CHAPTER XXI

In der Heißesten Flamme Geschmiedet

It was late in the afternoon when the group gathered together again after a short break from training. It was supposed to have been Ruby and Nora's turn to prepare supper this time, but with the pummeling they had taken from Bedivere, Blake and Hollie had volunteered to cook.

"I will have you know," Hollie said as she set the plates before the group, "that I am particularly proud of this dish."

"It looks like chicken," Nora said. "I like chicken."

"It's my specialty, Lemon Pepper Pepper Chicken."

"Did you say 'pepper' twice?" Oscar asked.

"Yeah," Sun said, "I heard you say it twice, too."

"You both heard right," Hollie said. "Some idiot suggested 'Stoplight Chicken' this one time, but I told him to go bite himself."

Yang chuckled. "I kinda like that. Cuz of the red and—"

"And yellow, and green peppers. Yeah, I know. But I am not calling it 'Stoplight Chicken'."

"Oh, wow, this is good," Sun said. "Too bad the bird and the crazy knight are missing out on this."

Weiss flinched and Blake pinched Sun as hard as she could on his side.

"Ow!" he yelped. "What the heck was that for?"

"For being a moron," she said, sitting down next to him.

"What did you put in this?" Ren asked. "It's really good. And the lemon isn't too overpowering. The pepper is just right as well."

"It's all in the name," Hollie said. "Lemon, pepper, pepper, and chicken. Oh, and rice, of course."

"You'll have to teach me this someday."

"Oooh!" Nora said. "So you can cook for me?"

He chuckled. "Yes, Nora, only for you."

"Hey," Jaune groaned. "You can sing to lift up spirits, right?"

"Yeah, that's right," Hollie said, taking a bite of her food. The rest of the table had complimented her on the dish, but she wasn't satisfied with it. There was too much lemon.

"Does your singing also help get rid of soreness? Cuz I hurt everywhere. I'm hurting in places I didn't even know could hurt."

"Me, too," Ruby groaned. She was resting her head on the table, having touched none of her food.

"You two did take quite the beating," Yang said. "Don't worry, though. I'll get him good tomorrow."

"Good luck," Ren said.

"Where did the two of them go, anyway?"

—

"Looks like things are going smoothly," Qrow said as he and Bedivere inspected the construction at Hillphire Forge.

"Yes, I may have to rename my business," Hillphire said.

"Yeah, it's a whole factory now. And your warehouse, hoo boy."

"It seems you still have your own private space," Bedivere said, examining the original forge proper.

"That's right," Hillphire said. "I specifically requested my own research and development area where I can conduct testing of my own while the rest of the forge works on these general designs I already have."

"Dust-powered armor," Qrow said, looking at the main plans. "Interesting. Now if only Ironwood would take a page out of your book."

"There are simply too many weaknesses involved with automated defenses, as we witnessed during the Fall of Beacon. Now, I know the two of you didn't come all the way out here just to see the new factory. Would you like to check up on the progress of the other project we had on the side?"

"Yeah, that's important. Let's go, knight."

Bedivere followed the pair into a segregated area where the technology appeared to be significantly more advanced than the rest of the forge. The room they entered was immaculate, the opposite of the typically messy workbench where nearly all of his weapons were fashioned.

"What is all this?" Bedivere asked.

"This is where my life's most important work is done," Hillphire said. "Also the place that Atlas wants to break into more than anything else."

"You compete with them?"

"Nah. Those guys can go pound sand. They're all into grand-scale stuff. I've always been more interested in the individual weapons that individual Huntsmen want crafted. Things with personality."

"So, what is this major project you are working on in here?"

"Sir Bedivere," Hillphire began as he opened the heavy vault door. "Do you believe in resurrection?"

The inner sanctum of the vault contained a number of machines working on something in the very center. From what Bedivere could tell, it was a robotic unit of some kind, but there was something peculiar about this robot. It was unlike any he had ever come across. This one was almost human.

"What is this?" Bedivere finally asked.

"Forbidden science," Hillphire said. "At least, I think it should be forbidden. It attempts to trap a soul within a machine."

"A soul? In a machine?"

He nodded. "At first it was thought that only a living body could contain a soul. You are aware that all living things contain a soul, right? Plants, animals, humans?"

"Right."

"Well, somebody had the bright idea to try and generate a soul within an inanimate object. In this case, a machine. This robot's central processing unit is quite unique from other machines in that it is capable of learning human behaviors and culture, effectively simulating a human being. But the thing is, this machine is also capable of producing an aura."

"Which is only possible if it contains a soul."

