Just to let you know that College Fool didn't get a chance to beta this as I had to write it all today (busy weekend). So, any spelling mistakes are my own. We did discuss the composition, however, so he still does deserve credit. This also came out a little later in the day, mostly due to my hectic weekend that just passed. Hopefully it doesn't feel too rushed as a result.

Chapters after this ought to be a little smaller, I'm afraid. It's just this Dungeon series which is making them longer.


Beta: College Fool

Cover Art: A Stuck at Home Tome

Chapter 9


I kept waiting for something to happen.

Ruby would explode into smoke, she would vanish at the last second, there would be some kind of ability - her Passive – anything that meant what I was seeing wasn't true. Something did happen. My best friend screamed out in agony, her body falling down onto the floor in a pool of her own blood.

She didn't move… nor did I.

"Ruby!" Yang screamed in a voice hoarse with terror. The blonde broke ranks immediately, throwing the battle into disarray as she rushed to her sister's side. She collapsed by the broken girl, but the monstrous form that settled before me blocked off anything else. The Beowolf snarled, thick gouts of steam pouring from its nostrils. It would have been so easy to blame it for what happened, and it was true that it had been the one to hurt her.

But only because I had failed.

I had been the one tanking, it had been my responsibility to keep the Grimm's attention… neither Yang, Pyrrha or Nora had failed in that task. The other damage Classes had been able to do their work unhindered, but the moment it was my turn it was Ruby who had to pay the price. If I'd been a better fighter, if I'd been a higher level, if I'd been a Hero…

I swung my new, unnamed blade, towards its face. The edge scored a deep line in tough flesh, earning a roar from the creature. Its arm swung back, buffeting my shield and knocking me back against a wall. Even now, my attempts at avenging her were lost… I was too weak, too pathetic to even stand a chance.

What had I been thinking, doing something like this? It had always been about me, about becoming the hero – about being more than I was. Was Ruby's life worth my selfish desires? Would dying here solve anything?

"Jaune!" Pyrrha cried, and from beneath the beast's arm I saw her rushing towards me. She too must have been shocked into hesitation, for the distance between us was too great. She wouldn't make it in time to save me. If I blocked the attack with my shield, then trapped against the wall as I was, I would surely be crushed. Dodging to the side was not an option, hemmed in by some stone plinth and the Beowolf's giant mass.

Kill it. My mind whispered, Kill it for Ruby.

With a rasping breath, I threw aside my useless shield, grasping the sword in two hands and angling it towards the beast's chest, prepared for one final thrust. The new steel might as well have been a toothpick to it, but red eyes flashed as it charged. I wanted to roar my own anger back, but between the tears and the fear, all that came out was a desperate, rattling gasp. It roared and swiped down towards me.

Shadows coalesced behind it, a small figure appearing on its left shoulder. Golden eyes flashed as two hands shot forth from a dark cloak, throwing daggers clenched firmly in each fist. With a grunt of her own, Blake Belladonna drove them both into the Grimm's crimson eyes. The claw that would have taken my head from my shoulders instead hit the stone above me, carving a great furrow as the Beowolf reared back in agony.

"Jaune!" Pyrrha repeated as I saw a flash of red hair. She must have slammed into the back of it as well, her blade piercing its spine. The monster was pushed forward, slamming me against the wall and against coarse fur. It gurgled. My eyes glanced down to the sword it had impaled itself on, the golden hilt in my hands, but little else visible beyond the black hide it had pierced. The blade twisted, just for good measure.

"Die," I whispered, in a voice filled with anguish. The beast staggered back, tearing the sword from my hands as it fell to the floor, Blake and Pyrrha breathing heavily on either side. I felt a rush of power within me, a tell-tale sign that I'd managed to level up.

As though that could have ever mattered.

"Ruby…" my knees hit the stone floor beside her, pushing myself through the press of bodies around her. Yang was at her side, one arm beneath her head, the other desperately trying to hold shut the wound on her stomach. Ruby's ragged skin looked worse than my armour, torn asunder. "Is she…"

Ren couldn't meet my eyes.

No… that wasn't possible; not like this. My hands paused a few inches away from her body. What could I do? I wanted to touch her and yet that would be no use, not when Yang was already doing her best, tears in her eyes. Everyone else seemed to have already accepted what was happening, though not a one of them was taking it well. My Blacksmithing… could it help? Maybe I could sear the wound shut… but no, the blood loss – I didn't know what to do.

"Isn't there…" my broken voice cut off for a moment, "there has to be something we can do…"

"The closest Priest is at Beacon," Pyrrha whispered from behind me. "She would never make the journey. Even if we had potions, they would only restore missing aura. Hers was taken so low that she took all this damage…"

"Don't you have any magic that might help," I begged Weiss. The rest of us were just fighters, she was the only one who could use magic in any way, so surely she could do something. The look on her face said otherwise.

"I'm a Mage," she said, "I can't heal… I can only-" she cut off, expression becoming serious for a moment. "There might…" she looked aside. I reached out to grab her hands, shocking the white-haired girl slightly.

"There might what?" I demanded, "Please, anything that can help."

"Weiss, please…" Yang whispered.

"I said might," the Mage snapped, tearing her hands free of mine. She reached up to her neck, fumbling with something beneath her robes. I waited with bated breath, watching as she drew forth a silvery ornament. "This was a gift from my sister," she explained, "It's… it's something she found, a rare item that fell from a nest of Deathstalkers, deep in Grimm territory."

