We stood on platforms overlooking a cliff, which in turn overlooked a forest. This was apparently a standard thing is this world, as it looked remarkably similar to the original forest I'd woken up in. I knew it wasn't, though. Glynda had been roped into supervising us for this portion of our exam, though she would not be descending into the woods with us. We were to combat the Grimm alone. Phyrra was still not talking to me, despite the last three days spent doing nothing but training as a team. We'd developed a strategy, more or less. Nora would obviously be the forefront of most of our strategies, while Ren would be hitting while our opponent was distracted by her. I would be hopping in and out to both keep myself safe and deal what damage I could with my sword, and Phyrra was the wild card, able to do any of our roles as needed.

With the exception of Nora, she could actually perform any of our roles better. I wanted to hate her for it, but I couldn't. In a way, her anger towards me was right.

I had learned a lot about the world. About how the creatures of Grimm were drawn to negative energy, about how the kingdoms were the only relatively safe spaces in the world. Skyrim was a terribly dangerous place, but at least the majority of roads were traversable with a mercenary or two guarding you.

Here, it was suicide to go anywhere without Hunters or a heavily armed airship. Ren finally told me that not every gun was a rifle, and I got to know my team-mates weapons. I could use basic functions on a scroll, though as soon as I pulled out the map a box had popped up saying that with just the word "Minimap" I would be able to create a box that would show me a map regardless so I only used it for keeping track of time and for getting a hold of my team-mates.

I found myself getting closer to Ren, due to a combination of him being closer to my level and because I felt like he still didn't care that I had been ready to kill someone who had attempted to kill me. Nora was slightly more hesitant but after a few minutes she had been fine with me as well. I'd explained myself, and only Phyrra still seemed to harbour resentment towards me. Perhaps it was due to Nora and Ren's past that they were slightly more forgiving of my kill or be killed mentality, but I was happy to not be completely alienated. I was beginning to like my team.

The decision of leadership was obvious to me so far. Nora was powerful but seemed too bubbly to coordinate a team, especially when she would always be in the thick of battle. Phyrra was too often a loner in combat, and while she was especially deadly and had a handle on battlefield tactics, I felt her moral code would get in the way and possibly cost one of us our lives. I wouldn't be killed because she wanted to apprehend a criminal when it would be safer to kill it.

That left Ren. he was cool, calm, and collected in almost every situation. He thought things through and while he wasn't the strongest, he could see weak points and accurately gauge how the team was doing by his ability to sense Aura. He would be able to accurately place Phyrra in the role she was needed in, and come up with a plan of attack on the fly. This exam was as much me examining my team as Ozpin examining us, but I wouldn't let that stop me. I was anxious to prove myself, and have a second chance at fighting the Grimm.

Phyrra had helped me train with my stats in mind, so I felt she was slowly coming around, but if I managed to stay in the school I would give her a formal apology for my behaviour and hopefully mend the rift. Her reputation rating was lowering by the day, and I didn't want that to go on any longer than absolutely necessary, especially not if I was to be trusting her to watch my back.

The exam would be nearly identical to the last one, though with only us being launched into the forest, the odds of us encountering greater amounts of Grimm were high. There was simply no other targets for them. I appreciated a challenge, though was not used to fighting these beasts, not yet at least. As far as I could tell, the only way to combat the Grimm was with overwhelming firepower, something I was unable to bring to bear yet.

We soared through the air after being catapulted from the cliff. I'd thought about my landing strategy long and hard, eventually deciding that I would use my new Grapple skill in order to halt my fall. That in mind, I set my eyes on a tall tree, and pointed my sword towards it.

My Grapple skill had risen enough levels, along with my harpoon mastery, that I was fairly confident I could make the shot. That didn't stop me from waiting until I was closer to take it, I didn't want to take unnecessary risks when the failure would consist of me in a broken heap on the ground. I still found the start of this exam insane, but with the agility and acrobatic skill I'd seen from the other students, it made a sick kind of sense.

Against beings as powerful as the Grimm that could send you flying with a single solid hit, those that could not recover and land ready to fight were doomed to death, and it would be a waste of time and resources to train such a person. It also taught quick thinking, though since I knew it was coming that didn't really apply.

