AN: Hello all, I'm so glad that so many of you left reviews on the last chapter. I updated it a bit to fix some issues I either noticed myself or were pointed out to be one of yall.

Speaking of Issues (Warning, this next part is a rant), why the F* is the fanficition autocorrect system, so useless! I recently checked over some chapters of both this fic, and my other one, and it turns out, that even after I fixed the autocorrect changing the phrase D to D, it still F* did it. It changed it back every time I saved the document!

F*

...

...

Moving on...

Jack Redhawke: I made Kali a wolf Faunus, as the common theory is that like Ghira and Sienna Kahn, Kali is inspired by the Jungle Book. More specifically, the character of Akela, the leader of the wolf pack that adopts Mowgli. I also did it, as it seemed quite arbitrary for CRWBY to introduce the idea of Faunian succesion being random, and then have the Faunus that is a main character, not inhibit it. As for Mowgli being a bit on the nose for a name... yeah, it is, but I felt that if I tried doing an anagram like the writers did for Ghira (Bagheera being his inspiration), then it might go over people's heads.

ZILLAFAN: I had considered making Mowgli fully human and having him be adopted by the Belladonnas after Blake had left, but I wanted Mowgli to have a more direct connection to Blake. As well, as it didn't seem realistic for the Belladonnas to adopt a child after theirs ran off. If anything, they would probably consider themselves unfit for parenthood. Of course, I could have had him be adopted while Blake was still living with them, but I think if Blake had had a human sibling, then she wouldn't have been as blinded by the White Fang's propaganda.

Guest (A): Although Faunus may have night vision (Darkvision), it is not perfect, and it has a range. As such, it still makes since for Blake to use the night to cover her fleeing, as well as the fact that it's just a common phrase. As for writing James instead of Mowgli at one point, I am honestly surprised that only happened once, I had to spell check the chapter quite a bit to make sure I didn't write James. For those who don't know, James is the name of my OC for my other story, similar in structure, but based in the Owl House universe.

TheWaterKid: I have no idea what the update schedule will look like, it probably will not be that often, but expect them like once a month, or every other month, as I am also currently working on 3ABI (An Artificer's Account of the Boiling Isles).

ProfesorGoblitz: As for spell points, those are probably going to be too much for me to keep track of, and I doubt it would be long before I started making mistakes while using them. The same applies for the Grim Hollow's Transformation, which seems like turning D into Call of Cthulhu. As for the Piety system, it sounds really interesting, and would help a lot with what I am writing, however I haven't been able to find something that directly states the full working of it. All I can find is vague references or conjecture on the system, with no one giving a straight answer. So I'm going to wing-it and hope I don't make my character too overly busted in the process.

ArcAngel087: Glad you liked my depiction of Mystra (Midnight), I was trying to go for an eccentric, yet cheerful researcher, who is very passionate about her work.

Andielgranrayo: It's great to hear that you liked the chapter, were there any specific parts that stood out to you, good or bad?

GhostlyDrew: I'm having fun as well, writing Gamer stories, are surprisingly therapeutic.

Vertias123: I worked hard on making the D system seem integrated, and I'm glad it worked out, thank you!

MrPrecedent: Yep, I'm surprised there truly aren't more of them. The reason I made it was two-fold. First, I was getting annoyed about all the Gamer fanfics that had over-inflated stat blocks, not in the way of value, but rather they had like 12 different stats. I once read one where there was: Agility, Dexterity, Speed, and Acrobatics, all as different stats. The second reason was that due to Covid, I wasn't able to meet up with my regular D group, so I tried seeing if there were online or solo D adventures I could play through, then I saw a post online, and realized I was trying to look up "Writing".

Guest (B): I'm going to try not to rush this and keep a consistent pace, thankfully I'm on spring break, so I have lots of time to write.

Anonymous: I get what you mean, I've read many stories where it felt like the main character explained a power that would have better been kept secret. However, with Mowgli being truly the son of Ghira and Kali, he feels obligated to tell them at least a small part about what is going on behind the scenes. This chapter is going to go through his logic for telling his parents and hope it satisfies any curiosity you, or other readers have on the matter.

For all the future advisement on areas where I made a mistake, grammatically or otherwise, I would truly appreciate it if you could give me some sort of indicator on where I made it. I'm considering trying to get a Beta, but I don't know if this story is big enough to get one yet.

Ignoring all that though, welcome to this chapter, if you enjoy it, hate it, or anything else, please leave a review.