"Some kind of healing artefact?" Ren whispered.

Weiss shook her head and then to our shock snapped the top of the necklace off. She threw it behind her, holding out the bottom half for us to see. There was an orange liquid inside, a gel-like substance. Ren gasped.

"Is that… I've never seen one in person."

"What is it?" I growled, already tired with their dramatics, "If it can help Ruby then give it to her – we don't have time for history!"

"Arc is right," Weiss leaned forward, holding herself over Ruby's body. My hands were clenched into fists as the Mage used a finger to poke Ruby's mouth open. My heart broke when a line of blood ran down her chin. Weiss angled the vial above her lips, slowly oozing the orange gel out. "The legends say these are capable of healing even life-threatening injuries," she whispered, "That so long as the person isn't dead, they can be helped."

"An elixir," Ren breathed. "Alchemists have been trying to make them for centuries but no one's ever come close. For you to have one…"

"My sister's gift to me," Weiss said, pulling the vial away. Yang reached forward to touch her sister's throat, massaging it so that she would swallow the orange fluid. "She probably expected it would save my life somewhere down the line."

And now, because of me, it was being used on someone else.

"I'll pay you back," I promised, staring into Weiss' pale eyes.

"Jaune," Ren sighed, "I don't think you understand. Something like that… it has no value – I've heard them sell for anywhere up to a hundred million lien; a King's ransom."

"I'll pay you back, Weiss," I repeated. The price didn't matter… if this… if this elixir would undo my mistake, if it could bring Ruby back, then it would be worth every lien.

"If you feel you must," she sighed, ignoring my words as she always did. "Let us just hope the legends are tr-"

Ruby coughed.

All conversation died immediately, every single one of us leaning in to stare. Yang's hand lifted off her sister's stomach slowly, as though unsure what she might find there. I wasn't the only one to gasp at the sight of Ruby's skin, visible through the tears in her clothing. It was smooth and whole.

"Owie…" the girl whispered as her silver eyes cracked open.

Yang beat me to saying anything, if only because she immediately crushed Ruby's face into her chest, threatening to smother the girl. Ruby's arms flailed weakly, but even that was more energy than I'd ever imagined seeing in that small frame again. I staggered to my feet, the shock of her sudden recovery leaving me dizzy. Pyrrha bumped against my side, both in support, but also to share a watery smile.

"You idiot," Yang whispered into her sister's hair. "I thought you were dead. You nearly did die."

"Sorry," Ruby's voice was muffled, confused.

Why was she apologising? It wasn't her fault.

It was mine.

"Weiss saved you," Nora said, "You were on death's door but she had an elixir she was willing to use on you."

"Weiss…" Ruby breathed, eyes wide.

"This by no means makes us friends."

"It kinda does," Nora giggled.

"Does it still hurt?" Ren asked, catching Ruby's gaze. She shook her head.

"I can still remember the pain," she said. My hands clenched. "It doesn't hurt right now but it's like I think it hurts, so I still feel it. Was it really so bad?"

"You would certainly have died."

"Oh…" Ruby looked down at her stomach, expression falling. "I guess my scythe didn't make it?" I glanced down to the farmer's tool I'd helped her buy. The wooden haft was sheared in two, not standing up to the Beowolf's claws for even a second. There were splinters everywhere. Ruby no doubt saw it as well. "Well," she laughed nervously, "I guess it's a good job I brought two. Can you grab the other out of the bag, Jaune?"

"No…"

"W-what?" Ruby's eyes were wide as they met my own. I didn't move; I couldn't move. Pyrrha placed a hand on my arm but it felt like there was a roaring sound in my skull. "But-"

"You're not fighting," I said.

"But I have to fight!"

"I said, NO!"

Ruby flinched as my volume rose, the word `no` echoing off the stone walls. My chest was rising and falling with great heaves, my hands shaking. How could she even think of fighting in her current situation - after what had just happened to her? Even if I gave her the other scythe it would just break like this one. Except that unlike this time there wouldn't be some legendary trinket to save her life.

"You're not fighting in this Dungeon anymore," I continued, even though I could see the tears pooling in her eyes. They hurt. But not nearly as much as the sight of her, eyes closed in a pool of blood. So long as she was alive, I could put up with the guilt.

"But you can't," Ruby whispered, "What will I do?"

I had no answer. She turned to Weiss.

"Weiss, tell him to give me my weapon. It's in your bag."

"He…" Weiss took a deep breath, "Arc invited us on this raid. Technically speaking, it is his decision as to how this is organised."

Ruby looked horrified.

"I agree with Jaune," Pyrrha said. The words seemed a slap to Ruby, who recoiled. "I'm sorry Ruby, but this is for your own good." A brief glance showed that no one else disagreed, though many refused to meet Ruby's gaze.

"Yang?" the girl whispered at last, glancing up towards her last bastion of hope.

The blonde looked away, not saying anything.

"Oh…"

Ruby's voice cracked.

"I… I…"

It was for her own good, I was forced to remind myself, as Ruby started to cry. Even if it hurt…

/-/

I poked the campfire we'd made with the tip of my sword, just enough to shuffle the charcoal about and keep the flame burning. From the corner of my eye I could make out Ren and Nora checking the doors, making sure they were locked. After the adrenaline of Ruby's recovery wore down, we'd all decided to take a break and recover for the night. No one felt up to continuing after that draining display.

