You've Got to Use Silver Chapter 11, a rwby fanfic

This took forever to get done. I had two tests this week that I had to study for and I just said, "Fuck it," and decided not to work on this during the week. So I put in four hours every night for both of those tests. And on Thursday I decided to study late into the night. And you know what happens. I slept through my chemistry test. I'm so pissed, but I can only be angry at myself!

Now I got that out of my system, we can recite a Bob Ross quote to calm me down.

In other news, my newest chapter of, To Those Who Survived The Fall, did pretty well. I doubled the amount of followers I previously had and the only complaint I got was Jaune's sword. Apparently, people do not like giant swords. I didn't know that until twenty minutes after I had posted it. So I scaled down the size of the sword to where it's now like the size of an upscaled war sword, but I kept everything else the same.

And I did not base that version of Jaune off of Cloud from Final Fantasy. Cloud's a scrawny motherfucker carrying a sword that's too big for him. I based that Jaune off of Guts from Berserk. A true badass.

But back to this story. This chapter, we begin introducing stats to weapons. I didn't put stuff in there like damage or stamina usage because that would be a bitch to do so and I don't want to do that. What I did, however, was put the requirements for the stats needed to wield the weapon, the level of said weapon or armour, and the materials that are used to make it. The stats and materials determine the damage or the protection of the gear in some sort of arbitrary manner I do not wish to discuss.

I also bring in Oakeshott's typology for swords...

Yeah, I'm a nerd and medieval enthusiast with no friends and spends all his time in the gym or writing fanfictions. But, we needed to bring in a way to classify the different swords because I don't want to spend a half hour telling you what every sword Jaune picks up looks like.

I'm done now. So, enjoy and tell me how I did.

Additional AN: If you want to get a good idea of what Jaune's armour looks like. Look up Fantasy Paladin Armour in google. You'll get a good picture of what I'm trying to describe.

Ugghhh... Morning already?

Jaune slowly gained consciousness over a few seconds. He blinked his eyes, letting his focus come back to him. The first thing he saw was the underside of Ren's bunk. The walnut-brown oak boards stared right back at him.

He rolled over and sat up. Expecting pain, Jaune winced, but when he couldn't feel anything, he opened his eyes. His ribs were still tender, and his body ached in some places; however, nothing hurt. It was a welcome change after the shitshow that was yesterday.

Honestly, Jaune felt as though he slept like a baby. He was feeling the burn yesterday, but now it was slightly dampened. He fell asleep at around seven again and didn't even move from where he collapsed until now. It felt good to have slept for so long too.

Jaune rolled his shoulder and felt it pop. Turning another joint prompted a crack from all of the other connecting parts as well. He pushed himself off of the bed, welcoming his lumbar region's own cacophony.

Ooooo, that felt good!

Taking a quick look around, Jaune noticed a few students lumbering away from their bunks. Their sluggish expression indicated they had arisen at around the same time as he did. They were probably going to get breakfast before class, and then head to lessons.

He rechecked his Aura. It was resting at about fifty per cent now. The recovery was still slow, but it was getting there. Maybe in a few days, Jaune's Aura would be back to normal, and he could begin taking on some more quests.

However, taking new quests would mean putting himself at risk for injury again. Jaune could agree that charging at the hobgoblin and trying to put it in a headlock was stupid. But, he was short on options, and while Crocea Mors would have worked, it would not have been as effective.

The issue with using a steel sword or any weapon on a monster is having to contend with their damage resistances. Steel will cut through skin, muscle, bone and maybe light armour, but will suffer reduced effectiveness for the above reasons. Silver, when properly used on monsters or magical entities, will glide right through whatever resistances are in the way.

Resistances meaning any sort of biological, magical, or fabricated construct that gives protection to an individual. These buffs or debuffs can affect the tide of a battle. For example, if a creature has hard-bony plates on the outside of their body, then they take less damage from everything due to having what is effectively armoured plating on the outside of their body or if they have certain blood chemistry that allows for resistance to toxins. Given that monsters are composed of biological materials with magicka sprinkled in there, silver can be used to circumvent any defences, but that is dependent on the stats of the wielder of weapon, the weapon itself, and the monster or magical entity that is being attacked.

Now, as a smith, Jaune knew very well about the stats of weapons and armour. A silver sword or any blade is only as effective as the smith who made it, the stats of the individual user, and the materials you make it out of. So, if a monster is a high enough level, then anything Jaune had in his arsenal would be useless against that creature, or if, say the Strength stat of a hobgoblin is stronger than both you and your armour.

