Chapter 11: The Forges of Beacon

When you need a new weapon, there's only one place to go.

"Broadsword!"

"Too heavy for my fighting style."

"Gattling gun!"

"Too derivative of that third year, Coco."

"A cutlass!"

"What am I, a corsair?"

"Bow and– what's a corsair?"

"A pirate, you dunce."

"Oooh, you could put an eyepatch over your scar!"

"Grrrrrh!"

Ruby and Weiss had been like this for a while now. Yang was proud of her baby sis. Their first week in Beacon, and she already had her first tsundere! Oh, where was a camera when you needed one?

Weiss was bickering, but Yang knew the heiress didn't mean it. Weiss had started shy after the Emerald Forest, but Ruby's boundless energy had drawn her out of her torpor. Yang suspected that her sister's lack of propriety was so offensive to the Weiss-cube that it forced the trauma right out of her as she focused on chiding her leader. Weiss and Yang got on well, as long as Yang was careful not to light up the room with her hair. It wasn't a permanent solution, but no one expected that after a single week. The team was coming together quite well, despite the incident in Port's class a few days ago. Everything was going swimmingly, except for one problem.

Blake laid in her bed, book shoved into her face, but Yang saw through the act. She was unhappy. Yang had watched the entire Dust explosion debacle that nearly killed Ruby and Weiss before they even started school, and she'd sure as Dust seen the rude way Blake had been. She'd also been aware of her rough interaction with Weiss interaction that same night. The brawler may have always acted careless, but she paid more attention that she let on.

Now, they were partners, but Blake still chose to pointedly ignore Weiss (and all of them, but mainly Weiss). It had almost been like Blake was expecting Weiss to be some kind of Weiss-cold bitch. Sure, Schnee was haughty – and a hottie! Hah, that was a good one...even though Weiss wasn't attractive in the slightest. Belladonna, though…

Well, it was Blake's loss if she didn't want to help brainstorm Weiss' new weapon. Yang decided to offer a suggesting. "What about a mace and chain? That's not too heavy and has good range if you make the chain long and retractable."

Weiss paused. "That's not bad. But it's not…me."

Yang understood. A weapon was an extension of one's soul (literally, when aura was involved). It had to be personal. Ember Celica was crafted for brawling and fit well with Yang's whole punch-first, ask-questions-and-punch-again-later vibe. Weiss, on the other hand, was precise. She needed something that was graceful and elegant, not some melee weapon or blunt instrument.

"You could make a bat'leth." Blake did not raise her head from her book as she spoke for the first time that morning. Come to think of it, it may have been the first time Yang witnessed Blake address her partner directly.

"A what?"

"A bat'leth. It's a curved sword used by Flingon warriors in Space Trek."

Yang raised an eyebrow. "I thought you were into books, not TV shows."

Blake shrugged. "I read a novelization of Space Trek 2: The Wrath of Sienna Khan."

"Curved…sword…" Ruby pondered. "I know! A boomerang!"

Yang snickered. "You'd be the Crocodile Dund-Schnee."

Yang would've missed it if she were slower, but Blake showed the briefest flash of a smile. Maybe Ruby wasn't the only one coming out of her shell.

Clang!

Sky down brought the hammer with the might of an Ursa (well, an Ursa Minor). He was certainly getting into this. Ren wasn't feeling such enthusiasm, but, then again, it hadn't been StormFlower that was destroyed.

Ren and Nora had their weapons forged with the aid of a blacksmith in the village of Mutiya when they'd passed through. Her shop had been the most professional one on that side of Mistral. They'd been saving up for weeks after Nora got it into her head that they could fight the Grimm as huntsman and huntress.

Beacon's own forge was far more impressive. It was a monument to the blending of ancient artisanry and modern technology. Furnaces and vats of molten metal illuminated the room as forgemasters tended to them from elevated catwalks. A vertical conveyor belt shelf allowed students to select whatever pre-made part they needed for their design by accessing a control panel with their scrolls. Smoke billowed into the atmosphere and was sucked out by a state of the art ventilation system. Forgemasters aided students to fold and hammer raw blades fresh out of the furnaces. Ren was amazed not only by the breadth of capabilities it offered, but by the sheer efficiency of the room itself. Every pocket of space was utilized for the maximum convenience of students.