The Beowolf we'd faced had been some kind of mid-Dungeon spawn, or so Pyrrha had explained. Apparently, it wasn't unusual to have one, which would wait in some room of its own for people to approach. That explained why it had been so strong, but did little to assuage my own guilt. It didn't matter how strong it had been. I'd still failed to keep its attention as I was supposed to. Who else was there to blame in a situation like that?

"There's some large doors in the chamber we fought the Beowolf in," Ren explained to the group, sitting down beside me. "We were able to lock those from the inside. If any Grimm want to break though, they'll have to make a lot of noise. With the door to this room locked as well, we'd have two levels of warning before they arrived. I think we can afford to rest without anyone staying awake to keep watch."

"That's for the best," Weiss snapped as she settled a sleeping bag near one wall. "I wouldn't feel comfortable sleeping while an Assassin kept watch."

"Afraid?" Blake sniped, sitting on a fallen boulder in one corner of the room. In the shadows, I noted.

"Not at all. I'm just being sensible."

"Can we not?" I sighed, looking between the two. If I'd thought for a moment that Ruby's recovery would have fixed the problems in our group, then I was unfortunately wrong. If anything, the stress seemed to have made it all the worse. Blake met my eyes in the dark and shrugged, turning on her side and ignoring us all. Weiss huffed and did the same. "Just fantastic…"

Pyrrha gave me a quick smile and a pat on the arm as she brushed past. I tried to return it but the gesture was weak. She didn't seem upset, however. She could probably understand why I was feeling down, even if no one had confronted me on the issue. The ones that had the most right to be angry towards me weren't even looking in my direction. Ruby and Yang sat in a corner, the smaller girl in her sister's lap, face still buried into her neck. I tried to drown out the sounds of her small sobs by disturbing the fire once more. I couldn't ignore the way her shoulders kept shaking, however.

"Where are you going?" Nora asked as I stood up. I couldn't take it anymore, not the tears, not the guilt and not the stilted silence. What frustrations I had couldn't be worked out in front of them.

"Just into the main chamber," I said, pushing my way over to the door and unlocking it. "I just need to clear my head for a little bit. I'll be fine. Don't worry."

Nora looked worried but a touch from Ren was enough to calm her, "Don't open the main doors," the Monk warned, "If you hear any Grimm give us a shout, otherwise it should be fairly safe out there."

I nodded my thanks. Ren, if no one else, seemed able to understand my need for privacy.

The chamber outside, the one we'd fought the Beowolf in, was much bigger than it had first seemed. With the beast's great height reaching towards the ceiling it had made the room appear small, but it was larger than the house my family lived in. It also didn't seem to make sense by a Dungeon's standards. There was a long, wooden table with stools by it at one end, a hearth with logs piled in it nearby. We'd taken the charcoal from that for our own, but chosen a smaller chamber so that the heat needn't spread so far. There was also a weapon's rack by one wall, though the weapons in it were old and rusted beyond use.

There was a forge too… a low, stone ring with a metal grate across the top. Naturally it was that I gravitated towards, sitting down atop the anvil and feeling somehow more at home there. What use a Dungeon for the Grimm had for any of those things, I wasn't sure. Perhaps another mystery lost to time… I wished the thought could hold my attention.

My face fell into my hands, breath seeping through my fingers as I let out a long sigh.

Ruby nearly died because of me. No one had said it, nor had they once looked at me with anything other than respect. But that didn't change the truth. Maybe they thought I'd done my best, that it had been unavoidable or something, that they couldn't have done any better. But a real Knight probably could have done better.

I need to get stronger. I'd said that plenty of times, but never had it been for anyone other than myself. I can't let anyone down like that again. Before it had always been about my ego, about my desire to be a Hero – for glory or reputation, I didn't know.

"I can't lose anyone like that again."

It wasn't Ruby's fault. I'd try to make sure she knew that, if she ever looked at me the same again, if she even wanted to talk to me anymore. That I'd taken away her ability to fight… it wasn't about her. I'd seen the way she fought those Grimm before the Beowolf. She had been incredible. Her weapon hadn't. If the final Grimm in this Dungeon was stronger than the one they had faced here, and I had no doubt that it would be, then it would be the same story all over again – except this time without a happy ending.

Weiss' bag on my hip seemed heavier; an ever-present reminder of the girl's remaining scythe that lay inside. With a lurch the new blade I'd acquired came up before me, resting across one knee and the stone ring of the forge. My reflection looked back at me in its shiny surface. I looked like crap.

"What should I do?" I asked the sword.

It didn't answer.

/-/

"You nearly hit me with that ice lance."

"You shouldn't keep jumping around behind my targets then!"

Everything was falling apart.

Weiss growled as she brought her palms together, covering the floor in a coating of frost that had some of the Grimm before us sliding on the slick stone. One stopped by my feet, snarling up at me only to go silent as my sword pierced down into its throat. A quick glance up showed Pyrrha doing the same, though with more grace and killing more than I could ever hope to.

Yang remained in the back, one arm held protectively in front of her blank-faced sister. Ruby's face was pale, eyes dead and impossible-to-miss tracks down her face. I looked away before she could see me watching.

"That's all for these Grimm," Pyrrha sighed, walking up to me. I noticed Ren and Nora a little distance off, congregating together away from us. I couldn't blame them. The entire party was falling to pieces.

