A/N: Oh wow guys! This story has already gotten over 10,000 views. Thank you so much! As said I have a surprise in mind for everyone reading this story. You will have to wait for the next chapter to see it.

Now onto the story.

[...]

There were two major things Aaron learned in his week of training Ruby. The first was that she was a fast learner. Ruby ate up any challenge her teacher threw at her. She progressed past floating a rock to breaking boulders in the Emerald Forest. In regards to wards, she cast some basic ones that protected from scratches and the like. Due to Rhunӧn's ward piercing enchantments, Redemption cut right through Ruby's Aura, something that most weapons here couldn't do. Either she encountered or heard about Aura before, or some combination of spells worked together. The only reason she still had arms was because Aaron blocked his sword's edge before Ruby arrived at the arena that first day. Her mental attacks became more and more vicious as time went on. The state of her defenses, however, Aaron nor Nalia could judge due to their inability to assault other minds.

Secondly, Aaron was completely outclassed in physical combat. While he technically won every one of their sparring matches, Ruby always held back. Her semblance gave her too much of an advantage, and the wards to fend off the Dust rounds fired from Crescent Rose ate up too much of Aaron's energy. He needed his Aura unlocked so both of them could use their full strength. Pyrrha offered to unlock his Aura at one point, but Aaron rejected because of the… intimacy of the process.

Ruby also could attack from an incredible range. In fact, most students, law enforcement, and even civilians had weapons that could attack from far away. Aaron needed a weapon to attack from range. A bow and arrow seemed like the logical choice to someone who trained in using them, but the range and power of such a weapon were out classed so heavily by something that could almost fit in the palm of a hand. So after a prearranged spar between him and Elena, that he was heading to now with Ruby, the three of them would head to the Armory to find a ranged type of weapon for the Rider and Claymore they both could use to even the odds.

"So how's Cerise doing today?" Aaron asked Ruby as they left the dorms.

Ruby beamed at the thought of her dragon. "She's doing great! She killed an Ursa today by herself. Nalia took out the other three, but she got one!"

Aaron chuckled. "That's one more than I have. She coming back yet, or is she still hunting?"

"She's been flying back for a few minutes now." As a confirmation, a loud roar came from behind the two. Aaron turned his head and saw the not-so-small red dragon flying right toward them, or more specifically, Ruby. Knowing what was coming, the older Rider took a few steps away from his student. Ruby's shoulders tensed up. "Here we go again."

Cerise slammed into her Rider at full force. Aaron winced. That had to hurt, even through Aura and wards. The scar on Cerise' leg caught his eye. For whatever reason, the scales there refused to regrow. It wasn't infected, and the skin beneath had healed, so Aaron saw no reason why they shouldn't be growing back. The dragon didn't seem to notice though, so the Rider stopped worrying.

Ruby playfully shoved Cerise' head away from her own. "You're getting a little too big to keep doing that," she said.

Cerise stepped back a few steps to let her Rider up. I will only be too big when your Aura is drained in one hit.

"She's got you there, Ruby," Aaron laughed.

"By the way, nice job with that Ursa." Ruby patted her dragon on the shoulder.

Cerise puffed out her chest. The first of many, I'm sure.

"Ruby, I believe we should get going. I don't want to make Elena wait any longer than she needs to."

"Oh, right." Ruby turned and led the way to the same Arena they had their first spar at. Cerise walked alongside her. "What else are you and Nalia doing today?"

Nalia is taking me on 'agility' training in the mountains. Not sure what she means exactly, but I'm guessing it's to work on flying close to cliffs without hitting them. Aaron smirked. Cerise didn't say anything wrong, but she didn't know about what she had to carry while flying.

"She's not pushing you too hard, is she?" Ruby asked.

Not at all. She knows my limits before I do.

"Nalia's been through the training before," Aaron said, "and on a much more strict and challenging regimen. We aren't trained in teaching though, so we're making this up as we go along." And probably missing some important things.

Ruby laughed. "What would your teachers say if they saw your teaching style?"

"I'm not sure if they'd berate me or congratulate me, or some combination."

"Well I think you've been a great teacher so far."

"Let's see if you have that same opinion when we move away from combat." By that point, the group was just outside the arena. Cerise turned around and flew off to the mountains while Aaron and Ruby walked inside. Inside Elena was waiting for them and surprisingly Professor Goodwitch was there as well.

"Hey guys," Elena called out.

"Hey Elena," Ruby waved at the young Claymore. "Where's Teresa? I thought she would be here to see this?"

Professor Goodwitch quickly adjusted her glasses before answering the younger Rider's question. "Professor Silver is currently tracking a particularly dangerous Grimm with Professor Port out in the Emerald Forest. She has asked me to oversee this sparring match between Mister Benson and Miss Silver."

