A little longer than usual, simply because the chapter plan demanded it. Naturally, that occurs every now and then, but please don't expect this length every time.


Beta: College Fool

Cover Art: Pachumaster

Chapter 14


The pipes flowed cherry-red and threatened to drip molten metal down onto the floor. The heat from them would have been enough to burn through flesh, yet they didn't harm the hands clasped tightly around them.

In that regard, it seemed my Passive was actually being a useful tool for once. I just wished it was something a little more combat oriented. My eyes flashed a little as I used Stoke the Forge to heat them even further, moving the metal carefully so that it lined up.

"How are they?" Ren asked from nearby.

A spark of panic shot through me, and my hands twitched as I instinctively tried to turn off and hide my forging. Luckily, I thought to look first – and Ren was calling out from some distance away. I was also under and behind some woodwork, which kept me from sight. A quick glance back to the pipes told me they were old, rusted through and broken in multiple places. "Not bad," I called back, "I think I can fix them by just tightening some valves."

Tightening - smelting and re-forging the entire piping system? Really, they were practically the same thing… Okay, it totally wasn't, but this was the first time my Blacksmithing could actually help our Guild. It could actually save us and I wasn't going to squander that. My eyes narrowed as the pipes were manoeuvred into position. No new material had been created, of course. That would have been impossible. But that didn't mean there wasn't some excess that could be repurposed. They would be a little thinner, and maybe the water flow wouldn't be as strong, but I doubted anyone would notice.

Frankly, we'd all be happy just to have it working.

The piping held when it was in position, and a quick flare of light from my eyes signalled the usage of my two other Skills – equally useless in combat. Those were Temper, which heated the metal to a stable temperature and instantaneously simulated the hardening process of it being held there for some time, and Quench – which softened the metal.

Steam hissed from the metal and out onto the floor. "Jaune!" Ren shouted as his footsteps slammed across the wood, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," I coughed and accepted his hand as he dragged me out from under. Despite the pain in my throat, there was no hiding the smile I wore. "Just some steam stuck in the pipes. I fixed them though."

"You fixed them?"

I reached over to twist one of the metallic traps on the nearby sink. Ren's eyes widened – which made my smile do the same. "Ta-da!"

"Incredible," Ren laughed, "Well, at least we know if Beacon doesn't work out you'll have a job as a plumber. The others will be pleased, especially Yang." The blonde had been particularly vocal that morning about not having access to a shower.

I shrugged and clapped my hands together to get rid of the dust, but also any tell-tale soot. "Have the others had any luck?" I asked.

"Pyrrha and Nora managed to find a fallen tree in the Emerald Forest, which they've been cutting into planks ever since. I managed to fashion them into clumsy shutters for the windows." The monk wore an almost embarrassed expression. "They're not fantastic and they look awful, but when they're closed it keeps the cold out."

"Then it's ten times as good as what we had, Ren. Don't worry about the looks, I'm sure Nora will paint them later."

"Probably in glitter," Ren sighed. "Other than that, the main hallway has been pretty much cleared out by Weiss and Ruby. Anything that was too broken to repair has been turned into kindling and the fireplace has been emptied out by Yang. She managed to check the chimney too, and it's not blocked luckily. We can set a fire tonight when we sleep, and we cleaned the communal room as best we could."

"Really?"

Ren gestured to the side and led me back into the main hallway. True to his words it was much cleaner than it had been before, and Ruby was dusting around it with a large mop borrowed from some Labour Caste cleaners. All the chairs that had once littered the place were gone, and although the broken and destroyed staircase still rested against one wall, the rest of it was relatively clean. The stone floor was cracked in places, but someone had managed to find a dusty, purple carpet and lay it out in the middle. It reached from the door at the front all the way to the broken staircase at the back – and the colour helped more than I'd expected it would.

"Hey Jaune," Ruby waved and leaned on her mop. That she could do so on the thin, wooden thing was no doubt testament to how slight and thin she was.

"Hey Ruby," I smiled back, "The bathrooms fixed. We've got water."

"I'll tell Yang. You'll be her Knight in shining armour."

To my horror a small flush slipped across my cheeks at that, but I hid it in scratching the back of my head and following Ren into the main room. It was the one we'd slept in last night, and really the only room we had available beyond the main hall and bathroom. It had unofficially been designated as storage, sleep and living area, all in one.

Pyrrha and Nora were pushing a couch towards the wall when we entered, but already it was easy to see the transformation that had taken place. The panelled, wooden walls had been completely dusted, and although the carpeted floor was still dusty, it was better than it had been before. They'd managed to create more space in the middle by drawing the furniture against the walls, and the stone fire place was cleaned and stocked with table and chair legs. I could see the shutters Ren had spoken of too. They were closed at the moment, and true to his word very rough and heavy-looking. On the other hand, they definitely kept the breeze out.

"It's perfect," I whispered. It wasn't… it was a far cry from that, and yet the sentiment was no less honest. Maybe it was silly, but there was something about the fact that this was our Guild Hall, that made me feel inordinately proud.

It might not have been the prettiest of places, but it was ours; a little broken, a little dirty, but our Guild Hall, all the same. One thing was for sure, the following nights would be a damn sight comfier – not to mention warmer - than the previous.

