Chapter 4
Moving swiftly through the tall grass Ruby Rose, Champion Knight of Vale and personal guard to Princess Weiss breathed deeply. Happy to be moving on foot again, after a long several days' traveling on horseback, to get to the land where a dragon supposedly lived.
Cardin had said that the ferocious beast had murdered dozens of people before he and his team had attempted to slay it. The Knight claimed that the beast was far too strong, even when Cardin and his team had trapped it within its lair. He told how the dragon nearly tore his men to pieces, the small group just barely escaping with their lives. He claimed that this dragon was a danger to everyone in Vale and had to be killed.
Weiss had her doubts about Cardin's claims, Cardin had only gained his Knighthood through the wealth of his family, and was known to lie and over-exaggerate his tales of battles. Once claiming to kill a rouge werewolf on his own when it turned out he'd just killed a wolf Faunus that had a grudge against humans.
So to make sure his claims were valid, Ruby found herself far from the capital in this forest searching for a dragon that may or may not even exist; though Ruby had little to complain about. It had been a while since she'd been out on an actual mission to defend Vale, ever since taking the position as Weiss' right hand guard. It was rare for the Knight to leave the capital city. Again Ruby had little to complain about, she wouldn't have taken the position if she didn't wish to stay close to Weiss' side.
This was important though, if there was a live dragon in the area, many people could be in danger. Ruby found it odd though that only recently the dragon had been noticed, she hadn't bothered checking the village a few miles away. If the stories about dragons were true the beast would have wasted no time reducing the village to rubble, and claiming any riches there for its horde. Ruby already had all the information, so why waste time finding out things she already knew. Every minute she wasted the dragon could lay waste to the village in the blink of the eye.
Shaking her head Ruby subconsciously she felt the light chain mail she wore, unlike any other armor, it was made from dragon scales from the dead body of a dragon found in the far north, a gift from Weiss when she gained her knighthood. From what Ruby had learned the beast had died of natural causes, and some people just happened to stumble upon it.
Ruby hoped the armor would protect her from an attack from a living dragon. Though she had confidence in her speed and skill, Ruby didn't want to take any chances with the most formidable beast to ever walk the earth.
The forest seemed peaceful enough; a gentle breeze blew through the trees. Soft rustling of trees, birds were chirping their cheerful melodies. It was hard to believe there was a dragon lurking here.
Keeping herself prepared for anything, Ruby didn't let the calm peaceful scene distract her. Ears perked up at a distant noise that didn't seem to mix with the forest's natural pattern. Ruby stuck close to the trees hiding in the shadows following the noise to the source.
Stealthily but quickly Ruby made her way to the noise, it wasn't long before she could tell it was a voice she was hearing. Though it was still too far away to tell what the person was saying. Passing another tree Ruby froze in her tracks, hand still on the tree she was about to pass. Ruby stared in awe and horror at the tree. For on the tree large gashes had been gouged into the bark, as if something was sharpening its claws on it. Looking closer at the pattern of the marred tree, the marks looked similar to those left on trees by deer during the season where they rubbed their antlers against trees to remove the velvet covering them.
These gashes were far too large to be made by any deer though. That was enough for Ruby even if it wasn't a dragon there was something in this forest of monstrous proportions. Touching the marks in the tree one last time Ruby continued towards the voice she was hearing.
Getting closer Ruby could hear water splashing, the voice becoming clear she was almost close enough to make it out. Clearing the forest Ruby kept to the low brush so she wouldn't be seen in the clearing up ahead. Finally she could make out the voice, male from the sound of it he sounded young too, Ruby would guess maybe about her age.
"Hold still already! This is your fault anyway for getting all this mud on yourself!" The guy appeared to have a teasing tone in his voice, leaving Ruby to believe he must be friends or familiar with whoever he was talking to.
Peeking out of the brush still careful so she wouldn't be seen, Ruby had to pinch herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming. There in the clearing sitting in a fairly large pond was a dragon, larger than any creature Ruby had ever come across. The beast's ruby scales were wet sparkling in the midday sun, though there was some mud here and there. The creature's massive head held teeth Ruby could see from where she was, glinting in the sunlight. White horns like a bull were sharp and big enough to make the gashes in the trees without a doubt.
