Chapter 38
To Be A Knight (3)

Jaune was honestly surprised to see his friends and teammates gathered here. Granted, he had expected someone to retrieve him after Cardin sent him... flying, but the young swordsman assumed that it would've been some member of the staff who retrieved him. After all, the rocket locker was still part of school property, so it made sense for someone official to come. Instead, he saw the Team RWBY, his own team, and the Hall monitor.

Not that he was complaining. He was much more comfortable trying to explain his ghostly companion to his friends (and a staff member who looked his age), rather than one of his teachers. Or worse, some intimidating teacher or security staff that he didn't know. So Jaune counted his blessings, turning his attention away from his thoughts as he focused on the group.

"Oh, her name's Kali." The young Arc responded to his partner's question, quickly easing into the introduction. The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them, and it took him a moment to figure out how to properly explain the next part. "She's... uh... A ghost."

Not that those moments were enough to prepare anyone for that statement. And, of course, his his words were met with silence, at least from his team. And he really didn't blame them, to be honest.

Now that he was no longer in immediate danger, the blonde swordsman's mind caught up with him. It was an odd position to be in, and the huntsman-in-training began to understood the magnitude of his words. After all, now that he was no longer under the threat of being eaten by an Ursa, he too found it odd that, immediately after landing in his rocket locker, he had met up with Kali. Who was a ghost. Yet, part of his mind had already accepted that fact, so he didn't dwell on it.

"Huh. Is that so?" Hall was the only one who seemed unperturbed by the sudden revelation, and his stance matched his noncommittal tone, his shoulders slouched as he gave a single glance at the ghostly Knight.

Again, Jaune didn't know what to think of the Hall monitor, who seemed to swap between so many different personalities at a given time. He was serious and no-nonsense when dealing with anything remotely academic, but at the same time, he could be just as chaotic as Ruby was. There were also times where he acted in-between, usually in Port's class, and he could swear that there was still more to the man. But, at the moment, it seemed that chaotic was the right word, as Hall didn't really seem to be too serio-

"Wait, what're you doing?" Weiss's voice interrupted the swordsman's thoughts, as well as the stunned silence that fell on the rest of the group. They finally noticed that Hall was glowing, gradually gathering his Aura for some reason or another. But, before anyone could question him, it stopped.

No one had time to react as the power unleashed itself. Within moments, a transparent flame formed in the air, slowly circling around the robed teaching assistant.

And nothing happened. Huh.

"Um... What is that?" Pyrrha was the first to speak up, having readied herself in a combat stance. However, once she realized that nothing else was going to happen, she gave an awkward pause, before slowly sheathing her weapon. Jaune couldn't help but smile at that; He was thankful that she was such a good partner, since she was always on top of things, but she also these moments where she was caught off-guard.

"Just a simple spell. Spots illusions and hidden stuff." Hall quickly waved off Pyrrha's question, his voice gradually shifting back to a more serious tone. Well, not serious, but less relaxed. Maybe? Jaune was never that good at reading people. "I wanted to ensure that there was nothing else here besides your leader's new friend."

"Oh." That explanation was enough to give the redhead warrior some pause, as her gaze shifted over to Kali, then back to the Hall monitor. "... So what did you find out?"

"She's a ghost."

Another non-committal shrug. That was all that was needed to convince Jaune that he would never be able to get a read on people. At least, not this person. So, rather than try, the blonde swordsman let out a tired sigh, as did the rest of the group. The two teams gave Hall an odd look, before finally settling back to matters at hand.

"A ghost, huh?... Can she understand us?" Nora, ever the inquisitive one, spoke up next, her green eyes first looking at Jaune, before turning away as they settled down on the ghost before them. Jaune could see the playful curiosity from here, and honestly, he was surprised that she were taking the sudden meeting so well. Of course, with Nora being Nora, Jaune wasn't surprised to find that his teammate didn't bother waiting for his answer. Instead, she chose to shout out with a hearty wave.

