Just to let you know, CF didn't get to see or edit this, and only vaguely knew the planned idea – and even then, only vaguely. Just putting this here so people know CF holds no responsibility for any badness in the chapter.

But will claim responsibility for any of the good stuff, lol! I kid, I kid.


Beta: College Fool

Cover Art: Dishwasher1910

Book 3: Chapter 4


The caravan trundled down the dirt road, axle crackling each time a wheel rolled over a bump or rock. Rain poured down around it, leaving the road treacherous with mud and sludge. The driver pulled the cloak tighter around themselves, struggling for warmth. The tiny lantern hanging from a pole off the front provided little warmth, and even less illumination.

Something thudded into the side of the caravan.

The twang of bowstring might have been heard, were it not for the rain. Instead, it was all the figure could do to turn to the side and notice it, before three more struck the caravan, and one finally hit the target. The arrow protruded from the driver's side. With a lurch, the figure slipped from the seat, falling into the mud.

The caravan came to a halt.

Footsteps squashed through the mud, slowly moving closer.

"Nice shot," someone grunted. It was hard to tell whether they meant it or not.

"Sod off. The rain threw me off."

"What, like you didn't notice it was there and account for it?" A laugh. "Didn't you call yourself the best shot in Vale just last night?"

"Yea well, that was last night. Things change."

"Idiot." They reached the caravan, hands slapping about on wood. Some withdrew their arrows, while the other's feet congregated at the back. "Let's see what we've got for our troubles," the bandit said, no doubt looking at the goods covered by a tarp. "I hope it's some good shit this time."

None of them bothered to look down at the hooded figure transfixed by an arrow.

That was good. If they had, they might have seen my hand slip to the hilt of Crocea Mors. That or my smile, not at all friendly.

There was a flutter of material, of fabric being torn away – then several gasps.

Red was revealed, though not that of expensive silk or ripe apples. Ruby Rose crouched where the cargo might have been, one hand on the wooden floor, the other holding Crescent Rose behind her, its wicked blade slick with water. "Surprise~" she cheered.

"H-Hero!"

They backed away in fear. One bumped into me, their heel impacting my breastplate beneath the cloak. They looked down, only to yelp when my hand clasped around their ankle. The hilt of Crocea Mors drove into the back of his knee, driving him down, and I staggered to my feet a second later, punching the bandit in the side of the head. He went down hard, aided by the metal gauntlet on my left hand.

With a sigh, I tore the cloak free. Revealing my armoured form, a single arrow clamped in the side. It had pierced the metal – barely – but proved unable to do the same with the leather jerkin underneath, or the cloth shirt beneath that. We knew that, of course. Testing it with one of Oscar's arrows hadn't been hard.

"T-Two Heroes," another gasped. "It's an ambush!"

"A little ironic of you to say that, isn't it?" I asked. Crocea Mors came free with a rasp. "Surrender and give up. Otherwise, we'll be forced to take you down ourselves." I didn't expect they would. Their days were numbered, forever tarnished by the choices they'd made. Where would they go, back home to Eldon? No, the village would never accept people like this back.

Their only destination was a cell. That or a shallow grave.

"There's only two of them!" A bow was drawn taut clumsily, hastily. "Kill them!"

Well, no one could say I hadn't tried.

Ruby's scythe swept toward the one who'd spoken, and although he screamed in fear, the attack wasn't aimed to kill. The sharp blade severed the top half of the bow, making the arrow fall uselessly into the mud. She turned and flicked out, cutting a bowstring with another slice, before she leapt over their heads, dodging two arrows that impacted the wood behind her.

I couldn't keep an eye on her after that. Ruby would be okay, but she was relying on me to pull my own weight. Crocea Mors in hand, I roared a challenge at the first person in front of me, a Lumberjack of all things, his bow in hand, an axe on his back.

He released the shot in my direction. It wasn't aimed, more of a warding arrow to push me away. I ignored it, letting the shaft impact my armour. It slipped to the side and ricocheted off, the arrowhead not enough to pierce, and the shaft splintering. He gasped and reached for his axe, but was too slow. My cross guard caught his cheek, probably breaking a few teeth as he was knocked down.

I spun past him, driving an elbow into the face of another, catching his bow and snapping it when he let go to clutch his face. A real fighter wouldn't have let go of their weapon. They were used to dealing with pain, ignoring it. That was the difference between us, however, even if I was part of the same Caste.

They weren't real fighters. They weren't Heroes, or Soldiers – nor were they pretending to be. These people were locked in the fantasy of their own ineptitude. They weren't like me, or even Oscar, who dreamed of something more. These people had accepted their Labour Caste inadequacy. They'd accepted the title of NPC. They, in turn, preyed on people they felt were just as weak as them. But if you only ever fought people who couldn't fight back, then you never got any stronger.

A break in the fight allowed me a chance to look to Ruby. I needn't have been concerned. She flashed between the enemy, a red blur that seemed to dodge each and every arrow with unerring ease. Her scythe, a large and unwieldy weapon, became as swift and lithe as a rapier, prodding each hole in her opponent's defence. She never once drew blood, however, always using the flat or blunt end to knock out her foes.

