Glynda was at a loss for what to do. It was a week into the opening of the new training school; and her students were getting sick. It started with only a couple complaining of tiredness and listlessness. Now at least a quarter of the classes were students exhibiting the same symptoms. The infirmary staff had no explanation; unable to find any evidence of contagion or contamination. The Lamppost as the small offshoot school for Beacon had started to be called was too new to have such problems.

The renovations had been done; the workers going above and beyond code to ensure the site was ready for those who wished to continue their studies. Everything was up to date, modern and new; there was no reason for this to be happening. Sitting in her office reviewing paperwork and illness reports she was stumped. If more of the student body fell ill they would have to close down until the issue was resolved; if it ever was.

She was currently waiting for a Council appointed hazmat team to finish going through all the buildings. She had her fingers crossed that it would turn out to be something fixable. Something that made sense. Beside her was a small pile of reports; eye witness statements saying they saw something in their rooms just before they or teammates became ill. Glynda hoped it was hysteria about the illness. She hoped it was just vivd imaginations running wild.

"Miss Goodwitch?" Came a male voice through her intercom.

"Yes." Glynda replied while pressing the talk button.

"You have the head of the hazmat team wishing to speak with you. A Mister Pitt."

"Send him in."

A moment later her office door opened and a middle aged greying haired man walked in. He was cloaked in a bright yellow rubberized plastic suit. A full visored hood like helmet nestled under his left arm.

"Mister Pitt."

"Miss Goodwitch."

"So you have news? Did you find anything?"

"We scanned and sampled both buildings fully. Top to bottom, room by room."

"And?"

"And nothing. We found nothing."

"That can't be."

"I'm sorry. We checked everywhere. We picked up no gasses, no emissions, nothing. This place is cleaner than most hospitals."

"But the students."

"I don't know what to say. Whatever is happening is not because of anything we can find. Sorry."

"Thank you for checking."

"Sorry. Good evening Miss Goodwitch."

"Good evening Mister Pitt."

The man turned and left gently closing the door behind him. As soon as she was alone she collapsed forward face in her hands. The frustration was nearly unbearable. The hazmat team had been her last hope to find a solution. She couldn't in good consciousness keep the school open, exposing the students to some mysterious illness. An illness that only affected those students who resided in the dorm.

"Miss Goodwitch?" Came the intercom voice again.

"Yes?"

"I have an officer from the Vale Police Department here to see you."

Glynda paused. The VPD was here, that was a surprise. Did one of her students do something? Did something happen to one of her students during this free day? Straightening herself up she reached forward and pressed the talk button.

"Send her in."

The door opened a few moments later and in walked a familiar but unwelcome face.

"You."

"Miss Goodwitch."

"Why are you here?" Snapped Glynda, her frayed nerves over the illness growing even more so at the sight of the officer who had threatened her with stalking charges if she didn't leave one of her wayward students alone. "Going to charge me with something?"

"No."

"Then why?"

"I think I know someone who can help with your problem."

"You think?" Glynda was biting her tongue to keep from lashing out with less civil words. "Hazmat just left they found nothing. My own medical staff has found nothing, how can this person you speak of help if there is nothing to be found?"

"Because there is something, it just not what the average person looks for."

"What?"

"Will you hear me out?" Laura asked.

"I will, at least for now."

"Thank you." Replied Laura, "Now I'm here because VPD sent me to escort the hazmat teams in. I heard them talk about finding nothing, and I heard them talk about the symptoms your students are suffering. Tiredness, listlessness?"

"That is correct."

"There are causes for such symptoms that are not medical of environmental."

"Go on."

"I know we've gotten off on the wrong foot, but I do know someone that might be able to find the source of this illness. If you are willing to let them try."

"Is this some paranormal hack you're trying to pass off on to me in my moment of need?"

"Not a hack, but paranormal yes."

"I do not need some stranger spouting that nonsense around the students; let alone a VPD officer standing in front of me trying to insinuate that my students are falling ill because of ghosts and goblins."

