Of Gifts and Luxurious Steeds


"Remember now. The opening ceremony is at least a day from now. I would suggest packing up now and leaving at a later time today considering it is only still morning."

"Well, we can't just walk all the way to Beacon. How are we going to get there?"

"I believe, Mr. Dante…that that issue has already been solved. I look forward to seeing you all tomorrow."


What did he possibly mean by that? How has that issue been already solved? Was there going to be an airship waiting for us at a village, or..?

I could only continue trying to think of how we were going to get to Beacon while I finished zipping up my suitcase, looking over my shoulder to see Inuba finish packing her belongings while Ciel and Leo packed up the last of all of our collective items we had in our rooms.

For Leo, it was a trunk of different books, filled with both normal books and...well...not so normal books. Books not meant for human eyes. Or Faunus. In the chest was also a collapsable, black and white marble chessboard with chess pieces made of black and white marble for the individual sides.

Leo liked chess. Well, liked is downplaying it. He loved chess. Whenever he got the chance, he'd always play against me. Granted, he'd lose more often than win, he still has a lot of fun with it. It gives him a chance to come up with different strategies each time to test out on me. Everyone else though...well...he'd destroy them utterly.

To the common eye, Leo definitely seems really soft spoken and nervous. And shy. Well, he is all those things. What I'm trying to say is that even he can be scary. Like really scary. Scary like how I was back in my younger years. Not as bad mind you, but still. It's really hard, if not near impossible to make Leo angry. Still though, don't try it.

Ciel had grabbed a few decorative items off her famous shelf of stuff that she had on there. A rubber band ball, a Rubik's cube with all the color square stickers torn off so now it was just a completely black Rubik's cube, a few posters, so forth and so on. Probably the thing she took the most care to pack in was her vast set of ink color pens, for when she only had paper to draw on, and the set of four pens I made exclusively for her to use on her HoloScroll, which is where she did the vast majority of her drawings.

Despite how Ciel usually is, she's actually a really good artist. Like really good. There were a few pictures on her wall with some really amazing works of hers. Of course, they were anime and manga related artwork, but that didn't make it any less impressive with how she drew them. She even drew the four of us in the same art style, which actually looked pretty neat. If I didn't know any better, she could very well be any kind of artist she wants.

Not only does she draw well, but she also takes some really nice pictures. From selfies, to group photos, to fantastic scenery shots, Ciel knows how to work a camera and even out in some nice filters time to time make it look even better if needed. She takes more pictures than drawing, but really, she's good at both.

As for Inuba, she packed away a few recipe books she couldn't make available on her HoloScroll, along with a few other books that had their covers...removed… Huh, I wonder why… Other than that, a few cooking utensils of her own and a brush or two, most likely for her fox tail.

As for me? Well… A few tools and the such, a few trophies and things I collected on my previous adventures, the gaming systems the four of us used, and our LinkBox. The LinkBox allowed us to watch tv shows, movies and everything else you could get from my World, Primordial. Netflix, Hulu, HBO, specifically for Game of Thrones, YouTube, anything you could think of. A gift from our friend in the white cloak. Needless to say, it's managed to keep us all entertained on days we just sat back and relaxed.

With that, we all had our clothes and toiletries packed into medium sized suitcases, and all of other other belongings into small trunks that we fit into an equally small trunk of the same size. Ciel made the inside of that one trunk a pocket dimension that allowed us to put the other four trunks and our suitcases inside it. So technically, we only had one small trunk in the end. Thanks to Ciel's Semblance, saving space was never an issue whenever we traveled.

"Alright, everyone packed and ready?" I asked.

"I believe so, Master."

"Done and done."

"Ready when you are, brother."

Great. We're ready and set to leave. I'd be dishonest if I said that I wasn't concerned about leaving home. Again. I didn't know what to expect really, what will come of our time at Beacon and so forth. But...what had been on my mind more prominently was the final thing Ozpin said to me and specifically me when he left. Whispered to me really as he passed me by.

"I guarantee that you will find the answers you have long been searching for throughout your life."

Answers… Those would be nice. But how would Beacon help me find them? Would there be times I get sent out and will find them along the way? Or are there things specifically hidden in Beacon that can give me those answers? I haven't the slightest clue. At least, not yet.