"Oh," Ruby said a tiny bit disappointed that Teresa wasn't going to make it.

"Now If you are ready Mister Benson, please take your position," Professor Goodwitch said.

[Play: This is it - Oh the Larceny]

Aaron walked over to his starting position while Elena walked over to hers. They both drew their blades at the same time.

"Elena, you already know the name of my sword," Aaron said. "But let me ask you this. What is the name of your claymore?"

A smile formed on the young Claymore's face. "Someone once told me that my claymore is a representation of myself and if I were to name it, I should go with a single word that best describes myself." She momentarily looked at the crimson emblem that was etched into the blade. Her emblem. "I have thought long and hard about this. There is only one single word that describes me the best. That word is Empathy and that is the name of my claymore."

"It suits you," Aaron responded.

"Thank you," Elena replied. "But I have to warn you. Like Redemption, Empathy and her sisters can pass through Aura." there was a slight pause and her voice lowered to only a whisper that only Aaron could hear. "There is also a possibility that she can pass through your wards as well." Elena raised Empathy and entered a battle stance.

Aaron raised Redemption and took his own battle stance. "Thank you for the warning. Now are you ready?"

Elena simply nodded.

"Then let us begin," Aaron said.

For a few moments the two began to circle each other. Elena was the first to make a move as she rushed the older Rider and swung Empathy in a right to left downward motion. Aaron managed to raise Redemption in time to block the strike. He expected the speed but he didn't expect the raw strength behind the attack. The young Claymore followed up with another strike similar to the first. Again Aaron blocked it, but only just.

Elena swung again but missed entirely until she continued the motion and spun her body around to make the next strike stronger. Aaron was forced down to one knee when he blocked the attack.

The young Claymore pressed on the attack but the older Rider saw an opening and quickly counter attacked Elena with an upward swing of his sword. Elena barely managed to duck under the sword swing, but Aaron managed to continue the attack and force her to take a few steps back. The noise in the arena grew as each time Redemption and Empathy clashed against each other.

Changing up tactics, the young Claymore side stepped a sword swing and quickly spun around Aaron's side. The moment she faced his back, Elena swung Empathy at the older Rider in a right to left horizontal motion. At the last possible second she twisted her sword so that the flat part of the blade would hit the older Rider instead of the edge of the sword itself.

Aaron expected the hit but didn't expect to see himself completely knocked off his feet. After landing a couple of feet away from where he was, he quickly noticed a sizable pain on his right side. Aaron what happened? Nalia asked with a bit of concern for her Rider.

I'm alright, Aaron mentally replied to his dragon. Elena's a lot stronger than she looks and she did warn me of the possibility of her claymore having the ability to pass through wards.

Be careful. I want you to still be standing when we give Ruby and Cerise their gift later, Nalia told her Rider.

A slight smile formed on Aaron's face and he mentally nodded to Nalia. As the older Rider stood up, he whispered a few words in the ancient language causing the pain in his side to quickly disappear.

"Are you alright Aaron?" Elena asked, feeling a bit guilty from hitting the older Rider so hard.

"I'm fine," Aaron replied as he patted his side to make sure he didn't miss any other injuries. "How about next time you stop right before Empathy makes impact with my body again."

The young Claymore nodded and they both walked back to their starting positions. After a couple of seconds both Rider and Claymore continued their spar. This time Aaron was the first to attack. He went for a slash at her right shoulder but again Elena blocked it quite easily.

Elena tried to counter with an upward right to left swing to Aaron's chest but Aaron managed to bring Redemption in front of himself and deflected the attack away. The older Rider swung Redemption at the young Claymore's left flank but again was blocked by Empathy.

After a minute of attacking and blocking, Aaron decided it was time to go for a more defensive approach. Elena pressed on trying to find an opening only for everyone of her attacks to be expertly deflected or blocked. Elena again spun around to build up the momentum of her attack. That is when Aaron saw his chance. He quickly ducked under a right to left downward swing from Elena and managed to swing Redemption fast enough that the young Claymore only a few seconds to react. The older Rider stopped his attack the moment his sword was less than a couple of inches from Elena's neck. At the same time a smile formed on Elena's face.

Something in the back of Aaron's mind was telling him that this moment was all too familiar for him. "Looks like I won this round," he said. The young Claymore only raised an eyebrow then nodded towards where Empathy was pointed. The older Rider looked to where Elena had Empathy pointed at. The tip of the claymore's blade was millimeters away from Aaron's crotch. Normally Aaron would see this as a dirty trick, but there was a rule to this his friend Brom had explained to him. For men it was completely dishonorable to do such a thing. But for women they had every right to pull such a move on any male opponent. Even a fellow female Riders he sparred with on occasion before the Fall did this.

The older Rider sighed. "Okay, I admit defeat. You win this spar."

