AN: Hey everyone, I have the next chapter here. This has the big moment for Ruby in it, that being her finally getting what makes her a rider. I won't spoil what it is, but it is a fate character that I really like in combination with another character. Also, I do a little flashback in this chapter to show off some younger versions of characters, included one person a lot of people have wanted to see. Hope you enjoy this chapter, let me know what you thought or if you have any suggestions, and have a nice day.
Chapter 36 – Prepare to Ride
Weiss.
The next morning, outside the south entrance to the academy, Weiss was in the middle of a conversation with Sanson and d'Eon, "So, you two are the rest of Marie's team?" She asked with the two nodding, "And your group is called Team France?"
"It's part of her favorite saying," Sanson responded.
"We don't exactly know what it means." d'Eon added on, "But it makes her happy when she says it."
Weiss smiled before continuing, "I have only known her a few days, but I have never seen her unhappy, not even once."
"It's what makes her so special," d'Eon commented back as he smiled, slightly blushing "She always puts others before herself, is always listening, and she never interrupt-"
Suddenly, Weiss scroll rang in her pocket, "Hold on," she interrupted as she pulled it out and opened it, "Hey Gilgamesh," She answered, leaving the two in slight shock. The heiress turned back to them, "Can you two give me a second?"
"Ah, sure," Sanson answered with d'Eon looking slightly annoyed. They walked away while she turned back to her scroll and her conversation. once they were far enough away, the man in the trench coat leaned over to the feminine boy, "She has the King of Heroes number?" he whispered in disbelief.
"More than that," d'Eon replied in a low tone voice, "He actually called her. What is that about?"
"We knew they got along pretty well," Sanson answered, "But still, Gilgamesh never calls people unless he needs something he doesn't think he can get himself. Which, knowing him, is a very small list of items." They both turned back to see Weiss pacing as she talked, "What could they be discussing?"
"…Yeah, she would actually like that class," Weiss said over the scroll, "…Oh, that works out because she has one too..." Her expression changed to one of slight exhaustion, "Of all the names, that's what you called it," Suddenly, she shrugged as she realized something, "You know, she would unironically find that name funny." Weiss then looked over to see the two boys looking at her, causing her to glare back with an icy stare.
The two then looked away, noticing Ruby walking with Marie towards them. Accompanying them was Astolfo, who was in his combat attire, but had a small limp to his walk. To his right was their teacher Iskandar and Medusa. "Thank you again for letting me join on this mission," Medusa said to Iskandar, "I needed a little break from my team."
"Do not worry, the more the merrier," Iskandar said before patting Medusa on the back, slightly putting her out of breath. He then turned to Ruby, "Besides, you can help our young Rider on her journey to get her faithful companion." He said with Ruby having a slight giggle.
"Oh, that reminds me," Medusa added on, "The other new transfer that was a rider class says she is taking lessons from a different Rider Professor. That is why she didn't want to come here."
"I did not even know there was another new Rider," Iskandar responded as he put his right hand to his chin "During our drink, Drake did not mention taking on a new pupil." He then grinned before laughing, "Granted, I had so much of my fill last night I do not remember most of our conversations."
Ruby turned to Astolfo with a look of slight worry, "Are you sure you're feeling better?" She asked him, "I mean, I heard my sister punched you really hard."
"I'm fine," Astolfo said with a smile, "I just need to take it easy." He then winked at the silver eyed girl, "Besides, I want to be there for your big moment as a Rider."
"Agreed," Marie added on with a smile, "I remember when both of us got our faithful companions on the same trip."
"Oh, you're a rider also." Ruby commented, "What is yours?"
Marie smiled as she closed her eyes. She then rushed ahead of the doing a small spin. At that moment, Ruby noticed the red rose ring on the idol queen's right hand as she moved to her face, "Come to me now." Marie said as the ring started to glow, but soon her whole body shined in a white light, "Guillotine Breaker!" She declared before Ruby had to shield her eyes from the light. When the silver eyed girl opened her eyes, she saw Marie resting sidesaddle on a horse. However, the horse was entirely made of glass, appearing with a light blue shine in its design.
"Wow," Ruby said as she ran over to the glass house, "That's so cool." Marie giggled as Ruby examined the horse, "Can I pet him?"
