Ember Legacy, Volume 1

Chapter 4: Champion's Honor

Kingdom of Vale

"There wasn't a colloquial phrase, or curse, that went something like, 'May your day be full of angry dragons' or, 'May every dragon you meet today be pissed off.' But, there should have been."

~ Michelle Sagara West, Cast in Ruin

"Ohhh, look at that one, a half-hilt halberd! Bet that would cleave an Orc in two!"

Weiss just shook her white-maned head with an amused smile. Her employer and companion had been prattling pretty much nonstop ever since they'd stepped out of the tavern. Both were now dressed for the road, with field packs and blankets slung across their backs. The Elven mage had her light blue travelling cloak settled across her shoulders now, though her right hand stayed clasped on the hilt of Myrtenaster as a precaution.

The blatantly cheerful brunette girl certainly seemed to be enjoying herself as they made their way through the center of town. She had a skewer of some sort of meat in one hand that she used to point out things of interest, which for the most part consisted of either arms or armor. Which, truthfully, she found to be rather remarkable considering she had yet to see Ruby with a weapon of her own.

Speaking of which…

"If you do not mind me asking," the Elven mage interjected into yet another excited rant about how kite shields were only superior to round shields in a sword fight. "What precisely do you fight with?"

"Oh, you mean my sweetheart?" Ruby replied with a cheeky grin. "I made her myself, crafted and enchanted. Can't break her out just yet, though, not inside the town." She leaned forward and lowered her voice conspiratorially. "They kinda got upset with me the last time I did. Best not to ask."

"Er… very well…" Weiss glanced at her, perplexed. This Human was certainly unlike any she had ever known, boisterous and somewhat foolhardy one moment, but refined and commanding the next. She was a conundrum that simultaneously irritated and intrigued her, but she'd had all eighty years of her lifetime to learn patience. This brunette girl would not even begin to test her limits.

"Oh, sweet mother of Oum, look! It's a double-headed flail! That is sooo cool!"

Though she might come close.

They paused in front of the crowded main market square as Ruby peered about, her earlier jubilance now replaced with a certain amount of cunning.

"Alright, then," she began, her silver eyes shining bright. "We have a few stops to make. Foodstuffs and, I'm guessing, spell components for you should be readily available. I'd rather wait on any camping gear until we gather more followers, plus they'll be cheaper out by the stables."

Weiss nodded hesitantly. "Very well. Shall we split up?"

"No, let's keep together. Lots of shady-type folk around here." Ruby grinned then, the exuberant girl poking through once more. "Nothing we can't handle, though!"

The Elf sighed and rolled her eyes, but stuck close to the heels of her employer. Sure enough, the young Human was able to quickly navigate through the bustling marketplace and find the best deals on items such as dried meats and fruits, soup stock, and spices.

As they approached a stall that had the symbol of the Wizard's Guild over it, signifying that it was an accredited seller of spell components and the like, Ruby suddenly stopped in her tracks and whirled around. The brunette deftly slipped past Weiss and grabbed a small Wolf Faunus boy by the scruff of his tunic and hauled him backwards.

"None of that, now," she declared sternly, her silver eyes flashing darker, almost to a stormy grey. "Hand it over."

With a pitiful squeak of noise, the boy pulled out a coin purse from his tunic. It was made of white cloth, the width of an apple.

"My purse!" Weiss protested incredulously.

The Faunus boy looked terrified, knowing that once caught his very life was forfeit, not to mention any appendage that the thief-catchers might desire to sever from him.

However, Ruby just let out an amused snort, setting him back on the ground. "Be more careful next time regarding who you choose as a mark, got me?"

The boy nodded and scurried off into the crowd without a backwards glance.

With a grin, Ruby handed the coin purse back to its rightful owner. "Keep hold of that, now," she snarked quietly, brushing past the Elf once more.

Weiss tucked it back into the folds of her cloak, staring after the strange girl in wonderment. How could she even notice I was pickpocketed?

