Sorry for the week delay. I went away, got food poisoning, then had a crap-tonne of work to catch up on. Might be biweekly for a few chapters while I build the buffer back up.

Vale News Network

"Lisa Lavender reporting now on the newest mystery straight out of Beacon Academy!"

"The celebrated Team JNPR, stars of Hunter's Gate, have not had the similar start that most other Huntsman and Huntresses usually get, even beyond their less-than-standard initiation. For the average applicant, their childhood is one steeped in the culture of our protectors, many starting their combat training around the age of 6 or 7 and being tutored by their parents or a family friend before being admitted to a prep school such as our very own Signal.

Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie were not so lucky. At a young age, Lie Ren lost his parents in a vicious Grimm attack on the village of Kuroyuri, since declared inhabitable by the Combined Council of Anima. Rising above his hardships, young Ren was able to escape along with then-refugee Nora Valkyrie, and they made their way here to Vale in search of a better life. I'd say they've found it!

Pyrrha Nikos hardly needs an explanation, though in a different way she too was denied the standard upbringing of a Huntsman or Huntress. From the tender age of 5 Pyrrha has been entering into tournaments, first in youth martial arts-" a still image of Pyrrha, young and in a karate gi with a red belt "- then once she unlocked her aura, in various prep tournaments. We all have been looking forward to seeing her in action in her first International Tournament!"

However, one member of the group stands out with his upbringing. Jaune 'Torga' Arc, as far as our investigative reporters could discern, has had

no training or hardships of any kind. This is a far cry from how said Huntsman acts which raises the question all of us, myself included, have been asking since he first made his way onto the scene: Where is this Skyrim, and why does it change a person so? We have a panel of experts in geology, political history, and finishing it off is an appearance from our very own Councilor Frond, coming up at 2."

Atlas Broadcast Network

A panel of three men in business suits sit to the right, while a man in an extravagant jacket with bright floral print sits off to the left behind a bigger desk, a pile of folders atop it. A jazz ensemble plays as an audience cheers. The man with the extravagant jacket stands, and spreads his arms wide. "What a welcome! Thank you, thank you! Please, let's all calm down. Wouldn't want to spook the suits!"

He waits with a charming grin on his face, blue eyes dancing and blonde hair slicked back. "Now, I know I try my best to make sure each and every night is a new high in entertainment, a new leap to the forefront of what you want to see! Which is why we have finally decided to address the pressing issue raised by a little old reality show down in our sister-Kingdom - I know, I know, we said we wouldn't but how. Could. I. Not! Excellent idea, original even! I dare say General Ironwood would never allow a television crew into his Academy, and yet Headmaster Ozpin seems to have nothing to hide!"

His face falls and his energy dips. "Now, I will be the last person to make light of the suffering our brothers outside of city walls go through and am even less likely to try and bring you all down with me. But when I heard about the tragedy that befell Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie, my heart cracked in my chest. A young boy, forced to watch his family fall while he could do nothing to stop it." The host put on a sniff. "I don't know about you, ladies and gentlemen, but that makes me just want to find this poor boy and take him in, tell him that it will all be okay." A chorus of aww's comes from the audience.

The lights in the studio flash into dramatic spotlights. "Lie Ren would have none of it! With nothing but a knife he fought his way to a friend, and managed to remove them from the danger! With every reason to stop, he pressed on, finding a new village, and eventually the Huntsmen! Despite his trauma- Why do I bother? The man himself said it best." The host gestures behind him where a gigantic screen switches from its background patterns to a clip of Hunter's Gate, the logo still watermarked in the bottom corner. Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie sit at the front desks of an empty classroom.

"So, Ren. We have your partner's answer." Nora grinned at her designation from the female voice. "What about you? Why do you want to be a huntsman?"

Lie Ren looked down for a moment at his desk, then back up with magenta eyes sparking with intensity. "I will not let any more of my loved ones die because I was too weak to stop it. I fight so others don't have to, I protect the innocent, and I eradicate Grimm. All of this helps with my goal."

"So you want to be stronger than anyone who would come after you and yours?"

He gave a pained smirk. "I already am, my body has yet to realise and keep up." In a flash, his pain vanished. "We are in Beacon to become the best of the best. I cannot afford to set my sights on anything less, even if my goal is selfish."

