The Quest begins. Will our brave adventurers have what it takes to face off against the hordes of evil, or shall they be crushed under the weight of expectation. Find out next ti- oh wait, this is the start.


Beta: College Fool

Cover Art: Pachumaster

Chapter 17


The sensation of travelling through a portal was one I hadn't expected to feel again and had almost forgotten entirely. Before, there had been the threat of immediate danger and my own rising panic to distract me, but this time the portal was much smaller and there were only eight of us crossing through it. What struck first was the thick scent of salt and the sudden wet quality of the breeze. It was followed by an actual spray of sea salt, which splashed into my face and left me coughing for air.

"This is the Valean port of Kingsport," Miss Goodwitch told them, stood with one foot on either side of the portal. Back that way, the relative warmth and safety of Beacon could be seen. "Named such for a naval campaign staged here many centuries ago. Now, it is little more than a merchant's port, but you should be able to secure transport to the continent of Atlas. Here," she reached into her purple and black robes and drew forth a round, brown pouch. I caught it in one hand. "This is an investment from Beacon to ease your early costs. However, budgeting and managing your resources is a skill you are being tested on. We will expect for that to be repaid, and that you will find ways to cover further expenses yourselves."

"U-Understood," I coughed and tried to get used to the salty air. Going from fresh and clean to that in an instant had my throat itching terribly. "A-Anything else we should know?"

"Not as such," the woman said. She sighed and seemed to deflate a little. "Stay close to one another and be careful. Atlas is as safe as Vale, which is to say that outside the major towns and villages, the threat of Grimm will be ever-present. Remember to post guards, to watch your surroundings and not to become complacent, no matter how picturesque the scenery."

"Got it Miss G!" Yang gave the unimpressed woman wink. The older woman sighed and stepped back into the portal. On the other side, she waved her hands once and then twice – and the purple-rimmed hole flickered out of existence with nary a sound. "Well," Yang said once they were alone, "Looks like we're doing this."

"Couldn't she have transported us straight to the Mage Academy?" I asked. Those ships didn't look particularly appealing, and even less so the rolling waves which made them bounce up and down in their moors. The mere sight of them was enough to leave me nauseous.

"Don't be a fool," Weiss snapped. She also snatched the pouch and started to rummage through it. "Portals such as those are difficult to manifest, even for the most skilled of Mage-type Classes. That one woman alone can create a portal for eight of us to travel so many miles is incredible. The amount of effort, not to mention the logistics, of trying to create a portal to cross continents…" Weiss shook her head. "I doubt such a feat would ever be possible, and the slightest mistake might leave us stranded in the middle of the ocean."

She said it all like it was common knowledge but a confused glance towards the rest of the guild had them shrugging back at me. Well, Blake didn't… she huffed and refused to meet my eyes, instead staring out over the ocean.

"We have two thousand lien here," Weiss said, once she'd finished counting. "We'll have to make that last if we want to reach Atlas. I doubt there will be much opportunity to earn more on the open sea."

"We'd best see about booking a ship then," I said. "If we buy supplies but can't afford transport, we're going to look pretty stupid." The others nodded, but looked like they had no idea where to begin. I wasn't much better myself.

We were on the docks of this Kingsport, which appeared to be a walled town from the fortifications I could see on the edge of my vision. They continued out into the ocean for about a hundred metres or so, and the walls there formed the surroundings of the docks themselves. Occasional towers poked above them, but there weren't many. It was clear the walls had been built with keeping the Grimm out in mind, rather than defending against any human attack. That was probably why no one had batted an eye at the bunch of us basically appearing in the middle of the docks.

"Well there are plenty of ships around," Ruby nodded towards one of them, a great wooden beast that seemed to roll sickly in the waves. At one point I actually wondered if it might fall over, but the man climbing up the mast didn't seem to even care about the fact he was climbing at an angle and not upwards. My stomach churned unhappily at the thought. Looking further down the stone docks, I could see at least five or six large-sized ships, along with a collection of smaller fishing boats tethered at one end. "Do you think we just talk to them?" Ruby asked.

I shrugged, the motion about as useless as I felt. I might have been part of the Labour Caste like the Sailors were, but that didn't mean I instinctively knew how to book transport.