Nothing had changed upon waking up, other than the fact that we'd needed to push on. Ruby had been silent all morning, not a single word slipping past her lips. Yang hadn't been much better. It was clear we'd lost a front-line tank. She wasn't stepping away from her unarmed sister. No one could blame her for it.

With Yang and Ruby silent observers, however, that had put Weiss and Blake into a more active role – with all the headaches that had brought along with it.

"For someone who claims to practice control magic, she has a startling lack of control," Blake said as she collected her throwing knives. One might have considered it an off-hand comment, were it not for how loudly she'd said it.

"It's never been a problem before," Weiss replied, "I'm always very careful to not hit my allies."

The emphasis was clear, and from the way Blake rammed her knives back into place it was obvious she'd caught it. For a moment, I wondered if there would finally be violence between them. It had been brewing for a long time.

"Please stop!" Pyrrha stepped between them, arms outstretched. "We are all of us allies here."

"Some more so than others," Weiss pushed past the redhead, walking back to Ruby and Yang. Pyrrha made no move to stop her.

"Arrogant fool," Blake pulled her mask back up, hiding her lower face once more.

"You have to do something," Pyrrha whispered to me, but I could only sigh. What did she want me to do? I wasn't good enough to lead this group. I couldn't even fight properly. Ruby had nearly died because of me, and now hated me for wanting to ensure she didn't nearly die again. I was also the one who had invited Blake along, who was now clashing with Weiss – who I'd also invited to come with us.

Wasn't that proof enough that I wasn't fit for this role?

Even Ren and Nora stood apart from us now, hovering together in the background, apparently unwilling to deal with all the drama.

"Let's just push on," I sighed, picking up my sword and sheathing it. "The sooner we get this finished, the better."

"If we can finish this at all," Pyrrha whispered.

I didn't correct her. There was no telling how long the Dungeon went on for, but we'd faced at least six or seven fights since that morning, just various amounts of weaker Grimm which Blake, Weiss and Pyrrha could burn their way through. There was no telling if that would continue once we reached the bigger Grimm. Would our teamwork hold up?

"What do you suggest then?" I asked, stopping the redhead before she could leave. Pyrrha looked back, a little confused. "What should we do," I asked again, "in order to get everyone working together again?"

"I don't know," the Champion admitted. "I'm… this isn't the kind of thing I'm good at, Jaune. You're a Knight though, it's expected that you know how to form and lead parties."

Of course… my damned Class all over again. So, a Knight was supposed to be a leader, were they? Just another thing I had no experience in.

"I believe in you," Pyrrha said, "After all, you managed to bring us together in the first place, didn't you?"

Just by asking you, I thought to myself. There hadn't been any special technique or clever words involved. Ren, Nora and Pyrrha had been keen from the get-go and Ruby had… she'd… It's my fault she's here at all.

"We push on," I called, startling those who had been waiting for instructions into movement. No one argued when I moved to the front of the group, taking position as one of the front-liners for the next stretch. They should have after my last performance, but right now they seemed subdued. I hadn't taken the front out of bravery either. I just couldn't bring myself to face Ruby and Yang, nor to be stuck between Weiss and Blake. I'd have preferred the Grimm to either of them.

No Grimm gave me the distraction I was looking for. We ran across two or three in the next ten minutes, but those had been single cases, quickly brought down before they even reached my shield. Where on the first day there had been chatter and cheer, now there was a dogged silence, broken only by the sounds of our feet against stone.

All the time I wracked my mind, trying to think of what a Knight might have done to solve the situation. Some type of Skill that would rally their peers? Some ability they might have used to inspire courage in the team? I had none of those things… no special powers or techniques that might fix the huge mess this Dungeon had made out of our friendships.

After this, would Ruby want anything to do with him? Probably not, which meant Yang would go as well – probably Weiss, too. Blake would likely back away as well, or at least not accept any further invitations from him. Would Nora and Ren want to stay? Would Pyrrha?

I wish this Dungeon never existed.

"The furnishings are becoming more ornate." It was a quiet murmur from Weiss, but enough to bring my attention back to where we were. At first, I didn't see what she meant, but after a second to look around I started to notice the patterns and inlay in the stone walls. The floor felt drier too, the brickwork more even.

"What does it mean?" I asked.

"It might mean we're approaching the end of the Dungeon," Weiss explained, "I've been told there are often clear signs before you arrive."

The end? Pyrrha bumped into my back as I stopped, letting out a quiet grunt. The others were forced to do the same, torches being aimed forwards as though to illuminate what I'd seen. There was nothing there, however.

"If the final battle is ahead, then we're taking a quick break here," I called out. "We'll stop for fifteen minutes. Have some food, catch your breath, whatever you need." There were a few nods and comments from the group, but most seemed to agree with me. Even if that wasn't the real reason I'd called us to a halt.

I wasn't sure we were ready for this.

Oh, how the mood had changed since the day before last. We'd been full of cheer and confidence; eagerly looking forward to our prizes come the end of the Dungeon. All it had taken was one mistake, one swipe of a claw, to tear that facade to pieces. My actions had nearly cost Ruby her life. I wasn't prepared to see them claim more.

And so, as the others sat down and brought out some drinking flasks, I stood up.

"I think we should end this here."

It didn't go well.

"What?"

"End it?"

"Arc, what on Remnant do you mean!?"

