Ember Legacy, Volume 2

Chapter 11: Planning A Caper

City of Vale, The Crow's Rest

"The greatest treasures were most often guarded by the slyest and cruellest dragons."

~ Adam Nevill, House of Small Shadows

Blake stirred from under the mound of covers piled atop her. She poked an inquisitive amber eye out from her burrow, narrowed in irritation at who might have disturbed her well-earned slumber.

The knocking came again, much lighter than that of her current employer, Yang. Or was she still? The Cat Faunus Rogue wasn't entirely sure on that matter, as they hadn't discussed much the night before other than the fact that she was now roped into this fellowship and currently following a rather… intriguing diminutive brunette Human.

"Blake! Hey, Blake, are you awake yet?"

Speaking of diminutive brunettes…

"I am now," she stated levelly, though sleep still caused her words to come out more mumbled than usual, irking the implacable raven-haired woman somewhat. She cleared her throat before speaking once more. "What did you need, Ruby?"

"Oh! Well, it's breakfast time, so I thought we'd get a head start on planning!"

"Planning?" she repeated in confusion. How much of that whiskey did I drink last night? I don't recall any conversation about planning…

"Oh, yeah, um…" Ruby's voice trailed off somewhat before she resumed once more, this time with her face evidently pressed up against the doorframe. "I thought Yang was gonna talk to you about it already. Um… Can I… come in? Unless you're not decent, of course!"

Blake snorted softly. "One moment."

The Cat Faunus slipped out from under her cozy fortification, wearing a long sleeveless linen tunic that came down past her knees. Her tail drooped low to the ground past the hemline, reflecting her still less-than-awake state. With a wide yawn, she languidly pulled the latch back and cracked the door open. "C'mon in," she mumbled, trudging back to the bed.

The brunette girl, annoyingly chipper-looking for such an early hour, blushed slightly at her relative state of undress. "Blake, I could have come back…"

"No, it's okay," she replied, the furry ears atop her head twitching as she began to brush her hair out. "So what was this about planning?"

"Okay, yeah! So, here's the thing." Ruby plopped herself down on the sole chair in the room while Blake curled up at the end of her bed with her legs tucked under her, tail now flicking lazily behind her as she began to regain her senses. "We need to find a manuscript. It's somewhere in the town here. And I need you."

Blake's motions stopped abruptly. "You… need me?"

"Yep, I need your help!"

As her befuddled brain started back up again, she once again gave thanks for her ability to keep a neutral mask in place no matter what adversity she was faced with. Up to and including utter mortification for having so grossly misunderstood the intentions of this petite, but undeniably cute, girl.

Focus, Belladonna…

"So, why me?" she asked, allowing a trace of perplexion to enter her voice.

Ruby's grin widened at the prompt. "Well, I was talking to Yang, and she told me about what you can do. I could really use someone with your skills on this."

"Oh really? Like Yang did?" Blake rolled her eyes along with her response, causing the brunette to giggle lightly.

"Nah, I need to break into places and potentially steal stuff."

Blake paused in her brush strokes once more, this time in genuine surprise. "Oh, I see." She let a small grin of her own form before setting her brush down. "Well, I'm your girl, then."

"Great!" Ruby chirped. "Um, so if you wanna get dressed, I'm gonna go downstairs and grab some breakfast! Join me?"

"Love to," the raven-haired girl replied softly.

After she'd ushered the small Human girl out and began pulling on her black leather tights, her mind was awhirl with thoughts that were quite unprecedented for her.

Why is she so captivating to me?

o o o

"So this manuscript," Blake began thoughtfully as she chewed on her eggs. "What do you know of it?"

Ruby nodded, bouncing in her seat excitedly across from her. She'd already finished up her omelette and hashed potatoes by the time Blake had made it downstairs into the tavern common room. "Well, it was written by this really famous historian, Bartholomew Oobleck. He wrote all kinds of stuff about Dragons, their history and habits and culture. Fascinating stuff." The brunette frowned slightly. "Pity it was a Dragon that did him in."