[End Song]

Both Rider and Claymore withdrew their blades and resheathed them. Suddenly someone started clapping. They both turned their heads to see Teresa standing at the sidelines with Ruby and Professor Goodwitch.

"Mister Benson, Elena, you both did splendidly," Teresa said with a hint of pride leaking into her voice. "As such I will personally pay for the new weapons you both had planned on getting."

"Umm, thank you?" Aaron wasn't sure what to say.

"As said, from what I have seen, both of you have enough combat experience and skill to enter Beacon's next initiation this weekend." Professor Goodwitch said as she adjusted her glasses. "I look forward to seeing both of you in my class next semester." With that, Professor Goodwitch started walking towards the center of Beacon.

Aaron turned his head back to the Silver-eyed professor to see her hand something to Ruby. The young Silver-eyed Rider nodded and walked over to the older Rider and young Claymore.

"Come on guys! Let's go to the armory!" Ruby said enthusiastically. "We should hurry if you two want some practice at the firing range."

"Lead the way," Elena said.

Ruby happily led both Rider and Claymore to the armory. As they left the arena, Aaron started up a small conversation. "When did Professor Silver arrive to see us spar?" he asked.

"It was when Elena managed to land that blow to your side," Ruby replied. "Also that had to hurt a lot."

"It did." Aaron turned his head towards the young Claymore. "Thank you for not slicing me in half back there."

Elena simply nodded.

"Anyway here we are," Ruby said as they walked up the armory's store entrance. The building was actually very close to the arena they were at moments ago. As the small group walked inside they could see the walls were lined with all sorts of merchandise. Weapons ranged from simple knives to what Ruby called a 'double-barreled rocket launcher.' The armor showcased varied from vests and other patches that could fit under clothes to the full sets of plate armor that was worn in Alagaësia. Aaron had his ruined jacket repaired and brought it here to get it armored. Armored clothing was fairly popular, if looking around at the students in the cafeteria and fellow company proved anything.

"What exactly are you both looking for?" Ruby asked.

"Something small, or something that's good at both short and long range," Aaron said.

"Something unique that can shoot at long range but also can fire short range if I'm ever in a bad situation," Elena said. "Also something preferably that I can holster on my back." She pointed to the empty slot on the special scabbard that was attached to her back.

Ruby brought a hand to her chin, as if in deep thought. "A pistol or an assault rifle, maybe a shotgun as well." She walked over to a display case with various types of handguns. She pointed to one of the larger ones inside. "How about the Desert Falcon? Technically both this and Crescent Rose are .50 cals, but the ammo is completely different. Back to this thing, it's fairly close range, but it does the job. If adjusted right, it can have some good stopping power. Looks like this one can fire eight rounds before reloading."

Aaron looked in the case. The Desert Falcon was definitely the thickest handgun in there, but it still looked relatively easy to handle with one hand. "This one looks good for a tight situation," he said.

"That's what mom said. She has one herself," Elena said looking at the gun.

Ruby nodded then walked over to a wall labeled 'assault rifles.' "As for one of these, I'd suggest the V4. It's getting old, but it's reliable. Police have been using it for years. The military used it when it first came out, but they've upgraded in the past few years."

"What's the purpose of the ridges on the barrel?" Aaron asked.

"Various attachments. A flashlight, another grip," Ruby smirked, "a grenade launcher."

Aaron raised an eyebrow. "Grenades are those small, metal things that blow up, right?" Ruby nodded, and Aaron grinned. "Okay, I'll have to check this one out too."

"What about you Elena?" Ruby asked. Ruby noticed the young Claymore wasn't standing next to the two Riders and was looking at a small selection of guns labeled 'Hybrids.'

Ruby walked over to the young Silver-eyed warrior. "These weapons here are the ancestors of the many weapons Huntsmen and Huntresses use out in the field everyday. Even my very own Crescent Rose can trace her origins back to one of these guns," Ruby explained. "If you were to choose one of these, I'd recommend the Daikal IZH-46. It's one of the Under/Over family gun types and can shoot both shotgun shells and rifle rounds. Also this is one of the first hybrid weapons Atlas ever made for both professional and civilian use. All in all, it's a classic."

"I would very much like to try it." Elena said humbly.

"Great! I'll talk to the quartermaster and see about getting you both some test weapons." While Ruby ran off to talk to the man behind the thick pane of glass, Aaron and Elena looked around some more. The older Rider's eyes rested on the shields in the back corner. He always fought with a shield back in Alagaësia, and he did miss having one when he sparred with both Elena and Ruby. He was glad he ordered one of them when he brought in his jacket.

After a few minutes, Ruby waved Elena and Aaron to the back room. The Desert Falcon, V4 and the Daikal IZH-46 lay on a table inside along with three pairs of earmuffs. "Quartermaster said only two magazines for the Falcon and V4, and six of both ammo types for the Daikal," Ruby said.

