It feels so nice not having college anymore. I'm having to make the hour long commute there every day.
But, for the name of the manor, Hunter's Repose is currently in the lead.
Also, in my current DnD campaign, our DM hit us with a matching puzzle trap. I fucking hated that thing. There was nothing to clue us in to how to solve it, so it was just us pressing buttons until we got the right letters (could not see which button was which letter beforehand) matched up. Every time we got the wrong pairing, a water elemental would get shit out of the wall. Also, when we got the right pairing, a fucking water elemental spawned. So, we had to fight them off and get all ten buttons matched up before we drowned.
"It's a work in progress," Weiss said as she revealed the manor to her sister and her band of knights.
Weiss felt apprehensive about showing it off right now. The girl would have liked to unveil it when the repairs were over, but that plan went awry. A single conversation between her and Winter led them back here. Harriet and Elm tagged along only because her mother was with Winter.
"Work in progress; the place is falling apart," Elm commented, appearing confused.
"Yes... it may seem like that, but the manor has good foundations," Weiss countered politely. "It's certainly better than building one from the ground up."
Doing that would have taken ages. The group would have graduated by then. Weiss would have opposed it simply because she refused to sleep in a tent for the duration. The only middle ground would have been to buy some land and put together a few modest-sized houses for the group to split among them. That would have only taken a few months to do.
Frankly, the manor was a steal at such a price. The extra room alone was worth dealing with the repairs and dilapidated state.
"However, it's isolated and forgotten by the nobility," Winter added. "The Torchwicks haven't been heard from in the last ten years from what I know..."
"Are you thinking about making the manor our base," Harriet asked.
"Yes," she replied, looking to the Queen. "Mother, what do you think?"
"Hmmm, if you think hiding here is the best for security, I won't refuse your recommendation, Winter," Willow agreed in a very refined tone. "It certainly is rustic, but having a party of heroes around is enough to make the manor secure."
What did I just let happen?
"A-Are you sure, Mother," Weiss asked in a panicked tone. "We have only just begun making repairs; it wouldn't be suitable for you to live like this..."
Weiss didn't know how having her mother around would affect the party or herself. She didn't want one of her friends to do something stupid and embarrass her in front of the Queen. Her sister being under the same roof as them, would only be another person looking over Weiss' shoulder. Both would put immense pressure on the girl between keeping up appearances and expressing herself openly.
"Weiss, I spend most of my day in meetings at Court or following Winter around," Willow replied with a gentle smile. "As long as I have a clean bed and warm food, it will be satisfactory. We will also pay you for the rooms, which may go towards repairs."
The offer of gold would entice her friends. Indeed, the party wouldn't refuse her as long as they paid. It would just be another group living in this massive house.
That put Weiss in a corner she couldn't back out of. With her identity a secret and her mother's, she would be unable to argue with the party without giving that up.
I'll just suck it up... At least I have a room for myself.
"Okay then," Weiss agreed, keeping her displeasure hidden. "As long as you are satisfied with it, I'll see what rooms we have open. However, we need to purchase food, so meals may be lean until that's sorted out."
"I'm sure it will be fine," Willow expressed. "The voyage over here will likely be more trying. We ran out of fresh food midway, so all we had was salted pork..."
That doesn't sound great.
We'll have to get food delivered soon. Perhaps that Brawnz Ni character will be able to help? I should take Ruby and Jaune there sometime.
The sound of a large creature bellowing from the woods redirected Weiss' attention to the trees. Winter and the knights moved between Willow and Weiss, preparing themselves for whatever it was. The leaves rustled, and crows fled the brush as it grew closer, taking heavy footsteps in their direction.
The riding lizard burst through the treeline without warning, sprinting at the party. It lifted its massive head and fanned its crest of feathers, hissing at them and startling their horses. The knights drew their swords and readied their spells, preparing to ward off an attack by the beast.
"NO-NO-NO-NO," Nora shouted as she sprinted from the woods. "DODO, DON'T YOU FUCKING DO IT!"
The girl leapt up, snatching his reins and tugged his head down. The sudden pull redirected his attention to the girl, immediately forcing the beast to calm himself. He hissed at Nora, but a bop on his snout made him rethink that choice.
Nora slapped him on the side and pushed the lizard toward a sunny spot on the lawn. He initially refused the command, but Nora tapped him behind his hind legs, spurring him to move.
