Here we go.
It should be noted that the increased level of swearing from Ruby and Yang in this story is intentional. It is to hint at a rougher lifestyle from both and looser rules, having no parents and growing up around criminals, and often facing derogatory terms and prejudice from those above them. I know it's OoC from canon, as some people have pointed out, but that's kind of the point of me writing them swearing. They are supposed to sound very rough and earthy compared to later characters who will have much posher lifestyles and who would never be so crass.
Book 1: Wildmage
Chapter 4
Ruby's feet pounded on the ground and her breath came out in harsh pants. She cut across a cobbled street and between two large mansions, then watched as an attachment of guards came sprinting past, weapons at the ready. They continued toward the main gate, which she could see in the distance had been drawn shut, locking her and them inside.
A groaning from the opposite direction caught her ear and she looked back toward the pristine white walls surrounding the Arcane Collegium. Huge wooden gates were being drawn open, wider than they had been before. With the bell tolling in the background, a procession of some twenty robed figures marched out, flanked and guarded by proud soldiers wearing crimson tabards and cloaks, each of which rode on horseback.
Twenty Arcanists and as many guards for me? Ruby thought hysterically, ducking back into the gap between the buildings. That's ridiculous!
Moving along and in the opposite direction, she peeked out around the back of the house and ran across the lavish gardens, hopping over a low stone wall and into a collection of flowering bushes on the other side. Their thorns bit and scratched at her as she pushed through, but they at least covered her escape.
The Arcanists would have to split up to try and find her – unless they had some way of tracking her, that was. The Upper Quarter wasn't exactly a small place, and even if more Arcanists were coming out the other gates along the wall, it would take time to comb the streets. Though maybe they had time. The guards had been heading for the main gate. They were probably all sealed and guarded now. Once the district was locked down, they could find her at their leisure.
The river. It was what got her into this mess, and it would get her out. Breaking free from the brambles, Ruby crept toward the shadow of the wall connecting the Upper and Merchant Quarters. There were guards atop it now, each of them looking inward for once. They couldn't see her right at the base. However, no houses were built up against the wall, so she'd be out in the open. It would be faster going, though. Easier to reach the river if she wasn't hopping fences and fighting through gardens and streets full of guards.
Time wasn't on her side. Ruby broke from her relative cover and sprinted to the wall, trusting more in luck to get her there unseen than anything else. She couldn't hear if the guards above had seen her or not, but she didn't chance it and ran along the wall itself, keeping one hand on it and sticking to the shadows.
Maybe magic could get her out?
No. Magic was what got her in this spot in the first place. Ruby looked down at her other hand and flexed her fingers. It didn't feel any different from how it had before and there were no marks or lingering signs of… whatever she'd done to that guard. No feeling of power, either. No lingering traces of what she imagined `arcane energy` might feel like.
"Less dawdling, more running," she chided, shaking her head and hurrying on. "You can figure this out later, Ruby. Escape for now."
The bell was still tolling from the Collegium and she heard another gate open somewhere to the west, on the other side of the river. Above, someone shouted out a warning. They'd seen her. Ruby swore and sprinted as fast as her legs could take her, breaking cover and any attempt at staying hidden. The river was just ahead. From there, she could let it take her back down to the lower quarter and to Yang. They could hide or flee. Or-
"Bindings of light restrain my foe!"
A flash of light from the right blinded Ruby a second before something coiled around her legs, locking her knees together and making her trip. Her face slammed down onto the grass and she rolled onto her side, staring down at what appeared to be thin bands of string made of pure and glimmering yellow light coiled and wrapped around her legs, all the way from her feet to her waist. Ruby struggled against them but even if they flexed, they wouldn't break.
"Desist, Wildmage," a pompous voice commanded. A portly man approached, multiple chins jostling as he waddled on two legs that seemed too small for him. He wore the robes of an Arcanist and had a red mantle, or half cloak, that fell over one shoulder, coming down the front and back of his robes to around the length of his elbow. Connecting that red mantle at the front, an ornate broach was clipped, made of silver or iron with a single red gem beaming from it.
"You have been captured by the proud scion of the Du'Monte household. You should have known better than to trespass in this hallowed district."