"-and that about sums it all up, any questions?"

Ghira and Kali Belladonna sat facing their son, shock over the many revelations that Mowgli had revealed, coursing through their systems.

"So you're going to go off to the middle of nowhere and fight the Brother Gods?" Mowgli's mother looked like she was ready to faint.

"No, not exactly. I am currently a long way off from going anywhere near dumb and dumber, right now I am going to try and get a bit stronger so that I can get to the items needed to summon them. And before you say anything, no I am not telling you what they are. I have already put you two at risk with the information I have revealed. The only reason I told you anything about Salem, the Maidens, and Mystra, is so that you understand some of the actions that I take. However, at the end of the day you two are staying thoroughly out of this whole situation." Mowgli held his hand up to stop his father from interrupting, after he had opened his mouth looking like he was getting ready to deny Mowgli's instruction. "And I know that you want to get involved and help me, believe me I'm going to need help, and yours would be the best." He spoke extremely sincerely. "However, I don't want the two of you thinking about what I am up to. Since the two of you have something far more important to focus on."

"And that would be what?" His father gruffly inquired, wondering what could possibly more important for him to focus on.

Mowgli took a deep breathe, "Your possible assassination..."

The silence that followed echoed throughout the house, Mowgli was thankful he had checked earlier to make sure that the servants were outside working on other things at the moment.

While Kali was shaken by her son's comment, Ghira seemed slightly reassured, in a way that spoke that he had theorized of the occurrence but had lacked proof. "If this is about... Adam's... threat against me all those years ago, I am aware, and I have taken measures to make sure he does not come close."

"No, sadly if it was just Adam's delusions of his right to rule the Faunus to greatness, then I wouldn't be worried. No, I fear Sienna will make a move to dispose of you, mom, and myself, to make a move for leadership of Menagerie."

"Those are serious accusations; do you have any proof?" His father asked.

"Sadly, nothing concrete, only circumstantial at best. From what I have learned from the one who reincarnated into me, there were many nations like ours in his reality. Previously imperialized by other nations, a peaceful group is started to push for change, then its message is skewed, and they become more militaristic... terrorists. Finally, at the end of the day, the nation that the people worked so hard for is overthrown by the very group that put it in place, it soon becomes an authoritarian dystopia, with the heads of the previous rulers lying on pikes."

When Mowgli had taken his knowledge from both of his now combined lives and overlaid it, he had found a while unsurprising, strikingly familiar geopolitical set-up of nations.

Vale was the equivalent of all the Western European nations mashed together, Mistral was South, Southeast, and East Asia along with the Mediterranean combined, Mantle (Atlas) was Central Asia (Russia) and all of Eastern Europe (The Soviet Bloc), and Vacuo was a mixture of pretty much the Middle East, along with all the nations that had been previously colonized and/or imperialized by Europe or Russia and had successfully gained independence and instituted a government,. Unsurprisingly, one of the parallels was in fact that Vacuo was a previous territory of Vale, with some areas colonized by Mantle, and even Mistral at some points. Now, it becomes clear where Menagerie lies... it is the mirror to all the previously colonized nations who had gained independence, but those who were not successful in their endeavors, an example would be Ghana for a time.

This was an extremely important conjecture to Mowgli, that he had made. Since it put the timeline of Remnant, while with better technology, in a period after WW1. He considered the fact that the Great War, was not only the name of the world war on Remnant, but also the alternative name for WW1 on Earth. He wasn't sure whether there would be a WW2, as some of the main instigations for it, had already been resolved with the Great war. But he was worried about a Cold War, as although the show may not have done the best job presenting it, tensions between Vale and Vacuo, against Atlas and Mistral, were once again on the rise. He was thankful that so far no one had developed nuclear technology, and he silently vowed to take as many efforts as he could to keep it that way.

Thinking about all this had brought up an important question to his mind, but he resolved to ask it after his father said his piece.

"While I have my doubts that you are right, I will increase the guard detail on the house, and I will have them thoroughly 'checked' for their loyalty." Ghira promised.

"Thank you, I want to make sure the two of you are safe. Onto another topic, why is Menagerie called Menagerie, isn't it degrading?"

Ghira looked confused, "What are you talking about? Menagerie is a way of referring to a group of diverse people, is it not?"

