"Incredible! These ruins have aged immaculately, even within Grimm territory."

Jaune looked around nervously. "Uh, Profess- I mean, Doctor Oobleck, is it okay to deviate from the path like this?"

"We won't get lost, Mister Arc. A map and compass can help navigate us just fine, and any Grimm around this area is no tougher than the ones you fought during initiation." He jumped up to a near-hanging tree branch and looked through his binoculars. "It seems there's a second site half-a-click away. It may be related to this one. Let us be off, JNPR!"

Jaune tried to keep from sighing. They had been camping at this site for a full day, taking pictures, recording details on the dilapidated constructs. It didn't help that Oobleck kept asking questions that only Pyrrha was able to adequately answer. At least they would likely come up on their next test.

"Everyone got enough Dust?" he asked behind him.

Pyrrha, Ren, and Nora nodded. This was their first assignment and no one wanted to get caught screwing up.

"I know I said it before, Jaune, but maybe you should invest in a gun, at least?" Nora asked.

When Jaune moaned, Ren stepped up. "She doesn't mean any offense. But if you're looking to upgrade, she's the most creative one for the job."

"Yeah, I know where she's coming from." He rubbed his sword hilt. "It's just a hand-me-down, but I like it. It's simple, and it does its job. And if I want a gun, I want to buy it with my own money."

Pyrrha and Ren nodded. Despite his indignation, he didn't seem as overly dour as he was before. The fight with the Ursa last semester did wonders.

"And then there's money needed for ammunition, maintenance, upgrades and other options, and that's just a hassle to me right now. Besides, not everyone at Beacon uses guns."

The second site resembled the first in terms of architecture and age, but there was a difference: a faint smell of smoke.

Oobleck and Team JNPR tensed. If it was a smoke signal, the doctor would have seen it with his binoculars. It was too sunny and there wasn't enough vegetation for a freak wildfire.

Which meant someone was already here.

"Stay behind. Don't draw your weapons, but be ready," Oobleck whispered. "They may be travellers in a temporary camp, and we can escort them to Opus with the bullhead if we need to: It's the closest settlement and they will be safer there. Regardless, stay behind and wait for my signal."

Everyone in the team trembled at the sight of Oobleck walking past the treeline. They all thought the same thing: what if it wasn't travellers? They'd heard stories from the second and third-years, about being raided by bandits and intelligent Grimm.

After the longest two minutes, they heard Oobleck call them. Hands still on their weapons, they followed his voice and into the clearing, where their doctor took pictures of the surrounding ruins and a stranger sat near a campfire.

The stranger wore a knight's armour that looked just as aged as the ruins, with several weapons and shields lining it. If he noticed them approaching, he didn't show it.

"Doctor Oobleck, is everything alright?" Pyrrha asked, trying to avoid leering at the stranger.

"Don't worry, Team. He's not going to fight. This man just arrived here before us." Oobleck drank from his thermos before facing the stranger. "We will not bother you, we just want to investigate these ruins."

The stranger looked over them and nodded before staring back at the fire. Now that they had a closer look, a rusty sword was planted into the fire.

"Let's unpack shall we?" Ren suggested. "We're deeper in the forest, so let's keep close while we're here, alright?"

"Good point," Jaune answered. "Doctor Oobleck, will we need to call a bullhead for… him?"

"We may, but not yet." Oobleck smiled and gestured to the stranger. "His… equipment, is similar to those I've seen in past digs. Instead of Opus, I would like to take him back to Beacon for further questioning. If he will allow it."

The team nodded and tried to avoid the stranger as best they could while working. Oobleck zipped around faster than ever, jotting notes until they could smell the paper burning.

"That guy, who do you think he is?" Nora whispered next to Ren.

"Keep it down," he hissed back. "He doesn't look like a Huntsman: his equipment's too ancient to be effective. Jaune's sword could probably cut through his armor."

"You think they're heirlooms like Crocea Mors?" she asked excitedly.

"Maybe. But the bigger question is why he's here. If he's a vagrant, he should have packed more lightly, with food and proper camping equipment instead of weapons."

Nora squirmed in place. "He probably just wants to be left alone. You know?"

He nodded. "Come on. We should get a move on before-"

"Everyone!" Oobleck shouted. "Regroup now!"

Without another thought, JNPR converged around the campfire. Oobleck was perched on a nearby tree, his binoculars raised and his thermos in its launcher-form.

"There is a pack of Ursai approaching this way, two-hundred meters south. Arm yourselves. Avoid damaging the ruins if possible, but do not endanger yourselves or our guest!"

The man in question raised his head. All of the children drew their weapons and surrounded him.

Silently, he followed suit, a spiked shield in one hand and a white sword in the other.