There was a loud sigh from the group, and Blake – still looking out over the ocean spoke. "I would suggest speaking to the local Shipping Guild. There are rules and regulations on what can be transported. If you try to work around that, we might be considered smugglers."

"Not exactly what we want," Yang grimaced. She collected herself a second later, however, and smiled at the Assassin. "Still, you seem to know a lot about that. You booked a ship before?"

"I'm not native to Vale," she confirmed, but would say no more.

"Neither am I," Weiss shrugged, "But I suppose I had my sister to thank for finding me transportation. The advice is good, despite the source."

Blake's eyes flicked to the girl and she seemed to bare her teeth slightly. She caught me looking, however, and went back to the waves once more. Great… she was still angry at me, then. I wanted to ask why she'd come along but even my Intelligence was high enough to know she wouldn't answer.

"We'll need to locate the guild, then," Ren said and looked around the docks area. There were plenty of warehouses but nothing that seemed to scream `Shipping Guild`. "I suppose it couldn't hurt to ask around." He punctuated the point by trying to address a passing sailor, only to go ignored by the shirtless man. We watched in silence as he tried again, but this time the man huffed and pushed past him.

Nora sniggered.

"Ooh, bad luck Ren. Why don't you leave this to me?" Yang clapped a hand on the Monk's shoulder and winked at him. "I think this requires a woman's touch."

"How would that help?" Ren asked, frustrated.

I joined him a second later, the two of us looking less than impressed as Yang flexed her arms over her head and pushed her chest out. There was a rough-looking man stood before her, his mouth moving as he gave directions but his eyes firmly locked below the Brawler's own. Ren gave me an eye roll I felt more than justified in returning.

"Got it," Yang winked as she came back. "Sometimes you just have to know how to talk to people."

"Yaaaang," Ruby groaned.

"Don't sweat the small stuff, sis. Come on you guys. It's on the main street, sign of a ship's wheel above the door."

It didn't take long to find the building in question, and as we walked down the main road I realised it wasn't just that it was obvious or stood out. The road we stood on really was the only road. Not too far away, the wooden gates could be seen – and from the area around us, it was clear Kingsport only really had about two hundred buildings or so. Fifty of those seemed to be ship-related; warehouses, repair yards or quarters for crew. In terms of housing or people who actually lived in the area, there were probably only two or three hundred.

"Looks more a market town than anything," I whispered as we walked by a variety of different shops and stalls. The scent of fish hung in the air, which had my nose scrunched up. The others seemed affected too, though our resident grumpy Assassin seemed more than okay with it all.

"Fish, trade and profit," Pyrrha shrugged. "Miss Goodwitch said it used to be a naval port. I'd imagine they converted the buildings into residential ones but weren't able or willing to extend the walls to fit more in."

Understandable in my opinion, especially given how much work that would have been – and why bother if the town was just going to be a stopping point for people crossing the ocean? That was no doubt why we had passed at least ten different taverns and inns on the way to the shipping guild.

Eventually, we pushed through the hefty wooden doors and into a room that smelled of ink and paper. Smoke from candles curled lazily through the air, and there was a certain tangy scent to it. A squat man looked up at us from the desk he was sat behind, papers strewn about before him. He breathed in and then exhaled a long cloud of smoke as he took the pipe from his mouth.

"Lookin' for sumthin'?"

"We need transport," Pyrrha said. "Our destination is Atlas, the Grand Academy of Magic. Can this be arranged?"

"Depends," the man shrugged.

Pyrrha sighed and I was glad it was her dealing with it, as Weiss looked like she had to restrain herself from lashing out. "On what?" the Champion asked. "We can pay if that's your concern."

"Depends on the charts. Got a wide range o' ships comin' and goin'. Some due for Atlas, others for Vacuo 'n Mistral." The man paused to take another long inhale of his pipe and blow the smoke towards them. "People ain' profit'ble though. Not 's good as grain 'n spice."

"We are not as heavy, either. We're fine to share a room between the eight of us and aren't afraid to help on the ship if required."

"Feh. As if any self-respecting dog's gonna let a bunch of kids faff around their ship." The man shook his head and looked through the pages in front of him. "Brun's ship is headed t' Atlas. Shipments o' grain, veg an' whatever other foodstuffs don't grow in that frigid shithole. I can get yer on for fifteen hunnerd."

