(Early Author's Note: Here we are, Chapter 1! I hope it's to your likings. I went into writing this chapter with the thought of "You know, why would Volume 4 start with Ruby and her new team already in Anima? Couldn't they have had at least one or two episodes of them making the journey?" To that end, I made this chapter. And I had fun with it because it gave me the perfect layout for something important in Weiss's side story. Just keep that in the back of your heads, okay? Anywho, time for reviews!
To Merendinoemiliano: I'm glad I was able to do that! Honestly, I didn't quite see Salem so threatening in RWBY proper so I thought "Hey, even though there may never come an age where fanfics can be turned into media, I'll still make an actual threatening big villain!" And I'm glad I seemed to have delivered. And the material for Archaon and Salem is truly much appreciated. And yes, whenever I do the Vacuo side story (along with the main volume taking place in Vacuo) Settra will give Nagash a good thrashing, and in Menagerie Blake and the Lizardmen will have a good agreement. I'm also really glad you stuck around even during my loooong months of absence. I'm really grateful!
To DemonicOrder: Yeah, I'm glad it's out as well. I can see your surprise at all the baddies meeting up and nothing... extreme happening, and not everyone will betray Salem. But can you guess as to who will? And why the Ogres aren't there... Darn, I've honestly just forgotten about them lately. But thanks to your reminder they will make an appearance in this volume! And Azhag? Nah, he won't tell. Mostly because of Nagash. And yes, Ruby and her new crew will be heading to Argus first. I suppose you could just say this volume is just volume... 6, I think?... but backward. And Be'lakor is here... I just forgot about him. As for the Advisor... he'll be around, just not in Remnant for story reasons. You'll see. Chibi chapters, side stories and a helping Empire will be coming! And Yang... At first I thought of giving her her own side story about her going after Ruby but also Raven... but then I decided she should just be a part of the main volume here, since both sisters are going to the same place. And I just had to bring Junior and Roman back. I feel they were both grossly underused (moreso Junior) in RWBY proper, and so I brought them together to hunt Ruby! Also, if you've read the books (or at least heard parts of it), you'll know they both have little events that happened in Mistral. So, some history for them! And good luck to you in life as well! I'm truly grateful you stuck around even during all the time I was gone.
And now... CHAPTER 1!)
Ruby and her company had been a few weeks from Atlas already, braving the icy cold of Solitas as they made in a southeasterly direction. "Ruby?!" Jaune called amid the whipping wind.
"I don't mean to question your choice of journeying, but we haven't budged from this direction since we left Atlas! What's your plan?!"
The wind howled as a blizzard blew in, but Ruby was able to call back "Because the closest town on Anima to here is Argus! That's our ticket into the kingdom!" Ren then called "But they only transport people in airships! Besides, there aren't any port towns on Solitas close to Argus!" Nore nodded in agreement, but almost got blown down by the wind. Gillie grabbed her hand and hoisted her on her feet before looking up at the cloudy sky and saying "We must find shelter! This cold is as cruel as the kind in Norsca, and even I couldn't withstand it for long!" Ruby thought before turning westward and saying "Over there's a cave! We can bunker down in there until this blizzard passes! Follow me!" And with that the group trudged through the snow, passing the long and slow minutes until they reached their destination. Finally within the cave, Nora opened her backpack and dumped a pile of firewood down and then held Magnhild as it crackled and said "Okey-dokey, time for a fire!" but was blocked by Gillie who said "No. No fires. Not until we search through to the back. Caves in places such as these are seldom unoccupied. Ren, Jaune, will you accompany me?" The two nodded and they continued further into the cave. The mouth had opened into a wide cavern, with a single passageway leading further back. For a fleeting moment, Ren had thought he saw a grey shape moving in the darkness beyond. But he shook his head and followed behind Gillie. Ruby and Nora meanwhile set out bedrolls and a cold meal (the latter being much to Nora's grumbling), and then Nora asked "How'd you know about this cave, Ruby? It's certainly coming in pretty handy right now." as she looked out towards the raging blizzard. Ruby bashfully said "Well… you know… I had been planning to leave for Mistral for months now, and our house just so happened to have a small library with maps of Solitas. I spent as much time as I could studying them so I could form a clear path to Argus, and once there I'd form a path to Mistral." Nora gave her a playful nudge, saying "Look at you, already having a clear plan in mind! I doubt anything will go wrong if we have that going for us! Plus, we got a brave Warrior Priest!"
