As people may or may not know, I offer lessons and advice to some of my supporters who want to learn to write, usually in the form of lessons online over Skype and whatnot. I have quite a few students, some of whom are fanfiction writers themselves, some in RWBY and some even in other fandoms.

But I'm happy to announce one of my students has just self-published the novel we've been working on together on Amazon, which is available in both paperback and digital format.

It's written by him with me helping with lessons, advice and the likes, so please be aware that if you read it, it's his work, not mine. But I'm proud of it nonetheless, and proud of him for taking the step.

If you'd like to read or purchase it, you can find it on Amazon (be sure to use com or co uk or whatever it is depending on your region). The author's name is Charles Cackler and the book is called "The Mage Trials (Path of the Magi)". You can easily find it by going to amazon and typing his name in the search bar.

If you have Kindle Unlimited, you can read it for free, otherwise it's obviously free to read the first chapter or so. I'd be happy if you'd check it out and see if it's something any of you might be interested in reading. I will say it's different to RWBY obviously. It's an original novel. I'd love to provide a link, but the site doesn't allow it.

For those wondering, I'll be posting about this for once on each story for this week – I know you may have read the note on Null, but I'm obviously very pumped, as is my student, so I wanted to do him a solid with a mention. Plus, not everyone reads all my works, so consider it more for those who haven't seen it yet.

Cover Art: Z-ComiX

Chapter 39

Stealing things was easy.

At least, it was easy once you knew how. There was mastery involved in lifting objects without making a sound or picking pockets, but that was just tricks and practice, like how most people thought a pickpocket could take something from you without you even noticing. It really wasn't that simple. Half the time, you had to distract the mark first by bumping into them. The other half, you practically mugged them without any subtlety at all, grabbing their purse and legging it.

Either way, thievery didn't rely on anyone but yourself and your own skills, which is what made it perfect for her. Yang was much better at the `convincing people stuff` and she didn't just mean with fists, either. Yang had a sharp tongue and sharper wit.

Ruby was a messenger and a thief. Things that didn't require much in the way of social interaction outside "yes sir", "no sir" and "where to, sir". And the occasional "I didn't do it". If things got really bad, she could give back what she stole, remind her mark who she worked for and who her sister was, and five times out of ten, that'd get her out of a beating.

Stealing things was easy. Convincing people to do things you wanted? Less so.

"Ruby." Ren put his book down and turned to fix her with an arch eyebrow. "Not that I don't enjoy your company but I'm a little confused as to why you're here at ten in the morning discussing the virtues of Nora's hair."

"Do you not like her hair?"

"I don't find it disagreeable," he said distractedly, pausing to write something down on a piece of parchment. The quill clinked back into the ink pot. "Why?"

"I guess men are more direct. How about her boobs? They're huge!"

Ren choked on the very air he breathed, almost knocking the ink over but catching it at the last second. He righted it and turned to regard her fully. "I almost think I must have misheard that. Did you just refer to Nora's…" He glanced down at his own chest. "Assets…?"

Assets? That was a new one. Boobs, tits and fun bags were what she heard most of the people in the slums call them, although to be fair the latter one was more commonly said outside the whorehouses. Yang had given her the motherly talk as best she could so Ruby knew what they were for – feeding children – but most of the time Yang acted like they were a pain in the ass. She'd never really noticed, having a flat chest.

Although that wasn't the case anymore, was it? All that food seemed to be going straight to her hips and chest, skipping her stomach entirely. They weren't big compared to her sister's, but she had boobs now. Bouncy, irritating, always-needing-support boobs.

"Can you not do that?" Ren asked in a strangled voice.

"Do what?"

"Bounce around while cupping your…"

He looked away, cupping his face and sighing into his hand. Some whispers escaped him, some quiet prayer or plea for patience. Ren hadn't been sleeping again. The bags around his eyes weren't heavy but they were there, and his robes were dirty, no doubt what he'd been wearing yesterday. He didn't look on the verge of collapse, more… unkempt. Rough. Like Junior after a night out except not stinking of alcohol and sex.

"Can you please just say what it is you want to say?" he asked. "You're dodging around one topic or another and I need to get back to work. Unless this is Nora's latest plan to get me to stop working? If so, it's not working. You're only making me take more time."

