Optimistic Game: Revised

by Mirlnir

Yeah, dying was not very pleasant, I suppose. But hey, at least this ain't the end for me, because some god thought it was a good idea to choose me as a Gamer, and while I'm pretty sure a 16 years old is not qualified for this shit, I think I'm gonna benefit a lot anyway. Just gotta be careful and not die... oh who am I kidding. Magic in a magicless world is too OP. Eventual Lemons

26. Wildfire

(Yang)

"The hell is this?!" Yang growled, delivering a hook to one of the crowds of small tree Grimm. "There's no end to them!"

"Focus Yang." Her uncle admonished through a grunt, taking out another three with a swing of his scythe. "Keep your head in the fight."

"I know that…" She clicked her tongue in annoyance.

She can't tell how long they've been fighting for; probably at least 20 minutes by this point. Usually, after a long session, Yang would begin feeling a lot more tired than she was now, but the small Grimm had been fairly easy to take down, and she was careful to ration out her energy and Aura as best she could while avoiding as many hits as possible. Quite contrary to her usual style of deliberately tanking hits so she could fuel her Semblance to land a victory, but it was clear to see that focusing on using her Semblance in this environment would be a stupid move in the long run.

Burn's full potential had always lain in fighting foes who were stronger and/or faster than her as it boosts her own strength and speed by a significant margin. Wasting Aura to needlessly use it against weaker enemies would only make her vulnerable later on. A good thing about refraining from using Burn is that, even when she's focusing on dodging, she could use the stored up power of whatever managed to land a hit against an especially powerful opponent.

A quick glance at her scroll informed her that she'd lost just under a third of her Aura, leaving her with a reserve of about 70% of her total to work with moving forward. Her strategy felt like it was working for the moment, prompting a confident smirk… only for a scowl to grow over it as ever-increasing numbers of tree Grimm continued to rush out of the bushes.

Yang had also been careful to not expend too many of her shotgun shells. She didn't have an unlimited amount after all, and none of the Grimm so far – except for the ones with the swords – managed to force her to waste some of her precious dust-infused ammunition.

The big Grimm were being thoroughly handled by the giant Golem, who smashed its rocky fist into another one, shearing it apart easily. As strong as the Golem was, it had suffered a bit of damage from the tree Grimm once they ganged up on it, but it eventually managed to render them all down to ash with its fire and magma.

The blond was still surprised that the forest hadn't gone up in flames wholesale. The magma and fire were almost harmless to the environment for whatever reason.

Ducking under a bone blade, Yang landed a powerful uppercut to the swift Grimm, smashing its head to pieces. A grunt escaped her throat as she barely blocked the incoming fist of a giant tree before launching herself towards the thing's face, her clenched fist exploding through it easily.

The tree let out a guttural groan, taking a few steps backward before a fiery and rocky arm crashed into it, breaking the tumbling thing in half. Yang quickly jumped off of the collapsing figure, flipping backward and landing on her feet. She turned her gaze to her uncle, who decapitated a giant tree Grimm of his own with his scythe, not even showing a hint of exhaustion.

Yang sighed, her stance relaxing. "That's the last of them."

"Keep your guard up." Qrow twirling his scythe to switch to its blade mode. "Something tells me that this isn't the end of them quite yet."

She nodded as the giant Golem slowly approached. "Where do we go from here?"

"Hmm…" Her uncle thought a bit, eyes squinting as he gazed at their surroundings. "I'm not really sure. The place keeps changing with each passing moment. We're probably in a different place than where we were a minute ago."

Yang frowned, looking down at her feet. "So we're stuck here 'til someone finds us?"

"I never said that." Qrow shook his head. "We'll keep walking around until we find someone. Reid will probably have a way to dispel this illusion."

"You… know Sir Astera?" Yang questioned.

"You could say that." He nodded. "Come on, we gotta-"

The ground suddenly shook, and in the distance, the pair saw a brilliant blue glow engulfing part of the forest. Yang wasn't sure what it was – why of the air suddenly heating up beyond the presence of the walking volcano eluded her as well – but the shocked expression worn by her uncle worried her.

The forest suddenly flickered – this time very obviously – as a screech echoed out. Hundreds of the small Grimm ran out from the bushes, prompting the two to get in a stance, but shockingly, none of them even attacked. They ran past the two, heading for the blue glow.

"What the hell…?" Yang mumbled, looking at Qrow for any answer.

Only to be greeted by a smirk as he looked out at the glow.

"You crazy son of a bitch…"

---

(Reid) (A few minutes earlier)

Christ, there's no end to these fucks!

A single slash with Goldbrand took out another two of those Greater Servants, but then four more took their place. I growled in frustration, smashing my fist into the face of one, planting a fire bomb, then parrying an incoming bone sword before kicking the attacker's head clean off. The fire bomb detonated, reducing a crowd of servants to a scattered pile of burning husks.

I mean, they're at least kinda easy to take down, but there are just so fucking many of them. Hundreds upon hundreds and my Titan Slayer perk isn't doing much to scare them off for whatever reason. Hell, they barely even give any EXP. I hadn't managed a single level up this entire time, and god knows for how long I've been scything through these bastards.

Not to mention that I still have someone I need to keep safe nearby. There were moments where my trait almost got the better of me, but I managed to push it down in time. Aside from keeping my focus on the mission, fighting these things isn't fun at all.

They just piss me off.

Which I found a bit weird, but I think it's just the stress getting to me; with Tai half-dead, Yang nowhere to be found, and Ruby in harm's way as well. I haven't the time for this bullshit. I need to take Tai and get the fuck out of here before I can properly go wild on this stupid fucking forest.

I still have no idea why I decided to bring them here with me. Why wasn't I firmer with them? Why couldn't I just say no? Maybe use Haki just enough to scare them off, but not enough to knock them out. If they got mad at me, I can just reconcile later after I come back with Taiyang. It wouldn't have been the end of the world.

Thinking that they were somehow owed this was stupid. They aren't owed a veritable suicide mission for a huntress of their level, they're owed their fucking dad back safe and sound.

I'd considered that this threat might be a Titan-class Grimm, but the chances of it just didn't add up. How could a Titan be so close – in fucking Vytal of all places – and remain undiscovered? You'd think most of the hidden Titans would be bumming about in the Dark Continent or someplace in the far west of Solitas. Someplace dangerous and unexplored, not planted in the heart of Remnant, where the peace talks of the Great War took place.

The place is fucking inhabited as well, and knowing that it takes centuries for a Grimm to become Titan-Class, how had they never realized that the place was a Grimm Lair? How could they have ever been this careless?

But... I'm just making excuses now. Titan or no, I shouldn't have brought them with me. If I had trained Ruby more, at least for a month, then she ought to have been strong enough to handle herself in this place. But I'd barely even gotten her training started.

As for Yang? I don't even know her. I have a general outline from what I gleaned from the show, maybe. And while it's accurate in some respects, I still don't know her as a person.

I think this world has made itself clear that it's nothing like the show I knew. Mafia groups in Mistral, the huge criminal underworld in Vale, whatever the hell Stardust is, and what I'm convinced I'm facing down right now: A Titan.

"Need to set some boundaries when you get back…" I whisper to myself, idly burning a few more Grimm to ash. "Doesn't matter if Ruby's my girlfriend or not. What's a hero if you can't even protect the people you're close to?"

My ears pick up something and I quickly turn about, scowling at the Grimm trying to slip past me to murder Tai. I launch myself towards him, smashing the offending twigs to splinters with a kick before surrounding Tai once again with Light Shields. So those spells run out after some time? I'll need to refresh the barriers I leave him under every so often then.

I slam my fist into the ground and let out an eruption of fire to engulf the Grimm around me, incinerating them in moments.

I need to find a good opening of some sort, then take Tai and run as fast as I can. Any clean hit could kill him with his Aura down after he slipped into unconsciousness, so how do I…

Maybe-

A silver blur smashes into one of the large servants, making me sheathe my sword and smile in relief. Seeing Ruby on top of Gwyn was a bigger relief, even though I already knew that my familiar had found her. The bond we shared made it easy for Gwyn to keep track of me, so I wasn't much worried about him getting lost.

Ruby's eyes widen as she spots me, a wide smile stretching out as she jumps off of Gwyn, running towards me

I open my arms for a hug, but she suddenly stops in her place, transforming her weapon to its sniper form as she aims at me. I hold my hands up, raising a brow before I understand what she's doing. I'm assuming she encountered one of the illusions.

"H-how can I know you're the real thing?!"

And I assume correctly.

"If I'm a fake, then why did Gwyn bring you to me?" I ask.

She blinks a few times before her eyes widen, aiming her gun at my companion. "Y-you're a fake too?"

I was about to respond, but then she lowers her weapon. "No, you can't be. You saved my life…"

Good job, Gwyn! I knew I can count on you!

5 Reputation with Gwyn [65/100]

Happiness, satisfaction.

I can see his tail wagging as he pants happily, almost making me chuckle.

"That means… you're the real Reid." Ruby stares at me. "...Right?"

I nod with a smile, prompting her to tackle me again. I pat her head to comfort her, making sure to keep my guard up as I hear some Grimm approaching the place. Gwyn does the same and starts to growl threateningly,

"I-I was so worried…" She mumbles. "I-I…"

Relief, peace of mind, confidence, and…. Sorrow? Why is she sad?

What the hell happened?

"Shhh it'll be alright." I soothe, instinctively shooting a light spear in the distance, burning another Grimm. "Now, it's time for you to go home."

"Huh?" She looks up, my fist clenching as I spot the tears forming at the edges of her eyes. "W-what do you mean?"

I let go of her and dispel the shields protecting Tai, making Ruby freeze in shock. Soon after, she rushes at her father, dropping her weapon in the process.

"Dad!" She shouts, shaking him. "Dad, are you okay?!"

"He's weak," I say, crouching beside her. "We need to get him out of here and to Vale, and fast."

I can see the worry all over her face, but she shakily nods as she focuses on the task at hand. I almost broke into a proud smile, but shook it off and mentally ordered Gwyn to come over. He obeys, still sharp for any approaching Grimm, but he understands and gently lifts up Tai by the scruff of his shirt.

A Grimm jumps out of the bushes in an attempt at an ambush, but I'd been anticipating it even as the thing got into position, the attack failed and I quickly drew my sword, cutting it in half as well as burning it to cinders. I give Ruby a side-glance, ordering her to go with Gwyn and Tai.

"Go with Gwyn and leave the forest, now."

"W-what?!" She stares at me in shock. "No, I can't leave you alone-"

"Yes, you can." I cut her off, releasing a Fire Burst and killing a couple of charging Grimm. "You're gonna leave the forest with Tai and make sure he gets to Vale safely."

"B-but- why won't you come with us then?!"

"Because I need to deal with this Titan and find the others," I growl, annoyance evident in my voice. "Now go."

"No, I won't leave you here!" She defies. "I don't care what you have to-"

"Oh for fuck's sake- LEAVE!" I scream, making her flinch violently. "You promised to listen to everything I said, right?! Then keep your damned promise and fuck off already!"

"R-Reid…?"

"Look, in hindsight, we both know I shouldn't have brought you here," I say, keeping the Grimm at bay as Gwyn looks for an opening. "So please just do me this favor and go. I don't want you getting hurt, Ruby. I could never forgive myself if anything happened to you because I brought you with me."

She doesn't respond.

"Please." I urge, slamming a Grimm with my fist before blowing it up with a Light spell. "If I'm gonna fight this thing, then I want to do so knowing you're safe."

She doesn't reply to that either, but I can hear her grabbing her weapon, and a quick glance behind me shows me Ruby getting on top of my large wolf. A relieved smile blooms on my face as I hear a quiet whisper coming from her before Gwyn departs with a sprint.

"Please make sure to come back…"

Heh, you'd think this is some sort of a flag for me. That I'm gonna die and the story will have a tragic end or something along those lines.

"I will."

But I didn't come this far to just die like that. I'm not dying, not today or any time soon. No, I'll only be content after I live for like, a few billion years at the very least.

I have to find a way to distract the Titan so Gwyn and Ruby can slip away. They won't be able to with this fucker changing the landscape at a whim, especially when Gwyn doesn't have a marker like he did when he tracked me.

Still, while I'm pretty sure it's been targeting me, that won't be nearly enough to keep it fully in check. What could I do to make it panic? Force it to drop the illusions or at least make them unusable? I'll need to do something big - something that'll shake the forest to its core.

