Sneaking His Way into the Multiverse (RWBY Jaune, WC-lite mechanics)

[Anon E Mouse]

I really can't see why you think every and all actions done by Jaune and Tats are stupid or foolish. Some of them are yes but the way their Dishonored run ended was a success. They got their loot, weapons, potions, currency, towels, food and a power [Third Arm]. That run was a success compared to the previous one. Not every protagonists has to be heroic, perfect, capable, strong and whole myriad of positives. They can be villainous, flawed, small, weak and even dumb.

Click to shrink...

You are mischaracterizing my posts. I am not sure whether you are reading things into the post that aren't there or misunderstanding the post itself. I never said anything about everything Jaune did being stupid and foolish. I specifically stated that he was a mix of competent and foolish that I find very realistic and plausible, that he would act in a competent manner do impressive things and do them well. But that time after time he would be at the point of succeeding and then sabotage himself by abandoning his current actions to do something "good" and self-sabotage destroying all his progress. And it's something I've seen many people do. It's something I personally find very annoying in a protagonist because I've seen it so many times over decades of reading and to me it reeks of an author who must sabotage the protagonists victories so that they do not ever succeed. But the annoying thing is not that the protagonist doesn't succeed in everything, it's that he had succeeded and then suddenly did a metaphorical 180 and sabotaged himself in a way contrary to his own actions and motivations of just a scene or two ago. What he does show is severe lack of self-discipline something kind of expected of a teenager in modern society but Remnant for all its trapping i not the modern first world. Also a lack of the sort of pragmatism and down to earth reality check you should very much see in a person raised on a world as dangerous as Remnant. But that is something that a protagonist can begin a story with but must grow out of swiftly.

Tattletale I have never said is stupid. She is quite intelligent, but her personality is a toxic self-destructive mess. The sort of person that you never leave near yourself because they are going to destroy themselves and they are going to drag everyone around themselves down with them when they go. Tattletale is such a toxic personality she came across in Worm as a misogynist stereotype of the manipulative scheming self-destructive woman. She is a social cancer to all around her and unfortunately Jaune does not appear to recognize that, which again is very realistic for a young man dealing with an attractive but emotionally toxic woman.

I took your post to be in favor of protagonists that are not only incompetent but stay incompetent, that fail time after time due to their own failings but are saved by luck and circumstance to screw up again. There is a place for growing into a more competent character over the course of fiction. Protagonists should never be perfect, but they must be capable and they must be heroic in the original Greek sense of the word. They must have arrete. Otherwise they are not protagonists, they are object lessons. Icarus isn't a protagonist or a hero, that you see him in this light shows a lack of understanding. He's an Aesop, he the idiot you tell stories to children about to remind how dumbasses get themselves killed with their stupidity. Protagonists can be villanous, evil, immoral and flawed. What they must never be is incompetent, stupid, and weak willed. Because those aren't protagonists, they are the object lessons to deride and ridicule so everyone understands not to be them.

 

[NineYetis]

I like it, but I think Tattletale would argue for TA, short for team Tattletale.

Click to shrink...

LOL! She totally would!
Looking forward to an update.

Congrats on your sisters marriage

 

[1SOGGYBOI]

 

[LazyAutumnMoon]

With great care, Jaune tipped the teaspoon in his hand to dole out drops of a glowing, viscous blue liquid into the wristbow's fuel chamber. Once it reached full, he returned the excess whale oil to its container, then screwed the little fuel tank back into place on the contraption, sealing the edge tight before hooking the crankshaft to the miniature motor. A test-fire, and it worked as intended, rewinding itself.

The wristbow then went to a corner of the table alongside its twin and the crossbow given by Corvo. The whale oil he carried to the kitchen, stowing it next to the other container in a cabinet where, ideally, the volatile substance would stay inert; from the warning he got, the stuff tends to explode when disturbed in much the same manner as Dust.

And that was that. After half an hour of fiddling with the thing, the job was done.

Could he have left the task to Lisa, whose ability would help her figure out the full schematic plus the proper way to maintain the wristbow? Yes. He still wasn't sure what every component did, and if he took it apart, he doubted that he'd ever manage to put it back together. The steps to refuel the auto reload mechanism had seemed simple enough at a glance, however, so he gave it a shot. Pyrrha always said it was important to know how to maintain one's weapons, after all.

He was also restless beyond belief, and willing to try most anything to while away the time.

Two days.

Two days of forced rest, of four gray walls and a white ceiling. Two days of endless training exercises, counting gold coins, and wondering what the hell was up with the wildly fluctuating Point value for the fragment of the Outsider that had somehow followed him through the portal—with Jaune concluding that the strange entity had escaped containment to explore the world beyond this apartment since there was not a peep from him. All because he had the bright idea of venturing into an Instance before jumping right back out, which by his thinking would refresh the list and grant him the possibility of an easier destination. He was so proud of it, expecting to have gamed the system. Instead, the system has refused to work since and only displayed one phrase whenever he opened the portal app: Standby for reset.

Lesson learned. Do not get cute with the Company scroll. Hopefully, there's still a chance to put that knowledge to use.

He checked again. There was. Jaune fist-pumped in victory.

Forty-eight hours on the dot, and the accursed standby message had vanished at last. In its place, row after row of universes now occupied the screen. Eager to see progress, he searched the list for the best option available to them, though one concern stood out.

"The ratings…they didn't change?"

Gone was Pandora, from whence barren wasteland came dozens upon dozens of bullets within the one minute that their team spent that world. Yet, the scroll offered no less danger for the days it stole from Jaune. He reread each entry, noting with a measure of frustration how the loot rating had adjusted for the new events, and might even have trended downward.