Leaving home isn't easy for anyone. Not even me. I may seem all calm and collected on the outside about all this, but truthfully, I am a bit nervous. Leaving home? Again? And all to go on some sort of unexpected journey that just popped out of the blue? Who wouldn't be nervous, even if just a little? Well, unless you were some cold-hearted rogue who's all like "Who killed my Father?" and the such, sure, maybe then you wouldn't be so nervous and instead grumpy all the time. Luckily I'm not a "grumpy-butt" anymore like… Like… Wait...who used to call me a grumpy-butt back then? Huh… Can't recall…

"Master?"

"Hmmm?"

"You've been staring at the wall for about a minute now. Are you alright?"

Whoops. Was thinking too much again.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just...you know...thinking about things."

"Such as?"

"Well for starters, that hopefully all of us don't have to go through the same nonsense you and I did. And I mean that. I know that you guys may not have experienced what Inuba and I have been through, but you've seen the most, if not all of it. You know how dangerous things can be and what might be lurking right around the corner at any given time. Even so, I don't want to put the two of you through those kinds of things."

"Dude, relax. We're tougher than you think." Said Ciel.

"I know that, but-"

"There really is no cause for concern, brother. Should we ever run into such intense trouble as you once did, we won't shy away from it. We will stand at your side, regardless of situation."

That...well… That wasn't so much surprising from Leo, given how he almost always gives a calm answer in response.

"Like he said. We're with you all the way. If something big and scary comes along the way, we'll just have to kick its ass!" said Ciel as she audibly smacked her fist into her palm.

I couldn't help but smile at her response. Typical Ciel, always unafraid and looking to take out the big guys. At a first glance, you'd think she's just some cute girl who's all "lol" and "omg", and that kind of thing who doesn't have a single clue. Well, she's the exact opposite. Despite how she acts or what she says, she's actually very smart. Almost as smart as me sometimes. Happy-go-lucky, really friendly, seems like she's very harmless, right? Well, remember the "crushing a person with her pinky" thing I mentioned a while back? Well...that's actually true. In terms of raw strength...she might actually be stronger than I am…

I glanced towards Inuba, who noticed I had done so and turned her head to glance back at me.

"Well...I think it'd be pointless of me to ask whether or not you want to follow along this time, given that I pretty much know your answer…"

"You're right. It would be pointless to ask, Master. I vowed that I would follow you around everywhere, no matter what."

"You did say that… Alright then. Since you're all so keen on it, let's head out then." I said grabbing my suitcase while I also grabbed the small trunk where we fit all of our other personal belongings in.

Everyone else simply grabbed their suitcases and followed behind me as we walked along the wooden floors towards the exit, passing by a few caretakers we hired from the village below to come work for us at the estate. We did need the help maintaining an estate of this massive size.

"Just a moment everyone."

The four of us stopped in our tracks and turned around to find Kareina approaching us.

"I would very much like to speak with you all before you depart."


"Though only one of you here is actually my child, I still consider the three of you in the same way. Thus the same motherly concern I have for Inuba is also shared with the rest of you. I'm sure that you do not wish to hear it by now, but I will say so either. Please...all of you. Make sure to take care along your journey. As things are now, much is filled with uncertainty as to what the future may hold, but I have high hopes that things will be less arduous than what you previously encountered."

"We pretty much hope for the same thing." I replied, the other three besides me nodding in agreement.

Kareina smiled at my response before giving hers.

"I know it may seem as though I'm nagging you, but do make sure to take full advantage of what may come your way during your time at Beacon. Eat healthy, dress well, keep yourselves properly clean and hygienic, so forth and so on. But...most importantly…please be careful at all times whenever they send you outside of the school to conduct Hunts. I know that my asking you to be cautious isn't necessary for all of you to hear, but I will say it nonetheless."

She was just doing her basic duty as a mother, despite her not needing to tell us to be careful and the such. It was something all four of us appreciated, particularly the three of us since...well…

"And Dante...please no fighting."

I immediately raised up my hands, my mouth open to say something, but not managing to do so until "Why always me?! Why not her?" I finished as I pointed towards Ciel.

"Hey!" Shouted Ciel.

"Don't even start. I know about your 'Crusade' in your earlier school days in Vacuo where you always managed to beat up half the guys in your class. Every year. It wasn't even restricted to your class either."

