"Look at that! Some kind of mollusk? A barnacle? But it's size… what could it have eaten to get this big? Or are there even bigger ones? Could they even be in the same family? Or order? And there's a whole gathering of them over there!"

As Oobleck circled the strange bulbous creature, Qrow had to pull him back. "You're the first guy to die in a horror movie, you know that?"

Behind them, Ozpin took a picture of the three of them and moved on. It was a good thing they all brought boots. Pays to be prepared when crossing into literal uncharted territory.

When new landmarks were listed and put up for registration to the map, it wasn't an uncommon event. Beyond the four kingdom's immediate surroundings and the more populous towns, much of the main continents were still unmarked and untamed.

Add that to the rumors of undiscovered flora, fauna, and possible riches being exposed, and the career of frontiering was born. Matching Huntsmen in danger and renown, the two usually intersected in practice, though their objectives differed.

From cartography, taxonomy, geography, history and more, the avenues frontiersmen could come from and continue on to were limitless.

Much to Oobleck's annoyance, however, frontiering has yet to be officially recognized as an occupation. They were simply regarded as Huntsmen and Huntresses that took more to exploring the unknown and recreate the idea of the romantic "adventurers" that only existed in stories and myth. But several years ago, with the slowly but assuring proof of OOParts, anomalous objects and even locations that cast doubt to the world's history, the once niche hobby has boomed into a movement.

Many argued that these items were not anomalous and simply existed further back in history, but Ozpin knew. There was magic afoot, and he wanted to make sure it didn't have Salem's signature on it.

So here they were, far east of Vale then any of them had any reason to be. All because of the minute chance of catching Salem.

But at least one of them was having a good time.

"Dammit, get back!" Qrow yelled as he and Oobleck jumped back. Their eyes widened as the mollusk spewed out a thick green mist from one of its vents.

"Ah! It stores toxins from filter-feeding and uses it as a deterrent!" Oobleck took one last photo before glancing at the mob of the creatures nearby. "Let's move on then, before they sniff us out."

"What do you think I've been- oh forget it." Qrow had a hand on his Harvester, but given they could outpace the mollusk by walking, he was more focused on keeping his clothes dry. "Seriously Oz, did we have to bring him?"

"Trust me, meeting him was purely coincidental. I can't dictate how my staff spends their summer."

"But if what you're saying about this place is true, and there's something magic going on, there's a chance he's going to find out about us. A pretty big one."

"I won't tell him if you won't. But after Ironwood, having a pioneer in an up-and-coming industry would be a silver lining."

Qrow scoffed. "You're seriously thinking of having him join our little gang?"

Ozpin couldn't answer. It's been a year since they brought Ironwood into their secret war against the leader of the forces of Grimm. If he hadn't been made General then, none of Ozpin's colleagues would have supported the idea. Nonetheless, now they had an in with Atlas, and Ironwood's position allowed them intel on one of the most dangerous continents of Remnant. If only the General didn't have such a martial policy on threats, Ozpin would have invited him sooner.

With Oobleck, the situation was different. While nowhere near as skilled as Qrow, as networked like Ironwood, or having much clout like himself, Oobleck had a common sense that led him to thrive as a Huntsman.

The question wasn't whether or not he was qualified to be invited, but if he would deduce their existence first. He didn't know which was more dangerous for which party.

"What the hell?!"

Ozpin felt it before he saw it. In the distance, in front of a large mound of rock jutting out of the ground. The marsh waters trembled as a moss-coated lobster the size of a bus shuffled and shook its way out of the mud.

"By the stars!" Oobleck shouted. "Are all the sea creatures in this swamp so colossal?"

"Maybe there's something in the water mutating them," Qrow jested.

Oobleck corrected his glasses. "In the water… or something underground… by Oum, it's a crime these lands have gone unrecognized! Professor Ozpin, is there any chance the Academy could fund future expeditions like ours?"