"You can't!" The last came from Ruby, though almost everyone had raised their voice to say something, or just to look at me with shocked expressions. Ruby looked horrified, mouth open and one arm outstretched. She shook her head, "Just because I got hurt, you can't just ca-"

"This isn't about your injury," I interrupted, cutting her off entirely. As the younger girl went silent, my eyes roamed across the others. "Frankly, this is about everyone else. Myself included."

"Explain yourself," Weiss demanded.

"I was planning to!" Weiss' eyes went wide as I snapped at her. "This is what I mean, all of this. We're not fighting like a team, we're at each other's' throats, we're divided and argumentative." I waited, just to see if anyone would say anything to that and prove me right. They all stayed silent. "Weiss," the girl jumped a little, "You're our main source of long-range damage, not to mention the best we have at controlling the flow of battle, but you're so busy sniping at Blake and making her life difficult that you're as good as useless."

The white-haired girl made to argue, but I'd already moved on, spearing the golden eyes of Blake – right as she'd been about to open her mouth.

"And you," I growled, "I invited you here because I respect you, Blake – because I wanted to prove to everyone that you're a good person. But you're as guilty as Weiss. You keep baiting her, pushing her buttons when you know this is a serious situation. If you think Weiss' comments are immature, then why not try and show some maturity yourself?"

Blake crossed her arms but didn't look away. I'd noticed she did that often, fierce glared whenever she didn't like something. Well if she didn't like this, she could glare all she wanted. We no longer had the time for it.

"Yang," the blonde girl blinked at me, "I know that Ruby's your sister and I know that right now she's unarmed, but by staying out of the fight you're putting everyone in danger. If you don't agree with what I've decided then damn well say so, don't just brood in the background. We need you in the fight or we don't need you at all. Choose one or the other."

"Tch…" Yang glanced to the side.

"Nora, Ren," my two friends looked up at me, surprised. "The two of you are better than everyone else, but you're still sticking to yourselves. I know things aren't going well in the group, but I need you guys to help fix it, not just retreat to one another and leave everyone to flounder."

"My apologies," Ren sighed, "I hadn't even realised…" Nora sulked too, while I turned to the final person.

"And me?" Pyrrha asked sadly.

"Help me," I begged, dropping the harsh tone. Her green eyes widened. "You're better than me, Pyrrha. You're stronger than me and it's clear you know what you're doing more than I do. Please stop forcing me to be the one to give out orders if you've got a better idea. Just say something, please."

Turning back to the others, I held my arms wide, "We're not a team of eight people. We're Yang and Ruby doing their own thing, we're Nora and Ren sticking to themselves, Weiss and Blake fighting with one another, me feeling sorry for myself and Pyrrha unsure what she's meant to do. That's why I think we might as well give up and go home. We're not going to manage this. Quite frankly, we're useless."

Spent at last, I let my arms fall and slumped down against the wall. I wish we'd never found this damn place. Maybe then things could have still been normal. The others did much the same, not a word exchanged as they all sat in subdued silence. What little morale there was left, I'd surely killed. Some Knight I was…

"I was a fool to think this could work." I whispered, referring more to my charade than the Dungeon we were currently inside.

"No you weren't," Ruby's voice whispered. I peeked up to see her stood before me. Even then, something had changed between us. Where once she'd have felt happy talking to me, now she looked nervous and upset. I sighed and looked down at the ground between my knees.

"I'm not giving you your scythe back, Ruby."

"I know…" she sat down next to me, back against the wall and knees propped up before her. She didn't look at me, however. "I promised you I'd make sure you wouldn't regret inviting me on this," she sighed, "I guess I didn't do a very good job of that."

Part of me wanted to lie to that, to say that I didn't regret it. The expression on my face would have given that away. I did regret bringing her along… though not for anything she had done wrong. I regretted bringing us all here.

"I can fight, you know."

"I know you can, Ruby," I sighed. "I saw you fight the Geckan. I think you could take me on as well." Not that such was a difficult task. "But what happened back there… it's not you that's weak."

"If I was stronger, then it wouldn't have hurt me," Ruby whispered.

"If I was stronger," I pointed out, "then it wouldn't have ignored me to go for you in the first place. You didn't do anything wrong. I did."

"Then why keep me away from the fighting?" Ruby asked. "I have to fight, Jaune."

"Why do you have to fight?" I sighed, suddenly tired of it all. "What do you even mean? Your weapon is trash, Ruby. It couldn't hold up to that Beowolf, chances are it wouldn't hold up here, either."

Ruby hesitated for a few seconds, "I… I just need to fight," she said at last.

"Well we're not going to fight," I said, pushing myself up. "None of us are. We're headed back to Beacon. We're not ready for this."

"Are you so sure?" Ruby asked with a curious smile.

I wanted to ask what she meant, but a group of faces interrupted me before I could. Weiss, Yang, Blake, Nora, Ren and Pyrrha… each was different. Some smiled, others looked embarrassed, while even Blake managed to somehow look awkwardly neutral.

"Ahem," Weiss coughed, "I believe I put my own thoughts and feelings before the welfare of the group. If my sister could see me, she would have been deeply ashamed. Though it was poorly put and arrogantly given, I ap- I app-" she seemed to struggle with the word, "I appreciate," gods, but it sounded forced, "your advice."

"I apologise," was all Blake said. My head fell to the side… that was probably all I was going to get out of her.

