Despite my best efforts... I did very much have a limit to my aura and magic. And three hours of prolonged combat with my ship draining those supernatural energy stores to resupply the. Many, many munitions were used with total abandon to destroy the Grimm.
Meant that eventually the ship needed to come down and the other girls got time to do their own mass exterminations while I recovered my aura, and magic, and refilled the Black Pearl's munitions and such.
"I need to make some kind of super energy core for the ship and have energy weapons. It's inefficient to be using rockets and such." I mused with some mental exhaustion at having to refill a massive battleship's worth of armaments.
But in the meanwhile, while I was meditating, I was watching the girls fighting the Grimm that came into the large clearing that Weiss blasted clear. So we could land in a clear spot with a good line of sight for bullshit rushing towards us.
I could see that that were was still some tension in Pyrrha and Weiss, but thankfully Nora being her bombastic self kept things contained and strangely on focus as she beat the smaller and medium-sized Grimm rushing towards the ship with her Warhammer grenade launcher combination weapon.
With a grunt of effort, I decided that I had gotten the ship filled a good bit, and that the least I could do is take to the deck of the ship next to Prinz and New Jersey who were just being human artillery with their massive guns.
Coming out of the captain's quarters I was buffeted by the loud fucking noises as Prinz Eugen and New Jersey's massive cannon's which were most certainly not for puny human ears to be around.
Thankfully there was an aura technique that protected the ears, somehow numbing the sound of gunfire in particular and leaving the user able to hear everything else without much cost to it.
"Oh are we ready to go now?" Prinz asked with a knowing smile as she hip-checked me as I mounted my arm canons on the railing of the deck and began shooting at a group of Beowulfs who were climbing over the wrecked tree's that Weiss had knocked down.
"Still need to regenerate my own aura after filling up the ship Prinz." I said with a grunt of effort as I got myself into a better position to handle the recoil of my arm cannons that cut through the Beowulfs like a scythe through wheat.
We kept shooting at the Grimm for a long while and I realized even further the value of our ship as Weiss and Pyrrha had to break out their own bigger spells as the individual small packs of Grimm became bigger, stronger... And more cunning.
A massive Gravity Dust explosion rang out in the distance as I saw a wave of the purple super gravity crushing stuff over the tree line from the ship. And I blinked as that couldn't have been one of us and I saw as several humans run past our clearing.
And seeing them literally fucking running away, I called out firmly. "Ladies! Get back to the ship!"
Weiss, Pyrrha, Jingliu, Nora, and Jean with her necromancy constructs who were fighting on the ground. Ran back with Jean being much slower as she was a pure mage instead of a hybrid like Weiss was.
"Did you see anyone, you recognized from the team who ran away?" I asked the girls who were closer and they hurriedly shook their heads. And before I could continue that line of thought a pissed-off roar rang out.
"Ahhh... Shit." I grunted as I hurriedly pushed the ship to rise into the air on magical waves of ephemeral water that lifted it up into the air as I wanted nowhere near the fucking Grimm that was breaking its way through the forest.
The Grimm in question looked like a jacked Earth Dragon of sorts, with it leaking corrupted purple lava from its body that was catching the surrounding forest on fire with purple flames blooming from the purple lava.
"Prinz, Jersey, kill it." I said bluntly and my two ship girls turned their main canons onto the earth dragon and for a long moment, there was a flare of multi-color light as the earth dragon had several colors of aura that protected it.
'Hmm, it probably ate a good half a dozen people... But that number of souls means it hasn't had any chance to digest the souls and use their semblance.' I noted with a forced calm as the ship girls powerful guns pulverized the Grimm for a long minute with Prinz shooting several torpedo's that shot through the ground like it was water towards it.
And with a series of loud explosions the torpedo's finally broke the Grimm's aura allowing the canon's from the ship girls to reach the Grimm and blast it into Grimm ash.
But that wasn't all... Grimm in this world wasn't so convenient as Pyrrha muttered. "It was becoming a higher stage Grimm."
As from the pit in which the Grimm had died, was a pool of corruption and liquid Grimm blood that was roiling with forms stretching in the pitch-black darkness as newborn Grimm tried to gather the essence to properly form from the Grimm pool that had been created.
"I got the Grimm pool." Jeanne said firmly and I saw as she began glowing with holy light and then from above the Grimm pool came a golden magical glyph that radiated the same holy energy coming off Jeanne.
From that magical glyph came a large gleaming golden spear that shot into the Grimm pool and exploded in a blinding holy light that made me blink before seeing with a smile as the Grimm pool was actually gone with just one spell.
"Well, that's certainly convenient. It took dozens of missiles and being cooked in napalm for several minutes for the Grimm pool I had to deal with during Initiation to be dealt with." I muttered with appreciation.
Jeanne preened at my words and said proudly. "Of course! Mundane explosives, aura, and even magic is nothing in the face of the God of Light's Power in defeating Grimm!"
My lips twitched and I thought. 'Wait till I make a fucking Star Destroyer and start orbitally bombarding the fucking planet to get the Grimm. Tell me that hack is so great then!'
Weiss coughed and said with some irritation. "Wait! Why aren't you dolts focusing on how those reprobates led that dangerous Grimm directly to us!"
And I shrugged saying calmly. "Because they are running like fools and probably going to end up dead as they run into a Grimm trap. That and if they survive this Class Trial, I imagine the Headmaster or their teachers will have unkind words and things planned for them already."
As I mentioned the words 'Grimm trap.' I saw Nora flinch with Ren's android arm coming up to rest at his neck reminding me of how Ren had his little 'accident'.
But either way Weiss at hearing my words was mollified a good bit and with that I added. "Alright Weiss, how about I conjure up some Ice Dust missiles for you. And you make a freezing zone around us in the forest so we can relax and eat for a bit."
Weiss nodded in agreement so I quickly manifested up some ice-based sea mines and removed the payloads for her to inspect and then she used an a Schnee glyph to create large pillars of the ice in the distance that radiated thick mist with her saying proudly.
"Those ice pillars are radiating several hundred negative degree air so any Grimm coming around, under or even flying over them will freeze in place!"
"Good work... Now for the best part of my powers, being able to manifest food because you can't have a crew on a ship without food for them." I said as we headed towards the small cafeteria just below the deck that was just a table and several chairs bolted to the floor.
Pulling at my admiral powers I spent a bit of magical energy as food itself wasn't a big draw with its very mundane nature to create a spread of various food that filled up the table on military-style trays even if food itself wasn't military shill.
No, it was the good shit that people on Submarines would eat as the navy would feed the people in an underwater death trap, the best food as they were spending months in tight quarters and needed the moral boost.
Weiss primly but ferocious snagged the platter of buttered lobster tail, a plate of creamy risotto, and a small bowl of pasta salad and glared bloody murder at anyone who dared to look at her food.
Jean and Jeanne happily, at least in Jeanne's case were sharing a large meat lovers pizza etc. Everyone got plenty of food though I did notice that people locked onto food they liked and ate those mostly exclusively.
