Flesh To Aura Version 1

Summary: RWBY SI. So, apparently I'm now a War Mage thanks to a B.R.O.B. chucking me onto Remnant, which honestly I would have been perfectly fine with. However there's just one problem. Why the hell do I have to go back to HIGH SCHOOL?! Rated T for Swearing and gratuitous combat.

1. Arrival

Story Start: Our Universe, My Bedroom

It was instinct rather than hearing or sight that made me look up from my computer screen as I worked on one of my stories, that unquantifiable but no less important sense that had me glancing to the left as I just suddenly knew that someone was now in my bedroom with me. The sight of the cloaked figure leaning against my dresser had me give a startled jerk of my body but thankfully I didn't fall out of my seat. Unfortunately, my mouth wasn't as restrained as the rest of my body, a fact proven by my first words to the figure.

"Who the fuck are you?!"

The cloaked figure chuckled and said "Language Matthew."

I snorted and said "Sir, you are in my room uninvited, that's a bit more rude than me cussing at you."

I somehow knew the hooded figure was smirking at me as he said "And there's that wit that makes you one of my favorite humans to go to for entertainment, regardless of which version you are."

Version? My eyes narrowed as I said "I assume by version you are implying you are capable of traversing the multi-verse."

Now I could tell that the figure was grinning at me as he said "The Multi-Verse Theory is always one of your favorite non-provable things to believe in, it's what makes chucking you into new worlds so less irritable than if I did it to some close-minded fool."

My eyes stayed narrowed as I said "You've translocated 'me' before? That implies…" My eyes widened as the penny finally dropped for me and I said "Taifun."

"Good." The now identified R.O.B. said, though given his words, maybe B.R.O.B. fit him after all. Hearing that thought, he chuckled and said "Oh come now Matthew, you and I both know that I am not like that Bastard that chucked Cross into a One Piece world and then gave him a biscuit right off the bat just to see that gastrointestinal disaster. I at least give you tools to properly survive in your new world. After all, humans are rather squishy in the Transformers Prime section of the multiverse, aren't they?"

I should have been surprised at his words, really, I should have, but the fact that three other versions of me became badass autonomous robotic lifeforms in another universe after a highway crash because of a Randomly Omnipotent Being made far more sense than such a thing happening naturally. Actually, it looked like I had discovered who the 'drunk god' that dropped another version of me into Awakening was as well. Giving a sigh, I said "Alright Taifun, where are you sending me then?" It wasn't like I could actually stop the guy from doing this after all.

Taifun chuckled and said "I was thinking the world of Remnant would be a nice change of pace for you."

I frowned and cocked my head as I said "I don't know much about the source material I'm afraid."

Taifun's hood shifted juuuust enough that I could see the wicked grin he was sporting as he said "I know, you've only seen up to the team designation part of the show, but you and I both know you've read quite a few RWBY stories, including the LOOPS version, which gives you a bit of a head's up."

"Well there is that." I admitted, finally turning my chair towards him and leaning back in it as I said "So what's the trade off this time?" Putting me on Remnant as I was was even more of a death sentence then putting me in a TFP verse as a human after all. At least there the common human didn't have Grimm to deal with.

Taifun held up two fingers and said "You have two choices. I'm going to convert you to an age that would be appropriate for a Beacon student, though of course you don't have to go there if you really don't want to. In return, all of the converted body mass will go into expanding your Aura pool so that way you don't run out of it within the first minute. This Aura Pool will power one of two Semblances. You can either become your version of a War Mage OR, you can switch between your human body and Tac, though you will only be able to maintain your thirty foot tall form for five minutes before running out of Aura and turning back into a human. Though you could find a big enough water supply to convert to Aura and extend that time."

"I suppose the smaller version is a lot less Aura intensive?" I asked and Taifun nodded. It did make sense. After all, the material making said thirty foot tall murder bot had to come from somewhere so it would then follow that my Aura reserves would be making up the slack. I gave a sigh and slouched a little in my chair as I considered my options.

Option 1: War Mage

Four spell sigils, one on each palm of my hand and sole of my feet. EXTREMELY versatile since they had ten spell classes, Wind, Water, Fire, Lightning, Earth, Light, Dark, Gravity, Space, and Staff, with 'levels' from E to S and three spells per level, giving me a hundred and eighty spells total. However, with my Aura powering this version I couldn't know how often or long I could use the higher levels of spells before I ran out. There was no point in using an S Level Light Tsunami spell to wipe out hordes of Grim in one shot or an S Level Regenerate to give someone back an arm if it meant I lost all of my aura immediately after and was then just as helpless as any other shmuck on that planet until my Aura recovered.

