Bloody Evolution Chapter 38

I could feel something was up, honestly, as Feixiao brutally attacked the next two higher-end slavers that approached our encampment with those two being the last that dared to approach, as it seemed that the rest figured out this place was a death trap.

Though to honest, I was rather busy plowing my ship girls in between walking out only to see Feixiao brutally murder a dude with extreme violence. So I wasn't exactly too broken up at the lack of violence for myself and my own friends.

"You have managed to get yourself into a bit of an issue Jake." Ozpin's voice rang out making me jump from my position of leaning on the Black Pearls rather redundant control wheel.

"Headmaster!" I said sharply holding a hand over my heart as the grey haired man just fucking loudly slurped his alchole-laced coffee in response to my shock.

After taking a breath to calm myself, I gave Ozpin a wry smile and I said slowly in realization. "Wait, you woudn't be here because of Lahmasu I think... What happened to make you come here then?" 

Ozpin was one of the two Sage Lord's of Vale if you didn't count the Pope of the Church as the church itself was outside of Vale's power structure.

To my question, Ozpin sighed with him rolling his coffee in his cup and as he did so. I also then stiffened as I realized that there was zero sound besides the soft sound of his coffee swirling in his cup.

I looked past Ozpin and my face twitched as I saw bird's in the distance frozen in place in mid air. Tree's likewise frozen mid-bend with the picking up winds that was part of a small storm coming in.

'He has stopped time in a pocket around us.' I thought with some awe as with my newfound cultivation knowledge. I knew much more in depth how fucking insane it was for someone to actually pause time itself in any way shape or form.

Sure, speeding up or slowing down time was far more manageable if not quite easy for people at the level of a Sage to some extent. But complete control over space and time? That was completely different.

"Now that we have plenty of time to explain. I decided that you shoudn't be blindsided by this seeing as I will be... Attempting to protect you at least."

I paused at Ozpin's helpless smile, and I asked bluntly. "What has happened. Has the King decided to forcibly recruit me or something?" 

Although the King was extremely sick due to being poisoned by an Abomination that snuck into the royal palace and took the position of one of his concubines. So I was rightly afraid of that damned king trying to force me into his peerage which with his health... Was a literal death sentence.

Ozpin scoffed, and his face filled with disdain as he said flatly. "No, the king is trying navigate his damned princes, bastards, and princesses fighting for his throne without destroying the kingdom on the inside. No there is a much worse issue for you Jake."

Then it hit me as the two only factions that could get Ozpin to move besides the Grimm and another teacher at Beacon making a move on me were the Duke families, and of course, the Church.

And seeing as I was Luxanna's student, the other duke families wouldn't try to forcibly recruit me. Leaving the church as the only issue that could be coming after me!

"The church." I ground out in a hiss as I realized distinctly how fucked I was currently.

And Ozpin gleefully nodded before taking a slurp of his coffee and then added on for salt upon the future wound. "The church indeed. Not only the church, but its Inquisition as well."

He swirled his coffee around, and then he looked at me and spoke slowly to make sure I understood the gravity of what he was going to say.

"You went through the Baptism Jake, you more than almost all have felt the God of Light's unmatched power. The Pope has access to that limitless power so long as she doesn't care her body burns away to ashes."

Then, before I could speak, he held up a finger and then said bluntly. "Ariella, for all that she is, both metaphorically and physically a blind woman who has zealotry as her method of life and living. The issue is Mistral's Arch Bishop." 

There was a pause as Ozpin stared ahead before he said slowly. "Teresa, the Light's Sword... The strongest human being in the world. Bar none, she is beyond myself, beyond the Sage Emperor of Mistral, beyond the Litch Lord, beyond any of the sages of Atlas and of Vacuo."

I just stared at Ozpin, who was silent until I finally asked quietly. "How is she so strong then?"

Ozpin actually seemed to consider if he should even answer before he shrugged. "I suppose such a lesson would help you understand the depth of difference. A Sage Tool as you are aware is part of their magical core that is crystallized into realit,y which gives the sage ageless immortality."

"While I took the concept of time, other magical disciplines and even martial artists to the peak and beyond to enhance my Sage Tool. Teresa did not follow the orthodox path."

Ozpin's face twisted in disgust before he said more quietly. "Mistral has a massive problem with Abominations in particular, and Teresa was forcibly turned into one. But instead of serving the Grimm even with the mental alterations and torture she faced from said Grimm, she managed to survive the Grimm's attention."

"And escape to arrive at the main church of Mistral in which she surrendered herself to be burned alive to fuel the Baptism."

I blinked at that, wondering how the hell she survived that, and Ozpin could understand my expression as he chuckled mirthlessly and said bluntly. "Jake... Teresa is a monster in a quite literal sense, she is not human... She is an Abomination of the God of Light itself."

"Whereas, I channel my powers through my Sage Tool to do countless things. She? She is a constant conduit to the God of Light. And her zealotry? It know's no bounds, no limits, and if she was offered the chance to slaughter an entire kingdom in order to kill a single Beowulf? She would do it." Ozpin said bluntly.

There was a pause as I digested that and I said in confusion. "No, you've got to be exaggerating. That's just sheer lunacy, Headmaster."