Ozpin chuckled even as the idea of rearranging their budget made his head pound. "You know you don't have to use titles-"

"Oh come on!"

Ozpin blinked. Despite being at least a hundred meters away, the lobster crawled towards them, its giant claw clacking menacingly.

Qrow extended Harvester and grabbed some extra Dust rounds. "Least we know what we're having for lunch-"

Without warning, a jet of water shot past them, narrowly missing Qrow and splitting a tree behind them.

"Since when do lobsters shoot lasers?!"

Ozpin readied his own weapon, smiling confidently despite their strange opponent. "Since whoever poured chemical waste in the waters, of course."

xxx

"Isn't it weird that we haven't run into a single Grimm in this place?

They were taking a break on one of the few solid surfaces they found: a stone gazebo with a half-destroyed statue in the middle. Even Oobleck seemed to be tapped out and was currently cooking a chunk of lobster over a fire.

"Grimm are most attracted to human and faunus settlements. It's unlikely any Grimm are going to be drawn by three Huntsmen, much less intentionally stalk them."

Qrow shook his head "There should have been some Nevermores or something, anything." Looking up, he was tempted to pull out his flask. Getting jumped by a crustacean… Ruby and Yang wouldn't believe him if he didn't take pictures.

Ozpin finished his much-needed coffee when he saw something in the distance.

A man, wearing a thick red headdress, covered in an equally red cloak, marched towards them. Behind him was a donkey with a mountain of tarped baggage on its back.

"Qrow, Bart," he said, and they reached for their weapons.

Noticing their caution, the stranger raised a hand. "Hail."

None of them blinked, but Ozpin took his hand off his cane. Now that he was closer, they could see he was wearing a scarf over his face and his clothes had small gemstones embedded.

"Will you be so kind as to share your fire with a vagrant?" he said in an old, rumbling voice.

Ozpin looked back at his colleagues and nodded. "Help yourself. This far from civilization, there's strength in numbers."

"Oh, don't waste your concern on me. I've survived on the road for so long I lost count of the years," the stranger said. He moved a loose rock to use as a seat closer to the fire. "If you're not after my throat, the name's Kalé. And you gentlemen?"

"Ozpin."

"Qrow."

"Bartholomew."

"... seriously?"

"Ha!"

Smirking, he pulled out a parcel of dried jerky and cut off a piece before passing it to Oobleck. "When I saw the smoke, I thought you were one of my kinsmen. Didn't think anyone else would be this far in the Lakes."

"Lakes? You mean swamp?" Oobleck asked.

"You really are outsiders. Figured: you're all too clean to be from here." He roasted his jerky and pulled down his scarf, revealing his pallid skin. "This whole lake, from the waters to the forests surrounding it, is Liurnia. That's what the locals called it when they were still around."

"You're a native here?" Oobleck almost forgot to keep his voice to speaking volume.

"Don't badger the guy, you'll scare him off."

"I'm no native. My people are traveling merchants. We forage what we can, scrounge what we can carry, and peddle whenever able."

"If you're looking to sell, wouldn't a village be more profitable? And safe?" Qrow asked, growing more suspicious.

Ozpin nodded. A solitary stranger, with nothing but a beast of burden, in a wild environment where every other animal could kill him. Either he's incredibly crafty, knows how to navigate around these dangers, or is stronger than he looks.

Kalé sighed. "My people were hunted and scattered across the lands for a crime not our own. None of us dare go near any signs of civilization. This was long ago, when I was barely a man working with the Great Caravan. There were hundreds of us… "

His eyes met Ozpin's, his yellow eyes shimmering with emotion. "Even with the Golden Order dismantled, I do not risk it. Nomadic life is better for us anyhow."

"Golden Order? Are they some kind of police force? A religious group?" Oobleck asked.

The merchant looked up. "Still can't get used to it, a skyline without the Erdtree," he mumbled wistfully. "Doesn't matter. And what are you men? You're dressed too well to be fellow wanderers."