Option 2: Tac

The ability to turn into a mechanized soldier with Vibrational Swords, two Energon Pistols, a Sonic Resonator Blaster, three missiles, and a mini forge. I of course had to assume said weapons would run off of my Aura. There was also the ability to transform into a jet making travel times much smaller along with enabling air combat. And couldn't forget the fact that I could turn into a giant on top of that. But the fact remained, my aura reserves would determine how long I could remain in said Autobot form. If I had access to at least a big enough stream then theoretically I wouldn't run out of Aura in a fight, and nothing said I couldn't carry water out in the field in a camel pack or something. Though if I wasn't able to keep at least the swords or pistols when I wasn't made out of metal I would have to buy back up weapons, which would be annoying.

I bowed my head in thought and considered my options for three minutes, going back and forth on which option would be the best one to keep me alive. Finally though, I gave a sigh and looked up at Taifun and said "I choose the War Mage option."

Taifun stood up fully and said "Very well then." Suddenly going from my dresser to standing in front of me without seeming to move, he put a gloved hand on my forehead and said "Now I'm not going to lie here, the de-aging and mass to Aura conversion processes are going to be painful as hell so I think it's best if you're not aware for this." That was all the warning I got before my surroundings completely changed.

Scene Change: Remnant, Vale Shopping District, March 1

I blinked as I suddenly went from sitting in my bedroom to standing on a rooftop. My body swayed as my mind took a moment to try and make sense of what it was perceiving now. Once I got my mental equilibrium back, I began taking stock of myself. I was still six feet tall thankfully, but my entire body was much thinner, my arms and legs lacking the muscle mass a decade of physical labor jobs had given them. Before I could lift roughly four hundred pounds at the extreme max. Now it was probably only two hundred pounds, though since I wasn't planning on using a war hammer as a weapon that wasn't really a problem.

I was wearing the usual for the time of year back home, jeans, t-shirt, and my favorite, and only, Carhartt jacket that had been with me since high school. A quick pat down had shown that once again, Taifun had been kind enough to send my phone with me, it resting in its usual spot in my left jean pocket. Apparently, he had also sent my wallet with me as well going by the bulge in the jeans' right pocket.

My inspection of what I came with came to an end when I heard the unmistakable sounds of gun shots. Instinctively ducking, it took a moment for me to realize no, I wasn't being shot at and still crouched I looked down in the street to see a little munchkin using her gun scythe to smack around some Mafia wannabe thugs.

"Huh, right at the start of the pilot episode. Well, you can't say Taifun doesn't have good timing." I mused to myself as I watched Roman Torchwick take a quick shot at her before making a run for it to a rooftop three buildings away. Watching him climb, I hesitated for a brief moment before I tsked to myself and said "Why can't I just leave well enough alone?"

Instinct briefly took over and my Spell Sigils lit up green as I 'powered up' and brought my new Aura reserves to readiness. I Negated myself, dropping my weight by half and sprinted across the rooftops, clearing the gap between mine and the next one easily and continued my sprint. Hearing the sound of engines spinning up, I threw my arms behind my back and used Wind Jet to speed up even further.

I saw Roman throw the Burn crystal in his hand at the rooftop in front of Ruby's feet and as he began lifting his cane gun, time seemed to slow down as my body increased the flow of adrenaline in my body. I increased the Negate of my body (Ha!) to ten pounds and took one more leap that took me all the way across the last gap to land by Ruby's feet, Wind Jets cutting off halfway through the air as all four of my Spell Sigils prepared for a collaborative spell.

(Third POV)

Ruby's eyes widened as she saw Roman point his gun at the Dust in front of her and fired. But just as the shot ignited the crystal a figure suddenly appeared right in front of her with arms crossed and palms facing forward. The explosion slammed into a transparent but shimmering barrier, a purple glyph behind it and as the smoke cleared, the figure looked to his right and said "Glynda Goodwitch, how nice of you to drop by. You realize I had that right?"