"I'm not saying it is. I don't know, though I do have a feeling."

"A feeling still wont convince me to let some charlatan into my school and fleece me; or this school out of money for some removal of a fictitious creature. I'm sorry officer but my answer is . . ."

"It's Jaune. Jaune could help you." Glynda choked back her words as Laura mentioned his name.

"Jaune?"

"Yes." Replied Laura, "He's helped others around town with strange things."

"Regardless . . ."

"It would give you a chance to speak with him, like you wanted."

"But . . ."

"If you were Jaune's teacher then you know him like I do. You think he'd come in here and tell you something if he wasn't be truthful about it? The Jaune I know wont lie to save his life, he's terrible at it."

"That is true."

"So are you willing to let him try?"

"I don't . . ."

"What can it hurt. If he finds nothing he'll tell you there is nothing. No sweat of your back." Laura commented, cutting off her off, "HOWEVER if he does find something he's the only person I know that might actually be able to do something about your problem."

"But you're suggesting this problem is paranormal. That is not possible."

"I'm suggesting you let someone outside of the normal channels try and help. There is something going on here Miss Goodwitch, I can feel it."

"You can feel it?"

"Yes. There is something going on here. Jaune could help, if you let him."

/=/

Jaune sat in the waiting room of the newly created Lamppost Training School. He was nervous, he had been so since Laura handed him the copied paperwork and asked if he'd look into the his lap sat his satchel; it contained the reports he had reviewed, the eye witness statements, and some general notes about the situation; in addition to his grimoire and codex. He let his eyes wander from the neat looking young man sitting at the reception desk to the plain white walls decorated with some donated art.

He had been apprehensive about coming in even to speak with Miss Goodwitch about the situation; let alone taking on the job. He was alone for this one, Neo and Amber were off investigating a reported sighting of a small pack of emaciated cats near the defensive wall at the north of the reborn city. They had discussed the job before separating, and came to the conclusion, or two to one did; that Jaune was better suited to investigating strange occurrences. So here he was a bundle of nervous energy waiting to meet with the one person he was actually afraid to see.

"You may go in now." the young man behind the desk spoke right after the intercom buzzed.

"Ah . . . thank you?" commented Jaune, receiving a nod of the young man's head in response.

Rising from his seat, he straightened out his satchel and smoothed his ragged looking coat. Stepping forward he hesitated at the door with his hand just about touching the lever like handle. Withdrawing his hand he chose instead to knock.

"Come in Mister Arc." came Glynda's muted voice.

Steeling himself he open the door and walked in. Goodwitch's office was as spartan as the waiting room. Plain, neat and functional. Closing the door behind him he surveyed the scene before him. Goodwitch sat behind her neatly organized desk, hands folded in front of her; regarding him closely.

"You may sit Mister Arc."

"Er . . . Thank you." Jaune replied as he moved forward and took a seat.

"I have some misgivings about this whole situation, and I hope you understand Mister Arc that not only must I ask some questions of you, I would be remiss if I didn't state that I doubt you can help."

"Most people I help, don't think I can until I do." Jaune responded.

"Very well."

"You have questions?"

"Yes."

"Um . . . what are they?"

"Why did you run?"

"A what?"

"It is a simple question Mister Arc, why did you run after the fall of Beacon."

"I had made a mistake."

"Mistake? So running and leaving your team was a mistake. we all . . ."

"No," Jaune replied cutting her off, "my mistake was trying to be a huntsman."

"But you had so much promise!"

"I was leading a lie." Jaune responded, "I had lied to get in, I had lied about not having been trained; I was a lie."

"I was your combat instructor for the better part of almost two years, I could tell you had no training in the use of your weapons."

"I wasn't speaking about that type of training."

"Then what are you speaking of?"

"My mother trained me and my twin sister in a different way, as opposed to my father training my other sisters. I was told I have a gift, and that gift is why I ran."

"Gift? Please explain."

"I can see and sense things that most people can not, or choose to ignore."

