Vaudivolt
Rusty from the Rain
This collection of written works in part of the Isekai Hell setting, and meant for the Isekai Hell January 2024 Community Event. More information regarding the world and its denizens can be found [here].
Character: Ruby Larue
Chosen Skill: Sleight of Hand
A Different School of Magic, Act I
Ruby held her plain-looking tome close to her chest as the snow fell around her. She was getting impatient, and in an attempt to seek distraction, her eyes picked a fight with the grey overcast. The snowfall was already responsible for smudging the silver of her armor, and her glare showed she would not allow her tome to get stained as well! Winter never truly ended in these parts of the Paizu Mountains. Although she had never been elsewhere... Perhaps the world outside her hometown, a mining town called Miller's Hollow, was no different. “<Cait? You think they have snowcones in other places?>” Ruby suddenly asked and turned amber eyes onto her friend kneeling in the snow – facing off against a basement window.
“<Probably, if they get snow deliveries or something?>” The one kneeling answered - a Felinefolk with ash-black hair and nimble hands that defeatedly banged against the library's outer wall. “<They literally locked my entrance, Ruby! Who does something like that?!>” Cait hissed in disbelief.
“<I don't think a basement window counts as an entrance...>” Ruby responded absentminded, her eyes wandering the freshly fallen snow until a spark ignited in them. “<Gasp! I know!! We should go to the mineworkers-and then tell them to close the mines-and then they go shovel snow-and then we can sell it to other towns!-->” Ruby excitedly rambled until she halted from a perceived flaw in her plan. “<Wait, is snow more expensive than silver? Probably not, right, Cait?>”
“<Probably not, but! It so does count as an entrance! Don't talk over it! Besides, you wanted a quiet place to read your magic book, right?>” “<It's a book about magic, not a magic book!>” Ruby insisted, clutching the plain-looking tome tighter against her chest. “<The Order wants me to study more, but their scripts are too boring! This one is fun~!>”
“<A book about magic, but not a magic book?>” Cait wondered out loud before shaking the thought from her mind, “<Anyway! That's why we are here! I come here all the time, and they never bother me!>”
“<Except when they lock your entrance?>” Ruby retorted with a coy smile and drew her rapier from its sheath. With her silver blade drawn and unable to wait for another second, she unceremoniously jammed the weapon into the slit beneath the window and leveraged it open. The wood creaked in protest before it separated from the simple lock. “<Are you even allowed to use your weapon like that?>” “<Fools despise wisdom-and knowledge means insight!>” “<What?>” “<I'm protecting the seeking of knowledge like the Order wants me to!>” Ruby proudly exclaimed, then waggled the blade's tip toward the open window, “<You first, seeker of knowledge~!>”
Act II
After a tight squeeze followed by a short drop into a pile of loose papers, the Beastkin burglars found themselves among the dusty shelves and old tomes that made the library's archives. What little light streamed in through the broken window revealed the dust floating through the air, and Ruby sneezed because of it. “<If you come here all the time, why is it all dusty? It's like the snow followed us indoors!>” Ruby questioned, wiping her nose as she wandered around the cramped space. Despite growing up in Miller's Hollow, she had never been in the archives. And the few that had all held permission from the Order, that much she knew! “<You think they keep some secret snowcone recipe here? Gasp! Or the Captain's diary? Gasp!! What if he wrote about me in it?! A few weeks ago, I got disarmed while practicing bladework-and he said he wouldn't mention it-and I think he would totally write that down anyway!>”
“<Probably not, Leon's too busy conjuring roses,>” Cait replied dismissively, swiping a pile of books off an old wooden table. It was the quickest way to clear the surface before she could sit down and unclasp an old tome, which she laid open in front of her. Tracing the lines with her finger, Cait silently mouthed the writing while Ruby followed her example and sat down with the tome she brought along. After flipping the book open, Ruby reached for her tail and dug around in the red fluff until it produced a deck of playing cards - deliberately seeking out the 'nine of diamonds' to fiddle with while reading her tome. Yet, within a few minutes, she had already begun leaning on the table, fidgeting more intensely with the card as her leg bounced beneath the tabletop.
