Moving officially into the next arc now. Our… Blacksmith has kept his place within Beacon, for a while… but how long can one man continue such a charade? What new challenges will they face within the Beacon Academy for Heroes?
Beta: College Fool
Cover Art: Pachumaster
Chapter 12
I was musing on how and where I could make use of the weapon I'd bought from Coco when Yang found us.
"Guess what we found!?" she crooned, pushing her way through the crowd and to our table. Ruby practically vibrated with excitement as she sat down beside Weiss, the Mage looking at her as if the girl were one fire spell away from an explosion. Yang was much the same, hopping from one foot to the other, but what surprised me was the person standing beside them.
"A person?" I guessed, looking at them and shelving my plans for the mace. Pyrrha giggled at my comment, Yang rolling her eyes.
"A person," the brawler agreed, "but also an epic opportunity."
The man shrugged, smiling at us all as he took a seat offered beside Ruby. To my surprise the words above his head denoted him as a Peddler. I'd never realised Ruby and Yang knew anyone from the Labour Caste. Well, other than myself of course.
"This is Azure," Ruby said, indicating the rather nondescript man, who despite his name had brown hair and brown eyes and was about as plain-looking as you could get. "Yang and I were asking around about shared rooms, trying to see if we could get one a little cheaper if we pooled certain things."
"And were you able to?" I asked, leaning forward. Ren, Nora and Pyrrha stopped eating to listen as well, since we were all still struggling to get enough for our own rooms.
"In a manner of speaking," Yang finally sat down, nudging the guy, "Tell 'em what you told us."
"Okay, Miss Xiao-Long," the man chuckled, nodding to each of us in turn. "Nice to meet you all, my name's Azure and I'm part of the Merchant's Guild here in Beacon."
"I wasn't aware NPC's could be part of Beacon-sanctioned Guilds." Pyrrha said.
"We can't start Guilds," he said, "But the Merchant's Guild is actually run by a Hero and student at Beacon. There's no rules about us not joining a Guild, but since almost every other one is combat-oriented, there's no real point in our doing so."
"But the Merchant's Guild is different?" I asked. The name said it all really.
"It is. As the name implies we're a guild that focuses on commerce within Beacon. Hence why more than a few NPC's like myself have settled into the guild. Our leader understands and values NPC's and out skills and treats us with respect."
I liked the sound of that, smiling at the thought of more heroes who saw the value in my kind. People who weren't like Cardin and who were willing to give us a chance. It seemed a rare trait in most Heroes. Sadly, what was less rare was members of the Labour Caste referring to themselves as NPC's... maybe I had it easy, growing up in a village where there were no Heroes. "So what is it your Guild does?" I asked, trying to dispel such thoughts.
"A number of things, mostly to do with commerce. Beacon has the auction house for instance, but the majority of people are too busy to watch it all the time. You can put in an order with us and we'll bid and barter on your behalf – adding on a nominal fee for our own services. It saves the customer time at the auction house, and since we can haggle better than most Heroes, they often get it at a better price too."
That made sense… especially considering how most Heroes had Charisma as a lower stat. Even for those with naturally high Charisma, they probably still didn't know much about bartering, especially against a shopkeeper.
"We also cover things like a purchasing service, sending our people into Vale to buy things on your behalf if you're busy or in lessons. Again, there's a small fee on top but it's usually worth it if you're in lessons or just don't have the time."
"Sounds like a convenient choice," Weiss said, regarding the man with a suspicious expression, "But what relevance does that have to us?"
"Tell them about the house," Yang grinned.
"I was getting to it Miss Xiao-Long," he laughed, "Well, I was just working in the records room when I heard Miss Xiao-Long and Miss Rose asking some NPC fellows of mine about the housing situation, specifically if they could save lien in the process. Beacon is fairly strict on their arrangements, however, so I could tell they weren't going to have any luck."
Yang nodded in agreement, pulling a funny expression.
"Luckily, I was close enough to hear and approach them myself," Azure said, "Because our Guild has something which might be able to help."
"How convenient."
"Weiss!" Ruby rebuked. I frowned at her too, not at all pleased with her constant snark towards the Labour Caste. Azure had been nothing but friendly, as had just about every single one of the Caste in Beacon. She could have done to be a little politer to them… most Heroes could.
