Chapter Text
Ruby was bewildered. From the context, the “rabbit” that Alice was talking about was probably some kind of rabbit monster. The confusing part was the title she’d just mentioned.
Monster Lord? Isn’t that, like… the ruler of all monsters? But there’s no way that they’d let a little kid be in charge…
Ruby glanced back towards Ilias. The self-proclaimed goddess was glaring at Alice in a manner that suggested she was thinking of how to kill her in the most painful way imaginable.
But at the same time, it would be a really big coincidence to meet two kids who claim to be someone important in the same day. Then… could they somehow be telling the truth? This is a world with magic, after all… they might have magic that can make you look younger than you really are.
Eventually, Ilias snorted. “If that’s the best excuse you could think of to deflect the blame, then you truly are an imbecile. I know full well that only you would have both the ability and the will to cast such a spell upon me.”
“Hah! If I had that kind of power, I’d have killed you long ago!” Alice shouted. “I don’t who reduced you to this state, but I’m not going to let this opportunity go!”
Alice moved around Luka and flicked her tail against the ground, propelling herself at Ilias. Ruby quickly moved in between the two girls, preventing them from fighting each other. It was surprisingly difficult to keep them apart, since she had to limit her strength to avoid injuring them.
“Okay, just calm down! Okay!?” Ruby said. “We are not going to let anyone kill anyone else!”
“I know that angels and monsters have been enemies for a long time, but please, calm down!” Sonya added. “Things have changed now, and you need to learn to get along with each other.”
“I am not just a simple angel!” Ilias insisted. “I am the Goddess of Light, the one who made everything in this world!”
Alice snickered. “Looks like even your own worshippers can’t recognise you.”
“Enough, you’re causing a scene!” Luka cut in. “Whatever your argument is, you can have it inside, alright?”
The two weird girls continued glaring at each other, but they stopped struggling and they didn’t actually reject Luka’s proposal. As a result, Luka opened the door and they all went inside.
They sat down around the counter. Luka brought out drinks for each of them. When he came to Ilias and Alice, he asked if they would prefer milk or orange juice.
“Do you think I am a child!?” Ilias said, slamming a fist on the counter. It might have been slightly intimidating if it wasn’t followed by her wincing in pain.
“I might look like this now, but I’m actually older than you,” Alice said. “Though, if I had to pick between the two, I’d prefer the juice.”
“Hmph. In that case, I shall have milk,” Ilias said. “And it must be heated to the point that it gently warms the tongue, but it should not be scalding hot.”
“Sure…” Luka said, and he prepared the drinks.
Once they were all more comfortable, Ruby decided to try clearing up the situation. “So, Ilias… is this girl here really the Monster Lord?”
Ilias looked at Alice disdainfully, but replied, “She is. She has been reduced to this smaller form, but I could never forget the stench of her accursed line.”
Alice stuck out her tongue. “Go to hell. And before you ask me, girl, I can confirm that this pipsqueak is definitely Ilias. That holy energy isn’t the kind that any angel would possess, and she’s so arrogant that she would never let any of her angels look like her.”
“It is not arrogance, it is simply a fact that nothing in this world could ever compare to my divine beauty, nor would any of my angels be so insolent as to—”
“Please, just calm down, alright!?” Sonya interjected. “We’re not going to get anywhere if you two keep arguing.
Ilias and Alice continued glaring at each other, but they stopped trading insults.
“Okay… now, if you’re really Ilias, then who was the Ilias that we saw in the temple?” Sonya asked.
“‘The Ilias in the temple’—what are you talking about?” Alice asked.
They explained what had happened in the temple. Ruby introduced herself as someone from another world. If this girl was really the Monster Lord, then she would probably know a lot about magic and therefore might have some insights into Ruby’s situation. Interestingly, though, it was Ilias who reacted most strongly to this explanation.
“Another world, with no magic or monsters, but with two gods?” Ilias said, standing up in surprise. “Gods who’d abandoned your world?”
“Well, yes… but that’s just one of the stories I’ve heard!” Ruby said quickly. “There’s lots of other gods! And I’m not sure if any of them are real, I haven’t seen any of these gods myself!”
“What else is there!? Tell me everything you know about these gods!” Ilias demanded.
“Settle down!” Sonya ordered.