Ciel raised a hand to try for a rebuttal, but ultimately failed to do so.

"That's what I thought."

I heard Kareina giggle and turned to face her, still slightly annoyed with her previous comment.

"Come now, I was only poking fun a bit."

Poking fun...you say…

I'll admit, I wasn't always as...calm and respectful and the such when I was younger.

What? I was a bit of problem child back then. So what? And I say a bit because I really didn't do all that much. At all. Just a not-so-nice attitude at times. And really snarky comebacks.

"Joking aside, do mind your manners everyone. Like any other school, you will meet people with different views and ways of life. And they may or may not be less than desirable views at certain times. But it's always important to remain the better person in such situations. Understand?" She said specifically looking in my direction once more.

"Loud and clear."

Though the others might not have gotten what she actually was really saying, I did. I gave her a silent nod to affirm that I understood, to which she gave me a smile to.

"Very well then… I believe it's about time for all of you to leave."

"Speaking of which, how are we going to get there? As far as I know, I don't think there's a village between here and Vale that has an airship."

I checked along the way we made for the door. Which told me we were either hoofing it all the way or hitchhiking. In all honesty, we could do it. But I know for a fact we'd really not want to.

"That problem has already been solved since yesterday, actually."

Yesterday? Did she and Ozpin figure something out for us already?

"Which reminds me...I have something for you Dante. Two things actually."

"Two things?" I asked as I rubbed the ring on my left index finger with my thumb.

"Yes. Think of them as parting gifts for the start of your journey."

"What? Brother gets gifts and we don't?" Said Ciel before she got a nudge in the side from me.

Kareina giggled at my younger sisters rather childish nature.

"But you've already received your gift young Ciel. The same for you Leonard."

Wait… Does she mean-?

"Each of your weapons all came to the original Kitsukami estate years ago from a mysterious benefactor." she began as she turned behind her to grab a long, rectangular wooden case, "However, only one of the weapons came with instructions to deliver to be delivered separately from the other two." she said looking to Ciel and Leo.

"That's right… I had almost forgotten… Each of our weapons were tailor made to suit us differently, and they are only weapons that can be wielded between the three of us." said Leo, "So far, only Ciel and I have received our Stratera Arms (Balanced Arms). You were the only one who hasn't, brother."

He's right. I'm the only one of the three of us who hadn't received a Stratera Arm, a weapon that is perfectly balanced in usage between Light and Dark Powers. They are the only weapon types known in existence that can perfectly channel any type of the two powers you might have, or in the case of us three, both types. And since we have both Light and Dark Essence within the three of us, we can not only use both power types, but we also make the weapons even more powerful in our hands.

Like I also mentioned, only we can wield them unless we give permission for another to use them. That's all we really know about them. What their names are and what they can do. We don't where they came from or who actually made them, only that they came into our possession with written letters explaining only those two details and when they were to be given. For Ciel and Leo, it was for when direct contact was made with them. As for me...apparently now was the time I finally get one.

I hesitantly looked at the case presented before me, reaching out to it very slowly. I...felt a strange presence coming from within the case. It...seemed familiar to me… And I to it...as if...it were calling to me.

Both of my hands soon found themselves firmly grasping the case that was handed to me, and for the longest time, I simply stared at the box.

"Uh, we don't got all day big brother. You know? Places to be and all that?"

I glanced over at Ciel slightly, but then immediately refocused my attention to the box in front of me as my right hand drifted towards the latchlock and opened it. I opened the case slowly until I finally had managed to completely open it and gaze upon the weapon inside the case.

It was...well...beautiful for lack of a better word.

At a simple glance, it was a Longsword, nothing more and nothing less. But Dante knew this weapon was much more.

The blade of the Longsword was colored a pure white, spanning four feet in length and 1.5 inches in width. A shallow bevel outlined the blad, making it the Longsword's sharp edge, the bevel itself at least 0.5 inches wide. Along the center base of the blade were intricate runes etheced into both flat sides of the blade, which spanned all the way from the cross guard almost all the way to the tip of the weapon, just five inches short of the tip.

