New book begins. As mentioned in other fics, I've added an FAQ to my profile to answer some common questions I receive. I'm just trying to draw attention to it to cut down on the PM questions I get which often ask the same questions.


Beta: College Fool

Cover Art: Dishwasher1910

Book 8: Chapter 1


The hammer fell.

The metal jumped on the anvil, held down by my hand on the tang. Again and again the hammer struck, drawing the metal from a single billet into a flat blade, until it began to cool and was gripped again between my hands, bringing life in bright orange hues once more. And then it would be laid flat and struck over and over, turned on its back and side to bevel the edges and create a sharper edge.

I didn't need the hammer with my Passive, or the anvil or the coals, but there was a certain calmness in using them, nonetheless. Something that reminded me of home, and a chore I'd once despised, working with my father on horseshoes, hinges and nails.

Oil bubbled as the short sword was dunked into it and held in place. When it came out, I held it straight out before my face, inspecting the metal to make sure it was straight. A slight kink in the middle was bent back while the material was still soft. Happy that the blade was true, I dunked it into a wooden barrel filled with water. It hissed and spat angrily, shooting hot water out the edges and onto the floor.

Drawing the weapon out, I inspected it, turning it from side to side.

"Um. It looks nice?"

I glanced over at Ruby, who had been watching for the last half an hour. The Reaper sat atop a barrel, her legs dangling off the edge and her face in her hands, elbows balanced on her knees. She'd appeared without warning and taken to watching me forge without a word.

"It's not very sharp though, is it?" Ruby sounded like she was trying to find a nicer way to say it. "How is that supposed to hurt anyone?"

I held the sword before me and concentrated. Normally, a weapon straight out of the forge would still be rough and covered in slag. It needed to be filed down to reveal the metal within, and to have a cutting edge. Right now, it looked like a hunk of metal more suited to be used as a club.

Eyes flashing, I brought my Engraving forth and cut the edges away, engraving straight into the metal itself. Rather than a pretty pattern, I engraved a sword from the rough material.

Metal fell away in peeled strips and sparks, revealing a beautiful – if functional and plain – sword. The edge was razor sharp, far more than what most Blacksmiths could manage. After all, they needed to rely on files to get what they wanted. I had my Skills.

"Wow!" Wide-eyed, Ruby leaned forward. "That was so coooool."

I tossed the sword onto a pile of other swords with a laugh.

"Thanks. And yes, they always look that rough until you sharpen them. Did you want me for something?"

"Nope. I wanted to come watch you make stuff." Ruby hopped off the barrel and came towards the pile of weapons, looking to me briefly for permission. When I nodded, she picked up one of them by the tang and swished it back and forth. "No one's ever seen you make stuff before. It's kinda cool."

"I'll take your word for it," I said, reaching for another bar. "Growing up with this, you get used to it."

"Hm. I guess." Ruby swung a little too hard and yelped, cutting herself not on the blade but the tang itself. It was still roughly hewn and quite jagged. "These things need hilts."

"Yeah. I can do those if I have to, but not with my Skills. I just know how to fit them. You'd want a Carpenter to make a really good one, maybe even a Leatherworker. Depends how ornamental you want to go."

Sucking on her finger, Ruby gently laid the sword she'd been playing with back down on the pile and peeked over my shoulder as I rotated the bar in hand, inspecting it. "Why are you making all these weapons, anyway? Wait. Don't tell me you're going to try and use all of these at once!"

"Huh? No." I laughed. "But that would be pretty impressive if I could. Would definitely give new meaning to the Swordmaster Class."

"Then why? You're making enough to equip a small army."

"Boredom mostly." I put the bar down with a sigh. "Smithing is relaxing for me. Not sure why, since I was so eager to escape a life of doing it, but it feels nice. Right."

"You're not going to retire on us, are you?"

"Ha. No. This is just me keeping my mind busy."

Because if it wasn't, I started to get itchy. I'd never been a patient person and the waiting over Raven and Salem was getting to me. No. That was what I told myself, but I knew it wasn't true. After a week of constant fighting and levelling, this week off was the worst I'd ever been through. I was in some form of cold turkey or Exp withdrawal, my hands shaking if I couldn't do something – anything – that would grant me Exp.

I could see just how Raven's methods kept the Greycloaks loyal, or at least made it so that they couldn't go back to normal civilisation. Even with my Resilience muting the worst effects, I still felt the hunger. Not enough to want to kill my friends as Raven suggested, but enough that sitting around doing nothing made me physically sick.

How bad was it for those who had pledged their loyalty to Raven, who had been through this for months or even years?

No. I wouldn't feel sympathy for them. They made their choices.

"I know what you mean," Ruby said, slumping. "The Emerald Forest doesn't even do anything for us anymore, and there's still no news on Raven." Her head perked up. "Unless Ozpin has told you anything?"

"Nothing."

She slumped again.

"Sorry. I'll tell you guys the moment he does, but I don't think even he has decided yet. He knows something has to be done; we all do. It's just that no one is sure how to do it. I'll be going to see him later. I'll ask."

"You have a meeting with Ozpin?"

"Something like that. He's letting me take another look in the Vault."

