7 Chapter 7: Final Year

I don't own RWBY, Roosterteeth owns them

I only own my OCs.

Or they own me… I can't seem to stop them from doing what they want.

Undetermined Location…

A pale woman watches over her land. She sees her Grimm; special and lesser, mingle and form, feeling proud and yet disturbed at the same time.

She had, after all, just received news that one of her own creations; a vampire by the name of Flandre, had been killed in action, after all.

She wouldn't normally be very disturbed, no. Her creations died all the time. It was the person that worried her.

A masked man. Inwardly, she cringed with disgust at his bastardized use of an Ursa mask. He had killed two other Grimm of her own creation; a powerful and old Nydus Worm she tried to sneak near Vale, and a exceptionally strong Aberration by the name of Vojk. They are not pushovers, and are extremely hard to kill.

Vojk should have been fast enough to avoid every single attack that came behind him, and her Nydus Worm could not have died that fast, even if the enemy used Acid.

Her experiment—a man named Robert Rotten—had also been killed. Her experiment on the apples had failed to bear any good fruit as most of her subjects died. Imagine her surprise as Robert ingested the apple and lived.

It was not for long, however, as the same person killed him too.

The pale woman narrowed her eyes as she saw young Nevermores take to the sky, a single thought running across her head.

Crimson Branwen… I will kill you just like I did your predecessor. I will not take this slight lightly.

Undetermined Location… again.

It was pure white when I opened my eyes again. Light was everywhere, pervading my vision—but for some reason, didn't feel bright. I put my fist to my eyes and rub it to see if anything's wrong, but the moment I dropped my hand, nothing changed.

"Agh… So bright," I grumbled, pausing only to take note of the almost ethereal tone that should not be in my voice. I was wearing the same clothes that I wore during my fight with the vampire, so I might not have gotten to Beacon after all.

"Oh no, you did get to Beacon." Another voice rang out, amused.

Recognizing the familiar voice, I just lazily turn my head towards his direction and wave. "Hey there, Kreutz. Do you have an idea on where we are?" Frankly, I have a few ideas, but I wanted his opinion or knowledge on the matter.

His amused expression didn't drop, his eyes twinkling with mirth. "I'm sure you already know," He says mysteriously.

I take a shot in the dark with a guess. "My soul? Mindscape?" I hedged. "Or my soulscape?"

Kreutz took a thinking pose as he sat down in front of me. "Soulscape is a more accurate term of where we are, I suppose," He conceded. "We are, in essence, talking inside your soul. Well, our soul."

I perk up at his added sentence. "Our soul?"

He slowly nodded. "You—well, me. I got here earlier than you, then I died after 5 years. It was an okay life, I suppose."

"But that's impossible," I argued. "I can't have been you—I died then right after that I went right into the womb—"

"Do you believe in the multiverse theory? You should," He began. "We're the same person—but different at the same time. Same person, but different universes and experiences. It's something to think about, at least," He trailed off at the last sentence.

"I… see," I barely do, but I don't tell him that since he probably already knows anyway. "So… what was life before me like? Who did you meet?"

He shrugged and put a fist to his cheek. "Well, I met your parents, your uncle, and your surrogate mom for one. They were on a mission as one team and I saved them. They were called Team—"

"STRQ, team STRQ," I murmured softly. "I saw that before I tried to Astralize you."

Kreutz smiled softly as he gained a faraway look in his eyes. "Yeah… they were my first friends on this world—probably my best friends too. You can imagine what Qrow looked like when I brought you in Beacon. He was pissed for, quote, 'making us think you were dead', unquote."

I stifled a laugh. "Did you tell them that you're just an astralization?" I was a bit amused by the idea, even if I knew that the humor was a bit dark. Qrow must have been surprised to see a previously dead friend come back to life.

"Nah, just winked at him and gave a cheeky smile before he saw you," He pauses after that, then adds softly. "He loves you, you know?"

I genuinely smile. "I know."

We spent a few minutes comfortably silent, thinking different thoughts.

"Kreutz," I began, drawing his attention. "When you said 'our' soul, what did you mean?"

He was quiet for awhile, looking up as he thought of what to answer. "Essentially, we're the same person. Our souls merged—we're just temporarily separated because I still haven't deastralized."

"What do you mean our souls merged? And how did I astralize you in the first place?" I asked, confused. Frankly, I still had little idea of how I managed to summon his assistance, though helpful. Soul stuff wasn't really my cup of tea; I'm more focused on the combat applications of my semblance instead of the reincarnating problem.

My reincarnation stopped bothering me years ago. It's not like it was bothering me too much, anyway.

"I mean it like we're merged. We're one person."

… What?

"But—how's that possible?" I gaped, my mouth hanging wide as he gave me a close eyed smile.

"Beats me. My theory is that since we're the same person, you dragged me back to you when I died and you reincarnated. We might have done both at the same time. The odds are against it, but to be honest, with all the special Grimm we've seen and the things I know about our power… well, odds are the least of our worries."

"You talk as if the Gamer ability is dangerous," I pointed it out. I noticed his grave expression, making me worried. "Wait… is it?"

"Crimson," He started slowly, emphasizing my name. "Have you ever tried to consume a skill book? To use the inventory? To change classes?"

I frowned. I tried to gather what was left of my knowledge of the Gamer ability, which were the skills (or as I know them right now, Perks), inventory, settings, and party.

All of them failed. No prompts came up when I said the keywords out loud or in my head; they just weren't available, even if the game wasn't expressly telling me that. It felt like the ability was incomplete, as if I was missing puzzle pieces—and I was holding only a single piece.

"Once or twice… why? They all failed," I informed him even though his question was probably rhetorical. "Is there something I'm missing here?"

"I reckon not for long," His voice was fading away, and the light room was turning dark. "I'll see.. on… side." His form blinked away, bringing the room of light with it.

Beacon Infirmary, 16 years old, hours after the incident

My eyes snap open, taking in the bright light and the cold mattress of Beacon's infirmary. I was, of course, wearing the hospital gown, my mask taken off and weapons nowhere to be seen. Typical.

There were still prompts from the fight before, and I don't sense anyone close behind the door. Kreutz seemed to be a bit farther away, though he was coming to here. There were two familiar Aura signatures with him; one I recognized as Qrow, the other as Ozpin.

Judging from their speed, I have a few minutes to check out these prompts.

Consuming the Soul Artifact granted the player the [Awakened] boost!

The soul within… awakens.

