Ruby was dreaming, floating through a cosmic expanse.
Her eyes fluttered open and she inhaled slowly as descended, weightless and unbound, her cape billowing out behind her. She felt incredibly calm. Dimly she was aware that they she should probably feel more alarmed by this situation, but an unnatural stillness had overcome her. Shimmering lights glimmered off in the distance like stars, illuminating her face in a soft glow.
She landed gently with her feet, ripples like water appearing on an otherwise invisible surface for a moment. Ruby looked around, smiling at the tranquillity of the stars and the dark blue empty space. Off in the distance, she could see a floating orange orb. The sun? No. Smaller, and closer. She began moving toward it.
As she walked, her footsteps making no sound, she saw others appear beside her, matching her stride. Weiss. Blake. Yang. They all looked at her and nodded, no words needing to pass between them.
Hear.
A voice, feminine and ethereal, reverberated inside Ruby's mind. She paused for a moment, considering. Her team stopped for a moment too, indicating they also noticed its presence. Ruby had never heard this voice before, but it felt strangely familiar. Comforting.
The four resumed moving towards the orange light, as the voice continued to speak.
Hear. Feel.
Something was happening. An eruption of purple and black energy in front of the light, blocking their way. Ruby and her team tensed, dropping into combat stances. As the swirling energy dissipated, it revealed a figure standing there in black, ornate robes. The stranger looked up, revealing their face to be hidden behind a red mask, gender impossible to discern. With a cruel smirk, the person raised their arms, energy crackling dangerously in their hands.
Hear. Feel. Think.
The light behind the enemy moved, surging towards Ruby and her friends quickly. She barely had time to blink before it collided with her, and she felt herself imbued with strength. A familiar weight settled in her hands, a scythe, constructed from pure, glowing red light. She spun it around in her hands experimentally as she glanced to her sides. Weiss was confidently brandishing a rapier, similarly created out of light and glowing a soft blue, holding a perfect dueling posture. Blake was dual wielding two tanto of deep purple in a reverse grip, crouched low and ready to strike. Yang grinned as she held a pair of pale yellow spiked knuckles in her grip, bouncing lightly from foot to foot.
Ruby smiled and looked back at the robed figure, showing no fear. It seemed to take offense at that, a strange red glyph appearing over its mask as it charged toward them, fists extended and ready to fire a beam of pulsating darkness.
Unflinching, Team RWBY rushed forward to match darkness with light. The two sides clashed, and everything faded to white…
…
…
Ruby groaned as she felt herself begin to wake up. Her head hurt slightly, and her body didn't feel much better. Had her bed always been this uncomfortable? It felt like her mattress was made of wood. And chair shaped.
"…Oi!" A deep, gruff voice cut into her thoughts, the speaker a short distance away
"H-huh?" Ruby's eyes snapped open at that in alarm as she looked around, and she immediately saw that she was very much not in her bed. She was sitting upon a wooden bench inside a moving carriage, though not any type of carriage she'd ever seen before.
The seating area was oval in shape, floating a meter or so off the ground. A pair of large yellow balloons were attached to the canvas roof, lifting the structure into the air. Ruby couldn't see what was causing the carriage to move, the driver's portion of the vehicle being blocked off by a panel of wood.
The back of the carriage was open plan, giving her a view of a vast forest, afternoon sunlight filtering through the canopy as they trundled along a dirt path, surrounded by lush foliage and the chirping of birdsong. Ruby could also make out the sound of running water, occasionally catching a glimpse of a stream running parallel to the road.
"You all right, lass? Hello?" Ruby was startled out of her wide-eyed viewing of her surroundings by a man sat across from her. He looked to be in his 40s by his weathered face, featuring a blonde beard that was beginning to show flecks of grey and a horizontal scar across the bridge of his nose. Dressed in a yellow tunic and a bandana wrapped around his head, he gave Ruby a kindly smile. "You were moaning in your sleep and sweatin' buckets besides. That'll be the aether, I reckon. Some are more prone to the sickness than others. No need to fret, though. You'll soon get used to it."
Ruby stared at him blankly, her mind working a breakneck speed to figure out what the hell was going on. Where was she? How did she get here? Was she kidnapped? What kind of kidnapper places their victim on a cart in a nice looking forest? Where was her team? What the heck was 'aether'?
"U-um…thank you." She managed to squeak out eventually, feeling that familiar anxiousness when talking to a new, strange person, now dialed up to eleven. "I'm…I'll be okay. Just need to get my bearings, you know? Aha…" She trailed off with a nervous laugh.
