I would have gotten this done sooner if I didn't have a test this week.
I don't really have much to put in the author note. This chapter is Jaune forging his sword and Ruby's new scythe. I bring Pyrrha into the story a little more along with Ren, but not much else is going on.
In this chapter, I tried to be as realistic as possible with the sword making. Meaning I've had to put as much arm-chair swordsmithing into this chapter as I possibly could. The research I had to do for this chapter made up a bulk of the time wasted, before I could begin writing. And I did take liberties with the time it takes to make a sword. I know it couldn't be done in one day, but this is fantasy and real world bullshit doesn't always work the same way.
But other than that. The chapter came out quite nicely and was easy to write.
I've also decided to start playing Dark Souls recently. So RIP my controller.
[Later That Night]
Jaune was brought into a small waiting room inside the main administrative building of Beacon Academy. The woman sitting at the front desk gave a spiel about how Professor Ozpin would see him in a few minutes. He really didn't care about the wait. Jaune only cared about the information he was attempting to collect.
Weiss being a Princess, was a rather startling notion. Who could prepare themselves for something like that? It just wasn't something you would expect someone else to tell you as a regular secret. Jaune would have wholly preferred Weiss said she was shy or something along those lines. Hell, if the Mage said she was actually into girls over guys, Jaune would have been fine.
The primary issue when it came to Weiss' little secret was the secret itself. Jaune didn't know how to handle it. Sure, the girl said she wanted to be treated normally, but that did nothing to alleviate Jaune's own fears. He was literally working with the future sovereign of an entire nation. This left him anxious as any move he made could end up causing an entire clusterfuck to ensue where everybody was dragged into it.
This left Ozpin as the only man to give him some guidance on this problem.
The sound of the man's office door opening drew Jaune's attention away from his thoughts. There, the older man stood in the doorway with his cryptic gaze bearing down upon the boy. His lips curled into a slight smile as he stepped away from the door, welcoming Jaune inside.
"Mr Arc," the man said, gesturing for Jaune to enter.
"Um, yeah," Jaune replied, getting out of the chair and heading inside.
The Headmaster's office was quite spacious upon first glance. Around thirty feet in diameter with windows on all sides of this massive circle. On the far side of the room, only a desk and chair sitting there. It was a rather bland looking room now that Jaune had some time to think about it. But if the Headmaster wanted it, then it was his decision on decorations.
"So, Mr Arc," Ozpin began, heading to his chair and taking his seat. "What did you feel the need to discuss? It must have been important, considering your recent visit to the infirmary. I would have recommended you rest and follow the Priestess' instructions to the letter. She can be rather insistent..."
Jaune did feel pretty sore from earlier today. Having endured what he pictured as a similar pain to being struck by lightning wasn't something you could just shake off.
"I'm fine, Headmaster," Jaune replied, keeping his tone polite yet casual. "I just had a question... About, Weiss Schnee."
Kill me now... I really hope he doesn't think I'm asking about relationship advice.
The Headmaster's gaze remained unstirred. Jaune could feel the air of the room change slightly, giving him the impression the older man found this subject interesting. His own nervousness probably factored into it, but the Knight was sure. Any microexpressions coming from him may have given Jaune that impression.
"I see..." The man leaned back into his chair. "Then any questions you have about Ms Schnee, I would be glad to answer. Within reason, of course, but I'm sure you understand."
"Ok..." Jaune remained standing, only moving towards the desk. "I guess... How do I begin?"
"From the beginning..."
"Yeah..." Jaune took in a deep breath. "Weiss told me something earlier today... I wasn't sure if she was lying or not, but it's a huge thing, so I need someone else to confirm it... I can't take it as the truth!"
"I understand..." The Headmaster leaned forward. His voice was as calm as always. "Skepticism is a good quality to possess. I'm sure if this secret is as important as you say, it would be prudent to find out the truth over believing the words of another."
"Weiss kind of told me she was a princess," Jaune finally confessed. More like blurting out. "Like a Princess of Atlas..."
Several seconds of silence passed. Between the two of them, a pin could drop and both would easily hear it. Jaune's discomfort growing with every passing second.
"I see," Ozpin muttered, a smile showing at the corner of his lips. "Did she provide any proof?"
"Pendant, silver, about five inches wide, with a snowflake carved into the centre," Jaune described the piece, using his hands to mimic the shape. His hands beginning to shake.
"Hmm... And you still do not believe Ms Schnee," Ozpin asked. "She has shown you what she qualifies as proof of her identity."
"I don't know," Jaune replied. "Like... I want to. But I really don't. Everything she said sounds true to me, and Weiss doesn't joke around like that."
