Hey all. Just so you know, no there wasn't a mistake with the sword Jaune used at the start and at the end. For those who didn't get it, it's again mentioned in this chapter. As for Ruby, yes, it's unusual that she was able to do that kind of damage – hence why Jaune was so shocked.

Also, I'd really love to answer a lot of your questions, but when they are about world mechanics that haven't been revealed yet, I just can't. Part of the whole angle I'm trying to take with this story is that of discover, of slowly building a world with you piece by piece. Part of me thinks that's what adds an extra layer of interest, the fact that you're discovering it with Jaune. So please understand why I can't always answer your guys questions.

We do have a forum dedicated to people raising and discussing that sort of thing (though they occasionally - cough - all the time - cough - get distracted with other things). You can find it by searching "professor arc" forum and going to the Forged Destiny thread. Or, if you want, you can leave a note in a review requesting a link and I can pm it to you (provided you're logged in when reviewing). Obviously I can't post a link in a chapter.


Beta: College Fool

Cover Art: A Stuck at Home Tome

Chapter 10


For the longest time it seemed like no one would speak. Or perhaps that no one could speak. The Elder Grimm's body struck the ground like some great tree falling, the hooded figure of Ruby Rose riding it down with ease. The bones I lay amongst scattered about, the impact almost burying me once more. How had she managed to kill it just like that? It didn't make sense.

The Ursa began to slowly dissolve, particles floating up into the air. That seemed enough to bring one of us to action. "Is everyone okay?" Pyrrha shouted, looking left and right. The question shook us all into motion; eyes straining to make sure our friends were safe. Of those who had taken damage, Blake was the one that worried me the most. The Assassin was on hands and knees, struggling to push herself up from the stone floor.

If it hadn't been for Weiss' timely spell, Blake would have fallen from the ledge and surely died. Pushing myself up, I staggered over to her, holding my side with one hand as I tried to crouch down beside her. It hurt. I felt so weak that I doubted it would even be possible to help her up.

"Are you okay?" I rasped instead, touching a hand to her shoulder. The girl's hood had fallen loose, revealing long, black hair and two feline ears.

"I'm okay." The words came out as a gasp, Blake taking great gulps of air. "I'm… just winded."

Her left hand gripped her right shoulder, that arm shaking slightly as she sat up. Had she injured it in some way, perhaps striking it against the wall? Her golden eyes caught my concern.

"I'm fine," she glanced away. "There's no need for your concern. But thank you…"

I wasn't sure if I imagined the tiny smile. Before I could investigate further it was gone, hidden beneath the dark, cloth mask she pulled over her lower face.

I accepted it with a nod, the two of us helping each other up as we limped back to the rest. They all seemed fine; Ren and Nora supporting one another but wearing pleased expressions. Weiss looked a little unsteady on her feet, like she was drunk or something – but she was for the most part completely unhurt. Most of us hadn't taken serious blows, and of those who had only Pyrrha and I had been properly hit. Mine had been with the back of its paw, which had almost been enough to kill me outright.

Pyrrha's had been with the claws… and she was still standing. Was this the difference in power between our Levels? It felt too much.

"Yang, Yang!" Ruby dashed across the empty space and into her sister's arms. The blonde lifted the smaller girl up and span her around. "I did it. I did it!"

"You sure did!" Yang laughed.

That she had… she'd taken off an arm and then its head with as many blows. Even Pyrrha hadn't been able to achieve that and she was strong enough to take a blow from the thing? A Grimm that was at least twice as strong as the Beowolf which had nearly torn Ruby in two? In a single strike, no less!

Nothing made sense.

"Are you okay Jaune?" Pyrrha asked, sheathing her weapon and walking over to me with a concerned smile. Unlike the rest of us, she didn't stagger or wince with each step. "I saw you take that attack. For a moment, I feared I'd lost you."

"Still here," I laughed, patting my bruised and battered breastplate. More repairs there, it seemed. Better my armour than me, but this was going to get expensive if it continued.

"What about your sword?" She nodded down to the one in my hand, not the new blade we'd won the other day but rather Crocea Mors. The sword I had forged. "Why are you using your old one?"

"The other broke," I lied. Well, it wasn't a lie… but the breaking had been anything less than accidental.

