The Story so Far... After a strange turn of events that brought our hero to the mysterious and perilous world of Remnant. Though the being known as Shade seems to be unresponsive towards the boy in question.

Though despite being brought to a world not plagued with the Ruins of War, new threats lie on the horizon. The Creatures of Grimm grow all the more clever as the residents count down the days.

Ones who swore to protect the people of this world now scramble in order to find a solution to this sudden problem. Though they will soon realize that the key to the problem lies within the next generation of protectors.

A new generation that will be entrusted with the future of the World of Remnant.

...

The Kingdom of Vale

It was a rather long journey, though after a few hours, we managed to get to the Kingdom told in stories. The Great Kingdom of Vale. Let me tell you something, we've only seen a fraction of what the city had to offer within the story it takes place in.

Though seeing it up close was something else entirely. It was rather intimidating once one sees the large walls that protect the people within the kingdom, as well as the airships that patrol the area.

Once we came to the gates that led to the kingdom in question, I had a chance to examine the outside walls. There was a large letter on the walls above the gate, indicating that this was one of the four gates that led to the city they protected.

Most of the cities in my world don't have anything when it comes to the scale of these places. I mean, it looks like they could harbor thousands, maybe even millions of people if they wanted to.

You know, they never really stated within any of the tellings of that story how many people actually died during the tragedy that happened during the festival. Though considering how many of those monsters were really in the Kingdom, I can only imagine that the body count was pretty high.

All those warriors, dying to protect a Kingdom that was doomed to fall in the end. Speaking of which, I decided to take the time to actually examine the blade on the trip to the walls.

The blade that stood atop the guard was a shade of grey, the guard in question being a shade of black. The handle in question seemed to be the same color as the Blade, only it was wrapped in some sort of strange black cloth, while the end of the sword had some sort of circle with a strange crest.

Though the most noticeable part of the blade that Shade had given me were the markings on the center of the blade. They were pretty difficult to read, though I could tell the name Shade was written on the blade.

So if that didn't confirm that this was weapon belonged to Shade, then I don't know what would. I should probably get some sort of sheath for this weapon, not exactly keen carrying this thing around on my shoulder.

However, I can cross that bridge once the time comes, as we had managed to finally arrive at the front gates of the kingdom.

"Ah! Here we are!" Oobleck stated as we arrived at the gates leading to the Kingdom of Vale. "Welcome to the Vale, young man! One of the four finest kingdoms in our world!" He greeted cheerily.

I let out a long whistle as I stared at the massive wall that stood before me. "So what now?" I asked.

"For now we must attend to some important business! So don't you go wandering off!" Oobleck instructed.

"Indeed! We shall be back shortly!" Port informed as he followed the Doctor into the walls of the building, leaving me right in front of the gate with nothing of real importance to do.

I just sat on some sort of bench that was right in front of the gates that led towards Vale. I could see various houses on the other side of the gateway, as well as various other tall buildings in the distance.

Though suddenly, I could hear sudden banter from the other side of the gate, causing me to turn my head towards the source of the noise. It caused me to wonder what sort of commotion could be happening over there.

"She did what?!" The blonde woman asked a rather tall man with black hair, giving the impression of being appalled.

"Hey, look we tried to tell her it was way too dangerous though she wasn't having any of it!" The man said. "She's the one who kept insisting on going to out into the wilderness!" He said.

"Cut the crap, Shay! This is all because you and Pace kept teasing her about this sort of thing! It's only natural that she would be pushed to do this sort of thing!" The woman called out.

"Hey! We told her we didn't mean it numerous times, Danielle! She's the one who wanted to go!" Shane defended.

"Honestly, someday you two are gonna go too far and do something you'll regret!" Danielle growled. "Once that happens, you won't be able to talk your way out of it like you always do!" She said.

"Alright, I get it! Look, let's just make sure Gabi doesn't go and get herself killed!" He said, causing Danielle to nod reluctantly.

"Fine, though this doesn't mean you're off the hook just yet!" She said as the duo rushed off into the distance.

Those two must live here in Vale, too, huh? I wonder what's going on. They seemed pretty tense about something, though it seems like a problem they'll have to deal with. If they got themselves into this situation, they can get themselves out.

...Though I can't help but wonder what the fuss was all about.

Once the thought crossed my mind I started to slowly walk towards the entrance of the gate, making sure that the sentry doesn't catch me. Though from the looks of it, his head was deep into some sort of comic book known as "Gen: Lock."

So this gave me the perfect opportunity to slip past the guard and run ahead into the kingdom of Vale to pursue the two.

Meanwhile, with Port and Oobleck

The two professors had been discussing with themselves ever since they had left the caves within the forest. They weren't able to shake that brief feeling of emptiness and bleakness once they had felt it within that cave.

It was a feeling that neither of the two had ever experience before, it wasn't like the feeling of dread that the devils they fought had induced upon the people. It was...a null, numbing state of nothingness.

As if within that cave was an empty void, a being of nothingness that would swallow them whole. It may have only been for a second, though the feeling had left a lasting impression on them.

"I can't say I have ever come across anything that would give off such a distinct feeling." Port told his friend as they walked through the walls of the Kingdom. "Even after all my years of fighting the beasts around us, fate still manages to throw something that catches the world off guard." He said with a rather jovial tone.

"Indeed. Even after all my travels to various locations around our world, I have never stumbled across something like that." Oobleck agreed as he and his friend approached the communications room that was being guarded by two members of the military.

"Perhaps the good Headmaster will have a possible explanation." Oobleck pondered aloud to his comrade as he typed the code that contacted the C.C.T tower into the console. After a few moments of silence, the image of Professor Ozpin appeared on the large screen within the communications room.

"Ah, Professors Port and Oobleck. I take it that the patrol went well?" Ozpin asked as he poured himself a cup of coffee.

