Legend of Remnant

Chapter 4: Temper the Body

It was still dark.

The sky was just starting to turn that shade of blue that showed the sun was rising but it wasn't quite bright enough to really be called daytime. Jaune rolled over slightly in his bed to look at his scroll that he'd left sitting on the nightstand the night before. He pressed the on button and the time 5:00am shone back at him. He drew his lips into a line, turned his scroll off and rolled back over to go back to sleep. Well, to try and sleep, anyway.

Giving up so soon? We haven't even started.

Jaune almost bolted upright in bed, narrowly missing hitting his head on the bottom of Ruby's bed. "Are you kidding me?!" Jaune hissed. "It's five in the morning! The sun isn't even up yet!"

And you have much more training to do. Your body is weak, your stamina low and your speed is slow. We worked on your mind, now we must work on your body.

Rubbing the bridge of his nose, Jaune groaned. "You've got to be kidding me."

This is no joke. You don't seem to understand just how far behind you actually are. This isn't going to be easy, and we don't have the time to coddle you. Now, get up. We have much to do.

Slowly Jaune threw his feet over the side of the bed and sighed. He did want to be a hero, he really did, but…

...couldn't being a hero involve sleeping in?

[Beacon Academy - School Grounds]

She could not remember the last time she slept in. Being a Huntress was not an easy task, and it required discipline, hard work, and dedication. Pyrrha Nikos had been so used to waking up at the break of dawn that she no longer needed to set her alarm on her scroll. She would simply wake up before the sun was over the horizon, and her day would begin. Today, she was almost glad to be up before her other teammates. She didn't want to say it, but on her first day, she was already feeling rather disheartened. Instead of being able to help catch the boy who didn't know her, she'd ended up stuck with Weiss Schnee for a partner, and the girl had spent all of her time talking the night before about how the two of them would be, "all they needed to succeed at Beacon." When Yang and Blake had expressed their displeasure at being looked down on like that, Weiss had simply doubled down and told them how they'd "better not slow them down."

That didn't blow over well, and it was only thanks to Pyrrha and Blake keeping cool heads that violence didn't break out between the teammates. Still, all of them went to bed tense, and when Pyrrha awoke, she decided she wanted to put some distance between herself and her teammates, at least for a little while. So quietly, Pyrrha got up, dressed up in her armor, and grabbed her equipment before leaving the dorm room and making her way toward the training grounds. The entire school was quiet, even most students didn't get up quite so early, which meant that Pyrrha saw virtually no one.

It was slightly crisp and chilly out, but that was only due to how early the day was. Pyrrha didn't mind; dealing with cold and heat was just one more challenge for all Huntsmen to overcome. She'd warm up soon anyway once she started exercising. She set her weapons down on a bench and began to perform her warm-up stretches. It was a routine she'd gone through so many times that she began to see it as a sort of ritual, something relaxing and something that kept her grounded. While her figure moved, she did her best to ignore her anxiety and stress, but in the back of her head, she couldn't quite seem to shake it, knowing that all she was doing was simply putting it off for later.

The sun was just barely peeking over the horizon, casting orange light over the school itself. Pyrrha finished her stretches, and turned to her weapons, sighing deeply. She'd really been hoping to get partnered with Jaune. She was so tired, tired of being placed on a pedestal. Tired of people only caring about her for her fame and her skill, rather than who she was as a person. Fate was a cruel, and fickle mistress, however. She was just going to have to deal with it. It would be another challenge on the road to becoming a Huntress. She grabbed ahold of Milo's Xiphos form and began her forms.

Maybe she should have stayed in Mistral. Sure, it would have been the same popularity as always, but at least then she'd be closer to her mother. Now she was away from family, and back in the same situation she was prior. Milo's bronzed blade traced arcs through the cold morning air, Pyrrha's gaze settling on the middle distance as her mind continued to wander. It was unprofessional though, to simply transfer back at the beginning of the year. Perhaps she could make it work? Weiss could be a bit...prideful, but she couldn't be all bad, right? It was the start of the new year, and with a little bit of work, maybe she could salvage this?

Pyrrha gave a small sigh as she fluidly swung Milo, switching it from blade to rifle form and ending with a kneeling position, rifle aimed and ready. Yeah, and while she was wishing, she would like a pony. Preferably in a nice bronze color to go along with the rest of her aesthetic. Fixing things would require her actually being willful, and that was an uphill battle. It was just easier to try and ignore the problem, lest her attempts at trying to play mediator made things worse.

