Volume 8 fucking hurt. It was painful.

Someone needs to protect Jaune. My dude hasn't been given a break since Volume 3.

Also, Castlevania Season 3 slaps hard. We need to protect Hector too.

Jaune awoke to the smell of a fresh pot of stew going. Paired with the baking bread wafting into his nostrils, the boy immediately sat up to zero in on the source. There, he found Weiss hunched over the pot, working on preparing the day's meals. Humming as she pulled spices from a set of vials and tossed them in the broth.

Everyone else appeared to be asleep still. Port was utterly oblivious to the noise Weiss was making, passed out in a chair only a few feet from the fire with a blanket thrown over him. The only creature here that responded to the early birds was Dreizehn lying on the ground next to the fireplace. His chestnut eyes darted back and forth in the room as he enjoyed the warmth.

Wonder if the food's done yet? I want to get an early start...

There was still so much the group needed to explore. Sure, they had enough food to buy themselves another week or so, but they couldn't waste much time. This morning had to be a quick meal and then delving further into the ruins. By delving, it meant they had to penetrate as deep as they could and find a secondary campsite to move into. Jaune and the party couldn't half-ass it on their first actual day inside. They needed to reach the furthest point Blake had gone to by nightfall and get past it.

But that came with risks. Particularly the undead kind. So, they had to move slowly and carefully to keep the draugr from getting the drop on the party. That ate up their time. The time they couldn't afford to lose right now.

So, Jaune removed the breastplate he and Nora found from the bag of holding. The leather straps had long since decayed by this point, but there was plenty of spare leather they'd acquired at the wrecked caravan. He fashioned some crude straps with his knife and some sewing materials to fit the plate onto Weiss.

It was not great but workable for the time being. Jaune doubted Weiss would have to deal with the straps getting loose or breaking. This was some good leather meant for horse tack.

Unfortunately, Weiss didn't have proper gambeson like Ruby. So, any hits would undoubtedly be noticed; however, it was supposed to be the last resort for her. There wasn't anything they could use to fashion padding down here anyway. It had all likely rotted away.

Okay, this is done; time to see if it fits Weiss...

Jaune got up and approached Weiss from behind, holding the plate in his hands. She hadn't noticed his presence until she happened to look behind her. The sight of Jaune standing there nearly caused the girl to fall back out of reflex. Such a fright it was that the girl grabbed at her chest during her leap.

"Jaune," Weiss gasped, attempting to catch her breath. "You could have said something..."

"Sorry," Jaune whispered back, going to rub the back of his head out of nervous habit. "Trying not to wake the others. But I put something together..." He lifted the breastplate onto the table, showing it off to Weiss. "Me and Nora found this yesterday. Since it can't fit anyone else, I thought you could use it."

They could certainly sell it later or have Weiss adopt this armour as her own. It wasn't going to be a permanent arrangement, so it didn't hurt to use the piece. Better to have it out of the bag and on Weiss than sitting in the barracks gathering dust.

"Really," Weiss asked, craning her neck to inspect the armour. The idea of wearing metal seemingly foreign to her.

"Yeah, try it on," Jaune encouraged, picking up the plate and separating the two halves. "Lift your arms..."

Following Jaune's command, Weiss stood in a t-pose as the Paladin lowered the armour onto her shoulders. Resting the plate there, Jaune moved to tighten down the straps. He did not need to crouch for this, standing over the girl as he worked.

"You're gonna have to learn to get out of this on your own," Jaune lectured. "Pretty easy if you can reach..."

"I get it," Weiss whispered, looking away from him. In the darkness, Jaune couldn't tell there was a blush on her cheeks. Her face was covered mainly in darkness now, obscuring the view.

Jaune's enthusiasm for the armour overshadowed the fact Weiss was his crush. Getting this close to her now might have prompted a surge of anxiety to crash through him. All because those damn hormones getting triggered by his brain.

"And done..."

Jaune took a step back to marvel at his work. The piece really did fit her body well, hugging her sides tight enough that it didn't move around. With both plates separated into two parts, just below the ribs, it gave her more ease of movement along the crease. All in all, it was a solid choice for some level eighteen armour.

Tighter than it should be, but there isn't a gambeson under there...

"It's heavy," Weiss commented, moving her arms around as she tried to get a feel for the piece. Though, she didn't appear to find it uncomfortable.

"Win some, lose some," Jaune replied, shrugging his shoulders. "Better protection, but you have to carry it around all day long..."

