Chapter - 3 Bolstering the Ranks

"An Alchemist and a Gladiator, huh?" Ruby thought out loud as we made our first stop at Ivarstead.

"Yep, Ozpin said the Alchemist would be in Solitude and the Gladiator in Whiterun." I replied, getting off my horse and heading to the inn for a water refill. "What do you think they'll be like?" Ruby smiled and looked to the side, her eyes shimmering with imagination.

"I bet the Gladiator will be a massive, strong man who helps the weak and saves the day on a daily basis." Ruby turned back to me and grinned, "You know, the opposite of you." I scoffed and turned my head in offense.

"I'll have you know we're one step closer to saving the day by going on our little search here. The more people we find to help us, the better." Ruby smiled and nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly.

"Wait, before we go in…" I turned around to face the girl, but instead of her usual pale skin and black eyes, Ruby looked far more beautiful, with glowing, tan skin and silver eyes.

"Wh-what? How did you..."

"Illusion magic, this is what I looked like before becoming a vampire, we can't have someone attacking us out in the open, can we?" I nodded as I slowly swallowed hard.

'Just calm down, Jaune, yes she's beautiful but you can't think of her like that…'

"Come on, let's just grab that water and head out." Ruby laughed while following me inside.

"Oh, you mortals and your need for sustenance." I overheard some people talking as I asked for the bartender to refill my canister.

"On a Pilgrimage you say? To see the Greybeards?" A man asked a woman cloaked in black.

"Yes, I need their insight, I fear I've made a grave mistake and I hope they can help me rectify it." The woman replied, her voice low and filled with regret.

"Well, good luck to you then, The Seven Thousand Steps are never an easy climb, but you look nimble enough to handle it." The woman made a sound of confirmation as she took her drink and walked away.

"I've been there before, don't worry." As she made her way passed me, I managed to see a strand of black hair and golden eyes. Whoever the girl was, she clearly had an agenda, but I put the thought behind me as the bartender handed me my water and we left the inn.

Roughly three hours passed before we reached Whiterun, Ruby and I left our horses at a stable and made our way into the city, but not before a guard stopped us in our tracks.

"Halt, what purpose do you have in the city of Whiterun?" I was surprised that there was such high security for the city, but remembered my own purpose there and understood. If the vampires were willing to attack the fort, they were going to attack the cities too.

"We're from the Dawnguard, we've been sent to find a Gladiator of unmatched skill within Whiterun." I couldn't see his face through the helmet, but it was obvious that the man's eyebrows rose.

"Here to see the Companions then? Alright, head up to Jorrvaskr, you'll find them there." I tilted my head as he unlocked the gates.

"Your Vaas car?"

"The upside down Nordic warship, you'll know it when you see it."

I nodded my head in confusion as Ruby and I opened the gates into the city. I had never been to Whiterun before, but I could see why so many people visited it, the place just gave off a feeling of… serenity. Ruby didn't seem so impressed though.

"Come on, let's head to Jorrvaskr, I know the way." Ruby took me by the hand and led me passed a few buildings and up some stairs to a massive upside down Nordic warship.

"Huh, I take it you've been here before?" Ruby nodded as we walked the stairs and stopped at the door.

"I've been all over Vytal; places like this are a little mundane once you've visited Vacuo. Houses made from trees beat ships any day." I tilted my head in confusion and knock on the door.

"Aren't all houses made from trees?" Ruby rolled her eyes as the door opened.

"I mean they hollow out trees and live in them as they are." I was about to ask further on the subject, but I was stopped when a voice interrupted our conversation.

"Who are you?" The commanding voice asked, clearly impatient with us. Looking up, I saw that the person speaking was a woman with long red hair tied into a ponytail and wearing a fairly revealing set of armour.

"Oh, uhh. We're representatives from the Dustguard, we've been sent to find a… 'Gladiator of unmatched skill.' We were also told that we'd find them here." The woman rolled her eyes and glared at the two of us.

"Look, I don't know who sent you and I don't care. You can tell them to shove their invitation up their ass. I'm not leaving the Companions to join some other group of fighters." The woman went to slam the door on us, but Ruby quickly put her foot between the door and the wall.

