The next time Ruby awoke, Summer was not there, but rather a strange man whom Ruby did not recognize. He wore an outfit very similar to Summer's, and so his face was concealed by the same beaked hood that Ruby had seen Summer wearing not too long ago.
"The Mentor calls for you, girl. Rise." His voice was deep and scratchy, much like Qrow's. But this was not Qrow, that was for sure. The man helped Ruby sit up, then spoke once more, "Mentore has prepared something for you to wear." He motioned to the seat where Summer had sat earlier, and in it was a pile of light grey and red fabric. In front of the chair, on the floor were two brown leather, knee high boots.
The man exited the room and Ruby slowly pushed herself to the edge of the bed, careful not to reopen her wound. She carefully got dressed, somehow avoiding too many spikes in pain from her wound. She didn't know how long it had been since she received it, but if her mother believed that she was ready to move about, then she was probably fine.
Once Ruby got the robes on, she noticed that they were very similar to what she had seen Summer and that man wearing, except they were a lot more barren than what she had seen the others wearing. These were clearly the robes of a novice. The light grey robes covered her torso and most of her legs, a pair of similarly colored pants covered the rest, meeting the boots at the knees. The robes went all the way to her knees in the back, however the front just barely covered her thighs. The only areas that weren't light grey were the areas where there were darker grey stripes, they lined the sides of the robes at the hem, and stretched all the way up to her shoulders. The robes were held closed by a red sash that was tied around Ruby's waist. There was a leather belt shaped like a Y stop of that, and some kind of sheath wrapped around her chest. Lastly, there were thin, brown leather gloves, which Ruby opted to slide onto her belt for now. The only other piece of the outfit Ruby left off was the hood, as she did not see a reason to don it just yet.
Now completely dressed, Ruby stepped out of the small room, where the man was waiting.
"Follow." He commanded, slowly walking away. Ruby had a hard time keeping up as he led her past the many rooms just like hers, as her wound still hurt her. But he did not slow for her. He led her back into the room she had seen before, when Summer brought her in, at least that's how it seemed. The room was identical to the other, but there was no entrance, so it must have been a separate room.
Ruby's leather boots made no noise as she slowly staggered down the red carpet path. The carpet stretched across the length of the large room, intricate and ornate candle stands holding it in place and illuminating the stone room in dim flickering light. Large, stone columns stood tall, reaching for the ceiling and convening in beautiful archways that were bathed in darkness. Occasional flickers of light revealed such arches, as well as an unlit chandelier.
None of this scenery seemed important to Ruby, all that she could focus on was the woman sitting at a wooden desk at the end of the path, elevated by a short platform that was covered in the same red carpet that served as a path. The man's feet stopped just in front of the platform and he kneeled, so Ruby quickly decided to do the same.
"Il Mentore," he said, removing his hood. The man had plain black hair, tied into a short ponytail behind his head. His face was covered in a short goatee with a beard coming in around it. On the right side of his upper lip was a scar that stretched down to his lower lip.
Summer looked up and he stood, so Ruby did as well. "You may go." She told the man. He pulled his hood back over his head and quickly retreated back down the path, disappearing behind a pair of large, wooden doors that closed with an echoing thud. This caused Ruby to jump, but Summer did not, no doubt because she had anticipated such a noise.
"I'm glad to see that you're awake." Summer told her, rising from her desk and smiling kindly.
"I take it that you're in charge here?" Ruby asked, trying not to sound as though she was in pain. Summer simply nodded.
"Those robes suit you." She told Ruby. "We'll make an assassin out of you yet."
"When do I start?" Ruby asked.
"You're training will begin as soon as I grant you a Hidden Blade." Summer told her. Ruby opened her mouth to ask another question, but Summer spoke yet again. "You will receive one once you learn the Assassin's Creed."
"Alright." Ruby nodded.
"The first; Stay your blade from the flesh of an innocent. Our goal is to ensure peace in all things, however, the only way to achieve such peace is through the death of the corrupt. And with the absence of the corrupt, we shall bring not only that, but with it security to the common folk. Slaying innocents that did not need to be slain could spread strife and discord, in addition to ruining our fine name.
"The second; Hide in plain sight. Be unseen. Our goal is to get close to our targets stealthily. The greatest illusion from such assassinations is that we seemingly materialize out of thin air, killed a corrupt figure, then vanished into the crowd.
"Lastly; Never compromise The Brotherhood. The actions of one must never bring harm to all. The actions of one must never bring harm to all. If an Assassin fails in his or her duty, and is captured or chased, he or she must never commit any action or say anything that could be tied back to the Brotherhood, or bring harm to any member of it. Do you swear to abide by such rules?"
Ruby nodded. "Good," Summer said. "But this does not make you an assassin. You must earn such a title." Ruby nodded again. She understood the practice of earning a rank? But she had yet to do in a military situation, which the Assassins seemed to very well be; a military organization. Like the Hunters, but much more secretive, but instead of fighting the Grimm, they fought the rich, and the corrupt. It seemed a much more noble cause, doing all this good and expecting nothing in return. They wanted nothing more than to help people. Just like Ruby had always wanted. The killing seemed immoral, like injustice….
Yet again, Ruby lived in a society where a killer's punishment was death. So how was this any different? They sought justice. And justice they would find, with or without Ruby's aid.