Author's Notes
Some people have asked me if Neve is an SI before, he is not. However, I do have an SI cameo. She appeared twice, once in two separate chapters. My proofreader has a cameo as well, entirely in one chapter.
Adonis-Nyx in their lovely review mentioned the idea of a you-know-what. I have considered it, it's hard not to when I'm a poor college student, but truthfully I don't know what I would offer or if anyone would be interested, I try not to presume these things.
Other than that, thank you all for continuing to support me! The reviews I receive are part of what keeps me going even when my mood takes a downturn. I appreciate it greatly.
Enjoy the chapter!
"Well, that's not good."
'No, really?'
I didn't allow my shock to show as I slipped my scroll away. Of course by then people noticed that I was looking at it, Ruby asked from her position sitting next to Lunus, "What was that, Neve?"
I waved my hand dismissively, "Qrow was just wishing me a happy birthday." I smiled, "Your Uncle's a nice guy when he's not drowning in hundred proof, you know?"
She was quick to agree with a grin, "Yeah he is! I just wish he'd figure that out himself." Ruby huffed, and just like that any attention to my brief distraction was diverted.
"You and I are truly not so different, Neve."
'Quiet, you.'
I already knew that this revelation was going to mean an end to my reprieve, December was almost over anyway and I was feeling back to my old strength. In time, I knew I would get even stronger. Maybe then I could prevent something like the attack from happening again.
It was true at one point that knowledge was my greatest advantage, and now that it was dwindling in usefulness I was undoubtedly going to become just as lost as anyone else, but I wasn't without advantages. The System would allow me to continue to grow in strength. I equated myself to a second year at Beacon at that point, and now that I had Oz in my head I was undoubtedly going to see an even quicker increase to my skills and stats.
An upside to a very unfavorable situation. I would have preferred to not get fused with Oz, but the simple truth of the matter was that there was no undoing it. I would just have to use the advantages he gave me to further my cause.
The rest of my birthday party continued in good spirits, with Lunus' parents and Taiyang coming around to give their own well-wishes and gifts, although the three of them couldn't stay. That was no problem, I had way more than I could have ever asked for.
Friends, and dare I say, family.
The gifts were nice too, though. Lunus got me a pair of black fingerless gloves infused with gravity dust to add to my ever-growing arsenal of dust-imbued clothing, Jeanne got me a bunch of weapon maintenance supplies, Violet got me a box set of her favorite manga… Really, I enjoyed every gift I got.
When the day was over, that was when I began to plan.
January not only marked a new year, it also marked the ability for me to leave and get up to whatever it was I needed to get up to without Glynda tracking me down and dragging me back to Patch.
However, I wouldn't be leaving right on that day. Instead, I called for a meeting with my team, and with Ruby, since she would no doubt have come anyway, and requested they gather in my living room. It didn't take very long for everyone to arrive, Shi was there as well, she was going to have to hear this even if she couldn't understand, because one way or the other she would learn the truth.
Everyone was sitting together, with Ruby, Shi, and Lunus on the couch and the other two taking up the chairs while I stood in front of them. I rested on The Long Memory with one hand, resisting the urge to put both my hands on it.
I would have brought Yang and Ven in on this, but Yang was still recovering from her injuries, mental and physical, and while she put on a tough front I knew she was nowhere near combat ready. It would have felt wrong to bring Ven in without Yang, since she needed someone to keep her spirits up right now.
Ruby was the first one to ask, "So… what's up, Neve?" She tilted her head at me, "You said there was something important, right?"
I nodded, the rest of my team and even Shi were just waiting expectantly. I looked between them as I paced in front of the holo-TV, which was currently turned off. The soft clicking of my- Oz's cane was the only noise to fill the room, "This is going to be very difficult to explain. So, let me start with something easy…" I stopped, looking out the nearby window, before casting my gaze out to the others, "What's your favorite fairytale?"
They each had different answers. Lunus' was The Gift of the Moon, Shi's was The Story of the Seasons, Ruby's was The Hunter's Children, Jeanne's was The Shallow Sea, and Violet's was The Infinite Man.
The Infinite Man was a good start as I gestured with my cane towards Violet, "That story and the Story of the Seasons hold some truth to them." Bewildered expressions aplenty as I continued, "Magic is real." The others looked at me in disbelief, "Don't believe me?" I asked before I cast Dancing Lights.
The orbs appeared and danced above in an impromptu lightshow, I kept the light dimmer than normal so as to not hurt anyone's eyes while I kept pacing, everyone gasped. They knew my semblance was Flash Freeze, or Absolute Zero, depending on what you wanted to call it. It was not Dancing Lights.
I followed it up with something else, "If that isn't enough proof for you, then let's move on to The Infinite Man. The story of a reincarnating man who tried - tries - his best to be a hero, and yet who finds himself as more than that. A hero, a fool, a villain, so many other roles."
I came to a stop back in the middle, right in front of the TV and looking at all of them as I allowed the lights to dissipate, "That man was Ozpin." Gasps of shock, or simple wide eyes of amazement in the case of Shi, as I continued, "Now… that man is me. Ozpin is capable of reincarnating, fusing with a like-minded soul upon death."
"May I?"
'Since you asked nicely.'
I didn't like allowing Oz to take control, but in this instance it was necessary. Everyone saw my eyes glow the color of Oz's for a moment, and everyone heard how his voice was layered with my own as we spoke, "It's good to talk to all of you again." We rested our cane in the middle of our person, placing our hands atop it, "You must be incredibly alarmed. Allow me to assuage you when I say that the Neve you know is still there, the same. He has temporarily ceded control of his body to me, so that I might be able to communicate with you."
Lunus was the first to speak, with Ruby just silently staring at us with wide eyes as he spoke, "W-What the hell…" He rubbed his eyes, "I shouldn't believe it but… with what I just saw…"
Shi was next, crossing her arms, "I believe it, but you better give Uncle Neve back when you're done!"
We knew that she would be more receptive to this. As a child, her worldview was not yet entirely set in stone yet, she probably already believed in magic in some way, to have it validated was not as world shaking to her as it was to the others in the room.
Violet frowned as she leaned back, "I guess when you think about it, we have aura, we have semblances… What's to say magic shouldn't exist? Immortal body-hopping wizards, now that's a bit harder to swallow. It's like this one manga I read a while ago…"
Jeanne didn't voice her disbelief, instead she asked what must have been a more pressing question to her, "Okay… I have no reason not to believe Neve, or Ozpin, I guess… But, what's going to happen to him, and why are you telling us now?"