"It's not a problem, I'm used to such responses." He waved it off, no doubt used to it no matter how unfair that was. "One of our other services is loans and leases, though not as many make use of it. Last year we had an informal Guild, really just four friends, come to us looking to raise money to buy a Guild Hall."
My ears perked up, recalling the conversation with Coco from the day before. I'd still yet to check out the Guilds within Beacon. Heck, all I'd really done was come home, rest and do a few lessons this morning.
"We agreed on the terms and leases," Azure went on, "and we purchased it on behalf of the Guild, charging rent to slowly pay it back."
"It all sounds fairly normal," Ren said, "Most people in Vale have houses on such an arrangement."
"Exactly. Our problems began soon after, however," Azure grimaced. "The Guild was informal like I said, but there started to be tensions within it. We never found out what, probably just power plays or something equally foolish, but the result was that it split up – and on bad terms too. There must have been a big fight, because they left the hall in some disrepair. There was mess, clutter – even some rooms damaged. Naturally, as proud Heroes, they had bigger tasks to do than clean an abandoned Guild Hall. And due to our relative… I suppose you'd say inexperience with lease agreements, they were able to leave it in our hands… moving out and refusing to pay."
"What assholes," I growled. Typical Hero crap, especially towards the Labour Caste. Did they think it was okay to do something like that, just because the people they'd done it to couldn't fight back?
"Very dishonourable," Pyrrha agreed, "They should have at least repaired the damage."
"Or paid for it to be repaired," Weiss said.
"I couldn't agree more," Azure said, "But lo and behold, we made a mistake with the contract and they were able to run away. Suddenly we were stuck with a Guild Hall we couldn't return to Beacon because of the damage caused, but could scarcely afford to keep on our own. It's a drain on our resources, going unused and abandoned. We don't even have the resources to repair it… not yet, anyway."
"And that's where we come in!" Ruby cheered, slamming her hands on the table. "Oops," she winced a second later, "I jumped ahead… sorry Azure!"
"Don't worry about it," he laughed, "Miss Rose is essentially correct. We've been looking for a group of people to take it over from us ever since the year started. With so many new students we figured there would soon be a group big enough to form a Guild and make renting it from us cheaper than getting their own rooms."
"Cheaper?" That caught my attention – and everyone else's to judging from how they suddenly started to pay more attention. "How so?"
"It's all economies of scale. A double room for two people is two thousand lien per month, or a thousand each. If there are four people, then it would be cheaper for you to get two double rooms – at four thousand a month. But when you start moving higher than that, it actually gets cheaper to rent a Guild Hall because everyone can share things like water, power and rooms like kitchens or living quarters. Basically, when your group reaches a certain size, it becomes cheaper this way than through Beacon."
"And what size would that be?"
"Five," Azure said with a smile. "The Guild cost us five thousand lien a month to rent from Beacon. Naturally, we were renting it to the Guild before at six thousand a month, taking one for ourselves – but considering the state it's in now, we'd be willing to rent it to you at no profit, just so we can stop losing lien for it."
"Between the seven of us that would be cheaper than getting our own rooms," Yang grinned, "Hence why we dragged him here to tell you all!"
"Five thousand split between seven would only be a little over seven hundred each," Ren agreed, "We could afford it right now, in fact."
"I know!" Ruby clapped her hands together. "That's why we just had to come and tell you all about it! Isn't it great!?"
"So you're suggesting we form a Guild?" Pyrrha asked, looking at each of us.
"I've got no problem with it," I nodded to Ruby and Yang, getting grins in return. "It's not like it has to be super official, and we did work well together in clearing that Dungeon."
"Ooh, ooh, I like it!" Nora said, "We could call ourselves `The Noras`."
"Wouldn't `The Valkyries` be a better choice if you wanted to use your name?" Ren rolled his eyes.
"Nah. I think The Noras sounds better."
"We'll find a normal name for it," Pyrrha said, though she seemed amused by our friend's byplay.
"That is, if we decide to accept this," Weiss said. "I'm not convinced."
"What?" Yang turned to her, "Why not? It's cheaper than we'd be able to do normally, plus we should have more room. What's not to like?"
"It sounds too convenient," the Mage glared at the Peddler, who only blinked back. "It sounds too good to be true."
