First thing first, this story was first uploaded at the regular category. But then I reconsider, since the setting is pretty much a combination of Remnant and The City, even though there would be next to none Ruina character appearing, it should be enough to be categorized as a crossover. So yes, I deleted the one back at the regular category and reupload this at this crossover category. So sorry about that.
Now on to the reason I make this. I honestly found the story and setting of Library of Ruina to be very interesting. A dystopian society filled to the brim with monster and corrupt corporations is a good base for a story, and since RWBY has modern city setting, why not try combining them? Problem is I don't know how a RWBY story could interact with a LoR story. So I took the third option, lets make RWBY but with LoR-like setting, and this is what I came up with.
Fair warning, I change a lot of The City's elements to fit the story I am constructing. Plus I doubt oldman Ozpin would allow Remnant to become something like The City.
If you enjoy, then good. If you don't, at least you give this one a read. I'm already grateful for that.
Without further ado, enjoy the story.
"My King, this servant loyalty shall never change. Yet I must inquire, does this decision carry the result that you envision?"
"As Sir Lahr has pointed out, I believe it is within our rights to ask what can we, and most importantly the world, possibly gain from this, Your Majesty."
"I am of similar opinion with Sir Lahr and Sir Haley. This seems to be a risky endeavor, Your Majesty."
"Husband, I may not be well versed in the art of magic, yet I am positive that your action will bring the world much blight that it doesn't need."
The King, with Choice, Creation, and Destruction in his hands, declared to his cohorts, "My wife and friends, for the World, no cost is too great."
Two men were sitting in the small office. One seated behind a table with stacks of paper that needed to be addressed sooner before it multiplied again in the next few hours and the other man seated the opposite of the first and looking clearly nervous. The first had a baldhead and brown eyes with the expected skin tone of a person who rarely got out to see the sun. His clothing was also considered standard within the city, a black three-piece suit with an insignia shaped like an index finger pointing upward as the only accessory. If not because of the insignia providing info about his allegiance, he could fit in the crowd and nobody would notice.
The other man however, had more color on him than the average city dweller. Firstly, his hair was short with some strands reaching his ears. Secondly, its color was a shade of brilliant gold, a color rarely seen in the city as most folks had darker colored hair. His eyes were blue, just like the ocean, and they stared at the first man nervously. His clothes consisted of a trench coat and a baggy pant with dirt stains visible on some parts. Lastly, strapped to his hip was a sheathed sword.
The first man began, "So, Johnathan Amsel, yes?"
The man named Johnathan replied with a firm yes.
"Alright, before we proceed, I want to know why you choose us. You already said your intention on becoming a 'competent fighter', which is something that you could do by registering as a Fixer at Eden Association. You could, as per your words; 'become a competent fighter', while earning money at the same time.
Make no mistake, this doesn't mean that we reject you, no; we, The Index Finger of Vale, usually accept everyone as long as they have the basic standard. But, the thing is mister Amsel, those people know about us and know full well our standing within the city. You on the other hand, is clearly trained and experienced in dealing with Grimm and other monsters alike, yet you came from the frontier with no knowledge of the city's working, and you come to us. So I have to ask, why?"
Johnathan considered the question and, since he didn't have anything to hide, chose to answer as truthfully as he could, "Well, since I was little, I always dream of becoming a Hunter. I trained every day with my father until I collapsed. When I turned 16, due to circumstances, I had to leave my birthplace alone and roam the land for a few years. Then I met a Hunter, told my story, and asked how to be a proper one. He just laughed and pointed me here; said I better be something other than The Council's Attack Dog."
The first man seemed intrigued, it was not an unusual story but a normal Hunter would usually advertise of becoming one, "Can I ask who the Hunter is?"
"Oh, he's— Wait," Johnathan widen his eyes, remembering that he had something form the Hunter. He reached into his coat's inner pocket and brought out a sealed letter, "Here, he gave me this."
The man extended his hand and immediately widened his eyes upon looking at the seal. He hurriedly grabbed his scroll and speed dialed a number, "This is section 2 Human Resource Department speaking... Yes, something of interest has come up... The Crow send us someone... Yes... Yes... Understood."