"Miss, please! We've travelled very long and far to reach you, could you at least here us out?" I couldn't tell if Ruby was acting or not, because she sounded very desperate. The woman looked between her arm applying pressure to the door and Ruby's unmoving foot before she sighed and let up.

"You have ten minutes."

After explaining the situation to the girl, who eventually told us her name was Pyrrha, she seemed less interested in throwing us out of the city and more interested in learning the motives of the Dustguard.

"So tell me again, you hunt vampires, all of them?" I shook my head and Ruby sighed.

"No, we basically deal with any problems that threaten the world, and at the moment, that just so happens to be a very specific group of vampires. We understand that not all vampires are evil." Pyrrha sighed and held her hand to her chest, looking very relieved.

"Oh thank The Nine, I was wondering why you were traveling with one, I thought for a second there that you didn't know she was a vampire." Pyrrha laughed softly at the thought as Ruby blinked and paled, and my jaw slowly dropped a few inches.

"Wait… how do you know she's a vampire?" Pyrrha gave me a confused look and tilted her head to the side.

"The same way I know you're a werewolf. We have a heightened sense of smell you know. I could even tell if you're lying right now." My mind went blank as Ruby started to laugh.

"Jaune's not a werewolf, don't be silly." I awkwardly laughed with her.

"Yeah, I can assure you I'm not one of them." Pyrrha's eyes widened.

"You're… not lying. But you smell exactly like one of our kind…" I shrugged my shoulders and pointed a thumb at Ruby.

"She keeps a pet troll around the fort at all times and we have a bunch of dogs there as well. Maybe you smell some odd combination of that?" Pyrrha sniffed the air around us once more and clenched her eyes shut.

"Maybe… it's not important either way. My main question here is why these vampires are such a threat?" I realised we were ignoring the subject of Pyrrha being a werewolf and simply moving on with the conversation, so I clenched my hand and looked her in the eye.

"Because they're bold. They've been attacking the major cities, as well as random passer-by's in the streets. The Vigilant's of Geoff are a main target of theirs as well. Worst thing is… they've got a Scroll, and we have no idea what they intend to do with it. We need all the help we can get if we're going to take them down." Pyrrha took on a look of thought after my little speech, and so I waited for her to make up her mind. Ruby began to shift side to side while I fidgeted with my fingers.

I took a breath to say something, but stopped myself short and waited a while longer. Pyrrha was taking her sweet time to make up her mind. That is until she suddenly started laughing.

"Alright, I'm in." Ruby and I blinked simultaneously.

"Wait, what? That easy?" Pyrrha smiled and laughed somewhat louder.

"Every time someone wants me to join their little faction, they ask me to join, I take a moment to think and then they interrupt me to make sure I join. I was just making sure you'd wait to let me finish thinking. That way I can tell whether you're desperate and smart, or just plain desperate. So I'll join." I tried to make sense of her reasoning, but Ruby decided to ignore it and simply stand up to shake the girl's hand.

"Then welcome to the Dustguard Pyrrha, you'll feel right at home, I promise!" Pyrrha shook her hand back with a smile.

"Glad to be here."

Ignoring my many questions after recruiting Pyrrha, I decided it was best for us to move on to Solitude as quickly as possible. Pyrrha agreed wholeheartedly and decided she would be joining us to the city. I wasn't going to say no to the extra company, so we were on our horses and heading Northwest within the hour.

It was a long ride from Whiterun to Solitude, but it was made infinitely shorter with the conversations between Ruby and Pyrrha. Despite everyone's opinion on the subject, it turned out vampires and werewolves actually got along great. Out of the group, I was definitely the one with the worst perception, Ruby could hear a pin drop from a kilometre away while Pyrrha was able to smell anything and know what it is, where it is exactly, and what it had for lunch the previous day.

Yet I was still the one left to determine if anything was nearby or following us as the other two were wrapped up in a sparkling conversation about the anatomy of trolls. I had a terrible feeling Pyrrha was going to love Zwei…

"What is it with girls and trolls…" I whispered to myself as the White Palace came into view. "Oh, hey guys! We're here!" Ruby and Pyrrha didn't take too kindly to being interrupted, but they decided to forgive me for my apparently monstrous behaviour seeing as we were so close to our destination.

