"And although Mistral received the supplies from Atlas, Vacuo still had the advantage of numbers over the Anima region! Vacuo's wit was what overthrew Mistral's defenses, thus losing half of the continent!!" It was another crazy lesson of history from Dr Oobleck as he speeds from chalkboard to chalkboard, making it difficult for Fenrir and the other students to catch up with what he's saying. "While there is certainly strength in numbers, it is still not enough to win any battle, you must use your mind in order to have the advantage of a fight! Any questions?" Every single student then raised their hands, no doubt having a mountain of questions, but before Oobleck could pick who ever had their hand raised, the bell rings at the end of class time
"That's all the time we have for today, children! Now I would like you to read pages 58 to 79 in your history books and don't skim a single detail! I will see you all tomorrow!"
When the doctor finishes, Team CJVR packs their books and leaves for their next class. As the four are walking down the hall, Crimson complains about how difficult history class is to follow
"How does the doc expect us to take notes if he keeps talking way too fast?! What does he even put in his coffee?!"
"Extra caffeine?" Fenrir asks with a smirk. "Anyway, why don't we hit the books? They're better to follow than the doctor's lessons."
"Sure, so long as Jotaro doesn't bore us to death. Ain't that right, pal?" When Crimson looks at Jotaro, he and his teammates notice the heir spacing out in his Scroll. "Jotaro?"
"Hm? What? I'm sorry, what were we talking about?" Jotaro asks, genuinely lost.
"You alright? You've been quiet since this morning." Crimson crosses his arms asking this question, curious as to why Jotaro's been mentally distant.
"My apologies, I've been a tad homesick lately." Jotaro answers, putting his scroll in his coat pocket.
"Missing your family in Atlas?" Fenrir asks, earning a confirmed nod from Jotaro. "Anything we can do to help with that?"
"I appreciate it, but I've got it handled. Marie and Viola keep in touch with my family's activities and how they're doing. Mother's keeping a tight hold of our company as acting CEO and my eldest sister, Joanna is-,"
"Wait, back up, who are Marie and Viola?" Crimson asks.
"They're our family maids." Jotaro answers. "They keep our estate clean and we pay them in–,"
"Maids?! You got maids?! How many?!" Crimson interrupts Jotaro again, grabbing the heir's shoulders and getting uncomfortably close to his face.
"Uh, 8 or maybe 9 if I remember correctly, but why do you-,"
"Are they cute?! Do they wear attractive uniforms?! How old are they?!" Crimson desperately shakes Jotaro back and forth as he asks these nonstop questions.
"They're all Faunus, so-,"
"I don't care, just answer my question!!"
"When did this conversation turn to a subject of his housing staff?" River pipes in, genuinely confused.
"Probably because Crimson's brain downstairs repurposed his priorities." Fenrir replies with an amused smile only to confuse River more. Crimson has a second brain downstairs? Where?
"I'm begging you, Jotaro! As your teammate, you gotta tell me if your maids look SUPER CUTE in their maid uniforms!!" Crimson screams in desperation, digging his gaze into Jotaro's eyes and making the latter intensely sweat out of nerves.
"Well, most of them do look fashionably presentable, the girls age from their late teens to mid twenties, that's because we carried them away from the streets of Mantle. And we treat them like we treat our company staff with fair compensation, maybe a little more generous than that but I suppose they're attractive, why are you asking me this?" Crimson only sighs in defeat as he grabs Jotaro by the collar of his coat. And it looks like he's...crying?
"Jotaro, you lucky bastard. How dare you live in a house full of incredibly cute maids! I wanna trade places with you, right now!!" Crimson cries.
"I beg your pardon?" Jotaro was flabbergasted, he has no idea why Crimson's exaggerating.
"You got any pictures? Could you show me?" Crimson desperately asks. "I'm not letting you stoke my jealousy even more! At least let me gaze into their beauty!"
"Alright, Crimson, that's enough. Leave my partner alone." Fenrir grabs Crimson's arm with River's help as he grabs the other arm, both pulling Crimson away from Jotaro.