"Indeed it did! While the forests outside of our kingdom were littered with terrible monsters, we managed to dispatch them with relative ease!" Port elaborated to the professor with a proud expression on his face.

"Excellent. Hopefully, the people of Vale will be able to rest easy, knowing that the beasts that claw at their doorsteps have been detained." Ozpin stated to the duo.

"Though despite our reports, we did run into something - rather someone, unexpectedly during our patrol!" Oobleck revealed. "It was a young boy who was wandering around the forests that border our kingdom! With no weapon none the less!"

"Hmm, that is quite unexpected indeed. I assume you two were able to escort him back to his home safely?" The headmaster curiously pried at the duo.

"Actually, the young lad was making his way to the Kingdom of Vale already, so we brought him with us!" Port explained.

"Indeed. We do not know the details of what happened to his place of origin, though I can only assume that it had fallen due to some unforeseen complications. It is why he desired to come to the kingdom, in hopes to begin a new!" Oobleck said with a sense of pride for his kingdom.

"I see. Tell me, how old is this boy in question?" Ozpin asked.

"Well, if I had to take a gander, I would say he was around the ages of fifteen and sixteen!" The Historian answered.

"Hmm, that is quite unfortunate. To experience such tragedy at a young age takes quite the toll on one's mentality." Ozpin was internally pensive. "I can only hope that the ones he held close to him have escaped such a cruel fate. Though if not I only pray that the gods welcome them with open arms." He said.

"Ah, there is no need to worry about such things! As the willpower that resides within the young lad burns bright like a raging inferno!" Port spoke triumphantly, recalling his youthful days.

"There's also more to these recent events then you may think, Professor Ozpin," Oobleck said as he adjusted his glasses that were placed onto his face.

"Oh? What pray tell do you mean by that, Doctor Oobleck?" The Headmaster's inquisitive curious expression on his face was accentuated with an arched eyebrow.

The two professors stared at one another before nodding and turning their heads back towards the screen where Ozpin was patiently waiting for the explanation to the strange events they spoke of.

"While we were on patrol, we had attracted a large pack of Boar type Grimm within the cave we were traversing through in order to reach the Kingdom." Oobleck shared the details. "Though just before we were about to leave the caves, we were ambushed by these Boar types."

"They were trying to lure us away from the entrance so that they could block us in by causing the entrance of the cave to crumble down on us!" Port stated.

"I see, yet another example of the strange spike in the intellect of these beasts," Ozpin noted.

"However, this is not the strange event that I wish to speak to you of." The Historian admitted. "While we were attempting to fend off these beasts to make our way towards the one rushing towards the walls of the cave, the boy was actually the one to deliver to thwart their plans."

"I see, though how would that be possible? I believe you stated he did not have any means to combat these beasts? A boy of his age shouldn't be able to best a Creature of Darkness with nothing but his bare fists." The Headmaster said.

"Indeed. However, he did have a strange object on his person when we met him." Oobleck explained to the Headmaster of the Academy. "It looked like some sort of relic, though the feeling of nothingness it gave off only for a second was rather strange." He elaborated.

"Feeling of nothingness?" Ozpin asked.

"Indeed, the very concept of the relic is a contradiction. The feeling of nothingness filled the caves, yet it was as if there was something in the emptiness that staring down at us." The Doctor said. "The very thought of this relic perplexes me."

"I see." He said as he rubbed the brim of his chin.

"To make matters even more confusing, once the dust had settled within the cave, the boy had a blade by his side! It was as if he had pulled such a weapon out of thin air." Port was still in a state of shock.

"I assume this is what he used to strike the beast down with?" Ozpin asked.

"It is the most logical conclusion," Oobleck said as he adjusted his glasses.

"Hmm..." The headmaster hummed as he contemplated the story that was given to him by the two professors. "What did the object look like?" Ozpin asked after a few moments of brief silence.

"Well, it looks to have some sort of a wooden surface, the wood in question being a shade of black. It had the appearance of that of a mask, only the eyes were hollowed out." Oobleck described.

"I see, and you are certain that this relic was the one to let loose that feeling of nothingness that both of you had felt from within the caves?" Ozpin asked, causing the two professors to nod in response.

"Hmm, I will have to do more research on the matter, as well as see this object for myself to confirm my suspicions." The Headmaster said once he finished pondering his next course of action. "For now, I will contact Ms. Naturae to see if she cannot uncover the origins of this relic," Ozpin said.

"Excellent!" Oobleck said as the call cut off.

Meanwhile, with Ozpin.

Once Ozpin had finished gathering the report given to him by the two professors, he wasted no time contacting Mary, the Academies Archaeologist. It took a few moments to get in touch with the women, as she does a lot of research throughout the nights, leaving her not a lot of time to sleep.

Though in time, the image of a blonde woman was seen on the screen.

"Good Morning, Ms. Naturae." Ozpin greeted.

"Is there something you want?" She asked in a rather raspy tone of voice.

"Can't someone check up on an old friend?" He asked.

"So is that a no?" She asked.

"No. There is a reason I have contacted you at such an early hour." Ozpin told her as he adjusted his glasses. "You see, recently I have gotten quite an interesting report from Doctor Oobleck and Professor Port." He said.

"I take it the patrol went well?" Mary asked as she rubbed the temples of her eyes.

"Indeed, though during their patrol, they just so happened to come across a rather interesting fellow." The Headmaster explained.

"So I should care why?" She asked as her head wandered around her office.

"Well, this fellow has a rather particular artifact in his possession." He asked, causing her head to shoot up from her desk with the sudden mention of this artifact. "Ah, I take it I have your attention?" Ozpin asked.

"What kind of artifact are you referring to exactly?" Mary asked.

"I'm not entirely sure. Though from the way Oobleck described it, I think it's much more than a piece of treasure." He explained. "From what I've gathered, it gave off a presence of nothingness. As if it were an empty void in which there was no return." Ozpin said, going further into the details.