An apprentice forgemaster had been assigned to Sky and Ren. The man's light skin had been made dark by the layers of grime and soot that coated him, and he incessantly griped about the heat as the boys worked with him to realize their blueprints. Ren would've suggested he take a shower as a remedy to both issues, but Sky elbowed him in the stomach before he could finish. He later whispered something about how Ren's completely 100% viable solution would've been rude.

People were weird.

That was twice Sky had advised him about tempering his bluntness. He made a mental note to counsel Sky on how to assert himself at the next opportunity, lest his teammate feel their bargain was not being upheld.

Most students were first years looking to upgrade their existing weapons using Beacon's expansive facilities. Thus, as the late hours of the evening rolled around, they trickled out one-by-one until only four pairs of hands continued to work. They belonged to Sky, Ren, Ruby, and, surprisingly, Weiss Schnee.

She'd initially been quite distracted by the fires of the ovens, but some gentle coaxing from her teammate convinced her not to flee. Ren would've offered her the aid of his semblance for a second time to calm the white-haired girl, but his own teammate's needs came first.

When the last forgemaster departed, he only did so with the promise that the four students would close up the shop and double-check that all equipment was on standby before they left. Ren may not have been a master of understanding other's emotions, but even he could feel the palpable awkwardness as both teams waited for an opportunity to coalesce without interrupting the other.

Ruby was the final one to break the ice. "Hey, Sky, it looks like you're going to need a Fire Dust manifold." She tossed him the part in question.

"What? No, I don't need any…woah. That's, like, a million steps later in the plans. How did you–"

"I'm kind of a weapons nut. Your new weapon's shaft has an intake valve at the base, and it's always better if you connect it with the manifold before welding the shielded casing."

Ren asked, "Are you also constructing a new weapon from scratch with you partner?"

Ruby shook her head. "Nah. Weiss was somehow able to recover the Dust cycling chamber of her old sword. I think she's making some kind of Frankenweapon using the still beating heart of her rapist."

"It's not like that, you dolt! And it's called a rapier, not a...ugggh!"

Ruby twisted to face her partner in exasperation. "Then why keep it? It's damaged; it'd be easier to just grab a new one from the shelves!" She motioned to the fifteen identical chambers that the forge had to offer. "Beacon gives parts to students for a discount. I know you're some kinda business tycoon princess, but you can't be that stingy."

Weiss focused on her work. "This one is…special. Important. I can't go without it." She couldn't seem to meet the other three's eyes. "Ruby, let's just get this done. It's a school night, and you promised you'd help me!"

Ruby whispered to the pair, "Don't worry, you guys. I'm just busting her chops. As long as she'd focused on her weapon, the forge's fires won't upset her. She's getting better. Pretty soon Yang'll be–"

"Curses! They're all out of 9/16cm ball bearings!"

Ruby's silver eyes shifted downwards to the pair that Sky had on his workbench. Sky didn't miss the nonverbal request. "Uh, sure, I could spare one–"

"And I needed two!" cried Weiss in frustration.

"–or two."

Now's my chance. "Sky. You're allowed to decline."

"Oh. Um."

"Sky?" asked Ruby, unaware of what was going on.

"Uhhhh, Ruby, I… kindofneedbothofthemsorry." He grimaced.

Ruby smiled. "It's fine, buddy." She turned back to Weiss. "Worry not, Weiss. Your ol' pal Ruby Rose can help you out. We can skip those altogether if you switch out the upper release lever with a…" She wandered away from Ren and Sky to help her partner.

Keep pushing, Ren thought. Drive the point home. "See. She wasn't even upset."

Sky made eye contact with Ren. The relief on his face was transparent. "Thank the Brothers. I don't think my heart would've been able to handle it if I made a little girl cry. Where would I be without, you Ren?"

"Think nothing of it." Ren offered him a nod, then looked down at the parts they were working on.

Sky's eyes lingered on Ren.

"Your weapon?" Ren inquired.

"Oh, right!" Sky refocused his attention on his workbench.

People were weird.

"Mister Lie and Mister Lark vs…Miss Schnee and Miss Xiao-Long."

"Uh, Professor Goodwitch?"

"Please proceed to the practice ring."

"Professor?"

"This will be a two-on-two duel with tournament rules, so when you aura–"

"I can't use my new weapon in a duel!"

