Hey, UknownHero here and welcome to another chapter of The Old Ways. Thanks for all the support so far, it's been a great help especially after the Volume 3 finale. I'm still trying to get over it by the way. Anyway, enough of that, time to answer some questions! To Catacus: Well… I'm not sure actually. I'm planning for this to go on for a while, and there is the High Rank Caravan Quests to think about. It's really a coin's flip chance whenever or not Ruby goes back. It has been 5 years since she entered the Monster Hunter world after all. To Shazzellim: Well, I do have special plans for the rest of Team RWBY, don't worry about that. To ultima-owner: Oh, her weapon is gonna be badass… after around 337 hours of grinding and pain. That's my playtime by the way. Anyway, that's it for the reviews. Get your gear because it's hunting time!

Load Game… Start!

Chapter 2: The Basics

Every great Hunter starts out somewhere as the lowest of the low. Men and women who would start out in Leather Armour and their trusty weapon at their side, feeling ready to tackle any challenge that stopped them in their path to become one of the greats. No matter how many times they fell, they would get back up. No matter how big the challenge was, they would face it without fear. And finally, no matter how impossible the challenge may seem, well, there was something every Hunter in the world knew as soon as they fought their first real monster.

There is no such thing as impossible.

Ruby had honestly forgotten about that lesson. But here she was, fresh off the boat and recently registered as an official Hunter and she had already helped drive off an Elder Dragon from destroying a town and saved countless lives. An Elder Dragon. A giant creature she thought would take thousands of teams to make it feel pain, and yet she drove it off by herself without even using Crescent Rose. A former Huntress-in-Training, five years out of practice and practically alone in the world, help drive off a monster the size of a skyscraper.

'Yang, eat your heart out.' Ruby thought as she let the memories of Yang taking down the Atlesian Paladin before sighing, 'God, I miss her so much.'

"Greetings, Hunter!" The Caravaneer snapped Ruby out of her thoughts,

"Oh sorry, I kinda spaced out." Ruby apologized, "And it's-"

"Looks like we scraped through with all our limbs! Har!" The Caravaneer said, completely ignoring Ruby's twitching eye, "It's time we introduced ourselves proper, whaddaya say?"

"Oh finally." Ruby sighed in relief, "Hi, my name is Ru-"

"They call me the Caravaneer." The Caravaneer said, "I run the Caravan! Or course, lots of caravans pass through Val Habar…" He muttered under his breath before speaking a bit more clearly, "But mine's the only one worthy of a capital 'C'." He then gave out a hearty laugh,

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Caravaneer." Ruby said through gritted teeth as she held out her hand, "My name is Ruby Rose. For the millionth time today."

"Nice to meet ya too." The Caravaneer said, Ruby's name literally flying over his head, "I got to tell ya, precious few Hunters could hold their own against that monster without preparation. Hoowee!"

"It was nothing." Ruby said as she blushed a little, "Fighting monsters is supposed to be my thing after all."

"Hey, do you have any work lined up?" The Caravaneer asked. Ruby sighed,

"I just checked out the Gathering Hall. The Quests I want are already taken and the ones that are available are out of my rank right now." Ruby explained before sighing again, "There aren't even Gathering Quests open."

"That's good." The Caravaneer said,

"Huh!?" Ruby exclaimed, "How is th-"

"Because," The Caravaneer said as he held up a finger, "I got a job for you right here in the Capital C Caravan."

"Really? Thank you." Ruby said, "I thought I'd be homeless and-wait. What does your caravan actually do?"

"Well, what I do is hunt for treasure. Pure unadulterated excitement!" The Caravaneer answered, "Me and The Man over there are tryin' to discover the meaning of a little doodad in my possession I like to call the Article."

"'The Article'?" Ruby muttered, "Wait, isn't that the gold thingy you keep in your hat?"