I glance at my left hand, light magic shining white and gold before an idea strikes. Light magic converts to Fire magic, white and gold shifting to a brilliant blue. All this time when I was using my flames, I made sure to not burn the entire forest down. I was able to do this in part thanks to the Fire God Blessing I received at the start of my journey…

But really, why should I give a fuck about the forest? Why should I 'protect the environment when the same fucking environment is trying to kill me and the people I love? Really, the entire site is controlled and corrupted by some damn Grimm – I'm really betting that it's a Geist here – so why not return the favor?

"Y'know, I'm someone who really cares about the environment. Gardening is a hobby of mine after all." I smirk. "And as painful as this is for me, I think Mother Nature will understand."

I backhand a Grimm and throw Goldbrand into my inventory, both of my hands erupting with fire.

"I thought the only way for me to safely test my new 'Ultimate Spell' would be in a dungeon." My smirk turns cruel. "But you'll do just fine..."

I cup my hands together in front of me, pumping a ludicrous amount of mana into the spell. The orb of fire bursts wildly, almost as though desperate to be released, and not even a heartbeat later a veritable tsunami of scorching flames erupt, crashing over the landscape comparable to the intense pyroclastic flow of a furious volcano, completely incinerating everything that was unfortunate enough to be in front of me at the time. None of the Grimm stood so much as a chance – all of them vaporized nigh instantaneously from the intense heat.

I chuckle slightly at the destruction I caused. Huge swathes of the ground were scorched and glassed as well, the trees that were directly in front of me were literally nowhere to be seen, burned down almost to the deepest reaches of their roots. Whatever was close to the waves of flame caught on fire themselves, and it began spreading incredibly fast as I lifted the restriction on my flames to not burn the forest.

Suddenly, it flickered and changed in color, this was the biggest flicker yet, and a loud screech followed soon after, the shrill and piercing noise causing me to fall to a knee. I grit my teeth in pain, my visage eventually relaxing before becoming a smug smirk a moment later.

"How about that!?" I say, not even able to hear myself over the roar of the forest becoming so much tinder. "Hurt ya there, didn't I? Good!"

I sprint to another location, throwing fire spell after fire spell in any location where the inferno hadn't spread to yet.

"This isn't the end of it, though." I grin. "I'll smoke you out, then rip you apart with my own two hands."

The fire won't hurt any animal or hunter, obviously including Yang and Qrow, but anything else? Well, that's fair game. My flames will consume everything and anything I deem an enemy, and my enemy is a Grimm.

A Grimm that controls the entire forest.

So with that, I'm burning down this entire place down to the fucking ground, and I'm going to make sure to enjoy every second of it.

I send a mental message to every Fire Golem I brought with me.

Burn everything.

---

(Qrow)

When the two ran towards the luminescent glow in the distance, they did not expect the Giant Golem they'd been traveling with suddenly going crazy, hurling its Magma everywhere. Unlike last time, the grass, trees, and bushes caught on fire, the intense flames spreading and burning the foliage away rapidly. The two were somewhat concerned at first, but then the veteran huntsman realized what it was doing.

Like its master and creator, it was trying to confuse the forest somehow, spreading its fire all over. The forest kept screeching, but this time it was obvious where the sound was coming from.

Regardless, Qrow and Yang left the Golem to itself as it was quickly rushed by hundreds of the tree Grimm trying to stop it, knowing that regrouping with the Titan Slayer was their best bet for now. The blond showed a twinge of sadness at leaving the thing to fend for itself since it had helped so much, but they had more important things to do.

To think that Astera would resort to something like this shocked Qrow a bit. He knew the guy was reckless from their fight against Fenrir, but this? Burning down an entire forest wasn't unheard of – it had been a common enough tactic used during wartime after all - but it was rarely if ever, used to kill a singular Grimm.

Even if Qrow could tell by now that this was no ordinary Grimm. He could sense the magic in the air.

He wouldn't say that this was an overreaction, though. It was a fairly solid plan, even if it was a reckless and admittedly shocking one. He'd help, but the only magic he can do is his Crow form, and whatever Fire Dust Ammo he had was limited. He'd rather save it for the inevitable battle ahead of them.

"How are you holding up, Yang?" He asked his niece.

"Feeling a bit toasty from all this fire, but otherwise fine." She answered. "Just… worried about Ruby."

Qrow may not show it, but he'd always been very proud of Yang. She was a hotheaded brat that always got herself into fights – He'd helped foot the bill for the damages she caused in Junior's club – and while he'd seen her on a few missions before, this has been an absolute leap of an improvement compared to the last he'd seen of her doing her part as a huntress.

Granted, that last mission with her was three years ago now. Dealing with a small pack of Beowolves lead by a Primal was fairly difficult for a squad of 14 years old, but with him around it wasn't that dangerous.

Unfortunately, Yang's temper made things more difficult than they ought to have been.

To see her manage to improve so much in such a short amount of time made him feel that pride he only felt when he was glad to have such amazing nieces. From raging at a pack of simple Beowolves to keeping her cool against what was increasingly becoming clear was a Titan-Class. She'd come far, and would only go farther in time. True, she'd had trouble with that Raven illusion, but even He'd been thrown off his guard when he had to deal with a Summer illusion of his own for a moment.

The forest only pissed him off with that, on top of trying to pry into his mind. This wasn't his first experience with illusions or mind reading. He was one of Ozpin's most precious agents, after all, he dealt with many illusion-based Grimm, but that one hit hard.

"The fire should keep her safe from the Grimm," Qrow assured her. "Reid thought ahead. He made himself a target to keep its attention on him."

Speaking of the dumbass; he's definitely gonna get a hard kick in the dick for bringing TWO INEXPERIENCED HUNTRESSES-IN-TRAINING along on a mission like this. Qrow has no idea what the hell the idiot was thinking, he probably wasn't at all, but endangering his nieces like this?

He changed his mind, he's gonna get kicked in the dick and punched in the face.

"Is he insane?!" Yang questioned in shock. "He's gonna have hundreds – maybe even thousands of Grimm gunning for him!"

"He can handle it," Qrow answered, not worried one bit.

"H-how can you be so sure?"

"I've seen how he really fights." He replied simply. "He'll be fine."

If the guy wasn't so damn tenacious, Qrow wasn't sure if he'd be up to it. He was reckless as hell, but he fought with every single part of himself he had to give to win a fight. Dirty tricks, underhanded tactics, nigh-suicidal moves, and extremely brutal strikes – he'd do anything and everything people were rarely willing to do just to destroy the enemy.

His sheer aggressiveness made him one hell of an opponent, and he'd only have been more likely to have grown even stronger after he killed Fenrir. Qrow did notice the surge in his magic and Aura the kid experienced when he saw him after the fight.

He wasn't sure of the how or the why, but Ozpin did notice it as well. The Headmaster shared a hypothesis with him and Glynda, about him being able to absorb the magical energy left behind by the Grimm after they died. Therefore, in theory, making him stronger, but they weren't quite sure of that yet.

If that was the case, Stardust may not form where Fenrir died, and that'll prove whether their hypothesis had been correct or not.

He smirked.

And if that is true, then this forest is only making him stronger the more Grimm it sends his way.

A sudden yelp from his niece made him freeze, turning around to see her ankle caught in a root. Before she even hit the ground, a branch from a nearby tree shot towards the blond's head, prompting the veteran huntsman to sever it before it got close.

A growl escaped his throat, annoyed that his Semblance tried to kill his niece with its non-discriminatory rules. Yang quickly got back up to her feet, her fists clenched, but then the two froze completely as they saw what hid in front of them after a flicker.

It was enough for the huntsman to see fully. A huge, huge black and white tree, reaching up hundreds of meters into the sky. Hundreds of branches, each one as thick as the regular trees of this forest, magic positively oozing from it, the quantity of it almost threatening to suffocate him, but it was a single detail that honestly terrified him.

Over every branch dangled the remains of its victims. Some had decomposed into skeletons, others were more recent, and most were half-rotted cadavers killed in a truly horrifying variety of ways. Some had slit throats, others had their heads blown up, many were sliced in half with their innards spilling out over their abdomen and legs – the sheer multitude of them sickened him to his core.

"W-what the hell is that…?" Yang mumbled quietly, falling on her butt before quickly covering her mouth. "Hrk!"

"Keep calm, Yang." He crouched, holding her shoulder to comfort her. "We don't want it spotting us. Take a deep breath and think of something else."

Yang nodded and did as she was told, barely able to keep down her lunch while shutting her eyes. Qrow took his own advice as well, focusing on the thing as it flickered again. The loud screech made him spot a black figure, or half of it, coming out from top of the tree.

His eyes narrowed. It looked like a Geist but was… different. It had horns, bone spikes all over its body, and was significantly larger than a normal one. It was an evolved Geist for sure but evolved far past anything he'd ever seen before. Is this… what a Titan-Class Geist looks like?

Enough power to control an entire forest? To change the landscapes however it saw fit? And now that its strongest asset is being damaged by the wildly spreading fire, it's trying to stop all of this?

Seconds later, the Geist retreated inside the tree again, and once it did, a large red orb appeared on the tree, most likely acting as an eye of some sort. Usually, that'd be the Grimm's weakness, to force it out of its shell.

"Yang." He said quietly. "Stay behind me. That thing is so far out of your weight class it isn't even funny, this isn't anything you can handle. As soon as I land a hit, you run the hell away."

"B-but uncle Qr-"

"Please." He begged. "You shouldn't have come here in the first place, so just listen to me and run, alright? I...I could never face Summer again if I got you and Ruby hurt."

Seeing his composure breaking seemed to cause her to re-evaluate her decision of following along, and the only thing keeping her from running was her hesitance to leave her uncle on his own to deal with something so horrible.

Even as she was scared out of her mind, her concern for her family took priority. Qrow felt touched by the sentiment, but this was no time for it.

Yang swallowed and nodded, rising back to her feet, her legs shivering slightly.

"T-take this…" Yang said, taking off her satchel and handing it to him. "Reid gave these to us, there are some potions inside. Red and Gold."

Qrow accepted the satchel and returned his gaze to where the Grimm had been, waiting for it to appear again, and when the report of another explosion thundered out and the forest in the distance flared up with blue, it screeched and abandoned its shell again.

"Now!" He screamed, not even sparing her a glance as he used his magic to transform to assume Crow form.

He soared high through the sky, using every ounce of his strength to flap his wings harder and faster, and it almost took no time at all for him to appear right over the Grimm's head. Qrow reverted the transformation, brandishing his blade up high before bringing the edge down in a bid to decapitate it.

Unfortunately, a branch came flying from the side, batting him away from the Titan's body and sending him plummeting to the ground. Qrow groaned in pain as he was dragged through the ground but quickly stood back up, grimacing as the Geist stared down at him with its two red eyes.

"There goes the element of surprise…" He mumbled, getting into a defensive stance.

A scream nearby made his heart drop and turning around revealed a disaster, Yang was about to be squeezed to death by a multitude of black roots wrapping around her, prompting him to sprint to her.

But then something caught his leg, dragging him back and away from his niece. Qrow growled and shot the root with a fire-dust infused round, burning it down only for his weapon and arm to be apprehended by yet more and more roots tightly squeezing.

Damn it! He cursed in his mind.

Without wasting any time, Qrow took on his bird form but wasn't able to fly far as he was swiftly smashed into the ground by branch, then imprisoned by roots that held him even more tightly.

Qrow struggled, fear clear in his caws as Yang's Aura began to flicker. The blond whimpered and screamed in agony, tears evident in the corners of her eyes as she tried to pry her way out, but with the roots completely incapacitating her like this-

It was when he heard the sickening cracks of her bones that he knew she couldn't be saved.

Only for a spiraling pillar of blue fire to erupt from a distance, incinerating the roots containing them as a wave of warmth engulfed the veteran. It took him a few seconds to process what on Remnant had just happened, but the voice of his new friend made him release a sigh of relief as he went back to his human form.

"HAVE NO FEAR!" He announced loudly. "FOR I AM HE-"

"Stop your monologue and help Yang," Qrow said.

"It's not a- nevermind, you ruined it anyway," Reid grumbled, walking towards the blond. "Had to ruin my fun…"

Qrow stood up, glaring at the giant tree. "...You're too relaxed. I take it-"

"Ruby and Tai are both safe, as well as some other hunters I found on the way here." He answered. "I-"

As Reid crouched down near the still conscious yet bruising and broken body of Yang, a swarm of roots shot out of the ground at him. Qrow shouted a warning, but it was evidently unneeded as the roots suddenly lit up like dry straw, burning to smoke in mere seconds.