"So we're looking for an Alchemist in Solitude?" Pyrrha asked, "Do you have any idea where to start?" She continued as we got off our horses and tied them up in a stable.

"I know exactly where to start." I answered without looking back to the girls, and walked through the massive wooden doors into the capital of Atlas. Pyrrha and Ruby wordlessly followed behind as we made our way down the street and up to a familiar looking store.

"Won't it be a little easy if we find our Alchemist in the first Alchemy store we come across?" Ruby asked warily as I knocked on the door and walked inside.

"Hellooooo~" I called out in the most sing-song voice I could muster. "I'm looking for an Alchemist, brown hair, brown eyes, super adorable." The old woman behind the counter smiled and turned to a door in the back.

"Velvet! A boy is here to see you!" She called out and not soon after did the girl we were looking for walk through the door with a crate in her hands.

"What are you talking about An- OH!" Velvet nearly dropped the crate because she was so surprised to see me, but luckily she managed to catch herself before losing any merchandise. "Hello, Jaune…"

"Hi there, Velvet." I sad with a warm smile, "I've been meaning to talk to you." I felt a blush creep up on my cheeks as I scratched the back of my neck lightly. "This may sound a little weird…"

I could see Velvet begin to blush as well and immediately berated myself for coming off so forward when she'd obviously get the wrong idea. I sighed and looked her dead in the eye.

"What I'm trying to say is… I'm actually a member of a brigand of vampire hunters who have been killing off vampires that are hunting down people in the streets and we recently uncovered that the cult we're targeting has a Scroll in their possession and I was tasked with finding new recruits and that an Alchemist was needed among them so I decided that you would be the perfect addition and I want you to join us in our cause." I gasped as hard and loud as I could to refill my now completely empty lungs, "So what do you say?"

In her shocked silence, Velvet actually did drop the box this time, the alchemical ingredients and potions splaying all across the floor. I quickly apologized and helped put everything back into the crate, then placed it on the counter next to the equally shocked older woman and turned back to Velvet.

"I… what?" Velvet asked, a look of what seemed to be fear etched on her face. Ruby stepped closer to the girl and pulled her into a one armed hug, clearly worried for her.

"Sorry to drop all of that on you so suddenly, but as Jaune said, we could really use your help…"

"Now hold on just a minute!" Velvet yelled, her shock and fear having seemed to vanish. She walked over to the door she came from and opened it, gesturing for us to enter. "You're going to explain, in detail," she gave me a small glare, "everything that you're doing and plan on doing." She walked into the backroom, her teacher, or mother or whoever she was following after her.

Pyrrha and Ruby both gave me wary looks and I gave a confused shrug in return before following after the two and sitting down at a table in the back of the shop.

"Alright…" Ruby started, "I guess this would be the best way to put it…"

After explaining everything to Velvet that was said to Pyrrha earlier, Ruby leaned back in her chair and stayed silent as Velvet and Angeline pondered the implications of it all.

"So… what exactly would I be doing if I were to join you?" I was relieved to hear that she was at least considering it, and so with a smile on my face, I gave the best response I could.

"No idea." When she looked at me with that flat expression of hers, I decided to enunciate further. "That is to say… you would most likely help with making potions and tending the garden and, occasionally… go on hunts to kill hoards upon hoards of bloodthirsty, murderous vampires…" I felt my voice straining with every word that left my mouth as Velvet looked less and less amused.

"But," Ruby interjected, coming to the rescue and practically saving my life in my eyes, "You would also travel all over Atlas and even Vytal. There's a whole world out there for you to explore and you can do it with the Dustguard."

"As well as… you know, saving the world." Pyrrha added in at the end. All in all, I felt it was a rousing speech and the way Angeline smiled at us made me think she thought so too.

"Get out." Angeline said; that same hospitable smile on her face.

"Wh…wha?" I replied, my diverse vocabulary coming in at just the right moment.

