Draw of the Cards

by GrimGenesis

Ginger Graham was just a normal guy who wanted to live a normal life. He wasn't a huntsman and didn't want to be one. Let his friends go off and save the world. He'd rather read a good book. Too bad some magic lady forced some magic cards with the power of legendary heroes onto him without consent and now is getting dragged into trouble. Where did his normal, peaceful life go...?

6. Ch 5: Suspects and Plans

"Did you see the morning news, Professor?"

"Yes, I did. Quite interesting, wouldn't you say?" Ozpin replied as he took a sip from his mug.

Glynda Goodwitch, however, wasn't nearly as casual about the situation as she took out her scroll and began reading the headlines.

"White Fang hideout discovered and shut down in a single night. Police have apprehended dozens of White Fang members, as well as secured an entire warehouse full of stolen Dust."

"Isn't it fascinating how quickly news outlets release stories that are more aligned to good news than bad? I believe the articles say this all happened just last night. They certainly didn't wait to share the story." Ozpin noted with a chuckle.

Ozpin, of course, already knew why the media had rushed to get such news out to the public as quickly as possible. It was good news, and the better the news, the happier and safer the people felt. And the better they felt, the less the Grimm were a problem for those people in the city of Vale. That didn't stop him from finding the speed journalists worked at to be nothing short of what he would see daily with Doctor Oobleck at times.

"The articles say that the White Fang soldiers were already knocked unconscious by the time the police arrived on the scene," Glynda mentioned.

"Yes. It also mentioned how they were tipped off by an emergency call. It is highly likely that the caller was the one who ended up defeating the White Fang before the authorities arrived." Ozpin added.

"Do you think it was a huntsman who arrived at the scene first and made the call, then?"

"No. If it was, why would they not stay and speak with the authorities? They would have no reason to flee the scene after taking out the White Fang. Besides, I already took the liberty to contact any huntsmen and huntresses that were in the area at the time and ask them questions, and none of them said they were involved."

"Someone might be lying, perhaps."

"A reasonable first assumption to make, but it is still a flawed line of thought. For what reason would any of our loyal huntsmen and huntresses lie to us, Glynda? Unless defeating a large group of White Fang terrorists and leaving them alive for the police to arrest is somehow feeding some sort of grand, evil plan, I cannot imagine that anyone would lie about their involvement in this endeavor." Ozpin stated in a neutral tone, not truly bothered or offended by what his deputy had said.

"I am only offering possibilities on what might have occurred." Glynda countered cooly in response. "And I only said that someone might be lying. I made no mention of any secret conspiracy or scheming. One of our huntsmen might have simply wanted to avoid the praise and recognition."

"True. There have been plenty of huntsmen who enjoy the spotlight and the fame and accolades that come with it, but there have been just as many who wish to avoid such things. Either because they are too humble to accept such admiration or because they prefer to work from the shadows to keep our enemies on their toes. We've gotten to know several huntsmen who fall under all of those categories, haven't we?"

"Indeed " Glynda nodded. "Regardless, what do you think this means if you do not think one of our huntsmen was involved?"

"Simple. I believe we might have a rogue vigilante. If someone without a huntsman license is the one who took out this White Fang hideout, that would explain why they would flee the scene before the police arrive." Ozpin explained before taking another sip from his mug.

"Hmm… That is a plausible theory. If the authorities had discovered the one who took out the White Fang did not have a huntsman license, that might have caused issues that could have led to the police trying to bring in the one in question."

"Correct. But there's more that I find interesting about this strange happening that occurred last night. Despite all of the apprehended White Fang having their Auras unlocked, the police found hints of blood at the scene."

"Blood?"

"Yes. The rain from last night has washed most of it away, though, making it impossible to test the blood due to not having enough to test. But finding blood at the scene is telling itself. Since the White Fang had Aura and none of them had any external injuries, it implies that the one who bled was our mysterious hero." Ozpin explained.

"There was quite a lot of blood that had been washed away, from what I'd been told. I find it a little shocking that a person could lose so much blood, yet still defeat a large group of foes and flee the scene without much issue. And no hospitals have reported having a patient that has suffered multiple wounds and heavy blood loss, of course. What do you think this means?"

Glynda thought about the dilemma for a few moments before her eyes widened just a bit in disbelief.

"Are you implying that you believe this vigilante does not possess any Aura?" She asked while shooting the professor a raised eyebrow.

"Well, to be precise, I believe his Aura has not been unlocked yet." Ozpin clarified as he tapped his fingers on his cane. "After all, if he is a vigilante, that might mean that he might not have gone to any combat schools where it would have been unlocked. Most civilians do not even know much about Aura, let alone have theirs unlocked, after all. However, this theory of mine still might just be a flawed assumption on my part. This theory does not solve how this person was able to survive such a level of blood loss without Aura or even a trip to the hospital. No normal person would be able to walk away from the injuries they seem to have gotten."

"It also raises the question of how he managed to defeat so many White Fang members without possessing any Aura. A huntsman, or maybe even some huntsmen-in-training could handle that many foes of that level, but no one without Aura could handle such opponents without possessing incredible training or power."

"Then perhaps this person did get training, just not typical training one would get from a combat school. Perhaps they possess natural skills that outclass those of our best huntsmen. Perhaps this person dropped out of combat school but still wished to be a huntsman. Perhaps they were trained by someone skilled enough to be considered an elite huntsman. There are numerous possibilities to explain this away." Ozpin told his deputy before a more serious expression befell on his face. "Personally, I believe magic might be the answer to this complex problem. That would also explain this person's survival without needing Aura or a hospital."

"Magic?" Goodwitch repeated before it hit her. "Are you referring to that magical presence you sensed a few days ago?"

"I am. I haven't felt that massive magical power since that day, but I believe the person who was the cause of that spike in magical energy is the same one responsible for taking out this White Fang hideout." Ozpin said with narrowed eyes as he stole a glance out the window towards his academy grounds and the city of Vale. "It cannot be mere coincidence that only a few days after that powerful magic appeared somewhere in Vale that someone appears to pick a fight with the largest terrorist organizations in the known world at the moment."

"I suppose not. It does seem quite suspect." Glynda then frowned after that before she continued. "Speaking of which, I did not know you could sense magical energy. That is quite a useful skill, so why have you not mentioned that ability before? Would it not be useful to teach Qrow and the others in our fold something like that to help locate the Maidens?"

"Ah, yes. I suppose that did slip my mind." Ozpin gave a few chuckles at that. "However, it is not quite simple. It's quite difficult, especially if a person does not already possess and use magic in any form. Even then, sensing magical energy isn't a natural ability for mages from Remnant, not even me. In fact, I only learned how to sense magical energy after being taught by my old friend, Zelretch."

"The old wizard who left the Isle of Patch recently?" Glynda asked with a bit of surprise in her voice.

"Yes. He told me that the magi where he's from learn how to sense magical energy coming from the environment and other mages." Ozpin explained. "It has proven to be useful at times, but it does have its limits. I myself am not all too skilled at it. It seems trying to learn foreign magic or magecraft is quite an arduous task, so I can only sense magic at more substantial levels. Any magical use that is small or minute would most likely go unnoticed by me. I also can only sense magic that is fairly close to me, so if anyone on our campus was using magic, I wouldn't know unless it was especially strong. Finally, I can only sense magic when it is being used, so even if I do happen to run into someone with magical powers unless they are using those powers at that moment, I will be none the wiser. With all of those limitations on my own use of the power, you can see why I might not get many chances to make use of this skill my old friend taught me. It is also for that reason that I feel as though I am unqualified to teach anyone else how to sense magic. I do not think I would be able to."

"I see. I suppose if locating the maidens was that simple, then we would have already found whoever attacked Amber." Glynda sighed before she paused upon realizing something Ozpin had said. "Wait… If you can only sense magic when it is close, then how did you sense that magical energy? It couldn't have been close by, could it?"

"Ah, you noticed that. Well, what I sensed certainly was not anything on the campus grounds. Truthfully, this is something that is still concerning me greatly." Ozpin frowned as he took another sip from his mug. He then paused for a moment before taking a deep breath. "It's as I said before. I can only sense particularly sizable bursts of magic, though there have been a few times when I felt magic levels so strong I could sense them at a much greater distance. Usually, that only happens when a Maiden loses control or goes on a rampage, or, in even rarer cases, whenever Salem is even slightly nearby. That witch generates enough magic to destroy an entire city should she wish. So you can imagine my shock when I felt a source of magic so large and powerful that I could faintly sense it despite being nowhere near it without any warning. A source of magic that was not one of the Maidens or even Salem herself."

