Here we go. Whatever happened to my goal to make this story only have 5-7k chapters? Sigh...


Beta: College Fool

Cover Art: A Stuck at Home Tome

Chapter 8


Getting Ruby alone wasn't a difficult task. She was often out in the cafeteria a little earlier than her sister, in what I was led to believe was something to do with the amount of time the blonde spent getting ready in the morning. Luckily she didn't seem too worried when I asked if we could have a quick chat outside, though there was a degree of curiosity in her eyes when I led her behind some bushes and looked around.

"So how are your scythes holding up?" Small talk had never been a strong point of mine but luckily Ruby was easy to talk to. Her face lit up immediately.

"They're still in good condition. I haven't had a proper chance to fight with them yet but Yang and I farmed a few Grimm yesterday and it went well!" Thank the heavens for that. I'd told Pyrrha and the others that I was going to invite Ruby and her sister along but there had been one niggling worry – her weapons.

"Were you able to fight with them?"

"Yep," she giggled and nodded her head. "Good as new and back to kicking butt. Why?"

I looked around once more, mindful of Blake's advice to keep what we knew secret. After a night to think on it I'd realised just how correct she was, especially when Ren explained how much we could have gotten for selling the location of the Dungeon. In most cases it would be more lien than they could actually earn in it, but you paid for both the loot and the Exp in a sense. It wouldn't do to mess it all up now.

"You know how Pyrrha, Ren, Nora and I went out yesterday?" I whispered to her. Ruby didn't seem to know why but lowered her voice to match mine.

"Yeah… did something happen? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Nothing went wrong. It's…" How best to handle the issue, that was the question. "Basically… ugh, I'm no good at this. We found a Dungeon on the way back from our farming."

Going with the straight answer was probably best, since neither Ruby nor I were particularly social animals. Either way it seemed to work, for her eyes widened to comical proportions, mouth falling open. She recovered a second later, shaking her head wildly.

"You… you really found a Dungeon?" I nodded to her question, which only seemed to make her even more excited. "That's amazing. That's so cool – I heard most people don't get to try going into a Dungeon until at least their second year, if they find one at all!"

"Yeah, Ren told me about that. We thought about selling the information for a while, since we could use the lien." That statement seemed to cause Ruby some degree of physical pain and for a moment I felt like I'd just stepped on a kitten in front of her. "But we decided not. We're going to try and clear it ourselves… or at least give it a shot."

Pyrrha had been very clear on the fact that it might be dangerous, to the point that we might have to back out. Nora had sounded glum but I definitely agreed. This was an opportunity, but not something I was willing to risk my life on, let alone theirs.

"So why…" Ruby swallowed and tried to look casual, but it was obvious she was anything but. She kept glancing towards me, knees twisting left and right as she fidgeted on the spot. "So w-why tell me then?" she asked – and it was all but impossible not to hear the desperate hope in her voice. "D-Did you just want to let me know?"

I didn't even need to ask. People might have called me bad with girls but there was no way even I couldn't figure out what Ruby was thinking at that moment.

"I've told you because I wanted to ask if you, Yang and Weiss would joi-"

I didn't get any further.

"Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!" Ruby barrelled into my chest with enough force to actually lift us both off the ground, sending me tumbling back into the bush we were stood behind. She didn't even seem to notice, too busy laughing happily with her head pressed against my chest. Part of me wondered if I should be annoyed but it was impossible to be, instead I could only laugh with her. "Oh I can't believe you invited me, this is the best day of my life! You said Yang and Weiss could come too?"

"I figured it'd be best if you asked them. Weiss doesn't have a very high opinion of me." Ruby nodded frantically, though whether that was to her asking them or the fact Weiss despised me, I wasn't sure. Probably both. "This is a pretty big deal for you, huh?"

"Your first Dungeon is huge. I can't believe you invited me. I can't wait to tell Yang!"

"You have to keep it quiet though," I quickly put a hand on her shoulder, just in case she sped off before I could stop her. Silver eyes blinked owlishly at me, a hint of worry behind them. "We're going tomorrow but if anyone else finds out about this there's a chance they might sneak there before we can. Just make sure no one overhears when you're telling Yang and Weiss."

"Got it," Ruby said with a nod, a look of relief slipping across her face. What that was about I had no idea, but since she didn't seem bothered by it, it probably didn't matter. "I'll drag them outside like you did me."

"You might want to not tackle them into a bush and lay on their chests though," I laughed.

Ruby's eyes shot open. It happened almost in slow motion, the startled way she looked down – as though expecting to see the ground but suddenly noticing that it was a chest instead. She then pushed against it, hands on my sides as she sat up.

"Ruby?" I asked, more than a little worried since she had gone unusually quiet. She didn't respond but she did slowly climb off my chest, stepping out of the bush and looking to the side with an almost determined focus. I clambered out after her, patting my shirt down.

"Let's… let's um… forget that happened, kay?" Her cheeks were red. I tried to stifle a laugh but a little came out.

"I won't tell Yang you got that excited," I promised with a grin. "Besides, I've been so excited over this I've barely been able to sleep so you're not alone." The girl laughed at that but did look a little relieved, even if her cheeks were a bit on the rosy side. I slipped a piece of paper over to her, which she looked at with a little confusion. "It's a copy of the map Ren made. We're all going to meet there around ten or so on Saturday. Figure it'll be less suspicious if we don't head there in a massive group."

