AN: This chapter was supposed to be longer than it ended up being, but the world-building I put into this chapter really made it hard to continue it without distracting from SOMETHING in the chapter. this chapter is important though and I will let you know that I have something special planned for the next chapter, which should be up before my birthday next month.
Jaune presented Pyrrha with her new weapons the moment everyone was awake. He was currently running her through the admittedly small changes he had made to the mechashifting sword and shield when Nora banged her head against her desk.
He at first ignored it and tried to continue his explanation when he felt someone tap him on his shoulder. Turning around he was met with Ren, who pointed over at Nora with his usual neutral expression. "Nora's struggling with the upgrade Ruby put into Magnhild."
Jaune raised an eyebrow at that, "What do you mean? Nora and I both watched her upgrade it, it should be working perfectly…" he stood up and walked over to Nora who was clutching her weapon to her bosom.
"Tell mama where it hurts Magnhild! Did Ruby cause this? I'll break her legs!" JNPR's resident bomber growled Jaune tapped her shoulder.
"No breaking my girlfriend's legs, let me see." Nora reluctantly stood and let Jaune sit, he quickly pulled up Magnhild's schematics on his scroll and compared it to the current version in front of him. Squinting he frowned and turned to Nora, "What specifically is the problem?"
Nora huffed and crossed her arms "It's not cycling its cylinder properly. I loaded it with some beanbag rounds and tried firing it earlier, it would fire once and then nothing…"
Raising an eyebrow Jaune stood and walked over to his own desk with Magnhild, Nora, and Ren hot on his heels. He quickly took out some tools and got to work. Knowing that the problem was located near the cylinder helped him immensely because after a few moments of poking and prodding he found the issue. Before fixing it he made sure to point it out to Nora (and Ren) so they knew what to look for.
"So when Ruby upgraded Magnhild, she put some small capacitors along the inside of the handle and head, they're not very big about the size of a watch battery but they're powerful." He scratched his chin "I think when she did so she accidentally put one of the capacitors a bit too close to the firing mechanism." he was incredibly thankful to whoever designed her weapon, it had small ports (if you knew what to look for mind you) that opened to most of the inner mechanisms, so he had easy access to the inner workings of the trigger and all the mechanics that worked the cylinder without taking the weapon apart. Using his screwdriver as a type of pointer he explained.
"The capacitor was supposed to rest a little bit lower along the side of the trigger, she had them all lined along the inside of the weapon to form a kind of…conduction loop that would disperse the electricity generated from the weapon directly to you." he frowned "but I think in her rush she put one in the way of the firing mechanism, letting it fire but preventing it from actually completing…at least that's what I noticed…"
Pyrrha noticed his frown from where she sat on her bed, "What's wrong?"
Jaune shook himself out of it. "It's just…she knows her stuff, she's not a bad smith at all…Nora and I both watched her work and while…yes most of what she did flew over my head I still understood little bits of it, so how would she mess something like this up?"
Pyrrha shrugged as Jaune handed Magnhild back to Nora who hugged it happily. "Everyone makes mistakes I guess?"
Jaune nodded and pointed at Pyrrha's weapons bringing himself back to what the two were originally talking about before Nora interrupted them. "So, any questions about your weapons? The materials for them are higher quality and a lot sturdier than they were before, so maintenance should be a little cheaper as well as easier in the long run…"
"Actually, Yes I did have a question for you." Pyrrha shifted around on her bed a bit, almost nervously as she glanced from her weapons to me. "When we met you said that my weapons were cheaply made…" Jaune winced at that, but Pyrrha didn't seem hurt about his comment, merely curious so he took that as a good sign.
"Well…for Huntsmen they were." he shrugged unapologetically. He leaned back in his seat and frowned. "They weren't bad quality for Civilians mind you…you said you were from Argus right?"