"Of course," Marie answered, leading to Ruby placing her hand near the horses main. The silver eyes girl's face turned to wonder as she saw the glass creature closed its eye upon being pet.
"It feels like glass!" Ruby commented, "This is such an amazing horse." In the distance, Medusa looked on with slight narrowing of the eyes.
Iskandar walked over with his arms cross, "A horse is always a faithful companion," He commented to Ruby with a smile. He then put his right-hand index finger and thumb to his mouth, whistling. Suddenly a flash of light appeared next to the King of Conquerors. Standing next to him was a black stallion of a horse. Its saddle making the color scheme of Iskandar's outfit, "but one does not need wings or to be made of glass to be outstanding." He said with the horse loudly neighing, causing the King of Conquerors "See, my Bucephalus agrees."
"Awesome!" Ruby commented as started to jump with excitement, "How do I get mine, I want it right now!"
Weiss walked over, having ended her call "Clam down," She answered, "Talking like that will tire you out and give me a headache." As she made that comment, she then turned to the professor, "Now, how does this process work?"
"The types of Grimm used the Rider Process are at a ranch not too far from here," Iskandar responded before looking to Ruby, "Unless you wish to make you mount a horse, they seem to be the only animal outside of Grimm the process works with."
"Nah," Ruby responded, "I want to see how to turn a Grimm into an animal. It sounds so awesome."
"That's the attitude," Iskandar said with glee, "We will set off now. But first, I will give you the first test of being a rider." He said pulling back his cape, revealing a short sword. The King of Conquerors unsheathed his weapon and slashed at the sky. Ruby and Weiss looked in armament as it seemed like he had cut the air with his attack, causing a bolt of lightning to crash between them and the professor. The girl's shielded their eyes from the flash. Regained their sight, they saw a large chariot pulled by two muscular bulls, "This is my Gordius Wheel, one of my other mounts as a rider."
"You can have multiple mounts?" Ruby asked, "That's so cool."
"Now, you will drive this to our destination," Iskandar commented.
"What?" Ruby responded.
"And you will ride with your teammate." The King of Conquerors added as he looked at Wiess.
"What!?" Weiss added.
"You'll be fine, your leader has the riding skill." Iskandar said before he got on Bucephalus, "And as a saber class, you should also have that skill. But, it appears you don't."
"What is that supposed to mean?" The heiress responded in an annoyed voice.
"Come on Weiss, it'll be fun." Ruby responded with a smile, "You get to ride shotgun."
"Astolfo," Marie called to the servlet paladin, "If Hippogriff is still injured, you can ride with me."
"Uhh," Astolfo said as a line of sweat ran down his face. looked at the glass body of the horse, knowing how the ride there would feel, "A-actually, I think I'll ride with Medusa."
"Oh, okay," Marie responded before turning to d'Eon, "Would you care to join me on this ride?"
"Y-yes," d'Eon responded, his face turning slightly red. as he walked to be Astolfo, the svelte paladin had a smirk on his face, causing his face to turn redder.
"Okay Medusa," Astolfo said as he turned around to face the long-haired rider, "Let's take Pegasus for a spin-" He was saying. However, he saw that Medusa had already summoned her Pegasus and Sanson was sitting behind her.
"Sorry," Medusa responded, "But Sanson already asked."
"But what about me?" Astolfo asked everyone.
Suddenly, Iskandar picked up Astolfo by his cape, lifting him to meet his eye level, "Why, you will be riding with me?" The King of Conquerors said before dropping Astolfo behind him on Bucephalus. The svelte paladin landed in a sitting position, causing a tear in the corner of his right eye, "Now, Onward!" Iskandar declared before Bucephalus neighed, racing off into the distance. Soon after Marie and d'Eon followed on Guillotine Breaker, while Medusa and Sanson took off into the sky on Pegasus.
Ruby held the rains of the chariot as Weiss stood behind her, "Do you know how this works?" The heiress asked her leader.
"Well, I think to start, I do this?" Ruby said before she pulled back on the rain. Suddenly, the bulls grunted before taking off a high speed, pulling the chariot. Weiss held onto the handrail of the chariot, while Ruby's grip remained on the rains, "Woohoo!" Ruby said in glee as they took off at extreme speeds, while a look of panic remained on her Weiss' face.