Nora rolled her eyes. "You just had to ask, didn't you? He always gets so intense about stuff like this."

The screen went blank, and the host in the coloured jacket shook with manufactured emotion. He wheeled around to the audience, pointing at the screen behind him with conviction. "That boy- no, that man - has got my support. In fact…" The host holds a hand to his ear where a very visible - and unbeknownst to the audience, completely fake - earpiece was. "Ah good, the approval just came in, what excellent timing! We've invited Team JNPR to come up to Atlas for a vacation after the Vytal Festival, and they've agreed to do an interview right here on my show! Stay tuned for more details and a date, but for now, we move to our panel. Mr. Flynt, if I recall correctly your just released your new Album, Beyon-"

Free Media Menagerie

A male figure in a collared short sleeve shirt stood next to a well-dressed cat faunus in front of what looked like an oceanside villa. The faunus had a darker complexion with coloured, jagged stripes where her bronze skin was visible.

"Thank you for agreeing to meet with us Ms. Khan. In light of the recent showing of a more capable team then most during the Vytal tournament has many faunus spooked, for lack of a better word. I understand you are to address this?" The reporter trembled slightly as he went through what seemed like forced lines to anyone with a sense for such things.

"I am." The camera shifted, cutting the nervous reporter out of the frame. "You have nothing to fear. The incident at the Valean docks was isolated in that a rogue sect of the White Fang was acting outside of Valean law, on their own volition. Such actions are not and will not be condoned by the White Fang, and we urge all faunus, members or not, to remember that Huntsman and Huntresses are not our enemies. They hold back the tides of Grimm, who will not see the differences between us and the humans. I suppose in one way, that would end the discrimination, yet none wish for such a resolution. Our enemies remain those who would cast us out and push us aside for the sake of a percentage point, or an easier time from their neighbours. Our enemies are those who would see all faunus locked away here on Menagerie - as well as we have managed to thrive. Our enemies are most certainly not the ones giving their lives to keep us safe, and as such the White Fang refrains from taking an active position in regards to Team JNPR and Hunter's Gate. Thank you, and may we all stand with conviction, and sleep in peace."

Underground VODcast

Static was normal. Static was routine. The clipping sounds of someone walking up to a microphone was full of anticipation, the scrape of a chair being pulled back music to those who listened. The feed filled with the silhouette of a faunus, ears visible but the rest shrouded in darkness. They were triangular, maybe a dog or cat faunus.

"Wake up preppers! The end is coming, and only I will tell you the truth! Our Great and Glorious leader Ozpin has decided to show off his little toy soldiers - in-training my ass! - and the Kingdoms are just eating it right up! Are we forgetting that their leader is a murderer? Are we forgetting the champion who does not want to compete? What about the literal homeless couple being press ganged into blood sport? I'm being told to believe that these four people are more worthy, more deserving of Beacon's resources than any other? Not a single one is even from Vale! The closest - and I won't be diving into that whole mess quite yet - is Jaune Arc who was allegedly from Patch. I say allegedly because when I investigated the Arc family, I could find only one family who would have fit the bill, the family of a Huntsman living off in a little village. See, he was adamant about not giving answers but one of his daughters snuck away to give us a polygraph test - for a sizeable donation of Lien, courtesy of my fine viewers - and get this: She swears all day - truthfully - that she has never had a brother, that her father is the only male in their family. We dug a little further into the public school recor-"

The audio cuts into static. The silhouette freezes mid revelation, unmoving. Eerie.

The chair never scrapes again. The video never advances another frame.

"My favourite what?"

Despite the odd question, Headmaster Ozpin made no move to laugh or chuckle as he would if this were leading up to a joke. The rest of the room fell deathly serious as well.

"Fairy-tale, Mr. Arc. Stories that parents tell their children to impart morals through an entertaining and sometimes not-so-fictitious narrative."

Something clicked in my mind. "Oh, so like what most people assumed the trolls were. 'You'd better eat your leeks young man or a Troll will come and rip out your tongue!'. Heh, my mother didn't have much in the way of imagination."

"And were these trolls real?"

"Killed my first at 23, so I'd say so. They definitely won't stop at the tongue, though."

Qrow grumbled. "Still weird to have a 17 year old kid talk about being 23."

I shrugged. It wasn't weird for me, not anymore. Or maybe it was, and my power was protecting me from the oddity?