Said imp was capable of resisting the effects of Jaune's silver sword due to the hobgoblin literally being somewhere around twice his level. The effectiveness was reduced to merely burning the palm of the goblin's hand.

Ira Rubrum, while it was a handy weapon for basic goblins, or drowners, and even the draugr. It is rated at level-eight. Not trash tier like Ruby's scythe. But not high-quality like his enchanted sword.

To put that into terms, it's like throwing a twig at a dragon. If Jaune was lucky, he might be able to knick a scale off of the wyrm before it killed him. That was the discrepancy in power between what was an effective weapon at one level or another. Blake's, Gambol Shroud, for example, was still a monstrosity of a weapon in her hands. She was able to cleave through the heavy armour of a draugr. Through hardened steel. Something Jaune was not capable of.

It could be argued that since the steel was ancient and probably rusted through, she was able to do that. Armour is afflicted with debuffs when left in moisture for too long or not taken care of at all. But the enchanted steel decorating the draugr would have still snapped Crocea Mors like a twig.

There is also Ruby's scythe, Crescent Rose. While the trash tier scythe would be around maybe level one or two. Ruby's passive, which forces her to only be able to use a scythe, also makes her extremely powerful with it. The girl could tussle with opponents in heavy armour easily, provided the weapon didn't snap on contact with the plate.

Had Jaune been a higher level than he was previously. Meaning he actually was an average level for his peer group. He could perform these same feats, with his own low-levelled weapons, such as his level-eight sword, at a sufficient level fifteen, possibly. But he would need to gather more Exp for that bonus to even apply. It wasn't worth using a sword for a regular job that was half his level, which meant he needed a new one.

Before Jaune could even think about reforging his entire loadout, he needed to pick up his armour. There were a few hours before classes began, so he could head into Vale with Yang and Ruby. Maybe he could find a blade there that was cheap enough for him to buy.

...

Shutting the door to the communal dorms as quietly as possible, Jaune turned around. He took a look at the courtyard separating the two buildings. Nobody else seemed to be out here except for him. It was not entirely unusual since classes didn't start until nine.

Deserted again?

Jaune turned left and jumped as he saw someone standing right there. "OH, SHIT," he yelped as his heart nearly leapt out of his chest. It took him a second to recognise that it was Blake standing right there in her uniform. Two amber eyes and an entertained shit-eating grin stared back at Jaune.

Blake crossed arms and leaned back against the stone. "A little jumpy today," she observed with her usual indifferent tone. Although Jaune could tell, there was some amusement behind it. Ironic as well since she ran off at the first sign of danger the last time something happened at the academy.

"Yeah," Jaune admitted. "I wasn't expecting to see someone standing right there." He didn't like to admit it, but she had scared the shit out of him. "What are you doing out here anyway?"

I feel like I should know this answer already. Sun follows her around like a lost puppy.

Blake's smile fell back to a flat line. "I'm waiting for Sun," she answered, not showing any enthusiasm in her voice. "We were going to grab some breakfast before getting some fencing practice in."

A date. I knew it!

"I see," Jaune calmly noted. "So that's how it is?" His tone turned more playful and almost teasing. "You two going out on a date?!" His comment prompted Blake's face to turn a deep shade of red.

Yang's starting to rub off on me!

"I don't need Gambol Shroud to beat you up," she gave him a mock threat but kept trying to force her smile down. "My hands are perfectly capable of that even now." She cupped one hand in the other, popping her knuckles loudly. Jaune believed her. She took down draugr like they were nothing. He didn't even know her level either, so he couldn't strategise around it.

"Ok-ok, I'll leave you alone," Jaune conceded, holding his hands up in mock surrender, keeping up the playful attitude. "Weiss hits me enough already, I don't need someone who can make it hurt." Blake rolled her eyes as she lightly snorted.

"Just make sure Yang doesn't hear about it," Blake requested, with only a minor amount of behind it. "She already teases us enough as it is."

"Don't worry," Jaune reassured her. "I'll keep your date a secret for you two." Blake blushed even harder than before. She balled her fist, and Jaune immediately retreated to a safe distance. "Catch you guys later!" Jaune turned around and made his way over to the women's dorms. Hopefully, Ruby was able to wake Yang up so they could get going. There was a two-hour window for them before they had to make their way back to the academy. Plenty of time to do what they needed.

And Jaune was really looking forward to seeing what his armour looked like as a finished product. Those schematics Jaune drew and handed off to Alexandre had been something he was working on for a while. They were based around Jaune's exact measurements and were a compilation of everything he learned over the years.