They soon passed the other, rushing right by Iskandar and Astolfo. As the King of Conquerors watched the two rushed by, a peaceful smile come on his face, "Those two…" he thought to himself before he closed his eyes, "Fate seems to always match a person of a free spirit with someone of a rational mind." he said before his mind began to wonder.
18 years ago.
Outside the border of the forest of Apocrypha, a young boy road the Gordius Wheel. His hair was a disheveled bright red with a short ponytail. He wore a thin set of leather armor that exposed his midriff and a red cape around his lower waist. To his right, holding onto the handrail was a young man in a green sweater over a white-collar shirt. He wore a blue and yellow tie and had a panicked expression, "Alexander, slow down!" The scrawny man asked.
"Life does not slow down, so why should it?" The energetic boy commented back, "And I told you, Waver, my full title will be Alexander the Great. So, start calling me that now."
"But I'm going to puke!" Waver responded before his face started to puff up.
"…Fine," Alexander said with a sigh before pulling back on the rains. The bulls grunted before digging their hooves into the ground. The Gordius Wheel soon stopped with Waver falling out of the chariot. He then stumbled over to the nearest bush, the sounds of heaving being heard right after, "I want to make sure I get enough practice riding this." Alexander said as he jumped off the chariot, "It will help me when I eventually win that trial and can make that title of mine official."
"You just got that thing and ride it around like a madman!" Waver said as he wiped his mouth, "And do you think people will call 'The Great,' that's such a vague title."
"Hmmm, maybe I need a different one," Alexander said before he smiled, "That's why I like you Waver, you are always thinking about…everything."
"Why did I have to be matched on a team him." Waver though to himself as he walked back to Alexander. Suddenly, he heard something behind him. He turned back to see the forest, seeing six sets of red glowing eyes, "Alexander, we have company."
"Oh, what is it?" the energetic child said as an eager came on his face, "is it more practice?"
"It looks like it's a pack of Beowolves." Waver said as he back up. Emerging out of the forest were the six creatures of Grimm. Each snarling as the two boys, "They shouldn't be out this far, we should-"
Suddenly, one of the Beowolves lunged towards Waver in the middle of his sentence. The beast flared its fangs as it tried to devour the scrawny man. However, Alexander got in-between the two drawing a short sword in his right hand. He wedged the sword in the Beowolf's jaw. The Grimm chomped on the blade as Alexander stood his ground, "You should let someone finish talking before the battle starts. It is rude otherwise." Alexander told the Grimm before glancing back at his teammate, "Now, what were you saying?"
Waver had a focused gaze as he reached out his left hand. Suddenly, a book formed in his hand titled, Homers Odyssey. "I was going to advise us to find help." Suddenly he glowed in an orangish light, "But now, I command you to fight." He said as he pointed to Alexander.
Suddenly, the energetic boy also glowed in the same light. He began to push back against the Grimm's strength as he started to laugh, "As you say, team leader." Alexander said before he slashed the Grimm's lower jaw off. Before the beast could recover, Alexander stabbed it in the chest. The Grimm stood for a few more seconds before falling backward, landing dead on its back.
Two more Beowolves charged at the energetic child. However, Alexander held his left hand to his lips, making a whistling sound. Once the two Grimms were a couple of feet away, they turned toward the sound of bulls stampeding towards them. While pulling the Gordius Wheel, the bulls trampled the two Grimm.
Waver watched as another two started to approach him. He is extending his right hand before quickly thrusting it upwards. Suddenly, an explosion happened underneath the two beasts, launching them into the air. Waver then moved his arm horizontally, creating a yellowish wave of energy that cut through the air. The wave collided with both creatures, bisecting them in midair. Once they fell back to the ground, Waver looked over to Alexander with a joyful smile. However, Waver had a concerned look as he scanned the area, "Where is the last one?" He asked his teammate as they scanned the area. Waver then found the Beowolf making a run towards the academy, "There!" Waver said as he pointed.
"I'm on it," Alexander said he started to run towards the creature.
"What are you doing, get on the Gordius Wheel" Waver called, "You can't catch it on foot."