The cross guard was of the same color of the blade, pure white, with thin, cross guard branches at least half a foot long, taking on a diamond-like shape with beveled sides and smoothed corners. Two half inch prongs were found on the ends of the cross guard branches that pointed upwards towards blade, retaining the same, diamond shaped bevels the cross guard branches did. The center of the guard, on both sides of the weapon, had one final corner, reaching forward and encasing the center of the blade itself in a short, rounded, central protrusion resembling a diamond-like shape, merging with the blade's surface itself.

Below the cross guard was the handle that was a foot long, the beginning of the handle bound in leather-like material that had an imprinted grip for better handling. Below the leathery grip was the rest of the handle, the metal colored pure white like the rest of the blade, and taking on a round shape. The pommel was simply a round, black metal cap that widened out slightly at the end.

Never have I seen a weapon, at least, a Longsword as majestic as this one was. I can see now why this weapon was specifically tailored to me in many ways. Dignity. Elegance. Intellect. Strength. I'm not tooting my horn or anything. I was really talking about the sword itself. It really did embody those four words in its entirety.

Ciel whistled at the sight of the Longsword while Leo gave an impressed hum.

"Such impressive craftsmanship… It really does suit you Master…" said Inuba as she leaned in close to me.

Like really close. Our faces three inches apart close. I moved my head away from hers quickly as I felt heat building up in face. As of recent months I've been more...conscious of Inuba than I was back then. What? It's not my fault that she's...well...attractive…

Okay. Attractive is belittling. Try gorgeous beyond belief, as in Aphrodite herself doesn't stand a chance in comparison. No, seriously, I'm not even kidding. I've seen Aphrodite. She tried seducing me. Didn't work thanks to Inuba. But yes, hotter than the sun, so forth and so on. Point is...staring at her for too long makes you want to stare more, as in you don't want to look away. Luckily, I have this thing called self control and know better. Sometimes….

"Well young Dante, what are your thoughts?" asked Kareina.

"It's… Well… It's amazing…"

A moment after, my white and black Aura engulfed my hand, blazing around my new Longsword as it too turned into white and black Aura and vanished within my Aura. The short blaze of my Aura died down as I examined my hand, giving it a squeeze a few times before I lowered it.

"It belongs to you now. Do make sure to use it wisely on your journey. As it is, we know nothing of the weapons you and your siblings possess. Only that they far surpass the capabilities of known weapons. Even those possessed by The Plane of Angels and those of the Dark World, home of the Dark Entities." said Kareina.

We own the most powerful types of weapons known and made in the whole of Creation...

Wonderful. Just wonderful.

"In short, be responsible with them. We know. We won't let you down." I said reassuring her.

"I know. Now then...bring your bags with me. It's time I bestow upon you your final gift before you all take your leave."


Our small detour took us to the outside, the cold, chilly air gently breezing through us as we moved towards one of the gate entrances, where we made a connecting road down from the mountain to the main road.

What? We had a weekend off. Had to do something.

The gate was closed at the moment, but to our left facing the gate was a sort of large, storeroom shed with large double doors that opened outwards.

"This last gift is more or less for all of you, but, only one of you currently has legal permission to use it." said Kareina.

Wait. What? Only one of us?

That must be me since I'm the only one who cared to get permits and licenses to use some tools, machines and the such. Some of them I actually needed, others, just in case really. Mainly it was stuff for forgeworking, just fooling around mainly. Now that I think about it...I should start selling some of that stuff so I can start to finally get some cash. I still do want to buy a car for us to travel around in whenever we get the chance. And hey, if we get it cleared with Ozpin, we could even use that to take us to mission or Hunt locations. Airships have never really been my thing.

Well, whatever it was it must worth all this-

As soon as Kareina opened the doors to the inside of the storeroom shed, my jaw dropped. Was I seri Jody seeing what I was seeing? Was this a hallucination? No, not possible, I'm unable to suffer hallucinations.

Let me give you the rundown of what was inside. A car. But not just any car. A really freakin fancy looking car, stuff you'd see in magazines, online articles and the such.

The car itself had a main body paint of white, but part of it, the trim and other segments, were colored black. The proportions were just fantastic, the waistline incredibly sculpted, and the angular design was simply outstanding. The V-shaped grille proudly held a badge I wasn't all too focused n at the moment. The vertical headlights formed a U-shape with the bottom black metal accessory piece, rounding off the front fascia of the car. The wheels were huge, featuring a 9-spoke design on large tires, the spokes and rims themselves colored pure black with some white metal trim decorating the rim and spokes.