He returned the letter back to Johnathan, "Mister Amsel, if you would please wait outside. Someone will escorts you The Boss in a few minute."
This time, it was Johnathan's turn to widen his eyes, "Wait the boss? Uhh... Was this Crow an important person or something? I didn't expect this kind of scenario to be honest."
The man just gave a hearty laugh, "Oh, mister Amsel. You just grabbed the attention of The Crow, who's a Beast Hunter, which is the highest rank of Hunter you could achieve. The Boss would definitely be interested in what you could offer."
Johnathan gave him a nervous laugh before exiting the office.
His life had gone... Interesting... in just a couple of months. Three months ago, he was a simple wanderer with a goal of reaching the peak of a Hunter's life within Vale City. Then he met The Crow, and then here he was, waiting outside an Index's HR office for an escort directly to The Boss.
Saying he was nervous would be an understatement. What if he misspoke? What if he accidently made a rude gesture? Were his clothes presentable enough? Many things could went wrong with a meeting like this. Should he even brought his sword? That would be rude wasn't it? That's not even consideri—
"Mister Johnathan Amsel?"
"YES!" he all but shouted and stood ramrod straight. His soon to be escort didn't seem to mind his excessive reaction, in fact she seemed to have expected his reaction.
"Good, then please follow me. Our trip would take no more than twenty minutes."
Then they began walking. Now with his mind cleared, he could took a proper look at his escort. A woman taller than him by a single inch, with hair white as snow tied into a ponytail that reached her back. She wore a white cloak with the Index's insignia embroidered on the back, and beneath the cloak, she wore the standard Index uniform, which was the same as the baldhead before.
He would say she was an attractive woman, but not because of her body, no. When he first made eye contact with her, it was when he stood abruptly; her eyes were the color of blood. They looked at him; looked beyond him, they captivated him. Those eyes were the belonging of a predator that should carried an overwhelming presence, yet they did not. A calm fury would be the closest description he could thought at the moment. It was clear she was a higher rank operatives of the Index, but her gaze told him she was way more special than that.
Soon, they were out of the building, only to be greeted by a black car with a driver. Johnathan was no expert with cars, as the cars found in the frontier were dirty and focused more to the aspect of practicality rather than design, but he knew when he saw a well-made and expensive car. He also found it to be a bit peculiar that the car was so clean despite trudging through the Backstreet of the city.
His escort went inside without a second thought while he hesitated for a second before following suit. In no time at all, they already exited the Backstreet and entered the main street. No more dirty ground and muted black atmosphere to be seen and felt. It was all replaced with a mostly clean streets and somewhat lively atmosphere, even if the color palette still belonged in the muted category.
A new experience for Johnathan, he supposed. At first, he believed Vale City to be filled to brim with color and bright opportune. Such thought could still be applied to the main street but once he entered the Backstreet, all of that brightness was gone. The main street was like a more peaceful life of a frontier town, while the Backstreet made him feel like he was back deep within Old Glenn ruins.
"Surprised?"
Johnathan replied in the affirmative, "Today, I've seen both the main street and the Backstreet, but the difference between the two of them still surprises me."
His escort gave a low hum, "Hmmmm... Yes, that does happen to newcomer. You'll get used to it in a few days."
Their conversation died after that. Johnathan knew that his escort preferred to be professional with him. But, sitting in a car for twenty minutes with only his thought to accompany himself despite having someone to strike a conversation with only filled him with more distress. Moreover, this was not the usual journey around the frontier with the occasional companion. In that kind of setup he could walked hours without talking to his companion, as they both preferred to enjoy the atmosphere. This however, was a different beast altogether. He was on the way to meet The Boss of Vale's Index. That should summed up how important this meeting was.
Wait, he could asked about The Boss, right, "Umm... Miss..."
"Ermessia."
"Miss Ermessia. Do you think I am presentable enough for the boss?"
For the second time since their meeting, Ermessia looked directly at him; her twin crimson orbs appraising him from top to bottom. "No. However, he is an eccentric individual. As long as you don't antagonize him, you should be fine."
