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Chapter 59

Lady Glynda Goodwitch looked up from her desk, crystal spectacles balanced on her nose. She removed them as Ruby entered, set them down next to a small bundle of parchment and placed her quill back into an inkpot. It was late, and Ruby was surprised to find her still in her office atop the far tower of the White Cathedral. Then again, she didn't know anything about the woman's movements and never stayed there any longer than she physically had to. That was despite Weiss' efforts to make her eat in the White's food hall instead of the student's one.

"Back, I see. I take it Lord Merlot's quest was successful?"

"We found a Grimm and Jaune brought it down. We left him with it while we came back. Some more Huntsmen are going out now to collect it."

"You came straight back…?"

"Merlot had us stop for some stuff on the way back. Parchment and ropes, things for the research."

Glynda frowned. "You're not meant to tarry."

"I didn't. Merlot did."

"That's Lord Merlot, and you know what I mean, Initiate."

"I stayed with my Arcanist." Ruby crossed her arms and jutted out her chin. "You'd be even angrier if I left him and came back on my own."

"I'll have words with Lord Merlot about wasting time." Lady Goodwitch sighed and let it go. "I suppose you'll be off assisting him with his research, then? You can have tomorrow off if you wish it. Only tomorrow, though. I expect you back in lectures the day after."

"There was something I was told to report."

Glynda paused and looked back to her. "Oh?"

"There was another Arcanist out there. They were invisible." Green eyes narrowed. "Jaune was the one to see it even though we couldn't. I think Merlot noticed something when it was pointed out, but I couldn't see anything. Jaune said there was a hooded person there though, and I did see the bushes part when something walked away." She tried her best to sound half unconvinced, like she wasn't sure if it was real or not. "I wasn't going to mention it, but Merlot said to."

"A good job you did. It's no surprise you weren't able to sense anything. Those who wish to remain hidden are usually adept at it. Well, thank you for bringing this to my attention. I shall deal with it."

Curious, Ruby asked, "What are you going to do?"

"It's nothing an Initiate need worry about. Your place is within the walls, not without."

"Lord Merlot said we might need to go out again if this Grimm expires…"

"That is something that will have to go through the Grand Arcanist again, and I may not agree a second time."

"Why not?" Ruby demanded. Frustration made her scowl angrily, and it had absolutely no impact on the woman sat behind her desk. "I've proven I can follow orders and stay with Merlot and Jaune, and you saw I could when you went to deal with the Rogue Arcanist."

"Following the rules is an expectation, not a virtue, and those rules exist for a reason. It is not a matter of trust or a lack thereof so cool your temper. You are an Initiate. Your place exists inside the Collegium."

"Then… what if I become an Arcanist?"

Glynda laughed. "If you become an Arcanist then you may do as you wish, within reason, but you are several years away from being ready to take that test. There are some twice your age who have yet to earn their first gem."

"There's also one only two years older than me who has…"

"Arcanist Nikos, yes. She is an exceptional case."

"I got into the Azure within only a few weeks."

"Initiate Rose." Glynda spoke suddenly, clearly finished with the conversation. If there had ever been one. "I am a very busy woman and you, I am sure, are expected to meet with Lord Merlot for his… experimentation." Her face twisted with disgust. "It would not be wise to keep him waiting. Dismissed."

/-/

"I want to earn my gem."

"You and every Initiate in the Collegium." Merlot said as he circled the tall, cylindrical cage within the centre of a stone testing chamber, within which the tall form of the Beowolf lay trapped. Goodwitch had been right to say he'd want to spend the next day testing. It was morning already and she'd been summoned to the Azure Archives – the false version – to assist as was her responsibility. Namely, to act as bait for the Grimm so that he could inspect it closer than any normal Arcanist would feel safe getting.

The Beowolf had limited room to move and its arms and legs hung through the bars, a specific choice on Merlot's part as he claimed that by giving it no room with which to interact with its cage, it would not be able to generate the force necessary to break out. The whole thing was suspended off the floor and walls by four sets of chains held taut to facets fixed into the stone walls, pulling the cage tight in the centre with little give or pull.