Permanent +1 to Intelligence

Permanent +1 to Charisma

Permanent +1 to Perception

Permanent x4 Aura

Permanent x4 Aura Regeneration

Permanent extra +10 Aura per level up

Aura passives raised to 200%

+1 level

+Astralize

Woah… that boost is broken. Now that the prompt mentioned it, I can feel the fuckton of Aura that I have. That explains why I had more Aura than what I was used to when I fought Flandre. That Soul Artifact was really useful, though that's probably still an understatement.

I have 700 Aura right now—max. Since I got an extra level, have +10 more Aura when leveling up and had 330 Aura before I used the Artifact, that means I should have 1400 Aura, which is a lot. If I recall correctly, a normal Hunter in training can have 300 Aura, more or less, though it's just speculation on my part since I don't exactly have a skill that can Observe a person, something that bugs me even today.

I only speculated that from watching the spars on Beacon sometimes. The screens don't quantify their Aura, but I compared my (previous) Aura to theirs, and mine either shined as bright or dwarfed the other's Aura.

In my Sensor trait, the brighter an Aura is, the denser and the more of it there is. That's mainly how I judged their Auras, but I could be wrong. There's always room for error, after all.

Intelligence Check Success: 8/5

Oh, ha ha. I haven't seen one of those in awhile, but apparently the game decides it could be a smartass and do it in times like these.

I should probably just check the other ones before I get more annoyed.

SPECIAL skill earned: Quantified Soul (8 Intelligence)

Player can now use skill points on Aura. 1 Point is 10 Aura Points, use your points wisely.

… Huh. Well, that's something. A SPECIAL skill.

I don't have a lot of these. I have one skill from Strength, which was called Shattering Mountains, which essentially gave me more mastery as long on blunt weapons. I have two from Agility, the first one was called Dancing Blades, which gave me more mastery on Bladed Melee weaponslike Shattering Mountains, and the second one was called Cutting Edge, which gave me more mastery on Bladed Melee and gave me more damage and attack speed on any bladed weapon.

Both of them gave me boosts on skill mastery, but didn't give me extra values on the skills themselves.

So this is… odd.

Would getting 8 on Endurance give me the same SPECIAL skill for HP? I idly wondered, staring at the prompt. I have an extra 20 points that I could use. I had planned to use them all on Blunt Melee, but maybe I can make an exception and spend 10 on Aura and Blunt Melee instead.

Maybe later, I thought as I stared at the remaining prompts. Only a few left to read through, and I'm set.

Perk earned: Astralize

Summons the being that resides in your soul.

Halves Aura and Aura Regeneration when used.

Time Limit: 3 Days when not using any Aura

Astralized Beings do not have their own Aura regeneration unless player siphons their own Aura to it to prolong its time limit.

Well that explains a little bit about the ability. Kreutz—I get it now, I think. We're the same person, since he's me from a different time (..?) and he lives in my soul. I could probably badger him when he gets here about it, but I'd rather not get into a contest of who can be the most vague in a sentence.

That time limit is crazy though—and I can extend it! This could be useful as a spying tactic, but to be honest, I don't think I'd be able to use that ability any time soon.

Now, the next prompt.

Quest Completed: Soul Artifact

Completed: Defeat the final enemy

+26000 EXP

+Infamy

Well, I got a pretty solid reward there, I thought sarcastically. I got 26000 EXP, which is roughly the same as I got from the Robert Rotten fiasco, and infamy. I don't know how or why I got infamy, but it's there, and I doubt that it's a good sign.

As soon as I dismissed the prompt, the door to the infirmary came open, Kreutz in the middle of explaining his whereabouts to Qrow. "—telling you, I've been with you since I 'left'," the astralization smiled cheekily at his inside joke, making Qrow's eyes twitch.

"Kreutz, I ain't sure of what you're trying to tell me here, but what I'm sure of is that I haven't seen your scrawny ass in years," Qrow retorts, then took a swig from his flask. "I'm not sure if this is some weird fever dream from drinking too much. If it is, I can probably solve it by drinking more."

"I'm not sure that's how it works, Qrow," Ozpin sips from his mug, staring at the two in front of him, amused. "But I can assure you, that Mister Kreutz is very much real."

"Not for long, I'm not!" Kreutz chirped. "I got to go, mom's calling," He grinned at the headmaster and Qrow, the first nodding in his direction, the second looking at him confusedly.

"What're you talkin' about—" Kreutz's form shattered into blue Aura, which seeped back into me. My max Aura went from 700 to 1400—just as I thought. I have 20 extra points, so I put 10 into Aura and 10 into Blunt Melee. My max Aura went from 1400 to 1500—my current Aura was a bit lower since Kreutz used a bunch during the fight, but it's already recovering rapidly. Much faster than before, at least.

Qrow's eyes bugged as it trailed the Aura to me, staring at my recovering form and the Aura that briefly surrounded me before disappearing.

"Kid," Qrow begins, preparing to take a huge swig from his flask. "What the fuck was that?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. I asked him about it and he was a little vague about it," I take a glass of water from the desk to my right and gulp its contents down.

Ozpin hummed, took a chair, then sat down, staring at me. "How so?"

I thought about my answer. It's a little difficult to explain, but I manage to roughly do so. "When I passed out… after, well, fighting the Grimm inside a ruin I found near the Emerald Forest, he appeared inside my mindscape."

"A mindscape?" Intrigue is present in Ozpin's voice. I would be curious too if someone had a voice in their head. Though my curiosity would be something about why the person hasn't gone to the nearest mental institute yet.

"A mindscape, yeah, a representation of—" I was cut off by Qrow.

"Of one's mind or soul. Yeah, we know," He took a swig from his flask, expression grave and worried. Why was he worried?

"… he also told me something. Something about my ability being dangerous?" I asked nervously. "Or—well, not dangerous. He alluded it to me—see, he had the same ability, you know which Qrow—it's called—"

"Growth," I must have been confused and showing it, since Qrow elaborated on his answer. "Alright, kid. Tell me, what fairy tales have you head in your life?"

I pursed my lips. "To be frank, not a lot. I only know about the Maidens and the two brothers. Both of them seem like religious stuff that I'd rather not touch, though," I idly note that I've been more talkative since I got the permanent +1 CHARISMA, but it's not a bad thing, so I let it be. I noticed both of them have serious faces on. I paled.

Ozpin answered for me, his tone carrying a weight that I felt on my shoulders. "I see you've come to a conclusion," a coffee mug I hadn't seen him carry inside was suddenly to his lips, before he lowered it to continue his answer. "Yes, Mister Crimson, both of those are real. Very, very real."