"It might be for you, but it certainly isn't for ourselves," the Peddler sighed, "We're in a real problem with this… essentially paying five thousand lien a month for a Guild Hall we can't use, and that cost keeps us from being able to afford any repairs. If you don't want it, however, then that's fine. I'm sure there will be many new students looking to start Guilds soon enough."
"Whoah, whoah," I held a hand out, stopping the man before he could leave, "Weiss didn't mean anything by that." It was a lie, but hopefully one he'd accept. Ruby was glaring at her so I didn't have to. "When you say damage… how much damage are we talking about here?"
"A few rooms are out of commission," Azure said, "The main living area, along with two sleeping rooms, the kitchen and bathroom are fine. There's piping damage between the main supply and the kitchen, though the heating works – as does the water to the bathroom. Beyond that, there's a second floor which is currently out of bounds – but there's only about three rooms up there anyway. The stairs are broken through… some kind of fire damage. I think one of the old members was a Mage," Azure shrugged, "I only joined the Guild this year, so I didn't get to meet the team that had it before."
"That's quite the detailed list," Ren whispered.
"I feel it's best to be frank with such things. I'll be perfectly honest with you, it's something of unpolished gem… it's going to require some work. Nothing too much," he added, "And in any case, we'll be only too happy to chip in."
It sounded like it need some tender love and care.
"The Merchant's Guild is more than willing to help with the repairs. We've got arrangements with many different artisans and NPC's in Vale who can help. We can even get cheaper deals with them than you could get normally."
"And yet we would be expected to pay for it?" Weiss asked, one eyebrow raised.
"You would," Azure winced, "But on the other hand, we're willing to sweeten the deal. Frankly, we want rid of the thing – and trust me – we're not going to be lending money to students again for something like this. If you rent it from us and are able to repair it, we'll sell you the rights to it for just five thousand on top. After that you'd own it yourselves and could do whatever you wished with it. You'd just have to keep paying Beacon… but you could also rent it out yourselves, or even return it to Beacon."
"And if we can't pay the extra five thousand?"
"Then you can rent it from us for however long you like. I can add it to the contract that we won't ever increase the price – no danger of sudden interest or other such nonsense. We're not looking to make money out of this, Miss Schnee… we're looking to stop the bleeding."
"Hmph," Weiss rolled her eyes, "Some Merchants this so-called `Merchant's Guild` employs."
"Weiss," Ruby sighed, "Do you have to be so mean? They made a mistake… people do that."
"Guilty as charged," Azure held a hand up. "And we've learned from it too. It's just not worth the risk, especially with first years who have more excitement than sense. If you agree to this, you'll need to sign a contract saying we can evict you if you refuse to pay."
"And if we can't pay?" Ren asked.
Azure shrugged, "If you can't then all that happens is you choose not to continue renting it and can move back into the dorms or whatever other accommodation you have. You'll always have the safety net of Beacon, unlike normal adults out in Vale."
"Sounds reasonable," Ren said, rubbing his jaw. "I assume we would be expected to pay up front?"
"For each month, yes." Azure nodded, "We'd need you to form a Guild first, then we would have to pass the lease onto you, so that in Beacon's eyes it's official that you stay there. It's a formality so they know where you are in the case of an emergency. Then we can start on the repairs… the only thing is that because if you leave, this falls back into our hands – and thus Beacon will come down on us if something goes wrong, the contract states that you can only use repair people approved by our Guild."
"Won't that limit our options?"
"Perhaps, but it's a safety precaution so you don't hire some cheap level one Carpenter who makes a mistake and causes the roof to collapse. If you did that and then backed out on the rent, we'd be in real trouble. Our contacts are experienced and extensive." Azure held his arms wide, "We just don't want to take any risks."
I nodded, seeing his point. In all honesty, it sounded perfect for us… a Guild Hall for just the seven of us, at a lower rate per month than individual rooms would be. The lien was the real motivator, since we were still struggling for it at the moment.
"I say we go for it," Yang grinned. "I'm game."
"Me too," Ruby nodded, bouncing in her seat. "This can solve all our problems, and think about it, how awesome would it be to have our own house - all to ourselves!?"
"Come on Ren," Nora begged, looking up at the Monk. It looked like she'd been easily convinced.
"I suppose it's not a bad deal…"
"Jaune?" Pyrrha turned towards me, "What do you think?"
