Hello, everyone! I'm back!
So, if you don't follow TLWMGT, I made an announcement there about not posting last week. Kentaro Miura (guy who wrote Berserk) died last week and I lost any motivation to do anything when I found out. You Berserk fans would know how much of a kick in the balls 2021/The 2020 Expansion Pack delivered us.
I'm good now. I drank myself retarded and worked my way through it. (Still very much upset, but I can function now.)
Also, thanks to the guy who pointed out a continuity error. I fixed it. If you guys find anything else that's a similar problem, tell me and I'll try to fix it. This fic is not a final product in its entirety, so I can go back and repair any issues.
[Weiss]
The Mage walked along with the group as Ruby and Jaune led them through the newly explored portion of the city. Their Reaper chirped endlessly about the various discoveries they'd made since this morning. All of it devoured by their fellow companions, Weiss included. Though, Weiss' mind was more occupied with the thought of the Rosenkavalier.
Upon Jaune explaining his theory about the branch of magic belonging to the artefact, her mind ran amuck. The Paladin was right about it. Even though she couldn't read the language, Weiss could put together its purpose and function. It was a matter of connecting current practices with how it was utilised on Jaune.
The Elder Futhark language was used for enchanting objects. The process behind it was unknown to Weiss, but she knew it was a form of binding magic. Those glyphs and runes were the tools used to lock down whatever enchantments their creators intended to forge. It was similar to the art used for imbuing objects with magic today. Though, it used flesh instead of magic stones.
Jaune wasn't enchanted in the same sense as a weapon. Those runes merely bonded Morningstar to him, gifting him the ability to see in pitch darkness and a greater sensitivity to magic. Weiss would say those brands or stigmata were enchanted instead of him.
I still need to study their effect on him... I just don't have the spells or tools to examine him right now.
Weiss was almost giddy to take a further look at them. Professor Goodwitch and Ozpin may even let her watch from the sidelines as they performed their examinations because she knew they would not allow her first dibs. While not the same, it was going to be a fascinating case study. All in the hopes they could remove them or ensure there were no other effects, of course.
"Weiss, you're grinning about something," Yang said from her side in a teasing tone of voice. "Thinking about a certain boytoy?"
Wha-
"Of course not," Weiss growled back, turning away with crossed arms and blood-red cheeks. "I'm thinking about the purpose of those runes! Enchanted weapons like Morningstar are extremely rare! What else would I be thinking about!"
Weiss knew what she was getting at! Yang obviously saw how the Mage was disappointed about not going with the scouting expedition and twisted the situation into something oh-so-Yanglike. She would admit to being jealous about Ruby going in her stead, but not because she didn't get to go with Jaune. There was a marked difference between the two.
"God, you're boring," Yang replied disappointedly. "Never give me the reactions I want."
Because I won't let myself say something I'll regret! Giving you any ammunition is too much!
"Why don't you go exploring or survey the ruins," Weiss suggested, gesturing to the crumbling structure around her. "There might be something in that battlefield that will tell us something about what happened to the city."
There's an infinite number of possibilities she has. Yang could even go bother Pyrrha or someone else!
Weiss wasn't one to dig through corpses, but that battlefield could be a wealth of information. If Yang wanted to volunteer for that, it was fine by her. Heck, Weiss would be okay if Yang was to serve as her guard today. There were plenty of locations she would have liked to explore.
"Eh, I'm not really feeling that," Yang confessed truthfully.
Weiss almost had the look of horror on her face as she said so. It wasn't like Yang to not want to dive into some random hole to find what was on the other side. She seemed to be enjoying herself enough when they set off from the camp.
"Are you feeling all right," Weiss asked with a raised eyebrow. "I thought you wanted to travel and explore. What happened to Yang?"
"Heh," Yang cracked up. She stretched her arms above her head and tucked them behind her neck. "Close, but no cigar Weisscream."
I hate that name and everything about it...
"I like exploring, but without all the work that goes into learning about the place," the blonde explained further. "Like, going to see new places is where I get the most out of it. I'm not there to write a book about every twig on the ground."
I guess that's understandable...
"Then why not go exploring," Weiss asked again. "If you're bored, it will give you something fun to do. It's going to be better than watching us..."
If academia isn't your thing, following scholars around is going to be the dullest activity of your life.
"We're exploring now, aren't we," Yang shot back with a grin.
"God, you're weird..." Weiss gave up, throwing her hands into the air.
"Oh, what's that Weisscream," Yang asked rhetorically. "Did you say I was weird? That's a lot coming from you! Last I checked, your diary put you at the tippity-top of that bracket."
Weiss' entire world froze upon hearing that. Nobody knew of that damned book except for her and the powers that be. She knew that it was hidden in the most secure place one could think of. For a young woman of her stature, there were many locations Weiss could have concealed it. How Yang managed to find it was nothing short of a miracle.
Weiss turned to Yang with an expression mixed with terror and bewilderment. The Brawler bore a smug look, pulling the small notebook from her jacket. She flashed the journal in front of Weiss, teasing her with the hoard of secrets that were contained within. The thought of her reading anything in there made Weiss' heart race uncontrollably.