I stew in silence and thought about it. "So… four maidens have the power of nature on their side. Two gods existed to make mankind and a handful of abstract relics—"

"The relics are very much physical," Ozpin informed me. He took another sip from his mug and inclined his head towards me. "Four of them, scattered around the world, hidden to hide them from the prying eyes of those that would abuse them."

"Creation, Destruction, Knowledge, and Choice," Qrow ticked off the names. "Four relics of great power—gifts by the Gods before the left permanently."

"But… I don't see any of these applying to me," I held my head, trying to nurse the migraine that I know will come. "I mean, it's great that we have that much firepower right now—but, I don't see what it has to do with me."

I was worried. Scared. I don't know what these two were trying to tell me—if they were trying to warn me, scare me. But the knowledge that those two fairy tales were very much true left a bad taste in my mouth—and I have a very good idea of why they're just called fairy tales now.

"Alright, Crim," My uncle got a seat and reclined. He made a motion as if he was going to take a drink from his flask, but chose against it, setting it down on the desk. "Let me tell you about the Tale of the Four Travelers."

"Is four a holy number or something? The important stuff always seem to have four in them… four man teams, four maidens, four relics… four travelers?" I murmured below my breath. Ozpin coughed.

Qrow, however, either ignored my question or didn't hear it at all. "Once upon a time," he started with a tinge of sarcasm. "There were four travelers; no one knows where they came from, and why they came. They were from a far off land—only here to settle down peacefully."

"The first one was a man called Master. He was the master of a lot of arts; fighting or not. The second one was called Devourer, because he devoured knowledge and gained from it, supplementing his already great knowledge on the world; the third was the Armory, since no one saw him without a weapon; hidden or otherwise. The last one," Qrow glanced at me meaningfully. "was called Growth. He was called that for one thing only; whenever he fought a battle, he grew stronger exponentially. No one could stop him from growing, and there was no limit to his power. He was, undoubtedly, the most powerful of the four Travelers."

"They settled down peacefully in Sanus, hidden from the outside world. They were happy, for awhile. They were all friends. They did they fair share of work, helped each other out. But it wasn't to last," Qrow trailed off at the end, letting me to come to my own conclusion.

"Grimm," I said, my tone heavy.

Qrow nodded, continuing his story. "Grimm found them. They saw the work of humanity, and sought to destroy it. They destroyed the home of the Travelers while they were gone to do their own work, leaving before any of them got home. When they found their home destroyed, they were shocked and angered," Qrow took a sip from his flask and set it down again. "So they sought to find who destroyed their home, and destroy theirs in the process."

"That's… dark, for a fairy tale," I muttered. "I thought these stories were for children."

"It's less of a fairy tale and more of a legend," Qrow replied, stretching. "Stop interrupting and let me continue."

I snorted and listened closely, trying to look for a glass of water. There were none.

"The four Travelers traveled together again, looking for the Grimm that destroyed their home. They traveled the whole world; Sanus, Anima, and a brief time at Solitas. Eventually, they found the home of the Grimm; it was ancient and powerful. But they won, and came to their own home to rebuild it," Qrow took a swig from his flask this time, sighing contentedly as he put it down again. "To be honest, the ending seems bullshit."

"It really does," I agreed. "Every fairy tale's ending seems that way. It makes children think happily, at least."

"Yes," Ozpin started. "And happiness will keep away negativity, which, in turn, keeps away the creatures of Grimm," he takes a sip from his mug. How much coffee does he have on that thing? "It fills children and the people around them with positivity, after all."

"Can't argue with that," I shrugged. It was a good reason to make blatantly false stories for children, but it gives people trouble differentiating which ones are true and which ones are not. I suppose it has some good in it, since it made the apparently very real story of the Maidens and the Relics fade into obscurity. "So… what makes you think I'm Growth?"

"Kid, you told me back when we started your apprenticeship. You played life like a game and you grew in power as you grew in 'levels'," he did air quotes at 'levels'. "That set off warning bells inside my head, so I told Oz here. Why did you think he allowed high level missions to come in so easily? It was so we could test your power—see if it was true."

"And it was," I murmured. "That's… clever, though a bit manipulative."

"But it worked," Ozpin had a glint in his eyes as he told me that. "You grew strong and skilled, and have feats that people double or triple your age would have never achieved. You grew powerful."

"Great," I said sarcastically. "Now I just have to stop passing out once every year."

Ozpin chuckled and Qrow gained a smirk on his face. I take a deep breath and continue.

"So… why did you tell me all this? I could have gone years without knowing any of this—there'd be no risk of a security leak. Is there something I'm missing still?"

"Yeah," Qrow answered, his expression dark. "How would you feel if I told you the Grimm aren't as leaderless as they seemed?"

"Not really surprised—they're not mindless from my past encounters with them," I said distractedly. "So they have a leader that controls them all?"

"Not only controls them," Ozpin adds on. "She creates them, too."

I sighed. "And I'm guessing she has a huge interest on the three legends and wants them all for herself and you guys are part of a group that protects them all?" That last part was mostly a joke, but as with all my jokes, they went silent as my eyes went wide.

"Are you serious?" I asked incredulously. "You guys—you people protect people like… me?"

"Not necessarily people like you," Qrow explained. "We protect the world from people like you—people who'd use powers like yours to destroy. To kill people. The one we're fighting—the Queen, she's one of those people."

"Indeed," Ozpin nodded. "She has set the board, and we are the pieces."

My uncle sighed. "You and your damn chess analogies, Oz."

Ozpin just smiles. "I do try."

I mused over the topic. If I fight with them, I get EXP. If I don't—I get EXP.

She controls the Grimm, A dark thought came over me, my expression changing into a resolved one.

Grimm put my family in danger—either directly, or indirectly. While there was no proof that the Grimm would disappear if the enemy dies, it would at least help. Maybe if she dies, there won't be any other powerful Grimm that would appear randomly.

I would never want to wish Flandre, or that large Nydus Worm, or even Vojk on my friends or enemies. They would have been terrifying to fight—utter hopelessness, the feeling of demise setting on your shoulders as you watch your attacks do nothing but tickle the enemy.

It was, after all, my feelings when I fought enemies that I barely defeated.

"So… you want me to fight," I said slowly, sitting up straighter.

"Not necessarily," Ozpin replied, tilting his head. "We want to keep you safe—hidden from the world."

"I won't take this sitting down, mister Ozpin," My intentions were set. I want to fight. "My predecessors fought the Grimm to avenge their new home—I'll fight to protect mine."