"You just don't want to wait for Yang, do you?" Ruby giggled. "We'll be there, I promise."

Good, great even! There was safety in numbers and after our last fight I definitely wanted Yang on our side. With a quick wave to Ruby I made to head back to the cafeteria to share the good news with the others, only to pause as Ruby's hand clutched the back of my blazer.

"I… I just wanted to say," Ruby let my jacket go, hand falling to her side. She was smiling though, so much that I wondered if she might split her face in two. "You won't regret inviting me along Jaune. I promise!"

She didn't even give me the time to answer, rushing off with a loud whoop towards the female dorms. I could almost imagine the look Weiss was going to give me after she realised her imminent meeting with a hyperactive fifteen-year-old had been my fault. I couldn't complain though, and as I headed back towards my three friends they seemed to react to my good mood, Pyrrha placing her drink down on the table with a smile.

"I take it she said yes?" the Champion asked. I settled in beside her, bumping my elbow against hers as I nodded and grabbed a bowl of cereal.

"She's going to ask Weiss and Yang."

"Yang will come," Ren tapped a finger against the table, keeping his voice low. "Anywhere Ruby goes, she is sure to follow. I expect Miss Schnee will do the same when she realises where we are headed. A Mage could be very useful in this kind of situation." I nodded to that, it was the main reason why I'd invited Weiss, and Blake too really. Both had a ranged option which the four of us sorely lacked.

"I'm worried about healing though," I said through my breakfast. Ren raised a brow in return, making me swallow first with a faint flush before continuing. "I just mean that we've got plenty in the way of damage and tanks but I don't know anyone who can actually heal us if things go wrong. Come to think of it, I don't think I've even seen any Classes that can since coming here. Other than the Priest that watches over Miss Goodwitch's class."

"That's normal," Pyrrha explained with a patient smile. "It's not something that's ever explained so I'm not surprised you don't know about it considering you were raised by NPC's. There are numerous Hero Classes that can heal in one way or another, from Priests to Paladins, Druids and even some Mage Classes can heal, though those are mostly offshoot Classes like Spiritualist and Sages. I'm fairly confident Weiss would not be able to."

"So where are all those Classes?" I asked. The Headmaster was a Sage, which meant he had some healing ability, but other than him and the other teacher I hadn't seen a single Class matching those descriptions.

"They're not trained at Beacon," Pyrrha went on. "Healing is considered a rare and important role in Vale, and in the other Kingdoms too. If you are born of a Class that can heal then you have to choose between a combat school like Beacon and the College of Healers – a separate school that caters to them specifically."

"Wouldn't it be easier to train everyone in the same place?"

"The roles are too different, or so I'm told. Although some healing Classes fight on the front lines, most take on a support role that requires less combat skill. Beacon is actually quite an offensive school when you think about it. Even the lien earning system is geared towards making us fight against Grimm to become stronger. With healing, however, there's a lot more lessons and academics I would imagine. More than three quarters of the lessons here would be of no use to someone who wanted to become a healer, while the same would take place in reverse. Beacon would need to have twice as many staff just to teach lessons for a tiny portion of the student body." Pyrrha shrugged. "That's as far as I understand it anyway, it's been a system in place for decades now. It's just how it is."

"Pyrrha's pretty much right," Ren sighed. "It's the same in all four Kingdoms, though like she said there might be a Paladin every now and then who chooses a combat school instead. But even then, they'd be taught very little healing – only what they pick up or study on their own."

"So no healing at all then?" I asked with a sigh. "I always thought the legends had a healer in the party – it just felt like a given."

"Maybe it used to be," Pyrrha shrugged again, though she wore a small smile nonetheless. "Or maybe when we've graduated and actually start on real missions we'll be able to convince a healer to come with us. For now though being without a healer makes us learn to rely on our own strength. We'll only be even better when we do have a healer. But at the same time, we can't all be helpless without one."

I nodded to show I understood, even if I didn't necessarily agree with the concept behind it. So the chances of finding someone to fill that role were pretty much none. That was both a weight off my shoulders and a punch in the stomach at the same time.

"What do we do then?" I asked of them both. Nora was barely even listening, too busy filling up on carbs for the day ahead. "I take it there's some method people use to deal without a healer. Do we just bring so many people that we can overwhelm anything that moves?"

"That's one option I guess," Ren snorted, "though the rewards would have to be shared between a lot of people. In most cases you simply bring more people for the tanking roles and take things a little slower, or so I've read."

"It's called rotations," Pyrrha interrupted. "I learned about it when I visited a Dungeon before. I even got to see some other Heroes using it. The basic premise is that you have a set number of front-line fighters who focus on protecting the others. You then switch them out with another after each fight, so that people lose very little aura at a time. By the time it's their turn some of it might have recovered, or you can just decide to rest and recover before moving on. It's not perfect… but it works."

I'd have to take Pyrrha's word for it since there was little else available. Presumably that meant she would be leading the raid as well, also something that didn't exactly bother me – she was the highest Level.

"Let's just survive the lessons today and get ready for tomorrow," I held up a glass of orange juice as though to toast our epic adventure. Pyrrha chuckled lightly, but as Nora cheered and clinked hers to mine, the other two joined in. "To us!"