"Aye." The Caravaneer confirmed as he pulled it out, "We've travelled the world already, and now we've come to Val Habar in search of three companions to help us." Ruby looked at him with a bit of confusion,

'If the thing in your hat is so important, why did you give up on getting it back so quickly?' Ruby thought as she sweatdropped, "So, if you mind me asking, what are these companions you're looking for?" She asked,

"Well, Companion Number 1: A cook! Can't hunt for treasure and mysteries on an empty stomach… or a sober mind, har!" The Caravaneer answered,

"Now that you've mentioned it, it would be nice to have a decent meal right now." Ruby said as her stomach growled, "I've been living on nothing but Rations for the past few weeks and the ship's food sucks."

"Companion Number 2: A merchant!" The Caravaneer continued, "We need a feller who can get what we need, when we need it, no questions asked."

'Oh thank God…' Ruby thought as she looked at her broken weapon, 'I might be able to repair Crescent Rose. Don't worry, mummy's gonna fix you soon.'

"And finally, Companion Number 3." The Caravaneer said, getting Ruby out of her thoughts, "A Hunter! Travelling the world is dangerous! A Hunter keeps the Caravan safe and sound." The Caravaneer smiled as he looked at Ruby, "And who should I meet on the ferry but YOU! You practically saved the whole dang city! Alone! …Well, with a little help." Ruby blushed again,

"Like I said before, it's supposed to be my thing. That's the job of a Hunter after all." Ruby said with a smirk, "Anyway, it was just by chance I got on the sandship you were on."

"Some might call it chance, but I call it destiny." The Caravaneer said he held out his hand, "So, how about it? You want to join the Capital C?" Ruby didn't even think about it and shook the Caravaneer's hand,

"You just got yourself a Hunter, Mr. Caravaneer." Ruby said with a smile. The Caravaneer smiled back at the Capital C's new Hunter, 'Ruby Rose, the Capital C Hunter. Has a ring to it.' Ruby thought,

"Right! Now we're cookin' with Wyvern fire!" The Caravaneer said, happy that he could cross getting a Hunter off the list, "This calls for a little entrance exam. Just a formality, mind you."

"Please don't be a written exam." Ruby groaned out, "I've been out of school for half a decade and I haven't studied and I really don't wanna be fired before I even start and-"

"It's okay, Hunter!" The Caravaneer laughed out, "I promise, it isn't a written exam. Just a small test to see if you've got what it takes."

"Oh thank God…" Ruby sighed in relief before realizing what the Caravaneer just said, "Hey, wait a minute, my name is-"

"Now, for your first Capital C Challenge, I need you to…" He paused for dramatic effect before he heard his stomach growling, "Ya know what? I'm famished!"

"Me too." Ruby said as her stomach growled again, "Let's go get something to eat. I'm sure there's-"

"Let's do this: Fetch me a Well-Done Steak. Heck, even a Rare Steak will do." The Caravaneer interrupted Ruby,

"Um, okay…" Ruby said, a little confused, "I was just about to go and-"

"Not buy one from a cook." The Caravaneer said, "I mean one fresh from a monster."

"But I'm hungry now…!" Ruby whined, "And I can't cook!"

"It's easy." The Caravaneer reassured the Red Cloaked Hunter, "To make 'em, you'll need to start with Raw Meat and then slooooowly grill it."

"That isn't much to go off of." Ruby mumbled to herself,

"I forget how many O's are there in 'slow', but timing matters! Ya'd better get in the wild and try it!" The Caravaneer then turned and pointed at the woman in green clothing, who was currently drawing in a book. She was sitting near a board which had pieces of paper pinned up on it, "That there is the Quest Counter. Eventually you'll be able to stop by there to undertake a whole slew of meaty Quests! Before you get to the meaty Quests, though, ya have to finish my Quest. As in, a Quest for meat!"

"She looks friendly." Ruby said as she looked at woman sitting near the Quest Counter, "Who is she? I'm guessing she's the Val Habar Sweetheart."

"Not quite. The girl manning –marming?– the counter is the Guildmarm. Think of her as a travelling Guild Sweetheart." The Caravaneer informed her, "She'll point ya in the right direction. She's a peach, she is."