As I moved further inside, I moved away from the front and went further to the back segment, realizing just how elegant the entire car. The back of it slimmed down both in width and in height, forming a cone shape almost. There were just two vertical taillights mimicking the front ones almost identically, and the rear mufflers were just below them, housed in two vertical shaped squares.

The lines of the boot followed into the back too, forming a V-shape as well. The back of it was as symmetrical to the front as possible, the line going all the way from the front wheel to the back end. It swooped upwards to just under the taillights.

I looked at the doors and realized there were rear suicide doors that were pulled outwards, each with black handles placed on the pure white doors.

There was no top covering the car, so I assumed it must have been a convertible. But let's be honest, a car like this? It must have a collapsable top. The only question now was if it was a collapsable hardtop or not, because then this car would be even more majestic from my view.

The interior was just as impressive of the exterior of the car. The majority of the material inside was black leather with some white trimming and highlights. The black dashboard had the same swooping theme, except it was angled more towards the driver's seat. The instrument cluster behind the steering wheel extended to the passenger side in a fin-tailed look almost. The center console below was low, and the tunnel went all the way to the back where I found just two more seats in the back, three if were we being more realistic. The tunnel provided some storage room, and it housed a host of buttons and switches below for controlling every imaginable thing in this car. The fit and finish was excellent.

One last thing to check. The engine. Given the design, I had a guess that the engine wasn't located under the hood. And I was right. The hood wasn't just one hood, but a double space compartment. From the sides, the hood doors folded inwards towards each other, revealing two different compartments for storing whatever. Our suitcases would definitely fit in one of the storage compartments and our trunk of stuff in the other. Maybe the engine was in the back?

I went to the back of the car once more, my hand drifting against the smooth, white body. I found that the trunk was still the trunk, with plenty of space in the back. After closing the trunk lid, I saw another openable panel further up from the trunk. That must be were the collapsable hardtop roof is contained. So where is the engine then?!

Looking on the left side of the car, where the steering wheel was located, I saw something interesting. A panel. On the left side of the car, near back of the hood doors and to the left of the windshield, I pressed on the three foot long panel as it opened upward, right in front of the side mirror. It was there I saw the engine, and it looked marvelous. It was the v16 engine used in...Cadillac Ciel model cars?! Are you freaking serious?!

I leaned closer to inspect the engine closely, making sure I wasn't seeing it wrong.

...

I wasn't.

It was exactly what I was seeing. Not only was the engine a Cadillac Ciel v16 engine, but the car itself was a Cadillac Ciel! The 2017 model no less! Of course, from the looks of it, it was definitely customized to be slightly different from the 2017 model. For instance, the hood doors that opened up to reveal massive space compartments to store things in it, and the v16 engine being located on the left side of the car next to the left hood door, near the left side door as well.

What the hell is going on here?!

"W-Where did you get this?!" I asked dumbfounded.

I seriously was. How did she get this car?! I know the Kitsukami clan was extremely well funded beyond belief, but this…

Kareina only giggled at my dumbfounded stupor.

"No, seriously, where and how in the world did you get this?!"

"Just yesterday actually. It was a gift from one of your friends. He said something about buying the car and working on it himself to give it more of a…'whallop', I believe he said? Here. The car came with a letter."

I stood up hurriedly and walked over to Kareina as she handed me the letter, Inuba, Ciel and Leo crowding around me as to read as well.

"Good Dante, I'd ask how are things...but...well...I'd feel as though that would be rather insensitive of me given how events transpired. For now, I'll assume things are a bit better for you since I heard of what actually happened during your transport. You sly dog you…"

What the hell man… I had nothing to do with it at all… How wrong is your info?!

"Anyway…"

You son of a-! You knew you were guessing and predicted you might be wrong and just covered it up!

"I never managed to get a decent enough gift for you throughout our time as friends. And it occurred to me you were never in possession of a car. Not just any car, but an actual car. A good car. An excellent car. A luxurious car worthy of-"

Get to the point already!