Through her hysterical fear, Ruby almost wanted to laugh. Was this guy for real? He sounded like one of those joke nobles the storytellers would play, one of those designed to mock the nobility. It would have been a whole lot funnier if he was acting it too, but Ruby couldn't move her legs. She desperately used her arms to drag her along. If she could get in the water and away, the spell might wear off in time. Maybe. Hopefully.
"He isn't listening, sir," the Arcanist's companion, another of the guards in red, said.
"I can see that. Knock the monster out. It would be easier to transport him to the Sanctum if he wasn't fighting us every step of the way."
The Sanctum. Ruby's heart raced and her eyes bulged. She began to thrash on the grass, slithering like a worm towards the water with tears pouring from her eyes. Not the Sanctum. Not that. Not when Yang would never know.
"Aye, sir." The guard drew out a long and thin wooden stick, more a cane than a club, and stepped towards her. He looked bored and irritated to have been dragged out for such a menial task. "Stay still, boy," he spat. "If you struggle, it'll just make it harder for me to land a solid blow. Don't make this any worse on yourself than it already is."
No. No, no, no. Ruby spun onto her back and used both feet, still tied, to push herself along the grass away from the approaching man. Even with that cane, a few solid hits to the head would put her out. He didn't seem bothered at all by the thought of beating her.
I need to escape. Need to get away. Need these ropes gone! Ruby gripped at them with both hands and tugged, but they were as hard as iron. Cut them, she thought, trying to reach her knife. Maybe I can cut-
The light rope in her hand was severed suddenly, sliced through the middle.
Her knife was still on her belt.
The only thing touching the rope had been her hand.
"Quickly!" the Arcanist yelped. "Subdue her breaks my binding!"
Break-? Of course. Magic! The Guard rushed in, whipping his cane back. With no other options, Ruby stabbed her hand out towards him and tried to remember what she'd done to the guard in Vincent's shop.
Crack!
"Ahhhh!"
Ruby screamed at the top of her lungs as the cane bit home, striking not against her skull but the palm of her hand. Blood splashed and tears bit at her eyes. It hadn't worked. The magic failed. It hadn't come at all. Ruby's hand was drawn back instinctively to her chest and the guard lashed in again, this time aiming for her face.
She fell to the side, dodging it by a hair's breadth.
Why hadn't it worked? Why hadn't she been able to send him flying back? Ruby gritted her teeth and rolled over to face the man again, just as he brought the cane whistling down. Flat on her back, there was no chance of escaping. Just a one wat trip to the Sanctum, where she would never see her sister again. Yang would never even know what happened to her.
It wasn't fair. None of this was fair. With tears pouring down her cheeks, Ruby threw her bleeding hand out toward him and screamed, "NO!"
The cane went flying. The guard recoiled, stumbling back as his arm was blasted upward by some sudden pressure, knocking him back. Ruby's hand steamed and, still flush with the power of it, she thrust it towards his chest and snarled.
"Back!"
He was launched off his feet. Much faster than the one in the shop, he was hit by `something` centre mass and sent crashing into and through a wooden fence. The Arcanist recoiled, but Ruby, fuelled by fear, quickly grabbed the ropes of light and began to tug at them, whispering the word `cut` continuously.
Not every word prompted a response, but some did. The ropes frayed and were torn asunder, and much like real rope, once she had some of it done, the rest began to loosen and fall slack, allowing her to drag her feet out.
"Bindings of light restrain my foe!"
This time, she was ready and dove to the side, rolling out the way of several coils of yellow that hurtled towards her previous position. While she had her power, she didn't trust it enough to try and stop those with it. Instead, she thrust out her hand toward him and yelled, "Back!"
Ruby saw what happened this time. It was like a balloon of air rushing out of her hand and toward the Arcanist, growling larger and larger as it went. It must have struck the guard's arm first, disarming him, then his chest on the second.
"Fool!" the Arcanist spat, slashing a hand before him. The wave was met by one of his own cancelling it out. "Do you seek to challenge the scion of the Du'Monte family in the arcane arts? We have been proud Arcanists for generations an-"
Her shoulder slammed into the man's not inconsiderable gut. Despite the differences in their weight and height, he went down, falling like a tree with a startled cry. He cushioned her fall and she straddled his hips, gripping her knife in one hand and glaring down on him.