Their conversation was cut off by grumbling from their party members. Jaune looked back to find Ruby beginning to sit up, as were some of the others. Many appeared rather uncomfortable with their sleeping arrangements. Agreeable since the stone beds were brutal to lay on.

"Do you want to help prepare the stew, we need to hurry up if we're gonna eat breakfast," Weiss asked, switching tangents as she went back to the stew pot.

"Yeah, sure!"

...

After their morning meal, everyone was awake and well-fed now. With a shot of coffee in their veins, the feeling of sleepiness had been vanquished. Combined with the party's enthusiasm, nobody was passing out during their talk. It was all the perfect start to the day.

Blake had taken the time last night to add additional details to the map. With the areas they mapped out, Dr Oobleck could further excavate the blockages and discover what remained behind. She also made sure to mark down where any loot was found for reference. Because losing a chest of gold you left behind was a bad thing.

"We haven't made it very far through the side chambers along the main route," Ruby explained, drawing several entrances on the map further down from the intersection. "I think we should focus on these and clear them before going deeper. We won't have to worry about backtracking later."

It was effective and simple if the whole party did it at once. Jaune understood the wisdom behind it, but all of the good loot was lower in the dungeon. Not to mention potential camping sites that needed to be cleared out still.

"What about sending one team as far as we can," Jaune proposed, gesturing to the end of the known map. "The other two can split up and search the side chambers or break down from there to make it faster. Take pairs through each of the corridors and map them out. If there's treasure, grab it and come back to base once you're done. We can't waste time up here when all the valuable loot is deep down."

Everyone chewed on the idea for a short time as Jaune looked around them. Several of them seemed agreeable to it, while the others didn't appear sure. It didn't have to be a unanimous decision. They could stay up here if they wanted and clear the city slowly.

"It would give us a clearer picture of what's ahead," Ren agreed, studying the route carefully. "Did you disable all of the traps, Blake?"

"Whatever was on the main route," she replied, going over the details in her head. "Most were dart traps or single-use swinging log traps. Whoever armed them did so on their way down."

Fighting retreat?

But there didn't appear to be any signs of battle in the upper levels. It looked more like this was abandoned than surrendered to an enemy. There was certainly the possibility they left via another tunnel when the city finally died out, sealing the main route with traps to protect their tombs.

"Then I want to take a team to where you stopped, then go from there," Jaune declared, grabbing the bag of holding. "I know the traps from last time, so we won't have any problems. Who wants to come with?"

"I think it would be best if I come along," Pyrrha volunteered, grabbing her spear and shield. "With the greater threats going further, I can help clear the main tunnel. It would also give me a chance to learn about the city."

"I'll go too," Ren followed up. "It's a good idea. We can find some of the higher-powered loot and use it on the other chambers."

Good...

"Then if you three are going, I need to show you how to disable wards," Weiss interjected, walking away from the main table.

Jaune followed behind along with Ren and Pyrrha. They were stopped by Weiss casting a spell, summoning a wall of magic in front of them. The shimmering barrier was see-through, with a cloudy white miasma rolling off the glass-like surface.

Pyrrha touched the ward, and it wouldn't let her pass. Jaune attempted to hit it, but his hand bounced off with equal force. These prods into the defence were met with nods by Weiss.

"Jaune, you need to funnel magic into the ward to break it down," she explained, holding her hand up the ward. "The wards here are permanent forms of this one. They're functionally the same, so they can be removed in similar ways."

Yeah, they're supposed to be deterrents. Not easy to get past, but they might force treasure hunters to turn back...

"Let me see..."

Jaune held his hand up to the barrier, keeping his palm an inch away from the surface. Funnelling magicka into his hand like he was casting a healing spell, the white miasma transferred to the barrier. It only required two seconds of this process before the ward suddenly and violently collapsed. The unforeseen decay threw a shockwave out, nearly knocking the four adventurers to the ground.

"What was that," Ruby shouted, running over to make sure everyone was all right.

I did something wrong?

"How much magic did you use," Weiss asked with a look of surprise painted on her face. Her hair was blown back and now messy because of the explosion. The Mage's tiara nearly suffered the same fate, hanging loosely from her ponytail.

"I don't know... enough," Jaune nervously replied, sporting a slight blush on his cheeks.

"They're supposed to just collapse, not explode," Weiss barked, returning to her usual tone. She took a quick breath, calming down slightly before looking back at the trio. "But, it should get you through any wards you find. Just make sure you don't touch them. Certain wards can be used as traps to kill anybody that runs into them."