Ilias turned towards Sonya, only to falter at her intense gaze. She meekly sat back down.
Wow, Sonya’s really good at disciplining people, Ruby thought. She looked at Ilias apologetically and said, “Sorry, but that’s all I know. In my society, those gods are just one of many stories, and I never really paid that much attention to them…”
Ilias looked down at the counter, brow furrowed in thought. “Another pair of gods, light and dark… capable of creating a planet out of nothing, and filling it with life… if I had encountered them earlier…”
“What, are you annoyed because you have competition?” Alice said. However, she also flinched when Sonya looked at her. “S—Sorry. Anyway, Ruby, that’s a fascinating story. I’ve heard legends about people being able to travel between worlds, but I never thought I’d see an example of that myself.”
“Then, do you know anything about how I could—”
“Unfortunately… I can’t do anything to help you in my current state,” Alice said. “Some of my subordinates know time magic and could help you get back home, but… there are too many uncertainties at the moment, and I’m not sure if it’s safe to contact them. But if you help me, then I swear on the title of Monster Lord that I will do everything in my power to help you find a way home.”
“Don’t listen to her, monsters cannot be trusted!” Ilias cried out. “They will only cooperate as long as it suits them, and will betray you as soon as they see the opportunity!”
“Ha, that’s a nice way of describing yourself!” Alice shouted back.
“That’s enough!” Ruby said. She wouldn’t normally be shouting at children—or people who looked like children—but she’d had enough of their constant arguing. “I can—we can make our own decisions!”
“That’s right,” Luka added. “Okay, so let’s move on: while it’s still hard to believe that you two are the Goddess and the Monster Lord, it doesn’t seem like either of you are lying. In that case, just how did you end up looking like… this?”
Ilias pointed a finger at Alice, who opened her mouth to retort. Before they could get into another fight, Sonya said, “Ilias, I seriously doubt that Alice is responsible for doing this to you. If that was the case, why would she be like this as well?”
“That’s… well, it’s possible that she used the same spell on herself specifically to deflect blame,” Ilias said, though even she didn’t sound like she believed it. “After all, no one would suspect someone who looked like a child.”
“That doesn’t sound very likely now, does it?” Sonya pointed out. “I think it’s much more likely that both of you were turned into children by the same thing. So tell me, you two, just what exactly happened to you?”
For a few seconds, Ilias and Alice looked at each other, suspicion in their eyes.
“I’ll tell you, but not while she’s in the room,” Alice said.
“Likewise,” Ilias said. “Even if she is similarly weakened, I am not about to expose any potential vulnerabilities to her.”
Ruby exchanged glances with Luka and Sonya. Unfortunately, it seemed that these two girls would not budge on this.
That still left the question of who would leave the room first. After some discussion, Ilias agreed to leave first. She said she was confident that humans would trust a goddess, apparently disregarding the fact that Ruby didn’t worship her or any other deity.
After Ilias was inside one of the rooms, Alice clapped her hands and a wave of purple energy emanated from them. Suddenly, Ruby could no longer hear the sounds of the village outside.
“It’s a simple spell that keeps sounds from entering or leaving an area, useful for having private conversations,” Alice explained. She looked at Ruby. “Now that there’s no interruptions… I heard from the villagers about how some slimes tried to abduct a human man, only to be stopped by a girl in a red cloak… that was you wasn’t it?”
“Y-Yes, that’s right,” Ruby said.
“Good,” Alice said. “Behaviour like that has been illegal for a long time, yet there are still monsters who let their desires rule them… As the Monster Lord, and as an individual person, I thank you for stopping them.”
“That’s fine, I was just doing what anyone with power should do.”
“Hmm, if only more people thought like that…” Alice said. “Anyway, you wanted an explanation. In that case… several days ago, someone invaded my castle. She changed me into the form you see now and then fled. That’s the rabbit I mentioned earlier, the one I’m searching for.”
“Wait, just to be clear, you’re talking about a rabbit monster, right?” Ruby asked.
“That’s right,” Alice said. “Anyway, the Monster Lord’s Castle fell into chaos at the same time. I don’t know whether the rabbit caused it or if she had friends… My Four Heavenly Knights, my most loyal subordinates, weren’t in the castle at the time, and I decided to investigate on my own. I followed the rabbit’s trail and eventually ended up here, but now I can’t find any more trace of her. It doesn’t help that I have no idea who she is… nothing she said made any sense. We didn’t fight so I don’t know her true power, but I’m certain she’s no ordinary monster.”
