Chapter 7: Two gnomes origins

Ruby POV

Weiss was ready for many things. Leading? Trained since a child for it. Fighting grimm? It's what she signed up for. A Gnome in a red hat trying (And succeeding) to choke her while screaming where over and over again? Not in the slightest.

"Galm! Galm!" I shout as I grabs the gnome and try to pull him off Weiss. "I have some right here! Just release my teammate and you can have it!"

Galm spins around so quick you'd think he had a speed semblance and grabs me. "WHERE?!" I hold up the brick of white powder substance. He grabs it, rips it open, and takes a long whiff of it with a good chunk going up his nose. "WHOOOHHHHHHHHH!" He yells as he runs to the back with quick footsteps.

I look to Weiss and help her up. "You okay? I've been on the receiving end of that and it's never fun."

"WHAT WAS THAT ABOUT?!" yells Weiss.

"You said the word. Never mention cocaine around Galm if you got none."

"BUT WHY WOULD HE DO THAT! ISN'T IT BAD BUISSNESS PRACTICE TO TRY AND CHOKE SOMEONE IN THERE SHOP!? AND WHY WOULD HE DO DRUGS ON THE JOB?!"

"Weiss. Weiss. Take some deep breaths and calm down." She starts to take some deep breaths and after a bit calms down. "That was partially on me. I should have warned you ahead of time."

"A-anything else we should know?" asks Yang, a little shell shocked that someone shorter that Weiss took her down with ease. That guy could probably take down a Goliath if someone said it was full of Cocaine.

"Nah. Nam her just loves caffeine. Though watch the floors. They are fond of traps." I say offhandedly as they start to look around frantically.

Just then my team hears a mechanical voice behind the counter. "Kill me." It says weakly.

"Shut up Rex. So Nam. Question for ya." He squints at me but nods. "Do you have any way of getting more hand mortar rounds out here?"

"Do we look like a munitions shop?" He says rhetorically.

"No. But you must have something to help me out here. Come on. You know I'm good for the gold."

He thinks for a bit while looking at me. "Five thousand for a crate."

"That's to high and you know it. One thousand."

"I'm taking it across dimensions. Four thousand."

"But I could help you design better munitions in the future with materials here. Two thousand."

"Why would we need your help? We are the first one's to create much bigger things. Three thousand."

"Because you know nothing about Dust. I can teach you the basics and you can go from there. And I have someone on my team who can help with supplying it. Twenty five hundred. Last call."

He thinks about it for a while and smiles. "That's why I like you Ruby. You know how to peak my interest. Deal!" He shakes my hand and walks around the counter with a crate. "This should have twenty rounds in it. If you need more. You know how to find us."

I pull out a large pouch and toss it his way. "A pleasure as always Nam. Now if you'll excuse me. I need to get back to my school." He nods and goes back around the counter.

Before I leave he speaks up. "Oh and do tell Faebith to stop trying to skimp on our deals."

Once outside everyone just looks at me. "What?"

"Ruby? How do you know those... those..." Starts Weiss.

"Weirdos." states Yang.

I sigh. "How about we go eat. Then I'll tell you about them." They nod if a bit numbly.

Once at the cafe we get a table away from everyone else. We order food and I order some tea to drink. After a sip of the tea I sigh in content and look at my team. "So. The first time I met Nam and Galm was a bit... interesting to say the least."

"What happened that made it interesting?" asks Blake, a bit curious.

"Well they're inventors or as they like to say, Tinkerers. Sometimes they need master to enchant something for them." I give a little chuckle. "They always do something to each other."

Flash back

Faebith and I walk into a store with no signs and black curtains over the windows. Once inside I see a bunch of weapons and pieces of equipment on the walls. Along with a Gnome behind the counter.

"Alright Nam. What do you need me for?" asks Faebith. The Gnome pulls a lever and I see Faebith take a step back. Just as she does a trap door opens under where she was. Before she says anything else the Gnome, I presume to be Nam, pulls another lever. The trapdoor opens wider and Faebith makes a platform of blood. "HA! I was prepared this time." The Gnome pushes a button and soon Faebith falls into the trap door with a yelp of surprise. After a minute I hear her from the bottom. "You know you called me here right?"

