Ozpin sat in his office listening to the recording that Oobleck had sent him. Oobleck had also sent him a time estimate based on the ash accumulation that had chipped off the man's body. By Oobleck's best guess 400 years at most had passed since the ash began to congeal. Ozpin understood that this meant the man was immortal. Uncertain to the exact nature of his immortality Ozpin thought it best to bring him to his side or at least ensure he had no ill intentions now that he was free of his self imprisonment. The man had agreed to Oobleck's proposition and was now heading for his office. Ozpin sat patiently hoping the man was agreeable and willing to answer a few questions about his origins beyond what was included in the recording. Ozpin was brought from his thoughts as the sound of the elevator was heard. The doors opened and Ozpin was granted the sight of the man. He was fairly tall, slightly more so than Oobleck who stood next to him. Bartholomew had mentioned that he sent the man to bathe before they arrived at his office. The man wore a white t-shirt with a pair of slacks and a black pair of shoes. The most notable aspect of the man's appearance was his rather long hair and beard, both as black as the night. Despite the shower and new clothes the man still appeared rather disheveled like that of a homeless man. Ozpin interlaced his fingers and set his elbows upon the desk before speaking. "You must be Mr. Atellius." "You would be correct sir, and you must be Sir Professor Ozpin." "Correct as well. Thank you for guiding our friend here Bartholomew, you may leave." With a brisk nod of the head Bartholomew reentered the elevator and descended. The two remaining men continued to stare at each other for several more seconds until Atellius spoke up. "You sir are very old, much older than your form would imply." With the cat out the bag Ozpin continued. "Indeed I am, and it seems you and I have much in common in that aspect. Please have a seat." Ozpin gestured over to the available chair in his office while Atellius made his way over and sat. "I did not think the second person I would meet in this time would share in my ailment. Tell me sir for how long have you lived?" "I stopped counting after my 900th year, how about yourself?" Atellius was close enough to Ozpin to use soul sensing, and with it determined that he had spoken the truth. "My best estimate puts me around 11 or 12 hundred years." A small look of surprise showed on Ozpin's face for only a second before he collected himself. "Did Bartholomew fill you in on the state of the world?" "He told me much although I fear I only understood about half of it. I would ask that you clarify a few things for me if you do not mind." "Of course, ask away." "Oobleck mentioned something called Grimm. What is it." "Not it but they, and they are a species of monsters that inhabit most of the planet. They attack any humans they see on sight and can sense negative emotions. We huntsmen and huntresses dedicate our lives to the extermination of the Grimm, a war I'm afraid that we are losing." "I see, Oobleck also mentioned that this is an academy of some sort." "Yes, Beacon academy. One of the four premier huntsman academies across Remnant. I have the honor of being this academy's headmaster. Here we teach the next generation of huntsmen and huntresses in anti-grim tactics and combat." "Oh indeed? This must be quite the place of learning. I did have one last question, who is the king of this land?" Oobleck chuckled slightly before answering, "We do not have a king." "I was led to believe this was a kingdom, is it not?" "It is indeed the Kingdom of Vale but we have not had a king since the king of Vale died without leaving any heirs. Since then we have been led by the council of vale but decided to keep the original name, though most people do refer to our country as just Vale." "Hmm, that is very interesting. It seems I'll have no lack of research to perform later." "It would seem so. Now Mr. Atellius would you mind answering a few questions of mine?" "If I am able to." "Good, now may I ask about the origins of your apparent immortality?" "I am unsure if you would believe my answer." "Oh do try me, I think you'll find me quite agreeable." "Sigh, If the history I know of is true then a god long ago crafted a curse which would infect humans causing them to turn into beings referred to as the undead. I am one such undead." A look of shock crossed Ozpin's face, shortly replaced by a look resembling… sympathy? Such a look led me to believe that his immortality had similar origins, although it was easy enough to tell that he was no undead. Ozpin then continued, "Ahem, do forgive my shock, such an answer was not one I expected. Now if you would please tell why you were guarding the structure you were found in." "The structure I was in was referred to as the Throne of Want during my time. Within it beings with strong souls would offer themselves to the flame in order to extend the age. I was there because I was to be one of those beings, however I saw through the deception and refused to link the flame. Instead I stood guard and prevented those with strong souls from linking the fire so that the age may come to an end." A look of confusion now painted Ozpin's face, "Why go so far to end the age? Why not just leave and allow this age to be extended by someone else?" "Would you care for the long or the short answer to that question." "Let's stick with the short for now." "Very well. During my travels I came to understand that the age of fire was naught but a farce, and that the apparent prosperity of the age was simply a beautiful lie. I saw that the age was a cycle doomed to repeat for all of time never allowing any true progress to be made by anyone. And so I decided that the age