Perusing the list thrice over led to no different result, so he gave a resigned huff as he settled on one destination, and sat down to wait. When Lisa exited the bathroom, dressed in comfortable if dated clothes acquired from Dunwall and drying her hair with a towel, he raised the device to show her the screen.

"Hey Lisa, how do you feel about meeting zombies for real?"

"Screw that—hang on," her face brightened, "is it working now?"

"Yup. And it's either zombies, something worse, or staying another two days here doing push-up regimens."

Any trace of her high spirits vanished, and Lisa paled. She looked down at her aching arms, looked up at him, and mewled in dismay.

-o-

Universe: Dark Souls. Location: Undead Burg. Event: Bells of Awakening​

The portal spat the two blonds out in a castle tower, right at the foot of a statue depicting a beautiful woman and her child. To their right was a portcullis gate, to the left an exit to what looked like an overgrown garden. Ahead, they faced a—

"Ouch! Ouch! Hot! Ouch!"

Game faces changing to expressions of pain, Jaune and Tattletale leapt away from the pile of ashes and bones they were standing in, ashes and bones that yet simmered with a blistering heat. Someone had driven a sword into the center of the mound—a bonfire pit, Jaune recognized now—and fading embers have heated the length of steel to a cherry-red glow. Intermittently, it pulsed, as if threatening to burst into flames given but a spark.

Tattletale kicked it in a fit of pique.

"Owwwwie!" she moaned, bouncing on one foot while cradling the toes on her other foot after the sword, embedded deep in the stone beneath, refused to move an inch.

Less than twenty seconds in, and they were already taking casualties. It did not bode well. The commotion they made has also attracted the attention of the people gathered on the bridge directly ahead of them, a squad of soldiers wearing armor the likes one would see from centuries ago.

The people could be from centuries ago, too. Jaune blanched as they turned around towards their group, revealing appearances that were little more than cadavers, weathered skin stretched over emaciated frames, wearing bits and pieces of tattered clothes. Dull orange orbs took the place of their eyes.

"You know, I imagined a modern setting when I heard 'undead'," said Jaune.

"Raaaagh…"

"Yeah, I hear you guys." He drew his sword and prepared for a fight. But then, he paused in thought. "Wait a minute."

Seeming disinclined to bite, the zombies hefted swords of their own as they advanced on the pair. Two of the things stayed behind the line and nocked arrows to bows.

"Tattletale? I think they might still be alive. Zombies can't use tools."

Then again, movie knowledge was not exactly true to life. Unable to tell one way or another, he waited for a verdict from his partner. She, in turn, reached for the crossbow strung to her new utility belt where a host of useful items lie nestled, counting among which were her sleep darts. One landed in the chamber of the weapon.

Fwip.

With unerring accuracy, the dart flew out and lodged in the shoulder of a zombie, to zero visible effect.

"Sooo, dead, then?"

The question became moot anyway as, with a bestial howl, the squad charged. Two arrows outpaced the footsoldiers, slamming into Jaune's shield as he strode forward to meet his opponents. As for Tattletale, she ducked to the side behind a wall, and fumbled for a steel-tipped bolt.

She never got the chance to fire the shot. The zombies displayed, at best, rudimentary skill in battle and Jaune cut through them with ease, ending up in striking range of the rearward archers by the time Tattletale raised the crossbow to aim. Two slashes lopped off an arm from each zombie. They didn't bleed as much as they should, and disregarded the injuries altogether to lunge at him, prompting Jaune to remove the remaining arms. Now they went for biting attacks, rushing him with their teeth clacking. A wide sweep severed both their heads from their necks. Then, he whirled around and set to finishing the job on the defeated zombies that he had not fully put to rest the first time.

"I'm ninety-nine percent certain they're dead," he explained his action to Tattletale. "Before I killed them, I mean. Now they're a hundred percent dead."

Tattletale strove to hide her discomfort, and admittedly she did it well. Nevertheless, she gave the bodies a wide berth as she picked her way over.

"Yeah, you did good, Jaune." Along with the praise, she patted him on the shoulder. "Even if they were alive, I don't think there was much going on in their heads except murder."

Jaune released a breath he did not realize he was holding. "Right? It was us or them."

A quick glance-over and they decided to move on rather than loot the corpses. The armor pieces were corroded to the point of uselessness, and the weapons same, not to mention their proximity to half-festering bodies for who knew how long to present a very real risk of disease.

Tattletale suggested that they hit the lever to raise the portcullis. Not for any reason, she just wanted to. Despite likewise thinking it would be cool to see, Jaune advised against doing so because he had enjoyed zombie cinema enough times to notice the pattern. You do not leave an opening for the walking dead to sneak up on the living. Which was why, when the two poked their heads into the side garden, he indicated for Tattletale to retreat while he disposed of the zombies in the area. These, thankfully, were unresponsive throughout the process.

The garden terminated there, without a second exit, leading them to take the only route left, the bridge. It offered them a stellar view of the city situated a dizzying distance below, and the pair oohed and ahhed as they peered over the battlements.

The Undead Burg encompassed an area much bigger than Jaune thought possible for the apparent technological level of this world. In fact, if his eyes were to be believed, they stood in a far-flung corner of a greater civilization, with the tall wall encircling the city stretching from one side of the horizon to the other until it curved beyond their view. In the intervening space between here and there, homes gave way to forests ceding to homes again, repeating on and on. Past giant trees and looming towers Jaune spied the sections of another wall at the top of a mountain, this one built of resplendent white stone, behind which arose towers that pierced the sky.

Remnant has yet to create anything like this, and the sight stole his breath away. He wandered in a state of awe along the length of the bridge, his footsteps accompanied by the sound of a distant tolling bell seeming to emanate from underground.

