Hunter in the Wild

Chapter 20

I sat in the chair in front of Ozpin's desk. A cup of coffee in my hand and my stare focused on the steam leaving the cup.

"I understand it's a lot to take in," said Oz from his chair. I looked up at him to see him leaning onto his desk with his elbows and holding his hands together in front of him.

"So let me get this straight. Guardians have been here before. They fought in the Great War. And in the end, it was just another crucible match for them?"

"Correct. They couldn't die so they never gained any ground. It wasn't until they realized how many lives were at stake other than their own. Once they left the battlefield it was clear who the winners were gonna be... a few stayed and helped the sides they felt were in the right. Some took the roles of major figures and lead many great battalions. Others designed weapons for the war efforts. Several became civilians here."

"And Summer-"

"Was technically a Guardian."

I swirled the coffee a little and took a sip. "And she never had a Ghost?"

"Correct."

I set my coffee down and looked at him. "Do we have any proof she's gone?"

He was quiet. I might have struck a key point there.

"Is it at all possible she's still alive?"

"Possible? Yes. Likely? Not as much."

I sighed and looked out the window. We had spoken for a few hours and he told me quite a lot of information I probably shouldn't tell right now. Not a lot was really important. He told me about maidens and how they came about. Am I sure this was the truth? Only time will tell.

He also clued me in on the inner circle that keeps track of and trains the maidens. It's a hell of a lot to take in over the course of a few hours. But I pretended to understand.

He told me he had a lead on a new mission but wasn't sure if it was solid or not. Oz mentioned something about seeing if his scout could look into it for us and get back to us. The headmaster seemed to have a hint of... I wanna say uncertainty in his voice. Like he wasn't sure if it was true or not. He mentioned about just sending me, it would attract less attention. Something about a retrieval mission. He gave me the coordinates and told me when it was a confirmed mission that he'd authorize me to go.

After we were done talking I left. I tried to comprehend it all as Ghost gave me the condensed version of it all. Still a lot, he talked about magic being usable by the maidens without Dust or semblances. Made them seem like Guardians with more capabilities. Really cool to think about honestly.

Once I stepped out of the elevator, Ghost informed me that it was almost time for dinner and that my team was already in the cafeteria. I thanked him and made my way in that direction. I opened the door to see Noah waving me over while he sat next to the rest of our friends with an empty seat next to Blake and Gabe.

"Hey guys," said I as I sat down.

"Where you been?" Yang asked with a full mouth.

"Ozpin's office. After action report for the trip," I lied. "I told him about the Grimm and my injury as well as the outcomes."

Weiss nods and looks at me. She and Ruby knew very little about that lie. I felt bad lying so much to them but I don't think they'd be able to handle. So much hasn't been told to them and so much more has yet to happen.

"You hungry?" Noah asked.

"Not really, just thought I'd join you guys."

Blake frowned a little at my statement and slid me a small granola bar. I looked at her and she looked back at me with a hint of concern.