Jaune wished he had made the set earlier and before he had arrived at Beacon, but he couldn't have access to his household forge for long periods time out of fear of being discovered by his father. Had Nicholas found out that he was attempting to forge his own suit of armour, the old man would have destroyed the schematics and any pieces he had already created. Luckily, at Beacon, he was outside of his father's reach for the time being.

Finally crossing the massive courtyard, which was like a ten-minute walk. Jaune realised why Ozpin had him hide in the women's dorms when the inquisitors showed up. Having to run what was half the length of the academy versus a short minute-long sprint from the library to the women's dorms might have caused some issues for him had he been caught outside. Not to mention having to fight what may have been several dozen higher-level soldiers would have led to a swift end for Jaune.

Standing before the women's dorms, he glanced up at the building containing the women's dorms. Jaune had never really paid that much attention to the architecture before during his first two weeks at the academy. Architecture just didn't interest him at all, but it was good to take a look at a building every once in a while and get a feel for it.

Both of the dorms were exact copies of each other. Thick stone walls with intertwining wooden trusses for support. The mortar holding the wall together was degrading in a few spots, but everything was solid. Dozens of stained windows lined the whole outer structure and contained various scenes from Beacon's history as well as Vale's. The rooves were both covered in red-slated tiles emulating the rest of Vale's style.

While appealing to look at, the dorms were built to take damage. The thick stone walls should be able to handle a trebuchet or several. Actually, all of Beacon was constructed much like a fortress. Every door was a composite made from multiple metals and wood so nobody could force their way through. And even if someone launched a siege on the academy, they would have to face a bunch of very pissed off heroes and an even angrier Ms Goodwitch.

One of the large wood and steel-trim door was pushed open, letting out a large creak as the hinges ground against each other. Jaune looked down to see Ruby skipping out in her usual garb. Her cloak was picked up by the wind and began fluttering. Ruby noticed him standing there, smiling as she gave him a light wave. "Hi, Jaune!"

"Hey," he confidently replied. He peeked around Ruby, expecting Yang to walk around the corner. A few seconds later, the blonde had yet to emerge from her lair.

Huh, Yang's not here yet? She's not a morning person as far as I can tell, so she may be slow after waking up.

Jaune knew what that was like. Having to come off a monster hunt late at night only to get up a few hours later for chores. The repetitive cycle of sleep deprivation made it to where he could go long periods without sleep and be perfectly fine.

The door creaked open again. Yang stumbled out with every part of her screaming, 'lethargic.' Her bright blonde hair was still perfectly maintained and looked absolutely stunning. But her expression said otherwise. Both of Yang's eyes had noticeable bags under them and were bloodshot.

"Why did we have to do this so early," Yang gave out a pathetic whine that was more of a mumble.

"Because I enjoy your suffering," Jaune quipped with a snort towards the end. Ruby giggled to further the blonde's annoyance. Yang responded by slugging Jaune in the shoulder. He began fervently massaging the sore spot as the Brawler strutted past him.

Fuck! She hits hard!

"Don't worry, Jaune," Ruby said as she patted him on the shoulder. "She gets cranky in the morning sometimes."

Yeah, I noticed!

Yang turned around and face her fellow companions. "So, what are we taking care of first," she asked, crossing her arms. The blonde was looking to Jaune or Ruby for an answer. Nobody said anything for several seconds, so Jaune stepped up.

"I guess we need to get Ruby a scythe first," he hesitantly suggested. Yang shrugged her shoulders in agreement. Ruby seemed to agree, as well. "After that, we can head to Alexandre's shop and grab my armour." Both girls nodded, giving Jaune the plan for today.

Before they were going to head out and into Vale. The door was pushed open again. Weiss stepped out, completely oblivious to the trio standing outside. She wore her usual mage attire and had her rapier strapped to her hip. Several steps outside of the building, Weiss glanced up, flinching when she saw them, surprised to see the trio standing there.

"Sup', Weiss-cream," Yang called out to her. "Heading into Vale, too?!"

"I am, in fact, heading into the city," Weiss politely responded with little to no attitude in there. She was getting better and better at not snapping at anybody. It was slow, but she was making progress. Jaune just needed to get her to stop calling him, 'Arc.' "Why do you ask?"

"Oh, just wondering," Yang mused with a playful smirk. "We're going to pick up some new gear for Jaune and Ruby. And since you and Muscles have been getting pretty buddy-buddy lately, I thought you might want to join us."

