Troll in Reviews
As has been noted, there is a troll in reviews spamming guest reviews and trying to frame people by writing their name in the name slot. Just ignore it. It's not worth the effort of paying attention to and I'm only writing this message so people are aware.
He's also pretending to be me by writing my name in guest review slots. I would only ever review something from this (logged-in) account.
Cover Art: Z-ComiX
Chapter 35
The Black Arcana was proof of the concept that even when you had all the power of magic at your fingertips and when your very thing was literally making magic stuff, imagination need not be involved. The very idea of a faction dedicated to making magical stuff brought up imagery of a fantastic castle or impossible geometric shape of a building twisting in on itself in a way that would induce headaches in those who didn't know its secrets.
Maybe she was judging unfairly but after the dimensional mystery of the Azure Archives, the squat and ugly stone building that housed the Black was a massive let-down. It wasn't just boring and normal constructed like a big, fat brick, but it was ugly. Hideous, even. There was a giant brick wall around the outside of it in desperate need of some creeping vines or moss or something to make it look less like a prison.
The wall stretched out left and right from the gates; at least those were open invitingly. In terms of space taken, it was easily four or five times the size of the Archives, but from what little she could see, most of that was either empty fields or ugly grey bunkers of stone, with the occasional wooden shed here and there. Those were all spaced out like an army of refugees had descended on the area and claimed it as their own.
"And this is meant to be the richest Arcana?" Ruby stepped through the gate with the distinct impression she was in the wrong place, even if the black banners with the symbol of the Collegium, the twisted snake, emblazoned in gold on them, said otherwise. "The White has a flipping cathedral and the Azure has an impossible library. There has to be something more to this…"
They were the Arcana of making magical stuff for crying out loud!
Ren had apparently been right about her being allowed to enter. No one looked askance at her, the few Black Arcanists and Initiates who came and went either chatting to one another or hurrying away with determined or – more worryingly – manic smiles. There were also a number pushing wheelbarrows in or with guards doing that for them, stacked high with what she could only assume were reagents for some new enchanted item.
A lot of those `mystical reagents` looked depressingly like brick, stone and wood.
The main buildings wooden doors were open, and she stepped in hoping for a reception, only to be foiled by the completely bustling room. Men and women in black robes came and went and the noise was like the slums during the market, except with less swearing.
"Excuse me!" Ruby tried. Immediately, everyone in front of her parted with the kind of intense focus required to ignore a call for help. "Ah. Excuse me? Can someone help me? Hello? Hi there, can you-"
The person she'd been reaching for dodged with far more athleticism than she expected, and an incredible skill in acting to boot, as though twisting and swerving away from someone while reading a book was a totally normal thing.
Ruby puffed her cheeks out.
"Excu-"
THOOM!
The very building vibrated as the cataclysmic sound drove her to her knees. Ruby clasped both hands over her head, heart racing, only to peek one eye open and realise she was the only person reacting that way. The other Arcanists and Initiates were even walking around her, bypassing her like river water running past a rock.
Ren did say his friend liked explosions. It felt like a little bit of a coincidence to assume the two were connected but no one here was willing to help. Sighing, she made her way out the building and peeked around into the grassy fields. A couple of Arcanists were out with strange objects – some small and difficult to make out, but others quite obvious; chairs, tables, even a chest of drawers.
The fields are testing areas for their enchanted items. It made sense. If they had the power to go wrong, you probably didn't want to test them indoors and around other people. Maybe that was why the main building was so unassuming. No point investing in something that was going to get damaged.
It wasn't hard to find where the explosion had come from. Off in the far corner of the compound, as far away from the building as humanly possible, a long trail of blackish smoke wove its way into the sky. Thick and roiling, the smoke didn't look anything like that released by a fire or burning manure heap. The smell hit as she got closer as well, something sharp and tangy that burned her nostrils until Ruby had to bring her shawl up to cover her nose and mouth.
How did Ren, so quiet and peaceful and polite, know someone like this…?
`This` being the girl stood out in the no-longer grassy section of her testing area, hands on her hips and bright orange hair dotted with soot. She wore the black robes of the Arcana, but her sleeves were drawn up all the way to the shoulder and she'd done the same with the hem, drawing it up to an almost indecent height and tying it in a knot above her knees.