"No! I wanna see the cute maids!!" Crimson flails his arms and legs as Fenrir and River hold him tightly
"Would Team CJVR, please report to the Headmaster's office. Team CJVR to the Headmaster's office." The team hears Glynda's voice through the speakers, stopping Crimson from flailing as they look at at Goodwitch's voice. Three members of the team slowly glance towards Crimson, who notices their glares
"H-hey! Why you guys looking at me like that?!"
*
The team arrives in Ozpin's office where they see him and Glynda at the desk, waiting for them. Crimson tries to pickpocket Jotaro's Scroll only to get his hand smacked away by the owner
"Thank you for coming on short notice, students..." Ozpin smiles, hands clasped together.
"Professor, I can explain whatever mischief I may have done...River did it!" Crimson points at a confused River
"It's alright, Mr. Vernados, you're not in trouble." Ozpin chuckles, surprising the team. "We summoned you four here because we have exciting news."
"Against my better judgment, Professor Ozpin decided that you four are ready to take your very first mission
The news of this comes as a surprise to the team. They've been on plenty of field trips in the past few months, but this will be the first time they're going on a Beacon approved mission
"Yes!! Our first mission guys!!!" Crimson pumps his fist excitedly, while Fenrir chuckles
"About time we get some action."
"Hold a moment, why us exactly? Wouldn't you normally let first years pick their own mission on the boards?" Jotaro asks, stepping forward. River found this odd as well.
"Under normal circumstances, yes, Mr. Kurozaki. This is anything but." Ozpin answers.
"How so?" River crosses his arms.
"Let's say I've taken a personal interest in you." Ozpin answers with a smile. "Your skills, your individuality, and how you demonstrated teamwork during Initiation. These missions will serve as a test for you, each mission you complete not only adds my confidence in you, but will reward you with extra credit for your cooperation; that's IF you finish these missions successfully. Glynda?"
After being called, Glynda steps forward, typing her tablet sized Scroll. CJVR gets a notification on their Scrolls, perhaps it's the mission update. The team examine their Scrolls to see their mission details; the objective is security for a town village in Eastern Sanus named Violette.
"Recently, Grimm activity have increased in the town of Violette. Your first assignment in this mission is running security. Ensure no Grimm breaks into the village and dispose as many as you can." Glynda steps back beside Ozpin's desk after finishing her brief summary of the team's mission. Crimson raises an eyebrow in confusion, this feels a little too easy of a mission if Ozpin's really interested in them
"That's all?"
"That's the official contract you may present." Ozpin replies, taking a sip from his mug. "However, there's more to this mission than simple security. This isn't the first time Violette was under attack by Grimm. It was nearly seized yesterday, and it barely survived their attack the day before. Normally, this wouldn't be something to think about...but it feels far too coincidental"
"Something could be drawing them towards the village." Jotaro concludes. "Or someone...an irregular spike of negative activity."
"It could be that...but how can we tell for sure? Your real mission is to investigate the village and discover whatever's drawing the Grimm. Once you're finished, return to Beacon and submit a full report to me or Glynda and ONLY to us, understood?" River gives Ozpin a convincing nod followed by his teammates.
"Understood, Professor."
"Let's go team, we got a mystery to solve." Fenrir takes his leave, waving his arm for the team to follow–which they do–and take the elevator down.
*
Moments later, the team is riding a Bullhead taking them straight to Violette. Fenrir is standing on one side, looking out the window in contemplation, River and Crimson are seated on the other side, the latter looking very stiff and the former listening to music in his headphones. Jotaro is near the cockpit, reviewing the mission briefing.
"Never thought we'd be getting a mission so soon in our year, and a special one at that." Fenrir sighs. He turns to look at Crimson and River, noticing the former's stiff composure. "You alright Crimson?"
"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine! Straight as an arrow! Right as rain! Why wouldn't I be fine?" Crimson nervously laughs.
"Well, first of all, you're gripping that chair like it's your only lifeline, second of all, your nerves are so shot you can't speak in a calmly manner, and third of all; you're shaking like a leaf, it's difficult to not notice." Fenrir smirks.