"How far away was this new magic, then?" The deputy asked, a bit of nervousness now slipping through in her voice.

"If I were to make a guess as to how far this magic was, I would say it came somewhere from the Forever Falls."

"The Forever Falls?! But that's at least a thirty minutes flight away from here by Bullhead." Glynda exclaimed as sweat began to form at the edge of her brow. "Then…how powerful was this source?"

"For me to be able to sense it from that distance? I would have to compare it to a power akin to one of the Four Maidens." Ozpin stated, making Goodwitch pale at the comparison.

"That's…alarming, to say the least." She muttered in an unnerved voice.

"Well, that estimate might not be completely accurate," Ozpin admitted.

"Oh?"

"To elaborate, the magic I felt was strong. It was strong enough for me to faintly feel it from the Forever Falls, but it was not actually on par with that of a Maiden. I have not witnessed a Maiden release their full potential myself in a long, long time, however, I can say with certainty that a Maiden's full power was much stronger than what I felt. The magic coming from the Forever Falls was akin to lightning incarnate, but it did not feel complete. It was not whole. With a power like that, it is unlikely to match a Maiden's might. However, the moment this power is fully obtained, then it might be able to rival that of a Maiden's."

Ozpin's expression then shifted to a much more stern one as he seemingly glared out towards the horizon.

"Then again, compared to Salem and myself, the last two users of the true, original magic of Remnant, neither the Maidens nor this new source really compares." He muttered before letting out a shaky laugh. "Though, I suppose I'm no longer at the same level as my prime. I am older than I used to be and my body no longer moves like it used to, so perhaps I am giving myself a bit too much credit with my own magical prowess at the moment. Ha ha ha…"

"I see. That is relieving to hear." Glynda let out the breath she had been holding at that point, now visibly relaxing, albeit only slightly.

The very thought of someone being able to rival the Maidens in terms of magic was frightening to her. They already had to contend with that with Salem and now with whoever attacked Amber and stole half of her power. Having a third person with that sort of power might be too much for them to handle. Thankfully, that did not seem to be the case with what the Professor was saying.

"We've gotten far off-topic," Goodwitch stated as she collected herself again. "Returning to the matter at hand, if this vigilante is the same person who is the source of the magic you felt in the Forever Falls, then that only begs the question of why? Why would they pick a fight with the White Fang? Why would they try to hide their presence to avoid getting caught? Are they an enemy or an ally?"

"I do not know. What I do know is that I believe we should put some effort into locating our mysterious magician. I want to know whose side they are on before anything else. Their actions regarding the White Fang do paint a potential picture of a potential ally, and should our interests align, perhaps they would be willing to work together. However, the enemy of our enemy is not necessarily our friend. If their goals are less than ideal for the people of not only Vale, but Remnant itself, then we will have to take more drastic actions."

"What would you have us do then, sir?"

"Keep an eye out for anything strange. Our mage won't be obvious at all if his actions at the warehouse are anything to take note of. We'll just have to be observant and wait. Though we do have a hint as to what we should be looking for."

"The Skull Mask, correct? That was consistent in the White Fang's testimony on the attack."

"A Skull Mask, a black cloak, and, strangest of all, a large electrical ax that vanished the moment the man put on the Skull Mask."

"Which just so happened to be after this young man faked his own death, mind you," Glynda added. "Speaking of which, how could this man fake his own death in the way the White Fang have described without Aura or a semblance? Is magic capable of such a thing?"

"It is, but I am having a hard time trying to understand how he did it myself. I have not seen any magic that could create such an accurate looking double in such a short amount of time and then have it disappear without a trace like it was air. And how does it relate to his mask? Does it relate at all?" Ozpin sighed as he adjusted his glasses. "Let us leave the questions be for now. Should we find this mage and manage to speak with him, perhaps then we will get our answers. I believe I'll be making a call to someone who might have an idea of where we should start looking."

"Then I'll check with the other huntsmen and teachers again to see if they know anything as well.." Glynda said before leaving. Ozpin was left alone in his office as he stared out over Beacon and Vale.

"Just what have you done, Zelretch? What are you planning right now? You and that skull-masked man of yours…"

That old wizard had to be a part of this. Ozpin was convinced of that. While he hid it well enough, Ozpin knew Zelretch was just as strong as he and Salem. Perhaps even much stronger than either of them. But Zelretch was never the type to get involved unless he absolutely had to. He made that abundantly clear to Ozpin whenever he asked the old man for assistance. He even told him flatly that he would not get involved in issues when the people of Remnant should handle their own issues. He even said that involving himself could prove dangerous, something Ozpin still did not understand, but considering the tone Zelretch spoke in back then, Ozpin could only trust that Zelretch was telling him the truth.

Ozpin always had to remember that despite how playful Zelretch could be at times, far more often than not, the old wizard was stern and serious. He even acted like he was many years older than Ozpin, which was saying something considering how old Ozpin really was.

Still, Zelretch had to have played some kind of part in this, considering he left Patch a few days after Ozpin felt another massive source of magic coming from Patch. As he told Glynda, the only times he felt magic from afar was when it came from considerably strong sources like a Maiden unleashing their full power or when Salem was near, but that magic he felt coming from Patch was on an entirely different level.

The only word he could use to describe it was 'otherworldly'. It was something that didn't belong. Something that was anything but human. One could imagine how unnerved Oz was when he suddenly felt such power as though it were right next to him despite the distance, only for it to disappear without a trace within a few minutes of appearing. Startling would be an understatement. Add to that Zelretch's swift exit afterward, and Ozpin had more than an inkling that the old man had schemed something up.

And if that truly was the case, then he would have to ask someone who had contact with the old wizard before he left. Fortunately, Oz knew someone who fit that bill.

"Hmm… I do hope you have some answers, my friend." Ozpin hummed a little as he took out his scroll and began dialing Taiyang's number.

He would have asked Qrow, but Qrow hadn't been in Patch the day when Zelretch had left. He had only heard it from Tai when he called to check-in. Considering that, Ozpin thought it best to try to get answers straight from the source. Tai had been there in the town with his children, after all. So Oz finished dialing the number and hit the call button.

After a few seconds of the scroll ringing, Tai picked up.

"Oz?"

"Hello, Tai. it has been a while, hasn't it? How have you been?"

"Good. Better, actually." Tai answered with a small laugh. "I don't often get calls from you. Did something happen? Is this about Yang's enrollment?"

"Oh, that's right. Miss Xiao Long will be joining us this upcoming semester, correct? Qrow tells me quite a bit about her and young Miss Rose. you must be very proud of them."

"Yep. They've grown up a lot. They both are splitting images of their mothers. Still can't believe they're teenagers now." Tai laughed.

"They're not the only ones, though. You also have that young man as well. Mister Graham, correct?"

"Ginger? Yeah. He's really come a long way. It's hard to believe he's an adult now. He's actually over there in Vale now. He sent a message recently that he managed to buy a bookstore and is running it himself now."

"A bookstore?" Ozpin noted with a small smile. "I might have to visit then. I never got a chance to speak with Mister Graham, considering the only time we met was during Summer's funeral. And I've always had a soft spot for a good book."

"I'm sure he'd appreciate you visiting, as long as he gets over the heart attack a visit from you might cause him," Tai said before clearing his throat a bit. "But it doesn't sound like you called just to talk about my kids, huh? So what did you need?"

"Ah, my apologies. I seem to have gotten a bit distracted. Must be my old age." Ozpin said as he took a deep breath. "I'm calling to ask about something Qrow mentioned to me a few days ago. You knew a man who went by the name Kale Schwei, correct?"

"Yeah, I did," Tai explained. "I already told Qrow this, but he left recently. Closed his little store and up and left suddenly. I think Ginger said something about him retiring or going to travel."

"That sounds like him." Ozpin nodded. "Did you say Mister Graham mentioned that?"

"Yeah. Ginger worked for Kale the old man's bookstore until recently when Kale left. That's why Ginger left for Vale. So he could find a new job."

"I see…" Ozpin placed a hand on his chin as he pondered what he just heard. "Do you remember anything strange happening around the time Zelretch left? Anything noteworthy or curious at all from the time before or after he disappeared?"

"Hmm…not that I can think of," Tai mumbled a bit before his humming came to a sudden halt. "Actually, there were two things that I thought were a little strange."