It was clearly burned and charred at the edges, not that she seemed to care. Kicking something on the floor with a heavy pair of boots, the girl wiped some sweat from her face, accidentally smearing black soot all over herself at the same time.
Ruby came to a stop a polite – and safe – distance away. "Hello. Are you Nora?"
The girl didn't respond. Ugh. More of this? Weren't Nobles meant to be polite? All of Weiss' lessons were wrong apparently.
"Hello! Ren sent me." No reaction. "Hello? Can you at least say something?"
The girl stooped to pick something up and toss it in the air, catching it and inspecting the object before shaking her head and throwing it aside. Already irritated at being ignored by literally everyone in the compound, Ruby stepped up and touched the girl's shoulder.
Causing her to freak.
"Ahhhh!" The Initiate jumped a good foot in the air, landed awkwardly and span on the spot, hand clutched to her chest and eyes wide. "Don't sneak up on me like that!"
Ruby's eye twitched. "I called out for you. Twice!"
"What?" the girl yelled. As in, she really did yell despite being so close. "Did you say something?" Wincing, she wiggled a finger in her ear. "Hang on!" she kept shouting. "My ears are ringing. Give it a second. Usually fixes itself."
Oh. The noise must have deafened her. That made a little more sense…
The girl tapped her ears and cracked her neck and did a few other things Ruby was sure wouldn't fly in the Emerald Arcana, before apparently reaching a level of hearing she could work with. With a bubbly face and bright blue eyes, she laughed and stuck out a hand. "Nice to meet'cha. The name's Nora. Nora Valkyrie."
"Ruby." It took her a second to recall she was meant to give her family name too. "Rose. Ruby Rose."
"And you're in the Azure Arcana? Boo. Why didn't you go Crimson?"
"Uh. Should I have?"
"Duh!" Nora rolled her eyes like it was obvious. "Ruby Rose. Red, like a rose? C'mon, the clue's in the name." Before she could even think of the right way to address that, Nora gasped. "Wait, you're Azure. Do you know Ren? About yay high, black hair, gorgeous eyes and-"
"I know Ren. He told me about you."
"He did!?" Nora shrieked the last part before panicking and looking at herself. She hastily untied the knot to let her robe fall to her feet, coughed into one hand and brushed her hair back. What she failed to notice was how her face was still streaked with sweat and black soot. "What did he say about me? How did he look when he was saying it? Wait, how do you know Ren anyway? Are you friends?"
Suddenly, it made a lot more sense why Ren said what he did. "We're just friends."
"Okay. That's good. Not that it'd be wrong if you weren't, but yeah." Nora laughed and scratched her cheek. "Uh. Right, so. Ren sent you. Is he okay? I saw him yesterday and he was staying up all night and he's so dumb like that sometimes. I bet he didn't sleep at all."
"He didn't. I caught him exhausted this morning."
"I knew he would be! I was banging on his door earlier, but he wouldn't answer, probably trying to hide because he knew I'd force him to sleep!"
That explains why he lost his patience with me, she thought. Poor Ren. Or lucky Ren; Nora was a little rough by the sounds of it, but she was definitely pretty, streaky face notwithstanding. How someone like him ended up with someone like her was a mystery.
"I'll tell him later," Ruby promised. "And I'm not trying to get in with your boyfriend."
"E-Eh!?" Nora flinched, then blushed a bright shade of pink. "It's not like that! I mean, we're together but not together-together, you know? Not that I'd be against it, but Ren, well, we've known each other forever. It'd be awkward."
How can you say that with a straight face? I've met whores less capable of faking feeling…
"Right. Sorry. Not together-together." Maybe it'd be best to bring the focus away from Ren. He had said she tended to get distracted around him, and she could see why! "He told me about you because I had a problem and was thinking of talking to someone in the Black Arcana to help. He said you might since you're his friend and all."
"Me? Oh, right. Ha. Sure! I get people coming to me for help all the time."
"Oh. Does that mean you're too busy for my request?"
Nora winced. "No. I, uh, happen to have nothing on my plate right now. You know how it is, everyone wants your services but you suddenly have an opening. You're pretty lucky!"