With a shake of her head, the white-haired mage jogged forward to join her companion at the spell stall. The proprietor was eyeing Ruby somewhat suspiciously until Weiss stepped up, tucking strands of hair behind a delicately-pointed ear as she'd left it unbound for the day.

The two mages exchanged brief pleasantries while the brunette poked at a few assorted scrolls and potions that lined the side of the display.

"Am I to assume this… girl is with you?" the man, a gangly robed man with a rather scraggly beard inquired haughtily. "Hopefully not an apprentice, for your sake."

"Nope, not an apprentice," Ruby replied cheerfully, though she never took her eyes off of the magical items. "But yes, I am her companion. How much?"

The man gazed at the scroll which she'd seemingly pointed to at random. "Do you even know what that is for?"

At that, the brunette raised her gaze up to bore into the snobby shopkeeper. Her eyes were definitely darker now, as if storm clouds swirled and raged within. The man gulped and took an involuntary step back.

"How. Much?" she repeated, steel underlying her words this time.

"Er, one hundred lien."

"Seventy-five."

"This is not a place to haggle, young-"

"This particular scroll," Ruby began heatedly, "cost you ten lien in components to make, plus time and effort. Including the Guild's fees, it would still come in at forty lien. That's thirty-five lien profit, more than adequate." She paused, eyebrows raised inquiringly. "Of course, I'm sure there are other, more reasonable sellers to be found…"

"Sorry, my apologies, I mistook the scroll you indicated," the man backpedaled rapidly. "Yes, seventy-five is perfectly adequate. Er, will there be anything else?"

Ruby glanced aside at Weiss with a wry grin that she returned. Now that the man wasn't of a mind to swindle them further, she quickly picked out the items that she needed to restore her supply, including some fire crystals and powdered winter lotus. As an afterthought, she threw in a pair of healing potions as her own curative magic was rather paltry.

Her employer readily fished out the sum owed, and while the Elven mage stored her new purchases in her shoulder bag, the brunette tucked her new scroll away deep into her knapsack.

"So, if you don't mind me asking... " Weiss murmured as they walked along the path, away from the busy market. "What scroll was it that you bought?"

"Oh, I don't mind," her companion giggled lightly. "It's a scroll for weapon enchantments. Never know when I might want another one."

Weiss sighed softly as she glanced at the brunette out of the corner of her eye. "You truly are obsessed about weapons, are you not?"

"Yep, so I've been told. Oh, hey, can we talk about yours now?"

"My… weapon?"

"Right, your rapier. It's a focus for you, right, like a wand? Did you buy it?"

The white-haired girl shook her head slowly, the fingers of her right hand caressing the hilt of her sword lightly. "No, Myrtenaster had been in my clan for generations."

"Hmm, so for Elves, that would easily make it thousands of years old, right?"

"Correct. And yes, it is my focus, but I'm the first to come along in some time who could wield both magic and a rapier with skill enough to be worthy."

Ruby nodded her head sagely. "Very impressive. I only got a quick look at it, but it's a nice work of craftsmanship, only seen a few like it."

"Really?" the Elven mage snorted. "I haven't seen the likes of this before. It is unique."

"What, you think you carry the only Dragonforged weapon on Remnant?" Ruby scoffed lightly.

Weiss halted in her tracks, staring at the brunette incredulously. "What did you say?" she breathed.

The brunette stopped as well, looking back in confusion. "What, you think that…"

"No, what did you call this? Dragonforged?"

"Oh, yeah, I've seen a few. Only the strongest of enchantments can be held in a Dragonforged weapon, you know."

Weiss drew out her rapier slowly with her left hand, gazing at it in newfound wonder. "I always thought it was of Elven work…"

"Nope, sorry, you guys do know your enchantments really well, but not at that level. The whole thing, from construction to finish, was done as a single process." Ruby used her index finger to trace a line along the basket hilt, careful not to actually touch the elegant sword. "See? No seams, just one continuous piece of metal, practically unbreakable. And making it a focus for magic and aura as well? Definitely the work of Dragons."

