Remnants
Chapter 03 - God, What an Awful Hat!
Act 1
"Alright, students, gather round, please," Glynda said as she motioned with her riding crop. "Today, we'll be performing a practical exercise. In each of the various environs around Beacon, we have a variety of natural resources that we send various teams out to retrieve. Today, you will be one of those teams. Our destination is Mount Wyrm Roost. We'll be climbing to a cave to harvest salt crystals, and maybe if you're lucky, a few chunks of raw dust to keep or sell as you please. However, please keep in mind that our focus must remain on the main objective. Any student who decides to get greedy can kiss their chances at passing my class goodbye. Do I make myself clear?"
"Do we have the same option if it comes to wild grimm?" Grun asked as he tore the sleeves off his third school uniform in a row. Why did they keep trying to replace these things? "I mean, can we kill them as we find them as long as it doesn't interfere with our main objective?"
Glynda sighed and shook her head. "Mister Graphson, how many times do I have to ask you not to destroy your uniform?"
"As many times as the sleeves keep magically finding their way back on," Grun replied cheekily.
"... Fine. We haven't time to pursue this at the moment, Mister Graphson, but we will be discussing it at length in my office when we get back. With regards to your other question, this is meant to be a scavenging mission. The point is to try to avoid grimm if you can help it while reaching and attaining your objective. There will be times in the field where you will have to protect convoys and other travelers or traders who need to get to their destinations safely. In such cases, you would need to be able to help them and their cargo arrive without difficulty. That being said, should you be attacked by a grimm, naturally, you don't need my permission to fight back."
"Meh." Grun shrugged noncommittally.
"Anyways, shall we get going? We've got a lot of ground to cover if we're going to finish the job and get back to school." She handed each a cylindrical container. "You'll use these to collect the salt." Then she tossed a small pack to each team leader. "And these to mine it. Come along now. Into the airship."
The students soon found themselves staring up at the large mountain. It appeared to have mostly been composed of stone and moss with little other plant life to show for it.
"I wonder how vast the minerals are here," Azul muttered questioningly.
"Quite. It used to be a popular spot. At least until the grimm attacked. Now, much like the other places in the wilderness we'll be taking you, it's mostly deserted," Glynda said.
"That being said, something being deserted for so long, I wonder what things we'll find hidden amongst the rocks. Someone else is bound to have been out here."
"And probably died while they were at it," Azure added.
"Alright, that's enough. We've got a long climb ahead of us, so let's get started," Glynda said as she took the lead up a barely perceptible mountain trail. It took them only five minutes before they encountered their first grimm, a lone Beowulf.
Azul looked to his team before glancing back at the grimm. "So, who wants to kill it?"
An arrow shaft pierced its skull. The black creature fell to the earth with a solid thud before disappearing and leaving behind the arrow. Azure calmly made his way up and reclaimed the projectile in question.
"I got next one," Grun said.
Topaz gestured something to Azul. "Not if she gets it first," Azul translated.
"So, Azul, where are we going to find this salt?" Grun asked. "You know minerals."
"Inside one of the caves that we are being led to."
Eventually, the students arrived at a large intersection where a series of cave entrances awaited. "Alright, students, pick whichever entrance you want. As a warning though, once you're all inside, you're on your own. Things will go more smoothly if you work closer together, but for the more adventurous cells, the caves do lead into a series of catacombs. I wouldn't recommend going too deep though. Those that have have never returned," Glynda warned.
"You guys wanna take this one?" Azure asked.
Someone cleared his throat. "Pardon me, good sirs." He paused as he looked to Topaz and bowed. "And lady." He rose. "I was wondering if one of you might be able to direct me to one–" he looked at a piece of parchment "–Azure Luz?" His darker tanned skin and sleeveless tight brown leather gear over his broader chest indicated he hailed from a harsher environment, most likely Vacuo. His dark purple hair had been meticulously styled to the side with a slight curl at the right edge of the forehead, and shone in the light. His eyes were practically neon purple with tiny dark flecks scattered amongst the iris that accented the pupil and made them even more piercing than they would be had the color stood alone. His face was clean shaven, and held a gentility to it that bespoke a somewhat easier life. Were it not for the sideburns he sported, his looks may have even been called boyish.