She wanted to say something, but no words would come out.
"I've only seen more cringeworthy poetry from my uncle after he gets drunk," Yang spoke honestly, opening the book and thumbing through the pages as if she were shuffling a deck of cards. "Some pretty juicy stuff in here, dontcha think?"
Weiss didn't think, only attacked.
"Give that back!"
She leapt at Yang, trying to get the book from her, but was denied the journal when she raised it above her head. Whenever Weiss jumped to grab it, the journal was always just out of her grasp. The others didn't seem to notice their struggle as they were in the rear, so they continued without them. Eventually, Weiss gave up on the journal, seemingly shrinking smaller than usual as the situation became hopeless.
They continued to struggle over the book for another couple of moments. However, a sound off to their side redirected their attention away from the diary. It sounded like rocks getting pushed around on the stone floor. Such a sound wouldn't be noteworthy if there weren't monsters in practically every foot of these ruins.
"Oh shit," Yang mouthed as she stared at the sound's origin.
Weiss focused on it as well. The light from her candlelight spell cast its gentle glow throughout the corridors adjacent to them. It was enough that a small figure entered the circle of light and became completely visible to Weiss. The sight of it sent shivers up her spine. Any thought of her journal was forgotten as she laid eyes on the monster.
It was one of those creatures Ruby mentioned to her. This one a living creature now instead of a decayed mummy. Its skin was very smooth and pale despite the dirt caked onto him. Like the corpse, there were vestigial eyeballs, though they had been covered by a layer of wrinkled skin. The nose was similar to a humanoid's though bearing larger slits for better intake of scent. Their ears and facial structure resembled a human; however, it appeared more animalistic or devolved for lack of a better term. Its sharp-looking face made it a rather distinct animal that Weiss likened to depictions of vampires. Even its gait appeared alien to the Mage, crouch-walking in a hunched over manner, which made it appear smaller than it truly was.
Oh my god...
Yang raised her finger to her mouth, gesturing for Weiss to stay quiet. She did so without any debate. The creature waddled just a few feet away from them and squatted there. The girls stood by and watched as it sniffed the air, scrunching its nose with every breath. It appeared to be looking for something or was trying to determine their nature.
In a flash, Yang's figure turned into a mass of shadows, vanishing from Weiss' side. The humanoid had not noticed and continued standing there without moving as the mass scurried along the wall. Weiss watched as the shadows raced around the creature's back and returned to their original form. The blonde-haired girl now bore blood-red eyes as she focused on the beast.
Is that an ability? I've never seen her use that before...
Outstretching her hands, Yang swiftly snapped the cave person's neck, dropping him like a sack of potatoes. His corpse fell to the ground, dropping several items and causing a loud clatter. The girls were forced to pause as the echo rang out through the tunnel.
More sounds followed from further down the path, but it appeared the two were safe for the moment. Weiss' cringe did not let up in the slightest. It actually turned to anger after only a few moments. Her blonde counterpart didn't appear to be fazed by her actions. In fact, she seemed to be satisfied.
"Yang, what was that," Weiss harshly whispered at the blonde. "Why did you attack it? We didn't know if it was going to do anything!"
"Trust me, Weiss..." Yang whispered back. "He was about to pounce on one of us."
"How did you know?!"
"Trust me, I know..."
The sound of several dozen footfalls approached from the lower tunnels, cutting off their conversation. The pair turned to find Jaune and Sun rushing out from the darkness with everyone else in tow. Jaune immediately recognised the situation and moved to shield Weiss from the tunnel the cave-person emerged from. Sun tossed his torch down that path and worked to secure the adjacent area.
"You guys all right," Jaune asked with a twinge of concern in his voice. He sheathed his sword and turned to Weiss, inspecting her for any sign of a wound.
"We're fine," she answered, suppressing the slight blush growing on her cheeks. Weiss gestured to the creature, "But we found one of these."
Weiss appreciating his concern for her health and well-being, stepped around him to focus on the creature. Everyone else gathered around and gawked at the more diminutive humanoid with looks of confusion or disgust at it. Ruby appeared almost as fascinated as the Mage was at discovering this lost cousin of humanity.
"Is that a human," Pyrrha wondered, crouching down to get a better look at him. "Or is it a faunus?"
"Never seen a faunus like that before," Sun replied, peering over Pyrrha's shoulder.
"Unless you count a bat faunus," Blake added on. "But, they usually have wings or a bat nose..."
An undiscovered version of a faunus, possibly?
"Whatever it is, it's butt ugly," Nora commented, poking at the body with a mallet.
"We'll need to watch out for them down here," Ren suggested, pulling out his knife and prodding its eye. Using the blade, he was unable to lift up the eyelid to expose the eyeball. It confirmed Weiss' idea they were vestigial, having grown small enough that the eyelid shut itself over them. "We don't have a way to speak with them, and it looks like they have adapted to the dark."