"Precisely. Now, I cannot be certain if the machine itself generated the soul or if the soul originated from an external source. But one thing is sure." He pointed to a monitor. "Do you see that?"

"What does all of that mean?"

"These readings indicate that there is still a soul in this body. It's detecting an incredibly faint aura."

"A soul? In that?"

"Yes. Even though it is in pieces like that and rendered completely inoperable, there is still a soul in there."

"I didn't want you to be right," Qrow said. "I mean, it's great that you can get her back, but fuck me if I ever got stuck in my own body like that."

"And that is the reason I have expedited the work on her. I need to bring her back as soon as possible. I may have a petrifying fear of the Grimm, but I cannot even fathom what it might be like if she is still conscious inside there."

"Dude, don't even talk about that shit."

Bedivere stepped closer to the heap of scrap metal that somewhat resembled a human body, only mangled and with a blank expression on its face. Something compelled him to reach out and touch the machine's hand and when his right hand came into contact with it, the Nexus on his arm came alive as his mind was flooded with all sorts of imagery, memories that weren't his, emotions that belonged to another. But the one thing that stood out to him more than anything was an extreme sensation of isolation and a tiny voice that cried out for help.

He stepped back, his chest heavy. He stuck a shaky hand into the pouch on the left side of his belt.

"William," he said to Hillphire. "How much gold would help in expediting the process?"

"Huh?" the blacksmith said. "I mean, don't get me wrong, money would really help, but what I really need is time—"

"How much?" he said sternly.

"H-Honestly, I don't know."

"How is one hundred pieces of gold?"

"O-One hundred? That's like...fifteen million Lien! That is far too much!"

"It's settled." He walked over to the only empty table in the room and counted out ten stacks of ten one-ounce gold rounds. "There's no need for a contract. Do with this whatever you must."

"I, uh, I don't know what to say."

"Swear to me, blacksmith. Swear to me that you will do everything in your power to bring her back."

"Y-Yes, that was my intention from the beginning. What is the matter?"

Bedivere looked back to the machine. The sensation of loneliness was as strong as ever. Perhaps it was his connection to Weiss along with his own self-isolation that amplified the feeling, but still. That brief connection was all he needed to be resolute about saving that soul from this iron coffin.

"No one," Bedivere muttered. "No one must ever be forced to endure such a fate. I alone deserve eternal damnation."

"What are you mumbling?" Qrow said. "You gotta speak up, man."

"I swear it," Hillphire said. "From a blacksmith to a knight, I swear that I will do everything in my power to ensure that she is saved from that fate."

"Good," Bedivere said, leading the way out of the vault.

Hillphire sealed the vault behind him. "Speaking of our bond as blacksmith and knight, I do have something for you. Do you remember that small project you had commissioned me to do?"

"Have you finished them?"

"I have." He led the way to the warehouse. "Have you decided on a vehicle for the other project?"

"A motorcycle. Yellow in color."

"Wait, this isn't for Yang, is it?"

"It is. We had a little accident on the road and she destroyed her motorcycle by colliding with my body."

Hillphire and Qrow both laughed.

"Wait, you're the one who broke Yang's bike?" Qrow said.

"Guilty as charged," Bedivere said.

"I know some motorcycle dealers in the city," Hillphire said. "You've been generous enough with your donations that not only do I consider you a shareholder of Hillphire Innovations, but I would be willing to donate my own expertise on vehicle selection and scout one out for you."

"If it isn't any trouble. I do admit that I haven't the slightest clue what motorcycle would be best for her."

"Leave that to me. From what I've heard from Ruby, I think I know just the bike."

"Oh, so you still talk to her, do ya?" Qrow said.

Hillphire instantly reddened. "Well, she does stop by the forge every now and then."

"Sure she does." He put a heavy hand on his shoulder. "Will, you remember what we talked about the first time, right?"

"Yes, Mister Qrow," he grunted. "I do."

"Good."

"Now you both have my curiosity piqued," Bedivere said with a chuckle.

"Here it is," Hillphire said, reaching into a segregated area in the warehouse. "Both orders just as you detailed. A nigh-indestructible katana and a claymore of my own design."

"Katana?" Qrow said. "You're a knight, not a ninja."

"Samurai used katana," Bedivere said as he accepted the sword from Hillphire. "Ninja did not have specific weapons. They used what they had on-hand. If that happened to be a katana, then that was it. Considering many samurai also doubled as shinobi, it is not a stretch to say that they did use katana, but shinobi did not specifically use katana as their staple weapon. Their true weapon was stealth and information."

"Much more powerful than anything I could forge, admittedly," Hillphire said.