Weiss scowled at the buddy-buddy comment. The two heroes were not exactly buddy-buddy, but Yang was batting in that direction. Jaune wasn't going to be angry with the blonde if she was able to convince Weiss to come along.

"There are some items I need to acquire as well," Weiss replied, keeping a calm manner. Jaune still wondered what was so important that Weiss had to go into Vale herself to get it. She seemed like the type of girl to send a servant to retrieve it.

"Alright," Yang chirped. "Let's get moving then! Jaune can be our pack mule!" Yang threw him a coy grin and started heading toward the main gate. "Right Muscles?!"

Now I feel like I'm being taken advantage of!

"Why am I the pack mule," Jaune whined as he followed behind the girls. "There's more to me than a strong back, you know!" Jaune was always sure there was more to him than his boyish good looks. His mother told him that at least.

"Oh, I'm sure there is," Yang sarcastically replied. She looked back and flashed Jaune another smile.

...

Down in Vale proper, the market place and boroughs leading up to Beacon were beginning to wake up. More people were out on the streets going about their business. A town crier was shouting the recent news about a decree from the King. Merchants were pitching at any passerby who happened to glance in their direction.

This area was just outside the academy. Only a few hundred feet from the King's palace. Which was surprisingly close in Jaune's opinion. He expected the King to have had more of a buffer between the royal palace and the commoners. But, Vale was a tightly packed city sequestered in a valley. For space reasons, one of the previous kings must have given up some land and brought the inner walls closer to his castle.

The neighbourhood shifted from mostly stone walls and marble walkways to cobble and wattle and daub homes. Everything about this area sharply contrasted what Beacon had in appearance. It wasn't a poor district of Vale either. The section just wasn't as polished as the academy or the palace. More practical concerning construction.

Jaune took a look at some of the weapons displayed at the market stalls. Now that he had some coin to his name, Jaune could decide to potentially purchase another weapon to keep as a spare. Or that one could become his primary and Crocea Mors would become his extra. Although he would just rename his new weapon to Crocea Mors the Second.

He eyed a sturdy looking longsword. It was a medium carbon-steel blade that was a few inches longer than Crocea Mors. The forty-eight-inch blade was a type thirteen a sword made primarily for cutting. This one, in particular, has a fuller that ran three-fourths of the central ridge.

Inspecting the blade, Jaune visualised the stats the weapon possessed.

Valaean Longsword

Level 16

Materials: 0.50% Carbon, 0.60% Manganese, The Remainder of the Materials are Steel, and Leather

Minimum Stat Requirements

Strength: 26

Agility: 19

Perception: 23

Huh... I can use this blade, but it's going to be a little slow. Even if I levelled up twice and got my agility to nineteen, then it wouldn't even matter because I might find something better. I could also melt down Crocea Mors and buy a steel ingot so I could make a new one myself.

"What are you doing," a voice from behind him inquired. Jaune turned his head to Weiss, standing about a foot from him. Her eyes were narrowed, not out of annoyance, but out of curiosity as to what he was looking at.

"I am thinking about getting a new sword, or maybe reforging my old one," he explained, testing the strength of the quillons. Pulling down on the crossguard did not make it come loose, suggesting that this blade was put together correctly. But when Jaune scanned the edge, he noticed something else.

There were small cracks in the steel. Places where the entire blade could shatter from a misplaced strike. Even with Jaune's low-tier sword, he could slice right through these weak points and disarm anybody using this weapon.

This is terrible craftsmanship! Something like this would never cut it back in Bar!

The only use this weapon had now, was to be stock that Jaune could melt and make another sword out of. Currently, it was less than useless and not worth the five-hundred lien it was priced at. Jaune didn't even consider it worth his time to try bargaining for a lower price since he could buy ingots for less than that.

"You have an enchanted sword," Weiss pointed out. Jaune was surprised she kept track of that. "Why not use that as your primary and save the money?"

Good idea, but it has one drawback...

"I'm not using it yet until I know the enchantment on the sword," Jaune explained, setting the sword back onto the table. He felt like he was going to get another stern lecture from Weiss about not knowing anything. "And don't enchanted weapons require Dust to refill the enchantment when you use it up?" Weiss' expression indicated that she wasn't pleased with his question.

She pinched the bridge of her nose. "You are one of the most ignorant heroes I have ever known," Weiss ridiculed him for yet again not knowing something. She didn't sound angry, and it was more like an off-hand comment. However, it was not appreciated.