"It's not Nora's plan exactly…"

"Ruby." He looked at her. "Please just say what you want plainly."

"I want you to go on a date with Nora."

Ren stared at her. He stared at her hard. "What?"

"You said to say it plain," she whined. "You. Nora. Date. Romantic."

"I understood that part." He sighed again, leaning an elbow on his desk. "Why? Where did this come from?"

"I need you to go on a date with her to pay back a debt."

If Nora were there, she'd have screamed bloody murder. It hadn't been said but the fact she was meant to keep the deal secret was so obvious even Ruby couldn't have missed it. She just didn't care. Nora was nice and friendly but the main thing was getting the book on Wildmages so she could figure out how to handle the surges or discover why she was hunted in the first place.

Keeping Nora from being embarrassed wasn't the main objective.

"Did she put you up to this?"

"Sort of a mix," Ruby said honestly. "And you know it'll help you out as well…"

"How?"

Ruby dove into the explanation of the book tracker, waving her hands and articulating on how it'd work. Ren appeared disinterested at first, but that soon changed. Like the Grand Arcanist and the Librarian after him, he started to pay more attention, leaning forward when it became clear he would be able to use it to more accurately map the Archives. There were books she wanted in there, and there were almost certainly a fair few Ren wanted as well.

"And if you help, I'll make sure you get to be one of the first to use it!"

"This will work?"

"The Grand Arcanist himself thinks so."

She wasn't used to having big names to drop for every little argument, but the big boss had made it easy here. Disbelief from the Librarian? Here's a letter from the big guy. Uncertainty from Ren. The Grand Arcanist says it'll work. I should do this more often. His name opens a lot of doors. Back in the slums she had Junior's name to throw around, but it didn't carry nearly as much weight.

"It wouldn't be immediate though, would it? The map will only fill as long as people are using it to search the Archives. Having the first go won't help me at all."

"No, but not having it at all won't help either. And Nora is kinda making a date with you a requirement." Under her breath, she added, "Though it'd also be good if you could pretend I convinced you on purely normal terms and didn't throw her under the horse and carriage."

Ren snorted. "Yes, I imagine she'd be quite upset with you for saying all this."

"Eh. It was never in the terms to keep it a secret."

"I'll have to remember that if I ever make a deal with you, Ruby."

"So will you…?"

"Yes." He held a hand out as Ruby jumped happily. "But!" he stressed. "I don't think this will have the happy ending Nora expects. "And at best, it would be time spent together. Not a date by any means."

"What's the difference? Just be romantic."

"I can't."

Ruby huffed and planted her hands on her hips. "Why not!?"

"Because I have a fiancée."

The words died on her lips. Ruby stared at him, eyes wide as he smiled sadly and turned on his stool to close the book he'd been reading. "It was agreed upon only days after I was invited to the Collegium. My family knew I might be spending the better part of a decade here and didn't want to leave to chance the possibility of my becoming a family man. The missive was sent, and suitable women were offered the chance to bid for my hand. Or their families were."

"Like an auction!?" Ruby asked hysterically. "They sold you?"

"More like a competition for suitability. Families showed off their wealth and what they might offer, while I was paraded before unmarried ladies, made to spend time dining and speaking with them to find a match. Your friend was among them, you know."

Ruby balked. "Weiss!?"

"We didn't get on well. No arguments but… well, a lack of interest on either side. And her family was not what mind was looking for."

How desperate was Weiss' dad that he'd try and foist her off on both Ren and Jaune? That was two of her guy friends Weiss had almost become engaged to now. Were there more? That wasn't right! Why couldn't Weiss just be allowed to fall in love normally?

"Eventually, a lady was chosen who both I and my family could agree on."

"A-And it's not Nora?"

"Nora's family lacks the titles." He looked away. "She never even knew about it and doesn't know now either. I… I have been trying to distance myself a little, to make it easier on her. The whole thing won't happen until I graduate as an Arcanist either way. I thought I could ignore it and carry on as normal. Of course, with how interconnected all the nobility is here, you can see why I can't show Nora any attention that might be construed as romantic in nature."

