Hello everyone! I'm back! This won't be a super serious chapter this week after all that transpired in the last one. But you will need to buckle up buttercups for the next chapter after this one.
Also, for those who didn't know. The debuff on Arclight and Jaune's lance "Turn and face the sun" has been demonstrated in function before. It's concentrated sunlight that burns unholy or undead flesh. For normal people, it's like getting flashbanged.
Jaune awoke to the sound of screaming. The shock of having been awoken to such a terrible wail instinctively elicited him to scramble to his hands and knees, ripping Ira Rubrum out from its scabbard. The screamer, Ruby, was staring off into the middle of the camp, letting out an ear-piercing cry. Her reaction caused Jaune to instinctively smother her out of protection, getting in front of the girl to act as a shield.
Everyone else immediately went for their weapons, going to meet whatever threat Ruby had been so terrified of. They were all struck with the sight of an unknown person standing in their midsts, staring down at the girl. Half of them were about ready to jump the guy until they noticed something odd about his appearance.
This figure had a slight bluish hue to his body, practically see-through aside from the obvious body he held. Jaune knew what it was immediately without a moment or two longer of study. The man that had appeared in their camp was a spirit. Whether a threatening one or not was going to be tested in a moment.
"Well met, hunter," he spoke in a resonating supernatural voice. His lips curled into a confident smile as he met Jaune's gaze. "I see you were the one who found my Camael."
What?
Wait! He's that dead guy!
The man looked exactly like the corpse they'd discovered yesterday. Though, he was in much better condition. Obviously dead and no longer physical, but he looked as he did when alive. The man clearly a handsome Valean wearing a slightly tattered fur cloak and adventurer's gear. On his exposed right hand, a similar brand Jaune bore was found.
"A spirit," Weiss exclaimed in fascination, getting up and inspecting the spectre. "He's still conscious?! I can't believe it; this is the first time I've seen one!"
"It's been far too long since she's had a companion on the battlefield, especially a huntsman of both beasts and men," the spirit continued, ignoring the others entirely. "Unfortunately, my untimely death left her abandoned in these ruins and away from bloodshed. I'm happy you were the one to recover her, so I gift my whip to you." He smiled and nodded slightly to Jaune. "Take good care of Camael for me, and lead the Rosenkavalier to further glory..."
The what?
Before Jaune could ask any more questions, his body turned into a mist and wandered off to a nearby wall. The mass entered the stone and completely disappeared from their view. It left everyone shocked as they little else to go off of. The group merely looked at one another, attempting to discern what just happened.
"Okay, so what the fuck was that," Yang asked in a confused and irritated tone. As she did so, she walked over to Ruby to check how she was doing.
"Didn't you just hear me," Weiss replied in an annoyed tone. "Obviously, the spirit was attached to the whip Jaune recovered and chose to gift it to him. He may have been some sort of hunter as well and decided Jaune was worth speaking to."
Yeah, that sums it up... Couldn't you have done this during the day, though?
Jaune turned back to Ruby, who was still visibly shaken by the encounter. From guessing the time, she was supposed to be on watch but was surprised by him. Looking away for a second before turning back, she must have seen the ghost appear right there. It wasn't something Ruby could have prepared herself for.
"Are you okay, Ruby," Jaune asked, putting a hand on her shoulder. Her body shook at his touch, giving him an indicator as to her state.
Ruby nodded her head but didn't speak initially, too startled to form words right at the moment. Jaune wasn't sure how seriously this scared her, but Yang seemed somewhat concerned about her condition as well. The older sister going to retrieve some water as the rest of the camp made their rounds.
"She's had a few bad encounters with spirits," Yang explained, giving Ruby some water from a skin. "One time, we found an apathy in her room when she was a kid."
"Ohhh nooo, those are so creepy," Sun expressed in disgust, visibly shaking from chills running down his spine. "I hate those things!"
Yeah, I've heard they're not fun...
Apathy were another Grimm species. Appearing as a sort of malevolent spirit with long-gangly arms and deathly visage, they would drain willpower from those they haunted. If one encountered an adventurer, they would shriek, slowly draining willpower from their opponent, eventually killing them. When several started to haunt towns, their screams would leave dozens dead and the rest so terrified, they attempted to run.