"And you can guess the rest. When we passed by car shows on our way throughout our travels, I know exactly what you were eyeing. The Cadillac Ciel 2017 model, yes? I must admit, you have expensive tastes friend. But, such a thing matters not. It took a decent amount of time, but I managed to find one of the 2017 models in your favorite color scheme, white and black. As you probably have seen, the main color of the car's body is white while other detailings, highlights and trims are in black, while the interior is thoroughly coated with smooth black leather with white detailing. Impressive display, yes?"

Very impressive indeed.

"After finally receiving the car, I took the time to make personal modifications to it, like moving the twin turbocharged v16 engine into a handmade compartment near the rear end of the left hood door and near the left front tire. That, along with actually making the hood into two doors with two different spaces for storage. That way you can fit a lot more things in the car if you ever plan to go for a long road trip with the additional space of the trunk."

Very nice, very nice…

"Two extra details actually. One, instead of one twin turbocharged v16 engine, you have two! The other one is positioned the same way on the right side of the car!"

What the-? Two engines?!

I moved to the front right of the car and noticed another three foot long panel near the rear of the right hood door, opening it to find another black and white v16 engine, like the first one, inside.

Seriously?! Two engines?! Why?!

I closed the panel containing the second engine and continued with the letter.

"Just to mention now beforehand a bit of warning. Due to there being two twin turbocharged v16 engines, the car now actually has 5000 horsepower, goes from 0 to 90 miles per hour in 1.5 seconds, and has a top speed of 400 miles per hour!"

Are you trying to murder me with this car?! No...wait! He knows nothing can kill me! He built it exactly that way to get me thinking like that! And to make it a very impressive car altogether bless him! Wait, he's trying to make me think more than I should! You clever bastard…

Despite all that...that is some very impressive specifics… 400 miles per hour? 5000 horsepower? 0-90 miles per hour in 1.5 seconds? Good lord man…

"And I had the car bulletproofed."

Bulletproofed?! What the hell man?! What kind of trouble did you think I was going to get into?! Wait… Judging on where I'm heading to soon enough, that might actually end up being beneficial…

I apologize…

"Other than those few extras, it's just an amazing car all in all! I do hope you enjoy this gift from me to you. I don't know whether or not it's a final gift since I do not know whether or not our paths will ever cross again. But, rest assured, I will try to find a way for us to do see each other again. All of us. Well, except for our fine-feathered acquaintance that is. Rest assured, we'll find our way to you one day. But for now, enjoy this gift. May it take you wherever your heart desires. From your friend, Rosswell Vermilion."

Well, I have to hand it to Ross… He sure knows how to write letters… Then again, he is a vampire that's lived for over six hundred years now. Not like Edward Cullen glittery vampire. Like an actual vampire. Ross and his family were all turned a few years after Count Dracula, Vlad the Impaler, was turned. According to Ross, and personal historic records, The Count deemed them worthy enough to be turned, and so Ross' family became the actual first, and eldest vampire clan in all of Primordial. Pretty cool huh?

If you didn't realize it by now, Ross is a freak when it comes to cars. Whenever I traveled with him, he'd always find some bigwig car convention for us to stop at and check out. And given the vast amount of wealth his family has, sometimes he even bought a car at the auctions. Sometimes even five. He didn't only like driving them around and collecting them, but he also loved working on them. So I can see him modifying this Cadillac Ciel 2017 model was like his ultimate undertaking project.

"Well, it seems as though Rosswell is doing well for himself Master. I can only assume so are the others…" said Inuba.

"Yeah…"

"But…to think he would gift you with a vehicle of this...luxurious appearance and specifications… It's almost ridiculous…"

"It's Ross, Inuba. Almost everything he does is ridiculous."

"Oh yes, I had almost forgotten..."

Seriously, if you knew the guy like Inuba and I did, you'd agree.

"Well...that takes care of the car issue I was thinking off earlier. And transportation for that matter given how unbelievably excellent this car is…"

"Agreed… The specifications this Rosswell character mentioned are certainly outstanding…" said Leo.

"Basically a super car." said Ciel.

"Basically." replied Leo.

"Right, well, we've basically got a day of driving ahead of us, so hurry up and put whatever you can in the trunk, and if there's extra space, put it inside one of the hood storage compartments." I said instructing my younger siblings.