"I see." She said in response.

"I understand that it is rather confusing, though I have reason to believe the words of the good doctor." The Headmaster said. "Which is why I have contacted you, I wish for you to make your way over towards the Western gates of Vale in order to further study this artifact." He explained.

"...Alright. I'll make my way over there." Mary told him as she cut off the call.

Once the call with the Archaeologist had concluded, he once again made another call, only this time he started to call the combat instructor, Glynda Goodwitch.

"Yes Professor Ozpin? I was not expecting a call so soon." She said with a rather surprised tone in her voice.

"Indeed. I was not intending to bother you at such a time of urgency, though something has come up." The Headmaster explained to the woman. Once he had finished explaining the situation to the combat instructor, the Huntress in question looked at Ozpin with a rather perplexed expression.

"I see. That is quite unusual." Glynda said as she pinched her chin with her right hand. "While I am grateful to be kept informed, I feel as if there is an ulterior motive behind this call." She said.

"You would be correct. I wish for you to get me a certain Fairy Tale." He said, causing Glynda to look at the headmaster with a look of confusion. "I need you to get me the Tale of the Queen and the Old One." Ozpin requested.

It took a few moments for Glynda to piece together the puzzle that Ozpin had laid in front of her, though once she did, an expression of seriousness replaced the confusion that washed over her.

"Very well, I will return with the tale at once, as well as stories relating to her Great Knights," Glynda told him as the call was ended. Once silence filled the room, Ozpin pulled out an old photo from long ago to contemplate on old times.

He sighed before placing the photo onto his desk and taking a sip from his mug of coffee, patiently awaiting for Glynda to arrive with the tales of the Queen he spoke of.

Meanwhile, with Oobleck and Port.

"Let's hope that the good Professor is able to determine the origin of this particular artifact," Port said as the duo started to make their way towards the exit of the walls of Vale.

"Indeed, though only time will tell," Oobleck said in response to his comrade's statement. "For now, I believe our best course of action would be to stand by and wait for our dear Archaeologist to make her way over to our location!" He stated.

"A fine plan indeed." Port agreed as the two walked out from the doors leading to the facility within the walls.

"Young man! We have finished with our important business! Now, I'm sure you have many questions about-." Oobleck began only to see that the empty space of where the boy previously was.

"..." Both Port and Oobleck stared at the empty space with expressions of shock, Oobleck's eyes peering out from the top of his glasses while Port's eyes could be seen peering out from his eyebrows.

...

I had managed to finally track down the duo after following the path they took once they left the gate. From the looks of it, they were heading towards the forest outside of Vale.

Why they would want to go outside the walls without any form of weaponry is beyond me. One of them could have a powerful semblance that allows them to beat the monsters of the forest to death, though with how those two were acting when they were talking this Gabi person, I don't think that's the case.

It was a rather long trip, though I was finally able to make my way into the clearing within the forest that the two had gone to. The area where this Pace guy was waiting for the two.

When I arrived, the group in question were all interlocked in some sort of argument. Not really wanting to get in the heat of it, I decided to lay low for a little while until things started to cool down.

However, I was able to pick up some parts of the conversation.

"What?! She still hasn't come back out?!" Danielle asked as the two guys stood in front of the pathway that led deeper into the forest.

"Yeah, that's right. It's been a pretty long time, too. Can't imagine what kind of trouble she may have gotten in." The man I assumed to be Pace said, as he was the only guy next to Shay.

"No surprise there. Can't believe she actually went into the Forest Temple knowing what kind of dangers are in there." Shay said.

"No kidding. She was always a big talker, though this is something else. We tried to talk her out of it, though she was boasting, saying, "I'll show you!" That's what got her into this mess after all." Pace said.

"Yeah, though the Forest Temple of all places? Maybe we should just cut our losses and head home." Shay offered.

"How the hell could you say that?! She's our friend!" Danielle shouted. "Gabi isn't even the same age as us yet!" She growled.

"I get that, though she was the one who was always talked big. If she got herself into this situation, then she can get herself out of it." Pace explained. "Though this might be good for her, you know? It'll teach her how harsh the world really is." He said.

"Yeah? So if something happens to her in there? What are we going to do them?" She asked, only for the two to look at one another with looks of uncertainty. "Forget this! I'm going in after her." Danielle said as she started to walk on towards the pathway, only for Shay and Pace to stop her in her tracks.

"No way! You can't go in there!" Shay said.

"What if something happened to you? We already have one problem on our hands, stacking them up won't do us any good!" Pace said. "We've already possibly lost one friend because of what we did, we're not gonna lose another one!" He said.

"Are you kidding me?! Alright then, you go in after her!" Danielle said as she pointed toward's the pathway. "You two are partially responsible for this situation, now both of you are gonna take responsibility!" She said.

"You...want us to go?" Pace began as he and Shay turned their heads towards the path in question. "Into the Forest Temple?" He asked.

After a few moments of silence, the two turned their heads back towards Danielle who had her arms crossed with impatience. "You can't be serious. Just how would we make our way into the Forest Temple?!" He asked.

"We've only fought petty thugs on the street, though we've never had to deal with those monsters!" Pace said. "We'd only be making the situation worse if either of us went into the temple!" He said.

"Hmm? Who's that?" Shay hummed as he caught a glimpse of my figure from the tree I was standing behind. With my cover blown, I started to walk out of from the tree to make my presence known.

"Hey." I greeted as I started to walk towards the group in question.

"Where'd you come from? You don't look like anyone we've seen around Vale." Pace asked with his arms crossed.

I wasn't really sure what to say to the group, as I only followed the group to see what the trouble was about. We stood there in silence for a few moments before Pace started to get impatient.

"What's the matter? If you've got something to say then say it." He said.