It'd get back to the family of the woman he was going to marry, who would probably go to Ren's family and cause all sorts of problems. Or worse, they might go to Nora's! Were there laws against poaching? Could Nora's family get in trouble? Even if there weren't, Nora would be crushed.

"Do you love this person you're marrying?"

"Love? I hardly know them. We spoke and our conversation was pleasant enough. I believe that if we spent more time together, we might be able to find some common ground. Our union will be comfortable if nothing else."

"That's not what I asked," she whispered.

Ren chuckled. "No, I don't love her, but then I've not spent enough time with her to tell. Perhaps I shall come to love her and perhaps she shall come to love me. It's awkward, Ruby. She is thirteen years old."

"W-What!? But you're, like, eighteen!"

"Seventeen," he corrected. "But yes, the age difference is apparent, especially with her so young. Don't worry," he said, "the laws do prevent marriage below the age of eighteen. We are engaged but there is no rush. That said, the contracts have already been signed. In the eyes of the nobility, she and I are already as good as husband and wife. We're simply delaying the ceremony for five years."

"Still weird," she mumbled. "And what about Nora? Didn't you know she was in love with you?"

"Of course I did," he said, smiling sadly. "Why do you think I've tried to spare her feelings? If she believes I have no interest in her, she'll move on. And without being hurt by a rejection. Keep in mind those can hurt more than just her. If I publicly reject her, the reputation of her family will suffer."

"Do you love Nora?"

"I'm engaged, Ruby."

"That's not what I asked."

"No." He stood. "But it's what I said. Nothing else matters." He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, whispering something under his breath. "You can tell her I will spend time with her. That's what you want, no? Perhaps I shall find the courage to tell her the truth. If I'm lucky, it will be in a way that doesn't break her heart."

"What about your heart?"

"Ruby!" She flinched, glaring down at the floor angrily. Ren sighed again, this time with some exasperation. "I know what you're trying, Ruby, and I appreciate it. I'm fortunate to have made a friend like you, and I consider you a friend as well. This isn't a matter for you, however. This was all decided long before you or I met. Let's leave it at that."

"Being a noble sucks…"

Ren laughed softly. "I am sure there are those less fortunate who say the same about their own lives."

He didn't know the half of it.

/-/

"It's not fair!"

"Marriage rarely is." Weiss looked up from her homework with a smile. "You know, it's rare to see you so worked up. It's quite adorable actually."

"I'm not adorable and this isn't cute!" Weiss didn't seem all too intimidated at the way she puffed her cheeks out. Stupid Weiss. "And what about you? Ren said even you tried to marry him!"

"Did he now? That was something I'd have rather he kept to himself…"

Weiss didn't look embarrassed by what was said, only annoyed. Like it wasn't something awkward in the first place. They were out in the gardens together, sat at a table made of artfully interwoven white metal coiling in leaf-shape patterns. A tray with some treats and sweets lay before them half eaten, the remainder being feasted upon by a belligerent wasp.

Flowers rose on either side to tangle in a wooden frame that arched above them for shade. Many such seated areas could be found dotted around the Collegium, though Ruby normally preferred sitting on the grass by the training fields. The ground was still wet, though. Not sodden as it had been for days after the floods, but still damp.

"It's not something to get worked up over," Weiss went on. "As one of the newest of the noble families, the Schnee have a lot to prove. Father is ambitious and it's not like he forced me into it. I had the chance to speak with him and see if we connected. We did not. That's as simple as it need be. The only reason his family considered me at all was because of my tenuous link to the throne, all that through my mother."

"And you're not upset about the way it is?"

"No. Should I be? His family gave me the chance, but we did not mesh. How is that any different from how it's handled outside the nobility?" In lots of ways, not least of all that family didn't get to decide who you did or didn't see. "Did you never have this in Menagerie? You're fifteen. Surely someone attempted to court you."

"Never."

Weiss frowned. "I don't see why not. You're not ugly at all."

"Are you… offended on my behalf?"

"A little. I can think of many noble ladies less appealing than you on physical looks alone, to say nothing of their insipid personalities. If my little brother wasn't such an arrogant snot, I might have suggested you and he meet."

Giggling, Ruby poked Weiss in the side. "No thanks. I'm okay as I am."