Fifteen hundred? That was too much and I was about to let him know, but Pyrrha beat me to it by throwing the amount onto the table. I sighed and watched as the fat pig's eyes lit up and he counted through it. "S'all good," he grinned nastily. "Ship sails on the morn at dawn. C'pn Brun will know yer expected but won't wait for yer. Don't be late."

"We won't," Pyrrha sighed and turned around.

"Charming place," Weiss sniped as one final insult before we left, "I can see why the only people who come here are looking to quickly move on."

I sighed and turned to Pyrrha. "That was too much," I said. "We could have gotten on for less and he's going to pocket the rest."

"I did the best I could… perhaps you should be the one to talk to people in the future." It wasn't a rebuke, not from Pyrrha, but it stung like one. She was right, of course. I'd as good as stood there like a lemon and forced her to take control. Pyrrha was our strongest fighter but when it came to talking to regular people, I was the best. The irony was, they probably all assumed it was because of the high Charisma a Knight ought to have, as opposed to my just knowing how to haggle and spot a deal.

"I'm sorry. In future just give me a kick if you want me to take over. I can handle it, I promise."

The Champion grinned and nodded, and I had the sinking suspicion she'd follow the request through literally.

"What do we do for now?" Nora asked, leaning on her war hammer. "We could hunt some Grimm outside town. Might be able to make the money back up." She didn't sound quite as enthused by the suggestion as she tried to, and from the looks on everyone else's faces, they felt the same. They'd do it, of course… knowing it was the best option, but no one actually wanted to.

"Let's just get some rest," I suggested, noticing the relieved sighs from the others. I gestured to the nearest inn and we pushed through the wooden door, only to be hit almost immediately by the scent of delicious food and the sound of trilling music.

Where the Shipping Guide had been squat and Spartan, the inn itself was warm and homely – as befit its purpose of welcoming guests. There was a large tavern area off to one side, with numerous round, wooden tables with stools surrounding them. About half were filled, and the hum of conversation was drowned out only by the fast-paced music of a Bard armed with a flute. Gaily dressed in bright colours, he danced atop a raised dais as patrons clapped and cheered. In the centre of the room, a large fire roared away – a bubbling pot of stew suspended above it.

My stomach growled, and the chorus was quickly echoed by everyone else.

"Ugh," Yang groaned, "They put the stew in the middle of the room so the smell wafts out. Clever bastards…"

"Well it's not like we weren't going to eat," Nora grumbled. When there was no response she panicked and looked directly at me. "We were going to eat, right? Right!?"

I laughed. "We're going to eat, Nora. We just need to get some rooms sorted out first."

"If we can afford it," Ren warned. "We're not exactly swimming in lien right now." Pyrrha shuffled awkwardly as that was said, and even though no one looked her way, she still mumbled a quiet apology. "I didn't mean it like that," Ren added. "The transport was more important, and at least food will be included there. I suppose we could hunt tonight and camp outside the walls."

The rest agreed though it was clear they didn't really want to. Looking between them, I couldn't help but marvel at the stoic acceptance they all showed. Better to sleep rough in solidarity than blame one of their own for a mistake. "Let me have a go first," I said, "I might be able to get us room and board for the night."

"For five hundred lien?" Weiss raised an eyebrow.

"Well, he is a Knight," Ruby whispered. "He has an A stat in Charisma, right? It can't hurt to try."

"True… okay, Arc. I suppose it couldn't hurt to put your Charisma to the test." Weiss crossed her arms imperiously and nodded, not quite understanding just how wrong she was.

The day we relied on my Charisma was the day we sank at sea – and there was no way that was going to be allowed to happen. Still, it wasn't like I could disagree either, since as a Knight I was supposed to be confident in my skills. And I was confident… just not because of some Statistic I'd been born with.

A quick nod and a whisper to the others had them agreeing to remain silent, and as we approached the wooden counter at the front of the inn, the pretty girl behind it smiled winningly at me. She's a Chef and not a Shopkeeper, I thought, looking at the words above her head. Her Charisma is probably low too, but she's very pretty, and in a town frequented by Sailors, that means a lot. I'd have to be careful, but after spending time in Beacon, I'd actually become somewhat inured to beautiful women. I was surrounded by them, after all.

"Hello there," she trilled, voice almost musical, "Welcome to the Stern and Bow, best rest this side of the Atlesian Ocean, would you all be looking for rooms or a meal?"