Although…where was everybody? Any sign of movement that he or Tattletale noticed came exclusively from an undead, the shambling bodies roaming the streets unopposed. It spoke of a city that has fallen to calamity, an unthinkable scenario for Jaune. Zombies might claim a mall or a graveyard in the movies; they weren't supposed to ever truly win. How could this have happened?

Suddenly, the world turned dark. It was over in a blink, daylight returning to leave Jaune wondering if he had suffered some sort of hallucination.

Looking at Tattletale, he asked, "Did I imagine that?"

The girl's mind raced a mile a minute, aided by her superpower. The conclusion she reached was not a word, merely an impression. Something big. Something high in the sky. Something alive.

Something that had spotted them, because a shadow was swinging around. Tremulous eyes panned upward, followed by a whimper.

The flying object dipped lower, its form becoming clearer to Tattletale and Jaune. In a strange twist, they each had a personal experience to serve as reference for what they were seeing.

""DRAGON!""

The massive creature spread its wings wide, gliding parallel to the bridge. Its back was lined with sharp spikes, and its red scales glimmered in the sun. As it flew, an odd bulging grew at the base of its throat, moving further up the long neck with each passing second.

There was something about dragons that always fascinates, even when it spelled one's death. Far later than he should have, Jaune snapped out of his stupor.

"Back to the portal!" he screamed.

Tattletale shouted back, her voice shrill, "No, we won't make it, the thing can—"

Breath fire. It can breathe fire. The bulge reached the thing's mouth, which opened to spew a gout of flames onto the bridge.

"There! Go there!" Tattletale pointed to an alcove between them and the dragon, one that led to a lower level. Jaune did not question her idea, simply throwing the girl over a shoulder in passing as he full-out sprinted faster than she could have run. It was a coin flip whether they would make it before the flames overwhelmed them as the distance shrank to a scant few yards.

Jaune threw Tattletale down the hole to ensure she won't get roasted, himself diving after her. The heat bore an almost physical weight as it slammed them into the staircase, licks of flames singing Jaune's back, catching on the overcoat he wore and lighting up. They rolled on the steps in a mass of tangled limbs, grunting in pain with each impact.

As the stairs bottomed out, Tattletale landed flat on her back, Jaune hitting the floor right beside her on his hands and knees. Everything ached, but he forced himself to his feet, scrambling to pull off his burning coat. Help arrived in another pair of hands that ripped the garment from him to leave him in a white ruffled shirt. The ruined article was tossed out a nearby entryway, and blown away by the wind.

Holding a hand to his thundering heart, Jaune heaved great gasps of air, an action mirrored by Tattletale. Minutes passed as they tried to regain their bearings. The important thing was that they appeared to be alive. Probably. The afterlife shouldn't look like a storage room in Jaune's mind.

"I say, that was a lucky escape. Why, you almost became as bright as the sun…though not nearly as long lasting. Hah hah hah!"

An easy laugh filled with cheer punctuated the soft-spoken voice, and after Jaune pulled Tattletale back to her feet, he turned to face the person who had assisted him in removing the coat.

"You're telling me. Thanks for the save," Jaune replied with a grateful smile to the honest-to-goodness knight standing there, chainmail and helm and all, the man's tunic adorned by a stylized sun, an inexpertly—yet lovingly—painted thing portraying a face on a yellow orb, fringed by red rays of fire. "Jaune Arc. My friend here goes by Tattletale."

Along with the introduction, he offered his hand for a shake. Rather than accepting that, the knight clasped him on the forearm instead. A beat late, Jaune copied the motion. The pleased laugh of the knight let him know he had performed the correct gesture.

"What fine names! As for myself, I am Solaire of Astora, an adherent of the Lord of Sunlight, come to Lordran to seek my very own sun!" The great helm he wore tilted in curiosity, the red feather sticking up from the top shaking slightly. "Neither of you appear Hollow, a rare thing in this realm…"

"Hollow?" Tattletale asked.

"Oh, good joke." Solaire burst into laughter, slapping his knee. "Who would not know of the Undead Curse? Not I, Undead that I am."

They were talking to a zombie. Jaune glanced at Tattletale, receiving a 'what the fuck' look in return.

In any case, while he still had many questions, this was clearly one of those subjects that everybody knew and could bring a heap of scrutiny on them if they professed ignorance. To deflect suspicion, Jaune played along with the misunderstanding.

"Heheh, yeah, she is a funny one. What was that you said about your own sun?"

"Do you find my quest a strange thing?" Solaire asked.

Well, he didn't say it.

"No need to fret, everyone I have met thinks the same! The sun is right there, after all. Hah hah hah!" One would expect him to feel bitter, thought Jaune. The man acted quite blithe about it, however. "Yet I must press on, nevertheless, for my quest calls to me so. That is, were it not for our fiery foe above. It has maintained a most vigilant guard on this bridge, and stymied my attempts to bring it low," Solaire admitted with some embarrassment.

Jaune cursed under his breath. "Is there no way to get past the dragon, then?"

"Dragon?"

Solaire paused their conversation to skirt past them and, faster than Jaune could stop him, hurried up the staircase to peek over the lip. Seconds later, an orange glow reflected off his helm and he ducked below to dodge a stream of fire.

"I bear good news!" he said as he rejoined the group. "The creature still breathes fire, not magic, and its hide is not cast in stone, nor ivory white. It also has two legs instead of the four that legends depict. That is a drake, the same one I encountered earlier. A challenge to be sure, though one surmountable."