"Get your ass over there," she growled, chasing the beast as he scrambled to the opposite side of the yard. Once he fled the Barbarian, the girl took a deep breath and glanced at the party. "Sorry 'bout that! Dodo's gettin' kinda ornery... Guess he's in mating season or something. Real aggressive about his forest."
What was that?
"Dodo," Weiss asked with a raised eyebrow.
"That's his name," Nora confirmed with a nod. "Or Dodogama. He told me that."
"You can speak with animals," Willow asked. Her tone was filled with apprehension about even delving into the topic.
"Not really; I feel what they're feeling," she explained with a so-so gesticulation. "I only ever get a name, and if they're afraid, hungry, or whatever. I finally got it out of Dodo because I've been hanging out with him."
"M'lady, it's common among the barbarian subclasses," Elm clarified. "We commune with nature through these abilities much like a druid would. I am limited to plants where she can speak or command animals."
"That's interesting," Willow expressed, understanding what she'd just witnessed. "Ms Valkyrie, I would like to learn more about this."
"Oh yeah," Nora chirped, adopting Yang's Cheshire grin. "I heard you guys talking from the woods. So, I'll show you some cool stuff if we wrangle another animal! We got the time!"
Oh no...
Weiss didn't know what to expect. Their group did not have the best track record with animals. Weiss feared whatever creature the Berserker may find.
[Jaune]
Using a prybar, Jaune snapped rotted boards away from a wall. Each pull from the steel bar shattered the wood rather than tearing it from the studs. Behind him, Ren had much of the same results, creating a sizeable pile of wood dust and old termite damage at his feet.
"So, how far do you think the rotted stuff goes now," Jaune asked, shouting to the wall rather than face Ren. "It's all dry rot and termites over here!"
"Farther than I thought," he answered, setting the bar at his feet. "The roof was bad on this side of the house. We might have to tear everything out and start over."
"Yeah... it feels like it."
This is turning out to be a bigger project than I thought it would be...
Jaune had built houses before. Whenever a new person moved to town, everyone would help out and make them a place to live. That was just the standard practice in Vale. But refitting an entire manor was just outside of Jaune's wheelhouse. It was on a whole level compared to a one-room shack.
"GODDAMMIT," a person shouted downstairs.
"Was that Sun," Ren asked.
"Sounded like it..." Jaune dropped his prybar. "Wanna check out what's up with him? Probably better than doing this."
"Yes, I'm getting tired of it," Ren agreed with a nod, moving towards the door.
The two departed from the upstairs bedroom and began searching for the origin of Sun's yell. Walking through this section, it appeared far more dilapidated than the front of the house. Plaster was falling off the walls. Old water damage seeped through the upper floors. It was bad.
Coming to a storage room, Jaune guessed it was located adjacent to the kitchen. Inside, the boys could hear Sun muttering something to himself as he worked on a mechanical device. Poking their heads in, the larder the yell came from was filled with barrels. No Sun in sight.
Swore it came from here.
Stepping inside and passing by some old barrels filled with who knows what, the boys located a trapdoor. A row of barrels concealed it from the doorway. With a nod from Ren, Jaune kneeled to inspect the hatch. Once he lifted it, Sun was crouched in front of another door underneath it at the base of some stairs.
"Sun," Ren called out to him.
"Shit," Sun cursed, breaking something in his hand. "Agggghhhhh, that's the eighth lockpick!"
"What're you doing?"
"I found a door and have been trying to open it," Sun angrily replied, going back for another try. "Its got a really heavy lock on it. Probably some good steel and tumbler springs with different tensions. So, it's a bitch to open."
Sounds fun...
Jaune and Ren climbed down to inspect the door itself. The threshold was made from some very heavy-duty steel. The rivets and langets would keep normal thieves out on a wooden door. This one was entirely iron and steel.
"We shouldn't kick the door in," Ren warned as he knelt to inspect the lock. "Whatever was behind it is likely valuable... Do you feel any magic, Jaune?"
"Nah, it's just a door."
There weren't any signs of magic at all. No runes or anything the brands detected as magic. Judging from that, he could only conclude such.
"Got any fancy stuff to crack it, Ren?"
The boy didn't reply as he was going about an attempt to pick the lock. Ren produced his own tools, inserting a torsion wrench and then the pick itself. Jiggling the wrench, he tried to find the sweet spot for the pins, but the lock refused to budge a hair's length. It only ended with him breaking the pick and twisting the wrench out of shape.
"We can try acid," Ren answered upon discarding his broken pick.
