Alfira set the lute down as she wiped the tears from her eye. "I'm sorry, I'm such a crybaby."
"No, No, That song was more then worthy of a few tears." Gale cheered her on. "Why you have one of the first musical talents I have ever seen.
"Alfira, it's okay to feel grief... I'd be more concerned if you didn't." Thalia stated.
"You carry part of her soul with you, always. And when you need a shoulder to cry on, you have ours." Ruby smiled.
Chapter 7: Camp
Ruby, Gale, and Thalia made their way to their camp. Gale had decided to buy supplies instead of fishing after the debacle with the Harpies. The camp was set up surrounding a central fire pit to one side was a ruined stone building on the other side of a creek with a log bridge. several logs were set up to sit on.
Wyll and Gales tents wereshielded from the wid by several large boulders and the tree line, some where they had gotten a desk and some crates. While Shadowheart's was on the far end of the camp between another Boulder and the rock wall, her fine purple tent marked with symbols Ruby didn't know. Her dark clothes made of leather tight to her skin with a deep v neck.
Astarion was close to the center of the camp, his tent closer to the central fire though he seemed to have several fine items. The pale elf layer back in a fine white shirt and dress pants having taken off his purple padded shirt.
Wyll walked up to Ruby, his black shirt a few sizes too small and tight to his toned body, sewn repairs and rips as though he had been wearing it for years. "I was able to get you a tent of your own." He said as he handed her a tent kit. "Should help keep you warm."
Thalia and Wyll helped get it set up. The black fabric and red accents were complemented by find embroidery of Ruby's logo. Thy set it up next to a large blonder so the black cover cloth could better cover the tent "You didn't have to..."
"It's alright I got a good deal to get it customized for you. On a long journey like this it's important to have something that you can call you own." Wyll explained. "Now Thalia do you have a tent?"
"Well yes, I got it right here" Thalia set up a tent of green cloth with wooden stakes still rough with bark touching the boulder on a spot over her tent a large orange toad stool like mushroom grew from the stone.then, then moving her hand down either sides creating organic walls that protected her small tent. Touching the dirt floor of her tent caused a litteral mushroom bed to grow at her touch.supproted by four thick stalks in the corners and a trunk like central column.
Ruby looked amazed at the rapid plant growth. "Wow, powers like that just don't exist in my world, though I suppose that's why technology has advanced so much in my own."
"How so?" Wyll asked pulling up a stool from his tent.
"Well, Atlas has created these armored suits for their military. Their really tall and powerful, firing these really powerful rockets and bombs while bing able to puch through solid concrete walls and pillars, yet me and my team were able to defeat one that this criminal named Roman Torchwick stole."
"What about this team of your's? What brought you together?" Gale asked as he sat on the nearby log as Shadow heart and Astarion as came and sat down. "Infact why don't we use this as a chance to get to know each other better."
"I'll listen in though I'd rather keep my life's details to myself." Shadowheart smiled.
"Oh yes, I could do with a bit of gossip material out here." Astarion flashed his sharp smile.
"Well I suppose I should start at the beginning, I was born on the Isle of Patch to my father Tai Xiao Long and my mother, Summer Rose. I have a half sister named Yang and a uncle named Qrow." Ruby started. "When I was young my mother died druing a mission. I started my training at Signal Academy to become a huntress where my father and uncle worked as teachers. There Qrow fully took me under his wing as a scythe weilder. I also created Cresent Rose."
Ruby took a breath. "One night I was in a Dust shop when Roman Torchwick robbed it with some thugs, I put a stop to the robbery so the Headmaster at Beacon Academy offered me the chance to go to Beacon two years early. Putting me in the same class as my sister. Beacon is the greatest Huntsman Academy on Remnant, students from all over the world apply to go there. And I'm the youngest to ever get admitted to the school."
"I commend you on getting such a prestigious education." Gale started. "Tell me what's Dust? I doubt it's just what you brush off the shelves of old books."
"I have some right here." Ruby pulled out a fire Dust crystal. "Crystalized elements. Fire, ice, lightning, gravity it's self. Our society relies on this resource to power our machine and operate our weapons. It come in full crystals and powdered forms."
Ruby passed it to Wyll who handed around the group. "Fascinating... If I had access to some wizards tools... and large power source I could recreate something similar..." Gale stated.
"Really?" Ruby asked.
"It would be different but with the right tools I could crystallize magic within an anti-magic field to isolate the effects I desire. Then within that same field crush and grind the crystals and mix it with smoke powder to create potential replacement. Your scythe fire ejects those cartridges that I'm assuming hold a projectile and the dust propellant?"
"Yes, oh your a genius." Ruby jumped up to her feet.
"Benefits of a wizards education." Gale brushed it off. "Now you were telling us about Beacon?"
"Well, there was the orientation speech and initiation where our teams were formed. I was placed as leader of Team Rwby. R, w, b, y. It's tradition to use the initials of them members to spell out the team name. Along with my partners, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, and my sister Yang. We would continue to have fights with Torchwick and the White Fang and battle the creatures of Grimm until we were sent to a mission outside of Vale where the Nautiloid snached me."
"Wow... I would love to see your world. It sounds like it has many great heroes." Wyll laughed.
"Well are they as great as our Blade of Frontiers?" Shadowheart teased.
"Oh please my deeds are sung in every tavern from here to Neverwinter. Thalia, tell us of your life?" Wyll said as he and Gale started pouring drinks. "Here Ruby, I know that the bitterness of beers my be too much to start with, but this strawberry and cherry mead is low in alcohol and much sweeter." He passed Ruby a dented bronze challace. "Should be more to your taste."
"How did you... know I liked strawberries?" Ruby asked as she took it.
"You talk in your sleep." He smiled as he took a swig of his mug of beer.