Speaking of brave Warrior Priest, he, Ren and Jaune had passed through the passage and into another chamber. It was dark, and smelled horrible for some reason. Jaune covered his nose and said "Pee-yew! That stench is even worse than the Greenskins'! What c-" but then he bumped into something. A rustling and a growl was heard, as something moved behind Jaune. Ren and Gillie (who were standing in front of him) looked up with horror in their eyes. Jaune wanted to see what they were looking at, but Gillie said "Idiot… don't move…"
A massive creature resembling a Giant, but with two deformed heads and hard grey skin, lumbered to its feet and loomed over Jaune and the others, staring at them with savage intelligence.
"Just walk this way. Slowly…"
The monster's right hand was not a hand at all, but a hammer of hardened scales. Its clawed left hand glowed and crackled with the purple magic of Death. It breathed heavily and slowly, watching, waiting. "G-Gillie, what do we do now?" Jaune whispered as he hid behind the Priest's back.
"RRRAAAAARRRRRRGGGHHH!"
"WE GOTTA RUUUUUUNNN!"
The massive brute roared and chased after them, swinging its hammer-hand with reckless abandon as the three humans fled back down the passage. Ruby and Nora had heard the roar and grabbed their weapons, and seeing the three boys fly back towards them Nora said "What is it?! What'd you find?" only for the giant creature to burst through the passage, rocks and debris falling everywhere.
"Oh. That."
Soon all five were running out of the cave and into the blizzard, but the monster reached out with its left arm, and as purple energies swirled, Ren suddenly stopped as he felt his life force drain away. "Ren!" Nora cried as she turned and with a cry slammed Magnhild down on the beast's foot. It howled in anger more than pain and made to squash Nora, but then Ruby shot at it with an electric bullet, shocking it numb and limp. As Gillie carried a tired Ren away and Jaune covered him, Nora and Ruby both shot at the giant creature as it thrashed wildly about. Ruby used her Semblance and got on top of the beast, shooting right into its head, but still it roared and with its hammer-hand swatted Ruby off it. The beast again raised its magical hand, and a purple orb the size of a small sun formed, and seemed to pull everything in it. Gillie slipped and fell, but he handed Ren to Jaune and said "Go! Return to Atlas! This foe is beyond us alone! I will hold it back!" before turning to charge. But then, out of nowhere, a massive bolt struck the brute in the side. And then a band of men clad in white cloaks came up and with strange contraptions similar to flame throwers they fired actual ice at the beast, freezing it solid. Then another clad in an iron-shod apron with pauldrons on his shoulders, threw a rock with a sigil on it at the statue, and once it lodged he threw his hammer at it.
"Best close your eyes." he said to Ruby, Nora and Gillie.