To which Ozpin just took a drink of his coffee and said blandly. "The reason she is not the Pope of Mistral's branch of the Church of Light is that she has to be kept out in the wilderness slaughtering grimm. As the last time she was in the city, she destroyed a district, killing thousands when she found a Nevermore that got past the first layer of anti-air defenses."

"As for how she has that power..." He drew off, shaking his head before he said.

"The God of Light seemingly favored her when she was to be used as fuel for a Baptism. Instead of being used for the fuel for others... All the nun's and even the warriors of Mistral who were going through the Baptism were instead used as fuel to anoint her a new human body that could withstand his power."

Despite the horror of what he said, I understood what he was getting at. It's cause and effect made sense at least. Though that left one major issue.

"And this... Teresa, how am I not going to be dragged away by her?" I asked bluntly.

Ozpin gave me a long searching look before he said with amusement. "That's why I am speaking to you now. I literally cannot prevent her from dragging you away. Hence, we have to play a bit."

I looked at the timelord long and hard before I said flatly. "What the hell are you planning then? The church is playing some kind of game to pull me into it. How are you going to keep me out then?"

Ozpin went to take another sip of his coffee before pausing and then my face twitched as he pulled out a canteen and poured a dark amber liquor stream into the large coffee mug. Then after knocking back the drink he looked at me and said with a wry smile.

"I will do my best. But being honest... I can't exactly forcefully keep you safe Jake." 

So I was a bit fucked to say the least.

Then Ozpin made my face twitch as he said. "However, I do have a plan. Rather than having the church have a sour lemon that will be resistant to their methods, and they cannot use force to bring you to their way of thinking. They can simply have you impregnate a few nuns so they can finally have their Silver Eye line."

"Breeding their nuns... I doubt it will be that simple, also I really don't want my stuff floating around. I don't want to be cursed or something." I said with a slight flush on my face, as this was a weird topic to say the least.

"The Inquisition in particular, cursing you could indeed be an issue Jake, though so long as you do give them... A seed of the Silver Eye's to take care of. They will be content, at least I believe so." Ozpin finished.

Then he went quiet as he allowed me to think before I brushed a hand across my face before I spoke more to myself quietly. "So I just need to jerk it into a cup to make them happy? It's better then being forced to be part of their group."

To which Ozpin just shrugged and said. "It's the best option I can see."

I shivered as the sounds of the world resumed with Ozpin giving a slight sigh. "Haa, well let's give this a whirl I suppose." 

A heavy weight fell upon my shoulders as I realized that the path of my future. Was at hand now.

And violence so was for once in this world. Not the answer.

Ozpin flew up into the air as the air became heavier and the sun itself burned brighter with everyone coming out of the ship at the realization that 'something' was wrong.

"Whats going on?" New Jersey asked all to clearly picking up my worry as I saw Ophelia talking silently to Ozpin with the silver haired dragon faunus folding her arms under her chest with a scowl crossing her face.

"Trouble is coming." I said simply before taking a deep breath and calling out to everyone. "You all don't do anything you understand! A possibly hostile couple of sages are coming and I don't want them to have any reason to even look at you all."

I then explained how the church was making a move on me after they had obviously discussed things and came to the conclusion that a male Silver Eye's user was far to valuable to be let 'free' without spreading his wild oats or some nonsense.

"So... I can't smash them?" Nora asked with a wry smile.

To which, I could only nod as in the distance, a bright blinding light filled the air with Ozpin's voice ringing out. "Jake, send your retainers into your ship. Best to just have them out of the way and not be a variable."

My ship girls gave me a looks that clearly said that they most certainly did not want to go into the ship. But I just nodded as right now? Ozpin was my best chance in getting out of this intact.

I sighed and said quietly. "You girls go on inside of the ship. In the worst case, you ladies can control the ship to flee if a fight breaks out and I can just teleport out as you all know."

Although this Teresa was stupidly strong and also extremely unstable, I knew that the countless wards and protections of Beacon would keep me safe so long as I could get into the grounds which would be easy so long as a Sage kept her busy for but a couple moments.

Then a soft voice rang out. "I hoped you would just stand aside Ozpin." 

And then from out of the void appeared three figures, one I recognized as the Pope of Vale's Church of Light in Ariella with her long blond hair and the blindfold that covered her empty sockets.

Next was a male figure that was wearing a completely covering cloak with his facial features completely covered and he was visibly armed with a dozen evil-looking curved and jagged daggers that were lined with Aurablight!

Finally there was Teresa, and the moment I laid eye's on her. No our eyes met, I could see the clear insanity and hollow zealotry that gave her purpose in life. 

Ariella of course was a zealot in her faith to the God of Light, but she was still human, she had wants and desires that although playing second to the God of Light in her heart. She still had them.

But Teresa... As my eye's met the gleaming gold eye's of the silver-haired woman. I knew that myself just walking away wasn't going to happen.

I was going to lose a pound of flesh no matter what happened today.

"I hoped you wouldn't interfere with the younger generation. But it's the church's due to involve themselves in people who just want to mind their own business." Ozpin retorted blandly as his cane settled in his hand.

Ophelia, and Feixiao then took up positions behind Ozpin while I felt the snake sage faunus in Aurora who was hiding in the void or something, gave me a nudge to tell me she was behind me.