"Oh? What happened?"

"Well, to start, Ginger mentioned something about this strange woman he saw at the Spring Festival that seemingly disappeared the moment he turned away. The girls didn't believe him at all and thought he was just imagining things, and considering no one else even so much as saw a glimpse of the woman, I didn't think much of it at the time."

"A strange woman that suddenly disappeared?" Ozpin murmured with a frown. Could she be the source of that massive, otherworldly magical power that gave him chills when he felt it? "Did Mister Graham make any contact with the woman?"

"I'm not sure. I think all he did was speak to her a little, considering he mentioned the woman running some kind of stand. But other than that, I'm not sure what might have happened."

"Hmm…What about the other thing you mentioned?"

"That one was a bit more direct with how strange it was. The kids were out in the forest the day before Old Man Kale left. Yang was trying to get Ruby to learn more hand-to-hand fighting, and Ginger was there watching. Yang tends to drag him along for the ride for a lot of things. They were then attacked by an Ursa. Yang said that Ruby had flown off into the bushes before the Ursa found them, so she fought it off to protect Ginger. But after she got knocked away, there was a big flash of lightning, and when she got back, she found Ginger and Ruby passed out on the ground and the Ursa now a pile of charred pile of dust."

"A flash of lightning?" Ozpin asked, his eyes now a bit wider than before. "What happened after that?"

"Well, Yang brought the others back home. When Ruby woke up later, she said she didn't remember anything that happened after the Grimm lunged at her, and Ginger said the same thing when he woke up the next day."

"He only woke up the next day?"

"Yeah. We were getting worried, but it all turned out fine in the end. But right after, Kale left without a trace."

"I see…"

Ozpin took a deep breath as he thought for a brief moment. He was starting to see a small thread. A brief pattern and a single consistent element between everything he was told. And it all started with one person.

Mister Ginger Graham.

A brief meeting between a strange woman that disappeared suddenly? Strike one. Being involved in an incident where a Grimm was seemingly struck down by lightning, which just so happen to be how the magic coming from the Forever Falls had felt to Ozpin? Strike two. And if Ozpin really wanted to, the fact that Tai had mentioned Mister Graham had recently moved to Vale, corresponding to when this new magic appeared in Vale, and that just might be strike three.

However, he still wasn't convinced. It could still be a coincidence for all he knew. And from what he knew of his old friend, Zelretch wasn't the kind of person to drag innocent people into messes. Of course, that was unless it was absolutely necessary. But did this fall under that category? Ozpin couldn't see why it would unless Zelretch had planned something big.

And even then, it was starting to seem that the cause of all of this might not even be Zelretch, but someone else. A mysterious woman that appeared without warning and disappeared just as quickly after having been seen by only one person. Was this all the woman's doing, or was she working together with the old wizard? Was Ozpin even on the right train of thought on this matter, or was he just making baseless assumptions.

There was only one way to find out.

"One last question. How would you describe Mister Schwei's relationship with Mister Graham." Ozpin eventually asked.

"They're relationship? I'd say pretty good. Ginger wasn't really a people person back then, or even now, really. He doesn't have too many friends, but he was comfortable around Kale. I'd say it was because of Kale spending time talking and teaching Ginger that he got out of that shy funk, even if he still isn't super extroverted."

"Is that so…" Ozpin hummed.

There it was. Confirmation of what Ozpin had thought. Once is an accident, twice a coincidence, and three times is a pattern. And if there just so happens to be a fourth, then that finally warrants a bit of a deeper investigation into the matter.

"Thank you, Tai. This was informative."

"You're welcome, Oz, but, um, can I ask something now?" Tai asked in a nervous voice. "Why are you asking about Kale now? Was Kale involved in something? Is he still involved in something? Wait… No… Don't tell me he's also a part of the fold! Then…is…is Ginger caught up in it to now?!"

"...No. I can say with certainty that Kale Schwei is not involved in any of our matters. He is not part of the fold." Ozpin stated after a brief pause. "There is no need to panic, Tai. I am sure Mister Graham is perfectly safe."

"Y-Yeah…Right. I'm probably just paranoid. Ginger tries to stay away from huntsmen stuff nowadays, so he wouldn't get involved in this kind of stuff if he could help it." Tai let out a tense breath as he spoke. "Sorry, Oz. I just… I can't stand the thought of one of my kids getting dragged into this war. Raven ran away and I already lost Summer. I don't know if I can lose anyone else."

"I know Tai. What happened was a tragedy. It never should have happened." Ozpin let out a sad sigh at the sorrowful memory before quickly recomposing himself. "But you do not need to worry yourself sick over this. I only called because Kale was an old friend of mine, and I was wondering why he might have left Patch like he did. There have been a few things that have recently happened that are of concern for me, but it has nothing to do with Kale Schwei as far as I know. And if anything were to come up involving him and Mister Graham, you can be certain you will be the first to know. You have my word on that."

"O-Okay. I trust you, Oz." Tai said as he took a breath to steady himself.

"You don't know how much that means to me, Tai." Ozpin let a ghost of a smile form on his face at that. "Well, I must get back to work. I will speak to you later, Tai. Hopefully on less serious matters."

"Alright. Talk to you later, Oz."

With that, Tai hung up, leaving Ozpin alone with his thoughts.

Of course, despite what he told Taiyang, Ozpin was beginning to think that Young Ginger Graham played a bigger role in these series of events than just that of a average citizen. The more he thought about it with Ginger as the main suspect, the pieces seemed to fit into place cleanly. However, the thing that was getting him was the how. How exactly was Ginger involved, and why?

Mister Graham must be involved somehow, though. Ozpin was almost sure of it. Could Ginger Graham truly be this new mysterious mage? It seemed far too simple of an answer to Ozpin, but Occam's Razor and all that. There were far too many coincidences surrounding Ginger in all of this, so it would make complete sense if Ginger was the one Ozpin was looking for.

But there were still many questions that needed to be answered if Ginger Graham was who Oz was looking for. How exactly would someone with no huntsman training whatsoever defeat armed members of the White Fang. How did someone like him gain the ability to use magic if it is him? And what kind of magic was he using? Was it magic similar to what he used, or was it something like what Zelretch seemed to use? Or was it something else entirely?

And most confusing, why would Ginger be involved in the first place? Tai and Qrow had mentioned that some time after Summer died, something happened involving Grimm happened that caused Ginger to forsake his goal of being a huntsman, and since then, the young man had no interest at all in being a huntsman. So why fight the White Fang if it was him? Did he have a change of heart? Could he be being forced into doing all of this? Or was there some other reason?

Well, Ozpin supposed there was an obvious reason for someone like Ginger to go off after the White Fang after acquiring some kind of magical power. He was still a Graham, after all. He, more than most people, would have a reason to fight them. Of course, the same logic could be applied to why he would want to stay as far away from the White Fang as possible, which seemed to line up more with his desire to stay away from huntsman life anyway. So what could the answer really be?

Of course, Ozpin wouldn't make a move yet. Not until he had actual proof of his theory. Still, with this much circumstantial evidence, he hardly had any choice but to send someone to meet Mister Graham in person. At the moment, all Ozpin could really say was that he had a top suspect in all of this. A suspect that seemed to check all the boxes and fit incredibly well as this new mage, but Ozpin lacked the motive. He lacked the method. He lacked any substantial evidence to his claim.

But if it was him, Ozpin would find out. This wasn't his first rodeo. Eventually, something would slip, and Ozpin would know whether or not he was right in his assumption. And if he was, then Ozpin would have to make the hard choice of deciding what to do next. He obviously would like Ginger to join him if he was the mage he sensed, or at the very least enroll him into Beacon.

However, Ginger might not want that, and even if he did, Ozpin would then have to deal with how Tai might react. Tai had lost so much already, and Ozpin was already toeing the line with Tai considering he was also eagerly waiting for Miss Rose to enroll into Beacon due to her possessing silver eyes like her mother. As a silver-eyed warrior in the making, Ruby Rose would need to be a key member of Ozpin's group eventually, and Tai knew that. Silver eyes were too strong to ignore for both them and Salem. But after what happened with Summer, it left both men with a sour taste in their mouth as the fear of history repeating itself rang throughout their minds.

But Oz supposed that those were problems for later. He would cross that bridge eventually, but it was best to focus on the 'now' at the moment.

"Ginger Graham," Ozpin muttered as he placed his hands together on his desk. "I wonder just what your involvement in this is if you have any. If you are involved, I wonder just what Zelretch saw in you to bring you into this, and what you must be thinking now."