"Where is he anyway?" Aaron asked. "Shouldn't he be here when people are testing weapons?"

"Pfft, he knows me, and I know more about some of the weapons here than he does." She picked up the Falcon and one set of earmuffs and walked over to the firing line. "First off, never point a gun at someone unless you intend to shoot them." Ruby listed off several firearm safety rules that seemed like common sense to Aaron, but those rules are made for a reason.

After finishing her lecture on safety, Ruby put on her earmuffs and motioned for both Aaron and Elena to do the same. "The safety is on the end of the slide here." She flicked the switch she pointed at, then faced down range. An image of a Beowolf appeared at the far end. "Line up the target in the sights," Ruby brought the gun up to eye level, "And gently ease back on the trigger."

The Desert Falcon made an extremely loud bang heard even through the earmuffs. The gun spat fire and launched a piece of metal flying at the fake Beowolf at incredible speeds. A red light lit up on the Grimm, right in the center of the mask. Ruby fired three more shots, all landed within an inch of the first. The Falcon jumped back in the young Rider's hands after each shot, but she controlled the bucking weapon like an experienced stablehand. She flicked the safety on again and pointed the gun at the ground.

Aaron whistled and removed one side of his earmuffs. "Nice grouping there. I've only seen some elves get that close in such a short time."

Ruby shrugged. "It's been too long since I've fired anything other than Crescent Rose. I'm slipping." She shifted her grip to the barrel of the weapon and offered it to Aaron grip first. As the older Rider stepped up to the firing line, Ruby snapped her head back to the wall behind the three of them. "Why is Nalia having Cerise carry boulders while flying?"

"Because you never know how much she'll need to carry someday. It also builds stamina."

"At least she gets to carry boulders," Elena complained. "I have to split this giant boulder that's as tall as me in half with only my human strength and my claymore."

"Why would you do such a thing?" Ruby asked.

"It builds strength and helps develop and improve the swordsmanship of the person wielding a sword," Aaron explained. "Before the Fall, some of the older Riders did it regularly to improve themselves or even help recover strength they lost after recovering from a serious injury."

"Okay," Ruby said, not really understanding. "Be careful when firing that thing. It has quite the kick." Aaron focused on setting his grip on the Falcon like Ruby had. After a few seconds he had the right grip, then raised the weapon to eye level. A few pieces of iron stuck out of the top of the gun that looked to form a line. Aaron pointed this imaginary line at the Beowolf's chest. He attempted to flick the safety off with an index finger several times before getting it. Ruby snickered behind him.

Aaron slowly pulled back on the trigger. The expected sound and flash came out of the end, but he didn't expect the gun to come flying back at him. He stopped the barrel of the gun only an inch from his nose. "Barzul!" he yelled, using the old dwarvish curse. "You weren't kidding about the kick." he looked downrange at the Beowolf. A red dot appeared roughly where he intended.

"No one ever expects recoil on that level on the first shot." Ruby was visually and audibly trying to hold back a laugh. "Finish your shots with that so Elena can have her turn." Aaron raised the Falcon back to eye level and targeted the dot he made before. Aaron fired the remaining three shots in quick succession. Those shots also hit their target. Even though the gun was empty, he flicked the safety back on.

"This one is definitely an option," Aaron said as he placed the Falcon back on the table.

"I've never seen anybody take to the Desert Falcon so easily," Ruby replied as she quickly reloaded the gun and handed it to Elena. The young Silver-eyed warrior walked up to the firing line and shot down range. Aaron was surprised, the gun only slightly recoiled in her hands. All eight shots landed roughly in the same spot around the fake Beowolf's right eye.

"Oh wow. How did you get so good?" Ruby asked, with a bit of shock in her voice.

"Mom has this same gun. She would let me practice on occasion with it," Elena explained. "It honestly took me a few times not to hit myself in the face before I could fire it properly." she flicked the safety on and placed the gun on the table.

"Well as they say, no pain, no gain." Ruby said as she picked up the Daikal IZH-46. "Okay, now unlike both the Desert Falcon and V4, the Daikal IZH-46 doesn't use a magazine loading system. This gun is what is called a break loading gun." She pointed to a small lever near the top of the gun. "This little lever lets you open the gun up so you can load not just one, but two different types of ammunition into the firing chamber." She pushed the lever with her thumb and the middle of the rifle split and the front half swung forward a bit to reveal the inner ends of two different sized gun barrels. Ruby then explained the two different types of ammunition the rifle used as she picked up one of each ammunition off the table. The younger Rider also explained the differences between similar ammunition types that did and did not work with this particular rifle. After that she loaded a single rifle round and a single shotgun shell into their respective firing barrels and closed the rifle which gave off a simple click sound.