"This doesn't need to end in unpleasantness Ozpin. Jake will not be harmed nor will he suffer at all in what is to come." Ariella spoke gently as she 'looked' between me and Ozpin with myself.

While Ozpin shook his head, I asked out flatly. "What exactly do you want me to do for the church first of all!?"

Ariella tilted her head to the side but the cloak-wearing inquisition agent was the one who spoke with its voice also shrouded by magic that made it unrecognizable. "Jake Bariss, for the good of humanity, and the God of Light's clear favor. Above all else, you must spread your lineage so that more Silver Eye'd warriors may take up the mantle of defenders of this world."

"Yes, Jake, with the church's aid, we will have faithful daughters of the God of Light carry your seed to term and with the church's resources. Those children will grow into paragons of the Light. Free of distractions beyond their duties, and should you become a sage... Humanity itself will over time be able to push the Grimm back with a legion of Silver-Eyed warriors!" Ariella spoke gloriously with a husky hint to her voice at the wonder of the thought.

Then I realized their true depravity... Not only did they want me to just be a breeder for them. They wanted me to literally become a Sage purely just to live longer so I could have more children!

'This bloodline is a fucking curse honestly.' I thought with a frown before I said quietly. "The hint of divinity in silver eyes... It's what makes the other female Silver Eye's bad targets for this idea of yours right." I spoke slowly in realization.

Before anyone could react, Teresa seemingly teleported, but instead moved at 'Light' speed and stood a few meters away from me with her greatsword resting in her hand casually.

Then, as Teresa spoke I was affirmed of my opinion of her total insanity. "You are correct, female Silver Eye user's can only have a max of three children before the fourth WILL kill them with the strain of developing the tiny spark of divinity within them to make the Silver Eye's."

With Ariella then spoke with a wide smile. "But you are a man who can spread your divinity, spreading seed to any number of women. And even if they can only bear a single child despite not having the Silver Eye's themselves... Then it would change everything in but a few decades!"

I smiled mirthlessly, and then I said coldly. "And what if I decide not to just be a breeding tool for you then. What if... I just castrate myself here and now to save us all this trouble."

The air went still, even Ozpin looked at me some shock at hearing the coldness in my tone before Ariella said with a mirthless smile even as Teresa's dull expression turned hard as she seemingly contemplated knocking me out or something.

"You a young man in the prime of his life would do such a thing?" She asked rhetorically.

But I just took a deep breath and spoke. "Losing my manhood now and being free. Or becoming a slave and wanting to kill myself, regardless due to lack of freedom. Those are the options you are pushing me towards."

There was a pause before the assassin spoke with a hum. "He is lying about the castration bit. I can see his heart isn't in it... But the killing himself thing is, and I can see he does have the confidence to do so, even if in front of us."

I then conjured up a fishing chair to sit on making everyone blink as I got comfortable in the chair with a sigh with Aurora shifting away from me as she could tell I was up to some bullshit.

"Even if you keep me unconscious, I have trained in methods to keep my mind going so that I can self-destruct if needed, if I was captured. So don't think I am so easy of a tool to use." I warned them before I continued.

"Now... I utterly fucking refuse to be a breeder held prisoner in a shitty church basement or some nonsense. Once again, I refuse and I would rather kill myself than be a slave. So let's find a compromise then."

There was a pause as the three Sages of the church shared a look before Ozpin took a drink and said calmly. "Hmm, perhaps send some nuns that may... Earn Jake's seed as he will be anointed as nobility after this raiding session is over. He will need much more in the way of retainers."

The assassin scoffed and retorted with disdain in its weird voice. "A low ranking noble house that is closely aligned with the Church is not so a valuable thing Ozpin and you know that well."

But then Ophelia cut in with her voice having a hard edge to it. "A low-ranked house for how long though? The Rose Duke family is but four generations old and it only took them a single generation to get to the rank of Duke. Or are you afraid of his other connections not allowing you to control him so closely."

There was a pause before Teresa's cool voice spoke out in question. "If we force him... He will kill himself, if we knock him out, he will kill himself, would the God of Light truly bless a man who would so readily kill themselves?" 

To which I looked at Teresa and asked curiously. "If you were in front of a Transcendent Grimm and you knew it would cost your life to kill it. Would you give up your life?"

Teresa just looked at me before replying rather fucking autistically. "I would just kill the Grimm. Why should I have to die?" 

And I could see the assassin and Ariella share a look before I looked up at the sky, realizing also how hopeless this weapon was. Then Teresa tilted her head to the side and looked over at Ariella and spoke in clear confusion. 

"I can't kill this issue. What now?"

Ariella's face twitched as Teresa herself sold themselves out at how they were clearly stuck now.

The Inquisition agent or whoever the hell he/she it was then added with a clearly dry tone. "We could take his friends as hostages?"

Before I could respond to that Ariella sighed and spoke with a wry smile. "No, such methods will only earn hatred between fellow followers of the Light. No, we must compromise for now."

That 'for now.' Bit at the end, however told me that they were going to be looking for methods to get me under their thumb one way or the other. Still, all these issues would be fixed if I had the strength of a Sage.

In fact... All my problems would be fixed if I had the strength of a Sage. I could have countless weapon systems constantly active, and then I could just make a space station or something well out of the way of any Grimm.