The man nodded, picking up a green bottle that had been resting on the seat next to him, taking a swig. Ruby wrinkled her nose in distaste at that, but didn't comment. She was used to it, having grown up around Uncle Qrow. Sighing heavily, she took the brief reprieve from conversation to try and calm her nerves and look around some more.
The 'calm nerves' part was only partially working. Her heart almost leaped out of her chest when, patting herself down, she realised she didn't have Crescent Rose. That's right…the last thing Ruby remembered, she was with her team out on the town in Vale. After they'd helped stop the Breach and the plot by the White Fang, Weiss treated them to a dinner at a fancy restaurant, so they left their weapons in the lockers. Ruby recalled the four of them talking, eating and laughing on the restaurant balcony that overlooked all of Vale. She remembered that there were shooting stars forecast that night, and that she fell asleep watching them, her head resting against her sister's shoulder…then that strange dream…and now she was here. Why?
As Ruby checked her pockets, finding a handful of Lien and- oh thank goodness, her Scroll! As she fished it out, she noticed two other passengers on the carriage. Two teenagers who looked around her age, wearing blue tunics. They were clearly twins, with identically androgynous faces and the same strikingly white hair both in long ponytails that reminded her of Weiss. Both seemed to be sound asleep, and had…pointy ears?
They looked like they stepped right out of a fantasy novel. Ruby swallowed, her throat feeling uncomfortably dry. It was…probably just some kind of body modification, like those people who got their tongues split or earlobes stretched. Or maybe a rare Faunus trait?
Not entirely convinced, Ruby hurriedly looked away flipped open her scroll, not noticing the raised eyebrow from the drinking gentleman across from her, and moaned in defeat as she saw there was no signal. Figures, she couldn't even call anyone! Could this get any worse?
A small trumpet suddenly sounded behind her, and Ruby glanced back in alarm…only to once again stare open mouthed. "Wha…HUH?"
"Feeling better, kupo?" Bobbing along in the air alongside the carriage was a small…furry…flying…thing. It was white and chubby, somehow keeping itself in the air with bat wings that looked far too tiny to be of any practical use. It had beady little eyes and a strange protrusion from its head, a stalk ending in a large, fluffy looking red ball. The creature was clutching a trumpet in it's hand, looking at her quizzically. Another one of it's kin fluttered in the air next to it, looking considerably more disinterested.
"Um…" Ruby fumbled for something to say. "…Not to be rude, but…what the heck are you?" Internally she was questioning whether or not someone had spiked her drink and this was all some bizarre trip. And she had a horrible feeling that things were only going to get crazier from here.
"Aha! You can see us! I had a feeling you could, kupo!" The thing replied happily, doing a back-flip energetically. "We're Moogles, and we live in this wood!"
"Oh…cool?" Ruby surreptitiously pinched herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming. These 'Moogles' just admitted as such that they were normally invisible or something of the sort, which was a rather candid way for her hallucination to admit it was fake. She glanced back at the drinking man, who was still preoccupied with his ale, seemingly not reacting to the Moogles in any discernible way…even when the second one flew right in front of his face and starting dancing. Ruby had to stifle a laugh at that.
"Nice to meet you!" She continued in a whisper, a trace of excitement entering her voice. Imagined or not, these things were adorable. The temptation to reach out and smoosh it's cheeks was…rising. "My name's Ruby, Ruby Rose!"
"Pleasure's all mine, Ruby Rose! I'm Puklo Pako- now, since you can see us, maybe you can tell us something." Puklo tilted his (Was it a he? Ruby couldn't be sure) head to the side curiously. "The wood's been restless of late- lots of strange things happening. You wouldn't have happened to witness anything suspicious, kupo?"
Ruby blinked. She was being grilled for information? "Uh well…I kinda just…appeared here, on this cart, and have no idea where I am, so…that's pretty suspicious right?"
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the second Moogle drink out of the man's bottle when he wasn't looking. Okay, sure.
Puklo looked interested, flying closer to her head and inspecting her from various angles. "No idea where you are? This is the Twelveswood, kupo. Hard to believe you don't recognise it. Where are you from?"
"…Well uh, I grew up on a little island named Patch, which is part of the Kingdom of Vale, and I go to school at Beacon Academy?"
"Kingdom of Vale? Can't say I'm familiar with it, kupo." And there was what Ruby was afraid of hearing. It would be impossible, even in the most remote corners of Remnant to have never heard of the Kingdom of Vale. Which meant…either she was having the most extended, realistic dream ever, or…
Ruby's hand darted out and felt the top of Puklo's head, petting him softly. He was stunned for a second, before flitting backwards. "Hey hey, hands off the merchandise!"