"Picking out a new weapon?"

"Probably." Crocea Mors had been lost again in Raven's stronghold. How many times did that make it? My Swordmaster Passive would have been useless by now if my Blacksmithing didn't let me recreate the blade perfectly every time. Although, I had to wonder if it really was the same weapon – being made of completely different material each time.

Close enough for my Passive to accept it as the same, apparently.

"I'll also be taking a look at all the Runes in there." Seeing the excitement on Ruby's face, I added, "Yes, I'll keep an eye out for any that would work on Crescent Rose."

"Thank you!"

"Are you sure you don't want another weapon, though? Everyone else has already gotten an upgrade from me." I'd offered the service a few days back, and while everyone had initially been reluctant – not wanting it to seem like they were taking me for granted – they'd caved when I patiently explained that I wanted to help them, and that I'd hate myself if they got hurt because they were under-equipped when I could do something about it.

It felt good to use my Skills openly for once, and to use them to help everyone so directly. It also helped that they loved their new weapons, which were far stronger than any normal Blacksmith could make.

But Ruby had refused. Politely, but incessantly.

"No. I'm happy with my baby."

"I could just change your baby's blade?" I offered.

"Nope."

"It would feel the same."

"I'd notice the difference. Crescent Rose is fine. Perfect."

"Alright, alright. It was just an offer." I picked up one of the completed swords and touched my fingers to the blade. "You might want to take a step back by the way."

"Why?" Ruby asked, following the instructions just in case.

In answer, I etched the Rune I'd put on Raven's weapon onto the sword in my hand. The image took shape quickly, recreated from memory without a single fault. Nothing happened as I engraved it into the metal, but when I touched my fingers to it to activate the Rune, it flashed blue.

The sword cracked, splintered and then exploded in my hand.

I'd been expecting it, so I'd angled the sword away and turned my head slightly, deflecting all the shrapnel down and away from me. It pinged violently off the floor, the Lodge's walls and the forge itself, some chunks splashing into the water barrels and more impacting the wood with a dull thunk and becoming stuck there.

Ruby, who had ducked behind her barrel the instant the sword cracked, stood up and waved her arms wildly. "Jaune! Are you okay!?"

"I'm fine." I tossed the ruined weapon aside with a sigh. Another failure; not that I'd expected it to change suddenly, but this marked the fifth one. One hundred per cent in other terms. I just couldn't put the Rune, which I'd come to call `Salem's Rune` onto any weapon.

Except Raven's, that was.

"It must be something about the Star Metal. Maybe this material isn't strong enough…"

"Maybe? Try definitely." Ruby huffed. "How many weapons have you exploded out here?" For the first time, she looked around and understood why some of the metal shards littered across the floor were so large. "Jaune!"

"Only a few. Four or five."

She raised an eyebrow.

"Today…"

"Ugh. And Yang calls me persistent. Did you not think that when it failed the first three times, you don't need to repeat the experiment another twenty?"

"I wanted to make sure. You could flip heads three times on a coin. That doesn't make tails impossible."

"I think `exploding weapons` are a bit bigger than a coin flip."

"Probably. This isn't the first time weapons have done this," I admitted, picking up another. Ruby stepped back nervously. "Even if I put a normal Rune on it like this…" I engraved a Minor Rune of Constitution onto the sword with no consequences. Ruby relaxed. "if I add a second…"

Ruby dove for cover as the sword shone blue and began to warp in my hand.

Shards pelted her barrel, hitting it so hard that water began to pool out across the floor and drain into the nearby forest. Only when it was clear did she poke her head back out. "How long have you been blowing up weapons for?"

"Last two or three days. Why?"

"Oh, nothing. Just realising why our neighbours have been giving us dirty looks."

Oops. I hadn't thought about that. Well, at least I'd stopped working at night after Nora stomped out in her nightgown and threatened to shove the forge up my ass. "Sorry. Sometimes I forget that I don't have to hide what I'm doing anymore. I used to rent a small forge in Vale."

"It's fine. Just… maybe less dangerous experiments?"

"I'll try. I wanted to figure out what the Rune Raven wanted does. My Runesight said `Contain`, but that's too vague."

"Maybe it contains Salem."

"That would be the obvious answer, but if that were true then the Temple in Vacuo would have contained her. Or my amulet. I think there's something more to it. Maybe it does something else, or maybe it's part of a set of Runes."

"Can't you try it on that Star Metal you stole?" Ruby asked, pointing to my neck.

I touched the pendant Blake and I shared, mine distorted into an unnaturally bright silver colour thanks to the Star Metal I'd wrapped and folded around it. The locked still opened but was far heavier than it had been before.

"There's only enough for a knife. And if the Rune fails…"

"It'll be ruined like these ones," Ruby finished, looking over the floor. "You can't risk the only Star Metal we have. That sucks. The only one who would be able to use it is Blake, too."

"Or Yang," I said, shrugging. "Her dusters are small enough." There wasn't enough for me to make an actual sword out of it, let alone a hammer for Nora. If I had Raven's sword it would be another matter, but the only way I'd get that was to pry it out of her cold, dead fingers.