That didn't fill him with lots of confidence, "Then... uhh... Does he prefer this normal way of speaking... or... Must I rearrange my speech to be as sophisticated as possible?"
She arched an eyebrow, for reason he didn't understand, "You pose an excellent question. Fortunately for you, no. To him, a discussion is a discussion, disregarding the language used. He is quite 'humble' if you compare him to the other Finger Bosses, but please, do watch your mouth if you are about to say something."
Now that was something reassuring coming from her mouth. If speech was of no concern then his mannerism was the only thing he needed to pay attention.
"Then I should be fine with this, right?"
"For the most part, yes."
With his curiosity sated, which was pretty much the thing that kept him alive this far, their conversation died again. Conveniently, the car stopped just a few minutes after their chat concluded.
The building that stood before him didn't offer any notable differentiation from other high-reaching building he'd seen so far in the city. Blending together into a unity seemed to be the trend in the city, unlike the many colors of the Frontier. He supposed the inside would offer the distinct characteristic of the owner, and he would be correct.
The place was clean, unnaturally so, to the point that when he looked down, the reflection gave off the impression he was walking on a mirror. The walls were white, just like the floor, and they too reflected everything perfectly. There was a receptionist, but Miss Ermessia ignored it, and so did he. They immediately rode an elevator up, and after disembarking, walked into several corridors. Like the first level, the walls and floors possessed their mirror-like property. And like the first level, the dirt on his shoes didn't seem to dirty them. It puzzled him greatly but he refrained from asking.
"Beyond this door is The Boss' study. Take your time; we have a lot of time to spare."
To him, it was the most majestic set of doors he ever laid his eyes upon. The color of obsidian contrasted heavily with everything he'd seen within this building. It's surface was decorated with vine like markings in the same color as the walls, and those markings... looked as if they were eyes staring at his very soul.
His nervousness skyrocketed again. This was unlike monster hunting, those were dangerous but manageable—this one felt like walking on a tightrope, but below him was the Solitas Death Canyon. The Boss might be as chill as Miss Ermessia described, but a mob boss of this caliber must have something that made them really stood out and dangerous, and he was a potential victim to this ruthlessness.
Standing around won't produce any progress though. So, with his determination steeled he nodded towards Miss Ermessia.
She nodded back at him and knocked three time, "Sir, Johnathan Amsel is here."
A reply came soon after, "Let him in."
Miss Ermessia opened the door for him, and his mind just stopped working.
What seemed to be piles of platinum coins were scattered haphazardly in the room, from the corner to near the door, every surface was nearly covered in coins. Spaces that weren't covered in coins were occupied by stuff you would expect from a study: a rack of books, potted plants colored in platinum, platinum drawers, some sophisticated paintings, and relics that definitely dated back a few generations ago. All of that however, failed to avert his attention from the very center of the room.
Seated atop a pile of coins behind a low table was The Boss.
His hair was platinum in color set in a slick back style. His silver eyes bore into him accompanied by his blinding smile. Yet, the thing that made Johnathan Amsel would never forget this meeting was the clothing of The Boss, or a lack of thereof. Yes, The Boss was sitting there with his athletic build for all to see and only a drape of white cloth covering his manhood.
A nudge came on his side, and that was enough to jolt him back to reality. Muttering a quick thanks to Miss Ermessia, he took off his boots and went inside while the doors closed behind him. He was inside the beast cage now.
The Boss opened the conversation with something mild, "You could keep the boots on you know."
To which he replied, "I do not want to dirty the coins, sir."
"Hahah, very well. You may take a seat."
The Boss gestured to the piles of coins in front of him and since there was no reason for him to decline, Jonathan sat down on it. Contrary to what his Frontier companions had said, sitting on a pile of money was not comfortable.
"So, Johnathan Amsel, let us begin. But first, let me introduce myself. My name is Damian Super Hikaru Takahashi, The Boss of this humble Index of Vale."
