Ruby finds the Armor of the Crimson Dragon

Ruby Rose refused to slow down. As she sped throughout the massive vault using her petal burst, everywhere she went in the vault, and everywhere she looked, she saw a plethora of weapons and gadgets that made her absolutely excited. Eventually, the constant use of her semblance began taking a toll on her, and she had to stop. As she did so to catch her breath, she looked up to see what looked like a collection of jewelry pieces, such as bracelets, necklaces, chokers, and tiaras. Above this large assortment spanning a small section of the vault was a sign that read: Sacred Beast Armors.

"That's wierd," Ruby said to herself, "I don't see any armor here. Maybe Professor Ozpin put this sign in the wrong place." Taking a closer look at the accessories themselves, she began to feel mesmerized by their luster, especially one particular red bracelet with a shiny gem of silver adorning it. "They pretty though."

Suddenly, a hologram appeared behind Ruby, causing her to jump in surprise as it made a sound of clearing its throat. Ruby turned to see who it was, but it was an older man that she didn't recognize. The gentleman presented himself in a manner that seemed familiar to Ruby, but what drew her attention was a cain that she immediately recognized from the day she was first invited to Beacon Academy. The man in the hologram was definitely Ozpin (or Ozma, whatever) from one of his previous lives. "Greetings," the hologram said, "I am Oslo Green, leader of the Green Expeditionary Company." Ruby vaguely remembered from her old history classes about a Green Expeditionary Company, a group of Huntsmen who specialized in exploring ancient ruins and dungeons, and uncovering valuable treasures, while battling ruthless criminal syndicates and small dictatorships that wanted to hoard said treasures for themselves. "If you are here seeing this prerecorded message, it would mean dire times have come upon us that would require these artifacts I have collected over my incarnations. These particular artifacts in particular, are the various adornments categorized as the Sacred Beast Armors. Do not be fooled by their current appearance as mere jewelry, as they are merely in their dormant states while waiting for a worthy bearer to wield them. In ancient times, long before known recorded history, there were legends of mighty beasts, created by the Brother God of Light, which protected humans from the Grimm during humanity's infancy. These beasts were powerful physically and magically, intelligent, and cared for humans to varying degrees. However, these sacred beasts could not live forever; thus, according to legend, each beast tasked a blacksmith to forge an ornate accessory, made from a piece of their very being, and once finished, the beasts infused their respective ornaments with a piece of their very souls, allowing any who wear them to use the beasts' magic as if it was their own. Finally, each beast chose a human champion that they deeply respected and deemed worthy of their power, and presented their ornaments to them. Once worn, the jewelry formed a permanent connection to their respective wearer, and slowly grew to cover their bodies, becoming powerful armor for them, while granting the champions powerful magic, and enhancing their auras and semblances. After the sacred beasts passed on, the armored champions took their place, defending humanity from the grim for the rest of their lives, and in many cases, passing on their armors upon ****, ensuring the presence of a champion for generations. Today, as I am recording this, the champions of the sacred beasts are considered nothing more than fiction and myth, but I know better. In my previous lives, I have considered many of these armored champions as close friends, one in particular, more so."

As Ruby listened, she was in awe, that something so powerful and ancient can actually exist. It was then, as she began to suspect some kind of downside to all of this, that she heard the Oslo recording mention something about a tradeoff.

"...there is a catch," the hologram continued, "In order to wear the armor, one must be willing to make a commitment, or rather... a sacrifice." Ruby didn't like the sound of that. "Each armor grants a user great power, and even long life by slowing the aging process to a mere crawl, but in order to do so, the armor must fuse with the user's body in order to create a symbiotic relationship. While the armor will start off small, covering a small part of the body, continued use of its power will allow it to grow, covering more of the body over time. The process is slow, and can take up to a few months before the armor covers the entire body, and because of the aforementioned fusion and symbiotic relationship the armor is provided, the armor cannot be removed, and will be worn for the rest of the user's life. With all of that said, if you are willing to make this great commitment, then do what you must. Just know this: due to the nature of these adornments, you do not necessarily choose the armor, but the armor chooses you."

After that lengthy message, the hologram disappeared. Ruby took a moment to take all of the information in. Thinking back to her first big mission, and what she saw at Fort Arrowfell, all of those weapons and tech that she saw was breathtaking and/or extremely dangerous, but what she was here was on a whole new level. Those pieces of jewelry before her, were actually sets of magical armor in some sort of dormant state. It was then that Ruby's eyes were drawn to one specific artifact: a shiny, metalic red braclet with a reptilian like texture, adorned on top with a silver gem that appeared to be glowing as she approached it. Upon touch the glass case containing the bracelet, another smaller hologram of Oslo appeared inside the case, in front of the bracelet.

"Ah yes," Oslo said, "The Armor of the Crimson Dragon of Silver Glory, or just the Crimson Dragon. The mighty beast that created this is one that I knew very well; something you might understand very well if you know enough of my past. This beast was often a glory seeker, battling several creatures of Grimm head on before they had a chance to threaten humanity, and yet had a cheerful, somewhat motherly personality towards the humans under her care. Yes the Crimson Dragon identified as female, don't ask me how I found that out." Ruby blushed at that particular comment. "Having actually met one of the champions that wore the dragon's armor long ago, I was able to witness the armor's power first hand, as it gave the champion the power of enhanced strength, speed, flight, and the magic of fire, including fire that is hot as dragon's breath, which, speaking from experience, is very hot indeed. It was through this champion that I first learned of the existence of a tribe of Grimm slaying warriors, all of whom bore silver eyes containing a great power. From my studies during my recent expeditions in this life, I learned that every generation, a young woman among the silver eyed tribe would be chosen to don the Crimson Dragon's armor, become the new champion, and lead a year long crusade against the Grimm in leu of the armor's namesake. As the tribe no longer seem to exist, and its decedents are scarce and spread out across Remnant, it seems very unlikely that the armor will ever by worn again, as only a woman with silver eyes, and a warrior's pure heart can use it, and that itself, is a rarity. However, if you are such a woman, then the Armor of the Crimson Dragon of Silver Glory is yours, should you choose to make the commitment."

As the Oslo hologram disappeared, Ruby was left intrigued, in awe even, at the thought of something so small growing into a full set of armor that allowed anyone who wore it to use fire magic, and even fly like a bird, or in this case a dragon. However, she then thought about Oslo's warning about making a sacrifice. If she, or anyone for that matter, chose to wear any of these armors, that was it; there was no going back. Any chance for a normal life (at least normal for a huntress): gone.

'Am I really willing to do something like this?' Ruby thought.