"Blake would be better," Ruby said softly. "She's a higher level."

"Still sixty or seventy below Raven."

"We all are. Even the strongest Heroes in the world are twenty or thirty below her…"

And that was the problem, wasn't it? We knew exactly where Raven was, exactly what her plan was and exactly why we needed to stop her.

It was just that we couldn't.

/-/

"I would again like to apologise for being late," Ozpin said, leading me down into Beacon's Vault. "I hope you did not have to wait too long."

A full hour in truth, but I shook my head anyway. "It's fine. You must be busy."

"That does not begin to describe my workload at the moment. Sadly, things are unlikely to improve in the coming days."

"Anything you can tell me?"

"Limited amounts." Ozpin admitted. "The King is trying to keep peace and order, but the Royal Court is in uproar, not to mention the citizens out in Vale. There was not a single person who did not see Salem, and that's to say nothing of Raven's senseless massacre. The Greycloaks have now officially been outed and I hear there are hunts in the streets. The Guards have had to step in numerous times to prevent potentially innocent men and women being lynched. I dread to imagine how many they haven't gotten to in time."

"It's gotten that bad?" I hadn't been out in Vale since Raven's attack, and movement into the city was limited. Beacon was not in lockdown, but it was close. You had to apply for a permit to go into Vale, and that would only be granted for exceptional circumstances.

"People are afraid, Mr Arc. And rightfully so. Fear makes monsters of good men, or so the saying goes."

Ozpin trailed off as we reached the giant doors of the Vault, as tall and imposing as I remembered. The treasures that lay within, donated by students of the past, would be worth millions of lien in total. As Ozpin opened the doors using whatever spell or magic required, the torches within swiftly came to life, illuminating the circular room filled with powerful armour, weaponry and other equipment.

"For the loss of your weapon, you may take a new one of your choice. I understand you will melt it down and forge a new sword to your liking, so you have more freedom than many in selection. I'm afraid I cannot let you take more, but you are free to use this Runesight of yours." Ozpin provided a leather-bound book filled with yellowing pages. "This is what Oobleck has been able to find on Runes in the library. There are several blank pages towards the end. You may copy whatever you find here down into it."

"Thanks." I took the book and skimmed through it. Depictions of shapes in charcoal filled it, with each page dedicated to a single Rune, and then row on row of text beneath on what Oobleck had been able to discover about it. The Alchemist's handwriting was unnaturally meticulous, perfectly legible and evenly spaced. "He must have put a lot of effort into this."

"The situation calls for it. Remnant is at a crossroads, and though I know not what part yours is to play in this, I believe it will be an important one."

"I want to say you're wrong, but I can't…" I sighed and closed the book. "I always wanted to be a Hero, but not like this. Not if it puts the whole world in danger."

"Take solace in the fact this is none of your doing, then. Even had you not existed, Raven would have continued with this folly, albeit without her new weapon. She may even have summoned Salem sooner. Your being here might have bought us these last few months as she determined how best to acquire you and your services." Ozpin paused. "Speaking of, how are you doing? There have not been any lingering consequences from her treatment?"

"The hunger is still there. I feel it clawing at the back of my mind. My Resilience is enough to keep me from acting on it, but I still feel it…"

"I'm not surprised. Many have theorised that addiction is a reaction of the body and not the brain. Chemicals sent to it would be physiological in nature. If it helps, you are not the first to discover this, or to feel its effects."

I winced. "Raven?"

"Not her. Other students both in the past and present. It's not normally as bad as yours, and that is because of how Raven intensified the process, but there are many students who come to relish the sensation of growing stronger and whom seek out increasingly more dangerous challenges in an effort to feel it again. It's more noticeable in the older students," he explained. "Those who have grown the most, and yet suddenly find it harder and harder to gain more Exp."

"Here at Beacon, we try our hardest to teach you all how to live your lives as Heroes," he went on. "It can be an enjoyable experience for all, but it is not without pitfalls. More than any other Caste, Heroes seek strength. You know yourself that many within the Labour Caste do not grow stronger than Level Twenty. The Soldier Caste, unless a war breaks out, rarely grows above Level fifty. Nobles may make it to the same Level or a little higher, but all of this is over a lifetime of work."

"And we make it to that level by the time we're finished in Beacon," I said. "Four years."

"Yes. It is a much more intensive amount of growth for you all, and there are consequences – both physical and mental. Would that we lived in a world where such was not necessary."

"What side effects are there?"

"Arrogance, overconfidence, a lust for battle. For many, it manifests as an inability to stay still and a desire – even an obsession – to find enemies to fight. It's said that the greatest loss of Hero life comes not before they have graduated, but after. Free from Beacon and far from what aid we might offer, graduates bite off more than they can chew. We have courses on this closer to graduation, essentially therapy disguised as lessons to warn students of the danger before they go out into the wider world." Ozpin sighed. "It does not always work."

Well, if that wasn't worrying. Come to think of it, hadn't I seen the same in not just me, but everyone else in the Guild? Ruby would take more risks than were necessary on Quests, while Yang threw herself into danger at the drop of a hat. Even Nora and Pyrrha weren't immune to voicing their displeasure at how the Grimm in the Emerald Forest no longer met their standards.