Oobleck faced him, the tip of his launcher aglow with heat. "Are you able to fight? Please be careful: these are Ursai, and they can be deceptively fast for their size."

The stranger nodded. He assumed a ready position, just as a guttural roar shook the air.

Beyond the treeline, a stampede of black-furred bears sped towards them, their red eyes glimmering at the sight of their targets. At the sound of Oobleck's launcher roaring to life, JNPR followed suit and lined up next to him, firing into the Grimm.

One of them, a Major, managed to evade the initial gunfire and pushed aside Pyrrha, ramming straight to the stranger. Jaune saw it coming, but stuck under the weight of a Minor, he couldn't move.

"Mister!"

The stranger planted his feet before shoving his shield's spike into the Ursa's hungry maw. Unflinching, he fought against its momentum and charged, slowly but steadily pushing past Team JNPR's defensive line.

"Stay behind us, sir!" Oobleck screamed over his launcher's fire. But the stranger kept moving ahead, stabbing the Grimm's head in the process. Soon, a new problem emerged: its fangs dug in too deep for him to pull out the spike, so he discarded it and kicked the deceased Major out of his way.

Leaving him surrounded by a swarm of Ursa Minors.

"Sir!" Pyrrha jumped onto one of the wrecked pillars. The rhythm of her rifle grew frantic, but no matter how many she took down, the Ursai retained their focus on the stranger, the target closest to them. "Get back here, hurry!"

Then, she saw it. A small ball of fire formed in his left hand. When the stranger swung it, the fire stretched out like a whip, setting all the Ursai around him alight.

"Holy- what was that?!" Jaune screamed as he finally killed his Minor. "He could do that all this time?"

"Mr. Arc, hold the line with your team, I'm going to get him!" Oobleck answered. Burning a path through, he disengaged his launcher and ran after the stranger.

By now, the herd had thinned with only a dozen Minors left, but the stranger fought just as frantically as the rest of them. Even with the weight of his weapons and armour, he skillfully dodged all of their swipes and deflected the ones he couldn't, cutting their limbs into freezing stumps.

Eventually, JNPR and Oobleck could see him slowing down. The swarm was thinned, but his swings were slower. Oobleck found a gap in the Grimm and charged, right before a Minor headbutted the stranger into the air.

"Sir!" Jaune screamed. A lack of glow on impact meant that he didn't have his Aura active, and he fell a good ten feet before hitting the ground.

But at least he was closer to the team, so that was good, right?

The stranger tossed aside his white sword and withdrew another from his belt: a thick, curved one with a blade resembling an old feather. He swung it in front of it, releasing a small typhoon that sent the Minors tumbling back.

"Burn, and now Wind Dust?!" Nora shouted over the wind. "How many weapons is this guy packing?"

With the stragglers now scattered, the Ursai were easy pickings for JNPR and the stranger. For the next minute, they didn't hear anything but the sound of blades slicing Grimm and their screams.

"That was quite a performance, mister…" He had picked up the straight sword and offered it to the stranger.

He didn't answer. He stared at the hilt before grabbing it with a trembling hand.

"GRRRROARRH!"

Behind him, a Minor sprung from under a Major's corpse and sank its fangs into the stranger's left shoulder, crushing his armour like tinfoil.

Pyrrha was the first to react, her sword shifting into a spear, but the stranger had already moved. He turned himself around, tearing his shoulder free before stabbing his sword into the Ursa's skull.

JNPR held their breath as a layer of frost formed around its wound, before the entire head shattered with a twist of the stranger's wrist.

"Hang on!" Ren ran in, pulling out a pocket first-aid kit, but the stranger waved him away. "Sir, please! With a bite like that, you'll bleed to death in..."

Behind him, Nora and Pyrrha gasped. Ren looked closer at the wound and understood why. Last they learned in health class, neither humans nor faunus bleed black.

"Sir, are you…" Pyrrha approached him, only to get waved away again.

The stranger grazed his open would, its bleeding now halted, and growled before wiping it on his armour. JNPR stared uneasily, squirming away as the putrid scent violated their nostrils, as the stranger bowed to Oobleck.

"Thank you for your aid."

The doctor flinched. The voice was deep but raspy, as if it took him all the air in his lungs to talk. He didn't make a single sound, even when Oobleck introduced himself to him, only shaking or nodding his head in response. Why did he choose to talk now?

"Thank you for yours, mister…"

"You, boy." Ignoring Oobleck, he walked to Jaune, the most exhausted of the group.

"Yes- uh, you mean me, sir?" His legs trembled as the stranger pointed at his side, where a bloody gash stretched all the way to his back. "Whoa! Mustn't have noticed it during the fight," he chuckled. "Uh, Ren, mind cracking open that first-aid kit?"