The Cat Faunus raised an eyebrow inquisitively. "Oh?"

"Yeah, it was all a big misunderstanding." Ruby sighed. "See, Oobleck talked a mile a minute when he was excited, and he'd finally tracked down this ancient Gold Dragon that he'd been looking for ages, and just started peppering him with questions. Problem is, the Gold wasn't quite awake yet and mistook him for some kind of Mage trying to cast a spell on him."

Blake stared at the petite girl, trying very hard not to let the edges of her lips curl up. "You're joking."

"Nope, hand to Oum," Ruby replied solemnly. "Gobbled the poor historian right on up. You could still hear him talking all the way down."

At that Blake let out a startled laugh, quickly covering her mouth in surprise at the uncharacteristic outburst. "Alright, now I know you're pulling my tail," she stated, amber eyes twinkling with mirth.

The brunette girl giggled lightly, finally allowing her own silver eyes to shine with the laughter she'd been suppressing. "Wellll... maybe just a little bit. He did get eaten by a Dragon, though."

The raven-haired girl chuckled lightly and shook her head. There was just something about this strange, buoyant brunette…

"So then," Blake continued, cutting off her own thoughts as she cleared her throat. Please, Oum, do not let her have seen any hint of a blush… "The manuscript?"

"Right! So it's the only copy, likely either a collector's item or… Well, worst case, we'll have to break into the Royal Library. But it might not come to that."

The rogue's eyes bulged slightly. "The… Royal Library? As in, inside the heavily-secured and nigh-impenetrable castle?"

"Yep, that's the one!" Ruby replied cheerfully. "Sounds like fun, right?"

Blake couldn't help herself this time, and allowed the unfamiliar grin to fully creep across her face. "Yeah… Actually, yeah, it does…"

"As for what the manuscript itself is, well, it will give us the last clue we need, the location of the Orb." Ruby pulled out a dark leather-bound tome from the satchel at her side. "See, I got the name from here. Now I just need to know where the lair is."

Blake nodded slowly. "And what is the name?"

"Pardon?"

"Whose name is in the book?"

"Well, Ember's mate, of course."

Blake coughed lightly, almost choking on the last bite of her eggs. She took a long swallow of her cider before continuing hoarsely. "So, just to make sure we're clear. You're looking for the lair of the mate of one of the most ancient, deadly, and vicious Red Dragons in all of known history?"

"Pfft, nah," Ruby chuckled, waving a hand in front of her face merrily.

"Oh, thank Oum," the Cat Faunus murmured.

"Ember wasn't the most ancient, not by a long shot," Ruby continued happily. "I mean, there's lots older than he was, still alive and kicking. Not that I've met them, of course… but still. And deadly?" The petite girl barked out a short laugh, oblivious to her companion's consternation. "Maybe a little bit, but there's been worse."

Blake nodded slowly. Apparently the insanity was hereditary. "And what do we do if this mate, another Red Dragon I presume, is there waiting for us?"

"Oh, she won't be."

"How do you know this?"

"Because she's a Red," the brunette replied simply, as if that answered everything.

The Rogue blinked her eyes without answering.

Letting out a soft sigh, Ruby tucked the book back into her satchel before turning towards the Faunus once more. "Okay, so maybe I should give a little more background on Dragons…"

"Oooh, oooh, are we having storytime?" an excited voice called out. Nora bounded down the staircase nearby, launching herself into a vacant space on the bench at their table. Miraculously, she neither broke the bench, nor spilled Ruby from her seat. "Morning!"

"Morning, Nora," Ruby grinned. "Anybody else up?"

"Unfortunately," Jeanne grumbled as she staggered down the steps, both Pyrrha and Ren on her heels. Only the blonde warrior looked to be worse for wear, the other two relatively cognizant.

Nowhere near as much so as Nora, of course, but Blake believed she'd seen a Mouse Faunus hyped up on illicit Duskwood Mushroom essence who hadn't been nearly that energetic. And that Faunus girl had subsequently gone three full days without sleep after that.

