost blinding. Jaune covered his face with both hands and Penny did the same. When the brightness faded, they were met with a sight that left them both frozen in place.
Vast fields of grass and stone with numerous yellow trees jutting out of the earth. Dotted around the landscape were the ruins of numerous buildings. A long distance away on a raised landmass was a castle connected to a long, ruined bridge that looked as dilapidated as every building they could see. It reminded him of a painting he'd seen once about a land ravaged by war. The place looked like no one had lived in it for decades, at least.
And yet all of it paled in comparison to the giant golden tree off in the distance. It was huge, almost like he was looking up at Atlas' floating island again. Both Jaune and Penny looked up at the tree in awe and the golden sphere in Jaune's pocket suddenly felt heavier.
"Jaune...I cannot recall ever reading about this phenomenon in my old records. Have you seen this before in your travels?"
"No, definitely not." He'd remember a giant golden tree the size of an island.
"So...what does this mean?"
"I...I dunno." He shook his head and forced himself to tear his eyes away from the golden light, "We need to find some shelter. Look, the sun's going down." He pointed it out, "We need to find some shelter before night comes."
"Perhaps there?" She pointed out some ruins off in the distance. It was still pretty far off, but it was closer than anything else.
"Sure, let's go."
The next hour of walking was painfully silent. Both of them had so much they wanted to say, but neither had the words. This was crazy. He didn't recognize this place at all. Where the hell did they go when they fell into the void? Why was Penny even alive? None of this was making any sense. Why here? What was this place? Why did he and Penny end up in that cave? Was there anyone else here? Their friends, were they were in this madhouse too?
They made it to the ruins just as the sun was going down. It was in a horrid state - holes in the walls and ceilings with a thick layer of dust over the whole thing - but it was better than sleeping out in the open. His legs felt like lead by the time they got there and he could tell Penny was tired too. Her eyes were drooping and she looked both annoyed and confused at the fact that her new Human body couldn't just keep going indefinitely.
Jaune peeked inside. It was empty, but something else drew his attention. A small jewel of light floated a couple of feet off the ground. Instinct told him to be careful, but he found himself drawn to it anyway. Penny did the same, silently trailing after him till they stood in front of the condensed light. Jaune reached a hand out and gasped as plumes shot out harmlessly and he felt a surge of power. His Aura...it was back to full, and judging by how Penny looked down at her hands in wonder, she must've felt it too. They were still completely exhausted, but at least now they could put up a fight.
"What was that?" Penny asked.
"No idea, but it definitely helped. He sat down at a nearby wall and let out a relieved sigh. A part of him just wanted to close his eyes and sleep for the next day, but he knew that wasn't a good idea. Penny was even worse off than he was, "Penny, got some sleep. I'll keep watch."
"Huh? No, I can-"
"You look like you're about to pass out." She bit her lip and didn't argue, "Penny...you're Human now, and that means you can't just stay awake 24/7. You-" died, "-went through a lot of things and you're exhausted. I can stay awake for a few more hours while you get some rest and then we can swap."
"I...understand, but just a few hours." She lay down on her side next to the light with her back towards him. Minutes passed in complete silence and he thought that she'd fallen asleep when she suddenly spoke up, "Jaune...what happened after I..."
"I told you. Winter got the powers of the Maiden."
"Yes, but...did she...did we..."
Did we win? Did we keep Cinder from taking the relics? Jaune was torn between a blissful lie and the painful truth. They'd failed. Cinder got the Relic of Creation and all of Team RWBY had...well, he didn't even know. He and Penny fell into the abyss and they were still here. Were team RWBY here too, he wondered, wandering around just as confused as the two of them were. As crazy and confusing as this place was, he'd still rather see them here than anywhere else. At least then they could work together.
"Jaune?" Penny whispered.