The Arcanist looked terrified.
"B-Bindings of light-"
The pommel of her knife slammed into his jaw. There was a satisfying crack as something broke, either his jaw or his teeth. Ruby brought the knife up again, ready to hit his temple, but the fat man lay still. He'd passed out from just that.
"Ugh." The guard groaned and placed a hand down, bringing the other to cup his head.
"By the river!" someone yelled. "I sensed magic!"
That was her cue. With the Arcanist out and unable to stop her and the guard recovering, Ruby scrambled to her feet and sprinted toward the wall, getting as close as she could to the culvert before looking back. Robed figures were approaching, several pointing towards her and one raising a hand in the air. A bright red trail of light shot up, signalling their position. Ten or more guards in gleaming armour and red capes rushed towards her.
Ruby dove into the river.
/-/
"Lord Arcanist."
The white-haired man did not turn from the windows he stared out of. "Headmaster Lionheart," he returned respectfully. "Has the disturbance been dealt with?"
"I'm afraid not. The suspect escaped."
The Lord Arcanist hummed.
"Lord William Du'Monte faced the suspect, referring to him as a young boy – ragged complexion and wiry-thin. Likely from the lower quarter and almost certainly the one Glynda sensed several days past." The headmaster hesitated for a moment. "Du'Monte challenged the Arcanist to combat and was bested. He has suffered a broken jaw and some minor damage. The healers have already set and treated it."
The Lord Arcanist turned at that. His brows drew down over a small pair of round glass spectacles. "Du'Monte is an apprentice-level Arcanist at best. His tenure of study is no more than two and a half years. Why was he the first to locate the suspect?"
"He claims he was visiting family, sir. A coincidence."
"Your thoughts, Leonardo?"
"Seeking glory," the large faunus grunted. "Unless the young scion believes he needs a Collegium guard to threaten his younger sister, I believe he sought the suspect out himself, hoping to subdue him and make a name for himself. Like so many in his position, he over-relied on the arcane arts. He was subdued by the assailant in melee and beaten unconscious."
"Troublesome." The Lord Arcanist sighed. "This is why we have Collegium guards. He should not have engaged the suspect directly. Did the young lord provide us any useful information? Or has this been a waste of everyone's time?"
"Lord Arcanist, Ozpin…" Leonardo bit his lip. "Du'Monte managed to confirm it. The boy is a Wildmage."
Ozpin's eyes closed. A heavy sigh slipped from his lips and he seemed to age ten years in a moment. "I see." He poured himself a drink and sipped at it. "This is certain? It could not be a rogue Arcanist from either our Collegium or another?"
"All Arcanists have been accounted for by the Scriptorium. It was one of the first things I ordered. None matching the description have been missing by us, nor by the other Collegiums. Though… the Arcane Collegium of Menagerie fell when the island did. It is possible, I suppose, that this one comes from there."
"But you believe it unlikely, Leonardo. Why?"
"Du'Monte's report, Ozpin. Whilst I hardly trust the boy to be impartial, our guard reported that he struck at the Wildmage and wounded it, and that the Wildmage only responded with a spell after – Wind Blast, I believe. From the description. According to the guard, the Wildmage appeared as surprised as he was."
"I see." Ozpin put his cup down. "Not a qualified Arcanist, then. This is troubling. There has not been a Wildmage free in the city for twenty years."
"The people don't yet know there is, sir. We've had Arcanists in the last three years without raising any fuss. They were collected easily enough and moved to the Sanctum. We can do the same here. The people need not fear or be led into a panic."
"We have armed guards and Arcanists traipsing around the city, Leonardo."
Leonardo snorted. "With all due respect, Ozpin, that's in the lower quarter."
"People still talk. They are not as foolish as you seem to think they are. We also have someone running around here screaming about Wildmages."
"Already handled. I had Vincent and his guard from the local antiques store brought into the Collegium. His silence was bought with a little coin and a promise to station an Arcanist at his store until the matter is dealt with." Leonardo waved a hand. "In case the Wildmage comes back, apparently."