The others gathered around the table, giving out muted greetings before ordering their breakfast food. Before Ruby could continue, however, she looked up once more to see Weiss descending down the steps, looking as elegant as always.

"Good morning, Weiss!" the brunette called out cheerfully. "Sleep well?"

"Well enough," the platinum-haired Elf replied evenly as she gracefully slid into one of the remaining spaces at the table. "It definitely beats sleeping on the ground."

"I know, right?" Nora burbled. "I mean, all those rocks and roots that you never notice until you're flat on your back and they're digging into you right when you're getting to the good part, talk about an orgasm-killer…"

"Nora, please," Ren sighed patiently. "Not at the breakfast table."

"Or ever," Jeanne muttered, blushing brightly.

"Alright then," Ruby chuckled, shaking her head and causing the red-tipped bangs to sway back and forth, momentarily captivating the Cat Faunus. Blake gave herself a quick shake as Weiss ordered her food and the brunette placed her hands upon the table.

"So who can tell me the different kinds of Dragons?" the diminutive red-cloaked girl began.

"Oh, I have this one!" Jeanne replied excitedly, suddenly far more awake and, Oum bless the girl, actually raising her hand.

The red-faced blonde quickly pulled said hand down after the rest of the table began snickering.

"Go ahead, Jeanne," Ruby smiled encouragingly.

"Er, right… So there's Red, Brown, Onyx, Gold, Silver, Bronze, Green, White…" The blonde Knight-in-training stared up at the rafters thoughtfully. "Did I get them all?"

"Pretty much, yep," Ruby replied. "Some other more exotic and rare ones, and others that are extinct now, but those are the most common. Well, as common as Dragons can be, seeing as how a person could go a lifetime without seeing one."

The brunette leaned back, her silver eyes alight as she continued the lesson. "Most Dragons aren't inherently good or evil, but certain types have a… tendency towards one end of the spectrum or the other. But make no mistake, their morality is very, very different from those of humanoids.

"Anyways, at the bottom of the scale in both size and power are your Browns. Pretty much dumb grunts, they're used by the greater Dragons as fodder when they decide to escalate their differences beyond polite hoard raids." Ruby grinned a bit at that. "And believe me, a Dragon's hoard is everything to them. But the Browns, well they're pretty limited. Like I said, dumb, easily outsmarted as much as an Ogre, say."

"But they're still Dragons, correct?" Weiss interjected, spooning some honey into her oatmeal. "With the full abilities of one?"

"Not quite." Ruby gave the Elf a nod at her perception. "They don't have any sort of breath attack, nor can they speak in the common tongue.

"So, moving on up, we have the Greens. Still on the smaller end of Dragons, sneaky and vicious, not to mention short-fused. They also breathe acid."

"Ouch," Nora winced. "Acid is no fun."

"Speaking from experience there, Nora?" the brunette chuckled. "Now if we're going by size, then the Silvers would be next. They're a lot faster than Greens, in fact they're the nimblest of all Dragons. And, for Dragons, fairly cheerful and friendly towards those not of their kind.

"Onyx Dragons are an interesting mix. Often the most cunning, and sometimes mercurial, but when they commit to a cause they stay loyal." Ruby shrugged. "There's just no telling what cause might catch their eye, though.

"Bronzes can sometimes be just as hot-headed as a White or Green, but undeniably brave." Ruby tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Vain, definitely. And just as friendly as Silvers when it comes to non-Dragons, much more likely to speak first before snapping up any humanoid they come across for a snack.

"Now, the Whites are usually found way up north, in the Hinterlands. I imagine Weiss might know a bit about them."

The platinum-haired Elf nodded slowly. "I've never seen one myself, but some of the elders have faced them. They're very territorial and aggressive. Oh, and they breathe frost, so keeping a fire shield spell handy is a must when going up against them."

"Definitely combative and arrogant," Ruby agreed. "Medium-sized, on a scale with an Onyx, but far, far stronger. Their physical strength rivals that of the larger Dragons, like a Red or Gold."

"Those are the only two left, correct?" Pyrrha prompted, speaking up for the first time that morning.