"I'm quite proud myself," Ren smiled, "I can only imagine how nice the place must have looked when new. Maybe we could get some tapestries to hang from the walls. They're a little bare at the moment."

"Some new furniture too," I nodded, "Some cushions and a rug, maybe a table for in the middle. I could see this being where we gather each day. Well, if we get the other bedrooms cleared out."

"That's going to be a far more difficult task. Many of them were on the second floor from what I can tell."

I turned to him with a frown, "You went up there?"

"I was careful. Nora gave me a boost up and I didn't try to enter any of the rooms. They're collapsed too, but there are at least three main bedrooms up there. Not that we'll have access to them unless we do something about the staircase."

And the supports… as much as Ren was willing to risk his safety, I didn't relish the thought of sleeping up there until we'd had someone make sure the beams were safe. That, sadly, was going to be a task we'd need to get someone in for.

There were a lot of those. As much as the plan had been to repair what we could, some of the damage was just beyond our abilities. The broken roof was one, and I doubted any of us dared sleep beneath a rood we'd repaired.

Raised voices from the main hallway cut into any thoughts, as the four of us all turned to listen to Weiss and Yang's angry voices. "What now?" Pyrrha sighed and walked to the door, only to freeze when she looked through.

"What is it?" Ren asked.

"Someone is here…"

"TRE?"

"I can't tell," she whispered, "Whoever it is, they're regretting trying to talk to those two."

I quickly glanced about the room and noted what had been repaired and not. "I'll distract them," I whispered, "We've fixed what we can, but try and hide any damage you can. Just focus on concealing it until we can fix it later. If this is the guy to list the damage, we want it as short as possible."

The three of them nodded and I watched as Ren and Nora quickly started to push one of the couches in front of a wall which had a splintered and broken bottom. Pyrrha did the same, though this time she stacked some normal-looking logs in front of the furniture we'd stocked the fireplace with. With a deep breath, I forced a friendly smile onto my face and stepped outside.

"What's more," Weiss growled to the man Yang had pinned to a wall with her fist, "We're more than aware of what your employer did to us. Don't think we'll let you get away with this."

"I have no idea what you mean," the Archer whimpered. He was a wiry man dressed in black clothing with a red stripe down the front. There was a Guild Tabard that hung from his waist too, not unlike Coco's. This one, however, was pure black – with a red image of a one-handed axe on it. If he was anything like Coco, he was powerful with a bow.

And probably not quite so powerful suspended off the ground and pressed against a wall by the fist that grasped his collar. He knew it too, if the way he held his hands before his face was any indication.

I'd have felt bad for him, if I didn't feel the urge to egg Yang on. "I take it you're here from TRE?" I asked as I stepped up to them. Weiss gave me a quick nod, but Yang didn't take her eyes away from her victim. "Nice to finally meet one of you."

"NO!" The guy yelled. "I'm not from TRE!"

What? Shock gave way to panic as Weiss and I quickly waved Yang to put the guy down. He couldn't have been too much older than us, so he was definitely a student and not a teacher, but still, had we just attacked some random visitor? I had the terrible image of someone knocked on our door with a freshly baked pie, only for it to open and Yang's fist to shoot out – dragging the poor neighbour inside.

"So who are you supposed to be?" Yang asked, not nearly as worried as she ought to be.

"I'm from the Red Axe Guild," the man gasped and massaged his throat. "Name's-"

"Don't care," Yang crossed her arms. "It's two in the afternoon and I haven't had a shower. State your purpose or die."

The poor man's eyes widened and he gave up straightening his outfit to blurt out, "I'm here to categorize damage!"

It was not the correct response.

"So you are here for TRE," Yang growled and stepped forwards.

"I don't know who that is," the Archer yelped, "I was just sent here by my Guild to do a job. Someone else would have hired us!"

That got through to Yang, who lowered her fist with a sigh. Beside her, Weiss snorted – clearly unimpressed. "So this TRE doesn't even have the stomach to face us directly," she said, "Instead, he hires a third party to do so in his place."

I sighed as frustration roiled away in my stomach. As far as things went, it was probably a good plan on the part of the Guild scamming us. Not only did it prevent Yang dispensing some deserved justice, it also meant we couldn't ask about the contract. No doubt they'd send more people to collect money who weren't affiliated with them in any way. "We're no closer to figuring out who they are, then," I said. "Great…"

"Not quite," Weiss said. "You claim you're from the Red Axe Gang, and that TRE hired you, correct?"

"Well, I guess." The man shrugged nervously, "I wouldn't know, though. I just do what I'm told."

"And what were you told to do?"

"To come and list any damage you guys caused to the Guild Hall." He held out a checklist, which Weiss snatched from his hands. "Hey!"

The Mage ignored him and flipped through the sheets. The Archer stepped forward, but Yang dissuaded him with a quick glare. "Nothing we didn't expect," Weiss said, "It just states that the building was in perfect condition before. Hmph, a fallacy naturally, but not one we can argue." She tossed the clipboard back to the Archer, who caught and it and clutched it to his chest. "Very well then," she said, "Come with me and I shall list the damage to you."