The only ones who were immune were Ren, thanks to his Passive, and Blake, likely because she'd been through all of it earlier in her life. Despite all our adventures, I expected she hadn't gained as many levels as us. From the start of her career here, the Grimm in the forest had meant little.

"Does it wear off?" I asked.

"Yes. Absolutely. It takes a little time, of course, but the body's ability to adapt is second to none. Summer and Qrow were badly effected by this themselves, but you no doubt saw how he got over it."

"Qrow was?"

"Hm. Very. He was always a rogue and a troublemaker." Ozpin wore a nostalgic smile as he thought of his old friend and student. "I worried for him, I really did, but he found other reasons to live his life. Particularly Ruby and Yang."

"And Summer…?"

"I had thought her over it," Ozpin said softly. "I cannot say for sure. Summer was a woman addicted to the concept of the Hero. The perfect Hero." He pushed off the wall and shook his head. "Forgive me, Mr Arc, but I do not wish to speak ill of the fallen. Can you try your Runesight for me? I would be interested in hearing what you can see."

I saw the attempt to change the topic for what it was and activated my Runesight. Though nothing immediately changed, colours did become a little more muted. It was like looking through a thin piece of dark fabric; I could see everything just as clearly as before, but with slightly less clarity.

The Runes, however. Oh, how they shone.

"T-The Vault is practically glowing," I said, shielding my eyes as I tried to get used to it. "There's ao many Runes in here."

"Is it too strong? I could have the equipment brought to you one piece at a time."

"No, no. It's fine. It just surprised me." Squinting past the bright light, I looked again and breathed a sigh of relief at the fact it wasn't so dazzling. "That's better. As for how it looks, it's bright. It's just the Runes that shine, but some of them are brighter. Much brighter."

"More power involved?" Ozpin asked.

"Maybe. I'd need to get a closer look to know what they do. All the information is merging together in my head." It felt like I was trying to read twenty books at once, and all I was getting was a jumble of words and understanding that left my head pounding. "I'm sorry to ask, sir, but could you…?"

Ozpin nodded and moved over to a spear. He picked it up and brought it back, holding it flat in his hands with the blade before me. "I expect it will be easier if you can only see one Rune," he said. "Skills often come with an instinctual understanding on how to use them, but their benefits and flaws are something we must discover on our own."

"You're telling me. I have an entire Class like that. I'm a Swordmaster with Skills that don't make sense."

Ozpin chuckled. "I suppose you are correct."

I held my hands up like shields on either side of my eyes, blocking out all the other Runes from my peripheral vision. In the end, I had to lean even closer to the spear to make sure it was the only Rune I could see, but when I did, the meaning of the Rune became startlingly clear.

"Rupture. Bleed. Puncture."

"Some kind of enhancement to its thrusting capabilities? Or perhaps an effect that increases the bleeding left behind – or the size of the wound."

"That's what I'm getting."

"Fascinating." Ozpin sounded almost excited. "If only this business with Raven could be ignored; I would personally love to categorise every Rune in Remnant. I'm sure Oobleck would be behind us on that. How does the understanding come to you? Is it in writing like our Classes and names?"

"Not quite," I said, jotting the Rune down into the booklet. "It's more… you know when you see some writing on a sign and you read it without thinking? It's kind of like that. It's just that I can suddenly read it, but I have no idea how I'm reading it."

"I see."

We repeated the process for a host of new weapons, armour and more, taking down the Runes whenever they came. Many were unusual or highly specific, the Gods of Randomness leaving weapons with bizarre effects from Dungeons or Grimm. Some, like the Cold Steel Rune I'd taken from my previous armour – taken now by Raven – had elemental effects. Some were stat-boosting.

The more useful ones to me were the ones that offered survivability. While elemental attacks were nice and all, it wasn't like the Greycloaks were any more susceptible to flaming attacks than they were, say, having their heads cut off. If Pyrrha's sword connected with your throat, it didn't matter if it fired out electricity or chocolate pudding. Enhancing her to be faster or stronger would give her a better shot at making that connection.

Ozpin assisted both in bringing the equipment to me and also added his own thoughts at times, having me speak out loud whatever I discovered and then adding his own input. It was often better than mine, Ozpin seeing connections I often could not.

"It seems to me certain Runes for statistics cannot be placed on the same piece of equipment. For instance, Strength and Constitution are considered linked Stats, as are Agility and Dexterity, because one works against the other. Those two Stats are never boosted on the same item."

"I can't combine any Runes at all," I said. "Even if I worked around that and did Strength and Wisdom, it still explodes."

"A limitation of your own, perhaps? It may be that your Runesmithing is not advanced enough."

"Maybe. Not sure what good it does me."

"Could you cut out the Runes and apply ten to a single piece of equipment?" Ozpin asked. "The Runes would not be yours, and so could work."

"Do you have a weapon you don't mind exploding?" I shook my head before he could offer. "But no. I've tried that. It feels like I'm held back in some way; like I can only do this and no more. Maybe it is a limitation. If I could put as many Runes on something as I liked, I could be the strongest person in history."

