Here we are with book six.


Beta: College Fool

Cover Art: Dishwasher1910

Book 6: Chapter 1


The final Gekan slumped bonelessly to the floor, the lizard-like Grimm expiring and breaking down into motes of dark light that fluttered away on a non-existent breeze. The chirping of insects and birds was all that remained as the clearing descended into peaceful silence, broken only by the quiet rasp of Crocea Mors being sheathed once more.

"This is it?" I drew out the map I'd been given over a year ago and carefully opened it up. A quick check confirmed what I believed to be true. I was on the far east edge of the Emerald Forest, literally on the border of Forever Fall and as far as I could go without packing for a day or more's journey. I had, quite literally, reached the furthest expanse of the Emerald Forest.

And I'd found no challenge.

"According to Coco, there isn't an area with Grimm of a higher level," I whispered, reading through the notes I'd bought from the Guild Leader less than a week ago. "These are the strongest Grimm I'll find." A sigh escaped me. "That's going to be a problem."

It was hard to imagine me finding boredom in Grimm before this, and looking back on when we'd first arrived, when I'd been so weak as to need help clearing some of the weakest camps, it was even more unbelievable. I'd always imagined the Emerald Forest would contain Grimm strong enough to keep students busy for all four years of their time at the academy. Maybe it was. I couldn't tell if I'd eclipsed it normally, or if my level was just far above what should be expected.

With the war and everything that had happened, I could imagine I was maybe at the level of a third year. There was only five or six months until the year ended, so that wasn't even unreasonable. But was I – and the Guild itself – really at a level two years above our fellows? Honestly, I wasn't sure.

Kneeling down, I rummaged through the remains of the Grimm and pushed them aside, revealing some lien I collected into my coin purse. There was no drop. I glanced around to make sure I was alone, then reached into my pack and drew forth a long object. It fell onto the Grimm remains.

"Gasp," I said with some theatrics. "A loot drop. How fortunate!" I picked up the sword I totally hadn't just placed there. "Ah, a short sword with some magical properties and a mysterious rune. This will sell well."

Twenty levels up on when I'd started or not, my Charisma was still fairly abysmal, which meant my acting was about the same. No one would have believed me, and yet no one would believe the alternative either, and so the Beacon Auction House had just accepted that I had a remarkable streak of luck, the likes of which others might bemoan, but which made me richer and richer. A Knight such as I couldn't actually forge these blades, after all, but finding them as drops from slain Grimm? Well, that would take some serious luck, but it was possible.

What could I say? Lien made the world go around.

Profit aside, the main reason I'd taken to forging more weapons was the exact reason I was out here and feeling disappointed for it. Simply put, I wasn't getting any real experience from the Grimm here. I'd been farming for over a week now, slaughtering Grimm every day, and yet for all my time – hours and hours every single day – I'd earned less than a tenth of a level. The Grimm just weren't able to keep up with my level.

Blacksmithing components were, however. They didn't migrate and spawn, which meant so long as I had the lien to order exotic material, I could forge it into stuff, gain some valuable Exp, and then sell it on for profit to buy more, or even use it myself. I'd long since left the realms where iron and steel had any meaning, at least for level progression, but rarer minerals like dust-forged steel and Vacuan silver gave me noticeable results. Not enough to gain a level, but enough to give me a fifth of a level, doubling what I could achieve in the Emerald Forest.

On the way back I crossed through some of the lower level areas, known now off by heart since they'd been our stomping grounds last year. They were overflowing with first year students now, much like it had been for us, and I shook my head ruefully as I walked by. It was nostalgic looking back, even if it was only a year or so.

I caught sight of Ellayne in there too, fighting alongside her friends, two girls and a boy she'd excitedly introduced me to a few days ago. They'd been surprised to meet me, or maybe surprised Ellayne hadn't made me up and that I actually existed, but they were nice enough. I didn't want to distract them now and cause Ellayne any trouble, so slipped by without them noticing.

The Guild Village revealed itself in the distance, the differently coloured peaked rooftops poking through the treeline, behind that the mighty cliff that led up to the plateau the academy itself stood on. The great walls of Vale and the city itself lay beyond that, spanning out into the distance. It was hard to imagine with how serene the view looked that we were still in the midst of a war with Mistral. The ceasefire still held, but it was not yet a peace treaty and all attempts to make it into one looked to have thus far failed.

