Ruby lay sprawled on the couch on her stomach, hood bunched up near her shoulders, cloak draped over the side like a red waterfall. Crescent Rose rested neatly against the wall, as if even the weapon knew to behave in the presence of a goddess.
Hel knelt beside Ruby, one hand hovering just above the girl’s bare back. Her fingers glowed with that pale, ethereal blue that always appeared when she worked with a Falna—cool, gentle, and tinged with deathly divinity.
“Hold still,” Hel murmured.
“I am holding still,” Ruby whispered into the cushion. “Mostly. Kind of.”
Hel’s hand lowered until it brushed the small of Ruby’s back, and the runes of the Falna shimmered faintly to life.
Ruby twitched at a cold sensation.
“Ah—sorry,” she said quickly. “Your hand is freezing.”
“My hands are always cold,” Hel replied flatly. “I am the goddess of death.”
“Oh. Right. That makes sense.”
Hel continued tracing glowing lines across Ruby’s shoulders—precise, meticulous strokes. The magical script reacted eagerly, like it had been waiting for Ruby’s next absurd jump in combat growth. Hel hummed under her breath, reading the changes.
“…Your agility increased the most,” she noted. “Not surprising.”
Ruby grinned into the pillow. “I am pretty fast.”
“Yes. You are.”
Hel’s voice carried a hint of dry amusement. “Fast enough to make half the Guild staff consider retirement, apparently.”
Ruby made a small, guilty noise.
Hel did not stop her work.
A few more glowing adjustments, a light press of her finger against the center of the Falna, and the magic settled—dimmed—then sank back beneath Ruby’s skin like fading ink.
“It is done,” Hel said softly.
Ruby turned her head to look up at her, silver eyes bright and hopeful.
“So… how am I doing?”
Hel tucked a lock of Ruby’s hair behind her ear—a gesture so small, so delicate, it almost didn’t match her usual distant composure.
“You are doing very well,” she answered. “Too well, in fact. Which is why you require guidance before you enter the Dungeon again.”
Ruby puffed her cheeks. “Buuuut I only cleared the first floor this time!”
“You butchered the first floor this time.”
“That’s… fair.”
Hel rose smoothly, adjusting the hem of her dress while Ruby sat up and pulled her hood back into place.
“Now,” Hel said firmly, “we discuss your teammates—and how to find them.”
Ruby nodded, excitement returning.
“Team RWBY,” she said proudly. “We’re kind of awesome.”
“I gathered,” Hel replied dryly. “Given your excursion into the dungeon, Should I expect them to all be as destructive as you?”
Ruby blinked—then laughed a little too quickly.
“Well, um… that depends on your definition of destructive.”
Hel raised a very slow, very patient eyebrow.
Ruby held up a hand, ticking off names.
“Okay, so—Blake is super stealthy, super quiet. She’d be really calm and collected here. Hardly destructive at all!”
Hel nodded, mildly relieved.
“And Weiss,” Ruby continued, “is really precise and disciplined and likes proper technique and form. So she’d probably follow all the rules and take all the classes and be Eina’s favorite student.”
Hel nodded again, liking the sound of this.
“…And the fourth one who begins with a Y?” Hel asks
Ruby froze.
Hel narrowed her eyes. “…Ruby.”
“Yang is… um…” Ruby began sweating. “She’s very friendly?”
“Ruby.”
“She has great people skills!”
“Ruby.”
“She… technically only destroys things after they hit her first?”
Hel exhaled slowly. “Start telling me their features and other things I need to know so I can talk to them when I find them.”
Ruby perked up at the request—partially because she loved talking about her team, partially because it meant Hel wasn’t banning her from the dungeon again.
She sat up a little, kicking her legs lightly while Hel continued updating the Falna.
“Okay! Um, right—features. Stuff that’ll help you identify them. Got it.”
Hel waited, quill poised.
Ruby held up a finger.
“First, Weiss. She’s kinda hard to miss—white hair, super pale, Glyphs Semblance. She’s elegant, kinda bossy, but in a nice way! Usually. Sometimes. Depends on the day.”
Hel scribbled a neat line. “Ice affinity, disciplined, formal. Understood. Next?”
Ruby brightened.
“Blake! She has long black hair, black cat earson the top of her head she’s super fast, really agile, good at stealth, loves books, um… a little shy, but she warms up.”
“Shy. Agile. Cat girl. Prefers literature.” Hel listed them neatly. “Reliable in combat?”
“Very! She’s awesome! And she fights with a sword-gun-ribbon thing that—actually it’s easier if I show you later.”
“Yang,” she said, pointing a thumb at herself for emphasis, “is my big sister. And she is… uh… she’s… kinda…”
Hel arched an eyebrow. “Ruby.”
Ruby deflated.
“She’s a golden-retriever-punch-tornado.”
Hel blinked once. “…Explain.”
Ruby held up fingers one by one.
“She has long blonde hair—really pretty, super fluffy—violet eyes, really strong—like really strong—and she fights with shotgun gauntlets that explode when she punches. And then she gets stronger when she gets hit because she absorbs the kinetic energy and—”
“Ruby,” Helsaid carefully, “you are describing a woman who literally grows more dangerous the more she is injured.”
“…Yes.”
“And who initiates most battles with her fists.”
“…Yes.”
“And who wields explosive weaponry on her arms.”
“That’s my sister.” Ruby finishes
“Right, well here’s your falna sheet. All adventures start at zero no matter how skilled you were when you initially got it.”
“Here. Your Falna. And before you ask—yes, every adventurer starts at zero, no matter their training, skill, or… capacity to cause Dungeon-wide panic.”
Ruby flushed. “I said I was sorry…”
“I accepted your apology,” Hel replied. “The Guild, however, accepted Loki’s money.”
Ruby winced.
Hel continued, tone softening just a touch. “Your abilities, and aura will translate into skills, or maybe magic.”
Strength: I – 88
Endurance: I – 12
Dexterity: I – 54
Agility: H – 140
Magic: G – 230
MAGIC
AURA
Pedal Burst
SKILLS
Scythe wielding C
Marksman Ship E
“…Wait—my Agility is higher than my Strength? And my Magic is—G? That’s… that’s already above beginner range, isn’t it?”
Hel placed a calm, steady hand on her shoulder. “Ruby… your Magic is G–230. Goblins alone do not yield that kind of growth.”
She tapped the Falna sheet with a slender finger, letting the numbers catch the lantern light. “This is the result of your aura usage, your combat instincts… and, admittedly, your enthusiasm. Covering the first floor of the dungeon in red petals repeatedly has… consequences. With you constantly channeling magic and moving as you did, it is no surprise your magical aptitude increased so rapidly.”
Her gaze softened slightly, though the tone remained measured. “Do not expect every run to yield gains like this. In just half an hour, you accrued over 500 status points—most beginners earn about forty in a full day.”
“What about leveling up?” Ruby asked, eyes wide with curiosity.
Hel’s gaze was steady, almost teacherly. “To advance, you must complete a feat. Something notable—an achievement that even most gods would acknowledge. You must push yourself, confront a significant challenge, and overcome it.”
She let the words hang for a moment, letting Ruby imagine what that might entail. “Growth is not given freely. It is earned through trials, effort, and the mastery of your own limits.”