Now, for this next part, it must be understood that while Ghira Belladonna is a fiercely intelligent and Wise man, as a Faunus coming out of the Faunus rights revolution, and growing up in Mantle for his early childhood, and later on Menagerie, it was hard for him to get a full course education. The fact that he is able to write is astounding, as from Mowgli's estimates, only about 20% of the Menagerian population is capable, and most are in their 20s-30s.

"Dad, I don't know how to put this gently but... Menagerie, while it means that in Vytalian, it originates from old Valean, where it has a different definition." Mowgli spoke gently, worried about his parents reaction. Although he may have grown up on Menagerie, his parents had provided him every opportunity to educate himself to a standard that was unheard of for the island. He could honestly say that he was most likely by far one of, if not the most educated person on the island, and it wasn't even that good of a brag. It was just sad as he was one of the few with the opportunity to improve himself.

During the peace negotiations after the Great War, the four kingdoms sought to make communication between themselves more stable. Atlas had provided the CCTS to the world, and the leaders had agreed that having multiple different languages spreading across it would only complete communications and systems. They had settled on selecting several linguistic scholars from all their nations and pretty much shoving them into a room until they came back with a combined language of the four nations. Once "Vytalian" as the new language was dubbed, was created, it was quickly enforced in the scholastic system of all the kingdoms, rapidly changing the vocal landscape in a span of 30 years. While a few old families held onto being fluent in their native tongue, the general populous was now monolingual. That is not to say that their weren't syncretic dialects, formed from the mixing of old tongues with new, but even those were easily understood internationally. Yet, there were the stubborn few, like Mowgli's mother who had insisted on teaching him Vacish.

"What does it mean?" His father's voice showed that he had probably already put it together that it wasn't positive.

"Its... Its well... It's a synonym for zoo." Mowgli managed to get out.

"WHAT!?" Ghira's yell had reached a deafening pitch, and both Mowgli and Kali had jumped at it.

Once he had gotten ahold of himself, Ghira pressed his son for information "Are you certain of this?"

In response, Mowgli quickly walked over to his room and came back with his Vacish to Valean dictionary that his parents had bought for him. He had considered learning the language, but had ended up picking-up Mistrialian instead. After flipping to around the middle of the book and looking around a bit, he turned it to his parents.

Menagerie: A collection of wild animals kept in captivity for exhibition.

Once again for that day, disbelief colored both of Mowgli's parents' faces.

It was around this time that the two guards had come from the back of the house and opened the door to the dining room.

The taller and more senior guard, sporting a bright orange fox tail trailing behind him, spoke first, "Chieftain Belladonna, we heard a shout is everything alright?"

"No its fine... actually, Gerald, you studied abroad in Vale for a time, didn't you?" Ghira asked.

Gerald Graytuft, the more junior guard, a grey-eared rabbit Faunus, responded "Yes, Chieftain Belladonna, I was seeking to move into law... however things didn't work out."

Gerald had made quite a bit of effort and was well on his way to becoming a practicing lawyer, however with Sienna's takeover of the White Fang, and her extremist tactics, Gerald was not so subtly told to leave Vale by some of the more unsavory citizens. Ghira, feeling guilty of inhibiting the man's dream, had taken responsibility, and offered him a job as one of the guards of the estate.

"Tell me, while you were in Vale, did you learn what the old Valean definition for Menagerie meant?"

"Uhh maybe sir? I'm sorry sir, I was very focused on learning the legal system of the kingdoms. I may have read it, but I'd need a refresher. Though I assume its close to the present Vytalian one." The reverence for Ghria was obvious.

"Could you come here for a moment?" Ghira spoke, his voice scarily calm.

"Of course sir." He marched his way to the chieftain with measured strides.

"I want to make absolutely certain, that I am reading that right." He accentuated his point by poking his index at the word in the paper.

The guard's gaze silently followed Mowgli's father's finger, eyes dilating to non-human levels. Gerald was originally from Vacuo and had been one of the few people to learn the language.

"Sir-rrr-r, is that true?" He looked a mixture of both frightened, but also incredibly angry.

It was around this time that the senior guard, Edward Maple, marched over as well to take a look. However, once he realized that the text was in Vacish, he waited for someone else to supply him with its meaning. His face took on a more decidedly furious appearance once the mother wolf Faunus told him.

"How is this even possible? We can't be the only ones to figure this out for 80 years, can we?" Mowgli asked incredulously.