---

'My body is made of sores.' Ginger thought to himself as he held his side and stifled moans of pain as he sat at his work desk. 'I think I desperately need to find a way to unlock my aura if this is going to happen every time I fight.'

It was right in the middle of the day, and he was watching over his store, which had a few people and Faunus in it at the moment. Business has been pretty good, considering he opened just recently. The Strange Case of Doctor Jekyll and Mister Hyde had been a huge success too. After a few people got their hands on it yesterday, a bunch of people had come in today just to buy it.

Apparently, some well-known book critic online named 'BlackCat' posted a review singing its praises, so now a bunch of people wanted to see it for themselves. Not that Ginger was complaining about good business and curious customers who he spoke to about the book itself. He just wished he wasn't healing from multiple bullet wounds as he did his work.

While his healing is better while the cards are active, it returns to normal after he stops using the cards, so while the Assassin's card let him heal from the wounds he got as a Berserker somewhat as he made his way back home, they didn't heal completely before his time ran out. At least he had stopped bleeding out at some point before he got back home. Instead, most of the wounds had turned to very painful welts and bruises, though some still were open wounds he had to stitch up himself.

Thank the Brothers Grimm he took those basic first aid classes and that the Assassin card worked long enough for him to use it to help his home-brewed surgery. Yeah, apparently Assassin has very intimate medical knowledge on the level of professionals, and that meant he got a lesser version of that when including the card. And considering even a Rank E in medical knowledge gave him a huge boost in his skill when dealing with those injuries, Ginger was not complaining.

That didn't make his injuries heal faster in his base form, though. Sure, as a Berserker, his pain tolerance is through the roof, and as Assassin, he's much faster than when he includes the Berserker card, but none of that meant he couldn't be hurt. He didn't like pain at all. Who did?

So after he quickly found out after last night, bullet wounds hurt a hundred times worse than the slash marks he got from fighting those Beowolves and the work needed to properly heal a bullet wound was just as awful, Ginger was quick to try to figure out how to prevent this from happening ever again.

So far, he's only come up with two solutions. Either pray one of his cards holds the power of a Servant that could heal or teach him healing magecraft and make a connection to that card as quickly as he could, or unlock his Aura and learn how to use it. And considering he had no way of knowing which Servants were in the remaining cards he had, nor did he have a definite way to make a connection with those cards whenever he wanted, Aura was the only solution he could rely on.

But that led to more questions and concerns. How can he unlock his aura? Did he need to ask someone to do it for him, or was it something he had to do himself? If someone had to unlock it for him, how would he find someone who would and could unlock it for him? It's not like he could ask anyone he knew.

And once he had it, how did he use it? Was it an instinctual thing or a passive power, or did he actually have to train himself to use it effectively? Did he need to train to even be able to use it at all? He had no idea what those answers were. So here he was, wracking his brain on the topic as he continued his work.

Of course, Aura wasn't the only thing on his mind. There was also his new ally on his mind. Well, really, it was more like the lack thereof. Assassin still did not make his…her…their presence known, which left Ginger all by his lonesome. He could still talk to Berserker, but Kintoki was spending a bit more time trying to get Assassin out of their 'room', supposedly. Trying to be a 'good roommate' and all that, he said. Apparently, the inside of his head was some kind of inn or something, which only gave Ginger a headache whenever he tried to think about it.

Ginger was glad Kintoki was trying to get Assassin to talk to them again, but now he was all by himself. Never did he think he would miss Golden's boisterous voice as much as he did now. After dealing with the Berserker for over a week now, Ginger had grown far too used to having a source of near-constant noise and communication, despite how annoying he could be at times. But now everything seemed far too quiet. He just hoped he could hurry up with Assassin so he could have people to talk to during the slow moments at the shop.

Speaking of Assassin, Ginger decided to do some research on who they could be, just like he did with Golden after he unlocked his power. While there are many members within the Assassin class of Heroic Spirits, they're are only a handful that matched with the power and items Ginger got when including the card. Namely, the skull mask.

The Old Men of the Mountain, the Hassan-i-Sabbah. Leaders of a group the first real group of Assassins, their name is what created the word. They're so synonymous with the term that even though they're classified as Anti-Heroic Spirits, they're usually the most commonly summoned for the Assassin class, as the word 'Assassin' acts as a catalyst for summoning the Hassan.

Each one can be identified by their skull masks and special abilities that gave them their name. To specify, each of these Servants has been given the title 'Hassan-i-Sabbah' or 'Old Man of the Mountain', but they're each given a specific unique title based on what made them so deadly or special.

There are many Hassans from what Ginger read in the book. Hassan of the Cursed Arm, a man who got his title and position after grafting a demon's arm onto himself. Hassan of Twisted Wires, whose hair was sharp enough to be used as make-shift blades. Hassan of Serenity, a girl whose entire body was made of poison. The First Hassan, 'King Hassan', is in a class all of his own, being a Grand Servant. And there are far more, considering there are 13 of them.

Despite the large amount of Hassans, Ginger still managed to figure out which one he got by because of one important detail. The decoy he used that saved his life. That had to be a Noble Phantasm of some kind due to how powerful that skill was, and there's only one Noble Phantasm within the Hassan lineup that matches what he used.

Zabaniya: Delusional Illusion. That is the Noble Phantasm of the Hassan of Hundred Personas, the final Hassan. He got his ability not by any special magecraft or power. He made use of his multiple personality disorder to become a master of disguise and all kinds of other skills to assassinate targets. As a Servant, his condition is turned into Noble Phantasm that grants his different personas bodies of their own, each with their own appearance, gender, personality, and skills. While not as powerful as other Servants, this Hassan excels at being an army in one. A perfect reconnaissance group.

That Noble Phantasm also explains how Ginger was able to use that decoy power. It was a bastardized version of Hundred Persona's Zabaniya, though Ginger didn't feel like that was accurate at all. If it were truly Zabaniya, he would have been able to split his body into multiple selves. Instead, he was able to create a single-use duplicate to be sacrificed. Perhaps it had less to do with the power and more to do with how it didn't suit Ginger? Ginger didn't have multiple personalities, after all. Perhaps that changed the Noble Phantasm to better suit him? He didn't know. Not like it mattered. That power still saved him in the end.

He couldn't help but smile at that. Now he had the aid of two Servants. That made things a lot better for him. Now he didn't have to rely entirely on the double-edged sword that was the Berserker card now that he had the Assassin card. Now he could use the Assassin card for most fights and pull out the Berserker card for finishing blows without risking using up all of his energy at once.

But enough thoughts of fighting. He was supposed to be healing and relaxing while operating his little bookstore, not plotting his next brawl with the White Fang. It had been a quiet day, thankfully, and he hadn't needed to get up much for anything. Today, all Ginger had to do was manage the shop from the front desk, ring people up after they got their books, and continue working on his next adapted story based on King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, which was going well all things considered. After that, he had a list of stories to do next. Sherlock Holmes, Robin Hood, the Odyssey and Iliad, and his personal favorite so far, The Count of Monte Cristo. He had his work cut out for him, but it was nice.

'Nothing beats a nice, normal, slow day like this.' Ginger hummed softly to himself as he stopped typing to take a sip from his water bottle.

Yep. it was just a peaceful day. Nothing could beat this. Nothing could ruin it. Nothing–

[Master.]

"–Urk!"

Ginger suppressed a choke at the sudden, curt voice that entered his head, resulting in a small coughing fit with a small amount of water leaking out of his mouth. Thankfully, no one in the shop at that moment really paid it any mind, allowing him the time to recollect himself as he stopped his coughs.

'A-Assassin?' Ginger questioned in his head.

[We wish to speak with you, Master. Do you have time at the moment?] The female voice of Hassan answered, speaking cooly and calmly with a level of professionalism that Ginger wasn't used to at all.

'Y-Yeah. We can talk.' Ginger gave a small nod to himself, giving another look around the store to see the few customers that were around at the moment. So much for that peaceful day of doing nothing.

[Then we will be waiting for your arrival.] She told him, prompting Ginger to raise an eyebrow.

'Waiting for me? What do you mean by that? You guys are in my head. I thought we were just going to talk like this.'

