"Ruby."

The young four year old girl briefly looked up towards her beloved grandma, as she was sitting comfortably on her lap.

"This vast world of Remnant is an interesting place, and it has been for a very long time. I should know, I've been around for a long time." Her grandmother gently hugged her around her middle, and the young girl happily reciprocated in kind, kicking her feet out. "It's filled with all sorts of dangerous elements. A vast majority of them posing a very severe risk towards life, and thus it's denizens are always very wary of them. But even when things were at their worst, this world and it's people never gave up. And it's because of that will, that things have somewhat made a turn for the better." Her grandmother smiled. "Did I tell you the story of 'Remnant's Rebirth'?"

"Grandma, you tell me that story lots and lots!" Ruby giggled while looking up to her. "It's one of my favorites!"

"Oh? Dear me, I'm sorry. My memory tends to get away from me." Her grandmother was kidding around and having fun of course, as she briefly nuzzled her granddaughter's head, making her laugh.

"Tell it again! Tell it again!"

"Well, if my granddaughter wills it, I can't possibly say no." Her grandmother chuckled, as the pair looked up towards the starry night sky. "Remnant's Rebirth. The event when the world's lost fantasies, legends, myths, and magic have returned in abundance after a long period of them having once been lost. An age of rebirth, which restored the world as we knew it. Creatures of all sorts soon filled the world, magics old and new began to manifest, and a vast increase of making the impossible possible. Of course, the world was more dangerous than ever because of some of these things. But at the same time, it was also better than ever. Despite all the difficulties, the world began to prosper, even more so than the old age."

"The world is more dangerous than ever, yet it's also better?" Ruby blinked.

"That is right." Her grandmother nodded quietly. "All sorts of fantasies and myths were restored to the world, and grew in abundance. Vampires, witches, werewolves. And amongst the mightiest creatures of them all: dragons." She smiled at Ruby's sparkling eyes at the list. "They say that dragons in particular no longer exist in this world, due to the conflict they've had with Knights for years. But I have a deep feeling that they aren't gone for good. As for what might facilitate their return...who knows?"

"Ooooh."

Her grandmother rubbed her chin. "Not only that, but scientific and technological advancement kept up with those times. So you have your fancy cyborgs, lasers, spaceships, scientists. Honestly, I don't really mesh with them very well, but I can understand and accept the basic needs and advantages to them. Those Scrolls sure come in handy."

"Like when we wanna call you!"

"Precisely. And thus, we live in a world where magic and science cross paths. Sometimes they're against each other, and in some cases they interact in harmony and improve one another. With both in abundance and continuing to thrive, the worlds possibilities continue to multiple and expand. It leads ro various paths of wonders and marvels. It truly makes for a quirky new world."

"Super quirky!" Ruby beamed, both of them laughing for a little bit. "...Grandma. When I grow up in a world like this...I wanna be like you."

"Who? Me?" her grandmother pointing to herself in mock surprise. "Ruby dearest, I'll be the first to admit that I'm not exactly the best choice for a role model. Are you sure that's something you want?"

"Super sure." Ruby nodded affirmatively, with her grandmother away that she's firmly made up her mind. "I wanna be like Mama, like my master, and like you."

"Goodness gracious, someone's feeling ambitious!" The woman laughed uproariously at Ruby's claim, though not for a moment did she doubt her utter sincerity to it. "I can understand wanting to be like your mother and mentor. But being like me? That might be a bit more difficult." She closed her eyes. "...Do you know what stories people tell, about a figure known as a 'Demon King'?"

"Hm?"

"They say a demon king is cruel, ambitious, and merciless. Their very presence commands authority and power, the gery title bringing their fellow demons to heel. Even Grimm. While there are many demons in the world more powerful than the Grimm, they remain the most dangerous due to their corruptive influence. And yet even they pale in comparison to a Demon King."

Ruby followed along with great interest, eyes sparkling anew and her feet kicking.

"...But I, for one, do not believe that a Demon King subscribes to any one concrete description. A Demon King can be anything they wish, no matter what the alignment or cause. There's a sense of freedom within them that they pursue their own ambitions, and it is that which gives them the will to prevail over anything. They're determined to walk the path they believe in, even if the world itself tries to block their path. Their steadfast determination is unrivaled."

"Really?"

"Really really."

Ruby twirled around lightly and looked up towards her grandmother. "Is that what you did a super long time ago, Grammy?"

Her grandmother looked at her beloved granddaughter's adoring eyes, and smiled sweetly at her. "Indeed it was, Ruby. Be it for good or for ill, I followed the path that I believed in, regardless of what the world thought of me. It lead to several things happening one after another, and eventually I was somewhat recognized as the Demon Queen for it. The way I lived as a Queen of Demons, was based around my own desires. Not in a sense of the world's perception of right or wrong, but how I followed my heart and soul, and did what I set out to do."

"Ooooh."

She lightly shook her head. "In any case, it's rather sad what connotations are connected to a Demon King. A ruler of darkness, and is usually seen as an embodiment of evil. It sows the seeds of the belief that darkness is evil and always will be, when that does not have to be the case." Salem lightly caressed the top of Ruby's head. "In malevolent hands, yes, the darkness can be a force of terror and evil. But. In more benevolent hands, from a kinder perspective...it is like a friend you've known your whole life. The one that embraces you when you slumber. You'll find refuge in the shadows when the sun begins to burn." She smiled. "All in all, our views on darkness and light are to be decided for ourselves, rather than what others believe it to be. Despite what many believe due to the actions of malevolent hearts, darkness is not inherently, innately evil. There is a certain dignity to darkness that must not be denied or suppressed."

Ruby blinked, tilting her head softly. It's kind of true. Ruby thought the stars in the sky were very pretty, but they would be really hard to see in the day. At night their beauty can display themselves a lot better than in the day. She wondered if she was already very comfortable in the dark, given that she's forgone wanting a nightlight to help her sleep. She simply wasn't afraid of the dark.

Darkness in of itself, all by itself, could not harm her. She understood this a lot sooner and a lot better than most.

And if their greatest example of darkness was that of a Demon King, then...

"Yup! Grammy, I wanna be like you!" Ruby beamed brightly towards her cherished grandmother.

"What's this? You wish to be like me? A Queen of Demons?"

"Ahuh!"

"My my, how daring and ambitious! Then again, that's exactly what I expect from my adorable granddaughter." Her grandmother lightly kissed her forehead, eliciting another smile from her. "A Demon Queen of Darkness and Roses. That sounds quite dignified indeed. You'll certainly be able to do it, Ruby."

"Mhm! I'll be the...hwwaah...greatest...and kindest...Demon Queen...ever..." Ruby yawned while lightly flickering her eyes.

"Oh dear, someone's getting sleepy." Grammy teased, which Ruby denied by drowsily pushing Salem's teasing finger from her cheek.