At her nod, he continued, "So, correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm assuming you trained from a young age to fight in tournaments? Maybe they interested you or it was a family thing but that doesn't matter." he ignored her opening her mouth to explain her past and continued on, "What I assume happened is your parents took you out to a blacksmith or weapons shop and had you pick out what suited you best."
Pyrrha's mouth clicked shut and she nodded, "Yes…that's pretty much it verbatim, my father was a huntsman, he had to retire because of a nasty wound and when I was old enough I offered to train and become one, mainly to support them mind you…" she wrung her hands in her lap "I ended up joining tournaments, hand to hand ones at first, to help with my training…it kind of blew up from there…"
Jaune heard Nora gasp from where she was on Her (and Ren's) bed snuggling both Ren and Magnhild. "He's psychic!" she whispered but Jaune ignored her and continued with his explanation.
"So, from my understanding of things, all the major Kingdoms have laws around the selling of certain weapons to certain people." he rubbed his chin absentmindedly, noting the stubble that was growing in and once more he debated the viability of growing a beard, his grandpa rocked a beard, maybe he could too? He'd have to run it by Ruby, but he continued as if his mind wasn't elsewhere. "Most of the Kingdoms except Atlas and Menagerie use the same classification system, makes it easier for trade."
He quickly sent a file to the team JNPR group chat that they had made and continued while everyone looked over it. "Mind you, this isn't all that important for you guys, you aren't smiths but it is something to know for when you have kids." he wiggled his eyebrows at Ren and Nora, Nora grinned while Ren just groaned in embarrassment. "You have three Classes of weapon, Class C, Class B, and Class A." he pointed at Magnhild "A huntsmen's weapon is a Class A, while Military weaponry is considered class B." He crossed his arms and looked back at Pyrrha "Your original weapons were Class C."
Pyrrha just raised an eyebrow and asked "What does that have to do with anything though? It just seems like a classification system to me…"
Jaune laughed at that "Well, it is but it also designates things like what ammo a gun uses, what metals the gun or sword is made from, and whether or not elemental dust is allowed to be used." He frowned "Class C weapons are prohibited from using dust by law in Vale, Mistral, and Vacuo while Atlas and Menagerie again don't use the classification system. Military-grade weaponry is allowed to use elemental dust and higher-grade material but is not allowed to use, for example, Aura absorbing metals."
He looked around the room and he could tell that the three were confused as to why the kingdoms would purposefully limit themselves like that, and Jaune already had the answer. "You have to understand guys, that the Great War sucked, it sucked HARD, from what my Grandad told me, which is all second hand from his own grandfather mind you, the nations were doing everything to get an edge in the war that included using Huntsmen." his team's eyes widened at that, again he didn't blame them.
Most people don't learn much about the great war in general, especially outside of Vale or the Academies, primarily because it was a black spot on every nation's history and no one really wanted to talk about that. What had started as a land dispute between Vale and Mistral evolved into a two on two brawl, Vale and Vacuo on one side, Mistral and Mantle on the other…
"Mind you…Huntsmen, as we know them, didn't really exist back then, but the tools necessary to create a…what's the word? Progenitor? A progenitor to them existed. People knew how to unlock aura, dust was freshly discovered and they knew some of what it could do…so why not use it for war?" he looked at his team with a frown "From what my grandad told me, battles were devastating, my great grandfather apparently lost a lung and was partially blinded from the chemicals his own side was using on Mistrali soldiers."
He let that sink in for a moment before continuing, "So when the peace treaties were signed and the Concord of Vytal ratified, the academies were set up and anything remotely similar to huntsmen were to be trained and remain neutral during conflicts between nations." He clenched his fist "That's why it's illegal to sell or manufacture Civilian or Military weapons if they are supposed to go to Huntsmen. Soldiers don't have Aura, they aren't superhuman like we are, or at least in theory they aren't supposed to be. Again Atlas and Menagerie get away with ignoring the treaty on a loophole."
"How!?" Pyrrha asked, her eyes wide in surprise. Jaune could see Nora nodding while Ren kept his stoic facade, though Jaune could see he was curious as well.