*BOOOOOOM!*
It exploded in a shower of fire and melted ice. The men cheered and hooted and hollered as the others just stared dumbfounded. "Who… What… HUH?!" Nora and Ruby said at the same time. Gillie however, noticed that the men were all short of stature, had luxurious beards, and spoke with a bit of a Norsii accent. He then smiled. "Ah, I should have guessed! Ruby, Jaune, Nora… these are Norse Dwarfs! Good friends and allies of the free peoples back in my world! But I have to ask… what brings you all here?" The Dwarf who threw the rock picked up his hammer as he said "Well, after High King Thorgard Cromson sent his armies into this world, we found ourselves here in Solitas. We had heard of the great battle going on in Vale, but we found plenty of battles here with Chaos and Grimm. Since then we've expanded our great realm to this icy continent. Indeed, we plan to perhaps move here… since the northern lands back in our world have grown more evil as of late…" The Dwarf then looked away with a far-off look in his eyes before saying "Ah! But where are my manners? Askelnar Narfison at your service." with a bow. He then nodded towards the other Dwarfs and said "Those Dawi - that's how we say Dwarfs - are Frostdrakes. They're essentially our southern kins' Firedrakes, but instead of throwing fire they throw ice. Though you'd think we Norse Dwarfs would get tired of all the snow and ice…"
Askelnar then looked back at the others and Ruby said "But what was that… that thing?" Askelnar's face darkened slightly as he said "That was a Curs'd Ettin. A foul abomination of Chaos even by Chaos standards. Greenskins weren't the only thing that came into your world from ours. Speaking of, state your names and business if you please!"
"R-right! I'm Ruby Rose."
"Lie Ren."
"Jaune Arc."
"Nora Valkyrie. Nice beards!"
"Gillie Oustrom."
Askelnar nodded (stroking his beard with a faint tint of red as he did), and then he said "Nice to meet you all. But what brings you out here in the icy wastes?" Ruby pulled out a small map of Remnant that pointed out the towns and said "We need to get to Argus. Well, we really need to get to Mistral, but Argus is our first stop on the way there." One of the Frostdrakes called out "Then come over to Kraka Grimaz! We'll sort you out with a good longship to get ya there! 'Course, yer first gonna speak to the king." Ruby, glad to have help, at once said "Sure! Sure! We'll meet your king first. Thank you so much for the help!" And with that, they followed Askelnar and his band back to Kraka Grimaz, the Barren Hold.
"Barren? Oh… I'm sure it's nice…" Nora politely said. "Hahaha! Oh, don't let the name fool ya. It's only called that because it's out in the middle of the snowy fields of this continent. It's actually a well-furnished Hold, thanks to High King Thorgard's generosity." Askelnar said with a laugh. Gillie however grew curious and asked "Hold on. I thought Thorgrim Grudgebearer was High King of the Dwarfs. You would really risk his wrath and ire by declaring your own?" Askelnar only looked at him with a sideways glance, saying "When our kin forgot about us for the past 7,000 years, Umgi, they relinquished all hold they had over us. Now we have grown stronger than them; perhaps not in inventions or such things, but in the older powers. In Rune Magic. And with all the great achievements of Thorgard Cromson, even the 'High King' of the south will have to recognize our might… Or else." This threatening message kept everyone quiet for a time before Nora said "Hey, is that your city?" as she pointed towards a high wall of wood and stone. Docks jutted out from the seaside with ships in harbor, and a giant wooden hall in the center of town. "Yes, Umgi, welcome to Kraka Grimaz." said one of the Frostdrakes. They walked up to the gate, adorned with a dragon insignia, and banged on it. "Jafnhar! Open up! We've come back, and with an audience for the king!" a Frostdrake yelled. The sound of locks and bars being fiddled with was heard before the gate slowly opened, and an elderly Dwarf said "Alright, alright! I'm not so deaf as to be spoken to that loudly. Audience for the king, eh?" Jafnhar eyed the humans. "They look like they have quite the story about 'em. Best send them on." They then passed through the gates and saw a city of many buildings both of wood and stone, and both Dwarfs and men bustling about. Nora said "Hey, I remember seeing some of these guys in my coffee-dream."
"Dream? Hmm, maybe you'll come across an important one, eh? These are Norscans. And not a bad lot, considering most have ever only fallen to Chaos. They abhor their corrupted kinsmen and are willing to ally with us and fight them back. Indeed, they have their own High King now! He was actually visiting here not too long ago before he headed off to Kraka Ungol to visit Thorgard. Anywho," Askelnar stopped before the doors of the great hall, the Frostdrakes having already left for the nearby pub. "I'll give my report to King Tordenski Thorfinson, and then you can ask for your boat-ride to Argus." But before he opened the door he turned back to them sharply and said "And be sure to bow and show respect! He's not the High King, but a King nonetheless."
