Troll in Reviews
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Cover Art: Z-ComiX
Chapter 31
It was late at night and Ruby crouched low before a dormitory door, checking up and down the hallway. Most of the illumination came through the tall windows at the end of the corridor, along with several dimly burning candles dotted up and down it. The hour was somewhere between two and three, a point in time commonly known in the slums as `business hours`.
Plenty of people stayed up late, either for their own protection, because of work or just out of habit. Midnight sounded late, but you could still find people wandering around in various states of sobriety. So, too, was it the case in the Collegium, except for the concept of alcohol. While uncommon, it wasn't unusual to find some people studying late or finding time to indulge in clandestine and very out-of-marriage-agreement relationships.
This late, though? The dormitory was dead, and even the late study groups had long since given up and gone to bed. Waiting just a few seconds longer to make sure no one came around or was moving inside the room, Ruby brought out her tools and got to work.
The Collegium made a big deal of how secure their dorms were. Early on, Coco made it clear they were enchanted to resist both magical spells and physical force, so nobody needed to be concerned for their safety. They didn't open or close based on magic, though. If that happened and the students within it were hurt, no one would be able to get in to help them. At the end of the day, the doors relied on the age-old method of a lock and key.
Ruby wasn't exactly a skilled lockpick, but everyone learned how to do a little in the slums, and it was one of the things Junior tried to teach her before realising her natural athleticism suited a messenger more. As such, while a complicated lock might thwart her, the ones on the dorms proved little difficulty.
She'd know, since she'd practiced on her own all day.
A little wire taken from the school supplies, a long nail from a table and plenty of patience. Ruby stuck her tongue out and listened for the clicks as she worked, keeping an even pressure with the nail, the end bent inward by pushing it against a brick wall, so that the lock would turn once she had all the pins done.
It took a while. Any real thief would have had it open quicker. For her, it was a couple of fails and resets, a few impatient sighs and starting over again before she felt the lock turn. Instantly ceasing the pressure, she pressed her ear to the door and listened.
Quiet breathing came from the other side.
As quietly as could be, she inched the door open and slid inside, propping a rock she'd brought along into the frame so it wouldn't close behind her. Crouched low, hood up and lower face covered with a kitchen towel, she inspected the two dark beds and the dimly lit curtains beyond them.
Martyn Malneux slept on the left.
Justifiable punishment was something Ruby was intimately familiar with. It was a cornerstone of civilisation in the slums. If someone broke a promise to you, you were fair to punish them for it provided you had the strength. There were limits, though. No one wanted to push things to breaking point and drag the guards down, earning beatings or arrest for everyone. If you tried, others in the slums would stop you.
Measured responses were the name of the game. If someone stole from you, you broke their hand. If someone cheated you, you robbed them blind. If someone killed your friend or family member, then you could look at returning the favour, but only if you kept it quiet. Only if it didn't blow into something bigger.
It would have been easy to kill Malneux.
That, however, would fly out of control. The Collegium would be up in arms, Ironwood and his Arcanists would be swarming the building. The Guards would close off every gate. The whole dormitory would be turned upside down, and even if they didn't find any evidence to incriminate her, they'd all be watched that much more closely.
Murder wasn't the solution, not that she'd have considered it. Malneux was a prick, but the world was full of those and you couldn't go around killing each one. The punishment had to fit the crime, and while Malneux might well have doomed her life had she been found out to be a Wildmage, he didn't know that. To him, it was all to humiliate her.
That was fine. Heck. Had it worked, she'd have been impressed and let it go. What did embarrassment mean to her? But no, he'd nearly gotten her lynched and that, he had to pay for. Watching his sleeping form, Ruby reached into a small bag under her cloak.
The night's work was swift and silent. Not ten minutes later, Ruby crept out of their room and closed the door, retreating to her own and crawling into bed with none the wiser.
/-/
Weiss knew something was up come morning. For one, Ruby was digging her heels in when the food hall was open. That alone was evidence enough because Ruby never missed breakfast. But even beyond that, the Newbloods were meant to be out training again for the first time this morning and she wasn't interested.
"You did something," Weiss said.
"I don't know what you mean."
"I've never known you to not want food."
"Are you saying I'm greedy?"
"Yes!"
Ruby didn't protest but she didn't look at Weiss either. Those silver eyes were subtly trying to keep an eye on the common room of the dorms for some reason. Weiss only noticed because she was watching her roommate.
"You can tell me, you realise. I'm not going to turn on you."