"As I was saying, I made sure they were safe." He said nonchalantly, withdrawing two syringes. One red and one gold. "So we'll just have to focus on this thing."

Reid injects the girl with the syringes as more and more roots shoot towards the two, only for Qrow to block and cut them. Yang gasped loudly, her Aura flickering as it restored, then looks at her savior with a look of gratitude.

"Alright then, run along now. That way" He told her, pointing behind her. "Your sister's already out the danger zone, so you oughtta leave too. Take this with you. Use it as soon as you start running"

She took the potion in her hands, still looking unsure. "B-but sir A-"

"Qrow and I will handle this." He cut her off, smiling. "I promise we'll come back."

Qrow saw the brave face Reid was putting on for Yang even as she didn't. this was a common enough practice when hunters rescued civilians, keep up a happy face to help the scared Aura-less civvies keep the negative emotions at bay for the time being. That said, he thought it might be working a little too well, considering his niece's fear seemed to evaporate at the cheesy Hero act.

"Y-yes, sir." Yang nodded with a red face.

A few more branches tried their luck by taking a shot at Yang as she stood, only for them all to be rebuffed by bright shields of harsh Light. Said branches shivered and cracked as soon as they made contact, the shields violently repulsing their very Grimm-tinged nature, giving Qrow a wide opening to dash and scythe them down with a vengeance.

Yang seemed a bit shocked, but obeyed Reid's order and ran, stabbing herself shoulder with the syringe to pump in the magical substance. The potion was incredible, it invigorated her as she had only just arrived; her running speed was even faster than she'd been before, almost blurring through the forest like her sister when she used her semblance.

"Here." Reid tossed him the same potion he'd just given Yang.

It was also the same one he was given when they fought Fenrir.

Qrow stared at it for a moment before sighing. "Think we've got a chance? Or are we screwed?"

"Uh, no?" He raised a brow. "Why would I fight this big ugly bastard if we didn't have a chance? Are you dumb?"

"Somehow, I thought you'd say that but still didn't expect it was actually gonna be your response." Qrow chuckled, using the syringe. "Let's do this then."

A blade suddenly appeared in the Titan Slayer's hand as though out of nowhere, a golden katana with a black grip. It emits strange, magical energy. One potent enough to put him on edge. He'd never felt something quite like it before, but it was strong. Qrow could swear it felt like the thing's mana was scorching hot, something that nearly burned his nascent magical senses just by picking up on it.

He put his musings on the back burner though. Now wasn't the time to think about the obviously magical sword Reid somehow owned.

"Don't have to tell me twice," Reid growled. "I'm cutting that bitch in half."

"You'll have to get in line." He quipped, staring up at the Geist.

The Titan-Class Grimm glared back as it commanded a multitude of thick branches and roots hundreds strong to launch toward them, clearly intent on skewering the both of them.

They might not walk away from this alive, but Qrow was internally surprised at his current confidence. It could have been the relief of having someone he knows is extremely powerful on his side for once.

At the very least, his nieces would get away.

He really hopes he lives through this. The stupidly powerful dumbass kid there still needed to be punched in the face.

---

(Reid)

The first thing I'm gonna do is punch that thing in the face.

But only once I deal with whatever stupid sound magic it does. It clearly can't do it constantly, otherwise, the stupid bush would just screech non-stop and I'd be on my knees right now, so I know I have a window I can exploit to deal a lot of damage. Pretty sure Grimm don't actually have physical vocal cords, so shutting it up permanently by ripping its throat out is impossible. Unless I just kill it of course.

Name: Skov'les' Shell

Level: 83

HP: 560,700

STR: 2394

VIT: 2783

DEX: 273

INT: 0

WIS: 0

CHA: 0

LUK: 0

That… is a lot of health.

No MP, but that's probably because the tree itself has no magic. Skv- Skol-

Skov'les – there we go – is the main body, so it has magic and uses said magic to do everything it's done so far. The huge amount of STR means a direct hit from its main body, not the weak ass branches or roots, would probably one-shot my Aura. But you know what, fuck this stupid tree, I'm not afraid.

Eero had more STR and DEX when I fought him. This? This is nothing.

And since it's a giant tree, we can land plenty of hits on it anyway. Dodging for this thing is clearly of the question, it's literally rooted to the spot, so it'll have to tank everything. Eero was a lot more threatening just by fact alone that, aside from his frankly scary level of skill with his spear and incredibly intimidating aura, he was fast as fuck.

Especially with his Halfborn form.

This, essentially, is a battle of attrition, but the advantage Qrow and I have? We can restore our HP and AP. It can't. At least I'm pretty sure it can't, Fenrir never healed when we fought so it stands to reason most Titans can't heal.

This… is a lot less bad of a situation than I thought it might be We already beat its strongest weapon, being its illusions and manipulation of the landscape, so all it has right now is a desperate attempt to defend itself with these half-assed twigs and roots, which I can burn away with ease. Call me Agent Orange, I'm burning this bitch to the ground.

Once we break its shell, this Grimm is done for.

...Wait.

"It's a Geist?" I ask my companion.

"It is." He nods.

I fucking called it~!

I doubt the Geist itself has any decent defense beyond the tree it's using as a shell. Offensive magic? Yeah, sure, I can see it spamming me with that fucking annoying sonic attack or some shit. That's the only thing I'm worried about for the moment, especially since I'm literally stood right next to it.

I don't think I'll be able to fight much at all if it starts screeching again.

"Qrow, I'll draw this thing's attention. Try to look or any opening you can get to land a strike on the eye." I tell him. "I'm more durable than you are. I can handle the shit it'll throw at us."

Qrow looks at me and nods, transforming into a bird before flying away. As for me, I launch myself away with the Rocket Boots spell, my Observation Haki making dodging and counter-attacking child's play.

I switch over to Light Magic so I can grind it a little while I'm here, and even then, everything is destroyed in one hit. Goldbrand cuts through every small branch and root coming for me like they're paper, and Light Magic outright disintegrates whatever part of this thing it touches. I make sure to stay up in the air with Fire Magic, keeping airborne with bursts of flames from my feet which handily also burns whatever part of the tree I'm over as well.

One of the Titan's larger branches – one that, alone, is as big as a tree – comes flying for me, but I saw the hit coming and kicked it down before flying towards the eye, gripping my sword tightly. I don't know what would happen once I stabbed it, but I have a gut feeling that this'll force the fucker out.

Even if not, the eye is basically screaming that it's a weak point. Please, I've played enough video games to see the patterns.

True to my words, er- thoughts, the eye sinks into the tree, appearing somewhere else. This thing is protecting the eye, lending credence to my theory that it is a weak point.

I smirk to myself confidentially. This makes things significantly easier. The only unfortunate aspect about the fight from my end right now is that destroying the small branches and roots aren't doing shit for damage to the shell itself, and I doubt it's about to run out of those any time soon. Better to assume that it'll be continuously growing them.

And that's enough of being on the defensive for me.

I shoot forth, rushing past every root and branch and smashing my feet against the bark of the giant tree, barely even denting it. Without wasting a moment, I slash and slice the shell with Goldbrand, using a bit of my Aura for skills as well as casting my favorite fire spells over and over.

This prompted the defense mechanisms of the tree to grow far more aggressive than they'd been up 'til now as they shoot out to stab at me significantly faster than before. Tree logs were hurled my way as well, but I quickly back off and switch to Light Magic, throwing Light Beams and Light Spears at the shell.

Suddenly, the ground shakes as the Grimm roars. While it had hurt a bit, the scream didn't seem to be amplified by Sound Magic or whatever, so I was able to focus with little enough effort. With half of the main body of the Grimm suddenly coming out of the shell on my side, I understood what happened.

Qrow, you beautiful bastard.

I take my chance and rush it, fast casting Observe as I sheathe my sword. With Chaos Conversion, Titan Slayer, and raw stats, a Quickdraw should easily destroy it in one hit. Huge MP, but pathetic HP for the main body.

Exactly as I expected.

I boost myself faster, using more and more Fire Spells, ignoring my lowering MP for the moment, and as I'd come only inches away from contacting it, I draw my sword and activate my Sharingan, using a Genjutsu to slow it down.

Only for it to quickly retreat inside its shell at the last second. I only managed to slice the horns. Damn it!

Name: Skov'les

Title: The Preserver

Age: 1061

Race: Grimm

Level: 241

HP: 21,124/23,600

MP: 342,113/450,700

AP: 0

STR: 172

VIT: 124

DEX: 911

INT: 452

WIS: 562

CHA: 0

LUK: 20

A single hit would have been enough to destroy it, and I missed my chance. It'll be far more on guard now.

The reason why the Sharingan didn't work… could it be because of its experience in mind magic? It could read minds and make incredibly convincing illusions, so maybe it was able to resist it?

Not even a third stage Genjutsu was enough to slow it down...

Damn it all.

At the very least, I damaged the shell a lot. With its weakness to fire and Light, I was able to damage it by 59K. Only a little over 500k and the fight will be a lot easier.

And… this is getting kinda fun now. I don't have to worry about keeping anybody safe, and the fight is pretty challenging. I can let loose and go wild if I want, but I'll try and keep a cool head for now. I'm on the back foot for now, forced on the defensive anyway, overt aggression right now is a bad idea if I don't have a good opening.

I spot a small, black creature in my line of sight, prompting a grin at the soaring crow that flies past me. I'm guessing he wants to switch?

I land on the ground and top off my MP with potions, then dash around to the other side. Truly gigantic roots explode up from the ground, all of them arcing towards me at dangerous speeds. I was able to dodge and even destroy some of them outright by blasting them with fire spells.

Though something that had me on guard was the spikes I'd spotted around the roots. I could pick up a weird smell from them, which only encouraged me to not mess around with them nearby. I made sure to cut and destroy every single root that came at me as I sprint to the other side.

There was no eye- or, actually, there was, but this way smaller. Maybe only as big as my head, in contrast to how massive it was a minute ago. It was set at the stump of the tree, guarded by many large roots and logs.

I'm not quite sure why it needs the eyes, but I'll assume that, since they're eyes, it needs them to see better. It has other senses, that much was obvious, but it probably prefers to see everything as well. I think the increase in aggression here is because it can see me properly, unlike before.

Still not quite sure though.

Since it's putting far more energy into its attacks now than before, I wasn't able to get in before being overwhelmed. The closer I get, the more strikes land, chipping down my Aura bit by bit. It happened so many times now that it only got me angrier.

Fine. Let's see how you like brute force, ya fucking bush.

I ignore the pricks and jabs that land on me as I charge since they don't pierce my Aura, building momentum by sprinting around as well as supplementing my speed using Fire Magic. I build enough of it to be what's sure to be a blur to it. I can tell it's having a lot of trouble trying to catch up, a savage smile blooms on my face.

Once I was comfortable with my speed, I launch towards the eye, breaking through all its defenses before kicking with enough force to shatter bark and crater the part of the tree around my strike.

"Eat this you bitch!"

Before the eye slunk away into the shell, I let out a Rocket Boot spell, blasting it and scorching the rest of the wooden crater that was still intact. The roar of agony the Titan let out made my grin turn cruel.

"Hurts doesn't it?!" I laugh, backing away. "Happy to let you know that there's plenty more to come!"

HP: 425,742/560,700

That did a lot of damage! Seriously, over 75k!

I give my stats and buffs a quick check, reapplying my All-Stat buff before it runs out. My food buff still has 30 minutes, and my Pyro Mana buff only has another 7. At this rate that should be enough time to beat it, or at least to destroy the shell.

The roaring doesn't stop, bringing my grin back. "What's the matter? Scared?"

I'm not quite sure how I can tell, but the roar is directed at me, prompting a fit of condescending laughter. "Oh please, I've fought a fish more fearsome than you!"

That's kinda racist.

Can't be racist to your own race~

The ground suddenly begins shaking under me before hundreds of logs begin mashing together, stuck on each side of the tree to make two gigantic arms. They were as wide as the tree itself but shorter than it.

...Well.

My companion lands next to me, looking at the Titan in terror. "What the hell is going on now?!"

"I… might've pissed it off," I answer.

"Oh for fucks sake, kid." Qrow grimaces.