"Then Mr Arc," Ozpin began, standing up from his chair. "Her Royal Highness, Princess Weiss Schnee, First Heiress to the Throne of Atlas, Duchess of Mantle, Marquess of Gladsheim, and Magister of the Atlesian College of Magic is no liar." He stopped around the side of his table.
Fuck... What do I do now?
It really started sinking in now. Jaune was way out of his league. How was he supposed to keep moving forward, knowing this about Weiss? Every single move Jaune had planned for the future needed to be reevaluated then scrutinised once again by peer review. It left Jaune with a lump beginning to form in his throat and a sinking feeling in his stomach.
"But do not fret, Mr Arc," Ozpin continued, noticing Jaune's obvious discomfort with the truth. "You were not the only one who found themselves anxious with this scenario. Ms Schnee shares some of your fears. More so, given her standing. She and I had a lengthy conversation over how she would reveal the truth about herself to a select few. Take it as a sign of your value to the Princess that she decided to be honest with you. Ms Schnee does not suffer fools..."
[Present: Two Days Later]
The past few days were entertaining, to say the least. Nothing exciting happened. It was standard class stuff, more lessons on alchemy or monster hunting. The usual gimmicks between the members of Jaune's group were not surprising at all. Everyone coming together at meals to tell jokes and enjoying everyone's company. Weiss was still distant from everyone else, however.
Even between Weiss and Jaune, things were awkward for the pair. She barely talked to him since their first training session. If anything, Weiss only talked at him without giving the boy a chance to get anything in edgewise. Any other times they ran into each other, Weiss would excuse herself and go find anywhere else to be than beside him.
From what Jaune found, Weiss would spend almost all of her free time in the library. He visited her this morning to discuss some academically related topics but didn't really get anything in response. Most of the time, they sat there and studied texts. Weiss diligently worked on translating her scroll. Jaune read up on some magical theory. Not much in the way of conversation besides the occasional muttering to oneself.
Today, they met up after classes to work in Goodwitch's arena, but it was more Weiss telling him what to do, and Jaune shut up and listened. So it was a bit one-sided. But they got more practice in using their spells. Weiss had Jaune hold up a shield spell as she flung ice shards at him. And he did quite well according to Weiss as she seemingly enjoyed trying to hit him with javelins made from ice.
After they finished, Weiss then excused herself to go back to the library. Jaune was left mildly exhausted and hungry but slowly rejuvenated his energy over the last two hours. He was going to have a hectic weekend ahead of him starting now, and he needed to get on with it. Jaune just refocused his priorities to something else, which saved himself from the headache.
Closing the door to the forge behind him, Jaune stepped inside wholly. The wood-steel composite hatch shut with a bang. Small rays of light poured through the cracks of the door and cast god-rays across the room. The smoke and dust floating about amplified this effect.
The only other light came through the chimney. The small port-hole in the ceiling was cleared from any debris and would vent smoke just fine. Jaune was glad he didn't have to grab a broom and clean it out. Carbon particles have this tendency to clump together as soot. And if left for long enough, it would either fall back down your chimney or prevent ventilation.
He took a quick glance around the room, finding the forge met most of his expectations. It was your run of the mill workshop with all of the bits and baubles one needed to forge weapons and armour. Supposedly, it didn't get much use, though. Most heroes or most people didn't specialise in blacksmithing and had no need to ruin their own weapons when they could pay someone else to do that for them. Luckily for Jaune, he was a jack of about three trades. Forging was one of them.
The Beacon Forge was a medium-sized shed that measured about twenty by twenty feet. It was a bit larger than the smithy at his home but was of the same quality. The stone-bordered forge sat in the centre of the room. Attached to it were the bellows and a nearby anvil. The pit was dark, no embers radiated from within. A cold dark abyss filled with clinkers from previous forgings.
On the far side of the room, sat a large smelter. The stone back seemed to be intact, but the clay shell covering it was cracking in places and needed some repairs. But it would do for now, since he only needed the crucible and the coal funnel to be intact.
Jaune ran his hands across a set of instruments. The tools were of high quality and looked as though they hadn't been used in some time. They were not some cheap cast iron tools either. Somebody paid good money for the tongs, hammers, chisels, and the various other devices. They were made from good old fashioned steel.
"Somebody neglected you," Jaune muttered to himself, taking account of the condition of the smithy. It was a shame. This forge would have served the academy dutifully, but it was sadly left to gather dust. Not even given the love a forge like this deserved.
But why didn't they employ a blacksmith to run this place? The academy would have had the money to hire a journeyman or master if they felt like splurging. Hundreds of students needed their weapons repaired and having a resident craftsman here would have been an asset. The first-years may not have been able to pay for the same quality gear as a second or third-year, but they could have at least afforded to have a simple broadsword repaired.