"Jaune!" Ruby's voice cut through my thoughts. The Reaper was further down the dirt street, muddy clothed and smeared with dust. She rushed over, dragging a reluctant Weiss behind her.

"Slow down, you dolt. I can walk on my own!"

"But Jaune," Ruby proclaimed, as if that answered everything.

"He lives in the same place we do, damn it! I need a shower." Weiss gave up on that when she was dragged over to me, politeness kicking in as she sighed. "Hello Jaune, nice to see you. It's been, what, three hours? So great a time apart that we simply had to run over to say hi."

"Hey Weiss. Hey Ruby." I tried not to laugh at Weiss' blatant sarcasm, but the indignant look on Ruby's face tipped me over the edge. "You two been out farming as well?"

"Farming and scouting," Weiss said. "While Ruby needed some lien, I was hoping we could come across another Dungeon or something. No such luck," she added, seeing my interested expression. "We weren't able to locate anything."

"Dungeons are pretty rare, huh."

"According to the Auction House, a Dungeon was found a few weeks ago, but the people who found it managed to clear it on their own. They were third years back on a break from Quests related to the war effort."

Well, that was a way to make us feel less special. Still, it made sense that we weren't the only ones to stumble on a Dungeon; we'd just been lucky enough to be able to clear it on our own, though given that Blake had been the level of a third or fourth year, it was kind of like we'd cheated anyway.

"How did your farming go?" I asked.

"Not exceptionally well. Neither of us was able to garner much experience from such low quality Grimm."

"Same issue," I said. I fell in alongside them as we made our way back to the Lodge. "I even went to the border of Forever Fall."

"I suppose the diminishing returns are just too much for us." Weiss sighed. "This must be why third and fourth years take more Quests further away. They can't grow by doing easy work or farming the forest anymore."

"Unless they join the Mercenary's Guild," Ruby chirped in.

"You're right. Hm, I suppose that's why it's the largest Guild in Beacon. Not that they're here now. I hear Ozpin has Coco and her Guild out managing the forts closer to the frontline. They're probably clearing out all the Grimm that spawned from the war."

"Lucky them," Ruby said, kicking the floor. "When are we going to get to do something? We've not had a Quest for over a week now!"

Weiss sighed. "Ruby…"

"No one else has had so much downtime. Most people get two or three days max, then they're sent on another Quest. People must see us as the laziest Guild in Beacon. And it's boooring!"

"Ruby!" Weiss stamped one foot down, silencing the Reaper. "You know full well why we're being kept here, Ruby. Ozpin needs us on hand once they decide what they're going to do about Vacuo. We can't be sent out on a Quest because we need to be able to react at a moment's notice."

"I know, I know." Ruby shot me a suffering look asking for aid, and while I wasn't about to step in and draw Weiss' ire, I could definitely agree with Ruby's sentiment. The days of peace had been enough to stop the adrenaline that rushed through me after Magnis, but seeing everyone else running around and doing stuff while we sat here was frustrating. We were Heroes too; we were a part of Beacon.

"I'm sure Ozpin and Cinder will think of something," Weiss said. I doubted she was as unaffected by the inaction as she pretended.

"Let's hope so." I sighed and tried to leave the conversation there, but Ruby's eyes bored into mine, pleading silently for an end to her torment. How Weiss managed to ignore it, I had no idea. Naturally, I failed. "I need to drop by Beacon after grabbing a shower. I'll see if I can't corner Cinder and ask."

"Thanks, Jaune!"

"Soft touch," Weiss scoffed.

Yeah, well, I never did claim my Charisma was high enough to resist stuff like that.

/-/

"Another magical sword?" the woman behind the counter, Sarah, regarded me with equal parts surprise and suspicion. "That makes this the sixth – seventh? – magical sword you've sold in a little over a week."

"What can I say? I guess I'm lucky."

"Or something," she mumbled, eyeing me a little longer. I had the sinking feeling I'd overdone it a little, but to be fair there was literally nothing else to do than farm, train and sneak off to do some blacksmithing. The woman behind the counter sighed heavily. "Well, I'll put it up. Considering the last set you found, I'm sure this will sell within a day or two. Would you like to purchase anything while you're here?"

"Did my request-?"

"There have been no magical or enchanted shields, no. As promised, I'd have contacted you if there were."