"Like cavefish," Nora exclaimed.
"Something like that..."
Jaune and Ren turned the body over onto its back. The blonde pulled back the humanoid's lips to expose sharpened, needle-like teeth with a small set of molars in the back of the mouth. Ren was the first to make an incision on the chest, cutting a 'Y' into the abdomen to peer inside. As Jaune pulled back the flaps of flesh, Ruby turned around and threw up off to the side. The others recoiled at the wall of smell that offended their nostrils. The only one to remain was Jaune.
In the chest cavity, all of the organs appeared to be in place. Aside from the horrid smell, one could have mistaken it as a human. Weiss couldn't put a finger on the scent's identity, but it smelt an awful lot like ammonia or something similarly repugnant.
"So, what do we think, guys," Yang asked the group. "Are we dealing with mole men here or what?"
"They might be something related to humans or faunus," Ruby suggested, picking up the objects this creature dropped. "They can make tools and weapons." She held out the pieces in question. "Look..."
The most notable object was the blade he carried on him. The handle was made from a black resin-like material that was carved into shape. The blade extended out from the handle, creating a single piece from the same source. Weiss guessed it was a byproduct found down here or something pulled from a subterranean creature.
"It's well made," Pyrrha commented, taking the dagger from Ruby and inspecting it. "They likely have tool smiths in their tribes or can make them on their own."
"Means more of these guys might be around here somewhere," Sun concluded, taking another look around the room. "We've already been through here and didn't see any of them. They got to have some kind of tunnel or way to get around..."
An unsettling thought...
Weiss wanted to disagree with Sun on this, but he was right. If one of these cave-people were around, there had to be more somewhere to maintain a breeding population. With all of their adaptions to living underground, it would be difficult to manage if they were an outwardly hostile race. Especially if they had numbers on their side.
We're just visitors here. This is their home...
"Yeah, so let's get out of here and back to the bridge," Ruby nervously encouraged the group. She began pushing Weiss out in front of her, ploughing the rest of the group into the lower tunnels. "I don't want to stay around and wait for the scary mole men, do you?!"
[Ruby]
Finally...
They stepped back into the light and into safety. Or as much as you could get down here. This place being a death trap and all with draugr, random monsters, or terrifying underground humans. The bridge was a safer spot for Ruby.
Luckily, the sight of the group's jaws dropping made it all worth it again. As they took in the first picture of the massive lava cavern, Weiss' eyes went wide, and she stopped dead in her tracks, barely two feet into the room. Pyrrha, Blake, Nora, Ren, and Yang were gobsmacked by the almost unbelievable size of this place. This being their reaction after Ruby already told them about it.
It made the Reaper beam with an ear to ear smile. They finally were able to find something worth talking about here. Aside from the Rosenkavalier and there just being a city underground, but that was beside the point. This was the meat of this city. The above sections were merely a dissatisfying appetiser.
She looked over to Jaune, and the boy nodded to her with a smile. Ruby excitedly smiled back as she was going to guide the group further. With everyone here, they could seriously work this out and get around any obstacles as a team.
However, as Ruby allowed the group to gawk, a creature flew overhead just barely above their heads. It alerted everyone, forcing them into their battle stances to combat it. They watched as this beast circled once before idling a hundred feet away. Its massive wings flapping loudly as it observed those in its territory.
Jaune threw a rock using his telekinesis, and the wyvern scurried off into the distance. With the beast gone, the team relaxed enough to put away their blades. However, Sun, Jaune, and Ruby were hardly fazed by the wyvern flying around down here.
"What was that," Nora asked with a worried expression.
"A pygmy wyvern," Ruby confidently answered. "We found a bunch living down here!"
Ruby didn't know of any miniature wyvern species, but this one would have to be it. So, pygmy wyvern fit the bill. They were about the size of a large horse and didn't appear to want anything to do with the people down here. Both of which were a good thing in their case. Ruby guessed she'd seen a few dozen flying around.
"That's so cool," Nora excitedly expressed, sheathing her hammer and bouncing around as she looked for another. "We need to saddle one of them puppies up!"
Yes! No more walking around Vale!
"Hold on a second, Nora, we gotta catch one first," Yang countered, placing a hand on her hip. "Let's wait until after we're done ransacking this place."
Both Nora and Ruby looked at her with disappointed puppy-dog eyes as the blonde denied them a pet wyvern. The combined power of the two was enough to force Yang to ground her heel to maintain her composure. After a few seconds, it no longer appeared to be working despite years of practice.
"Look, I'm being realistic here," Yang further explained herself. "How the hell are we gonna trap one? Then we gotta tame it and figure out how to get 'em out of here. I'm all for beatin' the crap out of something and throwing a saddle over it, but we don't have a plan yet."
"She's got a point," Weiss reluctantly agreed. "It would be more accessible when Dr Oobleck has a permanent camp established. But have you considered they may not be like horses and cannot fly with a person on their back? Those wyverns could not generate enough lift to carry more than a hundred pounds at the most."
"Killjoy," Sun whispered.
