Knives and Shields
By Icura and Vahn
~o~
Volume 2: Prologue
~o~
Over the island of Patch, the red, twilight glow of a setting sun loomed over the horizon. Walking on a well-trodden path through the forest was a lone woman, shrouded in a crimson cloak that hid the black-fitting corset and armor that adorned her figure. Her steps were swift and sure, filled with a confidence that could only be brought about by familiarity, yet her steps were heavy enough to leave behind a trace of her passing.
Soon enough, a wooden, painted house came into view. As she approached the picketed fence that surrounded the house, the sound of a dog barking could be heard. Within moments, a small corgi jumped on top of the short fence and bounded off of it, leaping through the air into the woman's waiting arms. The black and white corgi started licking at her cheeks, causing her hood to fall off and reveal short black hair and silver eyes.
"Zwei!" Ruby Rose laughed as she moved her head away, though it did little to dissuade the dog from his aggressive licking. After sufficiently lathering her in his saliva, the corgi jumped out of her arms and rushed away, barking as he did so. "Wait, Zwei! Did Yang come back yet?"
The corgi glanced back, barked once, and then bounded around to the back of the house, disappearing around the corner.
"Is that a yes or a no…?"
With a shake of her head, Ruby pushed open the unlocked gate of the picket fence and walked up to the front door. It took a few more moments to fumble for the keys, especially since they were in a different waist pouch than she remembered, but she soon opened the door to the darkened living room.
"Yang?" There was no response to her call, but she expected that. If Yang was here, the rooms would already be lit up unless she was passed out on the couch. Seeing as there weren't shoes kicked aside and clothes lying everywhere, it probably meant that her sister was still out.
Taking off and putting her red cloak on a nearby coat hanger, Ruby went to the kitchen and whipped up a quick meal to satisfy her hunger.
Cookies and milk.
Some people would say that shouldn't have been dinner, but cookies was a meal that could be eaten for all meals of the day, every day. At least, in her opinion. Yang had always been particular about not letting her do that, but she wasn't here right now so that's that.
A couple more minutes of quick eating, Ruby left her bowl and spoon in the sink. She made her way up the stairs to her room, lighting up the lamps in the process. Technically, it was a waste of energy, but she didn't like to leave the halls and rooms dark when she was home alone; it always felt like the house would become smaller when it was darker, as if something would pop out of an unlit corner.
Turning on the light to her room revealed a very familiar room to her. There were decorations and posters that she had on the walls and shelves since she was younger, and she never really felt the need to change them out, despite them being fairly outdated at this point. However, the most important thing was the sturdy wooden desk at the far end, by the window. Next to it was a small trash can, overflowing with crumpled sheets of paper.
Taking a deep breath, Ruby walked over to the desk and took a seat. She pulled out a fresh sheet of paper from one of the drawers and a trusty writing pen, one that she took from her dad when he wasn't looking. It wasn't that she really needed a good pen or that she couldn't afford it, but it was just right there, sitting and waiting to be used. She was going to hand it back, after she was done with all the letters she needed to make. She glanced at the overflowing trash can. Letters that weren't proving any easier to make, even with a good pen. Taking another deep, deep breath, Ruby began to slowly write on the sheet of paper.
Hey, Jaune! This is Ruby, your co-leader and best friend!
Sorry, it took so long to write to you! Just been busy, you know? We've all been!
Technically, she was the one that was late. Everyone had already gotten theirs done. All the letters were in the bottle, and hers was the only one left. They were all understanding about it, but it didn't make her feel any less bad that she was holding everybody up.
So I bet you probably want to know what's going on, right? Well, first, let's talk about your team. Nora and Ren are heading up an expedition to rebuild their old village, Kuroyuri. You remember that one, right? You know, with the Nuckelavee? Yeah, hah hah, I was scared then too!
It'll probably take awhile, but they're pretty optimistic about it, especially since Ren finally popped the question! That's why they are rushing the rebuilding; they want to have their wedding there, and Nora wants it to be perfect. It's kinda funny since you remember Nora's usually pretty carefree. In any case, I'm going to be the maid of honor! Sorta nervous about it...hah hah! Well, you know me. I don't really like all the attention on me.