"Nuh-uh. I'm not...sleepy."

"Yes you are.~"

"No...I'm...not..." Ruby pouted and denied, completely succumbing to her tiredness and falling asleep despite her protests.

"Oh Ruby. You'll be walking a thorny path. But that's fine. You'll have thorns of your own to protect you. Along with other things." Grammy gently stood up and kissed Ruby's forehead again. Though this time, upon contact, a ethereal darkness briefly surrounded Ruby's body, before it tenderly merged with her shadow. It pulsed for a moment, before it subsided, her shadow returning to normal. "This should eventually help you. As you grow, it will nurture and mature alongside you...until it blossoms and blooms."

Grammy gazed towards the starry skies, with her precious granddaughter in her arms, before she turned around and headed back towards her small home in the woods with her in tow, thinking over Ruby's declaration. She had a strong feeling she was going to stick to it. Yes.

She is eager for Ruby to get started on her journey to become the greatest, kindest Demon Queen of all.


{Sixteen Years later...}

Few things made sense these days, but that was fine. The denizens of Remnant have grown accustomed to either making things make sense or just shrugging their shoulders and rolling with it. Not many people were laid back enough to do the latter, but those who do the former tend to be too rigid in their approaches for it, stunting their growth. Thus, it always helps to have multiple ways to approach certain situations, lest one feel boxed in with few ways to escape.

That's the feeling that was currently set upon by a duo known as Sky and Russel. Their track record?

"AAAAAGH!" Sky slammed against the ground while Russel was thrown against a tree. "Why won't this thing go down?!"

"I don't know, you tell me!"

Not so great.

It's certainly not from a lack of trying, not at all. But more often than not, they tend to get into scraps they can't get themselves out of. Like the current issue in front of them. Now, when someone is called out to go out and kill a Grimm like an Ursa, the two of them thought it would be quite an easy time. Get out there, kill the Grimm, and come back with the fit of glory that comes with it.

Needless to say, that ended quite terribly. They refused to take the blame, though. It wasn't their fault that the damned Ursa was so terrifyingly strong.

"Damn it, are we done for?!" Russell grumbled while looking for a way out of this. The Ursa roared at them while raising it's paw to strike them down. Sky blinked as he noticed a shadow hovering over them.

Something that hovered over them, and then shot towards the Ursa at high speed. And while it rocketed towards the ground, it let out some...uproarious holler.

"Heeeeee...HO!"

A devasting axe kick slammed on top of the large Ursa Major. The impact was forceful enough to make a circular crater the ground around the beast, briefly cracking it's mask as it wobbled from the blow, before falling forward with a thud. Something landed in front of it with a huff, gracefully on their feet. They then stood up and swiped their nose.

"Nailed it!"

Russel groaned. "Ugh, of all the annoyances...

The young silver eyed woman appeared to be beginning her early twenties, with shoulder length black hair with red tips. She wore a red short-sleeved blouse with a high collar and black trim on the sleeves, over a red waist cincher with black lacing up the front, a matching skirt with black lining. She also wears a pair of thick red stockings and red combat boots with black laces, black trims around the top, and black soles. And around her shoulders, was a red cloak with a black rose emblem on the back of it.

As the Grimm disintegrated behind her she checked on the two in front of her. "You guys alright?"

Russel rolled his eyes. "Tch, we had that handled."

"No the hell we didn't." Sky deadpanned. He turned towards the young woman in front of him. "Thanks for the assist, Ruby. Thought we were goners."

"Cardin figured that you two were going to get yourselves in trouble, so I'm lending a hand!" She leaned over to stare at them with a pout. "You shouldn't be worrying him like that, ya know?"

Sky briefly looked away when he saw the ampleness of her bust. Though he did peek only slightly. There was buoyancy both in her breasts and her nature, it seems. "Yeah yeah, we're grateful and all that."

"Well, do make sure to get home safe. I've gotta get back to my friends. See ya!" Ruby soon dashed away in a spiral of rose petals.

Russel rolled his eyes. "...I still say we could have handled it."

"And I say that's a complete and utter lie." Sky shut down.

As Ruby was dashing across the trees, she smiled a bit at a job well done. Now she has to check on the others and make sure that they were alright. Although, knowing them, they were likely fine.

Given the beam of golden light she saw in the distance, a green spherical dome a second later, and a green bean if light shooting outwards towards the sky, her guess was right.

"Are you guys finishing up over there?"

'Yeah, just about.'

'Fortunately we managed to get through this quickly.'

'Mission Complete, friend Ruby!'

Excellent.

Ruby landed right in the middle of the sources of the glowing lights, rose petals swirling around her, and looking towards the three responsible.

"Looks like I didn't have to worry about you three." Ruby smiled.

Jaune Arc, Oscar Pine, and Penny Polendina.

"Nope!" Penny cheerily boosted towards Ruby and hugged her, with her long hair and dress waving. Ruby laughed, even though she was lifted slightly off her feet. One might imagine the curled hair on top of her head wagging. "There were no complications whatsoever, friend Ruby!"

"Happy to hear it, bestie." Ruby chuckled as she was released and set down on the ground. She then turned to Jaune, and cheerily bounced towards him, swirling around him briefly and embraced him in a hug. "Jaune! You survived!"

"Oh haha, you're hilarious. Yes, I survived as per your expectations." Jaune rolled his eyes as he returned the hug and kissed her forehead. Ruby hummed sweetly at the contact.

"Alright you two, let's hurry up a bit. We'd better report back to Miss Goodwitch." Oscar noted while planting his cane on the ground. "...N-No seriously, sometimes our pay is affected by how we get our missions are done on time. She's not going to let deliberately late reports fly."

"We wouldn't want to upset her, would we?" Ruby agreed as she went over to Oscar and patted his shoulder. "Don't worry, we'll be back in a jiffy! It's not a problem at all! Besides we wouldn't wanna anger Miss Goodwitch, either!"

"We have only seen Miss Goodwitch express annoyance or irritation on occasion. Not actual anger." Penny raised a hand helpfully.

"Yeah. So, uh, let's not break that streak, kay guys?" Ruby sweated slightly. Then she raised her fist. "In any case, back to Beacon!"

"Right!"

If things went well, Ruby could finally begin a major move in her progression...


The Capital City of Vale, Candescent.

Some would call it a fitting name, due to how bright and brilliant it was in the light it exhibits.

The city is very large, with numerous buildings of varying shapes and sizes, from circular to rectangular, with a gentle flow surrounding them. Many of the buildings here have a predominantly gold and white color scheme and also came with a glow. At the front of the city is a sign welcoming travelers and visitors to Candescent.

Above the city is several glowing 'stars', which would serve to light up the night when it falls. They were somewhat dim before, but would flow brighter when nighttime came.

Penny never got tired of seeing them. They were just so bright and shiny, they captured her attention every time she managed to get a long look at them. Which wasn't extraordinarily hard, hence why Oscar was pulling her along so that she could stay on task.