We smiled at her, "Astute questions, Miss Arc, to answer your first question, we haven't the slightest idea." The others looked shocked, and we continued, "Neve's soul is not like that of my past incarnations, he could easily subsume me, and I could end up as just a part of his soul, as easily as we could end up in some middle ground. I do not believe that I will subsume him, however. As for the second question, I believe it's best if Neve himself tells you."
Ozpin retreated and I was in control again. I maintained the same pose as before, but I had no doubt that the shift to a less refined posture and a gentler smile signaled to them that I was back, if the lack of our voices overlaying each other wasn't enough, "I am telling you this because I'm going to need friends. Confidants. People I can trust no matter what. That is all of you."
I began to pace again, leaving my earlier pose, "To put it simply, Lunus, Jeanne, Violet, and Ruby. You four will be coming with me to Mistral, if you want to, that is. Something of great importance was stolen, a relic. There are four such relics, each has a power given to it by the Brother Gods. The relic that was stolen is the Relic of Knowledge, it contains the ability to answer three questions, so long as they are not attempts to predict the future, with perfect accuracy."
If it were possible to look more shocked, I was sure each of them would. I stopped and smiled at them, "I need to find it and, if possible, return it to its vault, so that it may never be used for evil, and there is great evil in this world. Orchid and her cronies, the three you fought, are servants of Salem, the ultimate evil who commands the Grimm from Evernight Castle in the heart of the Grimmlands." I finished by leaning on the cane with one hand, "I can't do this alone. However, if you don't want to help me, or don't believe me, then simply say the word. There will be no judgment."
Nobody moved to get up, with Shi raising her hand, "I want to go with you Uncle Neve! If you're going to go be a hero, I wanna be there!"
I smiled at her, "Shi, you're far too young. You have a lot of studying to do, and a lot of training to go through, before you can venture out into the world. I'll be leaving you with Taiyang while I'm gone."
Shi started to protest, "But-" I gave her a stern gaze, one I had been perfecting the past several months. It left no room for argument, and caused hers to die before she could even protest. Instead she crossed her arms and sulked with a huff, causing Ruby to giggle as she patted Shi on the head to console her.
Jeanne commented on it, "Geeze, Neve. I don't think I'd be able to argue with you either if you looked at me like that." She smiled, "Actually, I know I wouldn't be able to, I think you've used it on me before."
My gaze softened as I laughed softly, "Once, when you tried sneaking Shi a comic book she is not old enough to read." There wasn't anything adult about it per-se, but it certainly wasn't something she needed to be reading!
Violet added, "Well, count me in. Adventure? Relics? Magic?" She grinned, "It's like I'm living in one of my Mistrali anime!" Lunus and Ruby, in the meantime, voiced their approval and agreed to the venture.
I smiled at everyone, "The sentiment is appreciated, although it goes without saying that you should expect hardship, we have no idea what we're going to face." They all nodded in agreement, "Great, then… We'll leave in three days. I will need to book all of us tickets on the next ship to Anima, and from there we will begin the journey to Mistral proper."
Everyone seemed in agreement with that, there were no immediate questions and so instead Lunus and Ruby left to go prepare, while the rest of us stayed to relax and enjoy what little time we had left here. We'd be back, I knew we would, but it would most likely not happen for a long while. Months? Years? Who was to say?
I didn't know, but I did know that what was to come was just the beginning.
The next three days went by too quickly, in my mind.
I supposed that I shouldn't have been surprised, after all the past several months went by fast. Days and weeks spent idle, spent with the others, enjoying the reprieve we had been given while we still had it.
Although now, as the five of us started to board the large ship that would see us to our destination, I knew that those moments of reprieve would be further between. Yet, part of me was still happy to finally be back at it. My new weapon that I had dubbed Horizon in the sheath that Daybreak had once occupied hidden under my cloak, and The Long Memory clipped to my side, were all the proof I needed that it was time to keep going.
After all, the world wasn't going to save itself.
The ship itself was a passenger liner, nothing like a cruise ship. While it was comfortable, and did afford each of us our own room, it was not a place built for immense luxury, instead it was fairly middle of the road, as I wanted it to be. After all, I might have had a decent amount of money saved, but I knew I was going to need all of it over the coming months.
We each received a key that unlocked the doors to our lodgings. I got one for Lunus and Ruby (Ruby had insisted they share a room), and then one each for the rest of us. Between this and the train we would have to take, I imagined this would be the most luxury we'd get for a while. We had packed what we thought we'd need, and some things we didn't, for this excursion.
The plan was simple. Ride the ship to Anima, catch a train closer to Mistral, then rent a car for the rest of the way. Luckily, there were services that offered cars and other things of that nature to travelers. With how dangerous the world is, it's basically a necessity.
I hefted my suitcase onto my bed, noting that it felt heavier than it was supposed to. I hadn't packed heavy, just some changes of clothing and camping supplies, things that could fit in a backpack as easily as a suitcase.
I unzipped the suitcase and immediately jumped back in surprise as Shi sat up and threw her hands in the air, "Surprise, Uncle Neve!" She grinned at me, "I'm coming with you after all!"
"Well, she certainly took your stealth lessons to heart."
'Once more, Shi is too clever for her own good.'
I couldn't even be angry at her. Instead, I just sighed and shook my head, "Shi…" I looked at her, she was wearing a light-blue T-shirt with 'Team CALM' written on the front, a pair of jeans, and her sneakers. She also had her weapons on her back, collapsed to a smaller size. I crossed my arms, "I knew teaching you the fundamentals of stealth was a bad idea."
Still, I couldn't help but smile, "Fine, then, you're coming with us to Mistral, but after the fact we'll see if you'll stay. If I think it's too dangerous, I'll be sending you back on the first flight to Patch, understood?"
Shi nodded several times and grinned at me, "I'll show you that I can handle it!" She sounded so determined that I honestly wanted to believe her, even if I knew the chances of her being able to handle everything to come was small. She would be safe, I would see to that, but I still wanted to avoid her experiencing yet more trauma.
Maybe that trauma was why she was here? She didn't want to be left alone again, because the last time she was truly left alone she lost her parents…
"She is just as concerned for you as you are for her."