He had no definite answer for it. Maybe it was the mercenary-esque policy of paying your own way. Having a resident smith didn't mean you would have to lower your prices. They could have gotten a discount if they bought materials in bulk and adjusted prices to resemble the market value. Or they wanted students to become more well-rounded. Having multiple trades to your name would increase your value to society and serve as a backup in the event you failed out of Beacon.
Jaune picked up an overturned chair and set it off to the side. The layer of dust coating the furniture turned his hands grey. Actually, now that he thought about it. Everything in this room had been covered in a fine layer of dust and dirt.
He grabbed a broom and began cleaning up. "A messy forge is the sign of an inferior smith!" Jaune repeated the words of his father. The mantra had been drilled into the heads of each of the Arc children from a young age. That wasn't even the only saying among them. Their mother had her own list of rules to follow at all times.
Maybe, I'll visit them someday...
Or send a letter back home. Mom needs to know that I'm alive at least. Joan might try to track me down if I send one, however. Jaune could see it now. The first time he sends a letter to home. His sisters kidnap the courier and torture him for information on where he got the message from.
It was just a random thought in passing. Jaune wasn't feeling homesick or anything. He cared about how his family was doing even though he just up and vanished on them. Nicholas might have been angry with him, but considering he was seventeen, Jaune had every right to leave home and strike out on his own.
His sisters would have tried to get by as best as they could. Their mother would have kept them busy with work. Joan might have had to step up and work the forge in Jaune's absence, and his younger siblings would have been given the farm work Jaune left behind. But life wouldn't change much with him gone.
With all of these thoughts hitting Jaune at once, it made the boy realise how much he had on his plate. There was what Ozpin told him about Weiss, which was an entire problem on its own. Then the issue of his family. Simply keeping in touch with family members was nothing compared to having an actual princess being one of your friends.
...
After Jaune finished being struck with a wave of melancholy. He cleaned the room up and opened a few windows. The extra ventilation was much appreciated since he wasn't breathing in dust anymore. And the room was looking brand new after he was done with it.
The floor was actually cobbled stone and mortar. Not the layer of dirt with the occasional rock sticking out of it. And it had remained in good condition ever since it was abandoned.
Maybe I can make this place my own little space? It's nice, and nobody else really uses it. I'm pretty sure the Headmaster wouldn't be opposed to it.
The forge still needed to be cleaned, however. There was a mass of blackened material stuck to the base of the trough. Those clinkers needed to be broken apart and then disposed of to make room for either more coal or coke. If Jaune neglected to do so, then the build-up would be even worse as time went on.
Clinkers are the result of burning any sort of carbon-based fuel such as coal, coke, or charcoal. It is merely a composite of residual carbon, silicates, metal scales, and everything that is not fuel. When these ingredients don't burn away, they collect in the base of your forge or stove as a glass composite.
In Jaune's experience, it is a simple process of picking clinkers out of the trough and doing away with them. But in this case, there was a solid layer of glass sticking to the bottom of the pit. About two to three inches deep. Someone was lazy and didn't do the simple chore of cleaning out the forge when you're done with it.
It made him really angry. First, someone abandoned the forge. That would have been enough to have any smith turn over in their grave. Second, they didn't even clean the damn trough out. Now Jaune was stuck having to do it. Third, he was possibly the only person who cared. All of the abuse compounded together to reduce this workshop to a shell of its former glory.
Grabbing a hammer, Jaune went to work on breaking the clinkers. Due to the waste merely being glass, it was a simple process. Just tapping the clinker with a hammer was enough to break it apart. There was no need to bring Nora in and have her go to town on it. Although it would have been an entertaining sight.
Jaune brought over a bin to remove a large chunk of the clinker. The largest piece weighed about twenty pounds. Having weighed that much, one could picture how long this forge had been neglected. Most people were inexperienced with blacksmithing and may have not thought to clean the trough out. The trade was very specialised so that may have been the reason why.
Forge is clean, so what's next?
Jaune looked around the room for anything else that needed to be dealt with.
Swept up. Cleaned tables. What about the coal or coke if they have any?
He checked a large bin sitting next to the smelter. Opening it up revealed what Jaune was looking for. The bin was separated into two containers. One with coke and the other with coal. So that solved the fuel scenario. Hopefully, the rest of what he needed was still in here.
Water could be fetched from the nearby well, so that wasn't an issue.
Jaune found some flux for when he finished hammering out the template to his blade. (Thank god he wasn't forge welding.) He had his metal and made sure to purchase some ingots to use a backup. Jaune was planning on melting Crocea Mors into an ingot along with his breastplate. All he needed was for Ruby to finish her end of the bargain and bring him a haft and a medium-sized chunk of metal.