"I-I'll have to see for myself…"

The Mage snorted but didn't complain as she led him towards the staircases. I watched them go, relieved to see that she was giving the others as much time as she could. Weiss was probably better at that than me, anyway. She seemed like the kind of person who could wax poetic and distract someone for as long as possible.

"This is a mess," I said to Yang.

The Brawler laughed and leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed over her chest. "It is," she said, "But we're stuck with it now. No use complaining when we should be making the best of it. It's a tip, but at least we're only sharing it with seven people."

I laughed at that, pleased she could see the bright side. The communal halls had over a hundred in each of them, so it definitely was an improvement in that regard. "I'm not sure what we do next," I admitted, however. "I mean, the plan to repair what damage we could before he arrived was all well and good, but where do we go from here?"

"No great plan from our esteemed Guild Master?"

"You know I didn't ask for that…"

"True," Yang laughed, "Don't worry about it. No one expects you to be the one to solve all our problems. I've got an idea, though I'll need to hash it out with Weiss first. She's scary smart and might see something I've missed."

I couldn't begin to explain how much those words relieved me. Not just that Yang had an idea of what to do, but that she didn't expect me to keep coming up with things. The Guild Master position, it had been thrust on me – and true, no one seemed to expect anything of me. It was just a title. But still… there was a strange desire inside me. I wanted to do that title justice. Maybe it was pride, maybe it was arrogance… or maybe it was a desperate desire to prove than a lowly NPC like myself could lead. I wasn't sure, but it was there nonetheless.

/-/

The man from the Red Axe Guild took an hour and a half to list every piece of damage in the building, though luckily for us Pyrrha, Ren and Nora had proven frighteningly creative in hiding what damage they could. There had to be a few thousand lien they'd saved us there alone, but the fully tally was still more than I could have ever imagined. He couldn't give a lien estimate, since he wasn't even involved with TRE… and in some way that was a relief. The figure would have no doubt been astronomical.

"What do we do now?" Pyrrha asked once the man had been seen away. The redhead sighed and collapsed onto the couch, clearly spent. There was dust in her hair, and even that dust had dust on it. It had gotten to the point where she had started to look like a brunette.

"We can't afford to repair everything," Weiss said, "Not a chance."

"That goes without saying," Ren agreed, "I personally don't think we should stop looking for a way out of this either, no matter how unlikely it seems."

"Never give up, Renny!"

"We still need to find TRE," Pyrrha said, "Any clues there?"

"Actually," Yang grinned, "I might have a lead."

I felt a little out of my depth as they discussed things between them. It wasn't that they didn't involve me, but that I just had no idea of what to say or do. It was perhaps because of the fact, that I noticed when Ruby stood up and slipped from the room. A quick glance to the others showed they were still deep in conversation, so I rose and followed after her.

She was nowhere to be found as I stepped out into the hallway. The doors were closed but with her speed she could have slipped through. The bathroom was empty too, and there had been something about the look on her face that told me I didn't want to let things be. Where is she? I thought as the bathroom door closed behind me. If she was out in Beacon proper, I'd never find her.

A quiet sniffle caught my ear.

"Ruby?" I called, not that there was any response. A little bit of cloth rustled, but she went silent. "Ruby, where are you?"

The sound of a nose clearing came from above. My head tilted back, first looking towards the rafters – which thankfully were empty – but then towards the ruined second floor. Ren's words from earlier came back to me, along with a soft sigh.

"Damn it… come on. Gods, I'm heavy." How Ren had managed it, I had no idea. A damaged dresser gave me the first step I needed, but dragging myself up and onto the landing was much more difficult than expected. I panted heavily once I'd gotten up, and winced as the floor beneath me creaked. "Ruby?" I whispered, as I crawled on all fours towards the left. I didn't dare stand for fear of the floor collapsing.

"Go away," a small voice whispered.

Like I was going to do that… instead, I turned towards the voice and pushed into a small room. Her tiny figure was huddled against some broken piece of wall, her red hood flapping in the cold breeze that came through the opening. She had her knees bunched up to her chest, and her face buried into them.

"What's wrong?" I asked as I crawled up to sit beside her.

She bunched a little tighter. "Nothing," she said, "Leave me alone."

Was I supposed to believe that? The light crack in her voice was obvious, more so than the little drops of moisture I could see falling from her knees. With a clumsy movement I pushed myself up to sit beside her. The Reaper didn't move when I gently placed an arm around her, though her shoulders did stiffen a little.

"This isn't nothing, Ruby…" I whispered, "What's wrong?"

My best friend tried to calm her voice. She took several deep breaths, though the slight hitches in them kept stopping her. Eventually, she managed to get herself under control. "I'm going to leave the Guild," she said.

It wasn't what I'd expected to hear. Shock warred with horror as I tightened my arm around her instinctively. "Why?" I asked. "You can't!"

"I-I'll keep paying." she rushed to add. "This is my fault anyway so I'm not trying to run away from what I owe. I… I just don't think I should stay here, so I'm leaving."

"W-Why?"

Ruby's face lifted to face mine, and I could barely move as I saw her puffy eyes and the tear tracks that ran down her small cheeks. "Why?" she asked, almost hysterically. "Because this is all my fault. I'm the one who signed the contract, I'm the one who didn't read it and I'm the one who convinced everyone to go along with it."

"We all fell for Azure's lies, Ruby," I said softly.