"Oum preserve me," Weiss breathed, blinking her eyes. "I… Thank you, Ruby, for imparting this information to me."

"Not a problem, Weiss!" she replied cheerfully. "We're travelling companions now, and friends too, I hope. Or at least we will be soon!"

With a wink, Ruby turned and continued on their path, the Elven mage trailing behind her bemusedly as she sheathed her ancestral weapon once more.

This strange Human girl definitely bears careful observation. Her antics may be… childish, but her knowledge has surprising depth.

As they neared the edge of the marketplace, the two women began to hear sounds of a commotion. A crowd had gathered ahead of them, seemingly centered around some sort of conflict just to the side of the cobblestone street.

Weiss glanced around curiously, noting the presence of several Valesian guardsmen who were watching the gathering, seemingly unconcerned.

"What do you suppose is happening here?" she asked curiously.

Ruby turned to her with a bright grin. "Something important. Come on, stick close and pay attention, okay?"

"What do you- Ack!"

Weiss was startled when Ruby grabbed hold of her hand and started to drag her through the milling mass of townspeople. Somehow the lithe girl managed to get them all the way through until they reached the clearing that was left in the crowd.

"Honestly, I am not some peasant to be hauled about in such a manner!" the Elven mage protested quietly.

"Shhh, listen!" Ruby interjected, ignoring her complaints.

Grumbling under her breath, Weiss turned to observe what the commotion had all been about.

Standing a couple yards from each other were two men, one a shaggy-looking Bear Faunus while the other, just as burly, seemed to be a half-Orc. Weiss turned her nose up almost imperceptibly at the sight of the mongrel half-breed, her upbringing threatening to come to the fore, but she pushed it down with some difficulty.

If anything, her time spent away from the hinterlands had taught her the value of not taking a person at face value, or to only regard their race or standing. But it was a lesson that needed to be constantly kept in mind for the previously-sheltered Elven girl.

The two men seemed to have just finished some sort of argument, and were now looking at a third person expectantly. Weiss' eyes widened at the sight of the tall woman with long and flowing red hair tied up into a topknot. Her fitted and burnished armor was gold with crimson highlights, emphasizing her considerable bust and showing enough of her tanned limbs to exhibit a remarkable musculature. She had an exquisite-looking sword in a red-and-gold sheath at her waist and a round gold shield slung across her back. The woman's bright emerald eyes flashed in the afternoon sunlight as she regarded the pair before her.

"I understand your concerns," the elegant-looking armored woman began with a ringing voice. "I also accept both of your versions of the event as it happened. However, I can also see that the two of you have a bond of friendship that should not be broken by such a petty squabble."

Both of the burly men looked to the ground at that, abashed. The Faunus went so far as to kick at the dirt in embarrassment.

"So, my recommendation would be to simply let this matter rest, as a lesson to the both of you that drinking and darts should not be mixed. Angus, I believe you should pay for the bar tab, and Roger, you should pay for the damages to the wall. Does this sound acceptable?"

Both men nodded somewhat glumly.

"Very well, then. Now shake on it."

With sudden grins, the two grabbed hold of each other's hand, pumping it before encasing each other in a rough hug.

Laughing, the crowd began to disperse, but Ruby kept hold of Weiss' hand, her silver eyes glittering excitedly.

"Ruby?" the white-haired girl questioned.

"Yep, she's the next one," the brunette whispered, seemingly under her breath. Weiss was easily able to pick up on it, however, causing her to glance at the slightly taller girl in confusion.

"Er, you mean her?"

"That's right, her." Ruby seemed not to be fazed at all from her words being overheard. "Let's go talk to her."

Weiss trailed in the excitable girl's wake once her hand had been released, noting that the redheaded woman seemed to be waiting expectantly for them.

"Hello, friends," she greeted them warmly. "May I assist you with something?"

"I certainly hope so," Ruby grinned. "My name's Ruby, and this is my companion, Weiss. I have a proposition for you, if you have a moment."