As Ren uncorked the bottle of disinfectant and Pyrrha unravelled the gauze, the stranger passed Jaune a mug-like container.

"Drink."

He eyed the fizzing mug, his brows crumpling when he smelt alcohol."Uh… I don't know if I'm allowed to drink on a mission-"

"Do not worry, Mr. Arc," Oobleck interrupted. "You're all of age, and while I recommend against drinking in public-" he peered into the mug and sniffed "-I will not stop you. I understand you're not used to skirmishes with swarms like today's, and a pick-me-up from time to time is perfectly natural." He took a swig out of his thermos and waved them off.

The stranger pushed the mug into Jaune's hand before unclasping a glowing bottle on his hip.

"By the by, I've already called for an bullhead." Oobleck waved his scroll. "With the ruins vandalized by our battle and our fighting capacity crippled, not all of us may survive another ambush nor is the investigation our top priority. After you're patched up, pack up and wait for extraction, Team JNPR." With that, he dashed to the pillars, inspecting their damage.

Jaune stared into the gold concoction and looked ready to drown himself in it. It was his second mission into the semester and all he managed was to cut down a couple Minors. That, and shout at the stranger. "Maybe it's time for that upgrade…"

"Don't beat yourself up, Jaune. That's what the Grimm are for," Nora said. While everyone else tended to Jaune, she retrieved the spiked shield. "That was amazing, mister. Looks like we owe you one, huh?"

He took back the shield and hung it on his back, still not taking his eyes off Jaune and his drink. Sighing, the stranger clacked his bottle with the mug. "Drink. You fought well."

Blushing, Jaune took a sip, humming in surprise. It burnt his throat going down, but it wasn't what he could call "spicy". "Wow, that's good! Ren, try it."

Everyone took a sip from the mug, and everyone gasped. It was faintly sweet, and while the liquid was cold, it warmed their bodies from their stomachs to their fingertips like a hot shower.

"That was amazing!" Nora squealed, rubbing her belly. "That's got to be something homebrewed, right? But how did you get it to taste like- eep!"

Everyone's eyes followed her finger: the flesh around the stranger's shoulder regrew, pulling and melding itself together until only blood-coated skin remained.

Before anyone could continue her question, the stranger pointed back at Jaune's wound: the bleeding had stopped.

"How did you- what was that?" Jaune asked. "That wound should have taken at least an hour to heal with Aura, and this thing-" he shook the half-empty mug "-healed it like that!"

"I think we all have some questions for our new friend, Mr. Arc, but they will have to wait." Oobleck tapped his wristwatch. "Bullhead's in five minutes. Now, mister…"

The stranger nodded, but kept silent.

"Very well," Oobleck continued, undeterred. "Sir, as I asked before, will you come with us to Beacon Academy? It is far safer than here in the wilds, and if you do not mind, we have some questions that only you might answer. If you do, we can guarantee your safe return home afterwards."

The stranger walked to the campfire. His hands grazed the fire, but he didn't seem bothered. He sat down, rubbing his exposed shoulder.

"Home? Very well."

While everyone else nodded at sat around the fire, Nora looked at Ren with worry. His already low voice dropped another tone.

"You… don't have a home to go back to?"

The stranger looked at Ren, and shook his head. "My home is… not worth returning to." He pulled out the sword out of the fire, which instantly extinguished. "I will oblige you, but I do not promise anything."

"It is nothing short of impossible, Headmaster! My analysis on his armour estimates it to be several thousands of years old, maybe more! More than that, he uses weapons that are clearly pre-Dust, yet possess capabilities that are even more powerful! He is a walking fossil, Headmaster, and his discovery alone-"

"Yes, Professor Oobleck, you've said plenty in your reports, and I have read them thoroughly." Ozpin tried to keep his mounting frustration out of his voice. He knew better than to let his expectations lead him. "Yet, bigger questions remain, concerning why's and how's more than the what's."

"Er, yes, about that." Oobleck's pace slowed, but his enthusiasm remained. "He has said little about his own self and his whereabouts." He leaned in closer to whisper. "I think he does not trust us, Headmaster."

"Yet he saved your team from Grimm earlier?" Ozpin looked at the stranger in his office, who himself was craning his head around, almost hypnotized by the clockwork around him. "Has he at least told you his name?"

Oobleck shook his head. "Afraid not. I think the only reason he was willing to let us bring him in was curiosity."

Ozpin looked back at the report. Creating fire, his weapons freezing whatever it touched, and summoning wind from nowhere, all without any Dust, was cause for further investigation. Obviously, the stranger was tight-lipped about the matter, and ignored any questions regarding them or himself.

"Am I to understand," he spoke out, making the pair jump. "that you are the leader of this era's people?"