That had been part of her plan after all, and something he agreed with. Whatever these guys were doing now, they were still citizens of Eldon, and likely had family there. It wasn't their place to hurt or kill them. Whatever Eldon wanted to do, let it be their choice.

It would have been a dangerous arrogance for anyone else, but these people really were no threat to us. Even if Ruby took an arrow, I had to assume her Constitution would be enough to protect her. It was a moot point. She wasn't going to take an arrow. Not with how fast she moved.

The battle was over before it could ever begin.

There weren't many of them, and their only advantage had been nullified before the fight ever began. Unable to properly use their bows, and the element of surprise, they'd folded as easily as Ruby had expected. It was almost annoying in a way. Couldn't they have shown a little more about how our Caste wasn't completely useless?

One groaned, and I kicked him to shut him up. No good in any escaping, and we had the horse and wagon for a reason. It would cart their unconscious bodies back.

Honestly, I was just relieved I'd managed to convince Ruby to bring her horse instead of mine. Knowing Faith, she'd have stomped on the head of one of these idiots and killed them. That would have been my fault.

Naturally…

"I told you it would go okay," Ruby said, slushing over to me through rain and mud, the smile on her face invulnerable to any misery. "And you thought this would be a bad plan~"

I rolled my eyes to that but didn't answer, mainly because she had me. The whole thing had gone as seamless as Ruby expected, which meant my well-founded paranoia hadn't been as well-founded as I'd first thought. "I'm glad to be wrong for once," I said. "If it means not having to face some Elder Grimm, I'll take the loss."

"I don't think they'd be here if there were any Grimm nearby," Ruby said. She knelt by one of the bodies and tried to move them. "Ugh. Ghhh!" She tugged and tugged. "Grr!"

"Ruby…"

"I've got this!"

"Ruby… you really haven't."

The little Reaper didn't listen. She bunched her shoulders and groaned, trying to move the burliest and clearly heaviest of them. It didn't work.

A tiny bubble of laughter worked its way up my throat. I was able to kill it there, which was a relief since I could almost imagine Ruby's fearsome pout if she caught me laughing at her. It was a reminder of the differences between our Class, that even as a Blacksmith, there were some ways in which I was better than my friends. Ruby's speed was unmatched, probably hinting at a high – even obscene – Agility and Dexterity.

There was always a consequence, however, and for my first real friend in Beacon, that appeared to come in the form of Strength and Constitution. "Let me help," I said, moving over to her and kneeling. Ruby shot me a suspicious look, but I knew the way to handle this from all the time spent with my sisters. "You get his legs, I'll get his shoulders. It'll be easier if we do this together."

Ruby smiled. "Okay."

In truth, I could have moved him on my own. My Strength was enough that I could have hoisted him over my shoulder and dumped him in the back of the wagon, but that would have meant leaving Ruby to stand and watch with nothing to do. My sisters would have hated that, and I knew that Ruby would too.

Besides, what did it hurt to let her feel like she was helping?

The unconscious man went on without any problems, Ruby adjusting his arms and legs so that he was laying on his side and wouldn't choke or drown on the rainwater. We'd throw the tarp over them once we were done, but it would have been an awkward conversation indeed if we'd turned up with all our prisoners having died.

I crouched down by the second, holding a hand to his throat. He was alive. Good. I crouched down by his shoulders and dragged him a little back, in preparation for Ruby to help. She came around the corner of the wagon, a smile on her face.

Something kicked me in the stomach.

That was all I could think. It was a sudden, swift blow, and for a moment I thought the horse had lashed out – proving that they all hated me. Ruby's wide eyes spoke against that though, even as I looked down to see the shaft buried in my stomach.

W-What…?

Ruby's arm wrapped around my throat. She dragged me away, before I could even process the situation at all. My back hit the floor, small hands under my shoulders as she dragged my armoured body around the back of the wagon. There was another crack as an arrow pierced the axle above my head, and then she had us behind. I still heard another impact close to the driver's seat.

Pain washed through me. I grit my teeth against it, but that didn't do much, and the burning sensation in my stomach continued unabated.

"Don't touch it," Ruby slapped my hand away when I moved to drag the arrow out. "Leave it in," she said. "I know it hurts but it's safer this way."

"There's… another… archer," I gritted out.

Ruby nodded, taking sympathy on me and not pointing out how obvious that was. Trees didn't show arrows at people. At least not any of the trees I knew.

"How is your aura?" Ruby asked. "Will you be okay?"

My aura. Right. I clenched my eyes shut and concentrated, trying to think of how much aura, or health, I had left. It wasn't a clear number. It never was. I was definitely going to live though. It felt like this had only taken off a quarter – which was still a nasty shock for a single arrow. That left me with reserves, however. "I can still fight," I said.

"I'll go in first."

My eyes widened. "Ruby, no," I hissed, grasping her wrist. "Are you insane?"

"I'm not insane, no!" She dragged her hand free. "Jaune, I know we promised to run if this got over our head, but we can't now. If we do, this person will shoot us in the back. We need to beat them."

"I have a shield…"

"And you have no idea where they're aiming from."

Damn it. She was right… I'd be punctured before I could make it halfway across the road, and the damn mud and rain didn't help matters. I was heavy, heavy enough that I could already feel myself sinking into the sludge.