"At least when dressed in full armour and able to fight back, Mr Arc. Everyone has to sleep sooner or later."

"Yeah." I sketched the final Rune into the book and snapped it shut. "I think I've got enough to work on, sir. These Runes… they're powerful and varied, but… well, I'm not sure what I was looking for, but I feel like I haven't found it."

"Hmm. What were you looking for?"

"An answer to Salem…"

"Wishful thinking, I'm afraid. If someone were to find a weapon with so specific a Rune, they would likely consider it a mundane weapon. It's easier to see the value in weapon or equipment with more tangible benefits. These were donated here specifically because they were considered of great value. The effects are often flashy and dangerous."

Whereas a Rune specified for Salem would only work if it was used on Salem; something that very few people had an opportunity to try and survive. Those weapons, if they existed, would have felt like duds to their wielders. Likely, they'd been thrown away or sold.

"If nothing else, I'll be able to bolster everyone's equipment. I guess it's not a complete waste."

"Knowledge is rarely wasted. Have you selected a weapon for yourself?"

"This," I said, hoisting a huge two-handed sword in one hand. It was as big as I was.

Ozpin rolled his eyes. "And how many weapons will that be broken down into, I wonder? No matter. What you do with it is your choice."

He'd hit the nail on the head there. I'd chosen the weapon with the biggest mass I could find for the very purpose of smelting it down and forging Crocea Mors from the remains. What material was left over, I could use to make some other tools for the rest of the Guild. Nothing big, but a few extra blades, maybe enough to outfit Blake, Ren and, if I was lucky, Pyrrha with new weapons. I'd have offered the same to Weiss, but much like Ruby, she refused to accept a new weapon.

At least with her, I knew the reasons. Myrtenaster was all she had left of her father, Winter being in possession of its sister-blade.

"I might be able to get even more Exp and Skills if I was able to smelt all of the equipment here down," I pointed out, staring a little hungrily at the weapons and armour.

"I'm afraid I cannot allow that."

"Is the Vault so important? I thought we were pulling out all the stops to beat Raven."

"We are, Mr Arc. The Vault and its contents may well be the last line of defence in the event that our efforts to stop Raven fail. If that happens, and if Raven is unable to defeat Salem, then she will become a presence in our world. With her powers and the Grimm at her disposal, she may well seek to attack Vale. If that happens, the people here will need these weapons. For what little difference it will make…"

"That's… a little morbid."

"We must be realistic, Mr Arc," Ozpin said, turning and leading me out of the Vault. "While I will do all I can to stop Raven, I have a responsibility to the students at Beacon and the people of Vale. Contingency plans must be made. We must prepare for the worst-case scenario, even as we strive for the best."

"Can Vale fight off a siege?"

"A human siege, yes. With Salem? I have no idea." Ozpin hesitated. "I should say, Mr Arc, that there is a good chance you will be asked to take part in whatever strike we plan on the Mirage Isles."

"Me? Ozpin, I know I'm a high level for a student, but that's for a student. There have to be Heroes far stronger than me."

"There are many, but I fear that strength alone will be meaningless against Raven. The Greycloaks at her fortress will be their most formidable, all at the level of Arthur Watts or even stronger. Worse, if we do as she wishes and attack en masse, we advertise our presence and allow her a chance to prepare her defences, or worse, flee."

"Then send a smaller force to sneak in," I said, "But not us. We can't do this."

"There is one thing you can do, Mr Arc."

I swallowed. "Her sword. You want me to destroy her sword."

"All it would take from you is a single blow of your Swordmaster Class and Raven would lose the greatest tool she has. A weapon may not make the Hero, but the one you forged seems integral to her plan of dealing with Salem. If it is destroyed, she may be forced to abandon her plan."

Meaning that we'd win even if Raven wasn't slain and the Greycloaks weren't removed entirely. At the cost of everyone who went on the Quest.

"I feel like you're sending us on a suicide mission, Ozpin…"

"Would you have me lie to you?" When I didn't answer, he continued. "I have not decided anything yet, but every action must be considered. That is why I wanted to warn you now. If I make the decision to send you along, it is unlikely that your Guild would accept not being sent with you."

"And since if you go with the `sneaking in` option, you want as few people as possible, it might mean we're sent in alone."

"Yes."

"That… I…" My words died as I tried to fight back the gnawing feeling in my stomach. Not fear, but a defeatist acceptance that my life was as good as over. I couldn't beat Raven. None of the Guild could, and we might even fail if we fought together. On the other hand, who could?

"if this decision is made then facing Raven would not be your responsibility," Ozpin said. "Salem is a threat to all of Remnant, and so we would have allies. Ironwood is already working on a signal of sort, an artefact you could place down to allow him a connection to open a portal."

"Summoning reinforcements directly into the Mirage Isles," I realised, hope clawing its way to the fore.