Ruby shot her a pleased smile, but also a vicious one. Not a second later, before she'd had any time to process that statement, a high-pitched scream echoed through the dorms. While everyone else turned with shock toward the building, Weiss glanced at Ruby and saw her smile widen. It sent a chill down her spine. Under her breath, she hissed, "What did you do!?"
"Better you don't know. Easier to claim innocence that way."
The front entrance slammed open and an almost unrecognisable figure burst forth, tripping and tumbling down the steps onto the damp graven pathway. It landed on all fours and looked up, and only then did she realise who it was.
"Is that Martyn…?" someone asked.
Their confusion was understandable. Martyn was always stood upright with dark black hair and a commanding posture. On all fours and panicking, he cut a different figure, but that wasn't the only thing that made Weiss' mouth fall open.
Half his hair was missing. Gone. Some of it was still there, but it had been cut so short to his head that she could see his scalp through it. Only half, roughly in a line down the centre. The other side was still there, but was now a sickening shade of burnt orange, as though someone had tried to dye it orange but found his natural shade too impossible and left it a sticky orange-brown instead.
Seeing them all there, watching, Martyn screamed again and lunged to his feet, tearing off in the direction of the Emerald Arcana building.
"W-Why didn't he just stay in his room?" Weiss had to ask.
"Maybe he's afraid whatever is in his hair will make the rest fall out."
That was too specific to be an accident, even ignoring everything else. Weiss watched her friend with absolute horror. Where everyone else was nervously laughing or whispering among themselves, Ruby looked viciously satisfied. Like a feline that had caught a bird and taken immense delight in disembowelling it.
"Ruby. You can't… That's too much. You've humiliated him!"
"Who said it was me?"
"You, I… Don't start this now!" Weiss dragged her away from anyone else and kept her voice low. "I know I suggested getting back at him, but I expected some verbal sparring or calling him out. This – This is the kind of thing that could get you in real trouble!"
"Why? He's fine."
"He could be poisoned!"
"He's not." Ruby rolled her eyes. "And it washes out."
"And the hair he's now missing!?" she hissed.
"Grows back."
Ruby didn't get it. Weiss felt like she was smacking her head into a brick wall. She knew her roommate could be dense at times, but didn't she realise how far this went? House wars had been started over less. Childish pranks were one thing, but she'd gone too far.
"He'll be calling for your head! His whole family will!"
"How could I have possibly gotten into their rooms, Weiss? The doors are enchanted to prevent entry."
That was true and had that been the only evidence she would have sided with Ruby's innocence, but the way she was acting practically screamed guilt. How, though? That was the question. And quite obviously, it was what Ruby intended to rely on to dissuade any punishment. If that was the case, then maybe Ruby was right – it was better she not know how this happened.
"Just be careful. He tried to embarrass you, and while this is on the same scale it's too extreme. It's not like he endangered your life."
Ruby scowled and didn't answer. "Maybe. Let's go get some food."
/-/
Coco cornered them at breakfast, but by then Ruby had mastered her gambling face and met her firm stare with a surprised smile. "Martyn?" she asked, voice dripping with simple curiosity. Weiss was fiercely focusing on her own meal, trying to avoid attention.
"You have to have heard what happened this morning, squirt. I won't believe otherwise."
"I heard the scream, sure, but Weiss and I were outside at the time."
Plenty of people could attest to that, and Coco probably already knew. As the Warden of the dorms, it was her job to root out the cause of this, or so Ruby assumed. While she liked the older Initiate, she wasn't afraid to make her job a little harder.
"Wait, is Martyn blaming me for this!?"
"Martyn hasn't been able to do anything other than cry and babble," Coco replied. "Why? Do you think he should be blaming you? That was an awfully quick response there."
"You must have been told what happened last night," Ruby rebutted. Coco sighed, all but confirming it. "Martyn tried to blame me for the flipping river diverting and the wall collapsing. Me! I got dragged up before the Grand Arcanist thanks to him."
"You're still here."
"Of course I am. They figured out I was innocent, but if he'd blame me for knocking down the wall, it wouldn't surprise me if he tried for this as well. Aren't the doors protected against entry? How would I even get in there? Were his keys stolen?"
Coco touched her chin. "I didn't ask. I'll have to check with his roommate."
"It's kind of their own fault if they lost their keys," she said, earning a stern look from Coco. "But if they still have them-" Which she knew they did. "-then I don't know what could have got in. I mean, you told us the doors are just about impenetrable."
"The Wardens have emergency keys."
