We are done with finals everybody, and with that…(Insert drum roll) DONE WITH HIGH-SCHOOL! (Not Done) !

!(Almost)!(DONE)

Anyway, welcome back, I'm excited to bring you guys another chapter! Before we get started, I would like to apologize to you hard-core Dark Souls fans who cringe every time I write something that isn't true to the lore. I'll try to keep it to a minimum, but I am going to take some liberties every now and then.

I also apologize for any misuse of the "olden speak". I'm trying my best to make it sound right, but keep the reading easy.

Update Shout-Out: Next up we have a Halo/Mass Effect story called Enduring the Flames of War by Masterdude21. Here we have an author that knows how to write our ever-so-loved stoic Chief, sassy Cortana, and his/her take on another biotic powerhouse by the name of Jane Shepard. Go check it out and give another author his/her much deserved attention :)

With that over, please enjoy this slightly longer chapter…

-][-

The ride back down to the city was quite. The Firekeeper was kneeling in the center of the ship, letting her flame weave across her skin with a grace that would have made the Dancer of the Boreal Valley envious, all while somehow managing to remain completely still even with the sudden shifts of the floor beneath her. Lord Ozpin was reading something on his scroll from his seat, only occasionally giving small, curious glances at the Firekeeper. I, on the other hand, chose to remain standing, leaning against the wall of the ship as I stared out the window view below me.

Looking out, I could see for miles; miles of pure golden light from the setting sun that covered Vale in its calming embrace. Light that filtered through every tree, brushing between each individual leaf. Light that warmed the the city, twisting and turning through each street and alley. Light that heated the very souls of every person below.

"We are approaching the plaza Headmaster Ozpin." I blinked, pulling myself out of my musings and directing my attention to the approaching ground. Even though the breach had been repaired, the area was still closed off from the common citizen. Unmanned police tape marked off roads, leaving only enough room for one lane of the metal carriages to pass at a time. A few citizens still loitered around, looking at the repaired breach with an odd fascination, talking amongst each other while pointing at different places.

I let my eyes wonder, finding more of the metal men standing guard in the plaza. Some patrolling in perfect patterns, every step in sync with the automaton next to it. Some merely stood in center of the plaza, heads scanning from one side to another, this time in random patterns when compared to their metal brethren. I then felt my eyes narrow at the sight of someone dressed in gray and white stepping out of the stairway that led down to the tunnels, flanked by a trio of more metal men. Where they merely ensuring the cave-in sealed the tunnel, or were they investigation something else?

As soon as the doors opened, I stepped out and help the Firekeeper out before looking around. The citizens and a few of the metal men were now focused on us, but other than that we were alone.

"Milord?" I glanced at the Firekeeper, "Doth thee wish to depart for Firelink?" I shake my head before nodding towards the man in white and gray who was talking to someone on his scroll. Without another word, the three of us began walking towards him.

As we drew near, the man noticed our presence and said one more thing to the person on his scroll before putting it away to face us. He was tall, only two or three inches below my six-nine frame with only the barest hint of a tan, short cut brown hair, and hazel colored eyes. Though his two most notable features we're his nose that looked as if it had been broken one too many times and was now permanently crooked to the left. On the same side as the indention was a scar that ran from bridge of his nose to his right jawline. "Professor Ozpin, I'm specialist Maron, what can I do for you?" The man asked in a confused manner while snapping a salute.

"Just helping my associate," said Ozpin, "giving me a legitimate reason to get away from paperwork along with an opportunity to stretch my legs. What, if I may, is a Atlas Specialist doing in downtown Vale without my knowledge?"

Glancing at the Firekeeper and I with curiosity in his eyes, Sir Maron kept his face neutral and then jerked his head towards the entrance to the tunnels, "General Ironwood asked me to come down and investigate how the Grimm got into the tunnels and make sure it was sealed to the best of our ability."

I narrowed my eyes at the man, and even though my face was covered by a helmet, he could still feel the scrutiny in my gaze. "Ahem." The specialist turned his gaze back to Lord Ozpin who looked as calm as ever, "The General is well aware of how the Grimm got into the tunnels and my assistant Ms. Goodwitch sealed the tunnel herself. So," his eyes hardened ever-so slightly, "what did Ironwood send you here too do?"