Why do you have to be right, Weiss?
Yang had her points too. With those cave-people down here, they needed to secure the area and keep them out. Ruby didn't want to fight any of them unless it came down to it. She hoped her sister didn't start something by killing that one guy earlier.
"Let's just ignore them for now," Jaune agreed, throwing in his perspective. "Same for those cavemen. I want to see if we can watch them from a distance before we start hunting them down. Maybe they'll ignore us if we don't bother them."
"I agree," Pyrrha announced, taking a once over of the chamber. "We could help establish some sort of communication with them if we have Dr Oobleck's help. If they have been living down here for all these years, they might be able to tell us what happened to the city."
Ooo, that sounds cool.
"Then keep your eyes and ears open," Weiss instructed, snatching a small book from Yang's side. "I'm going to begin taking notes of this area. The rest of you should try looking around to see if there is anything of importance here." She turned to Ruby and gave her a nod. "If you would like to lead the way, I'll follow."
Got it!
Ruby whipped around and gestured for the group to file in behind her. With Jaune and Sun, they began showing them the new area they discovered. As they walked, the trio raddled off more of their observations of the cavern and what they thought of them. It wasn't any different from earlier, but there was a better chance of someone knowing something with more brains here.
...
"So, this place looks like a huge highway," Ruby explained her conclusions. "It all breaks off into the different sections and levels of this part of the city. We only went a mile down the bridge when we thought that we needed some help with this one."
"Good idea," Blake agreed, using a small spyglass to examine some of the lower levels. "This area is too big for the three of you to explore on your own." She pointed to one of the bridges a few hundred feet above the lava flow. "There are more of those cavemen down here too."
Ruby paused and took the spyglass from Blake. Looking through it, she spotted what the Assassin spoke about. There were a few dozen of them racing across a bridge from within a tunnel. They had swords, spears, bows, and most were wearing some form of armour. All of which appeared to be made from the same resin as the dagger.
"Where are they coming from," Ruby asked out loud. "We didn't see any of them earlier."
There were just some draugr shuffling around. None of these guys had come out of their holes until the return trip back here. It made the girl nervous to think they were hiding all along the path when she came here originally. She had to fight the urge to satisfy her curiosity in favour of caution when it came to them.
Now she knew they were armed and armoured. It meant having to weary of any cavemen who came near.
"What time is it," Nora asked, stepping to Ruby's side.
"Midday," Sun replied. "Or something close."
"Methinks they woke up," Nora concluded, stepping away from the side of the bridge. "They're hunting for food or changing out guards."
That makes sense...
"Without the sun, they must be relying on their biological clocks or some other measure of time," Weiss assumed based on Nora's idea. "If they're sophisticated enough to make tools, then they would have to have some guards around to protect their camps." She cupped her chin in thought. "We'll know more when we reach those lower levels."
The way Weiss said that almost appeared as though she was excited. Ruby was happy to know it sparked the Heiress' interests. Despite how scary it was down here, they were hardly fazed because there was so much to learn. Ruby hoped this would continue as they delved deeper into the ruins.
"What do you think we'll find down there," Ruby asked the group. Her question wasn't for anyone specific.
"Likely, there will be an ecosystem which can support this many humanoids," Weiss expressed, sounding like the nerd Ruby grew to know. "I couldn't say what kind of plants or animals are down here, but I imagine it would be like the Hollow."
Yeah, we've seen giant mushrooms down here. No bugs or anything big yet. We haven't even found where the Old Valeans got all of their food. Maybe it's somewhere along the other routes?
"Kinda hoping for the treasury or king's palace," Sun added on. "There was nothing on the way down here..."
I know how you feel, Sun.
"You realise the amount of information down here is worth more than the treasure," Weiss pointed out in a haughty tone. "It's going to take scholars years to search all of the city, but the discoveries are going to tell us so much about Vale's history. Combine that with the technologies and magics left behind, it could transform society."
"It would be great for someone's thesis," Ren added on.
"Yes, that too," Weiss agreed. "If any of the other students wanted to help Dr Oobleck, I could imagine earning your post-graduate would be easy." She looked to the rest of the group. "Are any of you planning on going to the university in Vale?"
Out of the entire group, Ren was the only one to raise his hand. Ruby had no clue what her plans were for after Beacon, so she kept hers down. The idea of going to school again after just getting out of this one was a bit to take on when her career was just beginning. Ruby didn't even know what her other friends had decided.
As young as Ruby was, she had a long time before she needed to make a choice. Her other friends would be around twenty-one, but with all of their work at Beacon, that experience could be transferred to a university. At least, that was how it worked for Dr Oobleck and Professor Port. You only needed to demonstrate that you mastered the material at Beacon.
Why did you have to get me thinking about that, Weiss? That stuff stresses me out... How am I supposed to have a plan for the future?
...
The group travelled farther along the bridge, finding more signs of fighting between the two factions of the city. Ruby dubbed them 'Magi' and 'Warriors' as a placeholder for now. The groups tore this area apart in their quest for supremacy over the region. They left the bridge in such a poor state, everyone hesitated to cross over at this junction.