The boy ran upstairs and quickly came back carrying a bottle and tapered metal tube. This tube was bent at a right angle, allowing the user to pour straight up and down. When Ren inserted the tapered end, he urged Sun and Jaune to back away as he poured the bottle's contents into the tube.
When the acid hit the lock, a vapour billowed out from the hole as the steel was dissolved. After a few minutes, the boys noticed the reaction diminishing, and a white salt began forming around the hole. Ren pushed on the door, but it refused to budge.
"So, we're done being nice to the door," Jaune asked.
"Go ahead, just try not to bring the house down on our heads..."
Cool.
Jaune produced a steel punch and his hammer. Jaune inserted the point into the lock and whacked the tapered chisel as hard as possible with the hammer. With each hit, the metal stake was buried deeper into the lock. By the time he had struck it eight times, only the strike face was left for them to see. He had skewered the door entirely. However, the door refused to open for Jaune.
"How strong is this fucking lock," Sun blurted out, gesturing to the door.
Rarrgghhh...
Jaune cast telekinesis on the door, snarring it in his magical grip. With one tug, he shook the door outwards. Stabilising himself, Jaune planted his feet and gave it another go, using his entire body to pull on the hatch. With a shout, the steel door and stone wall began to cry out from the stress of being torn from each other.
Finally, they gave out, and the steel hinges bent out of place. The door came sailing in their direction, but the boys easily dodged it as it slammed into the opposite wall. The crumbled steel section was merely left behind as they moved to inspect the newest room.
Cracking a torch, Sun guided the trio deeper into the basement. Before them was a set of stairs leading into a black abyss. Jaune could only see to the bottom, but his view was obscured beyond. Descending to the lower level, the floor opened into a massive stone room.
Lining the walls and on shelves throughout were barrels upon barrels of wines, beers, or other liquors. Tables and chairs were scattered in the middle of the room, acting as dining or tasting spaces. Another set of stairs on the opposite side of the room led up to an office or workstation.
"Don't touch anything," Sun insisted, carefully stepping between the rows of shelves. "This stuff looks pretty old, so it might break on us..."
"If Roman had all of this stuff down here, why didn't he sell it," Jaune wondered as he followed Sun. "It's probably worth some pretty good money."
"Maybe he thought he could turn it around," Ren posed. "Let his ego get the better of him."
Makes sense...
Selling everything might have made the guy look desperate. As the leading son of a noble family, he had an image to uphold. It still didn't help in the end.
"Door on the left," Sun said, shining his torch over the threshold.
As his torchlight met the door, there was a thin fog veil like a door. Jaune's tattoos lit up immediately as he neared it, telling the boys it was some kind of barrier. What it was doing in a wine cellar was another mystery.
"Okay, who wants to go first?"
Jaune took the lead, throwing a stone at the barrier to test it. The stone passed through, clicking against the floor until it hit another wall deeper within. Moving through the barrier, Jaune was met with humid and cold air separated by the magic wall.
Shining the torch around, they found more rows of shelves. On each one was a round loaf left uncovered in the air. The brown masses appeared to be cheese wheels.
"Holy crap, it's a cheese cave too!"
"Guys, you know what we have to do," Sun began, grabbing one of the wheels. "Let's test everything out and make sure the goods are safe to eat. Right?"
[Weiss]
Weiss managed to find the cleanest rooms for her mother's party. A few overlooking the front yard were the best ones available. The rooms with the least overall damage and hadn't been taken by her friends, more importantly. So, that was another thing she could cross off her ever-growing list.
Stepping into the hallway, a pack of dogs skittered past her, chasing a ball thrown from the entrance. Nearly being knocked over by Dreizehn, Weiss picked her heart up off the floor and looked to the pitcher. Ruby was just about to flee as the Mage caught her.
"Hehehe, hi Weiss," Ruby called out, trying to act casual.
"What are you up to, Ruby," Weiss asked, ignoring the near-death experience she just had.
"Ehhh, not much," she answered, shrugging her shoulder. "Swept out my room and took a break..."
Productive.
Weiss didn't want to expect too much out of Ruby. It wasn't fair to her. Putting her back to work so soon wouldn't have been helpful to the girl's recovery. At least she was keeping busy doing what she could.
"Then would you like to come with me," the Mage offered. "I think it would be best to visit that Brawnz Ni and his friends sooner than later."
"Why not," Ruby consented, throwing the ball for the dogs one last time. "Let's grab Jaune since we're walking through the woods."
Good idea...