"That's good to know but, um, I can't really do anything right now. I need my weapon fixed." Ruby said as she held up the parts of Crescent Rose,

"Not a problem." The Caravaneer said as he directed Ruby's attention to the large man with a welding mask sitting near a forge, "Over that way is the Smithy. The Man there can take yer materials and forge ya new weapons and armour, and I'm sure he can fix up your scythe. After all, forging is a Hunter must!"

"Thank you." Ruby said as she put away the parts of Crescent Rose, "Have you known this guy for long?"

"'Long'!?" The Caravaneer repeated before chuckling a little, "The Man's been my partner for ages. Ya'd never know he was so dexterous from the look of him. Har!" This caused Ruby to sigh sadly, remembering her partner for the first time in years,

"I wonder what she's doing right now." Ruby muttered to herself before her gaze was directed to the wagon next to the Quest Counter,

"Use the house over there as a prep room." The Caravaneer said,

"Wait, you're giving me a house!?" Ruby exclaimed, "But, we just met a while ago." 'AND YOU STILL HAVEN'T CALLED ME BY MY NAME!' Ruby shouted out in her mind,

"Oh, don't be shy! If you're going to be one of us, ya need your own personal space." The Caravaneer said with a smile. Ruby almost cried. She finally had a bed she could call her own after two years of searching for work,

"Thank you so much." Ruby said, smiling at the Caravaneer, "I don't know how I can repay you."

"You getting my hat from that Dah'ren Mohran is payment enough." The Caravaneer said as he tipped his hat at the new Capital C Hunter, "The Item Box in there is already stocked with a range of weapons. Go ahead and find one that suits ya best while your weapon's being repaired."

"I think I have one in mind." Ruby said, remembering all the weapons she had made for the Savior of Moga Village, though through her travels she did hear that the Guild was developing two new weapons and was eager to try them out since she heard they were available now,

"You can also Save your progress by sleeping in the bed there, too." The Caravaneer continued,

"Well, that's ni-" Ruby paused as she realized what the Caravaneer just said, "Wait, did you-"

"And last, but certainly not least, I'll be here if you ever lose sight of your goal. I'll point ya in the right direction." The Caravaneer interrupted Ruby,

"You are never gonna call me by my name, are you?" Ruby deadpanned, "Or answer why you keep saying strange stuff like that."

"Like what?" The Caravaneer asked,

"Nothing." Ruby sighed in defeat, before perking up,

"Right. I should give you this then." The Caravaneer said as he pulled out something from his bag, "Now take these with ya: some funds to get yourself ready and a bona fide set of Caravan armour." He said as he handed the stuff to Ruby,

"I've already said this a million times but thank you." Ruby said as she pocketed the Zenny and deciding to change into the armour later in private, "I never met someone so generous."

"Well, you're my Kindred Hunter now. It only makes sense. But from now on, everything ya get won't be so easy to obtain." The Caravaneer said, "Now all ya got to do is breeze through a couple of tests and make it official. Good luck! Har har!"

"Har har!" Ruby giggled before going into her house and changing into the Derring Set she was just given. It was a little loose for her size but with some modifications and a red dye job later, she felt ready to tackle the challenge. She quickly searched around in the Item Box and put in her pouch some Potions, some Energy Drinks, Whetstones, a few Bug Nets, two Iron Pickaxes and finally some Paintballs, "I think that's it… oh right!" She quickly dived back into her Item Box and found the weapons the Caravaneer provided her. Now, she thought she had gotten over geeking out over weapons ever since she became the Moga Village Smithy. She was too old for that type of stuff and was surrounded by them daily so she was ready to take her career seriously and pick a practical weapon.

Within a span of twenty seconds, that was thrown out the window as she reverted back to the 15 year girl that drooled at the sight of new weapons.

"Great Sword, Long Sword, Sword and Shield, Dual Blades, Hammer, Hunting Horn, Lance, Gunlance, Switch Axe, Light Bowgun, Heavy Bowgun, Bow…" Ruby said as she hugged all the weapons that were familiar to her before spotting something peculiar, "Huh? What's this…" Ruby reached out for it before quickly jumping away from the giant flying beetle that shot out of the box, "WHOA!" Ruby cried out, "Okay, why is there a bug in my box!?" Ruby shouted out.