"A good job you still had your original," she smiled. "It seems we're cursed to have weapons break on us. First Ruby's, then Blake's and now yours. It's been a difficult Dungeon for us all."

"Speaking of," Weiss interrupted us as she walked forward, "Where exactly did you find that scythe for Ruby? Not that we're not all thankful but I know it was neither on your person when we arrived or in the Bag of Holding I gave you to carry."

Ruby suddenly seemed interested; detaching from her sister to step a little closer to us. With so many people staring I almost took a step back. Right, sure… how was I going to explain that again? Everyone had as good as seen me with only Crocea Mors on entering the Dungeon, which clearly meant I must have gotten it afterwards. "Ah, well…" My eyes strayed nervously around, looking for inspiration. Saying I'd made it would be a quick journey back home – or to prison – so that was out. Hero Classes couldn't make weaponry. Some could Craft in their own little ways, like Alchemists and potions, but for the most part that was the domain of the Labour Caste.

It was while my eyes wandered, however, that I found salvation. It was in a small glint of metal beneath a pile of bones.

"I found it," I claimed proudly.

"And you didn't tell anyone?" Weiss accused, eyes narrowing, "Did you intend to keep it for yourself!?"

"Weiss!" Ruby came to my defence. Crap, I hadn't thought about how that sounded. Of course, hoarding dropped items would be an issue, especially when we were all trying to make as much lien as we could. In a situation like this it would have been as good as stealing.

"No, not earlier. I meant that I found it just now. It was in that pile of bones." My words made them all look to the remains of the people I'd been thrown into, as well as finally allowing me to fully realise the same. Dead people… I'd just been lying around in a pile of dead people. I shivered slightly but pushed on, "It must have been a weapon from a Hero before us. I just grabbed it and threw it to Ruby."

"I guess that makes sense," Ren said, nodding his head. "It would seem they have no use for them anymore."

"I wonder if we can find any others," Nora sounded excited. I noticed Blake already rummaging amongst the bones, no doubt looking for something to replace her broken weapons. I was lucky they'd believed me. Or rather I was lucky that those who had fallen before us had left their weapons behind. Before I could move, however, a small hand gripped my sleeve.

"You… you found it?" Ruby whispered.

I nodded.

"You found a… a scythe?"

"Well yeah." I laughed and glanced aside, noticing Blake inspecting some new daggers with a pleased expression. "Everyone else is finding some stuff too. I guess we were just lucky."

If she could just accept that and not ask further, I'd consider myself lucky. "Thank you Jaune!" Ruby gasped instead, suddenly wrapping her arms around my shoulders and burying her face in my neck. "Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Startled, my hands settled lightly on her back.

"I just found it," I protested.

She giggled against my neck. "Thank you."

"Eh, you're welcome?" She must have been pretty relieved, all things considered. To be honest, so was I. If I hadn't felt bad for her and forged it then there was a good chance we'd have all died. Plus, now with the stronger weapon, she'd be able to protect herself better. I wouldn't have to see that terrible scene again.

"Can I name it?" Ruby suddenly asked, pushing back to look up into my eyes. She was smiling still, fit to split her face in two. I shrugged and nodded. Normally the Blacksmith named the weapon but since I'd `found` it, the honour might as well belong to her. She paused and drew it forth, marvelling at the strong, steel haft and the wickedly curved blade. The sword that had been found for me had been of a quality far higher than anything I could have made. Losing it was a big loss.

Losing her would have been a bigger one.

"Go on then, sis," Yang encouraged, coming up to stand beside me while also driving a friendly elbow into my ribs. I coughed slightly, feeling my aching bones. If she did that any harder she'd kill me herself.

Ruby nodded, making a humming noise of agreement as she held the Scythe before her. "This is my new weapon," she intoned. If she was going for serious then she'd already failed. Her grin was just too excited. "It was found by Jaune," she smiled at me, "and given to me."

Ruby seemed to shuffle awkwardly, looking down and not meeting my eyes. For a moment I thought she was going to stop, but after a deep breath she looked back up – beaming brightly.

"Since this scythe came from Jaune, to me… I want it to be a reminder of that. So I'm going to call it Crescent Rose. The Crescent is for the crescent moon on Jaune's clothes and Rose for my last name."