Me? I looked about the table, only to see the others waiting for my response too. "I'm willing," I shrugged, not sure what else to say. Coco had mentioned that there were Guilds out there that did just about everything, and while it was odd to think of Heroes making a Guild fully about Labour Caste things – it soothed my mind that it was a Guild Leader who respected and saw the value in our Caste. Maybe he was just a clever guy, wanting to make lien without having to go through the trouble of Dungeons and the like.
Whatever the case, we'd have to be idiots to pass it up.
"Then I shall agree too," Pyrrha nodded, leaving Weiss as the last bastion of reluctance.
"Fine…" she sighed, reaching into her robes. "But I want it on record that I don't like this."
"I can have the paperwork sorted within the hour," Azure smiled, "Now, who would like to come and help set up your Guild?" Everyone turned to look at me, but this time I had a smile and an excuse ready, slowly pushing myself out of my seat.
"Sorry guys," I grinned, not at all feeling sorry. I'd handle the sale of the bow. Someone else could take this one. "I've got someone I need to meet in the library. I'll catch you all later."
/-/
"You're forming a Guild?"
"That's right," I said, feeling more than a little proud of that fact. Blake hummed, sat across a small desk from me with a book in hand. She'd been waiting in the library as promised, but had looked a little surprised when I'd actually showed up. "Ruby and Yang are off sorting out the paperwork right now. First, we make ourselves into a Guild, then we get the Guild Hall."
"Sounds impressive," she said, ears flicking just a little. "Does that mean you no longer need the hunting locations I've found?"
"Ah," I winced a little, "We could… still use those. Are you sure you're okay giving them to us, though? I talked to Ren and Pyrrha. They said it would have been better for you to keep them secret."
Blake's golden eyes traced mine for a second, the meaning behind them inscrutable – as she was. Why was she helping me? Why did she continue to do so?
"Consider it a thank you," she said, taking my map and marking three locations down. They were places we'd never visited, small patches of dense forest, but that wasn't what caught my attention.
"Why do you feel the need to thank me at all? If anything, it should be the other way around. You saved me during the First Quest, twice in fact. You also helped us in the Dungeon, not to mention you're helping me now. I feel like I should owe you."
The Assassin shrugged, opening up her book and starting to read it. I guess there wasn't going to be an answer there, but I didn't want to leave either. The library was quiet, and Blake quieter still, but it was also peaceful.
"Do you often visit the library?" I winced at the question, which sounded stupid even to my ears. Blake didn't point it out, however. Instead, she hummed lightly, turning another page.
"I like to read. The library is peaceful and lets me read to my heart's content. There are books here that it's difficult to find in any store." I could well imagine that. The library was a part of the main building, a long hall with a ceiling that seemed to reach up several stories. Balconies and arched walkways dotted the edges, and as for the books – well, they must have numbered in the tens of thousands.
"What do you read?"
"History," she turned a page, "fantasy, fiction… whatever catches my imagination. How about you?"
"Not as often as I should… there were never many books back home, other than that our school had. Even those were just to help teach us. Most were on history and such, though there were quite a few on our role within society."
"Your role?" Blake asked, "I thought you grew up amongst the Labour Caste?"
Crap, my story. "I did," I said, "but the books were all geared towards them… they weren't always relevant to me. There were a few novels though, just stories for fun. I read those whenever I could."
In truth, I read them because I hated the other ones, hated those books which extolled how we should work for the Hero and Noble Caste, how we were lowest rung on a ladder. The first step was necessary, and possibly the most important, but that didn't change the fact we were at the bottom. I guess that was the reason I loved those fantasy books so much… because they allowed me to believe I was something I wasn't, if only for a moment.
They helped me to escape reality.
Was that what Blake was doing?
"The other day," I said after a few minutes of silence had lapsed, "You got angry when I mentioned how you earned all that lien. You thought I'd accused you of stealing it."
Blake's yellow eyes flicked up to me, narrowing for the briefest moment before turning back to the pages held before her. It seemed obvious she wouldn't answer, but the question was; did I ask? She'd gotten angry at the time, but now she didn't seem quite so. If anything, it felt like she was relaxed. Was that the power the library had over her? Either way, I had to know.
"Has someone been accusing you of theft?"
Blake sighed, slowly putting the book down as she finally looked towards me. Her eyes were flat, though not angry. It was more like she was reluctant, yet also knew I wouldn't give up on this. "No one has accused me within my hearing," she said.