"I… assume you do not know any of our fairy-tales."

I pondered for a moment, then shook my head. "I'd imagine they're usually about the Grimm, no?"

Ozpin sighed. "Well, yes, but to keep things brief: I am speaking of one in particular, the Tale of the Seasons. There was a tale of four maidens who came upon an old man, sequestered away in solitude. The maidens took pity on the man, and sought to help. Each in their own way did bring truth and light to his life, so upon the turn of the year the old man granted the maidens magical powers, so they could go out and continue to help others."

I frowned. "So… what does that have to do with seasons? All I'm getting from this is that there was a guy that taught magic."

"True magic." Ironwood stated with expectancy. "Without the usage of Dust."

I raised an eyebrow and summoned an Ice Spike. "Like this?"

James Ironwood, General of the Atlesian Military and Headmaster of Atlas Academy, flinched and took a step back.

"Yea, that's pretty common where I'm from." I continued, dropping the Ice Spike to the floor. It didn't shatter, so I melted it with a flamethrower. Looking back up I saw a wide myriad of expressions, most notably Ozpin's utter lack of shock and the juxtaposed face of complete shock adorned by Glynda Goodwitch. "Is… is it not, here?"

Ozpin grinned knowingly. "I think you know the answer to that question. While it is not… unheard of, for one to harness the power of the elements without the usage of Dust, such is usually related to one's Semblance."

I cut into his leading pause. "Which is why these four mages are so special? I'd be more interested in finding the man who could grant that power. I know for a fact that Pyrrha would rise to the occasion, and giving Nora some lightning magic could only be a good idea - for us, anyways. Apologies to the city for any property damage. Ren… well he might be fin-"

"The power only passes to women." Ozpin was still smiling, content to let me form my thoughts on this.

"What do you mean, passes?"

Glynda recovered from her shock and dropped into what must have been a familiar lecturing tone. "Each maiden holds onto their power for life. They can utilise the magic, even beyond their original semblance if they were so trained to unlock it before attaining the power. When a maiden… expires, the power is transferred to the last woman in their thoughts. The woman must be younger than 35, of pure heart - though that is debatable - and finally, must be a virgin."

"A what?" I raised an eyebrow. Even putting aside whatever this virgin thing is, that's not a very secure transfer of power. I mean, it's more straightforward than the choosing of a Dragonborn, which I still don't understand, but not by much.

"Really? Of all the things-"

"If you can't put it together from Maiden and virgin, the woman who receives the power cannot have laid with a man yet. We are unsure if same-sex relationships also count, but have found that… difficult to reliably test." Ironwood cut Qrow off neutrally.

"Ah. So in theory it could end up in a baby? A mother would obviously be thinking of her children in her last moments."

Qrow huffed and pulled out his flask again.

"Mr. Arc, we did not call you in here to ask your opinion on a power that you could inherently never have-"

I petulantly blasted another flamethrower at the floor.

Ozpin coughed. "That you may not have from this particular source."

I looked around, and even I could notice everyone was watching, waiting for something, a reaction. I could also play that game, and clasped my hands behind my back to continue training Dust Factory. Once I had a stable loop of Fire-Water-Steam running, I eyed my slowly dwindling AP with confusion before recalling the plethora of levels I had gained from the Quest. Realising I had some more to spare, I dropped an Aura Enchantment II on my helmet, making it able to breathe underwater and be resistant to fire - for all of almost a second, before the skill dropped. I could easily drain my AP doing that, so I reverted to Enchantment I and-

"Mr. Arc!" My eyes snapped up to Glynda Goodwitch. "I understand you have managed to find a way to train yourself but you will pay attention when you are in a meeting with 2 of Remnant's most powerful men."

I shrugged and dropped the enchanting. I could keep the Dust Factory loop going much easier without thinking too hard on it anyways. "Sorry, zoned out. What did I miss?"

"We would like to offer you the prestigious position of guarding the Fall Maiden. Our last maiden-"

"Had an unexpected accident." Glynda cut Ironwood off with a stern glare.

I narrowed my eyes.

"She was attacked." Ozpin stated with finality.

"Headmast-"

"Oz-"

Ozpin set his mug down, the subtle sound silencing all present. Damn. Now that's something I wish I could do.

"She was attacked by a group of people who wish to take the maiden's power for their own."