Not breaking his expression, Sir Maron shrugged his shoulders, "I don't know of any ulterior motive Headmaster. All I know is that the General ordered me to come down and closely inspect the tunnels to make sure everything was secure for the upcoming festival."

"Hm," Lord Ozpin commented, "and did you find anything of interest?"

Sir Maron shook his head, "No Sir, nothing besides rocks, metal, and the occasional bit of blood." He then looked back at the Firekeeper and I, "Who are your associates and what are you doing back down here sir, if I may ask?"

"Merely some guests of mine that are looking for something in the tunnels." Lord Ozpin said.

Sir Maron raised an eyebrow, "Looking for something Sir?"

Lord Ozpin nodded his head sagely, "Yes, looking for something, but I'm sure you have more important things to do than stand around looking at rocks. If you have concluded your investigation, you may return and give your report to General Ironwood. Good-day Specialist Maron." Without a backwards glance, the three of us walked towards the stairs leading down into the tunnels, leaving behind a confused Specialist.

-][-

Stepping into the stairwell, Lord Ozpin, the Firekeeper, and I all beginning walking silently, not wanting to risk, no matter how small, any more attention from any remaining Grimm in the tunnels. Coming upon the entrance to Firelink, we all rush inside upon seeing that the illusion had been removed, myself and the Firekeeper fearing for our companions remains. Now, standing on the ledge overlooking the center of Firelink and gazing into the ash filled room, I felt my anger and worry continue to well up inside my chest. If any of my companions tombs had been desecrated, I'd hunt down whoever was responsible. And I'd find them, there's no doubt about that. After all, it's hard to run from a pursuer who doesn't have to eat, sleep, or age. Jumping down to the main floor, I turn and sprint back towards my companions tombs while Lord Ozpin and the Firekeeper remained by the entrance. Reaching the source of my worry, I let out a silent sigh of relief. Standing proudly were all seven tombs, sealed, untouched, and ultimately undisturbed.

Now that my anxiety was gone, I remembered my secondary purpose of coming back to Firelink and began feeling along the wall of Lord Andre's tomb, knowing that the kindly smith would leave something behind to help me. After another minute of searching, my hands brushed away some ash near the floor on the left side that revealed some chiseled text beneath it. Knowing I had found what I was looking for, I quickly brushed away the rest of the ash. Once finished, I used a meager amount of my magic reserves that had slowly come back over the last day to will my flame to life in my hand, allowing me to read the simple message.

"Simply look where the maiden once beheld"

Thinking for a moment, I then looked over my shoulder towards the nook where Shrine Handmaiden used to sit. After walking over, I then turned and faced the wall opposite of the nook. Across from me was nothing more than an unassuming wall, part of which had collapsed, allowing a small hill of dirt to spill into the Shrine. This was most likely a result of the explosions in the tunnels that awoke the Firekeeper and I.

Stepping forward, I began digging through the dirt. It didn't take long for my hands to scrape against a piece of wood. Digging a bit more furiously, my hands quickly found a wooden handle. Pushing a bit more dirt out of the way before grasping the handle with both hands, I pulled heavily on the object.

After a few tugs, the object came free, revealing itself to be the storage chest that Orbeck had crafted for me. Running my hand over the wooden lid, I marveled on the skilled enchantments Orbeck had bestowed on the unassuming box. Even after however long it had sat here, the chest was without rot or splinter, still as sturdy as the day it was built. With a final glance at each tomb, ensuring their integrity, I hoisted the chest into the air and walked back to the entrance.

-][-

"Was anything disturbed Milord?"

I glance up at the Firekeeper as I rejoined them by the entrance, looking just as worried as me. While soul art based magic was most likely lost to the passage of time, we both didn't want to find out if a spell tomb or something worse could still be used today.

Shaking my head as I set the chest down, I turned to look at Lord Ozpin who was standing there looking worried himself. Seeing me turn towards him, the Headmaster shook his head in concern, "I will contact General Ironwood imme- … Mr. Ash?"

Realizing I wasn't paying attention to him anymore, Lord Ozpin followed my gaze over his shoulder to find me staring at the the second throne from the left. With a growl, I walked down the left staircase and towards Ludleth's throne with the Firekeeper and Lord Ozpin following close behind. Stepping before the throne, I look down at the place where the small Lord of Cinder used to spend his days, finding nothing.