"Okay, look, in my defense, I didn't know Grimm can get angry." I hand him another all stats potion, "Take this. I think it's better if the two of us stuck together on one side for now."

"Agreed." He sighs. "Any idea what to do now?"

"Our plan was clearly working," I reply. "Not sure, but keep an eye out for the main body, and strike it with everything you've got. It's better if we don't get too close to each other because of your Semblance. Also, if you miss, get back as far away as you can."

"Got it." He nods, returning to his bird form before flying off to the left side.

The Grimm is still targeting me, so I can use its focus to my advantage. It doesn't see Qrow as a threat, and with me enraging it, it's completely dismissed him. If Qrow is able to land a solid enough hit, he might be able to kill it.

Sad I won't be able to get the EXP for it, but our lives are more important. I'm planning to go on a dungeon dive after this regardless. I need to roll my Gacha Tokens anyway.

Alright, time to really distract it.

I leap into a nearby burning tree, sheathing Goldbrand to charge up an Infernal Storm. The huge amount of mana being emitted from this spell is making the Grimm panic slightly. This time not only are the spiked roots, giant logs, and huge wooden fists thrown my way, no. Now I can see small needles shot at me as well, and those give off a significantly more dangerous air than the other attack.

The needles are too small to pierce my Aura, but the moment said Aura is broken by a heavier attack…

Could they be poisoned? That's the only conclusion I can come to at the moment.

In any case, I'm dodging everything.

I jump off the tree, blocking or dodging the projectiles coming my way with fire spells. I made sure to not use too much when propelling myself, otherwise the spell I'm charging up would dissipate, but it was growing harder and harder to get close.

A wooden fist smashes down at me incredibly fast, but I see the anticipation of the attack coming and leap over it before releasing my charged spell at the arm. My flames were able to dig into the arm, incinerating near halfway through, but then the other arm crashed into me. I couldn't dodge properly while unleashing the spell, so I'm sent flying, crunching through multiple burning trees before hazily regaining my focus.

Still in mid-air, I restore my Aura and Mana, the former sitting at a startling 10%, then quickly rush back onto the battlefield. I build up as much momentum as I can while I do, coming in with a flying kick for the stupid tree. I manage to fully destroy the arm I'd damaged just before, bringing the shell's HP to 393,502.

Unfortunately, the fucking Sound Magic-amplified screech came back, forcing me to close my ears in pain. It was way worse than I expected, and I wasn't able to dodge the root that wrapped around my leg.

In a swift movement, the root pulls down and smashes me into the ground, then pulls again and I crash into another spot. Over and over, all this time I wasn't able to concentrate, even with my Aura draining rapidly.

At around 15% the root throws me away, making me crash into a nearby tree. I struggle to even get up to my knees, not being able to hear my own screams over the sound that damn tree is making. Even with all the confusion I'm inflicted with, I try to come up with something, then a certain memory resurfaces.

I pull the Demon Serum from my inventory and quickly inject myself with it, feeling the pain wash away as a new euphoria takes over.

"Ooooohhh I'll never get used to this!" I laugh, getting into a low stance. "Come on, big guy! Show me what you got!"

I can't feel the ringing in my ears- no, The only thing I can hear is my own thumping, erratic heartbeats. The moment I took the Serum, I also felt my blood cool, activating my Racial Ability as well.

More of the weak stuff comes my way, but I vanish from the Grimm's sight and inject myself with another AP and another MP potion, bringing them back up to about 80%. With that handled, I unsheathe my sword and head right for the Grimm's main shell, using my Fire Magic and sword to hack through it everywhere I can.

The projectiles were easy to dodge as all fuck, and they don't even hurt when I do let them hit. I fly high up, up above the woods. Higher than any root can reach, until I finally reach it at the top, grinning maniacally as I spy the main body.

"Found you~" I laugh, launching towards it.

The little fucker screeches at me while throwing a dozen of its oversized logs, but a single swing of my sword is able to scythe through them like dry wheat. I can feel the fear as I approach, and, once I'm close, it releases a shockwave with its annoying screech to push me away.

I feel something heavy impact me, sending me plummeting. I slam into the ground, growling as I quickly try to get up, but then something gets tangled around my ankle. I was almost about to burn it down, but my senses are screaming at me to block as the remaining arm of the tree was a few meters away from me.

I can't dodge, nor can I block at my current STR…

I grin widely.

Unless I do THIS!

366 + 140 = 506 STR

[Haki: Armament] Has maxed out! New skill created!

Perk gained-

Just as the fist got close, I throw my own at it while activating my Semblance and Haki, making my STR completely surpassing the tree. The difference, in my favor now, is vast, and thusly the arm is utterly annihilated, shattering into splinters huge and small alike.

And at the same time, I released my Semblance, unleashing a huge wave of steam infused with fire magic, incinerating a large swath of the shell.

"HOW D'YA LIKE THAT?!"

I can feel someone's concern, and with whatever remaining sense I had left in me screamed, letting my companion know what to do.

"UP!" I shout. "FLY UP! THE BODY IS AT THE TOP!"

I'm not sure if he listened or even heard me – being deaf is making it kinda difficult – but without even waiting for a second, I leap towards the tree. Both of its arms are destroyed, and I can easily destroy whatever root or log it'll send my way.

Even with the overwhelming need to win- the almost suffocating bloodlust I was riding high on, my head was clear enough to make a simple calculation. With my current STR stacked with my Titan Slayer perk, using Goldbrand for a Triple Strike should deal…

Being mere inches away from the tree, I use the Sword Skill, making three gigantic, deep, scorched cuts on it. Not enough to slice it in half, but destroying a huge chunk regardless. I laugh loudly as I see the amount of damage I caused.

HP: 156,096/560,700

More than 200k damage from that alone~

"What's wrong?!" I taunt it. "You really gonna die like this?! C'mon, fight harder!"

I quickly twirl about, facing down hundreds of spiky roots flying towards me. The Grimm is throwing everything it has at me – I can see it. From every direction, something was coming my way, prompting me to store my sword before blasting everything with Fire Magic.

I feel an incoming attack, forcing me to turn around. I extend my arm towards the incoming spike, and when I try to cast a Fire Burst… nothing comes out.

My eyes widen as I finally notice just how low my magic is, a moment of clarity washing over me like the coldest icy water. My MP doesn't regenerate when I use the Demon Serum, and I wasn't paying attention - I couldn't. My battle instincts had overpowered my rationality, so I couldn't think clearly.

At the same time, I noticed just how truly fucked I am.

Because my Aura shattered a while ago, and my HP is only 15,411.

With me being unable to dodge, the spike lands true, digging into my stomach but not fully pierce it. It didn't deal much damage – only 1040, but two status alignments made my heart drop.

You've been inflicted with [Poisoned] for 10 Minutes!

Poisoned – 9:59

You lose 90 HP per second

You've been inflicted with [Paralyzed] for 45 Seconds!

Paralyzed – 0:45

You can't move your body

[Adaptive Body] Activated!

Perks gained

[Minor Poisoned Resistance]

You are slightly resistant to the [Poisoned] Status Debuff, reducing its effectiveness by 10%

Poisoned – 8:59

[Minor Paralyzed Resistance]

You are slightly resistant to the [Paralyzed] Status Debuff, reducing its effectiveness by 10%

Paralyzed – 0:40

The Grimm didn't even wait for me to fall to the ground, grabbing my leg and slamming me into the dirt. Multiple roots, large and small, wrap around me, squeezing tightly. I can feel my bones popping and breaking, blood rising in my throat then leaking from my nose and ears.

My organs are being crushed, I cough and hack up blood. I feel my sight growing blurry, my HP racing for 0, and I can't think straight anymore, and while I can't even move, I still try to struggle.

I'm not going to die like this. Unable to defend myself, and at the mercy of some mindless monster? No, I refuse. I already made promises, and I will not break them by dying.

The ground shakes, the squeezing momentarily halts, giving me enough time to mentally cast a Fire Cloak for a single second. It was enough to get the roots off of me, but the ground only quaked harder because of it.

I can barely comprehend what's happening, but I feel myself falling for quite a distance. I was right above the ground when I was being crushed, so why am I taking so long to hit it?

From the edges of my blurred vision, I'm barely able to see what's under me. A cave? That's what it looks like to me, and it seems I'm gonna fall to the ground soon. With my decreasing and already low HP, I'm not positive I'll survive from this height.

This is gonna hurt-

Something grabs my shirt's collar and stops my fast plummet towards certain death, and I find myself slowly gliding instead. I'm being gently put down, and a muffled voice cries out – I'm not sure. I wasn't able to hear anything from the moment I used the Demon Serum onwards.

Which seems to have run out. That's good, I guess.

Not a second after my idle observation my sense of hearing returns, as well as my senses of sight and touch. I gasp like a drowning man struggling for breath, looking around me I see a bruised Qrow stabbing my shoulder with a syringe. I immediately understand what happened, then take another deep breath.

"Are you alright?" He asks in concern.

"Still alive, so yes-" I cough, clicking tongue as I see the poison status effect in my stats. "Damned poison…"

At least the paralysis is gone now.

"You're poisoned?" Qrow questions.

"I'll be fine," I say, taking out an antidote and an Aura syringe. "Where the hell are we?"

It was a gigantic open cavern. Enough to fit an entire town maybe, and at the middle of it all was the tree or the roots of it at least. The shell was surrounded by hundreds of the little Servants, as well as large, spiky vines and four other mini-trees that look like the main shell.

So what, is this like, its final phase? Because I'm really starting to get sick of this thing.

Something suddenly falls next to me, and giving it a look, I pause as I see Qrow's sword, then turn my confused gaze at him.

"There it is. And I thought luck hated me." He grins grabbing it, then notices my look. "What? I stabbed the bastard, but I couldn't get my sword back out of it."

"Ah, right." I nod, turning my attention back at the incoming Servants. "Makes sense."

So that's why this whole 'battlefield' change happened…

Heh. You really are a reliable partner, Qrow.

I renew my All Stat potion with a new one as I hand Qrow another. It had a few minutes, but better to be safe than sorry.

I quickly glance up, grimacing as I notice how far down we'd fallen. I can still see the burning trees and all that, but running away is out of the question now. Not like we intended to to begin with.

There was no escape the moment I got near the main body, and even if there was, I decided the moment I saw Tai that I wouldn't run.

I'll make sure this fucker regrets ever existing.

HP: 85,661/560,700

---

(Ruby)

Getting used to the speed of her current mount, Ruby had her eyes open in awe at how quick Gwyn is. Not as fast as her Semblance, sure, but she's never seen something that she could say rivals it. Slower, yes; but not by much.

She isn't quite sure exactly what Gwyn is. A wolf, obviously, but wolves don't get this big. Maybe it's his Semblance? But she'd never seen him shrink before, so it couldn't be. Ooh, maybe he's a magical wolf? Reid can do a lot of cool stuff with magic, so maybe he did something to make Gwyn huge?

Not to mention just how powerful he is. She's seen her fair share of animal companions with unlocked Aura, but they never get as strong as Hunters. Animal souls being inherently weaker than a human's or faunus' anyway.

But Gwyn? He just tramples over any of the tree Grimm that get in their way, and he was obviously being careful since he's also holding her dad. And compared to the time where he took on the demons? This impressive feat was still nothing to that.

...Maybe she should train Zwei when she gets back home. Or maybe they can meet!

Yes, that's a great idea. Gwyn and Zwei will make good friends.

Suddenly, a huge explosion… exploded in the distance. Ruby felt her heart drop as the blue glow of her lover's magic faded, prompting her to tighten her grip on the wolf's fur. She didn't know what happened, but something in her gut told her it wasn't good.

"G-Gwyn, wait!" She cried out. "We need to go back! Reid's in danger!"

The wolf did slow down for a moment, but then he ignored her and continued to run, making Ruby panic. He wasn't listening to her.

"P-please! We gotta save him!" She begged. "He's your master, isn't he?!"

He growled loud enough for her to hear, but Ruby remained steadfast, not intimidated at all. It was obvious that he won't listen, so she can only do one thing…

Ruby searched for something in her satchel, fishing out a certain potion before injecting herself with it. Once the contents of the syringe were running through her veins, Ruby jumped off and quickly activated her Semblance, going faster than ever before.

She could hear the barks of her lover's companion, but she didn't give it much thought. He won't be able to keep up with her anyway.

Ruby hoped she'd arrive in time. She had a terrible feeling about this.