They've eventually made their way to Beacon HQ. Hub location for heroes, adventurers, hunters, explorers...Penny analyzed that Beacon had a very versatile hiring range in terms of providing avenues for field work.

The quartet met up in Beacon Plaza, where several holographic displays served as mission boards. Various explorers like themselves were moving about after having accepted or completed a mission, and a young man known as Cardin could be seen scolding Sky and Russell in the background, while Dove was eating snacks from the nearby café.

Speaking of café...

"Alright, that's another mission down." Oscar noted as he and Penny sat on one side of a bench, where he was still searching on his Scroll. "Job well done, this will reflect greatly on us. Hopefully."

"It's a step in the right direction!" Ruby beamed with folded arms, before plucking a strawberry from the bowl before her and eagerly munching on it. She was sitting comfortably on Jaune's lap, who was looking over their current status.

"Lucky for you, Ruby. You're getting quite close to the goal." Jaune smiled as he displayed the current status. "According to the results you've managed, you're finally eligible to be a Guild Master."

"Kyahahaha! FINALLY!" Ruby beamed while shooting her arms up.

"Congrats, Ruby." Oscar smiled supportively.

"Well done, friend Ruby!" Penny clapped cheerily, with a wide smile. "Do we call you Guild Master now? Or Master Ruby? Master Rose?"

"Nope, just Ruby like it's always been. Maybe? Eh, let's put a pin on it for now." Ruby rubbed her chin. "Now then, what's our next move...?"

"Usually after becoming eligible to be Guild Master, you usually have to embark on a mission of your own choosing in order to prove that you're capable of leading one on the field. Think of it as a confirmation rather than a pass or fail kind of deal."

"Essentially you've earned the privilege of becoming a Guildmaster, now you must prove that you are capable of handling one. After that, you'll be fully recognized as one. It should not be too hard." Penny smiled brightly. "Will we be accompanying you on this mission as always, Ruby?"

Ruby thought about it for a moment, before she hummed and turned to Penny. "I'll bring Oscar and Jaune with me. But Penny? I'll need you to stay behind for a little bit. You'll be in charge of completing our set up for our base of operations while we're away."

"Oooh! Really?!"

"Really really. I'll be entrusting the finishing touches to you." Ruby nodded.

"Sensational!" Penny beamed brightly while briefly hovering above the ground with her arms out. "I will not disappoint, friend Ruby! Leave it to me!"

"Awesome!" Ruby nodded with folded arms. "With that little tidbit decided, that mainly leaves us with what mission to take in order to prove our chops. My chops, more specifically." She rubbed her chin. "It's gonna be a bit of a tough choice, as I gotta be able to do this. In order to take on the mission that I really wanna do..."

"Don't worry about it too much, Ruby." Jaune, well aware of how speedy Ruby's mind tends to be, slid her arms around her in a gentle hug, his chin atop her head. "Slow down a bit."

"Telling me to slow down is like telling Zwei to meow. He's not gonna understand it." Ruby pouted with puffed cheeks, folding her arms again.

"I dunno, Zwei is a pretty intelligent corgi, Ruby. He might just try it if you asked him." Oscar smiled.

"Oh, don't you start." Ruby pointed an accusatory finger towards him.

"I'm just saying, Zwei is smarter than the average dog. Always learning some cool new tricks."

Ruby huffed, before scratching her head. "In all seriousness, I wonder what mission will make a darn good impression on me as a Guildmaster? I gotta prove myself."

"Well, we've at least brainstormed a name for the guild, but you literally won't let us say it until after this stage. Which is a bit silly." Jaune smiled.

"It'll make the official formation more official!"

"If you say so."

Ruby rubbed her chin some more as she tried to think of something that could make an impact. As she remembered the current mission board, her eyes sparkled. "I've got it!"

"Yeah?"

Ruby pointed at a current mission assignment. "Somewhere in Forever Fall, a Basilisk Grimm and a Nue Grimm have been spotted causing mayhem. They're both pretty strong, as militia's attempts to cull them have been a bit unsuccessful. They're able to keep them from advancing towards civilian areas, but that's all."

"Sounds pretty challenging. Is that gonna be the one, Ruby?" Oscar asked

"Yep! This is my choice. Any disagreements?" Both Oscar and Jaune shook their heads. "Alright then! We're gonna knock that mission out and show them what we're made of! We've got this!"

"YEAH!"

The quartet collectively fist bumped across the center of the table, before Oscar made the swipe on his Scroll to accept the mission.

"We still have some stamina in high reserves. We can head out as soon as we're ready." Oscar offered while keeping his Scroll on hand.

"I'll depart and make sure that the base is ready for our return!" Penny happily saluted. "Good luck!" With that, she blasted off, leaving the trio behind with encouraging waves of her hands.

"I'll plan out the route. We can meet up when you're ready." Oscar nodded to Ruby and Jaune, before he stood up and headed outside of Beacon, leaving Ruby and Jaune alone.

"...So. Looks like you're about to take that first major step, huh?" Jaune hummed while lightly cracking his neck. "Good thing you have me to keep you focused. Eh, Lady Demon Queen?"

Ruby chuckled a bit as she turned to Jaune, shifting more into his lap. "That's right. You've been a big help, and you'll keep being a big help to me. Meanwhile, I'd like to keep helping you, too."

"You're helping me plenty, Ruby. As, uh, much as you can, anyway." Jaune scratched his head. "Obviously I can't cover every single avenue of problems..."

"Neither can I."

"So, uh..."

"Yeah, um..."

Both of them awkwardly looked away for a moment, then shook their heads and stared back at each other.

"Conviction confirmation on three."

"Right."

One...two...three!

"To be the greatest Demon Queen!"

"To be the greatest Knight!"

Both of them blinked at each other, then laughed.

"We just blurted that out like it was nothing!"

"We're both in our twenties, you'd think we'd be better at this by now!"

Ruby snickered while wiping a tear. "I guess dorks will be dorks, huh?"

"I mean, if it helps, the dorks that dork together dork together." Jaune slowly sighed and facepalmed. "Okay, I don't even know what that was supposed to mean. That certifies our dork status even now."

Ruby smiled. "So, we've gotten that out of our system, ya ready to help me on those major steps?"

"You bet I am."

Ruby nodded. "...Good luck kiss?"

Jaune nodded briefly, as he and Ruby briefly met and sweetly kissed, before pulling back with a light blush on both their faces. Ruby's smile remained, though.

"Sweet. Good luck fist bump?" Both of them chuckled at that as they then fist bumped. "Super! Now for a good luck headbutt!"

"Yeah!"

There was soon a slight clonking sound, followed by groans if pain.

"Hey guys, I've gotten most of our destination mapped..." Oscar slowly stopped his declaration as he came across the scene of both Ruby and Jaune collapsed on the ground, clutching their aching heads.