Drake, not dragon, he says. Surmountable, he says. Jaune preferred the idea of not facing the thing in the first place, whatever its species, so he set his mind to mulling on the alternate ways with which he can gain entry to the tower. As memories of the portcullis resurfaced, he facepalmed in the realization that it was a very real option—possibly their sole other option—that he had sealed.

In desperate hope, he pointed to the two unexplored exits of this room. "What about those? Do you happen to know where they lead?"

"That door there would do no good. It connects to the city below. As for the path outside…it goes under the bridge, and I can hear the chittering of rats down yonder passageway."

Rats? That's it?

"Sounds like a winner to me. Tattletale?"

She rapidly nodded her head. "Please and thank you."

That settles that. They were of a like mind. Fighting rodents in place of a giant, fire-breathing lizard? Sign them both the hell up. The mission they prepared for was supposed to involve zombies, not another giant monster a week after Leviathan.

Solaire seemed about to say something, but stopped himself and tried to play it off. That attempt failed, as the man wasn't subtle in the least.

"What is it, Solaire?" Jaune asked.

"I have a proposition if you are willing to listen. The chamber with the rats promises another path, true. But whereas we can brave such creatures and go on our merry way, what of those who follow in our footsteps."

"Who—" Tattletale yelped and covered her ribs, glaring at Jaune. Who cares, was what he thought she might have wanted to say, hence the nudge to her side in mild reproach.

Solaire continued, oblivious. "Those luckless fellows will encounter the drake, and it might well result in their demise, perhaps even their turning Hollow. I cannot abandon them. The beast must therefore fall. Yet, I cannot pass this trial by my lonesome. Thus is my dilemma, and your aid in this matter would truly be a boon. What say you?"

Despite the madness of Solaire's suggestion, Jaune considered it, because the drake's defeat equated a direct route to the portal. Were it just him and Tattletale, the answer would be a resounding NO. Between them, they amounted to a fighting force of one and a half—if that. A warrior Tattletale was not, and he would rather she stay far away from the drake. That leaves him to face the monster by himself. He'd probably get roasted for the trouble.

With Solaire, they had a second combatant. They had a team.

"No. No, no, no." Tattletale, who had seen through his intentions and where it was headed, grabbed him by the shirt to pull him close. "Don't you even think about it, Jaune! We can look for another route, one that doesn't involve a dragon!"

"It's only a drake," Jaune corrected in jest; it did not improve her mood. "No matter how you slice it, we have to figure out how to get back in the tower. Is this the best way? Who knows, but it is a way. That's worth exploring. I'm willing to take a risk on it."

"We're going to fucking die!"

"Ah, don't worry," he said, causing Tattletale to pause to listen. "I might die. You'll be fine down here."

"Wha—"

He rolled his eyes. "I'm not sending you up against that thing, Tattletale, what kind of idiot do you think I am? Seriously, what are you supposed to do, snark at it?" He gently pry her hands off his shirt. "Solaire and I will handle this. If our plan fails, we can go back to the drawing board."

Various emotions flashed past her face, anger and outrage chief among them. Tattletale balled her hands into fists, teeth grinding. It should have pleased her that she would stand out of harm's way, or so went his thought process. She was accepting it less well than imagined, and he struggled without avail to understand why.

"Fine," she spat out. "See what not listening to me gets you."

Growling in frustration, she spun on her heels and marched over to a pile of crates. Hopping up to sit on one, she crossed her arms in petulance.

"Oh, dear," said Solaire, seeming a little awkward at having witnessed the byplay. "It was not my desire to cause strife between you two."

Jaune sighed. "I'll handle that later. Somehow. Maybe she'll feel better if we get back in the tower."

"You truly think so? Hah hah! Then it appears you and I have ourselves a most vital quest. Come, let us engage in jolly cooperation!"

Thus agreed, their plan soon took shape. It was…not that great. The one concrete step they established was to lure the winged monster down where the wings would not grant it a total advantage over the flightless duo. That step was also easier said than done.

A blond head poked above the ground. It met the red eyes of the red lizard spewing red flames. The head retracted just in time.

One more it resurfaced. All was fire. The head ducked down.

Jaune sat on the staircase, and dropped his face into his hands. "We're going to be stuck here forever, aren't we?"

"I told you!"

"Not helping!" Jaune looked at Solaire. "Thoughts?"

The knight hummed, the sound carrying an echoey warble due to the helm.

"For it to come to this, we must take a risk. I will go up on the bridge and bait the creature by dodging its breath in quick succession, thereby showing the futility of such an attack."

"...Can you? Dodge, that is. Your suit of armor looks heavy."

"I shall stay optimistic!"

"You know what? Allow me. I'm a lot faster than you are."

This time, Jaune fully exited the stairs, standing with his head held high. As the drake inhaled a gulp of air, he flipped it off and dove for the other side of the bridge. A jet of flames scorched his previous position. A shorter blast shot at where he now crouched, evaded with a roll towards the stairs again. He activated [Third Arm] to latch onto the parapets further back, yanking his body that way before another fireball hits.

The drake glared at him, huffing and puffing as it recovered its breath. From its throat escaped a long, low growl—an exact match to the one made by the irate blonde ensconced below. That gave Jaune an idea.

"Wow, you're stupid!" he shouted across the distance, and stuck out his tongue, thumbing his nose. "No wonder you're a drake and not a dragon…you couldn't hack it! Pathetic!"

Perhaps the drake would not understand the individual words and gestures. It sure recognized the intent as a whole, however. The snack was taunting it. A roar shook the stone bridge, wrathful and promising death.

"Aw, yeah. Here we go."

Wings unfurled. In one powerful beat, the dragon launched from the tower, diving for Jaune. [Third Arm] once more got him to safety, though with the drake landing next to the staircase, he lacked the means of cover to stave off its fiery rage.