"Indeed. It would be absolute folly for me to send you there alone and expect you and your Guild to face Raven and the Greycloaks. If it happened, your job would be to sneak in and place the signal, then to aid in destroying Raven's weapon." Ozpin turned away. "Of course, there's just as much a chance you won't be sent at all. You can be brought in through the portal just as easily as anyone else. You may be kept back until the second wave. I just wanted you to know in advance the part you might be asked to play." He looked back. "You may tell your Guild if you wish. Our plans are no secret, not even to Raven at this point."

"Be honest with me, Ozpin. How likely is this suicidal Quest to be issued?"

The Sage didn't respond for a few seconds; a silence which filled me with no small amount of dread. When he did finally speak, it was not the words I wanted to hear.

"There are some who see stopping Raven as an impossible task. It is not just her levels, but her fortified position and her Passive. It would take a great cost in terms of life to force the Greycloaks off the Mirage isles, and even then, she would inevitably escape. And if she does, who is to say Salem will not be summoned time and time again? Some are arguing that our better odds are with allowing Raven to face Salem and, win or lose, defending our own lands from incursion. We have dealt with Grimm for thousands of years."

"That's stupid. Salem isn't just some Grimm."

"I know that, Mr Arc. You know it. Your Guild knows it and Archmage Ironwood knows it. But we do not make the decisions for every single person in our respective Kingdoms. There are others whose voices must be heard."

"And they think we can, what, just beat Salem back? Kill her?"

"They believe that we would have a better chance of this than storming a defensible island manned by the most powerful woman alive, who right now has an army at her beck and call and the means to instantaneously travel to another Kingdom at the drop of a hat."

Put like that, the odds really did seem against us. I bit my lip.

"But," Ozpin said, "If Raven's weapon could be dealt with – if it would cause her to hesitate and not summon Salem, then we could call that a victory in itself."

"And if the only Blacksmith capable of making said weapon were to die in the act of removing it, there'd be no one alive who could make it." I fired back. "Convenient that both can happen at the same time."

Ozpin stood still. "I would not accept such a resolution."

"But I bet others have suggested it. Tell me they haven't. Look me in the eye and tell me people aren't suggesting that Raven will never be dealt with unless I'm dead first."

The headmaster's shoulders dropped. "I cannot. It has been said…"

"Gods…" I hissed, stepping back. The intense urge to punch the wall warred with the desire to punch Ozpin instead. "I can't believe this. Are they blaming me for being kidnapped?"

"No." Ozpin rounded on me, eyes hard. "I would never allow such, and no one would dare challenge me on it. They are simply looking at the larger picture; one that includes the very real possibility that if Raven is dealt with and she does lose her weapon, she will come back to you for another."

"And if I die, she might kidnap some other Blacksmith and put him through hell until he's the same level I am."

"Perhaps, but that would take time and there is no guarantee said Blacksmith's Path would grant them the ability to Runesmith. Either way, killing you is not an option I will accept. I have made many mistakes in my life, Mr Arc, but I swear to you now, by all the power I have, if you are sent to die, then I shall fight with you." He extended a hand and laid it on my shoulder. "Raven was my student long before she was your captor. If the responsibility for her defeat lays with anyone, it is with me."

"Even if that means Raven could kidnap me again?"

"Tell me truthfully, Mr Arc. Knowing what you do now and how all of Remnant is in peril, if Raven demanded you forge her a sword a second time, would you?"

"No."

"Even if it meant your death?"

"I'd die if Salem took over Remnant anyway. More people would die."

The only reason I'd given in was because I had no idea what her plans for it were. I'd thought it just an arrogant move by her; a desire to have a weapon stronger than any she could obtain normally. What did it matter if she was armed to the teeth? It wasn't like she could end the world single-handedly.

Oh, poor naïve me…

"If I could go back in time, I wouldn't have made it. Even if it cost both me and Lisa our lives. I'd let Raven kill me herself. Or I'd force her to kill me."

"Then you have your answer. To me, it matters not if you continue to live because I trust that your courage alone will prevent Raven from obtaining a second blade."

Understanding brought its own calm. Not relief; not considering the danger, but a certain calm that felt more like resignation. "Thank you for the trust, headmaster. And for the honesty." I smiled bitterly. "It means a lot that you're telling me this now and not springing it on us."

"Right now, that is all I can do. Whether or not you are sent to place the signal, you will be expected to be there when the fight begins. If you can destroy Raven's sword, that will be enough to avert this catastrophe. You would be no real aid in the fight, I'm afraid. No offence meant. As such, you could retreat back through the portal the moment that is done."

Should you survive the moment, he didn't add. Raven would defend herself, and, if I succeeded, she would make me pay for it. Still, I was the only person who could do this. Others could fight her, but if that sword as key to Raven's plan for Salem as her actions suggested, then it had to go. It might even be enough to give others a chance to kill her. She had used her sword both times for opening portals. Just how my Swordmaster Skills were tied to me using a sword, and Ruby's for using a Scythe, Raven might be similarly limited.

Whatever the case, that only made my involvement, and thus the Guild's, more likely.

Even if it wasn't, what would that change? If Salem marched here at the head of a horde of Grimm, I'd be forced to fight against that. Salem wanted me dead specifically. I was no longer the idle curiosity she could watch struggle against a desire and eventually die to it. Now, I was a threat to be dealt with. A loose end to be tied up.