Ozpin blinked. Impossibly gravelly voice aside, why had he decided now to speak? "If I answer, will you answer my questions in turn?"

The stranger nodded.

Ozpin grabbed his cane before rising from his seat. "I am one of the leaders of this continent of Vale. I cannot speak for all of its people, however."

The stranger nodded again.

"Now then, who are you? Your name, kingdom, anything that can help us identify you would be very helpful." He fidgeted with his cane as he moved to the front of his desk.

The stranger looked at the green-haired man. "Helpful to whom? You, myself, your people?"

"Everyone of us," Oobleck replied, finishing off his coffee. "The more we know about each other, the less accidents can occur from misinformation."

The stranger didn't move. "Any knowledge I carry is too outdated to be of any relevance." He looked past Ozpin to peer at the sun in the sky.

Ozpin frowned, but Oobleck pressed further. "Oh? That carries plenty of information already! You come from a time that we did not even know existed! That itself is a tremendous find!"

"Information? Find?" The stranger repeated. "Is that what I am? A relic to be studied and investigated?"

"Er… with your permission, of course." Oobleck felt Ozpin's stare on his back like the tip of a knife. Smooth-talking was never his strong suit.

Ozpin sighed. "What Professor Oobleck means, is that you have given our students something unknown, possibly hazardous, to drink. We do not know what long-term effect it may have on them, and if it does, we hold you accountable."

He looked around one more time before walking up to Ozpin. "That drink is perfectly edible, and I gave it to your students for their recovery. In terms of exchanging information… your world, its monsters and its people are fascinating, but I have no curiosity or concern for them."

Ozpin held his breath. He came from another world? Does that mean that fire and his weapons are magic? If so, this was a delicate situation. If he has any ties to Salem, he could not let him go freely.

"No concern? Yet you aid our students against the Grimm?" Oobleck asked.

The stranger looked down. "Courtesy. And my life was endangered as well."

"Then what is your intent now that you are here?" Ozpin's tone turned firm.

"I have no intent. Not anymore. I will see what this place has to show. Whether it is an Age of Fire or Dark, a bonfire has manifested here, and I will see what it has to offer."

"A bonfire? Is that what you were sitting next to?" Oobleck asked.

He walked up to him. "You are an academic?" He passed him a large rock and the coiled sword. The same iron Oobleck saw him pull out of the bonfire. "Slaver over these: relics of a bygone era. A token of trust."

Oobleck nodded and laid them on Ozpin's table. But Ozpin was still doubtful. "If you wished for us to trust you, we'd rather you surrender your weapons. If you'd like, you may rest here, and we have individual lockers and plenty of rooms."

"I would like to leave." His voice hardened, and they knew the conversation was over. "If you intend to stop me, I will resist."

He turned around and opened the door to the stairwell.

"Wait!" Ozpin shouted. "Before you leave, one more issue."

The stranger kept the door open, but didn't face him.

Ozpin clenched his teeth. He didn't want to bring Oobleck into the fold so quickly. But if he told Oobleck to leave, that would make himself more suspicious for both. Was it worth the risk just to receive a confirmation from a source that might not even tell the truth?

"...thank you for saving our students. And I'm sorry to have taken your time."

The stranger didn't answer and walked out of sight.

"That could have worked out better," Ozpin groaned.

"I apologize for the lack of tact, Headmaster."

"No. He was too distrustful of us from the beginning." He looked over the "gifts", but kept from touching them. "But he says he doesn't want to fight us. If he did, he would have likely killed your expedition team. Instead, he saves you from Grimm."

"Shouldn't he be kept under watch, at least?"

Ozpin smirked. "Would you like to volunteer, then? If you asked him nicely, I'm sure he'll let you."

"I'm surprised you could hold your own curiosity back, Ozpin!" Oobleck raised his thermos, forgetting it was empty. "The man hasn't even had his Aura unlocked, yet survived a mortal wound and healed himself near-instantly!"

Ozpin adjusted his glasses. "He is a loner by nature. I know his type. Forcing him to do anything will just make an enemy out of him. Make sure he is secure. I want you to record everything and every word."

"Of course! I'll have to get these back for safekeeping, first! Excuse me, Headmaster-" He picked up the stone and sword and ran to the elevator. "I assume you want this business with him between just us?"

"Share your findings with your expedition team: they have the right to know if it is for their safety. However, do not antagonize him. If possible, have one of them guide our friend until he is off the premises."

"Of course." He pulled out his scroll and tapped a profile image. "Mr. Arc, is your team fully recovered?"

"Another mission? Already?" Pyrrha finished her snack and got to her feet.

Jaune copied her and put his scroll away. "It's about that guy we picked up. Oobleck just wants us to keep an eye on him while he's here."