"To us!"

/-/

All through the one day and into the next I'd been worried. What if someone else found the Dungeon – what if it had moved on by the time we arrived? The others had definitely noticed my nerves but politely chosen not to mention it, but as we pushed our way through the forest, following the map Ren had made, the anxiety came back tenfold.

It only stopped when Nora cheered, rushing through some bushes and laughing as she revealed the hidden copse once more, the dark stone entranceway covered with moss and vines. It was still here… Pyrrha smiled as she heard my sigh in relief.

"No one would have blamed you had it disappeared," she said, clapping a hand to my shoulder. She was probably right; I knew that inside. But it still would have made me look like a fool and that wasn't exactly something I was after. "Did you give Ruby a map?"

"We're still early," Ren said when I nodded. "Perhaps it will take them a little longer to decipher my handwriting. We might want to make brief camp and wait for them."

"No need for that," a proud voice called from the west. Weiss Schnee walked through the treeline a second later, her white robes somehow remaining free from mud or stains, even the golden gilt down the seams. "You can rest assured I had little issues reading such material. Oh, so the Dungeon is real!" She didn't even look at us, pushing past to inspect the stonework instead.

"Did you really think I'd have lied about this?" Weiss didn't even respond to my question. How little faith in my ability did she have?

"Hey Jaune!" Ruby appeared after her, stopping to give me a brief hug before waving to the others. "Hey Pyrrha, hey Ren, hey Nora! Don't worry about Weiss. I don't know whether it's you she didn't believe or me." That sounded like her.

"Weiss is Weiss," Yang said as she joined the rest of us. She gave me a quick punch on the arm, gentle – at least for her – and a grin. Ever since our shopping trip it looked like Yang had been happy to adopt me into her circle. "We ready to go in then? Looks like we're all here."

"Not yet," I said, which made everyone look at me. "We're still waiting on one more person."

"We are?" Pyrrha asked. "I wasn't aware you were familiar with anyone else."

Oh hell, I hadn't told them. With all the excitement and the impatience, it hadn't even crossed my mind that I should have asked them if they would be okay with Blake joining us. That was something I'd have to rectify before she- There was a quiet impact behind me, followed by the sight of Pyrrha's hand falling to her weapon.

"I'm here," an impossibly quiet voice seemed to whisper into my ear.

"What is she doing here?" Weiss Schnee exploded, abandoning the Dungeon entrance at last and glaring at me – or maybe it was Blake – with hands on hips. "Did you follow us – are you looking to steal this Dungeon for yourself?"

I felt Blake's body step a little closer, conveniently using me as cover should anything go wrong. Even so, I didn't get the impression she was worried, more just seeking to avoid confrontation by placing me in the line of fire. That was fine though, I was panicked enough for the both of us.

"I was invited."

"Nonsense," the Mage snapped. "Who would invite an Assassin?"

"I invited her." Everyone turned to look at me and were it not for Blake's body keeping me in place I might have folded under their gaze.

"You?" Weiss seemed to gag. "Why would you invite someone like that? You should have discussed this with us!"

"Jaune has the right to invite whomsoever he chooses," Pyrrha stepped up to my defence, even if her hand hadn't quite left her weapon yet. I was relieved to see her agreeing with me, but it felt like it was just with me. She still watched Blake with cautious eyes. "It was the four of us who found the Dungeon and Jaune whom we elected to invite more people."

"That means I have more right to be here than you do," the faunus whispered past my ear. I hissed her name back, letting her know I wasn't keen on the idea of her starting a fight with Weiss. Not before we'd even started this.

"Alright, alright, why don't we all calm down a little?" Yang strode into the middle of the group, holding her arms wide. "If we start arguing now then we'll never make it through the Dungeon. Weiss, you need to accept that this is Jaune's decision, even if we don't all necessarily agree with it." The Mage crossed her arms but didn't say anything. "As for Blake, is it? Please try not to antagonise anyone if you can help it. Weiss was out of line but you didn't need to snipe back." Blake didn't say anything either, though she must have made some sign of agreement for Yang nodded and looked back to me. "All yours."

Yeah thanks… I held back a sigh. This wasn't going as planned. "I invited Blake because she would be a ranged damage option for the team. I don't know if you noticed but we're all pretty much melee apart from Weiss. Blake has throwing daggers she can use to support us."

Ruby nodded, but she was about the only person that did. Pyrrha continued to watch with a neutral expression, while Ren and Nora simply stood in silence. Weiss' scowl was cold enough to freeze water and Yang just hovered by Ruby. Were things really so bad between Blake and them? It didn't even make sense.

"You'll not change their minds," she whispered to me, so quiet that the others likely couldn't hear it. "Perhaps now you see why you are so unusual." I was starting to, but that didn't help any in the current situation. A little louder she addressed the rest of the group. "If it bothers you so then I'll leave. I shan't tell anyone the location of this… if you can even trust me that far."

No… that wasn't right. That wasn't fair at all and it only got worse when Weiss nodded and not a single person shook their head. Blake took a step back. I could feel her stepping away from me. I invited her and now she was going to have to walk all the way back to Beacon alone because no one else wanted to accept her?