"Hey! At least I'm trying," Jaune replied in anger. And he was attempting to learn new things. Jaune didn't have access to the same resources a rich-girl like Weiss would have. His options were, frankly, limited, but he learned everything he could with what he had. "I had to learn everything I know on my own. Nobody was there to teach me anything!" Jaune could see a hint of shame in her reaction to what he said. A piece of him wanted to keep tearing into Weiss for pretty much calling him an idiot again.

And when Jaune said he to learn everything on his own. He meant it. His father may have taught him the basics of blacksmithing, but when it came to swords and armour, that was all Jaune. And it was the sole reason as to why Jaune was able to forge his first full set of armour. Then for everything else he knew, that was diligent studying in his free time.

His younger sister, Cereza, the prodigal child, was given all the attention of their father. Jaune, simply, was not as skilled and didn't have what it took to be an adventurer. She had everything he didn't. The rest of his siblings didn't have the same aspirations those two had. But, whenever Jaune asked to practice or to even learn something from the old man, he was shot down by both of them. The younger Arc, rubbing it in his face.

The prime reason for Jaune's drive was to show them he was capable of making it as an adventurer.

Weiss paused for a moment to seemingly collect her thoughts and figure out a way to word it correctly. "I know," she sighed. "It's just surprising how you can somehow blunder into a situation with no knowledge whatsoever, and end up coming out victorious. And I did not imply you were in any way stupid... bar your previously reckless actions." Jaune could agree to the last part. "But, if we are going to work together, then I will have to take steps to correct that. We should begin with your difficulties related to magic. You still have that list of those restoration tomes?"

I had it somewhere...

"Yeah," Jaune answered, still irritated with Weiss, but it was quickly going away. "We can start after class, I guess. I can't take any quests until my ribs heal. And I still have that debuff." That damn debuff was killing him! Not literally, of course. It was just annoying because Jaune was useless at this point.

"Hey," Yang shouted from the side. "Are you guys coming or what?!" Were they waiting for us the whole time?! Jaune now regretted his decision to peruse the weapons. "We're on a schedule, you know?!" Ruby nodded in agreement with her sister.

"Alright-alright," Jaune placated his fellow blonde. "I was checking out some swords, but they suck, so I decided not to buy one." Ruby seemed to take an immediate interest in Jaune's analysis.

"What kind of sword were you looking at," Ruby excitedly asked, skipping just ahead of the group. "Was it another longsword?!" Her enthusiastic demeanour shone through towards the end as it became higher pitched and bordered on a gasp.

"Yeah," he gave a curt reply, his mood had yet to return to normal. "It wasn't terrific. The stats were okay, but the blade was badly damaged." Ruby seemed to scowl as she learned the news.

"I hate when people can't take care of their weapons," Ruby growled, kicking at the road with her heel. Jaune couldn't help but agree with her. It bothered him whenever he was brought tools or weapons that looked as though they had been neglected their entire lives. "I mean, why even have a sword if you're not going to maintain it?! Sure, I've broken all of my scythes, but I took care of every one of my precious Crescent Roses until I broke them!"

"Don't worry, Rubes," Yang moved to calm her sister. "Once we get you a new Crescent Rose or three, and we get Jaune's armour. You'll forget all about it!"

"She's right," Weiss whispered to Jaune, earning a light snort from the knight.

...

"So, this is the place," Jaune sceptically asked. He had a very good reason for it as well.

The shop they were standing in front of could only be described as pitiful if Jaune was perfectly clear. It was more of a shack with a small stand outside the front of it. Smoke billowed out from the short chimney decorating the roof. The wooden tiles all around it seemed to be rotting from lack of care and weathering.

Jaune looked inside the smithy and noticed while it wasn't pretty on the outside, it was actually reasonably organised. The tools that were not being used were all hung up on the wall. The centre space was free of obstacles except for a chair that was off to the side. Any of the weapons or tools this man peddled were laid out on a table in neat rows for the customers to look at.

Okay, maybe I was wrong. This place is actually pretty nice. Jaune's bias towards the appearance of smithies influenced his original opinion on it. But this guy seemed to know what he was doing. Frankly, it wasn't that bad now that Jaune had gotten a good look at his shop.

"Yep," Yang gave an upbeat response. "The guy who owns the place is pretty cheap sometimes, but he's kind of an asshole." She walked up to the counter and knocked on the table. The Smith on the inside turned around and gave a quick glance at the blonde.

"I'll be over in just a second, Blondie," the large man called out to Yang. He set down his hammer and pulled off his gloves. The man was built like an oak tree and was just as tall. His gruff appearance reminded Jaune of an archetypal pirate from a sailor's story. However, his features remained very neat with a beard that was trimmed down and hugging his jaw.