Good to know...

"Wish us luck then," Jaune chirped, grabbing the last of his supplies. "We'll be back by tonight or tomorrow morning. If you guys clear out this entire area, move up to a campsite, Blake's checked out."

"Good luck out there, guys," Ruby called out with a wave.

As Jaune and Pyrrha moved to the barrack's entrance, Ren was pulled back by Nora. He couldn't hear what she had to say, but Jaune guessed they were some parting words for him to be careful. She hugged him, nearly squeezing the life out of the boy before releasing him back to the group.

...

Pyrrha guided Jaune and Ren past the intersection. Now in the area where Blake and Ruby had explored yesterday, they were met with signs of draugr. Or more notably, their corpses.

Ruby had certainly cleaned up yesterday. Most of the undead were sliced in half, almost effortlessly. A sure sign Crescent Rose had done its job. A few were smashed with caved-in heads or shot with arrows; however, practically every corpse belonged to Ruby.

Without any undead, the group marvelled at the stonework. The roof had been raised nearly a hundred feet from the floor with buildings on either side of the cavern. The stairway behind them had two waterfalls running down it into grated channels alongside the road. Above, stone bridges were crossing above the road, leading into either side of the cavern. Each path clearly holding more chambers to be explored by the others.

"I can't believe how intact everything is," Pyrrha expressed in awe. "It's still a functional city. People could live down here if someone reinforced the roof." She kneeled down and scooped a handful of water out from the channel. "This water is still good too, and it looks like it runs to a cistern farther down the road."

Pyrrha's observations were correct. For a noble's daughter, she had to have been in on discussions related to public works. Where Jaune saw a decaying ruin, she saw some potential opportunity. The Paladin could only wonder what Mistrali cities looked like with more people like her in charge.

"It's going to make Dr Oobleck happy," Ren commented in a cheerful tone. "There's a lot to learn from this place. But there's got to be a dozen more ruins like this one."

"You think some of them are more advanced," Jaune posed, cutting the pair off.

"Maybe," Ren agreed, shrugging his shoulders. "Vale's only rebuilding their sewer system now. These ruins still have one around after a thousand years."

"Mistral has them too," Pyrrha added on. "We use aqueducts to transport water. But these other ruins might have used magical constructs to perform hard labour. Or like those underground farms you mentioned."

It would be cool to see a fleet of golems mining or farming down here. Magi could create them with the right materials, but it was hardly worth the effort. They took forever to construct and were only really good for guarding areas you didn't want people in.

"Hopefully, we hit the jackpot then," Jaune mused, approaching the steps to another section of the ruins. "This place makes a good fall back for Vale even if we don't. Then there's all the stuff we can mine if there's ore too!"

"That's not a bad point, honestly," Pyrrha expressed, cupping her chin. "There have to be some veins we can take advantage of. Especially with how deep these ruins seem to go. In Mistral, some clans live around volcanoes and mine any materials they find in the lava flows. It shouldn't be any different here."

"You're kidding," Jaune replied with a gasp. "They can actually do that?!"

There have to be so many metals they get out of there! Titanite, adamantine, ignium! We definitely have to visit them!

Vale primarily used underground mines to get their metals. Since there were no volcanoes in the area, that was what they were stuck with. It became a complicated task to get the exotic metals out of the ground, thus driving the prices up.

This issue really explained Vale and Atlas' partnership.

"Yes," Pyrrha confirmed for him. "It's where we got the materials for my armour." She showed Jaune and Ren her shield. "The miners called it firebrass. It's supposed to be stronger than steel and comes in this gold colour."

Getting a good look at the shield again, Jaune could see some of its properties. The wyvern's fire breath hadn't done anything to harm the build, still keeping a perfect golden shine. The metal was capable of resisting the damage far longer than any steel shield Jaune could have forged.

"That's cool," Jaune complimented, leaning forward to gawk at the place. "I've never heard of firebrass, though."

"There's a couple names for it," Ren interjected, causing the others to turn to him. "The smiths in my village called it goldsteel. I don't know what name Valean's have."

"We could ask around in Vale," Pyrrha suggested. "Someone might know where to find some."

Just as they crossed into the frontier, Jaune and the group began ascending a staircase. It led them to another platform overlooking more of the city. Here, there were a few benches and old firepits for gatherings, but not much else. The area below drew their attention instead.

That portion of the city was like an actual town. Only this one was underground and illuminated by glowing fungi hanging from the roof. There was enough light down here that it was comparable to an overcast day. The still-burning torches and braziers in the streets made sure there was hardly any darkness.