Ruby startled a little as a strictly dressed woman with a purple cape that was a bit tattered at the end who was NOT there a few seconds ago pushed her glasses up her nose and said "It is not wise to take chances when dealing with explosions young man."

"Fair enough." The still unknown teenager said as he dropped his crossed arms, his barrier dropping as he did so before he turned his gaze back forward and thrust out his hand towards the hovering bullhead holding the thief Ruby had chased as he shouted out "THUNDER!" To her amazement, a bolt of electricity launched itself from the palm of his hand and slammed into the portside turbine of the bullhead causing the engine to begin sparking. As the hovercraft began swaying in the air, the man narrowed his eyes and said "Now we see if I can handle a real fire fight."

Glynda and Ruby could only wonder at what the stranger meant for a moment before Roman switched places with the pilot who walked up to the hatch of the bullhead, her head and upper torso hidden by shadows even as the Dust in her dress lit up showing that it was a Dustcaster and her hands formed fireballs. Seeing a glow beneath his feet the teenager leapt to the left, his leap somehow taking him all the way to the left edge of the building, though Ruby barely noticed, having been telekinetically thrown to the side as Glynda also leapt away. And not a moment too soon as the spot they just left erupted in a pillar of fire.

The sound of cracking knuckles filled the air before the boy thrust out his left arm and a second bolt of electricity flew out and slammed into the cockpit of the bullhead causing it to begin wildly bucking in the air. Their opponent quickly grabbed the side of the bullhead hatch to keep from falling out even as she launched a fireball at the teen. He intercepted the shot with a ball of water causing it to turn into a small cloud of steam and Ruby briefly wondered where he was hiding his Dustcasters before she shook her head and shifted Crescent Rose into rifle mode and fired three shots at the enemy, only for the shots to be blocked by her aura as she moved her free hand to intercept them.

Glynda rejoined the fight at that point, gesturing with her riding crop and making the melted roof fragments from the fire geyser form into a large spear that began spinning even as it launched towards the bullhead. Another fireball slammed into the projectile causing it to break apart but Glynda merely had the shards slam into the Bullhead, though they didn't seem to damage it further. And then the stranger used ANOTHER element as a bolt of light slammed into the already damaged port side turbine. No, not slammed, punched through, the bolt of energy coming out the other side just as fast as it entered and shooting off into the sky before dissipating.

Needless to say, the engine was a lost cause at that point and its remains spewed out black smoke as the bullhead spun and crashed to the ground. The stranger shot to the edge of the roof and leapt off, Glynda doing the same and Ruby was quick to follow.

(1st POV)

I landed in a crouch with both palms facing the surprisingly still mostly intact wreck. I idly noted Glynda and Ruby landing as well but kept my gaze on the crash. But after a minute of no sign of Roman or Cinder coming out, I stood up and cautiously made my way to the wreck. Glynda met me at it, and I gave her a glance that she returned before the pair of us entered the cargo hold. Nothing, and nothing in the cockpit either. The two had somehow escaped.

Dropping my palms with a sigh, I let out a muttered "Damnit, they got away."

"Language young man, though I agree it is frustrating they aren't here." Glynda said, once more pushing her glasses up.

I gave her an amused look before I looked out of the bullhead as I heard the sirens that had been ringing ever since Ruby took out the last mook finally reaching us and said "And of course the police get here AFTER the action is all over." Glynda hummed an acknowledgement and I shook my head as we left the bullhead.

As soon as I was out, Ruby was right in my face and with an eager grin asked "How'd you make that barrier and throw around three elements like that without a Dustcaster or even any Dust crystals?"

"I would like to know that as well, but such discussions should be had somewhere else I believe." Glynda said, gesturing to the two police cars that had parked in front of the crash site.

Time Skip: Fifteen Minutes Later, Vale Police Headquarters

The trip here had been silent, Ruby cowed by Glynda to remain quiet as she sat between me and Ruby. As we reached the HQ, the cops asked for our IDs and while Ruby handed her Scroll over to be scanned then returned, I had a bit of a problem. I had pulled out my wallet and showed them the Driver's License held inside but given how the United States of America didn't exist here, never mind South Carolina, the police obviously assumed that it was some joke forgery. That and I didn't quite look like my older self. I simply shrugged and said "That's the only kind of ID I have."

