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I unlocked the girl's aura. A rosey tan hue that made her look at her own hands in wonder. She stared up at me. She was about four-eleven, just barely taller than Neo for all the Neo was in her mid twenties and this young girl was sixteen.

Then we bought two horses, one for Neo and I and the other for the young girl. We bought them at a stable near the edge of town. In the meantime we ordered a sword to be made. Three foot long and tapering to a spear point from a base width of about three inches, it had a guard which was a circle with a hole in it and a decently long hand and a half handle. It had nothing on the enormous red length of Crocea Mors handle and was a slender longsword thicker than a rapier but smaller still than even the longsword form of Crocea Mors and it was a toothpick compared to the broadsword form. But it would work well for the young Rosé Delatour.

The longest thing to wait for was the sword so I let my new apprentice return to her manor and pack her things while the smithy worked. It took all day to finish and by the time he was done and had the Titania blade straight and fit together it was nightfall. I let her spend one more night with her family. Some time to say goodbye. Then her apprenticeship would begin for real.

After we spent one more night there we then hit the open road with direction to the next big town, Gongaga.

"So, Delatour," I began as we rode. "What made you decide to be a hunter. You seem to have it pretty well made with your family. They have plenty of money and you seem like a soft girl. Why fight monsters and villains?"

"Oh, me? I -um that is, it's rather personal I suppose. But I always wanted to be able to lead as a huntress. Do you know what I mean?" Rosé answered. She rode unsteadily but was getting the hang of it. She was unsure of how to lead and control the animal but it would come with time and practice. That was how these things went. Most things were like that, horseback riding, sword fighting, love… the list went on and on.

She was a bit like Weiss, then. Weiss could have stayed just as a Schnee. But she wanted more than that out of life. For me there hadn't been any other path other than being a hunter. Especially in retrospection. It was that, or death. Not much of a choice when one looked at it like that.

"When do you think I'll get my semblance?" She blurted out. Then she looked sidelong at me, embarrassed by her own excitement and letting it get the better of her. But her question remained all the same. She seemed eager.

"It depends. For everyone it's different. That's how that soul business works," I informed her. "Maybe in a month, maybe in a year. Maybe two."

"Two years? But that'll be too late! I need it before Beacon."

"It took me about that long but I made it into Beacon without my semblance."

"You went to Beacon?" She wondered.

"Sure did. Right up until the attack. I was there when it all went down."

"Did you fight?"

"As much as I was able… I suppose…"

"What was it like?" She pressed. "I was in Vale then too… but I left. What was it like to fight against the monsters and Atlas's robots?"

"It was terrifying. I… I wasn't as strong then as I am now. I couldn't do as much. I sometimes wish I could go back. I wish I could have been more useful, but… well, that's life, isn't it? The job is hard, though. By the way."

"The job?"

"Killing monsters. And people. The job. Being a hunter."

"People?"

"Sure. Not everyone you will fight will have aura and they just can't compete. Even if they think that they can. You'll probably kill people before you retire. Of course most hunters retire to an early grave." She looked a little shocked. But she tried to hide it. She tried to stop the widening of her brow and failed. Her mouth dropped open slightly with her pointed chin. "Not so glamorous, is it?" I asked her with a tag question.

"Have you killed people?" She whispered at me. I barely heard her over the animals and the distance between us.

I nodded, slowly and firmly.

"How many?"

"I don't know. Lots. You sort of lose count after a while. That's how many, I suppose. One, then five, then poof. I lost count."

"I don't think I could lose count of such a thing as that."

I grimaced. "We'll see. You may not, I have friends who haven't lost their numbers."

"Why are you telling me this? Are you just trying to scare me?"

"I want to know if you're committed. I want you to know what you're getting yourself in to. If you're going to be my apprentice then you're going to be prepared for when life comes at you hard and fast. I want you ready for that. It's every bit as important as knowing how to use your shiny new sword."

Apprenticeship was a fine way to train hunters. It allowed for real one-on-one instruction with all needs met provided the master and apprentice both did their jobs. It predated the academies but it also had its own weaknesses and faults. I could just end up passing along my weaknesses, where I was blind I might send her along with that same lack of sight. I'd have to do things like her life depended on it.

She reached to her waist where her weapon hung beneath a silver belt and a pink and red tunic that matched her hair before ending in a sort of silver skirt. She grabbed it by the grey leather wrapped handle. She looked the part of a huntress at least. Dress for the job you wanted and all that rot.

We rode quietly for a moment. There was just the wind in the trees, rustling wide green leaves, and the steady beat of the horses' hooves on the dusty grass.

"You really think I'll have to kill somebody?"

"Maybe not. I have some friends who haven't yet but they've sort of accepted that it's really just a question of when. Eventually some punk will try something. Eventually you'll just go right through some bad guy's aura. Eventually you'll have to defend yourself. You get me?"