The worst encounters with them were when one hears their cries in the middle of a forest. Such a terrifying call would make you nearly turn around head back in the direction you came. The smart ones did, at least.
"Yeah, think about how I felt when I was nine," Yang replied with her own question. "Found it, and it tried to go after me, but I got lucky, and my dad was there to beat the crap out of him."
That sounds terrifying...
Jaune couldn't imagine what it was like to see some large ghost looming over her sister. If it turned and did some weird neck cracking thing, the thought of it started to scare him. Hopefully, they wouldn't have to deal with any down here.
"Does anybody feel like going back to bed," Pyrrha asked, surveying the others' condition. "We need to rest, but I don't know if any of you are in the mood."
"Yeah," Sun said with a drawl, grabbing some things from his pack. "Ghost kinda got me awake, so I'm down to check some tunnels out if anybody wants to join me."
Can't really sleep either...
"I'll go with you," Jaune replied, putting Ira Rubrum back into its sheath. "I want to test out the whip."
"Not yet," Weiss barked at him, cutting off his exit. "We need to look at your wounds first."
Oh, yeah...
Jaune stepped into the doctor's office, awaiting Weiss' instructions. She pulled over a chair, using that as her examination table for the appointment. Jaune propped himself up just across from her, holding out his arms for her to begin.
"How does it feel," Weiss asked, beginning to unwrap the bandages on his arms. "You should take another day off to recover."
"It stings, but I'm fine," he replied, assisting her with the bandages. "I'm just trying to adjust to being able to see in the dark."
It was a weird experience, to say the least. Being able to see even in pitch darkness felt off in a way. Jaune was so used to torchlight that his body had acclimated to lowlight conditions. The whip just rocked the boat and capsised it.
"Hmmm, you don't feel anything else changing," she asked again, prodding further into Jaune's condition. The cogs in her mind began turning as she understood more and more.
As Weiss got the bandages off, she took Jaune's right hand. The feeling of her soft and smooth skin touching his sent jolts of electricity through his body. A very welcome sensation after being wrapped in bandages for the night. It was honestly an experience in itself since he never really marvelled at her touch.
Using his hand, Weiss tested his range of motion to make sure everything was in place. The black glyph on his hand did act just like a tattoo, moving along with the skin naturally. However, as Weiss touched it, her graze caused the hypersensitive skin to cry out at the stimulation. This suddenly forced Jaune to pull back his hand and shake it painfully, trying to get it to go away.
"Aww, just that," Jaune hissed as he clenched his fist repeatedly.
"Sorry," Weiss apologised, trying to hide a smile. The sight of Jaune babying the wounds was something they both found entertaining. "But you should be fine. Though, who are you going to take with you?"
Good question...
"Ruby," he answered quietly enough for only Weiss to hear. "I want to get her out of here for a while. Stretch her legs and get her to focus on something else."
The Reaper was still picking herself up from the encounter with the ghost. Killing a few draugr would change that pretty quickly. Or if Jaune and Sun got her talking about weapons and future plans. Either would be fine.
"Good idea," Weiss agreed, nodding her head. "I want to look at some of the things we found. There may be some enchanted items we could use."
"Just stay away from anything with these runes, please," Jaune requested in reply, wincing from the residual pain. "You really don't want to go through what I had to."
Weiss snorted and began wrapping Jaune's arms back up. "I would prefer not having brands, so I'll be cautious about it." She finally tied off the last bandage and stood up. "There, these should keep any bleeding under control. The priests at the infirmary can take a closer look when we go back to Vale."
"Thanks, we'll be back by the end of the day," Jaune replied, pushing himself off the chair.
The two shared a last look before Jaune went to go retrieve Ruby and Sun.
Let's do this...
...
Jaune and Sun stood at the deeper section of the tunnel as they began their delve. Ruby was still in a near-catatonic state, forgoing any conversation and keeping her hood up. Though, she still responded to Jaune's offer for her partnership. She simply joined them without a word and kicked at the ground as the boys inspected the tunnels.
"So, what's a Rosenkavalier," Sun asked, crouching at the frontier of their expedition. "Never heard of it, but the ghost called you one."