[Oh? Do you not know? We had assumed this would be obvious, but I suppose that Berserker did make mention of your inexperience in these matters. Not to mention the oddities involved with our summoning this time around.] Hassan noted to herself. [Master, it is true we are within your mental landscape, but it is your mental landscape. It is the world in which your dreams are created, so therefore, you should be able to enter the landscape without any difficulty. Since it will be our first proper meeting and there is much to discuss, we thought it would be best if we spoke face to face here.]

'I see. I guess that makes sense. I didn't think of that since I was always just able to speak to Kintoki while he was in my head. This magecraft stuff is tricky.' Ginger scratched the back of his neck. 'Okay, so I can enter this mental dream world place in my head. How do I do that? Do I have to fall asleep?'

[Not necessarily. While you could enter while you sleep, that would take too long for what we want to do now. Thankfully, since we Servants have materialized within this dream world, it has solidified into a more defined form.]

'Solidified? What do you mean by that?'

[Normally, dream worlds and inner worlds don't have definite forms and are more fluid in their nature. After all, dreams take the form of many different things that are normally outside a person's control. Typically, you would only see inner worlds with definite forms if they were Reality Marbles, as those are inner worlds that symbolize the owner's soul and can manifest in reality.]

[However, since we Servants have materialized within your mind, it seems that your inner world has solidified into a concrete form for us to inhabit, despite it not being a Reality Marble. There for, you should theoretically be able to enter this world through means other than sleep. I believe meditation would be the best, plausible method for you to enter your inner world. Just activate your magic circuits, close your eyes, and focus on your inner world as you meditate, and that should be enough.]

'O-Okay. I think I get it. I'll do my best to do that, but you'll have to give me a moment. There are still a few customers here.'

[Very well. We will be waiting then.] With that, all went quiet once again, causing Ginger to sigh.

'I really need to hire someone else to work here with me if this is going to be a constant thing.' He thought to himself as he got up from his seat, stretching his body a bit as his limps popped from the movement. 'Meditating, huh? Never done that before, but how hard can it be? It's just sitting and focusing, right?'

So, after taking care of the remaining customers, Ginger made sure there was no one else in the shop. After finding no one else and believing that he probably wouldn't be interrupted for a while due to it being in the middle of the afternoon on a weekday, Ginger entered the backroom of the store, which was used as the main library and storage for a bunch of the extra books that weren't out in front. After finding a secluded spot, he sat down, crisscrossed, activated his circuits, and took a deep breath before closing his eyes.

He took slow breaths as he tried to focus on entering his headspace. He focused…and focused…and focused… until he let out a sigh after having sat there for a couple of minutes while nothing happened.

"This shouldn't be this hard," Ginger grumbled as he kept trying to enter his headspace.

How did people meditate anyway? This was boring and felt like he was just wasting time doing nothing. Trying to focus like this just made it easier for his mind to wander despite his wants. Was he supposed to clear his head of all thoughts like what shows usually depicted meditation as? How do people clear their minds like that? Whenever he tried to clear his mind of thoughts, that only made his mind distracted with random little thoughts.

If he wasn't supposed to clear his mind, but instead focus on the dreamscape? What specifically was he supposed to focus on then? He didn't even know what the place looked like. Aside from the few things that Kintoki had described to him, the place was a mystery to Ginger.

"It's some kind of inn or house, right? That's the impression I got anyway." Ginger hummed to himself as he tried to picture what his headspace looked like. "Kintoki said there were multiple rooms inside for each of the Servants apparently. I guess the dreamworld changed to provide the Servant's needs like Assassin was saying. He also mentioned how it was a cozy place. Something with a homely feeling."

Perhaps he was going about this the wrong way. Perhaps instead of trying to picture what it looked like, it would be easier to imagine it as a place he would feel comfortable with, or maybe a place that was significant to him in some way. As Assassin said, it's his headspace. If it's a place that would take form in his mind, then it might take the form of a place that has some sort of meaning to him, right?

In a way, a world like this in his mind should reflect his soul, right? His heart. It should be something that reflects who he is as a person or a place or thing that has stuck with him in his life. Something that has integrated itself into his heart so greatly that its removal would change him.

When he thought about it that way, a frown came onto Ginger's lips.

"...It can only be that place, right? If it's a place that has become a part of who I am as a person, the only place that matches that description is that place." Ginger muttered as sweat formed on his head.

He was now debating whether he actually wanted to do this now, but he had already said he would and Assassin was waiting for him. He didn't want to go back on his word now and disappoint her–er, them. So, taking a deep breath of resignation, Ginger closed his eyes and began focusing on his destination. Of the old, fond memories. Of the warm feelings attached to it. And of the damning cold and blistering heat that overpowers all of that.

He didn't know how long it took, as time seemed to vanish entirely around him. What he did know is that after some time had passed and he had fully engrossed himself in his memories, a sudden chill overcame him as he opened his eyes. Slowly, his eyes adjusted until he saw it.

Snow. Snow was everywhere around him. He was no longer in the backroom of his bookstore. Now, he was in a snowy forest in the middle of a clearing. And right in front of him was the sight he had been dreading.

It was an old house, but it had a fancy look to it. That old prestigious kind of look some buildings have. This clearly wasn't the Xiao Long cabin he had grown accustomed to. Unlike that wooden cabin, this one was made of mainly stone and had a more curved roof. It was bigger, too, and it was more of a cottage.

Memories and emotions flooded Ginger's mind as he looked at his old home back when he lived with his family in Atlas. The home he had before the fire and destruction. The event had engraved the memory of the place into his mind. Both before and after the tragedy.

Of course this place would represent Ginger as a person. It's been stuck with him all this time. Truly, he would carry it within himself until the end of his days. That's what Ginger began to believe when he saw the cottage as his solidified inner world, at least. He would never be free from it.

As he stood up, he took a quick look around. It wasn't just his old home that was captured within his inner world. It was the entire town. He saw other houses that were around the house through the trees, as well as the walls that surrounded the town before it burned to the ground.

The sight made Ginger's frown deepen. He didn't want to further recall the unpleasant memories that were tied to the location, even with the good that still lingered with the bad, so he hurried over to the door to the cottage and, after hesitating for only the briefest of seconds, grabbed the door handle and opened it.

Immediately, the cold chill of the snowy forest dissipated as the warmth of a fireplace touched his face. Ginger blinked a few times as he took it in. The interior of the cottage was the exact same as his old home, down to the last detail. It made sense, considering it was made up from his mind, but it was still a bit surprising to see how much detail was there. It had been so long that he no longer could recall such details himself, but it appeared his subconscious still remembered it in perfect detail.

It really was his old home.

A sharp pain hit his chest at the sight but was quickly erased when a loud voice snapped him out of his trance of sorrowful nostalgia.

"Hey! Boss!"

Before Ginger could even turn to face the speaker, he was brought into a tight one-armed hug that nearly crushed his shoulders. Ginger struggled to look up, but once he did, he saw a golden-haired man wearing sunglasses flashing him a big, stupid grin.

The man wore a white, button shirt, with an oversized collar pointing upwards, which he wore with rolled-up sleeves and the top buttons unbuttoned, exposing his bulky chest and giving him the appearance of a gang member. He also wore black trousers and fancy, white shoes. His attire was filled with golden accessories: a pair of belts with a large belt-buckle spelling the word GOLD, rings on every finger except the thumbs, a golden watch on his left wrist, a spiky wristband on the right, bracelets on both, and three golden necklaces, each longer than the last.

There was only one guess as to who he was.

"Kintoki?" Ginger asked, remembering the man's appearance from when he first used the Berserker card.

"Yep! In the flesh! Good to see ya in person, finally!" The Berserker smiled as he slapped his hand on Ginger's back, knocking the air out of the boy's lungs due to his, quite literal, monstrous strength.

As Ginger leaned over and coughed, he noticed someone else in the living room and looked up, seeing a dark-skinned woman wearing black clothing who had long purple hair that was tied in a ponytail behind her that went down to her knees. Her outfit was simple, being just dark, skin-tight, black pants and what Ginger imagined was supposed to be her shirt, though it was just fabric covering her breasts, exposing the rest of her very toned and muscular torso, though she wasn't Kintoki levels of bulky. She also had long round silver earrings, a few dirks at her waist, and, most notably, a skull mask covering her face.

That was the most disturbing thing about the assassin. The mask. Not because it was a skull mask. While it did make Ginger think of the White Fang with how similar it was to the group's Grimm masks and seemed to be worn for similar reason, that wasn't what really unnerved him. It was how he read about how the Hassan-i-Sabbahs would scrap off their own faces in order to have the mask be their new, true face. It was supposed to represent how they had truly ascended to their new roles and identities of being the 'Old Man of the Mountain'.