Jaune grabbed a nearby shovel and tossed several loads of coal into the coal funnel of the smelter. He didn't want to smelt the metal. Only to get it hot enough to melt everything down. He didn't have to worry about making an alloy out of his ingots and his sword because he made sure to get something with similar carbon contents. And it was steel, so there was not much of a difference in temperatures.
Once he filled the smelter with an adequate amount of coal. Jaune grabbed Crocea Mors. His brainchild. One true love.
Crocea Mors
Level Eight
Materials: 0.50% Carbon, 0.60% Manganese, The Remainder of the Materials are Steel, and Leather
Minimum Stat Requirements:
Strength: 14
Agility: 8
Perception: 17
Buffs:
Your prized broadsword.
Jaune grabbed a hammer and chisel, setting Crocea Mors on top of the anvil.
I'm sorry.
Placing the edge of the blade on the middle of the sword. Jaune brought the hammer down with enough force to snap the broadsword in half. The blade fell off the anvil and hit the ground.
Frankly, it hurt to do that. It hurt a lot. Doing that was comparable to getting your heart broken. Something that Jaune had plenty of experience with.
But it had to be done. Jaune couldn't cram the entire thing into a cauldron and expect it to melt. It would be easier to merely break it apart and have the two pieces melt at the same time. He would throw some more metal in there along with the remnants of his sword.
...
The flames beneath the smelter were burning very hot. Enough to melt down the steel and turn it into a liquid mess. He continued shovelling coal to keep the temperature high enough so he could add his sword and a chunk of an ingot to the cauldron. At the same time, Jaune pressed his foot down on the bellows to feed oxygen to the furnace.
Jaune wanted his new sword to weigh about four pounds. It was a bit heavy, but given it was going to be a longsword when he was done with it. The weight would be spread between two hands instead of one. It was the same concept as Ira Rubrum.
To achieve the desired weight. Jaune added two pounds of metal to the mix along with his sword. Crocea Mors already weighed three pounds, not including the pommel and guard. He also expected to lose some metal in the process as he carved a fuller into it and sharpened the edges.
The new Crocea Mors was going to be a type twenty longsword. A general cutting and thrusting blade. This sword also had a reinforced tip with a diamond cross-sectional blade. Jaune's version of this sword was going to have a fuller cut into it just above the handle and run two-thirds of the sword.
Normally, longswords didn't weigh any more than three and a half pounds. Ira Rubrum weighed about two and a half. But Jaune wanted some more meat on this blade. An extra pound or two was not going to be an issue. It would also help him make the blade thicker and more of a cutting tool.
A prime example of cutting weapons would be Crescent Rose and Gambol Shroud. Each used different techniques to make their cuts. Crescent using its mass and speed of the wielder's swing to blow through their enemies. Gambol Shroud's method relied on a refined technique. Crescent Rose, however, when wielded by Ruby, was probably the most dangerous weapon to get caught behind. Her passive did something that allowed her to wield the scythe to such an effect.
Jaune tossed his metal into the cauldron and just let them melt. It would take maybe an hour or more before he could pour the ingot. Plenty of time to get the forge prepared and his tools laid out. He had already shovelled some coke into the forge as well. So that was taken care of.
I can get the sword and scythe done today. But the armour is going to be a two-day process.
Jaune was figuring the time it would take to manufacture his weapons and armour. Typically it was a lengthy process that would take several days to finish all of the pieces. But Jaune knew what he wanted to do and if he worked late into the night, he could have the scythe completed by the morning.
Crocea Mors was not going to be a pretty sword by any means, but it would be functionally stable. Meaning that it would be of high quality. And for the time, this was one man forging a single sword. He already had a guard and pommel and was going to recycle them onto the new Crocea Mors, so he didn't need to wait a week to finish the damn thing. He was going to do it tonight or die trying.
Ruby's scythe, however, was going to be tricky. Jaune had experience making farm tools, but he didn't specialise in them. The principles of forging would still apply, and he wouldn't need to create an entire sword. It was like making an axe actually. You needed to forge the blade of the scythe and stick it on the haft and you were done. But Jaune wanted to make one that would last, so he needed to add langets to brace the head where the most stress would be applied. Maybe some more supports along the haft too.
...
Jaune poured the liquid steel into his mould. The bright orange liquid cascaded from the cauldron-like a waterfall. It pooled inside the iron mould, hissing as it came into contact with the lubricant covering the walls. A thick cloud of steam rose as it began setting into its new form, cooling rapidly and losing its colour upon resting inside the mould. Jaune set the cauldron back into place, taking his gloves off and setting them to the side.
Good pour. Just need to wait and let it cool down. Hopefully Ruby gets here soon, or I won't be able to get her scythe done.
The front door to the shed opened and let a horrendous amount of light in.
Speak of the devil, and he shall appear.