“A rabbit monster… did she have any distinguishing features?” Sonya asked.
“She has white fur and pale skin, red eyes and short blue hair,” Alice replied. “She wears a hat, a cape and, for some reason, a watch on a necklace.”
“I’ve never heard of anyone like that… Luka?” Sonya said.
“I haven’t heard of that person either,” Luka said.
“That’s not surprising—I’ve been taught many subjects in my education to become Monster Lord, yet I’ve never heard of anyone like her,” Alice said. “In any case, I’m still searching for her, but my weakened state means I’ll need people to help me. When I asked the villagers, they told me that a certain someone would be leaving for a journey around the world today. And just now, I heard about another interesting person. Ruby, I might not be able to help you return home right now but, as I said before, help me in my quest and I will help you in yours.”
Ruby was conflicted. Alice seemed like a nice person and, if Ruby had met her first, then she would probably have agreed to her request. But she’d already promised to help Ilias.
Fortunately, Luka came to the rescue. “We’d like to help you, but we need to talk to Ilias first, to understand what her story is, before we can make a decision.”
“Fine by me,” Alice said. “I’m sure you’ll make the right decision.”
Alice rose from her seat—“standing” wasn’t exactly the right word for someone with no legs—and headed over towards the rooms. She knocked on the door of Ilias’ room and then entered a different room without saying a word.
They really don’t get along… it doesn’t look like there’s anything we can say to convince them to work together, Ruby thought. Even though it would probably help both of them get back their real forms.
Ilias walked back to the counter and sat down. “Well? After listening to what that abomination had to say, I’m sure you’ve realised why you should accompany me.”
“First of all, Ilias, if we’re going to be working together, then you have to stop insulting monsters like that,” Luka said. “I know that it’s… one of your teachings, but we humans have been living alongside monsters for decades now.”
“Didn’t you see that while we were walking through the village?” Sonya said.
“I did… I initially wondered if this was some horrific nightmare, but now I realise that it is, in fact, reality,” Ilias said.
“Ilias, this might be a rude question, but… just why do you think of monsters like that?” Ruby asked.
Ilias narrowed her eyes. “Hmph, I suppose that is a logical question for someone in your position to ask. To answer that: first of all, let us discuss the Grimm that you mentioned, these forces of destruction that prey on humanity in your world.”
“You’re not going to say that monsters are like that, are you?” Luka said. “Because that’s—”
“They are not like those Grimm, they are far worse,” Ilias said, a shadow falling over her face. “From what this girl has said, the Grimm are mindless and act out of instinct, but monsters are thinking beings who are well aware of morals and ethics, well aware that humans are just as intelligent as they. But that didn’t stop them from raping, killing and eating humans as they pleased, breeding them to keep up a supply of food, not even sparing the children!”
Even though Ilias was the smallest person in the room, her words caused the other three to flinch. The sheer hatred and anger, accumulated over what had to be countless years of experience, was something that none of the others were familiar with.
Ilias took several deep breaths. “That was what monsterkind was like before, during, and to some extent after the Great Monster Wars. However… from what I have seen in this village today, it seems… it seems that at least some of them have changed. It still feels bizarre and impossible, but I must accept this reality. I must adapt to this altered world. Therefore, I shall accept your request and avoid… needlessly antagonising monsters. Now, are you prepared to accompany me?”
“Not yet, first we need to know how you got shrunk into this body,” Ruby said. “If it’s the same as what happened to Alice, then it would be better if you two—”
“No. Even with my shift in outlook, there is no situation in which I would work with her,” Ilias said flatly.
Ruby slumped.
“Fine, but we still need to know how you ended up in this state,” Luka pressed.
Ilias didn’t answer at once. She turned her eyes to the floor, staring silently for several moments.
“Ilias?”
“It’s nothing… I am simply choosing what to say,” Ilias said. She looked at the others around the counter. “Alright. The source of my current condition… is something I do not know.”
“You don’t know? How?” Ruby asked. “Then… what’s the last thing you remember, before we found you?”