Weiss hadn't done any scouting or was given much information by her friends about the area if they did so. Running into a monster or megafauna species with an injured party member wasn't ideal. The two would not be running away.
"Have you thought about what upgrades you wanted for your gear," Weiss asked as the pair walked to the foyer. "We can get the materials in order and spend the winter tinkering with them."
"I dunno, there's a buncha stuff that I wanna try, but I don't think the new Crescent Rose can handle it," Ruby expressed, grabbing her scythe from a wall mount. "Like, we could apply a necrotic, lightning, fire, or ice enchantment. But choosing one limits any changes I might want to make."
"I see; you don't want to commit," Weiss surmised, grabbing her sword and breastplate. "And if we applied more than one, Crescent Rose Eight or whatever number you were on could explode."
"I can't remember how many of them there are now," Ruby said, realising how many weapons she'd gone through in the last few months or years. "And I don't want to break this one. You guys worked really hard on it."
Not me, so much as Jaune... He would be willing to make a new one regardless of how many times it was broken.
"Then what about your armour," Weiss asked. "There are a few improvements a glyph would make to better protect you. Constitution or resistances on the chest piece. Strength on your arms. Agility on the legs. Then we could try to infuse the whole set with monster parts."
"Oooo, I like the sound of that," Ruby chirped. "Wyvern scales or bones would probably be the best. But we need to test them out."
"We could just do it and see what happens," Weiss suggested, departing from her usually cautious way of thinking.
They could always reforge whatever was broken. As long as the metal remained, it was possible to do so. There would have to be a first genuine attempt somewhere along the way, so diving in headfirst was a proper method of getting a benchmark.
"Tempting," Ruby expressed, cupping her chin. "Then we need to try it on my armour first. Cause if it doesn't work there, Jaune's will blow up too. And his armour is more expensive than mine..."
I can't argue with that.
Ruby's armour was made for the low-low price of two workdays. Jaune's was five-thousand lien and a lot more complicated than the simple steel lamellar. Risking the least expensive armour was the best move. Perfecting the method with Ruby's gear would allow the trio to upgrade their friends' armour and weapons with less chance of disaster.
Now for me to translate the enchantments...
Reaching the entrance hall, it was a mess like the rest of the house. The group's sleeping arrangements remained in place, along with a table they dragged out of the dining hall. Weiss had to resist the urge to clean everything out and make it look neat. She just needed to remember these were the temporary arrangements.
Sat on a chair off to the side was Winter. She read a book, leaning back and enjoying the peace and quiet. Her eyes only turned up to Weiss as the girl descended the grand staircase. A polite nod from her, and she went back to reading.
"Heya Winter," Ruby called out to her. "You seen Jaune at all? We need him for something."
"I heard a loud crash from around the kitchen," Winter tersely explained, setting her book to the side. "That may have been his, Mr Wukong, and Mr Lie's doing." She pushed herself up from her knees. "I'll show you where."
What are they doing?
Loud crashes were never a good thing. With how clumsy and unsubtle half the group was, it likely caused immense amounts of damage. Weiss wouldn't have been surprised if there was a fire set in the kitchen by now.
Following Winter's lead, the girls wandered toward the kitchen. A few halls down, they reached the threshold. There was no sign of the boys there at all. Taiyang was cleaning out some old debris.
"Hey, I think they went this way," Ruby said, pointing further down the hall. "There's a trail of footprints."
As Ruby said, a trail of footprints was made out of plaster dust. From the looks of it, only two sets. One was clearly Jaune's cavalry boots, and the other was Ren's shoes.
Ruby took the lead, tracking the boys via the trail of breadcrumbs they left behind. It was surprising to find the additional basement at the base of some stairs and the broken steel door left in their wake. The noises coming from the bowels of the house prompted Winter to cast a mage light spell and draw her sword.
Descending the second set of stairs to the very bottom, Weiss and Ruby's jaws dropped at what they found. The hundreds of barrels of alcohol left the girls at a loss. In the middle of this room, the three boys were screwing around, having opened a keg of something.
"Well, we'll never have to buy alcohol again," Ruby surmised in awe as she glanced about the room.
"Alright, go long," Jaune shouted from behind a row of shelves.
The image of Sun passed through an aisle as the boy leapt into the air, snatching a piece of food midflight with his mouth. His apparent intoxication did not help stick the landing, causing Sun to catch his foot on a loose stone and crash. The girls merely heard a groan from where he fell and then silence.