"Seeing things is a sign of mental illness Jaune."

"No, not in my case." countered Jaune, "You may not believe me, and that's fine, but even now as I sit here I can tell something is off about this school. I think you feel it too."

"Feel what?"

"A sense of dread, a feeling of being slowly drained."

"I don't not."

"You do, you're just ignoring it. Which is fine, that's how most people deal with the unseen worlds."

"Unseen worlds? You are starting to sound more and more like you need a doctor."

"Wether you believe me or not, doesn't matter." commented Jaune, "What does is IF I can help. That's my job now, that was what I was trained for by my mother."

"It all sounds crazy."

"I know it does."

"So if I entertain this investigation you want to undertake, what can you tell me?"

"I've read the reports," Jaune commented as he pulled the manilla folder from his satchel. "The symptom of what is happening here is the listlessness of your students, I'll need to conduct a search and see if I can find the cause or causes."

"The staff, the police and even a hazmat team have already done that."

"Yes, I see that from the paperwork, but they and you were looking for a natural cause for the symptoms; I believe this case has a supernatural cause."

"I find that hard to believe."

"Then again I could be wrong, I wont know until I take a look, but from what I feel just even being in your office, there is something or somethings here in the school."

"So, say I want to believe you, can you tell me anymore?"

"Not much until I do a search, but it could be one or more of several entities. I have my suspicions based on the eyewitness testimonies. But I need to confirm."

"And those suspicions are?"

"A ghost, possible a spectre, or maybe even a wraith." replied Jaune.

"None of those exist."

"Just because you don't or can't see them does not mean they aren't real."

"I think you're wasting your time and mine."

"Well if you let me look into this situation it will be mainly my time wasted."

"Come back to the school Jaune, return to your studies."

"I'm sorry I can't."

"Because of all this supernatural crap?"

"Frankly; yes." replied Jaune, "This is what my mother trained me for, this is what I'm continuing my training to do. At the end of the day I made my choice, and it was the best for everyone involved."

"I would hazard to say the rest of team JNPR would disagree."

"They're allowed to, but at the end of the day it is my decision to make, not their's."

"That maybe true, but still you should reach out to them."

"I don't think that would be a good idea."

"I beg to differ, and I think it would be good for them and you. Please consider it."

"I will if you also consider what I'm doing could be valid."

"I want to say I will, but Jaune . . ."

"It's hard to accept the paranormal being real?"

"Yes."

"If there is nothing else." Jaune prepared to stand up after stuffing the folder back into his satchel.

"There is."

"What would that be?"

"Price of your, ahem services."

"Oh." responded Jaune, as the thought of charging to help people really never entered his mind, "Um . . . let's see if I can help first. Is that okay?"

"If that is how you wish to proceed."

"It would be best."

"So do you require anything for this investigation?"

"Full access to all parts of the school, and if possible have everyone vacate the premises."

"The students have already been billeted out, and after four o'clock they are no longer here, as for the staff I could have them leave by seven?"

"That would be beneficial."

"Why though?"

"Because if there IS something here I only want it to focus on me, and no one else."

"So you're using yourself as bait."

"In a way, yes."

"It's not safe, someone should be here with you."

"That would be not safe for them. I know what I'm getting into, and I know how to defend myself from it, if there is something. Having someone else here would just hinder my efforts."

"I'm not satisfied with that answer. You should have someone with you."

"And who would you suggest? A student, yourself perhaps?"

"Myself." Glynda responded.

"Why? You don't think any of this is real."

"because at the end of the day this school and everyone involved in it are my responsibility. You being here makes you my responsibility. There will be no more discussion about it. I'll be staying tonight to watch over you."

"Fine." Jaune replied, "One condition."

"And that is?"

"Once the school is empty, you do what I say when I say it. No questions, not arguments. Agreed?"

"Agreed."

"If there is nothing else, I have some preparations to make. Is there somewhere I can work in private for a couple hours?"

"The office next to mine. It is empty for the time being."

"Empty?"

