Hello everyone and welcome back to Messenger of Ash! It's been while since I have a life (kinda). I was planning on making this chapter way longer but I decided just to split it up instead. It will take a long time for me to reach to the point I had in mind. Anyway let's get to the reviews!

Themaskedswordsman: It's nice to see that you are still here man! I hope this is interesting as well.

Guest and Warden of Lore: I'm sorry but I don't have a good reason for him to have the Soul of Cinder Armour. He may have defeated the Soul of Cinder but remember that does not apply in this Age of Fire or in this case Remnant. I figured that having him without his equipment would give him the opportunity to do two things. First, he would be able to get new equipment to replace his old ones which means that The Ashen One could have some awesome swords and armour. Second, it just shows how strong and experienced the Ashen One is when it comes to combat and I wanted him to have that impression to the characters around them, so I hope both of you are willing to stick around. Thanks for the feedback!

That is it! Here is Chapter 4: Knowledge and Experience

"Okay girls! We have another objective with our operation and that is to protect Mr. Ashlan from any other threats and enemies. Is that understood?"

A happy Ruby nods her head eagerly while the other three girls hesitantly nod. Yang steps forward and points to Ashlan. "Mr. Amnesia obviously knows how to fight maybe he can help us find our target. I mean we can make him useful, right?"

Doctor Oobleck puts both of his hands behind his back. "Young lady, Mr. Ashlan here is still a civilian. It does not matter if he has experience in combat. It is our job to protect civilians and leave them out of danger unless he can say he is a hunter or the sort he will not fight."

The doctor looks at gash and puts massages his temple. "I want everyone to secure the surrounding area. I will treat the wounds of our young man here." The girls leave in pairs. Yang and Ruby walk off to the west side while Weiss and Blake go the opposite direction.

The newly name Ashlan looks to Doctor Oobleck and extends his hand forward. "May I ask for your name?"

Oobleck slowly grabs his hand and shakes it. He takes off his glasses and stares at Ashlan. "Tell me now. Who are you really?" he says with a voice of authority.

The Ashen One closes his eyes and stands completely still. "What do you me-"

"Mr. Ashlan, you just said you don't have a name but you were still able to answer Ruby's question earlier did you not?"

The mysterious man looks down and rubs his forehead. He knew he wasn't good liar. He crosses his arms together and meets the intense stare of Oobleck. "I'm from an age long past and I'm was awoken from my slumber to complete my duty once again."

Oobleck's already narrow eyes grow narrower. This man just proclaimed he was from an ancient era and if this were any other man, he wouldn't believe them but this man was different. There is a voice in the back of his head rejoicing for a specimen still alive from the past but safety goes first for the children. "Mr. Ashlan that is hard to believe. Can you prove it?"

Ashlan curses to himself realizing that there is no way he can prove that he is from the past. There is nothing he could provide unless he shows him an item that has saved him countless of times. He moves his hand to grab his Estus Flask from his pocket and Oobleck puts his hand by his Thermos in response. The Ashen One shows him a golden artifact. "This is called an Estus Flask. The liquid within this flash is called Estus and it has healing properties." He takes puts the flask on his mouth and starts drinking. The gash from his chest reformed until there is no longer a scratch.

Doctor Oobleck is speechless. He couldn't begin to fathom what benefits this substance will be able to provide for Remnant. He was doctor and he knows no machine that can do the same thing this liquid can. There is still doubts in his head but now there is significant chance that he may be from the past. He puts on his glasses again and fixes it with his middle finger. "To answer your question earlier my name is Bartholomew Oobleck." He lets out and sigh and looks to Ashlan. "I will withdraw my questions for now Mr. Ashlan and I'm taking a significant risk in trusting you but if there is a chance you are from the past then that outweighs the risks that may happen in this mission." Oobleck grabs his Thermos and it turns into a torch like weapon. "The moment I see you are a danger to those girls then you will face the consequences." The torch like weapon turns back into a bottle and Oobleck attaches it to this belt. He coughs. "I hope we have settled on an agreement."

The Ashen One is not at all upset by the threat by Doctor Oobleck. He is just protecting the girls and he knows what it feels to protect someone from anything. He smiles. "Well Sir Oo-

Doctor Oobleck suddenly grabs his hand and shakes it. "IT'S DOCTOR OOBLECK. FOR YOUR INFORMATION!"

Ashlan is taken aback but he recovers and maintains his smile. "Doctor Oobleck I thank you for your trust in me. I know it's hard to believe."

"He is so cool! I mean he took out six beowolves with his bare hands Yang! HIS BARE HANDS! Imagine if he uses a weapon then he will be even stronger!"

Yang puts both of her hands on Ruby's shoulders and shakes her. "Ruby don't do that again you hear me?"