And that in of itself was the very issue… the Transposing Kiln was gone.

-][-

After dropping the storage chest off at the room, I stood with my arms crossed in Lord Ozpin's office, silently waiting for our esteemed guest to arrive. Lord Ozpin sat at his desk, hands folded in front of his face. Lady Goodwitch stood to his left, foot tapping in irritation, and the Firekeeper stood beside me, doing her best to radiate a feeling of warmth and calmness.

At the sound of the elevator opening, I looked up and stared down the man walking towards us. General Ironwood cut an impressive figure. He was clean shaven, had short cut hair, stood about as tall as Specialist Maron, and wore a clean-cut white military uniform that made him look every bit the General everyone said he was… and ultimately unintimidating.

Doing his best to ignore the burning glare boring into his skull, the General shook hands with the Headmaster, "Ozpin, what can I do for you. Your message sounded rather urgent?"

Standing up from his chair, Lord Ozpin looked the General in the eye, "What interest do you have in the tunnels James?"

"Right to the point I see." The General said with a sigh, finally allowing himself to glance in my direction before looking back at Lord Ozpin, "I was just concerned and curious about who took Glynda and your students down into those tunnels, especially since there shouldn't have been anything down there beyond Grimm and rubble." He then looked the Firekeeper and I with scrutiny, "I already know that the these two are not Huntsman, or at least ones that are registered, and I've never even heard, let alone seen any semblance that allows someone to manipulate fire and heal themselves. Now, will you let me in on who you've let into your school, or will you force me to figure that out myself as well?"

"I haven't hidden anything from you James." Lord Ozpin said, looking rather annoyed, "I only just met the Firekeeper and Mr. Ash here yesterday afternoon and have been trying to build a trust between us before I start handing out their information to my allies. You just simply don't understand the weight of what we've discovered."

The General crossed his arms in irritation, "Then help me understand. Who are these two, what is their goal, what did they show you those the tunnels?"

I furrowed my brow in confusion. How can he not know? It was his people that opened the Firelink Shrine after we left.

"I doth not understand milord," we all turned to look at the confused Firekeeper, though I was the only one to see it, "wasn't it thy people that took the Transposing Kiln from Firelink?"

"Transposing Kiln? Firelink?" The General said confusingly, "What in dust are those?" Everyone stood silently, trying to figure out what is going on.

"Lady Firekeeper." We all turn to look at Lord Ozpin, who was looking more worried by the second, "What does the Transposing Kiln do?"

"Even in our time," the Firekeeper started, " the kiln wast an old tool that wast crafted with stitched crystal and lizard hide in the land of Courland."

"Our time?" The General interrupted, "What do you mean by, 'our time'?"

"The Firekeeper and Mr. Ash are far older than we can even guess James," Lord Ozpin said, "please just listen to everything you hear and I'll explain once we're done here." He then turned back to the Firekeeper, "I apologize for the interruption, but what does this Kiln do?"

"The Kiln," the Firekeeper continued, "is a powerful tool whose purpose wast to transpose souls into special items with their concentrated essence."

The room fell into a heavy silence. "Souls?" Lady Goodwitch whispered out after a few seconds, more than a little horrified, as were Lord Ozpin and General Ironwood, "How could someone just use a being's soul like that?"

The Firekeeper didn't let their abhorrence deter her and decided to take a page out of my book and gave the most minute of shrugs, "From what Milord and I hast discovered about this age is that the use of the soul is very different from how we hath used it. In our time, the soul wast something to be studied, used, traded, and, same as thou, a very deep source of power." She then pointed to my right hand that held two of my four rings, "Milord doth not use many transposed items anymore, but he still possesseth the Havel Ring, which allows him use of more unwieldy weapons and armor."

I took the ring off my third finger, immediately feeling the true weight of my weapons and armor, and set in down on Lord Ozpin's desk. The gray gemstone set in its center gave off a slight greenish light that was being reflecting off of it from the glow above our heads. Neither Lord Ozpin, General Ironwood, nor Lady Goodwitch moved to inspect the offered ring, probably still feeling repulsed by its origins.

After a couple seconds of no one moving, I slipped the ring back onto my finger, prompting Lord Ozpin to suck in a lungful of air, "How did you even get your hands on someone's soul? It isn't exactly something you just take out of their pocket."