Johnathan wouldn't call this organization 'humble' anytime soon, especially after seeing the wealth that The Boss—Sir Takahashi, so casually display. But, aside from The Boss' proclamation of being humble, there was another thing that bothered him. It was his name. Who named themselves with Super, and his name sounded weird in a way, like there were two different cultures in there trying in vain to become a unity.
He couldn't helped but be bewildered after hearing that and it must have shown on his face since The Boss' next words sent chill to his spine, "The number of guests leaving my abode in a body bag is quite astounding you know."
Those words were meant as a warning to him, and he quickly realized his mistake. His body instinctively bent ninety degrees, "Pardon my insolence, Sir!"
And then silence.
Pure silence.
No clink of coins, no tick of a clock, nothing.
Just silence filled to the brim with tension.
"It must have been a joke, really. I have traveled the Valean Frontier for years. Grimm and Distortions felled by my blade. But today, my life is done just because I fucking look at someone funny."
"Hahaha... HAHAHAHAHA!"
Instead of the pain he was expecting, Johnathan Amsel was bombarded with the joyous laughter of The Boss. No tension, no anger, just pure laughter filled with mirth. He didn't dare lift his head before The Boss instructed him, however.
"HAHAHAHA... That reaction will never gets old... It's funny how people can forget the fact they were in my presence just because of my name you know. Name carries power, and while my name might sounds silly to you, I could fulfill what my name indicates. But enough about me, lets talk about you. Now, raise your head. It would be uncomfortable for me to talk with your hair, no?"
Slowly, Johnathan brought his head up, deliberately at a slow pace so that he could calmed his nerves before making eye contact with The Boss. And when he did, the previous steely gaze of The Boss was gone, replaced with easygoing eyes the likes you would gave to a friend. It strangely made him comfortable on the outside, but his deep psyche warned him that The Boss' danger level just skyrocketed to the top of his mental list of dangerous beings.
"Good. Now we are face to face. My subordinate said you have a letter from Qrow—"
Johnathan immediately reached within his coat and presented the letter with both hands while bowing a little.
"Ah, good. Now lets see what's written inside," and the letter was ripped open.
This was the deciding moment whether he would join the Index or thrown out into the Backstreet. He might have been too trusting with Crow, but he was the only Hunter he met with skill surpassing everything he knew, and he thought getting a recommendation from him would be good.
The Boss visibly raised his left eyebrow, albeit only slightly, "Ah, my suspicion is correct, you are the grandson of old man Julius Arc."
Jaune Arc froze atop the piles of coins he sat upon. His identity as an Arc was supposed to be a secret. But when he thought about it, it made sense to some degree. He doubted he could kept his identity secret for a long time within the city, but with The Boss in the know from the get go, Jaune and The Boss at least had a modicum of trust they could put into each other. For Jaune, he must trust The Boss to keep this information secret. For The Boss, he must trust Jaune to not declare himself to the world that he was an Arc. They both didn't want The Council came knocking at their doorstep after all.
"Wait, then... shouldn't The Council already know that I am an Arc?"
As if reading his mind, The Boss answered his unspoken question, "If you're worried about Qrow spilling your identity, I suggest keeping that thought away from your mind. He might be a Beast Hunter working for The Council but he only answers to Ozpin. Ozpin is the only likely candidate to know of your identity, and you shouldn't worry about that either. He has different agenda than The Council, and with your presence here, he is likely to give me more support than before."
That eased himself somewhat.
"With that out of the way, let me ask you something—but what's your first name?"
"It's Jaune, sir."
"Jaune then. Qrow wrote that you hunted a Basilisk, a Mantorer, and a Plague Class Distortion. Is that true?"
He didn't hesitate with this question, "I had support with the last one, but I did the first two alone."
"Hm. Interesting," and then he returned reading.
Jaune needed to ask something after seeing The Boss' reaction, "Sir, this might be rude of me, but are you not worried about misinformation?"
The Boss' regarded Jaune again, not with irritation like he expected, but with amusement, "Jaune, if I had not mastered the art of perceiving lies, this throne of platinum wouldn't belong to me you know. This just show how underprepared you are for a city life. Well, you can learn as you work for me... Eh, lets just get that out of the way first then."