I could admit that I felt flattered a little at that, even as the others clapped and laughed at the name. She probably didn't mean anything by it, other than gratitude, but the fact that she'd taken my symbol and mixed it with her family name? Somehow it felt strangely intimate. Yang nudged me again, while Ruby hugged the weapon to her chest, face bright red. Clearly she must have been embarrassed from being put on the spot like that.

"The Elder Grimm's dropped something!" Nora suddenly shouted, leaping away from Ren with such excitement that the poor guy was sent sprawling. "Oh my god – loot!"

Ruby and I shared a look, a quick smile and then a laugh as the awkward mood was dismissed and we ran over. Even Blake and Weiss looked excited; faces alight despite their usual attitudes. "What is it?" Weiss pushed through the throng as we all crowded around the item that was slowly forming on the spot the giant monster had died on.

This was the drop from the final boss… surely guaranteed to be the best, the most impressive – and without a doubt – the most powerful item from the entire Dungeon. My throat was dry. Someone bumped against my side but neither of us apologised, too focused on how the item slowly elongated before our eyes, nothing more than a shining glow forming slowly into a shape.

Not a single person spoke for a while after it finally settled.

"Well," Pyrrha said, "Somehow with everything else that happened, this feels fitting."

/-/

"A bow!" Weiss howled, not for the first time. I sighed as we entered through the walls of Beacon at last. The sun still hung high in the sky, so it must have been around two or so – and for the entire forty minutes it took us to walk back, there hadn't been a moment in which someone hadn't bemoaned our poor luck. "All of this," she went on, "All the pain, the Elixir, the battle… and we get a damned bow!"

"Truly the loot Gods were not with us," Yang sighed dramatically. "Next time remind me to sacrifice something – maybe Winchester."

"At least I got my scythe," Ruby at least was upbeat. She hadn't put the scy- Crescent Rose – away since receiving it. She continued to lovingly cradle it against her chest, running one hand up and down the shaft.

"I know," Weiss sighed, "But still… a bow!"

"We know Weiss," Yang sighed, "Trust me. I'm about ready to smash my head against a wall too."

"You know it's kind of funny if you think about it," I said, "How we went through all of that, how we all got out hopes up, only to get a weapon none of us can…" Everyone was staring at me. Not even Nora was laughing. "Never mind..."

"Very funny," Weiss scowled, "A cosmic joke and we're the punch line. Go comedy."

It felt like the party was falling apart once more and this time there was no common cause to fall back on. In the Dungeon there'd been the shared danger, not to mention the promise of loot, to inspire us. Here, now with the adrenaline wearing away and that promise revealed to be trash, that camaraderie seemed lost. Looking to Pyrrha for help netted nothing. She looked as frustrated as I felt… as we all felt. I was completely out of ideas. I was spent.

"I can't believe I lost an Elixir for this," Weiss sighed. Ruby sidled up to stand beside her, looking nervous.

"I'm sorry Weiss…"

"I'm not angry at you, Ruby," the Mage said distractedly, "Just… ugh… the world right now."

"Maybe this will help." To my surprise – and probably everyone else's – it was Blake who spoke, the faunus stepping forward to place something into Weiss' hands. The Mage looked down at the small bottle.

"A potion…"

"I brought one into the Dungeon," the Assassin shrugged, "Just in case. You can have it."

The proud Mage didn't seem particularly pleased by the offering. "An Elixir is a rare item; something worth millions of lien… a potion is maybe one hundred and fifty at a general store. It gives a petty amount of aura back and heals the most minor of wounds."

Blake shrugged, "But it's a start."

"I would need at least a hundred-thousand potions to recoup my losses!"

"And now you have one," Blake deadpanned, "Every journey begins with a single step."

I couldn't help but cringe as I looked between the two of them, almost visible sparks shooting from Weiss' eyes. Was it a spell; was she about to unleash the fury of the elements onto Blake? Did I step in to stop her? My body took a step forward regardless, one hand outstretched.

But Weiss paused, shaking her head.

"You know," she said, "You're not a completely lost cause… for a dirty Assassin."

"Hmph," Blake turned and walked away. "And you're not as bad as I thought… for an arrogant Mage."

Wait, what? Were they… what? My eyes flicked between each of them but the moment was gone. Blake had left. I was somewhat disappointed at that. I'd hoped we had gotten through to her but the moment the Dungeon was over, she was gone. But she had left with parting words for us… that was a small victory at least. It was enough to make me, no – the entire group – feel a little lighter.