She swung the rifle, striking an imaginary foe with the butt of Milo's rifle form before switching it back once more to its Xiphos configuration. Then, she heard it. It was a distant noise, faint and barely audible, but years of vigorous practice and dedication to her craft honed Pyrrha's senses sharper than her peers. It was a horrid sound, a combination of wheeze, groan and maybe even a death rattle. Her eyes widened; someone was no doubt in trouble! She turned her head in the direction of the sound, ascertaining its location, and took off at a dead sprint. Could some Grimm meant for training have escaped, and mauled an unsuspecting student? Was it some unfortunate Faunus soul, the victim of bullying and racism taken far too far? The sound grew closer, and Pyrrha could see the source. The blond boy she'd hoped to take as her partner, Jaune Arc. He was staggering, bent over as he walked forward, clutching his sides. He groaned and wheezed, chest heaving with each breath.

"Jaune!" Pyrrha shouted in concern, starting forward to try and aid the openly distressed boy.

Jaune glanced up to see her, then stiffened, eyes widening.

Then, Jaune Arc doubled over once more, and proceeded to vomit.

Jaune hated life.

His chest burned, throat burned, his legs felt like they were about to fall off, and to top it all off, it was now the second time he'd thrown up in front of an attractive classmate. At least this time, instead of affixing him with an embarrassing new moniker, Pyrrha had instead been trying to comfort him. He could feel a hand gently rubbing his back as he desperately gulped in air, his lungs feeling like so many little knives.

"I'm...huff, puff, sorry…" Jaune managed to get out in between gasps.

Pyrrha shook her head. "It's okay. It's not the first time I've seen someone lose their breakfast from overexertion. I've actually experienced it myself early on when I started my Huntsman career. You...haven't exercised in a while, have you?"

More like ever. Even working around the house or farm back with his family was never quite so exhausting. Link was a harsh taskmaster, both in dreams and in waking, and had pushed Jaune harder than he'd ever been pushed. Jaune shook his head, not trusting his mouth to speak, nor his stomach to not try to pull a repeat performance. Something was pushed into his hand, and Jaune looked down to see a water bottle.

"Here. Get some fluids, slowly. I know it might seem frustrating to have to start again after not having trained for a while, but you can't push yourself so hard. You'll do more damage to yourself than actual help, even with the help of Aura."

Jaune unscrewed the plastic cap and took a sip of the water, which to his burning throat, lungs, and body, was ambrosia. Feeling a little better, he spoke up, his voice a hoarse croak. "I...I knew that."

Pyrrha gave a sympathetic smile as she watched Jaune recovering. He looked thoughtful. Internally though, he was getting rather irritable toward his mental roommate. See! I told you this couldn't be healthy! You kept pushing harder and harder, and now look!

Jaune could hear Link sigh. You have the ability to recover from crippling injuries in mere minutes. You can recover from exhaustion in the same amount of time. Were times not so dire, I would be more willing to go easier on you. I've said it before though; if I have been awakened, and the Master Sword discovered, it means there is a great darkness brewing, and when it strikes, even I do not know. We cannot afford to spend time trying to slowly bring you up to speed.

Masking his groan of frustration with a sip of water, Jaune fought the urge to glare at nothing in particular. This can't be healthy.

Silence. Fine. I'll try to ease you more into this, but don't think that means I won't still be trying to push you. I'll be releasing the memories and skills of my other lives slowly, but that won't help you physically, nor will it help you to understand what your role truly is.

"Jaune?"

Pyrrha's voice snapped Jaune out of his reverie. "S-sorry, got lost in thought," Jaune murmured. "What's up?"

"I was asking, would you be interested in training with me? I could help you get back into shape." Pyrrha's voice was slightly hesitant, as though nervous.

Jaune paused, thinking. On one hand, Pyrrha couldn't possibly be a worse taskmaster than the man living in his head. On the other, this was something he really wanted to do on his own. If he had help, wouldn't that defeat the whole purpose of him trying to become stronger? Jaune opened his mouth to speak-

-and was cut off as another voice cut through the morning air. "There you are!" Jaune and Pyrrha glanced up to see Weiss Schnee approaching. She was smiling, but the smile dropped when she glanced over to see Jaune sitting next to Pyrrha. "What, annoying her too?"

"What?" Jaune inquired, confused.

"Come on, Pyrrha, you don't have to act nice. Guys like him won't get the hint anyway." Weiss replied, approaching Pyrrha.

"W-wait, Weiss, I-" Pyrrha started, as Weiss hauled her to her feet and began to pull her away.

Jaune sat dumbly, watching as the two walked away. "You're too nice for your own good, Pyrrha. If he's bothering you, say something! Anyway, let's do some training, partner!"

"Weiss, you don't understand-" Pyrrha tried once more to speak, and the two disappeared around the corner, voices fading into the distance. Silence followed in their wake, leaving Jaune sitting by himself on the bench. He closed his mouth, and heaved a sigh, staring forlornly at the empty water bottle in his hand. "Great," he murmured.

