"I don't think I'll be able to accomplish this." Blake said setting her bowl down.
"This didn't brew out." Yang said with a smile.
"Miss Merrin..." Ruby held out her bowl. Beneath the surface of the water was three distinct piles, one of the sand stone, one of one of Death Root, and one of Shade Flowers. In the center on the bowl was an untouched swirl of blood.
"Seems you Ruby Rose were born with a Gift."
Episode 2: Personal Lessons
Merrin stood across from Ruby as the young huntress looked at the ground uncertain of what to do. "Well Little Red, is there anything you want to know?" She asked, the class had finished and the young team leader had stayed behind. "I understand that you weren't expecting this but understand while I will teach you the skills you need to understand your abilities, I will not force you to go down a path you do not wish to follow. I will not deceive you like the man that had taught me had, there are dark and dangerous powers within the force."
"Well... I wanted to become a huntress to help people. Thats why I'm here. But it sounds so... fantastical. A stranger from another world, offering to teach me Magick... it's alot to take in." Ruby said softly. "But, you did help us, I saw how beautiful ut was when you pulled me into that portal..."
"The Force permeates all living things, To a Nightsister there is more then the light and the dark of the Jedi and Sith. Ruby, in time you could become strong enough with your aura and Force magick to do great things. As I traveled the Galaxy, I learned many things, of peoples with traditions wonderous and beautiful. I offer you that choice. To learn." Merrin smiled.
"I... will. If I have these abilities then I have the responsibility to learn and use them." Ruby with a look of determination.
"Very well, then while proper ritual will have go wait till Cal and I find a way back to Dathomir. You have begun your path to becoming a Nightsister." Merrin opened the ancient Grimoire. "Come here, this belonged to a night mother over five hundred years ago. Contained within is enough knowledge to train a new sect in our ways. Spells rituals, rites of passge, though I think to mark this you should be granted a weapon."
Ruby perked up. "A weapon?"
"Why yes, though our Magic we can manifest items, great artifacts of power, or imbue your own spirit upon your own weapon, raising it to new heights of power. In time you'd be able to do the same." She picked up her shattered orb. "Give me your hand."
The younger girl tentatively reached out her hand to the witch and once again felt the rush of the Force around her, as the strange alien recited a spell in her own strange esoteric language green motes of energy emmitted from the orb in her hand. Swirling around the pair.
The pages of the tomes started flicking rapidly in an invisible wind. The lights of the room dimmed before it stopped. Merrins inncantations swirld in the air as Rupy felt her hair raise up as though gravity had lost it's hold. Placing various reagents and ingredients in a wide clay bowl they seemed to disolve into a green portal before it Rose up. The liquid was engulfed in soft green flames that turned as silver as her eyes. revealed to the young huntress was a pair of bracer with images of Dathomir and gems with swirling green energy inside positioned as constilations arond the planet. Merrin activaed the left one creating a round energy sheild that quickly vanished, the other pooled the energy above the wrist and blew a short burst of green flame.
"The Bracers of Sister Dannoth. A truly rare gift. Imbued with her spirit and connection to the waters of life. May her strength be passed on to you." Merrin handed the bracers to Ruby.
As the younger warrior placed them on, Merrin noticed the gens green light turn silver in connection with the young huntress.
Jaune was walking back to the dorms with the rest of his team and Team Rwby as Ruby and held back after the lesson with Merrin. He couldn't shake the unease he got around her, it wasn't one of mistrust, but she looked just inhumane enough to set off a flight or fight in his head.
Once outside Yang let out a visible shiver. "I don't know how to feel about her... a alien with face tattoos wants to teach my sister magic..."
"Don't be ridiculous... there as to be a explanation to her abilities. perhaps her races semblance manifests in that specific way." Wiess reasoned.
"She brought an animal back from the dead..." Blake said. "Still I think it's best we keep going to these lessons... It's best we know what she is teaching. Though we also have to respect her as she is choosing to share her people's culture with us. She did help us with the Nevermore before even becoming a teacher."
"I see Merrin's lesson is finished." The group all let out a starrtled gasp. "Sorry about scarring you but i thought it best to follow up with the students afterwards." Cal said as BD-1 looked over his shoulder. "I see miss Rose isn't with you."
"Ah Mr Kestis. You arrived with Miss Merrin, how long have you know her, Can you explain her powers? Are you a witch like her? What is she teaching Ruby?" Nora asked in rapid sucession.
"I've known Merrin for five years, while I understand her powers are born from the Force like my own. Our practices and traditions are wildly different. I was a part of a group of warrior monks called the Jedi. Where Merrin's draws from light and dark side abilities for her magick, the Jedi used exclusively powers from the light side of the force." Cal explained. "I understand you're worried for your friend, and that trust with Merrin needs to grow in time between you and her."
"So... how did you two meet?" Yang asked.
"I visited her planet looking for an artifact from an ancient temple as she tried to kill me. Several times. Going as far as to unleash an undead army after me. It was a big misunderstanding." Cal explained.
"That doesn't exactly put our minds to ease." Yang said.