"They would be a fool to. Either way, good work. This Wildmage must be found quickly, however. We cannot take the risk…"
"I understand. With your permission, Ozpin, I'd like to enact scrying rituals around the walls of the lower quarter. If needs be, we will catch the boy when he next uses his abilities."
"You think that he will?"
"There has never been a Wildmage who could resist the temptation. As far as I'm concerned, it's only a matter of time."
"Very well." Ozpin nodded. "But delegate the matter to Glynda. The new year begins in a few months, and you have a school to run. We have several key students and I do not want their integration into the Collegium disrupted."
"Of course." Leonardo bowed. "It will be done." He made to leave.
"Oh, and Leonardo?" Ozpin waited for the headmaster to turn back. "See that the Du'Monte boy is punished. He should have raised the alarm the moment he saw the Wildmage. I want him running drills with the Collegium Guards for a week. No magic to assist him. If he wishes to engage his foes in melee, he will learn to do so properly."
Leonardo winced. "His family will not like that, sir. They are quite influential."
"All the better. This will remind him, and them, that the Collegium stands above such petty squabbles. Du'Monte's loyalty is to the Collegium first, Vale second, and only then to his family. If he refuses his punishment, tell the Captain of the Guard to treat him as he would an unruly guard."
Flogging. Leonardo stiffened but then nodded.
"It will be done. There is one more thing, sir."
"Yes?"
"Despite all descriptions, the guard who struck the Wildmage said that the boy screamed like a girl."
"I see. Alert Glynda. Widen the net. It is imperative the Wildmage be brought to justice as quickly as possible. We cannot allow one of them to run free. Glynda may take whatever resources she sees fit."
"We could empty the slums and sift through them one by one."
"That level of disruption would turn the people against the Collegium. It would be seen as an abuse of our power.
"On the dredgers, Ozpin. No one would care."
Ozpin sighed. "It is to be a last resort. Am I understood? Only when all other options are used shall I countenance such actions. Dredgers though they may be, they are still a part of our city. It is the Collegium's duty to serve the city. Not to lord over it."
"Yes, Lord Arcanist."
/-/
"A Wildmage…" Yang whispered the word angrily, afraid to raise her voice lest Junior or one of the twins overhear. That didn't stop her pacing around the small room. She paused by the window and looked outside, then dragged the ratty wooden shutters closed and turned back to Ruby. "I can't believe this. You're a Wildmage? You!?"
Ruby shrunk in on herself, still clutching her wounded hand to her chest. The bleeding had stopped but the mashed poultice of herbs Yang had smeared into the wound still burned. It was necessary after swimming in the river, especially when it swept her down to the lower quarter and became muddy and polluted with waste.
"I guess?"
"You guess?" Yang stared at her. "Oh great. You guess. That's wonderful, Ruby. You guess you might be a Wildmage. Fucking wonderful."
"A-Alright, I am," she said, bowing under the pressure of Yang's temper. "I didn't know," she promised. "It – It just happened. And they were going to arrest me. In the Upper Quarter! I'd have been thrown in a cell or killed!"
"And what were you doing in the Upper Quarter in the first place?"
"Erk."
"You were delivering that fucking message, weren't you? The one from the Arcanist. The one Junior specifically told you not to!"
"I thought it would help us," Ruby cried. "Two thousand lien!"
"Yeah, and a fat lot of help this is." Yang stormed past the table, leaving her to pull her knees up shamefacedly. "Arcanists on the streets and guards up in arms. And after you. After us," Yang amended, checking and opening the door, then closing it when she was sure no one might be listening in. "Fuck, Ruby. You couldn't have stirred the ants up any more than this. Could you? What are we gonna do? Junior will kick us out."
"Only if he finds out," she mumbled.
"And why won't he? They saw your face."
"They think I'm a boy."
Yang stared at her, confused for a moment, and then looked down over Ruby's malnourished body. There were curves there if you really looked, but her baggy blouse and trousers hardly helped show them off. Muddy and with short hair, she really did look a boy to anyone who didn't get too close.
"That's why they were looking for a boy before, wasn't it? You're lucky no one caught on."
"I'll just not use magic!" Ruby blurted out. "They won't know if I keep it secret."
"Damn right you won't use it!"
Ruby shrunk back again.