"Why did you think I meant that, then?"
"It's complicated."
"Then will you explain it for me?" I asked. Blake's glare was enough to make me wince but this time I didn't back down. She maintained her stare for a few seconds, during which I swallowed and fought past the stinging in my eyes. Eventually she sighed, crossing her arms and regarding me with an almost bored expression. I had the distinct impression I'd intruded on reading time, and that suddenly her willingness to put up with me was approaching its end.
"If you were a Thief," Blake whispered, "What do you think your greatest skill would be?"
"Stealing things, fighting with knives or being agile."
"But the main thing is thievery." She waited for my nod. "That is what every other person thinks when someone mentions a member of the Thief Class. And believe me, if something were to go missing, every eye would turn to you first."
That didn't seem fair, even if I could see the logic behind it. As a Thief, they would have had the most ease stealing something, but that didn't necessarily mean they would have been the one to do it.
"Everyone expects people to act as their Class dictates," Blake continued, "And most of the time we do… a Farmer farms, a Warrior hits things with their weapon. That's how the world has always been and likely how it will continue. I am an Assassin Jaune," she looked into my eyes, "What do you think I'm good at doing?"
"Killing things."
"Killing people," Blake corrected, "You don't need to pretend you don't see the connection."
I winced, knowing she'd caught me there. Of course, I knew what she meant when she'd asked that question; I just hadn't wanted to say it. "That doesn't matter," I said, "Just because your Class says you're supposed to kill other people doesn't mean you have to. It's stupid to even think that."
"You're right." Blake smiled, though it was a faint and weak one, aimed down towards the table we were sat by. "But that's not enough to change the minds of people. Not when they've grown up knowing that your Class determines what you are what you do. Perhaps that's what makes you different, that you grew up among people who never knew any of this. An Assassin back stabs people… it's part and parcel of everything I do. It's how I fight and I am always looking for that opening. People find it difficult to trust someone like that."
Blake sighed, pushing some hair back behind her ear.
"It's not always intentional… sometimes people try to treat m- to treat us normally. It's just that deep inside, whether they like it or not, it's hard to turn your back on someone who could kill you. It's the same with other Classes, such as Thieves. Whether or not you know and trust them, a small part of your mind keeps pointing out that they would be the ones most able to rob you. No Hero trusts someone like that."
"I trust you." I made sure to stare into her eyes as I said it, just to drive home how serious my words were. Blake met my gaze, shaking her head in vague amusement.
"That's why you're such a strange Knight," she said, immediately reminding me of every time she'd said that. Was this what she meant; that I was strange because I didn't look upon her with revulsion? At the time, I'd been worried it meant my cover was failing, but now that couldn't be further from the truth.
"Then I'm happy to be strange. I'm glad to be the weirdest, stupidest person you've ever met. I'm not going to see you as some kind of killer just because of the words above your head. They don't define you."
I wouldn't let myself… not when the words above mine were a lie too. I wasn't a Hero, nor was I a Knight, but that didn't mean I couldn't fight to try and help people. It didn't mean I couldn't be heroic, just because I wasn't born one.
"And the Skills that I have?" Blake asked, looking at me. "I can assure you those are all tooled towards killing other Heroes. As is my Passive, as are my statistics… everything about me is designed to make me most effective at killing people; often before they know I am even there."
"And you're saying I couldn't pick up a sword and kill an innocent? Or that a Farmer couldn't brain someone with a hoe?" My eyes clenched shut as I shook my head. "It's stupid. Just because a Mage casts spells doesn't mean they can't pick up a sword and kill a baby. Your Class doesn't make you evil."
"And that reasoning is why I shared these locations with you," she said, indicating to the points on my map. "That's why I wanted to thank you."
I understood… as much as I didn't want to. "But you shouldn't have to," I sighed, slumping in my seat. "You shouldn't have to thank me for treating you like a normal person. You shouldn't have to actually be pleased just because I judge you for how you act, not what you are."
It was just wrong.
"I shouldn't," Blake agreed, "And yet it's a reality every Rogue-type Class faces. Some have it easier than others… but for those obviously `immoral` Classes like Thief or Assassin, this is our reality." Blake shrugged, "It's the life we were given. Complaining about it won't change or improve it."
Blake shrugged, her smile wan.
"As a child, I was born an Assassin, and so that is what I am. You can't fight against destiny."