"Well, you know my circle underwent the Rite of thorns while I was away and that I was adopted, so I suppose I could talk about my travels before everything started to get uprooted." Thalia scooted forward as Gale handed her a go bit of wine and one to Astarion and Shadowheart.
Ruby brought the bronze cup to her nose taking a sniff off the liquid. Drinking was much more her sisters thing as her love of parties had gotten her in trouble a few times, but she understood that at times clean water was going to be hard to come by so this was something she had to get used too. Tipping the cup to her mouth she took a small sip as the sweet liquid dripped over her tounge. It was sweet and tangy, yet had bitter notes, and yet pleasant. She could taste the fruit yet surprisingly the cool drink seemed to warm her to the core.
Taking a drink from her own cup Thalia started speaking. "You see I was traveling from circle to circle looking for a specific rare breed of song bird that's been endangered by large scale lumber harvesting near my circle until a few years ago when our first Druid put a stop to the operation when the nobels threatened to burn our grove to the ground. The harpers got involved, it was messy, due to the harvesting driving off much of the birds population, I was tasked with finding where they had decided to roost while the circle set about restoring the forest, without the dead wood to decay and feed the soil, it would take much longer for the trees to grow back."
"Eventually I found they had moved into the forests near Neverwinter, though it's a little too far north for them to stay for long and will put more stress on their migrations south to Chult's northern coast come winter. But the druid circle I met there promised to keep an eye on them so I could report back, by this time I had spent nearly 6 months on the road when I arrived back home, it was sealed off from the world."
"Well shit, that's terrible." Wyll said patting her shoulder. "But you carried out your duty as a druid admirably. We may not be family, yet, but we are here for you Thalia. Now who's next?"
"Well, terribly sorry to say that I haven't had grand globe trotting adventures. Though that's not to say I've lived a boring life." Gale smiled. "Of course I understand if you'd forgive me from boring you with the machinations of the politics of wizardry in Waterdeep. My tales are more embarrassing anecdotes and dinner parties. But what of our elven friend, in your many centuries of life, I'm certain you've come across a legend or two?"
"Oh please, I wish my life had been that exciting, I'm a magistrate back in Baldurs Gate. Not much to tell beyond drama for dramas sake." Aatarion avoided the question. "What of our devote cleric?"
"Oh no, there's no story to tell, none that your entitled to anyway." Shadowheart also deflected.
"Well I'm certain it had something to do with that Gith warrior. She was also infected." Gale pointed out. "But you told those teifling scouts to shoot her down so we could kill her. As a wizard I'm well aware of how dangerous the Gith are, but she was a potential ally."
"Let's just say I'm not on the friendliest of terms with their kind." Shadowheart stated. "She would have turned on us the moment we approached a creché."
"Can't really argue with that. Githyanki are viscious." Wyll shook his head before taking a bid gulp of his beer. "I suppose that leaves me. I was born and raised in Baldurs Gate."
"Clearly we all had very different social circles." Shadowheart gestured to herself, Wyll and Astarion.
"Heh... indeed. When I was seventeen I left the city to become a hero of the people, cutting down monsters, villains and devils with nothing but my rapier and magic. I cut down foes and saved people wherever I could. My story spread one two at a time, as I hunted my foes on the material and infernal planes. In fact I was hunting my latest quarrel in the feilds of Avernus when we were both taken aboard the nautilod. A viscious devil with one horn and a infernal engine for a heart. Karlach. If I don't find her she will bring the blood war to Faerun. So I ask you, will you help me?"
"Of course, the chance to fight such a devil will surely be an amazing opportunity to learn of the hells magical machines." Gale raised his cup in toast.
"Seems like a distraction but could prove useful." Shadow heart smiled as she raised her chalace.
"Oh this sound like fun." Astarion smiled toasting with his.
"Well if a devil is running loose the circle is at risk so you have my aid in this as well." Thalia raised her drink as well.
"If she is as dangerous as you make her out to be, I'll be happy to help." Ruby added her drink last.
"I think this will be the start of a long lasting friendship." Wyll smiled as the all cheered together. "Hail to us! Hail to Our Legend!"
Authors Note. I will be responding to questions in the reviews as it is faster then wait for each chapter. Also feel free to send me messages for questions that you don't feel comfortable asking in the reviews. And just to reiterate, if spicy sex scenes happen, they will be left implied and off screen like I have in previous stories of mine. Thalia isn't a Tav or Durge stand in, just more a expansion of the world of Bg3. The Tav of this story is the main Character of her own crossover and most likely appear over there as a villain. Gate of heroes. Just had to take a break writting to catch up with the anime and manga of Mha.
Ruby Rose stats, class, and racial abilities
Class Fighter lv 3
Subclass Champion
Great weapon fighting style (rerolls one's and twos on damage)
Hp: 28 (3 d12 plus 0)
Strength: 18 (base 17)
Dexterity: 16 (base 15)
Constitution:10
Wisdom: 8
Intelligence:12
Charisma: 10
Race Human Variant (Remnant)
Feats:
Ability score improvement: plus 1 str plus 1 Dex
Base Speed: 40 ft
Aura: 10 temp hit points per level (30 Thp)
Semblance: Petal Dash; Dash action is now a bonus action
Improved Critical: reduces critical requirements by 1 (19-20)
Action Surge: Gain an extra action
Gear:
Crescent Rose: 2 to damage and rolls to hit, 2 d 12 slashing plus strength. 2 d 8 Piercing plus Dex when firing.
All but Ruby Rose have disadvantage with this weapon.
Elemental bullets: 2d4 elemental damage added to ranged attacks.
Two-handed, heavy, extra reach
Cleave lacerate trip enemies, peircing shot
1 Half plate armor: Ac 18 (16 plus 2 dex) Medium armor. Reduces piercing damage by 1.