They did? That was news to her. It showed on her face too, which must have allayed some suspicion.
"Yatsu and I have both have our sets, though," Coco continued. "None are missing, so it didn't come from our end. They must have misplaced theirs."
"What if they didn't?" Ruby asked.
"Well… I mean, what else could it be?" Coco was sold on the idea now, and why not? How would a young noble girl be able to break into a room so heavily protected without being seen, waking anyone up or leaving any evidence? "If the keys are all accounted for, we're looking at someone able to break through high-level Black Arcana enchantments."
"Or it didn't happen in their room."
Coco's eyes fixed on her. "Hm? He had all his hair last night, or so I'm told."
"Couldn't it be a slow-acting spell, or maybe just something else? He took a dunk in the river, didn't he? Could something in there have caused a reaction? Or maybe something else he came in contact with?"
"Maybe…" Coco rubbed her chin.
Weiss kept staring down, now with her shoulders hunched and an almost desperate `please don't ask me` look on her. Talk about having no ability to keep a straight face. Ruby leaned in toward Coco to keep her attention.
"Sounds scary. You don't think it could be this Rogue Arcanist, do you?"
"I doubt that. I mean, why come in and do that? The only one who has any beef with Malneux is you, Rose. No offence."
"He has beef with me. I don't even care about him."
"Targeting Malneux would be a good way to implicate Ruby," Weiss said stiffly.
Coco nodded. "That's true. Alright, I'll pass that on and go check his keys. Try not to get yourselves in any trouble, okay? Bad enough something like this happened right under my nose, but at the same time as the wall going down? Goodwitch isn't just breathing down my neck, she's almost squatting on my shoulder."
"We'll help if we can. Though I'm not sure we'd be any use…"
"Ha. Probably not. Thanks for offering, but you can leave it to us. If the keys are accounted for, we're either looking at a bad reaction like you said or someone way above the level of an Initiate. Sorry for accusing you."
"S'okay. It's your job to check, right?"
"Yep." Coco stood and rubbed Ruby's hair. "Thanks for understanding, squirt. See you around."
Ruby wasted no time watching her leave and dug into breakfast, spooning runny egg onto her toast and biting down. The rich butter had only just begun to melt, making her moan and shiver in delight. The sentiment wasn't shared by Weiss, whose cutlery clattered down as she slumped in abject relief. Seriously, if they'd been talking to the guards Weiss would have given them away in an instant.
"Do you see why this is such a big deal?" she asked, voice a whisper.
"Nope."
"You – Are you an idiot!?"
"I'm an idiot who isn't going to get caught."
"Malneux will know – or he'll target you out of spite either way. This isn't going to go away, Ruby."
It would if he knew what was best for him. This was a warning, nothing more. If he believed she was responsible, then he had to know she could reach him at any time, any hour, and that he'd never see her coming. What could remove and coat his hair could also slit his throat, and he didn't know she wouldn't go that far.
"If he's got any brains, this'll be the last of it."
Weiss sighed and muttered under her breath, "That's what I'm worried about…"
/-/
The Specialist from Atlas that came to escort her to the Sanctum turned out to be the faunus, a dark-skinned man with a boyish and surprisingly friendly smile. He introduced himself as Marrow, even going so far as to shake her hand and apologise for the night before. Ruby was surprised to find she liked him immediately, even considering it a technique on his part but realising he was just that type of person.
It didn't mean it wasn't intentional – if Ironwood and his team were going to work with a school, it made sense they'd bring someone along who was good at talking to people – but it was a relief to have Marrow over Ironwood himself. In the Slums, he'd have made a good shifter. The kind of person who could convince you to buy your own liver or shift stolen goods from a fence to someone in a district above without questions being asked.
As a self-proclaimed Crimson Arcanist, he came a little short. He seemed too nice for it all.
Might be part of the trick, she thought, walking beside him through the Collegium in the early evening. Get the Wildmage's guard down by acting sympathetic, then strike when the time was right. It didn't matter, obviously, because she wasn't a Wildmage. She was just a student. At least from his perspective.
"So, you just volunteered to work at the Sanctum?"
"Yep." Was he fishing for answers? Information? Had he been put up to it?
"To work with criminals?"
"Does that sound weird? People work there already…"
"Admittedly, but those are Sanctum Guards. Arcanists don't work there."