The Firekeeper shook her head, "For the likes of Milord and I, it is even simpler that that. In fact, Lady Goodwitch hast already seen how our kind does it."

The mentioned Sorceress looked off to the side in thought. Before long her eyes widened ever-so slightly as she muttered out, "The White Fang member in the tunnels." She looked back up at us with more than her previous caution, "You absorbed the the soul him."

"And what is Your Kind?" General Ironwood asked, looking more suspicious by the second.

"Undead." The Firekeeper answered, no hesitation behind her voice. Silent fell once again. This time for a much longer period.

"Undead," the General eventually huffed out in a mixture of distrust and amusement, "how can you expect us to believe something like that?"

I shrugged as the Firekeeper answered, "Thou doth not need to believe, but simply watch over the following weeks as neither Milord nor I partake in food, drink, nor sleep. How else wouldst Milord and I have survived being sealed in Firelink over all these ages?" Sir Ironwood continued to glare at the Firekeeper, but switched to me as I stepped protectively in front of the her and glared right back the General.

Just as he opened his mouth to say something, Lord Ozpin interrupted, "We're getting off topic James. As strange is this all sounds, and believe me, I'm having just as much trouble as you, they have yet to be anything other than courteous with us." He then looked towards the Firekeeper and I, "What I need to know is, can the Kiln be used by people who are not from your time?"

For the first time since waking, the Firekeeper just stood there, uncertainty clearly showing on her face for a few moments, thinking to herself, "I cannot answer with complete confidence Lord. I wish to sayeth nay due to the fact that our magic just cannot be used in this age."

"But?" Lord Ozpin pushed.

"… But… the Kiln is not but a tool, and doth not require magic to use. It of course possesseth magic, weaved into it during its creation, but the only requirement of the user is knowledge of what it does, and how to use it. Both of which art dangerous to figure out, but not impossible." The Firekeeper replied, now with a small amount of hesitation in her voice. "Doth this age possesseth the knowledge of how to hold anothers soul?"

Lord Ozpin buried his face in his hands, "Yes, we do. Aura is essentially our soul, but projected outward as a sword or shield in combat. Anyone with theirs unlocked can also give an aura transfusion in the field to act as a way to temporarily boost someone who's has little to no aura. Then there are machines in hospitals that can do the same thing. It wouldn't surprise me at all if someone were to take one of those machines and use it on an unwilling subject." No one spoke, the implications of what Lord Ozpin said being rather disheartening.

"If it is of any comfort milord," The Firekeeper said to Lord Ozpin, prompting him to look up with both eyebrows raised "I knoweth not of any artifact created by the Kiln whose purpose wast widespread death, for it relies on the skill of the wielder, not the weapon itself, to have such effect. Not even the soul of Milord would transpose into something so powerful." She then turned to look at the General, the weight of her gaze clear even if no one could see her eyes, "Now I asketh thee. Who could hast taken the Kiln? For it must hast been in between at which thy servant was inspecting the tunnels and our arrival that the thief madeth their escape?"

The General looked rather uncomfortable at the question and looked towards Lord Ozpin for assistance.

With a sigh, the Headmaster turned his chair fully towards the Firekeeper and I, "We cannot be sure without looking into it. We have our suspicions, to be sure, but you must understand that there are some things we can't just tell you." He then stood up with a resolute feeling about him, "What I can promise you is that if it's whom we fear, and not just some thief that got lucky, we will tell you everything-"

"OZPIN! You can't just make-" Interrupted General Ironwood, more than a little forcefully.

"Because," Lord Ozpin rebutted, voice normal but twice as authoritative, "we don't know what we're dealing with here. If what you've told us is true, and I have no reason to disbelieve you, not with the evidence that's been presented, then new pieces have joined the board. Pieces that no one has any idea of what they look like or what they're capable of. All I ask is that you give us time to figure things out."

The Firekeeper looked towards me, wanting to know what I wished. I looked towards the three figures before me. One was a powerful sorceress with a strict outer shell that hid the understanding beneath. The second was a warrior who let battle harden his view of his world. And the third was simply a teacher, and it is teachers that who, in my opinion, are the best of any people.