"Then. Does that mean I can go back to killing Grimm?" Teresa asked bluntly as she turned on her heel and began walking towards Ariella.

And as I watched Ariella for her response. I realized something profound as Ariella and the assassin of the Inquisition tensed. Teresa was clearly leaking killing intent at Ariella herself.

Clearly warning the Pope that if she said no. Then Teresa would cut her down right here and now without another word.

Ariella, however, seemingly knew this was going to happen as she nodded and held out a small leaflet of papers. "Yes, Teresa you may resume your crusade. Here is the information we have on the local Apocalyptic Grimm and their possible locations."

Teresa took the leaflet of papers, and then her form flickered with Light that sang of the God of Light's divinity, and then she was just... Gone.

'That wasn't teleportation. She moved at light speed.' I thought as I noticed how the grass in front of where Teresa was previously standing was burned at the edges of the grass.

Now there was just Ariella and the assassin, with Ozpin shifting with him, twirling his cane in his hand as he said calmly. "I am a Sage Lord... I don't like being threatened, I don't like the people in my lineage being threatened by politics either."

"I did not threaten-" Ariella was cut off with Ozpin stopping time and then with a flicker as Ariella and the assassin used their sage domains to interrupt the time lock Ozpin had already appeared in front of them.

And then with lightning speed I couldn't follow, Ozpin's cane smashed them both across the face with a single swipe as Ozpin's cane extended and turned through the air to smash the assassin in the face and into the ground when they tried to back step quickly.

"This... Has nothing to do with Jake and his Silver Eye's, as I said before. I do not like being threatened, so you can expect my attention for the next good weeks. I hope you don't mind if I teleport and time-lock your priests and nuns across the world, with you needing to find them to free them with your sage domain."

Ariella's face darkened truly turned angry as she snapped back. "You would tear off all masks of civility for this meeting? Jake hasn't even lost a layer of skin, he has won and made the Church back off. What more could you want!"

Ozpin just tutted with him spinning his cane around before he said calmly. "You are asking how reasonable I am? I spend half a day, every single day for the last forty-plus years freeing slaves across the world, ruining lords lives, and you ask how I am not petty?" 

Ariella's face twitched as she held her staff at the ready as Ozpin finished off coldly. "I am the Time Lord. But you all known me by another name a lot of the time. As I already said, this has nothing to do with Jake, I personally just hate being threatened, so just... Wait for my future punishments."

With that, Ozpin's own form faded away as he stepped into the void, away from the 'mortals' view, with Ariella's face a pale reflection as she realized that the most petty of sages was going to be targeting the church now.

Ariella then looked to me, but then Aurora stepped out of the void in front of me with the snake faunus sage saying with a jeer of a hiss. "Don't even consider it little nun. That freak isn't with you now."

Feixiao and Ophelia also shifted from flying in the air, where Ozpin was to put themselves between me and Ariella. 

The sages of the church just stared at me for a long moment... Before Ariella shook her head and then the cloak-covered figure melted into Ariella's shadow, and then they both faded away.

Ophelia sighed with her tossing her silver hair back and said with some exasperation. "That was entirely too stressful. Feixiao, this gamble is looking to be a bit too high stakes, isn't he?"

As Feixiao just took a heavy drink of her booze in response. I just sagged in place before I said rather bluntly. "Well, seeing as I am not going to be chattel in a gilded basement and being molested by a horde of nuns. I am going to go take a nap."

The faunus sages just rolled their eyes with Ophelia's saying blandly. "With all the noise here, no more sages should appear, and any stupid Grandmaster that comes, Feixiao can deal with. Aurora and I will be leaving now as well, then." 

I bowed my head slightly and said formally. "Thank you for your aid ladies, I would... Be in a much worse position without your help."

With Aurora chuckling and saying rather cooly. "If we weren't here. Ozpin and your pampering master wouldn't have let you leave Beacon regardless of what the Royal Family said. But besides that, I would be careful of Yunyun, my venom will fade away in a month, allowing her to regain her strength."

I nodded and said coldly. "I understand, I will keep her under control."

After that, Ophelia and Aurora flew up into the air and away before fading away as they entered the void to travel faster.

'Haaa... Well this is going to be something.' I thought with a sigh before I sagged in place before making my way back to the Black Pearl.

As I wasn't lying before. I was going straight to my bed, and if I fell asleep after face planting into ship girl titties. Then that was exactly what was going to happen.

-

"Hyaaah!" Ruby yelled out as her eye's glowed powerfully with the Grimm was facing, howling as it's limbs broke as the turned to stone portion broke apart as the Grimm's other portions of it's body kept moving.

"Good work, Ruby." Summer spoke with a loving smile as she pulled her daughter in for a hug, with Ruby's face being pressed into her chest, and Summer giggled as Ruby flailed and failed to get out of her mother's hug.

Finally with a thudding noise Ruby made to 'forcefully' push her way out of her mother's bosom with a clearly exaggerated panting escaping her as she whimpered. "It's not fair... I drink so much milk, how are you so much bigger then me!"

Summer snorted and with no shame, she retorted. "Isn't it because of you? We both drink a lot of milk and became big, strong girls... But you literally made me create milk for you, of course, I am bigger!"

Ruby at hearing such heresy and embarrassing words, shouted while covering her ears. "Ahhhh! I don't want to hear that! Stahp moooom!"