"Owowowowowow...!"

"Bad idea, very bad idea..."

"...I only turned my back for two minutes. Two minutes." Oscar deadpanned. He knows, for he's currently pointing at his glowing clock wristwatch to prove it. "How did you two hurt yourselves already? We didn't even start the mission yet!"

"Sorry..."

"I have a headache..."

Ah, what wonderful friends he's chosen. No, wait, he remembered them choosing him.

Yes, that made more sense.


It wasn't a difficult trek towards the entrance of Forever Fall. And as the name suggests, no matter what season it currently was in Vale, Forever Fall always had an autumn atmosphere to it. Leaves always fell, yet the trees never run out of them. They did not wither, the leaves beforehand simply vanish after some time, before more leaves appear on the tree to repeat the process.

Autumn never ends in this place.

"The Basilisk and Nue should be around the beginning borders of Forever Fall. They managed to keep them there, but aren't able to defeat them." Ruby recollected, making sure she got the details right. "Let's take them down as soon as we can!"

"Let's not rush off, Ruby. They might be pretty strong." Jaune noted while holding out his arm. "Not only that, I might run into that dragon again..."

"That dragon you tell us about? You think you'll see it again here?" Ruby tilted her head. She's heard multiple accounts from Jaune when he's on his own, on how he keeps encountering a fire breathing dragon. One that burned down forests, killed other knights like him, and devoured whoever and whatever it was able to get it's maw on. It's appearance so close was all the more strange, as dragons were said to be a highly rare species on Remnant in this era.

Which is why Ruby wanted to get a good look at it, but that wasn't the priority.

"I gotta at least take the possibility into account. I usually encounter it around this area. If our mission is to be in Forever Fall, then we've gotta make sure that the two threats don't triple team us, ya know?"

"So if you do see that dragon, it's probably better if we each take on a single one of these threats, each." Ruby noted.

"Yeah. Again, only just in case it shows up. So I'll be on the lookout." Jaune clutched onto Crocea Mors. "And on the chance that it does, it'll be time for us to settle the score."

"How many times have you two fought? Twenty times over the course of four weeks?" Oscar noted while tapping his clock watch. "And all of those duels ended in draws due to it's sheer offense countering your immense defenses."

"Not this time." Jaune declared firmly as he held up his shield as well. "This time I'm going to win, and end it's threat once and f-"

"I think I hear them up ahead!" Ruby briefly hopped over Jaune while pointing upwards, leaving her breasts briefly smothering his face. She didn't seem to notice. "Oh, I can definitely see them! They're huge!"

Indeed they are... Jaune mentally muttered, as two big examples of Ruby blossoming into a voluptuous young woman currently hung in front of him. "...Uh, Ruby. I was trying to sound and appear cool right then..." Jaune deadpanned while slightly lowering Crocea Mors. "Ya know, with the whole 'I'm gonna win!' and all that. Kinda, uh, just shut me down a bit..."

Ruby blinked as she edged back a bit, looking him in the eyes while upside down and tilting her head. "You're already cool." It was such a short and simple thing to say yet she sincerely meant it.

Jaune blinked at that. "...Alright. Gonna shove that aside for now, can't afford to be flustered at the moment." He narrowed his eyes. "You two, handle the Basilisk and Nue. Shout for me if you need help. I'll be on dragon lookout."

"Right!" Ruby and Oscar both nodded as they dashed towards the sources of darkness up ahead. Jaune waited for them to get a certain distance away. He took a deep breath and turned around.

"I know you're there."

...

...

...

"You seem confident this time around, actively refusing your friends assistance."

Jaune slowly turned around to face the beast in front of him. He saw the pair of glowing gold slitted eyes peering at him from the darkness. The rumbling of each step it took towards him, as he immediately saw the blood redness of it's scales. It's underbelly was a light beige color, along with the undersides of it's wings, and it's sharp gold horns adorning it's head, pairing with it's golden claws. Well, he assumed gold, but they were just so filthy that he couldn't tell for certain. And as it slowly stood up, it measured up to at least a whole four stories. Despite packing quite a bit of weight around it's round belly and further downwards with this thighs and tail, this did nothing to diminish how fearsome it looked, the intimidating atmosphere growing more powerful. One of the mightiest fantastical creatures.

A dragon.

"You return, knight." The creature spoke to him, it's voice low rumbling and cold.

"Yup. Why wouldn't I? We have a score to settle, remember?" Jaune narrowed his eyes as he held up his sword and shield. "It's not like I'm scared of you or anything."

"You should be, by now."

"And yet once again, here I am."

The dragon glared towards him for a moment, before it growled. "Very well. You've certainly proven your courage against me, time and time again. Woe upon you if it costs you dearly." The dragon opened it's maw as flames began to gather. Jaune raised his shield as the flames came down on him.

Meanwhile, Ruby and Oscar were still dashing ahead, as they jumped over a fallen tree trunk.

"He's sent us away because the dragon was nearby, didn't he?"

"Yuuuuuuup." Ruby deadpanned without looking back. "He thinks we couldn't sense it, but we could."

"Should we go back right away?"

"One thing at a time. Firstly...!" Ruby narrowed her eyes as she and Oscar slid forward, gazing up at the two large Grimm in front of them.

The Basilisk Grimm was simple enough, to a degree. It was a truly large serpent paired with a skull mask that suited it's nature. Except, it also had wings, which would help it fly.

Meanwhile the Nue Grimm was much more varied. It has the Grimm mask of a head of a monkey, the body of a raccoon dog, the legs of a tiger, and a snake as a the snake head also had a little Grimm mask.

"I've met an actual Nue, and it's Grimm counterpart looks far scarier than they do." Ruby noted with narrowed eyes. "The Basilisk is dangerous too, Oscar. Let's crush them quickly so they can't use their abilities for widespread destruction."

"Don't look it in the eyes."

"Be wary of the tail."

"BREAK!"

Both of them took on one Grimm each. Oscar went for the Basilisk Grimm, and Ruby the Nue Grimm.

Immediately, the Basilisk hissed dangerously and attempted to slam it's tail down upon Oscar. Narrowing his eyes, a green glow briefly surrounded him, the sound of a turning clock could be heard echoing, before he managed to accelerate out of the way, listening to the massive tail slam into the ground and miss him entirely. He turned around as the beast gazed towards him. He avoided looking it in it's eyes, though he could hear the blast of flames that jetted out of its mouth.

He held his hand outwards as a glowing green clock appeared right in front of him, shielding him from the blast. The sounds of it briefly sounded reversed, before it was shot backwards towards the Basilisk, slamming right into it's head. It was briefly disoriented by the blow of its own blast, before it hissed angrily and attempted to slam it's claiming tail onto him.