"Understandable. And I would not be a good friend if I tried to match you with Whitley. Still, I'm surprised your family didn't push for marriage meetings."

"Mom and dad said I should fall in love on my own." They hadn't but only because they died when she was too young for that. She knew they would have, though.

"Really? Your family must have been quite powerful then. Only those too powerful to have anything to gain consider personal feeling in that way. It's considered a mark of their influence that they can eschew the benefits of a carefully selected political marriage. You're lucky Jaune stepped in to win that duel for you with Malneux or you might be in marriage meetings now."

Ruby stilled. "Say what?"

"Part of the deal was that you would become a ward of the Malneux family, remember?"

"T-That would let them marry me off!?"

"Of course. It's the responsibility of your guardians to arrange such things after all. In lieu of your parents, they would have found a suitable match for you and even paid your dowry. Of course, there's also a chance they may have decided to integrate you into the family themselves. There's a lot to gain by absorbing the assets of another family, even if their physical holdings have been destroyed."

Ruby retched loudly.

"Yes. I thought you might have that reaction. Relax, Lady Ruby Malneux is a fate that has been prevented." Weiss smiled coyly. "It looks like it shall be Lady Ruby Arc now."

It wasn't going to be either because she wasn't getting married at the age of fifteen! Especially not without falling in love, which also wouldn't happen unless she figured out how to handle the Wildmage business first.

"Can we get back to Nora and Ren?"

"I don't think we should." Weiss finished her cup of tea and put the fine mug down on a saucer. "Whatever is happening between them is just that. It's also a scandal in the making if anything does happen between them while Ren is promised to another. Better we keep ourselves – and our names – out of such matters."

"What if I want to help?"

"Don't!" Weiss snapped the word at her, then lessened it a second later. Swallowing, she looked around. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say it like that. It's just… You should stay out of trouble, Ruby. You're already an orphaned noble from Menagerie. That's already too much attention on you. Stay away from drawing more."

"Too much attention from who?"

"No one," she said quickly. "Just… Stay out of trouble. I'd not forgive myself if anything happened to you."

Oh sure, that was no pressure whatsoever. Not like she had a big bad secret that'd get her killed if it were found out, and now she had the wonderful thought of Weiss blaming herself for it. "I'm not looking for trouble," she grumbled. "I just… Bah." She crossed her arms. "I'd have never agreed to the date thing if I thought it would be this complicated."

"Maybe there's a lesson there, then. Keep all bargains strictly monetary in future."

Easy for Miss Money-Bags to say that.

/-/

It took five days for Nora to get back in contact. Lessons continued as normal with evening trips to the Archives while Weiss was busy with the White. The surges continued to grow, and Ironwood and his Specialists roamed the Collegium with eagle eyes, branching out into the city each night, looking for the Wildmage who they knew would have to shot herself soon. In class, her arms would itch, the skin tingling and hairs standing on end. Touching metal made her jolt as lightning ran through her fingers. Her foot tapped incessantly on the floor and if she let herself, her finger would drum a beat on the wooden desks.

Concentration grew difficult. Rational thought even more so.

When Nora eventually did send a letter, Ruby raced to the Black Arcana building and picked her way through the grounds to Nora's workshop. She was panting when she arrived, sweat dripping down her face. If Nora watched her run in the mornings with the Newbloods, she'd have known that kind of exercise wouldn't faze her. Luckily, she didn't, and Ruby could pretend it was the pace that had her shaking and shivering.

"You have it?" she choked out.

"I have a prototype," Nora said carefully. Bringing a wooden box over, she opened it to reveal a slightly smaller box inside and what looked to be a small rod as long as her forearm. Nora took the rod out. It was metal but for a leather handle. "There's no point making more than one if it doesn't work. I need you to test this out wherever you want to use it."

Ruby reached for it.

"Ah. Ah." Nora pulled it back. "Did you come through on your end?"

"Y-Yes. Ren will go on a date with you." Ruby took the item and held it to her chest as Nora squealed excitedly. She couldn't meet the other girl's eyes. "H-He said it's not a promise of anything, though. It's just a date. It… It might not work out."