"Never said I was," Alexander responded as he ran, "but, I want to make sure everyone gets a little practice today." The energetic boy then jumped a few feet into the air. Again, he whistled, but the sound was slightly different. Appearing underneath him was Bucephalus, who neighed as he caught Alexander on his saddled. The two rode towards the Beowolf at high speed. as they closed in on the pear, Bucephalus jumped into the air. The Beowolf turned back and looked up to see the horse plummet towards him. Bucephalus landed on the creature, crushing its back with the hooves. Alexander looked down to see the Grimm no longer moving, causing him to pet his horse.
Alexander rode back to Waver, who felt relieved "Well, we saved the town from an invasion."
"Come on Waver," Alexander said with a raised eyebrow, "It was just one weak Beowolf. It's not like it was the pack leader." He said before the two heard a rustling in the forest. Waver started to back up as he saw a much larger Beowolf walk out of the forest. Its bones were more jagged, and it stood twice as tall as the other Beowolves did, "Oh, there's the pack leader." Alexander said before the Grimm roared.
Waver and Alexander readied for the fight to continue. However, they dropped their guard upon hearing another loud rushing from the wood, as if something was rushing towards them. They then heard a jumping sound, then looked up to see a hooded man in armor over blue robes. He held a blue and gold sword with a radiant aura with both hands. The pack leader Beowolf was about to attack the two distracted boys before the blue clade knight landed on him. He ran the radiant sword through the back of the Grimm's skull, killing the creature instantly. Blue clade knight pulled his sword out of the creature, holding his weapon with his right hand while he moved his right over his hood. He pulled off his disguises, revealing a young blond man with a joyful expression.
"Wow," Alexander commented, "Nice sword." Suddenly, Waver smacked his teammate with the book, "Ouch, why did you do that?"
"Do you know who this is!?," Waver said to his teammate before he pointed at the blue clade knight, "This is the King of Knights, Professor Arthur Pendragon!" Waver then bowed as Alexander had a look of confusion, "It is a pleasure to meet you, Sir. We are two new students to this academy and were just practicing outside the border of the academy. We knew it wasn't as safe as inside the school, but my teammate said it was a better place to practice his riding abilities."
"There is no need to explain yourself, you have every right practice out here." Arthur responded as he hopped off the now disintegrating Grimm, "It was my fault for not dealing with the Beowolves swiftly enough. A small pack got away from me before I realized it." he then placed his left hand on his chest and bowed, "I thank you for combating the foe and winning like you did. Your teamwork was superb." His comment caused Waver to smile as Alexander grinned. Suddenly, the sound of a new growl was heard.
Alexander and Waver readied as they looked to the forest for next enemy. However, the had a look of confusion as nothing was there. They then looked back to Arthur whose face was slightly red, "My apologies, but I have not eaten in a while." He then composed himself before making his sword disappear, "I will need to head to the cafeteria, would you two want to join me."
"Yes!" Waver instantly responded.
"But I wanted to practice more," Alexander replied to his teammate, who looked back at him in anger, "But, I guess I can wait till I have had a little snack." He said with a grin.
"Perfect," Arthur responded before he started to walk back towards the academy, "I do hope my tea is ready." He said under his breath.
Present time.
In the headmaster's office, Shishigou sat across Zhuge Liang, who sat in a desk as he smoked, "So, that was the first time you meet Arthur?" the necromancer said as he lit his own cigarette, "And then, he ate about five meal courses from the cafeteria." Shishigou added before he blew smoke into the air, "Yeah, that's Arthur for you."
"It was the first time I met him," Zhuge Liang added, "But also the last time I saw him as a male." He then put out his own cigarette and looked at Shishigou, "It was only a few days later that I heard he had changed to a female due to a flaw in the class change process."
"Yeah, I know the rest of the story from there," Shishigou sighed before he puffed his cigarette again, "You know, Mordred still thinks she ruined her dad's life." He said as he placed his left hand on his head, "She's a good kid, but she blames herself for everything bad thing that happened to Artoria after that day."
A moment of silence fell between the two, "You're a father to her," Zhuge Liang commented, causing Shishigou to move his hand away from his face, "That's why we cannot tell her anything about this operation. She is still hotheaded, involving her could result in the same thing that happened a year ago."