The turning cogs of a clock could be heard again as he swiftly dodged out of the way, only barely this time, which sent him crashing along the ground and right into a rock. Groaning, he opened his eyes and tried to regain his bearings, and they widened in shock. It was a stone head. Like it was that of a statue.

And there were several of them scattered around in pieces. It didn't take long for him to figure out what happened here. With narrowing eyes, he stood back up, closed his eyes, and held his cane in front of him. The turning of the clock could be heard, as the green image of one appeared below his feet.

One second...

He sensed the Grimm slithering over to him.

Two seconds...

He could hear it hissing at him eagerly.

Three seconds...

He sensed the charging of another fiery blast.

Four!

Oscar launched towards the serpent Grimm, and blasts right through it's skull, surrounded by an orb of green light. He landed right behind it, sighing as it's body crumpled harmlessly to the ground. Taking a breath, he took another look another look at the Long Memory. "I don't think my Clock Magic is going to go higher than four seconds anytime soon..." Oscar breathed while clutching the weapon. Though with the right preparations, it's more than enough. Besides, it's all he can do just to mimic what physical feats his can do on their own.

Meanwhile, Ruby had jumped out of the range of the Nue Grimm once again, as if howled at her like the wild beast that it was, attempting to swipe her out of the air after she jumped. She shifted out of the way in a burst of rose petals, landing on the ground in front of it. She sensed the paw attempting to slam down on her with an even swifter strike. She effortlessly dodged it and rocketed upwards with a swift kick to it's skull, sending it rocketing backwards. Unexpectedly, as it landed on it's back, it's snake tail extended and attempted to bite her, which she was able to dodge as well, albeit clumsily. She stumbled along the ground, rolling before getting into her feet again.

The Nue Grimm growled at her, as it slowly turned into a cloud and shifted about. Ruby looked around, keeping vigilant on the fact that it could appear from anywhere while assuming this state. She briefly turned around as it swiftly appeared behind her and swiped it's paw at her. She nearly jumped out of the way, but it still managed to slam into her back and sending her through several trees, before landing on her side.

It shifted into cloud form again, and revealed itself before her, and attempting to slam it's paws down on her again.

Her eyes flashed.

The Nue Grimm screamed briefly as it stepped back several feet. Ruby groaned, which strangely grew into a growl.

"Darn it. My master warned me about using my light as a crutch, but reflexes got to me..." Ruby growled as she slowly stood up, and magic surged around her. Something about her shape resembled that of a white wolf, with ears, tail, and a bit of fur, as she glared towards her offender with shining eyes. "You jerk, I was doing so well, too."

The Nue Grimm growled and slammed both of it's paws down where she stood, only for her to repeat right in front of it's face and kick it across the skull. And this time, when the snake tail attempted to lash at her for a bite, she outright slashed it off and away from the body.

Briefly hovering, she shot forth and slammed right into the Nue Grimm's skull, shattering it's mask into pieces and crushing said skull under her feet.

Oscar caught up to her, and Ruby sighed as the creature dissipated around her. She breathes deeply, a combination of red and white rose petals surrounding her, until her glowing died down and she calmed. She turned towards Oscar, appearing as a sort of human-wolf hybrid, before she relaxed further and shifted further back into complete human form.

"I need more training. I can't really be reliable if I'm not able to take on tough Grimm like that without my light reflexively kicking in." Ruby sighed. "I gotta be able to handle things like that without it, and only use it when necessary."

"Quick way to end Grimm threats, but can just as quickly become a crutch." Oscar nodded. "We should check back with Jaune, fast. It's a dragon after all!"

"Right, let's go!"

Back with Jaune...

He grimaced as a ball of fire slammed against his shield, it's defenses being enhanced so that he could properly block against the heated projectile. Once it finally dissipated, he breathed heavily before setting himself to slash towards the dragon in front of him.

It reflexively hopped away from him and blasts another torrent of fire towards him, which he again blocks with his shield, then slashes with Crocea Mors. The result was a flying slash that managed to slam into and slash into the beast, causing it to land on it's feet once more. Jaune breathed.

It was heading there again. Another draw. It was already steadily approaching.

Jaune couldn't settle with that. This beast's rampages have gone on long enough, he had to end this stalemate. Yet at the same time, the beast wasn't going down easily, and it seemed just as stubborn as he himself was, if not more so, to not leave itself open for a finishing blow. Hence clashes like it slamming it's fiery paw into his defense enhanced shield, causing a blazing explosion that sent the both of them flying away from each other.

He ended up landing on his back, while the dragon lied on its side. Groaning, Jaune reached for Crocea Mors and steadily stood back up, all while the dragon did the same. Both of them were breathing heavily and glaring at one another.

I know that dragons were regarded as extremely tough, but when you combined that with stubbornness! Jaune muttered as he slashed forward with his sword, which was parried with the swift slash of the beast's claws. The result caused a brief shockwave to blast outwards around them, knocking away several trees. And their crazy natural strength! It just gets more ridiculous to deal with!

"Once again, knight! We've reached a stalemate. And we're wearing each other down." The creature growled lowly to him, it's golden eyes staring right into his blue ones. "Which shall happen first, I wonder? Will I somehow tire, and you take that opening chance to land a cutting slash that lops my head from my body? Or will your fortune finally run out at the most inopportune of moments, I overpower you, and you end up as yet another fallen enemy that fills up my belly?"

"Grrgh, hard to say. Either one of them sound pretty possible right now...!" Jaune grunted. And in the back of his mind, he wondered. What was up with her calm and cold, yet theatrical tone of voice? It's almost like she was playing things up more than usual.

"I see. Then we shall leave it up for fate to decide!"

Jaune prepared to double his efforts before Ruby and Oscar eventually caught up-

"Miss Dragoooooonnnn!"

Jaune blinked, and the dragon blinked as well. Both of them paused at what sounded like, a child's voice?

"What was that?"

"...It is nothing. We are in the middle of a battle, do not get distracted." The dragon insisted, snarling.

"Miss Dragon, where are you?!"

"Okay I'm pretty sure I heard it this time."

"Your sense of hearing fails you. There is nothing like-"

"There she is!"

"...You cannot be serious." Jaune surprisingly heard her mutter as the creature snapped her head towards two children that were standing on a cliff, and their eyes it up at the sight of the dragon.

Jaune nearly swing Crocea Mors again. "Don't you DARE-"

"I thought I told you to NEVER return here! Begone, foolish children! Leave!" The dragon roared at them, which brought Jaune no small sense of pause.

"But we have t-" Both of them gasped as the cliff suddenly gave way, and they began to fall.

I NEED T-

Jaune thought desperately, only for something else to act more swiftly that he did. The dragon swooped quickly towards the two falling children and caught them in it's paws. Jaune immediately worried about the beast eating them, but all it did was carry them both safely to the ground, gently setting them down on their feet. It's with this, that it looked over them extensively for any signs of bruising, and after confirming they were unharmed, sighed with what seemed like...relief?