---

(Yang)

She wasn't sure for how long she's been running, but she isn't out yet, so clearly it hadn't been for long enough. Yang felt pretty damn invincible when she used that magical potion, but not much so anymore because of how tired she's feeling now.

There were a couple of eruptions from where Reid and her uncle are, but she ignored it and continued her sprint away. She was worried about them, though, as much as she hated to admit it, she was a liability here.

She knows how powerful Qrow is, and she'd seen a glimpse of Astera's power when he burned away those smaller tree-Grimm things like nothing. If Ruby was telling the truth, then Reid can also somehow use magic, so he should be fine.

Besides, he's a Titan Slayer! He's probably A-OK.

...She hoped.

Yang had to stop herself for a second, breathing deeply as she bowed a bit. She grimaced, feeling uncomfortably sweaty after the long sprint, then she wiped her slick brow. She can probably rest here for a minute or two to catch her breath before running again, right?

She didn't encounter any of the small tree Grimm, so she's safe. Any of them she saw got incinerated by the fire surrounding the forest – the same fire that didn't harm her at all for some reason – so she can afford to wait for a bit.

Only for her to freeze at what she saw to her left. It was a blur, heading towards the battlefield.

A blur that was followed by rose petals.

"...Ruby?"

---

(Reid)

Distress, Panic

I blast five incoming servants coming my way before leaping away from a vine, pinning it down on the floor with a Light Spear.

Jesus Christ- what now?

Red one is gone.

Oh… oh for fucks sake, Ruby!

She just had to, didn't she?!

Ugh, Gwyn, just focus on getting Tai away then come back. He's half-dead, so he's the priority for now.

Obedience.

I'll try to finish this before she arrives.

Right, and to do that, I need to lessen the number of servants guarding the damned thing. There are three trees too, and from the looks of it, they control the huge as fuck vines, so I guess I'll have to take care of them first.

Let's see…

Name: True Servant

Level: 80

HP: 75,000

Not as much as I feared, but this makes it easier.

A single triple strike with my currently buffed STR stacked with my bonuses should be more than enough to one-shot it. Hell, I can probably one shot the main shell, but getting to it would be impossible with how much shit it had layered between it and us, enemies and projectiles littered the place. Not even the, retrospectively suicidal, brute force tactic I used before would work.

So, weaken its defenses by destroying the True Servants, annihilate the smaller and weaker Servants, then one shot the stupid shell.

I'm gonna wring the little shit's neck once I get my hands on it.

The servants under me begin throwing their swords at me, causing me to grit my teeth in annoyance as plenty of other vines and roots try to drag me to the ground. Fortunately for me, I'm able to cut everything before they even manage to get close with just a single swing, so defending myself isn't much an issue.

Y'know, maybe dumping all those points into STR wasn't a bad idea-

I feel something hitting my side, sending me flying to the other side of the cavern. I clutch at the sore spot with a grimace before scowling at the offending vine. The fuck was that? I sensed it, but I couldn't dodge it at all. My body wasn't fast enough.

...Okay, drugged me really did a mistake using all my saved points on fucking strength. Could've put just enough to block that attack, not literally all of it. Fuck you, me.

Now I can't get faster and dodge all this bullshit. Would've made things way easier for me.

"This is why you don't do drugs..." I mumble.

I propel myself away with an explosion of fire, soaring quickly at the closest True Servant as I make sure to keep a distance from all the crap flying at me. With an abrupt change in my trajectory, I trick the incoming vines and head straight for the small tree, preparing my skill.

A root explodes from the ground, heading right up at me, making my face contort into a visage of annoyance, only for my companion to blow it away with a shot from his gun, a smirk plastered on his face.

It was a contagious one as I find myself sharing it an instant later. Landing all three of my strikes cleanly, the tree falls and burns, utterly destroyed.

The screech from the Grimm made me wince, but it wasn't nearly as bad as before. Is it not able to use the Sound Magic anymore, or is it charging the screech? In any case, this is another chance for me to deal a load of damage. Once the shell is destroyed, victory is almost assured.

I land next to Qrow, who seems to be feeling far more confident than before. I think he's noticed that the Titan is getting extremely desperate as well, and that desperation means it might start to get sloppy.

And if it slips up we can, and will, exploit that moment of weakness.

"Gotta admit; I've not had this much fun in years." He said. "Most missions I get are slogfests. This? Heh, reminds me how thrilling being a huntsman can be."

"Fun is a strong word." I groan, hurling a Fire Bomb at a root. "Honestly I'm starting to find this more annoying than anything else, and I like fighting."

"Kid, I've been in the business for decades." He smashes an incoming Servant with an Ice Dust round. "We don't get to deal with Titans every day like you do, and none of us really live this long if we do fight one."

"Fair enough." I nod. "Think you can cover me? I'll try to destroy the other small trees. I pretty sure they're the ones controlling the big-ass vines."

"Hmm, figured as much." He mutters. "Got it. I'll keep 'em busy while you wail on those bastards."

"Appreciate it."

With our exchange done, an idea strikes, prompting me to jump high. I yell for Qrow to get off the ground for a minute, and he thankfully complies. A second later, I take out the Minotaur's Axe and slam it into the ground, shaking the cavern base and causing a lot of the Servants to slip and fall, then quickly dismiss the weapon back into my inventory.

This should help him out a bit.

I notice that the vines were also stunned by my quake, so I use my chance to speed forward and engage with the second tree. Thankfully most of the vines were still too sluggish to respond, and the one that got too close was dragged back and away by Qrow's scythe.

Heh, the Titan is afraid, but it's afraid of me, specifically. Since the start of the battle, it always targeted me, seeing the others as insignificant and weak, but underestimating them is what got it to this point.

If it went after Qrow first and took him out, then I wouldn't have been able to survive this long. This is what you get for being so damned arrogant.

With nothing to stop me, I destroy the second tree as well, causing the Titan to scream in agony. No Sound Magic this time either, and only one more tree-!

Something locks around my leg then whip me to the ground. I growl in anger, trying to burn the fucking root before an incoming vine snakes around my arms and legs, stopping all of my motions.

They start to squeeze, but I quickly cast Fire Cloak to burn them all of… only for more and more vines and roots to come and strengthen their hold. Thankfully, Qrow comes in for the rescue and cuts away the roots with his scythe, before shooting half of the vines with fire bullets.

With my right arm free, I use it to hack off the other vines, and as I fall off, I sense an incoming attack.

"Out of the way!" I push my companion away, taking the full brunt of an incredibly fast-moving root that pins me to the wall, making me drop my weapon.

More and more vines and roots try to keep me pinned as hundreds of servants approach. My Fire Cloak is barely doing anything to help – it's just wasting my MP. I know I should've maxed the spell out, but I never had any time to grind damn it!

Qrow is doing his best to help out, but the stupid Titan finally gave a shit and started to keep him away from me. He growls in anger tinged with a hint of worry, trying his hardest to pry his sword away from the vines clasped around it.

Thinking quickly, I cast a certain water spell, and multiple small bubbles surround me. When one of the Servants try to strike me, the bubbles soar towards it and cut it apart. Not enough to immediately destroy it, but with the huge number of bubbles that surround me? Nothing can get close. I smirk.

I keep casting the spell. My affinity for water magic is making this incredibly easy, and not even a minute later, the Bubble Blades spell maxes out, dealing increased damage as well as keeping the enemy away.

Once I reduce the number of Servants coming my way, giving myself a chance to breathe, I mentally force the bubbles to cut the vines and roots apart, but then my Haki supplies me with a warning.

I raise my head up and my eyes widen at the fast-approaching spiked root. Something like this won't kill me, but will definitely pierce my Aura, and once it does, I'll be poisoned and paralyzed again, and Qrow is being kept away. Nothing will save me this time.

I use every ounce of my strength to get away, but to no avail, and as I give my instincts the reins this time, I feel a strange and hot feeling inside my throat. If I can't use my hands or feet to cast spells, then I might as well use what I can.

The spell is ready – my throat filled with intense blue flames, and when the spike was only scant feet away – "BANG!", the loud report of a high caliber rifle echoes out, destroying the spiked root and catching my fire breath spell in my throat. I look up, the mixed emotions of fear and relief swirling in my heart as I notice Ruby up in the distance, aiming her Sniper Rifle at where the root had been.

She smiles smugly at me, causing a grin to erupt on my face.

You stupid girl.

I fucking love you.

Thinking quickly, I look down at the stuff pinning me, then destroy it with the fire breath I'd been holding. It didn't take long for it to be completely incinerated, and once it is, I swiftly grab my sword and dash back to Qrow, helping him by destroying a crowd of the plant-based Grimm in a single swing.

I don't even wait for him to thank me as I quickly shoot a look at Ruby. "I'm really thankful, but run away! This is way beyond what you can handle!"

"No!" She frowns deeply. "I'm already here, so I'll help!"

"Ruby, what the hell are you doing?!" Qrow yells, but she remains steadfast. "Go! We'll take care of this!"

I block an incoming attack, scowling at my assailant. Once I turn to look at her- she's coming down! Why is she coming down?!

"No, no!" I shout as she runs over to us. "Oh, for fucks sake!"

"I'm not leaving-" She quickly twirls around and shoots one of the vines with fire bullets. "-you two alone here!"

"Fucking… FINE!" I groan, creating a wall of fire as well as multiple light shields to cover us. "Just stick with your uncle, alright?! This fucker's got a grudge for me. Make sure to stay away and attack from a distance. Qrow, your new mission is to guard Ruby."

"Really not happy that you're here..." Qrow mutters lowly. "Fine. Stick close, Rubes."

"Got it." She nods.

At least she's complying with this much…

I take a deep breath before charging, making sure to destroy whatever Servant gets in my way with clean single slashes. None of them were able to tank my strikes, and none of them could when you consider my elevated STR stacked with my Titan Slayer title and Goldbrand.

Not to mention that all of them have a weakness to fire.

Now that I think about it, I'm quite probably the perfect match for this Titan. I guess the reason I'm struggling more than I should is that I'm under-leveled? And that it's considered a raid boss?

Whatever. Not important right now.

I duck and slide under a branch intending to take my head off – at the cost of damaging my fairly expensive pants – then flip over another before cutting the last in my way for now. I'm covered by Ruby who is currently shooting whatever gets close to me, while she is protected by Qrow, who kills whatever Servant or other plant-based Grimm that approaches them.

Getting close to the final tree, I push myself to accelerate faster with a Rocket Boot spell, smirking as the vine closest to me gets shredded by Ruby's sniper. With nothing left to protect it, I destroy the last True Servant, cutting off all defenses of Skov'les.

Every vine and root suddenly stops moving, falling off motionless to the ground before disintegrating. With such a huge opening right in front of me, I quickly charge at the unprotected shell, roaring in victory as I finish it off at last with one last Triple Strike.

A final screech echoed out, but I can feel that this one is not out of anger. That was one of raw fear and desperation, and while most Grimm do not feel fear or anger – because they're too stupid mind you - a Titan is sentient enough to cultivate such emotions.

That's the conclusion I just got to anyway.

The gigantic tree begins to wither, slowly flaking away into black particles that flow into the sky. I walk towards the two hunters, who both had their gazes captured by the spectacle. I don't blame them to be honest. I've never really seen anything in my life like it either.

My brow furrows. No EXP for the shell? That's kinda unfair, don't you think?

It was low leveled.

Yeah, but the stats were through the fucking roof! Come on, this is really unfair!

"Prepare yourself." I snap them out of their stupor, regaining my focus before glaring at the floating Geist. "This isn't over yet."

Skov'les glares back at me as the two of them take their stances. My grip over Goldbrand tightens as I get into my own stance, waiting for the Titan's attack… but, nothing. It doesn't make a move, merely looking at us with clear and transparent contempt and hatred. We destroyed something important to it.

If a tree were to disintegrate like this, then it had fully turned into a Grimm. The soul was either devoured, destroyed, or passed on. But to do that, it'd take centuries, and seeing its age with Observe?

Heh, I might as well have destroyed its kingdom by burning the forest down.

No regrets.

Though, its stats increased exponentially. Destroying its shell made it more powerful I assume? Its health didn't increase at all, but everything else had been boosted. Worrying, but I'm still confident we can handle it.

"Why… isn't doing anything?" Ruby questions anxiously.

Hmm…

"Aim at it," I say. "Only shoot on my signal."

"O-okay…" She nods, raising her sniper rifle up.