"Ha, don't worry about me, I'm fine, or I will be..." Crimson says.
"Was it something you ate?" Crimson shakes his head no to Fenrir. "Are you sick? Do you have motion sickness?"
"If I did, I wouldn't have a love for driving."
"Point taken...oh! What about air sickness?"
"No! The thing is...I have, uh...I got this thing that, uh...I don't...like flying that much." Crimson admits, embarrassed.
"...You're afraid of flying, aren't you?" Crimson's silence was enough of an answer for Fenrir, his smile growing. "Oh my gods, you are!"
"Well, I didn't think we were gonna fly to our mission!"
"How else were we supposed to get there?" Fenrir says, attempting to hide his amused expression.
"I don't know, drive?! I've never had an issue like this until now!"
"Just try and relax, Crimson? Take deep breaths, hum a tune, do anything that helps you settle down." Jotaro suggests, returning from the cockpit
With a nod, Crimson uses controlled breathing exercises, and hums a musical note to himself; he keeps his eyes shut so he doesn't have to look out the window. Smiling, Fenrir gently places his hand on Crimson's shoulder.
"Want me to get you a paper bag?" Fenrir teases.
"Shut up!" Crimson snaps, returning to his musical hums.
Pocketing his Scroll, Jotaro walks to the other side of the Bullhead and looks out the window; Fenrir stands beside his partner and joins him.
"Something on your mind?" Fenrir asks, noticing Jotaro's contemplative expression.
"What I can't understand is...why did Ozpin pick us?"
"Because he's taken a personal interest in us? Said so himself."
"But is that all? Ozpin wouldn't be sending us on these special missions just because of our skills alone. I feel like there's something else to this...something he's not telling us. Don't tell me you can't see it."
"...I won't deny, this does smell fishy." Fenrir admits, looking out the window. "But I stopped trying to figure him out since Initiation; the guy came all the way to Mistral just to invite me to Beacon, he's a mystery we'll never solve." After brief silence, he looks at Jotaro again. "Look, whatever his intentions, he's a good man, wouldn't be Beacon's Headmaster if he wasn't. So let's give him a chance."
"Hmm...maybe you're right, call me paranoid." Jotaro nods.
After a moment of silence, the Bullhead violently shakes for a quick second; Fenrir and Jotaro nearly lose their footing, River and Crimson jump out of their seats in surprise.
"The hell was that?! That better be turbulence!" Crimson shouts. He and River run up to their teammates, the latter takes off his headphones to listen.
"No..." Jotaro opens the door to show Gryphons flying around the Bullhead; about twenty or thirty of them agitated and ready to attack. "Grimm..."
Seeing the multiple flying Gryphons, the team looks down and spots Violette village under attack. Lots of people are running to hide in their homes while others are helping them by pushing back Beowolves and Ursai with pitchforks. Fenrir looks at his teammates and smiles.
"So, who's up for another landing strategy?" River and Jotaro nod with conviction, but Crimson glances between his teammates.
"Whoa whoa whoa, we're not jumping off this thing, are we?" Crimson urgently waves his hands
"Those people need our help, let's give these monsters everything we've got!" Fenrir shouts, exciting the team as they grab their weapons.
"Hey! Let's think about this for a second!" Crimson reasons, back facing the edge.
"Both Air and Land are dangerous; if the Bullhead lands, the villagers will be dead or we crash." Jotaro replies, he and the others walking towards Crimson.
"We don't know that, but this ain't initiation! Doing a landing strategy in a FLYING Bullhead is sure to kill us, especially at this height!"
"Listen to me, Crimson, it's ok to be afraid but you can't let your fear control you; sometimes you need a good push in the right direction in order to conquer them."
Hearing Jotaro's words, it gave River an idea. When Fenrir looks at River, noticing his approach towards his partner and caught on to what he was thinking.
"River, wait-," But Fenrir couldn't react quick enough as River already pushed Crimson out the Bullhead, now falling and screaming.
"River!" Jotaro scolds, he and Fenrir glare at River disapporivingly.
"...What? I gave him a push just like you said."