The word was clearly Old Valean. The language which birthed Valean and then the common language everyone spoke. Breaking the phrase down was easy due to them being similar words to what people used today. Though, the deeper meaning of the word as the ghost used it could mean something else.
"Well, it means, knight of the rose, rose-knight, or rose bearer," Jaune explained the translation. "But since he mentioned Rosenkavalier as a plural word, there are probably other guys who went through the same thing I did."
That's as far as I've gotten... Don't know if there are more since I've never seen it mentioned in history books.
It wasn't like this was the first knightly order that had been on Remnant. The Order of the Dragon was one of the most famous groups that currently existed. The Black Sails also counted as knights but were more of a coalition than chivalric organisation.
"Kinda got that vibe," Sun agreed, grabbing his torch and leading the way. "Feels like Professor Port knew something about it, though."
Yeah, he did...
"I do too," Jaune replied, looking behind them as the light from the camp faded. "He recognised the language and the glyphs. I don't think he expected Camael to be down here, but he's seen weapons like it."
Whatever this Elder Futhark was, Jaune suspected it to be another language of magic. Like what he used to cast Healing or Weiss used for her ice spells. Jaune didn't know what type of magic it was, but it obviously affected him. The presence of the runes on his lance was another clue leading somewhere.
"Told you guys we needed to watch him," Sun vindicatedly expressed, shrugging his shoulders. "Guy knows secrets that we don't, and we're in the dark here!"
You got a point...
"Ruby," Jaune called out to her. "What do you think?"
For several moments, Jaune didn't get an answer. Just as he turned back to see how she was doing, the Reaper spoke.
"Ummm," Ruby uttered half-heartedly. "I don't know..."
The reply was hardly constructive to the conversation. Yet, Jaune chose not to press further. If she didn't have the energy to come up with something, then he wouldn't force it out of her. At least Ruby wasn't the crying mess that she was after the battle.
Must have really gotten to her...
I'll have to ask about it later.
"Then we're in the dark literally and figuratively right now," Jaune continued with a jest, disregarding her non-answer for the moment.
"Speaking of darkness, what's it like being able to see and all that," Sun inquired without missing a beat. "Faunus can see in dim light, but there's no colour."
"It's just like if the sun was out," Jaune explained to the boy. "I can see colour and everything."
The conversation died down as the group came across a new set of rooms. Two doors across from one another off the main path were both shut to them. Sun immediately went to check out the one on the left, hoping to find something interesting there. Jaune followed behind, and Ruby hung out in the rear as they breached the room.
Sun counted down using his fingers, and on the last digit, he turned the door handle and pushed it open. The Rogue tossed the torch inside, brightening up the room enough for the others to see as they poked their heads inside. They found an empty chamber with a single corpse sitting at a table—the body belonging to a draugr.
Don't want to take the chance...
Jaune called forth Camael, summoning the weapon into his hands. Wielding it came with the same sensation as the Longinuslanze. He knew how to use the weapon effectively. It was instinct rather than direct knowledge, but it filled his head with a series of actions like when he killed the draugr with it yesterday.
So, Jaune drew back the whip and cast the head towards the draugr. The sound of the whip-cracking filled the air as the bludgeon buried itself into the corpse. However, at the sight of the wound, a flame built up inside the body, exploding outwards from the torso. The fireball blew the table apart, and its flames nearly touched the wall the trio stood next to.
Holy crap!
"Dude, that was awesome," Sun exclaimed as he ran over to the dead draugr. "It's got an explosion enchantment!"
I didn't know they existed...
"What do you know about them," Jaune asked in reply. As he asked the question, his eye turned to Ruby, checking on the girl for a moment.
She was standing there in wonderment at the weapon. The cogs inside her head turned as she analysed the sheer power Camael was able to put out. Though, she wasn't making anything she was thinking about aware to the rest of the group. Ruby simply stood next to the door as Sun and recalled his knowledge of enchantments.
"My Master had a few books on enchantments back in the monastery," Sun explained enthusiastically. "But explosion enchantments do just that, make things explode! We couldn't make stuff with them because the enchantment would break them."
Hmmm...