I nodded in understanding. "I'd imagine it would be hard to think of someone else if one woman tortured you to death. Cruel, but ultimately the design of the power. Since Jimmy said-"

Qrow snorted, then held up a hand. "C'mon kid. You need to at least act your age, and that means calling him by at least his full name, even if you couldn't catch me dead using the titles."

"They are earned and valid positions that I take incredibly seriously."

"Oh, of course you do, General. Fine work you've been doing, truly inspirational." I deadpanned. "Why, just the other day I was present to watch a few of your mech-suits valiantly attempt to murder children. Serious business, that. Why, were your machines any more competent someone might actually have gotten hurt."

"Atlas cannot be held responsible for the usage of stolen goods."

I was surprised. "Wait, really? Back home, you're at least responsible for guarding dangerous goods until they reach their destination. If a merchant was robbed and a sword stolen used to kill someone, that merchant would still be at least partially responsible for the murder. At least, that's how the Empire ran things."

"If we would get back on track."

"Thank you Glynda. James, Qrow, stop distracting him. Today we require your decision."

I paused for a moment to collect what I knew. Four mages, all women, created by one man, likely a Wizard in capability if not the actual title. From how the faculty was acting, it would seem these are the only mages in Remnant, which might have explained a little bit about how the Grimm could push them back so hard. I may talk a lot of shit about magic, but even I can understand that a single Chain Lightning spell at the head of a besieging army would be worth 100 trained warriors. Well, until they closed to melee or bow-range.

The previous maiden attacked, Fall, they said. Yet, she was not here, which meant- "You're using medicine on her to keep her alive?"

Ozpin held up a hand to silence any dissent, of which it seemed there would be much. "We are."

"You know my thoughts on that?"

"Yes, I've had to edit them out of published episodes no less than 12 times this month."

"Ah. Well, when does she die?"

"Mr. Arc!" Glynda snapped.

"When we can be sure the next is safe."

"Ozpin!" General Ironwood seethed. "We agreed-"

Both of us fixed him with a glare. Ozpin continued to speak, not averting his gaze. "We have a few candidates, though with your capabilities and potential we would like to partner you up with her. She is a very accomplished combatant, quite possibly the best in the year." My heart sank.

"And what do you plan to use her for?"

"She will be her own person, of course." The Headmaster sipped his coffee.

I narrowed my eyes and waited. There was absolutely no reason for someone to go through the cost and trouble of saving, protecting, transferring, and assigning a guardian to a power if they didn't intend to use it somehow.

Ozpin smiled as if he had expected that. "It is not that we intend to use her, but that we intend to prevent others from doing so. The maidens hold a level of power that throws the entire balance of the system off. They are to a Huntsman as a Huntsman is to a civilian, as much as I dislike drawing the comparison. And yes, I do also know your thoughts on that."

I lowered my hand from where I had raised it to interrupt.

"What would this job entail?" I asked, easily shifting into my contract negotiation tactics. I would have him describe the job, including difficulty, duration, and likelihood of loss of life given my resources. It would be tougher, considering my only resource would be myself - maybe my team, if I could talk them into it.

"Simply stick by her and fight by her side should she come under attack."

"For how long?"

Ozpin winced in sympathy. "Well… indefinitely."

"No."

A collective wince spread throughout the room, from all except the headmaster. He just continued to smile, and that seemed to hold off any objections.

"That is your rightful decision to make. Might we be told why you have chosen so?"

I raised an eyebrow. He wasn't bad at this. "Easy. You're asking me to give up on all of my own ambitions and plans in order to act as a bodyguard for a mage for an indeterminate amount of time. I am a mage." A shiver crept through my body as I said it, but I could deny it no longer. "I'm a mage with quite frankly more magicka and a higher potential than this maiden, from what I've been told anyways. Beyond that, I have a duty to my team and my followers to see my goals through to the end, and that would be hindered by this position. You aren't even offering any sort of compensation."

Ozpin thought for a moment. "What is it that you would want in order to do this?"

I take it back. He wasn't that good at this. "First, I would want to know who the maiden candidate is. Given you said best in their year, I'm assuming it would either be an upperclassman I don't know, Yang Xiao-Long, Ruby Rose, or Pyrrha. I can tell you right now, Pyrrha doesn't want any more of the spotlight, Ruby would take the opportunity in an instant if you framed it right, and Yang… well, I'm not sure about her."