"If she goes then so do I." I shouted. Blake froze, as did the people before us. Would it mean the end of our friendship? I wasn't sure. But what I did know was that I couldn't accept things as they were, not like this. "Blake saved my life. She's the only reason I'm still alive here at Beacon, so if you can't accept her then you can't accept me either."

Please accept us. It was the silent plea within my mind. Even as I threatened to leave, even as everyone watched with wide eyes and shocked expressions, inside I didn't feel nearly as brave nor certain as I sounded. I didn't want to lose them. Not Pyrrha, Ren and Nora – who were my best friends now, nor Ruby and Yang, who were slowly becoming people I really cared about. Please don't let me do this. My eyes bored into Ruby's. Begging for help.

"Stay!"

"Ruby!?" Weiss turned to the younger girl, only for Ruby to rush up and stay beside me.

"I'm fine with it," she said and extended one hand towards Blake. The Assassin just stared at it. "Hi, my name's Ruby. Welcome to the group!"

"Blake Belladonna," the faunus nodded but didn't shake Ruby's hand. Yang sighed and walked towards us, Blake giving her a suspicious look before the blonde came to a halt behind Ruby.

"Well if Ruby's fine with you, so am I," Yang laughed. Her eyes were focused on the girl, however, and despite her words I was fairly sure this wasn't completely over. Yang had just decided to put aside any first impressions in order to support her little sister. For now, it was enough.

"Guys?" I asked, turning to my three friends.

"No problems here," Nora chirped up. "Renny is fine too." The young Monk nodded.

"I'm sure there won't be any problems," Pyrrha agreed, taking her hand from the hilt of her sword at last. "As Heroes it is our responsibility to work together to protect the land. Petty arguments between Classes are foolish. Wouldn't you agree, Weiss?"

"If this is the choice of the majority then I have no complaint." The Mage crossed her arms. Funny… from the way she'd worded that it seemed she had plenty of complaint, but at this point I didn't feel like bringing it up. Maybe this had been a bad idea after all but if the party split up then there was a good chance someone would let slip about the location.

"Let's just go in now," I nodded towards the entrance. "Pyrrha's got a good strategy on rotating so we can avoid taking too much damage. We should follow her orders."

Having something to do seemed to be the solution to the argument, or maybe just enough to delay it. Pyrrha started to explain her strategy to the group, a repeat of what he'd heard the other day but now accounting for more people. The idea was fairly simple, Pyrrha and Nora would form the first frontline team, while Yang and I would form the second. We would rotate whenever the frontline took ten per cent or so damage, or after a certain amount of time. That way we could stay fresh while spreading the damage both evenly and slowly.

The rest would do what they could in terms of damage, whether that meant Ruby and Ren darting in when their enemies were distracted or Blake and Weiss raining damage from behind. I was just thankful to be on the second wave, since it gave me a chance to see how Pyrrha and Nora handled their duties on the frontline so that I could copy them.

When we were finally ready to enter the Dungeon it was in a close knit formation, Pyrrha and Nora in the lead with weapons held cautiously before them. The light from the world outside was cut off almost immediately, the staircase leading down into the depths of Remnant twisting fairly early on, cutting us off from natural light. There was a hissing noise as Ren sparked a torch to life, passing it to me before taking another for himself.

"Why are there torches on the walls if they're not even lit?" I had to ask.

"No one around to light them," Ren shrugged. "We could light them ourselves if we wanted to, but there's no guarantee they would still be burning when we came back."

"I meant more as to why there's even torches in the first place if this is some kind of non-inhabited structure that's spawned out of nowhere." Or at least as I understood it. "Aren't torches manmade? These are even made of wood and dried straw… what's the point if no one lives here? Who would have hung them up?"

"That's a question many of the Mages in Atlas have been asking for a long time." To my surprise it was Weiss who answered, her voice taking on a scholarly quality. "The aspects and inner workings of Dungeons are a topic of much research. Many have taken them for granted but understanding how they operate could mean being able to predict their locations. As for the furnishings inside, it has been noted that man-made constructs can be found within Dungeons. Some theorise that they might once have been homes of powerful Mages who tampered with Magic they should not have."

"Typical of Atlas to think such things have to be the work of Mages," Blake scoffed. Weiss' gnashing teeth could be heard even in the low light, but she thankfully ignored the Assassin's insult.

"Whatever the case, as we go deeper we might even find doors, rooms and even living quarters – despite the Grimm having no use for such things. If Dungeons actually stayed after the Heroes left, then they might make for nice places to live."

"What happens if we don't leave fast enough?" I had to ask, suddenly wary of how close the walls were. Would the Dungeon disappear, leaving us stranded underground? Would there be an empty space in the ground where it had been, or would the soil and rock reappear once more, crushing us to death?

"That won't happen," Weiss said with confidence. "The Dungeon will not begin to vanish until we leave it. Even if it did, I expect it would take us along with it, to whatever new location it arrives in. Unfortunately, that would also repopulate it with Grimm, which might be a problem."

"There's never been any recorded cases of that, however," Ren stepped in before I could freak out. "No need to worry."