"Azul, you're the one who speaks fancy talk here. What did he just say?" Grun asked, clearly pretending not to understand.
"Wow, and I only brought one flask for this trip," Azul muttered to himself.
"Azul Strike? Is that you? I haven't seen you in years, not since the last time your family came to the oasis. Tell me, how are your parents doing?"
"They're dead, Violet. Now why are you here?"
Grun snorted. "His name's violet?" Then he broke into a gale of laughter. "Oh god, that's hilarious."
Topaz giggled silently behind.
Violet glared. "Be that as it may, one of my teammates requested that I deliver this to Azure," he said, extending a hand with a clasped envelope sealed with wax. "Either you can tell me where I can find him, or I can ask somebody else."
"I'm Azure." The horse Faunus stepped forward and extended a hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Violet."
Violet stared at Azure's ears for a few seconds before returning to look him in the eye. "Yes, I'm sure it is." He extended the envelope and placed it between Azure's thumb and index finger before he retracted and pulled out an oil cloth. He ran it over the sharp of his blade, inspected it, then returned the cloth to its container before withdrawing a second cleaner cloth and wiping the residue off his hands. "Until next time, Azul. M'lady." He bowed courteously. "Gentlemen. Good luck with your mining." With a last, almost negligent wave, he left, his high leather boots tromping across the weeds. A large purple falcon had been dyed into the design on the leather with emerald green eyes as it peered out behind.
Azul quietly growled as he slowly began raising a magnum, only for Topaz to lower his hand with a surprisingly strong grip. She smiled gently, shook her head, then offered the fifty caliber rifle he'd gifted her with.
"As much as I would love to, you don't have stun rounds in it, and all it would do is lower his aura and throw him around."
"I think we have your next sparring partner, Azul." Grun chuckled.
"He's too much of a coward," Azul spat.
"I'm sure we'll get to do something unspeakably evil to him eventually. I mean, you've been working on those angry hornet grenades, haven't you?"
"Guys, it's not really that big of a deal. I'm used to that kind of treatment." Azure shrugged as he looked down at the letter. "Though I admit I never had to deal with someone so arrogant before. Seriously, how much cologne does he put on every morning? I thought I was going to gag."
"I've known and avoided him for awhile," Azul said. "He's the type of guy I feel like shooting every time I talk with him."
"I'd hate to imagine what'd happen if you had to deal with him as a girl."
"Still shoot him."
"Are we one hundred percent sure that wasn't a girl? Wears bright colors, lots of smelly stuff, is named Violet?" Grun asked.
"Alright, Grun, I think that's enough for one day. You don't want to give him the satisfaction of thinking we're the lower class riffraff badmouthing him for being so much more noble and regal than the rest of us, do you?" Azure put the envelope away in one of his dust holsters for later reading.
"No, I want to make fun of him because he's a jerk and has a girl's name," Grun said matter-of-factly.
Azure chuckled. "Alright, Grun, let's make our way inside. We've got salt to mine."
The process was fairly mundane. Light up the lantern, set it down, smash open a few rocks, and then chip the crystals from them into the container. Azul smashed the rocks open with his fists, and Grun with his gauntlets. The two grinned at each other as a cloud of rock and mineral dust began to billow around them while they raced to reduce the rocks to manageable chunks for the next stage in the mining. Azure worked to carve and grind the chunks away from their hosts and formed a pile, which Topaz then proceeded to take and dump into their collection container.
"This is kind of fun," Azure said, grinning as he worked. "Reminds me of the old days on the farm boring holes into the stonework to tie the horses up."
"Only ever so slightly different, as this is more for resource gathering," Azul commented.
"So how much longer do you think till someone finds some huge grimm we have to fight?" Azure asked.
"Less than five minutes."
"That's a liberal estimate," Grun noted.
A deep rumble echoed down the passage.
"... I may have given too much time in that estimate," Azul conceded.
"So what, do we go after it or finish mining and wait to see what happens?" Azure asked.