Jaune guessed it had to do with it being a magic weapon. At times, it had a corporeal form and others a magical one. Whatever materials it was constructed from could handle the stresses an enchantment like that would put upon it. The thought made Jaune wonder what other magics were applied to weapons like this one.
"Cool," Jaune commented, holding up the whip's handle. "Now we know what this thing can do."
"Can I check it out," Sun asked, walking over to inspect the piece.
Jaune handed Camael over to Sun. Neither boy seemed to think there were any risks despite what the weapon had done to the Paladin. They shared the idea that it had bonded with Jaune, so it would stay with him for now.
The moment it left Jaune's hands and was given to Sun, Camael dragged his hands to the ground. The whip appearing to have weighed several hundred pounds now when it was only a few before. It pinned the Rogue's hand to the floor, preventing him from lifting himself out of the vice.
"What the fuck," Sun exclaimed as he tried to pull himself away from the whip's handle. He attempted to strain against the object once again before looking up to Jaune. "Little help here?"
Jaune grabbed the whip and lifted it off Sun's hands. It freed Sun from his bonds, leaving him to massage the pressure marks the handle embedded into his skin. They each shared a look before Jaune tucked it away.
"Well, looks like that's not the only enchantment its got," Sun commented as he went to grab his bo staff. "Let's go mess around with it some more!"
...
After clearing some more rooms, Jaune, Sun, and Ruby had a relatively uneventful hour. Some draugr here and there, but nothing like that town up above. Jaune was almost bored by now. Without Sun here, time would have slown to a crawl.
"Yeah, we found a bunch of stuff by those houses," Sun divulged, showing Jaune some rings and gems he found. "But it feels like the place got looted a while ago."
So, he figured it out too...
"We noticed that when we came down here," Jaune replied, crouching under a collapsed beam and ushering the others inside. "Upper levels are picked over, and most of what we found has been coins or small stuff."
Even down here, there wasn't too much going on. Jaune really wasn't sure where all of the loot had gone, but there weren't any signs of people down here except the dead Rosenkavalier. For all they knew, the guy had gotten ahold of the valuables and died before he could have made it out of here.
"Back in Vacuo, a bunch of the old cities got stripped clean," Sun described in a strained tone, crawling through another gap in front of the trio. "I think twenty years ago, some guy went down and snatched everything out of some ruins that got opened up from a storm. Pretty sure it was Stros M'Kai or something like that... Dude took everything and got the hell out of Vacuo when he was done."
"So, we might be picking up someone else's table scraps," Jaune quipped, shaking his head in disappointment.
Not an encouraging thought...
"Maybe," Sun expressed, shrugging his shoulders. "But scraps were better than nothing back then."
I get it...
The amount of loot they found was relative to the value the person gave it. Someone from a poor country like Vacuo would take whatever they could get, even if it was a pittance. Jaune was spoiled by his prior expedition into ruins, so he expected there to be something worth his time. Not that the chain whip wasn't worth it, but that got offset by the cost of retrieving it.
"But what're you gonna do with your share," Jaune asked out of curiosity. One of the last people he had to ask was Sun.
"Eh, I don't really know," Sun confessed, crawling under the beam. "Kinda blew all of my gold after Initiation, so I never had a plan going on or anything saved up. I've been winging it this whole time. Since Ren's plan was to get a house, I guess I'll go with that."
On the other side of the obstacles, the trio was met with a door. The hatch was a rather sizable one that was nearly three times Jaune's height. It was reinforced with steel to the point, he doubted a dragon could bust through. The surrounding area appeared to be a staging point for those wishing to go deeper.
It was a landing with some braziers and chairs surrounding them. On one side, there was a longer trench meant for a spit roast with tables set off behind it for food preparation. This spot must have been the dining hall for workers that Pyrrha had mentioned yesterday. At least, there wasn't anything that said it was the opposite.
"Nice spot for a camp," Sun expressed, looking through some of the leftover supplies. His face bore a grimace as he lifted a lid off a pan and found remnants of rotten food left behind.
"We'll have to get everyone down here, but I like it," Jaune agreed, setting his bag down on top of a table. "How are we going to fit the lizard down here, though? He's kind of big..."