Nam pauses at this. "Oops. I forgot I did." He pushes another button and I hear something activate in the trap door. Soon Faebith is back up but with her hands shackled.

"I'm surprised you managed to shackle me as I was falling. How did you-" She stops and looks closer at the shackles. "Wait. Aren't these the shackles I enchanted for you a week ago?"

"Yes." Comes a curt reply.

"Nam. Get them off."

Nam looks back towards the door behind the counter. "Galm? Get me the keys to the shackles."

I hear another voice from the back. "I don't have them you do."

"No I don't. I gave them to you."

"No you didn't you gave them to Frank."

Nam looks confused. "Who the hell is Frank?"

"The other Gnome you hired."

"I didn't hire anyone."

It's quiet for a minute. "Then who the hell is Frank?"

"Nam." Growls Faebith.

He looks back to Faebith. "Just give us a minute." He pushes another button and Faebith slowly goes back into the trap door and it closes.

"W-what just happened?" I say confused.

Nam seems to notice me at that point. "Oh. Uh Hi?"

"What did you do to master Faebith?"

"Uh. Crap. Looks like I'm baby sitting. Okay don't touch anything on the walls otherwise you might die."

"Where did you take master Faebith?" I repeat.

"I'm right here." says Faebith from behind the counter. She hops over the counter and I see another gnome with white powder under his nose. "Now then."

"Kill me." comes a weak Robotic voice. I look over the counter and realize it came from what I thought was a espresso machine.

"Did that espresso machine just talk?" I ask confused.

"Yeah that's Rex." Explains Faebith. "He's an inevitable that Nam and Galm dismantled."

"Kill me." Rex says weakly again.

"Shut up Rex. Now Nam." Nam looks at her. "I need the custom order for my apprentice here."

"Ah. That's who the order was for." He smacks the other Gnome. "Go get the order."

"Why do I have to get it?" Galm asks as if in a hurry.

"Because I'm the one who mans the counter. Now go!" Nam shouts with a whisper. Faebith gets a bored look on her face and goes around the counter. She grabs Rex and brings him outside. Me and Nam just stare for a minute. "Good thing I made some before." Soon Faebith comes back in and puts Rex back with her own coffee mug in hand. "Why did you bring him outside for that?"

"To give him just the smallest amount of hope. Just to dash it away." She says with a smile.

"The light." says Rex. "It was so close. I could feel the sun." He lets out some steam and... Is that a tear?

"You are cruel." Proclaims Nam.

"I learn from the best."

"You mean the drunk?"

"Yup."

Flashback end

Everyone looks at me with Owl like eyes. "You mean to tell me." Starts Weiss. "Those two... Addicts-"

"Gnomes." I correct.

"Are the best inventors where ever Faebith came from?"

"Yup. Best of the Best. I mean sure they have their quirks and have one of the most terrifying species as a coffee maker-"

"Wait!" Says Yang while waving her hands in front of her. "Your telling me. Rex. The espresso machine. Is one of the scariest species out there? He's a espresso machine?"

"Yes. But you know Faebith's robotic arm?" She nods. "That was Rex's arm. He was dismantled, turned into a ship, Then a coffee maker, Then an espresso machine." I take another sip of tea.

"Those two terrify me." States Blake.

"They terrify everyone."

"There is one thing that I still don't understand." States Weiss. I nod to her. "Why did Faebith call you her champion? Wouldn't it be apprentice?"

"Nope. I got her second class. Witch doctor. Her main class is Soothesayer. A mage who uses blood as a weapon. I've been tasked to help her find a champion slash priest for the soothesayer side."

"Does it have to be specific?" Asks Blake.

"Yes. Not just anyone can spread the word of the Goddess of Blood and Chaos."

"Here ye! Here ye! Come listen to the words of Mantorok! Lord of Flesh and Bones!" Yells a gravelly voice.

My eyes go wide and I spin around. "DON'T YOU FUCKING DARE!"

Hope you liked this chapter. And who was that at the end I wonder. I'll give you a hint. I've only mentioned his name once. Boy oh boy will hell raise if Faebith knows he's here. Hope you all can mind the wait for the next. Till next time. Stack out.