It took a thorough pat down and the fact that my phone couldn't give them the ID they were looking for for the police to decide that my Driver's License would have to do, the officer at the scanning machine slipping it into a slot on the machine for a minute before returning it. Glynda of course was trying to burn a hole through my head with her intent gaze during all of this.

There was only one chair in the interrogation room we were brought to. A bit of an oversight that, though a police officer soon brought in a second chair for me sit on next to Ruby. I leaned back with a sigh, closing my eyes and leaning my head back while Ruby sat ram rod straight. A moment later, I opened my eyes and brought my head back forward and said "You have questions yes?"

"I do, but those can come after I deal with her." Glynda said, narrowing her eyes at Ruby who gulped at the sight. As Glynda began a slow walk around the table to start her little bit of intimidation/psychological evaluation of the Scarlet Speedster, I closed my eyes again and only listened with half an ear. I didn't open them even as Ozpin came in and spoke with her, then invited her to Beacon.

It was only as Ozpin said "And then there is you young man." that I opened my eyes and straightened up in my seat. Ozpin took a sip from his cup of coffee and continued "I must admit that you interest me greatly Matthew Bandstra. You are not in any databases whatsoever, you carry no weapon, Dustcaster or otherwise, and yet you seem capable of manipulating at least three elements and creating barriers, you do not appear as old as the picture in the id you gave us though facial recognition shows that you are a 100% match to it once your picture goes through an aging program, and said id is for a place that doesn't exist on Remnant. So tell me Mr. Bandstra, how did you wind up on Remnant at least a decade younger than you should be?"

"Say what?!" Ruby asked startled, glancing between me and Ozpin in confusion. Glynda I noticed had raised eyebrows but was otherwise remaining professional.

Smirking, I leaned forward and said "I figured that if anyone would guess it that it would be you Ol' Ozzy. I'm assuming you've heard of the Multi-Verse Theory?" At Ozpin's nod, I shrugged and said "Yeah, turns out it's not really a Theory anymore. I was just relaxing in front of my computer working on some fanfiction of mine when a Randomly Omnipotent Being, R.O.B. for short, showed up and said he was going to toss me into Remnant. Keep in mind, Earth, the planet I'm from, has no Aura or Grimm, and while being a physical laborer meant I had plenty of muscle in my arms and legs, I wasn't exactly the most fit guy out there. Thankfully, the R.O.B., or Taifun as I know him, doesn't have a B for Bastard in front of his title so he wasn't going to send me as I am where I would just become a Grimm chew toy. You see, Taifun likes to think of himself as a pretty fair guy, dealing in Equivalent Exchange to give someone a way to survive in the new world he tosses them into. This time, he took away a little over a decade of my age and took those years and the body mass I lost and converted them into Aura, which in turn powers these."

I held up my right hand and the Spell Sigil on my palm lit up in Hunter's Green light as I continued "Spell Sigils, they've got nine element spell classes along with a utility class that is primarily healing. All ten classes have six levels of strength, three spells per level, though I've only got access to the first-tier spells right now. I've got four of them on me, one on each end of my limbs."

"Cooool." Ruby breathed next to me and a glance showed her eyes had stars in them as she stared at my hand.

I chuckled at the sight but my gaze was brought back forward as Ozpin took a sip of his coffee and asked "And how are you aware of Aura and Grimm if your planet doesn't have these things?"

I shrugged and said "There was a television show called RWBY, spelled R-W-B-Y that focused mostly on her team."

I pointed at Ruby and her eyes grew wide as she also pointed at herself and asked "Me?! I'm going to be a teamleader?!"

"If things go the same way as the show? Yes." I said with a grin before I turned back towards Ozpin and continued "I've only seen the first eight episodes of the source material which had covered tonight up to team assignments, but thanks to other sources I do know about a good bit of other stuff, though I unfortunately don't have any dates for you."

"Pity, however, I will gladly take any information you have for me." Ozpin said with another sip of his coffee. Seriously, how much of that stuff could that mug hold?