Yeah… no recorded cases… that made me feel safe. Ren really wasn't as good at comforting people as he seemed to think he was. I stepped a little closer to the group as a result, not at all enjoying the claustrophobic feeling. Somehow the tales my mother had used to tell had made it all sound more exciting, even when adventurers were travelling through monster-infested caves. This was dank, dark and cold – with moisture dripping from the ceiling and the stone tiled floor slick with moss and damp. A nice place to live…? I'd rather be homeless.

"Up ahead," Pyrrha warned from the front of the group. With bodies pressed so close together in the dark it was hard to make out anything, but the sound of snuffling and snorting ahead was a clear enough sign. We were coming close to some Grimm. Crocea Mors was loosened in its scabbard, though the shield stayed strapped on my back. We needed the light from the torch more than we did the added defence.

"What should Yang and I do?" Pyrrha glanced back towards me before nodding at Blake and Weiss.

"Cover the backlines, make sure nothing gets through. Since the two of you are going to be reinforcing us it's best if you both take as close to no damage now as you can."

"Roger," Yang saluted with a little sigh. I nodded the same, stepping back a little so that I was closer to Blake. She was easier to be around than Weiss, at least at this point in time. The Assassin's golden eyes glinted in the dark, as though she had no trouble seeing at all. Sadly, I couldn't say the same and so any expression on her face was lost.

The corridor opened out into a wider room, one with darker walls less obscured by moss and fungus. Pyrrha and Nora fanned out a little bit, covering their flanks as the walls on either side of us disappeared. It was a room of sorts, wide and airy, with passages leading off in two different directions. Beady red eyes turned to us as we entered, and all thoughts of the surroundings were lost.

"Geckans!" Pyrrha spoke, holding her shield up before her as the lizard-like creatures charged. Crocea Mors whispered as she was drawn from the scabbard and yet I paused in the back, sparing a glance to see what Yang would do. She didn't move, recalling her orders to stay by Weiss and Blake. It was hard to do the same but I had to trust in Pyrrha's plan.

There were six in total and as Nora roared a challenge three of them seemed to split off to attack her, two headed for Pyrrha and a final one approaching the centre of their formation. "Control it!" Pyrrha shouted.

"On it," Weiss whispered back, drawing her rapier with one hand and pointing it towards the lone Grimm. Light mist seemed to coalesce around the thin weapon, spiralling towards the point where it formed an almost fragile-looking sigil. The Geckan clucked angrily as ice crystallised into existence around its legs, halting the attack in its place.

"Mine!" Ruby laughed. My eyes widened as I reached a hand out to stop her but she paid no heed. One moment she was stood close by, the next she was flying through the air – with seemingly no acceleration between. There was a mighty flash of silver, an attack I couldn't even see, before Ruby appeared beyond the Geckan entirely. Had she hit it? How had she moved so fast? The Grimm didn't fall over, nor did it scream in pain.

It exploded.

"Told you I could fight," Ruby looked inordinately pleased as she skipped back to us, but my eyes remained fixed on the already vanishing remains of the monster she'd so easily slain. I'd struck a Geckan the day before and killed it in a single strike too, but the blow had neither been as easy to hit nor as devastating as her own. How was that even possible – Ruby didn't have high Strength, I knew that both from watching her fight in Miss Goodwitch's Class, but also with how she struggled to carry her two scythes when we went shopping.

No, focus on the fight. Ruby's sudden ability to not only fight but kick ass could take a back foot. Right now I had to see how Pyrrha handled the duties of tanking so I could do the same. She was on the back foot and giving ground, but she did so in a direction away from the weaker members of their group, dodging rather than blocking and conserving energy when she could have counter-attacked. A knife flashed through the air and buried itself into the forehead of one of the creatures, passing so close to the redhead's shoulder than she flinched. Blake didn't miss, however, and a second followed soon after – striking the shoulder of another.

Nora's fight was a little more hectic, not least of all because where Pyrrha tactically gave ground, Nora seemed either unwilling or unable to. She laughed as she swung her massive hammer, not actually hitting her opponents but certainly giving them something to think about as she took `tanking` in a direction I hadn't thought possible. One of the Geckans hissed and ducked beneath her guard, swinging a claw up towards the Barbarian's face.

It was severed at the elbow, Ren slipping by in the confusion and cutting the hand off with an almost effortless gesture. The bloody stump slapped into Nora's face.

"Ewww – Ren," she complained, grabbing the creature by the throat and crushing its skull with her weapon. The fact that she could be upset at the first action yet okay with the second was a little jarring but Ren apologised either way, as though he was used to it all. Maybe he was; who was I to judge?

The rest of the fight was wrapped up easily enough. Despite my expectations, Weiss didn't use much in the way of offensive magic. I'd imaged fireballs and big explosions but she seemed to focus on freezing the limbs of the Grimm instead, not doing damage but rendering them unable to move or dodge – which proved just as fatal when Nora was around. Ruby and Ren used speed to their advantage, only ever attacking when the Grimm were already distracted by one of the two fighters. Even Blake joined in before the end, either out of throwing knives or not seeing an easy shot, where she passed Grimm died, daggers in their backs.

Though it felt like an age the battle probably lasted less than two minutes. When it ended even I was breathing heavily, despite that I'd done nothing but guard Weiss and watch.

"Oh yeah," Ruby cheered, high-fiving Nora and jumping on the spot. "That was incredible. We're incredible."