The beetle stared at her, as if it was studying her, before it attached itself to her arm, "Uh… nice bug?" Ruby said as she nervously petted the beetle. It seemed to like it as it made a pleasant noise, "Why are you here little guy?" The beetle shifted its head towards the Item Box before flying back in there. Ruby shrugged and followed her new pet there.

Suddenly, the beetle pulled out a staff from the Item Box and placed it on the floor. From what Ruby could tell, it seemed to be made out of bones, "Why did you give me-oh! You must be part of the new weapon I've been hearing about." The beetle nodded, "Oh, I've heard about this. You're a Kinsect, right?" The Kinsect nodded again before placing itself back on Ruby's arm, "So this is one of the new weapons: the Insect Glaive." Ruby muttered as she picked up the staff. She played around with it a little before coming up with her opinion of the weapon,

"Sorry, it's great and all but I don't think I can use it and effectively." Ruby apologized to the Kinsect. It looked sad, but it understood, "But… there's nothing stopping you from coming along with me, isn't there?" The Kinsect was about to answer, before it realized that there really was nothing stopping it, "So, wanna hunt together?" It thought about it before politely shaking its head, "Aw, that's too bad. But you're still gonna be around right?" The Kinsect nodded, "Cool. Now, what should I call you…" Ruby thought about it for a moment before snapping her fingers, "Sora! Do you like that name?" The Kinsect now named Sora nodded, "Thanks for understanding, but I have my sights on another weapon." Ruby said before diving back into her Item Box.

(Some time later)

Ruby walked out of her house after talking to the Felyne Housekeeper with a Bone Axe on her belt, a Hunting Knife attached to her hip and a smile before she went around and talked to the locals. They seemed nice enough and she was able to buy herself a set of Leather Armour from the Val Habar Armoury for when she goes out on Gathering Quests. She could've bought a set of Chainmail Armour but she decided against it. She was just given a set of armour from the Caravaneer, so she may as well use it for at least one Quest. The next person on her list to meet was The Man,

"Ah, you must be the brave one that was on the ship." The Man said as he shook Ruby's hand, "I heard about your feats from the Caravaneer."

"The one and only." Ruby replied, "He really doesn't call anyone by their names, does he?"

"Yeah, he tends to forget the names of others. I think he even forgot his." The Man joked a little, "He and I are old friends."

"I know." Ruby said before stepping back to see The Man's shop, "So, you're the Smithy right?"

"Yes. I forge weapons and armour from monster materials." The Man answered, "Materials are of no use to you on their own, but bring them to me and I'll put my hammer to use… for a price, of course."

"Well, I was a Smithy for a while so I know how these types of things go." Ruby told The Man,

"Really?" The Man asked, pleasantly surprised, "I guess you don't need the use the Help button then."

"Oh God you're doing it too…" Ruby groaned, "Now. Shall we?"

"We shall." Ruby managed to convince The Man to use the left over scraps of material to repair Crescent Rose, though he did recommend Ruby to separate Crescent Rose into a Switch Axe and a Heavy Bowgun since he didn't have the skill or the materials needed to repair her weapon back into its former glory. While this upset Ruby, she knew it was a necessary sacrifice. It was better than having no Crescent Rose anyway. After leaving her weapon to The Man, the last person she wanted to meet was the Guildmarm, who was too busy doodling in her book to notice the Hunter in front of her,

"Hi!" Ruby greeted, snapping the Guildmarm from her drawing and quickly sitting up in a professional posture,

"Hi there. Can I help you?" The Guildmarm asked,

"Hey, um, I'm a new Hunter and I'm looking to join the Cara-"

"Hang on, now…" The Guildmarm mumbled to herself, not paying attention to Ruby, "Did the boss mention a new Hunter? I guess I could go check with him, but that would be awkward, so…" Ruby cleared her throat to get the Guildmarm's attention, "Oh! Sorry! Uh, I mean, *ahem* Yes. I have been expecting you." Ruby sweatdropped at the Guildmarm's attempt to cover up her mistake, "Welcome to the Quest Counter! I am sure we'll get to know each other very well. So let's get down to business, Doodle." The Guildmarm's eyes widened as she realized what she just said, "…Can I call you 'Doodle'?"