Shaking my head from that distracting thought, I took a deep breath and looked upwards as I said "Let's see, I know that Ruby has a pair of Semblances, her 'normal' Semblance which is speed boosted and her 'dojutsu' or eye ability that as the name suggests rests in her Silver Eyes. I don't know the specifics of it, just that in the show it one shot a giant dragon Grimm." Ruby gasped out a surprised "Whoa" and I hummed before I continued "I know that her team in the show was her partner Weiss Schnee, her sister Yang Xiao Long, and Yang's partner Blake Belladonna. I know the other three girls' Semblances. I know that while Blake is a former member of the White Fang, she joined when her parents created it and it was still a peaceful organization, and that she got out when she could no longer stand how it was turned into a terrorist organization. I know that Team JNPR will become a valuable partner to Team RWBY, and that it is composed of Jaune Arc, his partner Pyrrha Nikos, Nora Valkyrie, and her partner Ren Lie. I know what their Semblances can do and that while Jaune gets in on false transcripts, he plays a key role in what comes up in the future, especially since his Aura Boosting Semblance saves Weiss Schnee's life. I also know that he doesn't get his Aura unlocked until Initiation, when Pyrrha does it. I know that at some point either very recently or very soon, the Fall Maiden Amber is going to be attacked and half her powers will be stolen by Cinder Fall, who is the woman we fought tonight. In the show, the other half of Amber's Maiden powers was meant to go to Pyrrha Nikos, only Cinder killed Amber before the transfer could be made giving her that half as well. I know that Cinder Fall is working for Salem and has the White Fang working in turn for herself. I know that she will orchestrate a Breach of Vale through a train rigged with explosives and later she will do something similar during the Vytal Festival. Part of the Vytal Festival attack will be taking over Atlas' mechs, which was possible due to their operating systems being so rudimentary even I could do it with my one high school level class of computer coding. Let's see, I know Ruby's Aunt Raven is leader of a bandit tribe, though I didn't actually see any of that part of the show. I know what you are Ozzy Osbourne, and that when your current body dies you'll share headspace with a farm boy named Oscar Pine."

I suddenly let out a cough and rubbed at my throat. Before Ozpin or Glynda could offer me a drink though I cupped my hands and used Water Hole to convert the air molecules into water molecules. Bringing my hands to my lips and drinking said water, I ignored Ruby's amazed gaze and said "I know that Cinder Fall has two people under her direct employ: Mercury Black, who had his Semblance stolen by his father, however that works, and uses his two prosthetic legs to fight, and Emerald Sustrai, who has a mental Semblance that she once used to make Yang think that Mercury attacked her after their match in the Vytal Festival was finished making her shoot him in the leg. Not to mention how she made Pyrrha kill Atlas' android, Penny, who Ruby had befriended."

"She did what?!" Ruby hissed in anger with fists clinched, and I wasn't sure if it was what happened to Yang or her future friend that made her angrier.

"Miss Rose, please calm yourself, if that does happen to your sister here, I shall handle it, and I shall do everything to ensure this Penny's survival as well." Ozpin said and Ruby grumbled something before relaxing. Nodding, Ozpin looked at me and said "Anything else Mr. Bandstra?"

I nodded and said "Yeah, like we saw tonight, she's also got Roman Torchwick working with her. No clue about his Semblance, but he's got a partner named Neopolitan, or Neo for short, who's got an illusion based Semblance, which shatters if it's broken. She uses an umbrella and a cane sword hidden inside said umbrella to fight. Girl's default form is a tiny woman at 4'10", Pink, White, and Brown hair, Heterochromatic eyes, whitetail jacket, brown pants, black gloves, and black and white boots with very high heels. I'm not sure if she's partially mute or just voluntarily, but every video I've looked up before that had her in it had her silent. Finally, I know the members of Salem's 'inner circle', though except for Cinder and one other, I just know their names." Ozpin showed the first bit of interest at that, leaning forward the slightest bit. At his gesture, I said "Tyrian Callows is a scorpion Faunus, and I'm pretty sure he's ten feet past the insanity cliff, believing Salem to be his goddess. Though given the fact that literal witch is thousands of years old, I can't blame him for that. The other two members that I know are Arthur Watts and Hazel Rainart. I think I recall something about Haven Academy's headmaster, Leonardo Lionheart, being an informant of hers, but I can't verify that."

Glynda and Ozpin both had frowns as Glynda said "Sir, if Leo's turned…"

"I know." Ozpin said quietly. He closed his eyes for a long moment and Ruby said "Sir? You don't actually think a Headmaster would be a traitor do you?"

"I wish that I could say that I don't Miss Rose. Unfortunately, we must consider the possibility. Because if we don't, and it turns out that he actually is, then terrible things may happen that we could have prevented." Ozpin took yet another sip of his coffee before he opened his eyes with a sigh and turned their gaze on me as he continued "I thank you for all of this potential information Mr. Bandstra. Be assured that I will look into all of it appropriately. On another matter, could I interest you in joining Beacon alongside Miss Rose?"