Looking around the dilapidated wooden shack Nora was working from and the fact she was stationed as far away from the Arcana as humanly possible, Ruby wasn't quite so sure. It feels like she's more an outcast than I am in class, and that's saying something.
"Do you happen to be from a merchant family?"
Nora crossed her arms, some of her cheer diminishing. "Is that a problem?"
Thought so. "No. My best friend and roommate is the same. I was just thinking some of the nobles are pretty judgmental towards those people."
"They are. Not Ren, though. Ren's awesome."
"Ren is nice," Ruby confirmed, then saw Nora's eyes widen. "As a friend. He helped me. Nothing more. Anyway, can I tell you my problem?"
"Sure." Nora rounded on the spot. "Come inside. I'll get you a drink."
She wanted to say she'd rather talk outside but wasn't sure how without it coming across wrong. Saying that she didn't trust Nora's shaky wooden shed sounded rude, even before she stepped inside and saw numerous… things. That was the only way to describe them. Balls, barrels and packets of stuff wrapped up in paper with symbols drawn around them. The recent explosion, not to mention the clear scorch and burn marks along the inner walls, didn't do much for her confidence.
"I'd ask you to take a seat, but it'd probably explode." Nora paused when she noticed Ruby standing stock still. "That was a joke."
"I like standing."
"Ugh. Ren told you about me, didn't he?"
"He said explosions were your thing."
"Yeah, my thing." Nora drew out a chair and sat down, then kicked one over to her. It didn't blow up. "Which means stuff only goes boom when I want it to. Ren's so dramatic, and this from a guy literally trying to draw his soul out his body. I mean, how is what I do more dangerous than that? Who messes with the soul?"
Gingerly taking the seat, Ruby accepted the pewter mug of water offered and drank of it. "You know about his research?"
"Yeah. Ren and I have known each other since we were babies, and we both became Initiates together. I wanted us to be roommates, but the Wardens were picky about that. I've read through his notes. He's gone through mine."
That sounded like a small thing but given the secrecy of the Azure Arcana, it probably said a lot that Ren trusted her that much. He'd told her what he was working on, but he'd certainly not offered to let her look at his stuff.
"Ren's so dramatic sometimes too," she went on. "I get it. The Azure need for knowledge. He was always gonna end up there, but you wouldn't believe how many all-nighters he pulls. What's the point? He just ends up so tired he does bad work anyway. Might as well sleep, be rested and do decent research, right?"
Surprisingly enough, Nora's logic was sound. "Makes sense. He didn't look like he was achieving much this morning."
"He never does. Trust me, I've been on his butt forever about that." Nora grinned. "Anyway, what was it you wanted? I don't normally get people up to commission stuff from me."
"Because most people don't need explosions, I think…"
"Bah. Explosions are useful. They can clear rubble, break up rocks – think how good that'd be in building or mining. And that's before you get to fighting or knocking down buildings." Her lips twisted into a scowl. "And I like explosions, but that doesn't mean it's all I can do. I went through the same lessons and trials as everyone else. It's like saying an Arcanist who likes to cook is just a chef…"
"Sore point?" Ruby guessed.
"A little. Everyone here acts like I'm one second away from blowing up in their faces."
"So you can make other stuff, right?"
"Sure." She shrugged. "I just don't like doing it. But reagents are expensive," she hurried to add, "So I won't say no to someone covering the cost of those for a bit…" Nora let the hint trail off, waiting for her to make the next move.
"How much are we talking?"
"Depends what you want. If it's easy, it'll be cheaper. I can give you the `friend of Ren` discount, but I'll have to know what you want."
Ruby explained as best she could. The Azure Archives had to be kept out of it, so she made it sound like she wanted to find specific books in a large library and left Nora to fill in the pieces. She'd seen the fake archives of course, so she probably assumed it was that.
"You want a map that finds certain books?"
"Yeah." Ruby watched Nora sigh. "Is that… too hard?"
"You don't really know how enchanting works, do you?"
Ruby shook her head in the negative.
"Okay. I'll give you the basics; you'll probably get lessons on it later. Magic is all about control, yes? Nothing is instinctual. You need to control everything from direction to flow, result, temperature and more."