"It isn't Ms. Xiao-Long or Ms. Rose."

"So Pyrrha or an upper-"

"Yes, it is Pyrrha Nikos." My eyes narrowed as I thought.

"Ozpin, you said we would be getting him to stand guard, not bringing him right into the fold." James protested. "We agreed to disclose the maidens. We agreed to disclose that we had one. We agreed to hide the candidate's identity until he agreed."

"Circumstances change, old friend. I believe that disclosing the candidate would make him more likely to accept. Would I be wrong?" He asked me after explaining to the General.

"You would not." I grit out. I was unhappy with negotiations and sought to take back control. "However, I would make my conditions known before we go any further, and also have you know that after discussing with my team, we may have further conditions."

"That is more than acceptable, Torga."

"First, I expect myself and my team to be compensated monetarily. Starting bonus, as well as monthly payments."

"As is standard for any long-term Huntsman contract. We would be framing it as such. With Ms. Nikos' fame and presence on your team, it would be easy to believe that her family is paying you extra to keep her safe from rivals and the like."

I nodded, it seemed well thought out. "Second, I want a bottomless vault agreement when it comes to procuring equipment related to the task. I'm not asking for a mansion, just for our expenses to be covered should we require extraneous supplies for missions."

"I'm sure we can find room in the budget to accommodate any requests." My eyes widened almost imperceptibly. They really wanted me to do this for some reason.

"Third, I want a battleship."

"Denied." Ironwood immediately said. "Not open for negotiation."

I sighed. "That's unfortunately non-negotiable. In the interests of keeping this from devolving, might I have your reasoning?"

The general looked incredulous. "Is he serious? We can't give a battleship to a teenager-" I coughed "no matter how much we need him. I can assign the Ace-Ops to Fall just as easily as this kid, and I guarantee they would be more effective!" Ozpin lowered his head and would have groaned were he not keeping composure like I was.

Qrow didn't blunt his reaction, throwing his hands up into the air and stalking over to the elevator. "Might as well hand him the keys to the kingdom."

"I didn't hear a reason." I said calmly. The Gamer's Mind was often a curse, but allowing me to keep neutral during this was surprisingly nice. Objective thought before emotional response is the best approach to business, or so my ma always said, though in much more common words. Considering we did quite well at the mill, I always believed her.

"I believe James is simply worried about what it is you need a battleship for. You spoke of plans and ambitions, and I think we are all curious as to what those are that would require a military-grade airship."

"You mean beyond murdering every single Grimm on Remnant? I'm going to help you lot take your world back. Skyrim is also a dangerous place, but we never hunkered behind our walls and lived in fear of a forest."

Ozpin sighed again. "As you said, Torga, I didn't hear a reason."

I smirked, having expected him to catch that. "Fine. Once I graduate, or possibly before, I plan to commence the search for a Dust deposit large enough and varied enough to last me at least a year. I will take a group of aura-unlocked fighters, establish a camp around the deposit, and utilise my unique abilities to extract and refine the Dust. That should provide enough of a financial base and a power base to begin the next step of my plan, which is to invite any and all citizens of any Kingdom to come to my land and have their Aura unlocked free of charge, should they be able to make the journey themselves. I will then allow these citizens to rest, recuperate, receive the bare minimum in Aura training to make their journey home easier, and offer any promising ones a place in my lands."

"Handily avoiding the Kingdom's laws behind Aura unlocking and recreating a new version of your mercenary band?"

"Starting a freakin' bandit tribe is more like it." Qrow snorted out.

I ignored him and answered Ozpin. It was clear he was the one with the negotiating power. "Precisely. I am of the opinion that 50 militiamen would be worth more than 5 huntsman when it comes to defending a location against the Grimm. I want the battleship to act as a means of transporting my group once we have used the Dust deposit, as well as to deploy on missions and act as a complement to our defence until we can fortify our position. Beyond that, it would be painted to act as a symbol, because I will admit that aspect of the Huntsman does have merit. In homage to our roots, I would be granting the city of Vale - Beacon included - priority and price concessions when it comes to hiring us. Atlas will be getting a different form of boon, while I have yet to decide on how to include Mistral, Vacuo, and Menagerie into the equation. I would need to know what they value."