"I'm the fastest here, Jaune. I can go out, dodge an arrow, and then find whoever it is. I'll close into melee fast and force them to do the same." Ruby smiled and patted my hand. "Then you can charge in at your own speed. I'll make sure they don't have the time to get off a shot."

She looked so confident, so self-assured… I hated to ruin that, but it had to be said. "Ruby, you realise… this isn't one of the villagers." I glanced down to my wound to prove that point. The arrow was a broadhead, a military type, and the damage it did was proof enough. "You're dealing with a Soldier here," I said, "or even another Hero."

"I know." Ruby smiled weakly. "But what can we do?"

Nothing.

We had no other choice.

I sighed. "Okay. Just… be careful. Please."

Ruby nodded. The next moment she was gone, up and over the wagon in a blur of red.

Damn it. My hand fell to the arrow lodged in me, and it took a monumental force of will not to try and drag it out. I gritted my teeth and snapped the shaft instead, leaving just a little poking out the breastplate. An arrow whizzed by overhead, missing the wagon and – I had to assume – missing Ruby too.

Hopefully she'd be able to find the guy doing this. Her plan was a good one. I was less than useless here. If she could keep them busy until I got close, then I might be able to do something, but until then, I was nothing more than a burden.

"Jaune!" Ruby yelled.

That was the cue. I hoped. Adrenaline kicked in, muting the pain just a little as I staggered out from behind the wagon, shield held up before me. Through the thick rain, there wasn't much to see, but a clash of steel on steel from the forest showed the way. Ruby had him. Perfect.

I dashed over, limping for the first few paces, then getting used to the new ornament in my body and ignoring it entirely. Crocea Mors swung up, cutting a bush down that would have gotten in my way, and I barrelled through where Ruby was, eyes locking onto her opponent.

It was a tall and hooded figure about my size, but much faster. He, and I assumed it was male, wielded two long knives, flicking them out to block and deflect Ruby's attacks. The bow was stashed away on his back, most of his features disguised. There was a name I didn't pay attention to, but the Class below it, I did.

He was a Ranger.

Was that a Hero or a Soldier Caste Class? I had no idea. Either way, he was dangerous. Hefting my sword, I charged in from behind, hoping to catch him off guard.

"Tch." He kicked off Ruby and turned to me, looking to catch my sword on both of his. He changed his mind at the last second, swaying underneath instead and driving a knife into my kidney. The impact was hard and knocked me off balance, but my armour proved true. The Ranger pushed past for distance, but Ruby chased after him before he could draw his bow once more.

He can't be too high a level, I thought to myself, rushing after them both. A Ranger is probably more a Dexterity Class than a Strength one, but if he couldn't break through my armour, then we can assume he's at least somewhat close to us.

This wasn't another Glenn Vuori. This wasn't another Merlot.

He was still a dangerous killer out for our heads.

"He's fast," Ruby panted when I caught up and attacked him from the side. Her words were proven a second later as the Ranger agilely dodged every one of my attacks with ease. "Keep him pressed," Ruby called. "I'll loop around!"

Right, sure. It wasn't like he hadn't heard that either but I guess it didn't matter. My stomach churned as I kept up the onslaught, my wound tugging with each swing. He dodged instead of blocking, a change of tactics from how he fought Ruby. That probably meant he wasn't fast enough to slip past her attacks, and wasn't strong enough to block his – or that the Ranger felt that was the case either way.

"Why are you doing this?" I asked. "Why attack innocent traders? It's not like they can fight back."

The Ranger didn't answer. In a flash of light, I caught sight of his face, only to see nothing more than brown hair over blue eyes, a mask covering the lower half of his face. It was one like what Blake wore, just some cloth to hide the nose and mouth from view.

I wasn't sure what I expected to be honest. What excuse could he give for killing so many people?

"You're the leader of those runaways, I take it. Are you trying to get them back?"

The Ranger dodged another attack and slashed toward my face. My eyes widened, a curse slipping from my lips as I fell back, dodging only by virtue of throwing myself away. "Ruby!" I yelled.

"ON IT!" Ruby slashed down, leaping up from behind to bring Crescent Rose down.

She struck air, leaf and soil.

The Ranger was gone.

"What?" Ruby looked around, eyes wide. "Where… I don't understand."

Neither did I. An unsettling feeling pooled in my stomach. The shield and sword came up, my eyes trained on our surroundings. Was it some kind of teleportation ability? That didn't seem like something a Ranger would have. Surely that Class was just a different variation of Coco's. Come to think of it, what were the differences between a Ranger and an Archer? Both used a bow, and both were archery-based, but the only other thing I could think of was that a Ranger might be a little sneakier, a little more…

My eyes widened. "Ruby, move!"

The Reaper followed my warning without any hesitation. She dashed to the side, choosing any side, and that saved her life from the arrow that whizzed past where her throat had been a second before. Her silver eyes were wide, frantic.

"He's using stealth!" I yelled. "He's hidden!"

It was my worst nightmare, and something I hadn't ever imagined we'd have to face. The rain continued to pour down, muting what little sounds we might have been able to listen for. It was the perfect cover for the Ranger, with the only risk he had being that his bowstring would get wet and not work as well. He'd probably treated it with beeswax or something similar though. They'd chosen to attack in the rain, so they'd had all the time they needed to prepare.