"I'll fight in the next encounter," Yang said, crossing her arms. "I didn't mean to be like that. I was just looking out for Ruby. I didn't mean to place anyone else in danger."

"I know you were, Yang," I said. "I wasn't angry… no one can blame you for that."

"Still," she grinned and slammed a fist into her palm, "I'm back on form now."

"Renny and I will do better too," Nora cheered, rushing up to hug me tightly. She backed away before I could do anything more than gape. "We're used to fighting alone a lot, so we just forgot what being part of a group was meant to be like."

"We shall do better," the pink-eyes Monk smiled, "If you will give us another chance."

"As will I," Pyrrha finished, striding forward to clasp a hand onto my arm. "If I have my thoughts then I will share them. Please forgive me if I put too much pressure on you, Jaune. It feels like in my efforts to avoid responsibility, I instead forced it onto you. Thank you for pointing that out to me."

Thank me? All I'd done was insult her, insult all of them. Yet now they looked at me as though I'd given them the answer to life itself. And more than that, there was a sinking feeling in my stomach.

"You all want to do this," I whispered, "don't you?"

"We do," Pyrrha nodded. "We've come this far. I don't want to go back empty-handed. Not after everything that's happened."

That was all well and good for her to say. But did we actually have a chance of winning the next battle? They were all looking towards me, waiting for my answer. Why they thought they needed my input anyway, I had no idea. Since when had I become the leader of this raid?

"Trust in us," Ren urged, "We can do this."

My eyes drifted shut. I didn't have the right to decide for them. And in a way, hadn't they already made their own minds up?

"Okay..." I said, praying that I hadn't doomed us all, "Let's do this."

/-/

The final chamber was unlike anything I'd seen in the Dungeon so far. The architecture of the room barely made sense, both in the context of a dwelling for Grimm or a dwelling for people. Most of the floor consisted of a raised, stone platform – circular in nature. What immediately caught my eye was the edges, since the floor didn't reach the walls at all.

There was a drop at the edge. If we were knocked off, then we'd be falling – goodness knows to where. There hadn't been any staircases in the Dungeon so far, other than the one we'd used to enter. As though to mock us, there was a pile of skeletons at one end of the platform, in front of which paced a huge figure.

"It's an Elder Grimm," Ren whispered. He needn't have. Anything that big had to be an Elder Grimm, much like the one we'd faced in that ruined village. Like the one we'd fought earlier when Ruby had nearly died. This one was bear-like in nature, with a bone white mask and great spikes jutting from its back. The word above its head shone in the light of lit torches; Ursa. I swallowed loudly. It was a wonder the thing hadn't heard my heartbeat by now.

"Remember Pyrrha's plan," I said, crossing the stone bridge that led onto the central platform, "Pyrrha and Nora tank it, Yang and I off-tank if necessary. Everyone be careful when you're attacking it."

"I can help," Ruby whispered. I shot her a look and shook my head.

"We've got this, Rubes," Yang whispered. The smaller girl frowned but backed away, hiding by the door. It was for the best… even if she clearly disagreed. Sharing a nod between the rest of us, we slowly stepped towards the beast.

It roared in anger.

How it heard us I had no idea, not with how loud it had been banging around the other side of the room, but almost the moment our feet touched the central platform it reared up and turned, slamming its front paws on the ground. "Whoah!" I swayed to the left, tumbling slightly and falling on my side from the sheer force of its impact. Pyrrha was on one knee, her shield pressed against the floor, but even so she was faster to recover than I.

"Over here!" she cried, waving her sword over her head. How she dared draw its attention so casually, I had no idea. Where before I'd assumed tanking would be like it had been earlier, that seemed impossible here. It was so big, so powerful… it would have carved through me in a single blow. But there was no time to hesitate.

The Ursa was happy to take the Champion's suggestion, covering the distance between them in four great bounds before swinging a claw down on her position. I saw Pyrrha's eyes widen as she realised the magnitude of their enemy, her eyes flicking to her shield – which would have blocked maybe the tip of a single claw – before she dove beneath its arm and rolled under its legs.

"Weiss!" I cried, staggering up and dashing towards my redheaded friend. Weak as I was, I wasn't willing to sit back and let another Ruby happen.

"On it," the Mage shouted, hoarfrost forming around her hands as she chanted. Silver flashed by my face, evidence of Blake's support – though the throwing knives did little more than bounce off the beat's thick hide. At least hitting the damn thing wouldn't be a problem for me. It wasn't like I could have missed.

Crocea Mors scored a paltry wound in its flank, what looked red and angry to me, but was probably little more than a paper cut to so great a beast. It didn't even look away from Pyrrha – I hadn't even registered in its mind. I swung again, and again – two overhead blows that carved off chunks of flesh. A moment later I was sent flying, though not by an attack. I was launched aside simply by the action of the Ursa raising its hind leg and lunging at Pyrrha.

"Dodge to the left," someone shouted, Weiss maybe, which had Pyrrha doing as instructed. The Ursa made to change its course, but a sudden sheen of ice appearing across the floor before it prevented that. For a moment we watched, a cheer sounding as the monster slid towards the end of the platform. It would fall off… the easiest ending to the fight we could have imagined. The Grimm slammed a claw into the wall before it fell, however, propping itself up and halting its momentum in one motion.