"Magic." Yang tossed her head, golden hair flying about angrily. "What good has it done for us? Those up there might prance about and make it look important but it's a noble's tool, Ruby. It's used to show off power. The Collegium doesn't do shit for people like us. When was the last time you saw Arcanists down here not doing something for their own ends?"
Never. Before last week when they'd started looking for her, the only time an Arcanist visited the slums was when they were travelling through it to the gate. Even then, they'd usually leave through a different gate and go around. No one came to the slums by choice.
"We can stay hidden," Yang said, ignoring Ruby entirely. "They can't check every single person. Maybe get you more food, too. Fill you out a bit. It'll be expensive but if we give up on some other stuff, we can manage it. Grow your hair long. Hide." She swallowed. "If needs be, we can go live on the outskirts."
"No! That's too dangerous. We'll be killed."
"You think we won't be here?" Yang hissed. "You're a Wildmage, Ruby. A Wildmage. And I'm helping you. They're not going to smile down on that. I'll be tossed in a cell – or just flat-out executed – and you'll be thrown in the Sanctum."
"Why are they so afraid of Wildmages anyway?" Ruby asked. "No one ever says."
"No clue. I just know they're bad news." Yang paused as she realised who she'd said that to. "Not that you're bad news," she quickly added. "Just. Shit, you know, it's what they say. Not like the Arcanists are gonna come down and explain their reasons to us, is it?"
Ruby's legs swung under the table. No one really knew much about what went on in the Collegium; they wore mystery like a cloak. The only thing she knew was that the Arcanists trained and studied there, and that the Sanctum was where bad Arcanists and Wildmages went.
"We'll keep our heads down," Yang decided. "You're not running jobs for Junior for a couple of days. I'll tell him you caught an infection. Try to look sick."
"W-What about that?" Ruby nodded to the cube box on the table.
Yang snarled. "Chuck it."
"I can't. I told you how it works. It always comes back."
"Then don't mess with it. Just let it stay where it wants and don't do anything. You don't play with things you don't understand, especially not if they're Arcanist things." Yang grimaced and took a step back herself, watching it cautiously. "This has to blow over at some point. What are they going to do? Camp in the slums until the spring floods? Give it a week and this will have all blown over."
/-/
Two months had passed and the Arcanists were building bell towers along the walls of the lower quarter. Ruby watched one of them from the window, face pale and body trembling slightly. Swallowing, she closed the shutters and stepped back into the room, wiping her hands over her face to wash away some sweat and sitting on the edge of her bed.
The slums were nervous.
It was hard not to be when Arcanists and Collegium Guards patrolled the streets in tightly packed units of six to ten, armour and cloaks immaculate and hands on their weapons at all times. People were stopped and searched, while inns and taverns were watched, and the gates were all guarded by a rotating shift at any time of day. Several known breaches in the walls had been sealed and blocked shut, and there were rumours of groups of Arcanists sitting in circles casting strange and mysterious spells.
Two whole months, and contrary to Yang's words, they'd only grown more persistent.
Her sister was asleep in the other bed, curled up onto her side and snoring lightly. The day's work had been hard on her, harder still because of how little work Ruby was taking. Junior was suspicious. After so long, he had a right to be. But Ruby looked sick enough that he couldn't argue with the excuse. And to be honest, she felt it.
The sweat and the shakes weren't put on. The way her hands trembled was all her. Yesterday, she'd dropped her food while trying to eat it, spilling the stale bread onto the floor while her fingers twitched and closed of their own afford.
Tonight, she couldn't sleep. There was a burning inside her. A roiling, swirling heat that tore through her chest to her stomach, then to her heart, shoulders and across her body. Ruby gritted her teeth and bit back a whine, clinging to her shoulders as she vibrated on the bed. Tears pricked at her eyes.
Her magic wanted to come out.
Ruby wasn't sure how she knew, only that she did instinctively. Every few seconds, her eyes would be drawn to the wooden cube that sat on the bedside table. It never moved, opened or did anything unusual and she never felt anything from it, but it drew her eyes even so, tempting her. Her fingers itched to hold and play with it. Snatching it off the side, she cradled it against her chest.
It didn't make her feel any better. It was just wood. Nothing more.