"Hmm," Bedivere said as he unsheathed and inspected the sword. "Compared to most of your work, this sword looks surprisingly traditional. Although I do notice that it is significantly longer than most katana."

"Yes, let's bring these to the testing site next door." Hillphire led the way with another slim case tucked under his arm. "Just as I told you, I used earth and gravity Dust to strengthen the blade. Earth Dust gives it a high density and rigidity while gravity Dust creates a strong bond between the individual molecules."

"Most traditional swords are forged with a degree of flexibility, but you opted for higher rigidity."

"That's right. The molecular lattice is so tightly bound by the effects of weaving atomic-scale gravity and earth Dust that it can handle extreme amounts of stress. The first sword I built using this technique is actually the sword Jaune uses now."

"I was wondering about that sword's durability. It clashed with Caliburn without breaking. Needless to say, that is quite impressive."

"Where is your sword anyway?"

Bedivere didn't answer. Hillphire recalled from their very first meeting that he mentioned being unworthy of the sword and decided not to pry any further.

"Owing to its metallurgy," Hillphire continued, "this sword should be able to withstand roughly one hundred gigatons of force."

"Did you say 'gigatons'?" Qrow said.

"That's right."

"What the hell?"

"The prototype that I built before Jaune's upgrade withstood exactly 0.901 gigatons of force applied to it before shattering. Jaune's sword was merely reinforced with earth and gravity Dust. This katana, on the other hand, was forged from scrap. The Dust has bonded with the steel at the molecular level. Of course, I have not yet tested it as I did not want to break your sword before you even had a chance to hold it, but from my calculations and after applying certain theories, this sword should be able to withstand at least one hundred gigatons. Possibly more."

Engraved on both sides of the blade closest to the hand guard was the inscription:

破る こと の できない

"Yaburu koto no dekinai," Bedivere read aloud.

"You can read that?" Qrow said in disbelief.

"I have mentioned that I have trained with a master from the East."

"Yeah, that is what you said. You never mentioned anything about taking linguistic classes from him, too."

"Unbreakable," Bedivere translated the inscription.

"Fitting, don't you think?" Hillphire said.

"Indeed."

The test for the katana was organized around the basic principle, the cutting of multiple pillars around the wielder. However, rather than traditional tatami mats, these pillars were constructed out of solid lead.

"You've gotta be kidding me," Qrow said.

Before stepping up to the testing circle, Bedivere tucked the katana, scabbard and all, under his belt. He drew the sword, swinging it a number of times to get used to the balance.

"It's longer than most katana," he said.

"Correct," Hillphire said. "I thought it would be more appropriate for one at your height and strength to wield a longer sword. An O Katana, if you will."

"I appreciate it. The balance is quite perfect. Enough weight at the end to ensure blade momentum without being unwieldy."

"Proceed with the test when you are ready."

Bedivere stood in front of all seven targets, which were distributed randomly throughout the area. The first pillar of lead he cut cleanly with a downward diagonal strike, following up with a horizontal strike timed perfectly to cut both the falling piece and the remaining half at the same time. The next target he took down with three quick diagonal strikes, starting with an ascending cut, then two consecutive descending cuts. It was already in four segments before the pieces even began to fall. The rest of the targets went down in similar fashions.

"Dude," Qrow said. "That's impossible. No, I don't mean your technique, cuz I've seen your ass fight and that wasn't even that impressive so you can go fuck off. I'm talking about that sword cutting through all those lead bars without even slowing down."

"I can assure you," Hillphire said with a chuckle, "that the sword is capable of exactly that, but the cleanness of each cut was all him, not the sword."

"No, no, that showoff can go commit Sudoku."

"The number puzzle?" Bedivere said.

"Yes, the fucking number puzzle. Let's go see your other thing now. I bet it's as fancy schmancy as this one, too, huh?"

Hillphire chuckled as he opened the long box, which contained a claymore almost as tall as he was.

"The fuck do you need two swords for?" Qrow said. "You know what, forget it. I'm gonna go play with some guns while you two are having your little date." He went to the warehouse.

"I think you made him jealous," Hillphire said with a chuckle as he handed the claymore to Bedivere.

"Yes, I suppose," the knight said, examining the significantly more complicated piece of machinery in his hand. "Now, I left this one entirely up to your creativity. Explain to me what it is and how it works. There are certain things I am seeing here that do not belong on traditional swords."

"Basically," he began, "it's a two-in-one weapon, although I suppose technically it consists of seven individual weapons all rolled into one. You can use it like it's any other claymore or great sword, or you can activate its special ability."

"Are you trying to get me excited?"