“My memories are chaotic and disorganised, presumably because a Goddess’ immense soul has been crammed into such a small container,” Ilias replied. “I may be able to order them with time, but I am unsure how long that will take. For now, I do not remember the events that left me in this condition.”
This was a surprise, after Alice’s detailed explanation. Though perhaps it shouldn’t have been that surprising. Ruby had heard from her uncle about how getting drunk could leave you unable to remember the previous night. Getting forced into a younger body was probably even more traumatic than that.
“I see… then, do you know anything about that other Ilias, the one we saw in the temple?” Sonya asked.
“I do not, and that is another mystery,” Ilias said. “You mentioned, while we descended the mountain, that you have not seen my great self for thirty years. As a result of that, you were shocked by what you saw in my temple.”
“That’s right,” said both Luka and Sonya.
Ilias raised a hand to her chin in thought. “That other self was not physically present, being merely an illusion. Yet, I remember that I would always visit my temple in person whenever I baptised heroes.”
“Then… what could that mean?” Ruby asked. She was the most confused out of everyone here, being the newcomer.
“A possible explanation is that I was fragmented into multiple selves,” Ilias said. “That would explain my current state of weakness, and why my other self was unable to visit in person. Each of my fragments would retain only a small portion of my original power.”
“Can something like that even happen?” Sonya asked. “I’m not a magical scholar or anything, but from what I know, a trauma like that would just kill the person immediately.”
“That is true for most, but for beings on my level, it is—at least in theory—a survivable experience,” Ilias said. “However, that still leaves the question of how such a thing happened to me. As you well know, I am the most powerful being in existence, and additionally spend—would have spent most of my time surrounded by my angels, who are far stronger than the humans and monsters that live on this planet. If something could do that to me, what could it do to others?”
They all fell silent. Even for a novice to magic like Ruby, it sounded terrifying.
“And that is why I require your assistance,” Ilias finished. “I must find out what has happened to myself and—from what my other self said—combat an unclear threat to this world. As you saw on the mountain, my angels no longer heed my call, so I cannot ask their assistance. Now, have you made your decision?”
“Excuse me, but I have just one more question,” Luka said. “You mentioned my mother’s name back on the mountain… just how did you know her?”
“…It’s true that I knew of your mother,” Ilias said, averting her eyes. “Tell me, is she still alive?”
“No. She died of a sickness a few years ago. I’ve been living alone ever since.”
Ilias’ eyes sank to the floor. “Then… I cannot give you an answer. Not yet. On this matter… I can only ask for your lenience…”
The atmosphere in the room had suddenly become heavier. It was clear even to Ruby that this was a difficult subject.
“…Alright, then,” Luka said. “You can tell me when you’re ready.”
“So you’ve decided to assist me?” Ilias asked.
Luka exchanged glances with Sonya and Ruby. “Well… I’d like to, at least, but I’m not sure about leaving Alice alone.”
“You must,” Ilias insisted. “My—our goal is far important, as it concerns the fate of the world…”
It reminds me of how my team was when we first started, Ruby thought, as she watched the discussion drag on. Yang and me were the only ones who really got along, and, well, we’re sisters. But even my relationship with Weiss, or Weiss’ relationship with Blake, were never this bad.
But we have to make a decision. We all want something: Luka wants to be a hero and find his dad, Sonya wants to help him, these two girls want help finding out how they got shrunken down, and I want to find a way back home while also fixing any problems I come across. The problem is that these two aren’t going to work together. No matter who we pick, the other one will go off on their own… and since they’re kids right now, that would be too dangerous for them.
Wait… ‘on their own’?
Ruby recalled her current situation. She was separated from her team, but even now she was working on finding a way back to them. And they were definitely doing the same to rescue her… and Pyrrha.
That’s right… just because we’re apart, that doesn’t mean we can’t work together!
“I’ve got it!” Ruby shouted.
Everyone else turned to look at her. Ruby flushed and tried to hide herself in her cloak, but it was completely useless.
“I—I mean, I’ve worked out the answer to our problems,” Ruby elaborated.
“So you’ve finally seen the light?” Ilias said smugly.
“No—well, yes, but—kind of?” Ruby said. “First, we need Alice back here.”
“Ah, you wish to rub her loss in her face?” Ilias said, smiling.