"Yeah," Shishigou responded, inhaling smoke before puffing it out, "I tried looking for Artoria after she went missing, but nothing ever came up."
"Then you need to try harder now," Zhuge Liang responded causing the necromancer to have a single laugh, "You and Kiritsugu knew her the best outside her team, of whom we can't ask to look for her right now." He then had a serious expression as he looked at Shishigou, "If she has tried this hard to stay hidden, there has to be something she knows about this new looming threat."
"Well, I can't promise I'll find her. Or her alter, if that thing is running around," Shishigou said as he finished his cigarette, standing up, "But it if does, I'll let you know before we head out to ask her a few questions."
"Thank you," Zhuge Liang said before he turned around looking out a window over the land of Apocrypha, "I don't know how much time we have until there next move."
Ruby.
After a while of traveling, the group arrived at their destination. They had reached a small wooden cabin near the edge of the forest. Once the Gordius Wheel stopped, Weiss fell out and landed on the ground, her head spinning, "I did it, I drove the chariot!" Ruby said as she jumped off the chariot, "I have never gone that fast before, you Weiss?"
"I think I'm going to vomit," Weiss wheezed as she looked at the ground.
"Oh," Ruby said as she looked at her teammate in slight worry, "…you want me to hold back your hair."
"No," Weiss said as she started to get back up, regaining her composure, but putting her right hand on her head, "Just…give me a second."
Soon after, Iskandar and the others caught up with the two members of Team RWBY, "Excellent work Ruby, you passed the first test." The King of Conquerors said before dismounting his horse, "Now, you can pick your Grimm for the second test."
"Cool," Ruby said before a question came to her mind, "But, where is the person that runs this ranch?"
"Hmmm," Iskandar said as he examined the area, "She must be out right now." he then looked at Ruby and smiled, "We will just see ourselves in."
"Did you get a chance to decide what type of Grimm you wanted work with?" Astolfo asked as he carefully got off the horse, "They have all kinds here, Well, not the super dangerous ones."
"Well, if I pick a Grimm," Ruby asked, "How do I know what animal it will turn into."
"That's a good question," Marie said as d'Eon helped her off the horse, "The animal created will be the general species of the Grimm you pick. Their shape and construction change to correlate with the soul of the rider, but they maintain some of the key animal characteristics of the original form."
"Right, with horses it's a lot easier." Astolfo added on, "But take my Hippogriff. He used to be a Grimm Griffin before undergoing the Rider process." He then winked at the silver eyed girl, "Why he looks the way he does is due to my soul making that change from a scary monster to the loveable guy he is today."
"What he means is that the process is also unique to each Rider," Medusa added on looking over to Marie, "Enough we both choose horse. Mine turned into one with wing and yours turned into one made of glass. That is just how the process changes the Grimm into something made for the Rider."
"Ohhhh." Ruby said as she looked on in wonder before looking to Iskandar, "Will I get tested on this?"
"Nope," Iskandar said with a smile, as he wandered around the ranch, "I never liked those written paper, so I don't make my students take them."
Ruby smiled as Weiss sighed. The heiress then looked back to Marie, "It's only riders who this process works with?" She asked the idol queen.
"Mostly, there are a few expectations," Marie responded, "Like one upper class who was in the assassin class performed the process with a King Taijutsu." She then turned back to Ruby, "So, the best way to decided is what is it you most want to ride?"
"Well...," Ruby said as she remembered her daydream of a few days ago, her face turning slightly red. Suddenly, she had an idea, "I know, I'll pick a Beowolf."
"A Beowolf?" Weiss responded, "Why would you want that?"
Ruby mutter to herself in an almost whisper "Giant Flying Zwei…"
"What?" Weiss responded.
"Nothing!" Ruby said as she was about to catch up to Iskandar, but she stopped herself, "Oh, how do you come up with names for these creatures. Do I get to name mine?"
"Well," Medusa answered, "The names made during the process." She answers caused ruby to have a confused look, "Once you send part of your soul into the Grimm. A reverb will occur, which is the new creature telling you the name."
"That's pretty cool," Ruby responded, "But I kind of wanted to name it Zwei The Second." She muttered to herself before rushing towards Iskandar, leaving a plum of rose petals were she once stood. The others followed as she found Iskandar in front of a large metal cage, "I picked a type, Beowolf."