With my left hand behind my back, I slowly and sneakily start casting a Light Beam. It won't be enough to destroy it outright but should give stun it and give us enough time to land a finishing blow. I refrain from telling the plan so this fucker doesn't probe their mind and predict it.

I activate my Sharingan to spot any slight movement it makes, but still nothing. As if it was frozen. I can feel both of my companions getting nervous, creeped out by the lack of motion or reaction from the Grimm.

Feeling impatient, I shout. "Now!"

The Grimm very obviously anticipated the attack, flying away from the bullet almost before Ruby pulled the trigger, but then I charge at it and release the Light Beam, only for it to evade that as well, making my eyes widen.

Its arm suddenly extends towards me, as if it were made of rubber, and I was nowhere near fast enough to dodge. It grabs me by the neck with a clawed hand and pulls me extremely close, then screeches so loudly I black out for a second.

I can't hear anything anymore, only a loud ringing as I feel something warm and wet trailing down from my ears. Thinking is getting difficult as my sight gets blurry again, my arms are twitching, and with the sliver of my consciousness to check on my stats, I see my HP was getting low even while my Aura is still in good shape.

The Grimm extends its arm once again, smashing me into the cavern wall, making me drop Goldbrand. I struggle to get away, my mind finally catching up with what had happened, but then its arm split into multiple blades to stab me, easily piercing right through my Aura and spearing my lungs.

My HP is getting dangerously low as the Titan pulls itself towards me, glaring at me with a visage utterly consumed by rage and hatred. To defy it further, I smirk at its expression, grabbing its arm before casting a fire spell.

It doesn't let go, enduring the damage it's suffering. What, is it not scared? Knowing it can't hide anymore, and its demise is inevitable?

"E-even if you… kill me." I say even if I can't hear myself, coughing violently. "T-the entire world… will hunt you down…"

My smirk gets wider.

"Yo...u've lost." I chuckle. "And there's… nothing... you can do ab… out it."

Even with my darkened vision, I see red petals fluttering about in the sky as Ruby tries to swing Crescent Rose at the Grimm to no avail. The Titan effortlessly stops her, disarming her of her Scythe seconds later. Not even an instant later, Qrow comes from another direction, only for a black vine to explode out of Skov'les, slamming into the veteran huntsman and sending him flying away.

Seeing Ruby's terrified, angry and desperate face draws me to action, throwing a fist and smashing it into the Grimm's face. It flinches, but that only makes it all the angrier as it binds me completely, stabbing all four of my limbs and pinning them to the wall.

I'm not sure what's happening, but I see Ruby screaming and crying, kicking the Grimm in desperation. The emotions flowing out of her are making me angry, but anger alone won't be enough to defeat it. I can't pull out any potion, cast any spell that can truly damage it, and I don't have the physical strength to pry it away.

I swore I was done for.

Until Ruby's eyes flashed.

For a moment, I thought we were saved, but then the Grimm quickly slammed Ruby into the wall next to me, stabbing through her stomach with a sharp blade composed of its body. Ruby is nowhere near as resilient as I am, and a check with Observe told me that her health is in the two-digit range.

I try desperately to cast the Fire Breath spell, my final and desperate attempt to kill it and save her, but my fire didn't even make it flinch. It took it head-on even though I know for sure it took damage.

I feel my hope draining away, replaced with fear. I try to do everything I can to get it away from my Ruby, but with my lack of focus and blurry and darkening vision, I can't even use my spells anymore.

Feeling the last bit of my consciousness begin to slip away, I slowly shut my eyes, only to tear them open wide as a fist smashes into the Grimm's face, followed by a purple glow that sent the Titan flying away.

It let go of us both, and I crawl as fast as I can manage to Ruby, taking out the first thing I see from my inventory. My vision can barely make out the figure holding her, but I ignore it, and with me able to at least see the item I'd pulled out, I force it to touch the wound in her.

A colorful aura shone brightly, making me grin widely. Knowing that Ruby would be safe, I take out a healing potion and inject myself with it, my full senses of hearing and sight returning to me as I gasp loudly.

Once again, I skilfully and gracefully evade death. I should get a title or something for that.

"W-what… what the hell IS THAT?!" A scream makes me wince.

"I-I-I-I DON'T KNOW!" Ruby screams back. "DON'T LOOK!"

I look with a satisfied smile at her extremely skimpy outfit. Her body is almost entirely exposed, with the private parts covered for the most part. In any other scenario, I'd be taking as many pictures as I can, but with the current situation, I settle for Observe instead.

Name: Ruby Rose

Title: Red Riding Hood

Age: 15

Race: Human (Silver-Eyed Warrior)

Level: 51

HP: 800 [Senketsu = 5000]

MP: 0

AP: 15,800

STR: 100 [Potion = 212] [Senketsu = 742]

VIT: 61 [Potion = 129] [Senketsu = 451.5]

DEX: 142 [Potion = 301] [Senketsu = 1053.5]

INT: 79 [Potion = 167]

WIS: 71 [Potion = 150]

CHA: 75 [Potion = 159]

LUK: 310 [Potion = 657]

Calculating quickly, I figure that the increase must be a 250% buff to all physical stats, with HP having its own, different increase.

Honestly, when you think about it, her stats aren't really that high. They're not even higher than me when I buff up, so in what conceivable way can Ruby help? Well, that answer lies in her speed. I am faster, sure, but I don't have her Semblance.

"Ruby, focus!" My grin becomes a serious frown. "I'll explain soon. We still have a Titan to kill."

She flinches at my tone, her face bright crimson in embarrassment as she tries in vain to cover herself up. Her previous outfit was utterly destroyed, replaced by Senketsu's lovely style. The cloak she wore everywhere was left untouched though, giving her a more, well, 'heroic' look.

If I were a cruder man I'd say she looks like a hentai heroine, but Goddamn if she isn't the most beautiful thing I've ever seen right about now.

"I'll try to incapacitate it while you deal the finishing blow," I say, forcing her to stay alert with a minute burst of conquerors. "It knows almost everything I'm capable of, but it has no idea what that outfit has in store."

"G...got it…" Ruby nods slowly, unable to meet my eyes, picking her weapon back up off the ground.

"W-wait, what do you mean-"

"Yang, I get it. I promised I'll explain what this is after we kill the big stupid tree ghost." I cut her off. "Just listen to me, alright?"

And I now realize that the person who screamed earlier was Yang, making it very obvious who just saved the entire mission. She still looks shocked as all hell, as well as embarrassed out of her mind at her sister's state of dress, but as the Grimm screeches, floating up as it refocuses… it turns back and flies away.

Oh.

Oh.

"Oh no, you fucking don't!" I roar, propelling myself with fire magic. "Get over here!"

It saw my charge coming a mile away, extending an arm to pin me to the ground. With a grin, I take the hit but manage to grab on, holding it by the arm in the process. It tries to cut the held limb off, but I quickly cast a fire whip that wrapped around its torso, stopping it in place.

However, it was able to lift me up even, and considering how hard I was pulling, that feat showed incredible strength. Something- or someone pulls my leg, and a quick back glance told me it was a bloodied Qrow. Our strength combined was enough to slow it considerably, prompting me to give the signal.

"NOW'S YOUR CHANCE!" I scream. "DO IT!"

I made sure to use more Conqueror's, causing Ruby to speed up with her Semblance. Not even half a second later, she's directly in front it. I wasn't even able to track her at all – it almost as though she just teleported from one point to the other, making my eyes widen in awe.

Such speed…

"Woah…" I mumble.

And finally, with one clean and powerful swing, Ruby decapitates Skov'les, destroying the Titan Grimm once and for all. The head is sent flying away from the body, only for said body to begin to disintegrate. I almost didn't believe it for a second, my wide eyes blinking the shock away, and as Ruby lands on the ground, I dispel my fire whip.

"...We did it," Qrow utters, catching himself from falling down in relief. "By the gods, we really did it."

"Holy shit…" I breathe, falling on my ass, having no such compunctions as Qrow.

"D-did I kill it?!" Ruby asks frantically. "Is it gone?! Is it dead for good?!"

That forced a laugh out of me, one of relief and happiness that we defeated something so fucking dangerous without any fatalities. Forced to use Senketsu in a gamble, but it turned out alright.

Everything turned out alright.

I sigh deeply and lie down on my back.

Thank god.

I ignore whatever festivity the sisters were possessed of at that moment – mostly Yang glomping onto her sister while crying about how proud and scared she was – and simply take a few moments to collect my thoughts.

When a certain familiar of mine finally return to my soul, I sigh. Would've been a lot better if you returned earlier, but all's well that ends well or however the fuck that saying goes.

I take it Tai survived?

Quest complete

[Dragon's Cry]

Objective: Save Taiyang Xiao-Long

Bonus Objective: Make sure all your allies survive

Hidden Objective: Destroy Skov'les

Rewards: 5000 Credits, 5000 EXP, Greatly increase Reputation with Qrow Branwen, Increase Reputation with Ozpin, Tremendously increase Reputation with Yang Xiao-Long, Massively increase affection with Ruby Rose, 2 Gacha Tokens

Bonus Reward: 10,000 Credits, 10,000 EXP, Gacha Token, Potion Recipe(Random)

Hidden Rewards: 15,000 Credits, 20,000 EXP, B-Rank Companion Gem, Gacha Token, Massively increase Reputation with Vale, Massively increase Reputation with Remnant

Level up x8

That he did~

A quick check on the Ultimate Grimm Slayer told me that yes, that indeed was a Titan. The reassurance made my smile widen, feeling even more relieved that all of this paid off. 2 down, 15 to go.

Huh, thought you'd be annoyed at all the level-ups you could've gotten.

That's the last thing on my mind right now. I'm just so glad that this is all over, and that we managed to survive somehow.

I really am glad that nothing horrible happened in regards to my poor judgment previously. I almost got the two of them killed, but it turns out that they're the ones that saved us.

A flash in the distance made me look up, glancing at Ruby and Yang, the former in a much better state of dress than before. No more skimpy outfit, sadly, as Senketsu had reverted back to its sailor uniform state.

"How are you feeling?" Qrow suddenly asks.

"Like shit." I quickly respond, making him laugh. "I'm not laughing, asshole."

"Hehe, this reminds me of the time we took on Fenrir." He says. "You look way worse when compared to then though."

"This fucker was way scarier than Fenrir." I sigh, sitting up. "We had plenty to lose in this."

He doesn't answer, but I can feel a spike of anger coming from him. I also feel his intent, making me sigh deeply before standing up to face him. Let's just get this over with…

As soon as my face was in his view, he throws a jab that I do not evade, sending me tumbling down on the ground. I wince, feeling a bit of pain in my cheek.

Fuck, that really does hurt.

"Reid!" Ruby rushes over to me in worry before looking at her uncle with a confused frown. "Why did you do that?!"

"It's fine," I assure her. "I asked for it."

"Why?" Yang questions.

"He brought you two here." Qrow answers. "And you almost lost your lives because of it."

"B-but we're fine, aren't we?" Ruby argues. "A-and we saved you! It was a team effort!"

"I understand getting angry at him for this, but everything turned out well, right?" Yang defends, surprising me. "We shouldn't get in a fight over it."

"We're not fighting." I chuckle. "Look, it's a guy thing, alright? He just wanted to let out his frustrations. We're cool now."

Both sisters look at me weirdly, turning back to Qrow who shrugs and nods.

"Was gonna kick him some more, but I feel good now." He says.

"Oh, how lucky I am." I roll my eyes. "To be graced by such mercy."

"I take it back. I think I'll give you a few more swings before I feel better."

"Try it, and I'll kick your ass to next week," I say, returning to my feet. "You had your free shot, and I'm not feeling charitable enough to give you another."

He merely gives me a very smug smile, making me click my tongue in annoyance.

Not even a minute later, I catch the familiar sound of a bullhead approaching. Ozpin and Glynda staring at us from the inside of the flying vehicle, the latter with eyes wide as she spots Ruby and Yang along with us.

Her furious look even made me flinch. This isn't about to be pretty, is it?

You deserve everything she'll do to you.

I sigh deeply.

I know.

---

I refuse to meet the green eyes of the Vice-Headmistress, glancing at the canyon beneath Beacon from the office's window.

If there's one thing I'd always hated even before coming to Remnant, it was being yelled at when I know I'm in the wrong because I can't defend myself against whatever insults or mockery gets thrown my way.