Ruby tilts her head in confusion. "What do you mean Yang?"

Yang shakes her head in disappointment and gives Ruby her dead eyes. "Mr. Amnesia over there could have been enemy and he could have hurt you!"

Ruby pushes her sister's hands off her shoulders and looks to Yang with eyes full of hope. "But he was in danger and he needed help. That what we do as Huntresses right? Be a hero and save people as best as we can, isn't it?"

Yang is shocked by how naïve Ruby is in this situation. She knew her dream was becoming a hero but she did not know how idealistic Ruby's view was on being a huntress. Yang can't help but feel worried for her little sister. Ruby was somewhat right though. Yang remembers the response from Mr. Amnesia and it was as genuine as it gets. She now feels even more conflicted than before and lets out a frustrated scream. "It's just that there is something off with him. I don't know what it is but I can just feel it!"

Ruby gives a look of pity and is grateful that Yang is worried for her safety and wellbeing. She puts her hand on her right shoulder as a sign of comfort. "Yang I'm fine! Mr. Ashlan did not hurt me at all and he seems cool."The older sister finally gives up and shrugs. "Fine! I will trust Mr. Amnesia for now but if I see anything sketchy Mr. Ashlan will feel the flame!" Yang turns to the side and goes into a fighting stance and punches the air a few times. At the end, she gives smirk and looks at her younger sister.

She sees Ruby with her hand on her face in response to her "pun". Ruby couldn't help but feel ashamed for that bad attempt at a pun. Her sister (writer) has made a lot of cheesy ones but this one isn't good or cheesy at all. She puts her hand down slowly and gives an awkward smile. "Su-re Yang…"

Yang puts her arm around her sister's neck and rubs her fist into Ruby's hair. Ruby tries removing her sister's arm off her neck but she is too strong. They laugh and enjoy the moment. Yang looks around and there is no Grimm in sight. "Come on Sis, we have walked far enough there is nothing to report here."

Ruby nods frantically. She continues her attempt on removing Yang's arm off her neck and bends her legs off the ground. This was an attempt to use all her weight to remove Yang's arm. She looks at her sister with one eye. "I agree! Can you let me go now?!"

Yang see Ruby's legs no longer touching the ground and gives a cocky grin. "Sure! I don't mind!" She quickly removes her hand from her neck and Ruby falls to the ground butt first.

Ruby stands up and massages her backside. "Yang that hurts!" She turns and starts walking away. "Let's go before Doctor Oobleck gets mad."

Yang jogs to catch up to Ruby. "Yeah we should huh? Let's go before we get attacked by a pack of Grimm." She laughs at the end of her sentence and they begin their trek back to their professor.

Weiss and Blake have been walking in silence for a few minutes due to the unexpected appearance of a mysterious man named "Ashlan".

Weiss had a look of irritation on her face and finally decided to speak up. "Can you believe it?! We just let some random dude into our group without know who he is." Blake nods along. Her face is expressionless as she is also thinking of this whole situation as well. Weiss continues her rant. "Ruby also had the stupidity to rush in to help a random person in an area that only we can enter."

Blake decided to help Weiss calm down. "We should be fine. Doctor Oobleck probably has a plan with Mr. Ashlan." She holds her weapon while they are walking forward.

Weiss's face was obvious. She was full of doubt when Blake mentioned Doctor Oobleck. "Are you sure? I don't have that much faith in our professor."

Blake smiles a bit this time and looks to Weiss. "I mean he did give you one earlier when we were chasing those Grimm."

Weiss's cheeks go a bright red and she was furious as if fumes were coming out of her head. "Do not mention that again! It's not my fault that Doctor Oobleck doesn't look capable. At least I stood corrected when... he gave me one I guess." She feels responsible for her disbelief to Doctor Oobleck. She looks down, thinking what she should do later.

Blake concludes that Weiss needs some reassurance and sighs. "Doctor Oobleck is huntsman and he probably did not take anything you said to heart or anything you were implying."

Weiss puts her head up as she was a bit assured by Blake. She stops walking observes the surrounding area. There is nothing out of the ordinary here. Weiss turns around and looks behind. "Thanks. Let's go back. We have gone far enough."

Blake nods and follows Weiss as they begin to walk back to Doctor Oobleck.

At this point Weiss and Blake come back from their mission and go to Doctor Oobleck. The girl in black walks near Doctor Oobleck. "Doctor Oobleck our side is clear."

He nods and looks to Blake. "Good job girls. I'm finished treating Mr. Ashlan here and once Ruby and Yang come back then we will continue our search."

Blake and Weiss are astonished by how fast the gash in Ashlan's chest has recovered. Both, had a look of amazement and newfound confidence in their doctor. Blake acknowledges the doctor. "You really are a doctor Doctor Oobleck."