With a twitch of a finger I fired the harpoon, sighing in relief as it sunk into the trunk of my intended tree. I held on tightly to the sword as I was wrapped around the tree, and slammed into the bark with enough force to cause my AP to take a minor hit.

In the past couple of days, I'd also discovered the "Aura Mastery" Skill. It allowed me to use my aura to block hits and take damage to my AP instead of my HP, though without AP I would be unable to use any of my active skills like Grapple or Power Strike. That didn't matter too much, because Longsword and Harpoon Mastery didn't require AP, but it still limited my options. When I could take a hit with my HP instead, I would, as my armor would help negate damage and I didn't actually get injured anymore regardless.

The first thing I had to do was find my team. We'd decided that if after 30 minutes we couldn't find each other, we would rendezvous at the crest of the hill in the distance and go from there. I'd seen a part of the clearing while I was airborne, so I had a rough idea of where it was. My direction vaguely in mind, I set off.

I came upon my first Grimm in about 5 minutes. "Observe"

Young Ursa Minor

LVL. 11

There were two of them, and I had hoped to gain the element of surprise but as soon as I was in sight, they turned to me as a pair and roared.

I felt ready, though. Not ready enough to use many active skills as my AP pool was still pathetically small, but with the bonuses granted from my passive skills I felt it wouldn't be difficult.

As the first Grimm charged me, I charged back, instantly aware of the almost unfair improvement in my skills. This was a heavier opponent than the Beowolves, though having fought trolls back in Skyrim I kept the same strategy in mind. Keep out of range, counter-attacks only, and whittle away at their natural armor until they succumbed to their wounds. As far as I knew, these beasts didn't have any regenerative abilities so at least this would be slightly easier. As it leaped and raised a paw for a strike, I halted my charge and jumped back, causing it to land right in front of me.

I wasted no time, hitting it twice with my sword before rolling away from the second Ursa. The first had lost a little bit of health, though it would take at least 10 more hits along those lines to kill it.

The battle lasted for 5 minutes. It would have been shorter if it was a one-on-one duel, but it wasn't and I was forced to dodge when I would rather be attacking. Due to cautious tactics, I didn't take much in the way of damage, but one glancing blow had dropped my AP down to dangerous levels, and I had to de-activate my Aura to prevent Aura Exhaustion from setting in. this meant I was out of luck if I had wanted to use any of my skills.

With the bear-like Grimm dissolving behind me, I continued into the forest. This particular patch of greenery seemed darker and more dead than the Emerald Forest. I attributed that to the fact that it was outside of the city walls, and as such there were dead leaves and felled branches strewn about in various states of decay. I had my first true glimpse of life outside the walls, and I imagined it wasn't even that bad - from what Phyrra had said, the world of Remnant was much more dangerous than this patch of land.

Our objective during this examination was simple: find each other, group up, and capture a live Grimm to bring back. I wasn't quite sure how it was we would be able to do that, but that was something to figure out once we were together once more.

A roar sounded from behind me before an explosion sent me flying forwards. I righted myself mid-air, and though I landed with my feet on the ground I still tumbled backwards. I did manage to see Nora standing over another, larger Ursa, though with the monster defeated I had to actively use my Observe skill to discern the species. One might think that having just fought Ursae, I'd be able to recognize them.

Whoever thought that hadn't accounted for the Nora factor. The beast's skull had been obliterated and its neck was mangled to the point of resembling meat loaf.

"Hey Tori!"

"Hello Nora."

"Any clue where we're going?" She asked, stepping off of the slowly dissolving corpse.

"To the hill, I guess. I didn't expect to find anyone before the time was up so we can just head there and wait." I said.

She nodded. "Sounds good to me!"

So we continued. We happened upon a small pack of Beowolves that I personally would have had an issue with, though I got to see Nora in action. She was amazing, using the explosives provided by her weapon to propel herself through the air in intricate flips and twists, every strike with purpose and devastating effect. I stayed on the fringes of what could only be described as a massacre, slashing at my 3 opponents until they fell and then firing my harpoon into the mix when I was sure I wouldn't hit the hammer-wielding warrior.

At one point, as The harpoon had just stuck into a particularly large Beowolf, and she simply landed on it, hopped back up into the air, and continued her crusade against the Grimm. Not only that, but she did it without changing her bubbly personality and utilizing a hammer of a greater size than many men in Skyrim would be capable of even lifting.