I hate being wrong, and I hate messing up. Bringing the girls with me was doing exactly what I hated – wrong and messed up, so getting a lecture - while pretty appropriate…

Well, my Leviathan side is flaring up in anger and indignation right about now. I've formed a newfound hatred for being talked down to, even if I was in the wrong. Granted, my guilt is keeping me from acting up, so I can't even give a sarcastic response. Shouldn't is the better word though.

And I'd rather deal with the brunt of Glynda's annoyance and lectures than make some snarky remark and lose REP. I did that last time, yeah, but I wasn't wrong when I decided to fight Fenrir. It was a kill or be killed scenario.

"So I'll say this one last time. Being confident in your skill and power is fine, encouraged even, but dragging inexperienced hunters-in-training along with you on a mission like this is not only irresponsible but incredibly unwise to boot." She reprimands. "Please do try to not abuse your authority by bringing young girls on such missions again. Mr. Astera, Are we clear?"

I merely nod, not trusting myself to keep my snark in check if I gave a verbal response. That was enough for her to turn away from me with a huff, looking at the two sisters. Yang flinches violently at her piercing glare, and I almost let out a breath of relief as she starts to berate them instead.

The amused smile playing on Ozpin's lips only made me more annoyed.

"How's Tai?" I get straight to the point.

He nods. "Stable. A week should be enough for him to fully recover."

"He's-"

"Malnourished?" Ozpin raises a brow. "I'm aware of that. However, you have nothing to worry about. Taiyang will be back on his feet very soon."

"That's good." I sigh.

"Although…" Ozpin grimaces. "I'm afraid his mental well-being is now what it used to be."

"...How bad?"

"I'm not quite sure yet." He replies. "But the damage is likely severe. You said the Grimm taunted its victims with the images of loved ones through illusions?"

"It was pretty easy for me to spot, but I can't say the same for anyone else." I nod with a frown. "I can imagine what it might have done with him."

"Losing two wives, many comrades, and with a list of regrets as tall as a mountain, Taiyang was surely the perfect prey for Grimm such as that." Ozpin sighs. "This Titan-Class Grimm had plenty of fuel for nightmarish memories to haunt him with.

"Regardless, this is not an issue you should concern yourself with at the moment." He continues. "We'll be monitoring him closely, even after he leaves the hospital in case he does anything… rash."

"...Alright." I nod. "Anything else?"

"No, we're done for today." He shakes his head. "Qrow will send me the full report. You're tired, no? You may leave for now, but please come by my office early tomorrow. There's something we must discuss regarding the reward, and the announcement of your achievement."

"Right." I nod again. "I'll leave things to you then."

"Glynda, if you would please? I think they've learned their lesson." Ozpin stops his secretary, though I can see the amusement in his eyes.

I can't feel his emotions though. Weird.

"...You and I are not done yet, young lady." Glynda glares at the timid-looking Yang. "We'll be having a long talk about your reckless behavior."

Ozpin nods at me with a calm smile. I can see that he isn't annoyed like his assistant – more happily relieved really.

With that, I turn around and follow the sisters to the elevator.

It was a quiet ride, and I can feel the awkwardness radiating from Yang especially. Thankfully, Senketsu is in its normal form, but I can tell that the… skimpy outfit is still at the front of their minds. The blush right across Ruby's face proves that.

I too try to push the image away for now. Not really the time to get a boner – it'll just make things weird as hell. Instead, I think about the rewards I'd gotten, as well as my current stats and new perks/skills. Five Gacha Tokens in total if you count the Titan kill bonus.

Name: Reid Astera/Alaric Delmar

Title: Titan Slayer

Age: 17

Race: Human/Leviathan Hybrid

Alignment: Chaotic Good

Level: 161 (51%)

Professions: Gardener, Chef, Teacher

Students: Ruby Rose

HP: 19,100 [Regens 1910 per minute]

MP: 15,050 [Regens 1455 per minute]

AP: 40,250 [Regens 4025 per minute]

STR: 522

VIT: 382

DEX: 476

INT: 301

WIS: 291

CHA: 316

LUK: 196

Points: 40

[Stunning Strikes] – 500 STR

Landing physical attacks has a 1% chance of stunning a target with lower STR for 3 seconds, and you deal 10% more damage to stunned targets.

The chance will increase by 1% with every 500 STR

[Haki: Armament] (LV 10/10)

Coat your skin in tough armor, strengthening your defense and increasing your striking power. You are able to his intangible beings with this active

Increases your DEF by 500. Increases by 50 for every level

Increases your physical attack damage by 100%. Increases by 10% for every level

Maxed Level Bonus: You'll be able to masterfully use Hardening, Enhancement, and Imbuement

[Armament: Emission] (LV 1/100)

An advanced state of Armament Haki that makes the user able to expel the energy out of the body, and at higher levels, able to go through anything, destroying the opponent from the inside

Able to expel Haki, dealing [Haki: Armament] x (STR x [Armament: Emission]) physical damage

The maximum Range is 100 Centimetres. Will increase by 5 for every level

Heh. The original Haki skill has changed quite a bit, and I didn't know I'd gain Emission after maxing it out.

Attacking from the inside, huh? Well, even if Grimm don't exactly have organs per se, I can now at least force something like Skov'les out of hiding, or destroy them from within their hiding spot.

And this elevator ride is taking an awfully long time, isn't it? What is this, a loading screen?

Gasp! He's onto us, Game!

What are you on about now?

I resist a snort. Did you seriously just say 'Gasp'?

The elevator doors finally open, revealing the entrance to the large reception area of the tower. The three of us leave in step, the sky a vibrant orange as the sun sets in the distance. No one is at Beacon right now – or this part of it at least, so there were no students around us.

"Well then…" I start, turning around to the sisters. "I know you have a lot of questions, but-"

I didn't take two steps out of the building before something tackles me. I saw it coming of course, but I'd be heartless if I dodged. I gently ruffle Ruby's hair as she comforts herself in my embrace. Surprisingly, she doesn't cry, satisfied with only a hug.

"Thank you." She says. "Thank you so much."

And she was such a crybaby only a week ago.

They really do grow up too fast.

I glance at the blond, who was awkwardly standing there holding her arm. She doesn't even look at us, and I can sense the hint of jealousy she's feeling.

"What are you standing there for?" I ask her as I spread one of my arms, making her freeze. "Come on. There's room for one more."

She looks at me with a bit of hesitation, then accepts the offer with nervous enthusiasm.

While this mission thankfully hasn't scarred them for good, it did a number on them. They mentally weren't ready to deal with things like this, and I can only imagine what kind of illusions that Titan subjected them to.

I can feel the overwhelming sense of relief, gratitude, happiness, and even love they have for me. Losing their mothers was rough – they had to deal with that wound for years and years, so having their dad saved from the brink of death was more important to them than anything.

After all, they too put their lives on the line. They didn't have to, sure, and I'm the dumbass that brought them anyway, but they did it regardless.

And even when they were at such a huge disadvantage, they still persevered and got through it with barely any wounds. They went through Skov'les' strongest tactic, being the illusion, and survived. I contributed my part of course, but there's no doubt that they'd done something not even some veterans would be able to replicate.

I guess I can see why they're the 'protagonists' now. Two of them at least.

"W-we're sorry, Sir." Yang suddenly apologizes. "We shouldn't have pressured you into bringing us with you. That was way out of our league."

"No, I understand that you wanted to save your father." I pat her head. "And I get that you were too emotional at the time to think clearly. If anything, I'm at fault for giving in."

"No, Yang is right," Ruby says, breaking off from the embrace. "This was a job for professionals, and the two of us are only still in training. We just… made things worse for everyone."

The two feel guilty, but their expressions alone told me that much.

"...Yeah, not gonna lie, you two were really stupid," I say, making them flinch. "Really, what could a bunch of students know about real Grimm hunting?"

They deflate slightly, my sharp words hurting them quite a bit.

"Really, you should've listened to me the first time I told you no and waited." I shrug. "I can go on and on lecturing you about every stupid thing you did, but that'd just make me a hypocrite."

The two pause a bit, not expecting what I just said.

"I mean, look at me. I'm the expert here. I should know what to do when an emergency like this comes up, right?" I ask with a smile, making them nod. "But what do I do? Oh how about we bring the two, young students out with me on an S-class mission where dozens of teams disappeared without a trace why don't we? What's the worst that could happen?"

Yang snorts, covering her mouth in shock a moment later as Ruby giggles.

"Look, what happened happened and there's no changing that," I tell them. "What matters is that we walked away alive, and completed the mission. Everything somehow turned out fine in the end."

"Yeah… maybe you're right," Ruby says.

"The hell you mean 'maybe'?" I raise a brow. "I am right."

She rolls her eyes. "Yeah, yeah."

I stifle a chuckle as I pick up on how out of place Yang feels. She's never seen us interact like this before, and since she isn't at all close to me, she still views me as a person of high authority. You don't exactly banter with a hero like he's your best friend.

She'll come around eventually. After all, I did unlock her Affection.

[Fiery Resolve] – 100 REP Yang Xiao-Long

When in a fight, every 15 seconds, all your stats increase by 1% and caps at 20%. All your attacks now have a 10% chance of inflicting [Burning]

Partner Bonus: While fighting with your partner, both of you share the effects of this perk. The timer is reduced to 7 seconds and the cap is increased to 30%. Your attacks deal 10% Fire Damage of your current attack

Yang Xiao-Long Affection Level [20/100]

Ruby Rose Affection Level [85/100]

Surprisingly, Qrow and Ozpin's reputations are stuck at 95 and 90 respectively. I think I need to do something especially moving for them to increase it since it should've maxed out ages ago. Not really sure how I might do that though.

"Alright, I think it's time for you to go visit your father." I pat their heads, slightly surprised that Yang doesn't even feel annoyance at the act of having her hair ruffled. "You should probably skip school tomorrow too."

"Oh… Wait, what about…" Ruby blushes, pointing at her sailor uniform. "This…"

"You can have it." I shrug. "Just come to my place tomorrow evening so I can explain everything. You too, Yang."

"Right." She nods.

"Now, scram," I say. "Go say hi to your dad for me."

They obey and wave their goodbyes as I wait for them to get on the bullhead. As soon as they fly away, I let out a deep sigh.

I need a nice, long nap after this…

"Now can you tell me what you're doing here?" I glance at Qrow. "Don't you have a report or some other shit?"

"Eh, I'll do it later." He shrugs. "Besides, I took a week off. Won't leave Vale 'til Tai gets back up and on his feet."

"Makes sense," I say.

…

…

…

"Sooo…" He clears his throat. "I know a bar near your place. Up for a few drinks?"

I chuckle, a grin slipping onto my face. "Thought you'd never ask."

---

(Raven)

She knew that it would be inevitable. She knew that she'd have to face the wrath of an entire mafia clan for her mistake and that her tribe would suffer for it, but she hoped to somehow escape them, even if she had to make sacrifices along the way.

Raven had underestimated them- no, she didn't do that. She merely never expected that they'll have the backing of the White Fang and Salem's Agents. That girl with the golden eyes had the stench of Grimm about her, and that scared the bandit.

How? Why are the Caliban in cahoots with Salem? Why were they working together? Have they known about her Maiden Magic this whole time? Were they working under Salem the moment they were formed?

And why is the White Fang helping them? She might not be too sure about Aurelius, but she knows that Sienna isn't with the Grimm Queen. Why and how did this happen? Did she seriously just piss off three huge factions at once?!

Raven had many, many questions, but not a single answer.

And so here she was, running for her life in the thickets of a forest as four A-Rank and two S-Rank huntsman level fighters pursued her. Her Aura was low, her magic even lower. She tried to fight them off but to no avail. She was experienced with her spells, but the sheer plethora of skills and techniques they shared overpowered her magic.

Illusions, Gravity, Energy Beams, and so on.

She was completely cornered, and with her tribe utterly annihilated, with no survivors?

The moment she stopped moving, the Branwen Tribe would be no more.

They didn't stand a chance. If there's one thing Raven truly underestimated, it'd be how much Aurelius cared for his men. Two hundred bandits were nothing to five hundred experienced mafia men.

And that's not counting the members of the White Fang, only half her own bandit numbers but possessed of both better weapons and equipment.

She wasn't so blindly proud to not admit that she truly and utterly fucked up.

Suddenly, the gray-haired assassin got in her face out of nowhere, throwing a roundhouse kick. Raven ducked under the strike and zapped her with Lightning magic, only for the girl to fade away.