'I know.'
I helped her out of the suitcase, luckily she packed her own bag of stuff, small enough to fit into my suitcase. It would do, anything else we needed would just have to wait for us to reach the port town we were enroute to.
One of the many things that made this journey easier than the one I remembered from the other timeline was that the CCTS system was still alive and well, unbroken and continuous. It made communication with the others easier, we had all agreed in the group chat we created to meet at the passenger dining hall to share in our first meal aboard the ship.
Before I could start to lead Shi out, however, I received a text from someone I hadn't expected to hear from for a while.
Cobalt: "Are you busy?"
I furrowed my brow before I responded.
Me: "No, what's up?"
Cobalt: "I went to Atlas with Weiss, at her request. She claimed that she didn't feel confident going back alone."
Cobalt: "The problem is that it seems she had an argument with her father. Now she's locked away and I'm forbidden from seeing her. I know you talked to her before all of this happened, I figured I'd ask if you had a solution. I would contact her team, but I don't have any of their numbers."
I expected that, the question was, then, how was it going to be solved this time?
Me: "Weiss no doubt doesn't want to be there anymore. She has a butler named Klein that cares deeply for her, if anyone could help you get to her, it would be him."
Me: "Additionally, if she's looking to reunite with her team, then she should know that Ruby is with my team. We're heading to Mistral on some business. If she would prefer to see Yang, she's still on Patch. Blake is MIA."
Cobalt: "I would ask you how you know about a butler in the Schnee Manor like that, but I will take you at your word. I'll see what I can do to help her get out. Then, she can decide where she wants to go."
Me: "Do me a favor."
Me: "Look for a man with the last name Grove, he should be residing in Mantle. He might be essential to figuring out what the deal is with the person who left Weiss unconscious."
Cobalt: "Will do. I'll update you when I have news to share."
Me: "Thank you, Cobalt. Good luck."
I then closed my scroll and smiled at Shi, "Right, let's go eat."
While the two of us were walking down the hallway towards the dining hall, Ozpin saw fit to comment on my texting, "You truly have built your own web of allies."
I refrained from smirking, 'Not just allies, but friends. We look out for each other.'
"The best of both worlds."
I couldn't disagree with him on that.
When we made it to the dining hall, the others were shocked to see Shi (say that three times fast, shocked to see Shi) but ultimately they found the same amount of humor in it that I did. There was the small concern that maybe one of the staff members would realize that we had not boarded with her, nor was there any record of someone named Shi Cadere on the passenger manifest, but I would deal with that if it came to it.
In the meantime, we all sat in a booth and ate together. Well, most of us were. Violet was in her room taking a nap, which meant we had just enough space for Shi, even if it was crowded. Ruby pointed out something obvious, she was sitting against the wall with Lunus on her right, "You know, if Shi's going to be with us, she's going to need a weapon she can actually do damage with in the short term. Her maces are great, but… I don't think she has the upper-body strength to use them, if it comes down to it."
That was a valid point, Shi made her opinion clear, "I don't wanna stop using the maces Auntie Cinder gave me, but…" She seemed conflicted, unsure of what would be best to use.
I remembered when Cinder gave her those maces, a sign she was willing to make amends for her past misdeeds. Yet, while she regretted killing Rhodes, she clearly had no qualms with killing people she felt deserved it. At least the world wouldn't be any worse off for having lost Leo Lionheart.
"I still struggle to believe it, but as I've gained more of your memories, it seems undeniable…"
'It was fairly obvious to me from the start, when I saw it.'
That was probably intentional, all things considered. It was Jeanne who pointed out, "I'm not exactly one to talk, but… maybe she needs a gun, or some kind of ranged weapon? I don't think she's strong enough to use a bow right now either, so a gun seems the easy choice, at least if she's taught how to use it safely."
Lunus nodded in agreement, "With the right weapon and caliber, even someone like Shi could defend herself if necessary." He smiled, "After all, guns are the great equalizer for a reason."
I was hesitant to allow this, and clearly my concern showed because everyone looked at me. It would be hypocritical for me to draw the line at guns, but something about it just made me worry to no end. It seemed Ruby understood that as she grinned at me, "Don't worry, Neve! I'll teach her proper firearm use and safety once we're off the ship, and then we can get her a pistol or something small!" She continued, "I'll have you know that I'm something of a firearms expert."
"I understand your concern, Neve, but if she is going to be with us for even a short time, we cannot ignore the very real possibility that she will face danger. A gun will be her best hope of survival."
'I know, I know…'
On Remnant people learned to use guns fairly early if they were intent on becoming a hunter, hell, even most civilians learned how to use one if they lived outside of the cities. The Grimm didn't care how old someone was, they would strike with no mercy, and so we could spare no effort in keeping people safe.
That was what made me nod slowly, "Okay. Nothing crazy though, alright? She may have her aura unlocked, but there's no way she could handle .50 caliber ammunition right now. Stick to small arms, and I don't mean any small arm! Smaller rifles, pistols, stuff that she can handle. Don't try to give her a gun meant for killing elephants or something."
Ruby pouted and sighed over-exaggeratedly, "Fiinee." She crossed her arms and I could tell just by the way she was behaving that she already knew that. I told myself I should have faith in Ruby, she might have been a bit… insane, but she knew firearms better than anyone.
The rest of the evening was uneventful, unfortunately all Ruby could really teach Shi right now was stuff that didn't require actually using a gun to know. Things that would need to be drilled into her mind one way or the other to make sure she could handle a gun safely and responsibly.
Shi ended up sleeping in my bed, I supposed there was no other option really. Well, that was a lie, she could have chosen to sleep in Violet or Jeanne's bed, but she didn't want to. It was that clinginess born of worry, the same thing that caused her to stowaway in my suitcase to begin with. I had no doubt she would have probably had nightmares if I had left her with Taiyang, so I supposed in that way this was better.
The next day was also mostly uneventful, it was literal smooth sailing throughout daylight, and when night came around, I found myself not really interested in sleeping yet. So, still in my huntsman gear, I made my way out to the deck, which was abandoned aside from some workers at this time of night.
I leaned on the railing of the deck and watched the gentle waves silently, while Oz spoke, "It's serene, isn't it?"
I nodded and closed my eyes for a moment before opening them again, 'I can't remember the last time I spent time alone, other than in my bedroom. It's nice.'