Didn't have trouble getting down here myself, but those tunnels are in rough shape. A wrong move, and they might collapse on us...
"Oh, that's easy," Sun replied, acting as though it was nothing. "Those guys can squeeze through anything. I'll try to dig some rocks out to make the hole larger, though."
That might work...
After resting here for a few moments, the trio got up and began their delve past the gates. All three had to push as one to force the door open. The massive slab of steel and wood loudly creaked as it swung ajar, revealing what lay on the other side. They managed to throw it open as far as possible with a final push, slamming it into the stonework frame.
"Oh, shit..." Sun uttered as they gazed beyond the door. "What happened here?"
Before them were dozens of bodies. Many wearing armour and many more without. All were desiccated corpses with the likeness of the draugr, but others were more twisted forms that had died much more recently. It was a startling picture that made each member of the trio catch their breath in shock.
"Is this a battlefield," Ruby wondered, stepping into the forward chamber. She looked around and found bodies with spear or sword wounds, among many others.
Maybe...
Jaune and Sun followed behind her as they moved to inspect the scene. Ruby was right based on initial observations. There were no traps activated on a group of adventurers or draugr having hunted them down. It was a straightforward battle between two groups. But more figures didn't belong to either party.
Jaune knelt down to one of the corpses, a man without armour or weapons, and investigated his body. His clothes were more akin to rags now, and he had ligature marks on his hands and feet. Those were the obvious signs of him being a prisoner or slave.
However, the bodies that weren't clearly Old Valean soldiers or the former man were a mystery. One of the bodies appeared to have died more recently than those who came from the battlefield. It looked human but was different in all respects. Short, lithe, and hunched appearance like an ape almost. The corpse didn't even have eyes. Not eyes that had been torn out but were born without them.
It was a twisted version of a human that could barely be called one. The fact there was more than one corpse of them here meant something else was going on. These creatures were slain by draugr much later than those on the battlefield.
"This is weird," Sun commented with a mildly disturbed look. "Anybody got any ideas?"
"Look over there," Ruby said, pointing at a nearby wall. "Does that look like magic damage?"
What?
Jaune and Sun turned to find marks dotting the walls. These were clearly from fire, or lightning spells cast a very long time ago. Most had either blackened or bore holes in the stonework, leaving very obvious wounds. Some of the bodies had these same characteristic clues pointing in that direction.
The Paladin walked over to further inspect the magic burns and trace his hand across the surface. As he reached up, he felt a tingling sensation creep up his arm. The tattoos under the bandages began lighting up, glowing bright orange without any pain like before. For some reason, Jaune knew what this was.
"I can sense the magic," Jaune mumbled, turning to the others and showing them what was going on.
"Tattoos are a magical dosing rod," Sun commented, cocking his head as he gawked at the brands. "I've only seen that in jewellery or armour."
He was right. The tattoos could detect the latent magical energy from the battle. At least the wounds from the spells. Jaune guessed if Weiss had cast another ward, he would be able to detect it the same way. It was pretty valuable depending on the circumstances a scenario provided. Jaune needed to test out what else it was capable of.
"At least we know what happened down here," Jaune concluded, stepping away from the wall. "I think these guys were magi fighting the Old Valeans."
It was some kind of war that might have caused the Valeans to abandon the city. There weren't any signs of battle above, however, so the theory was tentative at best. Maybe a skirmish had broken out between them and some prisoners? Jaune was left wondering since there wasn't enough evidence to really back anything up right now.
"Looks like it," Sun agreed. "Kind of creeps me out, though. I get the guys duking it out down here, but I'm not liking whatever that is." He pointed to the humanoid creature among the bodies.
Neither do I...
"Maybe it's a homun-," Ruby suggested, failing to pronounce the last word properly. "Homuncu-"
"Homunculus," Sun finished for her. "Maybe, never seen one like it. But you can make 'em look like whatever you want."
Maybe the magi left a bunch of them around here? They're pretty much animals, so they'd try to survive without their masters.
"Let's keep moving then," Jaune dictated, pushing forth over the bodies. His eyes were peeled for any one of them that might try to get up and grab him. "Dr Oobleck can check it out when he gets here..."