"What are the three of you doing," Weiss asked. Her face contorted into a confused and slightly annoyed expression.
"We found the cellar," Ren explained, sitting at a brightly lit table with a goblet in hand. "The Torchwicks have also built a magic cheese cave."
"Really good cheese," Sun blurted out with a full mouth.
The future heroes of Remnant...
Winter moved to the tapped keg and turned the spigot without a word. Upon filling a cup she produced out of Weiss' sight, her elder sister smelled the liquid. The woman's expression became contemplative as she analysed the contents before taking a sip from the cup. Savouring the brew, her eyes lit up, appreciating whatever effect the alcohol had on the palette.
"Very smooth, fruity, and I detect a hint of nuts," Winter said as she took another sip.
"I think we lost your sister," Ruby whispered to Weiss.
I see that...
"Jaune, if you're done screwing around, we need you to come with us," Weiss stated, turning to the boy hiding on the far side of the room. "We are going to meet with Brawnz Ni and would appreciate the backup."
"Ahhh, yeah," Jaune said with a nod, realising his new task. He turned to Sun and Ren. "Sorry guys, duty calls." With a wave to them, he departed the cellar to join the girls.
"Cool, do we want to take the horses," Ruby posed to her companions.
"Nah, we're walking all the way there," Jaune declared, heading up the stairs. "Your training starts now! In full armour!"
"What," Ruby cried out. "W-Why?!"
"You need to start sometime," Weiss added. "If we wait, you won't be ready for the next semester."
"Wha-, ugh, uhhh," Ruby stuttered as she tried to get some argument through her lips.
"I'll carry you back," Jaune proposed from the upper landing. "How about that?"
"Uhhhhh, fine..."
[Ruby]
She fell to the ground upon reaching the front porch. Her entire body was spent and in agony. Ruby could barely lift her head off the wooden boards to look around, much less speak to someone. A vulture could have mistaken her for a freshly killed animal.
The area around was an idyllic pasture carved out of the middle of the forest. The sun gently lit the rolling grasses as the wind blew through the farm, rustling the millions of stalks while horses grazed on them. A quiet creek running at the forest's edge was behind the farmhouse, perched atop a small hill. At the centre of it all, a small cottage constructed from a wooden frame and stone where Ruby fell was plastered with fresh lime.
The place was beautiful. It was perfect. Untouched by the decay and horrors of the rest of the world. Ruby would have honestly loved owning a small home like this one if they hadn't been able to acquire the manor.
"You okay, Ruby," Jaune asked, kneeling down to look at the girl's face.
"Can we cut my legs off and make some magic ones," she replied in a muffled tone.
"While I'm sure there's a wizard who can do that, no," Weiss remarked, glancing down at the prone Ruby. "The hard part is already done. We just need to work more, and you'll be fine."
Ughhh, I just wish it wasn't so exhausting...
"You guys are some of the weirdest bandits I've ever seen," a voice from the side said.
Everyone looked up to find a girl standing a few feet away from the trio. When she had appeared, none could say for sure. She wasn't there when Ruby arrived, but it was not reliable given she was half delirious.
The girl was about the same height as Ruby. Her build was slimmer than the Reaper's, however. Most of her was covered by a dark cloak or hood, so it wasn't easy to tell. The one eye Ruby could see under the hood was grey-blue, and her hair was a dusky rose colour. That one eye merely watched the three newcomers with a combination of suspicion and confusion. Her tanned right hand was left on a plain axe, while her other rested on the quiver strapped to her waist.
With her demeanour, the girl came off as a cuter Blake.
"They're not bandits, May," a man inside the house countered. "Bandits don't dress that nice."
"I don't know; this one might be a bandit," Weiss jested, gesturing to Jaune using her head. "You probably need to keep an eye on him."
The other boy stepped out from the house's threshold. He was tall, lean, and tanned from the sun. His arms were left bare by his sleeveless shirt, exposing a toned definition. The rest of his outfit was plain, only bearing a pair of dark pants secured by a belt. His only defining features were his striking purple eyes and black hair that faded to grey. Other than that, he seemed like an ordinary teenager.
"Where we're from, a guy shows up on your porch; they're probably a bandit," the boy explained casually. "Vacuo's a bit of a bitch when it comes to that. But you got the look of some Beacon students."
"Considering the only other person from Vacuo we know, I got that impression of the kingdom," Weiss replied. "But we've no intention of robbing anyone."
"Then what're you doing here," May asked dryly. "Is there a monster, or are you looking for information?"