Whatever buildings remained intact were marvellously crafted stoneworks that put Vale to shame. The structures ranged from towers, climbing to the cave's roof, to multileveled homes clustered in blocks around the cavern. Each and every one was decorated with ornate spiralled carvings with figures of animals covering every feasible surface. These reliefs telling stories of the past or paying tribute to idols the city worshipped.

Jaune could have sworn these buildings were moulded out of clay. He couldn't imagine anyone putting together something this amazing.

"Whoa," Ren uttered in a low tone.

"I'm lost for words," Pyrrha expressed, gazing out on the city with a slack jaw.

"Same..."

How the hell did they build all of this?

"Heh, I think the others are missing out," Pyrrha expressed with a snort, leaning over a railing to get a better look. "How are we going to search all of this?"

From where they stood, Jaune could see about a hundred intact structures. However, there were no apparent exits from this chamber except for the one on the other side. Another staircase led up to a large egress and into what was likely more tunnels.

Between the group and that exit, Jaune could see a bunch of draugr in the streets. Not enough that it was impossible to deal with, but it wasn't going to be a cakewalk. Pyrrha, Jaune, and Yang would easily walk all over these guys without any problems. However, with Ren here, it would be more of a dance with some tricks to ensure this went smoothly.

He wasn't a tank, so they needed to keep moving to keep the draugr off him.

"We can worry about that later," Ren expressed, surveying the area below with the others. "Now, we should find a way to get rid of these draugr." He paused to think. "Do you have any ideas?"

Everyone dropped their bags and began pulling items out that might help their battle. As they broke down the bags, they each crouched around the pile to inspect what the others brought to the table.

"Dust, rope, silver bars, and alchemical materials," Ren summed up, picking up a fire Dust crystal. "We didn't bring very much, did we?"

"Nope," Jaune replied with a pop.

Can't bring everything we want down here or we'll be too weighed down. I'd like to have brought a personal golem army, but we can't have those things right now.

Jaune looked to Pyrrha, hoping she was going to have something to say. As he did so, some wheels inside her head were beginning to turn. The girl was transfixed on the items, trying to combine them inside into a helpful tool. Whatever ideas she had, Jaune was all for it.

Pyrrha grabbed the rope and Dust, binding the two together securely. Jaune was sure it wouldn't slip out regardless of what someone did to it. However, he wasn't sure where she was going with this idea.

Whatever it was, he liked it.

"Here, we use this to slam a Dust crystal into the centre of their horde," Pyrrha explained, handing the makeshift flail to Jaune. "Ren distracts them; I go over the top and hold the line. Jaune, we'll support you as much as we can, but you need to find an opening and destroy them."

Get rid of them all in one hit...

"Why don't I use my telekinesis," Jaune pointed out, not outright denying the idea. "We might need the rope for something else."

"But the magic is more important if someone gets wounded," Ren countered Jaune. "You're the only healer we have, so we can't risk wasting magic. We can do this without any spells as long as we don't get cornered."

I see their point... Ruby brought a couple hundred feet of rope with her, so we can get away with this. If it means clearing this place out quickly, then it's worth it.

"All righty then," Jaune agreed, standing and grabbing the rest of his bags. "Pyrrha, we'll follow your lead. We need to train them in an open space, so they group up."

"There," Pyrrha uttered, pointing at a market square on the far side of the town. "We can do it there. All we have to do is get them to follow us."

Without another word, the trio descended into the lower town. Dropping their bags along the way, each prepared their weapons for the coming fight. Ren snatched a sword from one of the draugr at the base of the steps, giving him an extra piece to fight back. Pyrrha and Jaune each gripped their own blades and shields tightly for this sprint.

Let's do this...

Nodding to one another, they each let out a booming shout with all of the air in their lungs. The screams echoed throughout the cavern, attracting the few draugr here to them: their zombified growls each drowned out by the teens' roar. More and more began to descend on the trio as Pyrrha bashed her sword against her shield.

Dozens were now clamouring for a piece of Jaune and the others. In the dim light, their glowing blue eyes shone brightly, giving them a terrifying appearance as their desiccated bodies shambled closer. The sounds of armour clanking against itself grew louder and louder until finally, the shouting was quiet in comparison. Jaune was now having a hard time batting away their hands and swords with how many had arrived.