"You presume too much." Ironwood stated, teeth clenched. "Forming your own Kingdom? Having the absolute audacity to assume equality after poaching our citizens, then claiming to have a boon for a whole Kingdom? Ozpin, you said he was full of quirks, not insane."

"I do not believe he is delusional at all. In fact, why don't you tell the General what your planned boon is? If it is what I think it is, I'm not too certain his two council seats would matter if you made the request before the Atlesian Council."

I held up my hands, showing my training. "As part of my abilities, I can absorb, fuse, and secrete Dust." I handed over small crystals of each that I was working with. "I can also amplify and refine it into different forms." I dropped a Fire Fun Ball onto the desk, enjoying how everyone around me flinched as the glowing crystal flared slightly on impact but did not detonate. "I am currently limited to Lesser Dust, though I believe that with more training I may be able to push myself to create Greater Dust from its components. My ultimate goal for Atlas is to create a stockpile of Fusion Dust, and my boon for Atlas would have been 2 tonnes of said Dust, one each for the SDC and Atlas Academy. I hear you are the foremost researchers on Dust, and I would like to see what your scientists can do with the materials they need."

James took a step back and put his arm on the desk to steady himself. "Keep.. Keep that knowledge to yourself. The council wouldn't give you a ship, they would give you five and an army. I will see what we can do to refurbish one of the mothballed hulls from the war. You do understand that even if I can get you the ship… crewing, supplying, maintaining, and all surrounding legality would be on your shoulders."

I nodded. "I plan to accept comers from all walks of life."

A bang was heard as Qrow slumped his head against the wall. "Making my life harder and harder…"

"Ozpin will give me your scroll details… The only reason I'm considering this is that if you somehow manage to not die in the first week, it will make us look better for having supported you. Is there anything else you'd like to extort out of us?"

I scoffed. "Extort? Fine, fuck you and your Kingdom, I'll just send the Dust to the Schnees and watch the fireworks. Ha! Can you imagine if Weiss was forced to be nice to me?"

Qrow gave a weary chuckle at that, at least. Ironwood stood his ground. "That Dust doesn't even exist yet."

"Neither does my battleship. That's kind of how commitments work, especially since the Maiden I'll be protecting also doesn't exist yet. Choose, now. Will Atlas work with or against me when the time comes?"

"We will not be forc-" Ozpin interrupted him with a loud cough.

"James, you know what's at stake. If he's taking the fight to the Grimm from outside the Kingdoms, and the only thing you have to lose is a derelict ship, I cannot see why you would refuse if not pride. As much as he may not look it, mentally Torga is the second-oldest in this room."

"Yea, respect your elders, Jimmy!"

"That may be the case, but he is still a student. The best I can do is advocate for acceptance of the offer. I am not a tyrant nor a dictator. I can start on refurbishing the ship after the Festival, but that is as far as I can commit too."

"That's fine. As far as things go, we can wait on the ship. I will not be lead around, though - in the event you go back on our deal, Atlas will not be able to hire our services, seek safe haven in our lands, nor call on us for aid."

"You would embargo us in your community's infancy."

I nodded, then said with no small amount of venom. "Indefinitely so."

"That would be suicide."

"I've heard that before."

"You would be leading people to their deaths."

"Huh, I've also heard that one before. Any more cliche warnings, or are you going to continue making me doubt the decision to involve Atlas at all?" I folded my arms across my chest.

James Ironwood turned on a heel and walked over to the elevator. "Not my citizens, not my issue. Oz, please make sure that he doesn't do anything too drastic."

"I shall. Qrow, if you would please escort the General."

Ironwood faltered only just, and I could only tell because his normally clipped gait was delayed for a single foot tap. "I know the way."

"I'm sure." Ozpin replied. "Glynda, if you would please fetch Ms. Nikos? I know we had decided to wait until the semi-finals were over, but it appears that Torga here would appreciate a more honest method of doing things and I'm inclined to agree with him."

She nodded curtly. "Headmaster."

We waited in silence until the elevator doors closed, then for one beat extra. Ozpin was the first to break the stillness, though not the silence, as he pulled a mug from underneath his desk and filled it from an elaborate container… I'm certain there was a name for it, but I could not for the life of me recall it. He slid the mug across his desk, and I took it, sniffing at the brew. It tasted of coffee, though it had a little bit of an extra kick to it. After taking a sip and coughing, I felt the tell tale burn of alcohol slide down my throat and sighed in relief. "For this, you have my gratitude."

