It was a new day at Beacon, and this time, Jaune had decided to take the reins as Dungeon Master. The group sat around the table, dice and character sheets ready, snacks at the ready, eager to see what fresh chaos Jaune would bring to their world. After the previous sessions of comedic mishaps and misunderstandings, everyone hoped for something a bit more heroic—though perhaps still a little ridiculous.

Jaune cleared his throat, looking at everyone with a nervous smile. "Alright, let's get started," he said, adjusting the DM screen. "Your characters have arrived at the outskirts of Gloomshade, a once-peaceful village now under siege by… turnips."

The party exchanged amused glances. Turnips again? They'd faced monstrous snails, flirtatious kings, and bacon-grease incidents, but sentient turnips were a new low—or high, depending on one's perspective.

Jaune (as DM): "The village is in panic as an army of walking, snarling turnips rampage through the fields, uprooting crops and terrorizing the villagers. They've even taken over the town square, forming barricades of barrels and crates. The townsfolk have offered you a reward if you can rid Gloomshade of these vile vegetables."

Ruby leaned forward, her character Emberia Flare's voice emerging with conviction. "Alright, team, I have a plan. We could dig trenches, build a complex system of pit traps, lure them into a choke point, and then—" Ruby made elaborate gestures as she explained, "It might take days… maybe weeks to execute properly, but it'll guarantee success with minimal risk to us and the villagers."

The group stared at her, perplexed.

Blake raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms. "Days? Weeks, even? Emberia, we're facing a dragon in three weeks. We don't have that kind of time!"

Ruby shrugged, flipping through her notes. "I'm just trying to be thorough. These are turnips, after all."

Winter sighed. She had listened to enough absurd plans. Her character, Lady Althea Frostblade, was an arcane knight of great summoning prowess. She stood up in her chair slightly, clearing her throat.

Winter (as Lady Althea Frostblade): "This is getting us nowhere. Enough chatter, I'll handle this." She turned to Jaune. "I attempt to summon an army of knights to crush these turnips swiftly. Let's end this menace and spare the villagers any prolonged suffering."

Jaune nodded, gesturing for Winter to roll. Winter picked up her dice with confidence, giving it a slight shake before releasing it. Everyone leaned in as the die tumbled across the table.

Winter's eyes widened at the result, but she maintained her composure. Jaune checked his DM notes, trying not to smirk.

Jaune (as DM): "You call upon your arcane powers, reaching into the aether to summon forth an army of valiant knights. You envision their gleaming armor, their proud banners…"

He paused dramatically.

Jaune (as DM): "But something goes terribly wrong. Instead of knights, a sudden burst of arcane sparks ignites the wooden rooftops of the nearest farmhouse! The magic crackles uncontrollably, and before you know it, one roof, then another, catches fire."

The group gasped, alarmed. The villagers, who were already on edge, now screamed in panic as the flames spread rapidly.

Nora's eyes went wide. "Wait, what?! The village is on fire now?!"

Outside the game, Winter sputtered. "I was just trying to summon help, not burn the place down!"

Yang snorted, "Well, at least the turnips might get roasted."

Ruby, still in character, looked around, aghast. "This was supposed to be a rescue mission! We were supposed to save the village, not destroy it!"

Blake grimaced, "So much for your plan, Emberia. Now we have bigger problems."

Jaune described the scene with grim detail: villagers evacuating from the opposite side of the village, carrying what possessions they could as the crackling inferno spread. The smell of smoke and panic filled their imaginary senses.

Nora lifted a hand, as if to raise a timid question. "Um… was that supposed to happen?"

The table fell silent for a moment, then erupted into a mixture of laughter and exasperation. Winter slumped in her chair, red-faced. Jaune just smiled, satisfied with the unexpected turn of events.

They had come to save Gloomshade from rampaging turnips. Instead, Gloomshade now faced an even worse fate—and it was all thanks to an unfortunate summoning gone awry.

The disastrous mission had ended in a blaze—literally. Gloomshade was ash, the turnips presumably charred or scattered, and now the party trudged through the forest with heavy hearts and more than a little tension in the air.

Jaune, as the DM, described the scene, leaning forward over his screen. "You've been walking for some time now, pushing through undergrowth and stepping over fallen branches. The canopy filters the sunlight into shifting patterns on the forest floor. A gentle breeze ruffles your cloaks. Yet the mood is anything but serene."

Nora and Weiss' characters lingered several paces behind Winter's character, Lady Althea Frostblade. The two of them exchanged uneasy glances, as if unsure whether to trust Winter's powers after what happened in Gloomshade.