Ruby giggled softly. "Sorry, sorry. But you looked so soft and fuzzy." And he was. His fur had a texture and feel just like a real animal, and the warmth of a living being. Not fake.
"Hmph…" Puklo preened at the compliment, anger slightly mollified. "Well…it doesn't seem like you're what we're looking for, so it can't be helped, kupo." He gestured to his friend and the two flew back out of the carriage. "As for you being lost- you'll be coming up into the city of Gridania soon. I'm sure that if you ask around, someone will have an answer, kupo!" With that, they flew away into the trees and out of sight.
Ruby remained there, smile falling slightly as she began to fully process what was going on. As far as she could tell, there were essentially two possibilities for what was actually happening. Either she was hallucinating all of this…or she had genuinely been transported to some strange and alien place that likely wasn't even on Remnant, with no way to contact anyone she knew or even defend herself. Without a weapon, Ruby's combat was…left somewhat wanting. Now more than ever she was regretting not having more hand to hand lessons from Yang or dad…
Still…for now, whichever was true, she had no choice but to just…play along. Either she'd wake up and it would all be over, or…
Her hands clenched. Or she'd be stuck here, unable to-
"Oi, lass, did you sneak a drink?"
"Huh?" Ruby's head snapped up and back to the questioning gaze of the man, looking between his noticeably emptier bottle and her accusingly. "N-no, it wasn't me! I swear" She waved her hands in front of herself in a panic. "I don't even like alcohol, and even if I did I'm way too young, also dad would kill me if I-"
"Simmer down lass, I believe ye." The man said in bemusement. Ruby just grinned at him nervously, rubbing the back of her neck with one hand. She still wasn't quite sure what to make of this guy. "Well…since I've no longer any ale to keep me company, would ye care for some conversation, lass? Bremondt's the name, and peddlin's me trade."
"S-sure, I don't mind." To be honest, she did mind, but Ruby also realised that the need to gather information about her surroundings was currently more pressing than her nervousness when socialising. Just think of it as a mission, and remember all that stuff from the field and survival classes. "So uh, the city of Griddyna. What's it like? I've uh, never been there before." Smooth.
"Gridania? Beautiful place, slap bang in the middle of the Black Shroud. Hard to tell where the forest ends and the city begins. Don't let that fool you though- it's just as powerful a nation as any other in Eorzea. Course, things haven't been quite so prosperous in recent years, but that's the same everywhere."
Black Shroud? Eorzea? More names Ruby didn't recognise. Some kind of region, that apparently contained several nations. So, a continent? Ruby wasn't the best at geography, a fact that aggravated Weiss to no end, but she was fairly confidant she knew what and where all of Remnant's continents were.
"And it has all the creature comforts of civilization and all that." Bremondt continued speaking, oblivious to Ruby's musings. "Hm…judging by your strange clothes, I'm guessing you're one of them up and coming adventurer types, then?"
"Adventurer?" Ruby repeated. Well…my lifelong dream is to slay monsters and help people, so… "…Something like that, yeah."
Bremondt nodded. "Then you'll want to check in at the Adventurer's Guild down at the Carline Canopy. Ask for Mother Miounne- she'll help you get settled, with no shortage of work I'm sure. Place doubles as an inn as well, for a place to rest your head."
Well, that was helpful. Ruby highly doubted that the pocketful of Lien she possessed would get her very far, so a source of income and a place to stay was a priority. Hopefully she could at least get her hands on something with which to fight as well.
The sunlight drifting through the trees was distinctly more orange now, signalling the onset of twilight. Bremondt glanced up at the sky, then back to Ruby. "Say, what drew you to the idea of adventurin' in the first place? Dangerous business, especially for a young 'un like you."
"To protect people…and make the world a better place." Ruby didn't hesitate at all in giving her answer. That had always been her reason for becoming a Huntress.
Bremondt's eyebrow raised. "Aye? Well, a nobler reason than most, for sure. Just be careful not to get in over your head. Can't protect others if you're already dead from bein' unable to protect yourself."
Ruby huffed. "Hey, I know how to handle myself!"
He raised his hands placatingly. "I wasn't sayin' otherwise, lass. Just that- ah, here we are." He cut himself off as he peered out the side of the carriage. "We're just coming to the city now."