How pleasant. Link's voice was dripping with sarcasm.

"I didn't-" Jaune began weakly.

Not you, Link interrupted, That girl. The one in white. That warrior girl can speak for herself and yet the girl in white presumed to speak for her. Unwise, and uncalled for.

Jaune frowned. "No, I...I-I'm sure I was probably being a bother. She's probably right."

Hmm. Link went silent for a few moments, then spoke up once more. You have school soon, do you not? I would suggest returning to your domicile and preparing for the day.

Jaune nodded, wordlessly, and got to his feet slowly. He took one last look in the direction that Weiss and Pyrrha walked off in, heaved another sigh, and turned away toward the dorms, the white walls of Beacon now painted orange by the rising sun.

By the time Jaune had showered and returned to the RNJR dorm, everyone was still asleep. He was envious, but no surprise; had he not been awoken so rudely, he probably would have still been asleep too. He glanced at his scroll. There was about an hour before classes started. His team probably would want to get food in them, so perhaps waking them up wouldn't be amiss. Then again, the last thing he wanted to do on his first day with his new team is upset them all by not letting them sleep. He grimaced. What to do?

He sighed. Best to wake them up. If they wanted to keep sleeping in, he'd leave them be, but at least he couldn't say he didn't try. He approached his and Ruby's makeshift bunk bed. He was tall enough to not have to climb onto his own bed to reach Ruby's. She was fast asleep, and Jaune couldn't help but smile at how adorable she looked when she was in slumber. Hard to believe the girl curled up and softly snoozing away could be such a skilled Huntress that she was able to skip a couple of years to join them at Beacon. Unlike him, who had to cheat his way in. His smile became a frown.

Are you going to wake her, or not?

Jaune's train of thought was interrupted, and now his frown became a glare, not at Ruby, but at the passenger in his mind. He cleared his throat, and spoke up. "R-Ruby?" Ruby made a very soft noise and shifted in bed, but made no other show of awakening. Jaune gave an annoyed grumble. "Ruby!" He tried again. This time, the response was an even louder noise, a clear whine of annoyance. She curled up into an even tighter ball, her brow furrowing. Jaune hesitated. Maybe he should leave her alone after all, and let her sleep.

Wake her.

"What?!" Jaune hissed.

It wouldn't do well if her, or the rest of your teammates, did not get food in them. They might be off upon awakening, but I am certain they'll be appreciative of you preventing them from a mad rush to their first lessons on empty stomachs and mussed appearances.

Link had a good point. Jaune sighed again, and this time reached a hand forward, gently shaking Ruby. "Hey, Crater Face, wake up!"

This time, Ruby's eyes snapped open, silver orbs widening in surprise. "Ah! A-are we late!? I'll hurry!" Ruby practically flew out of bed in a panic, landed on the floor, took one step, and fell face forward, tripping on the hem of her pants with a crash. Jaune winced, and from the other top bunk, Nora sat upright in bed, blinking blearly.

"What's going on? Are we under attack?!" Nora asked, looking around.

Jaune rubbed the back of his neck nervously with one hand, the other extended to help Ruby off the floor. "No, no, Ruby panicked thinking you all were late. You've got an hour Ruby; figured I'd wake everyone up so you guys can get breakfast."

Ruby took Jaune's hand with a groan and got to her feet, dusting herself off and wincing. "Ow...thanks...a little gentler next time?"

"Sorry. I tried but you didn't want to get up." Jaune apologized.

Ruby's expression turned rueful. "Yeah, Yang's always had a heck of a time getting me up. At least you didn't pour ice-water on me."

Jaune winced. "Having seven sisters, I've had that experience, and other more rude awakenings…"

"Seven?!" Nora exclaimed in surprise as she climbed down to Ren's bunk. It was surprising how the stoic boy could still be sleeping with all the noise going on, but he was still out like a light, or at least appeared to be.

"Yeah, seven sisters." Jaune felt a hand on his shoulder and looked down to see Ruby staring back at him with a piteous look.

"Jaune, I am so sorry." Ruby shivered. "I can only imagine what kind of nightmare seven Yangs would be like."

Jaune laughed. "Yangs? No, luckily not. Still it was...it was a challenge." He shook his head. "Anyway, since you and Nora are up, I'll trust you guys to wake Ren up. I'm gonna head down to the cafeteria and try to grab some breakfast."

"When did you wake up?" Nora asked as she began to poke and prod at Ren. The boy still slumbered, obviously desensitized to his surroundings.

"Too early. That's when I woke up." Jaune muttered darkly. "At least I got some training in."