"Sure sure… Alley op!" was all Ciel said before grabbing hold of all four of our suitcases.

She then stuffed all four in the trunk while Leonard put the small trunk in last before closing the lid, allowing the two to open the rear suicide doors and take their seats in the back of the new car.

"Woah-ho! This is awesome!"

"Certainly outstanding."

Glad to see they were liking it… Now then, one final thing to take care of…

"Thank you...for everything you've done for me. I know I must have been a bother most of the time-"

"Come now, you were never a bother to us young Dante." said Kareina, "In fact, having you with us has been a pure joy. I do mean that. Take care of yourself and everyone else, yes?" She finished while bringing me into a hug.

"S-Sure thing…" I replied.

She then let me go and pulled in Inuba. I couldn't hear them exactly, but all I heard was the number ten. At that point, a second after, I saw Inuba blush a furious red as her mother gave her a coy smile before patting her head.

"What did-?"

"N-Nothing at all!" responded Inuba and a quick and embarrassed tone as she walked towards me.

Apparently she doesn't want to talk about it. Fair enough. Not my business to pry anyway.

"Safe travels everyone. And do your absolute best with your time at Beacon."

"We will. Thank you once again." I said bowing to her.

She then bowed to me, allowing me to take my leave. I went to right side of the car and opened the door for Inuba, who graciously thanked me before getting in and strapping on the seat belt. I did the same thing after I got in, turning back to check and see if Ciel and Leo had done the same, to which Ciel gave me a thumbs up as she tugged on her already strapped seatbelt, Leo giving me a nod as he did the same.

"Right… Everyone ready?"

"Ready, Master."

"Ready."

"Let's get this show on the road!"

I gave Ciel a smile before starting the car by pressing a button to the right of the steering wheel, the car shortly and silently roaring to life soon after. I grabbed hold of the clutch and shifted the gears to get us started on our new journey, slowly taking us out of the storeroom shed as we gave Kareina one final wave goodbye. The massive gates of the back entrance opened just as we left the shed, allowing us to pass through freely and transition onto the smooth road outside to begin our descent from the mountain. The sun was out, but despite this, it was fairly cloudy, preventing most of the suns rays from blanketing the land. Other than that, perfect weather really.

"So when do I get a shot at driving this?" asked Ciel.

"Not for a while." I replied.

"What?! Why?!"

"Because you're of age to start learning how to drive, not actually drive on your own. You need to test for your drivers license before you can drive on your own."

"And you have one?"

"I do. I went to the offices in Vale one day when I had the chance, took their test, passed, and got my license within the day."

"Then-!"

"You're not doing that. At least, not until you learn how to drive. And drive well. Don't worry. When we have time on the weekends, I'll teach you and Leo how to drive. Then you can go test and get your license."

"Fine~!" said Ciel as she crossed her arms and pouted, "I bet if Foxy asked to drive you'd let her…"

"Um…"

Inuba tried to respond, but fell short due to embarrassment. She doesn't have to be embarrassed about it. There's plenty of people like her who think the same.

"I would because she has a license too."

"What? Really?" asked Ciel looking to Inuba.

"She does. But, she won't drive at all unless it's an absolute emergency. She's a bit afraid of driving."

"M-Master…" she said in an embarrassed tone as her fox ears folded against her head.

"It's perfectly natural, don't be ashamed by it."

It took five or so minutes, but we finally hit the main road leading outside the village, following the worn out black pavement that was dead ahead of us. Leo put in the coordinates to Vale in the gps app that was displayed from the holographic display console.

I know right?! It has one of those too!

Ten hours until we reach Vale… The gas tank was full, and considering Ross very likely did something about the amount of fuel consumption, we'd be there without having to stop for gas. But just to be safe…

"Inuba?"

"Yes?"

"Can you look in the glovebox and see if there's a manual you can read to me about gas mileage? Ross likely put one in there for us, or made a detailed list himself."

"Of course. Let's see…"

She pulled the handle as the compartment opened as a small light brightened up the inside to guide her to the object of interest. A small manual. Definitely made by Ross given his family crest was located on the the front cover.

"Um… Master?"

"Yes?"

"There might be a small situation…"

"Situation?"