Or 'she' in this case. Jaune turned around to see Ruby and Pyrrha standing at the door to the forge.
"Hi, Jaune," Ruby shouted, taking her first few steps inside. She let out a large gasp, observing the newly remodelled forge. "It didn't look like this the last time I came here! Did you clean up!" The Reaper picked up a hammer and gave a practice swing. Its momentum carried her a little off-balance, but she recovered.
"Yeah," Jaune answered, cooling the still smouldering ingot with some water. "Place was a wreck when I started. I can't work in a dirty workshop without tearing my hair out."
That half-hour of cleaning was so worth it!
"You seem to have done a fantastic job Jaune," Pyrrha also complimented him. Her overly polite speech seemed a little over-done, but she always spoke like that. "Have you worked in a forge before?"
How did you not know that before?! I'm like the only person at Beacon who moonlights as a blacksmith!
"Yep," Ruby chirped, skipping over to the table to drop off her items. A large haft and a steel ingot. "Jaune's going to make me a new scythe. He said it was going to be the best one I've ever used!"
She seems to be really excited about it. That gives me an idea...
"Ruby," Jaune began, grabbing a hammer to knock out the steel ingot. "If you want to. You can help me forge your scythe and my longsword tonight. Crescent Rose's owner would want a hand in making her, right?" The Reaper's eyes went wide, and a massive grin stretched across her lips.
"REALLY," she almost shouted. Jaune was afraid someone would come to check out what the commotion was. "Yes! This is going to be so much fun!"
Of course, she would accept. Ruby jumps at the chance to do something with her friends whenever she gets the chance. Maybe it's because of her socially awkward nature?
"What about you, Pyrrha," Jaune turned to her. "Want to give it a try?" If she agreed, then it would give Jaune and her more time to hang out together. They don't really have a schedule that matched up or did anything outside of class that hinted at them having similar interests.
"Oh, no thank you," Pyrrha said, waving her hands. "I'd prefer not to mess anything up. But I am curious about the process. You won't mind if I watch?"
Heh... It works.
"Sure," Jaune replied, picking up the cooled ingot from the ground. A small portion of Exp rushed through him. Almost a sixteenth of a levels worth.
"So what's our first step," Ruby asked, leaning in closer to Jaune. "Are we making the sword or Crescent Rose first?"
It's Crocea Mors, Ruby, not a 'sword.' But... Crescent Rose would be easier to work on, and Crocea Mors would give her the basics of metalworking. Guess we should start with the basics.
"Crocea Mors," Jaune corrected her naming. "And I think we should work on Crocea Mors first. If we screw up, I can melt it back down, but we can't do that with a wooden haft."
Screwing up a sword then having to restart is awful. Putting six hours of work in only to melt the blade back into an ingot usually causes many to quit the first time. Luckily for Jaune, his blacksmithing is at an adept level making the process easier and more fluid.
"That makes sense," Ruby agreed. She grabbed onto the level for the bellows and began pumping. The flames rose with every pull on the rope.
Jaune thrust his steel ingot into the already scorching embers of the forge. White flames radiated from the centre of the trough. It grew even brighter as Ruby pressed on the bellows feeding oxygen to the fire. Jaune could see his metal glowing orange and then turning yellow.
"Ok, Ruby," Jaune began. "When your metal reaches the right temperature, it will turn a bright yellow. You only want to work your metal because it will be at its softest." The Reaper nodded and continued watching him work.
Jaune pulled the bright yellow ingot out of the forge. Using his tongs to hold the metal, he placed it atop the anvil. He repeatedly struck the malleable steel with a four-pound hammer. The small ingot quickly began lengthening and widening at the same time. Jaune turned the cube on its side to bring it back into shape. By the time the metal cooled Jaune had a foot long section of steel and a was now a flat bar of metal.
"You work quickly," Pyrrha complimented, sitting on a crate with a shortsword in hand. She rubbed a cloth along the length of the steel, cleaning any dirt from the sword.
"Have to," Jaune responded. "I could only use the forge at my home for a few hours at a time. So I got as much work done as possible with the time I had." Of course, they didn't know the full story yet. Jaune was going to keep that part to himself until he was more comfortable telling it. He wasn't sure how his friends would view him as a runaway masquerading as a professional hero.
"With your efficiency, didn't you think about becoming a swordsmith here in Vale," Pyrrha asked, curious as to his reasoning behind his career choice. "I'm not sure of the skill of most smiths, but you could make plenty of Lien working for the academy or on your own."
I would have stayed a smith if I just wanted to make money.
"Yeah, I could make a pretty good living in Vale, but where's the fun in that," Jaune countered, scooping a clinker out of the trough. "Swordsmithing is boring if you're just doing it for money." Pyrrha seemed to contemplate his answer for a moment.