I cocked my head before I shook my head and said "I'll be honest with you, a part of me is tempted. Tempted to take the easy route offered to me in this literal new world, but there are multiple problems. For starters, I didn't do too well during my school years, and that was in a world that I actually knew. If I went to your school my grades would drop like a World War II dive bomber going after an aircraft carrier. And besides, high school." I gave a shudder of my body and said "No thanks. Besides, while I'm sure I could take on a grimm or two at a time, until I get to S Class with my Spell Sigils, I'd just drag down whatever team I was on." Standing up, I walked around the table and towards the door as I continued "I think I'll see if the hospital will take me on. I'm sure they'll appreciate me being able to Regenerate whole limbs once I get my Staff spells to S class."

I was one step away from walking out the doorway when Ozpin calmly stated "Jaune Arc is dead."

I came to a complete stop and looked over my shoulder as I asked "What?" The flatness in my tone would have made a digital level weep in joy.

"I learned about it from his parents who are good friends of mine. He died two days ago in a hit and run." Ozpin said. A moment later, Ruby's scroll and my phone both let out tones, mine my Text Message alert, which I suspected was also what Ruby's scroll just gave. Her gasp at whatever she saw on it had me glance at her out of the corner of my eye before I slipped my phone out of my pocket ad looked down at it. Sure enough, there was a text message from an unknown number. Ozpin had somehow scanned my phone's number and sent it to me. Confirmation that iPhones and Scrolls were compatible set aside, I opened the text message and frowned at the image displayed on my phone.

It wasn't pretty. Both legs were clearly broken, as was the right arm, marks on the skin showing that the arm had been caught under a set of tires. Blood pooled from where the kid had hit the side of his head on the street and his chest cavity was collapsed, more marks that lined up with the ones on his arm showing that the guy had gotten the full weight of the vehicle on his chest. Even if paramedics had been on the side of the road when this happened he wouldn't have survived.

'That's Jaune alright, and there's no way Ozpin could have had this fabricated within the last ten minutes.' I thought to myself with a frown. A frown which only grew as another thought hit me. 'Sonnuvabitch! Taifun sent me here to replace him, didn't he?! Not have to go to Beacon my ass.' Doing my best to keep my thoughts hidden, I turned fully around and looked at Ozpin and said "My condolences Headmaster, it looks like you lost a student before he ever set foot in your school."

"So it seems." Ozpin said with a solemn nod of his head before he looked back up at me and said "And in light of this and the information you provided about the team young Mr. Arc would have led, I find it particularly interesting that you would appear in a location that led to us meeting on the same night I met with Miss Rose. Quite a coincidence, wouldn't you say?"

"Gibbs Rule #39- There is no such thing as coincidence." I said absently. I ignored the raised eyebrow look Ozpin gave at that and sighed. Running a hand through my hair, I said "You want me to lead JNPR in place of Jaune."

"That would be the optimal scenario, yes. Though I will give said position to Miss Nikos if I think she will serve the role better." Ozpin said with an incline of his head. He then took another sip of his coffee as he studied me.

I was silent for several minutes, keeping my gaze on Ozpin's as I thought. Finally, I glanced at Ruby and considered her for a moment before I sighed and said "I still believe that it's a bad idea for me to do this, but Ruby's going to need help. And the best way I can be there to offer it when she needs said help is to be where she is."

"Uh, thanks?" Ruby stated a little tepidly.

I nodded at her and turned back to Ozpin and said "Alright sir, I'll come."

"Excellent. However, your name is a bit unusual for these parts. Could I convince you to change it?" Ozpin stated, cocking his head at the end.

I hummed before a thought had me looking back down at the image on my phone. Closing my eyes, I nodded to myself before I opened them again and said "Since I'll be replacing Jaune as a student, call me Tac Arc."

Time Skip: March 3, En Route To Beacon

The day between the attempted robbery and when I had to join Ruby on the air ship to head to Beacon was fairly hectic. Ol' Ozzy Osbourn had given me a pay card with a thousand lien loaded on it, calling it a consulting fee. I decided not to ask why he had that ready before he even spoke to me and instead nodded my thanks before I followed Goodwitch out of the police station. The stern woman escorted me to a nearby hotel and said that she would meet me in the hotel lounge at seven sharp to drop off some basic reading material that would make my stay on Remnant much smoother.