Oh, right! They also built a nice statue of you next to Pyrrha's in Argus. Well, Weiss had it built. She inherited the Schnee fortune now and had been changing their business policies to be more humane. Also, sorry to say, but she kept your sword. Dual-wielding Weiss is a menace, I tell you! Hope you don't mind that she kept it since she really, really, really insisted on it. I couldn't find it in my heart to say no.
The young woman briefly glanced over to her weapon which had a tiny golden crescent mark by the barrel before she went back to writing.
Blake ended up going back to Menagerie to help with Faunus rights and being the newly welcomed Fifth Kingdom! Five kingdoms now! As for Yang, she's been with me to help clear out the bandits that still don't believe the gods have returned and keep preying on people.
Speaking of which... Actual gods, Jaune! Can you believe it?! They're walking among us, talking with us, and they can appear anywhere at any given time! Now, I know you're probably concerned since we saw the past, but they seemed to be...nicer? They seem very patient now, and it's not like they're going around making everyone rich. They just seem more...grounded. They have definitely repaired the broken lands. Oh and the moon! Jaune, the Moon is fixed now! You'd never believe it, but it's a whole intact moon!
It's not fair—
She paused and then crossed it out.
It sucks that you can't be here, but thanks to yours and everyone else's sacrifice, our world has gotten a brighter future now. I just wish that everyone could have seen it with us. I wish that you could've seen it.
But like, I'm rambling now. It's fine. I'm doing well. We're all doing well. I hope that, in the one in a billion chance that you see this letter, this letter will make you feel better. You don't have to worry about us.
I hope you're safe and happy, wherever you are.
Your Co-Leader Bestie!
Ruby Rose
A tear fell on the sheet, staining her signature. As more droplets fell on the paper, making the ink run, Ruby took in a shuddering breath before folding the letter neatly and taking out a new sheet of paper out of the drawer to write a second time.
~o~
Lower World
Leaning on the rails of the balcony while wearing a formal dress, Hestia looked down over the city from the 30th floor of the skyscraper that was Babel Tower. Even at this time of day, when the sun was at its highest peak over the boundless skies and the heat brought down upon the city was at its greatest, she could practically feel the hustle and bustle of the children far below, moving along the grid-like lines that made up the streets, roads, and alleys.
It was the first time in the Lower World that she had ever been up this high, to see a view that wouldn't have been possible unless she went back to the Heavens. Though, up there in the Heavens, it was more like viewing a painting that couldn't come close to the nearness and realness that she experienced now. However, in spite of that, she couldn't help but think back to the Denatus that had ended not too long ago. It was the first time she had ever attended that kind of meeting—the only gods and goddesses who were allowed to attend had to have a level two or higher in their familia—where they spoke of the latest news and gave out titles to children who had leveled up in the three month interim between each Denatus. Of course, what was on her mind was something that hit a little closer to home.
Little Rookie.
It was a title that brought up mixed feelings in her. While it wasn't as bad as some—okay, maybe a lot—of the names that they came up with, it certainly wasn't that good. Freya's intervention, probably as part of her reparations, was the only thing that had stopped the rowdy gods and goddesses from coming up with worse names. She was both thankful and annoyed. Why annoyed? That was because it reminded her of what Freya's child, Ottar, did to her own child.
How could that fight have escalated so much? After hearing Jaune's tale of what happened, it seemed like if one single little itty bitty thing had deviated in their exchange, the fight might have never started in the first place. Everything that could have gone wrong did, but something about that didn't feel right to her. However, Jaune himself waved her concerns off and pointed to the boons that they had received. He had jokingly called it an "insurance payout," though she was still not sure what that actually meant.
Still, if she didn't think too much about it, she could sort of see the logic of Ottar's explanation. If she looked at it that way, then it was perfectly understandable that they had gotten lost in their fight with their sense of reason drowned out. In a high tension situation, miscommunication wasn't something that was uncommon. All she had to do was look at Ares to see that kind of thing in action. Even all the epics that she had seen in the Heavens, such as with the Argonaut, had that kind of thing in it. She loved those types of stories, especially when the underdog won, but experiencing that anxiety with her own children was chipping away at her excitement and replacing that with worry.