"Ah." Maybe I was becoming a little too predictable. Sarah certainly seemed to think so, giving me the look that said I'd asked that time and time again, and that she was becoming increasingly irritated by having to repeat her answer. "I guess I'll go, then. You can send the lien to my Guild Hall when the sword is sold."

"Will do, sir, have a nice day."

Functional, polite, but with little to no warmth. A lot of the Labour Caste that worked in Beacon were like that and I couldn't blame them. With the war to distract the Heroes, the prejudice wasn't as pronounced as it usually was, but most of the students still treat them like they didn't exist, as though the Labour Caste were pieces of furniture designed to make life convenient, be it by running an Auction House for their benefit or providing meals. I tried to be the exception, and the Guild did, too, knowing my stance on the issue, but we were still just eight people in the face of so many others. There was only so much we could do.

Beacon was fairly empty by now, lessons being over for the day and most students busy. Ignoring those out on Quests for the war, most of the older students still here lived down in the Guild Village, while many of the aspirants would be flitting between the communal halls and the private lodging. The latter was contained in the academy proper, and it was those people I passed as I made my way to the central tower.

Ellayne still lived in the communal halls, in the great Girl's Hall that Blake assured me was no different than the men's, rows on rows of beds with little privacy and a dresser for each person. We'd moved out quickly thanks to Roman and I couldn't imagine how frustrating it would have been to stay there longer. Like me, however, Ellayne wanted to move out with her friends and form a Guild, so they needed to scrape and save their lien for that. We'd been lucky to run into Torchwick, though it obviously hadn't felt that way at the time.

The Central tower of Beacon sat at the top of a long staircase that I wasn't technically allowed to enter without permission, but to my relief I caught a familiar figure coming down from it and out the door. She saw me too, and ushered me over.

"Cinder." I nodded to the beautiful woman and future ruler of Mistral. She looked a little haggard and couldn't quite manage her usual smile. "How are things?"

"Are you asking about me, or about our efforts?" Cinder snorted when my cheeks flushed. "Sorry, the back and forth of diplomatic efforts has me on edge. I've had to deal with too many people hiding their true intent in the last few days."

"Things aren't going well, then?"

"They're going as well as can be expected, which is to say the war is still on and neither side is prepared to admit guilt."

"Does one side have to?"

"Considering how many people have died, yes. While there are many who would wish for peace, one side of this war will have to be declared the loser and accept all guilt for starting the war. The truth of how it began does not matter," she said when I made to protest. "All that matters is that people have lost their loved ones and will be looking for someone to blame. Neither the King of Vale nor the God King of Mistral is willing to let that be them. Stubborn fools."

"Should you be talking about your King that way?" I asked. "Isn't he some kind of mythical figure to you?"

"I…" Cinder sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "He is, but such an impression comes from not interacting with people all too often. It's hard to be seen as a god if you keep showing off how normal and human you are. Through my arranged marriage, I know the man too well to see him as such, though I'll thank you not to repeat that. There are traditions to be upheld."

"Of course." That honesty was a part of the reason I liked Cinder, because despite being from a culture that prioritised the Hero Caste over all others, she didn't let it affect her. "It would be best if we could blame this on the Greycloaks, wouldn't it?"

"That would be the ideal solution, yes. The problem is that it would have to be something everyone can believe. If the proof is not substantial enough, then the public simply won't accept it and the problem will remain, along with the war."

Cinder sighed and sat down on a bench at the side of the hallway, motioning for me to do the same. There had to be something wrong with a Blacksmith sitting next to royalty, but if it bothered her she didn't show it. We sat hip to hip, and I had the strangest urge to pat her back as she massaged her brow between both hands.

"You and Ozpin haven't been able to find a way to locate the Greycloaks, have you?"

"Not in the slightest."

"They said Vacuo."

"And Vacuo is a Kingdom spanning a great desert, a major city, over twenty different wandering tribes and several coastal towns and forts. Torchwick could be as much in the capital as in some ancient ruin hidden in the desert, like Tyrian was back in Mistral. We simply do not know where, and we can't send you off to search. That would take months and months."

"How long do we have?"

"Two weeks. The ceasefire will run its course in two weeks."

Two weeks? A pit opened up in my stomach, swallowing all my energy and leaving me suddenly weak in the knees. Two weeks seemed like such a short time, nowhere near enough for us to find something, let alone traverse an entire Kingdom. Cinder's exhaustion suddenly made a lot more sense, especially if she'd been working late into the night to try and prolong this.