"You are surrounded by people who care about you, but even then, it is understandable to want to take a moment's reprieve from others."
'Not that I can take a reprieve from you.'
Oz sounded a mixture of amused and regretful, "True enough, although I at least do my best to afford you privacy."
'That you do. I appreciate it.'
"Of course. Although I do have a question for you, Neve. Now that I am getting access to more of your memories… In your world, the version of Remnant you witnessed was… fiction?"
I supposed I should have expected this line of questioning. I told Cinder about it but even then part of me doubts that she even really took that to heart, it was hard to believe. If someone told me that Earth was just a TV show in some other world, well… First I would ask them who the hell would watch such a boring show, and second I would have a hard time believing them.
'Yes. A show based on fairy tales and legends.'
"Is that where that 'Cowardly Lion' you mentioned comes from? A fairy tale?"
'Well, I suppose in a manner of speaking that story is a fairy tale, but it was more… contemporary.'
"I see… What about me?"
I chuckled, 'The Wizard of Oz. He had some ridiculously long name, but I couldn't tell you what it was. I was never exactly all too interested in the story.'
"Hm, a fitting name then… I have more questions, but I presume I will discover more answers as more of your memories become known to me."
'Exactly.'
I continued to stare out at the water, although something felt… off. I shivered, my aura was telling me something was out there, and I could see that the huntsmen the ship had hired as protection were feeling it too. They got their weapons ready and I drew Horizon before joining it together into its bow form, "What's out there…"
"It couldn't be…"
'What? What couldn't it be?'
That was when the waters began to grow much more furious, the ship rode them but not without the once quiet deck coming alive with shouts and orders as alarm bells rang out and an announcement came over the PA, "Kraken! A Kraken, Starboard! All who are capable of fighting, to the deck! Repeat, a Kraken has been spotted!"
'Those are real?!'
"Real and exceedingly rare. Prepare yourself!"
The doors I had come out of previously flew open as my team, Ruby, and Shi all exited, wielding their weapons and dressed in their huntsmen gear. They were quick! Then again, we had planned this much. Shi didn't have any huntress gear, so she was just wearing her usual outfit. I would have told her to stay back, but now wasn't the time for arguing.
Not too far off from the ship the water broke as a massive Kraken emerged, it must have been two stories tall, and just as wide! More than that, it looked pissed! It dipped under the water and began to draw closer while the ship activated some sort of hard-light shield to protect the ship itself. Unfortunately, no such protection for the deck!
Soon, the ship was surrounded on all sides by giant tentacles, and I yelled, "Everyone get ready! We need to take this thing down!"
I was prepared to fight, what I wasn't prepared for was for the crew, who had scrambled onto the deck to begin to man turrets as they appeared on the edges of the ship, to begin to sing a song. Randy Dandy Oh, I think?
"Now we are ready to head for the Horn! Weigh, hey, roll an' go! Our boots an' our clothes boys are all in the pawn! To be rollickin' randy dandy O!"
I knocked an ice-dust arrow and loosed it towards the Kraken. It connected to one of the massive tendrils of the beast and caused it to recoil as flecks of ice grew on it, but it responded by raising its tendril and slamming it down towards us!
"Heave a pawl, oh, heave away! Weigh, hey, roll and go! The anchor's on board an' the cable's all stored! To be rollickin' randy dandy O!"
I just barely managed to jump out of the way, as did everyone else. While the tendril was still picking itself back up, Jeanne raced towards it with her claymore raised. Then, she brought it down and cut deep into the tentacle, the beast roared in anger before pulling the tentacle back up, causing Jeanne to get knocked off her feet.
"Oh, man the stout caps'n and heave with a will! Weigh, hey, roll an' go! Soon we'll be drivin' her 'way up the hill! To be rollickin' randy dandy O!"
While Jeanne was getting up, it was Lunus' turn. Another tentacle raced towards the deck, but before it could make contact he got underneath it and raised Selene, the buzzsaw spun up as it made contact with the tentacle. The thing didn't stand a chance as it was easily cut off, causing the Kraken to rage even more.
"Heave a pawl, oh, heave away! Weigh, hey, roll and go! The anchor's on board an' the cable's all stored! To be rollickin' randy dandy O!"
The ship rocked and caused everyone to stagger before Violet took her shot, aiming and firing at several tendrils while directing her chakram to slice at the ones she was softening up. She easily severed several, however one of them landed on the deck and smacked her in the process, almost causing her to lose her footing.
"Heave away, bullies, ye parish-rigged bums! Weigh, hey, roll and go! Take yer hands from yer pockets and don't suck yer thumbs! To be rollickin' randy dandy O!"
Several of the turrets and emplacements continued to fire upon the beast, although it seemed to care little for the rounds being plunged into it. It seemed like most of the rounds weren't dust-infused, which meant they were doing basically nothing to it.
"Heave a pawl, oh, heave away! Weigh, hey, roll and go!"
Ruby took this chance to jump after some of the tendrils herself, slashing several off and firing several large-caliber rounds at the Kraken in the process. She flashed her silver eyes at the beast, but the stone that appeared on its tendrils didn't seem to do much to slow it down.
"The anchor's on board an' the cable's all stored To be rollickin' randy dandy O!"
I broke apart Horizon and engaged the new grappling hook function as the head of the beast finally surfaced again, eyes red and full of rage. I had no idea what powers it held with the rest of its body, but I wasn't eager to find out!
"We're outward bound for Vallipo Bay! Weigh, hey, roll and go!"
I did something stupid, when I saw a tendril hover above the deck, I tossed my serrated blade towards it. The blade dug in with the aid of the gravity dust, and it was that gravity dust that tugged me up after the invisibly attached blade!
"Get crackin', me lads, it's a hell of a way! To be rollickin' randy dandy O!"
I heard exclamations of shock as I got pulled into the air, but I had a plan, I just hoped that The Long Memory wouldn't fail me! The beast glared up at me, noticing the tiny speck on one of its many tentacles, but that was before I disengaged the gravity and, in a swift motion, drew and extended The Long Memory while my serrated blade fell towards the deck below.
"Heave a pawl, oh, heave away! Weigh, hey, roll and go! The anchor's on board an' the cable's all stored! To be rollickin' randy dandy O!"