If it wasn't crazy enough that Ruby was seeing the first dragon anyone had seen in years. What was crazier was the blonde haired man standing on top the dragon's head like it was the most normal thing in the world. From the distance Ruby could make out that he was only wearing some worn out pants, no doubt keeping the rest of his clothing away from the water.
The dragon was everything and nothing what she was expecting. The beast was huge sitting in the pond that would seem large to a human, the great beast made it look like a puddle with its large size. Sitting on its haunches, Ruby could swear it looked like a dog that was upset about being given a bath, looking up at the man as if it was pouting.
"Well, some of us don't want to sleep next to smelly mud covered dragon."
Is he talking to the dragon? Ruby wondered. It seemed to be so as there was no one else around.
"No offense Pyrrha but I'd rather not wait for the next rain to clean you off. Especially since you'll probably just go running off hunting again covering yourself in more mud. Was that one deer really worth getting covered in all this?"
Pyrrha? Has this man tamed the dragon? No, that didn't seem right to Ruby, a lot of people spoke to their pets or animal companions, but this man spoke as if he was talking to a person. And the dragon seemed to understand him as it let out a snort as if it was scoffing at him, stretching out so that it lay in the water losing its pouting like demeanor.
"Ha! Well, there are some humans that don't really care about hygiene. Most like to stay at least somewhat clean though, come on you have to admit this must be nice getting pampered like this. You look a lot better when your scales aren't covered in muck anyway." The dragon seemed to make a pleased sounding noise before lowering its head to rest on the bank of the pond.
The blond man hopped off the dragon's head onto the bank. Using a rag of old cloth the man dunked the rag in the water before using it to wipe the beast's muzzle. After his task was done the dragon leaned into him nuzzling the man with its muzzle.
Ruby thought of how she could approach this. On one hand while the dragon was distracted she could swoop in, and if not kill the beast, deliver a massive blow to it. On the other hand the dragon was clearly friendly towards this man. Maybe if Ruby approached him he would keep the dragon at bay, or if worse comes to worse he could be the one commanding the dragon.
Taking a deep breath, it was now or never drawing her precious scythe Crescent Rose. Ruby picked herself out of the brush walking towards the odd pair, clutching her scythe tightly.
The dragon was the first to react to Ruby approaching them. The monster was on its feet within seconds, water flying everywhere from the speed the creature got up. It positioned itself protectively over the man towering above Ruby, a snarl formed on its mouth, smoke beginning to expel from its mouth in small huffs.
"Umm hello," The blond man finally said awkwardly after Ruby stopped a few good feet away from them. He moved to stand next to one of the dragons' front legs patting the beast, seemingly calming the monster.
"Greetings, my name is Ruby Rose, I am a Knight under the service of Princess Weiss Schnee. I was sent here to find out about the rumors of a dragon lurking in these parts." Ruby mentally patted herself on the back for the formal greeting she normally messed up.
"Well, you found her," he motioned to the dragon before speaking again, "Unless you're here for a fight, could you put the scythe down, you're making Pyrrha edgy with that thing." As if to prove his point the dragon let out a low menacing growl that sent a small shiver of fear down Ruby's spine. The monster's mouth could easily swallow Ruby whole if it wanted to.
"How do I know the dragon isn't going to eat me as soon as I drop my weapon?" The man shrugged the dragon above him snarled, green eyes flickering red for a brief moment.
"She could eat you with scythe anyway." Ruby's hands tightened on her weapon, not being able to tell if that was a threat or not. Before she could retort though a voice seemingly in her head rang out.
"Put your weapon down. Now." The voice sounded feminine so it couldn't possibly be the man. Ruby looked up at the dragon could it really be?
"I promise I won't hurt you, just put your weapon down." The voice entered Ruby's head again. Ruby stared at the beast its bright green eyes seemed to gleam with intelligence glaring down at the tiny human before it.
Weighing her options, Ruby sighed she took a huge chance already what was one more. Laying her scythe on the ground, Ruby prayed she didn't make the wrong choice. It seemed to do the trick. The dragon lost its snarl though one could still tell it was tense, ready in case Ruby went for the weapon. The man too seemed become less tense.
"Thanks for that, the last Knight that came was less into talking than you are. I'm Jaune Arc by the way, and this is Pyrrha."