'Huh... Shit, I forgot Thanksgiving isn't really a thing here in Remnant.' I thought with some amusement as my American past life was coloring this new one. But regardless I shrugged as I watched with a bemused eye as Nora was feeding Ren as he had his head put back into the nutrient tank.
"Hmm, thank you for the different flavors of the feeding flakes, I was getting tired of the chicken flavored. So the beef flavor is a nice change." Ren said with calm thanks as he kinda pecked at the flakes in the water sucking it into his mouth.
I just cheered at him with my cup of Dr. Pepper and said. "Yeah, sorry about not having time to make a giant mech for you Ren. I was kinda busy with the ship you know."
Ren shrugged and said with his signature calmness. "I am quite content with the android body. It is a bit heavier and shorter then I am used to. But being able to touch things and feel it is doing wonders for my sanity."
To that, I could only say with a wry smile. "I will get to the mech body after all the noise of the Class Trial is dealt with. And speaking of other stuff, I need to speak with you all about my semblance."
The girls and Ren tilted their heads in interest as I took a deep breath and then began explaining my Semblance. The semblance that was opening Back Door's in portals that could lead back to Beacon so we didn't need to sleep outside basically at night.
As being outside at night was the most dangerous place you could be as that was when the Grimm were the most active by far. And after a moment Pyrrha with a slightly weird flush said. "Well, I would be glad with either option. Staying out here will definitely prop up our Grimm kills which will be coming out in force. But having a good night's sleep could also be valuable."
I nodded and said. "Alright, let's put it to a vote. Hands up right now for using my Semblance to teleport to Beacon so we can sleep safely tonight?"
I watched as Nora, Weiss, and Jingliu after seeing Weiss raise up her hand do so. "Three to seven. We are staying here then." I said simply with Weiss pouting.
But I still took a deep breath and said. "Either way, I still have abilities to set up static defenses that can deal with chaff. Weiss, you will be in charge of creating a less intensive freezing zone that can last the night to block off the bigger issues."
Weiss nodded in agreement as she was far more willing to use her abilities seeing as I could conjure up Ice Dust to take the load off her mana stores.
With that settled we went back to eating with my senses catching some stray Grimm that made their way through the ice pillars Weiss made. But the shades infesting the ship dealt with them handily enough
Slowly though, however, Weiss's barrier's were letting more Grimm in as the ice melted and ran out of the Dust and magical energy that Weiss had put into the constructs. "Hmm, there seems to be more Grimm than during Initiation," Pyrrha noted as we had moved onto the deck.
I made a slight humming noise and said quietly. "Probably because higher-tier hunters cleaned out the Initiation area. Now we are in the wilds basically."
Looking out towards where the Grimm would be coming, I just took a breath as it truly... Truly was a fucking never-ending tide of the damn bastards.
"Alright, let's get the ship going. I regenerated my Aura, and Magic so I can keep the ships weapons going at peak level. Jean, take charge of the shades and spirits. We are making our way out of here."
-
The large viewing room was filled with more teachers and several noblemen of actual value in both their combat and economic means at the same time. While Luxanna was holding Princess Ravel's arm, they watched the scrying mirrors following Jake's ship.
"Although some of the necromancy and golem studying students have a good number of constructs. Is Jake Barisses's giant ship in line with the spirit of the competition?" An earl spoke calmly to the assembly breaking the low drone of people talking to their neighbors.
Lux tensed at her apprentice being called out so directly and she looked over at the Earl and scowled as it as a lesser family that she knew had some lesser business disagreements with her own family.
Then before Lux could speak, however. Calia the Necromancer Sage spoke making her face twitch. "That ship is a necromancy and engineering process that required his particular bloodline ability to use. My own apprentice Jean used her own resources and traded with her fellows to help Jake build and is also partly in control of the ship..."
There was a long pause as Calia's glowing red eyes stared at the Earl before she smiled mirthlessly and finished. "Are you saying that students shoudn't prepare for a life-defining competition in the best way possible? Or that you are just angry your son ran away like a coward from a Grimm they easily slayed?"
That Earl was the father of one of those students who led the earth dragon-like Grimm to Jake and his party. He himself was a notable lower A rank hunter himself but in the face of an immortal sage... He had no right to refute her words, nor did he have an easy answer to either question either.
Before it could escalate further, however. Ozpin who was watching Ruby casually slaying a dozen Grimm by blinking at them with her silver eyes. Spoke up with a measured tone. "The only rule for the Class Trial for Freshmen is to not kill other classmates. Jake Bariss actually creating a large movable weapon system is perfectly within the rules."
And Ozpin's statement was the end of things as even the Earl accepted the Time Lord Sage's statement as a simple fact of life.
'Wicked witch... Stay away from my apprentice!' Lux thought as she instantly stuck her tongue out at Calia who threw her a glance at the end of the conversation. And Lux fumed internally as Calia just smiled enigmatically at the Elemental Lady.
"Ozpin, sector fifteen. two teams were killed within a minute." A voice spoke out and Ozpin's expression hardened as he looked over towards the site of the Scrying mirrors that held those team's zone.
Ozpin then stood up from his seat as being displayed on the invisible scrying mirrors in the Emerald Forest was the worst possible situation.
An Abomination... A human or faunus who had created a contract with the top two ranks of Grimm and gained Grimm powers and being infected with the Grimm's desire for the destruction of humanity and faunus kind.
A woman... If you could call her that. More than fifteen feet tall, she had a large bloody dress covering much of her form. But behind her was a massive long reptile tail that was covered in spikes had fifteen students impaled on the tail that was pitifully screaming as the woman glowed with red streams as she literally fed off their agony and suffering.
"I will deal with her." Ozpin said with a frown as an Abomination was something Freshmen had no chance to deal with... No should they come into contact with those monsters as well.
Before anyone could react Ozpin glowed green with his signature green aura as he activated his time-stopping semblance to step out of the local timeline and he was gone.
Then in the same moment, Ozpin appeared on the Scrying Mirror in the vision of everyone else with his cane tapping the Abomination on the head as he stepped back into the timeline with his cane making her head explode instantly as the Aurabane tip on his cane disregarded her aura and magical energy.
"There is more low-grade Abominations in the testing area!" Fiora spoke out and several teachers got up without a word and charged out of the observation area while Goodwitch calmly called Ozpin.
{What. I am trying to stabilize the wounded students.} Ozpin's calm voice rang out from the scroll call.
"Counting right now. There are five, no. There are seven abominations currently locked onto by the Scrying Mirrors." Glynda reported with a frown even though she spoke clearly.
Ozpin was silent for a moment before he said with sorrow in his voice. "Unlock all student's scrolls. Tell them to flee towards Beacon as an Apocalyptic class at least Grimm is active in the Emerald Forest."
Glynda was silent for but a moment before saying. "I will tell them to do so. Should I have Jake use his ship for evacuation efforts?"
Before Ozpin could respond, he looked to the side sharply in the scrying mirror's view, and then the scrying mirror's view darkened as though the world where it was viewing was covered in dark shadows.
"Apophis, come out of your shadowy burrow you wretch." Ozpin's stoic voice spoke out and Lux shuddered as she clearly saw it. A dual set of two eyes, four in total massive in size glowed with malevolent light as its serpentine scaled body seemed to billow pure corrupting darkness from its massive form.