"Menagerie didn't exist when the Concord was ratified, and when it became its own nation it signed everything except the weapon classification agreement, since they're on a barren continent surrounded by oceans full of pretty terrifying Grimm no one save Atlas threw up a fuss about it." He paused and chuckled "Which is ironic because after Mantle fell apart and Atlas took its place they did the same thing, and cited the same reasons for not signing the weapon limitations." he frowned "I'm pretty sure Atlas trains huntsmen and huntresses to join the military as well, though I think Atlas skirts around punishment by claiming that they are only used for Grimm extermination and survey missions…"
Ren raised an eyebrow in surprise "How do you even know all of this?" he asked, Ren wasn't a stupid individual, far from it. He was Nora's other brain cell after all, but even he didn't know everything Jaune was telling them.
Jaune blushed and sheepishly rubbed the back of his head, "My families a huntsmen family even if my dad didn't want any of his kids following tradition. My sister Sky is interested in military history, and she needed someone to recite this stuff too…"
"That's so adorable!" Nora and Pyrrha shouted at the same time, making Jaune blush even harder.
"Anyway…" Jaune squeaked out. "Your weapons from what I saw, were just civilian grade steel and gunpowder. Which against most people, even huntsmen is fine." he pointed at her new equipment and smiled "Normal steel is good don't mind you, but there are some processes that go into making the special metal alloys used by each country that make them tough enough to fight Grimm." he raised a hand to stop them "and please don't ask me to list off the reasons because honestly, I don't know how it works. I'm a blacksmith yes but I'm not high enough on the totem pole to learn something like that…I'd have to be close friends with either the councils of one of the nations or one of the academies headmasters to even learn how to smelt something like Valean steel…"
He could see the gears turning in their heads, and he nodded. His mission was complete, knowledge had been dispensed, and a client was happy…man that was kind of cold, Pyrrha was a friend!
…
Anyway, he stood and stretched before he started heading out of the room. "I'm going to go see if I can help Ruby fix Crescent Rose, Do you guys have any plans for the day?" He asked once he got to the door.
Ren was about to answer when Nora grabbed onto his arm and grinned while shouting "Pancakes!" which made Ren sigh with a fond smile and a nod.
Pyrrha rubbed her chin and stood as well, "I was originally going to see if you wanted to help me test these out." she frowned "but I think I'm going to go see how the repairs on my armor are going and then repaint these," she smiled at Jaune "After all, I should look my best when I wipe the floor with you all."
Ren and Jaune's eyebrows shot up at that while Nora just pumped a fist and shouted "bring it!"
It took a few moments for what she said to register but when it did Pyrrha's face instantly turned a lovely shade of red and the invincible girl squeaked out in embarrassment. "I meant…I mean…" she started mumbling incoherently before Jaune threw her a bone.
"We get that you love to fight Pyrrha." from what Ren and Nora had told her her fight with Yang had been amazing, part of him missed seeing it. That also gave him an idea "Why don't you see if Yang would be up for a spare with weapons this time?" this seemed to snap her out of her embarrassment, though she was still red.
"Oh! That sounds wonderful!" her eyes seemed to glaze over a little bit, losing focus as if she was looking into the past "She's strong…" Pyrrha purred, like literally purred. It reminded Jaune of a lion…and that scared the shit out of him.
It didn't seem to deter Nora though who whispered to Ren "She's like the character in that series we read!"
Ren raised an eyebrow "the one about Dragon Sphere's and Aura users that could shoot laser beams out of their hands?"
That was the last thing Jaune heard as he slipped out of the room and made his way over to Team RWBY's door.
The first thing that reached Ruby's waking consciousness was the sharp crack of Professor Goodwitch's riding crop across a desk. She immediately jumped up, Jaune's new sword poised at the ready, daring any Grimm to challenge her.
"Stay back! I kind of know how to use this!" now if only the person behind the sword was so confident.