Then it began to scold them.

"What the hell are you thinking, you disobedient brats?! I clearly ORDERED you to NEVER return here!" It shouted and nearly roared at them. They badly flinched at the volume of the beast's voice, but they didn't cry out or anything.

"W-We couldn't just leave you!"

"You got hurt because of us!"

...What?

Jaune just realized then. Right at the side of the beast, was what looked like a vicious cut across it's side. And it was glowing to an extent.

He didn't cause that wound. Was it always there during this bout?

The dragon grumbled. "Foolish young children. This is why I told you to...not come...back..." The beast soon collapsed on its side, breathing heavily. The children ran up to it and fussed over her. "You need to leave...pretend I never existed..."

"No! We won't!"

"You're very special to us, Miss Dragon!"

The beast grumbled and closed it's eyes in annoyance. "I abhor this side of children. They simply won't do what they're told..."

"Jaune! What's going on?! Are you alright?!" Ruby gasped as she and Oscar soon stopped in place, as they watched Jaune speaking with the dragon, with the latter having collapsed. "Wait...the dragon. Did you beat it?"

"...No. I didn't." Ruby's eyes rose at the mention of 'her', and she looked towards the creature that looked like it was in pain. "I didn't even come close."

"Enough of that pilfering talk, Knight. It does not suit you." The dragoness groaned as she laid on her side.

"You came into this right severely wounded?! And you tried to hide it from me. Why?!"

"I was foolishly careless. This wound is more severe than the others. I haven't had time to heal or rest...it might be the end of me. And despite that, I cannot possibly accept this." She grunted as her golden eyes stared right at Jaune. "You and I have dueled time and time again. I have acknowledged your strength of heart. Thus...I will not allow my death to be at anyone else's hands...but yours."

Jaune looked stunned, especially as he scanned her eyes again. She was dead serious. What was he supposed to say to that? She came into this battle with essentially a handicap, but that didn't matter because she still gave it her all so that she would die having given her best to an opponent she acknowledged.

Knights and Dragons have been in conflict with each other for ages..And ever since the latter disappeared mysteriously, it was seen as the Knights victory. Thus any slaying of a dragon was met with great honor and glory. Killing the dragon now would definitely build upon his own accomplishments.

...but can he really be content with things ending this way?

"Please, Miss Dragon. Don't fall asleep..." Both the children whimpered as they hugged her snout without any fear, and she once again grunted at their touch, but did not deny them.

"You're truly foolish children, having grown attached to a dragon..."

It didn't make any sense to Jaune. This was definitely the same dragon that's been said to have been setting forest fires, killing knights, and devouring her enemies. That was all true. He could see it in her eyes, it wasn't something that she tried to hide. She seemed too prideful for that. Yet only now has he begun questioning...what was the motive behind those actions? What was the exact context? She clearly wasn't a mindless beast, and she had enough intelligence to set aside time for their duels away from populated areas. And while she was not all that repentant about her actions, these revelations point towards her not being the sole instigator for the conflict that led to them.

So what is it?

He just blindly believed that the creature was evil and had to be stopped, and yet now that he's met with this...he didn't know. Usually a Knight triumphing over a dragon as usually met with prestige and excellence. But he didn't triumph over her. She came here expecting to die. She obviously wanted to make him earn it regardless, but she had no intentions of walking away from this final encounter alive, and was calmly content with that. It muddied a lot of his thoughts about how knights and dragons were supposed to interact, and now he had no idea what comes next.

What am I supposed to do...?

"Jaune."

He briefly looked towards Ruby, who had called upon him and was looking him expectedly in the eyes.

"Whatever you choose, there's going to be consequences no matter what. But sitting there isn't going to do anything. You gotta make a choice. What do you want to do?"

A choice...

He can't keep waiting.

A certain part of him told him to just ignore all of these feelings and just lop the beast's head off as requested and be done with it. On the other hand, could be really do such a thing in front of two children who's lives she saved? And given the sincere look in their eyes, neither side was bluffing or trying to cover for her. It was the pragmatic choice to kill such a powerful and dangerous creature while it was weakened, and very clearly proven itself to be deadly and unpredictable...but this creature clearly had a heart. And the intelligence to think for herself. Somewhere along the line, those two things worked in tandem to save these children, who looked very sincerely fussy over her.

What is he have to gain from killing her that he'll be unable to enjoy? And the risks for letting her live that he might eventually regret taking?

...

...

...

The dragon's eyesight slowly came back into focus, and her eyes slowly slid open as she felt the warmth of a bright light. She lifted and turned her head to find the source, only for her eyes to widen.

Jaune had placed both hands around her wound, and it had began to heal.

"...Wha...what trickery is this?" She questioned suspiciously. Despite his dense demeanor, she's very much aware that he's more clever than he looks. A ploy perhaps?

"No tricks." Jaune responded clinically, keeping focused on his work.

"Why? You have nothing to gain from this, and too much to risk from it. We have tried to kill each other dozens of times over."

"And ending things like this simply wouldn't feel right with me because of all that time. That's no way to end a rivalry." Jaune muttered.

"So, you merely wish to fight me at my fullest strength, so that it feels proper?"

"Forget about that. I just don't want you to die like this. You shouldn't have to." Jaune muttered, greatly surprising her. "This isn't a case of whether this is the right or wrong decision. I simply want to do it, and it's within my power to do it. That's all."

She was clearly stunned by this answer, though as she looked towards Ruby, the other woman clearly approved of Jaune's reasoning, given her soft nod. She quietly took note of this, as she slowly found herself able to move without any pain. She looked down on the trio, still at a loss.

"What...do you intend to do now?"

"That mostly depends on you." Ruby shrugged.

The dragoness thought this over, having been healed even when they have enough reasons to either leave her for dead or simply kill her where she stood. But they decided to take a risk, and let her live.

...

The dragon closed her eyes, and she was enveloped in a fiery flash. The trio briefly flinched at the light, and were able to open their eyes when it dimmed down. When they looked, Jaune and Oscar were a bit stunned. Ruby, curious.

What stood in the place of the dragon was a fair skinned, curvaceous woman with large thighs and wide hips, and ashen black hair long enough to cover her left eye in front of her. She wore little else but a tattered red dress that exposed her long and slender legs-Ruby learned the term 'leggy' from her sister-, and a black and gold decorated scarf around her neck. Her much smaller horns still adorned her head, and a chubby red tail protruded from behind her.

She was beautiful. Though Ruby did find it funny that this more human form was so slim and slender for the most part, while her dragon form had quite a fat and thick belly, with large legs and thighs. Just a very ample self from the belly downwards. And yet her speed and agility wasn't affected by it at all. It was such a contrast that it somewhat surprised her.

Ruby briefly saw some scarring around her neck, and she gathered a few uncomfortable clues, given how the woman immediately shifted her scarf up over said scars so they were hidden.