As a hundred zombies found their way to the base of the stairs, Pyrrha broke off into a sprint down a nearby street. Jaune and Ren followed, trying to keep up with her pace. The woman's sheer speed outmatched either of their's, using every bit of power in her legs to clear a hundred metres in a few seconds. This clearance did not dissuade the draugr from following close behind, however.

From the buildings on either side of this street, more draugr began pouring out in droves. Pyrrha clotheslined one of them, smashing the zombie's head into the ground and cracking it like a coconut. Any others that got into her path were toppled over with ease, clearing the way for the slower boys.

Jaune and Ren had to go into overdrive to keep up with the Spartan. With the horde teeming with zombies right on their tail, there was certainly more than enough motivation to push them farther. Jaune's heightened adrenaline levels caused his heart rate and breathing to skyrocket as he focused on following Pyrrha.

Come on! All of you get out here!

As Pyrrha made a turn around a corner, she was met with this hulking behemoth of a draugr. The girl did not slow down for him, sliding between its legs and cutting upwards with her sword through the pelvis. While this did not take it down, it opened up the opportunity for Ren to attack.

The boy leapt into the air, cocking his sword back and stabbed the draugr through the throat. As he tried to wrench it out, the blade became stuck, forcing him to leave it behind. However, the draugr's death caused him to drop his battle-axe, which Jaune grabbed before it fell to the ground.

Throwing Crocea Mors to Ren, Jaune donned the large axe. The weight of the weapon did not slow his pace, but he was forced to run carefully. Such a large weapon remained awkward in his hands during the chase. However, it served perfectly to clean up any draugr who got in his way.

Ren and Pyrrha, on the other hand, were cutting a swath through the mob in front of the trio. The Monk rolled over the Spartan's back, cutting down two draugr with a single stroke as Pyrrha shield bashed a third. Jaune came up from the rear, swinging upwards at a fourth zombie into its chest. The blow burying the axe inside before ripping all the way through. This last death cleared the path ahead, allowing them to cut through another street.

The three continued sprinting through the city, raising hell along the way. Their actions surely drew every single draugr out from its hiding place and out into the open. With the nearly two hundred corpses following behind, the trio quickly redirected their movement back to the marketplace. The draugr continued nipping at their heels all along the way without relenting.

Despite the trio's admirable attempts to outrun the zombies, stamina was beginning to wither. Pyrrha had slowed down significantly in that short chase, running alongside Jaune and Ren now. Each was breathing raggedly and on their last legs as they approached the marketplace.

Finally catching sight of their final stand, Jaune twisted around and threw the battle-axe into the horde of zombies. It crashed into the first draugr in the crowd, causing him to stumble and fall to the ground. This made about a dozen behind him trip over their comrade before the mob overtook their losses. Their unending pursuit was akin to a tidal wave crashing through the narrow city streets.

Breaking out of the corridor and into the open market, Pyrrha scrambled to throw something in the path of the horde. Not finding a wagon or debris to do so, she cocked back her arm and smashed her shield into a nearby wall. The old stonework crumbled under the immense force imparted by the blow, causing the rest of the structure to fall.

The building fell into the street, blocking the path momentarily. This pause allowed the three to catch their breath before the horde climbed over. With the first few scrambling atop the debris, Pyrrha quickly dispatched them without hesitation, using whatever debris she could throw.

Ren and Jaune merely waited for the horde to gather in the market, standing by while Pyrrha thinned them out. Taking the initiative, the boys backed away and looked for a path to the rooves. There, they could set off the Dust and clear the rest of the horde out.

Pyrrha didn't need their help on her end. The Spartan bounced back and forth between opponents, acrobatically cutting them down with little effort. She would pirouette from one enemy to the next, kicking the second draugr's weapon out of its hands before following up with another kick to launch it at a new foe. The sword or axe would then bury itself into the unsuspecting draugr, killing it almost instantly.

Such was how Pyrrha fought. It was more like a graceful ballet than a battle. The woman had gotten it down to a form of art with how she moved.

So, that meant Ren and Jaune needed to do their part.

"Jaune, there," Ren pointed out, running to a nearby wall that was high enough to climb. He turned to Jaune, pressing his back against it and giving the boy a place to boost himself up.

Jaune backpedalled before running at his companion. Leaping and using the man's hand to throw himself up the wall, Jaune grabbed at the edge of the ceiling. In a single motion, he tossed himself over, going back for Ren with a hand to lift the other man up.

The two looked into the street, finding all the draugr were caught right at the blockade. However, more and more were slowly starting to break free and go after Pyrrha. So, the boys quickly made a running jump to another roof to get into position.