That was something she'd noticed easily enough. They'd be useless without magic. It still surprised her how afraid of the place most of them were. Out of anyone, she had the most reason to be frightened by what it represented, yet the anti-magic field, if that was its name, didn't bother her much. While it was awkward to realise it was in place and not have something she'd started to grow used to, it wasn't a painful or unpleasant feeling. It didn't feel of much at all.
"I don't see the problem," she said, for once fully honest. "I mean, it's just like being a person without magic. What's the big deal?"
"I guess…" Marrow scratched his arm.
"Wait. Are you afraid of it?"
"I'm not afraid." He said it quickly, hunching up his shoulders and ripping his hand away from his arm. His whole posture screamed defensive, and she realised why a moment later. Having an Initiate suggest that of a full-fledged Arcanist had to be insulting. "I just don't like it," he said, long before she could decide if an apology was necessary. "Makes me feel naked."
"Doesn't that mean you've felt it before?"
"I've put a Rogue Arcanist in our Sanctum," Marrow said reluctantly. "Had to go in then…"
"Are you meant to tell me that? I'm just an Initiate."
"An Initiate who knows what the Sanctum is and how it works." He shrugged, then smiled. A little nervous, but friendly despite it. "It's not like I'd go around saying that to every student I come across, but there's not much point when you've seen what it's like in there."
"It's not bad. It's comfortable."
"It's a misery. When you spend most of your life having magic, to suddenly be without…" He stuffed his hands into his robe. "Forget I said anything. It's not something you need to worry about anyway, or I'll hope you don't. Maybe I'm just not as used to it as you are. You're one brave girl to work there."
They reached the hedgerow walls of the Sanctum and Ruby was surprised that he let her take the lead. It made sense a few seconds later; he was from Atlas, so he'd never been here. She led him through the gate and past the rose beds, watching him shiver and rub his arms as he crossed the boundary.
There was no line to mark it. No warning. And it seemed to shift, too. Sometimes she could get as close as the building itself before feeling her magic fade away. Other times, like now, it was halfway between the gates and the entrance. The reason why it moved never became apparent and it was always there sooner or later.
Marrow looked like he'd been dunked in ice. His eyes darted about wildly.
"You could stay outside…"
He flinched. "Ah? What? No. I'm supposed to go in with you…"
"Does it matter if you don't? You're just here so everyone knows when my bracelet goes dark, I'm safe and sound, right?"
He nodded. "Yes."
"But if a bad Arcanist is after me, inside the Sanctum would be the safest place ever." He knew as well as she that it wasn't an Arcanist they were after, but they also knew a Wildmage would be just as neutered. Marrow nodded again. "And this is the only way in and out of the Sanctum. You could wait here, or a few steps back, outside the boundary, and collect me after."
He realised what she was offering. If it was Ironwood, she was sure he'd have seen it as suspicious. Maybe Marrow's desperation made him more eager to embrace the easy out. "T-That's not a bad idea," he said, cringing at his own hesitation but desperate to get out the field. "You won't take long, right? If you're missing an hour, I'm coming in to get you."
"I won't be long. I need to sign in and get my sash to show I'm not a prisoner, but I won't be long after. You can always wave to one of the guards and ask them to find me if you're worried. They know the Sanctum best. You'd just get lost."
"True." Marrow shivered and instantly hurried back, his ability to withstand it gone. Once he was across the line, the life returned to him. He rubbed his arms and gasped for air like he'd just gotten out of the river in the middle of winter. "Y-You can go head!" he called to her. "Just please don't take long…"
"I won't!" she called back, turning toward the building.
Her smile grew. Perfect. Even if she hadn't planned it, that worked out better than she could have ever hoped. Ruby hurried inside and found Nicholas behind the desk again. He appeared to recognise her for a change and offered a tired wave, signing her down and handing over the purple sash. Ruby thanked him and hurried in, up the staircase and toward Cinder's room.
How to talk to her with an Arcanist following had been on her mind all day. The only thing she'd been able to think of was speaking to everyone and hoping Cinder picked up the clue that she was being kept out. Now with Marrow afraid to come in, she had the perfect excuse.
But not long.
"Cinder, we need to talk!" Ruby blurted out. If some of the other incarcerated Arcanists thought her panic odd, they ignored it. They almost all avoided her, likely linking her to the people who locked them away. Though she wouldn't risk it, she thought they'd refuse to tell even if they knew what she was. They all wanted the Collegium to suffer.
"Is something the matter?"
"Your room," Ruby begged. "Talk. Quick. I don't have much time."