"Sure." Ruby said through gritted teeth, "Why not? It's Ruby, by the way."

"…What was that?"

"Nothing." Ruby sighed, "Okay, what Quests can I do?"

"At the moment, I'm afraid I can only offer you Caravan Challenges." The Guildmarm explained, "If you make the grade, though, I can start shoveling out some real Quests your way. Fun times!"

"It's alright. I need some easy Quests anyway." Ruby said as she did some stretches,

"Okay then. Now…" The Guildmarm muttered as she checked the Quest Board, "Let's get right down to those Challenges. Take a look at the 1-Star Quests first. You should see one called 'Steak Your Ground'."

"Oh God…" Ruby groaned. No matter how much she missed Yang, she still hated her stupid puns. She would have a field day if she was here, "So, I have to hunt down a monster, get some Raw Meat and either have cook up a Well-Done Steak or a Rare Steak, right?"

"Yep. Those are the conditions the boss set up." The Guildmarm confirmed before directing Ruby's focus to an archway, "Once you except the Quest, leave through the Quest Gate over there. Happy grilling! Nom nom nom." This reminded Ruby that she was hungry, so she planned on making a Steak for herself while on the field. She accepted the Quest and started making her way to the Quest Gate, before stopping when she saw something very important.

An anthropomorphic cat in what looks to be a Chinese chef's outfit serving a meal to another Hunter.

Ruby's stomach growled as she smelled the wonderful aroma coming from the Open-Air Kitchen. She quickly checked her funds before heading towards the Open-Air Kitchen to grab a bite to eat and meet with the chef. The Felyne saw her approach and quickly greeted her,

"Mi-hao! Welcome to the Open-Air Kitchen. You hungry? Then you came to the right place." The Street Cook said,

"Oh thank God." Ruby said as she took a seat as she looked at the menu. She noted the lack of food items on it, "I'll think I'll have…"

"…Ah! You're the Hunter who drove off that Dah'ren Mohran wearing nothing but your underwear and that red cloak, miao?" The Street Cook interrupted,

"Those were my clothes." Ruby said as she sweatdropped, "But yes, I'm the Hunter that drove off that monster."

"Ha! I knew it. You are so strong." The Street Cook said. Ruby blushed at the praise,

"I keep telling everyone, it's part of the job." Ruby replied, "I'm Ruby Rose."

"I am the Street Cook, this kitchen's owner." The Street Cook introduced himself, "Eat here, and you'll get big bonuses like increased Health and Stamina. So be sure to eat before every hunt. It's common sense, miao." Ruby's stomach growled at that moment. She decided to cut to the chase and order something, only to realize she didn't understand how to order,

"Um… what?"

"Ei? You don't know how to order? Listen, I'll teach you." Ruby blushed again before thanking the Felyne for the instructions, "Step 1! Sit at the table."

"Hurry up, hurry up, hurry up, hurry up…" Ruby chanted as she felt her stomach start eating itself,

"Step 2! Choose two ingredients. Step 3! Choose the way of cooking." The Street Cook finished, "I'll make you a meal with a great taste every time! But…"

"Just let me eat…" Ruby sobbed out, the aroma of food was killing her,

"You can only eat once before every hunt. It's bad to eat too much, miao?" The Street Cook told the impatient and extremely hungry girl, "Well, if you don't understand anything-"

"I understand that I'm slowly dying of starvation." Ruby said, feeling her body grow weaker by the second, before noticing the Voucher in front of her face,

"Here, I'll give you this as a friendship token! Use it anytime." Ruby smiled as she took the Voucher… before immediately turning it in,

"I want my Thorny Meat & Scalefish fried, please." Ruby said. The Street Cook immediately went to work, getting out the Fresh Ingredients and cooked up Ruby's dish. As soon as it was finished, Ruby licked her lips before absolutely destroying her meal in a matter of seconds. She thanked the Street Cook for her delicious meal before feeling the effects of her meal kick in. She flexed her muscles as she felt something kick in. She now felt full of energy and for some reason a bit smarter.