Was there some way to detect stealth? I'd never thought to ask Blake, and now I wished I had. To be fair, I hadn't ever expected to face off against a Rogue. A Ranger appeared to be a mix between one and an Archer. More fool us. Who else would have decided to become a bandit but someone specialised towards it?

"Get down!" Ruby slammed into my back, pushing me out of the way of an arrow. It almost hit her, but she was able to shift her body, spinning herself to the side. It still went through her cloak, cutting a hole through the thin material. Ruby landed on her knees, but her head shot up. "There! It came from there!"

The Reaper shot off in that direction, slicing through a set of bushes. From the lack of a pained cry, and from Ruby's angry growl, it was clear our opponent had moved on.

Shoot and move, shoot and move… if he kept doing that, we'd be hard pressed to defend ourselves. My eyes narrowed. If I were in his shoes, I'd try to cut down the numbers against me. Ruby was the only one fast enough to really get a hit on him, which meant he'd aim… for me.

My senses went wild. I fell down onto one knee, shield coming up. It thudded against my arm as something struck it, followed by a flash of dirt as an arrow skimmed the ground by my left foot. I huddled as small as I could, trying to protect my entire body against the barrage.

The shield held strong. The metal was much thicker, able to withstand the punishment even if the tip of an arrow punctured it close to my eye. It would be fine. Nothing I couldn't planish out of it later. Assuming there was a later. That would depend on Ruby, and my eyes spied her to the left, rushing through the underbrush toward the source of the arrows.

There had to be some way I could help. My Dexterity was too low, everything being a constant struggle to hit. Even my apparently new predilection for setting everything on fire wouldn't help in the storm we were trapped in.

Ruby's scythe crashed against something. "I've got him!"

Perfect! My shield went down, Crocea Mors coming forth as I charged forward as fast as I could. Ruby flew from the bushes, in pursuit of the Ranger in his grey cloak. She ducked low and slashed towards the enemy's face, her scythe turned away at the last moment by a long knife. The other came around in a sweep that would have gone through her eye.

Crocea Mors slammed into it. "Not today!" I growled, pushing down as hard as I could. The Ranger staggered, completely unable to fight against my high Strength. He cursed, the first words I'd heard from him.

If I could just keep him still…

My shield fell into the mud, released from my grasp as I placed the back of my hand on the flat of my sword and pushed down, adding both hands to the force. The Ranger's eyes widened, one leg buckling. Behind him, a flash of red appeared. I smiled grimly.

Ruby wasted no time.

The Ranger cried out in pain. He fell back, but managed to grab my belt with one hand and use me to steady himself. He kicked up, driving a knee into my stomach, hitting the arrow he'd buried there before. I screamed and fell back, letting go of Crocea Mors entirely to clutch my wound.

"Jaune! Jaune, are you okay!?"

I wasn't. Not at all. My eyes watered, tears streaming down my face, but still I managed to shake my head. "Don't… don't let him escape," I gasped. "He'll kill us if he does!" If he got back into stealth, if he created distance and could come back… I didn't think I could fight anymore. We'd be killed. "Ruby," I begged, "Don't let him run!"

Ruby nodded. Her eyes hardened. "Jaune," she whispered. "Lay down. Lay as flat as you can."

Do what? I didn't have the time to think, nor did she the time to explain. Trusting her, I pressed the back of my head to the grass, taking several deep breaths, wincing at the feeling of the rain on my open wound. Ruby crouched next to me, a single hand on my chest, pushing me down.

Her eyes flashed silver. Not from the sunlight, not from intent… they glowed with a light of their own, shining like diamonds.

She was using an ability.

She pulled her scythe back with one hand, dragging it entirely behind her body, the most she could draw it for a swing without dislocating her shoulder entirely. Her eyes continued to glow, even as the Ranger staggered toward the bushes, clutching his wounded leg. Ruby's second hand moved to join the first, grasping Crescent Rose's haft. She took a deep breath, and then released it.

She unleashed her weapon a moment later.

It spun back around her body in a sweep, a mundane-looking strike, made all the worse because the enemy was a good twenty or thirty feet away. She missed completely… but that wasn't the point. It started slow, but that might have just been my perception of it. From where she cut, a faint red light appeared, a wave of energy behind her weapon, except that it expanded – it kept expanding. It shot out in a circle, only an inch or two above my body.

It streaked toward the Ranger too, who had made the mistake of stopping and kneeling down to nock an arrow.

It was a fatal mistake.

The energy caught him in the chest, cutting through leather armour with ease. It went through skin, muscle and bone with the same – and I saw his eyes widen. He looked down, one hand held to his chest. Blood bubbled from his lips.

Much like the Dungeon Boss so long ago, and Merlot… Ruby's hits – when they hit – were devastating. The Ranger slumped into the grass.

He didn't move.

"What… what was that?"