"Now this gun can only hold one round of both ammunition types. This will force you to reload more often. " Ruby said as she continued her lecture. "The safety here," she pointed to a small switch on the top of the gun's second half, "will automatically set itself on whenever you reload as well. So you will have to remember to turn it off everytime you want to fire."

The young Silver-eyed Rider walked up to the firing line. "Now there's two triggers on the Daikal. The first one fires the loaded shotgun shell while the second one fires the rifle round. Also its best to remember the shotgun ammunition is best for close range, while the rifle ammunition is for medium range to long distance sniping." Ruby took aim at a new Beowolf target. As she did she pressed her shoulder into the stock of the rifle and gently squeezed the second trigger. The sound that followed was about half as loud as the Desert Falcon made. This time the bullet landed dead center in the Beowolf's mask. Ruby lowered the barrel of the gun slightly and gently squeezed the first trigger. Another loud bang signaled that the shotgun part of the Daikal had fired and a large section of the Beowolf's left side was covered in red dots. She lowered the Daikal and flick the safety on with her thumb.

"That looks handy in a tight situation," Elena said.

"Care to give it a go Elena?" Ruby asked as she held out the rifle towards the young Claymore.

The young Claymore accepted the offer and took the gun from the young Rider's hands. As she walked up to the firing line, Elena reloaded the Daikal and took aim. She managed to use her right thumb to turn the safety off before firing the rifle round. The bullet impacted into the fake Grimm's nose giving it an odd look that Aaron found a bit funny. Elena aimed again and fired. A large red hole appeared on the center of the Beowolf's bone mask. The young Claymore lowered the Daikal and started to look it over with a large smile on her face.

"So how does it feel?" Ruby asked.

"It's perfect," Elena said joyfully.

"Well you handled it like a pro for the first time. Especially with the shotgun shell," Ruby said confidently. "You did even better than I did when I first shot my first shotgun shell."

"What happened?" Aaron asked.

"I didn't have a proper grip and the shotgun flew out of my arm. I still feel bad for it hitting uncle Qrow below the belt," Ruby said sadly. "I was eight years old then though."

Elena tried and failed to hold back a laugh.

Ruby sighed before focusing her attention back on Aaron. "Would you like to try out the Daikal or move on to the V4?"

Aaron looked over to the rifle in Elena's hands. After a few moments of thought he shook his head. "Let's continue with the V4. I believe I would run into more problems with the Daikal than it will solve. It suits Elena more than myself."

"Alrighty then." As Elena set the Daikal back down on the table Ruby picked up the V4. She ejected the magazine, looked inside, and then pushed it back into place. "This one has less kick and power to each bullet than the Falcon, but fires much faster and has a longer range. The Daikal has the longest range of the three guns, but the V4 makes up for it with how much ammunition it can fire before reloading. The V4 has a standard thirty round magazine, and can fire single shot or a three round burst."

Ruby brought the weapon up to her shoulder and aimed at the Beowolf again. She flicked the safety off then fired one shot, quickly followed by another two. She flicked the safety switch again, and three bullets flew out when she pulled the trigger again. Aaron noticed something about these shots though. They weren't concentrated on one point. It wasn't until Ruby fired three more bursts until Aaron figured out why. Two in the eyes, one in the nose, the rest forming a smile. Ruby had reset the Beowolf target before she fired at it with the V4, but Aaron could have sworn the young Rider hit the same spot on the nose as Elena had a moment before.

"Showing off?" Aaron asked with a smirk on his face.

Ruby shrugged and flicked the safety back to its original position. "When you have the bullets, why not?" She handed the V4 to Aaron. "The safety on this one also controls the fire rate. The first notch is a single shot, the second is the three shot burst."

Aaron took the weapon and stepped up to the firing line. He turned the safety switch to the single-shot position and aimed at the Beowolf. The Rider pulled the trigger and launched a bullet at the fake Grimm. It hit right in the center of the creature's head. Aaron fired two more shots, concentrating on a close grouping. They landed just on either side of the first. Aaron switched the V4 to the burst-fire setting, then fired once at the Beowolf. The three bullets landed one on top of the other. Aaron fired the remaining three bursts into the target, all ending up in the head of the fake Grimm.

The older Rider lowered the weapon and smiled. The V4 felt right. It wasn't as good of a connection between him and Redemption, but then again, nothing could come that close. "I like this one," he said.

"Are you sure you both never shot a gun before arriving on Remnant?" Ruby asked, her tone suggesting that she was in a state just short of awe.

"I've never even heard of guns before I came here," Aaron said.

"Guns don't even exist where I'm from," Elena responded.

Aaron flicked the safety back on and set the V4 back on the table. "So what's the purchasing process like here? I know Professor Silver is paying for our guns but something tells me it's different than it is at a clothes shop in the city."