"Both, actually," I said with a polite nod of the head. "My friends and I are on a journey to Atlas and the ship doesn't leave until dawn. How much would it be for a room?"

The girl glanced over the assembled Heroes behind me, and her eyes widened for a second – no doubt surprised to see so many in one place. When she looked back to me, however, her face was set back in its pleasantly neutral smile. "Well, we could set you up with a couple of rooms. There are eight of you, right? Four rooms for say, two-thousand."

Behind me, I heard someone choke at the figure – and for a moment I was worried Weiss might leap over my shoulder and attack the girl. Didn't they know how it worked? The price for Heroes was that… you always price-gouged Heroes, that was just the way things were done. Heroes had more money than most, and when a group came to your town? Well, it was time to take down all the rakes and hoes on the shelves and replace them with potions, weapons and armour – all marked up through the roof, of course.

Because really, did they think you normally stocked swords and healing potions in a farming village? What were those for, the autumn turnip attacks?

"Two thousand?" I hummed. "This definitely must be the best place this side of the ocean with those kinds of rates. I take it we'd get a good meal and drink included?"

The girl paused, "Ah, well, no… food is normally an extra. Drink too."

I sighed and crossed my arms. It made my gauntlet clink against my breastplate and drew attention away from my eyes and down to what no doubt looked like valuable equipment to the untrained eye. "That's a shame… we've just had to pay three and a half thousand for transport across the ocean." The girl's eyes widened at the figure I'd just pulled out of my arse, and I caught the hungry gleam in her eye. A proper Shopkeeper could have probably hidden it, but she no doubt smelled money and to be fair, she was doing her best.

I was just better.

"Tell you what," I smiled. "I know you're filling in for a different Class, here. It must be pretty hard for you."

She blushed and looked away, perhaps a little embarrassed to be called out like that. "Samantha was sick today," she admitted, "I normally work in the kitchens but we needed someone out front and well, Martin isn't very good with people."

"You're doing a good job, don't worry about it. We're just a little squeezed for lien at the moment and can't stretch that far. Would you be able to throw in a meal and some water for free? I'd be in your debt."

"Well I…" she paused to look at the assembled people behind me, "I suppose that would be okay… Fine, I'll do it for that. We'll provide a pitcher of pure water along with a bowl each and some bread. Is that okay?"

Someone tugged on my sleeve from behind, and I heard them urgently hiss about the lien we had. I ignored them and pulled away, snatching the pouch from Weiss as I did. "Here you go," I said, and tinkled the coins out onto the wooden counter.

The woman counted them with a concerned expression, though not nearly as worried as I could feel everyone behind me acting. Really, couldn't they shuffle a little less? Didn't they know you had to be confident when bargaining? Little wonder mom always rubbed her hands together whenever she heard rumours of Heroes visiting Ansel. "This is only five hundred," the girl said, looking up at me.

I nodded. "Well yeah… you said it as two thousand for four rooms. We only need the one. We're used to sharing and are only staying for a night, so it would be five hundred, right?"

"Ah – I… No, I thought that was for four. The deal I offer-"

"You're going back on it?" I asked. My head shook as I sighed and leaned back. "I mean, it's your decision but I'm surprised so established a venue would do such a thing. I bet everyone back in Beacon would be surprised."

"B-Beacon?" Her eyes grew wide as she suddenly realised just how much the inn stood to lose. "No, no, it's fine! The Stern and Bow honours its promises, ladies and sirs. Welcome and please enjoy your stay." She fished a key from behind her and handed it over to me, along with some parchment with meal tickets listed on it. "If you take these to the counter, they'll serve you food and drink," she explained. Her face still smiled, but now it seemed brittle – tinged with frustration. "Enjoy your stay."

"I'm sure we will," I smiled and turned back to the others. "Let's go guys. I want to see what kind of food the best rest this side of the ocean offers."

Not a one of them moved. In fact, they seemed frozen in place, eyes wide as they watched me like I was some kind of Beowolf in disguise.

"Is… something wrong?" I asked.

"H-How!?" Weiss gasped. She pointed at me, then, when that didn't explain anything, pointed at the ticket in my hand – then back to the irritated girl behind the counter. "How?" she hissed, quieter this time, "How did you manage that? There's no way five hundred lien should get us that much!"