"Nice to meet you! I'm Nora, and this is Renny!"

"Nice to meet you, Ms. Nora, Mr. Renny. Again, I am Kali." Kali, for the most part, smiled back at the exuberant youth, chuckling at her enthusiasm. The ghostly Knight turned to face the Valkyrie proper, as she gave the young woman a light bow, returning her greetings. "And to answer your question, yes. I can understand you all just fine."

"Ooo! She's all formal and stuff. Kinda like you, Ren!"

Ren tried to ignore his partner's statement, giving her a soft smile before settling his gaze on the ghost. Of course, he immediately proved Nora right when he returned the bow, his voice soft as he spoke out. "Nice to meet you too, Ms. Kali. And, for the record, my name's Ren. Nora's just a bit too energetic with mannerisms."

"Oh, I understand, and I apologize for the error, Mr. Ren." And with that, the ghostly Knight turned to the rest of the group, a polite smile on her face as she regarded the rest of the group. "And it's a pleasure to meet you all as well. May I ask your names?"

"They're certainly getting along nicely." Ozpin's voice was almost cheery as he focused on the security feed.

That was a fact that Glynda Goodwitch did not miss. Honestly, she was surprised how calmly her associate was taking this situation.

Though, to be fair, she was equally surprised by her own state of mind. It only took her thoughts a few moments to go from truly recognizing the ghost girl as a ghost, to accepting it. Usually, that sort of revelation would be accompanied by a whole slew of questions, as well as skepticism and concern. However, even Glynda found herself far less Perhaps it was simply due to the fact that this first month was already so far beyond the norm. One more oddity wouldn't look that out of place.

So, rather than treat the deceased Knight as an anomaly, Glynda instead chose to view her as a stranger. And in that light, the ghostly woman was certainly a character. Though it may have been due to her condition, the Knight still chose to assist Mr. Arc with his troubles in the Emerald Forest, which was a positive first impression for the female teacher.

Of course, first impressions are hardly a suitable replacement for knowing someone, which was why she was now examining the girl with far more scrutiny, watching as she interacted with Team RWBY and JNPR. And, just as Ozpin had said, they were getting along with one another.

The Knight was reserved, but still readily received any questions directed to her... Even if her answers weren't too specific. It seemed that the young lady had no meaningful recollection of her existence before meeting up with the young Arc, and any questions about her past or purpose was met with a simple "I don't know". Ordinarily, this would be suspicious, but if their unknown guest truly was a ghost, it wouldn't be unreasonable.

This simply meant that Glynda would have to have a word with the Knight as well. That in itself would be a chore, as a ghost would be far more troublesome to explain away than a simple Scholar. The moment this thought crossed the teacher's mind, she turned her gaze to Ozpin, only to find a mirthful smile on his face. One that told her exactly what he had in mind.

"... I suppose you'll be wanting to handle this, Glynda?"

That was one way for him to phrase it. Of course, the meaning of the question wasn't lost on Glynda, and she knew that it was simply another way of asking her to deal with it. Granted, it was something she had intended to resolve, but it wouldn't hurt Ozpin to at least pretend to assist, would it?

Glynda let out a sigh, before giving the man a nod, adjusting her glasses once more. "Yes, it'd be best to ensure that this situation is handled appropriately. Shall I go retrieve them now?"

"No, not yet."

That was hardly surprising. The female teacher turned to face Ozpin, about to voice her concerns once more before she noticed that the headmaster's attention had shifted. Rather than simply observing the students, he was not browsing through the rest of the forest cameras. She wasn't too sure what he was looking for, as the images flickered from empty trees to clearings to the occassional grimm.

Glynda watched as Ozpin cycled through the images a few more times, scanning through the woods as he tried to find something. Unfortunately, she had no idea what the headmaster was thinking. When the footage looped around to the picture of the crashed locker for the third time, the blonde teacher finally decided to speak out.