He then opened the doors and Ruby and her crew saw a wide, well-lit hall. Many Norse Dwarfs and Norscans were in different places about the hall; some sitting at the long tables and eating and drinking, others standing on the balcony ringing the hall and talking or playing Orlog, and a group of rather important-looking ones around a Dwarf sitting on a throne at the far end. His beard and hair were a glossy grey, his eyes shone blue, and he was draped in furs of sea beasts that looked wholly unfamiliar to them. Even Gillie couldn't name them all. Askelnar bowed (a sign for the others to do so as well) and said "Hail, King Tordenski! I have returned. There was nothing out of the ordinary save a lone Curs'd Ettin. We dealt with it easily enough, and found some strange companions." He then gestured to Ruby and the others, and they stepped forward as Tordenski said "A Warrior Priest, and four Remnant strangers… Interesting. Tell me, what brings you here to Kraka Grimaz?" Gillie made to step forward, but Ruby already strode ahead, curtsied, and said "Hello, Lord King! Um… uh, y-you see… We're trying to get to Mistral, but we have to cross the sea first, and the nearest port town on Anima is Argus… but we don't have a boat on this side. Buuuuut… I heard you guys have plenty of boats. Maybe we could… borrow one? Please?"
…
…
Tordenski stared at her for a bit before bursting out in laughter. Everyone else did as well, and kept it up for a few good minutes before calming down. "Hahaha-hoooo!" Tordenski said as he wiped away a tear. "Ya need a boat, eh? Sorry, it's just that I find it funny when Umgi do that thing where they ask someone for something and think they'll get it right away. Hahahah! Don't get me wrong, I will give ya one, but first you gotta help me out with something, if you don't mind."
They all nodded, and Tordenski said "Wonderful! Snarfi will brief you on it tomorrow. For now, rest, sleep, and enjoy yourselves before then! We Norse Dwarfs aren't all that uptight like our southern kin, so cut loose a little bit." A Norscan then led them to a two-story wooden building near the docks, and said "Here's your little house during your stay. You can walk around town, go right to bed, or whatever." before walking off. They entered the building and found it comfortable, if a little bare. "Well, I wouldn't mind a rest." said Gillie, to which Ruby agreed. "I for one would like to explore the town, and also choose the right ship for our voyage." said Ren. Jaune said he'd see if anybody needed help with anything, and Nora…
"I'm gonna go try out the pubs!"
…
Yeah… That…
Ren had had a good chat with Jafnhar about Kraka Grimaz and the other Holds dotted about Solitas. He had already heard of Kraka Ungol (it was directly beneath Atlas, in that giant pit) but he never knew there were others. "To think Remnant would be just one world out of many…" Ren said to himself. He remembered Jafnhar talking about this one time a talking Dragon came from some different world where your voice could turn things to dust or give the clouds "stomach-aches" and make them rain acidic bile. The Dragon was slain, but to think… All these different worlds… And only two have so far begun to merge. At least, as far as Ren knows. He then headed down to the docks and inspected the longships. Being made of wood and also just longships, they were… definitely not like Remnant ships. But Ren could tell they were made with care and only the best materials. One ship, Ren noted, was incredibly larger than the rest but unfinished. The hull was of a strong wood, but bits of mechanical pieces were along the sides and at the stem.