Travelling down the tunnel some more, the trio was unable to find anything of note. Most of the rooms were ransacked of whatever might have been useful some time ago. Though, there was more evidence of battle along the way. The fighting seemed to grow heavier the deeper they travelled.
However, that was not the only thing the group noted.
"Is it feeling kind of hot in here," Sun asked the others.
It is...
"Yeah, it's getting really hot..." Ruby pulled at her collar and was obviously sweating from the heat. The girl appeared very uncomfortable in her armour due to the ambient temperature.
"I've seen this kind of thing before," Jaune described, pulling at his own collar. "We're so deep down, the rocks are heating up."
The ambient temperature was around ninety degrees with high humidity. They were only a few hundred feet down, so it was reasonable. The rocks heat up groundwater, and that was what made it so humid down here. Then there was the geology of the area, which may have factored into the temperature. Jaune dealt with this problem in the mines around Bar when he and his dad went looking for some ore.
"Mmmm," Sun hummed in thought. "Makes sense why they why they live down here."
"What do you mean?"
"Remember the Hollow," Sun asked in reply. "Place stays the same all year long. Maybe gets a little hot or cold depending on the time of year, but pretty much nothing else changes. So...?"
"It's a controlled environment," Jaune concluded.
"Yep'!"
He had a good point. The Old Valeans wouldn't have to deal with variations in seasons throughout the year. It left them protected from the elements and other threats that might try to destroy them. They could build a section of tunnel in their style and leave it for the next dozen generations that rolled through this city without ever having to adapt.
All of the problems that came with living underground could easily be solved given how advanced the Old Valeans were. If they could build this, they could make it a livable space.
"Hopefully, this is where they stashed all the good stuff..."
A few more minutes of walking later, the trio came across another opening—this time without a door and few bodies lying around. Moving past the egress, Jaune was gifted with another chamber. The sight of which made the boy pause in wonderment.
This cavern was miles wide and even longer in terms of its length. It was better to say this was an underground canyon. That's how large it was. This underground scar was crisscrossed by dozens more tunnels with bridges leading off the main path into the canyon walls. Where those roads went was a mystery in and of itself. It merely expanded the area that the party was forced to search.
The road the trio stood on was a raised platform supported by massive granite columns that reached all the way to the bottom of the ravine. Looking down, Jaune was greeted with the sight of lava flows at the canyon base, running like a river in the direction they were headed. Down there, it appeared camps were dotting the foot of walls carved into the stone. From their height, it was difficult to determine what the purpose of those dwellings was.
As Jaune stood there, slackjawed and wide-eyed, a drop of water struck him on the head. He looked up and found it was raining underground. The heat from the lava flows circulated upwards, meeting the cold air at the canyon's roof and forming a micro-climate. The small flying animals inhabiting the cavern flew in and out of these clouds before darting into the holes they dug into the walls.
"Oh my god," Sun exclaimed after picking his jaw up off the ground. "I think we need a new plan..."
How the hell are we supposed to search all of this?
"Yeah..." Jaune agreed in a similar tone. "Let's just keep going and try to get to the other side." He pointed to the first obstacle in their way. "That gate is keeping all of this blocked off, so we'll start with that."
The trio made their way across the first hundred feet of the bridge. They ignored a roadway diverging off to their right, favouring the gate instead. As they approached it, it became apparent that there was no way to raise the bars. Debris had fallen around where the lever or other mechanism would have been, sealing it off.
"I'll get it open; you guys stay here," Sun said, activating one of his abilities.
The boy's body shone golden for a moment, and his form slowly shrunk into that of a blonde capuchin monkey. The small ape then climbed up and over the debris onto the other side of the gate. As he disappeared over the wall, Ruby and Jaune were left entirely alone.
Between them, an awkward silence had grown. Jaune's eye wandered over to Ruby, finding her still covering her face with her hood. She was obviously hiding, having gone back into her shell since this morning. It was really tiring seeing his friend like this. While not the same scenario as after the battle, he didn't want to leave her alone.
"Hey, Ruby, is everything all right," Jaune asked in a sympathetic tone. "You've been quiet since this morning."