"The booklet is written in a different language… But, I do recognize some words… Uh…"

I glanced at Inuba's lap to see the booklet resting there as she struggled to read the different language. Once I saw it for myself, I broke out laughing.

That cheeky, vampiric bastard…

"Master?"

Inuba was never any good at the language she was trying to decipher currently. Luckily, I was.

"The reason why you can't understand it...is because Ross wrote the manual in Romanian."

"T-That...deviant…"

I laughed once again as Inuba closed the booklet and tossed it back inside the compartment before closing, she herself giving a cute pout of frustration.

"Don't worry about it. I'll take a look at it if we stop for food and stuff along the way. You guys ever travel along the road?" I asked directing my question to my siblings in the back.

"Not entirely brother. We mostly cut through forest, terrain and land to get to you, only rarely seeing a road. But from what I've read recently, the roads were made to be very durable and not requiring maintenance for decades, meaning they should be still structurally sound for travel along the way. That's unless a Grimm of large proportions may have destroyed a part of the road along the way." said Leo.

"Well, let's hope that's not the case then."

If it was, we'll either drive around or have Ciel pop us over to the other side of unbroken road if necessary with her Semblance.

In all honesty, I was excited for this. We kinda get to have our first road trip so soon. And in this magnificent beast of a car too! Ross, you glorious vampire you, wherever you are, thank you very much for this.

"Master..?"

"Hmm?"

"Are you excited about attending Beacon?"

"Well…"

Yes? Sort of? I didn't know how to feel about entirely. Except part of me was indeed excited to go there.

"Yeah, pretty excited. At least we'll be doing stuff instead of lounging about for most of the day."

"I agree. It'll definitely be a good opportunity for newer and better experiences than what we had previously."

"It wasn't all that bad…"

"It wasn't, but as you put it, we still had many downsides along with all the upsides."

"True enough… But don't you worry one bit. Things will be better this time."

"Promise?"

W-Well… That was sudden. Making me promise already?

"Sure. Promise."

"Hey, can we stop for some food along the way? Not like now, but like, later later?"

"Sure thing."

"Sweet~!" replied Ciel as she let out a sigh while leaning back fully in the seat.

I could already tell...this was going to be fun. Spending time with them doing this sort of thing. Spending time with them in general really. But hey, who doesn't like a good road trip now and then? And given we'll be doing missions for Beacon, we'll be having plenty of chances to go on short or long trips. All I knew for now...is that this was going to be quite the eventful journey this time.


My oh my...what an amazing steed they have indeed...

I look at cars time to time and only just recently have looked into some of the cars Cadillac puts out, and by God, the Cadillac Ciel cars they make look absolutely amazing beyond description. And guess what? They have a Cadillac Ciel 2017 model in the works, slated for possible release sometime this year.

I choose for the group to have a car because you don't really see all too many cars around in Remnant. I want to fix that. And what about actual roads? There has to be some in at least a few places. So, I decided that our group of new Beacon students will have their car to drive around when they need to in Vale, and to go out out on missions. I've never been all too much of a fan of the airships that they use. Plus, they wouldn't be able to see as much when moving around and about. So, I decided a car is what they'll have and is what will take them wherever they need to go.

The drive to Beacon won't be without peril. Believe me, I'll make sure of that. Road trips won't be as simple as you're thinking.

So with that...

That's pretty much it. Go check out my other story, Hero of Remnant: Veil of the Aether whenever you get the chance!

Also, I highly recommend you all go check out the freaking amazing collab Xera Stark and I are currently working on concerning his story XSRA's Flame. His story overall is absolutely fantastic and is a must read, so I suggest you read from the very start. But, if you're just interested in the awesome collab our two minds put together have created, then mozy on down to chapter 53 of his story for the start. I've said it once and will say it again, you won't want to miss out on this story, and especially this exciting story arc we've created.

Not only that, but check out his other awesome and highly entertaining story Rogue Huntsmen as I mentioned above. It's just pure awesomeness bundled into one story. And trust me, you'll love it.

Questions? Ask them anytime. I will try to answer without spoiling.

Please remember to review, follow and favorite this story if you really enjoyed it and want to continue seeing more of it. And hey, even tell others about this story! Remember that your support is what helps make this story grow even larger and what helps improve it. With that, I bid you all an excellent week/weekend! Bye-bye now!