"Well, we cleared up the misunderstanding eventually. She's saved my life more times than I can count. Merrin witnessed her family get murdered at the hands of the Sith, much like how I witnessed my master's murder during the rise of the Galatic empire. She was hurt and mistrusting and lied to. She was told it was the Jedi that had killed all of her sisters. So when her hated enemy, a Jedi, shows up, her natural response was to protect what she had. She won't put Ruby in any more danger then being a huntress would." Cal smiled.
"Yang, maybe it's for the best. It is Rubies choice, you need to have a little faith in your sister, she is your team leader." Pyyrha suggested.
"Don't be ridiculous. There has to be a logical explanation to all of this other then magic!" Weiss exclaimed, "Ruby already has enough trouble focusing in class, now she's getting her head filled with fairy tales of witches on another planet. How are we supposed to accept that?"
"Miss Schnee." Cal said sharply, a warning to choose her words wisely. "Would you feel better if I were to teach her my traditions instead? Do you want to know why Merrin and I chose to go with her teachings over mine?"
"Yes, i would like yo know why, if your tradition is about the light sude of this 'Force' they why aren't you teaching her?"
"The Jedi order took me from my parents when I was a child. I can't even remember their faces or names. Those teachings would demand I isolated her from all of you. And while I have naturally shifted away from those teachings, I don't know what to teach in it's place. The force heigtens emotions and if a Jedi is taught wrong it can cause them to fall to the Dark side." Cal took a second to gauge their reactions. "Becoming consumed with hate and rage. Merrin is teaching to control the darkside through the Night sister magick, this allows them to stay apart of your team, you to learn along side her, because while Ruby is a born foce sensitive, not all Nightsister were born with that connection. On Dathomir even a non foce sensitive nightsister could weild their magick with enough training."
"I guess we never considered why you made that choice." Yang said.
"But then why not just teach the abilities without the cultural aspects?" Weiss asked.
"Weiss, remember miss Merrin said the Force exists in all things, that the abilities granted by it are influenced by the culture that practices it's use." Blake spoke up. "Trying to seperate the two is like the relationship between Aura and semblances. Everyone has a soul, but not everyone has a unlocked Aura and a semblance, thats only really the huntsmen and huntresses and high ranking military figures." The black haired girl explained. "It's ultimately Ruby's choice if she wants to learn from her."
"Precisely miss Belladonna. Miss Schnee, i understand that its strange and unknown but you will see. Ruby is in good hands." Cal smiled. "Ah it seems your friend is done speaking with Merrin. I'll see you tomorrow in class then?"
Ruby rejoined her teammates as Cal walked into the school building behind them. "Ruby." Yang hugged her younger sister. "That wasn't too long."
"What did she talk to you about?" Jaune asked.
"Well she told me about different Force traditions, about her home world, about the Grimoire she had in class using it to summon these. The Braccers of sister Dannoth. A night sister that lived hundreds of years ago." Ruby showed them the bracers.
"Did she talk about her relationship with Mr Kestis?" Nora asked, "Maybe he's going to meet up with her, he did say she tried to kill him when they first met, oh maybe she has a spell on him."
"I think the headmaster would have noticed if he was being mind controlled. Though i do wonder why he trusts her so intrinsically. He did mention that his order practiced the light side of the Force while her used the dark side."
"No, she didn't but then again I didn't ask." Ruby said. "Well they did mention they were fighting against that Empire, so it could be an alliance."
"Hmmm...I wouldn't hurt to to ask what their connection is." Ren said. "And Ruby has basically become her apprentice so she should go ask.
"I agree, the more we know the better we can deal with this situation." Weiss said pushing her team leader back inside the school building.
"Weiss this can wait. I wanted to try out the bracers." Ruby whined.
Back at the lecture room door the two teams crowded around the young leader. "Guys, maybe this isn't such a good idea? We're..." Jaune started before Nora put a finger to his lips.
"Shush, I'm still betting it's a spell." The hammer weilding girl whispered.
Ruby gave a pleading look to her older sister and Blake. They shrugged their shoulders. They knew Weiss wasn't gonna drop it.
"Come on Ruby just go ask." She urged.
Pyyrha placed a hand on the Heiress' shoulder. "Weiss it's best to not pry into our teachers lives anymore then we already have."
"No it's fine, I'll ask." Ruby took a deep breath and opened the door a small amount to look inside if they were in the room before her face turned bright red and closing the door.
"Ruby, what did you see?" Weiss asked with a eyebrow raised.
"They... were kissing." she said somewhat embarrassed. "We should go."
The two teams quickly made their way back to Rwby's dorm before Yang burst out laughing. "No wonder he trusts her! When they first met she went for his heart!" She laughed so hard she leylt out a snort.
"Yang, it's still our teachers, we shouldn't have spied on them." Blake said from her bed.
"Well to be fair Ruby saw them kissing before she could ask any questions. It's less spying and more stumbling on a private moment." Pyyrha said.
"Well, how into it we're they?" Yang asked
"Well it didn't look like they were all over each other. More just gently hugging while... you know..."
"That's actually kind sweet." Weiss said. "Do you think their like, their world's equivalent of married?" she asked.
