Sorry for the wait; with some important events occurring in the next few months, I need to prepare so these haphazard updates may be even slower than usual. Im really sorry and I hope you all have a nice day/night.

Note: I don't claim ownership of either Dark Souls or RWBY

Ruby

Massive, towering and imposing, the academy of Signal stood before the new hunters and huntresses in training, looming over them in extravagance rarely found in the entirety of Vale. The newcomers took in the structure, awe-struck at the intricate craftsmanship up close.

"The view from Vale's got nothing on this!"

Ruby immediately change focus, looking instead at the weapons carried by her soon to be yearmates. Just a quick glance over and her eyes were lit up like stars.

"Ohmygosh, sis! That kid's got a collapsible staff! And she's got a fire sword!" Trying to indiscreetly pounce on her prey, she was stopped by her sister, preventing her from lunging at the weapons.

"Calm down, sis. They're only weapons." She huffed, ceasing her actions.

"Just weapons? They're an extension of ourselves! They're a part of us! Oh, they're so cool!" Her sister sighed in exasperation, glancing at the case by her sister's side.

"Well, why can't you swoon over your own weapon? Aren't you happy with it?" Ruby allowed her scythe of choice to assemble itself.

"Of course I'm happy with Crescent Rose! I just really like seeing new ones. It's like meeting new people, " she lowered her tone slightly, allowing a somber mood to settle subtly. "but better..." Yang just grabbed her hood and pulled it over her face.

"Don't be so depressing! Come on, why don't you go try and make some friends of your own?" Ruby looked at her in sheer confusion.

"But I have you; why would I need friends?" A group of people suddenly surrounded Yang, hastily exchanging greetings.

"Oh, hey, my friends are here! See you later, Ruby." Before Ruby could protest, she had already ran off.

"Wait, where are you going?! Are we supposed to go to our dorms? Where are our dorms? Do we have dorms?" She sighed. "I don't know what I'm doing..." She pivoted quickly, the speed tipping her over into a trolley of suitcases. With a groan, the trolley collapsed, it's contents flying haphazardly onto the floor.

"What are you doing!?" Ruby steadily rose, looking at the presumed owner of the trolley. "Sorry..." The girl looked outraged.

"Sorry?! Do you have any idea of the damage you could have caused?" Ruby avoided her gaze, sheepishly managing a

"No?" In response, the girl violently grabbed one of the strewn cases and opened it, revealing it's contents: bright, vibrant and pure vials of unknown properties.

"This is Dust! Freshly mined from the Schnee quarry! The Schnee Quarry!!"

"Uuuh..." The girl heaved in exasperation, looking at Ruby with barely concealed mirth behind her azure blue eyes. Carefully retrieving a cracked red vial from the case, she snapped it shut, the yellow and blue gas emitted from the sides going unnoticed.

"What are you, brain-dead?" She shook the vial in front of the immature Rose, allowing some red dust escape from its prison. "Dust. Fire, lightning, water, energy! You imbecile!" Ruby, under the onslaught of these mental attacks, wilted rapidly.

"I... Know..." Before she could finish speaking, she coughed, clearing the converging dust before her face. This only served to further enrage the girl.

"Are you even listening to me? Is any of this sinking in?" Before she could stop herself, the scythe-wielder sneezed, the conglomeration of dust erupting into a mixture of ice, fire and lightning which landed all on the scolding girl. Even Ruby could notice the disbelief into he girls expression; if she were any angrier, there would certainly be cartoonist plumes of smoke exiting from her ears.

"Unbelievable! This is exactly the kind of thing I was talking about!"

"I'm really, really sorry. There was just so much dust and then..." The girl just waved her hand in front of her, cutting her off prematurely.

"Complete and utter dolt. What are you even doing here? Aren't you a little young to be attending Beacon?" She let out a little scoff, begging for a conflict.

"Well, I-I...""

"This isn't your ordinary combat school. It's not just sparring and practice, you know! We're here to fight monsters, so... watch where you're going!" Ruby, for her part, had held on well, restraint barely keeping her in check. However, even the most virtuous, most patient, wouldn't have been able to sanely deal with the, quite frankly, bratty child.

"Hey, I said I was sorry, princess!" Before she could retort, a voice interrupted them.