The fact that he couldn't even tell if this Hassan had done such a thing with her own face was enough to give Ginger chills.

"Hassan," Ginger said once he caught his breath. "Or do you prefer Assassin?"

"Whichever is fine with us," Hassan said as she leaned against the cottage walls while crossing her arms, her expression kept hidden behind her mask. "It is good you are here. We can now speak freely."

"You got that right! Man, it's nice to actually see you in person instead of speaking to you from your mind." Kintoki exclaimed as he walked over to the nearby couch and plopped himself down.

"Please take this seriously, Berserker." Hassan aimed her gaze at Kintoki in what was probably a glare, though Kintoki didn't seem affected by it, waving it off with a smile.

"It's fine. It's not like this is a Holy Grail War. I think we're free to relax and let our guard down a bit." Kintoki replied.

"That remains to be seen." Hassan sighed before returning her gaze to Ginger. "Berserker has explained the situation to us, but we wanted to confirm it with you."

"O-Okay. I'll try to answer your questions as best as I can, then." Ginger told her as he stood a bit straighter. Unlike Kintoki, whose friendly demeanor helped him relax, Hassan's sternness and straight-to-the-point personality made him tense a bit.

"Then is it true that there is no Holy Grail War? That you possess cards of each Servant class capable of harnessing a fraction of a Heroic Spirit's power, and that you are not using them to participate in a unique Holy Grail War?" She asked.

"That's right. As far as I'm aware, there is no Grail here in Remnant, and the person who forced the cards onto me didn't mention anything about being in a Holy Grail War. And I do possess seven class cards, one for each of the main classes, though I'm not sure if there are more cards or cards for the extra classes. And so far, I've only been able to use yours and Kintoki's cards."

"Then that means we will most likely be working with the other Servants once you managed to learn how to use the other cards," Hassan noted as she nodded. "I suppose we were in the wrong for immediately attacking Berserker when we materialized here."

"Seriously. Can you imagine how I felt having to fight all of you so suddenly like that? That big guy of yours was especially as tough as an oni!" Kintoki shouted.

"Of course. Gozul the Strong is easily the strongest of all of us. He can certainly hold his own in a fight, even against a Berserker like yourself." Hassan noted with a small, barely noticeable smirk that was mostly hidden by the rim of her mask.

"Speaking of which, your True Name is Hassan of Hundred Personas, right?" Ginger asked, getting another nod from the Assassin. "Then, doesn't that mean that there should be more of you? I read that your Noble Phantasm allows you to split your personalities into separate bodies, and from the sound of things, Kintoki had to fight multiple of you. So how come it's only just you here?"

"That's because we felt that it would be too overwhelming for you if all of us were here, and the nature of this room does not allow all of us to fit together like this," Hassan said. "Not to mention not all of us are skilled at speaking or wished to speak. In instances where we must discuss with our master, I am the personality that is often chosen to be the liaison with our master."

"I guess that makes sense. So where are your other selves?"

"Most of them are in our designated room within this cottage. It seems that due to this place's nature as a dream-like world within you, common sense is not needed, as our room was styled just for us and was large enough to hold us all. That said, a few of us that are skilled at scouting have gone off to explore the rest of this town here. Is that fine, master?"

"I-I guess. I don't really care if you want to explore, considering you guys are the ones stuck here in my head. I'd rather it be you than me, anyway." Ginger shivered a bit at the idea of being forced to explore the town within his head again. "Although…I doubt you'll find anything here." Ginger then scratched his cheek nervously as he continued. "S-So, do you have a name, too?"

"Did you not already ask that?"

"Well, I asked you for your True Name as a Servant, but a few seconds ago, you mentioned how one of your bigger selves was called Gozul the Strong. So does that mean each of your selves have individual names, too, and if so, what's yours?"

The Hassan seemed a bit taken aback by the question, not having expected it at all. Usually, a Master wouldn't care to know the name of even one of the Hundred Personas that made them up, so having a Master show even a slight interest was completely new territory for the Assassin Servant.

That isn't to say she didn't appreciate the gesture, but that did mean that individual Hassan had no real answer to give. She herself didn't have a special name or title like many of the other Personas like Gozul the Strong, Dew the Painter, or Makul the Quick. Even Zayed the Base had a name and title, yet she did not. She was only meant to be the liaison between the Personas and the Master. She wasn't meant to be a true individual. She was to be merely a mouth piece. However, if she were to have a name for herself and herself only, then…

"...Asako." She eventually answered. "Just Asako. No title like Gozul."

"Asako?" Ginger repeated.

"It's just something I came up with just now. It's nothing special. Just 'Assassin' shortened to a more normal name. Heh. Saying it outloud now, I realize the irony of someone like me having such a normal, even cute, name like that. It doesn't really suit me, does it?" The Hassan let out an amused chuckle at that, but Ginger shook his head in response.

"But it's the name you picked for yourself, right? Then it doesn't matter. You must like it if you'd call yourself that." Ginger pointed out. "I don't know about the place or time you're from, but here in Remnant, self expression and individuality is something precious and held in high regard, so you shouldn't let other people's opinions from stopping you from choosing a name you'd like to be called by." Ginger then let out his own nervous laugh before he continued. "Besides, it might not matter to you, but I think it's a nice name for you, even if the meaning behind it is simple."

The newly dubbed Asako just stared at her Master silently once he had said his piece, only furthering his feeling of anxiety the longer she stared. It wasn't helped that he couldn't even see her expression when she was wearing that chilling skull mask over her potentially scrapped-off face. She eventually let out a sigh, though, as she shook her head in what seemed to be disbelieving manner.

"You are a strange one, Master." She noted.

"You don't have to call me that. It feels weird being addressed like that." Ginger replied. "My name is Ginger Graham. You can call me Ginger if you want."

"I… We will consider that, Master." Asako answered before returning to her more serious demeanor. "We have gotten off topic. There is something else more important we wished to discuss with you." The Hassan stopped leaning against the wall and stood up straight as she looked at Ginger with an air of seriousness.

"...For what purpose do you call upon our power as a Servant?"

"I'm…sorry?" Ginger tilted his head.

"Servants may be given basic knowledge of the age they were summoned in, but not much else. That is more true within this strange situation we have found ourselves in, it seems." Hassan began. "When we manifested here, all that was clear to us was that our master had a strong reason for fighting and needing our power that acted as the catalyst for our 'awakening', as Berserker calls it. Berserker might be content to simply give you his power for you to use freely without purpose, but we are not so carefree. Especially not after our last Master betrayed us so readily."

"Last Master? Wait, you remember your previous summoning?" Ginger asked.

"It appears so. Though the Throne of Heroes usually wipes a Servant's memories of their summonings, it appears that we were able to retain the memories of us participating in a Holy Grail War in which we were the Servant of a Master who served another Master. All we were to our Master were a set of eyes for him to convey information to his mentor, and once our usefulness ended, we were commanded to die in a useful manner. We never even had a chance to betray him and make a grab for the grail ourselves." Asako explained, bitterness extremely evident in her tone. "Our Master never even had the desire to win the Grail for himself. It was a most frustrating experience."

Ginger couldn't help but feel the same way just from hearing it explained to him. The fact that Hassan answered someone's summoning just to be a pawn of a pawn then be cast aside like trash, never even having a possibitility of getting their wish granted despite that being the reason they answered the call in the first place just sounded aggravating on a level Ginger couldn't comprehend.

"I'm…sorry about that," Ginger told Hassan in a sympathetic voice.

"You're condolences are appricated, though it matters not. What is done is done. The past is behind us." Hassan replied.

"Still…" Ginger began before trailing off, not knowing what else to say. "Actually, hey Kintoki. Do you have any memories of previous summonings?"

"Hmm? Me?" The Golden Berserker asked while pointing to himself. After Ginger nodded, Kintoki cupped his chin as he hummed in thought. "No, not really. Don't got any memories of any Grail Wars or anything else. Although, now that I think about it, I do have this feeling like I was part of a war, but also not. Does that make sense?"

"Not really, no." Ginger frowned before he returned his attention to the Assassin in the room. "So…you want to know why I called for you?"

"Correct. While this is not exactly a typical summoning by any standard, the chance of still being betrayed or used still exists, even with you. So answer us, Ginger Graham. Why have you called upon us, the Hassan of Hundred Personas? What reason would you use our power, and for what reason should we allow you the use of our power?"

