Chapter 4: First day troubles

I wake up early and look around. Blake was still out as were the others on my team. I sigh and get up deciding to get the day started. I head in and take a shower as well as put on my uniform. I then rummage through my bag and get a few books out. I place them on a bookshelf nearby. It was then that I hear my sister stirring. I look over and sure enough she's up but not fully. She looks over to me and waves.

"Morning Rubes."

"Shower's open. I suggest you take one. Especially after yesterday." I get up and go over to Blake. I put the back of my hand on her head only to feel it normal. "Lucky. I had a fever the last time she did this to me." I go over to Weiss and shake her awake. She grumbles but when her eyes finally open she glares at me.

"What?" she says coldly.

Ignoring her cold tone I answer. "Class starts at nine. Might want to get up and dressed before then." I walk out into the hall and sigh. "Things were so much easier when I was on Saruma. Although. I don't think I got all good traits while over there." I take out a flask from my pocket and take a swig. "God. There's nothing like 'IT'S BETTER THAN YOURS' anywhere else. Nothing compares." I put the flask back in my pocket and walk to the cafeteria. I grab some eggs, Bacon, and toast as well as some water and sit down at an open table. After some time I hear someone else sit down across from me. I look up and see Pyrrha. "Morning Pyrrha."

"Morning Ruby. How was your day after team formations?" she asks.

I sigh. "Just great~ Couldn't be better." I say sarcastically.

She frowns a bit. "Is this about Weiss?" I give her a curious glance. "She didn't look to happy about you being named leader."

I nod. "Yeah. She states that she's a better fit since she's 'trained her whole life for it.'" I sigh again. "Don't know why she thinks everything should go her way."

"I've met plenty of people from everywhere. Atlas thinks very highly of themselves."

"Oh yeah. You were a fighter before all this. Kinda forgot that." Pyrrha looks nervous at that. "Relax Pyrrha. I'm not gonna treat you any differently. Besides. With how my life is, curve balls are around every corner."

"Thank you Ruby."

I look at the time and sigh. "Whelp time for class. Hopefully everyone gets there on time."

When I get to class, I notice my teams not there yet. Nor is Pyrrha's. I look at the time and see we still have 3 minutes. I sigh and sit down. When class was about to begin, the rest of our teams burst through the door.

"Ah good. You made it just in time. Take a seat and we'll get started." says the teacher. Everyone takes a seat and Weiss decides to glare at me. "My name is Peter Port. You may call me professor Port. Now then. Monsters. Demons. Creatures of darkness. They roam the world we live in."

I tune him out a bit and think about how to get a few more hand mortar rounds. I have a bit of gold to spend. If I can find Nam and Gam's shop I'm pretty sure they could order some. Maybe I could show them dust as well and see if they can use it.

"A huntsman has to be Swift, courageous, and smart on their feet. Do any of you think you have what it takes?"

I raise my hand. "I believe I do sir."

"Ahhh. Good. Go change into your combat attire and come back." I leave the room and go change. I debate if I should bring my sword but figure against it. I go back into the classroom and stand in front of a cage where growling was heard. "Are you ready?" I nod. He breaks the lock and instantly a boarbatusk comes out. It runs at me and I sidestep it perfectly. "Weren't expecting that were you."

Okay. A boarbatusk. Their bellies are their weak spots but with these flintlocks it won't matter. Time to use the skills Arzon taught me. I smirk and fling my cape back, exposing all my flintlocks. I grab the first and after I fire I grab the next. Then the next. And the next. I fired so fast that the boarbatusk took 20 shots in 5 seconds. It falls over and I sigh. "Not even a challenge." I whisper to myself.

"Great work Ms. Rose. And quite a quick fire rate for such a unique weapon. Where did you learn to shot that fast and accurate?" I think back to my first time meeting Arzon.

Flashback

We walk along the streets of a city called Sarama, formally the azmerian kingdom, towards the castle at the center. Before we get near the doors, my master stops.

"Okay Ruby listen closely. Stay close and don't talk unless I say it's okay. It's been a few millennia since I've been here. The last time was when me and my group fought Loki. He may still be a bit bitter about it."

"Why would he be bitter about it?" I ask confused.

"Well... We may have released Loki in the first place. Accidentally." I give her a deadpan look. "Hey you try going insane and having your mind broken. You don't think anymore you just listen and do. Just. Stay close. Knowing him, he's gonna have traps."

We walk up to the castle doors where two guards were stationed. They cross their pikes and block our entrance. "The king is not taking visitors right now."

"Come on guys. Arzon is a good friend of mine. Just let us pass. I need to ask him a favor."