"It's heiress, actually." A newcomer appeared, a black bow immediately becoming visible. Next, an indifferent expression came into view, lightly throwing a vial of dust back to the 'heiress', who caught it with a little yelp of surprise. "Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, one of the largest producers of energy propellant in the world." The girl known as Weiss smiled smugly, facing Ruby.

"Finally! Some recognition!" The newcomers ignored her, picking up where she left off.

"The same company infamous for its controversial labor forces and questionable business partners." The controversial Schnee heiress immediately became flustered, stomping off after hurling a few curses at the pair.

"I promise I'll make this up to you!" Ruby sighed in relief before turning to the girl.

"So, what's..." The girl had already walked off, leaving Ruby to collapse onto the floor into defeat. "Welcome to Beacon, I guess." A few minutes passed before a shadow covered her and an outstretched hand reached for her.

"Hey, I'm Jaune" Ruby took his hand.

"I'm Ruby." She got a closer look at him. "Aren't you the guy who puked on the ship?"

The pair had moved into the academy walls, wandering around a magnificent front yard, grand oak tree providing shade for the entire area. Under it, Jaune was desperately gesticulating to the young Rose.

"All I'm saying is that motion sickness is a much more common problem than people let on!" She laughed, parting him on the back lightly.

"Ok, ok! I'm sorry; Vomit Boy was the first thing that came to mind." Jaune immediately retorted.

"What if I called you Crater Face, hmm?" Ruby immediately became defensive. "Hey, that explosion was an accident!" Quickly switching conversation, she activated her weapon, revealing her beloved Crescent Rose.

"Look what I've got!" Jaune, completely enamoured, immediately forgot the previous topic. "Wow, is that a scythe?"

"It's also a customizable high-impact sniper rifle!" Jaune looked at her like she was an alien. "A-wha...?" She sighed in amusement.

"It's also a gun."

"Oh. That's cool!" Ruby eyed him voraciously, searching him for a possible weapon. "So, what do you have?"

"Oh! I, uh..." He quickly unseated a weapon "I got this sword!" Ruby looked at it with genuine interest, to his obvious surprise.

"Ooooohh!"

"Yeah, and I've got a shield, too!" He used his other hand to grab his scabbard, allowing it to expand into a shield. Ruby touched the shield, obviously trying to decipher it's materials and patterns.

"So, what do they do?" He fumbled to retract the shield and sword, allowing them to shrink in size.

"The shield gets smaller, so when I get tired of carrying it, I can just... put it away..." Ruby looked confused before asking him, "Wouldn't it weight the same?" He dejectedly looked down, saddened. "Yeah, it does". She laughed it off, quickly shifting the focus again.

"Well, I'm kind of a dork when it comes to weapons, sooo... I guess I did go a little overboard when designing it." Jaune was dragged out of his stupor instantly, looking at her with nothing short of incredulous awe.

"You made that!?"

"Of course! All students at Signal forge their own weapons! Didn't you make yours?" He spoke a bit softer this time, most likely from unfair embarrassment.

"It's a hand-me-down. My great-great-grandfather used it to fight in the war." Ruby just shrugged it off, cracking a quick joke.

"Sounds more like a family heirloom to me! Well, I like it! Not many people have an appreciation for the classics these days."

"Yeah, the classics..."

They walked a bit further before Ruby spoke up. "So why'd you help me out back there? In the courtyard?"

"Eh, why not? My mom always says, 'Strangers are just friends you haven't met yet.'" Ruby looked at him with an unreadle expression, Tring to decipher what he just said.

"Hmm." She looked around, realisation striking her. "Hey, where are we going?"

"Oh, I don't know! I was following you." He started panicking. "Y-You think there might be a directory? Maybe a food court? Some sort of recognizable landmark?" Ruby chuckled light-heartedly at his expense. "Is, uh... Is that a 'no'?"

"That's a 'no'."

Chosen Undead

Nightmares shook the Undead in his sleep, contorting his body into unnatural arcs as he convulsed back into human proportions, an eternal cycle that haunted him. It followed him in the day as well, little shadows in the corners of his eye sockets, darting out of sight whenever he tried to focus on them. An endless cycle of avoidance and mystery. He was sick of cycles, especially ones that seemed eternal.

Bribing his way onto a ship was easy; a silver coin of the old Anor Londo may have lost its purpose but it's weight in pure silver still stood against the test of time, making it even more valued then it was in the past. The Undead had marvelled at the sight; ships of the modern age were rumoured to fly, however, he had never seen one personally, and the sight shocked him. It seemed to mimic the shape of an avian creature, massive wings made of unidentified material on either side as the wooden hull sagged underneath, a gargantuan fin similar to a shark's dorsal cutting the air like a knife. Atop the ship, a massive balloon was being filled, giving the ship necessary insurance incase of an emergency.