To which Summer just shook her head with clear amusement, and then her own silver eyes glowed with the quivering and dying Grimm quickly turning to a solid stone sculpture of itself before her glowing eye's faded.

Then Summer took a deep breath as she shifted slightly, and she spoke more seriously. "Ruby, I do have something important to talk to you about."

Ruby perked up at her mother's words, and then Summer continued as her adorkable daughter got herself under control... For now.

"As you are aware now, your adorable little crush Jake has also been blessed with the silver eyes. There is two things we need to talk about now. First... That-" Summer visibly took a deep breath before continuing coldly.

"Lahmasu has targeted Jake for his silver eye's." Ruby's face darkened at that as Summer knew all too well how Ruby would react after knowing how that monstrous Grimm who enjoyed the suffering of humanity, loved to attack the heart strings of her lineage.

Notably, with how Lahmasu used her illusion semblance to sleep with Taiyang in the form of Raven before escaping and causing the massive fight between Raven Branwen and Summer.

Though even then... What Lahmasu didn't know was that Raven was already indeed fucking Taiyang even though she wasn't showing her pregnancy with Yang at that point.

"That- I need to train more than." Ruby said with a clear frown as she clenched her dual axes that matched her mother's larger dual axes.

But then Summer giggled making Ruby blink in confusion as she knew that her mother would never giggle about anything when it came to that monster of a grimm.

"That is half of what I wanted to talk with you my little Rose. But Jake still needs to learn how to use his Silver Eyes, so... I with Jake being given his noble title, I was going to kill multiple birds with one stone in sponsoring him to stay here for a couple weeks, allowing him to learn how to use his Silver Eye's and allow you two to become closer."

Ruby's face turned bright pink before she whispered to herself. "He will be living here with me... Hehe, wait, so we could stay up all night making weapons. We could even wake up and have like chocolate strawberries for breakfast."

There was a pause as Ruby's imagination seemed to go even further as she bit her lower lip with her pink cheeks turning a dark red on her pale skin.

Summer just knowingly giggled and gave her daughter that was almost a clone of her a hip bump before saying. "Calm down there my little Rose. I am not so ready to be a grandparent just yet."

"Mom! I wouldn't do that!" Ruby shouted with a scream before Summer giggled and said with zero shame.

"Oh you wouldn't? Well then I don't need to leave the estate to do some business then to give you love birds some alone time."

Ruby just sagged with her covering her face with her hands as she whined into her hands.

Summer shook her head with a wide smile still on her face before she gave her embarrassed daughter another hug before whispering into her ear. "Good luck, little Rose." Then she leaned back and said more calmly. "Now, you go ahead and get the maids to make up a guest room. He will be here likely in a week or two once Atlas and Mistral's raiders leave." 

A hurried nod was Summer's answer with her smiling as Ruby zipped off using her semblance leaving a trail of silver lined rose petals behind herself.

"Hmm, so long as he makes her happy I suppose. But it will be interesting to train another silver eye user... I didn't think I would be able to again until Ruby had her own kids." Summer mused to herself as she held on the the quickly fading rose petals before letting it go.

Then Summer's easy expression darkened at the thought of Lahmasu again before she smoothed over her expression and with a much more elegant gait. She made her way back within the Rose family mansion.

-

"Hmm hmm hmm." Nora hummed a little song to herself as she helped me Velvet, and Alice make the rest of my people their meals for dinner.

"I still can't get over how those three literally drink refined oil." Alice said with some amuesment at seeing me filling up three large tanks that the ship girls would be downing.

To which I shrugged and said casually. "They are a ship, they need some oil in their diet to say the least." It wasn't the oil bit when it came to the ship girls that weirded out people. It was the fact that they weren't just eating Dust instead.

As Dust had so much more energy and was so much more efficent then fossil fuels that it never really took off here on Remnant. Sure oil was used to make plastic, and all the oil based products. But it wasn't used at all really for fuel or energy.

"Either way, so what are your plans for when we get back to Beacon?" Alice continued to ask.

"Probably the same nonsense honestly. Spend time learning magic, spend more time training with Feixiao and Fiora. Then I suppose use my... Captures to work on some more special projects." I drew off before shaking my head as I continued.

"How about you two? You ladies still working on those Dust Missiles and tracking curses?" 

"Yup, the tracking curse is being a bit of an issue but we are making some progress!" Velvet spoke with a bit of pride as they had been working on making a new form of missile that would blanket a large area in an explosion to deal with Grimm chaff.

The door to the kitchens were pushed open and I looked over with a raised eyebrow as Feixiao pouted as she came in with a bit of a stumble. "Oiiii! Where is the rum? This is a pirate ship right. So where is the rum!?" She demanded as she waved her obviously empty wine jug at me.

I just pointed at the store room and said calmly. "There is five barrels of rum in the store room. You can have three of them. But no more!" I yelled at the clearly drunk form of Feixiao who just waved her hand at me to shut up or something.

"Why do we even have five barrels of rum on the ship. We don't even really drink. I mean Yang, and Prinz likes to drink. But the rest of us aren't that fond of booze honestly." Velvet said quietly under her breath.