"I'm being serious. I want to earn it as soon as possible. How do I do that?"

"You don't." Her growl mingled with that of the Grimm. It aimed that at her, completely ignoring Merlot as he walked within range of its claws and tugged at its fur. Some came loose in his hand, only to turn to black mist and drift away. "Fascinating. Oh, do stop that, won't you? You're ruining the mood. Why do you want to earn a gemstone so badly? I'd have thought staying an Initiate would be more than convenient enough a cover for you."

"Glynda isn't going to let me out into the city again." Merlot didn't look surprised. "The whole point of me coming here was to learn how to use my powers, which we've figured out isn't going to work. There isn't much point me being here other than to help Blake find out what happened to Menagerie. That'd be easier as a proper Arcanist."

"You say that, and yet I'm a `proper Arcanist` as you put it and look how far that has gotten me. Though, maybe that's my fault for not choosing the only Arcana that matters. My Azure gem doesn't buy me much now the Archives are sealed. There's a lesson there, Ruby," he said bitterly. "Pick your allegiances wisely. The Arcana are not as equal as they would have you believe."

Yeah, and she knew that already. "I'm stuck in the White," she muttered, "So that's not an issue."

"Oh, but it is. It is." He took out a knife and began to sharpen it on a whetstone, moving the blade with more grace than she expected of someone his age and wealth. "You're asking me how to quickly earn a gemstone and that ties into the Arcana. Just as you found it easier to join the Azure than you might have the Crimson, the Arcana Gems vary in difficulty. At least to a beginner such as yourself. If you want to brute force your way into becoming an Arcanist, I dare say the White is not the way. You should go Crimson."

Ruby frowned. "Why?"

"Because their rite of passage is almost certainly something combat related, and your wildmagic can easily grant you that. Power your way through, disguise attacks as various spells and overwhelm your way to a Crimson gem. Put you in the Black, however, and I imagine no amount of work will let you earn a gem. The same for the Emerald. Even if your wildmagic could heal, I imagine they would see the differences and out you."

Different tests for different Arcana. It made sense, and the Crimson and Emerald were probably the easiest to guess from their specialities. Crimson would be fighting, Emerald would be healing – probably healing something bad – but what did that leave for the others?

"What is the Azure's?" she asked. "I can't take it so you can just tell me."

"Throwing away decades of custom, are we? Well, it's not like the White didn't do it first. The rite of passage within the Azure is to discover something and then present it to a panel of Azure Arcanists. You must speak and debate your research and prove to them that your findings are worthy of recognition."

Ruby waited for more, but there wasn't any. Merlot stood and took his sharpened knife to the Beowolf, humming as he cut a patch of skin from its body. The monster was too focused on her to care, and yet again the patch of skin disappeared into thin air.

"That's it!?" she demanded.

"Hm? Oh yes, that's it. Do not think it simple, though. You must discover and present something intriguing enough to capture the imagination of the panel. Simple saying you discovered how oranges grow or why develop hiccups isn't going to impress anyone."

"No, I mean the magic! Where is it? Where are the spells?"

"In your research, presumably, or any old person could have found the answer to your research. The test itself may not require grand shows of power and skill, but it's implied you'll have used it within the study itself. And besides, we're the Azure Arcana. What do we care for magic other than that it's a tool to an end? It is the discovery that excites us, Ruby, not the methodology."

Gah. That was probably why the other Arcana tended to call them the boring ones; their work must have looked it when they spent more time arguing than learning powerful magic. Either way, that line was out for her. She didn't have any research and wildmagic wouldn't help her present to a bunch of Arcanists. The Amber was probably the same but you had to make a spell from scratch, and while she could hide wildmagic as a spell, it wouldn't be `development` unless it was repeatable, so she'd probably be found out when the other Arcanists couldn't replicate it.