"No, we definitely weren't. After all, the Atlesians who so kindly gifted us the name, certainly knew what they were doing. Its no surprise that the families out there who hold onto their culture fiercely enough to continue learning their native tongue, in this case Valean, are more likely to be affronted by the increase in Faunuian acceptance." Ghira explained.

"..If I may?" Gerald interjected. "While I was studying in Vale I had access to the CCT, and while its not nearly as authoritarian as Altas, the Valean council has restricted the posting of information of old languages on the network. They want to promote international unity by removing the prevalence of old languages in some of the more politically influential families. You have to now get a permit as a historical researcher to gain access to data and, while it wasn't in effect while I was there, I had heard talk that they would do the same for books. Even then, if I were to guess, most of the books still around probably have the new Vytalian definition for Menagerie present in them, rather than the old Valean one."

"By Curwnde, something tells me that its something even worse in Atlas. As for Vacuo, well, we all know that they are not the most zealous of users of the CCT. Where exactly did you get this book form mom?" Mowgli reasoned.

"It was from the Family collection, its probably older than the war itself if I had to guess." Kali answered.

A chorus of swears and grumbles followed that. The old definition had died out over a century ago, yet it still left a humiliating mark on the nation.

Kali, sensing the rising tensions of everyone in the room, moved to take care of it before it reached a boiling point. "Alright, come along everyone, that includes you two, Ed and Gerald, were going on a patrol together to ease everyone's tensions." the wolf Faunus ordered.

No one argued with her instructions, they all realized they needed it. As for Gerald and Edward coming along, they were practically a part of the family with how long they had known them. From time to time, Mowgli would still refer to Edward as 'Uncle Eddy', due to the position that the guard had taken in Mowgli's life since he was four.

Edward was to Mowgli, as Klein was to Weiss, a confidant, and ear when he needed one. That was of course, without the abusive father nor alcoholic mother in the situation.

Patrols, a common occurrence on Menagerie was the volunteer patrols of members of the island, to the point near the edge of the settlement, where the barren desert lied beyond. While the Faunian creation myth was accurate that the sea directly surrounding Menagerie was quite shallow and prevented almost any Grimm attacks from originating from it, the same could not be said for the desert. Patrols were seen almost as a rite of passage on the isle of Menagerie, most citizens, upon reaching the age of 17, were expected to do at least one as a way of giving back to the town. However, often times the ceremonial patrol on an individual's majority, would be preluded by the several that they had already taken while growing up upon the island. Mowgli himself, had taken quite a few with his parents once he turned 13, even though he didn't have Aura, most of the Grimm that were able to survive the mostly inhospitable Humming Desert, were so geared for surviving the conditions of the desert, that they were terrible against humans.

The Humming Desert had actually gotten its name from the prevalence of Energy Dust buried within it. As the electrical charges from passing tropical clouds roamed over the sands, some of the Dust would become agitated and thrum with electricity, leaving an eerie humming sound in the area. That was of course, all before the Dust activated and sent of a chain reaction of Lightening Dust crystals, sending streaks of lightening across the sands. The frequent lightning strikes had left the area covered in potholes with buried fulgurites.

Fulgurites being pieces of sand that had been super-heated by the lightening and had formed a glassy rock. They were actually one of the more expensive exports from the island, often marketed as 'fossilized lightening'.

Compared to all the other nations, Menagerie was the only one with rich Energy Dust reserves. Sure, there were pockets of the Dust elsewhere, but Menagerie was chocked full of it. It also so happens that Lightening Dust was the most expensive and sought after of the Dusts. It makes sense after all since it's the easiest to convert for power for machines. Fire Dust, therefore, unsurprisingly was second in cost, and moving down the line, the price of dust looked something like this.

Energy/Lightening Dust-25L-Per Crystal

Fire Dust-100L-Per Crystal

Gravity Dust-80L-Per Crystal

Ice Dust-70L-Per Crystal

Wind Dust-70L-Per Crystal

Sonic Dust-50L-Per Crystal

Earth Dust-30L-Per Crystal

Hard Light Dust-100L-Per Crystal

As for the reservoirs of each of the Dust, with some exceptions, the Dust storages internationally looked like this.

Vale-Earth and Wind

Mistral-Sonic and Gravity

Atlas-Ice and Hard Light

Vacuo-Fire and a small amount of Earth

Menagerie-Energy/Lightening and a small amount of Fire.