This might have been a bad idea.

The giant maw opened. Sharp teeth filled his vision. The monster sprang at him.

Lightning struck it on the side, at the base of the wing, eliciting another roar, this one of pain and shock. The lunge that would have let the drake swallow Jaune whole was thrown off course. The head passed him by, and he used the opportunity to give it a whack right below the throat, leaving a shallow nick on the tough hide.

"Face me, o great beast!"

Solaire, now also on the bridge, grasped a second bolt of lightning in his hand, winding back in the stance of a javelin thrower. The sinewy neck twisted around, letting the drake spot the threat Solaire posed. It dipped a shoulder, the one warning they got before it shoved its entire frame at the knight, with Jaune caught in the path. Solaire went low, Jaune went high. The latter landed atop the drake.

Standing on the spiky, undulating neck was no easy thing. Jaune used his shadowy limb as a rein to maintain balance, and laid into the beast with his sword. Bone spikes cracked and snapped, but Crocea Mors failed to go much further than that; he hadn't the leverage to strike with every ounce of strength, accomplishing only superficial damage.

Noticing the prey on its back, the drake thrashed about. The head rose up high, and succeeded in loosening Jaune's grip.

"Ouch! Ow! Crap! Ouch!"

Jaune rolled over the length of the drake, feeling each and every spike along the way. He struck the ground on the tail side, and spotted the portal as he crawled upright.

The scraping of claws on stone prompted him to turn around, just as the drake did the same. They stared at each other.

Jaune smacked its snout with Crocea Mors, the drake responded by taking a breath.

A budding headache grew as Jaune slid on the bumpy stone bridge below the drake, having yet again used his power to escape. He zoomed past Solaire, who was getting back on his feet, and ended behind the beast, which was still bathing the tower interior in an inferno, not realizing that Jaune was gone.

"The portal's probably fine, right?"

Whatever, he'd think on that later. At the moment, they had a punishable window of time. Jaune rushed at the drake, and started whaling on the beast, focusing on the back leg in an attempt to hamstring it; reduce the thing's mobility and it will become a sitting duck. Solaire followed a similar mindset, shield left aside as he two-handed his sword to strike at a wing. Dribbles of blood began to flow between the scales.

They were making progress. Good.

Faster than Jaune thought possible, the tail coiled, then smacked him like a whip to send him flying. Stone blocks crunched under him as he slammed into them again and again down the length of the bridge. He skidded to a stop far from the fight.

The thought occurred that this would be the chance for a gout of fire to render him ashes, with the drake smart enough to do it, too. Jaune scrambled to his feet in a hurry after that.

It was trying, he saw. Solaire came in clutch for him, laying into the drake with abandon to keep it distracted. Nevertheless, the thing smelled a chance, and even as it reared back to bat at Solaire with a leg, its attention would inevitably flick to Jaune. Licks of orange flame erupted past clenched teeth, held in reserve for the perfect moment. Sweat pouring down his brow, Jaune started running, knowing what was going to happen when the drake dinged Solaire with its claws.

The ensuing blast swept over his head as Jaune returned to the warm, motherly embrace of the understairs.

Meeting bottle-green eyes, he waved. "Hi, Tattletale."

She waved back, a bit unsure.

"Is everything going okay up there?"

"Absolutely spiffing. We've got that monster on the ropes."

"Are you sure?" She squeaked as the room shook. "It doesn't sound like it…"

After the flames faded, he rushed aboveground. Solaire was holding his own in the meantime, preempting the firebreaths with the lightning he summoned, but only just. Jaune reentering the battle eased off the pressure to allow the knight a reprieve.

A swing, a dodge. He clipped one of the claws, removing half of it. The drake roared louder than ever, and Jaune darted to his left to avoid the chomping mouth, kicking the teeth as the opening presented itself, inflicting little damage but annoying the hell out of the beast. It snarled.

A lightning bolt carrying twice the power as those preceding seared one red eye blind.

"A sterling distraction, Jaune Arc! Take heart, the end nears!"

"Can you keep it off my back? I have an idea."

"Gladly. In fact, I believe the drake agrees!"

Solaire was right. Having been hurt far beyond anything Jaune had done, the drake deemed Solaire as the real danger, and targeted him almost exclusively.

Jaune found a few precious seconds to catch his breath, and prepared for his next move. The shield transformed to a sheath, strapped once more to the hip. Crocea Mors was not suited to be gripped in both hands, but he made it work, and raced behind the drake. What followed was a relentless onslaught, where he abandoned any notion of defending his body or anticipating how the beast would attack. One thing mattered, that he severs the tail.

Solaire ensured he had time, peppering the mouth and wings with lightning bolts even as he grew visibly tired. The apparent weakness galvanized the drake. It sensed victory, and whatever intelligence behind that skull performed a calculated move, accepting that it would sustain wounds in trade for permanently removing a threat. Jaune was free to hack and slash unchallenged.

The drake realized its mistake when scales cracked and crumbled beneath Crocea Mors. Steel blade bit deep in soft flesh. The tail jerked away; Jaune chased it, giving no respite. Again, its flesh parted, accompanied by a spurt of blood. A third cut reached bone. The fourth, swung with all of Jaune's strength, completely lopped off the tail.

A screech of pain, of loss, pierced the air, echoing over the Undead Burg. Wings snapped open, and the drake took to the sky.

"Damn it!" Jaune shouted. Their foe has retaken the advantage in one fell swoop. With the drake back in its element, the humans were helpless. "Solaire, run. I'll get Tattletale."

If they were lucky, Jaune and Tattletale would arrive at the portal ahead of the drake coming round.