Emerald and Blake were impossible because her magic wasn't specific enough to work with what they did, which really only left the White and the Crimson. Of those two, the latter was by far the easiest, but might also be a bit too obvious. Pyrrha might have gotten away with it because she studied there for years, but an Initiate with no experience in fighting rocking up and beating down their finest would stand out. It was going to have to be the White, which brought her back to square one. Not only did she have to pass and become an Arcanist in a suspiciously short amount of time; she had to do it without coming across suspicious.

"Is the rite of passage another secret?"

"Not once you join the Arcana. It's usually assumed you're involved enough in the secrets of the Arcana – at least the open ones – when you join as an Initiate. You should be able to just ask someone what the rite of passage is for the White. Move a little closer please. I want to see inside its mouth."

Ruby did so and the Grimm opened its maw wide and snapped toward her. Its teeth were large and weirdly clean, unlike any normal animal's who would have been chewing and eating random stuff for its whole life. The Grimm's teeth were about the length of her finger, narrow and bone white, practically polished by a carver.

"Hmm. That's it. Strange how it still has much of the facets of a normal creature. A tongue for instance. You wouldn't think a magical construct would need one."

"A construct?"

"It's my main hypothesis," he explained. "As you've seen the Grimm fade into dust upon dying, but even removed fur and skin do the same. Why? Animals decompose, but not that quickly and something always remains. What does fade upon removal from the source, however, is magic. The Black Arcana finds ways around this by placing power sources within what they create – at least I assume so. It's my own personal theory on what the biggest secret of the Black is, a way to magically create an artificial power source. Either way, the Grimm may be an early offshoot of that same theory, surviving on magic. That both explains why they and their body parts dissipate once they die, and potentially why they are so vicious toward people with magic. If it is fuel for their survival, they may simply see us as food."

"That's nice. Can I move away yet?"

"No. No. Get closer. I want to see if its vision is impaired upon locking onto you. It appears to ignore me, but is it ignoring me, or can it no longer see me?"

"Can we talk about the rites of passage again?" she pleaded, shying away from a paw bristling with sharp claws aiming to disembowel her. It was honestly off-putting how relaxed Merlot was ducking past its vicious arm, putting himself in harm's way to grip the cage, pull himself up and peer into the eyes of a monster actively trying to kill her. "I tried asking Goodwitch and she blew me off. Practically kicked me out her office."

"Well there's your problem," he said, swinging in front of the Beowolf's face. "You're asking someone inclined to say no. I said you could ask, not that you would be answered. A fair number of the Azure would ignore you if you asked about ours as well. No one actually wants to be on those panels since it takes away from our own free time and research. It's part of that reluctance and frustration that makes earning a gem here so difficult. Why, I failed the last person solely because he chose to present to me when I was in a bad mood after an Ursa expired in testing."

Ruby threw her hands in the air. "Then how does anyone get anything done here!?"

"By using their connections, of course. Nobles appealing to allies, paying for the time of an Arcanist or throwing their weight around to demand attention. My research is expensive, so if someone pays me to sit on their panel, I shall be much more inclined to do so."

"Wouldn't that also mean you'd pass them because they paid you?"

He shrugged. "Probably."

Great. So, bribery and corruption. The usual noble approaches. Wonderful. "And what option do I have?"

"I wouldn't know. Earn a favour. Befriend a White Arcanist. Or convince someone else to use their connections to buy you some time – or just harass someone enough that they cave in to get rid of you. That's a perfectly valid option if you can get away with it." He released the cage and dropped down. "Intriguing. It definitely sees me – its iris and pupil followed my eyes as I moved – but it's solely focused on you. Would you mind giving me some of your blood?"

Ruby gripped her arm. "Yes, I would mind!"

"I'll pay you." He jingled his coin purse temptingly. "Lien which might serve you in bribing a White Arcanist into telling you of their rite of passage…"

/-/

"Why is your arm bandaged?"

"I bumped into a knife." Ruby lied, scowl hefty but coin purse heftier. Her arm hurt the worst, however. Merlot wasn't exactly a gentle doctor. "I'm fine – and I came back fine from going out Grimm hunting. This isn't from that."