"Yep. Golds can be as vain and arrogant as any other Dragon, but they tend to be defined by their nobility and loyalty. They can get caught up with their own problems and machinations and will often just leave the outside world alone, unless they're provoked. Or if something catches their eye." Ruby had a small but mysterious smile on her face, her gaze flickering over towards Weiss before facing Blake again. "If a Gold gets fixated on something, their focus is hard to break."

Blake hummed quietly under her breath. "So, then, Reds."

"Right, Reds. They match Golds in size, the ancient ones like Ember truly gigantic. Greedy, cruel, vicious… What the legends paint as a typical Dragon. But, and this is most important to our current quest…" Ruby leaned forward to impart her next words. "Reds are schemers. They absolutely love to get involved in things, whether or not they had any business getting involved in the first place. Exact opposites of Golds in that regard. A lot of the outside world, humanoid politics and wars and the like, have been influenced by Reds. Especially if it brings them an advantage, monetarily or otherwise, and even better if it somehow comes at a detriment to another Dragon."

"Sooo… you believe that this mate of Ember's would not be at her lair… because she is somewhere else, scheming?" Blake summarized, not bothering to hide the skeptical tone in her voice.

"It's more than that, really. Reds only spend time in their lair to raise hatchlings, otherwise they employ guardians and such to watch over their stuff." The brunette grinned triumphantly. "So we'd just need to fight those, not an actual Dragon!"

"Mmm." The Cat Faunus crossed her arms across her black leather vest. "And what is to say this Red would not have another Dragon as a guardian?"

Ruby's mouth opened, only to shut again with an audible click as she pondered that for a few moments. "Hmm. Didn't think of that. It's doubtful, though, as Reds don't trust other Dragons, other than their mates, with their treasures. Might be able to bully a Brown or two, put the fear of, well, them into the other Dragons, but it's doubtful."

"But there's still a chance we might encounter a Dragon," Ren pressed quietly. "It is not outside the realm of possibility."

"Oh please oh please oh please," Nora murmured, her hands clenched together tightly. "Please let us fight a Dragon…"

"Personally, I'd rather avoid tangling with something that could kill me with one swipe of its claws," Pyrrha interjected. "But if that's a possibility, then we should prepare for it."

Ruby looked around the table, as did Blake. Most of the companions assembled, save for Yang who was presumably still slumbering, wore expressions of calm confidence. Jeanne's bright blue eyes were a little tinged with worry, but she seemed to follow her Knight's lead. Nora, of course, radiated eagerness.

"Fair enough," Ruby murmured quietly. "I suppose we can do a lesson on… how to kill a Dragon next."

"Shouldn't it be more like 'how to run from a Dragon'?" a sleepy voice called out from the stairway.

Yang walked down, already dressed for the day. Her luxurious blonde mane was brushed out, golden curls dancing in the morning sunlight filtering in from the windows.

Blake snorted to herself irritably. Should be illegal to look that good right when a person wakes up…

"Hey Yang, you wanna contribute?" Ruby asked solicitously.

"Nah, I'm no expert," Yang waved her sister off. She nodded towards the serving girl first, asking for just coffee, before nodding towards the others at the table. She plopped herself across from the Elven Mage, who seemed to be rather focused on her bowl of breakfast.

"'Morning, gorgeous," the blonde smirked.

"Hmm," Weiss hummed softly, not looking up. "Says the woman walking into a room looking like sunshine and sex rolled up into one package. Aren't you overdoing it a bit?"

Yang stared at the platinum-haired Elf for a heartbeat before throwing her head back and laughing merrily. "Maybe a bit," she finally snickered. "Did it get your attention, though?"

Weiss finally looked up at that, her ice-blue eyes twinkling. "No," she replied shortly, turning back to her bowl. Yang continued to laugh unabashedly.

Blake rolled her eyes and let out a soft groan at her partner's antics, causing Ruby to snicker.

"I take it this is normal behavior?" the brunette whispered.

"You have no idea," Blake replied with a shake of her head.

"I gotta say, though," Yang was continuing, "you look rather tasty yourself today there, Weiss."