"I think so…" she seemed to be bracing herself at this very moment. Like she was going to have to do it right here and now. She let her breath go sooner or later and tried to relax.

"So have you thought of a name?" I asked her to change the subject.

"A name?" She wondered right back at me.

"For your sword. A name," I clarified.

"Does it need a name?"

"Maybe not. It's sort of your training wheels blade until you outgrow it and get something mechashift and expensive. But it's yours. And every hunter weapon I know of that's worth a damn has a name. It's up to you."

"Does yours have a name?"

"Crocea Mors," I answered, enunciating with the tip of my tongue. "And Neo's is called Hush." I jabbed a thumb behind me at where Neo rode.

"I'll give it some thought, then. Do you have any other examples?"

"Myrtenaster for a rapier. Crescent Rose for a big scythe sniper rifle combination."

"A sniper rifle scythe?"

"For this little woman not much taller than you. A giant weapon for a little lady. Mechashift weapons can be like that. Whatever you can imagine. I've seen all sorts of gun blades and shotgun gauntlets, too."

"What's yours?"

"A sword and shield that turns into a bigger sword. I'm not particularly creative. I like some sword with my sword. I'm a bit of a caveman. A big thug."

"I haven't seen you use it yet," she observed.

"I haven't had a reason to. You'll see me and my semblance in action soon enough. So you're headed to Vale. Any reason for that?"

"My parents are there still. And my brother. I left when the attack happened but they stayed. My brother even fought. He's a hunter for Vale. And there's Beacon which I want to get into."

"You know, most of my instruction came after Beacon fell. I did my real learning out in the wilderness. That's where your actual training will be. We have to catch you up to all those kids at Signal or other early training schools. It's a lot of work but it is doable."

"You really mean that?"

"Absolutely."

I shifted slightly as we rode. A saddle was always uncomfortable.

Neo listened dazedly to the conversation with Hush on her shoulder blocking the sun and she rode side saddle behind me easily, making it look comfortable. Rosé on the other hand looked lopsided like she might fall off at any moment but she was getting there. And when she thought I wasn't looking she rubbed her thighs where the saddle was biting into them. She'd get used to it. Or she wouldn't. It was one of those things. She never complained though. That was a good sign.

"Let's get off the trail and make camp in that clearing over there." I pointed at a small meadow ahead of us between the trees and off the path a little. It was far enough away that I would be comfortable in terms of highwaymen waiting in ambush.

We pulled our horses into it and let them graze where we tied them up to a tree and we laid out bedrolls and that was pretty much a camp well made.

"Now," I began, "we do some training. Draw your sword and show me how you stand with it. Show me how you would hold it."

She nodded slightly wary of doing a bad job and pulled the tapering blade from her waist smoothly enough. She held it in her right hand but she put her left foot forward and only slightly more forward than her other one. She wasn't quite sure what to do with her free hand and held it aloft.

It was all wrong. Which was fine. That was how these things started. It just needed some fixing was all.

"Whichever hand holds the blade you put that same foot forward." She adjusted looking down at her feet as she did. "And hold your free hand to your chest. It's not a weapon. It can get cut off if you make it a target. Dead hand held out, live hand tucked in," I explained. Pyrrha had taught me this same thing once. It took me back to late rooftop nights with an evening breeze.

"Like this, then?" She asked me in a better stance. I walked over and nudged her foot and reached down and turned her waist slightly with my hands.

"Eep!" She hiccuped when I touched her by the corners of her broadening hips and I looked at her strangely. She just shook her head.

"Like that," I clarified. "Now for your angles of attack. Watch me."

I drew my longsword from my shoulder and her eyes followed it with something glittering in them. I swung it diagonally down and to the left. "One." I swung diagonally down and to the right in slash. "Two." I stepped and swung twiced horizontally at waist hight. "Three, four." And for the last I gave a thrust forward. "Five." Now repeat them and did you see my footwork? How I stepped with each attack."

Her eyes shot to my feet, gazing at them in an almost blank and panicked manner.

"Watch again," I told her. "One, two, three, four, five." I went through the forms.

"One, two, three, four, five?" She went through it once, saying the numbers aloud. "Like that?"

"Good enough. Really mean it though with each one of your steps. All the power in the human body for swinging comes through the hips. Turn them on each attack. Watch me again."

I went through the kata. Her eyes were on my hips this time.

"It's a lot to remember at once but I'll try. One, two, three, four, five."

"It'll come with practice. Do it again."

"One, two, three, four, five."

"And again."

"When do I stop?" She asked.

"When your arm gets tired," I answered. "Until then, keep going."