"Good job sis," Yang was shaking her head but managed to laugh either way. In stark contrast to my own feelings, Yang looked bored to have been left out of the action. Pyrrha lowered her weapons with a cautious look around the room, before finally sheathing her blade.

"Good work," she said. "Did you and Yang get an idea for how to tank on the front lines?" I nodded, though I wasn't sure how Yang would handle it, having neither a shield nor a weapon. The blonde didn't looked worried though, so there was no point commenting. From the corner of my eye I noticed Blake rummaging around the Grimm remains, sheathing her throwing knives beneath her cloak. Ruby was going about them too, though she seemed to be checking for any lien. Hopefully we'd earn enough even when it was split between eight. That was the main reason we'd entered after all.

/-/

"Ugh," I grit my teeth as the Grimm's huge claws struck the shield, forcing my arm back and sending pain rocketing up my shoulder. Fetid breath washed into my face, red eyes glaring balefully down on me. Bracing Crocea Mors against the back of it I pushed forwards, trying to keep the larger beast from knocking me to the ground.

A black blur passed beneath my right arm, a hooded figure appearing there before a sharp blade was forced up and underneath the Grimm's arm, piercing into its armpit. It roared in agony, staggering back and letting off its attack at the same time. I'd have liked to follow and cut it down but it was all I could do to fall back and rub my shoulder. Blake had it either way, leaping into its guard and cutting across the throat in one quick motion.

"Thanks," I offered a small smile to her. She nodded back but her mask had been pulled up once more, hiding her features from view. For some reason I didn't like that. It felt like she was hiding herself from us. We'd been travelling like that for the past hour or so, switching between Yang and myself on the front lines once or twice since. This was just the latest in another fight against the Grimm, although now my aura was around fifty per cent or so. From what Pyrrha said she was doing better, still running at over seventy-five, testament to her better skills… or perhaps just her higher Level.

Shaking my head I looked back towards Yang, just in time to see her block an attack from what looked like a small or juvenile Beowolf. Its arm swung back for another attack, but became sluggish and heavy when ice encased it from claw to elbow. Yang shook her head and dispatched it herself, blowing on her fist dramatically as it fell down.

"You don't do much in the way of direct damage, do you Weiss-cream?"

"I can," Weiss snapped, as though offended at the thought of being deficient in any way. "I much prefer the element of control, however. Control the battlefield and you control your destiny."

"So basically you're going to make us do your dirty work for you?" Yang laughed, earning a huff but no response from the white-haired girl. Somehow her preference seemed fitting in my mind. Weiss felt like the kind of person who liked to control things. Now it looked like that applied to her enemies too.

"Ooh!" Ruby cooed from up ahead. "Guys, I found some loot!"

"Filthy lucre!" Nora cried, instantly breaking ranks and chasing off after the girl. Blake and I shared a quick look before making our way over as well. I could admit to a little excitement myself, even if I tried to hide it. Everyone else was crowded around Ruby, who had apparently found it not in a chest or anything, but having dropped from one of the Grimm itself. How that happened I had no idea, but since the entire Dungeon didn't make sense, arguing seemed pointless.

"What is it?" I asked, trying to look over their shoulders to see.

"It's a sword," Nora whined. "Boo…"

"Pyrrha or Jaune then," Ren patted his friend's shoulder. "Or Weiss," he added as an after-thought, nodding towards the Mage. Weiss shook her head, however, touching the hilt of her rapier and stepping back. As the weapon was revealed I could see why. It would be much too heavy for her. It was a long sword, with a hilt that was a hand and a half, the blade a good forty inches or so. It seemed to gleam in the light of the torch Pyrrha now held, a light silvery sheen.

"A little long for me," Pyrrha said, eyes meeting mine. "Why don't you try it out?"

Me? I looked towards the others but they all seemed to agree. With a shaking hand I reached out to grasp the hilt, drawing the blade up before my eyes as I considered it. Better than my current one for sure, with a subtle focus in endurance. It was a good sword, forged from crucible steel. Definitely a step up on Crocea Mors… which was a bit of a blow to my ego to be honest.

"It's good," I said, more because from how everyone was watching it was clear they wanted a response. "Better than mine for sure. You're really all okay with me having it?"

"It's only fair," Ruby nodded. "If something drops for us then we'd want to keep that too."

"I concur," Weiss added. "If you're worried about the potential loss of lien then you can always sell your old sword and split that with us. This Dungeon will progress better if you have good equipment."

Sell my old sword? My eyes fell to Crocea Mors, strapped at my waist. I wasn't sure I wanted to sell it. It was unreasonable to form an attachment to it, especially since it was only a month or two old – but grow attached to it I had. I'd made it myself and it had seen me through the First Quest admirably. Where my armour and shield had failed to help me, she had even drawn blood from the huge Beowolf itself.

But there was also a more pressing problem, which I made clear by holding Crocea Mors up in my left hand, the new as-of-yet unnamed blade in my right. "I'm not sure I can carry both of these… not and use a shield as well." I could have sheathed it behind me, since I had no intention of drawing that one, but the leather strap on my back only had a single latch for my shield and that wouldn't hold onto a naked blade.

"Really," Weiss sighed, "Do none of you prepare for anything? Here." She tossed something towards me, which bounced off my face when I realised I didn't have a free hand to catch it. "Idiot, be careful with that – it's expensive!"