Ozpin smiled.

"I see," Ozpin took out a scroll and pressed a few things. I couldn't read it, since it was mirrored, but it didn't stop my surprise from showing after he told me his next words.

"Then I, Headmaster Ozpin, graduate you from Signal Academy and Beacon Academy, making you a Huntsman from this point forward. Congratulations, Crimson Branwen, for being one of the youngest Huntsman in the history of Remnant."

6 months after, 5 months before Beacon, 16 years old

It's been 6 months since I became an official Huntsman. Since then, I've only got up by one level, only one, unfortunately. I used 5 points to bring up Blunt Melee to 90 then 15 to my Aura, bringing it from 1520 to 1670.

That's still a lot, actually. Much more than the average Huntsman, at least. It made spamming my skills a lot easier and more viable—so viable that I've combined my semblance and combo skills, which made some very devastating mid-range attacks.

I also got a new trait that comes at every two levels—it's called Toughness, which required 5 Endurance and gave me 10% damage resistance. With how many times I've been thrown and punched around, I think it would be a good idea to invest in that perk.

That, with the added passive perk of having more Aura than HP which gave me 50% more damage resistance, would give me 60% max resistance on any damage. Frankly, it gives me a lot of relief since I really don't want to die that fast.

Nevertheless, when I became promoted, it raised a bunch of eyebrows at Vale's council. Thankfully, Ozpin managed to convince them that I was worth the promotion with a few records and kept my becoming a Huntsman quiet. A small part of me is happy at that—no paparazzi, no cameras, no trouble. If anyone doubts my title, I can always show them my scroll (Which also doubles as identification! What a useful device.) and make them see for themselves. If they still don't believe it, I could just do a show of force and that usually quiets them down.

Not a lot of people question me though, since the Ursa Mask intimidates them. Probably. That, or my low charisma is still turning people off from talking to me.

Right now, though, I'm on a self-imposed mission. At the Residential District, there was apparently rumors of a man that could make things appear out of thin air. It was, at worst, a wild goose chase, but at best, Armory himself.

I had taken it to myself to try and warn the rest of the other Travelers, but not to turn them to my side. I don't know what they've been up to—or if they've even been awakened yet. But I'm not going to force them to fight the Queen—not when the risks are still so high.

I bit into an apple as I pretended to mess with my scroll. It was opened at the ContiNet browser, which was Remnant's version of the Internet. It was set on a website that greatly resembles a certain 4 leafed messaging board back in Earth, and the memes that were in here were also very similar to that back in Earth.

Maybe I should try to dip into Remnant's meme culture,I thought idly, before snorting. Nah. I scrolled through a few more pages, sipping milk from the flask that Qrow gave me when I got promoted into a Huntsman.

It was pretty much the same as his—except I don't fill mine with booze. I liked milk in my previous life, and that hasn't changed even now. There was either cold milk or hot milk inside my flask, though right now it's cold. It doesn't really matter—I like how it tastes.

I'm sitting inside a café, right by the window, observing an apartment building. The rumors led to this street, and there's only one apartment in here. It was a wild hope, but there was still hope. I sighed as I put the flask back into my cape.

Finally, the rumors came true. My ability confirmed it for me.

A man, at least 6 foot tall—two inches taller than me—came out of the apartment building. He had bright green hair and green eyes. He also had a tired look on his face and his hair had a bit of white on it, so he's probably not young. He didn't look particularly intimidating—but it's also 9 in the morning, so it might be just because of that. He was wearing a dark green t-shirt, black pants and some sneakers. The real kicker, however, was the nametag that was above him.

Venn Tori

The Armory (Awakened)

Traveler

Well if that didn't confirm anything, Qrow can kick me in the face.

I left a few lien on my table before going out. He hasn't noticed me yet and has started jogging. I slowly trail him, my eyes never leaving his form. I take another sip of milk from my flask and start jogging slowly, coming up behind him.

We jogged for a few more minutes, coming to a park. There was a forest to the left, and I have a feeling that he isn't as clueless as I think he is.

I slowed down and sat at a park bench, feigning tiredness. I sneak a peek at Venn and see him jogging towards the forest, not speeding up or slowing down.

So of course, I follow.

I creep through the trail he left, focusing on my Sensor ability. That was also a factor that helped me prove that he was a Traveler. Around him were candles, while he was a friggin' bonfire. I'm tracking him easily just by following his burning Aura.

Oddly enough, he was going for 2 smaller Aura signatures, albeit both were of big size. Huntsman or student level, at least. I ran forward, intent on catching up.

I reach their general area, taking note of the surroundings. It was a clearing, and a clearly abandoned warehouse was in the middle of it. Vines grew on the side of the building, glass was shattered, and there were some holes in the wall. Overall, it looked like your typical ruined building.

Venn was already inside. I don't know what he was doing with the two Aura signatures inside, but it was clearly nothing violent… yet. There weren't any significant fluctuations in their Aura that signified any moves being thrown out, but I can't hope for that to be the case all the time.

I need to come closer, I might be able to hear any conversation they have if I'm inside. I scan the building, taking note of the holes in the walls. Seeing a decent sized hole, several feet from the ground, I make my way there.

I jump up, my boots not making a sound as I landed on stone on the warehouse's second floor. I faintly hear their echoing conversation as I sneak through the building.

"… don't need to do this, Roman," Roman? Like, the upstart criminal? What's he doing here? "I will be perfectly fine."

"You don't understand, pops," Yeah, it's him alright. I can recognize that flamboyant voice anywhere. "She's dangerous. I can't—I won't refuse that offer. Not when we're the ones in line."

"I can protect myself!"

"Not when your sickness is giving you a problem!"

There seems to be a little family feud going on here… I'm close to them now, and I lean back against a railing to hear them talk more.

"I'm fine, Roman. We can just run—I can protect us," Venn seemed to be desperate now. "We can't deal with those people—I thought you were going to stop stealing Dust!"

"Pops," Roman's voice was soft, a stark contrast to the frustrated one from awhile ago. "I know you care—I really do. But I can't just ignore this—she'll kill us all."

She? I mused. Wonder if they're talking about a criminal… or the Queen.

I suppose it's time I make my presence known. With those thoughts in my mind, I cleared my throat and stood up, making the three people—woah, barely noticed the little girl there—tense up and look up at me.

"Hello," I greeted. Venn looked especially worried, if the way he was looking above my head was to be believed. The two others, Roman Torchwick and little ice cream girl, were tense and ready for a fight.

"Tori," I nodded to him.