"I can see your reasoning," she concurred. "An adventurer's life never has a dull moment. Especially with factions or monsters trying to attack us all of the time." Jaune could agree with that.
"It's fun as long as you don't have diminishing returns," Ruby added on, continuing to pull down on the rope. "Then everything gets boring..."
Diminishing returns. The prime obstacle for anyone wanting to earn levels. Jaune fell into that rut when he kept trying to forge as many items as possible to strengthen himself. Over time, simple daggers and knives were nothing for him. Not even providing a noticeable change in his level. Forging a sword gave him almost half a level when he was level eight.
The reason why Jaune was blowing through nearly ten levels in less than a month was that he was now focusing on fighting monsters. Their levels varied to go as far as almost twenty levels above his. Of course, Jaune piggybacked off his friends and earned a small portion of their Exp whenever they killed something stronger with him nearby. But actively going out and hunting creatures who already had their own Exp reserves was like mining gold. No amount of forging could compare to what being a hero was like.
"Yes, but it does force all heroes to become stronger," Pyrrha countered, wiping her blade with some oil now. "If we need to earn more levels, then we have to go after bigger monsters."
"But there's that extra risk," Jaune threw in his point. "I was nearly killed by a hobgoblin that was double my level, but I got three whole levels out of it. For you, Pyrrha, that hobgoblin wouldn't have given you half a level. Eventually, when all of us are like level forty or fifty, any Exp that we earned last week would be nothing, and we'd have to put ourselves at greater risk for greater rewards."
"And that's why Yang and I decided to work with you, Jaune," Ruby confidently spoke up, taking a break to let her arms rest. "If we all work together, then we can spread the risk out among all nine of us! It's also super fun adventuring with friends!"
Can't disagree with that...
[Several Hours Later]
Ruby was now trying her hand at shaping metal. Her swings were generally limp, but she was getting the hang of it. The Reaper also seemed to tire out quickly and needed Jaune to take over for her regularly. It must have been her low Strength stat mixed with her Constitution.
Jaune took over again and began hammering the blade with greater proficiency. The ingot was no longer that. It was now a thin profile made from steel that resembled a sword. But it was getting there. He figured there needed to be more adjustments to the shape to get a straighter edge. Then he had to make the tang, dip it in flux, and then carve the fuller and make the cutting edge before quenching it in an oil bath.
Pyrrha was still watching the two work from atop her crate. Surprisingly she hadn't moved from that spot unless she needed to get water. Jaune figured it was primarily due to her not having any friends that hung out with her. The Spartan merely bided her time working on her sword. Her weirdly shaped blade was something Jaune had never seen before.
"I don't know how that's supposed to be a sword," Ruby said, looking at the still-unfinished piece of metal in Jaune's hands. "It looks ugly."
"That's because it's not a sword, yet," Jaune corrected with a snort, thrusting the metal back into the fire. "We need to quench it first then sharpen it. Then will it be an actual weapon." If Jaune didn't quench the blade, it would shatter upon contact with another sword. Hardening was the best way to keep Crocea Mors functional for him to use.
Jaune heard the door open behind him. He turned to find Ren and Sun hanging out in the doorway. The faunus standing just behind the Monk.
"Hey guys," Jaune spoke up, pulling the precursor to the sword out from the fire. "What's up?!" He began pounding on the metal. Sparks flew out with every blow.
Ren and Sun both stepped in. The taller man led the discussion.
"We were looking for you three," he began, leaning against a wall. "Yang pointed us in the right direction. Saying something about how two red-heads went into a shack and haven't left for the last few hours."
Both Ruby and Pyrrha seemed to blush. Jaune was able to hide it only because his cheeks were already flushed red from the heat of the forge.
Ren cut him off before he could embarrass anybody any further. "We needed to discuss the issue of rent that will be coming up," he monotonously explained. "We've already informed the others about what's going on."
Oh, that... Just when I thought we were having fun!
"How bad is it," Ruby asked. Her dreadful expression mirrored Jaune's own concern.
He suddenly remembered how much money Ruby had. And it wasn't a lot. Jaune had maybe two thousand Lien to his name, but from what he had seen of Yang and Ruby. The goblin quest had been their only source of income since arriving here, and there was nothing to indicate that she had any more on hand.
"Starting next week, all of us will be charged rent for the right to stay here," Ren summarised what everyone knew. "To stay in the communal dorms, we will all have to pay five-hundred lien each per month. That comes with food, water, medical, laundry, and a bed. Nothing besides the bare necessities."
Ok... not as bad as I thought it would be.
"What about private rooms," Jaune mentioned, curious as to what Ren was going to say next. So far, it wasn't looking pretty. Actually, fairly grim.