"Yes, it is slated to be for a student counsellor, but we have yet to find a viable candidate for the position."

"Beacon never had one."

"I know, and it is one of the few shortfalls we are trying to correct here.

"Okay, well if you need me I'll be next door than."

"Very well. I'll have Harold unlock the door for you. Good day Mister Arc."

"Thank you, and Good day Miss Goodwitch."

Jaune rose and left, closing the door behind him, as he did Glynda paged her receptionist Harold and instructed him to open the office next door for Jaune's use. With all that done she sat back. There was still paperwork to review and a class to prepare for, but she chose to instead reflect on her recent conversation.

/=/

Amber and Neo were having no luck tracking down the supposed pack of ghast that one of Laura's fellow officers had reported. Though he didn't call them by name; he described them, and that description from his report lead Jaune, Neo and Amber to believe the emaciated cats were in fact ghast. Laura was quickly becoming indispensable to the little trio as a source of good information; at least until now.

The pair were tired of looking. Scrambling around debris and rumble left from the fall and the recently completed wall construction. It had been nothing for Amber to fly over the wall while Neo just teleported through it. But now on the far side looking through and over the ruins at what used to be the north side of the city, they had a task and a half to find their quarry.

Though there had been some excitement in the rather boring day. A lone beowulf had wandered close to them. Neo had no time to react as she watched in amazement the speed and pure vicious brutality Amber dispatched the beast. She had never seen Amber act in such a manner, and made a mental note to discuss it with Jaune when they met up again. But with one little encounter to spice up the day they continued on.

/=/

Jaune sat at the desk, in the nearly empty office. In fact it was empty, the chair in which he sat and the desk which he sat at being the only items in the rather good sized room. Jaune figured it was almost the size of his Beacon dorm room. If it was to be for a student counsellor he figured the office was about the right size.

Turning his attention from the room and its lack of decor he focused on his codex, and the couple items he had spread out in the smooth surface of the wooden desk. A couple of regular white candles, and a small mason style jar. A piece of white chalk lay next to them. His grimoire lay open to the side of the codex and his little exorcism book lay closed upon it. He had be reviewing the eye witness statements and in conjunction with the medical reports he had a good suspicion of what he might come across tonight. At least he hoped.

Returning to the grimoire he followed the lines with his finger tip as he read the general section detailing how to deal with general incorporeal entities and beings. He figured it was some form of spirit, possibly a ghost that was the source. He doubted there was more than one, as the number of stricken students only grew after the first few had taken ill. Through his research he came to the conclusion that as it drained its first victims it grew in power and was able to affect more and more students. That made the situation more dangerous. The stronger it was the harder it would be to contain and then dispose of.

Returning to the codex he refreshed his memory on the rituals he was about to inscribe. he was planning on using two, one to detect and another to trap. First the detection one would need to be constructed. Placing the pair of candles in the centre of the desk he drew a circle around them and began the slow process of transcribing the proper runes along the outside. He continually checked the codex for guidance and on a couple of occasions has to wipe away his errors to make corrections.

"Make those who walk the path of unlife; those that dwell in undeath be visible to the living eye." he intoned as he drew the last symbol.

A pale green light flared up and travelled along each line of the structure consuming the symbols and construct; before fading leaving nothing but a fine grey ash. Jaune reached forward and picked up the two candles. Each now glowed with a faint almost sickly green light.

"Corpse Light, "Jaune remarked to himself, "hope it works like the books say it is suppose to."

Setting the candles aside he turned his attention to the glass jar. Picking it up he tested the hinged lid, and closure. finding he could work it rather quickly he was satisfied with his choice of vessel and set it back down on the desk. Picking up the chalk again and referring to his codex he drew another circle, and began etching the appropriate runes as per the diagram. Creating the containment vessel would be a threefold process, and he figured it would take him until nightfall to complete the needed preparations.