Ruby did her best to keep a straight face. She was having better luck than Luka and Sonya, who were visibly dismayed at the behaviour of their goddess. Eventually, Luka excused himself to go fetch Alice.
Once they were all together again, Ruby said, “Okay, here’s my idea. Ilias, Alice, both of you are looking for people to accompany you. There are three of us here who are planning to leave this village today: me, Luka and Sonya. But we don’t have to all go together. How about I go with one of you, while Luka and Sonya go with the other one?”
Ruby shivered with nervousness as she explained her idea. She was worried that it was a stupid idea and they would laugh at her for it.
“I think that would work,” Luka said. “It’s a great idea, Ruby.”
“Hmm… I’d be worried if you were on your own, but you should be alright with someone else,” Sonya said.
“Well… I’d prefer that no one helps out that stupid goddess,” Alice said. “But if that’s the only solution, then fine. In that case, I’d like you to come with me, Ruby.”
“Wait! None of you shall be aiding the Monster Lord!” Ilias shouted. “She may well be the ‘darkness’ that my counterpart was referring to, the ruin that threatens this world! And I must keep an eye on you—all three of you!”
Ruby groaned. She knew it was impolite, but she couldn’t help it after getting so close to a solution, only for it to still be denied.
“Hold on, how about this?” Luka said. “We travel in two separate groups, but we meet up every now and then to exchange information. That way, you could still keep an eye on all three of us.”
“And, since you and Alice are enemies, you could—you could keep an eye on each other as well,” Sonya added. “What’s the saying? ‘Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer’? Though I guess that doesn’t really apply here, since your enemy would be further than—anyway, what do you think?”
“Hmm… while I’m reluctant to allow any of you to accompany that Monster Lord,” Ilias said, “she’s cunning enough that I doubt she would die even if she was left alone. Very well. As a gracious Goddess, I accept this proposal.”
Ruby sighed with relief. Finally, that long and awkward discussion was over.
There was some further discussion, mainly on what they should bring, where they would go first and how they would know when to meet. They decided that both of their groups would first head for Iliasburg, a nearby city that was the capital of this continent. This would be a good place to gather information on where to go next. On the way there, they would travel and camp in separate groups, but not too far from each other, so that if one group ran into trouble the other could help. After they gathered information in the city, they would go their separate ways, and reunite at Iliasburg at an agreed-upon time.
Once all their preparations were settled, they stepped out of the inn. Ruby was about to say goodbye to Luka’s group, only for her words to catch in her throat when she saw… that guy.
Running up to them was a young man with an absolutely bizarre appearance. In one hand, the man carried a massive scythe comparable in size to Ruby’s Crescent Rose, but decorated to an impractical level: the outer edge and point of the blade were a golden metal, while the inner edge had a handle on it. His clothing consisted of a black and red overcoat with a tattered hem, worn over a white shirt and paired with black pants. Gold chains were connected to the collar of the coat, and one of these chains coiled around his sleeve and ended in a ball of some kind. A tie, so big that it reached down to the hips, was worn around the man’s neck. A belt connected the two legs of the man’s pants, but somehow didn’t hinder his running. But apart from his bizarre weapon and clothing, the young man was relatively normal-looking: black hair that hadn’t been combed recently, pale skin, and eyes hidden behind glasses.
The man stopped before the two groups. He said, “Hello, you must be Luka. My name is Nero, and I’m just a simple traveller passing through here.”
Both groups were surprised by the mysterious stranger. Ruby, however, couldn’t stop herself from blurting out her first thoughts.
“What on earth is your weapon!? How does it even work!?”
This outburst caused everyone to stare at Ruby, even the nearby villagers. She didn’t pay any attention to this, as her attention was firmly fixed on that—that thing that shouldn’t remotely function as a weapon! Ruby had seen plenty of weapons in her life, of all shapes and sizes, but none of them had handles on the cutting edges!
“I—this—well, I made this myself, and it… works as a normal scythe?” Nero replied. “It cuts objects, and can be used to channel some spells… Excuse me, but who are you?”
“Ruby, but how can it even cut things when there’s a handle on the edge!?”
“Um, Ruby…” Alice said, grasping Ruby’s arm. “I think there’s more important things to ask right now…”
“W-Well, I suppose if you want to know, I can show you,” Nero said.