Ozpin poured another cup of coffee for Oobleck. Kalé obviously wasn't in the mood to reminisce. "We're Huntsmen from the Kingdom of Vale. Qrow and I were simply exploring and camping for the summer, when we met Bartholomew here, who heard rumors of some lost ruins around."

"Ruins? The only location of significance here is the Academy of Raya Lucaria. It's one of the few landmarks that hasn't sunk in the lake." Kalé pulled out a rolled-up parchment from his saddle and laid it out. It was a sketched map. "And it's far from ruined."

Oobleck immediately squatted next to him to get a better view, passing his coffee to their guest. "This Liurnia's bigger than I could have imagined. Even with an army of Huntsmen, it would take weeks to chart the area."

"Then you're fortunate I've already done so," he said, tapping the biggest mark on the map: a large mountain with a castle on top. "It's hidden in some fog, but it's there. Follow the crystals and spires of the sunken Gate Town. There, it's a straight path to the Academy."

The trio couldn't hide their interest. A functioning school here? Why haven't they heard of it, and why didn't this Academy contact anyone from the Kingdoms?

Kalé scoffed at their looks of confusion. "The people there are a bunch of recluses, and the gates are still sealed. They're either buried in their books or looking at the stars." He took a sip of his drink, grimacing before taking another.

Ozpin shared a look with Qrow and Oobleck. That would be their next destination.

"Do you've any last advice for us greenhorns?"

Kalé chuckled. "If you killed that crayfish, there's little you should worry about here. But free advice is seldom cheap."

To his credit, Oobleck simply nodded and handed him out a green plastic card. The biggest Lien card he had on hand. "Here. If you ever change your mind on civilization, there's a Huntsmen-stationed outpost far south of here called Rion-Macha. If you offer fair trade, none will turn you away."

He turned the card over in the sunlight. So this is what passes for currency now? "Rion-Macha? Never heard that name before." Nonetheless, after pocketing it, he pulled out a bundle of blue scrolls from his satchels. "These may sate your curiosity: some of Raya Lucaria's reading material."

Oobleck and Ozpin skimmed over them, the latter befuddled at encountering a language he didn't recognize. He wanted to ask how he got them, but thought twice of pushing his luck.

"If you cannot make much of it, here." He handed them a small sack. Inside were several clumps of blue crystals. "There's more of these around the Academy grounds and below, but they're hard to collect without blowing oneself up."

"What kind of Dust is that?" Qrow asked, finally getting out of his seat. "Never seen that kind of shade or crystal structure."

"Glintstone, Huntsman. The only resource of value outside the Academy itself. Some of the stoneheads there think they came from falling stars and study it."

Ozpin grabbed one of them and blinked. He could feel it, a faint thrum of foreign yet undeniable magic. It was different from the one he or the Brother Gods wielded. Colder, older.

And the underground here was full of this stuff?

"As for advice-" he said as he walked back to his donkey "-the Gate Town is populated with Albinaurics. Keep clear of them, and they'll leave you be."

"Albinaurics?" Ozpin repeated.

"They live in the submerged buildings of the Town. They're silly looking and quiet, but will club you to death if they think they're threatened. Some of them even throw those glintstones at you."

Ozpin nodded and gave a curt bow. "Thank you for your aid. We may not meet again, but Bartholomew here will certainly try."

Kalé nodded back. "Returning customers. Perhaps this new age will be worthwhile after all."

xxx

By the time they made it to the bridge, the sun was setting. Surrounding it and the giant castle were the rooftops of buildings, sticking out of the marsh like mushrooms. There, they saw the Albinaurics: silver-skinned frogmen wearing leather loincloths and armed with large clubs.

When they first spotted each other, the Albinaurics pointed at them and walked the other direction. Then, the Huntsmen saw them cropping up, practically surrounding them. Behind glintstone pillars, atop towers, in the shade, even underwater.