Oobleck points his finger to sky and back at Blake. "SEE! GETTING THAT PHD IS HARDER SAID THAN DONE GIRLS!" He calms down and coughs. "Anyway, before the other girls come back we need to address how we are going to protect our civilian here." He draws an imaginary formation at the air. "So, we will have three people in the front to serve as the vanguard while three at the back will be the rear guard. Mr. Ashlan will be at the back while I will be at the front accompanying the vanguard."

Right on que, Ruby and Yang come back from their search. Yang waves her hand high and shouts with the other. "WE'RE BACK!" They rejoin the group. "Did we miss anything?"

Oobleck looks at them and explains the same thing said to Weiss and Blake. After completing his explanation, he looks to all the girls. "Okay! We will keep the same pairing we had earlier. Weiss, Blake, and I at the front while Ruby, and Yang protect Mr. Ashlan! Is that understood?"

Mr. Ashlan also nods in agreement with his arm crossed. He looks at his equipment and realizes he needs something to protect himself. "If it's possible, may I wield a weapon to defend myself with?"

Everyone looks to Mr. Ashlan and Doctor Oobleck steps forward and puts his bag down. He looks through it and finds a standard retractable sword. "Ah! Found it!" He grabs it out of his bag and hands it over to The Ashen One. Without any of the girls noticing, Oobleck's eyes were fierce through his glasses as he hands over the sword. "I hope you are fine with this blade Mr. Ashlan."

The Ashen One was perplexed. "How can a sword retract and extend just like that?" He takes it from the professor with caution. He examines both side of the blade trying to find any weak points in its structure. The entire sword is colored white and it resembled any short sword he has seen before. There were no weak points. It was formidable and strong as any sword he has wielded. The Ashen One couldn't believe it even Andre would be impressed by this sword and it takes a lot to impress him. There was only one thing left to do.

He looks to Doctor Oobleck and nods. "I think this is an excellent sword Doctor. Allow me to test it."

Doctor Oobleck gives a thumbs up. "Go ahead Mr. Ashlan. I hope it fits your fighting style and does not detract from it."

Ashlan takes two steps backward and turns to left. With no one in his way he can give this sword a proper swing. He puts both his hands on the sword and breathes slowly. The Ashen One felt somewhat relieved after holding a weapon after for so long. It as if a missing part of puzzle was in place. He felt complete with a weapon in his hand. He readies the blade above his head and then as quickly, he swings it down. Everyone felt the air blown away from that slash. It was like the wind was trying to escape from being hit by the sword. They were at awe. The Ashen One swiftly takes a step forward with his left foot and with his momentum from his entire body, swings upward. Everyone felt it again but this time stronger than before. Ashlan twists his body to right and brings his arm backward. With his entire body from his feet to his torso, he thrusts forward. It seemed like a blade of wind shaped around the sword as it was being thrusted forward.

The Ashen One looks down at his new weapon and smiles. The weapon he had was well made and felt amazing. The sword was balanced and the weight was just right. He looked back to the group only to find them shocked at the display he has made. To him, this was a normal routine, so he does not know what they are shocked about. "Is there something wrong?" He asked the group.

Doctor Oobleck couldn't say anything. He just saw this man performed his skill effortlessly. His movement was quick and snappy. No wasted movement. No mistake or inaccuracies in his stance. This was a man who would have fought tooth and nail every day of his life to achieve this form and level of skill. His swordsmanship easily rivals the top huntsmen wielding a sword. Oobleck shakes his head regaining his consciousness and quickly responds to Ashlan. "No Mr. Ashlan. The way you use the sword was extraordinary and it's great that you are suited to the sword I have given you."

Team RWBY was still shocked. They did not say anything for a few seconds. Ruby greatly admired Mr. Ashlan and was happy to have an opportunity to learn from a great swordsman even if she used a scythe. Weiss was amazed. She refused to believe was she just saw. How can a no name man in the middle of nowhere have this level of finesse that would give her sister a run for her money. Blake has seen high level swordsmanship before from her ex-friend Adam but this was an entirely different level of swordsmanship and she was scared. She was scared because this person might betray them like Adam did. Yang was excited. She found another opponent to spar with and her opponent wouldn't be a pushover.

Ashlan faces the group and looks at his sword to find a button at the side of the handle. "What does this do?" He presses it and the blade and hand guard retract into the handle. "Oh, this is convenient." He places the handle in his pocket. "What is the plan?"

Doctor Oobleck realized the he forgot to tell Mr. Ashlan what they were doing here in the first place. "Well Mr. Ashlan we are here for one thing and that is to exterminate the collection of Grimm in this area. Once we have eliminated the Grimm we will go back to Beacon to report our mission."