Ruby offered me a hand, even if it was me who had to do most of the work getting myself up. "It's my new Skill," she whispered. "I learned it in Atlas when I levelled up." She looked around, and it was only that which drew my attention to the state of the clearing. All the bushes, the grass, the trees – everything within a wide radius of us. It had all been destroyed. No, not destroyed. It was cut, from plants to bushes and more. They all had a fine cut at the level where Ruby's attack had hit.

It was a perfect circle, originating from the point at which she had used it. The reason she'd wanted me to lay down was clear. If I'd been standing, it would have taken both my legs off.

"It's incredible," I gasped. "You learned it in Atlas?"

She nodded, "After Merlot. I didn't have it before. He… well, there was a lot of Experience from us beating him."

"I know. I gained some levels too." I staggered up. "What's it called?"

"A-A name? Ah well, uh… it's called Crimson Slash," she said, slamming a fist into her hand. "Yeah, sorry. I forgot the name for a moment. That's all."

Crimson Slash? An odd name, but then again, she was a Class I'd never heard of before. I wasn't sure why she wouldn't meet my eyes, or why she sounded so unsure. Either way, the fight was done. "Good job, Ruby. You did it."

She nodded. "Is he…?"

I glanced over to the body. There could be no doubt as to its fate, and I didn't feel the need to move closer to verify it. I could see the blood as easily as I could see the chest didn't rise or fall. The bow was severed, cut through the middle when the wave hit him. Even had it been in one piece, I wasn't sure I could have brought myself to loot it. Now, covered in blood and gore? Not a chance.

My silence was answer enough for Ruby. She whimpered. "I didn't mean to… do that…"

Her first kill.

Vuori and Merlot had died, but it was probably too hard for her to have counted Merlot as human at the point we killed him. This would be her first real one. I wrapped an arm around her, positioning my body so that I cut off all sight of him. What was I supposed to say? Blake had taken the time to try and help me, but I'd cut her off – too bitter and angry to listen. Now, I wished I'd taken the time to listen.

Comparing it to my own encounter would be pointless. Ruby was obviously more upset than I'd been. She didn't feel the pride I did. I opened my mouth, then gasped as pain shot through me. My hand fell to my stomach, and came away bloody.

Ruby didn't fail to notice. "Oh my god, we need to get you bandaged!" She tugged at my arm, dragging me toward the caravan. The horse was still alive. The Ranger had probably intended to steal it and escape after killing us. Ruby pushed me into the driver's seat, then clambered up beside me.

"We don't have any bandage," I groaned.

Ruby tore a huge chunk off her cloak. Before I could even say anything, she had my armour coming off, my jerkin pulled up. "I can't do much," she whispered, gasping at the sight of the wound. "Just hold on. We'll get you back to Eldon. They'll have someone there who can help."

"Yeah… well…" I tried to laugh. It came out pained. "It's not like I'm going anywhere fast."

/-/

Our arrival back in Eldon was met with much more cheer than the last, although that turned sour once they saw the individuals trussed up in the back of the wagon. Some in the crowd roared and growled, while others threw insults and yet more spoke of their innocence. They'd be hard pressed to prove it, what with the bows and arrows stacked by them, and the stolen finery some of them wore.

Hal met us before we got the wagon too far into the village. He looked over our passengers, then at us. His face was even. "Not Grimm, then?" he asked.

"Not this time," I said. "They attacked us while we posed as a merchant caravan. These are your `Grimm`. The Quest is done."

"Aye, I guess it is." He pulled himself onto the back and inspected some of the prisoners. One spat in his face, but he growled and cuffed the traitor around the ear. "Aye, this is good enough. I've half a mind to say the Quest was for Grimm, not runaways, but far be it for a village like ours to court disaster with the Questing Houses."

They'd not survive the result. I doubted very much Beacon would harm them, but they likely would reject all future Quests from Eldon, and that would have its own consequences. In the same way that the Questing Houses protected the Quest Giver, they also protected us. It worked both ways.

"What will you do with them?" Ruby asked. Her voice was faint, and I wondered if her kill still weight on her. She wasn't like me. She hadn't taken pleasure in it.

For some reason, that pleased me.

"We'll tie 'em up and keep 'em in the livestock pens. With the roads clear, we can send a missive to Vale. Soldier Caste will send someone to pick 'em up, and they'll be off to suffer his majesty's wrath. Taxes from Eldon were hurt by them. I doubt they'll be merciful." Hal seemed to notice Ruby's pained look. "Prison only," he said. "They'll come out older and hopefully wiser. Whether we'll take 'em back is hard to say, but they can try and make a life elsewhere."

"Ah… that's good."

"Aye. Better than they deserve for what they did. I thought yous were our boys? What ever happened to village pride?"

None of the prisoners answered. I doubted Hal would have been impressed with anything they could have said. I clambered down off the wagon beside Ruby, but stumbled when my feet hit the grass. Ruby caught me, eyes wide with worry.

"You're injured," Hal said, finally noticing the blood. Ruby had bandaged it as best she could, but the shaft was still there. "Why didn't yer say so? Oi, Maggie, fetch the doctor. Oscar, set up me best bed – your mam's. Go fetch and boil some water when it's done."

"I'll be fine," I gritted out.

"Nonsense! You two have up and saved us. I'm not going to have Eldon be known for not repaying its saviours. You got him girl? Good, bring him along – and keep a tight hold. I know all about boys his age. Think they can do everything on their own. No respect for their own bodies."