"Certainly," the armored woman replied agreeably. "I am Lady Pyrrha Nikos, a Knight of the Order of Artemis. Oh, and this is my squire, and knight-in-training…" She gestured to the side where another figure had stepped up unobtrusively.

The younger-looking woman was also in armor, though hers was admittedly less ornate and more functional. The white lacquer was chipped in a few places, and the sheathed sword looked to be well-worn, but it was all of good quality and well-cared for, including the white kite-shaped shield slung across her back. She was about of a height with Lady Nikos, though her medium-length blonde hair was in pigtails behind her.

"Hello," she said meekly, her blue eyes averted shyly. "I'm Jeanne D'Arc."

Ruby nodded to the pair of armored warriors, practically bouncing on her toes in excitement. "A pleasure to meet the both of you! Now, if you have a moment, can we step inside this tavern here to converse? Drinks are on me!"

"That sounds grand," Pyrrha replied warmly, glancing at her blonde companion who also nodded eagerly. "We have been walking this town for some time now and would certainly appreciate the refreshment!"

Ruby gestured for the two women to proceed her, while she flashed another grin at Weiss as they followed them inside.

"Let me do the talking, okay?" the brunette whispered.

"Of course," she replied levelly. It was certainly not her place to speak out of turn, if this was indeed a negotiation for their services. However, she did wonder what dangers Ruby intended to face on this quest of hers if she wanted a fully-trained Knight and her retinue along.

They walked past the bar, where the Bear Faunus and half-Orc from outside were now conversing and laughing heartily, and over to a table near the back of the room. Once they were seated, and orders taken by a passing barmaid, Ruby got right to the point, leaning towards the armed maidens eagerly.

"So, my companion and I are setting out on my Life Quest," she began without preamble. "I intend to find the Orb of Azure."

Pyrrha's green eyes widened considerably at that. "Do you now?" she asked levelly. "And what do you intend to do with it?"

"Return it to the King of Vale, of course."

"Hmm." The Knight tried to look uninterested, but Weiss could easily pick up on her excitement. Her companion, though, just looked to be confused on the subject.

Ruby picked up on the latter and gave the younger girl a soft smile. "You're both Mistralian, right?"

"That's right, m'lady," Jeanne nodded amicably. "We're roaming about Vale as part of my training."

"So I'm guessing you don't know what the Orb is?"

The blonde glanced aside at the Knight, who shrugged but nodded her permission to speak freely.

"Er, no, I'm afraid not," Jeanne admitted. "My Valesian history is a bit… lacking, I'm sorry to say."

"Well, then" Ruby grinned, leaning back and accepting her flagon of mead. She took a long drought, as the others thanked the barmaid for their wine.

The brunette brought her drink back down with a thump, wiping her lips with the back of her hand. "Let me tell you," she continued, her silver eyes gleaming in the dim light, "about Dragons."

"Oh, I do know some about those, m'lady," Jeanne exclaimed, speaking rapidly. "I've always been intrigued by them, the different kinds of species, and their abilities, though they're so rare and all, still, every good Knight should know about them… My mother always said, the more you learn, the more you realize how little you really know..."

"Jeanne," the redhead interjected with a fond smile. "Please let the woman talk."

"Er, yes, My Lady," the blonde murmured abashedly. "My apologies."

"Don't worry about it," Ruby grinned. "Anyways, not about Dragons as a whole, but one in particular. He was known as… Ember."

Weiss shuddered slightly at the name. All of Remnant had heard of the venerable Red Dragon who had harbored such a hatred for Humans and Elves and Faunus and all the rest of the humanoid races, even the Fey who were just as long-lived and powerful.

"Now, Ember was a crafty old Dragon," the brunette murmured, causing the others to lean in to listen to her tale. "He ultimately wanted to wipe the face of Remnant of everyone except for his own race. And he was strong enough, powerful enough, to get most of the Dragon race behind him, along with not a few of the more warlike humanoids such as Orcs and Ogres and the like, promising them plunder and murder and the usual mayhem. But he knew that there was one thing that would prevent him from conquering all of Remnant, and that one thing was in the possession of the Kingdom of Vale."