Just as they leapt across the boundary between rooves, an arrow whizzed past Jaune's head. Several more followed just as they landed, forcing them into cover. A hand signal from Ren gave him the cue to began regardless of the missiles.

Jaune didn't hesitate to follow on his comrade's word, grabbing the makeshift explosive whip. Beginning to spin the Dust crystal around, Jaune caught sight of the draugr firing arrows at them. Across the street, five were nocking arrows in their longbows with Jaune as their target.

The first one to fire was blocked by Ren cutting the arrow in half. The following two came to the same fate, sliced in half gracefully in a single motion. Before any more missiles could be fired, Ren activated another ability.

The air surrounding his hands shuddered as pink-coloured energy poured from his palms. The pink Aura moulded itself into the shape of a recurve bow, taking Crocea Mors' place as his primary armament. As the bow finally forged itself, letting out a metallic clang with a burst of energy, Ren drew back an arrow.

Five arrows made from this pink Aura extended from the bow. Each held in place among his fingers as he pulled back on the string. The Monk strained against the draw strength the bow was set at, but he didn't allow his arm to fail. As he lined up his targets, Ren loosed the arrows at once.

Each of them transformed into a streak of energy, no longer keeping its original shape. As they raced towards their target, Ren seemed to control their destination, watching how one arrow would split off from the rest to strike a target. Without warning, they each broke away from their original path, cutting through a draugr and nearly vapourising it.

This left Jaune free to do his job. He continued spinning the rope above his head, letting out some line as he put more force into propelling the Dust. With enough velocity, slamming this crystal into the ground would cause it to explode instantaneously.

Hope this works...

Within the next couple of seconds, Jaune had let loose nearly forty feet of rope. By now, the draugr started to figure out their situation, so they had to act immediately. Jaune twisted his body to contort the whip into position. In a single motion, he stomped down on the line, causing it to violently change directions.

The sudden shift in orientation forced the rope to arc over his head, bringing the centripetal force to a maximum. This delivered the payload right into the middle of the street where all of the draugr stood. As the crystal disappeared into the crowd, Jaune saw a light erupt from where it vanished.

He was barely able to dive into cover just as the bomb went off. The flames washed over every part of the street, nearly touching the boys on the roof. Their shelter inside the building grew unbearably hot as the fire-roasted the interior like an oven.

Moments later, the fire died down enough for the boys to leave their cover. They looked over the edge of the roof, finding only carnage and ash where the undead used to be. Aside from a few corpses still moving, nearly everything was destroyed instantly. Pyrrha saw to the few zombies that remained, leaving the trio alone.

"That worked better than I thought it would," Pyrrha expressed confidently, standing atop the collapsed house. "Should we continue on ahead or turn back for now? I can keep going..."

Jaune and Ren looked to each other, finding the other was still able to push ahead. Leaping down from the roof, they joined up with Pyrrha and found their way to the other side of the cavern.

[Ruby]

Ruby excitedly bounced along the path, hoping to find anything down here. All they had discovered so far were a bunch of dead bodies and some gold coins, but nothing else. However, the lack of loot would not dissuade the girl from exploring.

She was just fascinated by the entire structure. Every inch of this place had some story attached to it. When the group reached the bottom, Ruby was hoping to find out what happened to this city. It gave her butterflies in her stomach just thinking about it.

"I wonder if we'll find dwarven ruins the deeper we go," Ruby thought out loud, poking at a long-dead corpse.

The body was old and desiccated like most of the draugr, but he was different. The draugr were prepared in a certain way that this one wasn't. With the sword wound in his back, Ruby was confused about what happened to him. Several other bodies were scattered around like this one too.

"Dwarves," Blake asked with a raised eyebrow. "I thought those were just fairy tales?"

All of the fairy tales of Remnant usually depicted other humanoid races in tandem with humans and faunus. Stories like Cinderella, Snow White, and such were told and retold throughout generations. Ruby still had a bunch of books containing the various novels in her house somewhere. She just never got rid of them because they were from her mother.

"Still are," Yang interjected, stretching her arms behind her head. "Nobody's found any proof of them, so they're a myth."

"I know that," Ruby replied, pouting slightly. "It's just that it would be cool to find some. My books talk about their huge underground cities with machines, electric lights, magic engines to pump hot water around, and a bunch of cool stuff. I read one story about a castle that could move around using magic, appearing in different places all over the world."

What was it called again?