"Oh, Junior, you know you shouldn't keep a girl waiting," Yang retorted with her trademark grin. The man who was now known as Junior, rolled his eyes as he stepped up to the counter.

He glared at Jaune. "So there's two of you now," he asked in an almost hostile manner. Jaune wasn't sure of what was going on between those two, but he didn't want to be dragged into it. But if he had to guess, it was due to Yang's temper. "I have to deal with enough of you blondes already. I don't need to worry about any more."

"Dontcha worry about Muscles over there," Yang dispelled any concerns about Jaune. "He's harmless unless you piss him off or you're a vampire." Junior's expression seemed to relax, but only for a moment. "But I didn't come here to talk. I need to buy some gear."

Junior crossed his arms. "So, what'll it be then," he asked, still sceptical about the group. Jaune wasn't sure about him either. Ruby seemed to hide behind Jaune as did Weiss.

"How much for a scythe," Yang asked as she pointed to a barrel containing the previously mentioned weapon. "I need several, and we're willing to pay upfront." Her charisma seemed to be doing its work. Jaune wasn't sure how well it was going to work on Junior.

Junior rubbed his beard. "One-hundred-forty coins per," he proposed, with a shit-eating grin.

That's pretty high, even for a scythe. Probably because of whatever happened with Yang. Maybe I should step in?

Here it goes.

"Aye," Jaune spoke up before Yang could even try negotiating. "As a fellow weaponsmith, I call bullshit on those prices." Junior's expression immediately soured. As did everyone else's.

"Jaune..." Ruby whispered from behind, tugging on his sleeve. She didn't want to have this argument, and neither did Jaune. Even Weiss seemed to back down from the confrontation.

"Listen, kid," Junior began in an almost hostile tone. "That's what I'm selling them for. So take it or leave it."

This guy's a joke. My dad would have run him out of town with those prices. He's not even worth trying to negotiate.

"Then we'll leave it," Jaune concluded and turned away. "Come on." Weiss and Ruby followed right behind him, and eventually Yang as well.

...

"Jaune," Yang growled as she spun him around and pushed him against a wall. "What was that?! I could I have gotten him to go lower!" She was pissed and on the verge of her eyes flashing red. Ruby and Weiss both cowered and stepped back from the argument.

"No, you couldn't have," Jaune countered, stepping up to Yang. His taller and larger figure dwarfed the blonde. She seemed to back down with Jaune's stand. "He's obviously gouging his prices, and negotiating wouldn't have worked. He's got a grudge against you. I've dealt with merchants like him before, and they're not worth it." He looked over at Ruby. "Besides, I can make you a scythe if you bring me the materials, Ruby." The Reaper, looking stunned at the moment, only managed a nod. "I thought we could find a cheap one in the city, but I was wrong."

"Fine," Yang exhaled, she ran a hand through her hair and backed off. "Thank's for looking out for us, I guess. We'll grab the stuff you need and bring them to you."

"Good," Jaune replied, glancing down at Ruby. "I just need a haft and a steel ingot. It'll probably be one of the best scythes you'll ever have, Ruby." The little girls face immediately brightened up.

"Really," Ruby nearly screamed out of pure excitement. The Reaper leapt into Jaune's arms and wrapped hers around his neck. "Thank you-thank you-thank you!" Her grip was really tight.

Okay, can't breathe now!

Jaune tapped on Ruby's shoulder. "Ruby, can't breathe," he wheezed as his vision started fading.

Between Nora and Ruby, they're going to kill me before I get done in by a monster!

"Oh, sorry," Ruby nervously chuckled as she let go of him. Jaune took in a deep breath.

Oum, she's strong!

"Alright," Jaune took in another breath. "Let's head to Alexandre's place before class starts up." They had maybe another hour and a half before they needed to return. Or they would face Professor Goodwitch's wrath.

...

The walk to Alexandre's shop was filled with some small talk. Plans for the weekend and possibly next week. There was some debate about which member of the group's weapons was the best. It ended with a draw between, Nora, Sun, and Pyrrha since they had either the biggest, most powerful or the most versatile weapons.

The group stopped in front of Alexandre's shop. The forge seemed to be active today since the chimney was billowing out smoke and the striking of a hammer could be heard within. Hopefully, Alexandre had already put the finishing touches on Jaune's armour, and he could just pick it up.

"Arc," Weiss began with an interrogating tone. "When you mentioned Alexandre, you forgot to inform me that it was Alexandre Hepheastoun. The Master Smith of Vale!"