must end and for that to be achieved I had to ensure that the fire would fade, so as to leave not even a single ember." "Hmm, and where did you come across such a philosophy?" "A scholar from my time named Aldia dedicated his life to the study of what he called the first sin. Through his studies he came to learn that the curse was a trap conjured by the gods to create the undead who would increase the power of their souls for the purpose of linking the fire and extending the age. He sought to rid the world of the curse, but he failed, and in his failure his soul was linked to the bonfires that were scattered throughout the land." "Bonfires? Were there any significance to them?" "Yes, they were safe places for the undead to rest throughout their journeys. They would heal the undead's wounds and would refill their estus flasks." "Estus… Flasks?" "An estus flask is this." I reached inside my item box and pulled out my estus flask which I presented to Ozpin. He carefully looked over the flask taking in all the details he could before continuing, "And what purpose did these flasks serve?" "When an undead would drink from the flask their wounds would be healed. They are filled with liquid fire that is collected at the bonfires." We continued back and forth like that for several more hours. Sir Ozpin learned more about the undead and the origins of the world whilst I learned of what he called technology and kind of magic the modern inhabitants of the world use called aura and their accompanying semblances. So long we spoke there in his clocktower office that soon the sun set to rest, and the moon emerged into the empty sky. It peeked out in the window that sat behind Sir Ozpin and the sight of it caused me great distress. "What has happened to the moon?!" Sir Ozpin turned around to see that the moon had emerged before answering, "It has been that way for a very long time." Through my soul sensing I could tell he spoke the truth, although there was a slight tension in his soul that spoke of unshared knowledge. I decided to let Sir Ozpin keep the secrets he was unwilling to share much in the same way I did not tell him of every detail of the past. "Ahem well Sir Ozpin I do believe that we have shared enough information with each other." "Agreed Mr. Atellius. Although I do have to ask, what is it you intend to do now that you are here?" That was a question I was ill equipped to answer. I had not had much time to think on what I should do from now on. The flame was gone and from the information from Sir Ozpin the world was rather peaceful with the exception of the Grimm. Perhaps it was in the Grimm where my answer lies. "I think hunting the Grimm that scour the land will prove a decent enough way to carry on." A tense silence filled the room as Sir Ozpin adopted a look of deep contemplation before speaking, "I do agree that any additional help you can provide in the war against the Grimm would be of great benefit, however I think your knowledge can be of greater use in another matter." "Oh? And what do you suggest then." "Would you like to teach in my academy?" Another silence engulfed the room as it was now my turn to contemplate. Passing my teachings onto the next generation could turn the tide in this war as Sir Ozpin put it. Though I disliked the idea of being stuck in one location for extended periods of time. "Tell me Sir Ozpin, what would you have me teach if I were to accept your offer?" "From what you've told me of yourself I think you'd serve best as one of the combat instructors." Yes, indeed that would make sense, though I had a better idea. "I can see how you would draw such a conclusion, but I would have to decline such a position." "May I ask why?" "You may. It is simply a matter of quality. I cannot teach so many students the subjects in which I excel. Instead, if you would approve, I would hand pick several students who I would then pass on my teachings to." Sir Ozpin took several seconds to think on my proposal before a smile made itself home on his face. "I do believe I can accommodate that. However, I do not think that my students would be terribly happy to be ripped from their combat course in favor of joining a class of an unknown instructor." "Do you have a suggestion for decreasing their hesitance?" "Indeed, I do. A demonstration of skill I think should suffice. I will gather the student body and we will watch as you perform a task, I shall set up for you. If you show proficiency and skill, then I do believe that the student body would be more than happy to be picked for specialized combat training." It was quite obvious what Sir Ozpin was doing. He wanted to see my cards laid out to gauge my threat level, all in the disguise of a test for the sake of the students. Sir Ozpin was truly intelligent, it would be wise of me to not underestimate him. "Very well Sir Ozpin, I believe that I can perform such a task." A large smile crossed Sir Ozpin's lips, "Wonderful I shall have it set up immediately. Your task will take place tomorrow in the forest you entered upon leaving the cave earlier today. For the time being I shall have the Vice-Headmistress guide you to your temporary accommodations." He pressed a button on his desk and said, "Miss Goodwitch, would you please make your way to my office immediately." A few minutes passed before the doors behind me opened revealing a rather strangely dressed woman. Her hair was blond and tied up. She wore glasses and a white shirt under a black corset that extended into a rather short skirt. She also wore a purple cape that ended around her lower back. She took note of me before speaking to Sir Ozpin, "Why have you called me Headmaster?" "I would like you to escort our guest here to some temporary accommodations if you would. His name is Atellius and he is an