"Yeah, no one's gonna understands what you want if you don't ever speak up," Shay said.

Not really sure what I should to next. I did overhear what they were saying about the whole ordeal with the Forest Temple, though this looks like a situation they have to figure out on their own.

"Hold on, are you a fighter?!" Danielle asked once she caught a glimpse of Shade's sword.

"Sure," I said as it wasn't a complete lie, I do know the basics of how to fight, though I've never had actual training with a sword.

"Great! Then maybe you can help us as some of us apparently aren't up for the task!" She said, turning her head to face the two men in question. "Look, my friend got lost in the Forest Temple just up ahead, and hasn't come back in a while!" Danielle said.

"Yeah, I overheard the conversation," I said. "Though look, I only wanted to see what the whole trouble was. I don't want to get involved with this sort of situation." I said as I started to walk away from the duo.

"Besides, I'm only a traveler who's just stopping by in Vale for a little while. I'd rather not have anything me keeping me from my travels." I lied as started to walk towards the path leading back towards Vale.

While I didn't really like the fact behind the situation, it wasn't anything that they couldn't solve on their own. Though before I could continue my treck back towards the Western Gate, I overheard something that piqued my interest.

"We can make it worth your while!" Danielle said, causing me to stop dead in my tracks.

"...Go on." I said with one of my eyebrows raised.

Sure, I didn't really want to get involved with this sort of situation, though if I got something worthwhile out of it then maybe it would be in my best interest to hear these people out.

"You go in there and see what happened to our friend. Do that, and we can pay it back to you!" She said.

"What?! You want him to go in there for us?! We barely even know this guy!" Pace said.

"Do you have any better ideas?!" Danielle asked, causing the duo to say nothing in response. "That's what I thought." She said as she turned towards me once again.

"You sure about this? You do know that this place is very dangerous, right?" Shay asked.

"I'm aware," I confirmed.

"...Well, if you really want to go and all, I guess we're not gonna stand in your way. Just make sure you don't drag any more trouble on your way out, The Forest Temple is full of dangerous creatures." Pace explained.

"I'll keep that in mind. So where exactly is this Forest Temple anyways?" I asked.

"She couldn't have gotten very far. The one Temple she said she was heading to isn't that far from the entrance." Pace said.

"There are multiple?" I asked.

"Yeah, was said to be made back in the old days before the kingdoms were built. The two of us tried to explore some of these temples, though we didn't get very far, unfortunately." Shay said.

"Back to the point, so the Temple you guys mentioned isn't that far from the entrance, right?" I asked.

"That's right, Gabi said she was gonna get some sort of treasure in order to prove that she was tougher than the both of us combined." Pace said. "Though this is going pretty far. I mean, if she does manage to make it out of there in one piece, then she's sure as hell got some guts on her." He said.

"I'm really sorry about this. Though I think you've got the entire picture." Danielle said.

"Yeah, we'll talk payment once I actually come back," I said as I started to walk off into the forest. In truth, this might be a good opportunity to get to know the ropes of how exactly my new found powers work exactly.

Besides, I might get a little dough doing a job like this. That ought to help me with whatever I decide to do in this world filled with monsters at every corner.

"Be careful out there!" Danielle shouted before turning towards Shay and Pace with a scowl on her face.

"If we have to pay him then it's coming out of your wallets!" She growled, causing the duo to nod their heads in agreement.

Meanwhile, with Oobleck and Port

"I can't believe he just wandered off, and right after I gave him specific instructions to stay within this area until we had returned!" Oobleck outwardly panicked as he paced around the West Gate.

"Indeed, I suppose the towering architecture of Vale was too appealing to such youth," Port said with a hearty laugh.

"Do not justify his actions! There are many dangers within the city of Vale! Especially now!" Oobleck warned Port.

"Hmm, I suppose you have a point. Let us hope such youth does not have a run in with the dastardly villains of Vale." He said.

"Exactly! We still have no knowledge of what that Relic he holds is! It could very easily fall into the wrong hands!" He said, which caused the Professor he was speaking to get a rather serious expression on his face.

"I didn't think of that," Port stated as he pinched the brim of his chin with his fingers.

Though before the duo could continue to ponder on what to do next, the sound of a rather familiar voice quickly brought them back from their sudden ramble. "So I take it he isn't here then?" The feminine voice asked, causing the duo to turn to face the Archaeologist of Beacon Academy, Mary.

"Ah! Mary! I see you are fine and well!" Oobleck greeted as he adjusted his glasses.

"I only got three hours of sleep last night." She growled as she rubbed the temples of her eyes with her hand.

"Ah. I see." He said. "No matter, you would be correct! As you can see, the young man mentioned in the report has seemed to have wandered off to parts unknown!" Oobleck explained.

"Right." She quickly corrected before walking over to where the security guard was lazily napping in his chair. "Hey! You!" She shouted as she started to bang on the glass, causing the guard to fall over in his chair.

"Ah! What?!" The man asked.

"Did you see a kid around the ages of..." She began before turning towards Oobleck and Port for the answer.

"Fifteen and Sixteen," Oobleck said.

"What he said," Mary said.

"...Can't say that I have. Been busy, you know, catching up on my readings." The man said as he picked up his comic book once again.

"Right." She said before walking away to meet up with Port and Oobleck once again. "Alright, so I'm gonna need a detailed description of what this kid looks like." Mary requested the two professors with a notepad of some sort.

"Ah! Yes, of course!" Oobleck as the duo started to describe the young man's appearance from what they had remembered about him. Once the details of the boy had been sketched out on Mary's notepad, she nodded before jotting down the final details.

"Alright, I think I that should be enough detail. Tell me how accurate this is." Mary said as she held up a rather detailed sketch of the boy in question.

"Remarkable! A near picture perfect sketch of our young man!" Oobleck complimented.