Ruby's Stamina increased!
Ruby's Attack increased!

(Felyne Black Belt activated!)
(Felyne Combiner (Lo) activated!)

"Okay, let's do this!" Ruby called out as she rushed over to the Quest Gate, ready to fulfill the Caravaneer's request.

(Ancestral Steppe)

Ruby breathed in the fresh air as she arrived at base camp. She felt so excited. She was on her first mission since five years ago and she was ready to explore, gather and hunt in the new area she was sure she would familiarize herself with soon, "Wow…" Ruby said in awe as she looked at the ruins that surrounded the base camp. They looked so similar to the ruins she found when she was 15 but they still so breathtaking to her. The sun was shining, the light glistening off the water and all she could see outside of the base camp was nothing but green plains, where passive monsters were sure to be, "This place is amazing."

"I admire your enthusiasm for my 'Steak Your Ground' Quest, Hunter." The Caravaneer said as he walked up to her. He, The Man and the Guildmarm joined Ruby to oversee how she went with the Quest as well as teach her more basic stuff, "I hope you're ready to cook me up some tasty meat."

"Do your best." The Man spoke up,

"Quiet down, you two. It's my job to explain how Challenge #1 is going to work." The Guildmarm scolded before clearing her throat, "Listen up, Doodle: Your objective here is to deliver either a Rare Steak or a Well-Done Steak."

"Got it." Ruby said as she wrote down the Quest Objective in her personal journal which she had gotten from her travels,

"For that, you're going to need some Raw Meat and a Portable Spit. Now would you be a dear and approach that blue box for me and see what's in there?"

"Okay." Ruby said as she walked up to the blue box. She opened it up and saw there were supplies in there,

"That's the Supply Box. It's full of items that have been provided by the Guild." The Guildmarm informed the Hunter, "Help yourself to as many of them as you want. Heck, take 'em all if you like! But whatever you do, just be sure to grab a Portable Spit and Map, okay? Trust me, you're gonna need them."

"Wow, I'm getting so much free stuff." Ruby muttered to herself as she grabbed everything except the Torch. It was a bright day and a Torch wasn't of much use right now, "Okay, I'm set. What do I do now?"

"Okay, now you need some Raw Meat." The Guildmarm said as she pulled out a book. She quickly flipped through the pages and found what she was looking for, "A lot of Hunters carve their own Raw Meat from these big herbivore monsters called Aptonoth. Right now, you're at base camp. It's great and all, but you aren't gonna find and Aptonoth here! Why don't you check your Map and head to the area marked '1'?" Ruby pulled out the Map and saw that Area 1 was only just outside base camp. She put the Map away and started heading towards Area 1. As soon as she entered the area, she saw cow-like creatures with leathery gray skin grazing on the grass north of her. She looked to her left and saw that there was a huge rock blocking the way to Area 2. She hoped it was removed after she was done with the Quest,

"Aha, Aptonoth! Oh, don't worry, Hunter. They're timid and quite harmless." The Caravaneer informed. Ruby wondered where he was and started looking around for the guy. She was sure he didn't follow her. He should be at base camp right now. She decided it was best to just follow whatever the others say and get the Quest done. She jumped off and few small ledges and made her way towards the monsters as fast as possible. She was about to get out her weapon but one of them spotted her. It let out a cry and before Ruby knew it, they were running away from the area,

"The Aptonoth ran away." The Man stated,

"After 'em, Hunter!" The Caravaneer called out. Ruby nodded and gave chase to the herbivores to the next area. She didn't feel like it was necessary to use her Semblance but as she ran, she realized how out of shape she was,

"Getting *pant* cramps." Ruby panted out. Despite the delicious meal she had earlier, she was already starting to run low on Stamina. When she reached Area 3, she was already tired. She took a sip of her Energy Drink and flexed her muscles as a shot of energy flowed through her body, "Save these for later, Ruby." She mumbled to herself as she put the Energy Drink back into her pouch, "You may never know when you'll need them."