She was about to give in and stand up from her seat when Cait provided ample distraction. “<Ruby, look!!>” Cait exclaimed, her eyes locked onto a swirl of colorful flames dancing above her fingertips. “<Woah! How'd you do that?>” Ruby asked with palpable amazement, sharing her friend's excitement of a successful casting. “<All talent!>” Cait replied smugly, “<It's easy, but the clergy doesn't want to teach me because I'm too good!>” “<What's it do? Tell me!>”
Cait fell momentarily silent, her eyes locked on the swirling flames. “<...Yours first.>” She retorted, refusing to accept defeat by admitting she did not know the finer details. In response, Ruby paused before a coy smile formed on her face. “<You don't know~>” “<You don't know either! What's yours do? Can I see?>” “<No!>” Ruby blurted out and crossed her arms over the open pages of her tome. “<...I mean, I can't get it to work yet-and I'm not doing the movements right-and the wording is pretty confusing...>”
“<You think it's because your fingers are too short for casting magic?>” Cait grinned, jabbing back for being called on her bluff. And for a moment, Ruby glanced down at her hand. She had removed her gloves and wrist-guards, hoping it would benefit her, but... “<I don't think-- Hey!! They're not all short, Cait!>” She suddenly retorted, using her right hand to cover up the two amputated tips on her left, “<I lost those fighting against the cursed, you know!>” “<You lost them lazing in the snow, liar!>” “<I was literally dying!>”
They both struggled to keep a straight face, but when Cait cracked, Ruby quickly joined in on the laughter. “<Fine, then it's because your attention span is too short!>” “<It's not!>” Ruby retorted again, then hesitated before closing her tome and sliding it over to Cait. “<You try it then!>”
“<101 Easy-To-Do Card Tricks?-->” Cait read the book cover out loud in a confused tone. She then glanced up at Ruby, who held the 'nine of diamonds' between her fingers while grinning. With a flick of her wrist, the card disappeared from sight. Hidden behind her fingers, leaving an empty palm and Cait looking less than impressed. “<This is probably not what the Order wants you to learn-->” “<But it's fun, Cait~!>”
Character: Ruby Larue
Chosen Skill: Sleight of Hand
A Different School of Magic, Act I
Ruby held her plain-looking tome close to her chest as the snow fell around her. She was getting impatient, and in an attempt to seek distraction, her eyes picked a fight with the grey overcast. The snowfall was already responsible for smudging the silver of her armor, and her glare showed she would not allow her tome to get stained as well! Winter never truly ended in these parts of the Paizu Mountains. Although she had never been elsewhere... Perhaps the world outside her hometown, a mining town called Miller's Hollow, was no different. “<Cait? You think they have snowcones in other places?>” Ruby suddenly asked and turned amber eyes onto her friend kneeling in the snow – facing off against a basement window.“<Probably, if they get snow deliveries or something?>” The one kneeling answered - a Felinefolk with ash-black hair and nimble hands that defeatedly banged against the library's outer wall. “<They literally locked my entrance, Ruby! Who does something like that?!>” Cait hissed in disbelief.