What if, one day, they…
Hestia shook her head. It was something that every god and goddess had to go through. If not the Dungeon, then old age. One day, someday, it would eventually come. When that time came, would she be ready to—
"Yo!"
There was only one goddess with such a squeaky, aggravating voice.
"Loki!" Hestia turned around, but there was no welcome on her face. Instead, she was practically seething. Not even an hour ago, the title that Loki had been trying to straddle Bell with was "Bull Fighter of the Third Ring." The fact that it had almost succeeded despite it not making any sense at all only made it all the more infuriating.
"Congrats! Guess your child's a grower, huh?" There was a mischievous and half lascivious tone to Loki's voice. "But you can't let him get overconfident. You got to be firm with your first Level Two, but it gets easier with your second Level Two and by the time you get to your third, fourth, fifth—"
"Are you here just to brag?!"
"Yep!"
"Why you…!" Hestia pointed at the other goddess in a challenging manner. "So what?! Quality over quantity! Both of my children are going to surpass all of yours!"
"Really? Both?" Loki's eyelids lifted up just a little more, exposing her crimson eyes. "Heard your eldest got his ass whooped and had to be saved by Ottar. Unless yah mean he softened up that minotaur for your other child."
"No, he didn't! He was fighting—!" Hestia quickly cut herself off, curling in the finger that she had raised.
"Fighting what?" Loki prompted, her eyes opening a little bit more. "…or who?"
"That's none of your business, you flat-chested wall!"
"I'll make it my business, shorty!"
"Well, at least I have these!" Hestia grabbed the underside of her breasts, lifting them up.
"So what? At least I can still see my feet!" Loki yelled out. "Hel, you're so top heavy that if you lean a little more over those rails, you'd probably fall over!"
"At least I'm able to be in danger. You, however, don't ever have to worry about that." Hestia stared at Loki's chest with fake pity in her eyes.
"You…!" Loki pointed at the other goddess with tears in the corner of her eyes. "I hate you!"
The trickster goddess turned around and ran off.
Hestia listened to the sound of her running footsteps fading away before breathing out a sigh of relief. Normally, she would have felt satisfied at having driven off the source of her continual irritation, but she felt none of that right now. If Loki had poked any deeper, she wasn't sure she would be able to hide it. She wasn't an especially smart or clever goddess, and dealing with the intricacies of social relationships had never been her forte. Even back in the Heavens, she had mostly stayed cooped up in her temple, awaiting visitors rather than seeking out people. Days, weeks, months, years, decades, centuries. She had never really been bothered by the wait or the passage of time, remaining static even as the gods and goddesses in the pantheon gradually changed.
Despite that, she still didn't want to be left behind.
Coming down to the Lower World with scarcely a thought in her head and thinking that things would just work out would have had Hephaestus drumming on her head if it hadn't actually worked. The idea of a familia and her very own mortal children had been a faint concept to her, something that seemed similar to the worshipers in her temples. However, the reality had been different. The feelings that burned in her heart—the happiness, love, and worry that both pained and delighted her—had changed her. It had been a month since Bell and Jaune had joined her familia, but she knew that she wasn't the same as when she had first arrived in the Lower World and mooched off of Hephaestus. What the long years in the Heavens couldn't do happened within one very short month.
And now, she couldn't stop worrying about them. It was a hard feeling to deal with. As a goddess, she knew that she couldn't stop them, couldn't restrict them. Even with their very short lives, they had goals and motivations to dive into the Dungeon, ones that she supported even though she now felt apprehensive about them. More than that, she felt more than a bit helpless about it, which was an entirely strange feeling to her.
"So this is where you've been hiding," Hephaestus said, interrupting Hestia's train of thought, as she walked onto the balcony. She was dressed in a long, flowing dress that was no doubt worth more than a month's worth of food for Hestia. Maybe even a year's worth.
"Eh, Hephaestus? How did you find me?"
"I saw Loki running away, crying."