Nero picked up a rock that was lying on the ground. He threw it into the air and, in the next instant, his arms and the scythe were in a different position. The two halves of the rock fell to the ground.
What the—I couldn’t even see him move!
“My scythe has numerous enchantments on it, one of which allows it to cut despite the handle on the blade,” Nero said, adjusting his glasses. “And the reason it has the handle on the first place is so I can grasp it for certain manoeuvres in close combat. Now then, um… do you have any more questions?”
Ruby suddenly realised that she’d just geeked out about weapons in a public place. She whimpered in embarrassment, unable to form a coherent reply.
“In that case, I have a question: just who are you?” Sonya said. “You don’t look like a simple traveller, and how do you know Luka’s name?”
“W—Well, my fashion sense might be unusual, but I really am just a simple traveller,” Nero replied. “As for Luka, I heard his name while I was talking to people in the village. I heard he was setting out on a journey and thought I’d take a look at him. And may I ask your name?”
“I’m Sonya, a priestess at Ilias Temple,” Sonya said. “I’m also Luka’s childhood friend, and I’m going with him on his journey.”
“His… childhood friend?” Nero said. “That’s odd… no, never mind, I was thinking of something else.” He turned towards Ruby. “And pardon me, Ruby, but what is your relationship with Luka?”
“Oh, I’m—just a simple traveller as well,” Ruby lied. “I was, uh, travelling near here when I ran out of supplies and collapsed. I was found by some of the villagers and I’ve been staying in Luka’s inn while I recovered.”
“Hmm, I see,” Nero said. His eyes lingered on Ruby for a second, then he turned towards the two small girls. “And you are… the Goddess of Light and mo—the current Monster Lord?”
“Finally, one of my humans recognises me on sight!” Ilias exclaimed. She then narrowed her eyes. “Hold on… I also don’t recognise you. Who are you?”
“Again, I’m just a simple traveller,” Nero said, though even Ruby could tell that he was lying. “It’s… a surprise to see you two here, to say the least.”
Alice crossed her arms. “We have our own issues to deal with. And just to be clear, I’m not working together with that self-proclaimed goddess. We just had the misfortune of being here at the same time.”
“I see, apologies for the confusion,” Nero said. “Well then, I think I’ve taken up enough of your time. Farewell, I pray that you have safe travels.”
Nero walked away. Due to his appearance, he attracted quite a lot of attention from the villagers.
“Well, that was… weird,” Ruby said.
“You’re telling me,” Sonya muttered. “He didn’t seem like a bad guy though, just… really suspicious.”
“It’s not the strangest thing I’ve seen so far, however,” Ilias said. “At any rate, we have spent enough time here. If neither of you has anything else to do, then let us depart.”
“Well, I’d like to go around and say goodbye to the rest of the village first, but after that, we can leave,” Luka said. “I guess this is goodbye, Ruby. I hope you and Alice find what you’re after.”
“It takes about a day to get to Iliasburg, so let’s meet in the city square next morning,” Sonya said.
“Yeah, we’ll meet you there!” Ruby answered.
Luka, Sonya and Ilias left, heading in the direction of the village chief’s house. Ruby watched them until they were no longer in view.
“Hmm, I’m guessing that Ilias was so insistent because she didn’t want to be near me any longer,” Alice said. “Though I can’t exactly blame her for that, since I feel the same way.”
Ruby paused for a moment. Recalling what Ilias said, she asked, “Alice… I’m new to this world, so I don’t really understand things here, but just why do you and Ilias hate each other so much?”
“Hmph, I’m guessing she told you quite the story,” Alice said. “And yet you’re still willing to accompany me. Did you think she was lying, or is there something more to your decision?”
“Well… it’s complicated,” Ruby said. “I don’t think she was lying, but… it doesn’t match what I’ve seen of you, or any—most of the monsters around here.”
Alice didn’t reply immediately. She spent a few seconds twirling a lock of her hair around her fingers, deep in thought. “‘Complicated’ is probably the best word for it. The first monsters… while I am grateful to them for allowing us to exist today, it’s also true that they treated humans in an appalling manner. That said, Ilias still started an entire war to wipe us out, so for that reason alone, I can’t bring myself to trust her.”