Ruby giggled, but I still felt her fingers tighten around my hand. She didn't have the strength to keep hold of me if I wanted to go, but I wasn't quite as idiotic as Hal made me sound. I nodded, limping along and using her shoulder for support. It didn't hurt as much as it did before. In fact, the wound itself barely stung at all. It was the muscles around it now, which hardly appreciated all the strain I'd put them through in the fight.

Hal's best bed wasn't that much better than his first. It was straw still, but the straw was bunched inside a leather mattress, and that kept it from poking into my abused body. Ruby fussed around, but was quickly shushed away by a pair of elderly women who arrived to treat me.

"Go fetch us some water," one said kindly. "Once you have it, run it over some rocks for twenty minutes, and then boil it. Then let it cool for ten and bring it to us."

Ruby nodded, memorising it all immediately. She flashed out of the room, almost too fast to be seen. I heard a door slam down below, and sighed once she was gone.

"Why did you send her off to make salt broth?" I asked. I recognised the technique. Mom used to do it, since many of the rocks in this area had some small salt content.

"I'll cook dinner with it later," one of the crones said. "The girl has enough energy for it."

"And it'll keep her busy," the other chuckled. "Poor young lass worried for her man. She means well, but she would only be underfoot, latching onto every moan and groan you make."

I didn't have the energy to point out Ruby wasn't my woman, or that I wasn't her man. It was all I could do to keep my eyes open as they slowly pulled my armour off of me. They stuck to my upper body, removing my leather jerkin, and then peeling away the cloth. It stuck around the wound, having sealed to my skin from blood and rainwater. One of them tutted and cut it apart with a tiny knife.

"The amulet stays on," I whispered, when it was finally revealed. "It's… important to me."

"Aye, aye," the woman on the left paid it no heed. "It's not in the way, boy. Not unless you're hiding another hole in your neck?"

I shook my head, taking the amulet in my fist and keeping my hand atop my heart. It helped somehow. It kept me focused on thoughts I normally didn't like, thoughts about my real Class and how I'd lied to get where I was now.

Those thoughts were easier than ones of what my stomach must have looked like. Having my fist atop my chest also blocked my sight of what the healers were doing. It didn't block their Classes, Farmer and Fisher.

I tried to pretend that didn't frighten me.

"The wound is deep, but not complex," one crooned. Her voice was light, even, and I had the strangest feeling she was speaking out loud so that I could focus on it, to calm me down. It worked. She sounded like every grandmother ever. "It missed anything important, and the arrowhead didn't break off from the shaft. It looks messy, and I've a feeling it'll leave a scar – but you're lucky this is a broadhead and not a bodkin. It went through your armour, but it didn't gouge and bleed like a Hunter's arrow would have."

"I'd rather have not been shot at all…"

"And I'd rather childbirth was easy," the other laughed, slapping my shoulder. "Grit your teeth and ignore it, boy. You don't want your little girly to hear you whimpering like a babe, do you?" She leaned over, poking my cheek. "And you're such a handsome Knight too. My, she sure is a lucky girl. Ah, to be fifty years younger."

The other woman's hand pushed down on my stomach, fingers on either side of the shaft, keeping my skin taut.

The first was trying to distract me, to occupy my attention while the other wrapped her fingers around what remained of the shaft. I grit my teeth, clenched my eyes shut, and wished that their plan had been more successful.

I didn't whimper as the arrow was drawn out.

I screamed.

"There, there, it's out now."

Something soft and wet brushed against my face, a soaked cloth with cool water. Spots danced before my vision as I opened my eyes. I couldn't feel anything from my stomach now, but I could just make out one of the women hunched over working on it. I also saw needle and thread. I wasn't even surprised to note it was needle more used for sewing a fishing net. Just my luck.

"Is it… gone?" I asked.

"Removed and disposed of. You passed out for a moment there. It's been ten minutes."

I had? It didn't feel like a second had passed, or that I'd woken up from anything. I sighed and leaned back, trusting their words. "Couldn't you… wasn't there anything to dull the pain?"

"I'm sorry. Medicine was among the things hit by those bandits."

Ugh. Great. More reason to feel less pity for the bastard we'd killed. "Where's Ruby?"

"Down below with Oscar. We took her water, told her it would help us, and then tasked her to find some herbs with Hal's boy."

"Herbs?"

"A calming tea for your recovery." She smiled. "It won't make you heal any faster, but it'll let you sleep easier, and that's reason enough to enjoy it."

I couldn't argue. I'd take it. In fact, my eyes felt heavy already. I wasn't sure if it was something they gave me, or just the exhaustion finally kicking in – or if my body had just had enough and couldn't take any more. Either way, they must have noticed.

"Get some rest, brave Knight," the old lady cackled. "Things will feel better when you wake up."

"I'll… take your word for it."

I was gone a moment later.

/-/

I'd only once been seriously injured before, so there wasn't much to compare the experience of waking up like this to. The last time had been in Atlas, after our fight against Merlot. I'd been far worse off than I was now, but I'd felt better than ever when I awoke. Ren later told me it was because of the Priest who put me back together. Her spells hadn't just fixed what was broken, but had also reinforced and fixed things I'd never known were wrong in the first place.