Then why are you throwing it around!? I wanted to ask but didn't dare. Crocea Mors rattled as I laid her down on the floor, picking up the small, brown bag and looking at it.

"It's nice," I said, "Not sure how it helps though."

Weiss threw her hands into the air.

"My god, how dumb are you? That's a Bag of Holding, you dolt."

"Ahh…" I nodded not because I understood but because I was expected to. Weiss stared at me for a long moment, in which I tried to look confident while holding it in one hand. Hopefully someone else would say something that helped explain it.

"For the love of…" No such luck as Weiss lowered her head into her hands. "Just open it up you moron. You can put your sword in there, along with any other loot we find. The bag uses advanced gravity manipulation enchantments to mean you can fit items inside."

Well why didn't she just say something like that the first time? It looked simple enough as I flipped the top open. Part of me expected to be looking into the abyss but instead of a terrible black hole I was instead left looking into a rather unremarkable leather pouch. Well… if she wanted to shove my sword into it then more power to her. She could deal with the repairs.

"Oooh," Nora made an appreciative noise as Crocea Mors went into the bag, but more importantly its point did not appear through the bottom. My eyes were wide as it vanished completely inside.

"Those are rare I hear," Pyrrha said from behind my shoulder, also peering into the thing. "I'm surprised you have one Weiss."

"Well I am from Atlas."

Again, something I didn't understand. Since Weiss was in a good mood I didn't want to ruin it by asking, however, so kept quiet. The bag felt heavier now, quite a bit heavier in fact, which meant that the actual weight of my sword hadn't been minimised – just the size of it. The bag was for convenience it seemed, but wouldn't be a solution to our every problem.

"You should hold onto it for now," Weiss said when I tried to hand it back. "My… frame is not well suited for carrying everyone's weapons around. But I will expect it back when this is over!"

"Of course, of course," I promised, strapping it to my waist. In all honesty the weight wasn't an issue for me, but maybe it was for a Mage. She couldn't have much Strength compared to me, Nora or Pyrrha. And since it was my sword weighing it down I supposed it made sense I be the one to deal with it. "Should we continue to push on?"

"I don't see why not," Pyrrha shrugged. "Perhaps Nora and I should take the lead again?"

I flushed but nodded, knowing I was the one forcing Yang and I to rotate out more often. While I was good at taking damage and had plenty of Aura thanks to my high Constitution score, it was still an issue that my defence was so weak. I just didn't know how to properly use my shield… not in the way the redheaded Champion did. She just smiled, however, not once treating me like the burden I probably was.

I'd get stronger soon, I thought. My next level was actually fairly close, something I'd no doubt hit after the next few fights. That would probably have already happened were the Exp not being split between eight people, but even then I was so close I could feel it.

"It's slower than I thought it would be," Ruby popped up on my left, her words kept low so that the others wouldn't hear. "In the stories the Heroes always rush through these, clearing them as they go."

"I know what you mean." My mother had raised me on stories like that as well. "Maybe they're just better at it than us?"

"Or they have a healer," Ruby stuck a tongue out. That was true… if we had someone patching our wounds up then we'd have been able to take more risks. As it was the approach Pyrrha had given us was working, but at a very slow pace. I couldn't argue though. Better safe than sorry. "I hope we find some more loot. I bet the boss will drop something amazing."

"The boss?"

"Well… the Grimm the Dungeon is anchored to," Ruby waved a hand vaguely. "I guess it's like a boss of sorts, the boss of this place. If that little Grimm back there dropped a sword then he has to drop something really good, right?"

"Maybe you're right." I scratched my chin as that thought passed through my mind. If Ruby was right, and I didn't see why she wouldn't be, then it would be the final Grimm which gave the best rewards. Whether that was something we could use or a vast amount of lien, either would be good. I laughed as a stray drop of water fell on Ruby's nose, making the girl cringe and wipe it off. "You still happy I invited you on this?"

"You bet! It's not what I imagined, but it's still a massive thing to see so young. And you trusted me to do it as well."

"Why wouldn't I?" I had to ask. She was stronger than me, that much was clear. Plus, she was a good friend too. I couldn't understand why she thought I wouldn't have wanted to bring her along.

"Well I lost my fight in training…" Ruby didn't meet my eyes. "Then there was my scythe and how badly I did in the fight…"

"I lost my fight too," I reminded her, because really it felt like she was forgetting that fact. "I also lost just as badly as you did – to an unarmed girl no less. I don't even have the excuse of being two years younger either." Thinking of it, that sounded a lot worse than what had happened to Ruby, so it really didn't make sense as to why she was so distressed. She'd lost her weapon, everyone knew that when she asked in class, and even then she still managed to actually land a blow in the fight. Mine was so much worse in comparison.

"I guess…" Ruby forced out a small smile, one that looked weak even to me. "Maybe we can be losers together."

"Sounds good to me."

"Eh?" Ruby's silver eyes looked up into mine, wide and filled with surprise.

"I said it sounds good to me," I repeated. "We can be losers together. Friends even if we both suck and get our asses kicked." I could use one since I was fairly sure my performance in combat class wasn't going to get much better. Everyone else would start learning more combat Skills and gaining loads of Stats… I was going to just become a better Blacksmith. Ruby laughed and walked a little closer.