However, that ignored which of the Dusts were actually being actually exhumed and exported, with Menagerie's mining operations being roughly zero. It was a miracle that Mistral had failed to notice the stores on the island before they gave it up to the Faunus people as concessions for their crimes. When the origin for the phenomena had been discovered, Mistral had immediately tried to negotiate for the Islands reacquisition into its territory, via talks with the other kingdoms. Vale and Vacuo however, had thankfully denied their efforts, including the one of a forced contract for mining rights. There was evidence that Atlas was getting ready to aid them in their proposal, but with the firm put down by Vale and Vacuo, they decided to stay out of it, and not damage their already bruised reputation.

While there were some efforts made by the people of Kuo Kuana to cultivate a mining operation, the equipment needed to facilitate such a task was expensive, delicate, and usually barred off to them by the other kingdoms, in order to prevent a change in the markets.

Now, you may be wondering how in Mystra's name, does Mowgli know all of this? Simple, he is the son of the chieftain, and by his father's own words, his most trusted advisor. It had all come about many years ago, when Mowgli had snuck into his father's office, and seen him working. The 7 year old was in awe at the work that his father did, along with the loyalty and respect that he was given for his wisdom. During lunch, after his father had come out of his office, Mowgli had made a declaration to him.

~8 Years Ago~

"Hey dad?" The Faunus child asked, hands barely reaching the top of the table from his sitting position.

"Yes Mowgli?" While he did answer, most of his attention was taken up by the report he was reading.

"I've decided what I wanted to do in life."

His mother, who had sat down at that moment happily played along with Mowgli's declaration, seeing it as the same as when a child said they wanted to be a fireman, police officer, or Huntsman (The title of Huntsmen was often capitalized due to the sheer respect the profession held). "Oh that's wonderful cub, what do you want to be?"

Mowgli, too young to realize his mother was merely humoring him, gave his declaration as firmly as possible... or rather, as firmly as a seven year-old who sometimes struggled with his r's could.

"I wanna take your job dad, I wanna be Chieftain someday."

His father had actually set down the paper he was looking at for that, and stared down at his son, studying him. "You want to take my job someday?"

"Yep!" Mowgli cheerfully replied.

Ghira thought for a moment, then handed the report to his son. "If you can read this report, and explain all its inner-workings to me, then I'll train you to be the successor to Menagerie."

For seven year-old Mowgli, the report looked like gibberish. The Mowgli of today however could easily recognize it as a report on the declining exports of fish to the kingdom of Vacuo, due to a rise in tariffs by the kingdom.

But a lack of understanding didn't deter Mowgli, and he spent the next 3 months going through all his dictionaries and various books, asking his father, mother, or even Uncle Eddy for help, and trying his hardest, to understand the report. When he had finally finished it and read it to his father, Ghira had praised him, then shuffling through the files on his desk, grabbed another paper and handed it to him.

Originally, Mowgli had been heartbroken, believing that his father didn't think he was ready, and was merely shirking another old paper off on him, but two things clued him otherwise. First, was the date of the paper being brand new, with no notes added to it, and the other...

The smile on his father's face.

~Present~

The group of five was currently making their way along the edge of the desert, keeping a constant vigil on the yellow horizon. Mowgli had gone into his room to grab his new weapons and armor, which had surprised his parents, but a mouthed 'later' let them know it was part of the Mystra situation. Compared to Mowgli's old mace, the new weapon, which he had titled 'Crackdown', was a masterpiece of work. The bolts of the light crossbow were kept in a spring-loaded chamber below the jig itself, a pseudo-magazine, was the result. He had named the weapon 'Crackdown', for both the crack of a mace bashing bones, but also the crack of a bow string snapping forward.

As for his armor and shield, he hadn't chosen a name yet, but was still very enthused with its feel. When he had reequipped his amulet, the string started glowing, and gradually shortened until the amulet itself sat upon his chest. it laid just above his heart, acting as a clasp for the shoulder cover part of the mantle. When he had finished attaching all his armor, he noticed that there was a note left in one of his pants pockets.

Dear Cleric Belladonna,

I hope you enjoy my gift to you, and that it helps you in your endeavors. At the moment, I have a few goals for you to work towards, I am confident that you are already thinking of a plan to ingratiate yourself with the protectors of the maidens and are testing your new powers. However, I have another task for you, from what you have told me, we have information on the whereabouts of Spring, Fall, and Winter, but not Summer. I know that you wish to prepare and be ready to stop the fall of Beacon, but for the time now, I suggest you make efforts to locate Summer, knowledge of her position will be invaluable in the coming conflict. This will also give you a good chance to better practice your skills, and to establish connections with people in Vacuo.