"That's fine. I'll make it work!" She had no idea. "Okay, I've got the payment from the Grand Arcanist so I can start working on more of these the second you tell me it works." Picking a book up off her table, she held it out. "Hold the sensor against the spine." Ruby did so and it let out a faint blue glow. "Now hold it against this," Nora said, bringing out a small bronze plaque with `1A` stamped into it. The rod flared again. "You'll need to stick these on the shelves," she explained. "Now the sensor knows that this book is at `1A`, and when you bring it back to the brain – that's what I'm calling this thing – you can deposit that knowledge. Try holding the sensor against the crystal."

The box, or the brain, was a black and smooth thing with a round circular crystal set in the top like a pool of water. She said pool because there was liquid trapped underneath, though she couldn't make out what kind. It was misty. When she held the sensor to it, the liquid pooled under it and glowed blue again. The particles in the liquid became shaped like mist, flowing out toward the edges and out of sight.

"Is that the knowledge being drawn out?"

"Yes. I made It do the swirling thing so you know it works. The magic itself can't be seen normally. It's just so nobody thinks it's broken or hits the crystal harder to make it work. Now, you see this plate below the crystal?" Nora tapped the silvery plate, rectangular shaped and flat. "You write the word you want on that plate. The more specific, the better. If you pick a word, it'll bring up every book with that word on the cover. Write the title perfectly and it'll find the exact book you want."

"Write on it with ink?"

"No, no. Just write. Here." Nora took a quill and held it to the plate. There was no visible change, but she sketched out a word. Without ink or any engraving, Ruby couldn't tell what. "I wrote `language`. That's the book I gave you – and look!"

The misty liquid swirled and rose, and Ruby gasped as the floating particles were brought into a word. That's why the water has that dust in it. It's the dust that forms the writing! It was slow, the liquid being made to swirl into the right patterns to guide the particles, but soon enough the name of the book Nora had made her scan was displayed in the water.

"If it's the right book, tap the plate you wrote on."

Ruby did so. The water swirled, forming a new word with the motes of dust – 1A.

"And that's it. Course, it's up to you to figure out where 1A is. I'd suggest making a map and having people mark it as they go along. It'll take a day or two, or more depending on how much room you have, but you'll soon have the place mapped out. One thing to keep in mind is that 1A might be a hundred or more books. I couldn't make it any more specific without sticking labels everywhere. You'll need to dig in the shelf for the book yourself."

"That's fine! That's perfect!" Nora had no idea just how many shelves there were, and even if each might contain hundreds of books, it meant finding one in two hundred, not one in what was possibly two million. Maybe even more. "What do I do with it now? You said it needed testing."

"Mhm. Take it to your library and give it a go. Try map out a small area. It's not big enough to store all that much, but I just want to know if it works. Once you've tested it, let me know and I can make a bigger brain and a lot more sensors."

"I'll do that now. Thank you!"

The Librarian was only too happy to help once she brought it to him. The elderly man helped set the `brain` up on a central desk that had been cleared for it, and several Arcanists and Initiates hovered nearby, having heard the news and many having contributed lien toward its costs. Ruby stayed back, shaking excitedly – and with her power surging – as the man laid out a map of the Azure Archives they had prepared already. It was incomplete.

"If you all want to help, someone start securing these tags to the closest shelves," the Librarian said, placing the bronze plaques down. They were taken quickly, Initiates moving to the closest shelf edges and using spells to secure or pin them to the wood. The older Arcanists watched intently. "Initiate Rose, if you will do the honours." He offered the sensor to her. "Scan some books and then the plaques."

Ruby darted off to do just that, doing what Nora had told her and holding the rod up to the spines. She didn't go alone. Plenty of Arcanists came to follow and see for themselves how it was done, for they would no doubt be tasked to bring those with them on future forays. Ruby made sure to hold it up and over the spines so everyone could see it glow blue.

Mapping three shelves took over fifteen minutes. Even if it was only a second for each book, that amount of time added up when the sheer size of the shelves was taken into account. An older and taller Arcanist came and helped her scan the higher ones, levitating the sensor for her with a quick cantrip. Their party hurried back the moment it was done.

"Good. Good. Now, Initiate, you know how this is done. Show us."

"O-Okay. You just hold it gently to the crystal…" Men and women leaned in as the watery liquid swirled beneath it, sliding away to the edges of the brain. "It can't store a lot yet," she warned. "When the bigger one is made, it'll do more."