Weiss hummed and followed her across the gardens toward the dorm building. Their white robes flowed behind them, drawing a few admiring looks from the good half of the student population who were still wearing grey. That number dwindled week by week, but there were plenty who still didn't want to rush into things, or maybe who hadn't been able to pass any of the initiation tests.

"Did you at least find out anything interesting with your mentor?"

"That Grimm are disgusting."

"Incredible. I would have never known."

Weiss made to enter the dorms, but Ruby pulled her aside, nodding her head out toward the small collection of wooden tables and seats that formed an outside common room for warmer weather. It was quiet there for the moment, a nice place to sit and talk without being heard. They moved over and Ruby sat at them, watching a few Initiates mill around before heading inside.

"I was thinking…" Ruby said.

"Oh dear. Do I want to know what, or would I be safer not?"

"Nothing bad." Sort of. "You've got a lot to prove when it comes to being an Arcanist, right? Your family needs all the good you can do for your reputation."

"Yes." Weiss said warily.

"And I need the same. The Rose family doesn't mean much anymore, so the better we both do, the better our families do."

Ruby waited for Weiss' nervous nod. It didn't feel right to try and trick her, but then this wasn't really trickery. Weiss did need to prove herself and so, technically, did she. She hadn't put any thought into life after the Collegium before, but that would still technically be life pretending to be a noble. Maybe Yang's idea was best. I can make a noble house and invite her into it. No one would know we're related, but it's not like we even look like we are.

"That's part of the reason why I've been so demanding," Weiss said. "I need to excel. Winter is already working so hard to work within the Royal Knights, and father is banking on me making a name for myself in the Collegium. You're doing the same, aren't you? You joined the Azure so quickly and you're even apprenticed to a full Arcanist. Your reputation is fine, which is why Martyn is so annoyed."

"Is it? But you always say my manners are horrible."

"Because they are, but manners… well, they matter, but you're achieving results. Why do you think Martyn rushed into the Crimson so soon after you earned your Azure robes? He's competing with you, and he'd only compete with someone who was doing well. Anything less is bullying, and no one will respect that."

The line felt blurry to her, but the news was still a surprise. She'd thought she was bottom of the pecking order, social and wealth, but maybe she wasn't. Those people still wearing grey were the ones with real problems. Her drive to find out more about what being a Wildmage meant had apparently made her look like she was dedicated to recovering her family glory or however the nobles would say it.

That worked in her favour.

"I want to go further. I… I want to become an Arcanist."

"Well, yes, obviously-"

"Within the next few months."

Weiss spluttered out a tangle of words in a manner not befitting someone of her stature. Her eyes widened and she almost fell out her seat, catching herself on the edge of the table and glaring at her like she'd just said she wanted to steal the moon.

"W-What? Are you mad? You're not even twenty!"

"Neither is Pyrrha and she's an Arcanist. It's been done before, Weiss. We can do it again."

"Yes, but I'm sure she's the exception to the rule, not the- wait, did you say we?" She pointed to herself. "As in the two of us…?"

"Yeah. Together." Ruby grinned and cupped Weiss' hands in hers. "We'll work together on it, find out what the rite of passage is and figure out a way to do it. Either as a team or helping one another find ways through. I bet if we both work on it, we can figure it out faster than anyone else can alone."

"I… well… perhaps. Rite of passage?"

"It's the final test. Merlot told me about it."

"Lord Merlot," she said automatically.

Ruby rolled her eyes. "He said it's not a secret and anyone can ask what it is, so long as you can get someone to give you a proper answer. Lady Goodwitch wouldn't tell me, but if it's something you can choose to take then what harm is there in finding out what it is? That way we can prepare for it, and if it is impossible and would take years then at least we'd know what to study on."

"I suppose…"

"And we don't have to commit to anything. We just find out what it is first of all. Information gathering. I need your help though because no one will tell me. The Rose family isn't worth anything and I don't know anyone in the White enough to ask." She could see she was getting through, mostly because it was so low risk. Now to drive it home. "Think of it, Weiss. You and me as the youngest White Arcanists this generation. I bet the Schnee name would become famous for that. The genius of the Schnee line, besting every other noble in the Collegium. They'd be in awe of you."