/=/

Several hours later a knock came to the door of the room he was in. Without looking up from his work he told them to enter. The clack of heels on the tile floor told him it was Miss Goodwitch who entered. She said nothing as she watched Jaune drawing on the desk before him. Taking a breath Jaune then drew the final symbol and leaned back.

"Be uncrossable to they who are undead, be a barrier to those who live in unlife."

Glynda tried to suppress a chuckle, only for it to change to a short gasp as the chalk drawing on the desk burst into blue flame. Jaune allowed a small smirk to cross his lips, but dashed it away lest Miss Goodwitch notice it. He waited for the ritual to complete, now that normally this ward was used to create a barrier around a building, and not etch itself into a container. He crossed his fingers hoping he had made the alteration correctly. A minute later more fine grey ash floated through the air as Jaune reached forward and picked up the etched jar.

Glynda watched as Jaune turned it over in his hands repeatedly as if studying it, looking for a flaw like a jeweller with a newly cut diamond. Happy with the result of his hours of work Jaune set the jar down and proceeded to pack up his books and materials; leaving the jar, and the two candles on the desk's surface.

"Interesting little light show Mister Arc." commented Glynda as she waited while JAune completed his packing.

"Impressed?"

"Mildly amused." she replied.

"Well I'm ready. Are you?"

"Almost."

"Anything I can help with?"

"No, just coming to terms with this whole situation and the fact I'll be wandering a dark school with a former student."

"Oh, well you could always just leave this to me, and come back in the morning."

"No. I'm responsible, and need to see this possible farce through."

"Farce?"

"Yes Mister Arc, I am still not convinced, and your little display was a wasted effort if it was meant to persuade me."

"It was not meant to do any such thing." Jaune countered, "In fact I was hoping to have all this done before you came to join me."

"Well are we ready?"

"Almost." Jaune replied as he reached into his pouch and brought out a homemade pad. Glynda cocked an eyebrow at the designs on the stapled together pages.

"And those are?"

"Cleansing talismans." he responded, "as we search I'm going to place them inside each room, if there is something stalking the dorm, or school it will keep it out of the places we've already been in."

"Ookkaayy."

"Listen if this is too much weird nonsense I am capable of doing this on my own. You don't have to be here."

"I already said that I intend to stay."

"Then do me a favour Miss Goodwitch."

"And that would be?"

"Keep the disbelief to yourself." Jaune replied as he hooked the cardboard back of his pad of talismans over his belt.

"Sorry."

"No need to be sorry. I get that you don't believe, just remember I do, and this is, for the lack of a better term; my calling."

"I'll keep the unnecessary comments to a minimum."

"Thank you."

"So what now?"

"We start," Jaune replied handing her on of the candles, "this is to help us look around."

"We do have lights Jaune." she said as she took the offered item.

"Yes you do, but they wont help. These will."

"Okay." she remarked in an even tone, "Where do we start?"

"Top floor of the dorm would be as good a place as any."

Glynda just nodded, opened the door and walked out; with Jaune stopping at the threshold to pull a talisman free of his pad and slap it against the wall next to the inside of the door frame. Glynda stopped to watch and said nothing as Jaune finished his little procedure, and exited the room.

"That was for?"

"Nothing there so why not make sure nothing can get in there." he replied, "We should do your office next, just for the sake of it."

"Very well."

The plan had changed after Jaune sealed Glynda's office. First they would seal the school, and then move to the dorms. Glynda just let him lead the way. Watching passively as inside each room he placed one of his so called talismans next to the door. With a hour wasted going through the school they moved to the nearby dorm.

/=/

Amber and Neo had no luck locating the pack of ghast. Tired and annoyed at wasting a day they returned to their home. Neo fixed herself something to eat while Amber corralled a house fly to satisfy her own hunger pangs until Jaune returned.

With nothing else to do the pair once they had fed themselves retired to the living slash dining room to watch the local news. It was a habit the three had developed over the last couple of weeks. Watching the news told them what was happening and sometimes the odd story hinted at some they should look into. Though recently there had been a severe lack of strange tales being told.