Sitting up again, sleep felt impossible, Ruby crossed her legs and took several deep breaths, trying to ride out the sickening pain. It wasn't agony – not like being beaten. It was more like sickness mixed with hunger, the kind of horrible feeling where you were hungry but threw up anything you ate, an affliction with no cure or easy way out other than to accept how much it hurt and push through it.
Maybe a little magic wouldn't hurt.
Ruby's hands were cupped before her already, eyes lidded and lips parted.
No! Snapping out of it, she dashed her hands as if they were in water and pulled back, panting and looking to Yang. Still asleep; she hadn't woken up. What am I thinking? I can't use magic. I promised. I'm not going to be a Wildmage.
Whatever a Wildmage was supposed to be. Two months of asking around had yielded no information, just rumours and tall stories. Wildmages were creatures of the Grimm taken human form. Wildmages were monsters. Wildmages were responsible for the floods. Wildmages caused crops to go bad and winters to be longer. Wildmages all deserved to be in the Sanctum so that the good people of Vale could stay safe.
No details of what a Wildmage could do, why they deserved the Sanctum or even the names of any previous Wildmages. The last one had apparently been before they were born, and no one remembered his or her name. They just called them `the Wildmage`. Apparently, they'd fought against the Collegium, but it hadn't been a war. Just one person fighting against them, outnumbered and eventually defeated and captured.
Just like her.
"Ruby…?" Yang mumbled and sat up, yawning. She must have made a sound when she'd panicked. "What's wrong?" Yang leaned over and peered at her through the gloom. There wasn't much light to work with, but it would have taken a while to light a candle. "You look awful," Yang whispered. "Is it your hand? Is it infected?"
"N-No." Ruby whimpered and scrunched her eyes shut. "It… It's the magic."
Yang's eyes hardened. "Ruby."
"I'm not lying!" she hissed, shaking physically. "It – It's trying to come out. It needs to come out. It hurts, Yang. It hurts so bad."
"Shit." Something in her tone, or just the way she looked, convinced Yang that she was telling the truth. Her sister swung her legs out of bed and padded over, pressing a hand to Ruby's head then pulling it away. "You're burning up. You sure you're not imaging it? You could just be sick."
"No. I know. I don't know how, but I know."
"Is magic addictive?" Yang wondered out loud. "Not like they'd admit it if it was, or we'd know. Shit, that's not good. Would you get better if you used some?" she asked. "Are you sure you can't get away with not using it?"
"I've tried, Yang. I've tried for two months. I – I need to do something or I'm going to go crazy."
"I don't like this, Ruby."
Ruby stared back, doing nothing to hide how much her body ached. If she didn't do this now, there was a good chance it was going to happen on its own. Just come out without her being able to do anything about it. She gritted the words out, warning Yang that she either got it out, or it came out. One or the other.
"Shit." Yang swore again. "Alright. Let's do this. Middle of the night is as good a time as any." She rubbed her arms nervously and moved over to the door, checking it. When it was clear, she came back and sat on Ruby's bed with her. "I'd have suggested we go do this in the woods outside the city, but we'd never get past the gates. Not with you acting like this. I bet they knew this would happen; they're probably looking out for people that look sick."
It was all to possible. The Collegium had an iron hold on information regarding Arcanists, and they must have known all the signs to look out for. Nodding, Ruby crossed her legs and cupped her hands before her, palms upward.
"How is this gonna work?" Yang asked.
"I – I don't know." Ruby's voice came out a breezy whisper. Almost needy. "It was never like what the Arcanist did. He had to say something to cast his spells. I just sorta did it. I don't think it matters; it's pushing so hard it's going to come out anyway." She cracked an eye open. "You might not want to be right next to me."
Yang scuttled back and jogged to the far end of the room, needing no more invitation to be anywhere other than where magic was going on. While Yang wasn't exactly afraid of Arcanists – she disliked them more than anything – there was something to be said for someone using magic who had no idea what they were doing. "Try and keep it small," Yang pleaded. "Something that won't get us kicked out."
Nodding excitedly, Ruby closed her eyes and let go.
That was all it took. It rushed out of her in an instant, draining from her hands like water picked up from the river.
Yang gasped.