instructor candidate who will be taking an initiation test tomorrow to be broadcasted to the student body. Please make some preparations for the event tomorrow morning and inform the students to gather in the combat arena to watch the initiation." A look of show showed on her before she cooled her features and nodded her head in approval. "As you wish, Headmaster. Please come with me now Mr. Atellius." I made to stand before Sir Ozpin stopped me by saying, "Ah yes one last thing Mr. Atellius I think you should come up with a surname." "Why is that?" "It is rather strange to not have one in our day and age." "If you should think so, Sir." I stood in contemplation for a few moments thinking of several names before coming to one I approved of. "I shall take the name Amana. In honor of one of my greatest feats." Sir Ozpin seemed to approve of the name, "Very good. I shall have some records of you existence fabricated so you'll appear as an active huntsman if anyone were to try looking into your past." "I appreciate it, Sir. Have a good night." "You as well" He said as I and Mistress Goodwitch entered the elevator and left. Once we reached the bottom, she instructed me to follow which I complied with. "I am unsure what it is that the headmaster sees in you, though I do hope you do not disappoint." "I shall make sure that your worries are unfounded, Mistress Goodwitch." She gave me a strange look before continuing, "Let us hope so. Also you should take care of your hair before the initiation, it would speak poorly of our academy if you made your public appearance as you are." She said whilst pointing out my rather unkempt hair. It had been a few hundred years since I shaved or cut my hair after all. "My apologies. I shall take care of it later tonight." She nodded in approval of my answer and soon after we arrived at the room, I would stay in. It was rather small, equipped with a single bed and bathroom and Mistress Goodwitch called it. It also had a kitchen although I was unsure on how to properly utilize it. I would need to scour the academy's archives at some point so as to catch up with the advancements that were made without me. "Here take this." Mistress Goodwitch handed me the rectangle that Sir Oobleck had used earlier this day. "You'll need this to lock and unlock the door to this room and for several other functions if you are to become an instructor here." "Thank you Mistress Goodwitch." "Please do just refer to me as Miss Goodwitch." "If it would please you Miss Goodwitch. If it would not be too much of a bother, could you show me how to use this device. I'm sorry to say that I am poorly acquainted with it." "Yes, I can do that for you." She showed me how to use it quickly, then told me that she would collect me from here tomorrow for the test and left shortly after. I decided that now would be a good time to prepare for my test and cut my hair. I reached into my item box and grabbed a dagger that I used to fully remove my beard, uncovering my face for the first time in centuries. It looked the same as I recall it. I then moved onto my hair cutting it so that its length reached the top of my neck. I discarded the removed hair and bathed to remove any residue that was left behind. I then made my way to the provided bed. I did not need to sleep but the thought of staying awake for the next few hours waiting for my test was less desirable, so I laid down and allowed myself to fall into unconsciousness.
I awoke to a soft knocking at my door. Getting out of bed I made my way over and opened the door. There stood Miss Goodwitch, a slight reddening of her cheeks came upon seeing me. "Well, I suppose you clean up nicely enough." I was confused at the compliment before recalling my haircut the night prior. "Why thank you Miss Goodwitch, please come in." She entered quickly and sat down at one of the available chairs. "Your test is scheduled in one hour, I suggest you get ready." "Of course Miss give me but just a moment." I stepped into the bathroom and accessed my storage box. I was not informed on what type of task I would be performing but I assumed it would be combat oriented so armor, my casting tools, and my preferred sword would do. From within the box I removed The Faraam armor, the staff of Amana, the idol's chime, and the fume sword. Donning my equipment I exited the bathroom, presenting myself to Miss Goodwitch. She gave me a confused look, "Why are you wearing full armor?" "Why wouldn't I be." "Because your aura should protect you far more than any armor could hope to." "I do not have an aura." with that said a look of crossed anger and concern crossed her face, "Alright, come now I believe we have something to speak about with the headmaster." She then made her way to the door as I followed. It did not take long to make it to the arena where Sir Ozpin was making last minute preparations where he saw us approaching. "Ah Mr. Amana, Miss Goodwitch, I am glad to see you both, now we have a few final items to go ove…" he was cut off as Miss Goodwitch spoke. "Ozpin did you know Mr. Amana did not have an aura?" his eyes widened slightly "You don't?" He directed towards me. "No, no one from my time did." I started calmly. "Well we can't have that now, please come here and allow me to unlock it for you." I stepped towards Sir Ozpin where he placed a hand on my shoulder. From the spot I felt a warmth spread across my body followed by a shining light coating myself from head to toe. The light then subsided but the feeling remained. Ozpin continued the point he was trying to make earlier, "Now with that concluded we must discuss a few final matters. First, the nature of your test. We will send you into the Emerald Forest where a group of Goliaths have been spotted recently. You are to locate and eliminate them."