He smugly smiled, and I wasn't even upset about it. We sat another moment longer before I decided to use this time we had. "...Professor Ozpin."

"Yes, Torga?"

"What did you think of my plan?"

Ozpin sipped at his mug again. "I do have to say, it's something I've considered, though the implementation was never in the cards for me." I waited for more, and he sighed as he realised it. "Simply put, there is good reason for the laws the Kingdoms have, even though I sometimes wish otherwise. The potential for an aura-boosted criminal to cause damage is the limiting factor, not counting the unique nature of Semblances. All we would need is for one disillusioned member of the White Fang to unlock a Semblance we can't counter, and all of a sudden another Faunus war becomes not just likely, but unwinnable."

"You think it won't work, then?"

"I did not say that." Ozpin nodded at me. "You bring a certain aspect to all of this that makes me hope that it will work. Just imagining every citizen of Vale being a Huntsman… Why, I dare say that Mountain Glenn would have gone much smoother. I will hold off on either condemning or supporting this until I have a greater measure of you as a person, but you can rest assured I will not prevent you from moving forward with your plans, so long as they don't endanger the people. I am pleased to finally have a frame of reference for your more… extravagant purchases."

My eyes narrowed. He was not supposed to know about those. "Oh come now Torga, did you think that the banks wouldn't ask me where a student got a windfall of over a hundred thousand Lien? I am not concerned, our alumni often make large and nonsensical purchases. It's part and parcel of being a Huntsman. How did you plan to equip your forces?"

"We aren't forming an army, Ozpin. We're giving people a chance to make their own way in the world without needing to rely on the Kingdoms. Say what you will about Skyrim but it was a land of self-determination, your only limiting factor being your race - and even then, it was as likely to grant you favour as it would be to create dissent. As for your question… should I drop another few swords on your desk?"

He chuckled into his cup. "No, I suppose not. There is great irony in using the Grimm to beat back the Grimm. Though tell me, how do you plan to convince people to do this? The average person is perfectly content to live their lives within the walls."

I shrugged. "I don't plan to convince anyone. I only want those who would make the decision on their own, as they are the most likely to be loyal - or at least, more likely to stick around. I have no issues training people whatsoever, though I would find it more beneficial if they would stay to help after."

"Forgive me for saying so, but this all seems like steps in a path. Where does the path lead you?"

"Recall how I arrived here. I know it was a few months back…"

"An Elder Scroll, you said, an artifact from beyond space and time, yes. Are you seeking to find it? I could put out feelers."

I shook my head. "No point. Elder Scrolls appear and travel as they please, or rather events coincide to bring them to certain places at certain times. We could set the entirety of Remnant to combing every inch of ground and not find so much as a hint of one, only to find out that it was sitting here in your office the whole time, and during our journeys we came across the person it was meant to be read by who just so happens to have a coincidental reason for doing so."

Ozpin's brow furrowed. "There are people who could reduce the probability of such an occurrence."

I leaned forwards and put my mug on the table. I didn't owe them anything, but… "Make sure you don't give that idea to Miriam. Between her and a divine object, I think I know who wins that battle of causality."

He hummed in thought. "Yes, I suppose you would be right. We have our own divine artifacts here in Remnant but sadly like most of our history, they have been lost and forgotten. Perhaps for the best, as they truly were just tools, not sentient as you claim these scrolls are."

"No, not sentient. Just… predetermined. You'd be better off asking a Moth Priest for specifics."

"Worshippers of the scrolls?"

"Kind of? More like scholars. Moth Priests spend their whole lives training to one day open and read a scroll, and are to the last blinded by such an undertaking. Most are driven mad by our standards. It is very unadvised to open a scroll if you are not the one it is meant for."

"How would one know?"

I grinned a joyless, toothy smile. "One would not know."

Ozpin slumped slightly, then perked back up. "Yet, you say you have read from them."

I nodded. "Thricefold."

"Yet you are not blind."

"Not according to anyone except my mother in law."

Ozpin flashed a grin. "So people aren't always blinded, are they?"