Opening her eyes, Ruby looked down at the bright blue ball that floated inches above her palms. It was perfectly round and hovered in the air, giving off a pale glow that illuminated the room, her face and Yang's.
The relief – oh, the relief – was smothering.
It was like needing the toilet and holding it in for two months, then finally being able to go. Tension drained out of her muscles and a healthy glow suffused her skin as she felt more alive than ever before. It continued to rush out of her, needing a way out of her body.
"Ruby," Yang said nervously. "It's getting bigger!"
"Hah?" Ruby looked down again and her eyes grew wide. The ball was… morphing, expanding. Its edges rippled like water, like a turbulent sea with waves growing larger and larger, bulging out the sides and twisting in on itself. Where before it had been smooth and serene, now it fought to break free.
And more and more of her power was being fed into it.
"Cut it off!" Yang said. "End it!"
"I – I can't! It keeps coming!" The ball twisted in on itself and a bit leapt up into the air, frothing like boiling water being spat out of an iron pan. "End!" Ruby commanded. "Stop! Desist! Go away!" Trying to remember what she'd said in the fight with the Arcanist before, she tried "Back!"
That was a mistake.
If it wasn't for Yang's quick reactions and natural caution, she'd be dead. The ball shot away from Ruby's hands with incredible speed, tearing through the air towards her sister – who dodged out the way at the last second, diving to the side.
The `spell` didn't so much hit the wall as splash against it. Flame crackled up the wood and then burned out immediately, ending itself before the wall could catch fire, but leaving terrible burn marks across the wood. Loud crackling sounds boomed like thunder and bright blue light flared, spiking out from every crack in the room as they were momentarily blinded.
From outside, it must have seemed like a sun had dawned in their room for a moment.
Ruby hoped no one was on the street below.
"T-The fuck was that!?" Yang coughed, hacking on the small amount of smoke left behind. The wall looked like someone had taken a burnt-out torch to it and scorched the woodwork. "You said you were going to keep it small!"
"I tried. I didn't think it would do that!"
"Is this gonna be a constant thing? You having to use magic and then it being this bad?"
"I don't know. Maybe?"
"It's going to make staying hidden hard." Yang frowned and inspected the wall. "We might be able to hide this. Maybe if we say it was an accident. Dump a candle at the base or something. Junior's gonna have my head, but he'll get over it."
"I-I'm sorry…"
Yang sighed. "Nothing we can do, is there? We'll have to be careful next time. You good for another month or two? Not going to pop out any more?"
"I think so." Ruby took a deep breath. Her body felt better than it had for weeks, like she could run a marathon. Even as nervous as she was, there was a giddiness inside that couldn't entirely be ignored. "I feel good. Great even."
"Wonderful." Yang rolled her eyes. "Whatever. I guess that gets rid of the immediate problem-"
Bells were tolling. The bells on the walls.
"What the-?" Yang hurried over to the window and opened the shutters, Ruby close behind her. Outside, the towers on the walls were glowing faintly, glowing as if a torch were in the top, lighting up a vibrant red. Not every tower, but two or three. The two or three that, if one imagined lines to be coming from them, would intersect over their location.
Already, red lights were being thrown up into the sky, rising above the rooftops like rising stars, then hanging in the air, glowing like paper lanterns. The sound of boots echoing on the streets sounded and Yang ducked back with a curse, hiding away from six figures in armour and red that came stampeding down the road.
A crash sounded from below. They were in the building. Junior and the Malachites were shouting – there was more shouting from the guards. Voices raised and Ruby heard the wooden stairs being scaled. How fast were their reactions? How could they not only locate, but have people here already? Ruby's heart was in her throat and she sat on the bed, paralysed.
"Move!" Yang hissed and caught her arm, hauling her bodily out of bed and toward the window. "Go. Run. Find somewhere safe to lay low." Yang looked back as feet echoed outside. They didn't know which room it was, but they were knocking and forcing their way into each. "I'll keep them busy."
"Y-Yang-!?"
"Shh. It's fine." Yang pushed her out the window. Ruby's feet instinctively sought the thin wooden railing, used to climbing and travelling off street level. "I'm not a Wildmage, am I? I'll make something up, relax." She smiled grimly. "Just stay safe and I'll find you, Ruby. I promise. Get out and hide somewhere – and whatever you do, don't use any more magic."