"...So you just want to hear what goal I'm using your power for," Ginger said as he took a small, deep breath. "I had to think about it for a long time yesterday after getting home. I had to sort out all of my thoughts to make sure I knew what I wanted, but it's really not complicated. At least, I don't think it is."

"I don't care about power or heroics. That's not who I am. I'm not a hero or someone who wants to fight monsters or bad guys for a living. Even if this was a Holy Grail War, I wouldn't care about getting a wish either. All I want is to not lose anything again. I already have anything I could want, but if there's someone who wants to take it all away from me again, I refuse to just stand by and watch like before, helpless to stop it. Not ever again. That's what I learned last night. Even if I don't want to fight, now that I have this power, I'll hold on to this life with all I have. That's the little resolve I've managed to find, at least."

He then hardened his face a bit as he returned the serious look Assassin seemed to be giving him from under her mask.

"That damn group of terrorists that took everything away from me before want to destroy my home again, and right after I settled down with my new store, too. Like hell am I going to let them burn everything to the ground like before!"

"Like before? You've dealt with them before?" Kintoki asked with a sad frown.

"I…" Ginger paused and bit his lip before shaking his head. "It happened years ago. I know I should be over it by now, but…it still hurts to think about, especially here. This was my home before it all happened. Before it was burned to the ground by extremists. I lost everything that day, and it was all my fault. I can't go through that again. Now that they're threatening to do it again on an even bigger scale, this is too dangerous to leave alone, and far too personal for me to try to ignore. So I'll fight them with everything I have. They've left me no other choice."

"Couldn't you just leave that for others more capable than yourself? This world has warriors, correct? Why not leave that group to them?" Hassan asked.

"I could. And for the longest time, I would've done that without much thought. This isn't something I want to do." Ginger admitted. "But, perhaps this is childish of me, but fighting those White Fang soldiers last night made me feel…like I could actually do something like that. Like I was finally strong enough to face them myself, something I never thought possible. For so long, I've felt like I shouldn't even try to do anything outside of what's expected of someone like me. That I wasn't even allowed to wish for anything more than what I deserved. I'm not capable of much, after all. I know that better than anyone. But if I can actually do something to help with this, then I think I should at least try."

Ginger then gave a small smile.

"I mean, I lived with a bunch of people who were like that. I don't doubt that if they were in my position, they wouldn't hesitate to do something to help, whether or not they were supposed to or whether someone else could handle it or not. They're the 'true hero' type. I guess I've finally picked up a few quirks from them after this long. I've always admired them for that, after all. So…I want to try to be more like them. Maybe I can't be the hero I used to dream of becoming, but… I want to grow strong enough to not be afraid like before at least. That's…all I want, I think." Ginger then let out a pitiful laugh as his gaze fell slightly.

"I can understand if you still don't want to offer me your power. It's definitely not a worthwhile wish, is it?"

"Boss…" Kintoki gave a small frown after hearing Ginger's thoughts on the matter, but Hassan remained in her place as she kept staring at her Master.

"...I see. So that's your resolve, then." She noted. "And are you sure about this? There is a chance that getting involved in this will cause you no end in trouble or pain. You might even die if you're not careful. Is this goal, this wish of yours worth the trouble it will bring?"

"I'm…aware of the risks this might bring. That's why I'm still uncertain about this. Truthfully, a part of me is still desperately trying to convince me that getting involved is a bad idea." Ginger nodded sadly. "The truth of the matter is that I'm scared. I'm scared of losing things important to me. I'm scared of ending up here again. In another world of flames and snow, with blood and carcasses everywhere as Grimm begin to swarm. I already carry that memory with me like a scar." Ginger winced as his hand found its way to his side.

"But even so, I want to try to be better for once in my life. For the longest time, I've just been running from it, praying and hoping that if I keep myself small enough, I won't lose anything again. But even while trying to not do anything, this still happened. The White Fang still found a way back into my life despite everything I threw away and lost in trying to escape them! So when I fought back, angry at what was happening and what was about to happen, I felt…different. That's why, for once in my life, I don't want to run away again. I want…to be better than I was. If I can do that, then maybe I'll finally be able to honor the memory of all the people who were sacrificed for this life I have."

"..." Assassin stayed silent for a moment, before giving a short nod. "Very well. If that is what you truly desire, then we see no problem with lending our aid as your Servant."

"Really?" Ginger asked with hopeful eyes.

"Indeed. We may not be the strongest Servant, but we will help you achieve your goals without fail. That is our promise as Hassan-i-Sabbah." She spoke with confidence.

"I'm glad." Ginger let out a small breath of relief, feeling his body release the tension he had. "I may not be a proper master, nor may I be a good one even if I was, but I'll do my best for you both as well. I promise I won't be like your last master, and you can hold me to that."

"Hmph. Are you certain you want to say something like that to us? We are part of the Assassin class, Master." Asako pointed out, a smirk hidden somewhere in the threat she made.

"A-Ah. W-Well–"

"Oh, don't worry, Boss! You already got that part covered!" Kintoki smirked as he interrupted Ginger's stammering. "So now that we got the formalities out of the way, we should discuss our next course of action since we're all here like this."

"I concur. While we may have only just awoke during your battle last night, we have been made aware of your foes thanks to Berserker. Your opponents are a group of extremists called the White Fang, correct?"

"Yes. They're a group of Faunus, uh… those are people who possess animal traits like animal ears or tails or other such things." Ginger explained before continuing. "The White Fang used to be a peaceful group that protested for equal rights for all Faunus, but they were never taken seriously, so the new leader that took over five years ago started changing the group into a more violent one. They started attacking organizations that promoted Anti-Faunus policies, but nowadays, they'll attack anyone and anything to get what they want."

"So racial issues persist even in this Remnant place. A shame, really." Assassin noted sadly.

"You guys have Faunus or other different races where, or perhaps 'when', you're from?" Ginger asked.

"While some creatures that match the description of these Faunus do exist in our world, they are not common. Most people would not know of their existence." Hassan shook her head. "No, the racial problems we are familiar with were centered around even more artificial problems. Namely things like skin color or ethnicity."

"Skin color and ethnicity?"

"Yes. While humanity battled against it the best they could, it still persisted throughout generations." Hassan said. "We ourselves were part of a group that fought enemies to defend our home and religion ourselves. It is why our order of assassins was formed."

"That's…tragic." Ginger frowned. "I'd like to believe that the people of Remnant wouldn't have those problems with skin color or ethnicity if Faunus weren't a pressing issue, but something tells me that as long as different people have physical differences from one another, discrimination against those who are different will be a constant."

"That's puttin' it lightly," Kintoki grumbled. "The way I see it is it's not a matter of being different from each other, but a matter of people being jerks! If people just treated others how they'd like to be treated, this wouldn't be a problem!"

"Regardless, this equal-rights-group-turned-terrorist-group appears to be going too far. They appear to be planning some massive attack on the city, correct?" Assassin asked.

"That's what it seems. The map I found marked many different locations in the different city districts. They seem to have many targets planned, but I'm not sure if they've hit any of them yet. The amount of dust they had in that single warehouse could just have been from previous attacks, like the one on that Schnee Dust Company Transite that was in the news."

"Then it's possible that they have yet to fully initiate their plan," Assassin stated.

"Exactly, but we can't be sure. After I heal up, I'm planning to go out and take a look at the locations marked on that map on a day off." Ginger began before letting out a sad sigh. "However, now that I've attacked them, they'd have to be stupid and incompetent if they don't change where their hideouts are hidden. If I were in charge, I'd make that my first priority and get it done as fast as possible."

"True. We would act in much the same way." Asako nodded. "The fact is that a map detailing key locations in their plans was left at the scene and could not be recovered before it was too late. Now, not only do you have access to it, but so do the proper authorities."

"With the police closin' in on 'em, they'll have to bust ass to change their plans and not get caught," Golden muttered before groaning. "Damn it, this is startin' to remind me of the oni hunts I went on during my life. Sometimes our plans would get leaked and the oni would all runaway and hide in god knows where in the forests or mountains. All that hard work and planning Boss Raikou did would instantly be worthless once the oni heard wind of it. Then the boss would…"

Kintoki trailed off after that as he seemed to stare off into space, reminiscing on a memory of a very irate woman on a war path, lightning spewing out of her as she stormed through the woods, not carrying at all if she had to destroy the entire area if it meant finally finding a certain alcohol loving oni after days of harassment from the oni leader.