A true Apocalyptic tier Grimm which was the equal of a Sage as they had digested enough souls to form their own true human soul that allowed them to make a Sage Icon that solidified their soul into immortality.
The scrying mirror cracked and then shattered losing the view of what was going on as Ozpin and Apophis's mana and corrupted Grimm essence killed the students Ozpin saved and shut down any remote viewing of the battle.
"Pity about the students... Goodwitch, I will be calling the Litch Lord, and then going to reinforce Ozpin." Calia said as she stood up with her all-embracing death magic filled the air.
Goodwitch hearing that nodded and said stoically. "Very well. Have your undead constructs escort any students back to Beacon if you see any."
Calia retorted flatly. "That goes without saying." Lux met Calia's gaze who only blinked before being swallowed by a sphere of darkness that teleported her away as she was one of the few people in Beacon with the right to teleport in and out of the warded citadel.
Ravel took a deep breath and then said with some annoyance. "Well Lux, me and you can help using all these remoting scrying mirrors to cast our spells. I will also call my brother Jarvan and your brother Garen to go and help as well."
Lux nodded with a pit growing in her gut as she remembered her first disciple who Ferid got to with her soul-shackled undead constructs and made her a disgrace for having fallen in love with what was an undead construct in the end.
"Alright Ravel, let's get to work." Lux said taking a deep breath as she took out a large enchanted mirror from her spatial pocket to synch into the scrying mirror system.
-
The roar of dying Grimm rang out even louder than the sounds of explosions and gunfire as once again the Black Pearl was in full swing as we were all... All ten of us were on the deck of the ship fighting as there was just. So fucking many Grimm it didn't make sense!
"Is this a Grimm tide or something?!" I demanded in exasperation and Ren calmly stated.
"No, all the Grimm are very young! It's probably an Apocalyptic or one level lower Grimm mass-producing chaff Grimm that the Class Trial alerted." He explained and with that explanation, I could tell he was right.
Sure there was enough Grimm to basically cover the fucking ground and make it easier to see black and red more than the brown and green grass of the ground. But none of the Grimm had any bone armor plating or spikes that came with being even a year old.
Mentally I switched the artillery to exclusively use high-explosive rounds while I took a deep breath. "There is just too damned many Grimm on the ground for fucks sake." I muttered before pausing.
As I saw Ruby Rose out of fucking where cutting through the brush of the surrounding forest and enter the spread of destruction my ship was causing.
"Hey, there is Ruby over there!" I called out before a loud blare rang out from all of our scrolls.
[All students within the Class Trial are to flee to Beacon as soon as possible. High-tier Grimm and Abominations have been spotted and teachers have been dispatched to purge Grimm. If you cannot flee, hide as Sages from Vale are also en route to form a net to eradicate all Grimm over time.]
I saw Ruby pause at hearing the message and I synched up to the ships intercoms and speaker system. "Ruby get you and your team up here!" I spoke loudly through the speaker system.
Ruby flared with white holy light with her line of sight being an actual cone of holy light where she was looking and I saw the Grimm in the path of the ship was going turn to stone in but moments.
Before Ruby blitzed forward with her speed semblance and her two great axes in her hands making her a beyblade of death as she would do these spinning twirls with her super speed.
'No... Her twirls at super speed with her semblance allowing her to see and process things at super speed allows her to kill the Grimm with her Silver Eyes in all directions. With her spins at such high speed also allowing her to mulch targets with the heavy axes she has like a lawn mower.' I thought as I dissected her Grimm extermination fighting style.
But I frowned as I realized Ruby's white trim in her gothic outfit was dyed red and I saw her spins were off-center and making her stagger. "New Jersey, go pick up Ruby! She can't jump up to the ship." I ordered the ship girl who shot into the air using her weird anti-gravity trick she had to fly at high speed to go get Ruby.
I took a deep breath and said. "Everyone watch out for Abominations or higher tier Grimm, if we see one. I will be opening a Back Door and we are dropping back into Beacon!" I said before frowning as I realized the Class Trial was almost certainly canceled.
Which was just further proof of how fucked this was... As the staff of Beacon didn't give one shit about how many people died during Initation. They barely cared if we died here during this Class Trial though supposedly there were some safeguards.
No, this had gone so far out of control that even with Beacon's very strong belief that we were responsible for ourselves. They had canceled this massive event.
I watched as New Jersey flew down towards Ruby with her opening up with her anti air guns to pepper all the bullshit around Ruby with New Jersey quickly snatching up Ruby who all but collapsed into New Jersey's arms.
But as New Jersey flew back towards the ship she fell out of the air and I gagged as all the air seemingly became thick with malice and just was... Like trying to breathe in syrup to get air.
"Ohhh? What a big ship you have here? Don't you know that humanity has been forbidden from the sea?" A dull male voice rang out and my connection with the ship snapped my vision towards a large, like seven-foot-tall male figure that stomped into the clearing as the Grimm paused their endless charge for my ship.
'An Abomination!' I thought with horror at seeing as the male figure that was covered in a cloak ripped off the head of a Beowulf and began eating it to make its stone arm break apart into fresh flesh which Ruby must have tagged with her silver eyes.
The figure dropped off its cloak and I stared in disgust at its nude twisted form. It had the legs of what was possibly a bear? And its chest and arms were humanoid. But its head was covered in a twisting nest of spikes and antlers while it's hands were like fingers were replaced by thorn-covered antlers.
I forcibly drew a breath and with hate and spite that would make a Commissar from Warhammer 40k nod in approval I yelled out. "Fuck you, you furry Abomination!"
My goal worked... Sorta, as he looked away from New Jersey and Ruby who were trying to get up I realized the Black Pearl was sinking towards the ground as the Abomination had done something to the air and ambient mana... A domain of sorts that was making my ship struggle to stay up.
"You are the captain of this-" He spoke with condescension but although his fuckery made it hard to move... Fifteen loud booms! Rang out at once as all the Artillery shot at once followed by all the guns and several missiles launching from the ship all locked onto him.
I took a deep breath as I could feel my lungs burning at the strain as Pyrrha and Weiss also joined in by launching spells while Jeanne channeled a powerful holy spell alongside everyone else attacking to give New Jersey time to get up here with Ruby.
"My semblance is Kinetic Negation you damned fool! Your explosives are nothing to me haha!" The Abomination howled with laughter and I realized even as New Jersey and Ruby got to us that we were kinda totally fucked here.
But then a massive pillar of light magic smashed into the Abomination as though Wukong from Chinese Myth decided to smash his staff at full size into the abomination and my scroll rang out. [Jake get the hell out of there! Me and Ravel can't channel strong enough magic through his domain to kill him.] Lux spoke through my scroll almost hysterically.
Then an evil... Utterly evil thoughts hit me. "Lux, is there any teams within like thirty miles of us?!" I asked quickly.
And she quickly snapped back. "No! Get the hell out now Jake the spell will be fading in like thirty seconds!"