"Alright I think that should be enough, now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go see if anyone around Vale has seen him." She said as she started to walk away from the duo in question.

"What shall we do to assist in the search?!" Port called out.

"Stay here in case the troublemaker comes back!" Mary said as she walked off into the distance, leaving the two behind at the Western Gate. Meanwhile, Mary flipped open the sketch in question to examine the young man that had acquired the relic.

"How the hell did a kid like this get his hands on a piece of treasure? He looks more like a street thug than an actual treasure hunter." Mary thought to herself as she examined the sketch based on the description Port and Oobleck had given her.

"I'll have to get my answers from the kid himself." She thought as she continued her walk down the streets of Vale. "Implying he knows where the Relic came from in the first place."

...

Meanwhile, with Brandon

After I made my way down the path that led into the Forest where the Temple, I found myself searching around the various trees for any signs for the said temple. With no clear path, I had to follow my wits in order to find this Forest Temple, and by extension, Gabi.

Though despite having a general idea on where this Temple was, finding it still proved to be a challenge. The pathway cut off earlier before, so there wasn't exactly a clear road ahead.

Birds flew through the tree's above me, the leaves rustling as they let loose their song. I found myself gripping the blade I had acquired earlier tightly, my eyes darting around the area in search of any of the beasts that were said to roam the area.

Though while I was making my way through the Forest, I decided that I should try to summon Shade for the brief second that I could. However, all that it really amounted to was me throwing my palm out at nothing.

"You'd think the guy would at least leave me a message or something," I said to no one in particular. Ever since I had arrived here I was unable to come into contact with the Spirit in question.

Not a single word, though he was apparently aware in some regard, as he made it pretty clear that he wasn't very fond of my earlier comment about selling his little treasure for profit.

Suddenly, I could hear the sound of the leaves rustling from a bush behind me, as well as the sound of a faint growl. I turned around to face the source of the noise with a serious expression on my face.

The Beast in question was a canine-like beast that was about the size of an average predator. I felt a chill go down my spine as the beast slowly circled around me, though I quickly pushed that feeling to the back of my mind in order to focus on making out of the forest alive.

Alright, this shouldn't be too hard, I've dealt with dogs in the past. Only this one is four times as big and I've never actually actively attempted to hurt a dog. The beast roared into the sky before charging towards my direction.

I was able to narrowly dodge the oncoming attack, causing the dog-like beast to land on the ground behind me. I had to be extra careful, as a single blow from this thing would be pretty bad considering I didn't have any aura at the moment.

The beast wasted no time making another attempt on my life, though I was able to dodge the attack once again. Only this time, it followed up with a flurry of bites and scratches that was sent my way.

I just barely dodged each attack, allowing me to get a solid strike at its figure with my newly acquired sword. It seemed to do some damage, though the eyes of the beast glowed blood red before it whipped its tail in my direction, causing me to go flying across the ground.

My head started to spin, though I quickly regained my composure and rolled out of the way of its next attack. I scowled and charged towards the beast with the blade at my side.

I attempted repeatedly to stab and slash at the monster with my blade, though it managed to dodge each of my attempted attacks before biting my blade and throwing it to the distance.

Before I could react, the beast headbutted my chest with its skull mask, causing me to go flying backward's and hitting a nearby tree. My head started to spin again, the taste of blood could be felt within my mouth.

Though I'd be damned if I let this dog be the death of me. I still had a debt to repay, and there's no way I'm letting some monster stand in my way. I slowly got up from the ground while the beast growled at me.

I quickly shook my head in order to brush off the light headed feeling in my head. The Canine roared and attempted to pounce onto me in order to end my life, though I quickly rolled out of the way and rushed towards the blade.

I slid across the ground before grasping the sword in my hand, holding it tightly as I got up from the ground. The Beast growled before charging towards me again, causing me to grit my teeth before I quickly moved to the side to dodge the attack.

With my blade at my side, I started to rapidly slash and jab at the beast in a desperate attempt to do some form of damage, all while the beast made repeated attempts to consume me.

I stabbed, slashed and kicked at the monster furiously, all with that the pure intent to take this thing down. During this exchange, I had spotted an opening where the beast was vulnerable due to my attacks.

Acting quickly, I dug the blade into the neck of the Beast before slashing it through its flesh and taking the head of the monster off with it. I stood above the withering corpse of the beast breathing heavily, wiping the blood from my lip.

I looked around for a moment before my eyes settled on some sort of strange hillside pathway. I wiped the sweat off of my forehead and made my way over towards pathway to see where exactly it led to.

At the end of the path were the ruins of an old temple. They did say the temple closest to the entrance, so I assumed that this was the one they were talking about. I took a deep breath before walking towards the ruins in hopes to find the person I'm looking for.

The stone pillars around the temple had collected dust over the years, some wild animals making shelter within the ruins. It was smaller than I originally envisioned, though once I made my way inside of the ruins, it quickly made up for it with the sheer size of the interior.

"Whew." I let a long whistle as I admired the architecture of the place of ancient times, the noise echoing throughout the temple. Supposedly, this Gabi person was looking for something that was in this temple.

From what I've gathered from the conversation earlier, it was less about gathering a piece of treasure and more about proving that she was tougher than she actually was. So maybe if she actually does find some treasure trove, I can take a few pieces of goods for myself.

I started to slide down the dirt mount that was forming in the area where the stairs should have been. I didn't really have to worry about finding my way around the dark cave as the ceiling seems to have hollowed out a bit, allowing the light to shine on though.

As I continued my trek through the cave, I noticed various sorts of painting on the walls of the temple. It was in an unfamiliar language, though I was at least able to make out what the inscriptions were trying to convey.

It was some sort of history of the times long gone, where the world was vastly different then what it originally was. It showed the people of the land prospering, through this, these two people kept making a frequent appearance from within the inscriptions.