It’s like the Great War back in Remnant, Ruby thought. Almost nobody from that time is still alive, but from what I heard from Dad and Uncle Qrow, there’s still some people holding grudges over what happened back then. The Faunus War as well… even though that ended in a faunus victory, there’s still problems between humans and faunus.
“But, as you pointed out, monsters of today have changed and we no longer tolerate such behaviour,” Alice continued. “There are still exceptions, and it’s likely that we will encounter some of them on our journey… but I promise you that I will not overlook their crimes, and will fight alongside you to apprehend them.”
“Thanks,” Ruby said. “Though, um… how about you just leave the fighting to me? I’m pretty strong, you know?”
Alice grimaced. “You’re still underestimating me… well, I suppose that makes sense with how I look now. But once I get used to this form, I should be able to contribute to any fighting.”
Ruby nodded, though she still felt a little sceptical. She thought for a moment, then said, “There’s one more thing. Compared to Ilias, you seem to have accepted my story pretty well. Isn’t it… kind of hard to believe?”
“Not at all… now that I’ve had a good look at you, I can see your unusual aura: it’s different from that of monsters, angels or even of other humans,” Alice replied. “And I’ve already seen multiple bizarre things in the past few days, so it takes a lot more to surprise me now. But on that topic, tell me: just what are you capable of?”
Ruby gave a quick summary: she could use aura to protect and strengthen herself, had a semblance that let her move at high speeds, and she also had a form-shifting weapon that could achieve various effects through the use of Dust… though she didn’t have any way to get more Dust at the moment. She was, however, wondering if she could instead use magic to upgrade her weapon.
“That should be possible,” Alice said. “Magical enhancement isn’t my specialty, but I know that you can have it done by blacksmiths—ever since the Great Disaster, human blacksmiths have been learning to employ magic in their craft. You will need to gather various materials for that, though.”
Ruby was pleased by this answer. She could already imagine the new and improved version of Crescent Rose: it could launch the blade as a spinning projectile; it could shoot projectiles imbued with fire, ice or electricity, without needing any ammunition; it could cut through a house-sized boulder in a single swing; it would be ten times better than that weird guy’s scythe…
“Ruby, you’re drooling,” Alice pointed out.
“Eep!” Ruby quickly wiped away the drool. “S-Sorry, I was just—”
“That’s fine, we all have our own interests,” Alice said, though the corners of her mouth twitched. “Anyway, is there anything else you need to do before we go?”
“I have everything I need… but first, I need to say goodbye to some people,” Ruby said. “Wait here, I won’t be long!”
Ruby activated her semblance and dashed towards Ilias Temple. However, the Tartarus exploration team was no longer there. They’d left behind a message:
“Ruby Rose, after discussing the information you gave us, we came up with new hypotheses and decided to go on another expedition to test them. While it would be ideal for you to accompany us, we thought that it would be better to let you recover after all you’ve experienced. But if you want to talk to us again, you can find us at the Tartarus near Iliasville.”
Huh. I wanted to thank them one more time, Ruby thought. Still, I guess that they have their own jobs to do. And I can always meet them again later.
Ruby pocketed the message and headed back to Alice. But the moment she reunited with the small monster, the two of them heard a distant shout.
“Help! Lime’s gotten stuck in the swamp!”
Ruby whipped her head in the direction of the shout. The swamp? If I remember right, there’s one to the east of the village…
“Wait, who’s Lime?” Alice asked.
“She’s one of the slimes who lives in the village,” Ruby answered. “We have to go save her!”
“Fine—even in this form, I am still the Monster Lord!”
Ruby dashed towards the east, following the direction of the shout. She soon arrived at the swamp, though Alice took a few more moments to arrive. The swamp was a large pool of mud with a toxic purple tinge, surrounded by sheer cliffs on several sides. Lime was trapped on a tiny island in the middle. Standing next to the edge of the swamp was one of the temple guards.
“Just wait there, I’ll get more people to help!” The guard called out to Lime.
“Thanks—wait, Ruby!?” Lime said, as she noticed the newcomers. “Are you here to help me?”
“Yeah!” Ruby shouted. “Just wait there, Lime!”