The group managed to dispatch the draugr hanging around and investigated the area. Ruby concluded the two sides slaughtered each other before retreating from the battlefield. What confused her was why they didn't collect their dead. It was something she noticed at the battle in the upper levels.
"Any way we can fix this thing," Yang asked, stepping close to a collapsed section of the bridge. "Supports underneath shit the bed."
"There's no way around," Ren added on, pondering what other paths might be usable.
"So, we're stuck right now," Sun concluded.
"We're not stuck," Weiss chided, pushing past the Rogue. "All we have to do is provide some stability for the bridge."
Weiss held out her rapier, and a beam of soft white light coalesced at the tip. From there, magic emerged and slowly built around the broken part of the bridge. Ice replaced stone to fill in the gaps left behind by the previous battles. While a slow process, the bridge appeared to grow more stable as time went on.
"These guys didn't really care about their bridge," Jaune mentioned, picking up one of the Warriors' swords. "Only way across and nearly break it..."
"Not really," Pyrrha countered, examining an old helmet. "The bridge is a strategic location. If you can deny it to your enemy, then they can't move soldiers along the path. Of course, both parties wanted the bridge for themselves, so it led to this. I'm not sure what happened after, however..."
That's the big mystery.
Ruby wasn't sure what happened here anymore. First, they guessed the people retreated underground and abandoned the city. Now, there was direct evidence of infighting going on. It put the first hypothesis in the trash, leaving them with this. So, they had to figure out why these people were fighting and what happened when it was all said and done.
"You're probably right," Jaune agreed, disregarding his previous opinion. "Have you seen this kind of thing before?"
"During the civil war," Pyrrha replied, tossing the helmet over the edge. "Our legionaries would guard bridges with their lives or make new ones if the rebels would destroy them. Some rivers only have one crossing for a thousand miles, so protecting them is vital to the war."
Interesting... I wonder if Valeans did the same thing?
"There, it's done," Weiss announced as she laid the last section of ice on the bridge.
Ruby turned to find the entire section was coated in a thick blue layer of ice. It was nearly three inches solid in some places and smooth enough to look at your reflection. While it didn't have the refined finish the rest of the bridge had, she doubted it would come down any time soon.
Hopefully, it doesn't melt.
The group quickly scampered across to the other side. With a sigh of relief, they continued on their journey. Midway across the bridge was a cluster of buildings acting as a fortress of sorts. That's what Ruby guessed it was.
From her eye, there were all the elements of a castle in the traditional sense: guard towers, arrowslits, a gatehouse, and portcullis like the one in Westberg. Though, Ruby doubted she would find someone friendly like Sir Samson here. In fact, she really hoped he somehow teleported here and laid out a welcome for them. It would be more pleasant than anything they were going to encounter there.
"So, what's the plan Rubes," Yang asked, stepping up to her sister's side. "How are we going to take on a castle filled with a buncha old dead guys and mole men?"
Gate's open, so we can waltz right in... First step should be to figure out where the other gate is once we're inside. Then we need to close them and clear the place out.
"Okay, we need to stick together and take the courtyard first," Ruby began, turning to the rest of the party. "Then we break off into groups and check each room."
"Sounds like a plan," Jaune agreed.
At once, the entire group circled up with Pyrrha at the front. With her shield raised, they swiftly crossed the distance to the front gate. They were met with nothing as they passed under the portcullis and into the path behind. A lever on the wall allowed them to close the gate to keep the route closed to anything following.
Nobody spoke a word as they moved further into the castle. This time with Ruby at the head, they walked through the tunnels, aiming for the light on the other side. Sun's torch kept the area bright enough to see, finding no door leading off this path. It was a funnel taking them to the next section with little chance to back out if something closed the route off behind them.
Let's see where this goes...
Reaching that light, Ruby poked her head around the corner to see what was hanging out there. It was definitely the courtyard. There were some buildings along the walls, and in the centre were tables, fountains, and what appeared to be a garden. As she continued investigating, Ruby found the other gate, but there was something in the way.
"What do you see," Weiss asked, attempting to get a look.
Ruby reacted immediately, pushing Weiss against the wall. She held a finger to her lips, silencing her and keeping her from alerting anything to their location. Ruby then poked her head back out to observe the obstacle once again.
It was a stone troll. This one holding a large totem the size of a wagon next to it like a club. The stone monolith was carved with all sorts of ornate symbols which Ruby knew were imbued with magic. One swing with the totem and fire or ice would be sprayed all over the place. It would be followed up with the poor soul getting smashed into a paste by the several ton piece of stone.
He was just standing there with his eyes closed, holding his totem at his side. Ruby guessed it went into hibernation since it looked a lot like a statue at this point. She knew they would cover themselves in a layer of stonelike resin when doing that. Gargoyles did the same thing when they were acting as sentries.
Ruby ducked back into the tunnel to inform the others.
"Stone troll in the courtyard," she explained in a whisper.