Ruby tensed up, knowing that Jaune knew and was approaching the subject. If she really didn't want to talk about it, he would stop, but showing her some concern might have helped. Hopefully, it would get her talking more, and they could walk through the issue.
"Yeah... it's just," Ruby began, pausing her halfhearted reply midway.
"Ghost got you freaked out still," Jaune assumed, crossing his arms as he spoke.
Ruby seemingly shrank a bit more at that. Her shoulders went limp, and she let out a sigh. If Jaune were able to see under her hood, he figured she was embarrassed about it or something approaching the feeling.
"Yeah..." she confirmed softly, barely audible among the background noise of this chamber. "I just don't like ghosts or spirits."
Hmmm...
"What about them?"
Jaune wasn't surprised by her confession. Though, it did seem to be a big thing for Ruby, so he would take it as a sign of trust that she revealed the fact. Everyone was entitled to their phobias regardless. He wouldn't dare think less of her for it. Only on this occasion, the encounter with the Rosenkavalier brought up some bad memories of her's.
"Just like Yang said, I've had ghosts try to attack me," Ruby explained, fidgeting as she spoke. "Demons too... Patch has a lot of them on the island. I always guessed the barrier we have around the house was meant for them."
Makes sense. Barriers would keep them away. Demons could probably get through if they were strong enough.
"You've had regular ghosts try to attack you," Jaune asked for clarification. "What about the Leshens? I remember you mentioned they would talk to you."
That's odd. Ordinary spirits don't generally attack unless they've been murdered. Those turn into wraiths most of the time. It could be the environment on Patch that's affecting them.
"T-The Leshens are nice," Ruby affirmed in a more confident tone. "But my uncle always said never to trust spirits... and he's always been right about that." She finished her reply with a snort.
"Uncle's smart," Jaune complimented, shrugging his shoulders.
"Heh," Ruby let out a stifled laugh.
"What?"
"You've never met him; he can be kind of dumb sometimes," she explained with a nervous smile.
Sound's like fun...
Before they were able to continue, the gates raised, opening the path ahead. From the side, Sun walked out, still bearing his animalistic form. The tiny primate's gait made for an odd appearance as he waddled into the open.
"Guys got it open," the boy shouted, gesturing for the pair to follow him.
Jaune and Ruby complied with his request without question. As they passed by him, the Rogue climbed up Ruby and rested on her shoulder. The Reaper froze as the newly found weight settled into place, and Jaune gave him an awkward glance. It wasn't for several more seconds until someone said something.
"Ummm, Sun," Ruby said in confusion. "What's going on?"
"I'm stuck like this for the next hour," he confessed in a vexed tone. "So, I'm hitching a ride." He mimicked the action of snapping reigns. "Now onwards, my faithful steed! Yah!"
So, Jaune is a Rosenkavalier. What it seems to be is that those among this clandestine group are given powerful magic weapons. Camael and the Longinuslanze Testament are both emblazoned with the Elder Futhark runes.
Now, if you hadn't noticed, when the team found all those bodies, there was something resembling a descendent of a certain elven race from Skyrim. One that inhabits Blackreach and Dwarven ruins almost explicitly.
There are falmer! Or something close to one! Not that Jaune and company know about this yet.
I love the falmer. When I first played skyrim and came across these sewer goblins, I was so scared of them, I had to stop playing skyrim for a month because I couldn't deal with it. Now, I explore Blackreach without a care in the world.
Really, the falmer are one of the most interesting species from Skyrim in my opinion.
Also, I've been giving everyone an alternate form as an ability. Sun can turn into a monkey. Blake into shadows. Yang into a quasi-dragon/argonian thing. Ruby into her rose petals. I have yet to come up with one for Weiss, Ren, Pyrrha, and Nora. I have Jaune's, which will come into play much later.
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 Nine
Strength 60 (+2)
Agility 26 (+1)
Defence 35 (+1)
Perception 40 (+1)
Constitution 57 (+2) + (.25 x 57) = 71
Intelligence 60 (+2)
Charisma 31 (+1)
Willpower 22 (+1)
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
Camael
Magical whip of unknown origins. Is capable of causing explosions when prompted by its user.
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.