Ruby took a deep breath and activated her semblance again. She leaped forward, landed on the cliff behind Lime and kicked off it, then grasped Lime around the waist. The slime bent in a way that would have broken a human’s back, but Ruby was able to maintain her hold, and Ruby’s momentum carried them both to the edge of the swamp.
“Thank you!” Lime said, hugging Ruby.
“It’s fine,” Ruby said. “But just how did you get there, anyway?”
“I was picking fruit from those trees up there,” Lime said, pointing at some trees that grew along the top of the cliff, “when I… when I lost my balance and fell.” She looked down. “That was stupid of me… everyone in the village knows that this swamp is poisonous and we shouldn’t go near it, but I thought the fruit trees up there looked nice, and…”
“It’s fine, we all make mistakes,” Ruby said.
The temple guard approached. “Thanks for the help, miss. I heard that you’re leaving on a journey today, sorry if we interrupted that.”
“Wait, you’re leaving, Ruby!?” Lime cried out.
“Y-Yeah,” Ruby admitted awkwardly. “I, uh, only decided to do that today, after Luka’s baptism. I’m not going with him and Sonya, though, I’m going with this girl here.”
Lime looked between Ruby and Alice. “Okay… and when do you think you’ll come back to this village?”
Ruby winced, but she had to tell the truth. “I’m not sure when that’ll be. In fact… I think that once I get back to my home, I’ll stay there. Sorry—”
“No, that’s okay,” Lime said. Her expression changed. “Say… would you have room for one more in your group?”
“What!?” Ruby exclaimed. “We—I guess, but you don’t have to do this just because I’m leaving!”
“I see,” Alice said. She extended a hand. “We would be honoured to have you join us, young slime.”
“But… you’re younger than me?” Lime said, though she shook Alice’s hand. “Anyway, Ruby, that’s not why I’m doing this. I’m doing this because I want to see the world myself, because I don’t want to be ignorant anymore.”
Ruby could only tilt her head at this sudden announcement. On the other hand, Alice said, “Except for the incident just now, you seem to have a good life in this village. Is there any particular reason why you have that wish?”
“It’s because of what happened yesterday,” Lime replied. “Since you’re new here, you might not know, but yesterday some slimes kidnapped and tried to rape Hans—one of the male villagers. Ruby stopped them, but… the problem is that I knew them for years and—and while they didn’t always follow the rules, I never thought they would do something like that.”
Ruby felt ashamed of herself. Even if Lime was just an acquaintance, to not notice that she was burdened by such a major issue…
“Well, Ruby?” Lime asked. “Are you okay with having me along?”
Ruby thought for a moment. She didn’t know a lot about Lime, and what she did know indicated that she was a civilian who’d never been in a serious fight in her life. On the other hand, she was a slime and thus extremely resilient to injuries—at least, to physical injuries. And Jaune had been a civilian when he’d joined Beacon, but look at him now!
“Okay, Lime, you can join our team—our group,” Ruby said, extending her own hand.
“Alright!” Lime said, shaking Ruby’s hand with both of her own. “Although, first I need to prepare…”
They left the swamp. The guard returned to the temple, while the rest of them headed for Lime’s house, a small house that she shared with several other slimes. She picked up a boomerang which apparently served as a weapon, but nothing else—she said that she wouldn’t need anything else. She bade farewell to her friends, who were already aware of her intentions, and then declared that she was ready.
Finally, the three of them set out from the village, heading north along the road to Iliasburg.
Alright, it’s time to see more of this world! Ruby thought. I’m sure there has to be something out there that will let me get back home. But until I find it, I’m going to do everything I can to help the people here!
AN: The journey begins, and in a way that—as far as I know—hasn’t been done in any other MGQ Paradox fic. The others I’ve seen have Luka pick either Ilias or Alice (the canon options), or have Luka manage to get both of them to work together. However, while I was planning this fic, I realised that there’s another option: two separate parties. With the addition of a self-insert/crossover character, you can have two parties of three, and that’s the option I chose for my fic. And it still mirrors what happens in canon: the character you don’t pick ends up forming a party of their own, I just had the main character be in this party rather than accompanying Luka.
And for those unfamiliar with MGQ: Paradox: yes, Nero really does look like the description in this chapter. I tried to come up with a plausible explanation for why his weapon is shaped the way it is, but I’m hardly an expert on weapons.