I took a deep breath and dismissed the Black Pearl making us fall to the ground below us before I marshaled all my aura... And then with some effort, I pulled aura from New Jersey and Prinz as I shouted. "Push your aura into me! I am going to make something to kill the fuck before we leave!"
Both shipgirls hugged me and both of them flared their aura and I pulled the aura into me with my soul aching. As I rushed to manifest something I didn't really want to use casually... But fuck it, that bastard scared my girls and the competition was fucked anyway.
A massive fifteen-yard-long bomb formed on the ground and New Jersey looked at it in wonder and not a small amount of arousal as she whimpered. "Oh, my lord... You are really going for it aren't you?"
I didn't answer her as I shouted out. "Everyone come on!" I used the smatterings of my aura left over to create a Back Door to my bedroom with myself pulling New Jersey who was carrying the wounded Ruby into my room with everyone following quickly behind as the nuclear B4I bomb was left behind.
With all ten of us inside of my room I quickly dismissed the Back Door that collapsed into blue motes of light with myself collapsing face first into my bed as I could literally feel myself going into soul shock from taking in the foreign aura injections in such a rush.
But then even as my scroll blooped with noise Beacon itself rumbled as the 10-megatone 'Clean' nuclear bomb exploded with all its fury and I muttered. "Fuck your Kinetic Absorption Semblance nerd. Try being in the center of the sun and having the same pressure."
I groaned and rolled over as New Jersey dropped the bleeding unconscious Ruby Rose onto my bed with Prinz quickly grabbing the first aid kit from the bathroom and I said. "Ren, we need to leave. They are going to need to strip Ruby out of her clothes to bind up her wounds." I said tiredly with Run all but carrying me as Jeanne began chanting holy hymns to heal Ruby as well.
A crackle rang out as my master's voice broke through my scroll again. "Jake, are you and your team alright? We lost you after the teleport as whatever you did... It destroyed all the Scrying mirrors watching you!"
I grunted and said tiredly. "We are alive Lux... We also saved Ruby Rose but she is badly hurt and bleeding out on my bed even if we have Jeanne using her holy magic to heal her. I also am in Soul Shock after taking in too much foreign aura to make that explosion. So I am probably going to fall into a coma in a few minutes once the adrenaline runs out."
There was a pause before Lux said quietly. "Jake, have your shipgirls watch you closely while you go to sleep in another room, I will be having some trusted medics pick her up but I am going to be busy for the next couple of days... I will send Morgan and Cinder as well to watch you."
I could literally see my vision losing color as the soul shock was going into effect and I said with some effort. "Why? Shoudn't they be using arrays and shit to help purge grimm from a distance?"
Lux was silent for a moment before she said coldly. "No... The Class Trial shouldn't be known to the Transcendent and Apocoltpyic Grimm. A spy, an Abomination shared the news and Abominations have many ways of twisting humans and faunus to their designs. Hence you need to bunker down while you are weak."
I nodded in exhaustion and said. "Fine. Girls, you hear that?" I called out through the cracked open door as we were in the hallway and my two shipgirls came out promptly alongside Nora who was my retainer like Ren.
"We gotcha Jake! You just crash out and I will smash anyone who comes in haha!" Nora said bravely as she hefted her warhammer.
I staggered up to my feet from the wall I was leaning on and Prinz Eugen came up and held me up as Ren did the same by taking me up by the shoulders. "Relax Jake, we got you." Prinz said with Ren silently nodding in agreement and I just let my head roll as I gave up the darkness creeping into my vision and relaxed.
The moment I gave up the fight, I knew no more besides the scent of Pyrrha's spicy cinnamon hair care product she used, hitting my nose for some reason.
-
The world itself was seemingly breaking as Sages went to battle, their immortal sage icons shifting the world to fit their innate domains their sagehood-covered aspects vied for control.
On one side was an endless abyss of swirling soul-eating corruption in Apophis, and on the other side was the timeless void of Ozpin whose domain chronologically locked all effects, attacks, and existence within his domain under his control over time itself. Alongside Ozpin was another Sage as well who had fought past the higher-tier Grimm's abominations.
Calia with her domain over death and shadows as her Sage icon was an oversized staff she wielded that had a skull with purple flames within its eyes at the top of the staff.
A pool of endless corruption filled the ground as Apophis summoned lesser Grimm to distract the sages but the world itself seemingly stuttered as flashes of Ozpin flickered with all the Grimm dying the moment they attempted to spawn from the miles-wide Grimm spawning pool.
Calia tapped her staff onto an invisible surface and a roar rang out as her shadow stretched seemingly infinitely with a skyscraper-sized skeleton with horns and gleaming metal bones grew out of her endlessly stretching shadow that filled itself with searching eyes and too many teeth.
The massive skeleton construct wordlessly threw itself at Apophis. The almost draconic-looking miles-long Grimm with the skeleton's steps shaking the earth as it swung its sharpened bone hands at the Apocalyptic Grimm.
"You humans... No matter how many souls I devour I will never understand your hypocrisy. You hate each other, tarnish and enslave one another. Yet when I come to eat you, for some reason you all come together despite you all being more than willing to kill one another without my presence." Apophis spoke with its voice being a rumbling hiss that made the trees wilt and die at the corruption within the mere sound waves.
"Why are you bothering with this sophistry Apophis? This isn't a town you decided to visit and play with... Your words are worthless to only Sages." Ozpin retorted flatly.
Apophis's Sage icon which was one of it's fangs that dripped with killing caustic poison shot forward breaking the sound barrier easily as it shattered one of the clawed hands coming for its head from the giant skeleton construct.
Meanwhile, Ozpin shot forward with his cane coming down onto Apophis's head with a mighty rumble of force as the miles-long and wide massive Apocalyptic tier Grimm's head was slammed into the ground with it grunting in amusement.
"Come now Ozpin, merely beating me over the head? Are you truly feeling that petty for my little apostles killing your hatchlings?" Apophis teased as it flared its domain of Decay to weaken Ozpin's own domain of time manipulation.
But Ozpin was the Sage of Sages for a reason as he had become a sage in several styles of martial arts, and forms of magic. Calia herself knew Ozpin was switching his domain and flew back after summoning massive chains of pure shadow that made Apophis hiss in frustration as it couldn't break the chains so easily.
Ozpin flew up into the air and then there was a spark before a flare of blinding light rang out as Calia quickly teleported away seeing Ozpin summon his domain of the Sun itself with her teleporting five miles away instantly and even then...
Calia raised a wall of shadows to block a wall of burning winds as the earth rumbled beneath her as one of Ozpin's most directly dangerous domains was incarnated upon the world.
Then Calia froze as yet another massive explosive went off in a different direction with her frowning deeply as there was no warning of magical or life force build-up that caused the explosion.
[Lady Calia, your little disciple Jean has survived via Jake teleporting her through Beacon's ward through some form of portal he conjured up hehe.] Ferid's voice spoke from the magically reinforced scroll that was hanging from Calia's hip.
The dark Lich beauty gave a hum as she looked through her shadow wall towards the massive half sphere of blinding white flames that stretched for three miles as Ozpin decided to go for trying to wear down Apophis's own darkness and corruption domain.