"Crap," Jaune cursed, kneading his brow. "We're gonna have to take him out."
Not too bad if we all hit him at once. We just need to spread out and wither him down.
"Let me see..."
Jaune stuck his head out from around the corner and made an odd expression. He looked back at Ruby and then back to the stone troll. It confused the girl as to why he acted like that.
"There's nothing here," Jaune said, stepping out from behind the corner.
"What do you mean," Ruby asked indignantly. She stepped out and pointed to the giant standing next to the other gate. "He's right there!"
By now, the others had left cover and joined the pair. They were all hesitant about it since they could also see the troll. Ruby had expected him to start moving any second now that there was a group of intruders but got nothing.
"You really don't see it, Jaune," Ren asked to make sure.
"I'm telling you, nothing is standing over there," Jaune insisted, gesturing to the platform the troll was on.
Ren grabbed a stone off the ground and handed it to Nora. With a nod, she cocked back her arm and flung it to the other side of the courtyard. The rock passed right through the troll and hit the gate before falling to the ground. Simultaneously, the stone troll also disappeared like a ripple on the surface of a lake.
"It was an illusion," Weiss said out loud, cocking her head to the side.
Jaune can see through illusions? It must be from the stigmata, then...
They walked over to investigate, finding the impression of feet where the illusion was, but no signs of the troll. Everyone appeared to breathe a sigh of relief as it was gone now. Blake and Sun were preparing to check the castle itself out and see what they could find inside.
"So," Yang chirped, clapping her hands together. "Let's turn this place upside down now that big, fat, and ugly isn't here."
As Yang opened her big fat mouth, the entire group watched as the troll leapt over the wall bordering the courtyard. It slammed into the stone floor, cracking it under its weight and kicking dust into the air. As the dust cleared, the beast stared them down, holding its totem on its shoulder and let out a bellowing growl.
"He's standing behind me, isn't he?"
[Jaune]
"Everyone spread out," Jaune shouted as he went for his silver sword.
The entire group broke apart at his command as the troll hefted his totem up and slammed it down where Yang stood. The girl activated an ability, transforming her into a half-dragon, allowing her to catch the stone in her hands with no injury. It locked her and the troll into a duel where neither would let up no matter how much of their strength was put forth.
This opening allowed the rest of the group to take their positions. Sun grabbed his sling and threw rocks at the troll's weak points. Ren and Nora moved in to attack at his legs. Ruby climbed up the walls and took the high ground, waiting for the perfect time to strike. This left Jaune and Weiss to move around as they needed to.
With a nod, they ran around the side, each using their spells to shape the battle between Yang and the troll. Weiss cast her ice spears at the troll's flanks, stabbing them deep into his stony flesh. Jaune shot silver bullets at the monster, trying to prod for a critical weakness.
Need to find the heart...
Nora and Pyrrha moved in at once and charged for the right leg. The Barbarian cocked back her hammer and smashed into his calf, chipping stone away with the impact. Pyrrha followed up from behind, throwing her shield at his hamstring and using her kopis to slice at Nora's wound.
The attacks caused the troll to roar in pain, making him give up on Yang. He turned and swiped at Nora with his arm, swatting her away with little effort. She sailed through the air and slammed into the wall opposite the fight, dropping her hammer and falling to the ground. In the same motion, he tried to grab for Pyrrha, but the girl was too quick for him, sliding between his fingers and narrowly avoiding the grasp.
Blake took the distraction and moved in on the fight. As the troll went after Pyrrha, the Assassin jumped onto his arm and ran up its length. Leaping off him, she drew back her bow and fired two arrows at his eyes. Each missile found their mark, burying themselves into his orbitals, causing the troll to scream out in pain.
The troll began lashing out with his totem. Fire magic sprayed out all over the place as he thrashed around. Jaune managed to get behind cover along with some of the others as they lost control of the arena. They looked at each other, attempting to figure out if there was another plan to deal with this.
It was when Ruby waved from above that Jaune knew what they were going to do. He gave the Reaper a signal, and she jumped off the high walls, bearing her scythe in hand. She twirled midair, morphing into a cloud of rose petals and darted for the troll. Just as she reached him, Ruby changed back into her human form and activated another ability. Her scythe glowed with a silver light along the blade as she cocked it back.
In an instant, Ruby threw everything she had into the attack, cutting clean through the troll in a flash of bright light. Immediately, he stopped his rampage as his head fell off and tumbled to the ground. His totem fell at his side, and finally, his body collapsed to the stone floor in a crash.
It's over...
Jaune was impressed by how quickly the fight went. The group was working well together and were able to take down a troll. Between the wyvern and this guy, there wasn't too much that could faze them now. It even gave Jaune another level and ability.
Antimagic field:
Activating this ability will destroy established magical spells within thirty feet. It will only affect spells that have been cast and anchored to a particular area or object, not on your person or beyond your strength. (Wards, latent natural magic, or other ritualistic spells)
Sounds useful... I wonder what the others will think about it?