"Hmm. Kill a grimm, or let someone else kill a grimm." Grun looked to Azul with a knowing grin.
"It'll come to us, and then we'll deal with it. For now let's finish up here," Azul replied simply.
"Sure thing," Azure said as he picked up a salt grain and popped it on his tongue before dropping the rest into the container. "Looks like we're about three quarters full now anyways. We can go hunting if you guys want after."
"You have to ask?" Grun grinned viciously as he attacked the stone.
Five minutes later, their container was full and the tools were packed. "So where to, Azul?" Azure asked.
"Now we would continue on our way out, but the lumbering footsteps closing in on us says we'll be doing otherwise," Azul replied with a shrug.
"Huh, and here I thought that was just Grun's stomach." Azure grinned impishly.
"Please. My stomach will make noises that will haunt your sleep," Grun laughed back as he worked out some kinks in his shoulder.
Topaz was busy loading her RPG, grinning in anticipation.
"Is it just me, or does practically everyone on this team have an unhealthy love for violence?" Azure asked as a giant Ursa lumbered its way through the darkness, drawn by the light of the lamp. Its bulk filled the cave, barely allowing passage as it walked, slamming paw after paw on the ground as it snuffled ahead.
"At least we channel it in a constructively destructive way." Grun chuckled as he unlocked his gauntlets.
"You know, it doesn't look all that dangerous. Do we really have to kill it?"
"Considering most grimm are hostile towards humanity, I'd say yes," Azul commented as the ursa continued to get closer to the group.
"It's sizing us up," Grun noted. "It's got to be hundreds of years old judging by its size. It's smart enough to strategize."
"You think it was just trying to do some recon then and got too close?" Azure pulled his bow off his back and prepared to nock an arrow.
"It's an ursa, not a beowulf," Grun noted. "They aren't pack hunters."
"Your point? Even a single creature can perform recon to gauge its enemies," Azure retorted.
"Why isn't this Ursa attacking us? We're wide open while we talk like this," Grun noted.
Topaz promptly grabbed the two boys by the ears and forced them to face the tunnel. Azul calmly held the ursa in a choke hold and waved casually as the creature struggled for breath.
"Hey, that one's mine!" Grun objected.
"Yeah? Well I'm dealing with it because you decided to take your sweet time talking as it went to hit me," Azul retorted.
Topaz smacked both boys on the backs of their heads.
"... Okay, I guess I deserved that," Azure replied. Topaz continued to glare. "Alright, alright. I'm sorry, okay?"
Topaz sniffed, then turned to Grun with a similar expression.
"You are freakishly strong," Grun noted.
Topaz stared flatly at him.
"Hey, I'm just saying what anybody who's been on the other end of your strength has thought."
She gestured pointedly at Azul and glared.
"Don't think he hasn–" Grun was cut off as a loud crack echoed through the cave.
Topaz mirrored Grun's shock as the two looked over to Azul, who currently stood where he had been moments before, but now the ursa's neck hung at a clearly unhealthy angle.
"... Okay then. Note to self, don't piss Azul off," Azure said.
"I don't like ursas," Azul replied to the group, brushing off his vest with a frown. "I really don't like ursas." The grimm rapidly evaporated, its head falling to the ground and rolling for a few inches before it, too, became little more than dust motes, and then was gone.
"Now then, we have salt to turn in," Azul finished as he moved his way towards the exit.
"... He's scary when he's angry," Azure said.
"Really? You just caught on to that?" Grun asked as he passed Azul a flask.
Topaz just facepalmed.
"Well, that was an interesting little field trip," Azure noted as he laid back on his bed.
"It's pretty funny so many people were spooked by that ursa," Grun said.
"Well it was pretty big," Azure pointed out.
Azul simply unloaded the desk and began sorting parts like he normally did.
Azure casually fingered one of his dust crystals, tossing it up and down as he rested while he stared at the envelope in his other hand. "You think I should open it? I mean, if this Endon guy is anything like Violet …"
"Your choice," Azul commented dismissively.
Azure sighed and rolled his eyes. "Thank you, oh glorious leader, for such precious counsel." With that said, he flicked off the wax and read aloud.