"Can the ceasefire be extended?" I asked.

"It could be, were there a good enough reason for it."

"What kind of reason would be needed?"

"The death of a monarch, another disaster like Magnis, someone else declaring war on Mistral or Vale. Nothing we would want, I'm afraid. Vacuo is hardly in a position to exert any political pressure and Atlas has to remain neutral."

"But if the Greycloaks did something…"

"Then yes, that might extend it. The problem is that we know the Greycloaks are in Vacuo, and even if they summoned a horde of Grimm there, it wouldn't stop Mistral attacking Vale once more."

"What about Magnis? That led to a ceasefire."

"Magnis was a freak occurrence, an event in which Mistral and Vale worked side by side against a common foe. That simply had to be commemorated with a moment of peace. To do anything less would be to spit on those who fell." Cinder cut off suddenly and leaned back, face hovering an inch or more from her hands. She stared through them, lost in thought. "Mistral and Vale working together. Is it possible…? Perhaps, if we could frame it as being against a common foe, or in support of a common goal. Peace?"

"Cinder?"

"I need to speak with Ozpin," she said, standing. "You've given me something to think on, Jaune. I thank you." She rushed back to the staircase before I could ask her what, and vanished up it a second later.

Had I helped? I couldn't really see how.

/-/

The day dawned early and we dawned earlier – hurrying up the staircase towards Beacon as the sun peaked up over the city. The message had come by Miss Goodwitch, summoning us to the tower to receive a Quest. Considering our situation, we knew what that would entail. Being early, the gardens outside the academy, and especially between the two communal dorms, were filled with first-year students, many of which looked our way in awe. Fully armed and moving in unison, we must have made for quite the sight.

"Ozpin and Cinder await you in the library," Glynda said, turning us away from the tower, and the long and awkward climb up it.

The library's doors opened a few minutes later and we marched in, Ruby bouncing on her heels and quickly pointing out Ozpin and Cinder, stood before a large table covered in books and a map. Miss Goodwitch closed the door behind us and stood against it, making it clear this meeting was private. With that in mind, I was surprised to see two others already stood beside Cinder.

"Mercury and Emerald?" Ren said. "I thought they had gone back to Mistral."

"Looks like something changed," Pyrrha replied.

As if that wasn't enough, a tall figure – or two figures – strode from between two bookshelves, carrying some scrolls between them. They would have been distinctive even if we hadn't met them before, though Weiss' shocked exclamation gave it away. "Winter? A-Archmage Ironwood!?"

Our presence revealed, all heads turned towards us, some more fatigued than others. Ozpin and Cinder looked like they had been up all night, while Emerald and Mercury looked to have travelled through it. It was the Archmage who responded, placing some scrolls down on the table and then turning to us with a friendly smile.

"Good to see you, Weiss. You're looking stronger than ever."

"Y-Yes, thank you, sir." Weiss bowed, cheeks heating up a little at being singled out, and by her adopted father, no less. Or mentor, I supposed. Her situation was awkward. "What are you doing here, Archmage? I thought Atlas was to remain neutral in this matter."

"We are, but neutral or not, our goals for peace coincide. Ozpin asked for my assistance on this matter and I agreed. Winter is here to accompany me."

"To defend you," Winter corrected. "I am your Sentinel."

Ironwood smiled and rolled his eyes, earning a giggle from Ruby and a few smiles from the rest of us, Winter obviously not included. Our attention was drawn back to Ozpin when the headmaster coughed, gesturing with one hand for us to come close and stand before the table.

"Students, thank you for coming. While we wouldn't normally have summoned you so early, time is of the essence, as I'm sure you can understand."

"It's fine," I said. The others echoed their various agreements. We were all of us ready for this. Desperate, even.

"As you know, Torchwick and his accomplice have fled to Vacuo, for a destination and purpose unknown. There are only two weeks remaining until the ceasefire comes to a close, and we need to locate and find evidence of Greycloak involvement in starting the war in that time. While doing this, we need to locate, neutralise and capture Torchwick. We need the evidence a live prisoner can provide, and his loyalty has proven… flexible in the past."

It was nothing we didn't already know, more of a phrasing of the biggest problem we faced – the vast expanses of Vacuo displayed on the map before us, and the near impossibility of us locating one man amongst all of that.

"We were reluctant to send you all to Vacuo because we didn't have a clear destination in mind. Sadly, we still do not."