Screaming and flailing his arms, Crimson crashes on the Ursa; impact sending a mighty tremor, kicking up some much dust from the crash until it clears up, showing a small crater where Crimson landed. The boy in question coughs out all the dust he inhaled after his crash and slowly climbs out of it, the Grimm watching in mix expression of confusion and curiosity. After reaching ground level, covered in dirt, Crimson stands up and looks at the Bullhead.
"THANKS A LOT YA BASTARD!!"
After brief disapproving glances from Fenrir and Jotaro towards River, the rest of the team jump after. putting his headphones back on, River spots flock of Gryphons flying towards him. River pulls out his gunblade, spins the Dust Chamber–which sets to Gravity Dust–and shoots downward, lifting River further up and over the flock. River spins in horizontal form, his blade pointing outward, and stabs the back of a Gryphon from above. Two Gryphons fly around and charge at River which is just what he planned. River spins his Dust Chamber, setting it to Fire Dust, then pulls the trigger, igniting the stabbed Gryphon on fire and launching it into the other two Nevermores which caught fire from impact.
Jotaro lands on the ground but Fenrir throws his scythe towards another Gryphon to offer River a hand. The blade connects into a Gryphon's torso, Fenrir summons his scythe back, pulling it and the Gryphon towards him; once it got close enough, Fenrir plants his feet on the Gryphon and lures it to fly up by steering the handle of his scythe, still wounding the Gryphon. It's a good thing this Grimm is big enough to ride in, otherwise there would've been problems.
Equipping his rapier, Jotaro dodges the first two attacks from an incoming Beowulf. Jotaro uses his Semblance, Detective Vision, to spot its weak points; seeing the spots are in its chest, Jotaro pulls a skewer move, stabbing the Grimm's chest multiple times to paralyze it with his Electricity Dust. Now paralyzed, Jotaro takes his opening and beheads the Beowulf. Jotaro ducks from another Beowulf's rear attack, slicing off its leg then stabbing its eye after it's down.
Crimson activates the Fire Dust from his right tonfa to send an exploding punch in the first Ursa's face, parries Beowulf's incoming attack from behind which gives him an opening. Crimson throws a right punch to the Beowulf's gut, then a left punch followed by firing the SMG part of his tonfa upwards with the Ice Dust, freezing the Grimm then throws a devastating right punch, shattering the Beowulf into pieces.
Reaching high enough in the air, Fenrir lifts his scythe out of the Gryphon and decapitates its head, jumping to the next Gryphon and slicing it in half with his scythe, using the other Gryphons around him as jumping platforms, keeping the momentum high enough to remain in the air. River rides another Gryphon, firing his Gunblade at the distant Gryphons and swinging its blade in case others get too close. River jumps and fires a Gravity Shot at an incoming Gryphon, throwing it Fenrir's way who slices it in half.
Focusing his Aura, Jotaro charges his Electricity Dust, combining it with his Aura, allowing the electricity to flow around his body. When he opens his eyes at the surrounding Grimm, he zips past each one of them at the speed of light. When Jotaro stops outside the herd of Grimm with his rapier in hand, he sheaths his weapon, allowing all of the Grimm he passed to fall into little organic pieces, now dissolving.
"Hey, Jotaro! A little hand?!" Jotaro looks at Crimson who appears to now be brawling against an Ursa Major. He dashes to Crimson's aid, slicing his rapier downward and catching the Major off guard. Crimson follows Jotaro's save by unleashing a flurry of punches and bullets from his tonfa gauntlets then jumps back to let Jotaro attack again with another skewer style, hitting the Major's soft spots.
In the air, Fenrir decapitates more Gryphons until he hears the screech of another, he looks to see it and another flock of Gryphons flying towards him. The Gryphon grabs Fenrir by his scythe and starts lifting him higher into the sky. River takes notice of Fenrir's distress, so he fires another Gravity Shot to take him high enough to stab a nearby Gryphon, allowing him to jump off and swing his weapon upward, slicing one of the Gryphon's arms. Screeching in pain, the Gryphon drops Fenrir. Both River and Fenrir allow themselves to fall further, allowing them to reach the flock of Gryphons which the boys land on a couple to take back their momentum.