Fists hammered at the door. "Open up! You have ten seconds, or we knock the door down!"
Taking a deep breath, Ruby took one last look at Yang and let go, tumbling down to the dirt path below. She landed hard and rolled to bleed off the force, scanned the area and moved north. These were just the guards. Arcanists would be close behind. As she ran, Ruby felt a familiar weight settle in her pocket, appearing as if from nowhere.
Ignoring it, she fled from her home for the last ten years, hearing Yang shouting abuse at the guards – probably half-naked and blaming them for coming in on her. She could only hope Yang would get away; she was probably safer without Ruby there.
Everyone would be safer without me…
A robed figure appeared at the end of the alley and ran toward her. Ruby's heart hammered in her chest and her hand fell to her knife. He dashed past her, ignoring her entirely and running toward Junior's place.
They didn't know-? Not everyone could sense her? Or was it that they could only sense where magic had been done, and not who had it? Why, then, had the Arcanist from the gate, the blonde, seen her when she tried to sneak through with the farmers?
If they couldn't find her now, she was safe for a bit. At least until she used magic again – which she'd have to if her last reaction to abstaining was any indication. She couldn't not use her powers. They'd just build and build until she had another accident. Hunkering down amongst some piles of trash, Ruby made herself small and ignored the distant tolling and shouting. How many nights had she stayed awake dreaming of being an Arcanist? This was so different to her childish fantasies.
"This is all your fault!" she hissed, dragging out the stupid fucking box that the bitch of an Arcanist had given her. "You're the cause of all this! If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be stuck like this!" Ruby squeezed it between her hands, trying to crush it.
The box clicked.
Whether it was the latent magic in her hands, the fact she'd cast a spell or just what had happened before, no sooner had she applied pressure to it then the box clicked and the top plane slid open of its own accord, revealing a small, satin-lined interior with a small, silvery object inside.
It was a broach.
A silver broach stylised like a wolf's head snarling with three lines behind it. Each of the eyes held what looked like a slot for a gemstone. Reaching into her other pocket, she drew out the piece of jewellery she'd found in the shack on the outskirts of Vale. The long and coiling snake was set around spaces for two stones, just like the wolf broach. More than that, the one in her hand, the empty one, was the same design that the foppish Arcanist had worn on his red mantle.
His had a single gem set in it, the colour red.
It's an Arcanist's Seal, Ruby thought, staring down on it in awe. This is how they recognise one another, how they know just anyone in a robe isn't an Arcanist. Because they need to have one of these. Like a badge used among gang members in the slums, it would probably be used as proof of identity through gates and walls, and even into the Collegium itself. The snake one must have been for Vale, while the snarling wolf head – was that Menagerie? It had come from the faunus, so there was a good chance. That or she'd killed an Arcanist and stolen it from them.
As an experiment, Ruby threw the box away and the broach with it. She stood and made her way down the street – far enough for the spell on her to kick in. Something heavy settled in her pocket. Ruby reached in. Her fingers touched metal.
The spell was on the broach, not the box. An idea occurred to her.
A terrible, terrible idea.
She was being hunted and her magic was out of control. Neither her nor Yang knew enough about it to get around that problem, and part of that was just knowledge. Without knowing what a Wildmage was and what they did, they couldn't stay hidden. Yang was willing to risk her life to try, but that was just it. Yang couldn't fight the Arcane Collegium on her behalf. It would never work. But if she could get into the Collegium? If she could sneak in? Ruby swallowed and looked down at the snarling head broach. At the same time, she tossed the Vale one aside, letting it fall into the trash.
"I need a robe. A robe and a mantle…"
Oh Ruby, what are you doing now?
So yes, there's a very brief look into the Collegium's organisational structure. More of it will become clear in time, but the titles should make enough hints. Also, though I'm sure many people got the reference, I was trying to suggest the White Fang symbol for the broach – not the Witcher. I'm sure some people will hear "snarling wolf head" and think of that, though. Can't blame them. Witcher is a great mythos.
I won't be taking anything from it, though. I love it, but magic in that series is… kinda hard to understand at times. It's just a coincidence with the White Fang's logo being similar.
Next Chapter: 18th June
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