Hero of Tempest
An: So, I wanted to write this for a while, but stuff kept getting in the way. Now, I have it ready and I hope it's good.
Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY or That Time I got Reincarnated as a Slime.
Chapter 1- Ruby and the departing from the Ogre village
~The fires danced around the city; the smoke made it hard to breathe. Her eyesight was faltering. She felt like someone put her on a gyro sphere and spun her around, making it tough to say upright. The arrogant knight before her gave her a sneering smile as he thrusted his sword forward, stabbing into her shoulder.
She gasped in pain and stumbled back, quickly retaliated with a swing of her scythe, easily taking his right eye. He cried in pain, allowing her to fall to the ground safely. However, he quickly recovered, and his blade came rushing down…~
Ruby gasped and grabbed her chest in pain, bolting upright. Her breathing was erratic and sweat clung to her brow. The silver eyed teen struggled to control her breathing as the sounds of the night continued on in a calming symphony.
As her breathing finally grew steadier, Ruby sighed. "That one, again," she mumbled. "I'm really starting to hate Future Sight."
Her extra Skill, Future Sight, allowed her to view future events, but it wasn't exactly accurate, and it left the young Huntress to try and determine the reasons of the event and why it occurred at all. Although, it did allow her to see what would have happened if she stayed in Falmuth upon her accidental arrival to the sorry excuse for a kingdom, and for that, she was ever grateful. She didn't like the vision she saw of herself: nearly broken, forced to work for greedy, arrogant jerks who would send her to kill innocents just to kill her and steal the Skills she gained coming to this world.
Thankfully, she escaped before they realized her status as a Stray Otherworlder. Thanks in no small part to her other Skills.
Ruby stared at the wall of the wooden abode she was residing in for a moment as she tried to sort out her jumbled thoughts. She sighed in exhaustion as her mind again wondered back to six months prior, when she escaped Falmuth. However, she shook her head of that. 'No. Don't think of them. It'll only scare you,' she told herself. Taking a deep breath, Ruby began humming a light, musical tone that echoed around the empty room. She continued this for several minutes until her eyelids felt heavy again, and with a deep sigh, she laid back down and fell asleep just as her head hit the pillow.
Life in the Ogre village was simple.
The warriors patrolled their town while hunters went in search of deer or boar for food; the women cooked and gathered ingredients; and the children played in the streets. All in all, it was a normal setting, not much different from any run of the mill human village of the same size. Everyone worked together to make this simple lifestyle work for everyone.
Ruby enjoyed staying here. While wary of her at first, the Ogres greeted her with kindness and offered her a place to stay after her blind escape of Falmuth. This was especially so after she helped one of their own, an Ogre warrior a few years older than herself, out of a tight spot. She also made sure to be of use to them as well, putting her skills as a Huntress to good use aiding the patrols or hunting game for sustenance. She had been with them six months now, and she was finally starting to feel like she was getting used to being in an entirely different world than her own.
Currently, the young red clad youth was in a small training yard facing three wooden posts, a wakizashi in her hands. She stared intently at the posts, wakizashi at her side as her right hand clenched the hilt tightly. Taking a deep breath, Ruby rushed forward and unsheathed her sword, slashing three consecutive times before appearing on the other side of the posts. She spun her wakizashi around and brought it back to its sheath. Slowly, she easily slid the blade across the scabbard mouth, then smoothly sheathed the blade. The wakizashi locked into the scabbard with a resounding *CLICK*, and the three posts were immediately sliced in half.
Ruby exhaled and stood, turning to examine her handiwork. She smiled and nodded. Her musings were cut short, however, by chuckling to her left. "That was an impressive display, Miss Rose. You're shaping up to be a fine swordswoman," a pale skinned Ogre in white robes commented as he walked up to her, his sword held behind him. Ruby turned and smiled at him.
"Thanks for the kind words, Sensei," she replied with a bow. "I wouldn't be this far along without your guidance." The Ogre laughed.
"You sell yourself short! Despite your rough start, you've shaped up to be one of my best students!" he told her, making Ruby turn red in embarrassment.
She wasn't sure she believed the elderly swordsman in front of her, but she knew better than to argue with him. He could be quite scary when he wanted to be. So, with that in mind, she just nodded. He chuckled again.
"Keep up your training, and I'm certain you'll surpass me one day," he told her. She nodded again.
"Of course, Sensei. I will," she told him. And she would. She would not let herself be like she was back during the Fall of Beacon. "I just wish I didn't have to leave," she sighed.
"You don't have to, you know," her sensei reminded her. "I'm sure the princess would be ecstatic to have you stay permanently."
"…I really want to," Ruby whispered. "But…But I feel this is something I have to do. I…" She shook her head. "I feel I need to find my own place in this world," she explained. "Maybe, hopefully, that leads me back here. But until that happens, I think it's best for me to travel around a bit."