Though without knowing what the texts say, I couldn't really make out what exactly these scriptures said. I shook my head and I continued to make my way through the temple grounds, searching for this Gabi person at every corner I could.

"Hey! Gabi!" I called out in hopes to get some form of a response from her. Though unfortunately, the only thing I heard was the faint echo of my own voice throughout the caves.

As I kept going deeper and deeper into the ruins, I could smell something foul as I pushed through. Before I could question what it was, I could see blood staining the walls, as well as a skeleton lying in the corner.

I pushed my hand up to my nose in order to block out the smell before pushing forward in hopes to find this treasure trove. From the looks of it, other people have tried to come here in search of riches, though they all met a similar fate.

Let's just hope Gabi is one of the lucky few who managed to survive, I'd rather not have to come back to the group empty-handed. Though before I could push onward, the noise of a faint roar could be heard from the caves.

"Figures," I said to myself as I started to move in a light sprint in order to find this girl at a more quicker pace. It's only natural that something would be in this cave, something had to kill all these people after all.

"Come on I'd rather not stay here any longer then I have to!" I shouted to Gabi in hopes to get some form of a response from her.

"Hey!" I heard a whisper, causing me to dart my head around the cave. "Over here!" The voice said once again, causing me to turn my head towards the source of the voice. Hiding around some sort of corner was a rather young girl, looked to be around the ages of ten or so.

"Don't just stand there!" She said, causing me to break out of my daze before running over to her direction. "So what are you, some sort of treasure hunter?! If you are you better back off! I came all this way to get it and there no way I'm letting someone like you steal it!" The girl pointed at me with an accusing finger.

"...Are you Gabi?" I asked with one of my eyebrows raised.

"Don't ignore me! I know you...hold on, you know who I am?" She asked, which confirmed to me that this indeed was the girl I was looking for.

"Yeah, your friends sent me over here to come and take you back," I said, causing her to cross her arms.

"No way! I've already come way farther than those two chumps! I need something to show for it!" Gabi pouted, causing me to pick up some sort of rock before putting it in her hands.

"There," I said simply, indifferent on the matter.

"I meant the treasure of this cave! If I come back with the cave's treasure, maybe I can finally get some respect. Those two always look down on me. I...just thought this was a sure way for it to stop." Gabi said as she kicked one of the rocks with her foot.

...Well, I have a feeling I'm gonna regret this in the grand scheme of things though...

"Fine, we'll go find this little treasure trove," I said as I pinched the brim of my nose, though before she could express her gratitude, I immediately pointed one of my fingers at her direction to quiet her down.

"Though I get my share of the treasure." I finished, causing her to give me a thumbs up of approval. Once we came to the agreement, the two of us continued to make our way through the cave in hopes to find the treasure.

It wasn't too difficult to navigate, and we eventually found ourselves at the center of the cave. Though before I could continue to plan our next path, Gabi started to tug at my pants.

Though before I could question what she needed my attention for, she pointed at something with a wide grin on her face. Sure enough, there was some sort of gem laying next to a skeleton by one of the pillars.

Gabi ran over to the skeleton in question in order to pick up the gem, though she quickly recoiled once the bones almost made contact with her skin. She turned towards me with a nervous grin on her face.

"What now?" I asked.

"Can you pick it up for me? I don't want to touch it." She requested of me as she slowly backed away from the skeleton. I sighed before walking over towards the skeleton that had the treasure resting by its side.

I lightly kicked it away before dusting off the treasure and picking it up in my hands. "Here. Catch." I said as I threw over the treasure towards her, causing her to just barely catch it.

"Now let's..." I began, only for the ground beneath our feet shake suddenly. We both started to dart our heads around the caves in order to locate the source of the sudden tremor.

Suddenly, the young girl's expression turned into one horror. Before I could ask her what got her in such a state, she pointed behind me as she shook in her boots. I slowly turned around to see two glowing red eyes burning into my soul.

The Beast that emerged from the darkness was some sort of Minotaur, it's hulking figure towering above us. Acting quickly, I turned towards the young girl with a panicked expression on my face.

"Run!" I roared before I just barely moved out of the way of the Beast's attack. "Don't just stand there! I said go!" I yelled through from the looks of it seemed that Gabi was frozen in fear by the mere sight of the Beast.

I internally swore before dodging another attack sent by the monster. I quickly regained my footing and grabbed Gabi before going into a full sprint. I set her down around the corner of the wall before shaking her violently.

"Gah!" She shouted.

"I said go! I hate repeating myself!" I yelled as I walked around the corner to face the beast. "Alright, here we go," I said under my breath as the beast charged towards me once again.

The Minotaur roared as it charged towards me with its massive horns on its head. Luckily, it wasn't very fast compared to the Bull Grimm I had previously faced earlier today. As such, I was able to dodge the attack while it rammed its head into the stone walls.

I quickly lunged at the beast with my blade at my side rapidly slashing at its rough skin in hopes to do some damage. Though unfortunately, it didn't seem to phase the beast as much as I had hoped it would.

It grabbed me with its palm and threw me across the stone cave, causing me to land onto the hard floor. The Minotaur roared and attempted to lunge at me with its massive fist, though I was just barely able to dodge the attack.

The Beast was just barely able to avoid ramming into the wall before it made a quick turn to change at me. I quickly rolled under the massive beast before lunging onto it's back in attempts to gain the upper hand.

I rapidly started to stab the beast in the back with my blade, causing it to roar up to the sky. It attempted to grab me with its massive hands, though it had minimal effort in doing so.

The Minotaur growled and got on all fours before it started to rapidly slam on the ground with its fists, causing me to go flying off of the beast's backside and onto the floor. I could feel the blood start to form in my mouth once again, my body covered with various scrapes and dirt marks from the fight.