"Hello," Ruby stared there was little doubt by now, a dragon was speaking to her, and this person Jaune appeared to be a close companion of the beast. This is unbelievable, dragons were supposed to be viscous killers, but this one seemed to have no interest in fighting Ruby. To top it off it appeared to be friends with Jaune. Ruby had to get some answers.
"Did you attack the nearby village or any for that matter?" Keeping her gaze level with the towering beast, Ruby stared into the dragon's emerald gaze refusing to let any unease she felt be shown.
"No, I have never attacked any human unless they attacked me first." The beast voice was low no signs that it was lying showed.
"Why? Dragons have never been big on being peaceful before?" The dragon appeared amused by this question.
"Humans have never been big on the concept either. No offense but your species is more of a 'stab first, ask questions later' kind of race." Ruby frowned at the jab at the human race, sometimes Ruby accounted herself lucky she wasn't a complete member of the race. Though she kept the fact secret from most except Weiss who knew what she really was.
What the dragon said wasn't completely untrue there used to be dozens of other races roaming the world. The largest being the Faunus though out of all the other beings that used live in the world the Faunus were more human than others. Including golems, giants, werewolves, and garudas, all have been driven to close to extinction or complete extinction, because human expansion had taken their homes. Heck Ruby had to take down many giants that decided they were done dealing with humans settling in their land. Faunus were currently the only other race allowed within human cities, though treated with some suspicion. The hatred against them was slowly fading away.
"No offense taken Pyrrha," Jaune spoke up a little cheerfully before looking to Ruby.
"Did you come here to slay Pyrrha?" He questioned a thoughtful look came to his face. Looking Ruby up and down he didn't appear to be worried though. Ruby imagined he wouldn't, after all he had a giant dragon hovering over him protectively. He was probably wondering why the Princess would only send one Knight after all the rumors of a dragon, and even a Knight as skilled as Ruby would face great risk taking one on alone.
"To be honest I didn't believe there actually would be a dragon. The Knight that told us about you isn't the best source of information. I figured it would be quicker if I came alone, but now I know there is a dragon I…" Ruby paused what was she going to do about this? From what she saw the dragon wasn't hurting anyone. The village not far away was completely intact. It was even friendly towards Jaune, so was there really any need to kill it?
Ruby briefly thought what she should do. If she killed the beast, she would be hailed a hero, but could she really take that claim when she had no proof the beast was dangerous. For all Ruby knew she could kill the dragon in cold blood, and she would have to live with the nagging feeling that the dragon did not deserve such treatment. Along with the lingering feeling that she may have very well killed the last of its species.
Looking down to Jaune a thought struck Ruby. Jaune was young and rather fit from the look of him. Blue eyes held a determination that Ruby recognized, it was the same look many had who entered the city looking to be trained as a Knight.
"Listen I need you both to come back to the capital city with me." Both dragon and man's eyes widened.
"You want us to what now?"
"I don't think I'd be welcomed in the city." The dragon's ears flatten against her head as if she was saddened by this.
"Yes, but I have this crazy idea that might just work." Ruby grinned, Weiss was going to have a heart attack if Ruby could get these two to agree.
"Crazy is right, you want to bring a dragon to the capital! A dragon! Pyrrha would never lay a claw on them, but they would sure as hell stick her full of arrows!" Jaune gave Ruby a glare clearly concerned that Ruby was trying to get the dragon killed. It was apparent that the man was just as protective as the dragon.
"Listen, you could stay out here in the woods, but eventually someone is going to come and kill Pyrrha. Whether it's a Knight or some up and comer who thinks they have what it takes, but someone will come and try it. What I'm about to offer works for everyone involve. Will you at least listen to my plan?" The dragon lowered her head to look to Jaune as if speaking with him.
"All right what do you have planned?"
"Nobody is ever going to believe a dragon has human like intelligence, people have been believing they're monsters for far too long to just accept something different. So if you come in with a dragon at your side saying you've tamed one people will say you're a hero. Not only that but you'll likely get Knighthood no doubt since that is what you would get if you killed a dragon. You and Pyrrha will get to live without having to worry about people slaying Pyrrha, and all you have to do is serve the Queen by protecting people." Jaune's eyes widened he looked ready to jump on the offer, but he turned to the dragon.