As I drew closer to the Kraken's head I thrust outward with the cane, allowing the kinetic energy to flow through the cane and out onto the beast, causing a small burst of energy around both monster and man. It sent the beast reeling backward and sent me flying backward from the force of the blast.
"Heave a pawl, oh, heave away! Weigh, hey, roll and go!"
I landed on my back with a grunt of pain as all the wind was knocked out of my lungs. My back was hurting all over again, not as bad this time thankfully. For a moment, my vision darkened further and I had trouble trying to stand.
That was until I felt several hands grabbing hold of my shoulders and arms.
"The anchor's on board an' the cable's all stored! To be rollickin' randy dandy O!"
As I opened my eyes and was made to stand upright, I saw everyone around me. Jeanne, Lunus, Ruby, and Violet helped pick me up. I grinned at them and Shi approached me, holding out my serrated blade for me. I clipped The Long Memory, took the blade and nodded to her, prompting her to step out of the way.
I joined Horizon together again and nocked a tether arrow, "Alright! All together, no step back!" I came up with an on-the-fly battlecry, "To calmer waters!"
Everyone had been growing tired from trying to cut off all of the tentacles of the seemingly unkillable beast, but now a renewed energy swept across the deck. The crew even shouted out the same battlecry I did! They continued firing volley after volley while the rest of us jumped into action.
I loosed the tether arrow, it sailed through the air and found purchase right between the Kraken's eyes, the gravity dust activated as I grabbed ahold of the tether and pulled it taut. Aura soon appeared to take it off of me, which I appreciated.
Kept firmly in place by Aura, we only had so long before the Kraken figured out it could dive underwater to try and capsize us. Not that Aura would hold on long enough for that to happen if it came to it.
I pointed forward and shouted, "Moon Knight!" Which prompted Jeanne to run over to Lunus, who readied Selene. The two raced to the edge of the boat and Lunus activated his semblance before they jumped overboard. He took hold of Jeanne's hand and pulled her onto Selene, they surfed the buzzsaw onto the Kraken's face and dug into its flesh, causing it to roar in anguish.
Then I broke apart Horizon and sheathed the blades before drawing The Long Memory again. I looked at Ruby while extending out my free hand towards her, "Snow Crystal!"
Ruby responded by one-handing the sniper rifle form of Crescent Rose and taking hold of my hand. Then, she used her semblance to send us both over the edge, towards the Kraken.
We closed in on it near where Lunus and Jeanne were, and when we were close to its flesh, I jabbed it again with Oz's cane, this time right into one of its eyes! The squelch I heard was a bit sickening, but I didn't have time to dwell on it as Ruby pulled me back with her surprising strength and tossed me back towards the deck.
I landed on my feet in time to see her shoot the Kraken with a volley of high-powered .50 caliber rounds in a display that would no doubt make John Moses Browning proud. She used her semblance to fly backwards.
For a moment I was concerned as to how Lunus and Jeanne would get back up, but then some of the crew tossed two life-preservers tied to ropes over the edge. As the Kraken began to sink, defeated, Aura let go of the tether and allowed it to go while Lunus and Jeanne worked on getting pulled back up onto the ship.
While I was waiting, I received a notification.
New Leadership Abilities Unlocked!
Holdfast - Encourage your team and those around you to steel themselves, preventing a break in morale when there might have been one.
Demoralize - When facing a group of weak-willed opponents, your words can cause their morale to wither and crack, provided they are delivered correctly! Does not work on Grimm.
I forgot that Leadership could give active abilities until this point. I made a note to try and use it more often. Although in the heat of battle it was easy to forget.
"So this is how your blessing presents itself? How strange…"
'Hey, I didn't ask for it to be this way, it just is.'
I dismissed the notification in time for the cheers of the crew to erupt across the deck as they celebrated a well-earned victory. Although it seemed the stars of the day were the five of us, as the crew congratulated all of us, patted us on the back and gave towels to Lunus and Jeanne.
It turned out we were a bigger boon than previously thought, considering that the crew only had emplacements and didn't have an on-board Huntsman or Huntress to keep them safe from water-borne Grimm. The Captain, an older bearded man named Salty, invited us to dine with him the next night. While we were eating he explained that they had one, but he canceled at the last minute for one reason or another.
The emplacements that the ship had were more than capable of taking on smaller waterborne Grimm, but something like a Kraken was so much tougher than almost every other type they would have faced, there was no way they could have prepared for it outside of having huntsmen on the crew. We were a blessing, he said, and he promised that if we ever needed to charter a ship again, we could always come back to this one, the Tideborne, for a free trip.
That was generous, and we accepted without question. We were going to need a ride when we inevitably went back to Vale, or started towards just about anywhere else, provided air transport wasn't a possibility.
The rest of the trip was uneventful, crossing the waters to Anima took the rest of the week. I was just glad that we were long past the days of Ozcar Bluetooth and his sailboats. The port-town we ended up docking in, Aqualis, was a bustling medium-sized town with the train station we were going to get our tickets from.
The station had no more tickets for the day, but had spots for the next, so we bought those and got some hotel rooms for the night. However, before we turned in, we decided to go out and explore the town.
There was a bakery that Ruby was quick to drag us to that was owned by a man named Mr. Blue, he was very kind and welcomed us to Anima with some free snacks on top of what we ordered. Then afterward Jeanne mentioned wanting to check out a clothing store she saw, so we ended up going there afterward.
It was rare to see Jeanne interested in clothing, she was normally the kind of girl who wore one type of outfit and that was all she needed, same with Violet, although Violet hadn't shown any interest in getting a new outfit. Ruby wanted a new outfit too, but she insisted on making it herself, and she said she'd make one for Lunus as well.
We were waiting in the clothing store for Jeanne to finish trying on the outfit she'd picked out while idly messing around on our scrolls when I got a new text from Cobalt.
Cobalt: "Klein said he has a plan, although we won't see it come to fruition for a few more days now. I looked into that man you mentioned…
Me: "Any luck?"
Cobalt: "Some. Apparently he was a florist who worked for Jacques Schnee for a number of years. Then, after his daughter was declared dead, he moved down to Mantle. Shortly after that he apparently completely moved operations and is working in Mistral's lower-levels as a caretaker for an orphanage."
Me: "How convenient. Any idea what the orphanage is named?"