"You mean that guy that shot fire out of his hands and stuff?" Nora chirped. "Great! Come on! If we're lucky, we might get to see him do more magic tricks!"

Ren shook his head, but smiled. "Just don't bother him like you did before."

When Jaune read Oobleck's message, he couldn't help but let out the heaviest sigh yet. A skirmish with Grimm still took a lot out of him. And now, they were supposed to tag along with that stranger?

He shivered. Beside his weaponry and silence, what really scared him was the man's injuries. A normal person couldn't take an injury like that without bleeding out. But the wound stopped bleeding, and whatever he drank healed him like it was nothing.

He rubbed his side. After landing, he had to surrender the beverage to Oobleck, and wished he had a time to savor it further, to reciprocate the stranger's kind gesture.

"Oobleck said he's just left the Headmaster's Office, right?" Pyrrha looked at her scroll. It had only been a half-hour since they arrived. "If he's leaving, he's probably at the ground floor."

As usual, she was right. The stranger was exiting the stairwell when they reached the elevator.

"Oh! You're… here." Jaune looked him over. His shoulder was still healed, but the exposed skin was still caked in blood.

The stranger didn't move, only staring at them.

Jaune clenched his fists and looked up at him. He was team leader, it was time to act like one. "So… your shoulders all better, then?"

He nodded. He pointed to Jaune's ribs, and Jaune perked up, tugging at his shirt.

"Oh! And, uh, thank you for that drink from before! It really helped."

Pyrrha nodded with him. "Mister, if you'd like, there's a workshop where you can get your armour repaired." Pyrrha spoke up. "We forgot to get our own equipment checked up, so if you'd like, you can come with us, together."

He shook his head before walking off.

"Soooo, what are you doing here?" Nora leaned beside him, looking at the weapons lined on his back.

"I was leaving."

Ren pulled his friend back, leaving the stranger ample space to walk. "Don't let us stop you. But if you're looking to leave the academy, you might run into some problems."

"Such as?"

"Uh, like the fact you need a boarding pass to ride the Air Bus, or that you might get lost and enter the girl's bathroom by mistake, or- ooh! Maybe you get into a fight with someone, and then the staff will get involved, and then the whole school will be after you!" Nora finished with a wave of her arms.

"I warned your professor: if anyone tries to stop me from leaving, I will resist."

Jaune shivered again. "That's fine! I-I mean, that's what we're here for: to stop anyone from stopping you! From leaving!"

The stranger stopped walking and faced the blonde. "And who are you, to be my watchdog?"

"Jaune. Jaune Arc. And this is my team, JNPR." He swallowed. Was that the first time he didn't stutter?

"Then stand tall, and speak clearly. Slowly if you must. Hesitation belies strength, and fuels distrust."

Jaune bowed low, partly to hide his burning face. That gut-feeling from the ruins returned, and his legs trembled again. "Yes sir! Thank you- er, where are you… I thought you were leaving, mister…?"

He walked by him, passing the "EXIT" sign right above him.

"I plan on leaving. However, I will do so at my leisure. If I am told to leave, I will. Stay, and I may."

It wasn't long before they attracted the attention of other students and faculty. The day's classes were over, and students were either heading back to their dorms or idling by their lockers and classrooms.

While the stranger walked calmly as before, JNPR was feeling the pressure from everyone's stares and whispers. Even Pyrrha's patience thinned at his aimlessness. The team was thankful that between the stranger's presence and Pyrrha's celebrity status, most of the students left them alone, except for one team.

"Ooh! Is that a sword? And a great axe, and a dagger, too! And for defence, a spiked shield and an aspis, just like Pyrrha's!"

Team RWBY's leader zoomed around the stranger like a fly, leering at his weapons more than himself. He was ready to shove her away when the blonde - her sister - pulled her away.

"Sorry about her. She's reeeally into weapons, 'specially ones she never saw before."

The strange didn't answer or even look at her. Nevertheless, Ruby kept close and kept her hands behind her back.

"Can you at least tell us where you got them?" she squealed.

"They are relics. Not bought nor made."

While Ruby slumped over in defeat, Weiss approached him.

"But… if they're artifacts, are you allowed to use them?"

He stopped walking and face the newcomer. "No one else is using them. I use them to survive."

More silence. The woman didn't budge, only scowling deeper.

"You imply I stole them."

Everyone stopped moving. Even Weiss tensed at her thoughts being vocalized. But she couldn't falter. "You wear a knight's set of armour, but it's rusted to death, and your weapons don't match. And the weapons themselves look like they're from different places. Am I wrong?"

The stranger didn't answer. The stare-down continued until Yang elbowed her. "Jeez. A little tact, Princess?"