However, it seemed as though the Beast had sustained minimal damage as it was able to walk towards me without even a slight detour in its step. Things weren't looking good on my end, though at the top of my eye I could see Gabi walking on top of the tall rocks that were surrounding the ruins.

She had some sort of knife in her hand, while she had the gem in the other one. She walked on backward's before she bolted towards the edge of the rock and leaped up to the air.

Gabi landed on the Minotaur's head and jammed the knife into its eye, causing it to shriek in agony. She dropped the gem as its head moved upwards, only for it to grip the young girl with its massive hands.

I quickly shot up in order to prevent the girl from getting crushed, though as fate would have it, Shade made yet another appearance for a brief second. Though that second was all he needed in order for him to ram his fist into the jaw of the Beast, causing it to go flying into the air.

Using the opportunity to go on the offensive, I grabbed the blade and rushed towards the Minotaur. Though before it could stand up to counter, I quickly rammed the sword in between its eyes.

The Beast fell to the ground as its ashes evaporated into the air, causing both the sword and the knife to fall to the ground. I breathed heavily as I picked up the blade before turning around to face Gabi.

"Good job, kid," I said as I stared at her shocked filled expression. I wiped the blood and dirt off of my body before picking up the gem and handing it back to her.

"I...I killed a Minotaur." She said slowly as she took the gem from my hand, though before I could correct her on her choice of words, she started to hop up and down with a grin on her face.

"I actually killed a Minotaur! Wahoo!" She cheered as she danced around for joy. I was about to tell her that I actually killed the Minotaur, though I figured that I would let her have her little moment.

...

Once our business within the Forest Temple was finished, we finally made our way back to the entrance of the pathway to meet the group once again. Once they saw both of us, Danielle wasted no time rushing towards Gabi to embrace her in a hug.

Though Shay and Pace seemed to notice the large red gem she had in her arms more than anything. Once Danielle released Gabi due to lack of oxygen, she proudly showed off the gem the both of us had gotten within the cave.

"I can't believe you actually made it back!" Pace said with a shocked expression on his face.

"Not only that but you actually managed to get the treasure hidden within that temple!" Shay said as they both stared at her prize with shock written all over their faces.

"That's right! I guess I'm tougher than the both of you after all!" Gabi said as she puffed out her chest with pride. "I even defeated a Minotaur all by myself!" She said, only to get deadpanned expressions from the group in question.

"...Well, I suppose he did help." Gabi said as she pointed at my direction. "By the way, what's your name?" She asked.

"Oh, the names Brandon." I greeted.

"Right, honestly I've had it up to here with the both of you!" Danielle complimented as she scowled at Shay and Pace. "We better not have to have this talk again, we just barely were able to get the whole situation handled!" She said.

Though before Gabi could gloat in the faces of the duo, Danielle quickly turned to face her with the same scowl on her face. "The same goes for you too! I'm glad you made it out okay, though what would have happened if there hadn't been anyone around to help?" She said, causing the girl to get a rather guilty expression on her face.

"Sorry, Dan. I just wanted to show them that I'm not someone to look down on." Gabi said.

"Well, I guess you're tougher then we gave you credit for." Pace said as he picked up Gabi and threw her onto his shoulder. "You made it that far into the temple alone, and even took down a Minotaur." He said.

Even if she didn't deliver the killing blow though we'll just leave that part out.

"Yeah! I guess you two should start taking notes from me from here on out!" Gabi said with her arms crossed and her chest pushed out with pride.

"Glad to see you still talk big." Pace said as he ruffled the hair of the girl on his shoulders. "Though I gotta hand it to you, I didn't think you'd pull through for us. It's thanks to you that our little friend here made it out in one piece today." He said.

"Yeah, we really owe you one," Danielle said to me. "Now, I'm sure you'd want a reward for your troubles." She said.

"That would be appreciated," I said, causing the woman to nod before talking with both Pace and Shay.

After they had finished negotiating how much they wished to pay me, they came to an agreement that a currency of two hundred would be enough to suffice for the trouble I went through, Shay and Pace paying for most of the cost as they were the ones who caused this whole mess to begin with.

Once all was said and done, we decided it was time to part ways, though the group said that I was more than welcome to stop by their place whenever I needed something from them.

I reached into my pocket and pulled out the address they had given me before shaking my head and placing it back into my pocket. I looked up to see that the sun was still out, meaning it was midday at the moment.

Before I could ponder on what to do next, the sight of a blonde female woman caught my attention. She was walking towards me with a rather neutral expression on her face and with some sort of book by her side.

"Hmm." She hummed as she opened the book and looked at me before looking back at the pages of the book. She stared at the book for a couple of seconds before nodding and placing the book back in her bag.

"I've been looking for you." The woman said as she reached into her pocket to pull out some sort of device. Before I could even question her motives, she opened the device and placed it in front of my field of vision.

It was some form of I.D, though I could very clearly tell what exactly she was trying to tell me. This woman was known as Mary Naturae, and she was a Huntress/Professor at the Academy of Beacon.

From the looks of the idea, she was some sort of Archaeologist. "You've caused quite the stir back at the West Gate. People weren't exactly happy when you just up and left like that." Mary said to me.

"Right." I nod.

"What were you even doing out here, to begin with? You look pretty run down." She said to me as she scanned the dirt that was collected throughout the day.

"I was just handling a job is all," I told her, causing her to raise an eyebrow at me.

"You're a mercenary?" Mary inquired.

"Something like that," I told her, causing her to nod her head before writing something down in the book she had in her bag. Though before I could question her any further, she started to walk towards the path that led to the Kingdom of Vale.

"Hold on, where are you going?" I asked.

"To the West Gate. Let's go, there's a lot of work ahead of us." Mary told me as she continued to walk away. I was still rather confused by all of this, though I decided it would be best to just follow the Archaeologist for now.