Ashlan's deductions were confirmed. They were some sort of adventurers tasked to do something in this area although there are still other possibilities in his head. Ashlan wondered why four young girls would be allowed to be in such danger. He decides that he needs to know more about this world and puts both of his hands up. "Well Doctor I will do my best to not interfere with your mission and if possible, I would like to ask you a few questions later."

Oobleck nods in agreement and signals all the girls to move. "Let's continue searching for Grimm, girls!" They move in formation. Oobleck, Weiss, and Blake at the front while Ashlan, Ruby, and Yang at the back.

As time passed while they were walking around, Ashlan had time to think about the current state of this Age of Fire. They were technologically more advanced than they ever were but he did not see any sort of spells or magic been used. Instead of the Undead Curse or The Abyss they are in combat against soulless creatures named Grimm. This part of his thoughts had consumed him most of the trip. Were Grimm just another version of the Undead Curse or were they creatures of something like the Abyss? He just needed to know more. The most important question he needed an answer for was how was he going to extend this Age of Fire? He was already in the Kiln of the First Flame but he wasn't a Lord of Cinder. He isn't Unkindled as well. From his knowledge, there was no other Lord of Cinder present for him to slay. Maybe they will revive soon? Too many questions with few answers.

Ashlan decides to take a break from his thoughts and observe the actions of the people around him. Ruby and her sister Yang were more relaxed than the two girls at the front. Yang would give the occasional joke while Ruby would either give a lighthearted laugh or respond with dread. It warms his heart that these girls lived in a world where they can be happy and not worry about the end of everything which is a bit ironic since they are in a danger zone filled with dangerous creatures. He was a bit glad that they haven't tried pressed him with questions about himself. The answers he would give would probably not be substantial and it would only raise more questions.

Ashlan looks forward to see the girls named Weiss and Blake and their Doctor Oobleck. The two girls are more alert and serious about the current situation. It seemed like they haven't talked in a while but he could be wrong since he is a distance away from them. His eyes were drawn towards the white girl. Her walk gave an impression of elegance. Her attire was more formal than the others and at the back of her jacket she had a crest which he obviously hasn't seen before. She had a rapier at her belt which suggests that she fights with cunning and agility to defeat her opponents. Ashlan's best guess of her is that she is a girl who's family has a high standard of living. He would guess she came from royalty if he was asked. Ashlan has been around royalty for the majority of his life and he could tell when someone was one or not.

Yang being naturally more preceptive than Ruby, saw Ashlan with his eyes on Weiss. She crossed her arms and tilted her head to left while looking at Ashlan. "Staring at our princess are you?" She ends the sentence with a small tone of seductiveness.

Ruby looked at Yang wondering what she was talking about and looked towards the people to her right. Ashlan did not avert his gaze but he still answered Yang. "Is she really a princess?" He was undeterred with what Yang was suggesting and figured that this would give him a way to find out more about the world.

Ruby decided this was her time to enter the conversation. "Well, she is Schnee, so you could consider them royalty."

Yang nods along. "Schnee is the name a bunch of people know since you know... they are probably the biggest dust provider in the world which you should know."

Ashlan's guess was correct. "I see." He focused on something else entirely as Yang answered her question. Dust? Why would you want a provide for Dust? The Ashen One hoped that his Dust and their Dust were different. He would ask but he rather ask Doctor Oobleck about it. At least he knows that this girl came from a powerful family of some sort.

They continued walking along the road, taking some turns along the way and then his senses kicked in. He felt there was something or someone coming to kill them. He trusted his senses due to the fact it has developed from numerous deaths and betrayals. He puts his hand in his pocket and looks around. He wanted to make sure they weren't taken by surprise. He looked to Ruby and Yang. They were walking casually like it was nothing. He knew those girls had some semblance of skill or talent with fighting but he does not want any of these people to be hurt. It was easy to die against an enemy with the element of surprise.

Ruby looked to Ashlan and saw that his face was no longer relaxed but more alert and aware. "What's wrong Ashlan?" She asked curiously.

Before Ashlan can speak, a pack of beowolves were running at them from behind and everyone heard it. Ashlan turns around and grabs the sword from his pocket and extends it. "They're here."

And that was Chapter 4 of Messenger of Ash! I hope to enjoyed it. I know this chapter does not have any action at all but don't worry for the next chapter will probably be just fighting the whole chapter (which would be hard to write not gonna lie). I'm going to look forward to Weiss and The Ashen One interacting with each other. It would probably a wise mentor and student kinda thing. Anyway, remember to bash my writing and review! Thanks for reading and I hope you read the next chapter! (Whenever that will be released.)