Ruby smiled, shelving her curiosity. "A lady dragon, huh? What's your name?"

"...Cinder. Fall." The woman responded quietly, briefly looking to the side.

"Nice to meet ya, Cinder! I'm Ruby Rose! This here is my boyfriend Jaune Arc, and here is one of my besties, Oscar Pine!"

"So you can turn into a dragon?" Jaune briefly asked, still a bit surprised.

"No. It's the other way around, I can take a human shape. That dragon was my true self. This current form is something I learned how to do on my own, for convenience." Cinder muttered while sighing. "To be honest, I prefer being a dragon. I feel significantly less vulnerable as one...but I would rather speak with you all on a more ground level, in order to better erase my current confusion."

"Miss Dragon!" The two children briefly surrounded and hugged her. She sighed and lightly patted both of them on the heads.

"You're going to get me into even more trouble..."

"There she is!"

"Like that."

The group turned around and looked towards the cliffside. It appeared to be a squad of Knights, with shining and slightly technological armor. Cinder hissed softly while securely pushing the children behind her. Oscar clutched onto the Long Memory.

"Oh great. Remnant Holy Knights. That's the last thing we need when we're standing next to a dragon." Oscar knew full well how this was going to look. It wasn't likely to end well at all.

"We had the beast on its last legs. Why would you restore it?"

"We wanted to." Ruby responded calmly, standing in front of the group, the wind blowing across her face. "We didn't want her to die, so we helped her. It's as simple as that."

"You've made a ruinous error, pretentious wench." The leading Knight left off the cliff and landed on the ground, lifting up his longsword and slamming it onto the ground. "That beast does not deserve to live. Viktor Swansteel will claim it's head this time. And mercy kill the two young ones whose souls have been permanently tainted by it."

"You let this guy wound you?" Ruby asked, while Cinder spits into the ground, the children shivering behind her at the clear implications of the threat.

"I lost focus for a split second due to my exhaustion. I was careless."

"In any case..." Ruby turned back towards the Knight known as Viktor. "Sorry, but you're not taking any heads today. Or killing any kids. Why would you wanna do that? Not cool."

"Dragons and Knights have been enemies since the day they began existing. This is the way it always has been and always will be." Viktor held his sword towards the group. "Dragons are hellish and evil, while the Knights are righteous and just. That is how it's always been, and will never change."

"Says you." Ruby shrugged nonchalantly, kicking at the dirt. "Have you ever considered gaining a bit more of an open mind?"

"Irritable harlot." Viktor clutched onto his sword, and dashed right towards Ruby, preparing to slash at her. "Anyone who stands against the will of justice shall be SLAIN!"

There was the sound of a loud clanging.

Viktor snarled as Jaune hopped right in front of Ruby and solidly blocked the blow, completely negating the damage it could have done. Jaune glared at the man in front of him. While a little bit behind, he could see Ruby's bright and silver eyes shimmering, and glaring at her from the darkness under her hood. She smiled mischievously.

"I'm sorry, but no means no."

With this, Jaune slashed across, and Viktor was sent flying back from the resulting force. Smashing into the flick wall, his fellow Knights all hollered and charged the group in front of them.

"Ohhhh man. This is gonna land us on their hate list for sure." Oscar groaned, but nevertheless didn't hesitate to dodge out of the way of a sword strike and slam his cane upside their head. Jaune and Viktor clashed swords, and the impact cratered the ground around them a great deal, both of them gritting their teeth.

"So! Cinder!" Ruby huffed as she kicked another knight aside as she spoke with Cinder. "All of those rumors about you! We're they true!?"

"I've burned down a forest or two, but only when I was trying to fight these bastards off." Cinder muttered as a flaming fist smashed into a knights chest. "I was minding my own damn business, they're the ones who came after me."

"Oh, that makes sense!" Ruby beamed as she speedily kicked aside another knight in a burst of rose petals. "So you defended yourself by killing some of them. Is it also true that you've eaten your enemies before?"

"Anyone and everyone that I've ever killed was asking for it. So if you're wondering if I've actively set out to kill innocents, absolutely not. Such things are beneath me." Cinder swiped her tail across, knocking down a whole group of Knights in a single stroke. "As for the latter question, I find it a rather effective way if defeating an enemy, and getting others to back off. Though I do admit there might be some spite involved whenever I do so."

"That's definitely one way!" Oscar noted as he ducked under another sword swipe and parried with his cane, knocking them off balance.

Jaune once again clashed swords with Viktor, and further pushed him back a great deal. He barely managed to stay on his feet, glaring at the young man who opposed him. "Why are you doing this, you fool?! You are a Knight, are you not?! You should be jumping at the chance for the glory of killing a dragon!"

"Not this one." Jaune muttered as he held up Crocea Mors. "Besides. I have my own kind of knighthood that I want to live up to. Yours is definitely not it."

"Why you...!" Viktor attempted to slash downwards with his longsword once more. Only for Jaune to not only party it, but he completely disarmed him via knocking it out of his hands. He found himself on the other end of Crocea Mors as he stated down the blade.

"This dragon's not dying here. Time to get lost." Cinder declared.

Viktor, seeing how his men have been effortlessly beaten back, chose to hold onto whatever dignity he had left, gathered his men and fled the scene with wounded pride. "You are going to regret this. I will see to it that you suffer dearly for this ruinous interference!"

"As if we haven't heard that one before." Oscar sighed as he tapped his cane on the ground.

"There's nothing more pathetic than a long lived organization who would rather bring the entire world down with them, than simply accept that their era is over." Cinder narrowed her eyes. Viktor's glare towards her was utterly cutthroat, but he chose to withdraw regardless, not wanting to risk deeper humiliation.

"Boy, that was a scuffle." Oscar sighed. "Also, we made an enemy out of the Remnant Holy Knights with this stunt."

"Yup." Ruby nodded.

"They're going to attack us more than once."

"Probably."

"You don't regret this decision one bit, do you?"

"Nope." Ruby soon turned towards Cinder, who sighed and fell to her knees, in which point the two kids gathered around her. "We'll be able to take these two back home safely, as soon as possible."

"That would be appreciated." Cinder nodded. "Now, allow me to ask. What was with that barrage of questions from before? What did you stand to gain from them?"

"Wanted a bit of insight on you, that's all. Get a bit of a gauge in you. There's something specific that I wanna ask."

"...What might that be?" Cinder slowly looked towards Ruby, who knelt to her level and flashed a smile.

"Wanna join my guild?"

"...What." Cinder muttered dryly, with barely restrained surprise. Oscar and Jaune looked at Ruby wide eyed, while she looked rather casual with her smile.

"Yup!"

"You're asking a dragon to join your guild."

"Yes!"

Cinder kept her eyes narrowed for several seconds, before she sighed and hung her head. She didn't really have anywhere else to go. That being said, she couldn't just accept something like this so easily. "What's in it for me?"

