Chapter 7: The Path of Adventure

A/N: Figured I'd get back into it, since I'm on break at the moment.

-AD-

"So, you nervous, sis?" A way-too-exuberant Yang swerved in front of Ruby, flashing her a happy grin.

"A little." Ruby admitted. So what if she was the Gamer? The first day at a new schoolfreaks everyone out, even if her Gamer's Mind skill made it a little better. She couldn't feel the butterflies in her stomach, but she knew they was there, just ready to flutter out.

She supposed that if she thought that she should be nervous, the Gamer's Mind Skill would leave it be, or maybe it only worked in battle. Ruby wasn't sure. Still nervous, though.

"Relax, you'll be fine!" Yang chirped, before taking a seat and chomping down on her toast. "Ahm shu ud du mm-kay. You've got a couple of other people from your old school signing up, right?"

"Nope. I'm all alone. All aloooone…" Ruby poked at a sausage depressedly, before suddenly wailing. "Everyone else got held back a year!"

"You graduated early." The older girl corrected her. "Don't you know any seniors?"

"I know you. And Old Man Jiang and Madam Erin."

"The other kind of seniors, sis. Anyone else besides me?"

"No."

Yang sighed. "Rubes, you gotta learn to socialize a bit more."

"I socialize plenty! There's Old Man Jiang and Madam Erin and Aru and Leita and Lilka and Basil and you and Dad and Uncle Qrow and Zwei-"

Yang stopped her. "People your age, Ruby."

"Don't wanna." Ruby puffed her cheeks. "They're all super lame. Okay, that's a bit mean, they're not super lame, but they don't really like strawberries and they don't care about my baby!"

The older blonde seemed to be taken aback by Ruby's vehement tone. "Er... try talking about something else?"

"I don't wanna talk about something else." Ruby whined. "What's there to even talk about?"

Yang blinked. Ruby had a point. What else was there to talk about? In fact, she couldn't remember a single conversation topic she'd used to break the ice when she was thirteen.

"Uh… boys?" Yang ventured hesitantly before mentally kicking herself.

"Gross." Ruby made a face.

"Video games?"

"They think games are for nerds." Ruby huffed.

"…Books?"

"I don't read much. And they think it's nerdy too."

"Movies? Sports? Classwork?"

"Nope, nope, and they just want to copy my homework." The Gamer rolled her eyes. "Face it Yang, I'm hopeless."

Said blonde was starting to agree, but being the elder sister she was obliged to try anyway. "Just promise me you'll try to make a friend, okay? You're going to Signal now; I'm sure there'll be a ton of weapon nuts around."

"…I'll try." Ruby agreed, before throwing a weak glare at her sister. "Don't expect any miracles, though."

"Eh, I'll take what I can get." Yang shrugged, before moving to the sink to wash up. "C'mon, we gotta leave soon. You don't wanna be late for your first day."

"Aye, aye, Cap'n!"

-AD-

It had been a pretty fun couple of weeks for Ruby, but the freedom of summer (albeit accompanied by its evil nemesis, the Tyrannical Curfew!) had ended, bringing with it the dreaded return to school. And not just any school, she was going to Signal now. A fresh new start for a fresh new student! It was gonna be awesome!

Pssshyeah right. Her first day at Patch Kindergarten sucked. Her first day at Sunset Elementary sucked. Her first day at prep school sucked. Everyone just formed groups with people they already knew, leaving her sitting by herself in the corner. So why would Signal Academy be any different?

Ugh, just thinking about it put Ruby into a bad mood. Sure, she'd declared to Yang that people her own age were lame. And they were, sometimes. But it would be… you know, nice if she had a friend in class. And even if they were lame, they'd be the good kind of lame, y'know?

'Well', Ruby assured herself, 'At least I have Yang here.'

At the thought, the silver-eyed girl snuck a glance at her older sister, who was strutting down the street like she owned the place. Okay, maybe she wasn't strutting. And it wasn't the street, it was the sidewalk. Okay, fine, her sister was walking down the sidewalk, but even if it didn't sound like much, Yang was brimming with sheer confidence.