"The king is not taking visitors right now. Leave."

Faebith sighs. "Guys. Do you even know who I am."

"Leave now or you will be put in the dungeon."

"Alright. Grand entrance it is." She picks up both the guards and slams them into the door flinging them open. "Arzon ya flea ridden bastard, How are ya?"

A cork gets popped. "What the fuck are you doing back- Faebith is your name right. What the fuck do you want ya cunt?" On the throne was a creature with pure white fur and a red captain's coat and had Bright yellow irises. When he spoke it sounded like it had an Irish accent to it.

"Awe come on I can't come back and say hello after a few millennia?"

"Aye you could have come back tomorrow. Yesterday. The day before. But no you decide to come back right now. So indulge me, what has your stupidity brought back to my kingdom?"

"Well you see I took on an apprentice."

"Oh dear lord. Is she attracted to blood as well. It must be hard when your both on the rag."

"Oh no. Arzon. For the OTHER one."

"Oh you mean the fancy green glow that you've got going on."

"Yeah that's the one. But you see She needs help with firearms and swordsmanship."

He gets a grin when I say guns. He stands up and flaps open his coat that's lined with flintlock pistols. "Are you looking for guns like these perhaps?"

"Yeah those are the ones. And I recently found out she's faster than most. Physically."

"Aye so your saying she has a quick draw. Pretty good with her hands. I can find some use for that. My name's Arzon and you little one?"

I look up at him. "My name's Ruby. Ruby Rose."

"Aye Arzon Lionheart." He reaches out with his hand that looks furry with sharp claws.

"Yeah so if you could train her in those styles It'd be a real help. I'll even make one bottle of your choice Never run out and never break." adds Faebith with a smile.

Arzon looks over and brings out a bottle. Tosses it up and shoots it. It doesn't break. "Faebith I'm already ahead of ya. Bottoms up!" He takes a long drink from the bottle. "Alright if you want training go take the path to the right and go through the castle out to the courtyard. I'll be out there in a minute. If ya want a drink feel free."

"You heard him red. Off you go."

I nod hesitantly and follow Arzon's instructions. I go out into the courtyard and see it's 200 feet in diameter. In the center is a fountain of a lion spewing snakes from it's mouth. Out of the snakes mouths is a clear liquid. Bushes are scattered around and a small hedge maze is in the corner. A gazebo is off in the other far corner and on the right and left is areas that look like training areas. By the training area is some glasses and some wine. After around 10 minutes Arzon comes out in fancy white captains coat. He cracks his knuckles and looks at me.

"Alright now Ruby. Where going to check your range. You see that target over there? I want you to take a crack-shot right between it's eyes." I pick up a flintlock and aim at the target. I pull the trigger and miss the target by a mile. Instead I shot one of the windows and hear a vase break inside. I flinch at the sound. I get whacked in the head by Arzon. "Your aim is a bad as Palp's communication skills." After he says this he grabs a bottle with left hand. "Now... You have to have the confidence of a king." He takes a drink from the bottle and fires at the target while still still looking at me and takes it's head off. "Now try again after you take a swig."

"But I'm underage."

"Alright here's the simple fact. You want to be trained by me correct?" I nod. "Then take the advice of an emperor and your suicidal companion-" a small 'Hey' is heard in the background. "Shut up Faebith unless you want to cry again."

"One time. ONE! TIME!" shouts Faebith.

"One time is far too much. I swear if hear you cry again I'm going to burn down the orthians."

"How are you two friends?" I asked completely confused.

"It's a very long and complicated story. It involved a few of our friends. A revolution. Nothing you need to worry about. Now shut up and take the shot... AND THEN fire the gun." I look on confused but I apparently took to long because Arzon forced it down my throat. It burned beyond belief and I could already feel my head swimming. "Now tell me. How did it taste? Do you feel like you can do anything?" I blacked out after that.

Flashback end

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." I state with a small smile. The bell rings and I wait outside for the rest of my team. Yang was the first one out and she looked ecstatic.

"That was amazing Ruby! Seriously! Did Faebith teach you that?"

"Nope. That would be Arzon."

"Who's that? Someone Faebith knows?"

I shake my head but see Weiss step out. She storms past me and I sigh. This continued for the rest of the day with Weiss ignoring me or outright scowling at me. Once classes were done I decided enough was enough. After our last class I stop her.

"Come on. Let's talk." I say in a no nonsense voice. She rolls her eyes but follows. We head over to a balcony with a view of the city below. We sit out there for a while without talking until she speaks up.

"Well? You wanted to talk. Talk."

"Why did you come to Beacon?"

That throws her off. "It's the best of the best. Why wouldn't I?"