"She looks a piece of work, don't she?" said a voice. Ren turned around and saw a Dwarf with an eyepatch over his left eye and a metal peg-leg in place of a right leg from the knee down. He wore a sealskin cloak clasped with an amber brooch in the form of a wave, a vest over chainmail, and on his head was a broad black brimmer, its ribbons frayed and torn. The Norse Dwarf held out his hand and said "Rorbrok Sea-sworn. One of Kraka Dorden's finest sailors. Now Kraka Grimaz's ship-builder until my contract is up. And this ship… This ship… will be my greatest work yet." He looked admiringly at the ship as he felt its hull. "This is the ship of High King Thorgard himself. Ever since coming to Atlas and meeting our southern kin again, he's been focused on ensuring we catch up with everyone's technologies, while still retaining what makes us Norse Dwarfs. To that end, he wants this as his flagship for the Norse Dwarf Navy. It takes 50 Dwarfs on either side to row it, while also holding at least 1000 Dwarf warriors, 4 Whirley-Bolt Throwers, one Tractator Engine, and two Shard Dragons. Thorgard said once "Give me a thousand good Dawi, and I will reclaim our Holds in Norsca!" Of course, then we ended up in Remnant… and now we're here. But I know he still intends to do just that."
Ren tried to take it all in, but he was left with several questions. Even so, he shook his head and asked "Do you mind if I help you? I'd like to hear more about your people, if that's all right?" Rorbrok nodded slowly, saying "I suppose I could use a hand. Hand me that hammer, would ya? And then steady that boiler in the stem there…"
Meanwhile
As Ren and Rorbrok spoke about Thorgard's flagship, Jaune wandered around Kraka Grimaz, helping who he could with… all sorts of things, really. He helped a Runesmith forge a Rune of Warding which he was given as a gift, he helped a crew of Norsemen catch a whale, he even came across Nora in The Snowed Inn and had a drinking contest with her.
And he lost. Terribly.
Nora on the other hand was hailed as a champ. She even beat a few Norscans known for drinking a good deal. "Nora! Nora! Nora!" Dwarfs and Norscans cheered as they lifted her up (and she drank another mug dry). "Hahahahaha! Yeah!" Nora shouted. "Hail Nora the Ale-Throat!"
"Nora the Ale-Throat!" They cheered.
Jaune managed to regain consciousness and staggered out of the inn. Next thing he knows, he's bumped into someone and fallen into the snow. The cold however woke him up with a yelp and he came face to face with a strange Dwarf. He had no beard, no hair on his head, no shirt, and only two axes in his hands. "Ey… What're… w-what you doing, eh, Umgi?" The Dwarf spoke. Jaune could only stare at him before the Dwarf said "What? Ya never seen a Norse Dwarf Berserker before, have ya? Well, then, here you go! But say, I heard… I h… Heard you've been helping people. What say you help me, huh?" Jaune just stood there and unthinkingly said "Sure…" before thinking "Wait, what? Why'd I say that?! I don't want to be rude about it, but this guy looks nuts."
The Berserker nodded, and said "Good. I, being a Berserker, have been so shamed that I must now seek a glorious death in battle. You will be my witness and tell my story. My name is Grust. Grust Gorinson."
"Nice to meet you, Grust. I'm Jaune Arc" Jaune said as he held out his hand. Grust did not take it. He had his hands full with weapons, after all, but he nodded and said "I heard that you and your pals are going on a quest or something, yeah?"
"Yeah. The king has a task for us-"
"Then I'll meet ya at the gates tomorrow." And with that the Berserker walked away. Jaune stared at him, still confused, before shrugging and turning away. He soon came across Gillie, and the two joined a night patrol going out. Nothing was out of the ordinary, but Jaune thought he spotted a lone horseman in the darkness. He seemed to stay well out of their torchlight. Besides that (which Jaune did report to the Norscan cavalry), they returned back and to bed. Ruby had been kept plenty busy wandering the city (and just copying Jaune, really). When she got home before the others, she went ahead and made dinner for them all (thanks to Lupio teaching her how to cook) before eating her own meal and going to bed. For some reason, she was so tired.
...
As Ruby dreamed, she heard a voice. Coming from far away, yet so close.
"I promise. I will do all I can to return."
Then she looked around and saw who the voice came from. But his face was shrouded in darkness, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't place the voice to a person.
...