"For a basic one-person room," Ren began. "You get the same amenities one is given in the communal dorms, but you pay much more for them. Except you are now paying for privacy and higher quality versions of those amenities. All for one-thousand two-hundred lien per month. Upgrades and luxuries are going to cost extra." The faces of everyone around the room turned solemn and contemplative. Ruby still seemed to be visibly concerned with how much money was on the table.
"That's bad..." Pyrrha wasn't sure of her response. Jaune, however, knew the reality of the situation. They were being driven to take on more quests to simply live a comfortable life. It was a test of survival.
"What happens if we miss a payment," Jaune asked, having given up on attempting to forge his sword.
It couldn't have been that bad, right? Maybe we'll just go into debt and have to pay more the next time.
"That's the part we don't know," Sun said, rubbing the back of his head. "Some rumours are going around, but it's not pretty."
Jaune heard some things getting thrown around as well, but nothing related to renting. There was supposed to be an announcement at the start of the next week to discuss the expectations for the year.
"What if we take a double or triple room," Ruby asked, having given up on finishing her task as well. "It would be cheaper right? Spreading the cost out between multiple people." She was still applying her model to reduce the risk to everyone.
"You and Nora could double up," Jaune suggested with a grin. This earned him a stern look from the usually stoic Monk. He didn't blush, which was something that would have happened to Jaune if he were in his place.
"We're not like that," Ren countered, still sounding unenthused with Jaune's quip. "They don't let boys and girls stay in the same rooms either." Ren pulled out a small slip of paper. "A double and triple room would come out to one-thousand Lien and eight-hundred Lien. Cheaper, but not encouraging because we have to pay those amounts every month each."
He has a point. And a damn good one at that. It just costs way too much to live on campus.
"The triple rooms seem to be our best option," Jaune concluded. "If we take on some higher-level quests every week, we might be able to squeeze by with some room to work. But those rooms are going to be cramped..."
...
How the hell are we going to afford to stay on campus for four years? Even if we tripled up, it's still going to cost us ten-thousand Lien every year! And then over four years, it will be more than what we could get if we bought a house.
Everyone liked the idea of the triple rooms for the most part. Nobody wanted to live in a cramped space, but that was a good enough plan as it stood. There was nothing else to really go off of at the moment. It would take more time to actually go out and search for a house to buy or come up with another plan.
Sun and Pyrrha left for the night. Leaving Ren, Jaune, and Ruby as the remainder of the group. Jaune continued hammering out his sword. Ruby did her best to help, and Ren took the place of Pyrrha.
"Do you have any ideas for what we can do next Jaune," Ren calmly asked, sitting cross-legged on top of a crate. He seemed to be meditating at the same time. Although this is probably the worst place, he could be doing so.
"I'm not sure what we should be doing next," Jaune replied, beginning to form the tang. "But we all know the triple rooms are not a solution." Sure they were better than the communal dorms, but over time, it just wasn't going to work out.
"I agree," Ren stated.
"Yeah," Ruby spoke up. "It costs so much to live here. And eight-hundred Lien every month seems like a small amount, but it's so much every year."
"Thirty-eight-thousand four-hundred to be exact," Ren added on. "Taxes are included."
Oh, right, taxes. Why didn't I think about that? But that's still a lot of money in the end, and I'm not sure it's worth spending it.
Jaune thrust the tang into the embers once again. The blade had mainly been finished over the last six hours, but he still needed to beat the tang out of the stock and then dip the blade in flux to prevent oxidising. Then he needed to carve a fuller and then quench the sword.
"Maybe we can pool our Lien and buy a house in the city," Jaune threw the idea out there. "It doesn't have to be a large place. We could share rooms and cook our own meals." Honestly, if they could get a house anywhere near Beacon, they would be set for the next four years.
Ren seemed to play with the idea. Cupping his chin for a few seconds. "I can see sense in the plan," he stated. "But do any of us know anything about buying a house. Nora and I have no experience in the matter. We lived out in the wilds for most of our lives."
Huh, I didn't know that. Ren doesn't look the type.
"Yang and I don't know anything," Ruby added on. "We've lived in the same place all of our lives."
I kind of expected that from them.
"Great," Jaune threw his hands in the air. "So none of us know anything. We're back to square one!" He sighed, pulling the stock out of the fire. Hammering away at the tang to get it thin enough to put Crocea Mors' guard on.
"Wait, what about everyone else," Ruby asked, pulling down on the bellows again.
"Do you really think, our other friends know how to buy a house," Jaune countered, knowing he had a rock-solid argument. "Weiss maybe. But Pyrrha, Sun, and Blake? I don't think so..." He hammered out the final portion of the tang.