"What do you think Pyrrha? I'll go with whatever you decide. People are still going to think you're a monster, and that's not fair to you." The dragon nudged Jaune with her muzzle.
"You're wrong Jaune I have never been able to even be near humans before I met you. This is a chance to prove that I mean them no harm. If you are willing then let's do it." Jaune grinned patting the dragon's muzzle.
"That's our answer then, we'll do it!" Ruby smiled glad it wasn't too hard to convince them.
"Great! I'm going to go down to the village and send a message so they know they have a friendly dragon coming their way. Meet me at the edge of the forest tomorrow at dawn, we'll head out then." With that Ruby picked up Crescent Rose, and began her walk to the village nearby. Her last parting thought was what Weiss would be thinking when Ruby came home with a dragon in tow.
"Have you ever been to the capital city before?" Pyrrha had asked Jaune once they had gotten back their cave.
"No, I've heard about it from traveling merchants, but never been there myself. I hear it's huge though." Jaune said as he grabbed a handful of gold pieces, putting them in his back pack. At Pyrrha's suggestion they were packing up a decent amount of gold in case they needed it or more so if Jaune needed it seeing as a dragon didn't have much use for the gold. Jaune still couldn't believe this was happening. He was going to the capital city with a dragon to maybe be Knighted. This sounded like one of the stories he was told as a kid.
"Before we leave I have something I must do." Closing his pack Jaune turned to the dragon that stood over one of the larger piles of gold within the cave.
"Sure, what do you need to do Pyrrha?" In the last week of staying up in the cave with the dragon the two had gotten more comfortable with each other. By now Jaune could say Pyrrha was his friend, so if Pyrrha needed to do something he would do his best to help.
"I want to give some of my gold to the village." The blonde gave the dragon a look. Pyrrha never gave any sign before that she cared about Jaune's old village. It was a surprise that she wanted to do something so kind to them.
"I may have not have taken anything from humans, but the dragons before me have. Since you're holding on to Corcea Mors, none of this treasure means anything to me nor does it really belong to me. If I'm going start making people fear me less, giving back the gold other dragons stole would be a good start." Smiling Jaune could see the logic behind it, but when one got down to it Pyrrha was just being kind when she didn't need to be. Like she said she didn't take the gold, and she didn't have to return it. The dragon wanted to though even if the village wanted her dead.
"All right what's the plan then, are you just going to walk in to town and say "I know you wanted to kill me but here's free some gold!"" Pyrrha chuckled before turning to shift some gold in order to get to something.
"Something like that…"
Ruby grinned once she let the bird fly off into the distance, her message to Weiss tied to its leg. The village was more than happy to aid the Knight lending her one of their birds to carry her message. The bird would make it to the capital before them, as long as Ruby kept the dragon grounded. Nothing would cause a panic more than a dragon flying overhead.
Cries of panic broke Ruby from her thoughts. People were running everywhere some kneeled on the ground praying. Speaking of dragons flying overhead, Ruby drew Crescent Rose. The red scaled dragon flew over its great size casting a shadow over the whole town.
Had Ruby been deceived? Was the dragon going to burn the town down? Moving to meet the dragon Ruby made it to the town square just as the dragon landed carefully avoiding the buildings.
Standing in the village square the beast's head swiveled left and right watching the villagers stare in horror at it. It was then Ruby noticed something odd about the dragon. On its back tied loosely with a few ropes, were five chests. The dragon flicked its tail using one of the spikes on its tail to cut the ropes holding the chests there.
Each chest fell off the beast back flying open from the force. Their contents scattered all over the ground, everyone's eyes widened. Each chest was filled with gold, gems and jewelry. The dragon once again looked upon the people's shocked faces. Before with a flap of her wings took off over the village again back towards the forest, leaving the enormous pile of gold for the village in the square. The people stood in shook as the dragon became just a shadow in the distance. Ruby couldn't help but smile watching as the villagers hesitantly inspected the large amount of treasure. For a fearsome dragon she certainly was kind one. Ruby ignored the gold and headed out to get her horse for the journey back to the capital.
And to think they're supposed to be the vilest killers in the world. Ruby thought.