They are the ones that spend a large majority of their existence serving others. Who provide the wisdom they've gathered over the course of their lives to the others so that they might one day do the same. I've grown to trust teachers, but only the ones that put their very being into teaching the young and old alike with an open mind. Lord Ozpin is one of those teachers, I can feel it.

I nodded my head in acceptance, which caused Lord Ozpin to return one with a small smile on his face.

"Thank-you," he said, "we will begin investigating right away and will let you two know as as soon as anything comes up. Good night."

Bowing my head in thanks, I turned to leave. The Firekeeper bid the three goodnight as well and followed me back to the room, not a word, or in my case, gesture, being shared between us.

-][-

Upon arriving back on our room, the Firekeeper stated she wished to do some research during the night hours to pass the time. I, on the other hand, wished to explore our surroundings a bit more. So, after a couple hours of wandering the campus, I had a pretty good grasp on how to get around.

During my wanderings, my thoughts fell back to the discoveries that had came to light today. Someone had broken into Firelink, but not only that, they also stolen an artifact that could cause quite a bit of damage, whether or not it was used correctly.

I shook my head, driving those dark thoughts from my mind. Lord Ozpin said he would look into it immediately, and I truly believed that he felt the gravity of the situation. Even if he didn't completely comprehend everything the Firekeeper had told him this night.

Deciding to enjoy the calmness for another couple hours before returning to the Firekeeper, my wanderings eventually led me back on the quiet roof of the dorms… or at least, the normally quiet roofs.

Clang Clang CLANG!

With nothing better to do and feeling curious, I let the sound of metal upon metal guide my footsteps. After a couple quick minutes, I found the source of the disturbance. Circling each-other, Lady Nikos and Sir Arc were far too engrossed in their spar to notice me lean against the wall a couple feet away, covered by shadows. After a couple tense seconds, Sir Arc lunged forward and swung his sword at his opponent's right. Positioning her sword accordingly, Lady Nikos easily parried the strike and, with a large amount of force, send his sword flying out of his hand. Said sword flew right towards me and buried itself a foot into the old grout of the wall not six inches away from my gut. Sparing the offending weapon a small glance, I looked back towards the duelists.

"Well done Jaune, your form is greatly improving." Said Lady Nikos, offering a sincere smile.

Sir Arc smiled back as he wiped some sweat from his brow, "Thanks Pyrrha. Want to go again?" He added on after a couple lungfuls of air.

Receiving a nod, Sir Jaune turned to retrieve his sword only to freeze upon seeing it buried in the wall next to me. "MR. ASH!"

Lady Nikos spun around with wide eyes, eyes that only widened upon seeing where the sword she flung nearly hit, "OH MY OUM! MR. ASH I'M SO SORRY!"

I shrugged my shoulders in an uncaring manner, this wouldn't be the first time someone threw something sharp at me and it won't be the last. At least this time it was with no ill intent. Pushing off the wall, I easily yanked Sir Arc's sword from the wall and handed it back to him. Once the blade was back in his hand, I beckoned for him to rejoin Lady Nikos

"Do you… want to watch us practice?" The young knight questioned as I took a step back. Receiving a nod, he chuckled kind of awkwardly, "I mean, if-if you really want to." He then turned back to Pyrrha who was still feeling bad for nearly impaling me, but quickly shook herself out of it and nodded her head.

As they got into their stances and started circling, I looked carefully at the two. Lady Nikos was very familiar with her weapon, that was very apparent. The grip on her sword was firm, shield positioned carefully, and each step seemed to be carefully measured down to the last centimeter.

CLANG!

Sir Arc on the other hand seemed far less sure of himself. While he did seem familiar with his weapon, the familiarity was more akin to a distant relative, rather than a close family member. But for what he lacked in skill, he made up for it in strength. His grip was strong, and and his eyes were determined, but he also gave off an air of awkwardness.

CLANG!

As the two went back and forth, I noticed small hesitations in both Lady Nikos' and Sir Arc's movements. For Lady Nikos, it seemed to stem from an disinclination towards hurting Sir Arc. Whether it was because she didn't want to hurt people, or him specifically, I wasn't sure.

CLANG!

Sir Arc's source of hesitations on the other hand took longer to figure out. After watching the two go at it for another round or two, I realized what it was.