"And how Jake managed to teleport through the wards is the question... It's a pity that little Luxanna has sunk her claws into him." Calia spoke to herself in amusement even as she remotely controlled thousands of her undead constructs to fight the Grimm and even as she helped students get to safety.
She also... Just happened to acquire a good number of minimally damaged corpses that her shadow domain attached to her constructs could take into her demi-plane to use for her projects later.
"Mastteeerrr! You better not be hoarding all those corpses or I am going to tell my grandpa on you!" Ferid whined knowing all too well that Calia was being her efficient self.
With Calia huffing and saying crossly. "And what are you doing right now young lady? Using a microscope to craft another one of your soul-shackled automatons?"
Ferid in response just hung up making Calia snort at her capricious main apprentice who was the granddaughter of the Lich Lord of the Royal Family.
"And speaking of the Royal Family..." Calia mused with an amused expression as a massive rumble rang out as a ring of mountains seemingly rose in the distance as Prince Jarvan uprooted the earth to create large land barriers with his martial arts to stop any of the more martially inclined Abominations from fleeing so easily.
Then Calia dropped her wall of shadows as Ozpin's domain of the sun darkened with Calia humming as she saw souls, countless souls of sages, and hero's past streaming through the sphere of burning darkness as the Lich Lord had obviously joined Ozpin in the hopes of actually killing Apophis this time.
But Calia just turned to the side as she watched with disinterest as a thirty-foot-tall Gorilla-shaped undead of hers dragged a beaten and mauled abomination toward her.
If someone were to look at the head of the gorilla construct however, they would instantly recognize the face of Cardin Winchester who had his eyes removed with special enchanted gems added to allow Calia to see through his eyes easily.
"Going to kill me then?" The abomination spat out as its once feminine chest had been brutally smashed in and looked like she had been ran over quite clearly by a truck. But in reality, it was just Calia's own undead construct that had beaten it half to death.
Calia gave a wane smile at the Abomination and said calmly. "Of course I am. But first, I am going to flay your corrupted soul into layers to find out what you know. Then I am going to happily send your remains to the Holy Church for you to be made into their 'holy essence' to call upon their god's miracles."
The abomination spat at Calia with a wave of shadows blocking the spittle with Calia tilting her head to the side in thought as she noticed the dog ear's atop the Abomination's head. But its status as previously being a faunus was of no consequence to it.
"Now... Let's see your life story, little wretch." Calia spoke with almost affection as she was leaning down. And the abomination started screaming as soul-deep agony rang out as spiked chains of shadows pierced into their body and began ripping their soul from their very own corrupted body.
-
The sound of crumbling stone rang out as the sounds of high heels rang out on the stone as Summer Rose strode through the Emerald Forest like a Beacon of unforgiving purity. There was no healing, salvation, buff's, or aid in the bright silver light that leaked from her form and the beams that trailed for a solid couple hundred meters that turned everything to stone.
Summer Rose, the White Rose Reaper, whose semblance was an evolved version of her daughters had countless... Countless tens of thousands of flying silver-white rose petals flew through the forest around her.
And anything those petals touched, whether it be wood from a tree, a stone, or another life form. Would be turned into the purest of marble as her Semblance that was mutated from her overuse of her Silver Eye's killed everything around her.
Her being the White Rose Reaper well proved her bloodline's right to keeping their Duke house rank even if she was infamous for having to work solely alone due to the danger of her semblance to all but her own daughter who had her own silver eyes.
Summer hadn't even needed to draw her own favored smaller dual-headed axes as all of the Grimm died to her soundless fury at the news of her daughter being on the operating table after having several poisoned spines from that abomination breaking her ribs and causing organ damage.
"I know you are out here! A single Apocalyptic tier Grimm wouldn't be brave enough to face all of Vale's Sages in this moment of peace!" Summer spoke out with cold fury.
A soft chuckle rang out and Summer's eyes made crackling noises as the very air calcified into dust as she dropped down to dodge a corrupted reflection of the flare of her silver eyes.
Summer's eyes filled with disdain at seeing another apocalyptic tier Grimm she knew all too particularly well. "Lahmasu, I am surprised you left the ocean." Summer remarked coldly as she stared at the aquatic apocalyptic tier Grimm who was ten feet tall and floating off the ground.
As her lower body was that of a terribly mutated sea serpent with each scale being a bulbous glowing eye that allowed her to see in virtually all directions at all times from the thousands of eyes.
Summer's scowl was well earned as Lahmasu was an old enemy and a counter for her as Lahmasu had once digested a soul that had the semblance of 'Semblance Negation' via her eyes looking at the effects of a semblance.
So her petals that were spawning off her body were being zapped out of existence as Lahmasu's glowing eye's were canceling their existence.
"You know how it goes, Summer... A Transcendent Whale decides to move closer to the coast pushing me up onto land of all things. And I decided to come play with you when Apophis got forced into making this little game happen." Lahmasu's voice trilled in amusement beautifully like the siren she was.
Summer's grip on her axe tightened with the ground below her cracking as she prepared to leap at the apocalyptic tier Grimm. Who was renowned for her illusion, sound, and water magic.
Lahmasu the Siren Tyrant of the sea giggled at seeing the hate in Summer's eyes, her beautiful sea-green shimmering hair fell down from her back to her side as she leaned forward in her floating position and whispered.
"Aww... Are you still so angry darling? That I ruined your team's whole thing when I played at being Raven to get caught in fucking that... Delicious hunk you had tied down like the jealous little slut you are?"
A loud shattering noise rang out as Summer had seemingly teleported via pure speed and smashed her axe into the grimm's beautiful human face, which was twisted into an ecstatic grin at the fury on Summer's face.
"No! That's right, I forgot haha!" Lahmasu's voice cheered from the side well away from the shattered illusion that Summer broke. "Raven was already fucking him and the whore was pregnant with his spawn before you were haha!"
Then Summer's fury turned into a cold storm as Lahmasu whispered into Summer's ear. "I watch him with my own apostles you know... He still whispers your name, I give him the best dreams as I sometimes replace his women and I take your form when he is a drunken lout."
"You lie... You are a cruel monster, but you aren't so bored to do that ploy repeatedly." Summer spat with cold hate.
There was a moment of silence before Lahmasu whispered, seemingly directly into Summer's soul and that gaping wound she had. "Oh? And what if I am? A Grandmaster Martial Artist becoming one of my toys is well worth laying with of you monkeys every few days after all."
-
I awoke to the sounds of soft voices and I took a deep breath before I groaned as my body felt heavy after running into aura exhaustion.
"You damned fool, it's one thing to take a foreign aura injection when you still have your own aura. But you had already all but broken your own aura before filling yourself on someone else." Cinder scolded me as I blinked my eyes open.
I blinked as I just stared at Cinder for a long moment before I coughed and said. "Did I kill that Abomination at least?"
Cinder's golden eyes narrowed at me... And then after a moment of silence. She said flatly. "Once again. You are a damned fool, you are lucky you didn't taint your own soul with how over-stressed it was."
I chuckled and said with pride. "And... And I killed an Abomination. Barely two weeks into Beacon and I killed a damned good target."