It gave the Berserker goosebumps as he shook in his seat.

"Yeah, okay. Not gonna think about that anymore." He said before clearing his throat. "SO, what's the plan? We can't exactly hit them before they start moving their hideouts around."

"Well, we could always try repeating what we did last time by utilizing your Animal Communication skill to ask the stray animals around the city, but that might take too long. And with how low the Rank is when I use your card, it's not efficient, either." Ginger stated. "Hmm…I guess we have little choice but to find another informant who might know."

"Do you even know where you would find an informant that would know the plans and hideouts of a terrorist group in the city? And would anyone who did know sell that information?" Asako questioned.

"Well, I'm not sure about that last part, but I do think I might have a lead." Ginger began. "Funnily enough, working here at my bookstore worked in our favor. I sometimes hear people talking in the store, and I've learned a bit more about the City of Vale from that. Apparently, one of the worst-kept secrets of Vale is a certain club near the slums and nightlight district."

"A club?" Kintoki questioned before it hit him. "Ah…I see. It's a front, isn't it?"

"That's the rumor, though it seems that it's all but confirmed at this point. Though 'front' isn't exactly accurate. The place is called 'Junior's', and it's a real club with decent business. However, it's run by a guy named Hei Xiong Junior. Apparently, the head crime gang of Vale before Roman Torchwick became the kingpin was the Xiongs, but they fell off after some kind of gang war. Clubs like this seem to be the last remnants of the Xiong Family's power, as they still serve as places to broker information and shady deals in the backrooms of the building. Considering how big the Xiong's seemed to be before they fell in power, the rumors are probably well founded. If anyone as info on what's happening in Vale's criminal underworld, it'd be the current head of the Xiongs, Junior."

"Then you plan to go to this club and try to broker information on the White Fang?" Assassin asked while crossing her arms. "Hmph. It would seem we do not have any other reasonable avenees to choose from at the moment. Thankfully, you will have both the Assassin and Berserker class cards to help you should you find yourself in more trouble there."

"Yeah, but I'll probably need an actual disguise for this. The Berserker card changing my hair color to a more blond tint of my usual color and changing my eyes to baby blue will only slightly throw people off. The Assassin card would be better as a disguise with its skull mask and the slightly darker skin tone it gives me, but it still won't be enough for this. I can't risk anyone seeing me and knowing who I am or later realizing who I am. If they track me back to this place, that'll only end with more trouble I'd rather not have."

"Then you best prepare the moment you have finished recovering from your last battle," Hassan stated before she turned her head towards a nearby clock. "We will have to finish this discussion some other time. I fear we might have spent too long here. You best return to reality, Master. It wouldn't do for you to ignore your store for this mission, now would it?"

"Nope. Even if I stop the White Fang, if I lose this place, what would it have all been for?" Ginger gave a genuine laugh at that. "Still, thank you for this. Both of you. It really means a lot to me that you're willing to work with me, Kintoki, Asako."

"Hey, don't mention it. It's like I told ya before. It just feels right to help you out, Boss! After all, you're my new Boss!" Kintoki proudly declared with a toothy grin.

"While Beserker is all too happy to help, do not thank any of us just yet. Save your gratitude for after your mission is complete." Asako told Ginger as she turned away from him. "Now then, I must reconvene with my other selfs and let them know of what we discussed. If anything comes up, I will let you know."

And with that, the Assassin vanished. No, literally, she just disappeared. Ginger blinked a few times as he tried to piece together what just happened. Did Asako go into her astral form, or was she just that fast and stealthy? At this point, he couldn't even tell.

"I should be going as well," Ginger said, deciding to not think about the Assassin's disappearance for now. "I'll talk to you later, Golden."

"You got it, Boss."

With his goodbyes said, Ginger closed his eyes and took a deep breath, hoping that this would work. Thankfully, it seemed leaving his mental landscape was even more simple than entering it, because not even a few seconds later, Ginger opened his eyes again and was greeted with the inside of his shop. He knew he had nothing to worry about, but he couldn't help letting out a sigh of relief at that moment.

"Man, no my legs are asleep." Ginger moaned as he stumbled back to his feet. After shaking the numbness away from his legs, Ginger turned to the entrance to his shop's main lobby and lightly smacked his cheeks with his palms. "Okay, Ginger. You've got nothing to worry about. You've got two legendary Heroic Spirits on your side for this. You'll get through this. You just gotta keep at it. Things won't go like it did in Atlas. It can't."

With that said, Ginger took a deep breath before steeling himself, a smile finding its way onto his face.

"Alright. Time to get back to work."

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Ginger Graham Parameters

Include: Assassin

Mana drain: Low

Weapon: Dirks

STR: E

END: F

AGI: D

MP: F

LUK: F

Class Skills

Presence Concealment D

Hides one's presence as a Servant. Suitable for spying. However, efficiency will decrease once preparations to attack are taken. As Ginger has no talent or training in stealth and assassination, the rank is lowered when including the Assassin Card. He can still hide most, but not all, of his presence, however, sneak attacks are much harder for him compared to Assassin.

Personal skills

Librarian of Knowledge D+++

An ability that makes it possible for a clear recall of knowledge from memory with a successful Luck Check, even if the information perceived in the past was not consciously acknowledged at the time. Hundred Personas achieved this by distributing his memory processing among his many different personalities. Ginger, however, does not have Hassan's multiple personalities, so he must use his own memory, which to be fair is above average. Fortunately, he can still ask Hassan or any other Heroic Spirit in his head for the information he seeks if needed, though since the he is not directly connected to any them like Hassan's Personas, the effectiveness might not exactly be consistent.

Wide Specialization D+

Access to and the use of many professional skills, specifically used by Hundred Personas by switching between personalities, though Ginger inherits them from Assassin's card. Tactics, academia, espionage, assassination, swindling, fraud, rhetoric and a total of 32 other skills can be used with proficiency of Rank E to D+. If any of the skills are something Ginger himself is talented in, the skill gets ranked up to C.

Battle Retreat C

The ability to withdraw from combat completely, making a swift getaway. It symbolizes skill in completely removing oneself from battle after it has begun. However, unlike Disengage, it does not reset the state of affairs around oneself. Retreating causes the user to be at a disadvantage against the foe. Due to its rank down, retreat is less consistent and harder to pull off than the original.

Noble Phantasm

『Zabaniya』

Type: Anti-Unit (Self)

Rank: E

'Delusional Illusion'

While bearing the same name, this version of Zabaniya: Delusional Illusion is not the same as Assassin's. Hassan of Hundred Personas' Noble Phantasm was the crystallization of how they used their multiple personalities to trick their targets in life by allowing these different personalities separate bodies in which to act. However, Ginger lacks any other personality besides his own, making the Noble Phantasm directly incapable with him when including the card. Instead, Ginger's version creates a decoy of himself as he himself is hidden while the decoy is active. He can only create one decoy per fight, but the decoy allows him to avoid a fatal attack and puts him in the perfect state to perform a sneak attack or make a hasty retreat.

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A/N: Can we talk about how Hassan of the Hundred Personas (that's a cooler name than Hundred Faces) keeps getting the short end of the stick compared to the Hassans? Cursed Arm is the OG, Serenity is the loveable waifu, and King Hassan is King Hassan. Meanwhile, Hundred Personas gets shafted in Fate/Zero, is mediocre in FGO, AND got cut from the Camelot movies? Why? Hundred Personas is one the coolest Servant concepts in the series! They deserve so much more love, which is why they were picked as Heroic Spirit in the Assassin Card. I also think that their powers would be perfect for a story like this and will complement Ginger and the other Servants greatly. And considering I want each Servant to fill a role to make each card unique and useful, I felt the skills Hundred Personas brought to the table fit what the Assassin should be the best.

Aside from that, I can't expression how good it feels to get back to writing this. I have SOOO many new ideas now for this story. When I started, I had a vague idea and premise. Now, I definitely have a plan. One that I am excited to write. So now that I have a much stronger idea for this story, I hope writing for it will be easier. And hopefully I won't delay the next chapter by trying to change my Servant outline again for 5th time, only to go back to my original list. Cause that happened. I kept trying to switch out who I wanted for the other 5 Servants, only to end up back at the list I started with somehow. Funny how that works, huh?

Also, because I've changed some things I was planning to do, I have slightly edited older chapters to reflect that. I have a different idea on how magecraft would work in Remnant, and I added some things to foreshadow stuff. So look forward to what that all leads to.