"It's not too different. We need to let the quartermaster know we're done then pay up at the booth. He'll need to see your ID too. You both have your Scroll on you, right?" Ruby asked.

Aaron dug into his pocket and felt around for the device he received from Ozpin only two days before. He didn't understand most things it could do, but he did know that it at least could be used for long distance communication and identification. As expected, the Scroll sat inside one of the side pockets on his jeans. "I have it."

"Same here," Elena said, holding up her own Scroll as well.

Ruby nodded, then knocked on the door to the back room. A few seconds later the quartermaster came out and started to talk with the younger Rider. Aaron meanwhile sent his thoughts out to Nalia. How is Cerise doing? He asked.

She is carrying about a quarter of her weight with no problem, Nalia responded, a hint of pride in her mental voice. I think she's ready. She just needs to be fitted.

You have the surprise stored somewhere, don't you?

In our cave. I'll send Cerise back to the Dragonhouse while I fetch it. Aaron pulled back into his own mind just as Ruby apparently finished saying something funny to the quartermaster. The man grabbed the three weapons and spare ammunition, then walked back into the backroom.

"Did I miss something?" Aaron asked his student.

"Nothing you would understand," Ruby said, trying to hold back a laugh. "Come on, Ash said he'll meet us around front." Aaron shrugged as ruby led the small up to the supposedly bulletproof glass.

"You find what you were looking for?" the quartermaster named Ash asked.

Elena nodded. "I'm going to go with the Daikal IZH-46. Is it possible to get it in the colors that I would like and some sort of attachment that makes aiming easier?"

Ash nodded. "What colors would you like?"

"Silver and black with a crimson trim. And if possible have my emblem in crimson on there as well."

"Alright," Ash said as he typed up Elena's customization request. "Would you like any bullet or shell holders as well?"

"Yes please." Elena said grateful for the suggestion.

Ash nodded and finished typing up the order. He then turned his attention to Aaron. "Did you find anything you liked?"

"I think I'm going to go with the V4," Aaron said. "I believe I also have two other things reserved as well."

"I'm going to need to see ID from the both of you." Aaron and Elena handed their Scrolls to Ash through the depression between the glass and the wooden ledge. Ash first placed Elena's Scroll under a red light then Aaron's. Something beeped when Aaron's Scroll was scanned and the quartermaster looked at something Aaron couldn't see.

"It looks like you have a shield and an armored jacket to pick up. I'll go grab them from around back." Ash disappeared into the backroom. Ruby began telling Aaron and Elena about the various weapons in the main room. She started out slow and picked up speed as she talked. The two followed along for the most part, but Aaron couldn't understand more than half of what his student said. He also believed the young Claymore had the same trouble as well.

Luckily Ash returned from the backroom before Ruby could burn herself out. He placed the shield, jacket, and V4 in a drawer on his side of the glass. "Your guns have already been paid for. Will the rest be going on your student account or will you be paying in some other way?"

"Student account will be fine." That was the only way Aaron could pay for his shield and jacket. While he still had a substantial amount of Lien from his… activities in his first two weeks in Vale, it wouldn't cover half of the cost for his shield.

Ash nodded and pressed a few buttons. "Okay, you're both all set." He pushed the drawer on his side and it opened in front of Aaron. "Hope these serve you well. Ruby, don't let him hurt himself with anything here."

Ruby laughed. "Don't worry, he's a natural with the V4."

Ash nodded and turned his attention towards the young Claymore. "Your Daikal will be ready for you in a couple of days."

"If possible can you possibly fix my sheath so it can hold the Daikal on the left side?" Elena asked the quartermaster.

"Sure thing. Just place it in the drawer when you are ready."

As Elena began to remove the scabbard on her back, Aaron grabbed his jacket out of the drawer and held it up. The hole Ruby accidentally made was sewed up expertly. No trace of blood existed either. The jacket itself weighed a little heavier. The only visible armor plates rested on the shoulders and elbows. The front and back felt like they were filled with a mix of plate armor and some type of armor Aaron didn't recognize. He turned the jacket around and saw the emblem he asked to be sewed on: A white silhouette of a dragon in full flight. Aaron smiled and put the jacket on, barely noticing the weight increase.

The older Rider slung his new V4 over his back, then picked up and inspected his shield. The same emblem on his back gleamed on the metal shield, only in forest green instead of white. Overall, the initial impressions of his new equipment were good, but Aaron wouldn't know how it all held up until he got in a fight. He looked back up at Ash as Elena was putting her sheath into the drawer. "Thank you for your service, sir," he said.

Ash smiled and nodded. "Come back anytime." With that Aaron, Elena and Ruby left the armory.

"Hey guys, I'm going to head out and try to split that boulder in half again." Elena said as she held Empathy.

"Good luck and have fun," Ruby said.

And with that the Riders and Claymore went their own directions. Both Aaron and Ruby headed back to the Dragonhouse to give the younger Rider a chance to earn that title.