Weiss nodded. "The Orb of Azure," she whispered.

"Exactly," Ruby grinned. "Now, few people actually knew what the Orb did, why it was special, and why Dragons feared it so. You see," she continued, stretching her hand out to encompass the four of them. "Most humanoids cannot even scratch the hide of a Dragon. Only the most powerfully-enchanted weapons can do so. But, bring the Orb within a hundred yards of a Dragon?"

With a flick of her wrist, Ruby produced a knife out of seemingly thin air and plunged it into the table with a loud bang, causing the other three women to jump slightly.

"Then any weapon at all can harm them," Ruby finished with a light laugh.

"Sweet Mother of Oum," Pyrrha murmured. "I did not know the details of that, myself… So, was that how Ember met his death? Admittedly, I am not conversant as to how the Dragon Wars ended."

"No, not exactly," Ruby replied, her expression sobering. "The Orb was never recovered, though Ember had it stolen and secreted away. In fact, it was a force of humanoids and Dragons that stopped Ember and his allies, at a great loss of life. So far as I know, only King Ozpin himself walked off of the battlefield with his life."

"Dragons fought against Ember?" the redhead interjected in confusion. "Er, I was under the impression that it was solely the humanoid races against the Dragons…"

Ruby somberly shook her head. "There were some Dragons who fought against the tyranny of the ancient Red," she replied simply.

"So, this Orb," Jeanne began thoughtfully after a moment of silence. "It would protect the Four Kingdoms from another like Ember rising up?"

"That's the gist of it, yep," Ruby replied, taking another pull from her mead.

Pyrrha and Jeanne looked at each other, seemingly conversing wordlessly. Weiss noted curiously that the way they leaned in towards each other implied a good deal of familiarity… and affection.

"Well, then," the redheaded Knight declared, facing an expectant Ruby once more. "As it happens, we have been searching for a worthy cause for my squire and myself to embark upon. I do believe that your Life Quest would be such an opportunity."

"So, you wanna join up?" Ruby asked, bouncing in her seat excitedly.

"It would be our honor," Pyrrha replied solemnly. She bowed her head briefly. "I, Lady Pyrrha Nikos, Knight of Artemis, so do pledge myself and my squire into your service until you do release us."

"I accept your pledge, Lady Nikos," Ruby answered, the facade of an enthusiastic little girl once again sliding away. "And I so do pledge as your Lord to protect and shelter you and yours, until I do release you."

Pyrrha grinned in appreciation. "It's so rare to meet one who understands Mistralian customs," she said warmly.

The brunette shrugged nonchalantly. "Eh, I've been around. So, want to hear about our first stop?"

"Oh, are we ready for that now?" Weiss spoke up, having kept her own counsel for the most part. "No more companions to gather?"

"I think… no." Ruby pursed her lips thoughtfully. "At least, not yet, and not here. We can head for our objective, where the first clue lies."

"So where are we going?" Jeanne asked, her sapphire blue eyes gleaming with excitement.

Weiss rolled her eyes in mild exasperation. Wonderful, another eager one.

"Well, there's this manor on the outskirts of the kingdom," Ruby began, sharing a grin with the young blonde. "Used to belong to a Baron, but he died heirless back in the War a dozen years ago. So, now it's abandoned, or at least likely infested with all sorts of unsavory types."

"And I suppose we are to be exterminators?" Weiss asked archly.

"Now you're getting the idea, Weiss!" the brunette cheered. "We'll go in, bust some heads and chase off the beasties, and then I'll get the clue in the library there. Easy-peasy."

"Sounds grand," Pyrrha said with a smile. "Our horses are stabled by the North Gates, where might yours be?"