"There. Aptonoth." The Man said, getting Ruby's attention. It looked like they haven't noticed her yet,

"Let's hope ya know how to use that weapon of yours." The Caravaneer said. Ruby only smirked as she equipped the Bone Axe, "Ready to get your hands dirty?"

"I was born ready." Ruby said with a smile before charging at an Aptonoth and sliced its hide with her Switch Axe,

"Har har! That's the spirit!" The Caravaneer laughed out. It cried in pain before Ruby slashed at it again. It was now on the floor, struggling to get up before Ruby switched from Axe Mode to Sword Mode and finished it off. It slowly bled out as it tried to get before it stopped and twitched a little, before it finally expired. Ruby felt bad for killed something that was minding its own business, but she had to get that Raw Meat somehow and it was part of the job. It didn't make her feel better, but rationalizing it was good enough for her, "All right! You good, Hunter?"

"I'm fine." Ruby answered, 'It's just my soul that needs healing…'

"Then put that axe away, because it's time to learn how to carve." Ruby nodded as she put away her weapon and got out her Hunting Knife. The Caravaneer told her which areas of the monster she wanted to carve if she wanted Raw Meat as well as some general tips on carving up monsters. She messed up and ended up only getting Small Monster Bones from the first of many dead Aptonoth and had to kill another one. Ruby tried again and managed to get out a decent chunk of Raw Meat this time, "Well, would you look at that — Raw Meat! Fire up that Portable Spit and let's get cookin' already! Keep an eye on the colour of the meat! Once it's done, take it off the spit. If you have a problem with timing, just whistle out a tune or something."

"Thanks. Okay, don't mess this up." Ruby muttered as she set up the Portable Spit. She placed the Raw Meat on it, lit the fire and started slowly rotating it,

"Kataomoi demo gyokusai de here we go! Utaeba shining after school~" Ruby sang out as she waited for the meat to cook, before she saw it change colours for the second time. She quickly took it off the spit and saw that it was perfectly well-done, "YES! SO TASTY!" She shouted out as she lifted the Well-Done Steak into the air, before awkwardly coughing and putting the Well-Done Steak into her pouch,

"Now that's some nicely cooked steak!" The Guildmarm commented, "All that's left is to head back to base camp and deliver the goods. Remember, you can deliver either Rare Steak or Well-Done Steak. There's no room for picky eaters in the Caravan!"

"You've reminded me three times already. I already know." Ruby said before checking the time, "Meh, I have time." Ruby said before she went around slaying more Aptonoth (while feeling bad about it) and cooking up more Well-Done Steaks for herself while also gathering up some Herbs and various Mushrooms. When she was done, she made her way back to base camp. She noted that the Caravaneer and The Man were gone, and only the Guildmarm was there to greet her,

"Hey, Doodle. See that red box next to the tent?" The Guildmarm asked as Ruby walked up the slope. Ruby looked around and found the box, "That's the Delivery Box. Just put the cooked meat in that and the Quest will be complete!"

"You know, I'd thought this would be a bit more exciting." Ruby admitted before sighing, "But everyone has to start somewhere." Ruby said as she placed a Well-Done Steak into the box. Suddenly, she heard triumphant music playing, making the whole thing seem more heroic and awesome when Ruby put the meat in the box. She was confused, but shrugged and accepted it. She flexed her muscles and started preparing for the trip back to Val Habar. She had to return the Supply Items she didn't use but didn't really mind. As she got on the ride back to Val Habar, she looked back at Ancestral Steppe and smiled.

The next time she would come here, it would be for the blood of monster.

But not before gathering every mineral, berry, plant etc. from the place.

Save Game… Quit!

Whew! Done! Thanks for reading and I hope to see you all soon.

UknownHero signing off, my friends!