"We didn't get the items we wanted," Ruby said, stepping forwards, "But I don't think that means the Dungeon was a total bust. Maybe I'm just happy cuz I got my scythe, but didn't we all have fun too? Didn't we all do something together – something most people have to wait a long time to do?"

"Ruby's right," Pyrrha smiled at the smaller girl. "While the loot we were looking for wasn't to our liking, that's no reason not to celebrate our success. What we did well. How many first years can claim to have bested a Dungeon within the first two weeks of Beacon?"

"Yeah," Nora cheered, "That has to be a record or something. Renny, is that a record?"

"I'll look into it," the Monk chuckled. "Even if it's not, it is certainly something to be proud of achieving. I know I certainly am." Pyrrha nodded the same, winking at me.

I couldn't believe it. A smile worked its way onto my face as I looked between each of them, finally seeing their faces light up. We had done it. Ruby was right. It hadn't gone as planned… I'd messed up, my Skills and Stats not good enough to tank properly, but we'd all learned valuable lessons. I wouldn't make that mistake again. I would learn how to properly tank, no matter how bad my Stats were.

But I'd done it… I had actually survived an honest to goodness Dungeon. That was incredible!

"You're right," Weiss said, "I have to admit, my sister will certainly be surprised when I let her know about this. I can't wait to tell her." From the heady expression on her face, I had the feeling she was composing that letter in her head already.

"We made the coolest team ever!" Nora shouted, "I say we do this more often!"

"I could not agree more," Pyrrha joined in, "If we find any more Dungeons, we should try to clear them as a group again."

"Count me in," Yang said.

"Me too!" Ruby agreed.

"Naturally you'll need a competent Mage for your journey," Weiss… semi-agreed? Complimented her way into our party? I couldn't tell, nor did I care. Next time, I thought excitedly, they're all talking about a next time. Good parties stuck together. No, good friends stuck together. There would be a next time and I'd do a better job there too. That was my own promise.

"The bow isn't a total loss anyway," Ren brought us back down to Remnant. "Beacon has its own Auction House, right? Even if none of us can use it, it's bound to be worth some lien. We can sell it and split the profits between us."

"It's the best we can do," Pyrrha agreed, "Lien was our main purpose for entering the Dungeon, so anything extra would be a bonus."

I nodded along with it, keen to be rid of the thing. Perhaps that was unfair, it was a beautiful weapon crafted from some strange, black material. Being a Blacksmith, bows were pretty much beyond me, but even I could tell it was a good weapon. It fell from an Elder Grimm so it had to be, right?

It was just useless to us all, which given how much we'd invested into that Dungeon, sucked!

"Well you're the leader," Yang grinned, tossing it to me. "You should be the one to sell it. Have fun."

"Thanks Jaune," Ruby chirped.

"Get a good price," Nora agreed. Pyrrha and Ren nodded happily.

"What? Why me?" I whined. I was tired, hungry and in desperate need of a shower. I had been thrown into a pile of skeletons. My clothing had dust on it which was people.

"You're a Knight," Weiss said, as though that answered anything, "Your higher Charisma should let you sell it for more. Plus, everyone knows Knights are trustworthy. You're not likely to pocket the money and run away with it."

I could only be thankful Blake had already left, since I had a sinking suspicion that comment would have earned a nasty retort from her. "Fine," I sighed when it became clear no one was going to argue. "How much lien did we get from the rest of the Dungeon?"

"Quite a bit," Ren said. He'd been the one tasked to collecting and counting it all. "With all the lien drops from the Grimm, not to mention from what we found, we have a good eight thousand or so."

"Sweet!" Yang grinned and cheered quietly as the Monk handed a pouch out to each of us. He seemed to pause at the end, however, patting his clothes down. "Problem?" Yang asked.

"Er… the last pouch is missing."

"The last one?" I asked, "But we've all got a pouch."

"It was Blake's-" Ren paused, realisation dawning on his face the same time it did on the rest of us. Oh come on Blake, I sighed, Could you at least help your cause for even ten minutes?

"Damn, she's good," Yang whistled, "I didn't even notice."

"She could have just asked for her share," Weiss scowled.