Nora (in a hushed voice): "I-I'm just saying… maybe we keep a safe distance. Just in case." She mimed holding an invisible shield in front of herself.

Weiss (as her Harbinger character): "Agreed. I still can't believe she summoned fire instead of help. We lost an entire village!" Weiss' character's voice was low and simmering with disappointment.

Winter's character sighed, casting a glance over her shoulder. "I don't understand how my power failed. My summons are usually precise. This… this was an anomaly," she said, her tone tight and controlled, hinting at the anger or confusion beneath.

Jaune (as DM): "As you continue, the forest grows quieter, as if holding its breath. Weiss, your character, as the Harbinger, you have the ability to look ahead into possible futures, right?"

Weiss nodded in real life, straightening up.

Jaune (as DM): "Do you want to try using it now, to see if you can find some clue about your next steps or at least confirm you're on the right path?"

Weiss, eager to at least do something productive, agreed. "Yes, I'll use my Harbinger powers to peer into the future."

Jaune (as DM): "Roll a check, then."

Weiss rolled her dice, the room falling silent. It clattered to a stop: a 7.

Jaune: "Lucky 7!" He grinned. "Because of that, Weiss, your character receives a bonus XP Boost of 75% for the next three sessions."

Weiss's eyes lit up with excitement. "Yes!" she exclaimed, almost shaking with glee at the promise of extra XP.

Jaune (as DM): "Your Harbinger powers activate. Your vision clouds over, and you see fragments of a future scene. You stand in a barren plain, dark clouds churning overhead. The sound of grinding metal and distant screams echo all around. In the center, a colossal figure looms—part machine, part beast, its eyes glowing a sickly green. You watch as it raises a titanic blade and brings it down on something… someone… you can't quite see who. But the impact is earth-shattering. You feel the shockwave. Even in this vision, it rattles your bones. You try to scream, to warn whoever is about to be struck, but your voice doesn't come. All you can do is watch the blade fall, and as it does, a swarm of mechanical wings burst from the figure's back, spreading darkness across the land."

Weiss's real eyes went wide at the description. Her character in-game stands stiffly, breathing heavily, trapped in this nightmarish vision. She's unresponsive to the others as they notice her distress.

Ruby (as Emberia Flare): "Uh, Weiss? Are you okay?" Ruby waved a hand in front of Weiss's face, but she didn't blink. "Hello? Weiss?" She tried snapping her fingers, tugging gently at Weiss's sleeve. No response.

Yang: "We need to get her out of it. She's stuck!" Yang's eyes darted around. "Any ideas?"

Ruby leaned closer, trying again. "Weiss, come on! Snap out of it!" She shook Weiss's shoulders gently, still no result.

Yang stroked her chin thoughtfully, then grinned mischievously. "I've got an idea, but it's kinda gross."

Ruby frowned. "Uh, Yang, I'm scared. What are you planning?"

Yang smirked and reached down, miming removing her character's boot. "My giant toe," she said with a flourish, "right into Weiss's mouth. That'll snap her out of it for sure!"

Ruby gagged in real life, nearly falling out of her chair. "Eww, Yang! That's disgusting!"

Jaune (as DM): Jaune laughed, shaking his head. "Alright, Yang, if you're really doing that, roll a…" He paused, thinking. "Let's say roll a Dexterity check to see if you can... accurately and gently insert your toe without harming her." He tried to keep a straight face, but the absurdity was too much.

Weiss looked up from her trance, her real-life eyes wide now, too. "You are not putting your toe in my mouth!" she exclaimed in disbelief.

Yang just grinned, grabbing her dice. "Hey, if it works, it works!"

Weiss's gaze flicked to the dice and then to Yang's socked foot, now being freed of its imaginary boot. Her face contorted in horror.

Weiss: "Nope! Nope! I'm out!" She stood up suddenly, pushing her chair back from the table. Without another word, she bolted out of the dorm room, the door slamming behind her.

The whole group burst into laughter, their voices echoing in the small space.

Yang: "Mission accomplished!" she said triumphantly, crossing her arms as if she'd just won a great battle.

Ruby, still giggling and trying to compose herself, shook her head. "You're insane, Yang."

Nora nearly fell off her chair, still laughing. Ren just sighed, smiling softly, as if used to such antics.

Jaune, wiping tears of laughter from his eyes, looked at the empty doorway where Weiss had fled.

Weiss returned to the dorm room with a determined look, her cheeks still slightly flushed from her abrupt departure. She set her notes down with a resolute sigh.

Weiss: "I've decided. My character will do everything—everything—in her power to prevent that horrible future I saw. We're not letting this world fall to that monstrous machine-beast, or whatever it was."