Well, everyone else did. Not her. Ruby nodded anyway.
"That's the same when you're enchanting an object, except you're no longer there to keep it under control, so you need to make sure everything is perfect when you make it, or the magic drains out way too quick and it does nothing. Every little thing has to be perfectly planned and worked out. And I mean perfect. You can't mess up a single thing."
"Okay…?"
"You don't get it." Nora sighed. "Okay, imagine a cooking pot. The kitchens want a pot that'll cook soup for them. This is actually a test we get given early, with the correct answer being that it's impossible to make it."
"Why? Couldn't you just have the pot heat up to the right temperature?"
"That's what most people think. But you need to plan everything. How does it heat up? How long does it heat up for? Where does the heat go? How long does soup take to cook? What about different soups? What about when the pot is cooling down but is still hot, what if it burns the soup? How much soup is being cooked? What happens if they fill it with a different amount of stock each time? How can you make sure it's always the same amount?" Nora waved her hand as she spoke, obviously recounting the lesson from memory. "The main point is that there are way too many variables when it comes to cooking, and since every soup is different, not to mention every cook who uses it, there's just too much to go wrong."
"I… think I understand…" The basics anyway, the actual concept was probably impossible since her wild magic was so different from what Nora was talking about. "So because the pot might be used in different ways, you can't cover every angle."
"Pretty much. The closest we could do – and what the kitchens actually have – are pots that start heating up when they touch it, and then stop when they touch the same spot again. Heat on. Heat off. That limits the things we need to worry about and lets the cooks deal with amount, time and types of soup."
"Okay. And how does that work with a map?"
"One." Nora held up a finger. "How big is the library? Two. Where is the library? Three. How many shelves are there? Four. How many books are there? Five. How is the object supposed to read the covers? Six. How does the map tell you where to go? Seven. Does the map have to draw itself? Eight through, like, fifteen, how does it draw, with what, does it update, what happens to the parchment, can it reset, how does it reset, where does it get the ink from, how does it know to stop, where does it-"
"Alright, alright!" Ruby stopped her, guessing the list could go up to well over a hundred. "I get it. That – That's too hard, right?"
"It's not hard. It's impossible. Maybe if you got me an existing map that'd cut, like, thirty parts out of it, but there'd still be more. I'd need to go there myself, map out everything, figure out where every book is first – and by that point you might as well just ask me what book you're looking for and we can skip the map. Maps are hard. There's a reason it takes a cartographer a long time to make a good one."
"It's not possible then…" Ruby felt her hope drain away.
"Hey. Hey. I didn't say that!" Nora snapped her back to attention with a laugh. "I said a map would be impossible, but I can figure something out. First lesson of the Black Arcana – simplify. Whatever someone wants, find a way to boil it down to its simplest elements and work from there. Give me a couple of days and I can work something out."
Her head perked up. "You'll have it made?"
"Ah. No. I plan first, then we talk, and if you're happy with the idea and want it to go ahead, you pay and I start. Black Arcana rules. Makes sure our reputation doesn't get dragged through the mud. We're all responsible for the Black rep here."
The Black were more like a business than any other Arcana. This was their guarantee, and she was sure they'd have debt collectors as well to make sure customers paid. Maybe even legal representation if something went wrong. Making enchanted objects people can use in everyday life must be big money.
Less so for Nora's explosives.
"But before that!" Nora chirped. "We need to make sure you can even pay for it in the first place, which means my favourite part." Her eyes sparkled. "Haggling."
Haggling with the daughter of a merchant. Ruby knew it was going to go poorly even before it started, and her experience driving a hard bargain in the slums ran into a brick wall against Nora, who stood her ground, waxed about time, labour and ingredients, and then pointed out how no one else would even care to help her in the first place and she was only doing so because Ren had recommended her.
After fifteen minutes, sweat was dripping from Ruby's face. She'd thought this would be easy – most nobles didn't even care about money since they were filthy rich, but it was like Nora didn't understand the meaning of the word discount.
I can steal a lot of stuff, but I'd have to rob the whole dorms blind to afford her rates.