Said reading material turned out to be a book on basic Vale Laws. (VERY similar to the laws I knew of in the United States though of course there were also laws pertaining to Hunters and other Aura related things.) There was also a book that covered Vale history in broad strokes, a third on Remnant history in general, and finally a map of the city with restaurants, various stores, and even the hospital were marked on it. Goodwitch also informed me of when and where I had to be the next day to board the airship taking the students of the new year to Beacon.

After I had a quick breakfast, provided by the hotel as part of my boarding fee, I spent the day out on the town. First thing I did was hit Vale's version of a Wal-Mart Supercenter, grabbing a bookbag and a duffle bag, basic necessities like shampoo/conditioner, body soap, toothbrush/toothpaste/floss, deodorant (Hunter grade of course), multiple changes of clothes including underwear and socks (Mostly casual wear from that store), and to cap it off, a box of the equivalent of this world's pop tarts, Chocolate frosted Peanut Butter of course, and three bags of Root Beer Barrel hard candies to last me for the first few weeks. (I have a sweet tooth, so sue me.)

With the basics acquired, I went to a more specialized store that catered to Hunters and grabbed two sets of durable clothing to wear out in the field. (I'd buy more as I got more money, those outfits were expensive.) I allowed myself a little bit of browsing of the next door weapon shop, and wound up buying a twenty two inch short sword as a backup in case I ran out of Aura to power my spells. Not the best weapon to fight off the Grimm true, but it was a sturdy blade and I couldn't afford anything else at the time given the purchase I had made just before that one.

A quick lunch at a fast food joint later, and I returned to the hotel to read the books I was given. It was rather dry reading but I managed to at least finish the Vale lawbook and most of the Vale history book by the time I decided to call it a night.

Which lead me up to now. The air ship had left its dock twenty minutes ago and I was making my way through it to find Ruby. I had already spotted the three members of my possible future team as well as Weiss and Blake on the two top levels. I think I just about gave the latter a heart attack when I winked at her then mimed zipping my lips.

That had me chuckling as I climbed the stairs down to the bottom deck (we had boarded from the top section in the Vale airport for some reason) and immediately locked onto my target. Spotting her and Yang standing together looking through the windows at Beacon, I stepped up on Ruby's side that her sister wasn't occupying and said "That's quite a sight, isn't it?"

"Matt! Er, I mean, Tac!" Ruby said, her eyes lighting up at first before she turned sheepish as she realized her mistake.

"Ruby." I said with a slight nod of my head.

"Oh, and who might this be?" Yang asked, nudging Ruby in the ribs and grinning as she teased "Has my sister found a boyfriend already?"

"Yaaaang, stop it. He's just the guy who helped me the other night." Ruby said, pouting at her bigger sister.

"Uh-huh, and the two names thing?" Yang asked, eyebrow raised.

"I prefer my nickname to my original one." I said with a shrug.

A shrug Yang returned before she leaned in with a serious look on her face and said "So 'Tac', tell me honestly, what are your intentions towards my little sister?"

"Yaaaaang, stop it!" Ruby whined.

I though snorted and said "Yang, I've spent maybe thirty minutes total around her, most of that in an interrogation room, we're no where near dating, heck at this point, we're not even proper friends yet."

"We're not? But I thought-" Ruby said, trailing off at the end with a slightly hurt look.

"Ruby, we had one short fight and a debrief together, that makes us acquaintances, not friends. Give it a few more interactions between us to see if we're actually compatible with each other first eh?" I said, giving the little reaper a kind smile.

"Okay." Ruby said, giving me a small smile as well. Yang meanwhile hummed but seemed content to leave us be, turning back to look out the window, an action that Ruby and I followed. Beacon's landing field was coming into sight. Soon enough our time at Beacon Academy would begin and I would be boarding with a bunch of high schoolers. Joy.

END

Author's Notes: Update Schedule and Poll on my Profile. Please look at the poll if you haven't already, at the time of posting this, it's only got eleven votes so far, and that's nowhere near as large a sample size as the thing being voted on deserves.

Decided that since I was already halfway through episode one with the part I submitted for Potential Stories that I might as well finish it.