Well, it wasn't important at the time! It's not a huge deal anyway.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you, Weiss," Jaune quipped, trying to be a smartass. "We're going to Alexandre Hepheastoun's shop." Weiss just gave him a dull look in response. Ruby giggled, adding to the Heiress' annoyance.

Weiss sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose, "It doesn't matter. This was my destination, anyway."

That makes it easy. It would have sucked if we had to run halfway across the city for a single item.

"Come on guys," Ruby urged as she pulled on Jaune's sleeve. "I want to see Jaune's armour!" The girl was practically dragging him closer to the door. Her excitement causing her to pronounce every syllable on its own.

Yang snorted, "You might want to listen to her Jaune," she suggested, wearing her trademark grin. "Ruby will start foaming at the mouth!" Jaune did not doubt that as a possibility.

Jaune knocked on the door once. No response. He hit the door several more times, loudly enough that a corpse could hear it. Alexandre was most likely in his shop, and his work would have been too loud to hear the light rapping of someone's knuckles.

"I'm coming - I'm coming," someone called out from inside the building.

The door cracked open, and Alexandre peered out. This time he didn't look hungover after a night of drinking. He was just covered in soot and appeared to have jumped into a pile of coal dust. His face was coated in a thick layer of the substance, and only his eyes were free from it.

"Ah, Jaune," Alexandre began. "I'm glad you're here..." He looked over at the girls and nodded to them. "...with company nonetheless." The Smith stepped away from the door allowing the group to enter. "If you'll follow me, I have your armour in my workshop. The rest of you can browse while we speak. And if you find something you like, don't hesitate to ask."

Jaune followed Alexandre into the workshop. The forge radiating a blistering heat from within. Pure white magicka flames billowed up from a source beneath the coke. He had seen this forge when it wasn't running, but now, it looked like a master artisan's workplace as he painted on a canvas.

On the table in the centre of the room lay the armour. White gold plates neatly organised from the helmet to the sabatons. Next to the plates sat leather under armour and chainmail. To top it off, a black cape that wrapped around the neck and covered the shoulders.

Jaune lifted the chest plate with both hands. The white and gold metal was perfectly polished and oiled to give it a shine. The twin crescent moons stood out as the centrepiece to the whole design.

"Try the armour on and see how it fits," Alexandre said as he polished a piece of steel.

Jaune slipped on the leather padding. It tightly wrapped around his trousers but was flexible enough that he could crawl or touch his toes. The brown leather must have been treated a certain way to give it flexibility while not giving up protection.

Next, the chainmail over his chest. Rings of metal would have guarded against cutting, but when paired with the leather. Both would protect from cuts and blows with blunt objects. Jaune had never used chainmail before, but this would cover the gaps between his armour where the plates couldn't.

Finally, the plates. Some of them were almost a half-inch thick in places! They were segmented for mobility with the only piece that came as one being the chest plate. The armour was form-fitting and wrapped tightly around the leather that made up for the gaps in his joints. Lastly, the visored barbute-style helmet that fit Jaune's head perfectly. The leather padding on the inside cushioned his skin from the metal.

Once the suit was on, he tested for flexibility, hopping up and down - doing push-ups, and a few other exercises and found no problems. The suit was pretty damn heavy, however. Jaune would need to do some conditioning or maybe level up a few times to get his Strength up.

He focused and visualised the stats in his head.

Eagle's Armour

Level Twenty Eight

Materials: Unknown Alloy Ratio of Enchanted Steel and Corundom, Carbon Steel, and Leather

Minimum Stat Requirements:

Strength: 57

Agility: 25

Defence: 30

Constitution: 39

Buffs:

This specific alloy of steel and corundum is less dense than normal steel while just as hard. It has a strength to weight ratio similar to menachanite allowing the user to build a thicker armour without sacrificing for weight.

This armour was also specially built for you. The measurements fit your body exactly, allowing it to be worn as a second skin granting a tremendous degree of flexibility.

"So how do you like the armour," Alexandre asked, sitting down in a chair just across the room. "I think the Mage will like it too." Jaune blushed at the mention of Weiss.

I hope she does.

"You do good work, Alexandre," Jaune answered with a chuckle. He moved his fingers to test the range of motion. "My level is too low to properly use the armour, but it's damn good!"

I can just use my breastplate in the meantime. Maybe I'll reforge it tomorrow and just use that until I can farm enough Exp.

"Hey, it's why I'm the best," he replied, taking a swig from a bottle.

...