I'd felt incredible.

Now, after being patched back together by someone whose closest experience was probably gutting a fish?

I didn't feel quite so hot.

A groan escaped me as I forced myself up into a sitting position. The movement caused my stomach to tug, and I winced and looked down. There were bandages wrapped horizontally around my waist, with a single diagonal one that cut up over my left shoulder and down my back. It was probably to secure the others in place.

The bandages were clean, as was the bedding. They must have changed that while I slept.

Everything hurt too much to stay seated, so I let myself fall back with a sigh. I was alive, it seemed. That was a nice bonus. Even if the wound itself hadn't been deep enough to kill me outright, the chance of infection was an ever-present one, along with internal bleeding and a host of other things I didn't understand but knew were bad news.

Yet another fight against a Hero, and I was the one who ended up suffering for it. It would have been easy to blame it on his Level and assume he was strong like Vuori, but that hadn't been the case. At a guess, I'd have put the Ranger within five levels of us. It didn't sound like much, but he could have been a rejected Hero. Someone who failed the initiation and refused to be bumped down to the Soldier Caste.

Still, if it hadn't been for Ruby, I'd have died.

The way she'd beaten him hardly helped. A Skill – an Active Skill. The Ranger had us dead to rights but for that, and the fact it hit him while he was hidden. Ruby had picked up a nice move there, an area of effect ability that would hit in all directions.

Everyone else would be learning things like that as well. They'd acquire new abilities as they grew stronger, each giving them an edge over people who didn't have them. An edge over me.

I wouldn't gain any combat Skills, not in a million levels. I already had most of mine, and they were all related to my craft, as would be expected. They'd help me forge better, faster or with less resources, but they wouldn't let me hit harder. They wouldn't save me when the going got tough and I ended up against someone I couldn't beat normally.

They wouldn't save lives like Ruby's had.

Is this really how it's going to end? I've tried my hardest, and the Stats have been a pain, but it's one I've been able to brute force through. I have my Strength and Constitution, which means I can tank well enough. I sighed and closed his eyes. I'll never have any combat Skills though. How long will it take before people begin to ask why the Knight doesn't use any of his abilities, even when his life is in danger?

Would my Guild see the signs first? Or would it be Miss Goodwitch once I started to avoid using them in her class? Would I even get that far, or would someone kill me because I didn't have an answer to something of theirs?

The door opened before my thoughts could continue. I didn't recognise the woman who entered, dressed as she was in a pure white linen dress. There was a ring of flowers in her hair too, brightly coloured. When she turned to me my eyes widened, as did hers.

"Jaune," she gasped, rushing over. "You're awake? Are you okay? Does anything hurt?"

"Ruby…?"

"Yep!" She bounded over to me, dragging over a chair I hadn't noticed to sit down at my bedside. "Why are you so surprised?"

My eyes remained fixed on her hair, and it only took her a few seconds to realise. One of her hands flew up to it, her cheeks turning bright red.

"T-There's a celebration," she mumbled. "The whole village is doing it, sort of like a festival. I didn't want to go but Hal said I couldn't sit at your bedside all night." She sighed. "I said no again, but he had some girls bundle me out and I guess I was too exhausted to stop them. The next thing I knew…" She trailed off, looking down at her white dress. It was loose-fitting, very loose. I tried not to spend too long looking at that.

"It's nice," I said. "You look beautiful."

"Ah, well…" Ruby smiled and looked away. "Thanks. I'd say the same for you, but well… you know…"

"I look like crap?"

"Better than you did a few hours ago. I helped change your bandage the last time, but there's no more blood. It's healing well."

I nodded, relieved. The amulet was still in place as well, but I guess I'd have had more obvious proof if it had been removed, namely in the form of difficult questions from the girl sat next to me. "When will I be better?"

"According to the women, tomorrow. You'll be able to travel anyway, and once we're back in Beacon we can have the Priest there fix up anything else. You only need to be good enough to travel." She giggled. "That's if Faith doesn't take it out on you."

I groaned. That damn horse absolutely would.

Ruby sighed loudly. One of her hands came up to trace my chest, her fingers atop the bandages. Her eyes were locked on my stomach, and I didn't need to be a genius to figure out why. "It's not your fault."

"I know… it's just… I should have been able to do more."

"More? Ruby, you did more than enough. You saved me from being shot a second time, you engaged the Ranger so I could close the distance, and you're the one who really defeated him. If anything, I should be the one feeling bad." I chuckled, then winced. "And I am. I feel terrible."

"Do you need me to get you anything?"

"No, not like that." I grabbed her hand, more to prevent her from going crazy than anything else. I let our joined hands rest atop my chest. "I'm okay, just a little sore. What I meant to say was that you can't blame yourself for this. You can't even feel bad! I'd have been dead without you. There's no doubt about that. You saved my life, Ruby." I smiled. "Thank you."

"I guess I understand. It just doesn't feel like I did."

"I think that says more about your standards. You ask too much of yourself." I wasn't much better since I was asking my Blacksmith self to become a Hero, but at least I accepted and understood that I couldn't do everything. "How are you coping after beating him?"