Lady Nikos is, obviously, teaching Sir Arc outside of class and seems to have done a very decent job of doing so. But it was apparent she has never taught anyone before, let alone someone using a different sword type. A problem new combat instructors often face is that they forget that they need to teach the student in the style that the student is comfortable with, making sure to not let their own style bleed into the instruction.

CLANG!

I can tell that Lady Nikos has done her best, but given my skill with many weapons, Xiphos' and straight swords included, I could see that Sir Arc's stance, shield positioning, and attacks were some odd combination of standard sword, and Xiphos techniques.

CLANG!

They were small mistakes, but even the smallest error in combat can easily lead to death. Kite shields ready position were meant to be held so that the user can see just around the peak, giving a good ratio of protection to both the head and chest. Sir Arc held his kite shield just slightly too low, covering more of his torso and very little of his head. This type of coverage was closer to Lady Nikos' style with her Hoplite shield which prioritizes protecting the torso.

CLANG!

Sir Arc's grip on his sword was strong, there was no doubt about that, but once again the positioning of the blade was slightly wrong for a straight sword. In between attacks, when the two went back to their ready positions, Lady Nikos correctly repositioned with her sword pulled back, allowing a couple inches to poke past her shield towards Sir Arc, ready to thrust or deflect. Sir Arc on the other-hand, instead of repositioning his sword with the pommel down by his waist and blade angled up, as was the standard for straight swords, he held it two or three inches higher and out. While this didn't leave him much more exposed, it would cost him precious milliseconds in moving his blade in response to his opponents.

CLANG!

As the two pulled away once more, I stepped forward, prompting the two duelist to look my way while still in their ready positions. Before either could question my intentions, I lightly knocked Sir Arcs' feet a bit further apart, kicked his right leg back a bit, pushed him down into a ever-so slight heavier crouch, raised his shield to its correct position, and angled his blade. As I took a step back to inspect my adjustments, Sir Arc squirmed a bit, unsure of the new stance.

"Are you sure about this Mr. Ash? I feel less… I don't know, less something." Sir Arc said, still fidgeting.

I sighed before readying my sword and shield. Turning to face Ms. Nikos, I banged my sword against my shield, taunting her to attack. Understanding what I wished, Lady Nikos readied her Xiphos before thrusting out, testing my defense. I didn't even bother countering with my blade, I did wish for Sir Arc to learn the usefulness of a Kite Shield after all, and decided to use my shield to deflect Lady Nikos sword to my right.

Pulling away, Lady Nikos raised an eyebrow in question, "Again?" She asked.

I nodded my head, motioning for her to keep going. Readying her blade again, Lady Nikos then proceeded to try to slip past my defenses. Slash from my right, back-stepped. Jab from center, deflected with my shield. Downward slash, another slight adjustment to my shield sent the attack sliding to my left, almost scraping against my armor. After a couple more minutes, I took a step back and motioned for Lady Nikos to stop and then looked towards Sir Arc.

Practically hearing my question, he nodded while scratching the back of his head, "Ye-Yeah, I see your point."

I then lean back against the wall and cross my arms, motioning for Sir Arc to retake his place. Readying themselves once again, (Sir Arc in the correct stance this time) the two resumed sparing.

Clang!

As Sir Arc and Lady Nikos went back and forth, I could already see ever-so slight improvements in Sir Arc. Blocked attacks pushed him back less while his own landed harder. While it was a good start, mastering any type of weapon took more than just one night of correcting mistakes.

Tilting my head back to stare up at the moon, I saw it was nearing its highest point. Sparing the two one final glance, I quietly slipped away from the sounds of battle.

Clang Clang CLANG!

-][-

As I descended the stairs, I heard somewhat quick but quiet footsteps descending a flight or two beneath me. With suspicion growing within me, I picked up the pace and followed the sound. Reaching the academy's hallways once again, I stood still, listening intently for anything that might betray whomever I was following. After a couple seconds, my head snapped down the hallway to my left. The footsteps had slowed to a walk, allowing me to give chase in a quieter manner. Not to long after, I suddenly found my vision obscured by a turn in the hallway, but I could hear my target's footsteps just around the corner. Not slowing my pace, I turn the corner to find… nothing?