Really? Five hundred was quite a lot… it could have bought you a stay in our house back home for a week or two. Not that anyone would have wanted to stay there, since the house was filled with way too many Shopkeeper girls who liked to practice taking advantage of idiots with money, but still…

"I just haggled with her," I shrugged. "It's no big deal."

Weiss didn't seem to agree but also appeared unable to put words to her thoughts. In the end it was Yang who broke the silence through laughter. She slung an arm over the Mage's shoulder, who for once seemed to shocked to throw her off. "He did this with Ruby's scythe too," Yang said. "He got it for a fraction of the price with some big speech about doing work for Heroes and how that would spread the smith's name across Beacon."

"Is this the Charisma of a Knight at work?" Pyrrha wondered. "It's… impressive. Incredibly so."

My cheeks flushed as they stared at me. I shuffled on the spot and coughed into my hand. "It's nothing special," I mumbled. "Come on, let's go get some food."

Their stomachs agreed and forced them to follow, even as they struggled to wrap their minds around what happened. Eventually, however, after handing over our tokens and getting some large bowls and a crush of bread, we all sat around a table – drink and food before us, and warm bread fresh from the oven in hand. "We're completely out of money now," I said between bites. It was soft and spongy with a hard crust, and all the more delicious for my having won it over that girl. "It's lucky the ship includes food and drink because otherwise we'd be screwed."

"We can all chip in a little ourselves," Ren said as he took a deep whiff of the stew. It wasn't typical Beacon fare; the broth was rich with meat and vegetables, the taste thick and heavy. With an aroma that wafted up from the bowl, it instantly reminded me of home. "Miss Goodwitch only gave us two thousand," the Monk went on, "but she never said we couldn't add to it with our own. We all probably have a little on us that we can use, but hopefully the Mage Academy will provide us with supplies. It can't hurt to ask."

"We can hunt in Atlas," Weiss said. The girl had a spoon of the stew held before her nose and seemed ill-pleased with the scent. She swallowed it without complaint, however.

"Hey, that's right," Ruby cheered, "You're from Atlas, right?"

"I am."

"What's it like there?"

Weiss sighed. "I didn't travel much."

"Anything you could offer would be useful," Ren leaned forward on the table, his own bowl empty before him. "Most of us are going in blind."

The Mage sighed and placed her spoon down, staring at them over her dinner. She didn't look particularly pleased at the line of questioning, but then, Weiss being Weiss, she rarely ever did. "Atlas is the northern continent of Remnant and as such suffers harsh and long winters," she said in a dull tone, as though she were reciting the information from a book. "Arable crops are limited but the people have found their own ways to grow them in limited quantities. Atlas' major exports are dust, ore and minerals from their rich mines, whereas it imports mostly food and fur for clothing. The topography is mostly mountainous in nature, though naturally that evens out towards the shore."

"Um…" Ruby held up a hand.

"The continent itself was once known as Mantle, but was renamed as Atlas after the Mage Wars one hundred and twenty years ago. Ever since, the leadership of the country has remained in the hands of-"

"I think," Yang interrupted before the Mage could go on, "That we were expecting information a little more personal… maybe about what you personally know of Atlas?"

Weiss gave them all a flat stare. "Cold, mountainous and disciplined," she said. "There's little more to it."

"I hear the entire country is famous for its Magic Academies," Pyrrha offered. "In terms of magical advancement I was told Atlas is second to none."

"The Kingdom is a Mageocracy," Weiss said. "Ruled by Mages," she added when she saw mine and Ruby's confused expressions. "Mage-type Classes, that is to say – any Class capable of using Magic, are considered elevated from the Hero Caste. Only those with the gift are applicable for positions of political power."

"You must have loved it there," Blake sniped. "I'm surprised you left."

"I wished to sample other cultures."

"And now you're going home," I smiled. "Looking forward to it?"

Weiss didn't answer and instead busied herself with a few more delicate sips of her stew. Only when she was done, and that seemed to be less than half the bowl, did she finally meet my eyes. "My sister lives there still," she said, "She is permanently based at the Grand Academy and will be able to aid us in our Quest with supplies. It would be best to seek her out when we arrive."

"Oh… uh, sure… she… anything like you?" I hoped Weiss didn't catch the nervous tone of my voice, but judging by the critical look she gave me, she'd more than noticed it.