I opened my mouth to argue but snapped it shut before the words could form. Fight against destiny... was that what I was trying to do right now, sat in a library disguised as a Knight, talking to a Hero as though I was her equal? No, that was wrong. I wasn't fighting. I was hiding.
Did I tell her to fight against what people thought of her class - when I had refused to do the same, instead relying on some magical trinket that let me pretend to be something different? The advice sounded hypocritical, dangerously so.
She might try it... she might put all of her effort into it. But would it mean anything in the end?
I still didn't know whether my own plan would work, and even calling it a plan was too much. Here I was at Beacon, but so far all I'd done was desperately try to get by. It had worked so far... but that didn't mean it would continue to work. At the end of the day I was a Blacksmith.
And she was an Assassin.
But that didn't mean we couldn't be friends, no matter how much others might have said it. If a Knight and an Assassin were so opposed that friendship was impossible, then I'd simply be her friend as a Blacksmith.
"You know… our Guild has an opening for an Assassin, if you want it." Blake had already gone back to her book by the time I spoke, her eyes fixed on the page and granting me less attention than the floor beneath her feet. She didn't turn towards me, nor even look up from the book, but I got the strange feeling she was smiling.
"What a strange coincidence…"
"It is," I laughed, enjoying her sarcasm. "Funnily enough, we're also looking for a black-haired girl… the Guild is missing one of those at the moment."
"Completing your harem?"
She caught me off guard with that one, chuckling lightly to herself as my cheeks turned red. "Not quite," I coughed. "But if you want to join, I'd love to have you."
"I'm sure you would." Her golden eyes flickered above the book. "But I'll have to pass. I don't know you well enough to become your concubine."
"The Guild!" I yelped, glaring a little when her eyes sparkled with amusement. Great, she felt relaxed enough to take the piss out of me. That was a good thing, right? Funny how it felt so bad - and there was my crappy Charisma score. For a moment I'd worried it had gone and thrown itself off a cliff. "I was talking about the Guild. Do you want to join it?"
"No."
The flat-out denial should have stung, but I'd expected it and shrugged. "The offer will stay open," I said, "There will always be a place for you. All you need to do is ask."
"You're still a strange Knight," she murmured, shaking her head.
"Thanks." I grinned back.
"It wasn't a compliment."
From her, in the way she meant it… it was the highest compliment I'd ever received.
/-/
"The Hunters?" Ren looked up from the scroll Yang had handed over to him. "It's… not a bad name."
"Ruby came up with it," the blonde laughed, wrapping an arm around her little sister's shoulders. "I think it fits, y'know? We're all hunting something, usually lien – but hey, we hunt Grimm on occasion too."
"That's true," I laughed, enjoying the sight of Ruby trying to squirm free, only to be caught by Yang every time she did. The action was so casual from the older girl, so easy, that it must have been long ingrained into her. "What does that make us, hunters?"
"Huntsman and Huntresses," Ruby cheered. "It's got a much cooler ring to it. Plus, this way our new hall can be called `The Hunter's Lodge`. How amazing does that sound!?"
"I'll admit they are not bad names," Weiss nodded, standing cross-armed beside them. "Did you sign the lease on our new Lodge, then? I'd like to have a look at it."
"Got that too," Yang grinned, holding up another piece of paper. "We're now officially listed as renting the place and can move out of the communal halls straight away."
Which I fully intended to do, in all honesty. The shared showers were getting frustrating, especially with how busy they were in the morning – not to mention the smell. All it took was a few guys with less than stellar hygiene, and suddenly the whole place kicked up a stink. With just Ren and I, it would be a damn sight easier.
"He said it was around here," Yang said, consulting a map the Merchant's Guild had apparently given her. We were in an area of Beacon I wasn't familiar with, almost a small village itself in terms of the small and medium-sized houses dotted around. Many had colourful tabards hanging from them. Was this a Guild area? Somewhere where all the Guild Halls were arranged – almost like a miniature town that consisted only of Beacon's Guilds?
I couldn't see a castle-like one, so presumably the Mercenary's Guild was placed elsewhere.
"Allow me to take a look," Ren stepped forward to take the map, looking at it for a moment before glancing around them. He seemed to gather his bearings quickly, leading them down a paved path. "According to the map it should be… this one." Ren came to a stop before a particular building, looking up from the map.