"Those legends had to come from somewhere," Blake added on, exploring the idea further. "So far, we can check off one box for this city since it's underground. Tomorrow we can go deeper once Jaune finds us a spot to camp. Maybe we'll find the rest of that stuff."

I'm gonna be so mad if Jaune finds it first!

With all the cool stuff they found so far on this adventure, Ruby wanted to be the one to discover something. While she didn't envy Jaune finding the crossbow and bag of holding in the goblin cave, she hoped to share the experience of exploring the deeper levels with him and Weiss. Perhaps leading the expedition instead of just following along.

"Hey, room up ahead," Yang uttered, dragging Ruby out of her thoughts.

Ruby looked up to find a door sitting along this hallway. It was the last spot they were due to check since the passage was blocked off. So, the trio of girls got into position to clear the room, a well-rehearsed manoeuvre they had plenty of practice in.

Blake pushed open the door and stood to the side, waiting for any set-off traps. A click coming from inside the room preceded a large ballista bolt flying out from inside. The missile tip buried itself in the wall to the surprise of the girls, who jumped back instinctively.

Waiting a few more seconds, Ruby stuck her head inside to inspect the room. The ballista only had one shot in the chamber, leaving their entrance unimpeded. So, Blake and Ruby very carefully entered while watching for pressure plates or other traps.

However, their initial fears were wiped away as there didn't seem to be anything else. Yang came inside a moment later to come look around, destroying the ballista so it wouldn't be used again. With that gone, the three focused on looking for treasure.

Rustling through the old urns and containers, Ruby wasn't finding anything up here. Just containers for food and stuff like that. Turning around, Yang was messing with an old knife, and Blake was looking behind the shelves. Yet, they came up with nothing.

The lack of loot became kind of depressing with how much effort they put into exploring this area. Ruby just wanted to find something nice. However, that wasn't going to stop her from looking around. A few more coins wouldn't be much but would be something to show.

She continued poking around for a few more minutes before reaching the opposite side of the room from Yang and Blake. Pulling stuff off the shelves, Ruby systematically cleared everything out. Upon dusting off the final few objects, she found nothing.

Sighing loudly, Ruby hung her head low in defeat. Yet, this was a fortune for the girl instead of concession. The change in perspective drew her eyes to a button on the wall next to the shelf. With a quick inspection, she pressed the switch, hoping it would do something.

A mechanism began working out of her view, pushing the bookshelf out of the way and revealing a chest behind it. The box placed into a cutout slot in the wall where nobody would be able to find it. This immediately caused Ruby to leap out of joy, finally finding something worthwhile. Her excited squee noise drew both Yang and Blake to inspect her findings.

"Ooooohoooohooooooooo~," Yang shouted in glee as she came around. The girl reached and pulled out the chest for everyone to see more clearly. "Noice job Rubes!"

Blake kneeled down and used a knife to break the lock off the chest, then opened the case to examine the contents. Inside was a horde of gold coins, jewellery, and gems. Ruby reached inside and pulled out a ruby the size of a tangerine and held it in her hands.

So cool! How much is this thing worth? I want to keep it so badly too!

"Okay, let's leave everything inside and go back to camp," Blake said, shutting the lid but letting Ruby keep the gem. "We can check out the rest of the stuff tonight. The rings and necklaces might be enchanted."

Yang and Blake took both sides of the chest and followed Ruby back to the main road.

...

Arriving at the central tunnel, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Being back in the light was such a great feeling after two hours in near darkness. The air was also much fresher out here than in any of the side tunnels. Ruby had to take a minute to bask, letting her batteries recharge.

However, as the group lingered, a distant sound came from deeper in the tunnel. It was a very faint echo that Ruby couldn't quite discern from the white noise humming in her ears. At first, she thought it might have been the earth itself rumbling or some sort of rockfall.

Looking back to Yang and Blake, she found both of the girls wearing a pale visage. It made Ruby's heart drop because they realised something that she didn't. Before she could ask, Yang spoke first.

"That was a scream," she said. "I-I think it was Jaune's."

Ruby didn't stop to think. Using her Crimson Flash ability, she transformed into a swarm of rose petals, clearing nearly half the tunnel in a fraction of a second. Weiss, who was walking across a bridge several levels above, was swept off her feet by the mass. Whatever the Heiress was saying became lost on deaf ears as Ruby raced to find Jaune.

So, Jaune got himself into some shit. We'll pick up there next week. Though, if you haven't figured it out. The dust crystal and rope was a proto-Castlevania Morningstar.