"We are living on a giant pirate ship made from the materials harvested off the corpses of thousands of human beings, several thousand animals, the souls of various humans are bound to take care of the ship, and the ship itself is clearly a pirate ship... How could we not have the rum?" I asked rhetorically.

Velvet's face twitched and then said more to herself. "Thanks Jake... I just managed to forget that the rugs in the hallway of the ship are human skin and hair. I just managed to get that out of my mind, thanks.'

To which I could only shrug as I had to stick with the theme. Not to mention the more I did stick to the theme the more magically potent the ship itself would be.

'Hmm on that topic... Maybe my next major project should be to refine the Black Pearl into a Natal Treasure. It is already filled with so much spiritual materials. Not making it into a divine cultivation tool would honestly just be a waste.' I mused to myself.

My sword after all was more than fine for my level and making it stonger woudn't really even make myself stronger. But refining this ship into a true Natal Treasure that would grow with my cultivation level?

A divine sword was great and all... But a divine space station that could refuel itself, was self repairing, and could even leave the world itself with the minature world contained within itself when it's own treasure cultivation was increased?

Yeah the more I thought about it. The more I realized that making my ship as strong as possible was probably my best bet. Because in the end, even if I became as strong as a sage, having a Sage level giant warship that could attack independent of myself was better then a divine sword that could cut through anything.

Then my face twitched as a loud thud rang out followed by Feixaio making a 'Reeeee' noise that was interspaced with loud thumps as she hugged a large barrel of rum that rolled through the kitchen and her noise was periodically silenced as the barrel rolled atop her.

"How the hell did she become a sage?" Nora asked as even she wasn't that chaotic normally.

And as for my answer... I just reached over for the white wine and ignored the burn as I chugged it down to wipe away the memory of that bullshit.

-

The next week was rather painfully boring all things told frankly. I mostly trained with Feixiao in the manners of martial arts which for me as a Xiantian level cultivator, that meant I automatically had the strength of a peak journeyman already even if I didn't unlock my 'ki'

Which was what I was now stuck doing which was a pain in the ass due to unlocking 'ki' being both a physical and spiritual ordeal at the same time. Not only that, but in unlocking Ki I had to make sure it didn't fuck over my 'Qi' that was the merging of my physical energy ki and my spiritual energy in mana.

"Fucking ughhhh!" I cursed with blood leaking from my mouth at the backlash within myself as my vibrantly stirring lifeforce failed to ignite into 'Ki'

"My Qi is already settled as a Xiantian being... Igniting my lifeforce into ki is like literally setting half of my energy on fire and then boiling away my mana as well." I cursed as I realized why not even Ozpin was able to merge mana and lifeforce.

They were inherently opposite forces, yin and yang. And only Qi in my cultivation energy held them both in equal balence allowing them to seamlessly become Qi instead of two seperate forms of energy.

Which to be fair. Qi itself was much more potent then my pools of life force and mana seperately. Though my Aura in being pure soul energy was an outlier. But frankly, I had no choice at this point.

I was walking with a power set that had... A far, far higher power ceiling then the path to Sagehood in this world.

I needed to just accept that I coudn't use this magic and ki based system this world had created as their energy forms were so diluted and fractured that attempting to use it. Actively hurt me instead.

"Whatever..." I muttered as I relaxed and with a thumping noise I just laid back on my bed and closed my eye's as I stared up at the ceiling of my private cultivation/meditation room.

After healing my strained meridians, I got up and went up to the deck as I could feel Shinano and Feixiao were training as the fox sage had taken the other fox 'faunus' under her teaching as well.

Loud crashes rang out as Shinano's swords clashed and collided with Feixiao's oversized greatsword and gun mecha shift weapon as they fought.

"Kick her ass Shinano!" New Jersey yelled out with myself chuckling as Feixiao only fought harder at Shinano actually getting encouragement.

I walked over to the rest of my shipgirls and leaned against the railing of the ship to watch the sparring session with Prinz getting off the ledge and putting her back to my chest and pulled my arms up to wrap around her stomach and chest with zero shame.

The sparring match however didn't continue for long as Feixiao zipped away over to her halbeard and kicked it up into her hands as she called out to me. "Yo Jake! It's time for us to get the hell out of dodge. It's time for you kiddo's to get back to Beacon in particular."

I blinked and asked in clear confusion even as I gave Prinz's side boob a bit of a squeeze that made her huff. "Really? Already, I though the raids would be going on for another week or something?'

Feixiao shook her head and said frankly. "Nope, the a couple clans back in Mistral got wiped out with so many Grandmasters of both Martial Artists and mages here in Vale. Not to mention alot of mining facilities and refineries in Atlas also got hit hard as well." 

'Was it actually the Grimm or operatives from Vale fucking them up in return for raiding our land?' I mused to myself before shrugging with the Black Pearl coming to life and lifting off the ground before we all lurched a bit as it began flying towards Vale.

"Well then, I can finally look forward to getting back home then." I said with a small smile before I paused as I just realized something awkward.

I hadn't told Lux that I was going to be bringing a whole brig of prisoners to be used as cultivation/energy batteries!

"Oh fuck... Lux is going to kill me for bringing all these prisoners home." I muttered.

My face twitched as Prinz without a moment of hesitation answered with some dark amusement. "Ja, it reminds me of the old times. But instead of you bringing prisoners on a train, you brought them on your fancy boat."