Be blessed by the Weave,

-Midnight.

System Update: Piety Score

Piety Score:

Mystra (Midnight): 1

'Well, that's new.'

Quest Initiated: Searching for Summer

Objective: Travel to Vacuo and discover the identity of the Summer Maiden. [0]

Reward: 1 Piety with Mystra, 2,500L, and one Uncommon magic item

'Huh, neat.' was Mowgli's intelligent response.

Turning to his dad, Mowgli set the first part of his plan in motion. "Hey dad, I've been thinking."

His father, still annoyed about the name of Menagerie, gave a short 'hmm' in response.

"I want to learn a bit more about diplomacy and politics, to prepare for the day I am chieftain, and I thought of the perfect way to do so."

"...and that would be?" Ghira prompted

"I want to try and be the ambassador for Menagerie."

Ghira was silent for a moment, "That could work, but, with the stigma around the previous ambassador, I'm not sure if it's the best idea."

Mowgli, did not relent however, "True, the White Fang did muck-up the reputation of the ambassador of Menagerie and Menagerie as a whole, but isn't that all the more reason to provide a replacement? Out with the old, in with the new, make a clean slate."

After Sienna had removed Mowgli's father from the White Fang entirely, he had very little access to intel on their operations, unless you count the various news reports on their crimes. As such, he had quickly removed the White Fang as the ambassadors of Menagerie. He decided not to fill the position as he wanted all of his efforts focused on maintaining order on the island, even if it meant isolating themselves from the other kingdoms.

"Hush you two," Kali admonished "no work talk when on a patrol."

Edward snorted in the background.

...

Passive Perception: Success

All of a sudden, Mowgli heard a faint noise in the distance. It sounded like the spokes of a bicycle clicking over and over again.

"To the East." Mowgli announced, pointing to a sand dune at the edge of the horizon, faint markings of falling sand could barely be seen.

"Ground Dwellers." Ghira declared.

Ground Dwellers, otherwise known as Centinels, while more common in the icy flats of Atlas, could still be found present in the Humming Desert.

Everyone readied themselves, Mowgli, realizing that Edward and Gerald were there, decided to be cautious with his use of magic. He unhooked Crackdown from his belt, and readied it at the dune, cocking the crossbow as he did so, while leaving his shield on his back.

By now, even the sand they stood on was shaking a bit, a small cloud of dust was up to their ankles.

...

It was silent for a few tense moments.

...

...

BAM "SKREE!" The Ground Dweller exploded out of the sand directly in front of the group, sending out a piercing screech. Kali, Mowgli, and Edward, all covered their ears in pain.

Damage Taken: 2 Thunder x Vulnerability = 4 Damage

Initiative: 6 (Rolled) + 2 (Dex. Mod.) + 2 (Racial Trait) = 10

Last in Turn Order

Ghira had taken a swipe at the Grimm with his great axe, giving an awful Thunk as it impacted the unarmored belly of the centipede-like Grimm. A wet squelch echoed across the clearing as Mowgli's father tore his axe from the belly of the beast. Gerald had not been idle however, he had taken a few pot shots at the head of the monster with his flintlock, splitting one of its antennas in half.

Once again, the beast let out a screech of anger, but the others were more prepared this time. Kali threw two of her roped knives at the Centinel, creating while shallow, long cuts across its torso. By this time, the Grimm had finally realized how dangerous standing upright was, and it came crashing down onto its belly, sending even more dust into the air. Edward, taking the opportunity, drove his glaive into the side of the Grimm, between the armor plates and twisted. As for Mowgli, being positioned towards the tail end of the opponent, and obscured by the dust, took the opportunity to try casting a spell.

Making an outward grasping motion with his off-hand (right), Mowgli aimed his spell at the back of the Centinel's head, at the point where the two sections of the carapace met. "Through the fires of mysticism, I call upon the Sacred Flame." He spoke quietly, making sure that the others couldn't hear him over the sound of battle.

A miniature sun rocketed from his palm, striking into the gap of the carapace, snapping the neck of the Grimm violently to the side.

Damage Given: 8 Radiant X Vulnerability = 16 Damage

Mowgli called for Archimedes' aid, and watched as the bird swooped in, brutally ripping out the other antenna.