Cinder leaned over and I made an owie noise as she flicked me across the head. "Jake you damned fool. You are making our master worried." She said with some amusement and not so much scolding.
Me and Cinder stared at one another for a long moment... Before I smiled and said. "So. You saw how I suppressed Weiss right with that glyph you carved on me?"
And I saw Cinder's expression crack with her snorting and saying with actual pride and happiness. "Yes Jake, I cannot say enough the joy I felt seeing her climb into your bullhead and just a bit ago wearing that maid outfit."
She gave me a slightly sadistic smile as she leaned forward and asked quietly. "Did you pick out that outfit is the question?"
I shook my head and said with amusement. "Nope, that was her retainer messing with her. Either way, how long have I been out? Anyone I know die?"
Cinder leaned back into her chair with a slight hum leaving her. "Well, on our side. None of our Sages and Grandmaster's who jumped into the battle died. As for below that... Yes, there were four Apocalyptic Grimm and a Transcendent who became active and fought against the sages and Grandmasters."
She shrugged and said evenly. "Out of the seven hundred students who went on the class trial, a bit more than two hundred died. But on the brighter side, two of their Apocalyptic tier Grimm were slain completely and hundreds of Abominations slain."
I grunted in answer as I considered how almost a third of the students died during the fucking event. And then I had to consider the reality that everyone was cheering that two high end Grimm faced their ends.
Then Cinder stood up. "Well, I am glad your soul isn't contaminated from that foreign injection trick you pulled. Now I am going to back to my studies with Morgan while your retinue can watch over you."
I nodded and asked quickly. "How is Lux? Is she alright?"
Cinder snorted and said easily. "She is perfectly fine. She and Lady Ravel the princess spent the whole event using their magic from within Beacon to blow up large groups of lesser Grimm to clear the way for the other students."
With that Cinder left me alone in the room. For a grand total of like a minute and a half before my door opened up again.
I expected Prinz or New Jersey to come into my room first. Hell maybe even Nora to come and belly flop onto my bed for the hell of it. Or even Alice and Velvet my literal more servile retainers.
But instead, it was Artoria, my other servile retainer who was Jean, Jeanne, and Morgan's mother.
"Jake, how are you doing?" Artoria asked with some stress in her voice making me blink.
I coughed and said. "Uhh, I am doing much better. How are you doing? Are you alright?"
Artoria came to the edge of my bed and with a small voice, she said quietly. "My daughters... Mordred and Okita. They lost their team's when an Abomination attacked and they."
Artoria swallowed with a pit growing in my stomach as she finished. "They themselves into a fast-flowing river to hide from a tide of Grimm and their scrolls shorted out."
I brushed a hand across my face knowing all too well that Scroll's weren't supposed to 'short' out so easily. "Ok Artoria... I need you to get me something... No, just hold on for a second for me to get some help outside." I said firmly.
I got out of bed with a bit of stiffness in my body meaning I had certainly been out for at least a day or something.
"Jersey! Prinz, I need you both!" I yelled out and both shipgirls rushed out of the other room with Prinz barely having her top on correctly.
"Are you alright Jake?" Prinz asked with clear concern.
I shook my head and said quickly. "Artoria lost her daughters Mordred, and Okita. I am going to open a Backdoor to them and I need your help to deal with any issues that they might be dealing with."
Wordlessly both girls accepted my orders with manifesting their rigging onto their bodies while I just grabbed my saber as I didn't have enough time to get my arm canon's on properly.
"Artoria you stay here for a minute." I said before I mentally focused on the appearance and everything I knew about Okita Arc with my aura draining as I summoned up a Backdoor... But oddly this Backdoor wasn't a normal door. It was still a door, but it had Okita's face embossed on the door with her eye's closed.
'Weird... I need to learn more about my semblance.' I mused before throwing open the door and stepping through into darkness as it was apparently night at this point.
The moment however, I opened the door I could hear the roar of Grimm and as the girls behind me stepped through the door I called out loudly. "Mordred! Okita where are you!"
The Grimm roars seemed to pause for a moment before a wave of red eyes bloomed to life in the surroundings with New Jersey and Prinz opening up with their anti-air guns to tear apart the surrounding area's.
But then I heard a weak feminine voice speak out amidst the gunfire as I used the aura technique to protect my ears. "Jake..."
I whirled around looking around for the source of the whisper... Before I looked up, and I saw Mordred and Okita had tied themselves high up into a tree. "New Jersey! Pull them out of the tree!" I called out with my flight-capable Shipgirl quickly going to do so as I started shooting my water spell into the surrounding Grimm.
"Get them into the door! Let's get out of here!" I said with a frown as I wondered something painful. 'How many other surviving students that lost contact with Beacon, are living a nightmare as endless Grimm prowl around for them.'
But I didn't know the other students... And god knows how long they could last and how many Back Door's I could open with my aura fucked up as it was currently. As the moment I dismissed my Back Door as we entered the other side back into my area's hallway.
My vision darkened and it felt like I had a hundred pounds on each shoulder weighing me down. I staggered slightly and I was grabbed by Nora who had seemingly come out of her room hearing all the noises.
"Help me to a couch please." I grunted in exhaustion as I heard Artoria loudly crying as she fussed over the wounded forms of Okita and Mordred who Prinz and New Jersey were moving into the living room as well.
Nora despite being a good bit shorter then me was still a fucking bull in terms of strength so she easily got me to a couch and as I splayed across it I took my scroll and called up Lux.
[Jake what do you need? I have only a couple minutes.] Lux's somewhat hurried tone rang out.
I swallowed at realizing I probably should have called Morgan or Cinder but I wasn't entirely in my right mind. So I just said hurriedly.
"Where do I call for a medic, I had to use my semblance to snag Okita, and Morded from the forest. Morgan's sisters who are wounded." I explained briefly.
I could hear Lux taking a breath before she said quickly. [Call the emergency number in the Beacon App and tell them to meet them outside of the tower's wards. And Jake... You made me proud to be your master.]
With that she closed the call as she was presumably still busy obviously and I went and called the Beacon emergency first aid station using the App like she recommended. "Prinz, New Jersey. Take them and Artoria to the medics." I called with the two ship girls quickly carrying the wounded Arc's into an elevator.
I drew a hand across my face as a door opened up and I looked past my hands to see Velvet and Alice standing in their opened door looking around slightly nervously. "You alright Jake? Beacon is on lockdown right now." Alice said in caringly.
I just stared at the two rabbit faunus's for a long moment before I spoke quietly. "The class trial was a shit show. Hundreds died, and I am a dried up husk of aura and magic. No, I am not alright." I admitted honestly.
The two bunnies shared a look before Alice tsked and walked into the living room fully and came over to me. Then her nose pinched and she said quietly. "Jake... You been asleep for three days since your aura injection put your soul at rest. You need a shower, it will make you feel alot better."
Taking a breath I looked at Nora next to me and said with a wry grin. "Nora, think I can stand up alright?"
And without missing a beat Nora said upbeatly. "Not a damned chance in hell! I could feel your feet dragging on the ground as I pulled you onto the couch haha!"