[...]

"Why is Nalia having Cerise come back early?" Ruby asked.

"You two are going to do some training together," Aaron responded.

"So, we're testing each other's mental capabilities again?"

"That's part of it."

Ruby narrowed her eyes. "Why do you have to be so cryptic about everything?"

Aaron smirked. "This time I just want to see the look on your face when Nalia arrives." Ruby blinked a few times. This was either really good or really bad.

Cerise was already waiting in the Dragonhouse when the two Riders arrived. For once, she didn't tackle Ruby on sight. She just looked over at her Rider and hummed. Apparently boulders are easier to break than they are to carry, she told Ruby.

Come on, it couldn't have been that bad, Ruby said as she patted her dragon on the shoulder. You're not about to collapse.

The red dragon nodded. Nalia has some other plans for today that I'll need my strength for. I don't know what.

Aaron said that we'll be training together on something, but I don't know what that could be.

"Nalia's almost here," Aaron called as he walked over to the pair. "Let's see if I can time this right."

"You have some sort of dramatic reveal planned?" Ruby asked.

Aaron smirked. "Something like that. Now, I'd like to say that you two are progressing far faster than I expected. It might be Nalia's and my training techniques, but I'm expecting it's you two. I've never heard of a human Rider able to split a boulder with only a few days of training, and Cerise is growing at an extremely fast rate, even for a dragon." Ruby blushed and Cerise looked away.

The main door of the Dragonhouse opened slowly, revealing Nalia holding something in one of her front paws. "Now it's time for the both of you to know why we're called Dragon Riders." Nalia dropped what she was carrying and Ruby gasped. It was a saddle. There was nothing fancy about it, just a plain, brown leather saddle.

Ruby couldn't hold back her smile. It was a blank slate. She could do anything she wanted with it. As long as it fit Cerise, it was perfect. Cerise shared in her Rider's excitement. The red dragon walked up to the saddle and looked it over herself. She gently flipped it over and sniffed it. Cerise nodded, satisfied.

"Normally, you'd be taught how to make your own, but honestly," Aaron scratched the back of his neck, "I'm terrible at it. After several less than adequate attempts, my friend Brom helped me out. He actually made most of it while I just helped with measuring and fitting."

"I'm sure I could figure it out myself." Ruby walked over to the saddle herself and knelt down beside it. She looked over the straps and ran them through her hands. They felt both smooth yet strong. "How hard was it to find one with straps this long?"

Aaron sighed. "Finding a place that sells saddles was hard enough. Only one in the city would extend the straps to that length. Trust me, in the coming months, you'll need every inch."

Ruby picked up the saddle, looked over at Cerise, then back at Aaron. "How exactly do I put this on?" Over the next ten minutes, Aaron explained the proper way to saddle a dragon, from where to place it on Cerise' back to how tight the straps should be. Ruby insisted on doing all the work herself with Aaron only telling her what to do.

When Cerise was properly saddled, she stood up and moved all her joints to make sure she could still move. She snorted her approval. This will work, she said. It's light and it doesn't impede my movements too much.

Ruby smiled, then thought of something that could be a problem on a long flight. "Do saddles chafe?" she asked.

Aaron shook his head. "Only if you clamp your legs." he looked over at Ruby, "Just trust Cerise and leave the flying to her. You'll be relaxed in no time."

"Good to know."

Would you two stop talking? Cerise asked as she shook her back end. Get over here so we can fly. Ruby didn't need to be told twice. She jumped from the ground directly into the saddle and strapped her legs in. The red dragon quickly moved outside the Dragonhouse and waited for Nalia. Cerise' excitement radiated off her. I can't wait for you to feel the wind! she told Ruby exclusively. You'll never want to walk again.

Aaron climbed onto Nalia's back while she was moving out the door. "You might want to hold onto that spike in front of you," he called. "Also, while in the air, mental communication is best. We won't be able to hear one another due to the wind." With that, Nalia lifted her wings and drove them down, flinging her and her Rider into the air.

Cerise looked back at Ruby. Hold on tight! She lifted her wings and held them there, making her Rider's anticipation grow. After a few seconds, she plunged them to the ground. Ruby gasped and tensed up her grip on the neck spike in front of her. She wasn't expecting that much G-force, and she almost impaled her own head on the spike. Cerise slowed her ascent but didn't stop climbing.

As the dragon flew, the air grew colder. Ruby suddenly wished her hood and cloak were thicker, even though they couldn't be that high yet. She looked down at Beacon and saw the ground already a thousand feet below her. "Wow," she said, more to herself than anyone. She'd been in flying vehicles before, but she'd never felt so exposed, so free.