Ruby woke up with the early sun in her eyes, rising slowly from her bed and rubbing her face with a yawn. It was then she felt tears on her face. "That's weird." she said. "Why was I crying…? I don't… remember…" Ruby wiped them away, got dressed, and headed downstairs and met everyone gathered around the table eating breakfast. "Heya, Ruby!" Jaune said cheerfully. "We made sure to save you a bowl. And seconds, if you'd like it." Ren nodded his head in greeting, Gillie took a swig from his travel-bottle, and Nora…
"Ooooohhhhhuuuuuuuggghhhh… My heeeaadd…!"
"She ended up drinking too much last night. So now she has a splitting headache." Ren explained. Ruby nodded, and then sat down to eat. Once done, she and the others (Nora insisted on coming, claiming the heat of battle will cure her ailment) went to the front gate of Kraka Grimaz and met a band of Norse Dwarf warriors and Norscans. As they looked around, Jaune suddenly grabbed Ren's arm and said "Oh no. He's seen me. Quick, Ren! Uh, d-do something! Tell him I'm just an illusion!" Ren (utterly confused) turned to see what Jaune was talking about and saw a half-naked Dwarf stand right before him. "Oi…" said the Dwarf. "Quit hidin', Jauney-boy. You gotta write down my final day, see? I hope you have a book ready." Jaune, peeking from behind Ren, nodded and sheepishly said "O-oh, yeah! Yeah, I got it right here!" as he held up a small little book and pen. Grust nodded and joined the throng. A Norscan then came riding up on a mighty warhorse and said "So you are the ones the King sent. Our task is to destroy the Hung encampment over the snow dunes not too far from here. Keep up and be ready. Those Hung are crazy bastards." With that, the throng moved out. But Ruby and her companions hesitated a moment, and Ruby asked Gillie "Hey, these, uh… Hung… Are they people? Bad people?" and Gillie nodded vigorously, saying "Indeed. I have seen the horrors they enact upon good people. They are also Chaos worshippers… in their own way… and must be eradicated! Come, before we lose our company to the snow!"
Gillie ran off after the Dwarfs and Norscans, and the other four followed after him.
They journeyed over snow banks and amid biting, icy winds, but eventually they saw the snow dunes the Norscan horseman mentioned. They stopped at the foot of the dunes, and crawled up to the crest. There, down below, was a medium-sized camp of men similar to the Norscans. A great bonfire burned in the center of the camp. "Right then, what do we do now?" asked Grust (as Jaune wrote this down, along with his movements, as he had been doing since they set off). The Norscan boss said "They have no idea we're here. I say we finish this quickly. Frostdrakes! You're up."
"Oi… And we just dealt with a Curs'd Ettin the other day…" grumbled one of the Frostdrakes as they lined the dunes with their contraptions at the ready.
"Ready… NOW!"
The Frostdrakes fired their weapons down on the camp, and though many were frozen, many still were not. And suddenly, some came bursting out of the snow! They were surrounded. Gillie, Nora and Ruby were cutting swaths of them down with their great weapons, but then a thudding was heard, and they looked up to see a Chaos Giant. As they charged to battle it, Jaune and Grust were fighting side-by-side towards the Hung leader. "There, Umgi!" shouted Grust. "There is my glorious death! Forward unto death!" Jaune blocked a Hung's attack with his shield before plunging his sword into the man's gullet. He then caught another with his shield and turned it down, and then cut off the second one's head. Grust just hacked his way through, foaming at the mouth and smiling madly. The Hung leader was a great bear of a man, weidling a massive battle axe and charging straight for the two. He swung his axe with such force it sent Jaune (who blocked with his shield) flying into the snow. Grust then stood alone against the chieftain. The two fought. The Hung Chieftain swung his axe low, aiming to cut the Dwarf's legs off, but Grust jumped forward to slam his axes down into the Chieftain's chest, but he had one free hand to grab one of Grust's arms and pull it down, dislocating it and sending the Berserker to the ground. Jaune got up and ran to his aid, but a trio of Hung horsemen surrounded him, throwing axes. Grust got up, and held onto one axe with his teeth while the other was locked in his other hand before charging the Chieftain again. This time the Hung slammed his axe into the snow to blind the rushing Dwarf and moved to the left to throttle him from the side, but Grust had - at the last moment - turned right and with a scream leaped onto the Chieftain, cutting him with his axes before losing his grip on the one in his mouth, and then cutting his with one axe and his teeth. But the Chieftain still had a hidden dagger, which he pulled and stabbed Grust in the gut. Both fell away from each other. Both were dying. Jaune saw this and with a cry threw his sword at one of the horsemen, impaling him in the chest, then with his shield ran towards another and pulled him out of his saddle before bashing his head in with said shield, and the third ran off but was shot down by a crew of crossbow Dwarfs. Jaune retrieved his sword and ran to Grust's side. The Dwarf was still alive, and the first thing he said was "You're not going to cry or anything, are you? We didn't even know each other that well." Jaune shook his head, sniffling, and said "N-no! It's just… I don't like to see someone die. It makes me feel as if I failed them, myself… and what I became a Huntsman for."