"Oh…"
"You should really talk to the other gods and goddesses more. Except for the occasional parties, all of us don't really meet up in the same place very often," Hephaestus said. "It'll be good for you to start making some connections, and I think it'll be pretty easy for you. Most of them liked you even back when you were cloistered in your temple."
Hestia pouted.
"I don't see you doing that."
"I don't need to." Hephaestus reached her hand up and touched her eye patch. "And I don't want to."
"Then why do I need to?"
"Because you aren't the one with the blacksmithing familia," Hephaestus stated with amusement. "You might need their help someday."
"I'll be fine," Hestia replied, waving off the other goddess' concern. "I got you, don't I?"
"That's not enough. I can't help you with everything." Even though the words were stated roughly enough, there was a small smile on Hephaestus' lips.
"Well, there's Miach and Takemikazuchi too."
"At least that's something," Hephaestus said with a sigh. "It'll have to do for now."
"What's the big deal anyways? I think just you is more than enough."
"Clearly not. Look at what happened to your children," the smithing goddess replied. "If it weren't for Freya's child, then you'd have lost one of your precious children. I don't want to see you become sad."
"No, it wasn't like that. Jaune didn't fight the minotaur." Hestia was about to shut her mouth, but she quickly realized that since Hepheaestus was one of her dearest friends, she could be trusted to know. Without any further hesitation, she said, "He was fighting Ottar."
"Really?" Despite her question, Hephaestus looked as if a piece of a puzzle she had been pondering had been solved. "So something like that had happened…"
"Aw." Hestia pouted. "You're not surprised?"
"I knew a normal minotaur couldn't have destroyed the armor that Tsubaki made, but I never thought he had actually fought the Warlord," Hephaestus replied.
"Jaune even wounded him!" Hestia stated proudly.
Hephaestus lightly chopped her hand down on Hestia's head.
"That's not something to be happy about," Hephaestus said. "If it was just reparations, then her paying off your debt to me is a bit excessive. Be careful. She might have her eye on Jaune."
"Wait, you don't think…"
"Freya has been known to steal away adventurers in the past. Not so much nowadays, but you can't be too careful around her."
"What?!" Hestia's face was stricken with ghastly horror. "What do I do? What do I do?!"
"We don't know for sure if Freya really has her eye on him," Hephaestus said while putting her hand on the goddess of the hearth's shoulder to forcefully calm her down. "But you should still pay more attention to Jaune. He might be feeling demotivated since he didn't level up like Bell, and Freya might use that to catch him."
"Actually, he could have leveled up too," Hestia said, feeling annoyed again, though this time, it wasn't aimed toward any goddess. Instead, it was directed at her own child. "His endurance stat is high enough."
"Really?" the smithing goddess asked, genuinely surprised. "Then why didn't he?"
"It's because..."
Hestia trailed off, still confused by what Jaune had told her, before shaking her head to refocus. She looked helplessly at her friend.
"He said unbalanced stats causes 'crappy character growth' and that he should 'stack stats' now because it would be harder to do so later."
Hestia glanced at her friend to see if she understood, but the smithing goddess simply raised her one visible eyebrow upwards with a befuddled expression on her face.
"What?"
~o~
Bell Cranel
Level 2
Strength: I-0
Endurance: I-0
Dexterity: I-0
Agility: I-0
Magic: I-0
Magic Spells:
Firebolt - Swift-Strike magic
Skills:
Heroic Desire, Argonaut - Allows a charge to empower an attack, but requires time for charging. It can be used for any type of attack, but the effects will dissipate when the user is attacked or they lose focus.
Developmental Abilities:
Luck - I
~o~
Jaune Arc
Level 1
Strength: C-675
Endurance: B-743
Dexterity: E-498
Agility: E-455
Magic: I-0
Magic Spells:
None
Skills:
Aura - The light of one's soul.
Aura Amplification - The power to amplify the light of one's soul.
Against All Odds - Immense growth when the odds of survival are low. The strength of the effect corresponds with the level of danger.
Developmental Abilities:
None
~o~
Authors' Note:
Icura: And we begin again. Vacation time is over.
Vahn (Vahnhammer on SB): Or so he thinks, but I am traveling out of town next month but we ARE back and so arc two begins! Thanks for reading!