/=/

With the school having been cleared and protected by Jaune's word. He and Glynda climbed the stairs to the fifth floor of the dormitory. Jaune stopped at the top landing and pulled out a small lighter. Motioning for Glynda to come closer he flicked the lighter and lit both candles. They burned with a sickly green light, that to Glynda's amazement didn't consume the wax. In fact while Jaune was looking about the stairwell she passed her hand over the flame and discovered it gave off no heat at all.

"Neat trick." she whispered to herself.

"Whatever it is, is using the dorms." Jaune spoke as he placed a talisman and then moved through the door into the hallway.

"What are these for?"

"They've been enchanted to illuminate things we normally wouldn't be able to see."

"Normally unable to see?"

"Yes, like ghosts."

"Ghosts. You think this is caused by a ghost?"Glynda was amazed that Jaune was able to say it with a straight face. Regardless of how poor he was at lying, she didn't feel like believing him.

"A type of ghost." he replied as he moved down the corridor. "We'll start at the far end and work our way back to the stairs. Room by room. Are they all unlocked?"

"I have the master, we can enter any room here."

"Good thinking."

Glynda was still unable to fathom what was transpiring. Here one of her most promising students, someone Ozpin admitted he was taking a chance on admitting to Beacon was before her talking about ghosts and unseen things. She kept those thoughts to herself as she followed him and opened the first door. Jaune entered and quickly moved through simple layout holding his candle high. She noted how serious he was being, how he was looking everywhere as if he expected something to materialize. Yet nothing did. Having completed his once over Jaune moved to the doorway and like he had in the schoolrooms placed a piece on the wall next to the door before exiting. Glynda had remained in the hallway unsure of what to do or what to think.

The next several rooms followed the same routine. Jaune walked through the room checking and looking. He never disturbed anything, just spent each search looking at the ceiling, floor and walls. After each he would place a talisman and then move on. He did it without a word, just kept moving. Glynda could almost swear it was like he had done similar before.

Jaune was a nervous wreck. He was attempting to put on an air of certainty, but inside he was a mess. He could tell there was something off about this place, and he knew from his research that whatever was the cause was also the reason for the illness the student's were suffering. He just wasn't sure if he was right about it, or if he was prepared to confront it.

The remainder of the floor went forward without incident, and returning to the stairs candles in hand they moved down to the next floor. Stopping on the landing Jaune again placed a talisman before entering the corridor with Glynda close behind. Once past the threshold he stopped, causing Glynda to run into his back forcing him to stumble forward to avoid falling face first to the floor.

"Jaune!"

"Sorry."

"Why'd you stop?"

"There is something here, can't you feel it?"

"Feel what?"

"The oppressiveness of the air."

"I . . ." Glynda stopped talking and took a moment to consider Jaune's words. Standing there not moving she waited, and something inside her agreed with Jaune. The air felt heavy like it was trying to press you to the floor. "I think so."

"You don't have to agree if you don't."

"No . . . No . . . I feel something, like the air is heavy."

"That is one way to describe it." Replied Jaune.

Holding his candle high he started down the corridor. The lights flickered and buzzed before going off and letting the pair be bathed in the pale green light of the candles. Jaune stopped moving and brought his candle down closer to his face; his eyes straining to see, to notice something. Glynda stepped forward tentatively; she knew the wiring was good in the building; it had been inspected. There was no reason for the lights to go off on their own. Reaching over with her free hand she tried the light switch flicking it up and down repeatedly; and getting no result.

"It's here, somewhere."

"What is here?"

"Whatever is draining the life from the students." Was Jaune's response.

"Draining life?"

"Those kids weren't sick, something was syphoning off their life force."

"How . . ."

"Not now." Jaune almost snapped, "Keep your eyes peeled. It's here, we'll see it."

Jaune moved forward slowly, his candle held slightly lower than neck height. Step by step he moved, slowly, quietly; almost as if he was a cat stalking a mouse. Glynda followed, he candle held about eye level. The clack of her heels on the tiles echoed off the shadow covered walls.