Jaune looked to Nora first, finding that she was being helped up by Ren and Pyrrha. Everyone's attention was focused on her, making sure she was all right. From here, Jaune figured her injuries weren't too serious. She could move everything around and only appeared to be dazed.
Let's get to locking this place down then...
Jaune looked to Ruby to get a plan sorted out. As he turned to face her, he could see someone creeping up behind her. Its figure still in the shadows, but Jaune could tell it was a large person brandishing a weapon. Before he could say anything to alert the girl, the attacker sprung into action.
Ruby!
The assailant reached for her from behind and grabbed ahold of Ruby, placing a sword to her throat. As he did so, more showed themselves, drawing their weapons and training their arrows at all members of Jaune's group. Their surprise froze everyone in place. Not even Yang could close the distance and free her younger sister from the man's grasp.
It was then, Jaune realised who their attackers were. They were cavemen. Dozens had shown up out of nowhere and found them in the castle. Each of them had gone completely unnoticed to the group of adventurers caught in their ambush. None of the students was able to do anything to turn the situation around and in their favour.
Jaune wanted to do something, anything to get Ruby away from him but knew he couldn't. He watched the archers in the windows or on the walls prepare to rain down their arrows at a moment's notice. It only required a signal from their leader, and everyone would have been killed. So, Jaune could only stand and watch as Ruby tried to pry the large hand off her.
The one holding Ruby was this large male cave-person the size of Cardin. His stature was more human than his counterparts, retaining an upright gait and posture. His body was muscular and covered with chitinous plates, where the others were lithe and wore loincloths. Long silver hair hung from his head and came to his shoulders.
Jaune knew this one was their alpha or tribe leader. He had to be.
His gaze turned towards Yang, bearing an expression Jaune could only describe as rage. Even if he couldn't see the blonde, he knew exactly where she stood. The look on Yang's face as his attention bore down on her was one of fear and almost submission.
Yang was helpless to anything here. She would have been on the verge of tears if she wasn't prepared to kill this guy.
"Sie... haben ihn ermordet," the Alpha growled at Yang, spitting those words out in an animalistic manner.
(You... murdered him!)
"Let her go," Jaune shouted back at him, taking a step in his direction.
An arrow was loosed, striking the ground exactly where his foot was about to be. The other archers pulled back on their bowstrings in case anybody else had the same idea. This realisation only further clarified how hopeless this situation was for them.
I have to get her out of there! How?!
Jaune couldn't do anything. The Alpha smiled towards Yang, bearing a sharp, toothy grin at the blonde. He spun Ruby around to face him and drew his sword back. Thrusting it forth, he buried the entire length of the blade into her chest. The blade pierced her lamellar armour entire through both faces of the piece.
Ruby's expression as the sword pierced her chest was one of surprise. She didn't even appear to register the pain of the blade going in. Her breath hitched as the sword's tip broke through her back.
Ruby...
The Alpha ripped the sword back out and tossed her aside. With a final look, he began walking away from the teens and sheathed his blade. The rest of the cavemen disappeared on cue, vanishing behind the castle walls and out of view. The large gate opposite of the teens closed as the Alpha stood there, knowing they couldn't reach him in time.
"RUBY," Yang screamed, bolting over to her sister's side.
The others dropped everything and saw to their friend. Everyone was freaking out as they came upon the girl crying and gripping her chest in pain. Ruby's eyes filled with tears as she let out little yelps, attempting to draw in a breath. Yang immediately took one of her hands and gripped it as tight as she could, saying encouraging words to her younger sister.
Trying to breathe once more, she hacked and coughed up a torrent of blood, spraying her friends with the gore. They ignored it and grabbed everything they had to treat her wounds. They knew they couldn't transport her back to camp and had to do everything here. The thought of her dying didn't even register in their minds.
Jaune grabbed Yang and pushed her off Ruby. Pyrrha came in from behind and restrained the blonde to give Jaune and Weiss space to try and work. Ren and Nora began tearing her armour apart using knives or their bare hands to rip the leather threads and gambeson.
Come on, Ruby!
Jaune grabbed the incision Ren made on the lamellar chest piece and tore it in half, destroying the armour in one swift motion. They discarded the remains and ripped the gambeson as well to expose Ruby's shirt. They didn't bother cutting it and pulled it apart to get to the wound.
Exposing Ruby's chest, Jaune located the source of her bleeding. With every heartbeat, more blood gushed from the wound. This cut placed right above her heart meant it had to have struck the aorta or superior vena cava. Judging from the amount of blood, Jaune had to say it was the aorta. Ruby was going to bleed out far too quickly before they were able to stitch anything up.
"Back up," Jaune shouted, pushing the others away. "I'm going to try healing her!"
Placing his hands over the wound, Jaune pressed down on her breast as he cast healing. His hands glowed white as the magic began to take effect. Jaune focused everything he had into the spell to ensure it would close the wounds. As the spell's duration became stretched, he could feel his strength being sapped.
Yet, more blood kept coming out. He could feel it seep through his hands and fingers, staining them in the ichor. Ruby's entire chest was soaked in her own blood. More and More joined the puddle, slowly growing at their feet despite Jaune's best efforts.