Solaire held out an arm to stop him, pointing with the other. "No need. By hubris, the beast has doomed itself."

Jaune peered up at the drake. Seconds went by, and he saw what Solaire meant.

The monster had believed them prey, and settled in among them without fear. In anger, it lingered too long. Although it had taken to flight again, the injuries sustained in the battle were too significant to ignore. Lacking the missing tail to serve as a counterweight, the drake maneuvered with the level of grace of a wine barrel, with blood pouring from the stump. The lightning bolts that Solaire threw had torn into the membranes of the wings, and they struggled to stay aloft.

Swerving and swinging on a winding route, it did not so much charge at the duo as drunkenly swayed in their direction. A wing clipped on the watchtower on the far side of the bridge, and the fire bubbling up its throat sputtered out as it lost its balance. The drake began to tumble end over end, culminating not with a smooth landing, but a crash that left a crater in the stone and knocked Jaune off his feet, followed by a roll as excess momentum carried it forward to Jaune and Solaire. It skidded to a stop near the stairs. And for a time, there was nothing but the far-off sound of a tolling bell.

Then, the drake twitched. Laboriously, it dragged its body upright. One wing bent at an odd angle, decidedly broken to the extent of stymieing another flight. It was listing to one side, the right leg barely holding.

Through a mess of broken fangs, it growled. The monster knew. Even should it destroy the two pests that placed it in this situation, death was nigh. Pure hatred flashed in its eyes. It advanced.

Solaire strode forward, sword and shield at the ready. Jaune joined him, walking side by side. Reaching an unmarked point, on an unspoken signal, they broke into a jog, then a run. Weapons raised, they roared as the drake did, and met it in a final clash.

And finally, but finally, the drake fell to the ground, succumbing to the swords driven past broken scales and corded muscles, lodging deep in its flesh; one to the heart, the other to the throat.

Jaune stared at the slain monster, half-disbelieving. He looked down at Crocea Mors, and up to the gaping wound that decided the fight, a wound he inflicted. Drake, dragon, the name was unimportant. It was far weaker than Leviathan, and a fraction of the Grimm Dragon's size, but here was a creature straight from the storybooks, from myth and legend. It died by his hand.

Well…

He glanced at Solaire.

…not alone. Fighting alongside the stalwart knight, an ordeal insurmountable became oh so possible. A large part of the credit went to the man. Yet, it counted as a win in his books, one not stolen at the finish, and was a taste of victory he never realized he needed.

He could do it. He could save Beacon. In this one moment, Jaune Arc felt it as a certainty, to his very bones.

Laughter bubbled up his chest. He grinned, then snickered. His control slipped, and he pumped a fist in the air, whooping in pure elation. Solaire happily joined in, and when Jaune spotted Tattletale coming up the staircase, he swept her into a hug, swinging her round and round in celebration.

"Did you see that? I'm amazing!"

"Put me down! Put me down! Ahhh, I'm getting dizzy!"

-o-​

A woozy Tattletale laid flat on the ground, green-faced.

Jaune left her to it. She'd recover. He was busy pursuing a mystery. It went like this: where was the drake tail that he cut off?

The issue wasn't important by any means, but the thing just vanished into thin air. Meanwhile, the rest of the corpse was still there, draped over the bridge. The oddity would not get out of his head.

"Ah-ha, I have found it!" Solaire called.

Jaune hurried towards where the other man knelt. His eyes scanned the ground; there was no tail in sight. However, a sword rested in the spot that the tail could conceivably have fallen back when he cut it off.

"To think, the drake sword lost to the ages had been hidden…in a drake! How marvelous!" The joke seemed to tickle Solaire pink, the man guffawing. "I suspect Seath the Scaleless was responsible for the trick." He paused, tilting his head. "Though, it begs the question of why the ancient fellow has set its distant cousin to guard this bridge…ah, regardless, as the man to remove the sword from its sheath—hah hah!—it is your rightful property." Proudly, Solaire presented the sword to Jaune, who balked.

"You sure? You kind of did a lot of the work to bring that thing down."

He received a carefree laugh, and a nod. The treasure was his, uncontested. What a great day.


Drake Sword
Universe: Dark Souls
One of the ancient dragon weapons, formed of a drake's tail. Essentially, a sharp rock on a stick.
Grip firmly with both hands, and swing your tail. From the tip will come a great and magical force.


Soooo, it was a dragon? Or were dragons all drakes? You know what, he's just going to claim the title of dragonslayer, and if anyone has a problem with it, they can make their objections known.

It was heavy, the naked blade weighing more than both parts of Crocea Mors combined. Pretty, too, with a serpentine motif running down the sides. He rather liked the part saying it was a magic weapon. Little things like that added to the selling price.

He checked its worth.

Ehhhhh. The sword can take care of his debt, at least. He hesitated to call it an excellent prize due to the preceding battle. Life's tough for a dragonslayer.

With the drake sword resting on shoulder, Jaune and the others relocated inside the tower. The portal sprang to life as they drew near. Sparing it a single glance, Solaire shrugged and made a beeline for the bonfire, kindling it then stoking the flames. The heat it gave off felt uncomfortably warm to Jaune, as he considered this a fine spring day where a fire was not necessary in the least. Solaire's happy sigh said otherwise, and it was with reluctance that he left its side to go pull the lever near the gate.

"And there we are," declared Solaire, applauding heartily as the portcullis rose.

Jaune looked down the passage to see if it held things of interest. No dice, the road leading deeper into the fortress sat empty, and lend no hints of what lay ahead.

"What's down that way that's got you so eager, Solaire?"

"Yonder lies the Undead Parish, where the Bell awaits. Who knows, perhaps my sun is waiting there with it. Would that not be grand?"