Weiss blushed, but didn't hesitate. "If he's a thief, isn't it our job as proper citizens to turn him in?"

A low hum escaped him, before his whole body trembled from laughter. "A thief. A thief!" He rubbed his visor. "Yes, you are absolutely correct!"

Weiss, as well as everyone else, stepped back. Team RWBY cursed their lack of weaponry while Team JNPR prayed they didn't have to fight.

"A thief. A pilferer of souls and arms. But if so, what then?" He stopped laughing and looked down at Weiss.

More silence. None of the students made a move or sound. Eventually, he shrugged and kept walking. After he was a safe distance away, Yang pulled Jaune in a headlock.

"What is wrong with this guy?" she whispered. "You found him, right?. Did he do anything suspicious while he was here?"

"No! He came down from the Headmaster's Office, so he can't have done anything." Jaune wriggled free and looked nervously at the stranger, still walking away. "We're not gonna fight him, but if he does anything funny, you guys call Ozpin and Oobleck, and we'll stall him."

Everyone nodded and followed behind, some quicker than others.

Meanwhile, Team JNPR redoubled their focus. If he was a thief, that raised more questions and risks. He was either successful enough to not get caught, or killed anyone that tried to stop him.

"I'm sorry to pry," Ren said, his fingers rubbing StormFlower's grips. "But then where are you from? It would make it easier for us to trust you if we knew more about you."

"Your Headmaster said the same thing. I do not name them for the same reason as then."

"Which is?"

He rubbed his jaw, forgetting that it was blocked by his helm. "This is a center for education, yes?" When Ren nodded, he hummed. "Oolacile. Anor Londo. Vinheim. Lothric. Lordran. Irithyll. Carthus. Do these words mean anything to you?"

Ren's feet slowed. Of all the textbooks he had read, none of them mentioned such names. The earnest tone in his voice didn't sound like he was making them up, either.

"That is why. Where I am from, where I know, they do not exist nor matter."

Ren frowned. "And you don't feel anything for them?"

He didn't answer, and entered the workshop.

The room was larger than it appeared, with long chimneys stretched to the ceiling like pillars. By the smelters and forges, a couple smithies and their apprentices were reforging some metalwork.

Jaune turned to him and scratched his head. "Oh yeah! We were supposed to check up on our stuff, but, er…"

"Proceed. I will stay and observe."

In a few moments, everyone (except Pyrrha and Ren, who volunteered to stay watch over the stranger) got their equipment and lined up next to the smithies.

"You don't need your armour repaired?" Pyrrha asked.

He shook his head and pulled out a golden clump from under his chestplate. He rubbed it in his hands until it sparked with electricity and slathered it on his non-existing pauldron.

A few seconds later, nothing happened. More seconds passed before he sighed.

"Was that supposed to do something?" Pyrrha asked, fighting down a smirk.

"It seems my armour is broken beyond my means."

"You want us to repair it for you?"

He shook his head again before walking over to the forge. Pyrrha and Ren followed his gaze to the disassembled weapons.

"Thinking of getting a checkup?" Yang asked, her brow raised. "You'll have to wait in line like everyone else."

"Your weapons are more complex than I assumed."

"Sheesh, you sound like you never saw transforming weapons before."

"No."

Her jaw dropped. "What? Wait-wait-wait, come on. Pistols? Shotguns? You know those, at least, right?"

"No."

"Bullets? Dust?"

He didn't answer.

Pyrrha stepped in between the two. "He's a traditionalist, like Jaune. People from outside the Kingdoms don't have a lot of Dust to spare, right?"

"But he doesn't know guns?!" she moaned. "Hey, Rubes, you know weapons more than anybody. Tell him about Crescent Rose. Maybe he'll let you hold one of his."

Her leader was unusually silent. Pyrrha didn't know too much about Ruby, but her sudden shyness didn't match her earlier enthusiasm.

"She is indignant. I understand."

Pyrrha blinked. His deep tone didn't change, but his voice was gentler. "Weapons have meaning because of who they are wielded by. From that perspective, weapons wielded by a no-good thief, no matter how grand, seem hollow."

No one answered him, but everyone, even the smiths, focused on him. He pulled out a straight sword, the sword he used to shatter that Ursa's head. "Look. Its fluid design, from pommel to tip. Translucent like ice. Why, it is an offense for such a beautiful weapon to be so lethal in purpose."

He grabbed the base of the blade and faced the pommel towards Ruby. "Every weapon I found and use holds history. Some more than others."

Everyone watched quietly as Ruby reached-

"Ah!" She pulled her hand to her chest. "It's cold!"

Jaune met the stranger's eyes before slowly extending his own hand, his fingers grazing the crossguard. "So this thing's how you killed those Ursai?"