Ruby found herself matching her sister step for step. Left. Right. Left. Right. Now if only she could look as good as Yang did doing it.

Speaking of the blonde, Yang was being surprisingly quiet this morning. On a normal day, the blonde would be chattering her mouth off and making horrible puns and laughing at them. But not today. It was as if Yang could kind of tell that she needed some quiet time to adjust to a new school.

The thirteen year old was grateful for it, but she wished that Yang would just start talking, if only to take her mind off things.

About five seconds or so later, Ruby remembered to breathe, releasing the breath she hadn't known she had been holding.

What was the point of Gamer's Mind if it did nothing to help her nervousness? Stupid useless-but-very-useful-actually-never-mind-I-take-that-back Skill. Pah.

Ruby decided to steer her thoughts into a more productive direction. Mainly, her progress as The Gamer.

Going to Patch Island's Sunset Retirement Home had been a pretty brilliant idea, if she dared say so herself. Bingo Night was free to join, and she even won a prize once! Granted, it wasn't something she would normally use (a fancy new Walking Cane), but it could come in handy someday.

Of course, Bingo had pulled up her LUK considering the monstrous competition, but only by an extremely miniscule amount. She had nothing to lose from joining, after all.

The real gem of visiting the place however, had nothing to do with the Game. It was something else entirely.

Madam Erin, the totally badass Level 92 Ex-Huntress, had a particular fondness of Chess. A mother of two and a grandmother of five, she had been wonderfully patient with teaching Ruby the intricacies of the game. She could be scary though, like that one time Old Man Jiang had called her an old crone.

"Excuse me?" Her voice had been deathly quiet, her glare promising an excruciating death.

The retired Huntsman had apologized profusely at once, before winking at Ruby and mouthing 'Crazy witch.'

Old Man Jiang was a quirky fellow who Ruby felt was entirely too enthusiastic about Bingo. As eccentric as he was (he simply insisted on being called Old Man Jiang), the old man had a wealth of experience and wisdom collected throughout his many years of life. He had no family, but instead had an apprentice he frequently mentioned in passing as 'that stupid boy', often with a fond smile.

They had regaled Ruby with stories of their life as one of Remnant's Elites. How Old Man Jiang once faced down a Grimm as tall as a mountain (Ruby had a suspicion he was exaggerating), how Madam Erin had commanded over a hundred Huntsmen and Huntresses against a mighty horde of Grimm, how the two had first met during a joint mission to Vacuo, and much, much more.

There was so much history; so many wonderful stories that Ruby had completely forgotten about her Semblance until it reared its not-so-ugly head, announcing that her INT and WIS had risen by 1 for… something to do with history. She wasn't paying much attention to the Game at that point, really.

'Old people are so cool.' Ruby remembered thinking. She'd grown fond of the two over the past two weeks, treating them like her very own surrogate grandparents.

Aside from the Retirement Home, her typical day had involved quite a bit of travel. She'd Sprint to The Wild West on some mornings to hang out with her young friends. Aru and the girls certainly welcomed her presence; she didn't even have to be a customer. Aru even plopped a bowl of strawberries for her on the house every now and then, thanking her for keeping his daughters company.

Of course, Ruby didn't just gamble with Leita and Lilka; sometimes Leita would give Ruby a book and tell her to sit down and read, sometimes Lilka insisted that they played house (which Ruby secretly enjoyed, given her new-found propensity towards Acting), and sometimes the two girls would plead for Ruby to teach them something cool, like cartwheels. And cartwheels. And more cartwheels.

Aru had vetoed the somersaults and backflips.

The most noteworthy thing that occurred during those times was the discovery of the Crafting Skill, which popped up when Lilka decided to teach Ruby how to properly fold a paper crane.

Crafting (Profession) – Level: 1

Description: The art of making something out of something else. You can create items by using this Skill and having the necessary materials on hand. Higher levels will allow the implementation of more advanced and complex techniques. A master artificer can work with even the most difficult of materials.

Requires materials.

Ruby had immediately resolved to utterly master this Skill, if only because it would bring her one step closer to giving birth to her baby.