"If you want breakfast, ask the serving girl," the Elf replied in an almost bored voice. "I'm off the menu during the day."

"Oh really? What about the evenings, then?"

Weiss glanced up, a small but somehow regal-looking smirk on her face. "Depends on whether or not the meal is interesting enough."

"Oh my Oum," Ruby finally sputtered. "Okay, enough, if you two are gonna keep on with that, go… somewhere else. Anywhere else, please!"

"Thank you!" Jeanne moaned piteously from where her head was buried in her crossed arms atop the table. Pyrrha gave her squire a consoling pat on her back.

"I'll be good if princess here can be," Yang smirked.

Weiss quirked an eyebrow. "Are you implying you have any sort of restraint?"

"Oh, I can be good, gorgeous… I can be real good…"

"Yang!" several voices cried out in unison.

"Sorry, sorry," Yang grinned, her hands upraised defensively. "I'll behave."

"Right," Ruby huffed out. "So, fighting Dragons. I mentioned this awhile back, but since our little group has doubled in size, lemme just reiterate."

The brunette sat up straight with an unusually solemn visage. "Dragons have extremely tough hides. They shrug off any attack by anything other than a fairly powerful magical weapon, except perhaps for the eyes, but even then it's not a sure thing. A Dragon could grow back an eye injured with a mundane weapon within a day at most. Magic itself can hurt them, so long as it doesn't try to affect them directly, like illusions or the like." She glanced over at the Elven Mage. "So indirect attacks are best."

"So, precisely how powerful a magical weapon is required to pierce a Dragon's scale?" Weiss asked, her interest obviously piqued.

Ruby gave her Elven friend a grin. "Well, as it so happens, our group does have several. Yours, obviously, anything Dragonforged can injure a Dragon. Just like Nora's hammer."

"Really?" the orange-haired girl squealed. "My Magnhild is Dragonforged?"

"Um, yeah," Ruby replied, perplexed. "Sorry, thought you knew. It was passed down through your family, right?"

"Yep, sure was!" Nora reached back for her oversized warhammer, holding it aloft over the heads of those at the table, much to their consternation. Ren was the only one not to wince and lean back.

"She was passed down from my great-great-great… great… I dunno how many greats. Anyways, a whole lotta greats-grandmother, down to the eldest daughter of each family. We've all been warriors." Nora grinned proudly while she set the hammer back on the ground with a resounding clang. "And now she's mine!"

"I don't even remember her bringing that to the table," Blake muttered under her breath. Ruby's hearing must have been as sharp as Yang's, as she shot her a wry grin.

"Anyway, yes, Magnhild is Dragonforged and can definitely hurt a Dragon," Ruby continued. "The other weapon isn't Dragonforged, but should be able to do damage. That being Pyrrha's sword."

The redheaded Knight smiled slightly. "I had a feeling. Milo was a special gift from the head of my Order when I attained Knighthood, it had been hers before she'd been given… Well, suffice to say, I've known of my sword's power. It's good to know, though, if we do come up against a Dragon."

"Don't get complacent," a low voice spoke up from the end of the table. Each companion's gaze shot towards the unusually somber-looking blonde brawler who was gazing into her coffee mug.

"Yeah, you got weapons that can hurt a Dragon," Yang continued quietly. "But unless you really, really have to, avoid fighting one. 'Cause I guarantee you'll come out for the worse."

"You speak from experience," Pyrrha murmured. It was more of a statement than a question, but Yang nodded slowly anyway.

"I do. Just trust me on this, okay? You see a Dragon, you run in the other direction."

The table fell silent for almost a full minute after that, until Blake cleared her throat. She blushed slightly as everyone gave her their attention, unused to being such a focus.

"Er, so is that all of us with weapons who might harm a Dragon?" she asked hesitantly. "Weiss, Nora, and Pyrrha?"

"Oh, well, mine as well," Ruby smirked. "Crescent Rose is my baby, she can peel the scales off of any Dragon around."

"I see. And what type of weapon is… Crescent Rose?"