He laughed. "Anyway, the first part of the sword is the central module, which holds all of the other swords together as a single weapon and also serves as the machinery that facilitates its second function. Do you see those two levers?"

"Yes, I was looking at them."

"The one on the pommel is the safety. You press it once and it disengages. The one right behind the cross guard is the trigger. Go ahead and hold it blade-down and then hit the levers."

Bedivere did as he was told and several mechanical parts began to move. The central sword broke apart into seven distinct swords of differing shapes and configurations with the six other swords floating around the central sword.

"How is this happening?" he asked.

"Proprietary technology," Hillphire said with a smile. "Simply put, it's a function of certain scientific principles facilitated by gravity Dust. That's all I am going to say."

"Magic."

"As the saying goes, any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."

"Of course. Now, how exactly is this used as a weapon?"

"The two steps I had you do, which is to disengage the safety and press the trigger, only breaks apart the sword for maintenance and for reloading the Dust modules."

"Yes, I noticed the cartridges. Black Dust in the central sword for gravity, and in the orbiting swords it's white for wind, red for fire, yellow for lightning, dark blue for ice, brown for earth, and what is this bright orange Dust?"

"Explosive."

"Interesting."

"Oh, believe me, it gets better. Go ahead and flip the safety back on."

Once he hit the switch, the orbiting swords joined the central sword and the machinery once again clicked and whirred as everything reunited into a single great sword.

"Okay, there's something I should tell you," Hillphire said.

"What's that?"

"Um, I did something I probably should have told you about. You were in a coma, and so I couldn't exactly get your consent, so I did it without telling you."

"I am starting to get worried about what you are going to say next."

"Oh, no, I didn't, uh, no funny business. I swear."

Bedivere watched him carefully.

"Anyway, I took some scans of your body in order to try and determine your aura's waveform and despite some difficulty I was able to work something out."

"My aura's waveform?"

"Right. Every single soul can be detected by certain scanners. Each one appears as a four-dimensional waveform that can't even be displayed on most monitors. I, on the other hand, have managed to isolate and capture the waveform. And just as I suspected, every single soul is unique from the other."

"That goes without saying, does it not?"

"Of course it's been there intuitively, but I can now prove it definitively and mathematically."

"I have a feeling this ties in to your work with that robot in the vault."

"Correct. Hence the reason why Atlas wants to break into my lab so much."

"And why that's the most secure location in the building."

"Precisely. The hard drives and plans I took with me during the Grimm attack all came from that vault."

"So, what does all this have to do with this sword?"

"I have programmed that sword to resonate with your waveform alone. No one else can use its secondary functions. Here, watch this."

Bedivere handed him the sword and he pressed the safety and pulled the trigger. The swords separated again, but instead they all just fell to the ground.

"See?"

"They didn't orbit," Bedivere said.

"Right. Because the central module does not recognize my aura, or my fingerprint, so to speak."

"But I do not have an aura."

"Of course you do. You have a soul. Your aura simply manifests differently from the rest of us who were born in this world."

"Are you referring to my armor?"

"Yes, and perhaps your magic as well. Here."

He handed the sword back to him. The instant it was in Bedivere's hand, all six swords flew up from the ground and began orbiting the central sword once more.

"Think of it as an advanced form of weapon safety. Only you can use its most devastating power."

"Okay, Hillphire, now that you have gotten me thoroughly excited, I need to know what this thing can actually do."

"Pick a target out there."

Bedivere spotted a single ballistic test dummy at the far end of the testing hall.

"You have it in your mind, right?"

"Yes."

"The sword should have locked on as well. Now, disengage the safety, swing the sword three times above your head, pull the trigger, and throw it as hard as you can."

"What?"

"Just do it."

Sighing, Bedivere did exactly that. On the third swing, he pulled the trigger and hurled the sword at the target, which split into seven flying swords that ultimately hovered over the target before crashing down into it all at once. Each of the Dust effects activated simultaneously in an explosion of fire, ice, lightning, and air pressure.

"The sword with earth Dust should have penetrated the deepest, given its properties," Hillphire said. "Now, hold your hand up and will it to return to you."

Bedivere did just that and the sword recombined before flying back to him.

"This is magic," he said.

"Nope. Pure technology that works off of Dust and your existing features. Your soul is unique compared to ours. All I did was isolate the proper waveform and synchronize the weapon to it. You know how the samurai believe that the katana is an extension of the soul?"

Bedivere nodded.

"In this case, this claymore literally is an extension of your soul. It responds to your will. Do keep in mind, though, that the return function only works within a certain range. If you're too far, it won't be able to return to you."

"What is the range?"

"Approximately fifty meters. I couldn't extend the range any further than that without sacrificing a lot of its destructive power."