If I could choose my end, would it rather be at the hands of a demon who delighted in suffering, physical and mental, or the blade of a Knight? The answer was an easy one, even if neither was palatable. I'm the one who wanted to be a Hero. Even if Salem didn't get it her way, it looks like I'll have the chance to die as one.

"I will call you again if any decision is made," Ozpin said, aware that my thoughts were scattered, and I needed time to think. "Don't think on my warnings as proof that your life is forfeit. You would be needed to outfit the defence should Salem be summoned and march on Vale. More, Salem fears your potential, making you the only solution we have to her rise. The King and the Royal Court know this. Your life is too valuable to throw away."

"I understand. Thank you, Ozpin. For letting me know…"

/-/

"Are they fucking insane?" Yang slammed a fist on the table. "I want to kill Raven more than anyone here, but I'm not stupid enough to think I can actually do it. Jaune's right; this is a Suicide Quest. They're trying to cut Raven's power off with as few losses as possible – us." Yang growled and turned on me. "And if you say `Only I have to do it`, I'll feed this cushion to you."

I had to laugh, though I still held my hands up for protection. "I wasn't going to."

"Good. We do stuff together. That's how a Guild works."

"No one is suggesting we be split up for this," Weiss said. "Or I should hope not. Ozpin's plan, though. While I dislike the risk it places on us, it is the safest manner in which I can think of dealing with Raven. Short of sinking the Mirage Isles entirely."

"She'd just portal out," Ren said. "And take the sword with her."

"Sneaking in to the Mirage Isles wouldn't be difficult," Blake said. "If our job would just be to place a signal beacon and then guard Jaune until he has a chance to break Raven's sword, it shouldn't be an impossible task."

"What do we know of the Mirage Isles?" Pyrrha asked. I listened in, having only seen it from the point of view of a basement, a forge and several corridors.

"The Mirage Isles is – or was, I suppose – a den of thieves and pirates," Blake said. "It was an island town set on a tall landmass with a floating dock that would rise and fall with the tide. The denizens made a name for themselves by raiding trade routes across Remnant. Essentially, it was a haven and supply point for pirates."

"And no one tried to clear them out?" Ruby asked.

"Mistral and Atlas did. More than once. The problem was not so much defeating the pirates on land but approaching by sea. Naval battles were their speciality, after all, and almost every pirate on Remnant would defend it if needed. Atlas ships were harried and ambushed en route, forced to retreat before they could bring their spells to bear. Mistral's fleet was fought back through force of arms. The locals would also defend the Isles."

Nora looked confused. "It's a town, then?"

"Almost a city. It probably still is. The Greycloaks need food, wood, cooks, builders, craftsmen and all the other aspects of civilised life. Someone has to provide all that for them, which means they need a stable base to rule over." Blake looked my way. "Jaune never saw it, but I doubt the cloaks were crafted by dedicated fighters, or that the bread was milled and baked by them."

A community on the Mirage Isles would provide some cover for those sneaking in, especially if they disguised themselves as pirates. "Is Pirate a Class?" I asked.

"No. Piracy is a career choice, the same as banditry. Naturally, Soldier and Hero Classes would be better at it, but no one would raise an eyebrow at a group like ours disguising ourselves as pirates. That's almost certainly Ozpin's plan whomever he ends up sending."

Hire a ship, disguise the crew and sail in uncontested. Then place the signal and open a portal back to Vale. It was disgustingly straight-forward, but then, that was the easiest aspect of the plan. Dealing with Raven was the real trick.

"There's one thing I don't get," Ruby said. "Why would pirates decide to summon Salem and doom the world? Why bother?"

"They wouldn't." Blake said. "The Greycloaks took over; killed those in charge and forced the rest into servitude or death. The old Mirage Isles are no more. The Greycloaks rule now."

Pyrrha asked the question on all our minds. "How do you know so much about the Mirage Isles?"

It was Weiss who answered.

"Because she lived there."

Shocked, I looked at Blake, waiting for her denial. There was none. The others displayed various amounts of surprise themselves, looking at the Assassin in a new light.

"Isn't it obvious?" Weiss huffed. "As far back as our trip to Atlas, she displayed ridiculous ease acclimatising to life on the sea. I thought it merely good balance due to her Class, but she was familiar with the rigging and terminology used on the ship itself, along with ship-to-ship combat against the pirates we faced there. All evidence of a life as a pirate."

Blake didn't deny it.

"Is that why you're such a high level?" Ruby asked quietly, fearfully. "Did you…?"

"No. No, it's not. The Mirage Isles fell when I was seven. I… I was too young to ever engage in piracy actively. I had ridden on a few of the ships, seen some action – but I never participated. No one would willingly take a child on a journey likely to see armed combat. Certainly not my parents."

Ruby, along with the rest of us, relaxed. I'd known Blake had a difficult past, but murder on the open seas would have worried me.

"Your parents were pirates, then?" Ren asked.

"They were. Not as you might imagine them. They were involved more in organisation and administration." Blake chuckled. "Yes, those are needed, even among pirates. By the time I was born, they were mostly retired."

"And then the Greycloaks attacked?"