/-/

I was still tired and covered in grime as I walked through the halls of Beacon's main academy building, past other Heroes and Labour Caste members going about their day. The latter seemed surprised when I nodded or smiled towards them, but a few offered tentative greetings in return. It was still a weird feeling for me, too easy to forget that in their eyes I was a Knight. I was higher on the social ladder, or at least they believed so. It didn't matter. Even had I been a real Knight, they deserved respect for keeping Beacon running.

With the bow strapped to my back, useless as the gesture was, my other hand kept drifting to the coin pouch on my belt. A thousand and a bit in lien… it was a good haul, all things considered. But for the amount of effort we put into it… it somehow didn't feel like very much at all. Hadn't we gotten almost as much from the single Beowolf on the First Quest?

I guess it's because the party was so large this time. If this was split between the four of us, then we'd be able to afford our rooms already. I'd just have to get stronger so that we could do more things like this. For a single weekend it was a good profit, and if the bow sold well then it would get even better. Technically we don't have to earn enough to get out of the shared dorms this month… it might even be better to spend this on equipment so I can get stronger and earn more.

And speaking of getting stronger, lien wasn't the only benefit I'd managed to reap. I had levelled up after the fight with some Grimm and that Beowolf – reaching Level 15.

And then, by the end of the Dungeon, I'd gone and done it again.

My mind drifted back to Crescent Rose, Ruby's new scythe which was named after the both of us. The Elder Grimm gave me two thirds of a level on its own. Probably to be expected considering how strong it was and how under levelled I am. But getting that extra third from forging Crescent Rose? That has not been expected. Exp gains from Crafting were normal; it was how must members of the Labour Caste levelled up. But it was never fast. I'd come to Beacon at Level 12, and that wasn't by being a lazy or incompetent Blacksmith. That was the accumulated results of a good ten years or so learning my craft.

The Exp gains from Crafting were small and steady; otherwise with how much work my dad had done in his life, he'd have been Level 90 or so by now. But Ruby's weapon had been different… it had given me a lot of Exp. The question was just how? Was it from the material I used? I didn't make it from ore but instead broke down that sword drop. Did I get so much Exp because the sword was rare or from a Grimm?

That was possible but not the bigger question on my mind. What had my mind running at a hundred miles an hour was a question altogether different.

Was it something that could be replicated?

Was there a way I could do this over and over to gain more Levels? I'd have to find out. Looking on how much my Stats had changed since I'd levelled up, I let out a little sigh. It was more of the same and less of what I really needed. My Dexterity was going to be a problem if this continued. It would only get worse if everyone else started to pick up more Agility and I didn't have the Dex to counter it. I made a mental note to do some research on that, perhaps also on how people went about tanking so that I could be better prepared the next time. My survivability was okay… well, nothing compared to Pyrrha, but I took the hits better than Blake, Ruby, Ren and Weiss did. The problem was actually keeping the Grimm's attention.

Basically, I could take the hits but wasn't making myself a big enough threat to actually warrant them. Even a mindless Grimm apparently had the instincts to know I was practically useless. That stung.

Still, the question of just how Ruby had managed to kill the Elder Grimm came back to my mind. I hadn't been able to argue at the time, not since I apparently didn't know anything about the weapon I'd thrown her, but the fact was that I knew what Crescent Rose was capable of. Had the Grimm just been on the verge of death?

It was a possibility… naturally we couldn't see what life it had left at the time, but it was possible that our combined efforts had managed to bring it to the edge and that Ruby had just capitalised on that. Pyrrha had said the Grimm went berserk when it was low… so it had been nearly beaten before the second-stage of the fight. The theory was sound but it just didn't feel right. The Grimm had seemed so strong… and surely Pyrrha would have been able to finish it if it was weak.

That meant Ruby had used some kind of Skill… some kind of ability. But there hadn't been anything obvious, other than her speed… was that a Skill of hers?

Could it have been some kind of ability that inflicts damage based on how injured her enemy is? If it had been an Active Skill then surely she could have used it before then, even to kill the Beowolf. That suggested it was something of a more passive nature… maybe her Passive?