Glynda sighed. "Can't or won't, Mister Lark?"

"I – well, I…"

This was the problem with first years. Always so afraid to step out of their comfort zone despite choosing to come to a academy that would force them to do just that. "And will you ever be able to become proficient with you new equipment if you shy away from any and all opportunities to practice with it?"

"I just don't want to–"

"This will also be Miss Schnee's inaugural duel with a new weapon. I do not, however, see her complaining about it." Glynda knew that it was also the first time she'd put Yang and Weiss together in a fighting ring. Neither girl spoke up as both were too shy to address the Goliath in the room, but in this case, perhaps a 'trial by fire' would be beneficial (though she dared not voice such a sentiment aloud in front of Miss Xiao-Long for fear of inspiring or condoning a wave of fatuous puns).

"NO!"

The entire class recoiled. Sky seemed to regret the word before it even passed by his lips. Glynda's glare could've frozen the deserts of Vacuo. "Very well, Mister Lark. If you will object so strongly to such a spar, then you may enter the training ring without your weapon."

She could hear Ren murmur to Sky, "You know how I said a time will come when you need to assert yourself? That was not the time."

To his credit, Sky seemed to screw up his courage and accept his punishment without flinching as he faced the two members of Team Rainbow. Unsure of what stance to adopt, he awkwardly raised his fists in a boxing position.

"Begin!"

Yang cocked her shotgun gauntlets. Glynda watched with an unprofessional degree of curiosity as Weiss unveiled her new weapon for the first time.

Yang was also interested, apparently not having seen the weapon before. From the bleachers, Blake Belladonna leaned forward in anticipation of her partners' big reveal. Sky and Ren stared intently, keenly aware that the dramatic surprise was a strategic move to limit their intel. The entire class seemed to hold its breath.

From the bleachers, Ruby Rose grinned the shit-eating-est grin Remnant had ever seen.

It was a…

"A pickaxe? A fucking pickaxe? How the fucking fuck salad with fuck sauce drizzled on top is that a weapon?" Yang furiously exclaimed, her eyes flashing red.

"Language, Miss Xi–"

The teacher's rebuke was buried by the uproar of confused and angry students. Pyrrha was among the first category. She'd seen some wild weapons during her tournament days, but a pickaxe had to take the cake. Or, based on Ruby's smirk, it took the cookie.

Pyrrha whispered to her red friend, "What did you do?"

"Nothing~"

The subsequent giggle did not corroborate that.

Weiss tried to explain herself down in the arena. "My family is an important part of my identity, and we mine Dust, so I thought it would be fitting. My butler, Klein, collects pickaxes. He's got seven, one for each personality–"

Yang was not impressed. "I guess that's two people in this duel who didn't bring a real weapon."

"Hmph! I'm quite capable of using Schachmatt in combat. Her shaft contains the Dust chamber that made Myrtenaster a sword to be reckoned with. I need a light weapon, and she's the same weight as my old–"

"She?"

Weiss grimaced. "Ruby said she wouldn't help me if – and I quote – I didn't treat my new 'sweetheart' with love."

Yang called to her sister in the stands. "Rubes, dafuq?"

"Giggle!"

"Did you just say 'giggle as a word? Ruby, what aren't you telling me?"

Weiss seemed to be reaching her boiling point. "It's not even the weirdest weapon I've seen. Professor Goodwitch has a riding crop that's meant for horses. My sister in Atlas worked with a man named Clover who uses a fishing pole in combat. And I swear to the Brothers that there's a student in Atlas Academy who uses a trumpet to fight."

Yang turned to look at Weiss, her eyes glowing. "Real shit?"

"Yeah. And, to top it off, his partner would wear roller ska–"

An uppercut to the chin cut Weiss off. Sky apparently felt that a pickaxe was threatening enough and attacked while her attention was off of him. Pyrrha knew that the armored boy made the right call. Silly weapons often masked devastating tricks. And you should NEVER take your eyes off your opponent when the match had begun.

Omake

Ruby: I took Weiss to the forge!

Jaune: Forge? I didn't forge anything! I was framed!

Next Chapter: Forged in Fire – Team Rainbow turns up the heat during their duel against Team Castle, but the boys keep their eyes on the prize.

Author's Note: This fic will now be updated twice a week, with Wednesdays being the additional day. This may not continue forever, but it will for now.