"I don't think so if their activity trying to take down the government that rules the Galaxy." Pyyrha said. "Still we shouldn't be gossiping about our teachers."
"I agree, it's none of our concern about their relationship. Mr Kestis said his order disapproved of such personal connections. If He's willing to go against what he was taught, then she has gained his trust." Ren added.
"Fine." Weiss said.
"Let's just not mention I saw them." Ruby pleaded.
Cal sat on the couch in the Mantis as he went over the course work for his students. Merrin next to him doing the same as they enjoyed each other's company.
There was a knock at the Mantis's open door. "May I come in?" Glynda asked.
"Of course, Cal do get her some tea won't you." Merrin said as the strict woman stepped inside her heels clicking on the steel floor.
"I'm impressed, your students feedback on your first lessons are quite good. Oobleck spoke to me of your class Merrin and I would like to learn more of your home." Goodwictch said sitting down. "So i Heard that one of our students is Force sensitive, I have to admit when i heard that it was Miss Rose, I am a little worried that the extra course work will be a bit much for her."
"In regards to her actual training in her Force powers, I will not be grading her in the traditional accademic way. That's not how Night sisters are trained. Eventually I will have to bring her to Dathomir. Preferably with her team as while they won't be my sisters, they are her's. I know what it's like to lose those I care about, I won't do the same to her. for now the nebulas that surround your system still hold firm though Cal has been using a the sensors on the mantis to scan for any gaps that can be exploited."
Cal walked back over and sat next to Merrin setting three cups of tea down, "Most likely until we meet with the Atlas General Ironwood we won't have acess to a power source and scanner strong enough to pair with the Mantis to fly through either the koboh abyss or the blue nebula. Then we can set the arrays on Koboh and it's moon to the system's coordinates and use them to create a narrow passage for travel back and forth as we have the compasses the we recovered and built for ships to travel to and from Tanalorr."
"What will you do once you free to travel back and forth?" Glynda asked taking a sip of her tea.
"Well the corridor is too small for any Imperial war ship to travel here though it'd be better to deactivate it between visits, Remnant, Koboh, and the growing colony on Tanalorr would be perfect to train a new generation of Jedi and Night sisters as well as house family of resitance fighters, and with the huntsmen and Huntresses we could train them in more ways of fighting. Once a proper fighting Force builds up we can do what's right. Restore the Republic and bring peace to the Galaxy." Cal said excitedly.
"That's certainly a lofty goal." Glynda said as she stood up. "I'm sure Ozpin would love to aid you in this." Turning to leave the ship. "I'm sure we can learn just as much from you as you can from us."
The next day Cal sat in the class room as the Students studied the droid parts he had provided. "Remember your to take inspiration and not just create copies of these parts for your droids." Cal said when Jaune came up to him.
"You said you defeated these battle droids yourself?" He asked.
"Well, yes Mr Arc. I fought them during two periods of my life. One was quite recently as they had been reactivated and reprogramed by the Bedlam raiders and the first time I was much younger, why I was younger miss Rose." That caught the attention of the class.
"You were younger then me when you stared fighting?" Ruby asked. "Why was that?"
"Yes, back before the Republic became the Empire it was embroiled in a conflict called the Clone war. Jedi were made generals of the newly formed Grand army of the Republic, form from clone born and raised on tbe outer rim world of Kamino. I was just a Padawan back then. Serving under my master Jedi General Jaro Tapal." Cal recounted.
"Wouldn't that make you a child soldier?" Velvet asked.
"I was too young to understand the politics of the conflict, at least not as much as i do now. I would serve with my master though dozens of dangerous mission and campaigns against the Cis droid army along side the clone troopers... then one day the war ended... and so did the Jedi." Cal took in a shakey breath as he gripped his light sber hilt out of sight from the students. "The clones turned on the jedi all throughout the Galaxy. They killed almost eceryone. Thousands of jedi cut down in a instant. My master died in my arms as we escaped the ship... it crashing into the planet of Brakka... and there I stayed... in hiding, working as a scrapper to survive... and I was taken in by a engineer named Prauf... I hid my true identity from him for years... until... it got him killed. That when I started to fight again. Always remember why you fight, because you never know when you'll lose it all. Because if you don't you'll watch everything slowly be taken from you..." He let go of the weapon hilt and stood up. "Sorry... we got off topic. Any other questions before we move onto the diffrent circuts needed for droid funtions?"
Pyyrha put up her hand. "Have you run into any other Jedi since the clone wars? I find it hard to believe they were all killed."
"Cere Junda, who knighted me as a full jedi knight, Edo Cordova, Cere's former master, Taron Malicos who I fought and killed on the world of Dathomir along side Merrin, the Empire employed fallen Jedi as Inquistors to hunt down Jedi, One was named Trilla, Cere's former Padawan and Masana tide, another former Jedi, Dagan Gera, a jedi i found who had been in Stasis for over two hundred years becausehe had fallen from the jedi way, and lastly... Bode Akuna... he... was my best friend... Their all dead, either by our enemies, or by my hand. I wish things had been different."
Hey chapter 2 is complete. i hope you enjoy and please leave reviews and tell me what you think.