A person's Passive was unique to them, a single passive skill that belonged to them and them alone. Even the members of the Labour Caste had them, though I could imagine that Hero Passives would be more combat oriented than ours were. It was what truly differentiated one person from another. In a world where you could find another person with the same Class, who would probably have somewhat similar Stats to you, a person's Passive was unique. It belonged to them and only them. Was it Ruby's Passive that allowed her to deal more damage to wounded foes? Maybe some kind of finishing blow ability?

It was as good a guess as any… she wasn't exactly going to tell me.

I just wished mine could be as useful. Passives were always something relevant to what you were, to what you were supposed to do. They were almost always useful. It was just that… some were more useful than others. Mine was the worst.

Fire from the Forge.

Complete immunity to fire-based damage caused by my own forging process. It rendered me untouchable by heated metal, flames or slag – so long as I was the one doing the forging. It was what had let me forge Ruby's weapon in the first place, since it meant I'd been able to use my bare hands to handle and beat the metal. It was a convenient ability… but that was the problem. It was only convenient.

I could handle hot metal with ease, but so could any other Blacksmith with a pair of tongs. I didn't have to worry about being burned or injured, but so could any Blacksmith worth their salt; safety measures existed for a reason. And sure I could hammer metal with my bare hands, but there was a reason people used well-made hammers as tools. Just because I could do something, didn't mean I should. My Passive was nothing more than a shortcut to what could be achieved with a fraction more effort. It was convenient and nothing else.

I hated it.

"I'll just have to get better without it," I whispered, stepping through a marked door and into a large, oval room. My eyes roved across it, noticing the counters on one end with at least five or six Shopkeepers standing behind them. One raised her head as she saw me, smiling in a manner most would have considered friendly. I'd grown up with my mom and sisters though. I knew what that smile meant.

It was the smile of a ruthless businesswoman who'd just spotted fresh prey.

"Hello there," she giggled as I came close, "My name's Ellayne, Ellayne Grass. Welcome to the Beacon Auction House. Is this your first time?"

"Uh… yeah," I shrugged lightly, bringing forth the bow and laying it on the counter.

"Nice," the woman nodded, "It looks like a good piece. Do you know how much you want to sell it for?"

Ah… now that I thought about it, an auction needed a listing price, didn't it? There hadn't been any auctions back in Ansel. Most people just bartered at shops and markets, whenever those came into town. The brown-haired woman seemed to take pity on me.

"Don't worry about it," she picked up the bow and took a look at it, "I can make a valuation on it if you want. Normally that would cost you a hundred but I'll give you a break this one time. Hmm…" she tilted the bow left and right, one hand beneath her chin as she brought it closer to her face. "It's a nice weapon… light but powerful. No special bonuses or effects, but the raw power is attractive enough to a pure damage Archer. You might be able to get a few thousand for it… I'd start at two just to get the bidding going, but you could make up to three or four if enough people are interested."

Three or four thousand lien? My eyes lit up at the thought. That would be a fifty per cent bonus on what we'd already earned - another five hundred lien for each of us! "How long would that take?" I asked, excited.

"Most people list things for two, maybe three weeks… it depends on the interest really."

"That long?" I asked with a pinched expression. We were already two weeks or so into Beacon, so adding on that kind of listing time, we wouldn't be able to put that lien towards better facilities until the next month. Sharing showers, not to mention sleeping space, with so many other people was becoming a real pain. Hell, Blake had already earned enough to move out!

"You could make it shorter," Ellayne shrugged, "But then you'd be shooting yourself in the foot. Even if people see and want it, they might need time to gather the funds. If you do a short auction then you'll be cutting your customer base in half. Alternatively, you could put in a buy-out value, but if someone actually pays that then you know they would have paid more had it been an actual auction. Plus, it's hardly guaranteed."

Damn it… none of those options sounded good. There was no telling if or when we'd be able to find another Dungeon, and the difference between one or two thousand lien was huge. The others were relying on me to get as much as I could for it, which wouldn't be served if I sold it cheap on the fly. I was about to give in and set it up for the three weeks, but for another Shopkeeper leaning in to whisper something into Ellayne's ear.

"Yeah?" she whispered back, "-worth it? Okay." She turned back to me with a grin, "Turns out there is one other option. Sometimes a person puts in an order with us, kind of a `let me know if this item appears so that I can have first crack at it` sort of thing. It's not an auction and most people don't like doing it because of the effort involved, but if you like we could send a message and set up a meeting. You could try and sell to them directly."