"Well, I hope you find what you're looking for, Ruby Rose," the Ogre said. "With that said, I have something for you." He motioned for her to follow him, and she did so easily. They walked up to the house, and Ruby noticed something on the porch covered by a cloth. The Ogre smiled at her as he removed the cloth to reveal what was underneath it. Ruby gasped in surprise.
Laying before her was a beautiful wakizashi sword. Gingerly, Ruby picked up the blade and examined every inch of it. The immediate detail that caught her eye was the hilt, which was a section of her beloved High Impact Sniper-Scythe Crescent Rose. This didn't surprise her as since she committed to learning the Oboro sword style, she had modified Crescent Rose to fit a katana. Going from the hilt, Ruby inspected the tsuba, an intricate rose bud that she designed to close around the Crescent's shaft when she wasn't using the sword segment. She traced a finger along the bronze petals, loving the look and feel of it.
Turning to the blade itself, Ruby noticed it was exactly up to the specifications she wrote for herself so as to have it fit within Crescent Rose. She turned to her sword master and whispered, "You didn't have to do this. I was going to forge it myself."
"Think of it as a parting gift from me, Miss Rose," the Ogre told her. "A sword master cannot let his pupil be without a sword, can he not?"
"I…I guess so," Ruby conceded. "Thank you, Sensei."
"You're very welcome, Miss Rose," the Ogre said with a smile. "Now then, I think that concludes your training for today. I'd suggest visiting the princess before you leave tomorrow."
"Right." Ruby walked over to where her cloak and weapon were placed, but she frowned when she noticed something missing. "Where's my cloak?"
"The princess came and took it," her teacher answered. "She said she was going to mend it for you." This made the silver eyed maiden sigh.
"Alright." She turned to the silver haired Ogre and bowed. "Thank you again for your teachings, Sensei, and hopefully, we'll meet again, and I can continue my studies."
"I look forward to that day, Miss Rose," the elderly monster chuckled as Ruby turned back to Crescent Rose and picked it up. She spun her wakizashi around before quickly bringing it to its new scabbard, sliding the blade across the opening before sheathing it with a click. The rose shaped tsuba collapsed around the shaft, locking it in place. Nodding, she placed Crescent on its magnetic holster at her waist, the shaft retracting as Crescent switched to its compact mode. She turned one last time to her teacher and waved before she left the training area.
Ruby walked onto the main road of the Ogre village and smiled. She may have only been here for six months, but she couldn't help but feel at home here. It was like her hometown on Patch, or…Beacon Academy. It was cozy here. Simple.
Which, of course, made the thought of leaving feel as if a heavy weight dropped inside her chest.
She shook off the feeling the best she could and started making her way to the royal family home. A few Ogres saw her and waved her way, and Ruby replied with the same. Within a few moments, she reached her destination and quietly made her way inside. "Princess?" she called out at the door.
"Oh! Ruby! In here," the Ogre princess called out from deeper in the house. Ruby took off her boots and made her way through the house to reach the room the princess was occupying. Ruby rounded a corner and entered the room to see the pink haired Ogre standing before a loom and smiling at her.
"Ruby!" she exclaimed and rushed towards the human girl, quickly crushing her in a tight hug. Ruby gasped in pain.
"P-Princess…can't breathe…!" the huntress said breathlessly.
"O-Oops! Sorry!" The princess quickly released Ruby and stepped back. The huntress gasped for breath before leaning backwards to stretch out her aching back. Leaning back up, Ruby turned to look at the Ogre princess. The two smiled at each other and giggled.
"Good morning, Ruby. Did you sleep well last night?" the princess asked. Ruby nodded.
"Yep! Always!" she replied.
"Are you sure? Brother mentioned he heard you humming again last night when he was patrolling," the princess said in concern.
'Crap,' Ruby thought while suppressing a wince. Giving her friend a wide smile, she replied, "It was nothing! Really! I was just a little restless last night, is all!" She placed her hands on her hips and continued, "Enough about that! Sensei said you were mending my cloak?"
The princess didn't look convinced, but she decided to drop it for now. "Ok, fine," she sighed. "And yes. I took your cloak to mend it. I thought it would be a nice…" She faltered for a moment, before she closed her eyes and smiled. "I thought it would be a nice going away present for you!" Ruby winced this time, as if the princess had struck her.
"L-Look, Princess, you didn't have to do that," Ruby tried to say, but she was interrupted.
"I know." The Ogre princess looked at Ruby with a serious expression. "But…Ruby, you've been the first friend I've ever really had; my best friend, even." Ruby felt like the princess just stabbed her in the heart. "Even if it's only a small gesture, I…I wanted to do something for you. Because that's what friends do for each other, right?"
"Y-Yeah…" Ruby stuttered out. Truthfully, she had grown to be good friends with the princess as well. She might even go as far as to say she viewed the Ogre princess as her best friend as well. Still, she didn't deserve the princess's friendship. Not after…
"Anyways, here's your cloak. I just finished it!" the princess said as she reached behind her to grab Ruby's cloak. Immediately, Ruby's eyes sparkled at the pristine look of her beloved cloak. The tattered end and cuts around the center from the Battle of Beacon were non-existent, and it looked as if it was brand new!