"You're kinda weird, you know?" I did know… Blake had told me that enough times. But unlike with Blake, Ruby made her thoughts on that clear from the way she smiled, the way she seemed to relax. She nodded once, though again she looked away. "We'll be losers together…"

"More Grimm ahead!" Pyrrha warned, like she did whenever she spotted a group. Ruby's face became serious in an instant, her scythe drawn as she backed away from me and let me draw my own, new, blade. "Less than last time," the Champion went on, "but it looks a lot bigger. I think it's an Elder Grimm!"

Blake met my eyes across the corridor, a memory of the first we'd faced shared between us. This one looked the same, a bipedal wolf-like creature, a fully formed adult Beowolf, easily eight feet tall. We were lucky it was on its own, though even then it made for an imposing sight.

"Is it the boss?" I whispered. If anyone knew then they didn't answer, too focused on spreading out for what was likely going to be a difficult fight.

"Nora and I will tank," Pyrrha shouted. "If we get hurt then Jaune or Yang will have to step in. Don't let it focus on one person too long and be careful when you attack!" Everyone shouted their agreement, with me and Yang hovering near Weiss and Blake once more. It looked to be as strong as the Beowolf we'd fought before, or at least as big. We'd only beaten that thanks to dropping a roof on its head but we were all a little stronger now and there were more of us.

Pyrrha was the first to reach the beast, probing an attack towards its snout only to leap back when its hand smashed down where she'd once been. The Grimm tore off in quick pursuit, crashing through a wall of ice that Weiss tried to raise to trip it. I cried out a quick warning as it approached Pyrrha, but she managed to duck to the side just in time. Nora offered her what support she could, swinging her hammer and clipping the beast's shoulder, but it seemed to ignore even that – roaring in rage and backhanding the Barbarian. Yang cursed and rushed in as Nora was removed from the fight, sent crashing into a nearby wall. "I'm okay," she called, though it was clear she would need some time to collect herself.

"Weiss," I looked towards the Mage, catching her attention, "It's breaking through your ice. Can you freeze the floor beneath it instead?" The white-haired girl didn't answer but her rapier did point a little lower. The Grimm skittered atop it, unable to find purchase as its arms flailed wildly. Behind it I could just make out Blake trying to find an opening. The Assassin seemed to back off, however, launching some daggers instead. We were whittling it down… slowly but surely.

"Argh!" Pyrrha fell back, one hand clutching her shoulder. I was beside her in an instant, cursing as I held the shield between us and the monster. Thankfully it didn't hit, Yang leaping forward to take its attention instead.

"Fall back. I'll handle this for now." I hissed to the redheaded girl, getting a grateful nod in reply. Up close the beast only seemed bigger, its teeth snapping as it tried to tear the blonde in two. Yang was made of sterner stuff, however, kneeing its snout aside and landing a punishing blow onto its chin. I wished we could see how much it had left, but such knowledge wasn't available. "Over here you over-sized poodle!" I slammed the new sword against my shield, drawing its ire as the deafening racket echoed through the enclosed space. Nothing I could use to distract or hurt it with this time, so I squared my feet and prepared for its attack. I was stronger than I had been the last time, if only by a little. But what I did have no was confidence.

Dad always said that was all you needed.

Claws screeched against metal as it hit the kite shield I held up, the sound enough to make my eyes water. There was no hope of hitting back, not when the weight of it alone was enough to send my feet sliding back across stone.

"Keep it there!" Someone shouted. I couldn't tell who, or how I was supposed to do that. If anything it was the Grimm keeping me there. An icicle exploded across the back of its head, heralding the switch in our Mage's tactics even as Ren darted low and scored a jagged gash across the back of its knee. I pushed back, trying to use the advantage to knock it down – the same way I'd killed the last one. I was losing that battle. It was much too strong.

"Try this!" Ruby shouted, seeming to float in the air past the Grimm's shoulder. Her scythe was prepared, red hood floating behind her like the trail of a star. My knees buckled, the strength of the beast finally proving too much as it burst through my guard. My eyes widened, ready for pain or agony. It didn't come… not because anyone saved me, nor because the Beowolf died, but because at that moment where I failed, where my strength gave out – it turned.

The Beowolf's arm struck Ruby, who held up her weapon to block it. The claws tore through the flimsy wooden haft with ease.

And my best friend's body behind it.


This is your fault Reid. You just had to make that comment, didn't you? xD

Ugh, had to spend four hours at my sister's on Sunday watching terrible Chinese martial arts movies. Not even good ones which use realistic arts, but the kind that have someone with a sword slowly floating through the air, then landing on the sword point, flipping more into the air and corkscrewing while the sword apparently whirrs and fifty enemies are sent flying backwards. Then after it someone shouts "Oh – you know the random-name-style? How is this possible!?"

It even had a person who used a finger-style martial art… which is okay, it happened – but when he stabbed a finger it made like a DBZ laser sound and you could see matrix-style air lines coming out. Arghhhh! It was hard not to let it infect my writing with its evil. He didn't even use it once either, just kept stabbing his fingers out and these weird "whooo-whee-whoo" noises going everywhere. Meanwhile my sister's on the edge of her seat and I'm trying to see how long it takes me to pass out if I hold my breath.


Next Chapter: 31st October

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