Azure,
You don't really know me, but after that stunt you pulled in orientation with those dust crystals, I'd really like to meet you. It's not too often you find someone else who can use raw dust round these parts. Come to our room some time. I'd like to show you a few tricks.
Sincerely yours,
Sir Endon LeForge, Master Smith, Inheritor of dumb titles, blah blah blah.
P.S. And Violet, if you're reading this, I don't give a crap what you think about how I choose to sign, so stuff it and deliver the damned note, or so help me, I'll make you wish you were never born.
"... Well, that was unexpected," Azure said.
"You realize we're not letting you go alone," Grun said.
Topaz nodded sternly in agreement.
"How come? It's not like I can't handle myself."
"This is Prince High-and-Mighty's team," Grun noted. "You're not going alone."
"I'm not going to win this argument, am I?"
"From the looks of things, no," Azul commented as he pulled out a short barrel. He then proceeded to take three heavy gulps from his flask before laying it off to the side.
"... Drinking yourself to sleep tonight, Azul?"
"Try to dodge better this time," Azul snapped as he pulled out a receiver of some kind.
"You actually want me to try?"
"No, but I suspect you still will." Azul rolled his eyes behind his sunglasses. Meanwhile he grabbed another short barrel and short stock.
"I learned my lesson last time."
"Good," Azul said tersely as he began gathering his weapon parts together. Shortly afterwards he grabbed a box of shotgun shells. "Well, if you'd excuse me." He stood, grabbing the flask and placing it back in his vest. "I'm going to the gun range, and possibly somewhere else. Have fun. Do ... whatever."
"Somebody going to keep an eye on him?" Azure asked after the door slammed shut.
Grun moved to get up, but Topaz laid a restraining hand on him and shook her head gently. She followed Azul quickly and quietly, leaving Grun to guard Azure.
"So you got some preparations you need to make or are you ready to go now?" Azure asked.
"Well, I suppose I need time to prepare my weapon." Grun rolled his eyes.
"So we swing by the cafeteria first?" Azure asked with a playful smirk.
"Don't joke about food." Grun punched him lightly.
Azure's face darkened. "I said the wrong thing, didn't I?"
"To Azul?"
"I didn't mean any offense by it. I just wanted to know so I wouldn't make the same mistake I did before." He sighed.
"He just doesn't know you well enough for those kinda comments yet," Grun said in a mild tone. "He's slow to trust. For obvious reasons."
"So what do I do then, walk on eggshells for the next few months?"
"Don't bring it up," Grun suggested. "Honestly, he has other people to direct his grudges to. One misstep isn't going to make him angry forever."
"Just for a good while. Hmm … I wonder what he'd do if I offered to clear his hangover each morning."
"Probably glare at you without saying anything." Grun laughed. "Don't worry, Azure. You'll be okay. Honestly, I think Azul is pleased with how things turned out."
"It sure helps being able to kill a few grimm every once in awhile, doesn't it?" Azure asked as a hint of a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.
"Sometimes." Grun grinned back at him. "Now," he cleared his throat as he did his best impression of a high society speaker. "I do believe we are late for an appointment. Shall we, my good man?"
Azure grinned. "Why, I do believe we shall."
The range was quiet in the evening light, at least at first. The sun shone just right behind Beacon's clock tower, silhouetting it with a golden halo that would have made it truly mystical. The moment was ruined as the sound of mangled machinery and breaking parts echoed with the retort of a gun. The occasional expletive followed by an intermittent gulping proclaimed louder than words just who was firing off the rounds.
Topaz watched from her vantage point above the mess hall, her reticle set to see her fuming leader as he threw yet another charred carcase of a gun, well, what was left of it, to the ground. The explosion had already scattered chunks of metal across the range before he dealt the final blow. She sighed as he worked to build up a new design from scratch using the spare parts he'd carried from the dorm room and settled into her perch. This might end up taking a while. She sighed to herself again as she sorted her fifty caliber bullets for the third time.
After some time Azul seemed to give up on making a firearm. Instead he pulled out his magnums and started the mobile targets. Rather than humanoid targets, the targets that came into view were grimm.