"It's…" It was a struggle to find the right words, but Azure's came back to me, "definitely a bit of a fixer-upper."
That was a kind way of putting it. The building was two stories tall with a peaked roof covered in dark red slate. The walls were light-grey stone, with white marble in places. Tall, arched windows dotted the front wall, but two of them were shattered, with wooden boards nailed across them. The door was in one piece, but was pitted and marked, showing clear signs of damage.
"Well we knew it would be," Pyrrha sighed, "I suppose we'll have to hire some NPC's to help... either way, it's still better than sleeping with a hundred other people."
"True," Yang shrugged, stepping forward to open the door. A cloud of dust blew out of it, making her cough and step back. I winced as it blew across my eyes, scrubbing at them.
"And we know it's been abandoned since last year," I laughed awkwardly, lowering my arm and blinking past specks of dust. "Probably needs a bit of a clean too."
"T-True," Yang repeated past her coughing. She pushed it open with a single shove, stepping back as more dust erupted from within. We waited for it to clear, though now that I'd seen the place it was impossible not to feel a little disappointed. The size was good, but I wouldn't have called it a fixer-upper…
I'd have called it ready for demolition.
"W-well," Ruby laughed, "Let's check inside, hey?"
"Yes," Weiss growled, "Let's…"
On the one hand, the interior wasn't as bad as I'd feared.
It was far worse.
The second floor was unreachable, but the stairs that greeted us upon entering the building weren't just burned, they were destroyed – a good portion of the second floor with it. The remaining timbers lay scattered about the entrance hall, some resting against the walls, but with a large pile where it had collapsed. The large hall in the entrance was covered in dust too, forming in a thick cloud above the floor. There were six doors leading off from the hall, two on the left and right, and two on the far wall, opposite the double door entrance. At least half of those had wooden frames pushed through them, and a quick inspection showed that in one, the entire roof had collapsed inwards. They was even a stream of light piercing the gloom, like the sun had burned straight through the ceiling.
The others were a little better… but only because they still had walls and a roof. The only rooms we realistically had was a bathroom, a dusty room with couches and a storage cupboard. The latter was so small we'd have struggled to fit our own gear into it.
"This can't be right," Yang said, shaking her head. "They said it was in disrepair but they never mentioned anything like this."
"Why would they?" Weiss snapped, kicking a broken chair and watching as it shattered against the wall. "Hard to convince gullible fools to buy something in this state. Damn them!"
"We should have asked to see it," Ren sighed, palming his face.
"It can't be," Ruby whispered. "They wouldn't do this. Why would Azure have lied to us?"
"Because he's a Peddler, you dolt. That's what they do… money, money, money and to the Grimm with whoever is hurt by it. That's just what their type does - extort honest Heroes for lien."
That wasn't true… my mother had never been like that, but it was hard to argue with her words. It was hard to argue with the looks on everyone's faces as they looked about the ruined Guild Hall.
"We'll go see them tomorrow," Yang growled, pulling Ruby in for a quick hug. "If this is their idea of a joke then we'll sort it out. You can't think for a second that Beacon would be willing to put up with this."
"Yang's right," I said, "We can talk to them tomorrow… and if they won't co-operate then we can talk to the teachers. We'll sort this out." I made sure to look them each in the eye, "I promise we'll sort this out."
"You better," Weiss hissed, pushing past me and knocking her shoulder into mine. "I'm going to see if there's room in this damned hall to set up a sleeping bag." Pyrrha made to stop her, to chastise her, but I held a hand out.
"Don't," I said, sighing. "Weiss was the only one to smell something wrong with this, but we convinced her to accept. She has the right to feel a little angry."
"We all fell for this," the Champion said. "But either way… this is just a setback, right?"
"Right," I nodded, drawing my own sleeping bag from my small stash of supplies. The rest was laid against a nearby wall, there being no other room for it. At least the walls kept the wind out… which was about the only good thing about this place. "Nothing more than a setback…"
I prayed that was all it would be.
And thus the Hunters were born, receiving their Guild House, which in time-honoured RPG tradition needed various rooms to be unlocked before use.
"I'm sorry sir. We can't unlock the bathroom until you're at least level thirty."
No stats this time, on account of the lack of any Exp earned.
Next Chapter: 26th December
P a treon . com (slash) Coeur