The Boss' no longer slouched from his seat and Jaune subconsciously straighten his posture. He gazed directly into his eyes and uttered the question that Jaune had been searching the answer for a long time, "Jaune Arc, why do you strive?"
He honestly didn't have the perfect answer for that, for he still searched as to why he even fight other than picking up his father legacy. He answered with this, "To be worthy of Crocea Mors, sir. She is the only thing left of my family and I will prove to her that I am worthy by climbing the ranks within the city."
A will of steel could be seen in his eyes. He may lack direction, but he had pick a start for himself.
A hum from the Boss' was the first reply he got, "Hmm... to be worthy of The Crocea Mors... That is indeed a grandeur end you strive for. Yet, you seem to have step on the wrong direction, son."
That single sentence crumbled his small confidence. Every people he met were supportive of his end goal, even The Crow. But this man, clearly of more experience, denounced his goal, saying he had stepped on the wrong direction. What direction should he take then? Was his strive all meaningless after all? And then there was how The Boss addressed his grandpa, old man Julius he said. That implied close bond with his grandpa, and by extension, knew the way of life of an actual Arc.
Jaune desperately put together questions he needed to ask The Boss, but before any of them could leave his mouth, someone knocked on the door thrice.
"Sir, Ruby Rose is here," the voice of Miss Ermessia came from the door.
"Well, well, quite unfortunate Jaune. It seems this conversation needs to be brought for another time. Let her in!"
Jaune tried not to let his disappointment shown on his face, it was a hard endeavor apparently, especially considering the situation he was in.
Since The Boss was aware of his inner dilemma, and there was no way he could deny the fact, he chose to focus his attention on something else, namely the girl identified as Ruby Rose. There was nothing much you could say about her. Her attire was the standard Index uniform and the way she stood beside him with her hands on her back and feet slightly apart told him that this was the standard for this organization.
She was by no means unrecognizable with the crowds however. Her hair might blend together, black, messy and slicked back not unlike The Crow, which was common, but her eyes... they were something you couldn't mistake for something else. They were the color of silver, the same shade as The Boss.
"Johnathan, don't leave just yet. You two will be partnered for the foreseeable future, both of you hearing this bit will provide more benefit for the both of you."
Johnathan, who was about to stand and leave, returned to his platinum seat.
"Now Ruby, you might have heard rumor as to why I summoned you here... and let me be clear, this is not a promotion, more of a trial if you will," Ruby and John listened intently, "Both of you will be partners and work under Ermessia on the case of Mister Matchlight."
As expected, John didn't recognize the name. Ruby on the other hand, fully became rigid, something which both men noticed.
"May I ask a question, sir?" Ruby's small voice asked with audible tremble in them.
"Go ahead."
"Why me?"
Just like what he had done with Johnathan before, The Boss gazed directly at—no, beyond Ruby's eyes. The tension was there; easily felt radiating from The Boss. Ruby's even began sweating under such pressure. And like when he asked about Johnathan's goal, he delivered an answer with his full might, "Ninth of May, 71 AGW. That should give you enough info, no?"
Exhaling her holded breath, she gave The Boss an almost imperceptible nod. "Yes sir."
His aloof attitude returned immediately, "Good! Now Ruby, since I believe you have no imminent business after this, I want you to help Johnathan here acclimate himself with the city. That's all, now go and enjoy your evening or do what the young'uns are up to this day."
The reaction was slow from them. After he gave them the go, John stood slowly before bowing his head together with Ruby and proceeded to the door.
"And John!"
He pivoted, before bringing his hand up in reflex. Something was caught on them, and when he checked the item, it was a bottle of wine. He didn't know what the wine was since the label was written in a language he didn't understand, but it must be something fancy if it came from The Boss personal collection.
"Welcome aboard!"
And that is for chapter 1.
Let's see if I could put chapter 2 before the end of the month.
Have a good day folks!
P.S. I haven't complete Lobotomy since Idoubt my laptop can handle Hokma Suppression. But I have completed all Asiyah Suppression.
I haven't complete Ruina but I got all the lore from wiki, Tv Tropes, and Reddit. Now I am stuck at Star of The City.