Her haste must have made it clear something was wrong. Cinder stood and put her book down, ushering them back to her quarters and closing the door. There, Ruby let it all out, explaining what went wrong and how she'd be kept out the Sanctum. Through it all, Cinder's face remained rigidly neutral. Ruby didn't dare think it genuine.
"I'm sorry!" she whined. "If I hadn't lost control we wouldn't be here."
"No." Cinder stopped her with one hand, eyes closed. "You cannot afford to think that way. This Ironwood and his… Specialists. They have been brought here to hunt you down, and I dare say they would have been summoned regardless of whether you acted against the Collegium or remained hidden. They hunt us, Ruby. They will not rest until we are all of us locked away or dead."
"What do I do?"
"You do what you must, and I do mean that. No limits. No second guessing. You do whatever you must in order to preserve your freedom. That chance was stolen from me, but you have it before you. Grasp it."
"That's too vague. How am I mean to deal with these Specialists? I can't get out the Collegium with the bracelet on. What happens when the surges come?"
"Again, I can't help you there. I was incarcerated as a child."
Ruby gritted her teeth in frustration and tried not to snap. It wasn't Cinder's fault and she'd done nothing but help. What else was she supposed to say? Of course it was up to her to sort this out. If there was a way around it, she had to be the one to find it.
"O-Okay. I get it. But I won't be able to come back while they're here."
"I realise." Cinder smiled sadly. "I will miss you. It's been… I'm not sure how to say it. I've been ignored and isolated for over a decade, with even the other Arcanists here fearing me for what I am. To have someone, anyone, to whom I can speak, means more than you can imagine."
"Will you be okay?" Ruby asked weakly.
"I have existed here for years. I will survive longer, though I won't be happy. There's not much you can do about that, Ruby. Try to get rid of them and you can return. It might be in your best interest to do so anyway."
"To what?" she asked quietly. "Kill them!?"
"If you must."
"That's nuts! I can't kill someone!"
"Then they will kill you," Cinder said. "This isn't a disagreement that can be solved with words, Ruby. They have killed our kind before and obviously intend to do the same here. No matter how kind they may look, you're going to have to come to terms with the fact they are enemies sooner or later."
"T-There must be another way…"
Cinder shrugged. "Perhaps there is. I'm hardly the one to identify it, being locked in here. Find what method you can but remember – there will be no second chances. No trial. No chance for you to defend yourself. They threw me in here as a child and left me to rot. They would feel no guilt doing the same again to you."
Standing, Cinder wrapped her hands around Ruby's head, drawing her in for a hug. Despite her fear, Ruby returned it, holding onto Cinder's warmth. Tears prickled at her eyes. In the absence of Yang, Cinder had become the only person she could rely on. Now the Collegium was taking that away as well, just like they had her sister. How much more would they take from her? She didn't even know if Yang was still alive.
"Stay strong, Ruby. You are a Wildmage. More than any hate, they fear you. Remember that. While they cling to strength in numbers, order and rules, you are beyond all. You shattered the walls of the Collegium in a fit of anger. Imagine what you could truly do should you wish it. You are only imprisoned here should you allow it."
"I'll remember."
"Good." Cinder's hand stroked her hair. "Go. Any longer and I shall miss you too much. I will hold out hope for your return, and that it be as a guest and not a prisoner."
"I won't let them," Ruby promised. "No matter what, I won't let them take me."
Cinder's smile was all the approval she required.
/-/
Marrow was jumpy when she made her way back outside, and she had the feeling he was readying himself to go in and find her. His relief on seeing he wouldn't have to was palpable. Shoulders drooping as a huge breath escaped him, he waited for her to come to him rather than step closer to the Sanctum.
"All done?" he asked, smiling gingerly. "Are we good to go?"
"Yeah. I'm done…"
"Good." He turned and drew her out, only regaining his colour once the metal gate was closed and they were in the Collegium proper. He rubbed his cheeks, bringing some colour back. "That place is a mess. Just looking at it gives me the shivers."
"It's not so bad on the inside."
"I'll take your word on that, since there's no way I'm willingly going in."
"Hey. Mr Marrow?"
"Just call me Marrow. I'm not one for all that Lord Arcanist stuff."
"Marrow, then. You're part of the Crimson, right?"
"Crimson and White. We all are in the Specialists."
"That means you hunt people down and put them in the Sanctum, doesn't it?"
He appeared uncomfortable with the distinction. "Yeah. I guess…"
"What kind of people?"
"Bad ones. Rogue Arcanists – the kind of people who'd use their power for ill. They're all of them criminals. That's obvious, right? The Collegium takes in anyone and trains them, so it's only the people that abuse their power who end up in a Sanctum."