Was Black Arcana magic that expensive? Possibly. She had nothing to base it on and she didn't think Nora would scam her out of hand when the knowledge would inevitably make its way back to Ren. The way she said it, these exorbitant rates were par for the course. I chose the wrong Arcana. I could be filthy rich here. Sheesh!
"I-I can't afford that kind of lien. I'm not made of money…"
"And I'm not made of free time," Nora explained. "I don't want to be mean, but this is a lot of work. I'll be stopping everything for two weeks at least to finish it – and it's not like you have to pay if I fail. Black Arcana guarantee."
That was nice and all, but she was more worried of the consequences of failing to pay if Nora succeeded. That kind of attention could get her in trouble, especially if Ironwood and the Specialists learned what she was looking for. She needed something else. Something that Nora might want that she could help get.
Wait…
"How about half that amount-" Nora was already opening her mouth. "-and I get Ren to take you out on a romantic dinner date."
Nora's mouth dropped open, then sealed, then pinched as she swallowed obviously and looked around, perhaps worried Ren might have overheard and come jumping out. When no such Ren appeared, she leaned forward.
"You - You think you can do it? A – A real date? Like, together-together date?"
Hook, line and sinker.
"Trust me. I'm a master matchmaker."
Ren probably hadn't intended for her to throw him under the horse's hooves when he told her to seek out Nora, but he hadn't explicitly forbidden it, had he? Sorry Ren. I need to make sure I don't blow up due to Surges.
"Do we have a deal?"
"Deal!"
/-/
I wish Yang was here. She'd know how to matchmake someone.
For all her boasts, getting Ren to agree wasn't something she had any idea how to do. It got Nora to start planning a way to get what she wanted, though, so she was willing to take the chance. If nothing else, she could ask what Ren wanted and work from there, or just beg him. Pride wasn't something you really cared about in the slums, and begging was a perfectly acceptable form of income, if a little inconsistent.
Coming back to the dorms, she was surprised to find Weiss still out – possibly at the White trying their variant of the trials. Hopefully, she'd be alright.
Ruby picked around the room for a bit before growing bored and heading out again to the Azure Archives with the plan of wandering around hoping she stumbled on a useful book. On the way, she spotted a familiar face off by the Grand Arcanist's tower and an altogether different idea took hold. He'd said she could come and talk if she wanted to, and he was part of the Azure as well.
What was the harm?
Approaching the Arcanist by the door, she waved toward him, watching the confusion on his face before he recognised her. "Lady Rose! New robes, I see. Congratulations."
"Hi Marrow. Or Arcanis-"
"Just Marrow." He smiled cheekily, nudging his partner with an elbow. The other man, far paler with strange markings and shaved hair, rolled his eyes and looked toward the heavens. "And what brings you over here? Not in any trouble again, are you? Arcanist Ironwood spoke to that boy who got you in trouble – and believe me, he wasn't pleased about it. Gave him a real telling off."
Heh. Good. Malneux deserved no less.
"I wanted to speak with the Grand Arcanist. He said I could…?"
"Sure. Sure. He's in a meeting with Ironwood at the moment but it should be ending soon. How about I keep you company until then?"
"Marrow," his companion said tiredly. "Do try and keep some degree of professionalism. We were told to guard the entranceway."
"From who? The locals? The Grand Arcanist made it clear she could come see him, and last I checked Ironwood told us we were to not cause any disturbances. Vale's customs come before our own while we're here."
"I'm frankly amazed you remembered that." He sighed. "Very well. Entertain your guest but remember that we're on duty. You can dally with young women in your own time."
Marrow scowled and made to swipe at his friend, but a sharp glare warned against it. Shaking his head, the faunus motioned for her to follow him in. Despite being called the Grand Arcanist's tower, his quarters only made up the highest level as far as she could tell. The building itself was used for other things and had plenty of people working there. Maybe they were administrative staff, no one ever explained, and Marrow didn't bother either, instead taking her up the long and winding staircase and to a plush waiting room outside the Grand Arcanist's office.
From the sounds of it, he and Arcanist Ironwood were having a heated discussion inside. The words of which, she couldn't make out.