"…" He nodded stiffly to me, making Roman gape.

"You know this kid?" Roman points at me with his cane. Red tip at the end. Gun?

"No. He knows me, but I don't," Venn scowled up at me. "What do you want?"

"I don't want to fight," I try to settle the situation. Idly, I noted that the girl I'm seeing below there was still there—but the Aura was minimal, so it's an illusion. I can feel her running up some stairs and probably attack from behind. I'm not going to give her that chance. "I just need to talk."

"… Torchwick," Venn began, slowly walking outside. "Take Neo and hide inside. This fight may not be pretty."

"We can help—"

"This isn't something you can help me with! Trust me," Venn looked at Roman with a pleading look in his eyes. "I don't want you kids to get hurt."

Roman scoffed and looked away, though he had a scowl on his face too. "Sentimental old man," the thief muttered as he looked for Neo—his friend.

I dropped down to his level and walked with Venn, my hands placed at the pockets of my pants. "So, Armory…"

"Growth," He greeted, though stiff. "What do you need?"

I don't speak for a bit, waiting for us to reach the outside. Venn pushes open the door and leaves, and I follow.

He stands several feet away from me, and I take a side opposite of his. He crosses his arms and raises a brow at me.

"Well?"

"I'm just here to warn you," I said quietly, careful to note that Roman and his friend was close by. "Someone is hunting fairy tales down."

He snorts and mutters. "As if I don't already know that."

"They're already moving and have succeeded on one," I said, making his eyes widen as he processes just exactly what I said.

"What—how? And who?"

"The Fall Maiden."

It takes a moment to sink in, but when it does, fear comes over his face, so easily readable that even Icaught on it. "T-the Fall Maiden?"

"Her power was stolen, I don't know who has it but—"

"I may have an idea," Venn said somberly. "A woman came here, offered Roman a deal—steal Dust for her, or we die. She—her powers, fire. And her Aura was familiar—but also dark. I don't know. It's hard to pinpoint exactly."

I slowly nodded. "What are you going to do?"

"I can't exactly stop Roman from not listening," he pointed out. "He's still one of the best thieves in Vale, and he's a good crook."

"You don't have to not obey," I told him, stretching a bit. My hand rested on Dust Chamber—I can feel a void of Aura coming closer. A Grimm, and a big one at that. "I just want you to be neutral—I'm not going to conscript you to fight against something like that."

Venn just nodded slowly. "Thank you for that—I just want to keep them safe. Is there anything else that—"

The ground shook.

I take a deep breath.

This would be the first time I would be fighting a special Grimm without the aid of a Named Quest, I thought, sighing. That… makes it a little harder, actually. Without the quest, I have no idea what I'm fighting against.

The ground shook again, and my eyes hardened. I glance to my right and see Venn do the same thing. I don't see any weapons on him, but I don't doubt that he's the Armory for nothing.

From behind us, I hear Torchwick shout. "The hell is that? The ground started shaking!"

A huge lumbering form came into view, white exoskeleton coming into view.

It was…

"A giant spider," the Armory said flatly as he looked over his enemy. "We're fighting a giant spider."

And a giant it was. At around 50 or 70 feet tall, it easily dwarfed the stout warehouse, nonetheless us. It was pitch black in color, similar to all Grimm. It's main body was round, the top covered in exoskeleton, and the 8 limbs it has weren't covered in bone, but covered in fur instead. I narrowed my eyes and see the thing had a nametag on the top.

"You see that?" I point to it, letting Venn see it too. He groans.

Arachne

Arachnid

Special Boss

"I really hate dealing with these," I muttered under my breath. I turn to him. "Get your kids out of here!"

"I can't leave you here alone!"

"I can't leave it here alone! It's too close to Vale!" I paused and glared. "Come back when you've gotten the civilians away, I'll hold it back. Or kill it, hopefully."

He scowled. "Growth—you can't be that strong yet. I doubt that I could take it on my own, too."

I smirked. "Strength is nothing," with those words, I blurred away.

I faintly see him sigh and call out to Torchwick and Neo, and running for Vale. I was eye level with the spider, hearing it screech.

"Now…" I murmured, unsheathing Dust. Chamber won't be very useful here. "Let's see what you got."

Flash Strike!

I flashed through its head, making it screech but doing little damage to it. One of the limbs came up with unbelievable speed and almost penetrated me, but I used flash strike to pierce past it.

The limb fell—but the main one was regenerating now.

I really hate regenerating Grimm, I groaned as I see the same thing I saw years ago—black blood forming on an invisible blueprint. The limb stabbed down on the ground and the spider screeched again. I scowled as it shot off white string—I'm sure there's a lewd in there somewhere—at me, making me duck under the string.

The string… wasn't actually string. It has acidic properties, if I guessed right. The acid strings hit the tree behind me and melted it.

Well then, guess it wouldn't be a special boss otherwise now, wouldn't it?

So this thing has three ways to kill me already, I thought as I watched it screech and push down more trees. Siren wail from the direction of Vale, so I'm sure they've already been alerted to the presence of the massive Grimm. Huntsmen would be dispatched, and I'd have backup with me.

I'm not sure if they can keep up with this thing's speed, though. While it would be somewhat of a normal speed to me, it only looks like that because I'm faster myself. I purse my lips as I imagine several Huntsmen get caught off guard.

The worst part was that Qrow was out of Vale, and I'm not sure if the teachers in Beacon can get here in time. I don't trust students not to get killed while I hold off this thing, and I'm also not sure if I can trust Venn to come back for me.

So… "Astralize: Hearts Kreutz!"

I need a shield for my sword.

My Aura split in half, and I'm beside Kreutz. He was wearing the same clothes, hands in his pockets. He observed the giant Arachnid tearing up the forest and turned to look at me.

"How are we going to do this?" He asked, serious for once in his life.

"Frankly, I don't know. I can just leave it, but Glynda would kill me if I did," I grimaced. Well, she wouldn't killme, but I'd be berated by Glynda so it would be the same thing. "We have acidic string and sharp limbs. I'm not very sure on that fur on its legs—"

"Not fur," Kreutz corrected me as he squinted his eyes. "Spines. Those are spines."

I groaned. "Great. Then it has 4 ways to kill us—spines, limbs, string, and attrition. I don't trust myself to hold out against this thing."

Kreutz simply gets into a stance. "I'll provide long range support—you go in and try to cut off its legs. There has to be some way we can kill this thing."

"Its regeneration is slower to that of the Aberration," I agreed. It was way slower, but unlike the Aberration, this one didn't have any cooldowns. It didn't stop attacking when I cut off its limbs, and it was way faster than it looked.