Qrow knew between the three of them, they could fight them all off. However, being in an unknown environment, combined with the colossal fauna, open combat wasn't the wisest move. Thus, they took Kalé's advice and stuck to the visible path, ignoring the stares from the weird inhabitants.

"What in Remnant are they? They can't be human or faunus, right?" Qrow whispered, chills running down his spine. "You feel any magic from them?"

"Yes. But there's magic all over this place, even the air," Ozpin said, pointing at the nearby crystal pillars. It was clear that whatever glintstone was, it wasn't Dust. If that much raw Dust was exposed to the elements, it would have eroded long ago.

Qrow looked up the main plaza. At the end of it was the castle's main gate, blocked behind a wall of blue light covered in various sigils.

Oobleck reached it first. He took some more pictures before pulling out the scrolls Kalé gave him. "These symbols match… Some kind of glintstone construct? But with the castle's age and technology… How could they have maintained something like this?"

"That's why they're called "out-of-place artifacts", right?" Qrow said. Despite the thinness of the barrier, it felt like rock when he kicked it. The castle walls were too tall to scale over, and the peak was hidden in the clouds. "Well, what now? You wanna circle around? That map said this castle has an east gate too, right?"

Ozpin shook his head. "Kalé said the Academy was sealed, then it's likely the other side is sealed as well. I'm not keen on wading through in the dark for a closed door."

Oobleck sighed. "Yes, it's best to err on the side of caution. A castle of this size and age, yet it's functionally intact with a defense mechanism. I don't think anything other than an Atlas gunship or a Goliath Grimm could break through this."

"Then we should camp here. In the morning, we head back to Rion-Macha to re-supply and get back in range of the CCT, so you can upload what we have there, Bart."

Qrow made quick work of gathering firewood while Ozpin and Oobleck cleared the pavestones of foliage. It would be weird, sleeping in what's technically someone else's property, but at least it was above water level. Not like they could talk to the inhabitants, either.

"I'll take first watch," Qrow suggested. "If I see anymore of those frogs, I'll wake ya."

Oobleck nodded before curling inside his sleeping bag. Ozpin smiled. Fast to work, crashes just as fast.

"First sign of trouble, come back. Magic's tricky to work with, and we're in a hotspot of it," Ozpin whispered.

"Just get a good cover story for Bart if he wakes up."

"I'll wait for you. I could never sleep in an unfamiliar bed."

Xxx

Qrow did his best to memorize the surroundings. He was sure Ozpin would make him visit this place again in the future.

But their biggest concern was Oobleck. He was sure to be visiting this place again, which meant other people would be drawn here as well. That kind of publicity would mean Grimm, and with them, Salem.

Why did Raven have to leave us? Dammit, if she was here to see this, what we could make out of this…

Outside the main towers, only scavenger birds were present, picking at corpses that littered the grounds. Far behind the main building, was a digging wheel of sorts, carrying soil and glintstone out of a pit so far below he couldn't see the bottom.

Eventually, he saw an open doorway. Inside, he perched himself on the first chandelier he could find and realized he was in a library of sorts.

Lights… candles… so Kalé was telling the truth.

Inside, were several people in green-to-gray robes, peering over books or lighting lanterns. The most bizarre detail was that all of them wore stone masks that had similar glintstones for eyes.

In any other situation, he would have laughed. One of them even looked like he was about to fall over off-balance when he tried to replace a book on the shelf. But the dreary silence, combined with the eerie calm as they created orbs of light from their glintstones and staves, made him want to leave as soon as possible.

Alright, so books and nerds inside, carrion and dead bodies outside. I should start thanking janitors at Signal more.

But if this was an Academy, they would need staff. A headmaster.

Flying through the halls, he eventually made it back outside to the fourth and final floor: an open area with the largest set of doors he's ever seen. Transforming back to Human form, he knocked as gently as possible. When that produced no results, he pushed onward.