"Ooh, wake me up next time!" Nora exclaimed, eyes glittering in a fashion that Jaune felt a little uncomfortable with, "We can totally train together!" Perhaps it was just an overactive imagination, but his gut instinct was that training with the dynamo of energy that was Nora Valkyrie might just end up with him losing what little was in his stomach yet again. As if on cue, said organ made a loud noise of protestation. Having thrown up earlier, he was running on empty.

"Right. Breakfast." Jaune would have been embarrassed by such a situation, but he was far too hungry and exhausted to care. His dignity was already shredded, and it wasn't even nine in the morning. Things couldn't possibly get any worse.

[Beacon - Combat Class]

Things got worse

Breakfast came and went without much fanfare, aside from Weiss dragging her team to another part of the cafeteria and looking at RNJR with disdain. Ruby seemed upset at not being able to spend time with her sister, and her sister in turn seemed like she was already growing rather confrontational with her team leader. Thankfully, the rest of RNJR was able to cheer her up, and they left Breakfast to their first class in brighter spirits.

This changed when they got to Professor Goodwitch's class, or Combat Class. Apparently, being woken up at the ass crack of dawn to run himself to throwing up wasn't punishment for living enough; no, fate decided Jaune needed further punishment. Jaune was called up in front of an audience of his peers to fight a sneering, towering, muscular ginger boy named Cardin. Jaune had hoped that his towering size and heavy weapon would give him an advantage in speed.

He was wrong.

"This is the part where you lose," Cardin mocked as Jaune rushed in for the fifth time. The battle took longer than expected, but Jaune was barely able to get a hit in edgewise, while Cardin had been easily batting him around. His cruel smirk never leaving his face as he humiliated Jaune before his peers. Like before, Cardin swung his mace downward, attempting to get Jaune to block and become overpowered by Cardin's superior strength. Or at least, that's what Jaune thought was his plan, as he dodged to the side, the massive flanged mace head flashing inches from his body.

Unfortunately, Jaune had forgotten about the shining jewel atop the mace. It wasn't a jewel at all, but a chunk of Red Dust, and the moment the jewel made contact with the ground, there was a deafening roar as an explosion erupted at that point. Jaune was flung backward and slid along the ground with a groan. It was a miracle he hadn't let go of the Master Sword during the attack. It hurt like hell, and he slowly staggered to his feet, only to hear a buzzer.

"Combat End. Victory goes to Cardin Winchester." Goodwitch's voice sounded from her podium. Her tone wasn't exactly pleased, either. "Mr. Arc, I understand this is the first day of classes, but I expect to see a better performance in the future. That was unfocused and sloppy."

Jaune winced and lowered his gaze, unable to meet his teacher's eyes, much less the judging gazes of his fellow students. He could hear murmuring and snickers behind him. Even more than the physical bruises, it hurt. Jaune's hands clenched at his sides and he walked back to his seat, trying to ignore the mocking laughter of his peers. He changed a glance up, only to catch the icy blue eyes of Weiss Schnee. She gave a dismissive huff and glanced away, causing Jaune's chest to clench harder. He walked past her, and sat down at his seat, looking down at the desktop in an attempt not to look at anyone.

"I-It's okay," Ruby, sitting next to him, tried to comfort him, "We all have our off days! It's probably just nerves!"

"Sure," Jaune murmured, "Nerves." A lie. He was in over his head. It was too late to back out now; to do so would be to admit he wasn't good enough to make it. That his parents, his sisters were right.

Now you understand just how far you have to go to catch up. Link's voice echoed in his mind. There is so much you need to learn, and in so little time. You cannot afford to take it easy. Jaune gazed out onto the Combat floor where another two students were already preparing for battle, and he sighed, feeling despair encroaching further. It was only his first day, and already he was wondering if he could make it a full year, much less four…

A/N: I know, I know, another late update. I wish I had a decent reason for this one, but as I've told people on the Work in Progress Discord, I've been having a hell of a time writing anything lately. For some reason my brain is rebelling against writing anything, and even this chapter was like pulling teeth from a chicken. I dunno if I just need a break, or something to spark me again, but ugh.

If this sucks for you guys, this sucks double for me. I hate disappointing fans, but my muse is being a bitch.

Also, shameless Work in Progress Discord shill. Birthplace of Bleiss Schnee, home to multiple RWBY authors and artists, as well as fans of various other works. If you're a fan of my work, or other works from people like TheSpookiestOfNoodles, Mallobaude, Imyoshi or others, hit me up for a link to the Discord.

This is LaughingLefou, signing off.

(Edit: This is why having a Beta is a good idea. I meant Seven sisters. I herped a derp)