Upon further raising it, Ruby found that levelling it up increased her DEX too. Double yay!

On other days, Ruby would head for Basil's Bakery instead. Now, as he was officially open for business, she couldn't get free pastries outright anymore. He was willing to give her a discount of twenty percent though, as business was indeed booming, and offered the random odd job or two every now and then in exchange for some pastries and short change.

Too bad they didn't count as Quests. They did increase her Influence with Basil though.

She did consider asking Basil about the leftovers that he didn't manage to sell throughout the day, thinking she could try putting them in stasis in her Inventory. However, staying till closing time changed her mind almost immediately; a man collected them to distribute to orphanages. Bread could last for days, after all.

What a nice guy.

She was sure that Basil would've spared her one or two, but ultimately decided against it. Besides, it seemed a bit too cheap for her tastes.

Oh, she'd also completed the last Quest on the Drifter's Board from a guy named Milo about collecting some strange plants called Gladeflowers (which weren't actually flowers) and a few samples of Blavo Nuts (which were actually berries). She had been concerned about the danger, so she'd prepared by stocking up on more pastries to outrun any more Lone Beowolves.

She needn't have bothered. Nothing. Nada. Zilch. Her Detect Bloodthirst Skill hadn't even activated once. It ended up being a simple affair of identifying the correct plants, which was actually harder than it looked. She did manage to pick up two new Skills here too, though.

Botany (Profession) – Level: 1

Description: The difference between life and death often hinges on whether or not you ate that mushroom. This Skill allows you to identify plants and their properties. Higher levels allow you to identify rare plants and even breed them. A master botanist is said to be able to understand the language of plants.

And:

Foraging (Profession) – Level: 1

Description: A necessary survival skill. Be prepared! This Skill allows you to harvest nature's bounty from the environment. Higher levels allow you to increase your collection efficiency and amount. A master forager is said to be able to survive in any environment.

Milo was a pretty geeky guy though. He was really smart, if a bit messy and unmotivated, but once he got going, he was kinda impossible to stop. He tried to tell her about the intrinsic details of plant biology, during which Ruby developed a headache after five minutes of his motor mouth. It was definitely interesting, if a bit dry at times, but Ruby did gain a couple of INT from it.

Still, while she had tons of fun with her new friends, Ruby had been a bit disappointed by the lack of family time over the last two weeks. Dad had been called for another urgent mission again, this time to Atlas. Yang had gotten progressively busier with her job, sometimes working eight-hour shifts back to back. She checked in on Ruby twice a day, but that was about the extent of their interaction.

Well, at least she had Zwei. And her precious baby.

On the plus side, Dad was due back tomorrow, and Yang didn't have work anymore on account of the school term, so triple yay! Family time ahoy!

Ruby blamed Leita for all the pirate speak she was doing lately. It was a good book, though. Walk the plank, matey! Arr! Yarr!

"…Rubes, what are you doing?" Yang voice sailed through the air, her tone dry and amused.

It was at that moment that Ruby realized she had been impersonating a pirate physically as well. Of course, her curved finger wasn't anywhere near as intimidating as a pirate's hook. Her imaginary cutlass wasn't quite as sharp as a real one either.

"..."

Yang wasn't the only one looking. It seemed like the whole street was staring at her, some with amused smirks and others with outright concern. Probably for her mental health.

"…"

Her face promptly caught fire.

-AD-

"-and so, to the new students, welcome. And to our returning students, welcome home." The Principal of Signal, Professor Stiltzkin concluded.

That was a pretty cheesy ending to a pretty cheesy speech. Something about finding paths and growing like plants and sunrise. Ruby deduced that Professor Stiltzkin probably liked nature a lot. The man had messy brown hair and seemed to chew on a reed or something when he wasn't talking.

Of course, Ruby had met him a couple of times before, seeing as he'd come over a few times to talk to Dad; sometimes Uncle Qrow would tag along. He was a pretty weird guy.