"Well… I was lucky. Given my position as the Last Dragonborn, odds were that many divine prophecies were reliant upon me. That… well, it was likely what saved me. First time I found an Elder Scroll, I opened it right up. Then I woke up 2 days later, half-starved and dehydrated, more than a league beneath the northern ice-plains in a hostile Dwemer ruin."

"Ah yes, I'd heard about the Dwemer. Tragic loss."

I shrugged. "Yea."

We sat in silence for a few more moments, until the elevator dinged again.

"Headmaster, I believe it would be best to see Ms Nikos tomorrow. She seems to have engaged in some ill-advised revelry and-"

"Right, she's drunk." I mentally smacked myself for forgetting, and promised to apologise to her later.

"...yes. She is drunk."

"Thank you Glynda. That will be all, I think."

I stood, though Ozpin raised a hand to stop me. "Not you, Torga. If you are willing, I would like to gain a measure of your capabilities, the true ones. Not what you portray."

I sighed and sat back down. "So long as I can keep up the training while we talk, that's no skin off my back."

Ozpin gestured to his cane. "Who said anything about talking? I remember you requesting a death by combat in your initial days here. I may not be willing to kill you, but I am willing to spar and offer some more… Aura-oriented tips."

I perked up. "Count me in. My enemies so far have been minor Grimm and aura-less criminals, sparring not included. I would appreciate some direction for my training. I plan to eradicate the Grimm, which means the greatest and toughest of them. You do not train your students for that."

Ozpin nodded. "Do you know why?"

"I have two theories. The first is that you don't want to beat the Grimm, because then Huntsmen become less needed and you lose power. The second is that you are well aware that a single combat mission is worth months of training when it comes to gaining experience, and are simply preparing your students for said missions."

The Headmaster seemed genuinely hurt by the first reason. "I do not know how you got that impression-"

"Jakk."

"Ah." The emotion left his face. "Yes, I suppose that makes sense. He is not the most…. Stable of people."

"Said the same about you." I pointed out.

Ozpin shrugged in a way that could have had Lie Ren taking lessons. It imparted regret, sadness, and the visage of a man who had given his best efforts but been thwarted by something outside of his control.

"So…" I continued when he didn't say anything. "Did you have a location and time in mind?" I could easily just drop us down to the training field in Dungeon form, but if he had anoth-

"I have a nagging feeling that you have a better idea than I had."

I narrowed my eyes momentarily, then immediately did my best to remember the most gruesome and gory instances of violence within my previous life. Shouting the Dark Brotherhood to literal pieces. Torturing that Imperial scout. Watching a Vampire Lord drain an entire town of their blood. My wife, bloody and dismem-

"I can't read your mind." Ozpin noted with no small amount of cheer. "Though I do get accused of it quite often. No, my Semblance is a tad more subtle than that, and that is all I shall say on that."

I relaxed. "Sorry. I just-"

"Had to check?" I narrowed my eyes again and Ozpin let out a chuckle. "Apologies, sometimes the temptation is too great, even for me." He stood and swept up his cane, whirling it about at blinding speed until it was held as if a sword. "Shall we?"

I stood as well. "One thing first. I'm going to need your full name to invite you into my realm."

He paused. "Truly?"

I rolled my eyes. "Invite Ozpin to party. Invite Headmaster Ozpin to party. Invite Headmaster of Beacon to Party." Out of a little bit of desire for fun, I added "Invite Winter Schnee to Party."

I waited a beat. "Anything?"

"Try… try Ozma."

I shrugged. I couldn't exactly say anything about going by different names, though I was hoping to reveal that there was no Jaune Arc anymore during our upcoming Atlas interview after the tournament. "Invite Ozma to party."

He idly tapped the accept button. "Interesting. Do you-"

Due to extraneous circumstances surpassing your current limits, you have preemptively been granted the Title Warlord!

Warlord

You are the head of a group of fighters who have set out unto the world to make your goals reality and let none stand in your way.

Party Mechanic Evolved:
You may now have 5 Squad Leaders in your Party.
Squad Leaders gain limited Party Functionality:
-Squad Leader may add up to 4 others to their own sub-party

-Squad Leader determines XP and Loot distribution
-Squad Leader can receive instant messages from Warlord

Gain a stat boost based upon the stats of your Squad Leaders.

[ERROR - Current Party Member exceeds capabilities of Title and will be limited.]

Ozpin had every right to be worried by the manic smile that spread across my face.

"Divines, I should have done this sooner."