"No, we just bought the old manor south of here," Ruby answered, rolling over onto her back. "Carnelian told us to find you, so we're trying to get deliveries of food and stuff."
"Oh, I guess we can sort that out..." Brawnz said, looking back inside the house. "Gimme a second, and I'll get some chairs." He then opened the door and slipped inside.
While he was doing that, it left the four teens standing outside with nothing to say. May watched the trio like they had shown up to a secure area uninvited. It began making the entire meeting awkward for Ruby to bear.
"So, what do you guys do for fun out here," Ruby asked, pushing herself back to her feet.
"I read when I'm not out hunting," May answered.
She's a huntress?
"Ooooo, what kind of books," Ruby followed up, getting excited about another lover of reading. "My favourites are adventure stories."
Loving fairy tales as a kid, it only made sense for Ruby to enjoy adventure novels as she grew. It really kept up the magic those stories used to hold over her. There was nothing better than reading one at night by candlelight or when it was raining out.
The girl's own eyes lit up upon hearing the genre. "Do you like Oda," May asked, becoming more open to conversation.
"Awwwww, Tempest is so much better," Ruby asserted. "Oda completely screwed up in his last book! Tempest at least didn't make you feel like crap when you kept reading it!"
"No-No-No, Oda's ending for The Eternal Vale was perfect," May argued back, showing some real passion in her words. "Red losing his friends at Istvaan was necessary for his character development! Tempest refused to give up anyone, making everything he wrote completely unrealistic! Gods had to step in because he kept writing himself into a corner."
"Yeah, it's supposed to be unrealistic," Ruby countered. "It's fantasy!"
Before the argument could go any further, Brawnz emerged from the house. Unbeknownst to the discussion, he wandered back into a red-faced Ruby and May while Jaune and Weiss stared on. The latter pair attempted to look anywhere else but where the girls hashed it out.
"All right, I got some tea on and a table set, so we can hash this thing out," Brawnz said as he held open the door.
"Tempest's next book ties everything he set up together," Ruby harshly whispered as the group followed Brawnz in. "Have you read it?"
"No, I haven't been able to find a copy," May whispered back.
"I know there's one at Beacon, I'll bring it over here, and we can have this fight after you've read it."
Maybe I can bring a few more over here?
[Jaune]
Inside the house, Jaune glanced about, feeling the small cabin out. It was spotless and organised. The kitchen was visible from the front door, where herbs and spices hung above the large clay oven from the rafters. A few rooms were locked tight on the other side of the house. The main living space was filled with what Jaune could tell were Vacuoun goods. Colourful pillows and carpets were laid out with a hookah in the centre. The walls were lined with art, books, and trinkets Brawnz and his companions gathered.
It felt like a lived-in space; the occupants put a lot of time into making their own.
"Heard you guys run a stud farm," Jaune said as he took his seat at the table. "How's it going?"
"It's only a part-time deal since we farm or hunt for most of our cash," Brawnz replied as he retrieved the tea. "But, my dad worked as a horse breeder in Vacuo, so that's where I picked it up. Because Vacuo sucks, May, Roy, and Nolan came with me to Vale. So, far it's worked out."
"And you don't have to watch your back out here," May added.
Vacuo really that bad?
"Carnelian told us you were elected as the local representative after you emigrated to Vale," Weiss stated, moving the conversation along. "Are you able to work with the nearby farmers and procure food or supplies for our group?"
"Yeah, as long as you pay, you'll get your deliveries," Brawnz replied. "We do it for a couple towns or merchants in Vale since we have a decent surplus."
"What about five hundred lien per delivery, every two weeks," Jaune suggested. "That enough to feed twenty people?"
"Six hundred, and we'll throw some extra stuff in there. You won't get just the basics."
"I can bring in some wild game, too," May said.
Hmmm, some choice cuts of venison or boar?
Jaune looked to Ruby and Weiss. "How do we feel about it?"
"Since you're picking fruits from our orchard, I believe it's also fair to ask for three per cent of whatever produce is harvested or products you make," Weiss proposed. "You can then tell the villagers they have free access to all seven hundred acres of orchards."
"Yeah, that way, it's a legal deal," Ruby added. "Nobody needs to worry about anyone stealing or getting arrested."
The two teens looked at each other. An unspoken exchange was shared between them, causing Brawnz to nod as he thought about it.
"I don't want to make enemies of some Beacon students, so we'll let the guys know," Brawnz replied, acknowledging their ownership. "If we let it sit, someone might try to fight you and get the crap beat out of them or worse."