"Then what do we do?" Yang asked.

"We cast the net wider. That is where the Archmage comes in." Ozpin stepped aside and Ironwood came forward.

"Locating Torchwick appears to be the key objective of this excursion, and Ozpin approached me to see if I could develop a spell or means to do so. While locational spells are not in themselves rare, it normally requires the user to know the subject, often intimately. We do not have the benefit of that. What I have been able to create instead, along with a number of skilled Mages, is a means to narrow down the search."

Ironwood gestured for Winter, who removed two scroll cases from her belt and placed them carefully on the table. They were unremarkable for the most part, but when Ironwood uncorked them and drew out two maps, we quickly realised those were the real treasure. Each was a map of Mistral in detail, but even to my eyes there seemed something… unnatural about them. They didn't glow, nor did they move, but I could feel an odd humming, even from a foot or two away. I couldn't help but imagine them to be warm to the touch.

"These maps are connected with a spell weave set by numerous enchantments. The details are unnecessary and you would not understand them, but the basic gist of it is that the cases are designed to muffle the magic signal, rendering it inert. When they are drawn out, the maps will attempt to connect with one another via a straight line."

He placed one map to the top of the much larger map of Vacuo, and the other at the bottom. "If each map were to be taken to these locations and exposed at the same time, they current would resonate and travel from one to the other, passing through all the terrain between the two maps." Ironwood ran a finger between them for emphasis. "While we cannot create a spell to locate Torchwick, Glynda was able to find some belongings of his accomplice, Neo, and bring them to me. As a Magic user in her own right, some of her… I suppose you might call it essence remained in her belongings, particularly those she cast her illusions on. Clothing, for instance."

"So, this will find his sidekick?" Yang asked.

"To a degree. We still can't get a strong enough reading to tell you where she is, but using these, you can identify where she is not. The signal will run blue on the map should it find no evidence of her between the two points. It will run red if she is detected and a spectrum of colour between for you getting closer. The signal is strong and will detect either side of itself for several miles, so you need not check it every minute. You will need to travel across Vacuo periodically stopping to use the maps like so."

Ironwood took hold of the map on the top and Ozpin the bottom. Together, they moved the maps a few inches – a good thirty miles or so in real-world terms – and then paused. Ironwood laid a wooden ruler down as a line, and then they moved again, repeating the procedure until numerous rulers were laid across the map, covering it.

"Obviously, you'd stop the moment you detect her – and the signal would only become more accurate if she were to use spells. Similarly, these are up to date maps of Vacuo, so, should she be detected, she would flash as a red blip on the map. You could then look at it to determine the exact town, village or area she is in, and both converge there." Ironwood and Ozpin moved both maps, bringing them to meet over a certain location, imitating two teams closing in on their quarry.

It was, to put it lightly, a long and arduous process, but it was something and where we had nothing before, I could at least appreciate that.

"There are two scrolls, though," Nora said. "Does that mean we have to split up?"

Ozpin smiled. "Not quite. You're correct in saying we would need two teams, which is why Mercury and Emerald are here. They will be joining with Cinder to form a second team, and we shall travel along the south of Vacuo, while you take the northern coast. Ironwood here will be able to transport you to your destinations via portal, and you will be entering here." He pointed to a spot not quite as north as I expected, and not actually on the border. "Everything east of here is irrelevant desert land, and the signal will pick up twenty miles or so north of you regardless. You will be inserted closer to the more populated areas of Vacuo, where we assume Torchwick and the Greycloaks to be operating. Were they in the wastelands, there would be no people and no potential negativity to summon Salem. Assuming their goals are the same as what we've seen before, they need to operate in populated areas."

"Makes sense," Pyrrha said. "So, we can cut off some of the worst land from the search. I understand that, but if you had these being made, wouldn't it have made sense to already send us to Vacuo? We could have started the search early and Ironwood could have opened a portal to Weiss to deliver it at a later time."

"I'm afraid it's not that simple," Ozpin said. "Cinder, would you care to explain?"

"Yes." Cinder nodded and strode forward. Though tired, her eyes were much more focused than they had been the night before, filled now with fresh determination. "I will be frank with you all because you know the situation. As the Crown Princess of Mistral, and being a Hero, I cannot simply travel to Vacuo when my Kingdom is at war with another, and neither can you. Such would be noticed almost immediately and Torchwick would flee into the shadows. He would only need to do so for two weeks for us to be called back. The Greycloaks know this, so if we acted obviously and left after them, we would be discovered for sure."