"Huh? Oh, sorry." Jaune shook his head, "We...won. Salem's still out there, but Winter managed to get the staff and she killed Cinder." His hands clenched and he felt the weight of every lie as he forced himself to continue, "I did my best to help, but I fell. Last thing I remember seeing is Winter stabbing Cinder in the heart." If she had one.
"That's...That's good." Penny let out a soft breath, "I always knew Winter could do so much good with the powers of the Maiden. I hope we can return to them soon and aid in their fight."
"Me too, Penny. Me too."
She finally fell asleep after that, her breaths coming out in a slow, gentle rhythm. Fuck it. Fuck all of it. They weren't even old enough to drink and yet they had the weight of the world on their shoulders. He remembered his 'last' thoughts when he was falling. How he just wanted all this to end. He couldn't do that now. He was still alive, and that meant he had a responsibility. To his family, to his friends, and to Penny. The girl who gave up her life for the sake of everyone else. He couldn't let them down.
Night came, and with it something else that nearly made him break down and laugh. A moon. A full moon with none of the shattered pieces everyone back home had grown up seeing.
They weren't in Remnant anymore. Even thinking it to himself sounded crazy, but how else could he explain the giant golden tree and the restored moon? He had no idea where they were, or how any of it made sense, but it was the truth. Gods, what was Penny going to think when she woke up? She'd turned Human, she died, and now she was in a different world with her killer.
Soft footsteps came from outside. Jaune's eyes widened and unsheathed the greatsword, "Penny, get up! Someone's here!" She didn't hesitate and unsheathed the broken blade, ready and alert despite having just woken up.
A cloaked figure stepped out of the darkness. Their entire body was covered to the point that Jaune could only make out their boots. They didn't seem to care about the pair's raised weapons and stopped a few feet in front of them, "Greetings, travelers from beyond the veil," a female voice said. A familiar voice. Jaune's eyes widened and he gasped, his grip on the greatsword's hilt wavering as she knelt down in front of them both and lowered her hood.
Crimson hair and deep green eyes greeted them. Eyes that looked up with absolutely no sense of recognition or familiarity. Jaune dropped the sword to the ground while Penny gasped, looking at her in both surprise and fear.
"I am Pyrrha, and I've come to offer you both an accord."
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Jaune and Penny woke up in the tutorial cave, somehow managed to beat Rick, and met their maiden. They're off to a good start. Now they just gotta get Penny a proper weapon and some freaking shoes then they can make the Lands Between their bitch.
And before you guys ask. Yes, Torrent will be here, it's just that the revamped tutorial switches some stuff around. I'll also try not to be too 1:1 with dungeons and stuff since a lot of that is for gameplay purposes and would bog down the story.
Question:
1. Do you guys want more RWBY characters to show up - like team RWBY - or just stick to these three? The commissioner already made his choice, but he says he's curious all the same.
Comments
Nine
This is an interesting story. I don’t often see penny and Jaune focused fics.
pilot puntastic
It looks like even when Jaune doesn't end up in the Ever After he still can't escape having to chase after a giant magic tree. For the question I'd go for a smaller cast with just Penny, Jaune and Pyrrha.
Eric Hernandez
Idea rwby reaction Ozpin as gojo James as geto Tai as nanami Oscar as yuta Peach as shoko Glynda as utahime Yang as yuki Li ren as toji Tyrian as mahito Qrow as hiromi Winter as mei mei Yatsuhashi as todo Ren as megumi Nora as nobara Whitley as ui ui Jaune as yuji Miltia as maki Melanie as mei Neo genderbend male as toge Romen as kinji Zwie as panda Coco as uraume Velvet as miwa Neptune as takuma Adam as choso Fox as muta Junior as yaga Cardin as naoya Scarlet as Kamo Sage as atsuya Weiss as angel Flynt as miguel Clover as takaba
Dysentia
I do want to see the other girls of RWBY, even if just to see their reaction to The Lands Between
Joshua Hunt
Penny going to have to speed run the 'being human' tutorial at the same time as she learns how to survive in The Lands Between. Good luck to them!