"And that concludes the Welcoming Ceremony. Second Years and Third Years, you should already have your schedules. Classes will proceed as normal. First years, please remain seated. You will be given a briefing of what is to be expected of you." The stern looking Vice-Principal, Professor Beldam announced.

Now all that was supposed to be all prim and proper, but well… Ruby had seen the blonde Vice-Principal drunk once. Actually, come to think about it, Ruby had probably seen about half the teachers at Signal drunk. It was a side-effect of having Taiyang Xiao Long as her father, though the man himself was always very careful to not get drunk around Ruby. Not so much around Yang, though.

Aaaanyway, her point being; it was a little hard to take them seriously after seeing them giggling like a gaggle of schoolgirls. Yes, even the men.

Gaggle. Was that the right collective noun-thingy? It seemed like it. Sounded kinda funny though.

Gaggle of schoolgirls. Gaggle. Hmmm…

Eh, she'd check with Yang later.

Meanwhile, as the returning students left the Assembly Hall, the whispers of the First Years around gradually grew louder, as the whispers of students tend to do. Her eyes caught an unremarkable pair of boys playing a game on their Scrolls, but it looked like that one casual survival game with a bird that faded into obscurity last year.

Pfft. Lame.

A finger tapped her shoulder twice, gaining her attention. "Hey, wasn't the VP kinda hot?"

"Huh?" She turned to face the questioner, who turned out to be a very regular-looking brunette boy with spiky hair.

The boy in question suddenly turned very, very red. "Sorry, I thought you were a guy! I mean, your hair was short and all and-"

Wow, that was a new low. Mistaken for a guy on the first day of school. Plus what was with the weird question anyway? Oh well, no real harm done apart from her perpetually crumbling self-esteem, so she shrugged and accepted his apology.

Once the last of the senior students exited the hall, leaving the thirty or so First Years seated within, Professor Beldam made her way back to the podium.

"Observe."

Bryna Beldam
Title: Unknown
Level: Unknown

Well, that was kinda unsurprising. Observing Dad had given her the same results. Just the name and a bunch of "Unknown"s, nothing else. Ruby assumed that they were probably way out of her league or something, meaning they were higher levelled than Madam Erin. A scary thought, that was for sure.

A screech from some microphone feedback drew her attention immediately, and Professor Beldam cleared her throat before launching into speech.

"There are a few things that all First Years need to take note of," she began. "Firstly, Signal Academy is a firm believer of independence; proper maintenance of all equipment should be of second nature to all Huntsmen. Furthermore, weapons are extensions of your own body, and no one should know your weapon better than you do. Therefore, you are all expected to create your own personal weapons by the end of your second year at Signal Academy. Failure to do so will result in expulsion."

She paused and gave them an understanding, yet stern, smile. How a smile could be stern, Ruby would never know. "Now, we realize that this is indeed a tall order for some of you. It is not an easy task; the vast majority of you have yet to even determine your preferred style of fighting. Do not fret, we have experienced teachers available for every conventional weapon. For those who decide to venture into more exotic ways of combat, we will offer you the best instruction we can in establishing your own forms and techniques. Which brings me to my next point."

"You will each be assigned a teacher as your personal mentor for this purpose, who will guide and watch over you during your stay in Signal. Should you require any assistance in this matter, do not hesitate to contact them. Should they be unavailable at the time, be patient and they will get back to you as soon as they can. Should they be unable to help, they will do their best to direct you to someone who can."

"Assistance and instruction will be given to you in crafting your weapon, regardless of your choice. When you have decided on your fighting form, your mentor will introduce you to our technicians and blacksmiths, where you will learn and begin this process. We have a range of materials for you to use; however, should you require rarer or more exotic materials, you will have to find the means to procure them yourself or simply make do with what we provide."

Many students were already whispering to one another frantically, while Ruby simply wondered about Signal's selection. Would they have everything needed for Crescent Rose?

"Silence." Professor Beldam commanded in a soft, yet firm voice, causing the gradually rising noise levels to immediately die down. "Do not panic. Rest assured, only a handful of students have failed to complete this task; and not because of its difficulty, but because of their lackadaisical attitude towards it. As long as you put in your full effort towards it, I see no reason for you to be expelled."

She pressed on. "Aside from that, you will receive your schedules by the end of your first class. There are only two compulsory classes, Combat Analysis and Aura Management. The rest of your schedule is empty. However, you are expected to fill it in with electives of your choice. The minimum number of electives required to pass is three. However, you are free to take as many as you wish."

"One final thing to take note of. The Vale Regional Championship will be held at the end of the year as usual. Traditionally, Signal Academy will send a total of twelve students; our top three fighters overall, and our top three from each Year. You will be given the opportunity to be involved in two tournaments to decide Signal's representatives; an Inter-Year Tournament and the First Year Tournament. Participation in the former is optional, while the latter is mandatory."

"Should you emerge as one of representatives from the Inter-Year Tournament, you will be exempted from the First Year Tournament. While such a scenario is rare given the experience gap, it has most certainly happened before. Therefore, I encourage you to participate, if only to better hone your skill in combat."

"Remember, every single one of you have been accepted into this academy for the potential that you hold. We expect only great things from you. Do Signal proud."

Story Quest: A Signal of Hope

Description: Complete the first step of the journey to become a Huntress!

Objectives:
- Make it through your First Year at Signal Academy
- Make it through your Second Year at Signal Academy
- Make it through your Third Year at Signal Academy
- Craft your own weapon before the end of Second Year
- Reach Level 20 before the end of Third Year

Reward: 15,000 EXP, A Title, Increased Renown in Vale

This quest is mandatory.

"That is all. We will now proceed to the unlocking of your Aura, which will be handled by your personal mentor." Professor Beldam announced. "When your name is called, please exit the hall and meet with your mentor."

While the list of names were run through, Ruby attempted to process all the information that had been given to her. First off, why was this particular quest labelled a 'Story Quest' and not a 'Long-Term Quest'? Was it particularly important? Well, failure obviously meant the inability to become a Huntress, but that was about it.

Oh Oum, was she basically an RPG character after all, with pre-determined storylines and all that stuff? Wait, no. Even if she failed the Quest, life would go on.

Maybe it was just an important chapter in her life, and thus labelled as a 'Story Quest'.

Yeah, that made more sense than predetermination. She'd stick with it until she came across a better explanation.

Her mini-existential crisis momentarily averted, she thought instead of the Vale Regional Championship. Yang had participated in it the year before as Signal's top Second Year student, if she remembered correctly. Or was it second top student? She added the question into the 'Ask Yang later' folder in her brain.

"-Ruby Rose, and Rust Ruedevark, please meet your mentor outside." Professor Beldam's voice calling her name interrupted her thoughts.

Standing up, noting two other students who did so as well, Ruby did as she was told and made her way to the heavy doors of the hall. She almost bounced with excitement wondering who her mentor was, only to be met with the cockiest grin as she stepped through the doors.

Ruby knew only one man who grinned so cockily, and her own grin widened to match his.

"Uncle Qrooooooooooooow!" She launched herself at her awesomest and most favouritest uncle. Of course, he was also her only uncle, but that particular detail had never really mattered very much to Ruby.

As per their little greeting ritual, Qrow sidestepped a little, causing the tiny human missile to latch onto his arm rather than his entire body, before ruffling her hair. "Hey there, kiddo."

"This. Is. Awesome! I can't believe you're actually my mentor!" Ruby chirped excitedly. "I mean, like really, what are the odds of something this awesome happening?!"

Qrow chuckled at that. "Pretty much one hundred percent. We pulled a coupla' strings to make it happen." He winked at her.

So! Awesome!

"But we'll talk later. I gotta do all the borin' professor stuff first." He rolled his eyes, indicating towards the other two students who were just coming through the door, causing Ruby to slide off his arm.

The silver-eyed Gamer could barely hold in her excitement as she eyed her co-mentees. One was a vertically challenged boy with reddish-brown hair, while the other was a lithe girl with black hair and incredibly deep blue eyes. Much like her, they were dressed in the official uniform of Signal Academy; white blazer, blue undershirt and black slacks or skirt.

Before she could learn any more about them, though, Qrow yelled out to 'em. "Alright, you punks follow me. We're headin' to my Nest."

The two First Years stiffened at his harsh tone, while Ruby simply nodded at her Uncle's professional tone. Or his no-nonsense-you'd-better-listen tone, as she'd come to know it as.

-AD-

Uncle Qrow's office, or as he'd so aptly called it, his 'Nest', was a total mess. The floor was haphazardly covered with a mix of wayward documents, food wrappers, various emptied liquor bottles and the like.

'Pretty much the same as his apartment, really,' Ruby recalled. The office was a tad bit neater, though.

Her Uncle took a spot on the floor, leaning against the wall. "Alright, siddown wherever you want. I've just cleaned the place, so nothin' on the floor's important."

Following his example, Ruby plopped down onto the floor opposite him, the other two students hesitantly following her lead, seemingly horrified that this was 'cleaned.'

"Rust whatever and Lapis something, right?" Qrow asked, eyeing the two, who weren't sure whether to nod or not. "Let me get one thing straight. There's no silver spoon here."

"If you've got a smart question, ask. If you think your question is even the tiniest bit stupid, don't. If you can find your answer in a book, you'd better damn well look through it first before coming to me." His eyes narrowed. "I'm not here to baby you. You're in Signal now. We train warriors, not wannabe punks in diapers. If you can solve your problem on your own, do it."

"That said, if you really feel you can't do it on your own, then come to me." Qrow relented. He leaned back, procured a flask from out of nowhere and took a swig. "It'd better be a real problem, though."

"Now, I'm responsible for advising you on all forms of your personal combat development, even the stupidest things like your confidence or whatever the hell you wear. You got any problem in that department, I'm the one to look for. Capiche?" He asked, eyebrow raised.

Ruby quick nod was mimicked by the other two.

"Good. Time for the introductions. Qrow Branwen. Call me whatever ya want. I don't really give a damn." He smirked, before pointing at his niece. "You're next."

Ruby smiled and began. "Hi! I'm Ruby!"

"…"

There was a moment of silence, before Qrow face palmed. "Anything else?"

"Um, was I supposed to say more?" Ruby head tilted to the side.

Uncle Qrow only said his name, right? She never really got these kinds of things. Oh wait, he did say something about calling him whatever. It was worth a shot.

"…You can call me Ruby?"

That sounded weird. Her uncle seemed to think so too, if the swig he took was any indication.

"Ugh, never mind. You, boy, your turn. Try to do a better job." Qrow said, before adding in a snide remark at Ruby's expense. "Not that it'll be too hard."

The reddish-brown haired boy nodded. "My name's Rust Ruedevark. I graduated from Nightingale Prep. Call me Rust." And with that, he fell silent.

Qrow's eyes twitched. "…"

"Okay, that was… better. Last girl, go." He pointed.

"…I'm Lapis. Lapis Lazura." Cue the silence.

"Okay, it's pretty clear to me that all three of you have to be socially retarded in some form or another." Qrow said, massaging his temples. "Let's try again. State your name, your favourite type of weapon and what kind of fighting you think you'd be good at."

"Um… Uncle Qrow? What do you mean by kind of fighting?" Ruby ventured.

"What range you're suited for, whether you're suited for speed, power, or endurance, that sort of thing." He answered rather impatiently. "Go on. Quickly."

"Um, hi again! I'm Ruby Rose and my favourite weapon type is the scythe! I'm not sure what kind of range I'm best at, and agility is my best attribute, so I'm a speed-type, I guess?"

Rust quickly chimed straight after. "My name's Rust Ruedevark. I like swords and shotguns. I'd like to think I'm pretty balanced all around."

"Lapis Lazura. I like Dust and spears. I'm also a speed-type, I suppose. Mid to long-range combat would probably suit me best."

Hearing what they liked and how they described themselves, Ruby finally gave into the temptation of Observing her two new schoolmates.

Rust Ruedevark
Title: None
Level: 8

HP: 390/390

STR: 16
AGI: 15
VIT: 18
DEX: 13
INT: 14
WIS: 14
LUK: 16

Lapis Lazura
Title: Moon Dancer
Level: 9

HP: 300/300

STR: 8
AGI: 33
VIT: 9
DEX: 24
INT: 21
WIS: 14
LUK: 20

Interesting. She wondered what Moon Dancer did. It sounded kinda cool, sorta like Leita's Dark Child.

"Bah, good enough, I guess." Qrow waved them away. "Let's just get to the Aura part. I assume you're all not dumb enough know what Aura is?" He got three nods. "Good."

"Now, Aura normally manifests through training and willpower. Lots of it. But here's the deal, we're a combat school, and there'll be lots of sparring involved. To make sure you don't die on the first day, we take the shortcut route and unlock your Aura from the get go." The professor briefed, his eyes sharp enough to cut steel. "This isn't necessarily a good thing. Overdependence on your Aura will more than likely hinder the growth of your body."

"So let me warn you now. If your body's weak, your Aura won't be able to save you. Think of it as a multiplier; a hundred times zero will remain zero. Improve your zero to a one, and the result changes drastically." He explained. "So keep that in mind, and do not neglect your physical training. It will often be the difference between life and death."

Ruby stood, gaping at her awesome Uncle Qrow. She rarely got to see his serious side, and well, he was kinda badass and wise at the same time whenever it happened. Before he inevitably ruined it, that is.

"Alright, this is gonna suck." He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "You two, leave the room and wait outside. Ruby, you stay. The unlocking of Aura is a very personal thing. Your soul and my soul, they're not the same. You got that?"

At their nods, he smirked, satisfied. "Good. Leave. I'll get you when it's your turn. It won't take too long."

After Rust and Lapis shuffled quietly out of the room, Qrow flashed Ruby a quick grin before ruffling her hair. "You ready, kiddo?"

"I was born ready! This is gonna be so awesome!" Ruby quailed, her body practically vibrating with excitement.

"Hah!" Qrow let out burst of laughter. "Okay, okay, settle down, kid. Now c'mere, close your eyes and focus."

Ruby did as she was told.

'Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out. Relax.'

She barely registered her Uncle Qrow's hand touching her head before the world as she knew it spiralled into darkness.

-AD-

Ruby opened her eyes, bewildered. Where was she?

She stood, alone, in the middle of nowhere amongst a field of stars. A comet passed by her field of vision; she saw a distant star explode; she noted the spinning of a faraway nebula. Tearing her sight away from some of the most beautiful things she had ever seen, she turned her glance downwards to see what she was standing on.

She couldn't comprehend what it was. Was it a flash of silver? But it was also empty. A void?

Hesitantly, she took a step forward. The world rippled in response. And with that, Ruby felt like she was soaring through the air.

"Child of Remnant, free of duty and burden; what is your greatest desire in life?"

It was strange, but Ruby wasn't startled by the sudden presence of the disembodied voice, pondering instead the answer to the question. Her greatest desire…?

She'd never really thought of it, really. If she were to be honest with herself, she was, as the voice mentioned, a child. Children never quite knew what they wanted.

She had a great family and tons of friends, even if they weren't her age. Money wasn't a concern; she was fortunate that her father had never once had an issue with finances. As much as she talked about wanting to be a hero, she'd never actually enjoyed being in the spotlight for too long. Popularity, money and glory were out. They were nice, but she could live without them.

She wanted to be a Huntress to help people, but that was more a goal than a desire. She wanted to do her family proud, but she knew they would love her regardless. There were so many things that she desired, but none of them were prominent enough to be her greatest desire. Except maybe…

"I guess… I want to see the world." Ruby answered, hesitantly. "There are so many places I've yet to see, so many things I've yet to experience. There are lots of people I haven't met yet, each with their own stories to tell. I want to meet them and learn from them."

She nodded, this time more confident of her answer. "I want to see it all."

And with her answer, the world pulsed, suddenly enveloping her in a cold, gripping sensation.

"Child of Remnant, driven to the edge of despair; what is your deepest fear?"

Unlike the previous question, this one was easy. Ruby didn't even need to think twice.

"Loneliness." Her voice rang out, empty and fragile. "I don't want to be left alone ever again."

Once again, the world pulsed, replacing the coldness with an urge to do something.

"Child of Remnant, on the brink of desperation; for what reason do you fight?"

She had almost opened her mouth to answer before her instincts told her to hold. Sure, it was cool and all, but that wasn't her real reason for fighting. There were plenty of other reasons that leapt out at her. Her mind argued that it was because it was what heroes did. Her heart insisted that it was to protect people. Both were equally valid reasons.

Still, there was something about those answers that bothered her. Yes, they were both reasons she fought for and believed in, but what drove her to believe them in the first place? The answer came unbidden to her lips.

"Love. I fight for the love I see in humanity. I fight for the love of life. I fight because I love Yang and Dad."

Her voice dropped to nearly a whisper, her eyes prickling. "I fight for Mom."

Ruby wasn't sure why she was being so open and emotional all of a sudden. In fact, why was she even here?

As before, the world rippled once more. There was no accompanying emotion this time; just a simple question.

"Child of Remnant, Herald of Hope; what is your name?"

"Ruby Rose."

-AD-

"For it is love that drives us even beyond the grave; rising above even the brink of desolation to become a saviour of the world. An everlasting journey, unheeded by time; I release your soul, and with my heart, guide thee."

-AD-

A/N: Don't get too comfy with the swift updates. I'm currently on break, after all. As promised, I'm moving along the plot, so the writing's slightly less happy-go-lucky this time around.

Qrow is a bit hard to write, seeing as we actually have very little on him at the moment. My take on him ended up being: He's mischievous, cocky, irreverent and outright rude, but when it comes right down to it, he has a heart for people and cares for his students. He wouldn't be a teacher otherwise, and Ruby wouldn't adore him as she does in canon.

I'm getting tired of inventing OCs on the spot, but what else can you do with a pre-Beacon fic? They may be important in the future, they may not. I don't have plans for anyone outside the main cast. Then again, Leita, Lilka and Aru were supposed to show up for only two chapters, but kept returning because Ruby just wouldn't leave them alone.

That last bit there was completely improvised. It just seems to me that as a manifestation of the soul, unlocking a person's Aura would be intensely personal, so it feels very unlikely that doing so would simply require a formulaic chant. Pyrrha unlocking Jaune's Aura is the only instance that we see, and what she says ties in intrinsically with Jaune's characteristics. His greatest fear is being a failure, he fights to protect, and his greatest desire is to become a hero and legend beyond his death, like his family before him. "By my shoulder, I protect thee" would be Pyrrha's intentions toward him at the time. Much like Qrow's intentions to guide Ruby here. For the other students he doesn't really care for, he'd use his mind, not his heart.

Weiss would fear failure (different from Jaune's 'being a failure'), fight for duty/honour, and desire acknowledgement. Blake would fear her cowardice, fight for justice, and desire redemption. Yang would fear losing Ruby, fight for the thrill of battle, and desire to live every moment on the edge. Of course; they wouldn't actually experience the whole out world thing without the Gamer. The chant used to unlock their Aura would still reflect these differences, however.

Now, Ruby here has been affected by her experiences with Drifter's Quests and talking with the elders. Contracting the Gamer's got to have changed her somewhat. Canon Ruby grew up with the sole desire of becoming a Huntress to help/protect people. Her greatest fear would be losing both Yang and Taiyang, which is actually her same fear here; Gamer Ruby is wiser and can pinpoint the specific emotion. Her reason for fighting would be stay the same as well.

This change in her desires is just the first of many ripples that will mould the story.

Also, I know that people will probably clamour to see the Status screen right now, which has been absent the whole chapter. It'll definitely show in the next Chapter. There was just no real reason for me to put it in this time, and I'd rather not get into the habit of adding it at the end of every chapter.

Since I sincerely doubt I'll get in another one in four days, Merry Christmas, folks. Yuletide blessings be upon thee. Don't forget to give if you can afford to.