"That would have been too easy," Yang sighed, dashing forward. Ren appeared beside her, the two veering off and attacking both legs simultaneously. Their attacks seemed to do only about as well as my own, though, with both forced to back off when the monster pushed itself back onto the platform, reaching out to try and snag Ren. A knife bounced off its brow, oh so close to the bright, red eyeball. Blake cursed angrily. "We're doing damage," Yang shouted, "even if it doesn't look like it – eventually we'll kill it!"

She was right, of course. The Grimm worked on the same basis we did, with their own Stats and such – or so all the evidence suggested. Even if the damage we caused was pathetic in comparison to its own, so long as we kept doing it, we would eventually wear it down. Clutching the sword in my hand and strapping the shield onto my back, I rushed forward once more. The kite shield was no use, not against something so powerful… but every little bit of power I could wring out of my Strength would be needed. I ducked low, not that the beast even noticed me in its attempts to crush Nora. Another slash to its leg brought forth more blood, this time an audible grunt issuing from the Ursa.

We were doing it. Nora cheered as she dodged another attack, spinning her hammer in return and hitting it on what would have been the wrist of a human. The giant arm shuddered, the beast roaring its displeasure, but the ginger-haired girl had already backed away. Blake took that chance to leap onto its back, catching a spike in one hand and climbing her way higher. It didn't seem to notice, something I was keen to maintain.

"Come on," I shouted, slamming my sword into its hind leg, gasping at the impact. I must have hit bone, for my arms vibrated painfully. Gritting my teeth, I forced myself on, cutting into it once more, but this time aiming for flesh and muscle. "Keep it busy!"

"Oh it's busy," Yang shouted, darting back as a claw slammed into the ground where she'd once been. "Trust me Sir Blondie; it's very focused right now."

Come on Blake, I whispered, watching the faunus girl scale higher. She weaved in and out of its carapace, moving with a grace none of us could have matched, catching a spike with one hand and using it to flip herself higher. It almost seemed like her eyes glowed gold. Pyrrha's looked towards me, nodding in the monster's direction. Pushing myself up, I nodded back, gripping my sword once more. The Grimm lashed out towards Pyrrha when she came close, maybe sensing her as the bigger threat. That gave me the opening necessary to slash at its other arm, making it fall down, unbalanced.

Weiss shouted, as icy mist appeared across its face, freezing fur and moisture until it covered the monster's eyes entirely. Blinded, it roared its displeasure, but failed to notice the Assassin finally reach its neck. We all did, however, watching with bated breath as she drew two daggers and slammed them down.

They shattered.

"Use this!" I shouted, throwing Crocea Mors up towards her. It was a clumsy throw, my Dexterity still being absolute pants, but Blake more than made up for that, kicking off its back and hanging from a spike to catch it in one hand. I almost imaged she nodded in my direction, slipping back onto its neck, pausing to gain her balance as it shifted and tried to scratch its eyes free of ice – before she reared up and slammed my sword down.

That, at least, didn't break. It sunk into flesh with a sound completely overridden by the scream of the Ursa. It lashed weakly towards her, the Assassin gripping on for dear life, before it finally slammed to the floor.

And was still.

"YES!" Nora was less still, leaping forward and cheering as she grabbed hold of Ren. "That was amazing. I told you we could do it!" Ren sighed and nodded back, looking as relieved as I felt. Pyrrha smiled to me. It was impossible not to smile back. I could even see Ruby jogging into the room, smiling fit to split her face in two.

It was that smile faltering which alerted me.

"Move!" I screamed, even as the beast behind us roared and surged back onto its feet. Blake, having let go and begun her descent, was flung through the air – crying out as she slammed into one of the walls. My eyes widened as I saw her fall. Not towards solid ground, but that deep pit that surrounded the arena.

"NO!"

"I've got her," Weiss gasped, throwing an arm out and creating a structure of ice that broke the Assassin's fall, also bouncing her back onto the platform where she coughed and struggled to move. Crocea Mors clattered past her, to rest beneath the roaring Grimm. It somehow looked angrier. Its eyes brighter – its muscles bulging.

"It's got stages," Pyrrha hissed. I shot her a questioning look, so she shouted out for the rest of the party, "It must be close to death so it's gone berserk! Be careful, it'll be faster and stronger now – but it's nearly dead!"

"Then we've just got to finish it," Yang growled, dashing forward once more. Pyrrha rushed to follow, while I struggled to choose between helping and checking on Blake. The cloaked figure spluttered, pushing herself up onto hands and knees, which gave me the confidence I needed to choose the sword instead. She would be okay. Now if only my weapon wasn't beneath the damn thing.

"It's fast," Ren gasped, dodging once more, but this time only barely. To make matters worse, it seemed more focused too – ignoring everyone to chase after the Monk, whose eyes widened in panic.

"Not Ren!" Nora screamed, slamming her hammer into its elbow. There was a cracking noise as it fell, but any victory was short lived as its other claw caught the Barbarian across her chest, sending her slamming to the floor.

"Nora!" Ren cried.

"I'm- I'm okay," she coughed back. "But yeah… ouch…" the girl was bleeding slightly, clutching her side as she limped on one foot. It was clear she'd been taken out of the fight. In a single blow as well, I frowned. Nora's a Barbarian, I'm not totally sure on what that means, but I'd imagine Str and Con are her biggest attributes. They must be if she was able to tank for so long.