"We are sisters," she said simply, "but we are still our own people. I'm sure you shall have a chance to see for yourself. Winter will no doubt be pleased to see me."

She didn't have any more to offer, and stayed mostly silent as the rest of the table burst into conversation. A Mageocracy? It was the first time I'd heard the term. Did that mean they didn't follow the Caste system, or was this something in addition to it? Were other Heroes there given the same treatment as my kind here?

And why the Mages in particular; what did they have that somehow meant they were more fit to lead? During a conversation about ships and the ocean, I looked to Blake to see whether she would be willing to talk. The Assassin caught my gaze from the corner of her eye, but blatantly ignored it as she turned to the others.

Ugh… what did I do to deserve all those looks? It's not like I forced her to come along. She even said no. Defeated, I looked the other way but only saw drunken sailors chatting between themselves. With the conversation at the table already starting to make me feel seasick, I stood up and excused myself with a quick story about taking a walk to calm my nerves. There was a brief lull in the conversation, but once I assured them I wasn't going to leave the walls, they were fine with it. Not like I could get lost in so small a place.

Outside, night had fallen – and so far away from the perpetual smoke that billowed from the chimneys and forges of Vale, the sky was brighter and clearer than I'd seen it in weeks. All the hustle and bustle of the last few hours had departed as well, and now the only sound towards the docks was a rather pleasing crunch of timbers, and the occasional creak of a thickly coiled rope pulling taut. Combined with the lapping of water on timber, it was almost relaxing.

I sat on the pier, legs dangling over the edge as I savoured the occasional spray of sea salt against my body. Our first quest, or at least our first real one. I'd been able to get into Beacon by going on that other one, but in all honesty the results I'd put in had been lax at best. I'd killed a couple of Canis, Grimm so minor any of the others could have slaughtered them in a matter of seconds. After that, the most I'd managed to achieve was burning a Beowolf and pissing it off. I looked down at my right hand again, and the gauntlet was still missing. I'd left it behind on the First Quest and never bothered to get a new one. Maybe it was better this way. If I needed to use the Skill again, I didn't want to fuse my own armour to my skin.

This is going to be harder, though, I thought, looking out over the waves. The First Quest was just to get rid of the time wasters, but this is something people with a full year of training can still fail. The waves crashed against the pier once more. The spray helped to conceal just how pale and sweaty I was. Were we really ready for this?

"Jaune?" The voice came from behind me and held a note of concern. "Ah, there you are," Pyrrha said, smiling as she walked over. She paused to look out over the waves, before she settled down beside me, one leg over the edge, the other propped up before her. "It's a nice night."

Hah. Polite conversation when I could see as clear as day why she'd come out looking for me. She was worried. "Don't worry about me, Pyrrha. I'm fine. I just wanted to catch some fresh air. I'm not… I've got a feeling I won't be good with ships."

"You've never been on one?" she asked. I shook my head. "I took one to get here," she said, "Though I must admit, it's not quite as large as the ones I've seen here. The distance between Mistral and Vale is far shorter than the one to Atlas. There's a narrow strait one can cross with a seafaring vessel. The journey only took two days. It was longer to travel from the eastern coast of Vale to the main city."

"Dangerous?"

"Not as much as you'd think," the redhead smiled and glanced at me. "The roads are well-protected and our procession had a few Soldiers and Heroes as guards. It was a merchant caravan," she explained when she saw my questioning look. "I travelled with it, much like we'll be doing here. I guess pure people transport isn't profitable enough."

"Might as well fill whatever space is left on the ship," I agreed. "Cargo doesn't demand food or whine about how long the journey will take, either."

Pyrrha laughed into her hand and I felt better for having amused her. She looked back out over the ocean, and with the moonlight reflecting on the waves, I couldn't help but feel she looked… melancholy.

"Is it okay…" I paused to try and think of a better way to frame the question. "If it's not too much to ask; why did you decide to leave Mistral and study in Vale?"

Pyrrha flinched for a second, but calmed down and smiled briefly at me. "There's no great reason," she said. "Mistral was… not for me. I wanted to go somewhere new; somewhere… different. I'll admit I only chose Vale because it was the closest Academy."

"What is Mistral like?"