"Excellent," Iskandar said before he looked at the cage, "I found one right here." Ruby looked in to see a Beowolf sitting in the corner, it snarled as it glared at the two, "These creatures have caused so much chaos to the world of Remnant." The King of Conquerors said before turning back to Ruby, "But now, we can have them help people. When in the control of a proper rider."
"How does this process work again?" Ruby asked.
"You know how to call Noble Phantasm Weapon?" Iskandar asked, with Ruby answering by forming her Crescent Rose in her hands, "It is just like that feeling, but you focus on the Grimm." He then looked at the ground, causing Ruby to notice a magical circuit on the ground and in the cage, "This area is already made to enhance that feeling, allowing part of your soul to combine with the Grimm. You just have to try."
"O-okay…" Ruby said as she nodded before looking at the Grimm, who glared back at Ruby. Ruby then had a line sweat fall down her face before she closed her eyes. after a few seconds, nothing happened. Iskandar was about to speak up, but then he noticed a whitish aura surround her. the magical circuits began to glow in the same light and the Grimm started to become covered in that same light.
"What is this?" Iskandar said before he looked back to Ruby, who opened her eyes with a silver light radiating from them. However, he then noticed the Beowolf snarled as before it started to thrash becoming more covered in the light. The light that surrounded the area began to expand beyond the circuit. Suddenly, the Beowolf lunged at Ruby, its right claw extended as its body glowed more violently in the aura. Just as the claw slipped past the bars, Iskandar pulled Ruby back as he jumped away. At that moment, the white light reached its peak, causing Iskandar to have a look of panic.
As the rest of the group were a few meters away, they saw a large explosion over the area, "Ruby!" Weiss shouted as she shielded herself from the blast. Once the noise settled, she turned to Medusa, "Is that part of the process?"
"No," Medusa responded in worry, "That's not supposed to happen."
The group then ran over to find Iskandar on the ground, "Where's Ruby!?" Astolfo asked as Iskandar got up. The svelte paladin looked to see Ruby in Iskandar's arms.
"I shielded her from the blast," Iskandar said as he looked down at Ruby, who no longer had the aura around her body.
"L…L..." Ruby tried to speak as she opened her eyes, "Lo…"
Suddenly, the group heard a wolf howl behind then. They looked back to see the smoke clearing over the rest of the area. were the cage once stood, only broken scrapes of metal remained. Weiss called her rapier, expecting a Grimm. However, she had a look astonishment as the smoke cleared. In the center of the circuit was a massive male grey wolf, but its fur was a mix of blue and white. Around its paws were pieces of metal that resembled that of the cage. However, they were reshaped into that of bear traps clamping on him. It snarled as it glared at the group, "What is that thing?"
"Lobo." Weiss turned back to see Ruby back on her feet, "He said his name is Lobo." Ruby then looked over to see the grey wolf. She then noticed something missing. The silver eyed girl then looked to see her Crescent Rose on the ground near Lobo. She then looked back at the grey wolf, seeing him looking at the weapon. Suddenly, Lobo lunged at the weapon, "Hey!" Ruby called as she saw Lobo biting on Crescent Rose, his teeth around the middle handle of the weapon. He snarled while holding the weapon, glaring at the silver eyed girl. Ruby took a step towards the grey-wolf, but Lobo barked back, maintaining his hold on the Crescent Rose. He then turned around and ran into the woods, "HEY, give that back!" Ruby shouted before running after Lobo.
"Ruby!" Weiss called out, but her leader did not hear her. The heiress then the gritted her teeth before running after her team leader.
Iskandar and Team France followed close behind, with a look panic filling Medusa's eyes, "This is not how this process works!" She said as they all ran into the woods.
AN: There you go, the mount Ruby creates in the Rider process is Lobo. It may seem wild, but if you think about both characters and what they have in common, it makes more sense. Sorry to end on a cliffhanger, this storyline will continue in the next one. I hope people also liked the flashback part, showing off Waver and Alexander before they became their adult versions was fun to do. And it also let me show a small bit of Arthur before his major change. That is all for now, thanks for reading, and hope to see you in the next chapter.