Ruby gestured her head towards Jaune. Nodding, he briefly took something out of the bag he brought with him, and handed it to Cinder for her to take. Curiously, she takes it into her hands and sniffs it.

"What...is this?"

"Milk bread roll." Ruby smiled brightly, as Jaune also handed her one. "Go on, give it a try."

Cinder was still suspicious of this whole thing, though she chose to play along. She cautiously took a bite of the milk bread roll.

Her eyes widened significantly.

Ruby knew they had her, for Cinder hurriedly eats the rest of the milk bread roll in no time at all, her eyes briefly watering.

"It tastes so milky-sweet...and the feathery soft texture, which soon tears into wispy strands and melts so wonderfully in my mouth! I didn't think bread could be so delicious!"

"Jaune really knows how to make em', huh? Good cook AND a great right-hand Knight." Ruby smiled as she had an entire bag of them right in her hands. Cinder's mouth watered at the sight of them, and she attempted to reach for the bag, only for Ruby to pull it away and push her back with a finger. "Ah-bup-bup! Not so fast, Dragon lady! Join my guild, and Jaune would be more than happy to make a batch alllll for you."

"It really isn't that hard." Jaune shrugged.

Cinder gazed at Ruby with a dry look. "...What if I decide to just take them from you right now by force?"

"I think we both know you're too tapped out to even try it." Ruby responded easily and cheerily, complete with a wide smile. Cinder's eye twitched.

"You're annoying."

"I get that a lot." Ruby's smile was undeterred.

Cinder grumbled, before she took a deep breath and sighed. After which, she lifted her head with a smile. "You're a stubborn, too. But I am as well." Ruby beamed as she placed a milk bread roll in Cinder's hand, and they both begin eating together. "Alright, fine. Since you're so insistent, and I have nowhere else to go, I'll take my chances and join your guild." If it was going to get her food, shelter, and a place to sleep, Cinder didn't really have much reason to refuse.

"Awesome!" Ruby beamed while shooting her hands up, then resumed munching on her bread roll.

"We just recruited a dragon." Jaune uttered.

"Yup." Oscar deadpanned. "Good grief, the others are gonna have quite a few things to say when we have that meetup..."

"Oh, right! Speaking of which!" Ruby pulled up her Scroll and connected to the others. Also known as the other guild members. "Guildmaster Ruby Rose is here! My authorization is finalized! Everyone else! Roll call!"

Yang Xiao Long. Wassup sis?

Weiss Schnee. You kept us waiting.

Blake Belladonna. Nn.

Pyrrha Nikos. Hello!

Nora Valkyrie! Our time has COME!

Lie Ren. Looking forward to meeting.

Penny Polendina! I'm combat ready!

"Get to the designated area as soon as you all can. Penny is likely to have gotten the base ready by now." Ruby smiled widely. "As of today, the Red Riding Hood Guild is ready for operation!"

"There it is." Jaune folded his arms with a smile.

We'll be up and ready for ya soon, boss woman! Nora cheerily rang out.

The base will be ready upon your return, friend Ruby! I cannot wait! Correction: I will have to wait a 'little' bit, but it will be a worthwhile wait! Penny just as cheerily rang, before she and the others ultimately hung up.

Ruby sighed as she slowly stood up, brushing herself off. "Welp, we did it. Now we just gotta wait for the others, then we'll REALLY be set to go."

"Before this progresses any further. Allow me to ask." Cinder grunted as she briefly shifted in place. "I'll be joining your guild soon. What will be the purpose of it?"

Ruby soon turned towards Cinder with a nod and smile. "Well, it's simple. We're all gathering together so that we can adventure and explore all around Remnant, and help each other fulfill our personal desires and goals. As for one of mine? Along the way as I'm helping my friends reach their own goals, I myself want to be the new Demon Queen."

"Demon Queen, huh." Cinder grinned. "Sounds like insanity...and fun."

Ruby briefly placed her hands behind her neck. "Glad you approve! Now that we've got ourselves situated, we should head back and make sure our base is up in order! Penny oughta be doing the finishing touches now!" With that in mind, she was sure that everything was mostly set. Not only was their base almost done, they managed to recruit a dragon into their ranks as well. Things we're going well so far, and she'd ensure that even greater things were to come.

As an aspiring future Queen of Demons, this was one more decision she'd trust her heart on.


...

Alright. This is probably another mistake piling on, but to hell with it. I've had this one swirling around for half a year. I know, I've counted.

This New World of Remnant has had it's magic restored, nay, it's even better than ever. The cast now navigates a world where fantasy and supernatural elements are more of the norm than the previous era of magic. Science and technology haven't fallen behind, either. So what do these things equal?

A world full of wonder and possibilities. As such, this is a fun side project I hope to do more of when I want some fantasy fun.

There's three key elements to this.

1) Ruby leading an awesome guild named after her fairy tale inspiration: The Red Riding Hood Guild, on various adventures for fun and glory, hopes and dreams. She's entered her early twenties, and the others are aged up too, meaning a bit more experience under their belts. She's eager to join up with the others and take on the world with her strength and skill she's gathered. More members might join up, maybe not. But the current lineup is set in stone. One thing's for sure, many won't be ready to handle the sheer audacity of these young explorers, when all they wanna do is adventure and fulfill their dreams. Only to learn all too late that they're not to be underestimated. Ruby's deadset on becoming Demon Queen, and has several reasons for it. If the world doesn't like her dream...well that's just real unfortunate for them, isn't it? VERY unfortunate.

2) Characters navigating and interacting in a world where Remnant's magic was not only restored, it was improved. And not only that, various supernatural and fantasy creatures from several mythologies might be roaming about, and some of our cast of characters might have the power of a few. And again, as said above, science and technology were able to keep up with it all somewhat. Which leads to a adventure filled world with magical miracles and scientific marvels. So...this means that Ruby's gonna be super into technological AND magical weapons. And even technomagical weapons. Cue cute geek.

3) Fueled By Roses(Ruby x Jaune x Cinder). This OT3, to put it simply, are amongst the key factors that will cause this new era of Remnant to look at itself in a new light...while they're just doing whatever they wanna and just so happens to somewhat be turning said era upside down because of it. Oh, the entire Red Riding Hood Guild are gonna be a bunch of troublemakers to some extent(even Weiss, Pyrrha, Oscar, and Ren) but these three will definitely be the WORST. On a simpler whim, I saw Lancaster, I saw KnightFall. I shrugged and said 'meh, I'll do both'. It's a pretty rare OT3. No worries, I'm not going to let it completely take over. They will each still regularly nurture connections they have with others outside of each other, but it's going to be quite a focus.

As such, this large chapter is the first big step into this grand adventure. Will it gain attention? Doubt it, I probably didn't even do that well. But I can at least say I gave it a shot.

Until next time, if it comes!