"... What are you doing, Ozpin?"

"Oh, just making sure that there are no surprises in the forest, this time." Ozpin's gaze turned away from the holodisplay, leaning back in his desk as he took another sip from his mug. "After all, Mr. Hall, Team RWBY, and Team JNPR were sent out here to retrieve Mr. Arc, as well as his equipment locker. "It would be irresponsible to direct them to this part of the woods without adequately examining the area, wouldn't you agree?"

The blonde instructor shook her head. Not because there wasn't merit in Ozpin's words, but because he had the audacity to say those words after everything he'd done this month. She let out a sigh, her gaze shifting back to the holodisplay, not even able to voice her protests. However, the image on the screen snapped her from her thoughts, as the camera recorded the abandoned rocket-propelled storage locker.

As well as its final moments, as it was crushed beneath the heel of a familiar Bloody Knight. Broken armour and all. Shimmering with the same intangibility as Jaune Arc's ghostly companion.

Glynda immediately sent a message to the Hall monitor.

"I'm glad you think so, too." Ozpin's voice was grave as he stared at the footage.

Hall was surprised.

Not because of the sudden appearance of the ghost, of course. The world of Rune-Midgard was no stranger to spirits, and the presence of one more spectre would hardly be enough to startle the Scholar. Nor was he particularly surprised by how quickly the rest of the huntsmen- and huntresses-in-training seemed to warm up to the ghost. Ruby was already asking about the Knight's weapon, her enthusiasm barely curbed by her older sister. At the same time, Weiss, Blake and Pyrrha were throwing curious glances at both the ghostly blonde Knight, and the not-so-ghostly blonde swordsman.

No. What surprised the Scholar was the fact that this particular ghost seemed... familiar. Not that he'd ever seen her face before, but the general stature and silhouette of the translucent woman stuck in his mind. What seemed to tug most at his memory was the woman's armour, light and minimum, but of a very familiar style. And yet, for all his efforts, the Scholar was unable to place this recognition anywhere in his memory.

Which was why he attempted to identify the ghost. First, he had invoked Sight, a simple spell that any Mage learned; its purpose was to tear down most illusions, things that attempted to hide from sight or mind. The spell itself took the form of a spiritual flame, circling around the caster as it shed an ethereal light, and that little orb of fire's soul purpose was to ignite anything that tried to Cloak or Hide.

However, the ball of flame found nothing, and the Scholar was left with nothing more than a fancy ornament. At least it was pretty to look at.

When that failed, he tried to invoke Sense, mostly to see if the figure before him was something from Rune-Midgard. After all, Kali was something the Scholar recognized, then it must've been related to his world.

And the results of this surprised him.

She was not an adventurer, for Sense had not failed. At the same time, what the spell told him was something unintelligible, a response that neither the monsters from Rune-Midgard, nor the Raydrics from last week, normally gave. Instead, it fed him the same garbled mess of fragmented information that he had received when he first tried to Sense something else.

The people of this world.

So why exactly was the ghost of a denizen of Remnant so familiar to him? Unfortunately, he had neither the resources nor the time to answer this, as a sudden noise tore Hall out of his thoughts. The echoing chime of his Scroll quickly suppressed the conversation around him, and both Team RWBY and JNPR, as well as their ghostly guest, stood silent.

"Hello?" Hall's voice was lax at first, but the immediately changed his tone when he saw who the caller was.

"Mr. Hall." Glynda Goodwitch stared back at the Scholar, and he could see the complicated expression on her face. More importantly, he recognized the background as the Headmaster's office, which meant that Ozpin wasn't too far behind. "I see that you have retrieved Mr. Arc, as well as an... associate of his. I'll speak more of that later, but for now, you are instructed to return to Beacon."

"... What about the locker?"