"River! Let's go for team attacks! Fire Bomb!" Fenrir shouts, pointing at the Gryphon above them. River nods, setting his Dust Chamber to Ice.
"Crimson! Team attacks, we'll go with Dragon's Roar!" Jotaro advises, jumping away from the Ursa Major's attacks.
"Ha ha, I was hoping we'd go for that one!" Crimson pumps his fist excitedly.
River stabs the Gryphon he's riding, firing Ice Dust into its body and freezing it solid. Fenrir jumps off his Gryphon and uses his scythe herding each different Gryphon onto River's frozen one. River quickly jumps off and continues firing Ice Dust at every Gryphon Fenrir throws until it becomes one giant ice ball of Gryphons. Smirking, Fenrir throws the giant ball of frozen Gryphons at the flock which is flying downwards toward the two Huntsmen. River switches to Fire Dust and aims his weapon at the thrown ice ball. River shoots a Fire Dust and hits the ice ball just as it touches the flock, making it explode and killing the Grimm caught in said explosion.
Both Crimson and Jotaro attack the Ursa Major simultaneously until Jotaro paralyzes it with Electricity Dust through his rapier. Crimson stomps the ground and power jumps in the air. Crimson clashes his gauntlets together, enveloping his body into flames from his Fire Dust, Jotaro fires a bolt of lightning at Crimson which he absorbs with the fire and dive bombs into the Ursa Major, killing it in a fatal blow.
After the battle, Jotaro and Crimson stand up, taking a moment to catch their breath while Fenrir and River land next to their partners. After a moment of silence, Fenrir spins and sheathes his scythe with a smile.
"Well that was fun, think there are any more?" The four look around to see all the Grimm they killed slowly dissolving away.
"Safe to say...no." Jotaro replies with a smile. He looks at Crimson, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Are you alright, Crimson?"
"I'll live…but I'm still pissy at a certain someone…." Crimson replies, glaring at River.
River takes notice of Crimson's glare, followed by Jotaro and Fenrir's disapproving glance. River lowers his head in shame, feeling the guilt creeping up the longer they glare at him; River should've known that pushing Crimson off the Bullhead wasn't smart…or nice, no matter his intentions.
"……Sorry….."
*
"I can't thank you enough. Once again, we owe you Huntsmen a great debt I can't possibly repay." The mayor offers a respectful bow of appreciation. The team was summoned to the mayor's office to have a personal chat with him.
Crimson couldn't help but gawk in amazement, the mayor's office makes him look like a rich noble. Leather arm chairs with a cocktail table in the middle of the room, a large wooden desk full of decorated items like flowers, photo frames and such, even the jukebox playing music must've cost a hefty sum of Lien. Almost makes him wish he could live as Mayor.
"There's no need to thank us, sir. We're just doing our jobs." Jotaro waves in modesty.
"Speaking of, mind if we stick around as your security? That's the point of our arrival." Fenrir asks.
"Certainly!" The mayor straightens up with a smile. "With the increase in Grimm activity these last few days, having a few Huntsman to protect would help calm my people."
"When did it all start, Mr. Mayor? The increase of Grimm, I mean." Jotaro asks, if they're investigating the cause of these Grimm attacks, it'd be best to start now by questioning the villagers, starting with their own mayor. "I assume it's because of the increase in negative emotions."
"Negativity IS what attracts the Grimm..." The mayor walks behind his desk and sighs, taking his seat. "But I'm afraid I don't know much about the cause. I was away on political business when the Grimm first struck."
"What sort of political business, if you don't mind me asking?" Jotaro implies, confusing Crimson and Fenrir. How could the mayor's business be related to these attacks?
"The usual boring routine, I'd go to visit with other mayors from their respective villages and discuss which and how many supplies we'd trade with each other. We may transport our supplies to the Kingdoms but we'd like to keep some to ourselves too." The mayor answers. Jotaro nods to his own thoughts, deducting theories to himself.
"You said, earlier, that you don't know the cause of the negativity, does that mean you've never had Grimm attacks at all?" Fenrir asks.