To which I turned Prinz around and in front of the God of Light shining above and everyone else I gave her a swat on the ass making her squeak in suprise as I hissed quietly. "No! You can't make that joke Prinz!"

-

Our journey back home was 'uneventful' and by that, I mean that besides killing metric fuck loads of Grimm, we weren't attacked by any high-ranking Grimm. Or a random asshole thankfully.

"Finally, we are back!" New Jersey cried out with joy as the Black Pearl landed on the ground just outside of the entrance to Lux's 'hidden' entrance into her mage tower.

"Yeah yeah, well Jake. This was one of my more eventful weeks, honestly. But hey maybe if the stupid noble humans don't throw a fit. I can enter Beacon to continue your training. But I doubt it." Feixiao spoke as she flew up into the air.

I nodded in understanding and waved towards the fox faunus. "I understand Feixiao. Thank you for your time and protection... I won't get super wordy because you drank all the rum!"

Feixiao's easy grin tightened, and she flew away with a wry grin as she called out. "Haha, I can't hear you Jake. I most certainly didn't fleece my disciple of all his booze haha!"

Then the fox faunus disappeared as she flew off at high speed with an audible booming noise as she broke the sound barrier a good way's away.

"Wow... So damned shameless." I said with a shake of my head before I shrugged and looked at my friends with a more real grin. "Alright, ladies and my best o friend o. Let's get back into Lux's tower, and we can chill out in some real peace."

After spending a good while sealing the Black Pearl into its container bottle. We headed up through the large tunnel with the thousands of wards and traps washing over us and allowing us to pass uneventfully, thankfully.

Once we entered Lux's tower fully we split up as everyone went to put away their supplies and belongings, while I myself went straight to Lux's floor to see if she was there.

[You in your tower?] I messaged her as I rode the elevator up and then quickly enough I got a response.

[Yup! I am in my library, are you back already? If so come over.]

I couldn't help a small smile as I imagined my teacher's excited smile to have me back as she has taken very good care of myself.

Making my way towards where she was supposed to be, I saw her all to quickly as jumped up from her seat as she said excitedly. "Jake! You didn't even tell me you were on your way. Or did you just teleport here or something?!" Lux demanded with a clear pout.

"Ahem... I thought I should just give you a little surprise." I said a bit sheepishly as I should have actually given her a bit of a warning.

But still Lux just shook her head with her blond hair flicking through the air before she said with a small but heart-filled smile. "Still, I am glad you have come back safely and whole... Ozpin already told everyone about the church making a mess, and don't worry. I kept those weird nun hussies from invading your room and my tower already!"

My face twitched at that, and I before anything else, I asked quickly. "Wait, what nun 'hussies' I thought the church was just avoiding me or something now."

She just gave me an empty look filled with some kind of horror before she said dully. "Jake, my darling disciple... They were literally holding a chorus outside of my tower, and during the night a couple of times. During their 'prayer', they would scream for your babies. Now the sages and other mages in the Mage Department are looking at me all weird!"

I just patted Lux on the shoulder as she pouted, as I knew that Lux was rather particular about her reputation due to her being much younger than the rest of the Sage's and Grandmasters, with how they were past their thirties.

And she was only in her mid-twenties instead.

"Well... At least, you didn't have to deal with me being kidnapped this time." I said with a wry smile.

To which Lux sighed and nodded in agreement before took a deep breath and clapped her hands together. "Good, so my disciple I have heard you have successfully collected Calia's tribute. As well as several prisoners of your own to be used as mana batteries."

I nodded but then added quickly. "That is the case, though using my prisoners as mana batteries is going to take a bit of work. As I plan to augment their... Mana stores to better suit my needs."

Not exactly, but with my Xiantian cultivation, I could forcefully open up the Meridian's of others so they could enter the Houtian stage of my cultivation system. Sure they would have my physical energy, their bodies would be stronger and have a smidgen of qi for themselves.

But even Xiantian cultivator's couldn't regrow limbs naturally without some extreme methods. And all my prisoners had lost all four major limbs.

Lux raised an eyebrow at my words before she nodded and then said slowly. "It is good that you have plans for them. But Yunyun herself is an issue. She is a higher end Grandmaster that although easily dealt with by myself and the many sages within Beacon. She still needs to be locked down tight."

I watched as Lux took out a large briefcase from under the table she was previously sitting at and I blinked as it expanded as it opened to become a large step ladder heading downwards. 

"Alright Jake, can you remotely take the prisoners out of the Black Pearl now. Or do you need to take it out of it's sealing bottle?" Lux asked calmly and as I peeked into the large suitcase, I realized what it truly was.

It was a giant hallway with a couple of rooms off to the front going to the left and right. But lining the large hallway were like forty individual large cages that were covered in runes, cursed and enchanted chains. And blood-bound rites that were engraved into the bottom of the cages.

'Holy shit... This is fucked.' I thought with my face twitching but I coughed and said a bit uneasily. "Yeah, I can remotely take them out of the brig. Should... Are we going to put them in those cages?"

To which Lux just nodded, and then she gave me a comforting smile and held my shoulder as she said softly. "Jake... They aren't slaves, they just aren't people anymore. Don't think of them as people. They are just resources that will act as fuel for you to save the world. As they gave up the right to their lives in attacking you."