"I said get out, leave. I don't want you in my shop anymore." I was shocked to hear the woman sounding so scornful, and from the looks of everyone else, even Velvet, they were too.

"But, Teacher, don't you think at least-" Velvet was interrupted by the sound of a fist hitting wood.

"Vampires, Velvet. Vampires! Those monsters took my husband from me and I will not let them take you as well!" I suddenly felt like a dick for not being so considerate as to think of what the other person we were explaining all of this to might have thought.

The room was silent as no one dared say anything lest Angeline roared again, so without any delay, I stood up and motioned for the others to follow. Velvet nodded to me and mouthed the words 'Wait outside' as we left the room and shut the door. I followed her instructions and held the girls up once we exited the store. We waited there silently, not a word spoken between us.

Eventually, after what only felt like ten minutes, the door opened and Velvet stepped outside.

"I spoke with her and… she fired me." My eyes widened and I took a step back in shock.

"She fired you?! For what?!" I saw a bittersweet smile make its way onto her face as she looked at me.

"Because I decided I was joining you, and she didn't want anything holding me back." Without another word, Velvet stepped in front of us and began walking down the road to the gates back out of Solitude. "Well?" She asked, "Aren't you coming?"

We all frowned at each other, I was questioning whether we made the right choice and I could tell they were too, but when Velvet called out again for us to hurry up with a wide grin on her face, I knew for a fact that she was our Alchemist.

After a two day ride, we were finally back at the fort, it was a perilous journey, but we made it through and completed our quest. Ruby was grinning from ear to ear, Pyrrha was admiring the architecture of the fort, Velvet was admiring the animals running through the trees, and I was admiring the ground as I slouched over my horse feeling half dead and ready for bed.

We all tied the reigns of each respective horse of ours at the stable and walked up the path to the door. Ruby was explaining the details of the history of the Dustguard while also detailing the layout and strategic positions throughout the fort.

My mind was set on simply getting inside.

As we finally made our way up the unnecessarily long slope to the steps to the door, I breathed a sigh of relief and threw the wooden barriers open.

"She's a Vampire!" I heard Glynda call out.

"She's wearing the cult's robes!" Oobleck added.

"Kill her!" Port screamed as he rushed into the middle of the room.

I quickly ran inside and stopped when I saw the light from the open roof filtering into the building and a woman literally smoking in the middle of it.

"What's going on here?!" I yelled when I saw everyone draw their weapons. I heard Ruby and Pyrrha draw theirs behind me as well before one soft voice called out amongst the silence.

"Jaune…?" The woman asked before lowering her hood and facing me fully.

"Yang?!" I asked, bewildered by her presence.

"It is you!" Yang burst out as she ran towards me at speeds faster than I could follow. She tackled me in a hug, but luckily I managed to spin and twirl her around before I fell. I hugged her back and let her fall to the ground as she looked me in the eye.

"Tell your friends to back off; I'm not here to fight!" I nodded my head and let go of her before walking into the middle of the room.

"Guys! It's okay! This is the girl I found in Dimhollow!" Everyone's eyes shot open wide as they looked between each other warily. They looked up to the higher level and I followed their gaze to see Ozpin next to the control of the roof.

"Oh…" He said softly, readjusting his glasses. "So she is. Well, I trust you can introduce everyone." I facepalmed as the old fool slowly made his way down the stairs and called the others to join him in the centre of the room.

Ozpin, Glynda, Port and Oobleck stood on one side of the room. Ruby, Pyrrha and Velvet were on the other while Yang and I were stuck in the middle.

I took in a deep breath for what felt like the umpteenth time that day and looked up. "Guys, this is Velvet, Pyrrha and Yang, Yang, this is Ozpin, Glynda, Oobleck, Port and-"

"RUBY?!" Yang screamed louder than I had heard anything in my life.

"Wait… Yang?!" Ruby screamed back with an equally high pitch. The two girls bolted towards each other and hugged the second they got close enough.

"I thought you were dead!" They yelled in unison as tears streamed down their faces. Everyone in the room looked perplexed, and so I asked the question on everyone's minds.

"You two know each other?"