"That is fine if it works. This is a test run." The Librarian took a glass quill and held it to the silver plate. "I am going to write `Collegium`" he said. "Behold." His hand moved, quill tracing elegantly and invisibly across silver. When he was done, he drew back and leaned over to look into the crystal.

There were a few books with that title. The water slowly pulsed through several of them until the Librarian tapped the silver plate on one in particular. The pulsing stopped. The title - `Collegium: Atlas` shone to all. It was a random selection, but that wasn't the point. He tapped it again and the water swirled.

"3A," he announced. "Quickly, someone check 3A for us. Collegium: Atlas. Find it."

Five or six Initiates rushed away.

The rest of them waited impatiently.

It took time. It took a lot of time. Time in which Ruby shrunk under the gazes around her, time in which her breathing quickened and her hands kept shaking so badly she had to hold onto her knees. Standing still was difficult. The magic swirled and tickled under her skin, begging to come out and blow a hurricane through the Archives. Five minutes became ten. Became fifteen. An Arcanist coughed and everyone jumped.

Ruby shuddered visibly. Had they done something wrong?

"I've found it!" The Initiates returned, one waving a boom above him elatedly. "Librarian, I've found it. The book was there – there as it said it would be! It – It took time," he admitted, "But only because it was high up!"

"We can label more aggressively," the Librarian said. "Split the shelves into two or three segments. However much we need to." He stood, smiling at the crowd. "The test is a success!" He waited for the pleased cries and applause to die down. "I shall conduct a few more to be certain beyond all reasonable doubt, but this is enough proof for myself. Initiate Rose, you have conducted yourself well. Please inform your contact within the Black of this and see that she begins work. The funds collected shall be released to you."

More applause, and even some "congratulations" from the Arcanists. Had she been in any better a condition, she might have enjoyed it. Pushing through the crowd, she heard the librarian call for the Initiates to start copying the plaques onto the maps, no doubt intending to build a fully labelled map of their near surroundings. The full map of the Archives would take much longer. Years. Possibly decades. There was no knowing how big the Azure Archives were, and if the rumours of people getting lost for weeks at a time were true, it wouldn't be completed anytime soon.

Nora's workshop was empty when she returned. The door wasn't locked but the Initiate herself was absent, either taking a break or gone for lunch. Ruby swore, eyes closing tight and watering as a fresh spasm rocked her body.

"N-Not now. C-Come on. Hold!"

Wind kicked up dust from the floor, buffeting the inside of Nora's ramshackle abode. Papers fluttered off the closest table, spinning and slapping against the walls as though they were caught in a cyclone. The world lurched, power rising and falling inside her so fast the contents of her stomach almost went with it.

"No. Noooo…" The cold floor did little to soothe the face she pushed down into it with gritted teeth. Sweat ran down her face and she couldn't breathe. Couldn't think. Couldn't hold on. Couldn't control it. "N-No. No! No, no, no!"

Bells all across the Collegium began to toll.

"NO!"

The dam gave way. Fire rushed out. Fire and wind and rage that ignited on contact with the air. Nora's workshop, her tools and everything else went up in a blaze of light that blew the roof clean off, launching it up into the air. Fire blew out the new cavity, lashing and licking at the sky. The fire burned bright and hot, growing with every second and blowing out the walls, covering the grounds and racing outward, fuelled by her agonised screams.

/-/

Arcanist Ironwood froze. Clover bumped into his back, but he didn't comment on it, instead gasping as he felt the distant rush of power. Power on a level untenable by any Arcanist, especially at such a distance. The towers about the slums he and the Specialists prowled were silent, but the towers in the distance, in the Collegium, tolled loudly.

"Is that-?" Clover asked, eyes wide. "It can't be."

"The Wildmage," James whispered. "It's in the Collegium! Quickly," he barked. "We return!"

Oh dear, Ruby. Working her butt off to find a solution but it took too long with everyone needing time to work on things and test them. Surging in the middle of the Collegium, and so soon after the collapse of the walls at the hand of this `wicked Wildmage` too.

Next Chapter: 10th May

P a treon . com (slash) Coeur