Jaune didn't want it to come to that. The difference in the strength of an adventurer and a random farmer was too great for their survival. Despite Ruby's weakness in fisticuffs, she could have knocked out a full-grown man if she wanted to. That was the lower tier of their party. Someone like Jaune, Yang, or Nora may have killed them.
"Then the food deliveries are still on the table," Jaune asked, pulling a sack of lien from his side. "We'll pay upfront." He then removed six golden coins from the purse and slid them across the table.
"I don't think any of the farmers will say no to the gold," Brawnz expressed, standing and reaching out with one hand. "My friends and I will reach out to some of the other villages and get everything here, and we'll drop it at the manor."
The three adventurers and May rose, shaking each other's hands. A deal had been made between the group and the nearby villages.
Taking their leave of the house, the door was shut as they left. Walking back to the yard, Jaune could hear the pair talking inside. He didn't care enough to listen in, continuing on the path back to the manor.
"Okay, Ruby, jump on," Jaune said, crouching low enough for the girl to use him as a mount.
She eagerly leapt onto his back, using his shoulders to stabilise herself. Jaune hiked her up slightly to adjust her weight. With the Reaper in position, the trio began their trip back home.
"That's so much better than walking..."
[Later that night: Yang]
"Ahhhh, yeah~," Yang groaned as she settled into the large tub in the bathhouse. She had a large tankard of beer in her right hand. "That's better... This was the right move, girls."
Around her, the rest of the female half of the party lounged in the steam-filled basement. Pyrrha tread around the deeper side of the pool. Weiss sat on the edge of the bath. Ruby rested on a ledge below in the shallow end. Nora was guzzling a tankard of beer before going back for another round. Blake inhabited the lone tub, reading a book as she soaked.
Whatever magic this thing had, it felt like Yang's energy returned to her. The week of feeling miserable and soreness of getting the shit kicked out of her melted away. The cold beer fresh from the cellar and the questionable cheese made it so Yang didn't want to leave her spot.
This place is gonna be awesome come winter...
"Weiss, how far have you gotten on yours and Jaune's love shack," Yang asked, slipping in a tease at the end.
The girl went red-faced immediately upon the words 'love shack' entering her brain. A quick glimpse from Yang's vampire mind-reading told her precisely what lewd thoughts came to mind. The two hopeless idiots cuddling on a couch, basking in the warmth of the fireplace while a blizzard raged outside.
God, she's such a romantic.
Rather than fall into the trap, Weiss somehow swallowed the blush deep down. The rest of the group snorted and snickered but didn't join in on the jests. They immediately looked elsewhere or might be the target for a thrashing by Weiss or Yang's jokes.
"I have not finished cleaning my room yet," Weiss answered firmly, glaring at Yang. "I still need to decide where the rest of the workshop will be located or if we will even keep it in the cottage. The first floor may just be our lab with a portion of it taken as a living space."
As another girl spoke up, Yang felt something in the immediate area. It was magical in nature. Certainly not a human or faunus. The mere presence of it set her hair on end.
Where is it?
[Jaune: At the Same Time]
Meanwhile, the guys were crowded into the kitchen. Night had fallen, leaving the group with little to do until sunrise. They merely gathered around the oven with a jar of slow-cooked baked beans, eating whatever else they had on hand.
"So, we definitely should go peek," Sun suggested, sitting in a chair tucked in the kitchen corner.
"This isn't a light novel, Sun," Ren replied from the countertop, reading a light novel himself. "And I'm sure Jaune and I are unwilling to give up on life for a peek."
"He, I'm joking," Sun said with a snort. "Too much of a coward to try..."
Jaune himself probably would have gotten roped into attempting to sneak in. It was the kind of thing some of the guys back in Bar would try. There would have been a few murders had the town possessed a bathhouse.
"Ugh, I'm gonna head in for the night," Jaune announced, rising from the floor. "Nothing to do..."
"He's definitely gonna try it."
...
Making his way into the dark cottage, Jaune wandered up to his room. Throwing the door open, all there was for him to sleep on was an old bed he laid a bedroll on. Dropping his belt and knife on the nightstand, Jaune rolled onto the rigid platform and tried to make himself comfortable.
What's the next step?
With the food situation sorted out, the rest of the manor needed repairs. For that, the group needed money to make it happen. Going back to the Ruined City was an option, but Jaune didn't know if his friends were in shape to make it happen. He could make it with a few, supported by Dr Oobleck and others; however, he didn't want to rob his friends of the journey.