Back near the West Gate

"Unbelievable! Absolutely unbelievable!" Oobleck shouted as I sat there under the moonlight listening to one of his lectures. He had wasted no time giving me one of his lectures the second I was in sight.

"I specifically told you to stay put until everything was sorted out!" He said as he paced around me. "It would be best to learn to mind your elders from here on out!" Oobleck stated. "Not only that, but you wandered out into the forest with only your blade to keep you from the clutches of the Creatures of Grimm! It's because of your inconsiderate attitude that nearly got you killed!"

"Anyone with even an ounce of common sense would think twice before diving head first into such a dangerous situation!" Oobleck said. The Historian continued to ramble on, though at this point I had tuned him out in order to save my own sanity.

"So in conclusion! Knowledge is the power of our society! Ignorance is the weakness that has plagued our society! As such, read a book!" He said. "However, I cannot say that I fault you for your actions." Oobleck rambled partially, causing me to break out of my daze.

"...Hmm?" I hummed.

"I understand one's desire to see the various wonders of the world. After all, this is a rather new experience for you." Oobleck said. "As history has shown, there are some things in this life that you will never learn except through the experience that comes with it."

"Anyways, let us get back to business!" He stated before turning his attention to Mary. "This here is Mary Naturae, the school's Archeologist. You're probably suspicious as to what our said business entails!" Oobleck assumed, though before I could give a solid answer, he proceeded to explain the situation.

"You see, that strange Relic you possess has caught the interest of our dear Archeologist, as well as the attention of the Headmaster himself. As such, we wish to research the object for further study. Rest assured, you will be able to hold on to said Relic till the research is complete." He said, though it still left me with more questions than answers. Though I decided it would be best to push the questions to the back of my head.

"Mary has also agreed to let you stay at her humble abode until the research is complete," Oobleck said, causing me to do a quick double take. "Any questions?" He asked as he adjusted his glasses.

"Wait-." I began, only for the Historian to interrupt me once again.

"Excellent! I believe we shall see one another tomorrow! Until then, farewell!" He bid me adieu before blitzing off into the distance, leaving me to process the situation in question. Mary sighed before she started to walk towards the Kingdom of Vale that was lit under the Moonlight. "Don't touch my research." She demanded, aloof, without turning to face me.

"..." I merely stood there in shock before I followed Mary towards her house in question.

...

Thus another chapter of our story ends, leaving the seeds of potential behind. When one trial ends, another one is soon to begin in its place. Whether the young man will be up to the task will be up to history.

While he makes progress in honing his craft with his new-found blade, the being known as Shade is still unresponsive. Our hero will have to learn to control this unfamiliar power if he hopes to be prepared for the trials ahead.

Unfamiliar history has been confronted, though when confronted, it merely left our hero with more questions than answers. Though the answers to these questions shall be answered in due time.

It is how all things are explained. Through the history, we carve out.

Credits

Writer: Quebec

Editor: Smitten

Before I go over some of the common points made within the reviews of the last chapter, I just want to thank each and every one of you for the support I have gotten regarding my illness.

From what I've gotten from some of the reviews, some of you believe that this version of the story is actually better written than the original, at least when it came to the first chapter.

Though some of you were curious as to what would happen to the original. Rest assured that after thinking about what my next course of action should be, I have decided to keep the original version of the story for those of you who wish to look back on how far the story has come.

While there are some parts of this reboot that will be similar to the original, there will also be various other elements that will be vastly different from the original.

There were many interesting points made within the critique's that were made, though the more common one I had come across was the one regarding the "Ruby's Guide to The World of Remnant"

While most did enjoy the concept behind it, some didn't really believe it was something that Ruby would write. I plan to make efforts to address these criticisms, as well as inform my editor to incorporate any changes needed in the final draft.

Though keep in mind that not only is this a different take on my own work, it is also a different take on the various things that were previously established in the source material.

While the characters won't be completely different from their canonical counterpart, there will also be many things that will be vastly different about them.

As such with everything in this new story. Some characters will have more changes than others, while some of the changes will only be noticeable when you dig deeper into the mindset of the characters.

...

Next Chapter: Beacon of Hope

...

Ruby's Guide to The World of Remnant

Minotaur

The Minotaur is a large, humanoid-like beast, with the only traits on its body that aren't human being its head and its lower body. It reminds me of something out of one of the stories my dad used to read Yang and me when we were kids. It isn't as fast as its descendant, though it makes up for it with sheer versatility.

Qrow Branwen, who just so happens to be one of the most skilled Huntsman in Vale, as well as the best Uncle in the whole world, said that the Minotaur is able to wield the weapons of fallen warriors if it so desires to, being able to lift even the heaviest of weapons with relative ease.

Fortunately, from what my uncle has said, they aren't too difficult to take down with the right know-how which we will get into in a second here.

Combat Style

As said earlier, the Minotaur is able to wield the weapons of those it slays, making it a rather tough opponent to go up against. It is more intelligent when compared to most other Grimm, even after the recent spike in their intelligence.

It will use whatever means necessary to take down its opponent, making fighting a challenge to even the veterans. It will charge at you with its powerful horns or attempt to crush you with its massive hands.

The Minotaur stands at ten feet tall, and its horns are a threat to be feared. Surviving an attack from one of these horns will leave you with a feeling of dread you can't feel with other types of monsters.

How to Combat

Luckily for you, my uncle has come up with a plan in order to send these things back to where they came from! The beast relies on vision in order to take down its targets, so aiming for the eyes will push the battle in your favor.

If you are somehow able to overpower this massive force, then constant attacks are recommended due to its lack of agility and mobility. While it is durable, it can only take so much.

Though the Spartan Minotaurs are able to negate all sense of pain, making the fight difficult for the Huntsman in question. So engage one at your own risk.

Stay Safe, and Happy Hunting!