Which mean that a direct hit from this was likely going to be enough for just about anyone else. Maybe Pyrrha would survive, what with her higher levels, but Ren, Blake and Weiss? They were casualties waiting to happen. Where I stood on that scale, I had no idea.

"Distract it!" Pyrrha shouted, drawing the Grimm's attention as she tried to cut its face. It reared back and slammed a claw down, but the powerful Champion managed to dodge it, leaping atop the back of its paw and driving her sword towards its face. I didn't see anymore, passing underneath as I slid across the stone, catching my sword en route, before coming out behind the Grimm. It was a clumsy blow, but I managed to score a wound on its hind leg as I did, stopping my slide by driving Crocea Mors down and pushing myself up. "JAUNE!"

Just in time to catch the beast's backhand.

If it had hit me with the front, I'd have died. Even as it was, I felt my aura slam down as the wind was blown from my lungs. The world seemed to lurch, an idle thought as to whether I would fall off the edge and die, before something soft and brittle broke my fall. And possibly my back, I felt, as my aura reserves continued to dwindle.

Fifty left? I gasped in shock. I'd never been so close to death in my life. I'm too low level for this kind of fight… Movement was difficult, arms and legs struggling to find the energy. A skull leered back at me, my broken body having been thrown into the pile of corpses. Maybe that was intentional. Maybe I was a meal for later.

"Jaune!" Ruby screamed, and from the corner of my eye I caught her rushing across the arena towards me. Yang shouted something, but the words struggled to reach my ears. All I could see was that the stupid girl, the one who'd almost died already, was rushing – unarmed – across a battlefield to make sure I was okay. Pyrrha cried out as she was pushed back, the redhead clutching one arm but remaining before the great beast, face set in determination.

Is that what made a Hero, the willingness to fight, no matter the odds?

I wanted to mirror that. I had to mirror that, as I managed to plant one hand beneath me, pushing bones aside as I struggled to sit up. Ruby was there, still some distance away, useless to defend herself, yet willing to defend us anyway. A Reaper without a weapon, prepared to die.

The leather pouch on my hip was heavy.

If she wanted to be a Hero… was it right for me to deny her that? Right now, with half our party down, did it even matter?

I didn't think it did.

The leather pouch was heavy, but it got a little lighter when I reached into it, when I sent the weapon skittering out across the floor. Ruby hadn't been looking when I did, too focused on making sure her friends were okay. But she turned when she heard the noise, silver eyes going wide when she saw it. "Fight," I tried to whisper. There was no way she could have heard me.

I watched as she reached down to grasp it, fingers settling around a haft not of wood, but a light, silvery steel. Crucible steel, strong and powerful.

Durable…

Her hooded face turned back to the battle, mine following as I saw Ren tossed aside, stumbling and struggling to stand. A claw slammed down but a dark figure tackled him aside, Blake dragging him behind her as she fled. The monster made to follow, but a flurry of icicles slammed into its face, doing little damage but obscuring its vision. Pyrrha slashed towards it, leaping off the beast's elbow to cut its face. Both the Grimm's paws slammed down, shaking the ground and knocking them aside.

And then, before my eyes, Ruby vanished. Like a streak of crimson, she blurred forwards, a trail of red behind her as she seemingly teleported next to Pyrrha. I couldn't make out the Champion's expression from where I was, but it had to be shock. Silver streaked, a wide arc that seemed to touch the Grimm's left arm.

The Ursa's arm exploded. In a great gout of gore, the elbow severed, flipping outwards as the monster stumbled to its side. My eyes went wide, watching as everyone capitalised on the opening, from Pyrrha dashing forward to Yang slamming her fists into its other forearm. It stumbled but forced itself up, sweeping both its remaining arm and its stump towards them. Everyone darted back. But I couldn't see Ruby.

Neither could the Ursa. But as Pyrrha pointed, I suddenly realised where the girl was. Crouched on the outer wall, as though gravity held no sway over to her, slowly pressing her feet against it before she launched herself at the Grimm's unprotected back. A flash of silver and red.

The beast roared.

Ruby slammed into the ground, kneeling with the scythe held behind her. Her cloak fluttered behind her, the tips frayed and tattered. I tried to push myself up, to sit or stand as I watched the great monster regard my friend with an almost curious gaze.

Its head tilted to the side.

And then slid off.

The Elder Grimm's body followed soon after, a great crash that shook the ground and disturbed the bones I lay within, sending them scattering out across the arena. Through it all she stood, silver eyes shining beneath a hood the colour of blood.

How…?

It was impossible that she could have done such damage with that scythe, even if it was a thousand times stronger than the ones she had wielded before.

I should know, for I'd been the one to craft it.


And absolutely no one was surprised that such happened, let's be honest xD

So, there's the end of the raid in a sense. I could have taken this into another chapter to be honest, but I don't want to drag any events on in this story – not unless they are super important. I'm fairly sure I'll get some comments for the Elixir, but it was an important thing to cover healing items, in the same way that last chapter it was important to cover the mechanics of the healing Classes.

We're all used to healing potions in RPG's, after all, so it makes sense that they would have them here. Rules needed to be set and this chapter proved a good place to do that. As for Ruby... there is reasons for how she is and what she's capable of. Trust me, she's not just an "op class" or something. Next chapter we'll delve into some more lore mechanics around that, after - of course - the important part of any Dungeon.

THE LOOTING!


Next Chapter: 14th November

P a treon . com (slash) Coeur