"What kind of sword is that?" Ruby whispered in awe. "Ice Dust can't do that. Not without a reactant or a firing mechanism."

"I am not certain myself." He traced a finger down the side of the blade before sheathing it. "It is unique, and belonged to a knight of Irithyll, a city of perpetual cold. I know little of its making. I am but a thief, after all."

"Oh, stop that!" A strong slap from Nora knocked him forward, nearly tripping him. "No one's got a grudge on you for that!"

"Is that right? I did not want to assume."

"If it's any comfort, not all of us grew up pampered like Princess here, with a matching moral high ground." Yang wagged her eyebrows, earning a growl from her partner.

"Stop, before our guest gets the wrong conclusion of the rest of us by association."

"Oh, so he's a guest now. A minute ago, he was a crook."

The heiress's continually twisting face and the talk, while entertaining, eventually halted. The smithy's silent stare was enough to remind them: be quiet and let the master do his work.

Meanwhile, Ruby and Jaune relaxed enough to start a new conversation with him. The stranger inquired about their "Aura" and "Grimm", while they asked more for his background.

"Hang on," Jaune interrupted for the fourth time. "You said this Irithyll place is a kingdom, but we don't know any place like that."

"Yes. I do not think it exists in any of your maps or texts." He leaned against the wall, slowly falling on his rear. "You study history here, yes? How long does your people's history go?"

Jaune scratched his head. He didn't know which was worse: the stare of a girl or the expectations of a stranger. "You mean, just generally? Dunno, probably between two-thousand and three-thousand years? If what Oobleck said about all the ruins are true?"

"And his civilization, these kingdoms, spans all the lands?"

"Er, a big part of them, I guess? There are still some places too dense with Grimm to bother securing, and there are some villages and other settlements outside the kingdoms' borders."

"Vale, Mistral, Atlas, and Vacuo are their names?"

"Yeah. They've been here since, like, the beginning."

The stranger hummed. Jaune felt his blood rushing again. He knew the stranger didn't mean anything by his lack of a response, but it still felt like he let him down somehow.

"Your turn, then," Jaune said. "All those places you mentioned, Anor-something, and Vinheim, where are they all? Are they villages?"

"Villages? They are grand institutions, existing for hundreds of generations. Although by the time I visited them, there are only tales and ruins of them."

Ruby scratched her head. "But they're not on any map, and we've never heard of those places in our studies, so…"

"Let us divert from geography, then. What about magics? They are ubiquitous where I am from."

Jaune blinked. "You believe in magic?"

"What do you think keeps my sword frozen?"

"Uh, Dust?"

"Is that what you call magic?"

"No!" He pulled out his scroll and brought up images of different Dust. "It's what we use in our weapons to fight. We mine them out of the ground all over the world. You saw us shoot with it back then."

He nodded. "But no magic?"

"Duh. Magic isn't real… uh, isn't it? Things like that are just fairy tales, right?" He looked at Ruby, whose head excitedly whipped back and forth between Jaune and the stranger.

"Then, the Undead are only tales, as well?"

"Wait, what?"

The stranger got back to his feet. "Thank you for this information. I will take my leave in earnest now."

"What?!"

The stranger walked away, inadvertently signalling JNPR to follow, all the way to the front doors. By the entrance hall, Oobleck and Ozpin saw them coming, along with Goodwitch.

"Has your field trip proved worthwhile?" Ozpin asked.

"I was never escorted anywhere with such hospitality before."

"I apologize if they inconvenienced you." Goodwitch eyed Jaune and Ruby, who nodded nervously. "I am Professor Goodwitch, one of the instructors at Beacon."

He nodded. "Do you have further business with me?"

Ozpin and Goodwitch turned to Oobleck, who held out the stone and coiled sword. The stranger shook his head.

"I meant for you to keep them. I have no use for them anymore."

Ozpin smiled. "You offered them as tokens of trust. Think of this as our own show of trust."

"We have recorded all we could from these artifacts," Oobleck interrupted. "But, we, I mean, I was hoping you could stay a bit longer, explain what these are in detail."

"They are relics I found by chance in my travels. I am even more clueless to their origins."

"So these may not be native to those ruins?"

He stayed silent and walked past him and out the door. Glynda gripped her crop, but Ozpin kept her hand in place.

"If he doesn't wish to tell us, that's his business. Professor Oobleck, I'm sure you'd like to talk with your team. Professor Goodwitch, make sure everyone returns to their dorms on time."

Both of them nodded. That meant he wanted privacy with their latest guest.

Ozpin followed behind him, all the way to the front gates. "So, what do you think of our academy?"

"Very populated. I know a few associates that would kill to study here."

He frowned. "May you be interested? Any curiosities or questions you have, any of us will be happy to answer before you leave."