Jaune left the workshop with Alexandre right behind him. He could hear Ruby going on about something most likely regarding one of the many weapons in the shop. Weiss and Yang were mumbling in response and were just listening to the girl ramble.

Alexandre quickly stepped around him and walked into the shop area. "Ladies," he began in overtly dramatic fashion. "I present to you my creation." Jaune rounded the corner to show off his armour.

"Oh, let me see it," Ruby shouted. In a flash of red and rose petals. Ruby nearly tackled Jaune as she examined the armour. "IT'S EVEN BETTER THAN I IMAGINED!" Jaune was glad he was wearing a helmet to block out her voice. "Its got a barbuta with a visor! A cape! Chainmail over leather! IT'S PERFECT!" Ruby continuously ran around him, inspecting literally every piece on the armour.

"Okay, Rubes," Yang stepped, grabbing Ruby by the hood. "You can ogle Jaune later, but leave some for the rest of us." She flashed him a coy grin. "It looks good on you."

"Thanks," Jaune said while pulling off his helmet. Once off, he restored order to his hair due to the onset of 'helmet head.' "It's not friendly to the hair, however!"

"Hence the reason why I don't wear helmets," Yang concurred. "But, what do you think, Ice Queen?" Weiss glared at Yang before setting her eyes on Jaune's armour.

"It suits you." Was the only thing she could come up with. The girl turned to the counter, producing an object. "I would like to purchase this," Weiss requested. She set a bottle of oil down on the counter. It seemed to be a simple bottle of lubricant used for oiling blades. High quality, too, meaning expensive.

"You know, Weiss, any oil works for swords," Jaune advised. "There's no point in buying the most expensive stuff when they have something just as good at Beacon."

"He's got a point, Mage," Alexandre agreed, stepping behind the counter. "As long as you don't use vegetable oil, you're good."

"I understand," Weiss said as she dug out her coin purse. "But, Myrtenaster requires the best. And I will only use the best for it." Jaune and Alexandre shared a glance. Unsure of her rationale, they decided to not voice any opposition.

"It's your coin," Jaune uttered. He set his payment for the armour on the table. "The five-thousand Lien for the armour, Alexandre."

The Smith grabbed the bag and checked the weight. "It's all there," he concluded, tucking the purse beneath the counter. "If you guys need any repairs to your blades or armour, you know where to find me." Jaune nodded in understanding.

The group all filed out of the shop one by one. Jaune being the last to leave and closing the door behind him. Stepping back out onto the busy street welcomed a much more bustling town than there had been previously. Some of the passing citizens glanced in wonder as they noticed Jaune's heavy armour.

"We should be getting back to the academy," Weiss suggested. "Classes may be starting soon, and I do not wish to be late."

"Should we run back," Yang suggested.

"Yeah."

There, I'm done now so I can go play Skyrim or some other shit. I haven't even touched my Xbox in the last month. And I need to destress after putting in some work!

Also... Do I curse too much? I feel like I'm the motherfuckin', Gordon Ramsey, whenever I open my mouth or in any dialogue such as this. But, I don't care!

Level Seventeen

Strength 33 (+5)

Agility 17 (+3)

Defence 23 (+3)

Perception 27 (+3)

Constitution 33 (+3)

Intelligence 40 (+5)

Charisma 21 (+3)

Willpower 14 (+2)

...

Abilities

Arclight

A high-intensity explosion of light, equivalent to that of the sun. Burns the flesh of undead and magical entities. Momentarily blinds living and non-magical entities. Sudden magical intensity can cause affected to flee regardless of status.

Active Debuff:

Turn and Face The Sun!

Longinuslanze Testament

A most unholy weapon. Forged by our lord to answer to only one master. He who has the will to dominate such a blade.

It shall sunder any armour. It shall never miss its mark. It shall grow with your own strength. Its holy light searing all who stand to oppose it.

In turn, you shall become vulnerable to attacks whilst wielding this unholy relic. It shall challenge your mastery by forcing you to fight at your full strength.

...

Miscellaneous Knowledge/Buffs/etc.

Monster Slayer

Spent years studying the various monsters of Remnant. Knows the different species and taxonomy of each known creature. Understands the weaknesses of most known monsters.

Armour and Weapons Smith

Worked a forge for his entire life. Jaune is able to judge the composition of metals, and know the condition of his weapons and armour.

Active Debuff

Aura Exhaustion

Aura will not fully generate for several days. Due to differences in constitution values, the duration for the debuff to be active can differ from person to person. With the debuff active, you are more susceptible to injuries and you may experience hypersensitivity in certain regions of your body.

Gear: