RWBY X FF14 Story: One shop Two worlds

Chapter 4

The cold winds of the Western Coerthas Highlands nipped at the skin, making anything exposed feel like it was constantly being pricked. Every breath floated in the air like a thick cloud in your face and the fresh snow made each step sink in at least an inch or more. 

Fortunately for Ruby, Ishgard was a land that was accustomed to living with the snow, which meant they had clothes that helped you survive the blistering temperatures. 

Dressed in a new black and red winter coat, thicker boots, and a hood ready to cover her head, she peaked around a snow covered rock for her target.

Just a few yards away was a scented slice of meat that Ardbert had prepped and laid down to attract a wild animal, and it was working. From within the depths of the fog and the snow was approaching a gangly, gnarled wolf of a creature. Its coat was as white as pure snow and it looked like it hadn't eaten properly in weeks. 

Ardbert had called it a 'Silver Wolf' and they were a constant problem for the Ishgardian knights, as they were one of the few animals nearby that didn't fear the humans. They would raid their camps for food or even try to take down the guards themselves to feast on their flesh.

It was a gnarly creature with extended claws on its feet and gangly teeth misaligned all along its jaw. Even through the cold of the land it was visibly drooling, its tongue lolling out and panting as it approached the meat. It reminded Ruby a lot of the more wolf-like Grimm that she was used to.

Still, this is exactly what she needed. Hours punching at a dummy could only teach her so much, she needed combat experience. She clenched her fists, feeling the grip of the new gauntlets in her hands. It felt so strange to be using a weapon similar to what her sister would wield, yet so natural thanks to the knowledge provided by the job stone.

She'd tried disconnecting from the job stone for a little bit and while she had a vague memory of the knowledge it had shared with her it was like a lesson she'd learned in school but had completely forgotten about until she re-equipped it and the knowledge came flooding back. The sensation was strange, but as long as she could fight that was all that mattered.

The silver wolf sniffed the air carefully before looming over the piece of meat and giving it several sniffs as well. Once it was certain there was no danger its mouth opened and began tearing into the spiced meat, which meant the moment to strike was now!

With a stomp in the snow Ruby peeled out from behind the rock, the snow kicking into the air as she burst forth with tremendous speed. The wolf lifted its head, half a chunk of meat in its mouth as it realized Ruby was rapidly approaching. It had enough time to drop the meat and let out a howling bark before her fist came crashing down onto the side of its body.

It let out a howling yelp as it went tumbling a few feet, before getting back on its legs. It let out a series of enraged barks before rushing at Ruby, determined to draw blood. Ruby raised her fists, standing in the position her training and soul stone told her to stand, and watched the approaching wolf as the knowledge of long-past masters filled her head.

The wolf lunged, mouth open and claws bared, ready to dig into Ruby's flesh as she instantly ducked, slamming her fist straight into the wolf's chest. It howled in pain, trying to dig its claws into her arm but it pulled back too fast to get a decisive grip. Her next blow came just as fast and just as powerful, slamming the wolf back into the ground.

Each time it hit the ground it hopped back up and was met with another blow, an explosion of aether accompanying each successful hit. She felt the power building inside of her, the wolf on the back foot with each successful blow.

It let out a nasty howl and leapt forward once more, this time its claws managing to scratch at her torso. She turned her body to reduce the damage and the aether flowing within her body kept the claws from drawing any serious blood, but the claws still managed to tear a hole into her cloak and scratch her skin.

It stung, but Ruby had felt far worse pain from her stumbles in training, a single scratch wasn't enough to stop her.

As the wolf lunged for another strike she was ready for it, lifting hands up and blocking the strike. Her whole body flipped, her legs moving into the air to strike at the undercarriage of the wolf before she spun herself on her hands, hitting the wolf and knocking it to the side.

As the wolf hit the snow it let out a yelp, clearly feeling the pain now. It was struggling to get back on its legs and Ruby wasn't about to let up. She felt the chakra burning deep within her body and stomped her foot forward, thrusting her fist to unleash all of it and letting out a burst of power that flew through the air and struck the wolf hard.

The wolf howled again and she could tell it was nearly finished, just one more strike would do it. So with one last leap through the bitter snow she was on top of her creature, her leg peeling back and reeling forward with tremendous speed and power, slamming into the creature with one final explosion of aether.

Dragon Kick, the voices of the Monks before her echoed in her head as the final blow struck the wolf. It let out one last pitiful wail before collapsing to the ground, defeated.

She panted heavily, feeling the burn of her muscles and lungs from the exertion combined with the bitter cold of the snow. She had never fought in weather like this before and though she'd come out victorious she could tell it was taking a toll on her body. She was going to need a lot more practice before she was fully comfortable fighting in this climate.

Just as that thought crossed her mind she felt a sudden wave of bloodlust right behind her, followed by the growl of a silver wolf. She turned just in time to see a silver wolf mid-air, lunging straight at her, its mouth open and claws ready to dig into her flesh. Her eyes widened as she realized she wasn't going to be able to counter in time before it sunk its teeth into her!

A spear flew through the air, striking the beast right before it could sink its teeth into Ruby. The wolf let out a howl of pain as it was struck falling into the snow with the spear still lodged into its side. Ardbert, dressed in his blue spiky armor, emerged from the snow and the fog at an insane speed, grabbing hold of the spear and pulling it out. He then jumped, jumped so fast and so high he disappeared from sight before landing once more on top of the wolf and piercing it again with the spear.

With just two strikes the wolf was swiftly defeated, showing just how much of a gasp between Ruby and Ardbert there still was. Though Ruby was just grateful that the wolf hadn't managed to get the jump on her, letting out a sigh of relief.

"Thanks! I don't normally get ambushed but I'm still getting used to fighting like this." She looked down at her gauntlets as she spoke. It wasn't just the weather that she was adjusting to, fighting in such close quarters and without her aura for protection, it made even just that one fight feel so much more perilous than fighting back in her world had.

"You're doing well though," Ardbert said with a smile as he slung his spear onto his back, "it took me a lot longer to master that job stone when I first got it. I'd say you're a natural."

"Really?" Ruby said in surprise at that. "You make using the job stones look easy."

"Well, when I was just starting out I wasn't quite used to combat yet," he admitted with a chuckle. "I was just a fresh faced adventurer ready to make a name for myself in the world. I didn't have much combat experience so when I was finally given a job stone it took me a while to figure out how to use them to their full potential. So whatever combat experience you had in your previous life it's clearly translated over here."

"Huh." Ruby was a little mystified at that, reaching into her pocket and pulling out the yellow rock from her pocket. Despite the cold weather it felt warm in her hands and she could feel the wisdom of its former masters swirling around inside of it. 

Ardbert seemed to be a master of the stones from what she could tell, with how easily he was able to swap between them and use their skills right away. Perhaps this stone came naturally to her because of her sister. She'd watched so many of Yang's training sessions that she'd practically started recognizing her moves long before she even attacked with them.

…She squeezed the stone tight in her fist, feeling a pit of sadness creeping into her chest. She missed Yang. She missed her a lot. What was she up to right now she wondered? Was she out looking for her? Trying to find where her sister had run off to? She'd never find her, not unless she also got transported to this crazy world…

"Come, let's head back and get warmed up," Ardbert said with a comforting smile, walking up to Ruby and placing his hand on her shoulder. The man easily towered a full head over her as she turned to look up to him. "We can get a nice warm meal and then figure out what we're doing for the rest of the day."

"Yeah, that sounds good right about now." Ruby said with a nod, pocketing the stone and turning to follow Ardbert back towards the towering town of Ishgard.

Just how long was she going to be stuck here, she wondered as they made their way back.

Ruby was so grateful to be back inside the warmth of Fortemps manor, the constantly burning fire filling the living room with a comforting warmth. She took off her new winter jacket and took a look at the damage it had taken, impressed that the wolf's claws hadn't done nearly as much damage as she had thought they would.

"Ah, here, let me see that." Ardbert said with a smile gently taking the jacket from Ruby. He looked it over for a moment before nodding his head. "This won't take but a moment to fix."

"What?" Ruby said with a blink, before watching Ardbert suddenly shift clothes once again. This time though he was in a cozy outfit, a weavers mitt and hat, as well as an apron upon his attire. From his pocket he withdrew a needle and thread and right before her eyes he began sewing up the small tear the wolf had scratched into her outfit.

In a matter of minutes the jacket was as good as new, as if there had never even been a tear in it to begin with! Ruby took it back and stared at it in shock, running her fingers over the cloth again and again desperately trying to see if she could feel where it had been patched, but she felt nothing! Ardbert had just fixed her jacket as if it was brand new!

"Okay, you're a master class fighter AND a seamstress? Now you're just showing off." Ruby chuckled, unable to believe one man could be so talented.

"I am a man of many talents I do admit," Ardbert said with a chuckle as he adjusted his wrist and his clothes changed once more, this time into a far more casual outfit for being inside the house. "Though I'm still working on my crafting skills, weaving just happens to be one I'm quite skilled at. You should see my leatherworking, it's atrocious right now."

Ruby couldn't help but laugh at that, finding it hard to believe Ardbert could really be bad at anything. He truly seemed capable of anything! Looking at the coat was proof enough of that! She ran her fingers over it again and smiled warmly.

"Maybe I should have you make me a new outfit then if you're so skilled," she jokingly said with a smirk.

To her surprise, Arbert just smiled and nodded his head.

"I'd be happy to make you an outfit some time," he said with a hand on his hip and a smile on his face, "I bet I could make something that's both battle-ready for you and brings out your natural cute looks."

Ruby's eyes widened at him, her cheeks blushing at the sudden compliment. She let out a nervous laugh, turning away from him as she pulled her coat closer to her body.

"W-What? I was just kidding!" she laughed nervously, the flush of embarrassment washing over her. "You don't have to make me anything if you don't want to, honest!"

"Well, if we're going to be fighting together I think it'd be a fun way to get to know each other more." He said with a warm smile. "Tataru especially is good at crafting outfits, perhaps I'll work with her to make something fitting for you."

Ruby fidgeted her fingers against the coat, not having expected this sudden burst of kindness from the man. He and the others had already been extraordinarily kind to her as it was, he really didn't need to go that far just for her. 

…Though she was lacking outfits in this world, that much was true. She only had the outfit she'd been teleported here with and the new coat Edmont had gifted her.

"I- Well- Um," Ruby stumbled as she tried to clear the heat from her face, "i-if you really want to then, I suppose I wouldn't mind…"

"A new outfit it is then." Ardbert said with a genuine smile, walking up and patting Ruby on the shoulder again. "Let's get something warm to eat first then I'll start drafting up the blueprints for it."

"Right," she chuckled in return, watching him head off towards the dining table. She turned and hung her coat up on the coat rack near the front door, feeling a warmth in her chest that put a smile on her face. Ardbert and his friends were so incredibly kind and welcoming, perhaps being here wasn't going to be so bad after all. She still missed home, after all, but all things considered it could be far, far worse.

It was only a few minutes into their meal when the front doors were opened with urgency.

"Ardbert! Ardbert!" Tataru called out, looking around before spotting him at the table. The young woman ran over, panting frantically as she approached.

"Tataru? What's the matter?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

"It's Rauhahn!" Tataru panted, stopping by just a foot from the table and trying to speak while catching her breath. "He's to be executed for crimes against the sultanate!"

"What?" Arbert cried out, his eyes widening at the news.

"I hardly believed the news mystery," Alphinaud spoke, arriving just behind Tataru. "However the rumor is from a reliable source. We cannot allow this execution to go forward. If the Flame General dies, we will lose a staunch ally, and the one man capable of holding the sultana's assassins to account."

Ruby was mid chew of a warm bread roll at hearing this, swallowing it down.

"What's going on?" She asked, looking at Ardbert.

"Right, you're not up to speed," Ardbert sighed, turning to Ruby, a grim look on his face. "As we mentioned before we're not here in Ishgard by choice. We were framed for the murder of the Sultana of Ul'dah, Nanamo Ul Namo. While fleeing the realm we got separated from our friends and we sought refuge in Ishgard through connections with House Fortemps." He sighed again, leaning against his chair.

"General Rauhahn is a dear friend of ours and if he is executed then any chance of holding the real assassins accountable will be lost forever. It will mean the end of Ul'dah as we know it."

The grim situation settled into the room but Ruby understood the situation now. She stood up, placing her hands on her hips and a determined look on her face.

"Well, what are we waiting for? We need to put a stop to his execution!"

"You are quite right, we cannot permit this execution to take place," Alphinaud spoke with a nod, though concern on his face, "however, are you certain you wish to join us in this endeavor? You already have a lot you are dealing with and this is our burden to bear."

"Hey, you guys sprung me from prison and have given me a place to stay while I'm dealing with everything going on with me," Ruby said with conviction, looking at each of them individually. "You guys are my friends now, and I always help a friend in need. So if your friend is in trouble then you can count on me to help."

Ardbert, Tataru, and Alphinaud each smiled in turn, happy to hear they had Ruby's aid to count upon. 

"Then we would be much appreciated to have your aid," Alphinaud said with a nod, before putting a hand to his chin. "Though I must say, while the situation calls for urgency, it would avail us little to charge headlong into Ul'dah without a plan. Before we can formulate a plan, however, we must first learn how things stand in the sultanate-" He turned to them, raising his hand as he explained his plan, "-which is why I propose that we visit Limsa Lominsa."

"Limsa Lominsa?" Ardbert said with a title of his head, a little surprised to hear that. "Aren't we still wanted there too?"

"We are, or rather, were. Since we've been here I've been acting as an intermediary in trade negotiations between House Fortemps and a Lominsan consortium. During said negotiations, an opportunity to send word to the Admiral presented itself, and I duly seized it." To which Alphinaud grinned. "I am happy to report that we yet have a stout ally in Limsa. The Admiral has pledged her full cooperation in any effort to rescue Raubahn."

"That's excellent news!" Ardbert said, standing up in excitement. "We must go to see her post haste!"

"We have agreed to meet with her so that we might discuss how best to proceed." Alphinaud smiled with a nod. "Naturally I told her to expect us both, though I'll send word that we'll have a new ally joining us as well." Alphinaud said as he looked at Ruby, who gave him a confident nod in response.

"If it's all the same, I think it's best if I stay here for now," Tataru spoke up, "I'm not much use in a fight, but I can continue to keep an ear open about what's going on with Ishgard and any other rumors that may spring up. If we've learned about Rauhbahn it's possible we might still learn about our other friends as well."

"That will be much appreciated Tataru," Alphinaud nodded, "then let us make our way to the airships post haste. It'll be the fastest route to Limsa Lominsa."

Alphinaud turned and started making his way outside as Ardbert turned to look at Ruby with a smile.

"Do they have airships where you're from?" He asked curiously.

"Oh, ships that travel by flying, right?" Ruby said with a slight tilt to her head. "Yeah, we got lots of those back home!"

"Good, this shouldn't be too much of a culture shock then." He nodded his head before turning and following Alphinaud out the door.

It wasn't a terribly long walk from Fortemps manor to the airship landing. It seemed the residence was stationed close to the port to assist in their trade since they seemed to do a lot of business outside of Ishgard.

Ruby looked out over the railing and saw the ships docked at the airship landing, some flying off and carrying cargo with them. She blinked a little at their unique shape and design, realizing just how different they were from the ships back at her home.

"Whoa, your airships are just kind of open to the air?" She asked with genuine surprise. It looked like anyone could fall off of them at a moment's notice! Did they not have turbulence?!

"Aether crystals help stabilize you in flight and keep you safe," Alphinaud explained as they approached the ticket counter, "you don't have to worry about falling off unless you intentionally jump off or there's some kind of attack on the ship."

"I suppose there are more difficult things to believe…" Ruby murmured to herself. Like teleporting to a whole other world, for one.

Alphinaud purchased three tickets to Limsa Lominsa and they walked through the gate approaching their airship.

"I've already sent word of our arrival to Limsa so we should be good to arrive as soon as we can." Alphinaud explained.

"Huh? How'd you get a message sent out already?" Ruby asked with a blink.

"Oh, that's right, you're not familiar with Eorzean technology." Alphinaud chuckled as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small orb. "Here, place this in your ear. It's called a linkpearl and it allows us to communicate over long distances."

"Oh, kind of like a scroll." Ruby said as she looked at the orb. It didn't look like it would fit in her ear, but she trusted Alphinaud so she lifted it up and placed it towards her ear. The orb managed to comfortably fit in her ear and in seconds it was almost like it wasn't even there. Alphinaud put his own hand to his ear and spoke.

"Can you hear me?" It was as if she could hear his voice in two places! Just like a phone!

"Whoa, that's going to take some getting used to." Ruby said with a blink, rubbing her ear curiously.

"Well, it's handy for sure but it's important you don't say any sensitive information while using it," Alphinaud explained further. "The transmission lines can be fairly easily accessed by third parties if you're not careful, so we tend to use them to let each other know where to meet up to discuss plans and information."

"Got it, keep plans off of the comms." She said with an understanding nod. Perhaps she didn't feel as out of place as she originally thought.

With the link pearl set up the three of them boarded the airship as its captain quickly began the departure. The ship undocked from the port and soon it was cruising through the frigid Ishgardian air.

Ruby was expecting to stumble or feel cold air blasting through her hair, but she was able to stand with surprising stability on the craft and the wind wasn't nearly as cold as standing out in it would be. 

She walked over to the railing and held it tight as she looked out at the realm below her, watching the majesty and beauty of the land far beneath her. It was one thing to see from on foot, another to see it from the sky like this.

Ishgard looked like a beautiful, frozen wonderland from so high up in the sky.

"We'll arrive in Ishgard in about two hours," Ardbert spoke up, walking next to Ruby. "How are you feeling?"

Ruby was anxious, for certain, but traveling like this was better than being randomly teleported across huge distances. She'd have time to adjust to wherever it was she was going, and as long as she had Ardbert and Alphinaud at her side she felt like she'd be able to manage.

"I'm ready." Ruby said with a nod and a smile. "I'm ready for anything that might happen next!"

It had been a tumultuous two days for her already, but her journey in Eorzea had only just begun.