Ruby poked her own head out to get a look. She blinked- she saw various wooden buildings, like a water mill built overhanging the river, but she'd hardly call it a city. As they trundled closer however, she began to see that Bremondt had meant it when he said it was hard to tell where the city began and the forest ended. Rather than being all compacted together in an urban manner, all of the buildings were sparsely spread out, and many public areas seemed not to be buildings at all. She could see people walking around and doing their business in open spaces that had been only minorly changed from their natural state- rows of benches, lampposts and fences were all that designated some areas as for public use. She could also occasionally see people enter into cave tunnels that were illuminated inside, indicating the city also extended at least partially below ground.
What standard buildings there were, were uniformly large and made out of a dark, solid looking wood. The largest such structure Ruby could see was some form of market hall, from which a steady stream of people seemed to be coming and going to do business. As the carriage pulled to a stop next to a sign that seemed to be a drop off point, Ruby could see more and more buildings in the distance, obscured by the trees and impossible to tell how far they went. A dirt road led up from the carriage to some kind of plaza, the center of which contained a…giant, floating crystal?
…Ruby took a deep breath. One thing at a time. Bremondt was now stepping off the back of the carriage, looking back at her. She stood up herself, for the first time realising how tired she still felt, legs feeling like jelly.
She just about managed to drop to the ground without falling over and making an idiot of herself, smoothing out her skirt nervously as she did so. From what she could see, pretty much everyone in the city tended to be dressed in some variety of simple cotton clothing, or in the case of a nearby tall man she could only assume was a guard given the large spear he had holstered on his back, green leather armour. Her red and black gothic corset and skirt was starting to feel very out of place.
"Right lass, this is where we part ways." Bremondt said to her, snapping her out of her thoughts. "I'm off to the markets for some business, then it's back to the road for me."
Ruby smiled at him. "Well, good luck with that, and take care." Despite her initial wariness, Bremondt seemed alright, if a bit rough around the edges. He had a kind of grandfatherly air to him.
"Aye, and the same to you with your travels." He seemed to consider a moment, then reached into his tunic pocket and pulled out a leather satchel, which jingled softly, holding it out. "Here, take this, as thanks for keeping me company. Should be enough for a few nights and meals at the Canopy."
"Huh? Nononono, you don't have to do that!" Ruby stammered, even as he pressed the money into her hands. By the weight, she could tell it was likely real gold in there. "I'm sure I'll manage-"
"Please lass, I insist. It ain't all that much to begin with." Seeing that she was still hesitant, he changed tactics. "Say lass, I never did catch your name. Well, how's about this?" Ruby opened her mouth to respond, but then he cut her off with a chuckle. "Become the sort of storied personage I can brag about havin' met, and I'll consider us square."
Ruby sighed. She did need the money, and if he was some kind of trader he could likely afford it. "…Alright. I will."
Bremondt gave her one last smile, then turned and headed towards the market hall, leaving Ruby alone. She stood there a moment before shaking her head and peering into the bag. It was indeed filled with a small pile of gold coins, with the insignia of a pair of scales on one side, and the likeness of a person's face in side profile on the other, wearing an elaborate crown. Ruby had no idea who that was, or what this currency was even called, or how much it was worth.
Just like everything else in this place, she was starting completely from scratch.
She breathed out and tried to center herself as she pocketed the gold, turning to gaze up at the crystal in the plaza up the road, floating and rotating slowly in the air. How was it even doing that? Some kind of Dust technology similar to Atlas?
Ruby stared at the crystal, it's shimmering surface reflecting her eyes. Then, she took her first step forward into the city of Gridania- into a new world.
Meanwhile, somewhere in the frozen north of Coerthas…
Weiss shivered in her cell, stone walls and iron bars her only company. As a born and bred Atlesian, she considered herself rather resistant to the cold, but even with her Aura protecting her, the biting chill of this place was cutting deep and sapping her energy. Her clothes were quickly becoming filthy from the disgusting conditions, and she was pretty sure she'd seen a few rats.
If she still possessed Myrtenaster or any of her Dust, cutting through these bars would have been child's play. Now, all she could do was curse her idiocy, and resolve to never leave her dorm unarmed, even for seemingly harmless excursions.
Footsteps echoed on the cold floor as a figure stepped into view, wearing ornate white robes with a blue trim. The figure was tall and slender, with tanned skin and long, tapered ears, gazing at her like slime that had found it's way to the bottom of his boot.
"I don't suppose you've come to move me to the luxury cell?" Weiss said dryly, prompting a sneer from the man.
"Under normal circumstances, such reprehensible lack of respect would prompt swift correction." He lifted his hand up gracefully, as if about to offer her a dance, flames igniting in his palm. The heat washed over her, yet Weiss felt no comfort from it's presence. He moved it toward the bars, level with her left eye. Her scar suddenly itched uncomfortably, and a hand reached for it on impulse.