An illusion? She scowled deeply. The green bitch is nearby.

She made sure to glance around her as she sprinted, spotting the girl who tried to keep up with her. Not wanting to waste too much of her mana, Raven only used her finger to send a small lightning bolt at the girl, striking her in the knee.

She stumbled and fell, giving the black-haired woman a better chance to escape. Raven jumped and propelled herself forwards with a wind spell, only for her leg to be caught in chains. She turned behind and saw the smug-looking Lion Faunus, his weapon of choice simply being chains that he'd used to catch her mid-flight.

"Ha! Gotcha!" He said, pulling down.

Raven growled deeply, unleashing hell on him.

"Ha! Already saw that coming a mile away!" He laughed, then froze and frowned. "But wait, how do I dodge this without letting go-"

The elemental missiles landed true, causing a huge explosion. The chain around her leg slackened, and Raven took the chance to use more and more magic to escape.

Only for gravity to suddenly pull her down, for she was in Aurelius' range.

She slammed into the ground, feeling her Aura and body be crushed by the force. The very ground under her was compressing and cracking, and Raven grit her teeth as she struggled to so much as stand up.

She was only able to get to her knees, her Aura draining fast. Suddenly, the harsh gravity lifted off, but as soon as it did, her body was fully wrapped in chains, stopping her movements. Raven scowled deeply at the assailants – the head of the Caliban clan breathing heavily, and the Ace of said clan bruised and bloodied as he tightly gripped the chains.

Both were weakened almost as much as she was, and realizing that… Raven felt slightly proud of herself.

She'd managed to do this to two of the strongest warriors in the world, who were already backed up by four more skilled fighters. The Maiden powers really were something else.

However, she barely has any more mana, not even enough to transform, thus she was at their mercy.

"How are ya feeling, boss?" Sullivan asked.

"...not well, admittedly." He answered. "Come, she's yours."

Raven clicked her tongue as the golden-eyed woman walked towards her, her nose bleeding and dress damaged. She almost smirked at the sight but refrained from pissing them off any more than she already had.

If she's about to die, then she'd really rather it not be a painful death.

"You've made this a painful endeavor for us, you know." She glared. "Who do you think you are? A mere bandit?"

Raven did not answer.

"A lowlife like you does not deserve this power." She continues. "But don't worry, it'll be in better hands now."

She got closer, extending her hand towards the Spring Maiden. A horrific black bug crawled out from her hand, making Raven flinch at it. What in the hell was this thing?!

"You should be honored." She chuckled. "You'll be the first victim to my eventual ascendance to-"

"Lady, I get that you love the sound of your own voice, but come on this is too much!" The one holding the chains whined. "Can you please get this over with? I have a racing tournament in an hour!"

She blinked a few times before scoffing. "Ugh, fine."

The bug launched at her with a screech, stabbing her in the chest. Raven gasped, her eyes widening in terror as she felt her very soul be sucked into this thing. Her heart raced, fear filliing her very being as she tried to struggle.

Betting her life on her instinct, Raven pulled whatever little mana she had left and electrocuted the chains and bug in one go. Sullivan yelped and let go as the bug screeched out loud, and without wasting a heartbeat, Raven created an explosion with fire magic that sent her flying away from them.

She stumbled, gasping for air even as her vision started to fade. She struggled to get up, unsheathing her blade to use the last remaining bit of Aura for a one-way portal. To who? Who fucking cared.

With a swing, she opened the red portal, dropping her sword as she quickly rushed through it, hearing the scream of anger from the woman who tried to eat her soul.

"NOOOO!"

---

(Qrow)

Maybe it was the calm and quiet atmosphere, or perhaps it was the quality of the drinks, or possibly just how well-hidden these places seem to be, but Qrow always liked the niche and small bars to relax in. The holes in the walls. Sure, he'd go to a tavern every once in a while, to get a taste of the food as well as put the moves on a lady or two, but nothing beats a quiet and calm place to drink in.

He'd also bring a few friends or acquaintances around to these places. Sometimes it's better to drink with some company instead of alone all the time, even with his Misfortune Semblance. It's not like he's a total loner like how Tai thinks.

And today, he's joined by the kid who'd out of nowhere shot through the ranks of society, what felt like becoming one of the most valued people of the world overnight. Unlike the general public who viewed him as this flawless and unstoppable hero – it's just to keep the spirits up really – he's seen firsthand how stupid the kid can get.

He's a genius fighter, a great tactician, and an admittedly intelligent individual. Honestly, Qrow would say that he's the second smartest person he knows, right under Ozpin.

Unfortunately suffers from a severe case of…

He sighed.

Being a teenager.

Look, there's nothing wrong with teenagers, not at all. Qrow'd been one, so had everyone he knows, and Ozpin had been one several times already. It's just… when a kid like that is given too much attention and too much power too quickly?

Intelligence doesn't matter. They will fuck up and do stupid shit.

The fortunate thing about Reid is that, even when he does dumb things, he really does mean well. Someone his age could very well do whatever the fuck he wanted to – join Salem because… who knows why.

Even when the kid's moral compass is not… very moral-y – seeing by how he brutalizes Slavers – he really does try to make life better for everyone.

Honestly, he even feels a bit bad for the kid. He's what, Sixteen? Sixteen years old, yet the entire world now depends on him. They expect great things from a kid not even half his age, and the weight is crushing him. He'd never shown it, but he's obviously affected by this.

How does he know?

Well…

"L-like, I'm s'pposed to- hic -s'pposed to be a world hero." He slurred with a sorrowful face, slamming the empty bottle on the counter. "I'm- I shouldn't- hic -be makin' mistakes… you get me?"

"Yeah…" Qrow grimaced as he saw the many bottles on the counter. "But making mistakes is human, isn't it?"

Honestly, the kid can really hold his liquor. Twenty-fucking-bottles of Deathstalker, a brand that can knock out a damned horse in two shots. What the fuck is this kid made of?! Even he wouldn't be able to survive much less stay awake.

"You- you dumbass." He said. "I ain't human… I'm a goddamn…"

He paused, thinking for a few seconds before continuing.

"A goddamn- hic -Leviathan!"

"Riiiiiight…" Qrow sighed. "The point is; it's fine to mess up sometimes. We can't live a life without regrets. It's pointless to try to be perfect, Reid. We'll always make mistakes, no matter who or what we are."

"But I shouldn't." He hisses in pain, holding his head. "I… th-the entire world is relying on me. I… I made- hic -many promises too…"

Qrow frowned in sympathy. It really did affect him, didn't it?

"Kid, trying to solve every problem you encounter perfectly every time is impossible," Qrow advised. "I know how you feel, and I've been there too, trust me. I've… failed way too many people."

He remained silent, opting to listen instead.

"Failing someone… it hurts, kid. It hurts more than anything a Grimm or a bandit can do." He said. "But thinking that you have to be perfect so you can avoid it? It'll never work."

"B-but I-"

"Look, I know the difference between failing one person and failing the entire world, but the same feeling is there, even if it's a different scale." Qrow cut him off. "But it's the same, and trying to avoid it… that'll just break you in the end."

"W-w...whaddya even mean?!" He shot up from his seat, looking confused and angry. "Y-you're saying- hic -that it's fine to fail?! Wh-what kind of thinking is that?! I-if I fail, innocent people fucking die! Their blood is on my hands! I-I almost killed Ruby for fucks sake!"

"Reid-"

"Wh-what if she died?! If both of them died?!" He yelled. "What the hell kinda hero would I be, then?! Letting my own friends die because of my own stupid fucking beliefs!"

The veteran huntsman did not respond.

He was very glad that the barkeep had gone ages ago though.

"I...I wouldn't know how to live if one of them died." He said quietly, his voice shaking a bit. "I'm the goddamn Titan Slayer, failure isn't an option. I refuse to let something like that ever happen again."

Qrow gave the kid a glance, noticing tears of frustration welling up in his blue eyes. It was clear that he's preventing himself from letting them out, which made the old huntsman sigh quietly.

Reid won't listen it seems. His own beliefs about himself and the expectations of millions were weighing down on him, and he's not noticing it. It's as if it was set in his mind to be flawless or perfect, so he can solve the whole world's problems.

"Otherwise, I won't be able to do it" is what he's thinking. Probably.

The problem isn't him believing himself to be perfect. He very obviously knows that he's a flawed individual like every other person. The issue is him aiming to be perfect.

He sighed again.

Fucking teenagers. So many damned issues. So much damned angst.

Reid sat back down, letting out a deep and tired sigh as he rested his forehead on the counter. It was clear that this outburst sobered him up a bit, his eyes more focused than before, but still a bit dizzy.

Qrow wasn't quite sure what to say. He dealt with other sad drunks before, but never to this scale. The kid had so many issues it's not even funny. The best thing would be to report to Ozpin about this and find a solution somehow.

Qrow's pretty damned sure that a therapist won't do shit for him. Kid needs someone he can relate to a bit.

Suddenly, Reid stood up from his seat, looking a bit sobered up, if a little in pain. "I think I'm gonna take a walk."

"Sure." Qrow nodded, watching him leave the bar. "Take care, kiddo."

The door closed shut behind him, leaving the old huntsman with his own glass. For the next few minutes, Qrow spent his time drinking and thinking about what to do with the kid. He felt a bit disgusted with himself, as he also had big expectations for Reid. He was a good actor to hide all of that behind his confidence.

Though, from what Qrow saw, the boy didn't notice his issues either. He thinks he's fine having such a harsh and destructive thought process when it really isn't.

"Fuckin' Remnant…" He sighed. "Leave the kid alone already…"

It was then when a very loud and familiar noise appeared out of nowhere, prompting the hunter to quickly unsheathe his sword at the red portal. He scowled deeply, not in the mood for a fight with his bitchy sister.

"Can't catch a break, can I?" He growled. "The fuck do you want now-"

His sister, bloodied, bruised, and utterly destroyed walked out of the portal, falling down on the wooden floor not even three steps away from it. The portal quickly closed behind her, and the two were the only people who remained in the bar.

"Raven?"

---

(Reid)

Ughhh I feel sick.

You alright?

My head is pounding, everything is blurry, and I feel like I'm about to have my organs prolapse out of my fucking mouth.

So no, I'm not fine.

I meant mentally.

…

I'll take that as a no.

Why do you care anyway? Don't you have some… godly shit to do? Like, I dunno, gain worshipers? Making a pantheon or some shit?

I did-

...You did what?

Haaaaah, nevermind. You should drink some water to sober up. Works really well with you Leviathans.

...Whatever.

I wince slightly, cradling my head in pain as I lean on a vending machine. I stick in some money and choose a water bottle. It vends and I grab it and rip off the cap, but then stop myself as I see a girl on the other side of the road. I don't recognize her, but there's something about her that's just… weird.

Short white hair, captivating crimson eyes, and overly large red-tinted sunglasses resting on her head. She wore a large white coat with black buttons and black pants. She was also pretty damned short, shorter than Ruby even.

Her gaze was... It's putting me on edge, but I can't for the life of me try to confront her about it. Feels like a really, really bad idea.

Half of her face was hidden by a white scarf, so I can only see her eyes.

Her gaze was also too intense. Her eyes are beautiful, sure, but that blank yet intense stare is making this admittedly creepy.

And when I blinked, she was gone.

...Fucking hell, how much did I drink? Am I starting to hallucinate ghosts now?

Christ…

Whatever, I'll just go back to the bar now.

Gotta pay the tab.

---

soo uh

20k chapter. Biggest one yet, and when I tried to predict it the first time, I thought it was gonna be a 12k at most.

But the bigger the better, right?

lots of fights, the world moving forward, raven finally appearing, and Reid showing a bit of humanity with his issues. This fic isn't gonna turn into a angstfest like that one edgy Guest reviewer wanted - srsly dude, consequences are good and all, but what you want is too fucking much - but it won't be happy-go-lucky the entire time either. There gotta be a bit of realism, right?

And don't use the "Gamer's Mind should've helped him" argument. This GM only makes him calm during fights and all that. Making him emotionless is pointless since it disregards any possible character development.

That, and because I like writing emotional dumbasses.

I'm gonna take a small break from this to focus on my other fics. I've only been focused on this lately, and I think my other two fics deserve some love too.

Most likely after I drop an interlude though. Should be like, a 3k one at most.

Anyway, hope you enjoy the long chapter.