"Alright, I have an idea. Occupy it for me, Kreutz," He nods and I dash towards the Grimm.

During my dash, I see the giant Grimm stagger backwards as Kreutz peppers it with several explosive Aura arrows. The blue explosions make it stagger back, making it screech in anger and shoot out the acidic string towards the astralization.

Before the string could hit, a huge shield forms, blocking the attack and sending it to his sides. The trees around Kreutz melt as the shield collapses into itself, Kreutz panting a bit from the exhaustion.

I reach the underside of the spider Grimm—and I realized that yes, those were spines—slicing off the bottom of one of its limbs. The spider screeched as it lost its balance for a bit, but the limb was already regenerating. It staggered backwards again as Kreutz peppers it with more arrows, making the ground shake as the spider tries to regain its balance.

The limb, at that point, had already regenerated. It looks like it needs its legs a lot, obviously. I siphon Aura to Kreutz so he can last longer, and I slash off another one of its limbs.

It finally noticed me under it and decided to take measures against me. Several thin limbs formed at its belly, all reaching for the ground. I paled.

I flip back as the tentacle things spear down at me, tearing up the ground I was in. I duck under a stray tentacle that found its way to me and slice off one that was getting too close for comfort. The spider staggers again as several arrows hit their mark, making it roar.

Where's its mask?

I found my answer when a particularly accurate barrage of arrows hit the middle of the spider's body, unveiling a mask beneath a clump of black flesh. It didn't have a beak—or anything, really. It was just a mask, but the flesh was covering it up as it regenerated.

That's its weakness.

I stab Dust at the ground, raising a wall of ice in front of me, blocking the tentacles. I stab down again, freezing three of its limbs and rendering it semi-immobile. A barrage of arrows hits it again and it stumbles down, and I take the chance to slash off some of its limbs.

I slice down on one and throw myself to another one using my semblance. I flip in midair and slash down with Dust, cutting off the limb. Using my previous momentum, I pierce through another limb, and initiate a Flash Strike to cut off another one.

I was going to go for the area where I knew the mask was, but several tentacles suddenly sprout from it. The Grimm screeched as tentacles formed a forest of protective limbs around it.

I parried a single tentacle—those things are hard!—and flash stepped to the ground to avoid another one. I hop backwards as a clump of them strike the ground I was on, tearing up the earth. I siphon Aura to Kreutz to barrage the thing again—but the spider got the best of me this time.

One of its uncut limbs pushed up and made for a stab towards me. Thankfully—the Aura stopped it from piercing me completely. It still removed my HP, though.

-63 HP

I hissed as my chest bruised from the attack. The stab made me fly back and hit a few trees and fall to the ground. That hurt.

A barrage of arrows distracted the spider again, making It shoot back another barrage of acidic string. The arrows and string met in the middle of the air, making some pretty explosions in the air. I nurse my chest as I stand back up.

The Grimm had broken two of its legs out of the ice and was working on the third one with the help of its tentacles. I switch Dust from Ice to Gravity and rush forward.

The thing about Dust is it also works as a conduit for my semblance. It's a sword, and a wand. And I could get very creative.

Could, is the keyword, of course. Never forget could.

I jump to the air, a bit above the spider's fallen form. Air circulates around me and forms a sphere on the point of Dust's blade. My sword glows purple as Gravity dust starts to leak into the winds, and I feel my Aura drop to below half in under a minute. I grimaced.

The spider broke out of the ice. The wind gathered at the tip of Dust is glowing purple now, and my reserves are at a quarter. The spider turns at me and screeches, firing a large beam of acidic string at me.

I fire my attack.

It was, in a fit of inspiration, a wind version of the Final Spark move that I helped Kreutz fire. I learned pretty quickly that it would drain me very quickly of Aura, so I resorted to using my Semblance instead. But—I also figured out a new problem. Using wind as a straight beam, it would lack the firepower that Final Spark had in spades—so I turned to Dust.

This was the result.

It was a directed tornado. The winds spiraled violently towards the gigantic spider, meeting the string in the middle. The gravity that came with the winds did its work and simply added the string into its "orbit", the string circling around the powerful tornado. The tornado-string combo hit the spider dead on, making it screech as it stumbled downwards. The winds exploded around it—and the string and gravity with it, making the spider fall down. I see some of its legs snap right off as it fell—making it screech even louder.

The bigger they are, I thought tiredly. I fall to the ground, tired and in a heap. I panted as I waited for my Aura to regenerate—thankfully, quite quickly. I'm at just below half reserves thanks to the quick regeneration, but if the thing comes back up again…

SKREE!

Of course, it would.

I looked up with dread as the spider stood back up shakily, the flesh that melted from its own attack regenerating back. Kreutz had deastralized at one point—and my maximum Aura was back at 1670, but I am in little condition to fight with my heavy hitting techniques, which this spider needs. The spider screeched as I assume it glared at me with hatred.

My Aura is at halfway point—or if my Aura was still split, full, so it's at around 800 points. I don't think I can execute another Crushing Vortex so soon—and I doubt that the spider will take it sitting down. I bit my lip, trying to think of anything to kill it.

I can't just destroy the flesh around the mask—the tentacles would protect it. Even if I did manage to cut all of them down, the flesh is still a problem itself—I'd need a second man for this, and I don't think Kreutz can manage another constant barrage. Despair was settling in my mind. The spider towered over me, its legs now spearing down to me.

I'm not going to die so easily, even if I think this is a hopeless battle. I can still fight—I just don't have anything to kill it with. I will hold this position.

I was about to flash step back, but it looks like I didn't have to. Several steel… spears(?) hit the spider in its main body, making it flinch back as the spears exploded. Someone jumped beside me, his Aura feeling like a bonfire.

"Venn," I smirked tiredly. "Looks like you did come back after all."

He scoffed. "I couldn't just let a kid fight a monster all by himself now, can I?" Several metal bars appeared around him—then they weren't metal bars. My brows rose when the metal bars became the same thin metal spears that I saw, and I felt it—Aura, coming to the spears, overflowing… unstable.

"What is that—" I didn't get to finish as the spears flew forward, sinking into the flesh of the Arachnid and exploding once again. The flesh gets damaged, its regeneration already kicking in. He glances at me and smirks.

"Surprised?"

"How did you do that?" I asked, curious. While I know that this wasn't the time, I couldn't help myself.

The fact that the spider is getting kicked while its down also helps morale, but I like to think it's because I'm good enough that I can afford to speak while in a combat situation.