"A bell, huh." Jaune tried to sound interested. He was unsuccessful. Come on, give him something cooler, like 'the drake's treasure hoard' or 'the magical sword repository'!

"Are you…not familiar with the story?"

Jaune backpedaled. "Uh, well, I wouldn't say that."

He needn't have worried. Solaire took his ignorance in stride.

"Hah hah hah! Do not fret, I shall be honored to explain. You see, legend tells of a Chosen Undead, come to Lordran in the time of the Awakening Bells. Lo and behold, the bell below started ringing not long ago. That leaves only the one atop the parish to open the gates to Anor Londo, city of the gods."

As Jaune listened to the story, his eyes grew wider and wider. This was a tale straight out of his adventure novels.

"The Chosen Undead, that's you, I'm guessing? You are pretty strong."

"Oh, thank you, but I could never claim such a lofty title. After all, while greater souls pursue that grand destiny, I shall run to and fro in search of my sun. What a silly Chosen Undead I would make, would you not agree?"

Jaune imagined it, and began snickering, as did Tattletale. The knight likewise gave a short chuckle, before growing contemplative.

"Still…we who have traveled to this land each walk a lonely journey fraught with danger, and will need as much help as we can get. If, by sparing some small effort, I could ease their way, then I shall do so." As he spoke, Solaire strolled out on the bridge to gaze at the sky. "Heroes, villains, adventurers, or chasers of the sunlight, it matters not. This age calls for us all to take part in jolly cooperation!"

Facing the sun, the knight performed an odd gesture, raising his arms aloft in a V-shape, palm facing outward, and going on tip-toes. He held the pose with the ease of having done the same a thousand times, appearing restful.

Behind him, Tattletale whispered, "He's mad!"

"He's so cool!" Jaune whispered back.

Believing in the ideals that everybody should unite to stand against the cruel world? The man's practically a Huntsman.

Missing their interaction altogether, Solaire completed his ritual(?) and turned to them, saying, "I have a thought. In this strange land, where space and time has been twisted into knots, our encounter defied all logic, and luck itself. Our fates are intertwined in manners not apparent. You may be the very companions to ensure this endeavor ends in success. So, what do you say? May we work together in this moment where our worlds meet?"

"Sure!" Jaune answered.

"No!" Tattletale refuted.

They looked at each other, then at Solaire. Jaune motioned for the man to wait.

"Can you give us a moment to discuss between ourselves?"

Solaire covered the spots on the helm where his ears should be, and spun around while the pair of Jaune and Tattletale moved to a corner. The latter spoke first.

"What was that? Why are we even thinking of sticking with him? We almost died. Let's just get out of here."

"Well, we always knew that was a possibility. This plan of ours was never going to be easy sailing."

"That doesn't mean we should risk our life for no proper pay."

Jaune showed the sword on his shoulder. "We got something, didn't we? And there's the fact he helped us return to the portal. Without him, we would have been toast."

His appeal to camaraderie failed to convince her, making Jaune sigh. Placing his hand on her shoulder, he continued in the soft and soothing tone that he would normally reserve for his sisters, or Nora. Or Pyrrha on the rare occasion she gets in one of her stubborn moods.

"Look, you can stay here, it's pretty safe for now. I'll go on ahead with Solaire. He's throwing magic around, and talking about gods. What else is here in this universe? Who knows what we can find along the way? It's worth a day or two of poking around."

Tattletale stamped her foot in a huff. "And we can do that in a better universe that doesn't have giant, man-eating monsters."

"Like Dunwall? Gold and towels are great, Tattletale, but we have enough of that to last for a while, and this is the time for us to work our way upward, not just circle round and round. I'm giving this a shot," he declared with a note of finality. "As I've said, stay here where it's safe, alright? I'll see you in a bit." Left unsaid, was that he might not see her ever again.

Receiving no further retorts (except for the grinding teeth and baleful glare), Jaune patted Tattletale on the back on his way past, and rejoined the knight.

"Solaire, I've decided. I'm coming along."

"Wonderful! With you two by my side, I shall have nothing to fear!"

…You two?

He turned his head. Lisa stood a step behind him, unhappy to be there, but clearly a part of the group.

She crossed her arms, and hmphed. "I'm not useless. You wouldn't get anywhere without me."

---

Author's Notes: No trickeries, no intrigue. We are on a quest!

But then, why the heck is Lisa going along?

 

[Fragment of Serenity]

But then, why the heck is Lisa going along?

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Because it is impossible to not participate in JOLLY COOPERATION!

 

[drake_azathoth]

Heh. Lisa is questioning how bad pushups really were in retrospect.

Still pretty sure she'd rather be in Dark Souls but the shine is fading quickly. Hopefully she can help save Jaune from Patches...

 

[Shooter]

Yeaaahh. A wonderful Jolly Cooperation

 

[Asdercol]

Well she would be useful since there's ambushes ahead.

I know those two would totally fall for those.

 

[2 Hot Crown Subdues the Sinful]

But then, why the heck is Lisa going along?

Click to shrink...

All them traps at Sen"s Fortress.

 

[Metabolicjosh]

Thank you for the update. I enjoyed it a lot. I can't wait to see what they get up to next chapter

 

[Helpless Kitten]

Given the way the story has gone, they are going to end up with a mimic or something as a companion. I look forward to being surprisingly charmed by 'Tonguey' the strangely affectionate living box.

 

[Agent Orange]

Fighting alongside the stalwart knight

Click to shrink...

He fights with sword and board.
He (helped) rescue a princess.
He (helped) slay a dragon drake.
Jaune is well on his way to genuine knighthood I'd say

Pretty, too, with a serpentine motif running down the sides.