"They would be, wouldn't they?" Weiss said, smiling faintly. "It would a great honour for the family. Winter would be proud."

"Exactly. Think of how awesome we'd look, and then we'd be full Arcanists and be able to do whatever we want, learn better magic and go out into the city."

"It's tempting, Ruby, but how can we expect to learn whatever magic is required in time?"

"We'll practice."

Or more specifically, Weiss would practice. She'd just have to find some way of getting the same results without looking too suspicious. That was the beauty of them doing this together, though. She'd have an excuse for her quick rise and also another normal person with her, so Glynda wouldn't be suspicious of just her. One person becoming an Arcanist early was suspicious. Two people was a pattern, and patterns were far less interesting or worrying.

"We practice…" Weiss repeated it, voice raised like she was talking to a child. "It's that simple. Practice, and we'll be capable of completing a test that most people don't achieve until they're twice our age. Ruby, do you even hear yourself? It's not possible."

"Not with that attitude, it isn't, but we won't know unless we find out what it is we need to do." Pulling Weiss close, she offered her best and brightest smile. "Come on. What does it hurt to at least ask? If it's too hard then we'll find out when we practice and give up, but it might be something we can work on, whether that takes months, year or more."

"I guess there's no harm in asking…"

Ruby clapped her hands together. "Yes!"

"And speaking of asking," Weiss said, sighing and looking away. "Malneux came to me earlier today while you were dealing with Lord Merlot. He said to tell you he's running out of patience and having to turn down offers for the dance."

Ruby grimaced. "Ugh."

"Yes. He wants you to ask him today."

It was afternoon now, so there wasn't much time to do it. Today meant now. Ruby groaned a second time, planting her face in one hand. "I really don't want to. How bad would it be for me to go back on the bet?"

"He'd let everyone know you can't trust the word of a Rose."

Big deal. She was the only one. Still, it wasn't worth it. The dance was just a one night thing and she didn't have to actually enjoy his presence. All in all, while it would have been easy to back out, it wasn't worth the cost. Martyn could make her life a nightmare, but only so long as she gave him the way to do it.

"Gah. Fine. It's just asking him to the dance, right? How hard can it be?"

"Knowing him? Plenty." Weiss sighed. "I'd keep it short. He's already said he'll accept so don't feel like you need to beg if he plays hard to get. All you have to do is ask him to go. If he hesitates on accepting, that's his fault."

Right. That didn't sound too hard. And really, what did she care for the opinions of the people he'd be hanging out with? It wasn't like she cared if they thought more or less of her. This shouldn't be any skin off my back. It's no harder than lying to Lady Goodwitch. "I'll go get it out the way now. Is he on the commons?"

"Last I checked." Weiss made to stand. "Do you want me to come for moral support?"

"Don't bother. I'll play the shy damsel and run away blushing when he says yes."

Finding Martyn wasn't difficult. The commons encapsulated all the grassland dedicated as a lawn to the students and Arcanists alike, and was the area that bordered the training fields, caught between the school building, the dorms and the barracks. The fields were empty now, the training having already taken place, but there were plenty of picnic blankets set up where people were enjoying their time off. In the centre of all that, Martyn's bright red robes stood out. He wore them everywhere and they were always neatly pressed.

Whether that was narcissism or pride in his Arcana, she wasn't sure. Blake had only just opened her eyes to the fact she did it subconsciously as well. Ruby weaved her way between the people out in the sun, approaching Martyn and his group. It was larger today, practically their entire class and even a few extras. No wonder he had Weiss pass that message on, he'd probably invited everyone here so they could see her ask to be his date.

Let him have his moment. Not like I care.