She stood in the meadow of yellow flowers and swung her sword for hours. Over and over she went through the first five angles of attack. You have to start somewhere. If we started sparring now it would be a waste of time. She didn't know how to swing her sword yet. More would come later such as the tiny turns of the wrist to block on coming attacks. But for now I wanted her to be able to fight small Grimm and work her way up to fighting me. And I wouldn't be going easy on her when that time came. I was going to pound her into the dirt over and over again. This wasn't about pride or dignity. I was trying to save her life. I was trying to teach her how to kill a man as well as monsters.

So I made her swing her sword, which was heavy for her. She was a novice after all, until she was sweating like a pig.

"Alright, you can take a break."

She lowered her weapon and looked relieved. She rubbed her right bicep with her left hand. "Is that everything for today?"

"Not quite. You and I are going to run a mile. Then do some body weight based workouts. Then I'm going to tell you about dust magic. And then you can get some sleep. And we'll do it all again tomorrow. You ready?"

She let out a little whimper.

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We ran our mile and I ran it at her rate, nice and slow. I took it real easy on her. Of course she was panting with her hands on her knees by the end of it. Then I had her do sit-ups and push-ups. Crunches, too, and leg raises.

She was laying in the field exhausted by the end of it all. She was so tired all she was focusing on was her breathing. I sat down next to where she lay cross legged.

"One last thing… it's not another work out so you can stop your groaning. It's about dust. Tell me what you know about it."

She sat up. "Dust is… its energy, right? Energy in crystal form."

"Or powder," I cut in.

"Or powder," she agreed. "But some people can do magic with it. Some hunters. Can you?"

"I can. Some basic spells. I can also eat it. Take it into my body and change myself to be more in tune with a particular element. Dust comes in a variety of flavors. You've got your basic five to start with. Lightning, fire, earth, air, and water. I especially use fire and lightning. They're the most energetic and easy to use in their raw form. You use them raw to cast a single destructive spell of that unique element. But you can do so much more. I fought someone who sewed dust into their clothing to allow them to cast spells. That's fallen out of favor what with the advent of guns and all but you yourself might come across it someday. Or maybe you'll decide to use it."

"You can eat dust?"

"You consume it into your body and it changes you. It changes your aura. The aura is the soul, you understand?"

She nodded.

"So when you take in dust you change the answer to the question. You become that element in your very soul, at least in part. It can kill you to do it. It hurts as well. And everybody reacts to dust differently and every kind of dust is different. But the results can be worth it if you know what you're doing. We'll get you there. Have you ever seen a dust crystal cut and ready to use raw before?"

She nodded but her bright baby blue eyes glimmered with wonder and curiosity.

I reached into my pocket and handed her a lightning dust crystal. It was cut with all octagonal edges. She held it up to the light and saw how the light seemed to echo through it without end at every angle. The metamaterial behaved oddly in the light and was always the same color. She watched, fascinated, as she spun it in the evening rays of sun.

"We're going to try it. Just a little. Here's what you do. You crush it. Shatter it in your hand. It's more fragile than it looks, it's not like crushing a stone. Then you feel the energy coursing up into you and you cast it out. Do you think you can handle that?"

Her aura was fresh and should protect her from any mistakes. She stood up and wiped her hands on her skirt. Then she held the crystal.

"I just… crush it? But it's so pretty."

I gave her a flat look. "It's not a diamond. It's meant to be used."

"Fine. I'll give it a shot."

"Aim for those trees over there. And remember to cast the energy out of you. Don't try and hold it inside for too long. It'll blow up in your face."

"Will it hurt?"

"Your aura will protect you. Give it a try."

"Alright. Here goes."

She closed her eyes and squeezed the crystal. Her eyes flashed open at how easily it broke. She stared in surprise, then blew up.

She landed flat on her ass five yards back from the explosion. Neo cast an annoyed and amused look in our direction. Then she went back to laying on the ground peacefully. She basked in the late sunlight with her arms outstretched and a cat-like grin on her face as she dozed peacefully. Her bed roll looked comfortable in the long stalks of the meadow. Not as good as a feather bed but good enough.

I walked over to Rosé. "You alright?" I looked down on her where she lay. She was covered in ash on one side.

"I exploded!" She threw her arms above her. She sounded frustrated, like she thought she'd manage it her very first try. There was nothing in life like that. At least not in my experience. Not love, not death.

I laughed in good humor at her condition. Oh to be young. Not that I wasn't young or even younger than her. But I had experience. Truck loads of it. By percentage I spent more of my life fighting and training than anyone.

"You're alright." I affirmed with a wide grin. She huffed in reply. "I've never seen anyone do it on their first try. Not even me. I got floored a dozen times before I got it right even once. You'll learn. We'll try it a few more times tonight then get some sleep. And we'll do all of this again tomorrow after a full day of traveling."

She groaned in the tall grass.

"You signed up for this. You want to catch up to your peers at Signal, don't you?"

She nodded, eyes closed.

"Good. Try it again."

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-WG