"They weren't the Greycloaks back then. I'd have recognised them a whole lot earlier if they had been, and I could have – would have – told Ozpin all of this already. At the time, it was just seen as a coup. They didn't wear cloaks at all, and I didn't see much of it. Just an armed force tearing through the Mirage Isle's defences like none had before and my parents trying to get me to safety. Traitors helped them from within, no doubt promised riches, wishes or power. I saw…" Blake took a deep breath. "I saw some of the attackers, but Raven wasn't among them, or I just didn't see her. I saw others who were just as powerful. The Isles didn't stand a chance."

"How did you survive?" Weiss asked.

"Easily. Who cared for a young child in the middle of the Mirage Isles? The Greycloaks, or just the rogue pirates back then, took over. They didn't kill the regular people and quickly imposed rule. It was a simple task to hide among the populace and escape when I could."

"And they didn't reveal themselves as Greycloaks?"

Blake shook her head. "The first I heard of Greycloaks was when you and Ruby were attacked on your Quest. Before that, never. We all just assumed it was a couple of crews joining together to try and take control. It wasn't unheard of. There were… accords to keep, but pirates are criminals at the end of the day." She shrugged. "Murder, theft and arson weren't exactly uncommon back then, especially not between rival captains. I promise that I didn't know a thing about the Greycloaks. I'd have never kept that hidden."

"I believe you," I said. I looked around and saw nods from everyone. "We all believe you."

"It's not unreasonable that they wouldn't reveal their true intent at that time," Weiss said. "They would need time to recover and gather resources, not to mention to scour Remnant for knowledge of Salem and how to summon her. That would be easier if they continued to pose as pirates. If we think about it, the Greycloaks only really revealed themselves when we joined Beacon. Certainly not ten or twelve years ago, if that's when the Mirage Isles fell."

The logic won Blake over, who relaxed and nodded. "The date is accurate. Give or take. I managed to get off the island when I was fourteen. At the time, they were still just seen as occupiers. The people who lived there carried on as normal. Not much changed. Pirates still docked and commerce flowed."

"Maintaining their income and masking their actions."

"Pirates would also be a good way to source new recruits," I pointed out. "Raven likes those who fight."

"They're still active," Pyrrha said. "I heard of pirate raids before I left Mistral. It would also explain how the Greycloaks were so easily able to attack those ships in the strait, and to ambush and destroy Mistral's ships and frame Vale for it."

It explained a lot really, including just why they'd been so hard to find. For Raven, who could portal out at the first sign of danger, an isolated island would make an ideal stronghold. She'd be able to see the enemy coming the moment they crested the horizon.

"Could you get us onto the Isles if it came to it?" Yang asked Blake.

"Yes. Probably. I have no sway there, obviously, but I know the pirate codes. How to act like one and signal allegiance to other ships. As long as the ship was made to look like a pirate's ship, I would be able to navigate to and land on the Isles."

"And I'm guessing you've told Ozpin this…"

"I have."

"Which means that now there are two people perfectly suited to this Quest," Yang groaned. "Wonderful. I guess I'll go practice my pirate accent tonight, yeah? How's this? Argh. Shiver me timbers! Bottle o' rum and walk the plank."

"Do that and we'll be filled with arrows before you can move." Blake rolled her eyes. "I was a pirate's child, Yang. They speak like me."

"Eh. That's boring."

"Tch. Thanks…"

"Hey, hey. That's not what I meant!"

Blake turned away and crossed her arms. I could see the small curl to her lips, but Yang could not and quickly followed, trying to apologise. I watched with the rest, biting back my laughter as Blake milked Yang's apology for all it was worth.

I trusted Blake, as did everyone else, but I knew there was more to the story than she'd told us. She hadn't reached her high level by hiding away in some abandoned house and slipping onto a boat off the Isles, and she hadn't explained just why or what she spent seven full years on the Mirage Isles doing. I didn't have the guts to ask, nor to break the happy mood.

How she'd earned the accolade of `kinslayer`.

"Did you find anything from Ozpin about the Runes?" Weiss asked.

It was a question I was happy to let distract me.


Reading through criticisms isn't always fun, but it's good for seeing areas to improve. Looking at comments on the past book or two, one appears to be a lack of development for characters other than Jaune. Expected in a first-person story about Jaune, but still a fair criticism.

I've decided to slow down this book a little as a result. Not massively, not to the point of filler, but to offer a little more time and space for other characters to get some development. That may mean a couple of chapters until the main adventure of this book starts, but that's probably a good thing.

I've been jumping into the main Quest a little too fast in the recent books, basically making plans that "get into it" as quickly as possible to avoid any slow pacing (which in turn plagued some of my first stories). I think I probably went too far, however. Early on in Forged Destiny, there were chapters where the characters spent time interacting, learning and doing things that didn't always revolve around "solve imminent crisis". I think that over time things sped up and the characters ended up so focused on the task at hand that they never deviated from it.

Tl;dr – Expect a slightly longer intro before we jump into things; one where the other characters get some more focus. Won't be obscenely long by any means.


Next Chapter: 18th February

P a treon . com (slash) Coeur