He shrugged, producing several other metal bars out of thin air. "I'm the Armory—I always have these with me. The Armory is like—"

"An inventory," I muttered, loud enough that he could hear. "That's… actually pretty neat."

He nods in agreement. Several more spears form behind him and shoots forward, exploding on contact. "And my semblance is Ferrokinesis. The ability to mold and control metal," to prove his point, a metal bar was shaped into a sword then thrown to the spider, exploding in contact again. The spider screeched in pain, its tentacles writhing in agony.

"And they explode when you overload them with Aura," I concluded, my eyes not leaving the monster. "That's a good way to use both abilities," I confessed, hand on Dust. "But why are you telling me this?"

Venn simply smiles at me and sends another wave of spears towards the spider. "When I saw you fighting the spider—you went with everything you had. You could have just ran away, like I intended to. I admit—I'm a… coward, but you stood your ground," he clenched his fists, his hair shadowing his eyes. "I… admired your resolve. I see the good in you, you can say." His eyes flashed to a steel silver color, before flashing back to its normal green. "And like I said earlier; I'd be damned if I let you just fight this alone," with that, he grinned at me, his eyes twinkling. "So, sir Growth, do you want to fight together?"

I smirked.

"Let's go, Armory."

I dashed forward, Dust in hand. My Aura is 3/4ths full at this point—and I was ready to fight again.

A wave of swords hit the spider again, exploding in contact. It tore up the flesh of the spider Grimm, making it screech as it regenerated again. It stood on all 8 legs now—the earlier snapped up legs fully healed. My sword glows an eerie green as the Acid dust works its magic.

I set myself in a stance in front of the spider. The tentacles have already spotted me and are pushing right for me, but I don't waver. Instead, I mutter one of my favorite skills' name.

"Atom," My sword glowing green, it moves faster than most can see. I, at one point, had combined it with Wind Blade, making it a long range or close range attack—at this range, it would tear up every tentacle that got too close.

And tear them up it did. The winds, tinged with green from Dust, tore the tentacles apart, the 12 hit combo moving faster than the tentacles. The Wind Blades hit the spider in the underbelly, making the spider hiss and screech as the flesh boiled and melted from the acid.

Several spears come into contact with its face area, the flesh in there being shredded apart. I jumped up, intent to take the advantage.

"Atom," I executed the long range combo again, winds coated by acid. But instead of tearing right through the tentacles—they instead try to slow down the winds. By putting as much disposable flesh right in its way as much as possible.

It works—kind of. My wind blades tore right through the tentacles, making the Arachnid screech and raise up on of its legs to hit me down, which made me parry the attack with Chamber. The attack still had a bit of force on it, however, as I was knocked down to the ground, making a small crater form.

-21 HP

Ouch.

The Wind Blades, however, had done their duty. A noticeably small but deep gash appeared on the Grimm's huge mask, and it was pretty pissed if its screeches were to be believed.

I idly note that the spider had stopped regenerating its fallen tentacles. It was still on its 8 legs, and the flesh on its main body hadn't been slashed apart yet. But we didn't have to worry about that instead—since the spider…

Well, this was something.

The spider released something black from behind it. Did it shit itself? I thought, bemused, until the black blob exploded into little, smaller spider Grimm, making me pale.

What?! There were dozens—could be going into the hundreds—of the mini spiders. I only say mini relative to the giant Arachnid—these were at least as big as a man!

I activate Chamber fully and wield the two swords together. One of the spiders came close, but I was already on the attack. I slash off one of its legs and stab its head from below with Dust, killing it quickly.

I tore Dust off its dying body and went to my next target, slashing off one spider's head with Chamber and stabbing another one with Dust. I retrieve both swords quickly and slashed upwards, cutting a spider in half and thrust Dust towards another, stabbing it in the chest. I quickly finish it off with Chamber, cutting of its head.

A hail of spears fell right in the middle of the spider hoard, disintegrating a lot of the Grimm. The spiders screeched as they looked up the trees, and there I see Venn producing more spears and throwing them down as soon as they formed. Sweat lined his brow as he produced more spears. He glanced at me and shouted. "Go! Kill the giant!"

I nodded at him and dashed forward.

"Atom!" The long range combo cleared a path in front of me, tearing the newly formed spider Grimm apart. Several body parts were scattered around the battle field, the once tree filled forest now only filled with trunks, disintegrating bodies, craters, and deep gashes on the ground.

RNF is going to kill me, I thought dryly. RNF was the Remnant's Nature Fund, which was essentially a global group that takes donations for natural causes. A nature loving lot—nothing really wrong with them, but some of them take loving nature to the extreme.

A spider Grimm screeched in front of me, but I don't let it bother me. I jump up and land on its head. It stops its screech as the weight settles on its head, and I use it to boost myself up, burying the spider's head in the ground and killing it.

I'm face level with the giant Arachnid now. It's still spawning those black blobs—smaller spider Grimm, sorry—and doesn't look to be moving anytime soon.

Better make sure it stays that way.

I fall down, the air around me forming a cone like shape as I change Dust's dust (heh) to Ice. The cone around me is tinged cyan now—and my sword with it.

I slam Dust to the ground, executing a Wind Shockwave. The cone around me expands and explodes, coating the spider's legs with ice. The Wind Shockwave caused the ground to be covered in Ice, the ice spreading up to the spider's legs, rendering it completely immobile.

The giant spider screeched. Good news, it had stopped spawning those tiny spiders. The explosions in the distance is becoming much, much more closer and it fills me with more and more joy as I imagine them kill more and more of the spiders. Bad news, it has its attention on me.

Since it stopped spawning, it had its regeneration factor back again. I grimaced as I hopped back as the newly regenerated tentacles took a stab at me with their full speed. Some of the tentacles got buried in the ground while the rest took a turn and went for me.

I flash stepped to the side as the tentacles passed by and slashed down, cutting off the tentacles. They were already regenerating, but I don't stop to look. I hop up and catch a spear that came close.

I glance at Venn and see him occupied with the spiders. He leaned back from a stab and kicked up to send the offender to the air. A spear formed in front of him and pierced the spider in the chest, killing it. He saw me looking at him and looked at the spear in my hands and nodded.

"Make it count!"

I will.

I dashed for the face area of the spider Grimm. A tentacle grazed my cheek, making me grimace, and rolled under a barrage of tentacles. As soon as I got up, I jumped up, landing on the tentacles that impaled the ground I was on, running up to its face.

I channel Aura through the spear as I run, dodging the tentacles as I did.