"Oh, we don't have any yet. Let's just head there and I'll buy a pair, along with a spare." Ruby drained the last of her mead, slapped a large denomination lien coin on the table, and stood up decisively. "Any objections to heading out right away?"

Her three companions shook their heads, causing the brunette girl to grin excitedly.

"Okay, then! Oh, we might need some more camping gear, definitely some water skins, but we can pick all of those up at the stables." She turned, her red cloak flaring out behind her while she picked up her knapsack and blanket. As she did so, Weiss spied a peculiarly-shaped metallic object strapped to her back.

Is that… her weapon, perhaps?

The four of them strode down the street and towards the northern edge of the town. Ruby slowed down her pace in order to pull next to Weiss.

"Any preference as to a horse?" she asked pleasantly.

"Oh, none at all, thank you for asking. I can ride most anything."

"Hmm. Good to know. Guess I'll be the only exception, then."

"Oh?" Weiss prompted curiously.

Ruby laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of her neck. "Yeah… I don't get along too well with horses, I usually need the most placid one they have or they just throw me off."

"I'm… sorry to hear that."

"Eh, not a big deal. I'm used to it. Surprisingly enough, it's just horses, other animals like dogs like me just fine." Ruby chuckled lightly. "Not that I've had a dog in some time."

An hour later saw them fully equipped and mounted. Ruby had indeed found herself an abnormally calm piebald who seemed to not even register the fact that she was saddled. For Weiss she had purchased a sleek white stallion, while Pyrrha and Jeanne rode strong warhorses, both a light brown in color. The spare horse, a young pinto, trailed at the end of a tether to Jeanne.

Both the knight and her squire had lances that they carried aloft. Pyrrha's had a small banner flapping on the end, a white field with a black crow gripping an arrow, the symbol of the Order of Artemis. Jeanne's, though, was unadorned.

"Alright, Fellowship of the Orb!" Ruby called out excitedly. "Are we ready to begin our journey?"

"I believe we are as ready as we shall ever be, Ruby," Lady Nikos replied humorously.

"Then let's ride!"

They headed out, far from the eager gallop that the brunette desired as her horse seemed to only be able to go at one speed. Which was fine with Weiss, since she could sit back and consider the leader of their expedition.

I am still not quite sure what to make of you, Ruby… But I plan to discover more.

So long as you do not go digging into my own secrets any...

A/N: Woohoo, and there's my next character twist, a genderbent Jaune! She was actually inspired by a series of artwork posted up a couple of weeks ago on the /r/RWBY subreddit, specifically one by Dishwasher1910 on DeviantArt. So, there we go. And yes, I can now do an Arkos pairing and still have my femslash. Although, it's not going to be nearly as easy as that…

Also we had some more exposition and history as to what happened leading up to the first chapter. And what this mysterious Orb is all about. Let's see, other noteworthy items… So Weiss lists her age as 80, which as an Elf puts her right around 20 for Humans. A typical Elven lifespan in this world can be anywhere from four hundred up to even a thousand years in rare cases, like for an extremely powerful mage. Also, in response to Wolfenheart, I'm not specifically referencing Elder Scrolls here, I draw from many different sources though in this particular world building. Quite heavily from Dungeons and Dragons (of all flavors), but yes some Elder Scrolls as well, not to mention some good old Tolkien.

One last note. Every main character of what will be the full Fellowship of the Orb has a secret, some smaller than others, and one of whom doesn't even know her own secret (or that she has one at all). All will be revealed in due time. As will the ships. Well, except for Arkos, I already let that one slip, didn't I?

I'm happy this has garnered some attention, hopefully you will continue to be entertained! Next chapter, we'll get back to Yang and Blake for a spell, with a couple more unexpected faces. Much love to my wonderful Betas for this story, KellyConnely and PandaAnimeLover. Many thanks for reading so far, and for the favorites, follows, or reviews: FoxyFoxation, Heil96, Commando2341, AntonSlavik020, Arcredemption, DandyHandy, and Wolfenheart, hugs!

Stay shiny!