"Traditional," Pyrrha said, after a long pause to think. "It's very traditional… very structured and rigid. Who you are and what you've done are important there; more important than anything else. The Kingdom is ruled by a dynasty with history spanning back over two thousand years, or so they claim. The country has a rich history and culture, both of which are protected and clung to fiercely."

"It doesn't sound so bad."

"A nice place to visit," Pyrrha said, "A little different to grow up there. What about you? You've never told me about where you grew up. What was it like growing up among NPC's?"

She didn't mean anything by it… I felt like I'd made that excuse a number of times, but it was always the same. It was just what the other Castes called us. I closed my eyes and tilted my head up towards the sky as I tried to remember the little details that made up my home.

"It's a small village called Ansel," I began, smiling whimsically. "The village sprung up between a river and a forest long ago, and it has a wooden wall that covers three quarters of it. The river provides a natural defence, with only a narrow pass up the rocks towards the village itself. It's a small place, with maybe six or so hundred people. The houses run in rings stretching out from the village centre, a dusty plaza where we'd hold markets or festivals when the time felt right. Everyone knows everyone else and yesterday's actions are the next day's gossip."

"It sounds nice," Pyrrha whispered, "Tell me more."

"There's no rhyme or reason to how the houses are built... when someone grows up and wants a house for themselves, their family and friends just sort of come together, find a spot and build a house. Neighbours help out too, just because you never know when you might need their help. The result is a village that sort of makes no sense, in a charming way," I rushed to add when Pyrrha laughed. "You've got a Blacksmith next to a baker, some hunters down the line then there's that family of tailors who everyone only knows because the oldest brother likes to try and flirt with any pretty girls that come by. The whole places changes with the seasons… even the smells. You've got the rain and torch smoke of spring, the fresh fruit and sweat of summer, the smell of freshly harvested crops and beer in the autumn, then the warm and meaty fragrance of meat stew all winter. It's…" I tried to think of the best way to explain it, but settled on the only one I knew. "It's home."

"Do you miss it?" she asked.

Did I? I hadn't really thought of it ever since I'd left, but now that she mentioned it I could remember how nostalgic the stew in the tavern had made me feel. It was autumn now, so mom would be moving onto thicker clothing in preparation for the winter. The Barnsley family would be selling their wool from the sheep, which she'd then sell onto the Coopers to weave into thick, cloaks and coats for the people to buy. My sisters would each get one of their own, of course, intricately woven with their favourite colours and patterns. Mom was as frugal as any Shopkeeper, but utterly unable to stop spoiling us. "I guess I do miss it," I said. "What about you?"

"Not quite so much."

I had no idea what to say to that and so didn't push.

"You're worried about the Quest," she whispered.

"Is it so obvious?"

The only sound between us was the dull and repetitive creaks of wood, and the occasional bump as the hull of a ship nudged against the mooring. Off in the distance, a glass smashed and there was a brief bout of laughter.

"It's not too obvious," she said eventually. "If the others noticed, they're not going to comment. We're all just as bad."

"Even you?" I asked.

Pyrrha's smile was sad. "Even me," she nodded. "My Class and high level may suggest I'm strong, but that means little against the threats which lay within. I doubt and fear as much as anyone else… maybe even more."

Fear…? I was no stranger to that, and less so now. I thought I'd known what fear was back home, back when I'd been afraid of spiders and then the prospect of being a Blacksmith for my entire life. That fear had felt so petty when I'd stood before the Beowolf poised to kill me, and even less so than when I'd seen Ruby torn asunder before my eyes.

"I'm scared I won't be strong enough."

"Strong enough for what?" she asked.

I clenched my eyes shut and took a deep breath. The words poured out of me, before I even had the time to think on them. "Strong enough to help," I said, "Strong enough to hold my own, to actually be useful – to not cause this Quest to fail. I'm scared I'll let everyone down and lead us to ruin. I'm scared I'll get people killed… just like I almost did Ruby."

"That wasn't your fault!"

"Wasn't it?" I laughed, bitterly. "What's done is done and she's alive… but you can't say that wasn't in some part my fault, Pyrrha. I was supposed to tank it… I was in charge of keeping it busy and Ruby didn't do anything wrong in attacking from behind. The only reason it noticed, the only reason it hurt her, was because I wasn't strong enough to keep its attention."