Cobalt: "Morning Glory, and his full name is Moss Grove. He works with a guy named Haruki Ishikawa, a toymaker apparently."
A florist and a toymaker… An odd combo, but I'd heard stranger ones.
Me: "Thanks, Cobalt. If you need any help in the future, let me know, I owe you one."
Ozpin remarked, "I suppose we have a new objective, aside from ascertaining who has the Relic of Knowledge."
'Hopefully we'll learn something useful, something that might help us either bring down Orchid or snap her out of whatever insanity has taken hold of her.'
I closed my scroll just in time to tune in to Ruby asking a question, "So if we're traveling together now, should we have a team name between the five of us? I know teams are usually four, but my team's all scattered…"
Lunus rubbed his chin while I hummed, "Hmm… How about we just add an R to the end of CALM? Team Calmer."
Ruby's eyes lit up, "That's perfect! From now on, we're Team Calmer! Even after I get my team back, we'll always have each other's backs!"
I nodded with a smile and was about to respond when the changing room door opened and I heard Jeanne declare, "Done! So…" She stepped out, "How do I look?"
I would be lying if I said my eyes didn't widen at the sight I witnessed.
Gone were the somewhat ragged jeans, the pumpkin pete hoodie, her running shoes, and even the shirt she normally wore under it.
Instead, she donned a white crop-top that exposed her midriff, said midriff was itself… somewhat chiseled. Over that went under a black zip-up jacket that also had the pumpkin pete bunny emblazoned on it, over her heart. She kept the jacket unzipped and her jeans were replaced with a pair of khaki-colored combat pants with armored padding on the knees and in certain places along her legs. The combat pants were tight and complimented her curvy figure well.
Now, I'm loyal to Cinder, I love her. She is my one and only, however at that moment I couldn't help but be absolutely blown away. As a hot-blooded nineteen-year-old I was fully allowed to be amazed at just how… hot someone looked. I realized that Jeanne had been hiding her figure under baggy clothing for a long time now.
Violet, Ruby, and Lunus must have had similar reactions, because there was nothing but silence as we stared at her. Shi was just confused as she looked at the four of us. Jeanne squirmed and asked, "Is it… bad?"
We all quickly recovered and I cleared my throat, "N-No! Not at all!" I tried to regain my usual composure, "You look great!"
Violet added, "A real knockout! Seriously! Sheesh!" She was talking quickly and I could tell she was flustered by what she saw, then again we all were, so there was no judgment to be had.
Ruby added in awe, "I never expected you to be so…"
Lunus finished her point, "...Toned."
Jeanne grinned and blushed a dark red, "Awh, thanks guys! I'll get this outfit then!"
I fixed my scarf and nodded, "Right, then I'm going to head back to the hotel for the night." I smiled at them and left, with Shi following not far behind. I took a deep breath and exhaled while we walked, passing it off as just taking a breath of fresh air.
"You know, you have every right to move past Cinder. You sacrificed your morality for her sake, and she abandoned you in your time of need. There is nothing wrong with considering courting others."
I resisted the urge to grimace, 'I know there isn't, Oz. Really, I kind of wish I could move on, but I can't. I love her too much. It's stupid, it doesn't make any sense, but I want to believe she didn't really mean to hurt me when she left.'
"Intent may not match the result, but can you really give your heart to someone who may simply discard it?"
That hurt. I felt a pang of sadness as I swallowed a lump in my throat, 'I'm not going to give my heart to her again that readily. I will give her a chance to make amends, and a chance to fix her mistake. If she messes up again, or isn't willing to change her ways, then… I suppose I will try to leave her in the past.'
Oz sounded at least somewhat satisfied with that conclusion, although he still sounded empathetic, "Perhaps then it will be as you've mentioned Miss Belladonna and Miss Xiao-Long resolved their troubles. Did Miss Belladonna not also run away in the other timeline?"
I hadn't thought about the parallels for… some reason. Yet he did have a point, I simply responded, 'She did.'
The rest of the night was uneventful. Ruby lamented that she would need to wait until we got to a bigger town, or Mistral itself, for her to make the outfits she wanted to make. Lunus didn't seem too put off by that, and the rest of us were just ready to keep going.
So it was that the next day we boarded the train after loading all of our luggage and enjoyed the train ride in relative peace.
Luckily, unlike the ship there was no Grimm attack, nor did we have to worry about any bandits trying to rob the train. I knew that the further into Anima we got, the more likely we were to run into Branwen tribespeople. They would undoubtedly try to rob us, if given the chance, and I told everyone to be vigilant. After all, we weren't in Vale anymore.
Jeanne asked why we didn't go to Argus at one point, my reasoning was simple. Mistral was and is our goal, but just going to Mistral would lessen the chance of us running into the Branwen tribe, and I needed to get ahold of at least one of them. She didn't know why, but I knew that Raven was the Spring Maiden, if the relic was stolen, then she had to have had something to do with it.
At this revelation, Oz expressed his surprise, "Raven is the Spring Maiden?"
I could only look out the window as I responded, 'Yeah. She killed the last one.'
Oz's voice darkened, "If I had known she had such evil within her heart, I would have never given her the power I did. To think, I spent the first couple years of Beacon Academy right alongside her…"
That surprised me, 'Wait, you went to the Academy at the same time as Team STRQ? How old was the original Ozpin?'
Oz's voice lightened as he sounded amused, "As old as Qrow. After I fused with him, his progression sped up exponentially. The knowledge that he was me also incentivized the then-Headmaster to allow me to graduate early and begin teaching while Team STRQ was in their third year. By the fourth year, I was the Headmaster."
I was both surprised and not surprised at all. Ozpin didn't look that old, neither did Glynda, 'What was with the silver hair, then?'
"Stress."
'What a shame. Wait, is that going to happen to me?'
"There's a non-zero chance."
'Great…'
"Oh, worry not, Neve. I hear people are quite fond of boys with silver hair."
Imagining myself with silver hair was… interesting. Not something I would like so young, though, 'Listen, I like looking good, but I don't know if I'm ready to make that leap.'
"Understandable."
After that brief distraction, I went back to thinking about how we would track down Raven. I would have preferred to find her before getting to Mistral, but if we couldn't, then I would have to go looking for her, possibly on my own. I didn't want to risk having my team go toe to toe with a Maiden if it got that violent, but I wasn't particularly worried about that, considering she was not the kind of person to stand and fight unless absolutely necessary.