"Direct sales?" I asked.

Ellayne grimaced, "I know most Heroes aren't a fan of it… nor any good at it, to be honest. But if you sell directly to someone then your lien is instant and depending on how hard you barter you might get a good deal. On their end they get the item straight away and they might also be able to haggle a good deal. It's just the time and selling that puts people off. If you don't want to then I ca-"

"No, no," I interrupted, "By all means, I'm happy to do that."

"You are?" She seemed surprised. She was probably right in saying that most Heroes didn't want to waste their time on something like that. Bartering was something for the Labour Caste, for those `lowly NPC's` as they might call them. But for me?

"I'd love to," I grinned, feeling a rare confidence surge to life.

The techniques and skills of a `mere NPC`... this was my domain.

/-/

Ellayne had bid me wait in the auction house. Apparently the customer in question would be just coming out of lessons, so it would be better to get it over with straight away. Funnily enough I didn't feel nervous, even though I was usually bad at meeting new people. Maybe it was the mental preparation my mother had taught me, how to switch off and treat every new encounter like a sales opportunity. The bow rested in my lap, my fingers tracing over the cool material.

When the customer finally entered, the first thing I noticed was the Class above her head.

Archer… perfect.

"This is Coco Adel," Ellayne introduced me to the girl, who lowered a pair of dark shades before her eyes, looking me up and down. I probably looked like a mess, still covered in dust and grime from the Dungeon. To be fair, even if I'd looked my best I doubted it would be half as good as her. The Archer wore black trousers, tightened by a number of belts about her midriff, but also a few around her thigh, keeping any loose material on the leg from getting in the way. With long, black boots reaching up to her knees and an odd mismatched black and orange corset and jumper combination, she wasn't exactly what I would have imagine for an Archer. Wouldn't the glasses have made life difficult when she was aiming?

"The name's Jaune Arc." I pushed up to offer a hand for the woman to shake. She looked at it for a second, enough so that I almost brought it down. Her hand grasped mine a second later, however. She had a strong grip.

"Nice to meet you," the girl grinned, pushing her shades back up her nose. "I hear you've got something to fill my order?"

"Here," I held the bow out for her to take, purposefully not naming the price at that moment. Mom had always said it was better to let people build up their desire first. The only difference between a low and a high price was how much people felt they needed the item. Anything could look affordable if you wanted it badly enough.

"It's nice," the Archer mused, turning it over in her hands. She must have known what to look for better than I, for she held it up and drew the string, pushing it against her side for a second. "Where'd you find it?"

"It dropped from an Elder Grimm," I smiled at her surprise, "We fought it at the end of a Dungeon nearby."

"You sure this guy's a first year, Lain?"

"He sure is," Ellayne – or Lain I supposed – laughed.

"We got lucky," I shrugged. "Or unlucky considering none of us could use a bow."

"Lucky for me," Coco grinned, "It's good, I'll give you that. How much you looking for it?"

"How much are you willing to pay?" The girl frowned at my response, likely knowing why I phrased it like that. If she offered low I could refuse. If she offered high then I was going to benefit.

"Two thousand."

"I'll use the auction," I sighed, making to take the bow back. She didn't let go.

That was her first mistake.

"Three." Her glasses fell down, revealing focused brown eyes. Her interest was clear, which meant I had a position of power in the exchange. My mother was the kind of woman to get offended if someone didn't haggle, which made her equal parts the most respected and feared person in Ansel.

"It took eight of us to clear that Dungeon, not to mention we nearly died for it. I want eight thousand." Ellayne whistled at my demand, which in all honesty was just a number I'd thrown out there. I didn't expect her to ever agree to it.

"Eight!?" the girl gasped. "You're a funny guy – I'm not paying that much for a weapon, at least not this early in my career. How high a Level do you think I am? I'll give you three and a half."

She wasn't bad, all things considered. She didn't just say no, but instead tried to reason and wheedle, to explain why the lien was out of her reach. It was just a shame I'd grown up with eight Shopkeepers.

"If you don't have the money then I'm sure someone else will. This is more than just a weapon, it's an investment. Someone is going to use this bow to kill stronger Grimm, to get into Dungeons and be the best Archer in Beacon." I shrugged and glanced away. Features and benefits; give her a reason why it's good and then explain the benefit. On a whim I decided to throw out a challenge, "Someone good enough would just use it to earn back the lien."