Glynda sighed and shook her head "Miss Rose, calm down and put the sword away."
It took Ruby a moment to register that there were no Grimm in the classroom with her and that it was just Glynda but when she did her face quickly rotated between an embarrassed red to a terrified white.
After all, from Ruby's few interactions with the older woman, she could definitively say that Goodwitch was more terrifying than any Grimm.
So she quickly did as she was told, sheathing Rosea Mors with a sheepish chuckle. "Oh…sorry Professor I must have fallen asleep working on this." She nervously cradled the sword to her bosom and looked away from the professor in question. If she hadn't she would have seen the stern look on Glynda's face soften just a smidge before the combat instructor sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.
"You aren't the first student to fall asleep in the wake of inspiration or in pursuit of hard work, Miss Rose." She actually chuckled and shook her head, "Most do so at their desks though, not on the floor of the blacksmithing department." She gestured to the room behind the teacher's desk with a small smile "But, It's been known to happen, I took the liberty of putting a pair of sweat pants and a gym shirt in the changing room, take a shower, and be back here immediately, Ozpin wishes to speak to you about…" she glanced at the sword in the young woman's arms "that sword."
Ruby nervously nodded and made her way to the room in question, before she was stopped by Glynda's sharp response of "Don't take the sword with you, Miss Rose." Ruby squeaked and quickly placed Rosea Mors on the teacher's desk and fled.
Once the girl was out of sight and through the door, Glynda, absentmindedly tried to use her semblance to lift the sword to her, but it didn't seem to work. Her aura would stop just before reaching the blade, her semblance not able to take purchase on any part of the sword. Curiously she walked forward and reached out to pick the sword up by hand, but before her hand could make contact with the hilt of the blade her hand burned with sharp pain.
Pulling it back she noticed that she was bleeding from a cut on the palm of her hand, it wasn't deep but it was definitely a cut that hadn't been there before…
She glanced once more at the sword, before backing away and standing near the entrance of the room, her Aura already healing the cut in question.
After only a few minutes Miss Rose stepped out of the changing room, clad in a white beacon gym shirt and sweat pants, rubbing a towel through her messy red hair.
Glynda nodded "very good, pick up your sword and anything else you need. You're dirty clothes will be delivered to your dorm room later tonight." she opened the door and motioned for Ruby to follow, and the young girl did so without saying anything.
It didn't take long for the two to make it to Ozpin's office, and once they did Glynda waved Ruby to the elevator, saying she had other duties to attend to.
It wasn't because being near that sword made her feel uneasy, it couldn't be that, after all, it was just a sword.
Ruby nervously walked into Ozpin's office, expecting to get an ear full from her grandfather…
She shouldn't really have been worried though cus instead of being met with a stern glare and talking too about sleeping on floors and staying out late, she was greeted by the smell of breakfast and a sight she'd take with her to her grave.
Ozpin was sitting at a table filled with breakfast food, dressed in pajamas that were adorned with little clocks! He even had on a little nightcap!
"You look adorable!" She blurted out, only for her face to start turning the same shade of red as her hair.
Ozpin however took it in stride, looking up from his scroll with a laugh, "Why that's not a phrase I've had attributed to me in a long time." he smiled softly at her "Good morning, Ruby as you can see I was just about to have breakfast, would you care to join me?"
Ruby glanced at the table and then the sword in her arms. "Didn't…you want to talk about this?" She shook the sword a little and Ozpin shook his head.
"The sword is why I called you here, but you just woke up and it's only" he glanced at the clock on his desk "just now passing nine, so I thought you'd need something to eat before we talked."
Ruby raised an eyebrow "Okay…" she trailed off, shitting across from him with a frown. "But why are you in Pajama's?"
Ozpin scoffed at her question as if what she had asked was the most ridiculous question she could have ever asked him. "Why am I in Pajamas?" he sipped his coffee and shook his head "It's breakfast time! Why wouldn't I be?"