"Atlas is the best of the best. Haven and Shade are also best of the best. All four academies are known to be the best. So why here? Why not Atlas where you hail from?"

She looks at me for a bit then sighs. "I wanted to get away from my father. Prove I could be out on my own. My own person." I give a dry chuckle and she glares. "What's so funny?"

"Seems we're both trying to run from our fathers. Maybe for different reasons but it's still the same in a way."

She looks confused at this. "Why would you run from your father? Sure mines a bit manipulative but yours couldn't be that bad?"

"My father looked at me and didn't see Ruby. He saw my mother Summer."

"And?"

I turn to her. "My mother's been dead for years."

She looks shocked at this. "I'm sorry."

I wave it off. "Don't worry about it. I still talk to her." That confuses her but I continue. "He didn't want me to become a huntress due to how I remind him of her. He locked me up in the house saying it was too dangerous for me outside." I smile. "Then one day I met Faebith. She took me in and her, along with a few others, helped me to be who I am today." I take out my flask and look at it. "If it weren't for them I probably would have died trying to become a huntress by myself."

She looks down in thought but after a bit speaks up. "Why are you telling me this?"

I open the flask and take a swig. She scowls at this. "You said you wanted to be your own person right? Then why act like what your father might want?"

"How do you know how he would treat me?"

I laugh. "I know how some nobles act. Want their heirs to act like them and if they don't they get punished. No matter where you go. It's like this." I look back at her. "Be who you want Weiss. Not what your own father wants."

She sighs but has a small smile. "You're right. I'm sorry for acting like a total Bitch about this."

"I'm use to it. Arzon had an insult for anything someone did."

Her eyebrows furrow. "Who's this Arzon?"

"One of my teachers. He taught me to use the flintlocks as well as swords." She nods in acceptance. "He's also emperor of a kingdom called Sarama. As well as being drunk twenty four seven."

She gives me a deadpan look. "Are all your trainers messed up in some way, shape, or form?"

"Yup. But that's what makes them unique. Now come on. We should probably get some sleep for tomorrow." She nods and goes to leave. "Oh and Weiss?" She turns back to me. "Don't tell Yang about the whole drinking thing. We already have one drunk in our family."

"You two are family?" She asks shocked.

"My sister. Her mother and mine are different." She nods in understanding.

"Why do you drink?"

I chuckle. "Blame Arzon." I say with a long drink from the flask.

She rolls her eyes and we start to head for our room.

Once we enter I see Blake still asleep while Yang was on her bed looking through her scroll. She looks up once we enter. "Oh hey Ruby."

"Hey." I move over to Blake and check on her. "Looks like her fever's down. She may wake up tomorrow if all things went well."

"Why is she still out anyway?"

"She's learning a whole new language. It's getting ingrained into her head to the point it will feel natural."

Yang frowns. "Isn't that dangerous?"

"Oh yeah. If done wrong you could die. Learned that the hard way."

"Then why did you let Faebith do that?!" she asks with anger.

"She's only learning one language. When I did it I learned two and a whole new way of fighting." Speaking of. I wonder how Nelion is doing?

"Why do you put so much faith in that... THING!"

I turn to her. "First of all. Faebith is a she. Second. I put my faith in her due to the fact she is a goddess who helped me. Third. Even if Blake dies Faebith will bring her back."

"You can't bring the dead back to life Ruby."

I roll my eyes and shake my head. That's what you think. I walk over to my bag and rummage through it. I find my mother's skull and go into the bathroom while hiding it from everyone else.

"Hey little rose." says my mother.

"Hey mom." I say a little tired.

My mother's face frowns. "What's wrong Ruby? You don't look to happy."

"Yang is just getting on my nerves. Honestly, I think she may call dad and then a bigger headache will be on the horizon."

"You never told me what happened to Taiyang."

I sigh. "He see's you whenever he looks at me."

"That doesn't seem healthy."

"It's not. He tried to keep me locked up in the house. If not for Faebith I'd be stuck there or dead with you."

"You never know Ruby. He could have changed. It's been years since you last saw him. Just give him a chance."

"And if he tries to take me back home?"

"Ozpin won't allow that. Once you're in any of the four major schools, not even family will be able to take you out. You're officially an adult."

I give it some thought then sigh. "Alright. If Yang does call him then I'll give him a chance."

"That's my little Rose. Now get some sleep."

I smile. "Alright mom. I love you."

"I love you too little rose."

Another down. So my friend came up with Arzon for a previous campaign and honestly. I love the dude. More character's will be introduced as well as meet with the rest of RWBY and company. That ought to be interesting. Anyways. Till next time. Stack out.