"Well, now… you'll just have to see," the brunette winked cheekily.

"Oh, it is sooo cool!" Nora exclaimed, bouncing excitedly in her seat. "It's this really massive warscythe, like bigger than my hammer even, and it's all glowing and dark and flaming and… Oums' blood, it's awesome watching-"

"Language," Ren interjected mildly.

"Sorry, Renny," Nora continued, unfazed. "So yeah, watching it cleave through ranks of Orcs was just like, whoosh and whapow and Oum's bloody ballsack-"

"Language!"

"Right, sorry Renny. But it's seriously sweet!"

Blake was covering her mouth as she was unable to contain her mirthful grin. Ruby was shaking her head and smiling widely as well.

"Thanks for dispelling the whole air of mystery there, Nora," Ruby snorted softly.

"Oh, sorry Ruby, it's just so cool to find someone who can appreciate weapons like I do!"

Weiss sighed loudly from the other end of the table. "Oum, please do not get Ruby started on weaponry, we'll be here all day…"

The brunette stuck her tongue out childishly, but then quickly sobered. "Okay, seriously though. Is there anything else anybody wants to know about Dragons? Let go ahead and get this all out of the way so we can get working on our stay here in Vale."

"I have a question," Ren spoke up calmly. "How is it you know so much about Dragons?"

Ruby grinned at him. "Books!"

"You've read books on Dragons?"

"Yep, lots and lots of books! Well, and talking to folk. You can pick up a lot from talking to people in the know." The brunette looked down at the table, suddenly solemn. "Also… a lot from my parents. They were... adventurers, knew a whole lot. I learned all kinds of stuff from them before I… didn't have them around anymore."

Ren nodded, resting his hand on Ruby's shoulder. "Fair enough. So, then, what is the plan?"

"Whelp, mostly it's just gonna be me and Blake for this stage, but the rest of you should rest up, maybe gather more supplies." Ruby glanced over at her sister, who was unconcernedly sipping her coffee. "It's going to be a long trek, I'm fairly certain. We'll need horses, camping supplies, rations, extra gear… Yang, you need any lien to handle that?"

"Nope, I got plenty, little sis," the blonde replied cheerfully. "Me and princess here will handle the supplies."

"Oh, we will, will we?" Weiss asked, an amused smirk on her face.

"Yep, give you time to experience the full Yang charm."

"Oum preserve you, Weiss." The benediction was solemnly murmured by Ren, causing further chuckles to erupt around the table.

Ruby turned to Pyrrha and Jeane next. "I suppose you guys might want to check in with your Order? Maybe find out a little more about what's going on in this town, and the unrest? I'm a little concerned, since we'll be coming back here afterwards…"

"Certainly, that was our intent," the redhead nodded.

"Okay, so then…" Ruby glanced over at the lanky and stoic man sitting next to her. "Finally, Ren, our token male. I have an important task for you."

"Yes?" Ren prompted, his brows raised inquisitively.

"Try to keep Nora out of trouble."

The raven-haired Cleric sighed heavily. "It's a full-time job."

"Too true," Nora chirped. "Too true."

A/N: So there we go, the stage is set, plus we got lots more info on Dragons. The most important being, if you see one, run. Unless you care to be crispified. Next chapter will see a little more action (of all sorts), though, as we keep up with everyone inside of Vale.

As always I must give a shout-out to my Betas for this story, KellyConnely and PandaAnimeLover, couldn't do this without you girls. Bit of a far cry from our Firefly fanfic days, eh? And then to the steady influx of new readers, followers, favoriters, and reviewers, I love all of you guys, thank you so very much for supporting me with this. I hope I can continue to entertain on this journey. RatedRSuperStar87, AntonSlavik020, Commando2341, ExKage, bankerrtx01, FoxyFoxation, InfernoLeo9 (sorry to disappoint with Freezerburn instead of Bumblebee!), CyberBUNNEH (I don't know why but your username makes me snicker every time I see it), Reaper Whisper, eltiochips, and TacoKing23. Thanks for the continued support! Over 100 followers now, woohoo!

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