Your level has increased by one! The skill Harpoon Mastery's level has increased by one!

I ducked behind a tree and quickly brought up my status page. I already knew where I wanted to put my status points, and immediately suck all five into intelligence, bringing it up to 9. This also had the desired effect of nearly doubling my AP, something that I had decided needed to happen. I also had to discover my semblance to remove that title, but would the new title from passing the exam replace it instead, or would I still have to deal with being "The Displaced One"?

Only time would tell. Speaking of time, Nora finished off our enemies in short order and looked no worse for wear from the encounter.

"There will be more." She said. "Especially with that attitude you've got."

"What attitude? This is just how I am." I replied, confused.

"I doubt it." She replied, smile still on her face. "You seem like someone who's used to having things go their way. The way I see it, things aren't going your way right now. I won't pry, but you've got to figure yourself out. Otherwise, you'll attract more and more Grimm until you get one of, or even all of us killed." She continued walking after that, the usual spring in her step, and my perception of her drastically changed.

Before, I had seen a little girl, silly and naive, with power that didn't make sense for her to have. Now I saw what I thought was the truth. She had power, but she also cared about those around her. She's trained herself to emit happiness in order to become invisible to the Grimm. When I thought about it, the entire team had, besides for myself.

Ren was calm, taking things in stride and efficiently working out a solution. Phyrra had the confidence to fight and avoid panic, and inspired that same confidence in those around her. Nora was either sure of her power and used that as an excuse to lighten up, or was actually just that… Nora-ish.

I was a grumpy old man in young mans body, stuck in a place where I had no allies and no idea what the fuck was going on. The Gamer's Mind had assisted me in processing these things I saw, but it was still a lot to take in. Here in the forest, it was a little bit more like home, and for now I would let that be my solace.

After 2 hours and another couple of skirmishes with small amounts of Grimm, we made it to the hill where Phyrra was waiting underneath a tree. She sat cross-legged, her sword and shield on the ground in front of her. She was almost meditating, but with her eyes open and scanning for threats.

"Hi Phyrra! Have you seen Ren?" She nodded upwards into the tree, and Nora leapt up without a second breath. I saw a few leaves fall, then a giggle. I approached Phyrra.

"Jaune." She said, though it was simply an acknowledgement of my presence, and nothing more.

"Phyrra." I replied, sitting down beside her. At this she did close her eyes and pretend to be meditating, but a slight twitch of her ear proved that was not the truth. "Whatever resentment you may harbour towards me must end. If the Grimm are drawn to negative energy, this will be bad for the team. Also, my actual name would be pleasant."

"You're a murderer." She stated.

I nodded, then spoke because I knew she couldn't see me. "Yes. I have murdered before, and I shall again."

"How do you expect me to work with someone like that?" Her eyes snapped open and she turned her head towards me. "How am I supposed to sleep with you in the same room, knowing that every time I close my eyes it could be the last time?"

"You haven't tried to kill me, so I wouldn't try to kill you. You seem to have a very black-or-white interpretation of crimes, something my people had an issue with as well." I told her.

"You expect me to believe that?"

"I won't say I didn't enjoy some of my kills. I also won't say that after a time, I got good at it. What I will tell you, though, is that had you been in my position, I highly doubt you could have done any different." I attempted to stay calm. How did one justify apparent evil to a paragon of virtue? It simply wasn't done.

She scoffed and turned away, gathering her weapons and attempting to stand. I grabbed her arm and pulled her back down, but in a flash her sword was at my throat. She held it there as we locked eyes, and I saw the fire and fury within. "Don't you dare tell me I will become a murderer. The day I kill is the day I've already failed."

I didn't flinch. Oh, I desperately wanted to back away, but the calming effects of my ability told me that if I backed down, she would see me as afraid of her. I couldn't have that, even if it was semi-true."What happens when it's your life on the line?"

She stared at me still, gaze unflinching.

"What happens when only you can prevent the deaths of innocents, if only you can eradicate a great evil? What if by killing a few, you save the majority?" I asked, my own emotion rising up within me. "What happens when it's not only your own morality on the line, Phyrra?!"