As he lay on his makeshift bed, a mat of loosely bundled straw, he fingered the pendant in his hands, allowing it to shift and distort the light as he watched it with uncontested interest. It was plain, a metal disc attached to an unidentifiable chain, yet he knew it had once been dear to him, before the Darksign had gripped him with it's icy terror. At the mere thought of the accursed circle, he flinched unconsciously, making the pendant clatter to the ground loudly, before snapping back to reality. Picking up the locket, one could see the faint engravings that once would've been clear as day. Now, though, after facing dirt and grime for an unfathomable amount of time, it was a miracle that even the slightest trace was recoverable.

KNOCK*

"Hey, metal head! We're here; get the hell off my ship!" The Undead promptly got up, fastening the locket around his neck as he kicked the door open, proudly strolling through, ignoring the protests of the crewman. The ship was sixty feet above ground, a landscape of lush trees encompassing a huge settlement, the clean streets visible even from the air. In the center of it all, standing like a beacon, was, ironically, Beacon Academy, the Undead's destination. From under his arm, the dog knows as Zwei woke from his slumber. He started barking.

CRASH*

"Battle stations, people! Battle stations! We are under siege, I repeat, we are under siege! Prepare to... Wait, wait... Stop, what are you... *AAAGH*" And then, there was silence. The Undead immediately drew his sword, quickly retrieving a bone from his side before walking towards the front of the ship, heading towards the captain's office. Before he knocked on the door, he set Zwei down.

"Now, Zwei, The young lady has faith in thy intellect." He gave the bone to the dog. "If peril befalls upon me, bite this bone. Understood?" Zwei moved his head in what seemed like a nod, giving the Undead enough conformation to burst the door open.

The ship's captain was sitting in his chair, back turned to the Undead. Immediately, the knight drew his sword, paranoia gripping him. Before he could make a sound, the captain spoke.

"Are you... Finally here?" The chair swivelled, revealing the captain's corpse. Then, impossibly, it let out a joyful sigh.

"It is you, the infamous Chosen Undead. Successor of Gw..." Before it could speak further, the Undead threw a throwing knife into the corpse, nailing it square in the head. A dark tendril carefully removed the knife, allowing it to clatter to the side, dried blood staining it's rusted surface. It laughed mockingly, a new voice taking over, it's vocal cords comparable to chalk on a board.

"Now, now, Chosen Undead, no need to get violent. Little old me wouldn't dare harm you. After all," The corpse vanished from sight before tapping the knight's shoulder, it's terrified face forced into an attempt at an amicable smile. "I'm your friend." The Chosen Undead punched it in the face, making it fly across the room and back into the chair. "Get the hell out of my face, abyssal scum." The smile turned into a frown, dark shadows and pinpricks of white crawling out of its eye sockets. Before the Undead could react, a punch was delivered into his armoured abdomen, throwing him into the floor.

"Don't you DARE compare me to that incomplete mess. You DISGUSTING annoyance." It kicked him in the chest, denting the titanite reinforced armour inwards. Then, it seemed to compose itself.

"Sorry, sorry, Mr Undead. I should've been a bit kinder, right? But, what to do? You really annoyed me there, but I can't kill you myself. Whatever should I do?" Before it could ponder further, Zwei leapt into action, nibbling at the corpse's leg. As it went to sweep it away, the Undead blocked it, denting his left gauntlet.

"Hmmmm?" The corpse cocked its head slightly before reaching an epiphany. "Aha! How about I kill this dog, hmm? Good riddance, I'd say." Before it could move, the Undead threw himself at the corpse, driving a dagger into its gut. Instantaneously, a blinding flash of blue light engulfed the area, allowing Zwei to nibble on the bone and disappear in a runic golden light.

"You're making me lose my patience now, Undead. How about I break your limbs? Would that make you more obedient?" To it's surprise, the Undead chuckled.

"If that were all it took, methinks being chosen would be a ruse." He opened his hand, revealing a lit firebomb, gravity pulling it down, towards the flammable ship's carpet. A shout, a scream, a punch to the gut and a figure being thrown out of the ship, into the horizon.

And then, there was fire.