"Ain't no Archer in Beacon better than me," she growled, "You're looking at the best Archer in the Mercenary's Guild."

"The what?" I asked, blinking slightly.

"The Merc's Guild?" she repeated, sighing when she saw my confusion, "TMC? Mercs? Anything?"

"I've only been here for a little while," I shrugged, "I grew up amongst the Labour Caste."

"That explains the haggling," the Shopkeeper giggled.

Coco sighed and held up a strip of cloth for him to see. I'd noticed it, of course, hanging from her belt on the left-hand side, and falling down to her shins. It was a rich, royal purple with gold weave, detailing a stylised image of a castle surrounded by feathers. "This is the tabard of the Mercenary's Guild," she explained, "of which I'm a part of. We're the biggest Guild in Beacon… at least in terms of members."

There were Guilds in Beacon? That was new. I made a mental note to ask later, once I'd managed to sort this all out.

"Look," she sighed, "That doesn't matter. Basically, you're not going to find an Archer better than me in the entire school." I glanced to Ellayne but she could only nod. "So when you say someone will pay more, well trust me, you're not going to find someone who can earn more – and even I can't afford eight thousand."

"Then how about seven?" I offered. She seemed to writhe in pain.

"I can't even pay that, not with Guild tax and my own amenities to cover. Come on kid, be reasonable here. How about four – that's a damn sight more than I was prepared to pay."

But it wasn't as much as I wanted to earn. My eyes closed as I considered the offer. Ellayne had said I could maybe get four thousand for it on the auction earlier, which was what Coco was offering. Getting that immediately would be nice, but didn't I owe it to the others to try the other route and see if we couldn't earn more? Since Coco offered four, I could set the buy-out to five and see if she caved in.

But what if she was right? What if no one else could afford to beat her and she instead took it at three or less? The Auction would also take their own cut, digging into the profits further.

"Four is the most you can pay?" I asked, opening my eyes and watching her expression. She nodded, and for the life of me I couldn't detect any deceit there. "I think I can get four on the auction," I apologised. The girl looked like she wanted nothing less than to reach over and throttle me. "Can't you do anything to sweeten the deal?"

"You're neither old nor hot enough for that bucko," Coco scowled. It took me a second to realise what she meant, and when I did I spluttered out a denial. I hadn't meant sweetening it in that way! She either ignored or didn't hear my protests, however, too busy scratching her chin. "Tell you what though…" she grinned. "I suppose there is a way for me to cover the rest. Perhaps with a little bit of service from the guild, eh?"

"Guild service?" I asked. "I'm not sure what that means…"

"Tell me, Jaune," the way she caressed my name had my throat going dry, "Have you ever heard of a little thing called… boosting?"


And so, my friends, the Dungeon came to an end and our intrepid heroes did rejoice in their spoils – which were sadly a little on the shit side. But through strife and adversity they had gained something far more valuable than mere trinkets.

For, dear readers, they had gained… money.

Oh, and friendship and all that.


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Jaune Arc

Level 16 (+2)

Blacksmith

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Str: 33 (+5)

Con: 31 (+6)

Dex: 12 (+1)

Agi: 15 (+3)

Int: 20 (+3)

Wis: 21 (+4)

Cha: 10 (+1)

Res: 29 (+6)

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Passive Skill

-Fire from the Forge-

Immunity to heat, flames and associated damage caused from his forging process.

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Known Active Skills

-Stoke the Forge-

Generate intense heat in the hand for a short period of time, capable of super-heating metal to forging temperatures without the use of a forge.

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So more is revealed about Jaune too, namely his Passive – and how Passives work in this world. They are, in a sense, completely unique – on a specific level – from every other person in the World of Remnant. Two Mages may be very similar in terms of Stats and Skills (small deviations in the former), but their Passives will be completely different.

Just to let you know, while Jaune is Levelling up, others are too – though obviously not as fast. I probably won't be making full character sheets for them. I tend to feel a bit cheated when stories do that. But as things are revealed I might make miniature ones at the end of given chapters. But that will only be when we know a lot about that character! We get Jaune's in bits and pieces because this is his PoV.


Next Chapter: 28th November

P a treon . com (slash) Coeur