Ruby raised a finger to respond, but put it down when she realized that arguing with him would probably not be the wisest course of action at that moment, after all, she didn't know if she was in trouble yet.
The two ate in relative silence, Ruby enjoying strawberry topped waffles while Ozpin absentmindedly munched on a croissant while doing paperwork on his scroll. After the two had finished, Ozpin motioned for Ruby to sit in front of his desk and asked her to place the sword on it, unsheathed.
Ozpin sat and steepled his fingers, his nightcap ruining the serious air he was going for, not that he seemed to mind. Honestly with the nightcap on he looked like a wizard…
"Now then, "He began his tone still light thankfully so that hopefully meant she wasn't in trouble. "The reason I called you here is that at around Midnight last night someone had entered the forges and didn't come out. Originally I wanted to see if you were okay, you had told me you were going to be there late but I didn't expect you to sleep in the forges…" He shook his head fondly and Ruby had the decency to look sheepish at the slight admonishment in his tone.
Ozpin looked at the red sword on his desk, a slight frown marring his features "You have no idea what you've done with this sword do you?"
Ruby nervously rubbed her legs together and tapped her feet on the floor, a side effect of her semblance, causing a need to run "Umm made a sword red and sharper?"
Ozpin laughed at that "tell me, why did you infuse your Aura into this blade? Hopefully not just for those reasons"
"Well...I know for us activating your Aura is an intimate thing...I also knew that I couldn't do that for Jaune...so I wanted to kind of I don't know make it feel like I was always there for him you know? Even when I wasn't?"
Ozpin knew that she was leaving things out, too embarrassed to tell him the whole truth, so he did the only thing that he could think of that would give him the answer he needed. He grabbed the hilt of the sword. The moment he did he was hit with a wave of emotion, love, protectiveness, determination, and admiration. All of them were so strong he had to let go of the sword lest he got overwhelmed, after all the emotions were never meant for him.
He lifted his hand to adjust his glasses and noticed that his hand was covered in small, deep cuts. He frowned and Ruby immediately rushed to help him.
"Oh my God, you're bleeding!" she tried to find something to wrap his hand with but he waved her off. His hand was already healing thanks to his aura, so he didn't want her to worry.
After he had calmed her down, he glanced once more at the sword on his desk. he had to say that he was deeply impressed. Ruby had done something thought impossible, something close to the true magic he once held, he was honestly proud of her.
"Ruby, when you infuse aura into a weapon it is supposed to be temporary. A quick power-up as the kids call it, that's not what you did here. You infused your soul, your semblance, your very emotion into this blade…"
Ruby tilted her head in confusion "What do you mean?"
Ozpin laughed "if anyone besides you as its creator or mister Arc tried to use this blade with how deeply you focused on him the results would be pretty similar to what had just happened to my hand."
Ruby paled but didn't say anything, so he threw her a bone, "Perhaps Yang or someone close to you or Mister Arc will be able to use the sword without coming to harm," he rubbed his chin thoughtfully "thinking back on the response it gave me, I'd say the sword wasn't so much sentient, and instead operating on your intent." he leaned back in his seat "You intended the sword to be Mister Arcs, you poured your emotions into it with the intent to forge a weapon to protect him and those close to you, so the Aura in the sword registers that and acts accordingly."
Ruby frowned "but that doesn't make sense it's just a sword…it's just aura…"
Ozpin shook his head though, "Aura is an extension of the soul, your intent and emotions matter when using both it and your semblance." He sighed "after all, a Semblance is the reflection of the soul, it's why they can affect a person emotionally to such degrees, It would make sense that a sword given an aura with the one command "Protect" would respond that way." He frowned in thought. "Think of it like giving a computer artificial intelligence, the Aura is the AI, doing its best to follow the command you gave to it before it was separated from you."
He motioned for her to pick it up and she did so "give it a swing"
She quickly did so and was surprised to see rose petals trail after the blade "that's..."
"Your semblance, congrats Ruby you've given a sword a semblance"