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Is this a custom 'drake sword' perchance? Because I googled it and... 'pretty' isn't the adjective I'd use to describe it. I'm not sure I'd call it a sword except in the most general sense of the word.

He checked its worth.

Ehhhhh. The sword can take care of his debt, at least.

Click to shrink...

... He's gonna lose it before they go back through the portal isn't he?

Believing in the ideals that everybody should unite to stand against the cruel world? The man's practically a Huntsman.

Click to shrink...

Now that's a thought.
Solaire of Astora ends up isekai'd to Remnant a year before canon kicks off and ends up mentoring young Jaune.

But then, why the heck is Lisa going along?

Click to shrink...

To prove she's not useless?
To get her own ugly magic sword?
She doesn't feel like sticking around the tower in case dragon drake's corpse Hollows.

Hopefully she can help save Jaune from Patches...

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Perfect new companion for their Multiversal Adventure!

Given the way the story has gone, they are going to end up with a mimic or something as a companion. I look forward to being surprisingly charmed by 'Tonguey' the strangely affectionate living box.

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Tattletale isn't Frieren though.

 

[Anren]

We need to catch Priscilla!

 

[Agent Orange]

We need to catch Priscilla!

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Lisa: "Yeah, I want a dragon tail sword too."

 

[Dahaka1e]

We need to catch Priscilla!

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Have pity on Jaune, are you suggesting that in addition to Lisa and the Outsider, he has to deal with a pregnant dragon?

 

[Anren]

Yes!)

 

[Agent Orange]

Priscilla is pregnant?

 

[Dahaka1e]

Priscilla is pregnant?

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Bosses drop humanity. One each. Exceptions include gargoyles - double boss. Quilag - consisting of two creatures and collecting Humanity for her sister. And the Gaping Dragon, which also seems to devour humanity.
Well, and Priscilla.
They all drop Twin Humanity. The rest have reasons why this is so. Gargoyles are two creatures. Quilag are in fact also two closely related beings.
Dragon - feeds on humanity.
Priscilla? She has only one obvious reason. Moreover, in the third part we see her daughter (from Gwyn) and her other descendant still in the painted world (another one).
in short - a theory that was later more or less confirmed, like most of the dark souls lore

 

[Anor]

But then, why the heck is Lisa going along?

Click to shrink...

Traps, illusory walls, mimics....Patches.

 

[KinKrow]

All them traps at Sen"s Fortress.

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I thought the only trap was casting an illusion of the sun.

 

[Alzhan]

"Then, um, will you ever come back?"

He thought of lying, as he so often ended up doing. But…

"I can't say, Emily. It's a long road I'm taking, and I don't know when I'll finish walking it. Although," he grinned, "if I do happen to stop by here again, would you welcome me?"

Crying, smiling, the princess was yet resolute in her answer.

"Always!"

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Is this going to be a thing? First Sundancer, now the Princess. Is he going to be picking up a waifu each world? That sure is a way to upstage Mr. Jax Darkphenex, or whatever. No charm abilities required. Oh yeah, Tattletale is there too. Bleh.

 

[Agent Orange]

Oh yeah, Tattletale is there too. Bleh.

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Lisa *suddenly feeling vaguely offended for no reason she can grasp*

 

[NineYetis]

But then, why the heck is Lisa going along?

Click to shrink...

To make sure Jaune doesn't get killed by being stupid.

Now that's a thought.
Solaire of Astora ends up isekai'd to Remnant a year before canon kicks off and ends up mentoring young Jaune.

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I'd read it.

 

[punster lv1]

Is this going to be a thing? First Sundancer, now the Princess. Is he going to be picking up a waifu each world? That sure is a way to upstage Mr. Jax Darkphenex, or whatever. No charm abilities required. Oh yeah, Tattletale is there too. Bleh.

Click to shrink...

You know I can totally see Solaire becoming the Dark Soul waifu

To make sure Jaune doesn't get killed by being stupid.

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Yeah she somehow got attached to that reckless do-gooder. Also she thinks he's pretty.

... He's gonna lose it before they go back through the portal isn't he?

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I expected him to shuck it while he was in the area. Especially since he noted it to be more unwieldy than his current sword..

 

[Riero]

Given the way the story has gone, they are going to end up with a mimic or something as a companion. I look forward to being surprisingly charmed by 'Tonguey' the strangely affectionate living box.

Click to shrink...

A mimic companion should be named Boxxy.

 

[LazyAutumnMoon]

Is this going to be a thing? First Sundancer, now the Princess. Is he going to be picking up a waifu each world? That sure is a way to upstage Mr. Jax Darkphenex, or whatever. No charm abilities required. Oh yeah, Tattletale is there too. Bleh.

Click to shrink...

No, bro, come back. Reading romantic subtexts in every interaction is how we get Jaune Arc x The Outsider as a pairing.

 

[Allon M.]

Wonderful, maybe she can let them find fake walls without rolling into things all day.

 

[Wolf67]

just found this fic and read it , its an awesome and i can't wait for more.

 

[Alzhan]

No, bro, come back. Reading romantic subtexts in every interaction is how we get Jaune Arc x The Outsider as a pairing.

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Yeah, thing is, you quite clearly implied she had a crush on Jaune, with Tattletale unsubtly spelling it out basically. Not in the quoted text, a little earlier. So you sort of brought this on yourself. 2/2 means I'm ABSOLUTELY expecting Solaire of Astora X Jaune Arc and you can't stop me!

 

[KinKrow]

No, bro, come back. Reading romantic subtexts in every interaction is how we get Jaune Arc x The Outsider as a pairing.

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People seeing pairings?

On my horny smut website?!