"So, how are you finding the Collegium so far?" Marrow asked, sitting and leaving room for her to his side. Ruby saw no issue and sat with him. "You're from Menagerie, right?"
"Hm. It's nice. What's Atlas like? I hear it's cold all the time."
"Ah, only about half the time. To hear people in Vale say it, you'd think we eat snow and walk around in thick robes. The snow only reaches the city in the last few months of the year, otherwise it's chilly but more wind than ice. The Collegium has an eco-zone on it – that's a set of enchantments which moderate the temperature."
He dove into a long tale about the Collegium in Atlas and she had to admit he was good at storytelling, drawing her in quickly and painting grand images with his words. Atlas, to him, was a glorious place where Arcanists had a duty to protect the people and often did so. From the sounds of it, there were no slums there, the poorer elements of the city being the same but still treated like normal human beings.
It sounded fanciful but Blake had said the same about Menagerie. It must have been the tiered nature of Vale that caused it, or maybe people acted this way because of the floods. Perhaps they convinced themselves Dredgers weren't human because they couldn't stand the thought of sitting back and doing nothing while people died.
Whatever the case, she found herself wishing she and Yang grew up in Atlas.
The door opened suddenly, Arcanist Ironwood storming out with a furious frown. He paused on seeing her and Marrow, forcing his expression back into one of neutrality. "Specialist Marrow," he said. "And a guest, I see."
"A guest for the Grand Arcanist, sir." Marrow stood quickly. "I was escorting her here and keeping her company. Isn't that right, Ru-"
"He was helpful," she said quickly. He shot her a grateful look.
"Hm. Glad to hear it. Well, your work is done for now, Marrow. With me. We're entering the city proper tonight. I need you to run ahead and inform the others. It's down to the Lower District." He motioned for Marrow to go, moving ahead himself and leaving Ruby behind.
The lower district? They're hunting for me.
Was it an opportunity? She wasn't sure. Leaving the city would still be impossible and she couldn't let off a surge without everyone here noticing. Before she could think any further, the Grand Arcanist himself appeared in the doorway, coming to close it but then noticing her.
"Oh. Is that Initiate Rose? My, I heard someone had set a new record in joining the Azure, but I didn't expect it to be you."
"Ah." Ruby jumped and laughed. "Ah, well, it was more luck than skill."
"I dare say it would have to be. There's simply no way for you to have learned the magic required to pass the trial." He said it casually, but she knew he was fishing. "How did you divine the location of the Archives?"
"I didn't use magic. I just followed someone."
Ozpin stared at her, and for a moment she thought she'd done something wrong and he might revoke her place in the Azure. That thought passed when he laughed. It was a warm sound that calmed her down.
"Such a simple solution. Perhaps those are the best. It's all too easy for us to rely on our magic and forget we once did everything without it, and that some still do. I'll keep your secret safe to heart, Initiate, though I doubt any within the Azure would be disappointed in you. It matters not how the destination is reached to those of us who wear the blue."
"Only that we find the answer we're looking for," she finished.
It wasn't a password or a saying, but it felt like a mantra everyone in the Azure knew.
Ozpin smiled. "Precisely. Now please, come in. You want to ask me something, no? I have time aplenty and would not turn down a pleasant conversation after a tense meeting. Would you like some tea?"
"Sure. Thank you." No one had ever really told her how she was meant to act around the strongest Arcanist in the Collegium. Presumably, she was meant to dial the politeness up as far as she could, but he didn't seem to mind her not doing so. "You said I could come back and ask for advice if I needed to. Is that offer still open?"
"Of course. I do not make such proposals only to draw them back. What is it you wanted to ask?"
Something stupid, but nothing ventured, nothing gained.
"Can you teach me a spell?"
What you got in mind this time, Ruby?
On Nora and enchantment magic I like to imagine it's like coding in programming for complex machinery or limited AI, where you need to keep in mind every little thing that could potentially go wrong. You can't tell a robot to pick up a box, you need to explain what a box is, how hard a box can be handled, the dimensions of it and what "picking up" even means.
This was kind of a brief and sudden introduction to Nora without much in the way of background information for her. Don't worry, she'll become fleshed out in time.
Next Chapter: 12th April
P a treon . com (slash) Coeur