"He has a point, Ruby," Ren sided with Jaune. The Monk stood and brushed his legs off. "But I think we all should continue taking quests. Jaune, you should try forging swords to make a steady income. Nora and I will do some research and see what we come up with."
"I didn't know Nora was so interested in our plan," Jaune wondered, more or less about how Nora was able to focus for so long on something.
"She's actually very excited about adventuring with a group for the first time," Ren explained, heading towards the door. "And she wants to do everything she can to make it work."
Well, that's encouraging.
[The Next Morning]
Jaune finished pounding the last pieces of Ruby's scythe into place. The wooden haft was put together perfectly. Langets and rivets were punched into the shaft running the length of the weapon. The large blade on the end of the scythe was hefty but would function as a large battle axe.
It was the weirdest scythe Jaune had ever built. The blade's girth was almost an inch in some places. It was three feet long from the tip to the haft. And the width tapered from four inches to a single point. Whoever was going to be at the end of this monstrosity was going to regret their life choices.
Jaune ran Crescent Rose across a grindstone and sharpened the blade to the highest degree. The edge was so sharp that it would have sliced right through a person or really anything that got in its way. Finishing one side, he turned to the other. Sparks flew as he ran the massive blade up and down the stone.
A rush of Exp slammed into Jaune's upon sharpening the final part of the blade. Crocea Mors had given him maybe an eighth of a level when he finished it. But Crescent Rose dumped half a levels worth of Exp into him despite both weapons being made from steel.
Jaune took a glimpse at the stats of Ruby's newest weapon.
Crescent Rose
Level Seventeen
Materials: 0.50% Carbon, 0.60% Manganese, The Remainder of the Materials are Steel, and Leather
Strength: 37
Agility: 24
Perception: 35
Buff:
Freshly Sharpened
This blade was recently sharpened at a grindstone or whetstone. Any damage done with this weapon is especially devastating.
This thing's a monster!
While it wasn't too heavy for Jaune. The stats totally outclassed his in about everything. With Ruby's passive boosting her stats and the weapon's own latent strengths, Crescent Rose was shaping up to be the most dangerous weapon around. Making Crocea Mors look like a rod of iron with an edge grounded on it.
"Hey Ruby," Jaune called out to the Reaper. The girl was fast asleep, using her cloak as a blanket. Even though Ruby said, she was only going to take a nap. She passed out several hours ago on the bench and hadn't moved or even sounded like she was disturbed by the amount of noise Jaune was making.
I'll wake her up later.
Jaune set Crescent Rose onto the workshop table and grabbed Crocea Mors. He needed to take one last look at her for imperfections.
Blade is straight. Guard is fitted nicely. I'll need to redo the handle and make another wrap. Pommel is fine. Fullers are perfectly ground.
Overall, his blade had come out quite nicely. The polish gave the sword a beautiful silver finish that reflected any and all light. A crest consisting of two crescent moons lay just above the guard.
The stats for the sword appeared in Jaune's head.
Crocea Mors
Level Seventeen
Materials: 0.50% Carbon, 0.60% Manganese, The Remainder of the Materials are Steel, and Leather
Strength: 34
Agility: 15
Perception: 26
Jaune thrust the blade back into his sheath. It fit perfectly despite a different sword previously claiming it as its home.
Time to wake Ruby up. "Hey Ruby," Jaune uttered, nudging her shoulder. I almost feel bad letting her sleep the entire time. She would have loved to see Crescent Rose getting finished. "Crescent Rose is done."
The girl shot up frantically looking around for her weapon. "Oh-oh-oh-oh, let me see," she almost shouted, leaving her cloak on the bench as she bolted over to the table in a storm of rose petals.
Her eyes went even wider as she beheld her scythe. A gasp left her lips. "It's beautiful!" Ruby began jumping up and down, cradling the scythe in her arms. "Thank you so much! I'm going to show Yang and Weiss!"
The girl dashed out of the room in a whirlwind of rose petals. Jaune only watched as she disappeared, leaving him to contemplate his next moves. After a few minutes, the boy stood and grabbed the nearest piece of metal and began working it into a plate.
I took a two-hour break to play some Dark Souls while working on this and nearly broke a controller. And I thought video games were supposed to relieve stress.
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:
Jaune's Breastplate
Level 10
Materials: 2% Silicon, 0.60% Carbon, Remainder is Steel and Leather
Minimum Stat Requirements:
Strength: 21
Agility: 15
Defence: 16
Constitution: 22
Debuff:
Damaged
The damaged plate is more susceptible to being pierced from a weapon. A well-placed warhammer or even a bodkin arrow will punch through the plate.
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 corundom 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.
Crocea Mors
Level Seventeen
Materials: 0.50% Carbon, 0.60% Manganese, The Remainder of the Materials are Steel, and Leather
Strength: 34
Agility: 15
Perception: 26