"We're a quiet settlement. We do have the occasional spats, people who drown in their sorrows...but they were never big enough to attract Grimm." The mayor answers until a light of realization flares in his eyes. "Then again..."
"What is it? Spit it out, old man!" River punches Crimson's shoulder for being too rude at his demand. Crimson gives a quick glare to River's way but turns back to the mayor.
"A few weeks ago, two groups from different gangs arrived and settled here. Both from the Spiders and the Bullhounds." A spark of recognition dawns in River's eyes at the mention of the Spiders. "At first, they only wished to branch out, until they noticed each other and it sparked a rivalry considering their occupation in my village."
"Really? So you decided letting small groups from big gangs into your village was a good idea?" Fenrir imposes, having criminals in a peaceful village COULD cause a lot of discomfort.
"Certainly not, but it's not like we had much choice. We're farmers, not Huntsmen. Besides, they haven't harmed anyone so far; I would've notified a Huntsman if that were the case." Hearing this bit of information allowed Jotaro to spin more gears in his head. "Their presence did stress the villagers out and some were even scared to go outside but they've adjusted to their presence; as long as they weren't hurting anyone, it's not my business to interfere with them."
The boys exchange suspicious looks to each other, could these gangs be the cause of all this negative emotion? Nonetheless, it feels like that's all the information they could get from the mayor, so they'll have to start their investigation somewhere in town.
"That's all the questions we have for now, thank you for your cooperation." Jotaro gives a respectful bow with his thanks.
"Of course, I only wish I had more to give you."
"You've given us plenty to think about, sir." River speaks up, surprising the mayor. It's easy to forget he's with his team when he's very quiet.
"Actually, there's one more thing we'd like to ask. Do you have a place we could stay in while we run security?" Fenrir asks, they gotta find someplace they can rest while on a mission.
"As a matter of fact, we do have a tavern called The Lavender Stone open for tourists and Huntsmen like yourself. I'll notify the staff that you're free to stay as long as you like, no fee required."
"Well, ain't that generous? Thanks, old man!" Crimson gives an appreciative smile.
"Stop calling him an 'old man' Crimson, that's poor manners." Jotaro lectures.
"You realize that Crimson's Vacuan, right? I don't think manners are in their vocabulary." Fenrir jokes, poking Crimson's cheek just for the owner to slap it away.
"Hey, quit it!"
Laughing, Fenrir walks to the door and notices someone else opening from outside. The team sees a bald man in golden and red robes with a few tattoos on his face.
"Ah, excuse me." The bald man politely passes the team who get out of his way and leave the room for the mayor and the man they passed to speak.
*
Team CJVR walk to the Office Building's exit with Crimson doing a double take at the Mayor's office door.
"So, who the hell was that? They got some kinda festival planned this month?" Crimson asks, pointing behind him.
"No, I think that was a Mistralian Monk." Jotaro answers, opening the door and stepping outside with his team.
"A Mistral what now?"
"Remnant is filled with people who're less superstitious about the lore of our world, and now there are only few who remain religious to this day. Those that are, prefer to stay in their temple." Fenrir answers for Jotaro, surprising the noble. "And judging by his attire, that monk worships the Brother of Light."
"Ah yes, I'd forgotten you're Mistralian." Jotaro cups his chin in recognition, the memory just dawning on him.
"Ok, so what's a Monk from Mistral doing all the way here in Sanus?" Crimson shrugs.
"If I were to guess, the mayor called him to bless their village with good luck." Fenrir answers, looking back to the office building.
"So the mayor's resorting to religion?" River raises an eyebrow, finding it difficult to believe any God truly exists.
"I don't blame him, his village gets attacked three days in a row. He's desperate." Jotaro replies.
"Well with us around, he won't have to worry anymore. Come on guys, let's get to the tavern and go over what we know." Fenrir says, taking the lead to find the Tavern.
Unbeknownst to the boys, another man was hiding in the shadows of an alleyway, listening to their conversation with a cigar in his lips. The man smirks and picks up his cane to hide further in the shadows.
End of Chapter 12