"What if those people were young?"
"It depends, I guess. Most young people make mistakes but they're not malicious. Sometimes, anyway. I guess you'd have to do something bad to end up in there as a kid. I mean, I got into fights when I was younger, and we didn't always follow the rules on solving that. Worst we ended up with was extra lessons and chores. Why you asking?"
"Someone in there says she was taken in when she was a child."
Marrow stiffened. When she felt him looking at her, she kept her eyes ahead, trying not to sound too interested. He knew what it meant. He didn't know Cinder since he was new to Vale, but he had to know what the exception was.
"Ah. Well." He scratched his head. "Sometimes there are extenuating circumstances. Those are exceptions, though. I wouldn't worry about them. Not everyone is in the Sanctum for the same kind of thing."
"Even children?"
"Power doesn't discriminate on age, gender or anything else. If you have the power to hurt people, you need to exercise the responsibility required for it. That's one of the biggest things the Collegium will teach you. Not how to use your power but when to use it." He looked back ahead, hands in his pockets. "Those in the Sanctum are perfect examples of people who either couldn't handle that." His expression darkened. "Or those who didn't want to or thought themselves above it."
And in the middle of all that, a young girl who just happened to be a Wildmage like her.
He was vague on it. Like everyone else she ever tried to get answers from. It felt like every single person in the Collegium either didn't want to tell her what made a Wildmage so feared or didn't know. The only lead she had was the Azure Archives.
"Let's stop talking about that." Ruby saw him sigh happily. "How soon can someone join an Arcana? Is there an age requirement or a certain amount of time you have to study?"
"Ha. That's more like it. And no, there isn't. There's a time requirement on graduating as an Arcanist, but you can officially join an Arcana as soon as you pass their entrance examinations, since joining one doesn't bring you any closer to earning a gemstone. That normally takes time to master the spells required, though."
"What are the examinations like?"
"I wouldn't be able to say for you." He nodded to her blue mantle. "For the Crimson, it's a test of combat skill. I imagine for the Emerald it's a test of healing. Azure? Well, knowledge, I'd assume. You'd be better off asking someone in it, if they'll tell you." He cracked a smile. "Some Arcana can be mysterious about it because they don't want people having an advantage. I only told you the Crimson because we're about as subtle as a battle-axe."
"Is there a consequence for failing?"
"You're not barred from ever joining if that's what you mean. Everyone must join an Arcana eventually, so the Collegium would be pretty messed up if it was one try per person. You fail, go back to lessons and probably get stuck with a time limit before you can try again. I passed on my first try, so I wouldn't know. You thinking of trying early?"
"Maybe." There wasn't time to delay, was there? If she wanted to burn off her next surge without being caught, she needed a solution now, not later. "It's not weird for someone to try, is it? Not something seen as wrong or strange?"
"Course not. Hell, there's always a few who try in their first six months. Either prodigies, those that study ahead or the arrogant. Most fail. Some succeed. I've heard the Black and Emerald have the highest failure rates, probably because the spell work is a lot more delicate. Azure… again, I don't know I'm afraid." Marrow slapped her shoulder suddenly, grinning wide. "Don't let that stop you, though. If you think you can, give it a go. What's the worst that can happen?"
A catastrophic surge that might destroy the Azure Archives, kill hundreds and draw the Specialists and Grand Arcanist down on her before she could blink. But if I ignore it, that surge is going to come sooner or later anyway.
Cinder wanted her ready to kill and run. Ruby wasn't sure she could take that step, but if they dangled never seeing Yang again on the other line… She wasn't sure how far she'd go. If there was even a chance in the Archives, she had to take it. Those rooms of theirs were designed for strange experiments, too. Maybe surges could be disguised as that. That couldn't be any more eccentric than a Grimm running down a corridor, could it?
Instead of trying harder to escape, maybe the best option was to dig deeper.
Technically speaking, anyone in an Arcana is still a student until they master it – with Ren being the first example given of that. He's still an Initiate like Ruby and Weiss, even if he's older than her and has been at the Collegium longer.
The idea is that there's no strict time limit on an education there. If it takes you twenty years, it takes you twenty years. If it takes four, it takes four. Once you're good enough to start learning in an Arcana, you're in. Though naturally they wouldn't tell you all their secrets until you earned a gemstone and became a real Arcanist.
Next Chapter: 8th March
P a treon . com (slash) Coeur