"And what would you get in return? I do not mean offense: your institution is impressive and its students show merit. I simply care not. I will leave, as I have said."

He chuckled. "I think I've given the wrong impression. My intent was to offer you shelter for the night, as you can tell…"

The stranger looked up: the sun was setting, and dark clouds filled the sky.

"I get the feeling that you are the type that trusts contracts more than people." Ozpin walked closer before extending his hand. "Take this as one. In return for the artifacts you donated. And my students you protected."

The stranger stared at him and his hand. The rain was getting heavier by the minute. Eventually, he pulled out a white bone and crushed it in his hands.

Other than getting wetter from the rain and becoming a soggy clump of ash, nothing happened.

"Is that how your people agree to a deal?" Ozpin asked, his brow rising.

"No. We say either "yes" or "no"." He brushed the remaining ash off his hands. "Very well. I will take up your offer."

Ozpin withdrew his hand before he got the same muck on it. "Thank you. Are there any accommodations you would like?"

He laid his hand out, catching some of the droplets in his hand. "May I make a fire?"

It was a weird day, not just for Team JNPR but the whole school. The stranger seemed to have made a makeshift campsite in the dining hall, his weapons laid out beside him. Ozpin cited an open fire as a hazard in an indoor environment, but supplied him with a portable heater. He also promised him a private room, but he would have to keep from making fire like he did in the ruins, saying that would only draw unwanted attention.

"So you're staying the night?" Pyrrha asked. Her presence had the side-effect of guaranteeing no one but her team would bother them.

"Yes. Apologies. I am… unused to so many people. And the hospitality."

"You travel alone?"

He didn't move. That usually meant "yes", right?

"Has the green-hair questioned you all about me?"

"You mean Doctor Oobleck? Yeah, he asked us about what we talked about." She smirked. "He went nuts when he heard about that sword of yours, though."

"Good, I do not have to suffer his questionings."

"Those places you mentioned before, were they where you got all this?" Jaune pointed at the array of weapons laid out. The stranger was armed to the teeth, it was a wonder he could run with it all.

"Some."

Meanwhile, Nora approached with a mountain of foodstuff. "Come on, enough talk! Take off that helmet and eat with us!"

He stared at the precarious pile before shaking his head. "Undead do not eat."

There's that word again. Jaune still couldn't wrap his head around it. "Oh come on. That fire stuff with your hands, sure. That sword, okay, but undead?"

"You do not believe me, because you do not have them."

"Because people don't come back from the dead."

"Then I apologize for being the exception. Regardless, I do not eat."

"You sure? It's reeeeally good!" Nora held up a piece of bacon in front of him before tossing it into her mouth.

"Undead do not have appetites. I suppose the smells are pleasant, at least."

"What about that Ursa bite?" Ren asked. "After that, you drank something that healed you."

The stranger grabbed the golden flask. It was mostly full, allowing its content to swish around freely. "Estus. The drink of choice for Undead." He handed it to Ren, who grabbed it with both hands.

He eyed it warily. The colour was similar to the drink the stranger gave to Jaune, but less viscous. As soon as the estus touched his lips, it evaporated into light.

"Woah," he whispered. He shook the bottle, confirming its contents were still liquid. "It doesn't taste like anything, but it burns."

The stranger took the flask back. "Estus. Only Undead can drink them. Though I suppose that does not explain what Undead are or prove myself as one." He faced Jaune. "So, what do you know of the Undead?"

Jaune gulped. Why did he always ask him? "Well, they're like zombies, aren't they? They look like corpses, they shamble around, eat people, and you don't look like you do any of that."

"Hollows: Undead that have fallen mad and mindlessly continue the functions they had in life. Anything else? How they are born, why they rise from their graves?"

Before anyone could say anymore, the bell rang. Dinner was over.

The stranger didn't move from his spot, even after all the students left. Ozpin was the last to visit him, and escorted him to his room: it was surprisingly vacant, with only a bed, table, and a chair.

Finally alone, he let out a laugh. When was the last time he saw a bed, or slept in one?

Out the window, the broken moon shone through. A breathtaking sight, but compared to the sun leaking the Abyss, a broken rock in the sky wasn't nearly as somber.

He sat against the bed and stared into the heater's glow. It was warm, but it didn't have the same atmosphere as a live fire. Trying to remember the advice from his teachers, he pulled out his flame.

"Go on. Be as mad as you like."

Instead, a different voice escaped him. The flame flickered into a darker shade. Through it, he saw a familiar deserter.

"You crawled out of the ground, for gods' sake."

The flame darkened further, and the words rumbled heavier in his throat.

"We'll never amount to anything. Not you, nor I."

He crushed the flame before he could remember more.