"I'm the one he approached first," the girl sobbed and buried her face back into her knees. "Yang lied. He didn't come to us – he came to me. I was the one shouting about how we were looking for somewhere. Me and Yang were low on lien because it was me who needed new weapons. She earned most of our money anyway. Then Azure heard me and said he had something that could help… I…" she sniffed and hunched her shoulders. "I believed him because I was desperate."

"We were desperate too," I said, "He tricked us all, not just you."

"But I introduced him to everyone. He didn't target you guys, he targeted me. Because I'm young and stupid and n-" she broke off to fight back more tears. "A real Hero wouldn't have fallen for this… I'm just an idiot. And now Yang had to lie to protect me and everyone thinks she's an idiot too."

Yang had lied to protect her sister? I hadn't realised, but somehow I wasn't surprised. The two always seemed so close. Even so, I could understand why Ruby was upset.

Understand, but not accept.

"You're wrong."

Ruby looked up at me, face stained with tears.

"You're wrong," I repeated, "A `Real Hero` wouldn't have been any more immune. Every single one of us fell for it. Sure, maybe you were the person he approached, but it wasn't like he backed off when he saw us. We were all easy prey. Would it have made a difference if he went for Weiss first, or Ren – or me? Would you have turned on me if it was my fault?"

"No," she almost shouted, "Never, I-"

"Then the same applies here. You're my friend and I'm not going to listen to you doubt yourself."

"It's not the same…" Ruby sighed and looked down. "I know no one will blame me. I know that even Weiss won't be that mean. She's nicer than she looks and everyone else is incredible. You're incredible."

I really wasn't.

"But still, that doesn't change the fact that I'm a burden. I let everyone down here, and before this – back in the Dungeon – I let everyone down there as well. I was the weakest link, I always am." Ruby curled a little tighter and sniffed, though this time her voice was more confident. It had a devastating tone of finality in it. "That's why I need to quit the Guild."

Because she was the weakest link, and a chain was only as strong as it. I knew the saying, more so because I was a Blacksmith and had forged plenty myself.

It was logical, correct and infallible… I couldn't argue with it. Something burned through me regardless, white-hot like anger, yet brittle and afraid. I was angry and panicked, shocked and despairing at the same time. There was no argument I could think to give, no logic or reason I could find to turn to. Was that my low Charisma score? Would it fail me now and take away my first friend? It couldn't. It just couldn't end like that! I shook my head and blurted out the only argument I could think of.

"Nope!"

It wasn't a very good argument. Ruby seemed to think so too, if the way she looked at me was any indication. "I have to," she said.

"Nope."

"I'll still pay you all back. I'll contribute to fixing everyhin-"

"Nope."

"Yang won't leave, I'll tell her to stay here and she'll list-"

"Nope!"

"I-"

"Nope means no," I growled – the sound of it shutting her up. Ruby stared at me with wide, silver eyes, yet I couldn't bring myself to care. "I don't give a damn if you'll keep trying to help, and sure, Yang might leave if you do – but I don't care about that either!"

"Then why…?"

"Because I don't want to lose you!" I shouted directly into her face. "Even if you weren't a real Hero, even if you were the Queen of Vale or some Barmaid, I'd still want you here with me. You were my first friend here and I'm not prepared to lose that, even if you are." Without thinking, I emphasized the point by dragging her into my side. That way, even if she tried to run, she wouldn't be able to.

I had no idea if I was getting through to her, but I guessed I probably wasn't. There was no rhyme or reason to my argument, it was completely selfish. If convincing her to stay was like the sales training my mom had given me, then I was doing a poor job of it. That was like convincing someone to buy something because you wanted them to buy it. But I didn't care. I didn't have any reasons to give her, but I was too afraid to let her go.

"Also," I said – in a voice more desperate than I would have liked, "You're not allowed to quit."

"Allowed?" Ruby asked, her small voice muffled against my chest. She didn't struggle, and I felt her fingers cling to my top. I was only thankful I wasn't wearing my armour.

"I'm the Guild Master," I said. "You decided that – so I get to decide what happens here. That's the rule." I doubted it was, since that sounded pretty draconian, but right now I was going to run with it. "Your application to leave the Hunters is denied. I order you to stay."

She didn't say anything.

"I order you to stay," I repeated, before my voice weakened, "Please stay…"

Nothing could be heard between us for the longest time, other than her muffled breathing and the distant sounds of the others still animatedly talking between themselves. I shuffled slightly, and she clung tighter for a second. I froze, unsure if I should move or sit perfectly still.

"Will you stay?" I asked. What her answer might be frightened me more than I dared to admit. The fact that it took her a good minute to answer was even worse.

She nodded against my chest, but didn't speak a word.

"Thank you," I whispered and hugged her, "Thank you, thank you, thank you. We'll fix this, I promise. We'll sort everything out and make this work. We all got stuck in it together and we're going to get out together, okay?"

She nodded again. It was all I could ask for.

Ruby didn't meet my eyes as I shuffled out of the crevice and back out onto the second-floor balcony. She crawled after, but kept her eyes on the wooden floor between her hands. My feet swung over the edge as I hopped down, but I held my arms up in the air to help her.