Come on! Why isn't it working?!
Jaune refused to give up, increasing the intensity of the spell with whatever little magic he had left. His hands grew so bright that they became blinding to all those surrounding him. When he could feel that last little portion of magic in his body leave him, Jaune kept going.
He could feel his hands burning. They felt as though they were on fire. The process of becoming a Rosenkavalier couldn't even compare to the pain he was in. Jaune's nose started bleeding profusely as he pushed himself farther than he should have. He could feel blood pouring out of his eyes as his vision became tunnelled.
Crossing that line, Jaune could no longer feel any more blood flowing from Ruby's wound. He lifted his hands and found the cut had sealed itself with a scar. It was the same for the other side. Ruby's breathing had stabilised, and he could feel her heart beating normally.
I-It's done...
Jaune pushed himself onto his feet as the others moved in to finish checking on her. The sound of Yang crying filled the air as her little sister was safe for now. The Paladin lacked the required strength to even notice what else was going on around him anymore.
He only managed a single step before vomiting up blood. The gore sprayed across the stone floor in a line of droplets. His face was covered in his own blood pouring out from every orifice. His hands bled along the stigmata and runes on his arms.
Weiss only shot him a look as Jaune passed out. He collapsed to the floor, and his vision darkened completely. With a final breath, he fell unconscious. The last image he could remember was Weiss running to his aid.
So, I will say that this was Yang's fault. She killed the falmer-looking guy earlier and now his friend came back to return the favour. Of course, now they have slighted Jaune and he shall send them to the shadow realm.
One thing I have always had issues with Skyrim is killing falmer. Those guys are victims and are angry at the surface for what they did to them back during the war with the snow elves and atmorans. Doesn't mean I still won't slaughter them like the goblin slayer, but I feel for them.
Also, for the cavemen language, I'm using German. If you can recognise the foreshadowing that presents for the cave-people you would understand why I used it. I also hope I translated that correctly. Please tell me if I'm wrong.
Class: Paladin
"Gather 'round, Paladins!"
"There is a difference between the other classes and us! When those Knights and Chevaliers fled at first sight of monsters! You were the ones to take their place! You walked right up to those monsters and wrapped your hands around those fucker's necks! And you did not stop there! Killing everything in your way until there was nothing left!"
"That is the difference between them and us. Those bastards who were too busy keeping themselves in food and wool can keep all the glory and fame for themselves! Boasting about their deeds as if they sacrificed something!"
"We fight to keep the people safe! To keep the Drowners out of the latrines and Goblins from ploughing our milkmaids! Knowing that no other class has our virtue! Our dedication to our craft!"
Level Thirty
Strength 61 (+1)
Agility 26 (+)
Defence 35 (+)
Perception 40 (+)
Constitution 58 (+1) + (.25 x 57) = 72
Intelligence 60 (+)
Charisma 31 (+)
Willpower 32 (+10)
...
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.
Active Debuff:
Turn and Face The Sun!
White Hawk
This aethereal hawk shall be forever bound to you. As its master, only you may give direction to this bird of prey. Whether it be scouting the path ahead or distracting your enemies.
...
Purify
This ability can remove impurities from any material, whether they be food, drink, or metals. This renders them in a poison-free, diseaseless, and pure quality with the added benefit of destroying curses.
...
Antimagic field:
Activating this ability will destroy established magical spells within thirty feet. It will only affect spells that have been cast and anchored to a particular area or object, not on your person or beyond your strength. (Wards, latent natural magic, or other ritualistic spells)
...
Passive: Magister's Lament
Your Passive is a double-edged sword. While you may proficiently cast magic beyond the limits of your Willpower. It is limited in other instances. Not being able to cast harmful offensive magic or any magic on yourself.
...
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.
...
Gear:
Jaune's Breastplate
Level Seventeen
Materials: 2% Silicon, 0.60% Carbon, Remainder is Steel and Leather
Minimum Stat Requirements:
Strength: 32
Agility: 16
Defence: 22
Constitution: 30
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
Bag of holding:
Magical satchel that connects to a pocket dimension. Can store up to seven-hundred pounds while maintaining the bag's original weight. Items must be able to fit through the bag's opening.
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.
Necklace of the Bulwark
+25% Bonus to Constitution
Morningstar
Magical whip of unknown origins. Is capable of causing explosions when prompted by its user.
Spells:
Infusion:
This spell grants one the ability to infuse the desired object with materials ordinarily unable to be bonded together. The strength of the unaltered item determines how much of an effect can be added to it.
Be warned that stressing the target with too powerful additives can result in the atomisation of the material and, possibly, a sudden explosive decomposition.
Telekinesis:
Casting this spell allows you to move objects with your mind. Within a visible range, anything you can levitate is dependent on your personal strength and willpower. Once, cast upon, the item is subject to your directions and will perform whatever manoeuvre you are capable of imagining.
Be warned that this spell drains magicka rapidly.