Need to make a few smaller quests for quick cash... That should be the easiest way to do it. Better for coin than trading the loot in.
*Knock*Knock*Knock*
Hmmm?
Getting up, Jaune walked to the door. He pulled it open and found Pyrrha standing beyond the threshold in a nightgown. The expression painted on the girl's face was nervous, with a full blush haven taken it over.
"Uhh, Pyrrha," Jaune called out to her.
"J-Jaune, I wanted to talk to you about something," she shyly spoke, stuttering due to her nerves.
"Yeah, come in..."
Guiding her inside, Jaune moved to stand at his bedside. Pyrrha wandered to the window, looking out at the dimly lit house. The boy confusedly watched her, waiting to hear whatever she had to say. It wasn't until she looked at him that he felt himself overcome with a wave of intense lust.
"I wanted to tell you that I really liked you," Pyrrha said, moving closer to him.
Wha... No way.
As she stood up to Jaune, Pyrrha grabbed his hands, interlacing her fingers with his. She pressed herself against him, locking lips in an intense kiss that made Jaune's heart race. Continuing to lead, she pushed the boy until his legs hit the bed, causing him to fall onto it.
Pyrrha began climbing onto him, straddling him as she reached for his hands. The Spartan guided them to her sides, grinding against Jaune and causing his libido to be set alight. His heart racing a million times per second.
As she went to tug his pants down, a green aura flashed across her body. The image of Pyrrha was replaced with another. A beautiful blonde-haired woman with glowing green eyes was above him. She was garbed in revealing clothing, barely covering her breasts or crotch with two massive leathery wings sprouting from her back.
What the fuck?!
Jaune didn't think, throwing a fist out and catching her right in the jaw. The woman toppled over onto the floor, crying out in pain. Before she could get up, Jaune swiftly grabbed his knife and tackled her back to the floor. A hand over her mouth and Jaune's bodyweight securely held her in place as he raised the blade above his head.
"Mmmmhmmm," the woman cried into Jaune's hand, raising her hands to shield herself.
Jaune removed his hand, keeping the knife up and ready to deliver a killing blow. "What?"
"P-Please don't hurt me," she pleaded, trying to turn her head from Jaune. "I-I'll leave."
Theresia?
It was that girl from the magic shop. The one who worked the desk. She was a succubus.
Before Jaune could stand to open a window, Theresia punched him in the chest. The magnitude of the blow was enough to throw him off the floor and crash into the ceiling. His knife flew from his hand. Jaune barely could brace himself as he slammed into the floor, landing right on the blade. The tip of the knife digging deep into his thigh.
As he yelled in pain, Yang came through the wall. Not crashing through it, but walking through a solid surface like she was immaterial. She grappled Theresia, putting one of her arms in a lock she couldn't escape from and an elongated fingernail up to the succubus' throat. The sharpened nail dug into the skin above her jugular vein, threatening to pierce it with a bit of added pressure.
"Bitch, you will fly out of that window right fucking now, or I'll rip your throat out," Yang growled, bearing deep reddened eyes and a pair of long fangs. "Don't fucking play with me!"
Theresia bolted to the window without hesitation. Throwing it open and breaking the frame, she scrambled to the roof outside. With one flap of her wings, she set out in the direction of Vale. The figures of Jaune and Yang's friends emerged from the house only to witness the large creature fleeing the property.
"Shit," Jaune yelled, grabbing at his leg. "I wasn't gonna hurt her!"
"She didn't know that," Yang replied, reaching down and grabbing Jaune. Allowing him to use her as a crutch, she began walking to the stairs. "She was scared you were..." Yang hiked him up to get a better hold on the boy. "Probably wanted you for your magic. You and Weiss gotta bunch."
As they reached the first floor, Elm broke the door down. The massive woman completely shattered the brittle oak planks like they were glass. Behind her, Sun and Ren grabbed whatever weapons they could and backed the woman up.
"Shit, dude," Sun shouted, going to help Yang carry Jaune. "Come on, buddy! Let's get that fixed and grab a drink. You won't feel it after we get a couple in you."
Jaune, don't fall into temptation! Follow the ways of the righteous paladins!
Which is funny because every paladin I've played with ends up as bad as the bard or the rogue in the party. My current legionary paladin is pretty much a mixture of Rogal Dorn and Roboute Gulliman, so he's the most dense human being ever that lives to forge and build shit.