She looked to the side, but let me. My hands settled beneath her armpits and lifted her up, as her legs came down to rest against mine. Her small hands fell on my shoulders, and as I held her in the air before me, I couldn't help but marvel at how light she was. She weighed as much as a young child. But she didn't feel like a child. Her body was hot against mine, and as I took hold of her weight, my arm instinctively wrapped around her waist to better cushion her against me. She smelled, perhaps suitably, of roses.

And her eyes finally met mine, as she waited there, held in the air in my arms. They were red still, the signs of tears obvious, yet there was a cautious happiness there too. She smiled, tentatively, and I returned it with my own.

"Ahem…"

Ruby's feet hit the floor and she stepped away quickly as I turned to find Yang Xiao-Long watching with a raised eyebrow. The phrase `caught red handed` had never seemed so apt, more so because of Ruby's colour and how protective I knew the Brawler could be.

"So," I laughed and tried to change the subject, "Things going okay in there? Anything decided?"

Yang ignored me for a moment to look to Ruby, who kept her head down and was red in the cheeks. The blonde must have seen the tearstains, yet chose not to mention them. "Some things," she said. "You and I are going on a little jaunt. This damsel in distress needs a Knight. That is," she smirked, "If he's not busy with another."

"I-I'll go see the others," Ruby whispered and vanished back into the communal room. I kind of wished I could go with her, since the moment she left, all humour vanished from the Brawler's face.

"What happened?"

Yang scared me. There was no doubt about that. She was powerful, aggressive and quick to anger. I swallowed heavily and met her eyes, my hands shaking a little. "That's between Ruby and I," I said. "If she wants to tell you she will. I'm not going to tell anyone, though; even you."

The blonde crossed her arms and stared for the longest time. Her weapons were equipped and she looked in the mood for a fight. Eventually, however, she sighed. "Fair enough… we've still got to do our little quest though. You up for it?"

I breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed a little. "What quest? Did everyone decide what to do?"

"In a manner of speaking," she flicked her golden locks back and smirked. "Pyrrha and Nora are going to chop more lumber for us to use, Ruby's going to ferry it back here as quick as she can. Meanwhile, Ren and Weiss are going to be putting their heads together in the library to look up everything they can about the laws of Beacon Guilds."

"They think there might be a way out of this?"

"Maybe, but they're also looking for other things we don't know. Weiss said if we're not sure on something, then TRE is likely to try and hit us with that as well. The more we know, the more we can prepare."

It was a perfect plan, and Ren would be the best person to help her with it. He was far more organised than any of us, and his analytical mind would probably see traps where we saw pages of text. "So, the two of us?"

"We're going to hunt down TRE," she grinned.

"How? We don't have any leads on what they are, who they are or even how big their Guild is."

"True, but we do have that little rat that came around earlier."

"He's from a third-party guild, though…" I said.

"But they must have been hired by TRE." Yang slammed a fist into her hand. "We're going to go and speak with their Guild Master, find out who paid him – and then follow the trail all the way back to TRE."

"And I'm helping you with that?" I asked. I suddenly felt a little sick.

Yang grinned and grabbed hold of my collar, stopping me before I could even think of running. And who could blame me? Her smile was nothing short of maniacal. "Yep!"

/-/

The journey to the base of the Red Axe Guild had been a long one, not least of all because we hadn't known where it was. Luckily, it turned out plenty of other people did. From what we could gather, they were a Guild which could acquire or solve problems for lien, and a damn sight cheaper than the Mercenary's Guild too. They didn't do heavy combat, however, but more… illicit activities.

A couple of other Heroes we'd spoken to had mentioned how they were the Guild you went to if you wanted booze brought in, or something from another Kingdom – for a price. Although no one had said it, I half-wondered if they dealt in illegal stuff too. No random Hero in Beacon was going to admit that to them, however.

"I'm not so sure of this," I whispered to Yang. The two of us were stood outside the tall doors of the Guild Hall, which was quite a bit larger than ours. Tall, glass windows looked inside, but not much could be made out. What we could see, however, was the two armed guards stood outside.

"Leave it to me," Yang grinned and strode out from cover.

Leave her to go in alone or chase after her? It wasn't even really an option, and with an aggrieved sigh I tried to look imposing – failed – and skulked after her.

"Hey there," Yang grinned as the two people – a Mage and a Barbarian – turned to look at us. "This is the Red Axe Guild, right?"

The question felt fairly superfluous, since not only were the guys dressed like the Archer from before, but the building itself also had a massive black flag that hunt down the front of it. It was black again, with a red axe on. Really, the name said it all.

"It is. You got business?"

"Oh we got business, alright," she parroted. "We're here to speak with your boss. He in?"

"Junior's in," the Mage said, "But he's not going to speak to just anyone."

"I'm sure he'll make an exception for a pretty little thing like me," Yang giggled and fluttered her eyelashes at them. The Barbarian blushed and looked away, not that I could blame him. I coughed and did the same.

"And your friend?" The Mage remained unfazed and pointed at me with his staff.

"If Junior swings that way."

"Yang!"

"I'm joking," she laughed and patted my back. "The Knight's here for my protection. You wouldn't want someone like me walking around alone after dark, would you?"

"It's five in the afternoon…"

"It's relative," Yang shrugged, "Just let us in already. I'm getting tired of messing around and I'm not afraid to let myself in."