My shoulders rose and fell as I remembered it, and not even my friend's hand on my arm could quite stop it. It only ended when Weiss revealed a miracle potion; something to reverse my mistake and save the life of my first friend.

"Ruby would never blame you," Pyrrha whispered.

"I know. She wouldn't blame me even if I got her killed – but that doesn't change the fact I'm afraid it will happen again. I'm not as strong as you Pyrrha… you know that."

"Level doesn't mean everything, Jaune. It doesn't always matt-"

"It matters when it comes to fighting," I said. Pyrrha's mouth clicked shut. "I'm determined to do this and I'm not going to back out but… well, that's just the way I feel." That and more, though I couldn't ever say it. It wasn't just my level that was the problem, but also the Class I was born as. Back in Beacon it had always been me who would fall if it was ever found out, but now – suddenly faced with the prospect of everyone relying on me – the difference between a Blacksmith and a Knight had never seemed greater.

Pyrrha's face twisted as she fought for some kind of response, and in a way that made me feel warmer than any words could have. She wanted to prove me wrong; to show me why I could be valuable and belong with them.

"Forget about it," I said, "You don't need to have a response and I'm not looking for one. I'm committed and there's no way I'm going to let you guys go on your own. Better an under-levelled Knight than none at all, right?"

"Right," the Champion nodded, "And you won't be under-levelled forever, Jaune. You might not think you're strong enough now – and you'd be wrong – but sooner or later you'll realise just how much you help us."

I opened my mouth to explain, to correct her – but she pushed a finger against my lips before I could utter a word.

"But," she said, with a soft smile, "until you feel that you are… allow me to take over the tanking duties. You swing a sword well and I've seen your strength in action. Between Nora and I, we have more than enough tanks. Rely on me for a while. Let me help."

"But I-"

"We all have different skills," Pyrrha cut me off before I could argue, "I realised that in the inn. I completely messed up with the Shipping Guild, but you were able to recover and get us room and board when it seemed impossible. I think I'm beginning to understand... this is what being in a Guild means. It's not just a family, it's not just to hang around with your friends... it's so that each of us can fill in where the other doesn't feel they can. You helped us there, Jaune - you fixed a disaster I caused. Let me help you here in return. Let me show you that I can be relied on too."

My body relaxed, and as my shoulders lowered I couldn't help but let out a breath I didn't know I'd been holding. "Thank you," I whispered. "I'm just… I don't want my inability to… just, thank you."

Pyrrha smiled and reached over to give me a quick hug. It was soft, warm – and over before I really wanted it to be. She pushed herself back up onto her feet with a little smile and red cheeks. She nodded her head back towards the inn.

"Go on without me," I said, "I want to watch the stars a little more."

I had the impression she would have stayed, but this time I showed her a real smile – one that I actually felt in my newfound relief. It made her pause, and she answered it with a bright one of her own. "Okay. Come back soon, though. We'll need a good night's rest if the ship sails at dawn."

"Won't be twenty minutes, I promise."

Pyrrha nodded and turned to walk away. I listened to her footsteps, but called out before she was gone entirely.

"You said you feel fear too," I said, almost too quiet to be heard. "What are you afraid of?"

"You asked me if I missed my home," Pyrrha answered. "I said no, but that's only because as far as I'm concerned, I am already home. I'm scared of losing the Guild… I'm scared of losing us." From behind me I could hear her take a long, wavering breath. "That's why I'll fight. That's why I'll complete this Quest. Single-handedly... if I have to."

"You won't have to," I spoke into the salt air. "I promise you that."

From the way the click of her heels against stone paused, I knew she'd heard it.


All good quests start like a holiday, at least in my mind. Got to get that transportation, have a nice meal in an inn - prepare for the journey... and, of course, more lore and world building dribbled in among it. Say hey, we're going to Ibiz- Atlas.

Also, Jaune flaunts his mad skillz, yo! Another example of the "take the RPG meta and explain it in real-life terms" was shown here, with the idea that a village store really would have little reason to be filled with gear for heroes. Unless, of course, they did it to price gouge the heroes, who they know have no other option on where to shop. Suddenly, the economy of games like Diablo starts to make sense.

"Oh, you're stuck in our town and I'm the only general store? Damn shame. By the way, prices have been marked up 300%. Why? Well, you know... monsters and stuff."


Next Chapter: 20th February

P a treon . com (slash) Coeur