The discussion concluded with a few extra details of my class being ironed out. We then made our way to a cliff above the Emerald Forest where they told me my test would begin. Sir Ozpin made his way back to the arena where we found him leaving myself and Miss Goodwitch to wait for my test to start. I stood upon a metal platform, its purpose being unknown to me. "Miss Goodwitch what purpose does this platform I stand upon have?" "It will launch you into the forest." "Launch?" "Yes, launch." and before I could say another word, I was sent flying, gravity temporarily losing its control over my body.
In the arena a few minutes prior Ozpin stood in the center with the entire student body making their appearance. Once everyone had settled in Ozpin spoke. "Good morning students, I'm sure you're all wondering why we have cancelled your morning classes today. The answer I have for you takes its form as an exciting event. Today we are testing a new instructor who is to join our ranks. Please direct your attention to the screens."
In the stands teams RWBY and JNPR sat next to each other. Upon the headmaster's instruction they looked at the screens and saw who was to be a new instructor standing at the same cliff they had used during initiation. Quiet debate spread through both teams as they attempted to figure out who this mystery man was. "The man you see is Atellius Amana. He is to teach a new specialized combat course and he himself shall handpick who is allowed to attend his classes. As of today he intends to take in two teams to train." Murmurs and groans came from the students all hoping that they would not be the ones chosen for "special training" as the headmaster so eloquently put it. Ozpin took note of the dissatisfaction before continuing, "I am sure you are all not very enthused with this change, but to ease your worries we are having Mr. Amana take a test not too unsimilar to your initiation. The difference being instead of obtaining a relic he shall eliminate a herd of Goliaths." An audible gasp was heard throughout the arena. The students were well aware that a Goliath was not a Grimm that many willingly take on, even less so by one's lonesome. Teams RWBY and JNPR shared hesitant glances at each other before focusing back on the headmaster. "Now without further ado the initiation begins!" Ozpin pushed a button on a remote he was holding, and the video showed the new instructor being launched off the cliff.
I was sent soaring through the air, truly I was not expecting this to happen. After the initial shock wore off I set about my landing strategy. Glad that I had my staff on hand I grabbed it and quickly cast fall control. Before my training in the throne this spell would have only saved me from slightly higher than normal drops but as it was now I should survive almost any fall. Unfortunately, I had no means of testing the spell so this would be its first field test. Ground quickly approaching I tensed before slamming feet first into the ground. A large crater about half as wide as I am tall was formed. I quickly checked my body for any internal or external injuries, finding none I set out in the direction Ozpin had informed me the Goliaths had been spotted.