"Huh, the Ranger?" Ruby blinked. "I… haven't really thought about it."

She'd been too focused on me. I suppose that made sense. I'd have been the same in her shoes, except that if it were Ruby who had been hurt, then it would have been my fault. "I'm okay, Ruby. Why don't you go enjoy the rest of the festival?" I could hear singing and dancing now, and probably could have earlier if I hadn't been so focused on my own thoughts. I also noticed a long, white tunic hanging over the back of a nearby chair. It looked like they'd hoped I'd be good enough to join in. A shame, but I still felt out of it. No reason Ruby shouldn't enjoy herself though. "It sounds like everyone's having fun. You should go since we're the guests of honour."

Ruby's hand squeezed mine. "I'd rather stay here."

How was I supposed to argue with that? We sat in silence, but it wasn't an uncomfortable one. Ruby's eyes closed as she hummed along with the faint music, and her smile said she was happy just to know I was okay. Whoever had stolen and forced her into that dress had also taken to her hair, and not just for the crown of flowers. It had been pulled loose, brushed and braided on one side. There was a single larger flower tied into that braid, a purple one that complimented her dark hair and pale skin perfectly.

Like this, it was hard to think of her normally boyish behaviour and boundless energy. Like this, she looked like a woman. Soft, peaceful, mature… and dare I say it, beautiful.

"What are you thinking?" Ruby asked. Her eyes were open, and had also noticed mine so intently focused on her.

"N-Nothing," I lied. "I was just… thinking of home. Of Beacon."

"Heh, me too. I can't wait to get back, even if Yang's going to go nuts when she hears about this."

Ah yeah, damn. While I was thankful Ruby hadn't caught onto my gawking, this new line of conversation didn't do much for my recovery. "We could not tell her?" I tried. "I mean, when is she going to see me topless?"

"And the reason why I'm half-carrying you to the Priest?"

"Ugh… motion sickness? To be fair, that horse is a demon."

Ruby giggled and poked my cheek with her other hand. She leaned forward, brushing some hair from my face. I hadn't realised I was covered in sweat, nor how soft her skin was on mine. I doubted she even realised the effect her ministrations had.

"We'll tell them," she said. "They deserve to know and I'd feel bad if one of them was hurt and I didn't know. Yang will understand when we both tell her there was no chance to run." She stared at me, and it took me a moment to realise that was a hint.

"Don't worry," I chuckled weakly. "It's the truth anyway. If that Ranger had the freedom to shoot us while we were fleeing, we'd have never made it." I'd have never made it. Ruby would have, but I knew she wouldn't have left me behind. It wasn't even worth bringing up. "Is the Quest complete?"

"Hal gave me a scroll saying it is," Ruby said. She gestured to something on my bedside table. I hadn't even noticed I had a bedside table. "Everything is done and a message was dispatched for Guards to come arrest those people. They also sent messages for food and medicine, and the trade will continue now. We did it, Jaune."

Her energy was infectious.

"We did it," I agreed, smiling. A yawn escaped me. "I'm just… I think I'm going to rest until tomorrow."

"You can sleep. I'll stay here and make sure you're okay." Ruby smiled down at me, her hand still clasped in mine. How she'd not noticed I didn't know, or maybe she had but didn't mind so long as it made me feel a little better. "I'll be here when you wake up," she promised. "And then we'll go back to Beacon together."

Back home.

I liked the sound of that. There were things to do back there as well, once I had some time alone to experiment. Even though Ruby was the one to score the kill, I'd gained a fair amount of Experience myself, enough to push me one more level. Enough to unlock a new Skill. One I'd never heard of before. I needed to do some reading.

I needed to figure out what this `Runesmithing` was.


The Quest over, the return now. I wanted to keep this Quest short, more because it's just the two of them. I would like to take a moment here to mention something that came up on my forums, and I thought it was worth repeating here. A lot of Ruby and Jaune's interactions have left people saying "Oh, but not enough romance," or "oh, but it's not this or that."

What I would say is to just judge the reactions and interactions on what they are for now. If you look at every time Ruby and Jaune speak, and look for the sexual tension, then you'll be disappointed. Take this chapter as an example. While close, they are not lovers – nor are they attracted to one another. That's on purpose.

Right now, they're just friends. They're building bonds of trust and camaraderie. That's all I intended to happen here, and it's all that happened. Leave it at that for now and enjoy it for what it is. What will happen will happen in time. I've already planned this story from start to finish almost.


/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

Jaune Arc

Level 24 (+1)

Blacksmith

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Str: 61 (+4) (A)

Con: 49 (+2) (B)

Dex: 14 (+0) (D)

Agi: 23 (+1) (C)

Int: 30 (+2) (C)

Wis: 39 (+2) (B)

Cha: 12 (+0) (D)

Res: 61 (+5) (A)

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Passive Skill

-Fire from the Forge-

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

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Known Active Skills

-Stoke the Forge-

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

-Quench-

Rapidly cool metal-based material to achieve a hardening effect during the forging process. Quench can only be used in metallurgy, as opposed to Stoke the Forge, which can generate heat in the hand irrespective of what it is then used on.

-Runesmithing-

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Next Chapter: 26th June

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