"Well, pardon the intrusion," he muttered, cringing at the loud metal doors scraping against the marble flooring.

The first thing he noticed was the carpet leading to the center of the room. He next noticed the dozen candle stands following along. The inside was the most elaborate and tallest room he'd ever seen, matching even Ozpin's office in roof height. However, it was impossibly cramped by rows of bookshelves that were far too tall to be practical. And everywhere, the ground was littered with heaps of half-burnt or torn books.

Hell of a library. What kind of books are in here that's so important that they can't be in the other rooms?

Finally, at the center, a giant figure was sitting on the floor, slumped in deep-blue robes similar to what the masked men were wearing. In place of a stone mask the other scholars wore, was a yellow conical crown.

"Uh… hello?"

As Qrow walked inside, he noticed more corpses around, dozens of them, wearing the same robes as the figure. He shivered: they had been reduced to skin and bones, their mouths permanently distended as if screaming.

"Excuse me? Are you okay?"

"Hah!"

The figure gasped, and her crown fell over, letting loose a wild cascade of black hair.

A woman?

"Sorry! it's… I'm not here to hurt you, I just want to…"

Getting closer, Qrow could see her properly. Even when kneeling down, she towered over him. Impossibly pale skin. Dark blue eyes. If it wasn't for her emaciated face and hands, he would have blushed.

"Ah… thank you for waking me." She looked around at the corpses, a weak smile on her lips. "Do not fear, little birds… come closer, and be born anew…"

He stepped back. In her arms was a smooth yellow glintstone the size of a large bowling ball - if it was scaled to her body. Unlike the blue fragments Kalé gave them, the amber chunk lacked an inner light. Covered in dust and fingerprints, he doubted it had any power she thought it did.

"Uh, I'm not here for anything, I just wanted to know if you needed help," he said.

She looked down at the amber glintstone. "Why would I need help? My Academy stands, there are books aplenty."

He blinked. "You're the headmaster?"

"Come, my children," she muttered, ignoring Qrow and looking at the uniformed corpses around them again. "Come and be born anew. Nothing to fear…"

She's cracked. Her and those scholars. This whole place might as well be an insane asylum.

"Listen, ma'am," he said, fighting back his apprehension with Huntsman training. "This place might be sturdy, but you're in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by giant animals and frogmen! We can get you someplace safe. Much safer."

"Safe? This is Raya Lucaria, my Academy."

Qrow stepped back and he reflexively reached for Harbinger. The books and candlesticks around them glowed with blue and purple energy as they hovered off the ground and came closer to him. She looked directly at him, focus returning to her eyes.

"And I am Renalla, Headmistress of Raya Lucaria, Queen of the Full Moon. If I leave, who will protect this sacred ground?"

Qrow took another step back, but indignation rose in him. "Protect? Didn't you hear what I said? Half the town outside sunk into the lake and all your students here are too busy reading to even notice me coming in. And what "full moon"? The moon's been broken since even before the four Kingdoms were around."

Her face faltered. "The moon, broken? My moon, that I swore…" She looked up, but there were no windows for her to see out through. She looked at the amber egg in her hand, as if just realizing she was holding it. "Radagon… your child, I… what… what am I…?"

She tried to get up, almost dropping her egg as she realized she hadn't bore her full weight on her legs for so long. Beside her, she noticed the chest that was there for her daughter was left open, and the books surrounding them fell back to the ground.

She scrambled at it, tossing the amber away and peering in its empty insides. "Ranni… you're back. You're alive… and you found a lord."

Qrow has had enough. He wasn't going to get any answers from her.

"You, trespasser."

Qrow knew he should have run when he could, but for some reason, his feet were glued down. Was it a kind of magic she wielded, or the severity in her tone and gaze reminding him of a Grimm facing him down?

"I can sense it, even here. You are correct in regarding the state of the moon. However, this moon is not mine."