He smiled at that, and she felt her revulsion for him grow. "Sickness is wont to fester and spread. It must be burned out, ere the infection take hold." He removed his hand as swiftly as he placed it there, extinguishing his flames with a sigh. "Regrettably, you have been vouched for, and I have been…instructed to be delicate with you. For what reason His Lordship would extend protection to so obvious a heretic is beyond me. Have you ought to say for yourself?"
"I can only tell you what I've been saying this entire time." Weiss hissed through her teeth. "My name is Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, Huntress-in-training of Beacon Academy, and you will release me, or you will regret it."
Her jailer shrugged. "There are no records of any such places or organizations, denoting your tale as an obvious deception. It is for this reason you were arrested to begin with, and for your sake, you had best get your story straight before your trial. Or don't." His lip curled upwards cruelly. "It would give me no greater pleasure than for a wretch like you to discover firsthand why one does not cross the Holy See of Ishgard."
Weiss closed her eyes. How did this even happen? Ruby, Blake, Yang…I've never missed those three dolts any more than right now..
Meanwhile, somewhere in the southern desert of Thanalan…
Yang stared at the bartender. The bartender stared back…from atop the stool that let them see over the counter.
"…Aren't you a little young to be serving drinks?" Yang said finally, still processing the barely three foot tall girl behind the counter. In addition to her minuscule stature, her proportions were all off, her arms and legs almost comically stubby, her face rounder and with larger than normal eyes and a tiny nose. In addition, she had a pair of pointed ears that extended diagonally from lower down on her skull, almost cheek level.
"Well, aren't you a rude one?" Her voice was high pitched, borderline cartoonish, but it didn't quite sound like the voice that should come from a child, either, having a certain maturity to the inflection. "You never seen a Lalafell before?"
…Well, it was a good thing Yang was already in a bar, because she felt a strong desire for a drink right now. "Sorry…new in town. I'll have a Strawberry Sunrise if you have it."
"We have ale, miss…?
"Good enough." Yang sat down on a bar stool, glancing around at the sandstone interior, which provided much needed cool shade from the heat outside in the streets. "And it's Yang…don't suppose you've seen my sister around? Dark red hair, red and black outfit? She's pretty distinctive."
"Can't say I have." The Lalafell woman said with a shake of her head as she poured the drink. "If she's missing, you could always talk with the head of the local Adventurer's Guild to offer a reward for findin' her."
"That's perfect, where can I find them?" Yang tried not to let too much desperation creep into her voice.
Her server grinned as she pushed the finished drink over. "You're talkin' to her. Momodi, at your service. Now, that'll be fifty gil."
"Uh…" Yang fished in her pockets and slapped a fifty Lien card on the counter. "Will this cover it?"
"…I'll open a tab for you."
Dammit.
Meanwhile, somewhere in the western isles of La Noscea…
Blake watched the waves gently roll on the open seas as the passenger ship cut its way through the waters. The air tasted of salt and wind, and in the distance she could make out the coastline- sandy beaches and rocky cliffs topped with dense jungle.
It was different in many ways, but she felt herself remembering her childhood on Menagerie.
"Oh, come on! That's hardly bloody fair!" The voice of a girl drifted across the deck to her ears, which twitched slightly under her bow as Blake turned to look.
Speaking of things that reminded her of Menagerie, yet were different…
Two people, a man and a woman, where playing some sort of card game on a board they'd placed on top a barrel to pass the time. The man was gargantuan in size, almost as wide as he was tall with pure muscle, and a green tinge to his skin. His opponent was about Blake's size, with bright red cropped hair…and a pair of furred feline ears and tail to match.
As she continued to complain about foul play while the larger man chuckled and regathered his cards, Blake's mind raced as she refocused on the water. Faunus were typically born with one animal trait. Two was extremely rare, but not unheard of, so she could have simply written off her fellow passenger as a Faunus and called it a day.
…Were it not for the several other passengers she'd witnessed, male and female alike, with almost identical feline ears and tails, in varying colours. Once was a rarity. Twice was a statistical miracle. Fifteen or higher…wasn't a Faunus anymore. In addition there were several folk of similar stature and skin tone to the male card player, all rather muscular and abnormally tall, even the women, albeit less so.
Blake's one solace from this insanity was that the fish served by the ship's crew was really, really good.
Crossposted from Spacebattles- I wanted to wait until I finally updated my other main fic first. I've found that working on multiple projects at once actually makes it *easier* to maintain them, weirdly.