Also, if you haven't pictured Weiss' outfit. Think of master level mage robes from Skyrim mixed with a breastplate and Sypha's Season 1 and 2 cloak over the top. Then put Weiss' colour scheme on it.

Class: Paladin

"Gather 'round, Paladins!"

"There is a difference between the other classes and us! When those Knights and Chevaliers fled at first sight of monsters! You were the ones to take their place! You walked right up to those monsters and wrapped your hands around those fucker's necks! And you did not stop there! Killing everything in your way until there was nothing left!"

"That is the difference between them and us. Those bastards who were too busy keeping themselves in food and wool can keep all the glory and fame for themselves! Boasting about their deeds as if they sacrificed something!"

"We fight to keep the people safe! To keep the Drowners out of the latrines and Goblins from ploughing our milkmaids! Knowing that no other class has our virtue! Our dedication to our craft!"

Level Twenty Eight

Strength 58 (+15)

Agility 25 (+2)

Defence 34 (+4)

Perception 39 (+4)

Constitution 55 (+13) + 25 = 69

Intelligence 58 (+10)

Charisma 30 (+4)

Willpower 21 (+2)

...

Abilities

Arclight

A high-intensity explosion of light, equivalent to that of the sun. Burns the flesh of undead and magical entities. Momentarily blinds living and non-magical entities. Sudden magical intensity can cause affected to flee regardless of status.

Active Debuff:

Turn and Face The Sun!

Longinuslanze Testament

A most unholy weapon. Forged by our lord to answer to only one master. He who has the will to dominate such a blade.

It shall sunder any armour. It shall never miss its mark. It shall grow with your own strength. Its holy light searing all who stand to oppose it.

In turn, you shall become vulnerable to attacks whilst wielding this unholy relic. It shall challenge your mastery by forcing you to fight at your full strength.

Active Debuff:

Turn and Face The Sun!

White Hawk

This aethereal hawk shall be forever bound to you. As its master, only you may give direction to this bird of prey. Whether it be scouting the path ahead or distracting your enemies.

...

Purify

This ability can remove impurities from any material, whether they be food, drink, or metals. This renders them in a poison-free, diseaseless, and pure quality with the added benefit of destroying curses.

...

Passive: Magister's Lament

Your Passive is a double-edged sword. While you may proficiently cast magic beyond the limits of your Willpower. It is limited in other instances. Not being able to cast harmful offensive magic or any magic on yourself.

...

Miscellaneous Knowledge/Buffs/etc.

Monster Slayer

Spent years studying the various monsters of Remnant. Knows the different species and taxonomy of each known creature. Understands the weaknesses of most known monsters.

Armour and Weapons Smith

Worked a forge for his entire life. Jaune is able to judge the composition of metals, and know the condition of his weapons and armour.

...

Gear:

Jaune's Breastplate

Level Seventeen

Materials: 2% Silicon, 0.60% Carbon, Remainder is Steel and Leather

Minimum Stat Requirements:

Strength: 32

Agility: 16

Defence: 22

Constitution: 30

Eagle's Armour

Level Twenty Eight

Materials: Unknown Alloy Ratio of Enchanted Steel and Corundom, Carbon Steel, and Leather

Minimum Stat Requirements:

Strength: 57

Agility: 25

Defence: 30

Constitution: 39

Bag of holding:

Magical satchel that connects to a pocket dimension. Can store up to seven-hundred pounds while maintaining the bag's original weight. Items must be able to fit through the bag's opening.

Buffs:

This specific alloy of steel and corundom is less dense than normal steel while just as hard. It has a strength to weight ratio similar to menachanite allowing the user to build a thicker armour without sacrificing for weight.

This armour was also specially built for you. The measurements fit your body exactly, allowing it to be worn as a second skin granting a tremendous degree of flexibility.

Necklace of the Bulwark

+25% Bonus to Constitution

Spells:

Infusion:

This spell grants one the ability to infuse the desired object with materials ordinarily unable to be bonded together. The strength of the unaltered item determines how much of an effect can be added to it.

Be warned that stressing the target with too powerful additives can result in the atomisation of the material and, possibly, a sudden explosive decomposition.

Telekinesis:

Casting this spell allows you to move objects with your mind. Within a visible range, anything you can levitate is dependent on your personal strength and willpower. Once, cast upon, the item is subject to your directions and will perform whatever manoeuvre you are capable of imagining.

Be warned that this spell drains magicka rapidly.