The two guards exchanged looks, but seemed unwilling to outright attack us. Even if they were a Guild that had a bad reputation, I doubted they wanted to cause a scene in the middle of the Guild Town that covered the western quadrant of the Academy.

"Your funeral if you cause a scene," the Barbarian said as he opened the door.

Yang strode in with a laugh, while I was left to chase after her. "What was that about?" I hissed. "We're not supposed to cause a fight. We're in the middle of their Guild!"

"Oh ye of little faith. People like this aren't going to respond well to politeness, my dear Knight. We either pay them for this info, or we force it out of them." Yang's flashed a grin, "And I'm all out of lien… not to mention patience."

Oh gods, this was going to be a disaster.

Yang pushed her hands against another set of double doors that led into the building. They opened with a lurch, and then slammed into stone walls as she gave them a mighty shove. "Why, hello there," she shouted – instantly drawing about thirty pairs of eyes to us. "We're looking for Junior. Anyone who points us in the right direction doesn't earn my ire for the evening."

"H-Hi," I called in a desperate attempt to avert the apocalypse, "Is Mr Junior in? We wanted to speak with him."

Yang shot me a dirty look, as if to ask how why I'd ruined her entrance.

"What's this?" a light and feminine voice asked. Our attention was drawn before us as two brightly-coloured figures walked out from the crowd. Unlike everyone else, their clothing wasn't black – nor was it simple. One wore a dress of deep crimson, with a split thigh that ran down to her ankles. The other wore a white dress with intricate detailing, and thigh-high boots of the same colour. Both had faces that seemed identical, with long, black hair. "Two little children coming to play? What would two first years want with Junior?"

"We're from a new Guild," Yang said, "The Hunters. We want to talk to him about a client of his."

"The Hunters?" the one in white asked. "Do you recognise them Miltia?"

"They don't sound important, Melanie," Miltia, the red one apparently, smiled and flicked some hair back. "Oh, wait… isn't that the silly little people that bought that old Guild Hall?"

"Oh my," the white one covered her mouth with one hand as she giggled, "Not that run-down old place? Well, I suppose some people must be desperate."

Yang growled and stepped forward, her eyes flashing red for a moment. My hands caught her arm before she could attack, however. "Let me talk to them," I whispered, before I stepped forward to approach the two. Their names were visible over their heads, and a quick glance told me they were both Rogues. Maybe it was a family thing, since they were clearly twins. "We're not here for trouble," I said, "We just want to talk with Junior and find something out, that's all."

"Is that all?" Miltia asked as she walked up to stand before me. She smiled, and I couldn't help but be struck by how pretty she was. She reached out to touch my face, but before she could, Yang stopped her.

"Eyes on the weapon, oh brave Knight," Yang mocked.

"Wha-?" My eyes widened as I saw the long, cruel claws the girl wore. How had I missed those? The scent of flowers invaded my nostrils but I shook my head to clear it. Miltia backed away with a smile, but now I could clearly see the glint of steel on her hands, and the same on her twin's boots. My hand fell to Crocea Mors.

"If you want to talk to Junior," Miltia said.

"Then you'll have to get through us." Melanie finished.

The other members of the Red Axe Guild fanned out around us, though they made no move to draw weapons or approach. They did, however, cut off the exit. Crap. "Should you really be doing this?" I called. "What if the teachers hear about you attacking people in your Guild?"

"Whatever do you mean?" Melanie smiled.

"We have so many witnesses that you came in here and attacked us," her twin laughed, "Is it so bad if we defend ourselves?"

"If that's how you want things," Yang growled. "They're not going to listen, Jaune. We're doing this the hard way. Get ready."

God damn it! In a panic, I drew Crocea Mors and held it before me. The shield on my back slipped onto my other arm, but I wasn't sure which of the girls to point it at. What were we supposed to even do? If we fought, then someone might get killed. My sword didn't come with a safety curse like the ones Miss Goodwitch used.

The choice was taken out of our hands entirely. The two Rogues blurred forward, streaks of white and red that left me gasping. The red lased out towards me with her jagged claws.

I raised my shield before me, but there was no ring of steel on steel. Yang cried out from nearby and I lowered it to see her being double-teamed. The attack had never been meant to break through my armour, but rather to distract me. "Yang!" I shouted and rushed over to aid her.

The twins backed away the moment I did, creating distance between us. Yang breathed heavily, some small scuffs across her skin but no obvious wounds.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"They're fast," Yang panted, not answering the question. "Strong, too… stronger than they look. Stick close and cover my back."

"Wait, wha-?"

Yang charged towards the girls. They could have spread out and caught her with a pincer, but instead they stuck together, so close that their shoulders touched. Yang threw a punch towards Miltia, only for the girl to block it. Her twin struck back in response and slammed a heel into Yang's temple.

"Big mistake," Yang said as her eyes flashed red and her hair glowed. I recognised the attack as the one she'd used on me before, the one that had shattered my armour in one blow. She'd done that laid down on the floor, while this one had all her power behind it. "Take this!"

"Take what?" Melanie laughed, having caught Yang's fist in the palm of one hand.

Yang's eyes – now lilac – widened, and she was completely unprepared for the claws that came in from her right.