10%

I duck under a wave of tentacles and use Dust to cut a stray tentacle that got too close for comfort. The tentacles below me began to move rapidly and shake, making me almost fall off.

40%

A leg got too close. It impaled the writhing clump of tentacles below me, making the spider monster screech as it injured itself. Dust glows green as I channel Aura through it, too, and slice off the leg. The spider makes another screech of pain, its tentacles now going for me faster.

90%

I jump up as the tentacles got to my position, using my semblance to control the wind below me to push myself up. It was a bastardized version of flying—it's not any good, but it works. The tentacles rush up to meet me in the air, and I reply in kind. The spear in my hand glows a crimson hue as I cut off tentacles left and right.

150%

Now.

"Atom!" I executed another long range combo, the wind slashes tearing through the Grimm's tentacles and into the flesh wall that was its face, making deep gashes appear on its face for a while before regenerating. The spear in my hands glowed a bright crimson, before I threw it with all my strength to its face.

The spear exploded with a crimson tinge. The spider screeched louder as it stumbled backwards, the flesh in its face being disintegrated. The smoke cleared and revealed its giant mask—and I take advantage of it.

"Flash Strike!" I execute the skill, and I pierce through its mask. It howled in pain as I did so, the regenerating flesh coming to a stop. I was buried deep inside it now, right in its head too. I flash step out and execute a combo.

"Sword's Song!" the 18 hit combo also received the Wind Blade upgrade Atom did, and since my reserves grew a lot, its area of effect also grew.

A lot.

The slashes tore the mask apart. Slashes were seen on its mask as it fell apart, the spider finally falling limp and falling down. I land relatively peacefully, stumbling as the ground shook when the spider fell. I buried Dust on the ground as I watched the spider fall in satisfaction, a smirk on my face as it falls.

Venn was right beside me in a moment. He snorted as he watched the spider collapse and dissolve into black matter. "You kids and your flashy kills," though he spoke with a certain fondness, as if he was willing to experience it again. "Growth—"

"Crimson," I interrupt him. "Crimson Branwen. I trust you enough now, Venn. I hope you'll have my back in the coming years."

He smiled and chuckled. "Don't worry, Crimson," He said my name slowly, as if he was testing it out. "I'll have your back."

I hear Bullheads coming in, and several smaller airships with media crews. The Bullheads land around the new clearing filled with craters and gashes on the earth. The paparazzi landed and Huntsmen fell off the Bullhead to form a perimeter, stopping the paparazzi from approaching.

Venn had ran off when the paparazzi appeared, so I don't know where he is. I, however, didn't get to hide myself in time. Several people had already taken a picture of me and some had probably already televised the falling of the spider. I stifled a groan. Keep low, he says. What do I do? Fuck.

"Sir—"

"Are you the Masked Huntsman—"

"How did you kill the massive—"

I didn't listen to them ask me questions, since I had already fixed my eyes on a single Bullhead that had a familiar blonde huntress on board.

She was glaring right at me.

I take a deep breath, and ready myself for the berating that's going to happen today.

Well, at least I got a lot of EXP for this, God knows it's going to help me cheer up, at least.

Patch

"—it has been theorized that the Masked Huntsman is responsible for the newly dubbed Giant Arachnid. It has also been theorized that this was the same huntsman responsible for the death of notorious criminal Robert Rotten."

"Wow…" Ruby said under her breath as she watches the video recording of the spider falling. The red caped huntsman had torn the mask apart and fell down on the ground without much trouble. She held her own cape tight as her imagination took hold of her. "That's so cool!"

Even Yang herself had been struck speechless. "No way—he did that on his own? That's… awesome."

Pictures were then shown on the screen, and Yang and Ruby squint as they try to recognize the huntsman. Recognition clicked in Ruby's head as she points it out.

"That's the guy from the docks! Two years ago! He also got on the news, remember?" Ruby pointed out to Yang excitedly. Her hands were shaking with excitement as she pointed at the masked man.

"Yeah…" Yang squints as she tries to recognize him. "Yeah, so he is. He still seems familiar, though…"

Ruby, however, didn't seem to catch the second part of her sentence. "Oh my gosh! What if he's a hero from a super secret organization that protects Vale! Ooooh, this is why I want to become a Huntress," her eyes were sparkling. "I want to be a hero just like that!"

Yang laughed and ruffled her sister's hair, making Ruby pout at her. "Calm down, little sis, I bet you'll be killing giant Grimm in no time!"

Little did they know, that those words were true.

Undetermined Location

The pale woman watched over her land, her eyes not leaving the form of a certain creation. She watched it form, taking shape of a man. A human, to be specific. Her eyes narrowed as she concentrated on forming the body, and then—

"My Lady?" A voice calls out. Her concentration breaks, and the black liquid splashes back to the ground. Salem sighed, irritated, and turns around.

It was Cinder Fall, a young woman that had done her proud in the past year. She was wearing her signature red dress with Dust weavings on the sleeves. Right now, however, she was holding a scroll showing a very distinctive footage of a young man killing a giant Grimm.

"I see," So, the young Growth has killed another of my creations again, She thought darkly. "Leave me, Cinder. I will deal with this… delicate matter," Truthfully, Arachne was going to be her card at dealing with Ozpin's new toy. But it looks like that it's not the only thing that the dusty wizard is hiding.

This will be… an interesting year.

A week before Beacon starts, 17 years old

I sit on a park bench, my mask off for once. I wasn't wearing my typical combat outfit—instead, opting to wear a casual red shirt and black pants with sneakers. I was, after all, on my 'day off', which Ozpin insisted I take after all the missions I took.

It's not my fault I wanted to level up—and to be fair, I did. Once. 10 points went right into Blunt Melee to max it and the rest went into Aura.

Wonder where I should spend the rest of my points, I thought idly as my legs kicked up and down. I was, for the lack of words, utterly bored. Usually, I was out in the field, killing Grimm or infiltrating known criminal groups, so this was… a boring change of pace.

Or, I could go back to Patch to tell Dad I'm a huntsman now, I paused.

Oh shit, I haven't actually told him yet, have I?

Well that's going to be a problem, I thought dryly as I stood up.

My scroll vibrated, signifying a message. I took it from my pocket and opened it, seeing the notification.

Come to VPD. Important. It was from Ozpin. I stretched, the satisfying popping sound making me sigh.

Well, I suppose there is something to do now. It's better than nothing.

And so, I jump to the nearest building, and start to run and jump for the Vale Police Department.

Prequel Arc: End!