Grust chuckled slightly before replying "Ya can't save everyone. And not everyone wants to be saved. Can you allow them that, Jaune? If someone wanted to die, would you let them? You let me, eh? Hahahah… Now I have redeemed myself, and can die with honor." He then spoke no more. Jaune tore himself away from the Dwarf and aided in finishing up the battle. The Chaos Giant was wounded and enraged, but still fighting. Then a band of Norscan javelinmen came up and as the leader said "Bring it down! Bring it down! Bring it down!" the javelins did just that. The Giant fell, and Ruby finished it off with a quick slice across the throat. As Ruby looked at it, Gillie came up and said "Different from the ones with the Greenskins, isn't it? That is the warping, cruel power of Chaos." The two looked away from it and saw that Grust's body was being carried, and a funeral dirge was being sung.
They all then returned to Kraka Grimaz. King Tordenski lowered his head at Grust's death and said "He was a brave Berserker. And one who has found honor again. Tell me, Jaune, was it? You wrote down his final moments. I would like to take that, and add to it, if I may?" Jaune nodded and handed the book to the king. Once he had it he put it in a back pocket and said "Now. True to my word, I will lend you a longship and hardy Dwarfs to crew her. I will also send word to the other Krakas, so that in case you come to Solitas again, you will be greeted with a warm welcome. Roaring fires, malt beer, ripe meat off the bone! Hahaha! Farewell, friends, and may we meet again!"
"Farewell, King of Kraka Grimaz!" Gillie said with a bow. They then left the hall and headed to the docks where a longship and crew were already waiting. Luckily, they already packed their bags and had them on the ship. Looking among her friends, Ruby said "Alright, let's get to Argus."
(Ending Authors Note: Ooh yeah! Norse Dwarfs! I just had to include them! Out of all the Warhammer Fantasy factions, they are one of my most favorite. Indeed, my top five (from one to five) are: Albion, Norse Dwarfs, Greenskins, Strigoi, and Halflings. But besides that, Thorgard's ship will also be important in Weiss's side story and later on in the main story. Again, I love Norse Dwarfs and just want them to get more love. Also, I think the way I'll write out the next chapters will be: Ruby and crew sail the ocean to Argus, they reach Argus, spend time there, fight off some attack, take the Argus Limited, end up at that Apathy farm... And that's as far as I've gotten. Again, it's more-or-less just the volume of them getting to Atlas but reversed. But back to the Norse Dwarfs, they have Krakas dotted about Solitas. Not a lot, but a fair number.
And before I forget... Does anyone have a good name for Ruby and her new team? In RWBY proper they're called RNJR (Ranger)/JNRR (Junior), but since Gillie is with them now I have no idea what their team name will be. Because I don't know about you guys, but I don't feel like saying "Ruby and crew" or "Gillie and company".
And... I don't think I have anything else to add, so I guess that's the end. Please review, follow, favorite and share with others, and I'll get chapter 2 out ASAP!)