Crocea Mors held against them as I stepped between the two, but the force behind the strike was enough to lift me off my feet. My back hit Yang and carried her with me, and the two of us crashed to the ground some distance away.

"D-Damn it," Yang growled. "How the hell is a Rogue that strong?"

"High Level?" I coughed.

"No difference… they're supposed to be high Dex and Agi," she said, "Strength isn't a core stat for them – they shouldn't be able to lift us both up, or block a punch like that. Not unless they were stronger than the teachers themselves!"

Pain shot through my shoulder as I staggered to my feet and helped Yang up. The twins made no move to attack, and instead stood shoulder to shoulder. Why hadn't they chased after and finished us off? Were they that confident?

"What do we do?" I asked. If Yang hadn't been able to hurt them, I doubted I'd fare much better.

"Attack together… you go for the red one, I'll take white." Yang cracked her neck and worked her shoulder joint a little. When she ran in once more, I followed close by. Miltia's eyes locked onto mine as she took a stance.

If that last blow was any indication, she was a damn sight stronger than me. If I swung with Crocea Mors and missed, she'd probably finish me off in one hit. At the last second I switched out and slammed the shield into her instead.

"Gah!" She fell back under the onslaught, and my weight carried us a few metres away.

"Miltia!" her twin roared, only to curse as Yang started to trade blows with her.

My attention was more focused on the hell-cat I'd just gotten hold of. She lashed out and over my shield, and her claws gouged a chunk out of my aura. They didn't, however, strike me down in one blow like I'd expected. She hit hard, but not nearly as hard as she had before.

I probed back with Crocea Mors, but was unable to match her incredible speed. I'd already struggled to hit Grimm with my poor Dexterity, but fighting another Hero was another matter altogether. I didn't so much miss as she flowed around my sword and drove an elbow into my face.

She took the moment's chance she had to disengage and rush back to her twin, but not before I'd called a warning to Yang, who backed away.

"I had her," the blonde whispered, "I almost had her."

I wanted to ask more, but there wasn't the time. Yang had been outclassed in the first exchange, but if she said she was winning, I had to trust her. There was something more to this, something we were missing. My eyes narrowed as I watched the twins come back together. Yet again they stood close, shoulders almost touching.

"I think it's a Passive," I whispered. Yang looked at me but didn't say anything. She kept her guard up, as did I. "It has to be something," I continued, "They've been at their strongest when they're next to each other, and you did say they had more Strength than any Rogue should. I think their Passive is about them being twins, maybe some kind of Stat-sharing or buff when they're close to one another."

Yang hummed and watched them. Her eyes no doubt noticed the same things mine did. The Rogues were strong and fast… but if they were that much stronger, why hadn't they split apart to take us both out? If Melanie was individually strong enough to stop Yang's attacks with ease, then why did they make life harder for themselves by making this a two on two?

"Worth a shot," Yang whispered, "Can you take one while I deal with the other?"

I wasn't sure. Even apart, Miltia had been faster and stronger than I. "Leave it to me, I've got this," I said. I hoped it was true. "Can you cut them apart, though? If it's their Passive, then I doubt they'll agree to fight separately just because we want them to."

"Heh… leave that to me." She sounded confident, far more than I did. Still, she was the better fighter so I nodded my agreement and prepared myself to focus on the red twin once more. When Yang's body twitched, I charged forward.

Yang was faster still. She shot past me like a yellow meteorite, only to leap into the air and cock back her fist. Her eyes flashed red for an instant, before she descended down to the ground between the twins. They separated – but that wouldn't be enough. They could always just move back together.

A startled curse escaped me as the very ground beneath Yang's fist buckled. For a moment I staggered and nearly fell, but luckily the other two were in the same boat as stone and rock were carved upwards. It had to be some kind of Skill – an ability of some kind she used, for as tough as she was, there was no way Yang was going to be causing fissures like that with her fists.

Miltia cursed and looked towards the wall of rock that had been propelled through the middle of the room. It cut the room, not to mention the fight, in two. She made to leap over, only to yelp as I crashed into her.

My shield banged and pushed back into me as I drove her forwards. With a great roar I slammed my arm to the side and sent her staggering back. Crocea Mors danced forward but she weaved out of the way and landed a cut to my shoulder in return. It was superficial at best and I ignored it and slashed back.

The blade sailed before her as she dodged back, but she was forced to duck rather than break away as it came back in a reverse swing. The blows were clumsy and slow – far too slow to ever hit her – but they served their purpose. "Rargh," she growled – all pretences gone, "Get out of my way you stupid idiot!"

My cheek seared as I felt her claws scythe across it. She kicked out too and my leg buckled. Too fast to dodge, and able to sneak past my shield with contemptuous ease, she landed cut after cut across my unprotected body. Not even the armour I wore was protection. She was fast enough to spot and take advantage of every opening I had.

She stepped back with a pant as I staggered, but the moment she turned – she was forced back as Crocea Mors lashed out towards her face.

The agony was incredible. Everything hurt, and her weapon was merciless. I couldn't stop panting, and sweat dripped from my forehead. She tried to move away again, but I forced my legs to bring me closer and slammed my shield towards her midriff. It didn't hit. It never did… but it did force her to react. "Where do you think you're going?" I laughed. "Your fight's with me."