At least Vernal wouldn't die this time around.
A few hours later, while waiting for the train to come to a stop, I checked my stats.
Neve Osiris Cadere
Level 18 Dragon Slayer
Age: 19
HP
100/100
Aura
150/150
Stats
Vigor - 25
Mind - 40
Charisma - 45
Endurance - 40
Strength - 22
Dexterity - 48
Intelligence - 25
Sorcery - 13
Skills
Sword Fighting
70/100
Cane Fighting
50/100
Archery
70/100
Fist Fighting
45/100
Dodging
75/100
Blocking
48/100
Aura Usage
68/100
Dust Usage
67/100
Stealth
60/100
Deception
83/100
Leadership
65/100
Just as I dismissed my stats, a new notification appeared.
Alert! Status Effect Detected!
Ozma's Presence
You have been selected as the next Ozma, what that means for you in the long term is unknown. However, you will begin to notice your stats increasing even faster than before, less burdened by already high numbers. This is because Ozma is imparting his knowledge, reflexes, and skills upon you. You have already gained a noticeable increase in cane fighting, and other stat increases and skills will become more readily apparent the further your fusion progresses.
Well, I expected that, I just wasn't sure why it took so long to get that notification.
I dismissed it as the train came to a stop at the next town and we all got up, gathered our luggage, and left. The town itself wasn't much, but it did have what I was looking for, a place to rent a car, to be dropped off at the next town over when we arrived. There was some distance between us and the town, so we didn't waste any time in loading up the simple four-door vehicle and taking off, with myself at the wheel.
Ozpin noted amusedly, "I didn't expect you to know how to drive."
'Honestly, it didn't take much. A couple skill books and the System saw to the rest.'
"How handy."
The ride was supposed to take two hours, and then I intended for us to hold up in a hotel before I took some time to look around and ask about the Branwen tribe. I knew if anyone would know, it would be one of the villages here in Anima that may have at one point fallen victim to the bandits.
However, about an hour in, with my time spent focused on the road and the others' attention focused on talking about whether or not roosters have teeth (and other topics I can't remember) I noticed we were coming up on something. From far off I couldn't tell exactly what it was, but it was in the middle of the road and so I slowed down. I thought maybe it was roadkill, or something along those lines, but the closer I got the more I realized that it wasn't roadkill.
Someone was lying unconscious on the road!
I quickly stopped and everyone shared a concerned look before we all got out. I hurried forward to investigate the facedown individual while the others gathered and readied their weapons, keeping a lookout while Shi stayed in the car.
I couldn't see much of who the person was at first, I knew it was a girl, she had a brown leather backpack on her back. She wore a dirty white shirt with tears in it that exposed her wounds and long-sleeves that were rolled up to her elbows and orange gloves. She also wore orange suspenders and olive pants, finishing it all off with brown boots. Her hair, which is fluffy and covers her nape, is a dark brown, almost black in color.
I had a startling suspicion as to who this could be, but I had to Observe them to check. I did that quickly while kneeling down to inspect their wounds.
Ozza Pine
Level 5 Farmgirl
Age: 16
Vigor - 15
Mind - 25
Charisma - 12
Endurance - 13
Strength - 10
Dexterity - 10
Intelligence - 14
Aura
Not unlocked!
Skills
Pitchfork Fighting
10/100
Whip Fighting
10/100
Gun Fighting
20/100
Holy shit!
That would certainly explain why Ozpin ended up with me, if Oscar was never Oscar at all, but Ozza!
What was she doing out here, though…?
I didn't have time to debate that, instead I focused on her wounds. I turned her over and saw there were yet more scars, gashes, and bites on her. She looked pained, even in this state. Her freckled and tanned face was growing pale and her breathing was labored, chest rising and falling with each shaky breath. Well, there was no doubt that this was a girl… Her features were softer, everything about her was more feminine.
Yet, there was no time to dwell on that. Instead I called back, "Get the first aid kit!" While I tried to judge how best to fix this.
"She doesn't look long for this world, you need to unlock her aura, Neve!"
'I was hoping I wouldn't have to, but you're right.'
I placed my hand on her forehead and began to channel my aura, closing my eyes as I did so. The words came to me, "For it is with the light that shines within us that we reach our true potential. Though our bodies are weak and breakable, when brought to our lowest moments our spirits shall burn the brightest. I ignite this fire and with all my being protect thee."
When I opened my eyes, my ice blue aura was burning bright, and Ozza's own green aura was just as bright. True to my words, mine served as kindling for hers, and as mine retreated I closed my eyes and allowed the fatigue that briefly washed over me to pass. However, her aura would not save her if we did not get her wounds treated. To this end, Jeanne brought over the first aid kit and I did what I could to patch and bandage her wounds. However, I knew she was going to need real medical attention, and fast.
I picked her up, she was surprisingly light, which was both good and worrying at the same time. Then I carried her back to the car while everyone piled back in. We sat her up in the back, it was a tight fit for everyone other than Lunus and I since we were sitting up front, but it was what we had to do. If I had known we would have been picking up half-dead farmgirls off the road, I would have gotten a bigger vehicle.
I raced down the road as safely as I could, luckily it was abandoned save for us and the occasional passing car. The next town was walled, thankfully, and seemed more populous than the one we got the vehicle from. That being said, as we all piled out and I once again took Ozza into my arms bridal style and started to go looking for a doctor, I was having trouble.
It seemed that that didn't escape someone's notice, as I heard a soft male voice call to me from on high, "Need some help?" I looked up and to the right, on top of a one-story building was a boy with brown fluffy hair and mouse ears, he looked around the same age as me, although he was probably a bit younger than that.
His hazel eyes regarded us cautiously, with a hint of shyness to them. Yet, there was no mistaking that whoever this was was not someone to be trifled with. He was probably a fighter of some kind, but he didn't look like a huntsman-in-training.
I nodded to him and he hopped off the roof and landed near us. It was then that I realized his outfit was a dead ringer for Raven's, and while that made me wary, I didn't let it show. He was… somewhat unnerving, he was looking at me, but he didn't seem to be looking at me, if that makes sense. Instead, he seemed to be looking past me, not at something behind me but… something within me.
Still, he smiled, "I can help her, but we'll need a hotel room, or a bed. The doctor isn't in town, he left to get supplies from Mistral just a day ago."