"We need a diversion, then," Ren said. "Or some explanation for why such an important person has been sent to the middle of nowhere when she should be focusing on the war."

"It is this we have deliberated over. Or we did, until a certain someone gave me an idea." Cinder didn't say me by name but her eyes flicked in my direction and she nodded subtly. "The ceasefire will end in two weeks, but before that happens we have decided to arrange an event to celebrate and honour those who fell at Magnis, since that is the reason for the ceasefire in the first place. This ceremony, this festival, will honour the fallen of both sides and will be held in Vale, as the Capital of the Kingdom in which Magnis resides."

"The God King of Mistral will be forced to attend," she went on. "He won't dare not show, and many of our diplomats and higher ranked officers, and Noble Caste members, will have to do the same. They will gather in Vale in a moment of peace and solidarity between two Kingdoms at war. It is here that we will reveal our prisoner, and our proof. With many of the most influential in attendance, it is sure to reach the right ears and will have the greatest chance of securing peace. Both sides will be forced to confront and accept the Greycloak involvement."

Should we find it, of course. This was all a risk. I and the Guild exchanged some confused looks. "Okay, but what does that have to do with us?" I asked. "I get that it's a convenient time to reveal everything, but why did we have to wait for you to come up with this?"

"Because it is to be our excuse to leave the battlefield for two weeks. At the ceremony, as a symbol of honour between Vale and Mistral, there will be an exchange of gifts to honour the fallen. Vale will give one to Mistral, and Mistral will in turn give one to Vale. They will represent each Kingdom thanking the other for the bravery and sacrifice of the other's Soldiers in saving the innocent. As such, Ozpin and I decided that the best way to represent two Kingdoms working together against adversity would be to hold a symbolic Quest between Mistral and Vale, a co-operative Quest, if you will. A Guild from each will be sent to Vacuo to uncover some of the great treasures hidden there, braving adversity together while working together despite the war that drives our Kingdoms apart."

I could see the symbolism there, and so could everyone else judging by their reactions. Last night I'd mentioned both sides fighting together against the Grimm as being the catalyst for a ceasefire, but it looked like Cinder had gone a step further. This would be both sides fighting against the war itself, and showing that in the middle of a ceremony attended by the most influential people in both Kingdoms, one of which was even the Crown Princess.

That was bound to put some pressure on the King of Mistral to relent, if nothing else. The people would see her as part divine herself, so him going against her would be reckless. If the King of Mistral offered peace, the King of Vale would look like a warmonger to say no, especially since Vale was claiming the side of the victim here.

"And if we being the gifts back, they'll represent peace," Pyrrha realised. "At least in a symbolic sense. After an exchange like that, either side would lose face if they tried to start the war again. Even if it doesn't lead to lasting peace, it would extend the ceasefire a little longer."

"Combine it with Torchwick's confession and everyone's ardour for the war is going to run pretty cold," Yang said. "It would be a dick move to try and start something. Hell, the people might even start calling for peace themselves."

"That is our hope," Cinder said. "Let us not beat around the bush, the festival and the gifts are nothing more than a screen to hide our true intention from spies here. They're necessary, but a secondary objective. The Greycloaks are our objective. Do not forget it."

"For the gifts, Vacuo is filled with ancient ruins and Dungeons," Ironwood interrupted. "It's famous for them, in fact. Much of the land is wild and unclaimed, and the shifting sands often bury and reveal Dungeons on an almost daily basis. It is the perfect place to find ancient loot worthy of being a diplomatic offering."

"And they'd be fine with Hero equipment as gifts of peace?" Ruby asked.

"It's the symbolism more than anything," Ozpin explained. "The Soldier Caste put aside their differences in Magnis to work together. Now, the Hero Caste shall do the same. At the ceremony, we will then publically ask the Noble Caste to follow our example and declare peace."

No one was making a point of asking the Labour Caste, I noticed, but it wasn't anything I hadn't expected. We were just to follow the decisions of our betters and accept things as they came. The worst thing was that for the most part, we did. I'd never even paid attention to the big picture decisions made around me when I'd been younger. Life just continued on in Ansel, day after day.