The others nodded, some smiling encouragingly at her resolve. Jaune cleared his throat, adjusting his DM screen.

Jaune (as DM): "Alright, everyone, let's resume. Picking up from where we left off: your characters, still recovering from past misadventures, continue through the forest. The memory of the Gloomshade disaster is fresh, and though some tension lingers, you press on in search of your next lead."

As Jaune set the scene, the party ventured deeper beneath the leafy canopy. The forest floor was soft with moss and pine needles, the distant chirping of birds your constant companion.

Jaune (as DM): "After a while, you come across an abandoned campsite. But it's unusual—despite no one being around, it's surprisingly well-stocked. Fresh food, water skins lined neatly on a fallen log, and even well-maintained tents. It's as if whoever camped here just arrived and then vanished into thin air."

Ren's character surveyed the scene with narrowed eyes, standing at the edge of the clearing.

Ren (as his character): "Something isn't right about this. No one would leave all these supplies behind without good reason—"

He was cut off by the sound of chewing. Yang's and Nora's characters had already dived in, grabbing chunks of bread and cured meat, stuffing their mouths without a second thought.

Yang (as her character, mouth full): "Mmm, this is good!" She wiped her mouth on her sleeve, grinning widely.

Nora (as her character, also chewing): "So fresh! It's like they left it here for us!" Nora cackled, delighted at their luck.

Jaune sighed as DM, suppressing a laugh. "As you rummage through the supplies, you find a series of bags and pouches. One large, ornate bag catches your character's eye, Yang."

Yang leaned forward, curious. "What do I find?"

Jaune (as DM): "You open a small, silk-lined bag within the pile of supplies, and your eyes go wide. Inside is something that radiates a sinister aura. It's a small, black sphere, about the size of a child's fist. Instinctively, you know this is dangerous. This is an Orb of Annihilation."

Yang (as her character, horrified): "Wait! What? An Orb of what now?!"

The table erupted into exclamations of surprise. An Orb of Annihilation was something they'd only heard rumors about.

Jaune (as DM): "The Orb of Annihilation is a very rare and powerful magical item. It can only be activated by a specific phrase or placed into specific enchanted containers. Handle it incorrectly, and it can unleash catastrophic destruction."

Blake raised a hand. "We used to have a bottomless pouch in the old campaign. If we put it in there, what would happen?"

Ruby, remembering past sessions, shook her head. "We don't have the bottomless pouch in this new game, remember?"

Jaune nodded approvingly at Ruby's memory. "Yes, in this rebooted world, no bottomless pouch. Good thing, too," he said, leaning in conspiratorially. "Because if the Orb went into a bottomless pouch… we'd all be nuked. Instant end. Game over."

The group gulped collectively.

Yang (as her character, nervously): "So… what do I do with this thing?"

Pyrrha's character stepped forward, her voice calm. "We cannot leave it here, and we cannot misuse it. I'll take it. I'll keep it safe until we find a proper way to contain or destroy it."

Before Yang could protest, Pyrrha's character took the orb and stuffed it into her own pack, careful not to trigger any hidden words or spells.

Weiss (as her character, still shaken by her vision): "We must be extremely careful. If this orb is as dangerous as you say, it could spell doom for all of us."

Nora, still nibbling on some fruit, looked around the campsite. "Well, at least we're not leaving empty-handed. Check under those tarps and crates!"

Jaune nodded, describing their find. "As you search, you discover 10,000 gold pieces scattered among the supplies, along with several healing potions and a couple of potions that enhance physical strength and magical power. It's a treasure trove, as if someone intended to camp here long-term."

Ruby picked up a handful of gold, her eyes gleaming. "This will definitely help us on the road."

Yang (as her character): "And look, tents! We can finally have tents now, no more sleeping on the forest floor!" She mimed rolling up a canvas tent and slinging it over her shoulder.

Weiss's character nodded approvingly. "This will make travel easier and safer."

Pyrrha carefully rearranged the items in her bag to accommodate the orb and the new potions. "Let's move on, then. We can't stay here forever. We have… a future to prevent." Her voice was firm, recalling Weiss's earlier vision.

What they did not know—Jaune leaned in, voice dropping to a hush—was that they were not alone.

Jaune (as DM): "As you pack up your newly acquired supplies, you fail to notice a shadowy figure lurking at the edge of the clearing, hidden by leaves and darkness. Eyes gleam from behind a thick trunk, watching, waiting. Whoever this is, they now know you possess something incredibly dangerous."

Nora raised her arms, making a dramatic sound effect, "Dun Dun DUNNNN!"

The group chuckled nervously, realizing that the real challenges lay ahead.