Jeanne seemed at ease with him, "Alright! My name's Jeanne, nice to meet you!" She grinned at him.
He blinked a few times and looked at her carefully, "Nice… to meet you too. My name is Caine."
I didn't like that he looked at everyone with recognition, did he know us? How?
I supposed that I would need to keep an eye on him. He could easily have been a spy of some kind, and I had no idea what he was capable of. At that moment, though, he did seem to genuinely want to help us, so I was obliged to trust him somewhat. Only somewhat, though.
So, we eventually found a hotel. The woman at the desk was a bit alarmed that we were carrying an unconscious girl but after he explained that we were hunters-in-training and trying to let a girl rest and recover, she was able to overlook it. She got a room for Ruby and Lunus, a room for Violet and Jeanne, and a room for… Ozza and I. I supposed that made sense. Caine mentioned he didn't need a room, so I just accepted that and we all headed up.
Despite us having our own rooms, everyone wanted to congregate in mine, so that we could see how Caine would heal Ozza. The room thankfully had two queen-sized beds, a desk, an air conditioner, and a bathroom. That was good, I didn't want to have to share a bed with this girl…
We all stood back while Caine regarded her, "These don't seem too bad…" He muttered about the wounds, "I can take it." Take it? I had no idea what he meant until his cherry red aura flared up and he placed his hand on her arm. I was about to ask what he was doing before suddenly things began to change.
The cuts, bruises, and other injuries on Ozza just kind of… disappeared? It was slow, but one after another they began to fade. We all marveled at the mouse-boy's semblance, it almost seemed magical, could he just heal people without worry, I wondered?
Oz pointed something out, "Nothing is ever without cost unless it's outright magic. I sense nothing of the sort on the boy."
Ozza began to stir, her hazel eyes blinked open slowly as she muttered, "Wh-What…?" In confusion, Caine kept his semblance going and as she looked over at him, I saw her eyes widen in surprise and a blush take hold of her face. Expected, considering that he was holding onto her arm and healing her like that.
I saw Caine smile at her, "Ah… good. You'll be fine." Then, he let go of her and gasped in shock for a second, wincing and causing everyone to look at him with worry before he stood up shakily, "She's all better." He responded, sounding out of breath as he turned to regard us. I wasn't sure what was going on with him until I looked at his legs and saw the fresh scars and gashes on them…
"That is a very unique and very dangerous semblance…"
'Him most likely being a Branwen tribesman doesn't inspire confidence for his quality of life…'
Ozza sat up and looked at all of us, "You… You guys saved my life." Then she smiled, although it was a tired smile, "Thank you…"
I turned my attention to her and returned the smile, "Hey, you needed help. We're huntsmen, it's what we do. Even if we're just students."
Ozza blinked and surprise wrote itself across her face, "Huntsmen? Y-You… I need your help!" We waited for her to continue as she looked down, clenching her fists, "Auntie and Uncle… They're gone. The Grimm attacked our farm and it burned down… I'm all that's left."
Lunus began to speak, "We can get you to Mistral, if you want to maybe find a place to stay-"
She shook her head aggressively, "I don't want a hand out. I want to become a huntress!" She looked at us, and in spite of her declaration she looked nervous and scared, "The Grimm… they took everything. I want to stop that from happening to anyone else… Can you help me?"
A wave of sadness coursed through my body. So even though she managed to avoid becoming Ozpin's host by being a girl, she still got dealt a raw hand in life… I shared a look with the rest of my team, and Caine. Violet placed her hands on her hips and Aura appeared behind her, doing much the same, "We aren't going to refuse such an honest request! You can come with us and learn while we travel, until we can get you to an academy!" Then she looked at me, "Right Neve?"
Another person joining our party? I was already worried that Emerald and Mercury might catch onto the fact that we left for Anima without telling them… They were bound to want to come along, if only to find Cinder, but I didn't want to drag them along in what was an already crowded group. Now it was going to have two more people than I anticipated. Still, everyone was looking at me expectantly so I just nodded, "Welcome aboard."
Jeanne clapped her hands excitedly, "You'll love it in our team! We're gonna need your name, maybe we can find a way to add it to our team name! Although it'll be hard unless it starts with an E…"
While Ozza was introducing herself, Caine began to leave. At first, I didn't think about it, or even really notice it, until he bumped into me. In my hand was a small paper note that read 'Come to the roof.'
"Well, that's concerning."
'You're telling me…'
The others were all busy listening to Ozza talk, so I stepped outside and started up towards the roof. For someone who was injured, he sure moved fast. He was nowhere to be seen until I reached the rooftop, which was a standard flat rooftop, it reminded me of the dorms in that way.
He was looking at the sky, the sun was setting and casting out a variety of colors. Orange, red, yellow… He asked without looking at me, "Do you prefer the day or the night, Neve Cadere?"
My blood ran cold. I hadn't told him my name…
He continued as the sun continued to set, soon it would be dark, "I much prefer the night, myself… It's quiet, there's nobody around to interrupt my reading, or to look at me in weird ways…" He sounded so casual, "I'm sure you like night, too. Cinder taught you at night, didn't she?"
My eyes widened, and yet he wasn't done. Instead, he slowly turned around, "You're here for the lamp. You, Jeanne Arc, Lunus Marigold, Violet Merino, Ruby Rose… Ozza Pine was a surprise. I hadn't expected to see her." The look in his eyes was tired, and yet it held a strange determination to it.
I nodded and yet readied myself for anything. He may have been injured, but there was no telling what he was capable of, "I am… Do you know where it is?"
He nodded, "I do, after all… I took it." I couldn't help but gasp as he lifted his sash, unclipped the lamp, and held it up. The genie I recognized as Jinn appeared at his side, watching us with fascination, and yet she said nothing. Then, he looked at me again, "Raven, my mother, wanted me to take it. That, and I wanted you to help me."
I stammered as I tried to think of what to say, "L-Look, you didn't need to steal the lamp for that! Just…" I held out my hand, "Give me the lamp, Caine!"
He shook his head and clipped it to his side, yet Jinn remained. I had never expected to see Jinn here, nor did I expect her to just be… watching. She looked invested in this, for some strange reason. Finally, with his voice holding powerful resolve, Caine said, "If you want it… You'll have to take it."
"But you already knew that… didn't you?"