Shooting a glance back down the hall I came from, I then take a couple cautious steps forward into the next hallway and look around. Empty, completely empty save the beams of moonlight that slipped through windows and curtains. Looking around myself, movement in the shadows caught my attention. Narrowing my eyes, it took a few seconds before the shapes started making sense. There were figures, that much was apparent. The first of which look somewhat like a man who wielded a sword of some kind. The second was nothing more than a mass that shifted from one figure to another. First was a wolf or dog. Next, a man or some other type of monster. Each time the mass shifted however, it shifted into something that was so close to real, but still held enough deformity to make it seem other-worldly.

I shake my head violently, causing the images to dissipate back into the shadows and making me realize I was tightly gripping the hilt of my sword. Breathing out a silent sigh, I released the hilt. It wasn't the first time I've seen strange things in shadows. If anyone were to stare long enough into darkness, they'll start seeing images interwoven into the darkness, making it difficult to differentiate from what was real and what was not. But I wasn't there to stare at what wasn't, nor was I interested in anything else other than finding who had been retreating from me.

Refocusing myself, I glance to and fro and felt my suspicion morph into confusion. My momentary lapse in concentration didn't cost me more than five or six seconds, a frame of time which wouldn't have been enough for my quarry to have made it all the way down the hallway, and I knew all rooms in the hallways, classrooms and siderooms alike, were locked until the morning hours.

Had I imagined it? I would pray that I hadn't, because if I had, then that meant my senses were dulling, or even worse, betraying me. Sparing the hallway one last comb-over, I frustratingly turned on my heel and walked back down the hallway I had came from.

-][-

I didn't dare move. I didn't dare breathe. It didn't care if he couldn't hear or see me, he'd know I was there somehow if I did. My illusion may have given me enough time to hide myself, but He. Was. Right. There! If he just reached out, he'd have me, and I'm not sure what I'd do. Having survived this long, I've made it a point to not underestimate anyone I don't know anything about, especially when they sported intimidating armor and weapons. Sure, I was confident in my abilities, she wouldn't trust me otherwise, but still.

Slowly looking down, I glued my red eyes to his sword hand that was wrapped around the hilt of the blade tightly. After a couple more seconds, the hand relaxed itself and dropped back to the man's side. Looking around a couple more times, he then quickly turned on his heel and walked back the way we came.

Even after he left, I waited for another two or three minutes before letting my illusion drop. Wiping sweat from my brow and sucking in a couple lungfuls of air, I then sigh in relief. While my illusion were very good, they quickly start to be extremely tiring to maintain after a minute or so. Allowing myself one more small relieved breath, I turn and quietly jog down the hallway, needing to report what I had saw on the roof.

And because of my supposed solidarity, I didn't notice the potted plant, one much like others that decorated the school, that had inched it's way around the corner behind me.

-][-

Once the green-haired girl had left, I dispelled my chameleon and just stared at the retreating form of my pursuer. I don't normally carry a sorcerers stave, preferring pyromancies myself. This fact always perplexed Orbeck (And though he'd never admit it, greatly pleased Cornyx), due to the fact that I took to sorcery like a leech to Farron's Keep. Mayhaps it's because I just liked fire over crystal or energy. Or possibly it's because I secretly enjoy the carnage left in fire's wake. Personally, I think it's because fire is within my very nature, I am Unkindled after all. But what do I know?

Philosophical musings aside, I was lucky that my stalker decided to wait several minutes before leaving her hiding place, because that was how long it took me to prepare that chameleon spell without my staff. As useful as pyromancies are, nearly all their uses revolve around combat, leaving very little for practical use for other things. I unfortunately may need to start carrying a sorcery stave along with my chime in the future if I wished to remain at peak efficiency.

As the green-haired girl turned another corner, I tilted my head in thought. I, for once, have a possible threat that I can't directly pursue. As much as I would like to, I highly doubt that Lord Ozpin, let alone Lady Goodwitch, would be alright with me potentially hurting one of his students. Letting out a frustrated growl, I turn around and head back to the dormitories. I needed to ask the Firekeeper's advice.

Welp…like I said, I'm done with High-school people, and have my own laptop now. While that should mean updates will be coming quicker, I make no promises. I have absolutely no idea what studying for College is going to be like, and I'm going to be working more. So we'll see.

Anyways, have a great Summer, and Happy Fourth Of July to my fellow Americans. To anyone not in America, happy…Tuesday I guess :/

Archangel Out