"A fight?" she sneered as she spun on one foot and delivered a kick into my ribs. "You call this a fight? The calories in my breakfast have probably caused me more harm than you have!"

Heh… I couldn't help but laugh at that, even as my head snapped to the side as she backhanded me. She leapt forward and placed both feet on my chest to kick me back, but my hand weakly snagged her ankle as she did. Her blow still hurt and knocked me over, but she went with me and wasn't able to go help her twin.

"Let go!"

"I'm tanking," I said blearily.

"You're getting your ass kicked!"

Wasn't that tanking? Or was I too dizzy from being knocked around so much. It didn't matter. Yang needed time and that was what I would give her, no matter how much it hurt. I owed it to her, but more than that I owed it to the Guild. I owed it to Ruby, who had been driven to tears by these bastards. With shaky breath, I staggered back to my feet.

"Oh come on," Miltia groaned.

"Y-You could just let us see Junior," I slurred.

She growled but didn't answer. Instead she dashed forward and ducked beneath the shield that rose before her. In a manoeuvre too agile to follow she slid onto her back and kicked up – and the shield was sent careening up towards the ceiling. With both hands planted onto the floor she pushed herself up and into my guard, where she drove a both hands under my armpits.

Crocea Mors fell to the ground with a clatter as pain rocketed through my shoulders. She dragged her hands back and let me fall onto my knees. I couldn't move my arms, no matter how hard I tried. Had she used some kind of Skill on them? All I could do was sway to the side as I looked up into her furious face.

"Say goodnight," she growled and slammed her claws towards my throat. I couldn't even move.

I didn't have to.

The claws stopped a few inches away as a hand clamped around the girl's wrist. "Hi there," Yang grinned – with an expression that was not comforting. "I was playing with your sister but I think I broke her. Then I heard she had a twin and I just had to complete the set." She didn't wait for an answer but instead drew Miltia back and kicked her against the wall of ruptured rock she had created. The Rogue's eyes widened as the blonde laughed and tackled her through the rock wall.

I didn't see any more of it. The pain caught up with me as I fell onto my hands, which were slowly coming back under my control. My body heaved as I panted, and spittle dribbled from my lips. I didn't think I'd ever felt so exhausted. My first taste of true combat with another Hero, and I didn't like it at all. I clenched my eyes shut and tried to shake away the pain.

Gods, I needed a rest.

A hand settled under my shoulder what felt like a second, but could have been the minutes, later. Yang dragged me up and propped me against her. The blonde was scuffed and bruised a little, but the smile she wore said she'd come out on top. "Good work champion," she laughed.

"That's Pyrrha," I pointed out. My mind wasn't working very well.

"Then you're the Knight in shining armour," she corrected, "Good tanking."

My armour didn't look very shiny, either. In fact, it was covered in grime and dirt. Either way, I nodded – nearly fell over from the action – and surrendered my continued ability to stand to Yang. She grinned and kept hold of me, somehow knowing I'd become one with the ground if she let go.

"Anyone else?" Yang shouted to the people around us. If even one of them had taken her up, I was fairly sure we'd have been crushed, but most of them looked away. It was a good job our Levels were hidden, because if they could see mine, they'd have been lining up to kick my ass.

"I think that's enough," an older voice called out. The crowd parted to give way to a tall figure with a thick beard and stern expression. "I'll thank you not to cause any more damage in my Guild Hall, blondie."

"You're Junior? Heh, what kind of a name is that?"

"It's the name of the man who'll finish you off if you're not careful." He didn't look to be armed, but that wasn't any indication, I supposed. According to his Class, he was a Warrior. He was still a Guild Master, however, so was probably stronger than the two we'd just beaten. "You wanted to talk to me," he went on, "Talk."

"We need to know who TRE is," Yang said. "He hired you to send one of your men to categorise damage on our Guild Hall. We've got… unfinished business with the Guild."

"Tch," Junior spat to the side. "I know who you are. The latest little fools to fall into that man's trap. You're not the first, and I damn-well doubt you'll be the last either."

"Let us be the judges of that, Junior. I'd like a name… or I might get upset and punch a wall." Yang nodded to the great furrow of rock that had pretty much ruined the man's Guild Hall. The point was fairly clear.

"He didn't pay us enough to deal with this shit," Junior scowled. "Fine… You want a name, you can have one. Fat lot of good it will do you."

I staggered and pushed myself off Yang's shoulder. Feeling had begun to return to my tired limbs and I wanted to hear this. I wanted to hear the name of the Guild that had screwed us over so badly.

"The Guild you're looking for is TRE. That's an acronym, as you've probably figured out." Junior grinned and crossed his arms. "Officially, it stands for Torchwick Real Estate, though most of us around here call it Torchwick Rogue Empire."


Yep, you heard it right. It should have been cemented with the Malachite's and Junior's presence, but I am taking liberties with things in this world. That includes the relative ages of some of the cast. Roman, whatever age he is, is now an older year in the Beacon Academy for Heroes – and thus – a student as well.

Jaune also finds his fighting style too. Go you, Jaune. Congratulations… it's super-effective!


Next Chapter: 23rd January

P a treon . com (slash) Coeur