"Wow! This is amazing!" Ruby exclaimed. "I can't even tell it was ever damaged!"
"I'm glad!" the princess said smiling. "I mended it with silk from hellmoth cocoons, so it's much more durable than before!"
"Really?!" the huntress gasped and stared back at her cloak. 'Compendium, scan my cloak, please,' she thought. Compendium was a unique Skill she had acquired coming to this world that allowed her to compartmentalize information and analyze pretty much anything or anyone she wanted. It also stored the information of the people and items she had scanned with the Skill that she could call upon at any time. Instantly, Ruby's eyesight was filled by a myriad of numerical algorithms and a glowing circle around her cloak. It stayed there for a minute until they vanished without a trace. Just then, Compendium spoke to her.
Scan complete.
Analysis of cloak reveals existence of hellmoth cocoon silk.
Content of Magicules in addition with constant infusion of Aura makes this cloak highly resistant to physical attacks.
'S-Seriously?!' Ruby thought, her eyes becoming wide at the analysis. Shaking her head of the shock, she turned back to the Ogre princess and replied, "Princess, my Compendium Skill just told me my cloak is now highly resistant to physical attacks!"
"Really?! That's amazing!" the Ogre princess exclaimed happily. "Now, I know you'll be safe on your travels!" She grabbed Ruby's hands and held them and the cloak high. "Come! I'll help you gather your supplies!"
"Y-You don't have to-"
"Come on!" The princess proceeded to drag Ruby to the front of the house, drawing a surprised yelp out of the teen. Soon enough, the Princess was dragging Ruby all across the village. The two quickly gathered the provisions Ruby would need for her trip, and the two even started laughing and enjoying their time together as the day wore on.
Eventually, light gave way to dark as the night arrived, and the whole village gathered for a feast as a sendoff for Ruby, much to her embarrassment. It was a cheerful affair, all things considered. The food was excellent, the people were jovial, and Ruby shared a few stories from Remnant for the enjoyment of the Ogres. It was amazing.
However, like with all good things, it had to end. The morning of Ruby's departure came much too soon for the Ogre princess and Ruby, and it upset the Huntress of the pair. She didn't want to leave. However, Ruby knew if she didn't, she'd never leave, and she might regret it for the rest of her life.
"This should be enough for several weeks at the most, Ruby," the Princess commented as she handed a bag to the silver eyed teen, who took it gratefully.
"Thank you. It'll be more than enough!" Ruby commented as she held the bag over her shoulder by the strings. Currently, the now sixteen-year-old Huntress wore a red and black long-sleeved tunic with a brown corset over it and black traveling pants. Her new leather boots clad her feet, and her forearms were covered with leather vambraces, while her hands were in red fingerless gloves. Of course, her repaired cloak was wrapped securely around her neck, and Crescent Rose was strapped to her back by its magnetic holster.
"Do be careful in the forest, Ruby," the Princess's brother, the Prince, told her. "With Veldora's disappearance, the forests' inhabitants will be much more active, and it's likely they'll be looking to expand their power and territories."
"No worries," Ruby assured him with a nod. "I've trained for this, and this world has evolved the way I can use my Aura. And I don't plan on straying too close to major monster settlements or the deep woods, so I should be fine!"
"Indeed," came the response of a blue haired Ogre whom Ruby took to calling 'the Scout.' "Not to mention that you are an Otherworlder, so it's doubtful you'll fine anything within the Forest of Jura that could actually challenge you."
"Regardless, don't get complacent, Ruby," her sensei advised. "Treat every obstacle in your way with the upmost caution." Ruby nodded.
"Of course!" She turned her attention to the Princess and gave her a tiny smile. "Princess, I-"
She didn't finish as the Ogre Princess quickly wrapped her in a hug. Ruby was startled by the quickness of the hug, but she quickly returned it. "Please stay safe, Ruby," she said. "And I hope you'll find your way back here to us."
"So do I, Princess," she sighed. They broke the hug, and Ruby started walking out of the village. She turned a bit and waved at the assembled Ogres. "Next time, I'll have new stories to tell you, Princess!"
"I look forward to it, Ruby!" she replied, waving to her departing friend.
"Safe travels, Ruby Rose!" the Prince shouted.
The Ogres all waved and said their goodbyes as Ruby smiled and returned her gaze back in front of her. She was upset that she had to leave, but she needed this. 'I'll be back,' she vowed to herself and continued into the Great Forest of Jura.
AN: And that's the end of the first chapter. In all honesty, I wanted Ruby to meet Rimuru by the end, but I decided it was best to just hold off and establish Ruby and her relations with the Ogres. Hope this has captured y'all's interests.
Next chapter will see Ruby meet Rimuru and the goblins.