He saw her coming a distance away, breaking off his conversation to smile his smuggest grin to date. His black hair had been swept back and behind him, giving him an obnoxiously handsome air. If it wasn't for his personality being so rotten, she might have genuinely been interested. Well, that and if she didn't have far bigger things to worry about. Everyone took his cue and stopped to see what he was looking at. A random noble approaching was no big deal, but everyone in their class knew of the rivalry between the two of them, so it must have been a surprise. That meant he hadn't filled them in on the plan, which was both good and bad. Good because she could shock them and leave, bad because they'd think her interest genuine.

Ruby stopped on the edge of their shared blankets, took a deep breath and met his eyes. "Martyn."

"Lady Rose," he replied warmly. "Or if you're going to go for the casual angle then I suppose I should just call you Ruby. What brings you here today? If you're looking for Lady Schnee, I saw her leave toward the dorms an hour back."

So, he was going to play dumb. Great. "It's not Weiss I'm looking for. It's you. I…" Deep breaths. "I wanted to ask you something."

Martyn made a show of looking to his companions in so-called confusion, then handed his glass over to one girl and pushed himself up. He brushed his robes down, smiled and stepped off the blanket to stand before her.

"Well, I'm more than willing to talk, Ruby. What is it? Has Lady Goodwitch need of us in taking down another Rogue Arcanist?"

Whispers and admiring comments flooded in from behind. Of course he'd told them all about that, and probably exaggerated his role in the thing to epic proportions. Her lips burned to tell them the truth, but she sucked the words back in. If she was going to be stuck going to a dance with him, it was best not to make things worse than they already were. In fact, maybe it was best just to get it over with.

"I want you to go to the dance with me."

Martyn tilted his head. "What was that? I must have misheard you."

Asshole.

"I want," Ruby said loudly. "You to go to the dance with me." And, because Weiss would have demanded it, "Please."

Martyn stepped back, eyes comically wide and hand aimed at his own chest. "You want me?" he repeated slowly. "To go to the gala with you… Is that what you're saying? Are you asking me to court you at the dance?"

Gritting her teeth, humiliation complete, Ruby nodded.

Martyn's confused façade cracked.

Into laughter.

"Ha ha. You-? Oh my, I can't believe it!" He cackled loudly, as did the people on the blankets behind him, boys and girls alike giggling and looking at her. "You're really asking me, the scion of the Malneux family? Ha ha! Lady Rose, have you lost your mind?"

Ruby's lips trembled. Silently, she swallowed, admitting that she'd been wrong. It could get worse, and Malneux's humiliation of her was not by any means complete.

"Oh, I shouldn't laugh," he wheezed. "I am flattered, Lady Rose, truly I am, but you are – how shall I say? – a little below my standards. And my family's. I hope you won't take any offence if I must politely decline."

Politely. Bastard. Ruby's teeth ground together, and power tingled its way down her arm, threatening to burst forth and wipe the smile off his face. Wipe his face off, too, rip it away in a gory shower of unrestrained fury.

"I am flattered though. This explains all your little insults in class, I suppose. They always do say young children try to insult the one they like. I never realised." Flourishing a hand, he offered her a flamboyant bow. "Lady Rose, I humbly apologise if I have led you on or given you the wrong idea. Alas, my interests do not align with yours in this case."

He rose again, smiling, eyes glinting maliciously. Behind him, their class was having a hard time hiding their laughter. Those that weren't were looking at her with dawning understanding. Before the day was done, everyone in the dorms would know what she'd done here. Everyone. Ruby's head continued to spin, even as Martyn extended a hand toward her.

"I'm sorry, Ruby. I can't accept your affections. I do hope we can remain friends."

Turning on her heel, Ruby stormed away, letting her white robes slap against the offered hand and clenching her eyes shut as she pushed on, forcing her way past curious onlookers and away from Martyn's half-hearted attempts to tell his friends to stop laughing, that they shouldn't take amusement in the broken heart of a young maiden. The rage built. Like a swelling river about to burst its banks, she could feel it sweeping around inside her just waiting to be unleashed.

All across the Collegium, the bells began to toll.

Surge time

Next Chapter: 4th October

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