Back in the arena a tense silence spread as the students watched the man slam directly into the ground, no apparent landing strategy to be seen. Their jaws all collectively hit the ground as the picture cleared up showing the man no worse for wear. No one in the room with the exception of some of the instructors had ever seen anyone survive a fall from such a height, even with aura. "Okay well, we know he can survive a fall now." Weiss Schnee said, breaking the silence. "THAT WAS SO COOL!" a starry-eyed Ruby Rose followed up with. A general look of unease spread across team JNPR with the exception of Nora Valkyrie who joined in with Ruby wooping at the display. "It does not seem he damaged anything." Prosed Lie Ren. "Except for the ground." Jaune Arc followed. "Let's not all be so quick to judge him. We haven't even seen him fight anything." Said Pyrrha Nikos. Sounds of agreement could be heard coming from both teams before they returned their attention to the screens. They could not have timed it better as when they looked back, they saw him surrounded on all sides by Beowolfs. Roughly 12 of them, not many by even training huntsman standards but enough that they would be able to gauge a certain level of skill from him. One of the braver beowolfs lunged at the man, and when it was within a few feet of him it suddenly fell over and started disintegrating. The rest of the pack could not understand why one of their number died like it did, but none were intelligent enough to stand and debate on the matter, instead opting to attack all at once. 11 beowolfs charged at the man only for the fate of the first to befall 10 of them. One lucky grimm managed to get past the defence and made to take a chunk of flesh from the man but before it could a hand grasped it by the neck before a heat the beowolf had never felt before singed the fur, eventually melting the flesh and catching the rest of its body on fire killing it. Once again silence took over the arena. The silence broke much more quickly this time as Ruby spoke, "Uh did you guys see his weapon move at all?" Several confirming no's coming from both teams with the exception of Pyrrha. "I could barely make it out. He swings that sword faster than any I have ever seen." A few looks were exchanged before Ruby pointed out another detail, "His sword, its… it's just a sword." The rest of the group take note that his sword did appear to have no additional features to it. No mechashift, no dust, just a blade. Despite the disadvantage a standard weapon gives he wielded it better than any had seen. A shudder crossed both the teams as Yang Xiao long brought up a good point, "Imagine if he had a modern weapon."
I continued my trek through the dense forest. I had come across a handful of other Grimm on the way. One that reminded me of Scorpioness Najka and Manscorpion Tark, a pack of boar-like creatures, and a giant snake creature with two heads. As far as comparison between my time and this one the creatures of this time have not been too different. My thoughts ground to a halt when I heard a booming sound nearby, like an army of men marching in unison. I carefully made my way to the sound where I finally found my targets. There were four creatures striking a fair resemblance to the Primal Knights found in Drangleic. Of course, these 'Goliaths' as Sir Ozpin put it stood on all four legs and did not wield weapons. Pushing those thoughts aside I opted to observe for the time being, Sir Ozpin said these particular Grimm were especially dangerous and I do believe that exposing the secret to my immortality and scarring a hoard of children all on the same day would go rather poorly. After observing for a few minutes, I found an opening that would allow me to approach unnoticed. An idea formed in my head, using a trick the Varangian Sailors used on me more than once. I reached into my item box, which I had hidden under the long part of my frock coat and pulled out four oil pots. I threw the pots onto each of the Goliaths and sprinted to the center of the pack and used my pyromancy flame to cast Chaos Storm. Quickly pillars of fire erupted from the ground leaving pools of lava and lighting the oil that coated the Grimm on fire eliciting terrible screams to come from them. I quickly retreated allowing the fire to do its work. Soon two of the creatures lay dead on the ground, the other two having managed to snuff out the flames. Before the creatures could gather themselves, I rushed at the one who looked worse for wear, grabbing onto the bone that protected its face and ramming my sword directly into its eye blinding it on one side. I retrieved my sword and went to work on its legs on the blind front leg was met with three slices deep into its thick hide followed by the rear leg receiving a Forbidden Sun casting rendering the leg useless as the fire ate away at the remaining tissue. The Goliath then fell over, unable to support its own weight any longer. With the first one temporarily dealt with I made to take on the remaining Grimm, unfortunately it had gathered itself in the short time I was distracted by its herd companion. It rushed me making an attempt to skewer me on one of its tusks, however I used the upward momentum it had generated by grabbing onto the tusk and allowing myself to be propelled upwards. Using this movement, I managed to mount the creature using some of the spines that lined its back to maintain balance while I continuously casted Great Combustion onto the back of its head and neck. The flames ate through what little protection the unguarded neck held allowing me a glimpse at the skeletal structure of the Goliath. With the opening my flames granted I used my sword to cut between the vertebrae of the Goliath, severing its spinal cord and rendering it paralyzed from the neck down. The creature fell to the ground limp where it was easy enough to finish it and its remaining compatriot off. With my task done I began my journey back to the campus.
As those in the arena watched the spectacle, they quickly became accustomed to the hunter's strange fighting style, and where there was once awed silence at his feats there was not the booming sounds of cheers echoing off the walls. Talks of where the man had come from and hopes of being one of the teams the man would choose to personally teach were now the hot topics among the students. "That was quite the impressive display." Weiss said. "Impressive? That was probably the best hunting I've ever seen!" Ruby followed up with. "He did not waste movements or allow the Grimm to control the battle." Ren chipped in. "How do you think he'll decide who to teach?" Jaune questioned. A few thoughtful murmurs spread among the teams. "He'll likely watch us during combat class." "We better show off our stuff then!"