I shrugged and said tiredly with my head lollying back. "There ya go. I will just have to suffer in the stank for for a day or something until I get my strength back."
My head's lolling paused as Velvet stated calmly. "Jake we are your retainers, we will literally wash you in the bath. I don't mind if you won't be embarrassed."
I looked over at Velvet and asked in bewilderment. "Where the hell is the shy bun bun who flushed when doing my measurements for my arm canons?"
Instead it was Alice who deadpanned. "We been doing your laundry, cooking for you, and hear and smelling you lay into Nora some nights."
Nora flushed at the faunus's very blunt observation and for a moment she squeaked and went to try to deny it but she just closed her mouth with a click as she giggled and asked nervously. "So... Did you like listening?" She asked trying to turn it back on the faunus's.
Although Velvet blushed a bit at Nora's verbal riposte. Alice just giggled and said teasingly. "Oh it was certainly something, but Jake. I used to have to help my Grandpa with sponge baths and such. So don't worry, I can handle it ufufu."
I looked to Nora and said. "You alright to help me again Nora?" And she smiled weakly before nodding and hefting me up to stand up properly so I could get led through my level of Lux's tower and towards my large bathroom.
I was at least able to strip myself properly but I was truly just fucking wiped out for some reason... It's like instead of just emptying my aura, I had instead dug deeper into my soul, excavating new depths to my aura to pull up more and that void as my soul had to fill in that new space in my aura stores was what was exhausting me.
Alice got the bath started and while I was getting undressed and I blinked as Alice threw off her shirt making me blink as I saw her large ample breasts clad in a rather mundane bra. "Don't get too excited haha. I just don't want my shirt to get wet." Alice said teasingly as she walked over to the side cabinets.
And we both giggled as she came out of the cabinet with swimsuits and hand sized glove wash cloths with Nora saying in a knowing giggle. "Does Lux have any retainers that help her wash up and such?"
I shook my head as I said quietly. "No, she doesn't, she has her tower warded to keep the majority of dust out. I think she does have some constructs though, no that's just... Standard in a noble bathroom I imagine."
Alice shrugged and tossed a wash cloth to Nora and Velvet who squeaked at taking the wash cloth. "Do I need to take off my shirt too!?" Velvet asked with a deep flush.
And even as Alice went to say something. Nora spoke promptly as she tossed her top and sports bra off in one motion before working to kick off her panties and shorts. "Of course Velvet! You and Alice can get his chest, back, and hair. While I climb into the big bath tub to wash his legs!"
Nora's utterly 'impeccable' logic was undefeatable to the much more demure bunny waifu and it didn't help when Alice said with a casual smile as she helpfully filled the bath with literal bubble bath and turned down the lights a bit. "Oh come now Velvet, this is just helping our lord feel better."
And even with the lights turned down I saw how Velvet's blush darkened but she seemed to take comfort in the darkened lights with her unbottoning her shirt and pulling it... And her bra off exposing her lovely hand full sized breasts to the air.
'I have died and gone to heaven.' I thought happily as Nora climbed into the large bathtube with a slight wave of hot water slapping my chest as she scooted across the hot tub sized bath to get over to me.
-
Within a dark room, a group of five figures met around a large pentagon shaped table. Sitting at each flat space of the pentagon stone table was one of the figures and the table most importantly had five animals engraved in great detail into each space.
As the table beheld a masterpiece of engraved narrative art that seemingly told a story and description of each animal.
The five animals repersented across the table started off with a Fox at the bottom, but it wasn't a small predator but depicted as being the size of mountains with smaller foxes running along its feet seemingly being trickters and charming humans and other animals.
The second animal to the right was a noble tiger, this one holding reign over the mountains as a soverign and not sharing ground with human nor other animals as the engravings depicted all were butchered by the noble tiger for intruding upon it's territory despite ignoring it's howling warnings.
The third animal was a proud wolf pack. With the wolf pack being depicted as slaying humans and animals alike as they took upon a shepards roll towards those in their pack, even other animals and humans were depicted working with the proud wolf pack to survive as they hunted shadowy monster's depicted in the creases and corners of the engraved stone table.
The fourth animal took up the most space on the table due to it's size dispite it being the sole one of it's kind. A dragon with golden scales and eyes seemingly engraved with a spirituality and wisdom if you looked into its eyes. But if you looked at it otherwise, it looked like the dragon was suppressing the shadowy monsters into hiding places in the table.
Finally the fifth animal had a single large version of itself and much smaller ones scattered across the heavily engraved table but each of the smaller ones were cleaverly hidden in tree's and depicted as hidding around rocks and boulders. The final animal depicted was various snakes with the major larger snake being a rainbow of various colors that made up it's scales.
"Vale, Mistral, and Atlas are nipping at one another. Like hungry hounds fightning over a fresh kill, and the raising natural negative emotions naturally attract the desire for fresh souls to the high tier Grimm." The female figure spoke that sat at the dragon side of the table.
"War as we all know, doesn't pan out especially between the four kingdoms. Sure Mistral and Atlas will be able to suck out some of Vale's resources, but they will lose whatever territory they take and Vale will as per usual strike back visciously and retreat to lick their wounds." The male figure at the wolf side of the able spoke in a heavy tone.
The figure at the snake side was even wearing a full covering cloak, but her voice made her gender well apparent. "The question is whether we, the Faunus and Five Clan's will interfere with the human war that is bound to happen.? And how we will take advantage."
Another female figure from the fox side spoke with a firm strong voice. "Just as you already pointed out. Open conflict is a bad move, especially for how dimished we are with only five Sages compared to Vale alone having supposedly thirty."
The female voice sitting at the dragon side leaned in. Exposing her face of silver white hair and glowing red eyes that matched the four red horns atop her head. "We reside within Vale due to it having the most fertile land and the most Sages keeping the worst of the Grimm contained. We learned well that stabbing humans in the back is a thing we cannot do unless we slay all their sages."
All the faunus's in attendance was silent in the memory of the Night of Knives, where Faunus kind slayed ten percent of the human population and many Master and a number of Grandmaster tier warriors and mages.
And in unison all the Faunus tensed at the following memory of the Faunus Purge. Where the sages of humanity ripped Faunus's from their homes. The men, and all warriors regardless of gender were slaughtered with leading the Faunus race to being culled down to barely fifty percent of it's original population across the world.
The tiger seat also leaned forward with his hand falling on the table softly before he spoke in a deep calm voice. "Fighting the host of where the Faunus race is rebuilding itself... Is a poor idea, especially when Ozpin could slay us all with how we haven't had years to harden and strengthen his domain.
The tiger lord was a large man with dark hair and yellow slitted eyes with his faunus trait clearly being the cat ears atop their head.
The female Fox clan leader then spoke up with her voice ringing out clearly. "Well Ghira, what does the Tiger suggest we do. As remaining in the shadow and hiding will only make Ozpin and the Royal family... React poorly when they learn we have us five sages when they think we are only Grandmasters."
Ghira brushed his hand across his slight beard before he said gruffly. "We do need to approach a faction, either the nobles, the royals... Or Ozpin himself to announce ourselves lest we be slaughtered when we suprise the humans."