The two dragons reached about a quarter mile off the ground. Aaron stood in his saddle arms outstretched and eyes closed. Ruby snickered. She thought she saw the same pose in a movie once. Cerise roared at Nalia, and she roared back. The two dragons lined up side by side in the air, and Aaron strapped his arms to his saddle. Ruby looked at the back of her dragon's head. Cerise, what's going—

Cerise shot forward in a burst of speed, sending Ruby back in her saddle. If she hadn't strapped her legs in, she would have fallen back to the ground below. With some effort, Ruby grabbed the neck spike again. Her eyes watered due to the sheer amount of air rushing past her face. She blinked her eyes several times to try to get the tears out, but it didn't help.

Still, it felt so good. Cerise flew about as fast as Ruby could run with her semblance. But Ruby didn't feel the wind while she ran. The G-forces when Cerise banked and rolled were more intense than any roller coaster could produce, and it was all random. No track for anticipation. This was an entirely new experience, and she loved it.

After several minutes of free flying, the dragons hovered over the city of Vale. They roared at each other again. Cerise was panting, tired from the exertion. Ruby returned her gaze to the back of Cerise' head. Next time you take off like that, warn me please.

Cerise turned back with a gleam in her eye. No promises. The Rider and dragon shared a laugh.

Looks like I'm going to have to get some motorcycle goggles after all.

Wasn't Yang pressing you to get some before?

Yeah, she was. Ruby looked at the ocean to the west. She smirked as an idea popped into her head. Speaking of Yang, time to make her super jealous. She explained her idea to Cerise, and she agreed. The red dragon gained height and flew over the ocean. Nalia and Aaron followed close behind, even though they had no idea what their students were up to.

Cerise flew to about two miles over the ocean. The wind blew fiercely and had a bite to it, but Ruby didn't plan on staying up there long. She untied the straps around her legs and threw her right leg over to the left side of her saddle. As Aaron reached the same height and saw what Ruby was doing, he nearly panicked. Ruby! He screamed with his mind, What are you doing?

Ruby just smiled and yelled with her voice and mind, "Skydiving!" She slid out of the saddle and started her free-fall. Her arms spread out by instinct to slow her fall. Cerise circled around her Rider in a more controlled descent. Once again, skydiving was a new experience. The closest she ever came to it was being flung into the Emerald Forest for initiation, and there she had trees and Crescent Rose to break her fall. Here, it was just her, gravity, and the water below. Ruby saw a bird in her way and barely twisted her body in time to miss it.

A few hundred feet above the water, Cerise decided Ruby fell far enough and eased into her Rider saddle side up, then slowly leveled out her wings, bringing them into a fast glide. Ruby struggled to catch her breath as Cerise landed on the beach. She slid off the saddle and lay against her dragon's side. About a minute later Nalia landed next to them. Aaron jumped off his dragon's back. "What the heck was that?" he demanded. Ruby couldn't tell if his anger was genuine or not.

"That. Was. Awesome!" Ruby said when she caught her breath. She turned her head to Cerise and gave her a thumbs up. "Nice catch." She patted her dragon on the shoulder.

Aaron stood dumbfounded, then broke into laughter. "That did look like fun. What did you call that? Skydiving?"

"Yep, it's normally done with parachutes though. I guess we don't need them though."

Aaron continued to laugh. "I guess we don't. I'm surprised no one's tried that before. Now, I can't believe I—" Aaron snapped his head toward the city. Nalia did the same and growled.

Ruby looked at the two in shock. "What's going on?"

Her teacher pointed a finger toward the heart of the city. "Extend your mind about a mile in that direction." Ruby did as instructed. At first she didn't see or feel anything out of place, and was about to pull back when she found what Aaron and Nalia did.

Ruby scowled and Cerise growled. A little girl was being kidnapped.

[...]

Well guys I hope you enjoyed this new chapter. The fight between Aaron and Elena literally was kicking my butt when I was writing it. I had planned for three separate rounds between the two but I ended up going with two instead.

Anyway for those who don't know what the real life guns that were in this chapter were, here is a list of what they are.

Desert Falcon - Desert Eagle

Daikal IZH-46 - Baikal IZH-94

V4 - M4 carbine

B/N- Now onto something completely different next chapter. Oh how I loved and hated writing that stuff… -Pokeman1280

A/N: Don't worry I plan on changing it up a bit.

B/N- Hmmm, I am worried and intrigued.

A/N: Don't worry we will see some characters we haven't seen in a while. Who they are is hush hush, secret secret stuff until next chapter.

Now onto the comments/reviews.

Hamm1999: Sorry but I will not be adding any more crossovers into this story except maybe one other one for the second volume. As said I'm still not sure about it.

Vahnimor: I'm glad you are enjoying this story.

Lordmatthaios: I'm glad to hear that.

TSC: Thank you for the kind words and inspiration.

Well hope you all enjoyed the chapter! Until next time.