In a flash of white light, a silver metal staff with a deep blue glintstone at its head manifested in her hand. With a wave and another flash, the crown she dropped teleported into her arms. With another, the corpses disappeared and the books cleared themselves, fully restored and reorganized into their shelves.

"My powers are not what they once were, but it should be enough. You come here not alone, do you?"

Without thinking, Harvester was in Qrow's hands.

"You intrude on Academy grounds. You bear arms against royalty." She walked towards him, slowly striding until she returned to the center of the library. A small yet strong smile was on her lips. "However, for informing me of this… changed state of affairs, you may leave unharmed."

Bringing her staff down, the stone floor cracked. Waves of purple, blue, and white energy leaked out of them, quickly flooding the room. The library, the whole building, was shaking like there was an earthquake.

"I suggest you leave post-haste."

Those were all he heard before he transformed and flew out of the library.

Xxx

"We need to go now!"

Ozpin saw Qrow running up the opposite side of the bridge. "What happened?"

Qrow ran up to them, panting for air. It hasn't even been a minute, but he could feel the ground rumbling. "The castle. There's people in the castle. They know we're here!"

Oobleck tore out of his sleeping bag and adjusted his glasses. "What? Are we under attack?"

"I don't know, but it's not safe here"

At that moment, they felt it. A blast of energy similar in feel to the glintstone, but magnitudes above in scale. The blast went through them like an electric shock, and some of the buildings below were heard cracking from the pressure.

They ditched the fire and camping supplies before sprinting down to the town. Below, some of the sleeping Albinaurics gurgled angrily at being woken up.

"Get out of here! This whole place is gonna blow!" Qrow shouted.

The Albinaurics raised their angry clubs, only for another energy wave to blow through the air. Understanding the warning, they waddled, tumbled, and tripped as fast as they could away from the Academy.

All of them ran as far as they could, not caring about wet clothes, the other slumbering wildlife, or even taking pictures of the Academy that was now behind a shell of translucent glintstone.

Eventually, they reached a familiar gazebo and gasped for breath. Some of the Albinaurics were still running deep into the woods, others leaning against trees and some simply dropped to the water. Whether they passed out or tripped, none of the Huntsmen wanted to know.

"By Oum… what happened, Qrow!?" Oobleck asked. Combined with the sudden wake-up and the latest risk to their lives, it was the angriest either Qrow or Ozpin ever saw him.

"I don't know!" he panted, his mind racing. "I tried to see what was at the east gate, but then light came out of that castle."

"You abandoned us in unknown territory?! How did someone so irresponsible become an instructor at Signal?"

"Bart, I think we have bigger concerns," Ozpin said, partly to excuse Qrow but also to bring their attention to the sky.

"Oh fuck me."

"By the gods…" Oobleck muttered, his scroll clattering against the ground.

After that night, news spread across Remnant about a small, permanently full moon drifting across Vale. Whether it was aerial drones, ships, or a swarm of flying Grimm, anything that approached it was shot out of the sky by what looked like shooting stars coming from the moon. Rumor has it that to witness this phenomena was either a sign of good fortune or a terrible omen.

Xxx

Full Moon of Raya Lucaria

The final great sorcery created by the Carian Queen.

Supplemented by the great stores of glintstone below the Academy, Renalla creates a Full Moon, capable of seemingly indefinite flight and existence.

Upon knowledge of her daughter's survival and the insult to the Moon she once knew, the Carian Queen created this facsimile as a symbol of their lineage, and if necessary, to guide her home.

Xxx

A bit rushed, but I'm going on vacation after this, so I wanted it done. I honestly didn't plan for Kalé to make a cameo, but it was good filler.

I thought of having Ozpin meet Renalla, but there would be no way he could have entered the academy without exposing himself to Oobleck and without a free glintstone key.

The next chapter will be in Atlas, and finally, the prologues will be done.