"The faculty shall handle that matter later. For now, you are to lead your group back to the Academy." The Scholar recognized the edge in the teacher's voice. Coupled with how quickly she dispensed the notion of retrieving the locker, and... they may be in trouble. Hall quickly slipped his hand into his pocket, retrieving some of his catalysts for easy access. If they were going to be in trouble, then the Scholar wanted to be ready for anything.

Should he prepare a Yggdrasil Seed? Hall pulled the item from his pouch for a split second, eyes focused on the tiny seed. Yet, it was only for a second, as he quickly pocketed it inside his pouch before shaking his head. No, that was completely out of the question. It might've been a potent healing item in Rune-Midgard, but its was obviously something else here in Remnant.

"Understood." And that was that. He quickly turned to the rest of the group, knowing full well they had heard the conversation. Still, there was no harm in making an official declaration, just to be absolutely clear about their status.

"Just as you've all heard, now that we've retrieved Mr. Arc, we are to return to Beacon." The man glanced over each of the students in his charge, noting their expressions of curiosity and concern. Unfortunately, he couldn't provide a proper answer, and his voice shifted to a less formal tone. "... I don't know what they're worried about, but they're definitely worried about something. So, rather than giving any of you a chance to argue over it, we're heading back to the school. Any questions?"

Surprisingly, Kali was the one who raised her hand, and the entire group's eyes fell on her. She coughed a bit at the sudden attention, but still stood with her arm raised, a curious look in her eye.

"Yes, Kali?"

"Um... Who's Mr. Arc?"

"... That's Jaune's last name."

And whatever tension and worry the group might've felt was dissolved in an instant, as the ghost girl blushed in embarrassment. There was a lighthearted chuckle, both from the Knight as well as from the two teams, and no one else had anymore questions as they began the long trek back.

At least, no one had any questions they were willing to voice. And no one noticed Kali's worried expression as her eyes fell on the Hall monitor's mysterious pouch.

... It was strange.

Twisted, broken metal. Bloodied. Thick plates that covered its body, but, at the same time, it could feel its own presence cover the sheets of steel in return. No, not steel. Something else.

The armour... No, the man—was he male?—turned his attention away from the faded metal that wrapped around his form, gaze shifting to his hand. He clenched his grip, the ragged claws of his gauntlet digging into his armoured palm, and he felt the light sting of pain. An unfamiliar sensation. Yet a very familiar one.

What was he doing here?

The Ghost of the Bloody Knight tried to remember, but it could recall nothing. There was nothing in the scraps of its mind it could cling to, and it struggled against the empty forest for a moment longer.

Bloody Knight?

Something sparked, and the empty helmet where its crimson eyes were began to glow. It remembered something. A gnawing hunger, an oppressive shadow, a tearing voice. Its mind—His mind—had been broken once. Broken so utterly, that it had shambled for countless centuries, living among a shattered ruin, tied forever to unmarked graves. When did it start? When did it end?

It didn't matter. All that mattered was that it understood its place. He realized that he was simply the pieces left behind. But how? Why?

... No. It knew why. He knew why. Why he was no longer resting in peace, why he had been awoken from his unnatural slumber. And why he had been drawn to this place.

The Bloody Knight—no, the Royal Guardsman—was here for one reason.

The memory of a broken vow.

What the vow was, who had broken it, and who would be judged... All these questions escaped the Spectre. Yet, he knew he came to this place seeking answers. But where would he-

Fire flashed. No... Not fire, but something else entirely. Something that burned the ghost to its very core, threatening to wrench it out from itself. Then, just as quickly, the sensation disappeared, not even leaving behind ghostly embers.

But it didn't matter anymore. The Ghost was certain of one thing now: That he would find his answers. The helmet shifted its sights to where it felt the familiar burn. That direction.

It was there that he would find his answers.

A/N: Again, I'm late with updates. Unfortunately, life's continuing to be a disturbance, so it'll take a while to stabilize. Apologies in advanced.