Taking another drink from his flask, he began taking them out one by one, showing more animosity towards ursa targets by giving them more than a few shots square in the forehead. His hands caught fire for a moment as his aura flared, only for him to grimace as he dropped his guns and breathed. A few moments later he finally managed to extinguish his hands. With how far Topaz had placed herself away from him, she was unable to hear what he was muttering, but she winced in sympathy all the same.
Azure knocked heavily on the door, invitation in hand, and bow still on his back as he awaited the inevitable response.
"Think they'll be friendly?" he asked.
"I spent three years with Azul. In that time he was obligated to attend a few dozen gatherings with people like this. Most of them are about as friendly as an ursa with a toothache."
"Well at least the postscript gives some hope, right?"
"Just go from a position of strength," Grun said. "Offer an olive branch in one hand, but keep a sword in the other."
The door swung open to reveal a young man with fiery-red spiky hair and steel-grey eyes. A virtual mountain of toned muscle, he stood nearly as tall as Grun. He wore a sleeveless leather jacket styled in charcoal black with red accents. His simple leather breeches and heavy duty boots were startlingly common. His face, while grim at first with its furrowed brow, quickly pulled up into a bright smile as he extended a hand. "Azure Luz?" he asked.
Azure cautiously took the hand. "Yup, that's me." He barely managed to hold his own against the big man's grip.
"Great to finally have a face to go with the name. Come on in, the both of you."
As the pair entered the room the difference was like night and day. Half the dwelling was impeccably kept with perfectly made beds, sparkling clean window panes, a floor that practically shone in the light, and a prim book or two stacked on the side tables for evening readings. The other half looked far less tidy. A set of clothes had been laid haphazardly on one of the beds while the other was still completely unmade. Four gaming chairs sat over by the wall, one of which appeared to have sprouted a pair of legs as a scroll lay practically lifeless on the floor next to it. A groan arose, and the monitor for the game in progress clearly showed a pair of fighters engaged in mortal combat.
"Come on, Endon, I wanna finish clobbering you already."
"Tor, give me a break. We've got visitors."
"What, Ozpin wouldn't sign off on a butler?" Grun snickered as they entered.
Endon rolled his eyes. "Violet's still trying to get that waived." He groaned. "So, judging by your size, the gauntlets you're wearing, and the fact you're here with Azure, you must be Grun." He made his way back towards the console and waved with a hand. "Come on. You can watch us finish the match. If I don't, Tor will never let me hear the end of it."
"This will be quick." Tor chuckled as he got in position to start.
"You wish." Endon pulled out his scroll and resumed his position on the chair. Azure and Grun took the seats on either side of the combatants.
"3-2-1-FIGHT!" the screen shouted. And with that they were off.
"Oh, my heart, my heart! How could you do that to your own cousin, Tor?" Endon cried dramatically as his combatant was smashed into a pulp by a hammer that had grown to ten times it size before the character performed his finisher, smashing down with the force of a meteor. The hammer shrunk back down to size and the character leaned against it as he dusted his knuckles.
"Man up or go home, Endon." Tor laughed. Sliding off the chair was a figure neither Azure nor Grun had expected. Tor was stocky and very short. He wore a black rugged-looking shirt with a vest of mail formed of segmented over it. The long braided red hair and plated beard only strengthened the impression. His skin was thick and leathery, and piercing blue eyes glittered with undisguised mirth.
"You two are absolutely nothing like Violet, are you?" Azure asked.
"Damn straight." Endon chuckled with a roguish smile.
"Well, that's refreshing," Grun said.
Endon shrugged. "Meh. Being all stuffed up like that is overrated. We like, you know, actually being regular people. Besides, all we had to do was convince our parents this would bring more honor to the family. Now we're pretty much free to do what we want and do some good while we're at it."
"Cool. So, uh, you said you wanted to show me something?" Azure asked.
"Oh yeah. I nearly forgot." Endon laughed. "Hey, Tor, mind grabbing my tools and a couple of templates?"
Tor just nodded as he left to retrieve said items.