"Assuming you were making this for a paying customer, how much do you think you would charge that individual?"

He thought about it for a while. "Five Lien."

Bedivere gave him a wry look.

"If I gave you my actual price, you would drop an entire sack of gold coins on my lap again and I can't have you throwing so much money at me on our first date."

"By my honor as a knight, I swear not to do such a thing."

"Okay, fine. Probably around three million Lien."

"Is that how much the materials cost?"

"Not at all. Material-wise, I'd say that sword is only worth about half a million Lien, which is still much steeper than the usual order, but the rest of the money goes into the sheer ingenuity I have poured into it. And besides, I consider that weapon priceless, the pinnacle of all my work as a blacksmith."

"I can understand why. The technology you use in this particular weapon is unrivaled."

"It's also something I intend on keeping secret. That claymore is probably the only instance of it I will ever allow to exist."

"What about that robot?"

"Yes, that is precisely why. Such a technology is forbidden. To trap a soul into an object, to allow them to remain in such a wretched state for even a fraction of an eternity is unforgivable."

"I agree."

"Hey!" Qrow said as he busted through the door from the warehouse to the testing grounds. He had his flask in one hand, a half-drunk bottle in the other.

"Where on earth did he get that?" Hillphire said.

"I found it in a cupboard! You didn't let Ruby have any of this, did you?"

"Oh, dear goodness. Yang is going to be angry with me."

"You mean, Yangry?" Bedivere said. Hillphire looked at him. Both wore faces as straight as possible. Bedivere was the first to succumb, smiling before Hillphire burst into laughter.

"It wasn't funny at all," Hillphire said.

"I know, and yet we're both laughing."

"Are you saying this is Yang's bottle?" Qrow said, stumbling to them.

"Yes, and I think you should put it back," Hillphire said.

"Psh. This is cheap shit. Here's some Lien, restock that stash with better stuff, okay? I want my niece to have the good shit, not trash."

"Should you be encouraging your niece to drink?" Bedivere asked him.

"Prolly not. But she's gonna drink anyway. Might as well make sure she drinks proper liquor."

"William," Bedivere said as he slung the new claymore over his shoulder, letting the weapon hang from his back. "I must thank you again for two jobs well done."

"My pleasure," Hillphire said. "And you can expect the motorcycle soon as well."

"Please do prioritize that other project."

"Believe me, you don't need to tell me twice."

"Thank you. By the way, is there anything you wish for me to deliver to Ruby again?"

Hillphire chuckled. "No, but thanks. I figure if I'm going to send her something, I'll do it in person."

"A wise decision. Until next time."

Qrow and Bedivere left the forge, making their way back to the city.

"Two swords, huh?" Qrow said.

"Yes," Bedivere answered.

"Three if you count the one you left behind. So you and the Schnee girl really did go through all that stuff all by yourselves, huh?"

"That, we did."

"Huh. Whaddya know. She takes after her sister."

"You mean Winter?"

"Yup. Winter's a whole lot better of a fighter than Weiss, though. Hell, that's the reason one's in the Atlas military while the other just barely qualifies as a Huntress."

"What are you trying to insinuate?"

"Just that I can't see her surviving by herself out there, let alone get her hands dirty."

"Weiss is more than capable of protecting herself. Together, she and I saved four villages on the way here."

"Wait, we're talkin' about Weiss here, right?" Qrow said with a chuckle.

"Yes. That is what I said."

"That pampered little girl? You're saying she was bein' a hero, too?"

His face turned grave. "What exactly are you implying, Sir Qrow?"

"You know she's been knocked out more times than anyone else on Team RWBY, right? And she gets winded way more quickly and easily than the others. She's literally the weakest on the team, physically anyway."

Bedivere began reaching for his new katana. "You had best retract those insults, Sir Qrow. I will not abide by such slurs against my lady."

Qrow looked at Bedivere's hand, which had fully grasped the hilt of his sword. "Boy, you're serious, aren't ya?"

The knight didn't answer.

"Jeez. Look, I wasn't trying to insult nobody, okay?"

"Apologize."

Qrow raised an eyebrow.

"At once."

"Okay, okay, I get the picture. I apologize for slanderin' your princess's name."

"That was not an apology."

"Holy shit, what the hell more do you want? Should I grovel at her highness's feet?"

Bedivere's intense expression did not change one bit.

"For fuck's sake. I'm sorry, okay? Are you happy?"

"Your continued insincerity is agitating."

"What? Forget this." He marched away. "I'll be at the Academy. You can stay here for all I care. Oh, and just so you know, there ain't a single Schnee out there you can trust."