Damage Given: 4 Broadening

Mowgli prepared to cast another spell however, the wet thump, as the Ground Dwellers head impacted the sand, informed him that his father had decapitated the beast.

Enemy Defeated: 150Exp (Ground Dweller Youngling) / 5 Combatants = 30Exp Gained

'On the one hand, my theory of Grimm being susceptible to Radiant Damage was right, but on the other hand, I seem to be vulnerable to Sonic Damage. Also, on the one hand, Grimm do appear to be a great opportunity to farm Exp, but on the other hand, I need to do it alone, or with fewer party members if I want to get a decent amount.' Mowgli surmised.

Looking at the now decaying body of the Ground Dweller, Mowgli judged it to be roughly 16ft in height, only a baby. Walking over to everyone else, no one questioned the damage on the back of the head caused by his spell, the evidence had been mostly obscured with the swing of his father's axe.

As they all began to continue on their patrol, Edward called out to Mowgli, "Mowgli, have you made any progress on your Aura meditation?"

On Remnant, the practice of meditation was quite widespread, as it was seen as the most reliable method to unlock one's Aura. An individual would practice meditating in order to find the Aura within themselves and practice drawing it out. Once they had practiced it enough, they would feel it 'unlock', and they would no longer need to enter a meditative state to call upon it. It was at the same time as an Aura was unlocked, that not only were semblances able to develop, but also physical enhancements. Of course, there were outliers, people getting their Aura jumpstarted by others (officially referred to as Aura Chanting), some emerging in a time of great strife, and there was even one case of a child being born with an active Aura.

As for Mowgli, the previous him had been practicing meditating in an attempt to call upon his Aura. With the amount of qualifying factors in order to gain access to the ability, it came as no surprise that those who generally stayed out of combat didn't make the effort. Mowgli's father had tried, but was unsuccessful, with his mother not seeing a reason for it. Both Edward and Gerald had unlocked Aura, though only Edward had developed a semblance. Which he called 'Molasses', would cause the air pressure in a five foot sphere around an opponent to 'thicken'/rise to seven atmospheres (He had it tested back in Vale where he grew up). Mowgli had been making good progress on unlocking his Aura and believed that he would get it within the month. Now, with his Aura use perk from hid background, he knew he had it.

Without a word, Mowgli took a lotus position on the sand of the desert, beginning to meditate.

Edward tried to remind him they were still on a patrol, "Mowgli, I meant how you had be-"

Yet, his voice cut off when Mowgli began glowing a rich purple, odd flashes of yellow shining on various portions of him. With one final grand flare of color, the light show died down.

Aura Use Check: 17 (Rolled) + 3 (Wis. Mod.) +2 (Prof. Bonus) = 22

Extreme Success!

...

Aura Unlocked:

Ability Score Increase: + 2 Strength, + 2 Dexterity, and + 2 Constitution

Aura Points: 10 Faunus + 20 Human = 30Ap

Hidden Quest Completed: Autonomous Aura

Objective: Unlock your Aura without Aura Chanting. [X]

Reward: 10Ap Max

Aura Points: 40/40

'Ooo~, that's a nice bonus.' Mowgli thought, internally jumping for joy.

At Edward's dumbfounded look, Ghira began snickering a bit, before walking up to embrace his son. "That's my boy, don't take nothing for you to get your Aura!" He praised.

"Oh, isn't this wonderful! I'll get a cake when we get back; I think Lily's bakery will still be open. I can't wait for us all to celebrate." Kali's jumping for joy was not restrained to her psyche, and it wasn't long before she had jumped up and wrapped her arms around her husband. She hung on his back with her arms around his neck like a Koala.

Due to the immense difficulty with doing so, and few number of people who had, unlocking your Aura was an immense occasion. It was usually celebrated privately with one's family, and closest friends. While gifts were not given, parents would often hand-down an item of great importance to the family. This practice had originated as in the past, those who unlocked their Aura were obligated to go off and become Huntsmen, or rather the precursor to them. Having a memento of home often inspired many to put their all into surviving and making it back.

Now that Mowgli thought about it, the dagger that Ren's father gave to him, would have most likely been that object, if the Nuckelavee had not arrived.

It took the rest of the patrol for Edward to pick his jaw off the ground. By the end of which, Mowgli had gained another 120Exp, for a total of 150Exp.

The sound of Gerald's accordion reverberated throughout the house, as everyone sat together in the greeting room. The audience put down their cheesecakes to applaud as the Faunus finished his performance. With a signaling look from Ghira, Kali set a wrapped leather pouch down upon the table.