"What the gift is does not matter, only that it is impressive enough to awe the crowd," Ozpin continued. "Sword, axe, bow, armour or magical set of robes, it matters little. Neither King will be using them."

Two objectives, then, to find Torchwick and capture him, and also to brave a Dungeon for a boss drop, which would satisfy as a gift in the ceremony. We'd have two weeks to do it, and considering it only took us an afternoon and a bit of the night to clear the Dungeon here, it shouldn't take too long in Vacuo. The hardest part would be finding one.

"Can the map detect Dungeons?" Ruby asked, mirroring my concern.

"I'm afraid it cannot. We're already working on very limited ability to sense where this Illusionist is. If I were to add any more to it, I'd worry it would draw you to every magical signature it detects. It is not hard to find Dungeons in Vacuo, however. Seek out the tribes there. They know much of the land and I've heard it said they can point Heroes in the right direction for a price. You'll be provided lien for the task, of course."

I guess we'll just have to take that on faith. There wasn't much else we could do, and as I looked over the faces of the Guild, I saw nothing but confidence in each.

"If we could send more teams with you, we would," Ozpin said. "But there are too few we can trust and every Hero is needed. In this task, subtlety will be your greatest strength, and considering we will open a portal from here, we hope to keep your absence secret for as long as we can."

"Use the maps whenever you wish," Cinder said, "but we should agree that at certain times we will both use them to connect the spells. Twice a day should suffice, at midday and dusk." Cinder took one of the scrolls and tossed the other to me. "Our ability to communicate will be limited, which means each team will need to operate independently, and that neither can afford to stay still for too long."

"And if we get a signal?"

"Both teams converge. If you feel confident enough in taking on the target, do so. Don't wait for us and give them a chance to escape. We will do the same. We'll then meet up regardless, and if we have the time we'll clear two Dungeons together. No one will know if we cheat a little."

"Sounds good." I looked to the others for complaints but there were none. I handed the map to Blake, who took it with a little surprise. "You're the strongest of us, Blake. If anyone is going to not lose that, it'll be you."

She nodded. "No one will take it from me."

Cinder kept her own, understandable given her power, and moved over to stand between Mercury and Emerald. While their team was much smaller than ours, there was no doubting the power within it, not with Cinder's summon on hand to deal with any threat. I was sure she could take care of Torchwick and Neo on her own if she had to.

Could we do the same? We'd grown a lot stronger now, and I had a feeling as a group of eight, we could probably put him down. The real problem was getting hold of him when he had Neo to use her illusions whenever they got in trouble. The map would help there, however. They couldn't hide from Ironwood's spells.

"Are you ready?" Ozpin asked. "Ironwood will open two portals once you are, and you will need to reconvene in the city of Vacuo on the thirteenth day for the return. Should you reach it early, send a message and we can open one sooner. While you are gone, we shall set the seeds for the festival and handle the arrangements."

The headmaster met our eyes one by one. "While I do not wish to put undue pressure on you, I fear you are all too intelligent to fall for kind lies. The lives of many rest on you here, and the importance of this Quest cannot be understated. We cannot afford for you to fail."

We all knew that, but having Ozpin say it drove it home. I swallowed nervously, but forced myself to remain calm. We were good enough for this. Cinder and her team were the best Mistral had to offer, and while I wouldn't be so arrogant as to call us the same, we were good. We'd been through Magnis and survived it.

Pyrrha nodded when I turned to her, while Ren smiled and Nora cocked an eyebrow as if to ask why I'd ever doubted her. Yang and Ruby stood side by side, one smiling confidently and the other determined to do whatever she had to do to be a Hero. Weiss and Blake were more reserved, the Mage with her eyes closed, one hand on her father's rapier. Blake met my eyes, touched the scroll on her hip and nodded once. I returned it, and faced Ozpin and Ironwood once more.

"We're ready."


Well, the first of a new book. The Quest to Vacuo is afoot, and the plan to end the war once and for all is set. It's been a while since they had to face off against Torchwick, but everyone is a much higher level now and all the more competent for it. But what do the Greycloaks have up their sleeves? We'll see.

I wanted to get straight into it with this book, whereas normally – and traditionally for a novel in a series – you'd have the first chapter be fairly tame and have nothing happen, but I'm aware it's been two weeks since an update on this, and I figured people would prefer it start at a fair clip.

No time alone or one-to-one's between characters here, but we'll get onto that in Vacuo.


Next Chapter: 18th June

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