The table was silent at the truth in Ghira's words... They all knew that should the Valian's find out there was five unaccounted possibly hostile sages in their land. Blood would be spilt without mercy just as it was spilled without hesitation during the Faunus Culling.
The wolf lord made a clicking noise with his hands falling on the table in a clapping noise before he said heavily. "We will not kneel to Ozpin... I will not stand for it, and the rest of our clan's won't accept it either. He killed our culture, our previous sages and almost pushed the race to extinction with the Royal Family."
The other clan lords made noises of agreement until the snake clan leader spoke in her soft feminine voice. "For that same reason, we will likely need to avoid the royal family. In particular, the Lich Lord who pushed for Faunus kind to be rendered extinct."
There was further muttering until the dragon faunus spoke slowly. "Allying ourselves so bluntly with the nobility however despite the Duke and Marquis houses having so much power is also a bad move. Due to how Ozpin and the Royal family are currently purging the wastes in the nobility."
All five figures nodded in agreement well aware that despite Vale's more free approach to civil liberties compared to the other kingdoms... It's might-makes-right mentality was based more on the saying of Noblesse Oblige where nobility was given special rights in return for their service to the kingdom.
And the weak nobles were rightfully being culled themselves now.
"How about we look... More in towards the middle, a noble family thats heavily connected to the Royal Family, having connections with Ozpin, and being a Duke house themselves." The snake clan lord spoke in her velvet voice.
There was a pause as the lords considered that until the fox lord snorted with her leaning in allowing all to see her large silver ears atop her head and bright blue slitted eyes.
"You mean the Crownsguard Family correct? Garen is indeed very attached to the Royal family in being part of Jarvan's peerage. Along with Luxanna being extremely close friends with Ravel and both being Grandmaster martial artists and mages."
The fox woman took a breath and then continued. "But how would we connect to them? To integrate ourselves back with humanity so that Faunus kind may throw off the shackles of the Night of Knives and become equal once more."
Ghira folded his arms over his chest and said with a grunt. "Though the Crownsguard is a good target for integration. We cannot forget the matriarch and patriarch of the family... They also participated in the culling after one of our Knives killed the patriarch's parents. There is bad blood between us."
The snake clan lord then said. "Then tangently connected to them. All the noble families in Vale of any value and strength participated in the culling so we can't be too picky as we need to ally with a Duke house and maybe multiple of them."
Muttering broke out for a moment before the wolf clan lord spoke with some humor. "Trying to court multiple noble families into our pocket will hurt their pride, and get the royal family and Ozpin as our enemy as it would look like we are reaching for power."
There was a bit of silence until the fox woman spoke bluntly. "The Crownsguard are perfect, as for who we will go after to form a connection..." The woman took out her scroll and then she said. "With the said of the serpent clan, the fox clan's spies found a perfect target."
All the clan lords watched with various expressions as the video played out with depicted the Beacon Initation from the point of view of several camera's that had their contents stitched together and were watching the scrying mirrors within the Initiation.
And the video clearly depicted Jake Bariss and his retinue's actions. First in creating a massive fortified base in the center of a mile-wide ravine that made his position utterly impregnable due to the two-way killing zone that made up his structure as all Grimm had to run across the bridge to get there.
The video's sped up but the Sage's were easily able to keep up with their enhanced senses as they watched as Jake's installation destroyed wave after wave of Grimm for several days including even higher quality Grimm without stopping.
"Jake Bariss, have a semblance or innate magic similar to the Abbizares of Vacuo... But although his constructs seemingly take more magic or aura from him, his constructs are permanent, he can manifest everything from food, to magical items, to fortifications that do not decay like the Vacuan royal families." The fox woman explained before waving a hand at the serpent woman.
"Jake Bariss is a gem in the rough, his combat abilities are... Negligent as he has had zero former training and our spies report that even now he has only mastered the use of a single spell and is only now being trained in true Martial Arts." The serpent clan woman spoke with a soft voice.
"He is however heavily favored by his master Luxanna Crownguard who is the heir apparent to the Crownsguard family after her brother Garen joined Jarvan's peerage. He is a low risk- high reward target for seduction, ensnarment, simply put."
The five clan leaders of Faunus kind was silent for a moment with Ghira brushing his hand across his jaw line before saying calmly. "I suggest, that we unveil ourselves to him through a proxy. And that through him, we will prove ourselves to Vale and humankind that Faunuskind even dimished is strong and worthy of respect."
There was a pause before the dragon woman leaned in with her eyes glowing as she looked into Ghira's eyes and asked calmly. "We will use him as a focal point as he will be used to create castles and fortifications when Mistral's slaver bands reach Vale's shores that are on their way even now. I highly doubt that he will be put on the front lines against Atlas's true army."
The table was then filled with mutters of agreement until the Serpent clan woman spoke quietly. "There is the fact that we can use him there. Helping Vale in proving our strength in repelling the slavers... Or, we twist things to have him sent to the front line against the Atlas army, and through there in true open battle we could prove ourselves against the worst of the kingdoms in Atlas."
A tense silence filled the room at the reminder that while Vale, and Mistral culled about fifty percent of their faunus population during the culling... Atlas in particular was infamous for culling eighty-five percent of their population. And their culling wasn't 'clean' and clinical brutality like Vales's was.
No, every Faunus during the Atlas culling. In the faunus's man, woman, and children were forced into mines with them getting worked quickly to death via exposure alongside the typical undead constructs that typically did such grunt work. And when they died of hunger or were slain for attempting to escape, their remains were used to make more undead constructs.
"Also from our spies within Beacon and you have already seen. Jake has faunus retainers, and he after the last few weeks have treated them well with them only having to bear their collars and wrist chains in leather instead of metal." The fox woman added.
There was a pause before the dragon woman spoke up slowly. "I would have suggested the Rose heir because she is already noted to have major loneliness and abandonment issues due to Taiyang Xiaolong's... Proclivites. But this Jake Bariss is otherwise a perfect target."
The dragon woman looked at everyone and then asked bluntly. "We cannot ensnare him via magic or bloodline trickery like a Fox charm due to his closeness to The Goodwitch and Ozpin. So, how do we earn his trust and cooperation?"
The table went quiet as they considered that as they weren't dumb. They knew that Jake would have quite literally 'THE' best education and political protection with his connection to two sages in Ozpin and Glynda Goodwitch due to his lineage.
Although he may not personally have a great amount of wealth, once again Luxanna herself was the heir of one of the richest families in Vale, and the pocket change she could throw at Jake without a thought was in the millions of Lien.
The faunus couldn't even directly offer their services to Jake as a sort of hidden guardian... As unless the world goes to war, there was no one stupid enough to attempt to mess with the disciple of Luxanna Crownsguard the Elementalist, the disciple of the Goodwitch.
As the last time, a clan from Mistral tried to steal one of Goodwitch's disciples to take her home to be their young master's concubine/sex slave... That clan got smashed to literal splinters when the irate Goodwitch ripped her from the clan grounds yelling about how she was late to her lessons.