She pulled back slightly, but I followed forward, refusing to let her sword leave my throat. "What about right now, with your blade ready to end my life? If I pulled out my sword right now and tried to kill you, or Ren, or Nora, would you be able to stop me without killing me?"

She shook her head. "Of course! You wouldn't do that, would you?"

"I don't know! Not right now, or in the immediate future, but if something happened where I had to choose between people I cared about, people I loved, or you, I think you would know my decision!" Again, memories of my family rose to mind, which I quickly squashed down. "What if you couldn't stop me without killing me? What if, one day you were woken in the middle of the night, went to check on your only son, and found a man with a bloody knife standing over his corpse! WOULD YOU STAY YOUR BLADE THEN?!" I shouted, breathing heavily.

I saw her eyes change in that moment. They changed from cold anger, drifting quickly through many emotion, then right to pity.

"Torga, I-"

"There's no way you could have known." I told her coldly. "Nobody could have known, because I don't talk about it. Now, with this bullshit power, I can. I can speak about them without feeling the uncontrollable rage that threatens to consume me. So tell me, Phyrra. Knowing that of all the men and women I killed, the majority were bandits, rapists and thieves. Knowing that the rest were corrupt leaders, hired assassins, or my own brothers-in-arms. Knowing that I only ever killed one innocent, and by ignorance rather than intention. Knowing what you now know, can you blame me for my apparent sins?"

"I… I don't know." She still stared at me with pity.

I grabbed her sword from its point in front of my throat, squeezing it as I deactivated my aura. I waited until her eyes dropped down to the blood that was leaking out of my grip, then pushed the sword away and stood. "Then let my blood soak your blade, if that is what you wish. My Aura is down." I dropped my own sword on the ground. "I am unarmed. Kill me if you wish to kill me. If you don't then quit acting like you have a bone to pick, and maybe we can work together as a team."

Something hit my back, and I flinched, surprised that she would actually call my bluff. Until I realized that two arms wrapped around me, and she was pressed against my back. "I'm sorry, Torga." I moved to shake out of her grip by her wrist guards clanged together and wouldn't budge, effectively pinning my arms to my sides. "Stop, listen. I barely knew Jaune before he was ripped away. He was a good guy, a knight in shining armour. He may not have had a landing strategy, but I'm willing to bet that he was a very heart-filled warrior and I was looking forward to working with him, even from a different team. I learned that his Aura was scattered to the wind, and his consciousness ripped from his body and replaced by that of a cynical murderer. I was angry, upset at the friendship I would never get to make and I took it out on you. Everyone knows me as The Invincible Girl, they're intimidated by me, and Jaune… so sweet, and so simple. He didn't even know me."

"I don't know you." I pointed out.

"I said listen." She said, though I could tell she was running out of steam. "I closed myself off from the fact that you were almost identical in situation. You may seem grumpy, but I know there's a heart of gold in you, I do now at least. I'm truly sorry."

I pushed my arms apart now, and she let her own fall to her sides. I turned about to face her. "You shouldn't apologize for your beliefs, even if they're wrong. You learned what you did, when you did, and any other reaction or attempt to hide true feelings would be fake. I detest liars almost as much as murderers. You've seen my side, so I'll see it from yours, as much as I can at least. This place is much more… light than where I come from. I see that it's out of necessity to avoid the Grimm, but.. What I'm saying is that it's all fine. If what you said about your apology is the truth, then I hold no hard feelings."

She nodded. "It is the truth, I swear it."

I let a pained grin cross my face. "Good to hear."

"Not exactly as I thought, but pretty close." I jumped as Ren gracefully slid from the branches of the tree.

"I thought we'd be up there forever!" Nora shouted as she followed him down with significantly less grace.

I blanched as I realized that they had heard the whole thing. Ren noticed that I had noticed, and was quick to comment. "No worries about your past from us, Torga. If you say that you did what you did for good reason, than I believe you. We're a team, and trust is necessary."

I nodded in turn. "Damn right." I looked over the three of them, realizing for what felt like the first time that my fate would be intertwined with the man and women in front of me for at least a few years, if not for life.

If trust were to happen, it had to go both ways, so with a sigh, I spoke. "If trust is to be our standard and honesty our creed, I have something to share."

I told them everything.

So far, so good. It's a bit annoying writing for him when he's so weak, but whatever. The story will go on, don't you worry!

~HHR