Forged Destiny [Book 9: Ch. 6]

Now, there were eighty or ninety members of the Labour Caste being arranged into a line three deep, Soldiers moving between them to tweak shoulders, arms and spears. In the front, standing unflinchingly before so many sharp points, a much older man was talking.

[...]

"Listen up, militia. We've a treat for you today. I'm sure I don't have to introduce Jaune Arc, Hero of Beacon and Hero of Vale who slew Cinder Fall and ended the Mistral invasion of Vale. The man who rode out with his majesty King Galan and Ozpin, headmaster of Beacon, to entreat with Salem herself not three days past."

That was a lot of titles. I wasn't sure I deserved all that many of them.

"Someone who, despite all those accomplishments, shares a Caste with the lot of you – and a Class with some. I've seen a Blacksmith or two among us today. He's going to be giving you lot a few words of wisdom, so I'd listen closely if I were you. This is someone who has made what you're trying work. Arc," the man nodded. "The floor is yours."

"Thank you." I realised I didn't know his name and left it there. Advice. Advice. In my head, I remembered all those fantastic speeches from Glynda, from Weiss and even Ozpin. Then, I discarded them all and thought back to scared little me entering Beacon. "Every single one of you is at a disadvantage in a fight compared to a normal Soldier or Hero. Some of you will be physically weak, some of you slow. Your Stats are skewed for what you do, and that isn't fighting. It means that even if you share a level with a Hero, they're going to have an advantage at fighting compared to you – and that's before their Skills and Passive is brought into account."

"And that's fine," I said quickly, noting some of them looking less than inspired and in fact rather more nervous than they had on first seeing me. "I won't lie and tell you it's not an advantage for them, but an advantage is all it is. It makes fights easier for them and harder for us, but `harder` isn't impossible. You all have Strength. You all have Dexterity. You can hit stuff and you can make those hits count. Some of you will hit harder, some of you will hit more often, but the thing to remember is that as long as you're hitting your foe, you're killing them."

In an attempt to bring some more inspiring presence back to proceedings, I drew Crocea Mors and stabbed her down into the dirt. Freshly forged and glimmering in the noonday sun, she looked far more dangerous than I did.

"I am proof that we Labour Caste can fight. I am proof that nothing is impossible. I am proof that the only thing which holds us back from being just as strong as Heroes, is the expectation that we can't be. The path here was hard and I spent a lot of it being scared out of my wits, so don't feel bad if you're afraid. There were times when I wanted to curl up into a ball and weep. Other times when I felt so outclassed I wanted to give up and go home. Yet here I am today, still standing."

The advice I'd needed, that would have helped me most, was surprisingly simple. No cheats, no tricks and no training regimes.

"It's possible." I looked over them and felt a proud smile spread across my face. Not only at what I'd achieved, but at what they were now here doing. In a way, following the same Path I had. "I know it's hard, but you should all remember that what you're doing today is possible. You can and will be as strong as Heroes if you keep at it. Don't doubt it, even for a second."

Reassurance. Certainty. The one thing that would have helped me so much back then was proof that my naïve dreams were more than just that; that if I kept at it, if I tried my hardest, I'd become a Hero despite being a Blacksmith.

That wasn't to say I didn't have a few tips and tricks, though.

"The only other thing to remember is to leverage what Skills you have. I'm a Blacksmith, so I made good arms and armour for myself. If you're a Tailor, make armour. Or nets. If you're a Carpenter, try and make traps and barricades. If you're an Herbalist, see if you can make medicine or even poison for the Grimm. Soldiers and Heroes can make stuff blow up and cut through enemies in one blow, but it's pretty rare they can create stuff. Try and think how you can use your Skills to your advantage." I bowed and stepped back. "That's all I have."

The Labour Caste clapped and cheered for me. I wasn't sure how much of it was polite more than inspired, but if I'd managed to lessen the doubts of even a few, I thought it would be worthwhile. And really, I found it hard to understand why they'd look up to me anyway. I knew I was proof of concept, but I certainly didn't cut a heroic figure, or feel any different from Yang, Ruby or Weiss.

As I walked back to her, Yang gave me a thumbs up that made me feel a little better. At least I'd done a good enough job to earn that.

—Forged Destiny [Book 9: Ch. 6]