Lux's mindset was that innocent people were innocent and should be protected and nurtured whenever possible. But enemies were in either two categories, trash to be destroyed or fuel to be used in the path to gain power.

And for all that Lux treated me as family and gave me damn near anything I could ask for without a thought and even put herself at risk to protect me. When it came to 'enemies' she had zero mercy or thoughts for their own being.

I popped the top of the Sealing Bottle and with a hazy green light the small forms of the prisoners within the ship flew out of the bottle and grew before they landed on the ground with some groans as they didn't exactly have hands and legs to catch themselves with.

Lux hummed at taking in the like fifty prisoners that filled up the brig of my ship before she said rather bluntly. "I see, not a bad catch honestly. But you shouldn't waste your time with anyone below Journeyman level. Their mana and ki stores aren't worth the upkeep of the protections that will lock them down.

Then, without a word, Lux held up a finger with a ball of light forming on it, and before those weak people could reach, the ball of light shot forward at extreme speed, and the ball shot through the heads of the people she picked out that were too weak and thus useless.

The people whose heads were hit with the ball of light went stiff and then just collapsed as I realized that Lux made that ball of light only damaging once it entered the flesh of the victims so that there wasn't a mess to clean up on her carpeted library floor.

But then a soft voice spoke out that made me blink. "Just kill me as well. I refuse to live like this." 

It was Yunyun who spoke, and unlike before with her long silver hair was perfectly taken care of. Now she, and her disciple Xiao Yun, and that faunus girl Medusa were all rather ragged as they hadn't been able to properly take care of themselves.

My teacher didn't give Yunyun a single iota of attention besides looking over at me with a raised eyebrow to ask with a knowing look. "This sealing case was actually made by me when I was researching curses and necromancy for myself with the help of Miss Goodwitch. So would you like help filling out the rest of the cages, as at this point, not even half of them will be full."

My lips twitched at that. And after a moment, I said slowly. "If someone comes at me and I or even you have someone to kill. Yeah, we can slot them in. I will only use someone I was going to going to kill anyway."

Lux however, smiled knowingly with her patting my arm and saying gently. "Good, that's a good mindset my disciple. Now let's get their chains and cuffs on. Oh, and for Yunyun, she will have some special care as well."

I then watched as Lux grabbed Yunyun and the only other Grandmaster to survive Feixiao's beatings by the hair, making the Grandmasters hiss as their limbless forms were literally dragged into the expanded nightmare of a suitcase.

"Even if we work the weak to death... We don't torment them like this." The blue-haired Xiao Yun girl spoke softly as she lifted one nub of an arm to point at me.

I, however, noticed most of the other victims had passed out after Lux, killed more than half of the others. Still I just shrugged and said in honest helplessness. "My master is right. I should just treat your words as air. I am not really cut out for this, to be honest."

A loud metallic clanging noise rang out followed by Lux calling out to me. "Come on down Jake. I need to show you how these cages work."

And so I went down, and the were a 'marvel' though to behold. At least the seperate cages for the Grandmasters were as their chains ended with expanding metal sleeves that went over the nubs of their limbs to prevent them regrowing their limbs if they were left alone.

Lux then explained how the cages were outfitted with magic that would keep their occupants in 'good' health as in clean and well fed which came from large tanks filled with a mixed gruel that was magically enhanced to be as filling as possible.

"Although storage area's like this are rare... I have had the misfortune to see Ferid and Calia's own storage area when Ferid first joined Beacon and we traded some knowledge on darker magic. Their methods are even more extreme as they use magic to absorb the suffering from their targets to turn said suffering into mana." Lux spoke casually as she looked over Yunyun's defeated form.

"With Ferid's obsession with Flesh Golems that makes too much sense. Trapping someone inside of their body and making them do things they hate and against their will would generate alot of suffering." I agreed quietly before I exhaled and said. "Alright, lets finish up the rest of this."

Lux nodded silently and she patiently helped teach me how to lock the poor bastards into the cages even though the rest didn't get the elastic metal that went over their limbs nubs with Lux saying casually.

"If you want, you can allow them to regrow their limbs or even help them if you want. As within their cages they can't escape as there is a barrier surrounding each cage from the inside." 

Just to prove that, one of the male martial artists tried to violently roll into the wall of the cage but a shimmering light barrier became visible and repelled him. Making him roll across the floor of his cage and then softly hit the other side of the cage.

And I couldn't help a helpless smile as the man groaned as the barrier on that side of the cage repelled him again, pushing him across the ground.

"Ahem, yes anyway. You can just drain these people using the cages like this. Or you can do it without the cage absorbing the mana. Now come Jake, Cinder already offered to bring us to a lovely dinner." Lux spoke as she nudged me to leave the expanded suitcase.

"Alright, that sounds good... I need to stock up on some stuff anyway, as Feixiao drank all of the rum I had on my ship as well!" I said before raising an eyebrow as Lux pushed a button on the suitcase that made it shrink to the size of a matchbox that she then handed to me.

As I put the suitcase away in my pocket, I couldn't help a wry thought. 'What happens if I like lose this suitcase with it sliding behind my bed or something?'

But I shoved the thought aside as Lux brought me out of her tower as she checked her phone to see where we would be going.