"This was my father's, your grandfather's, weapon, that he used during both the Great War, and the Faunus Right's Revolution. He was a slave in the mining colony in the Northern part of Mistral, on the floating islands of lake Matsu. When the Great war began, he led a revolution with the other captives, and used the very equipment used to reach the crystals, to climb the wall of their prison." As Mowgli's mother spoke, she gently opened the pouch, revealing an old climbing hook. It had four prongs, each appearing to have been recently sharpened, and a long rope was attached at the eyelet of the tool.

Mowgli ran his thumb along one of the prongs until he felt his thumb just barely catch on the barbed end. As he pulled his hand away to grasp the climbing hook once more, he held the metal of the tool between his index and thumb, while the rope was draped in its loop over his other three fingers.

Yet, as he inspected the heirloom, a small glimmer left in the bag caught his eye. It was a beautifully polished gold earring, with a series of small square amethysts set in it. It looked more like a ring, rather than an earring, but the band was far too large to fit comfortably on any of his fingers.

As Mowgli moved over to the standing mirror in the room, all eyes followed him. Looking at himself in the mirror for the first time since the merge of consciousness, Mowgli took the time to take it all in. He still stood in his armor, as it was customary to wear one's battle attire for their ceremony. The whole thing framed him perfectly, taking his 6'4'' figure, and making it look 6'6''. His eyes, far more yellow than his sister's, matched the yellow accents of his attire. His midnight black hair, while long enough to reach to his midback, was held in a looped wolf's tail. Finally, atop his head stood his equally black ears with lighter gray tufts, and his new earing held upon his right ear.

Archimedes took the moment to fly over and perch himself upon Mowgli's left shoulder, snuggling into his master as he did so.

It was Ghira speaking now, "The earing, however, comes all the way back from your great, great, great, grandmother, who was a jeweler in Mantle. I originally planned to give it to your mother, but she had already chosen earrings she liked."

Mowgli felt his smile grow as he listened to his father, he felt confident in the road ahead as he stared into the mirror. All the while, his reflection stared right back at him.

"Thank you, this means so much, and with these by my side, I think I'm ready to take the next step." Mowgli sincerely spoke, tears glistening in the corners of his eyes.

"I'm going to Vacuo..."

AN: Before anyone says anything, I know that this chapter was a lot shorter than the last. I originally considered adding more to it, but the part I wanted to add would have made more sense being attached to the next chapter rather than this one.

BTW, do the people that follow get pinged when I update a chapter, or only when a new one is posted?

I hope you've enjoyed the story so far and are willing to leave a review.

Reviews are what motivate me to make new chapters sooner. Even if it is negative, please leave one.

I wish you all a wonderful rest of your week, and hope to see you, and possibly some new faces, in the next chapter.

BYEEEEEEE~!

Stat Sheet:

Name: Mowgli De Coquina Belladonna

Alignment: Lawful Good

Race: Faunus (lynx)

Class: Arcana Cleric 1

Character Level: 1

Exp: 150/300

HP: 10 = 8 (Base) + 2 (Con. Mod.)

AC: 17 = 14 (Scale Mail ) + 2 (Dex. Mod.) + 1 (Shield)

Initiative Bonus: +4 = 2 (Dex. Mod.) + 2 (Racial Trait)

Speed: 30ft

Saving Throw Proficiency: Wisdom and Charisma

Skill Proficiency: History, Insight, Perception, and Persuasion.

Strength: 0 (10)

Dexterity: +2 (14)

Constitution: +2 (14)

Intelligence: +2 (14)

Wisdom: +3 (16)

Charisma: +2 (14)

Cantrips: Spare the Dying, Sacred Flame, Thaumaturgy, Guidance (Cast once per long rest), Mage Hand (Cast once per long rest), Blade Ward (Always Prepared), and Firebolt (Always Prepared).

Spell Points: 4/4

Prepared 1st Level Spells (Casting Cost: 2) : Find Familiar (Can be Cast for No Cost once per long rest), Detect Magic (Always Prepared), Magic Missile (Always prepared), Cure Wounds, Guiding Bolt, Protection from Evil and Good, and Bless.

Proficiencies: Light Armor, Medium Armor, Shields, Remnant The Game, and Simple Weapons.

Languages: Vytalian, Vacish, Mistralian.