“<I don't think a basement window counts as an entrance...>” Ruby responded absentminded, her eyes wandering the freshly fallen snow until a spark ignited in them. “<Gasp! I know!! We should go to the mineworkers-and then tell them to close the mines-and then they go shovel snow-and then we can sell it to other towns!-->” Ruby excitedly rambled until she halted from a perceived flaw in her plan. “<Wait, is snow more expensive than silver? Probably not, right, Cait?>”
“<Probably not, but! It so does count as an entrance! Don't talk over it! Besides, you wanted a quiet place to read your magic book, right?>” “<It's a book about magic, not a magic book!>” Ruby insisted, clutching the plain-looking tome tighter against her chest. “<The Order wants me to study more, but their scripts are too boring! This one is fun~!>”
“<A book about magic, but not a magic book?>” Cait wondered out loud before shaking the thought from her mind, “<Anyway! That's why we are here! I come here all the time, and they never bother me!>”
“<Except when they lock your entrance?>” Ruby retorted with a coy smile and drew her rapier from its sheath. With her silver blade drawn and unable to wait for another second, she unceremoniously jammed the weapon into the slit beneath the window and leveraged it open. The wood creaked in protest before it separated from the simple lock. “<Are you even allowed to use your weapon like that?>” “<Fools despise wisdom-and knowledge means insight!>” “<What?>” “<I'm protecting the seeking of knowledge like the Order wants me to!>” Ruby proudly exclaimed, then waggled the blade's tip toward the open window, “<You first, seeker of knowledge~!>”
Act II
After a tight squeeze followed by a short drop into a pile of loose papers, the Beastkin burglars found themselves among the dusty shelves and old tomes that made the library's archives. What little light streamed in through the broken window revealed the dust floating through the air, and Ruby sneezed because of it. “<If you come here all the time, why is it all dusty? It's like the snow followed us indoors!>” Ruby questioned, wiping her nose as she wandered around the cramped space. Despite growing up in Miller's Hollow, she had never been in the archives. And the few that had all held permission from the Order, that much she knew! “<You think they keep some secret snowcone recipe here? Gasp! Or the Captain's diary? Gasp!! What if he wrote about me in it?! A few weeks ago, I got disarmed while practicing bladework-and he said he wouldn't mention it-and I think he would totally write that down anyway!>”“<Probably not, Leon's too busy conjuring roses,>” Cait replied dismissively, swiping a pile of books off an old wooden table. It was the quickest way to clear the surface before she could sit down and unclasp an old tome, which she laid open in front of her. Tracing the lines with her finger, Cait silently mouthed the writing while Ruby followed her example and sat down with the tome she brought along. After flipping the book open, Ruby reached for her tail and dug around in the red fluff until it produced a deck of playing cards - deliberately seeking out the 'nine of diamonds' to fiddle with while reading her tome. Yet, within a few minutes, she had already begun leaning on the table, fidgeting more intensely with the card as her leg bounced beneath the tabletop.
She was about to give in and stand up from her seat when Cait provided ample distraction. “<Ruby, look!!>” Cait exclaimed, her eyes locked onto a swirl of colorful flames dancing above her fingertips. “<Woah! How'd you do that?>” Ruby asked with palpable amazement, sharing her friend's excitement of a successful casting. “<All talent!>” Cait replied smugly, “<It's easy, but the clergy doesn't want to teach me because I'm too good!>” “<What's it do? Tell me!>”
Cait fell momentarily silent, her eyes locked on the swirling flames. “<...Yours first.>” She retorted, refusing to accept defeat by admitting she did not know the finer details. In response, Ruby paused before a coy smile formed on her face. “<You don't know~>” “<You don't know either! What's yours do? Can I see?>” “<No!>” Ruby blurted out and crossed her arms over the open pages of her tome. “<...I mean, I can't get it to work yet-and I'm not doing the movements right-and the wording is pretty confusing...>”
“<You think it's because your fingers are too short for casting magic?>” Cait grinned, jabbing back for being called on her bluff. And for a moment, Ruby glanced down at her hand. She had removed her gloves and wrist-guards, hoping it would benefit her, but... “<I don't think-- Hey!! They're not all short, Cait!>” She suddenly retorted, using her right hand to cover up the two amputated tips on her left, “<I lost those fighting against the cursed, you know!>” “<You lost them lazing in the snow, liar!>” “<I was literally dying!>”
They both struggled to keep a straight face, but when Cait cracked, Ruby quickly joined in on the laughter. “<Fine, then it's because your attention span is too short!>” “<It's not!>” Ruby retorted again, then hesitated before closing her tome and sliding it over to Cait. “<You try it then!>”
“<101 Easy-To-Do Card Tricks?-->” Cait read the book cover out loud in a confused tone. She then glanced up at Ruby, who held the 'nine of diamonds' between her fingers while grinning. With a flick of her wrist, the card disappeared from sight. Hidden behind her fingers, leaving an empty palm and Cait looking less than impressed. “<This is probably not what the Order wants you to learn-->” “<But it's fun, Cait~!>”
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