"So yeah, it's pretty rare to see people who can use dust nowadays. Most people like using cartridges and all that other manufactured stuff. I like keeping it real. Most of the time the old ways are the best." He smiled as he pulled out a clouded white dagger. "My semblance isn't like most others. It focuses completely and totally around dust. With it, I can weave or forge dust into practically anything I want." He threw the dagger. For the briefest of moments it glowed before a jet of air blasted behind it and propelled it far faster than a normal throw could manage. It embedded itself into a support beam with a solid thunk. "Go ahead and take a look at that, Grun."
"Thats an interesting use of wind dust," Grun admitted. "However, throwing the knife isn't the part that needs improving. You should think about focusing the air around the blade. A sharper cut is worth more in the end."
"I actually considered that, but the last time I succeeded, I leveled half the forge back home, so I had to nerf it."
"You did what?" Azure sputtered.
"Yeah, it was pretty crazy. Man were my parents mad, but my uncle was pretty proud of me." He chuckled. "Tor and I are sort of the black sheep in the family. As for the whole leveling thing, yeah, you can do a lot of cool stuff if you just know how to infuse the dust properly and manipulate it well."
"The dust is only part of the equation," Grun retorted. In his hand he stirred up the air as his eyes glowed green. At first it formed a small twister, but then it began to condense and change. "Wind is movement, the pure force of moving forward. It never stops, it never looks back. It can stretch for eternity or occupy almost no space at all." The twister was now a small sphere of rotating air in his palm. "Azul never let me stop experimenting until I truly understood what the elemental force represented. And because of him," Grun flicked the sphere at the wall. It hit the solid surface before drilling three inches into the wall and dissipating. "I know the true nature of my power. Have you truly begun to understand the dust you work with?"
"I don't claim to be an expert yet, Grun." Endon shook his head sadly. "Unfortunately, there aren't many dust users out there, let alone dust smiths. But I've held my own, and I've learned a lot. I figured I'd see about giving Azure some pointers if he wants to learn."
"And you had to ask?" Azure said.
Endon chuckled. "Manners. Some things you just can't get rid of no matter how hard you try."
Tor returned with Endon's tools. "For some anyway," he laughed.
"So do you want to learn how to incorporate dust into things, Azure?"
"Heck yeah!" Azure's horse ears popped up through his hair in all the excitement.
Endon chuckled. "That's what I like to hear."
Topaz shot up from her seat, looking around as she tried to recall where she was. Then everything hit her at once. She'd fallen asleep? She was supposed to be watching Azul! Getting to her feet, she started looking for him or signs of where he had gone. Out of the corner of her eye she caught a glint of light on the roof of a nearby building. Pulling out her rifle, she looked through the scope to see Azul drinking from his flask. With a silent sigh she headed for the building and the roof. When she finally arrived, she moved in close enough to hear him talking to himself.
"... doing a great job, aren't I, Dad? The experiment was a wonderful success." She heard him sigh to himself. "I just wish you were there to stop it," he finished, taking yet another swig from his flask.
She approached as slowly as possible, not wanting to startle Azul.
"I'm not deaf, Topaz," Azul called out. "I know it's you. Grun would be too busy trying to hack into the logs, and Azure is more worried of having upset me. That leaves just you trying to sneak up to me."
She signed her apology.
After a few moments of Azul staring at the air where her hands used to be, he shook his head. "I can barely see as it is."
She took out her scroll and texted her apology.
"Don't be. One of you were bound to do it," Azul dismissed. "How long have you been following me?"
"Since you left. We didn't want you to be alone," she wrote.
"Good, you saw another one of my failures in action then," Azul scoffed.
"I fell asleep while you were working. I just found you again when I saw the reflection of your flask."
"Yeah, the flask." Azul lifted it up once more, his reflection showing in the metal. "What I'd give…"
"You must miss him alot."
"I miss them both. I know I didn't get to do much with my mother, but that doesn't make it hurt any less. Grun was three minutes late, the security force four. I wasn't even there."
"I know it's not the same, but I miss being able to sing."
"Damaged vocal cords by an attack, hmm?" Azul hummed questioningly.
"I haven't shown this to anyone else." As the message arrived on his scroll, she slowly loosened the scarf and pulled it away, revealing a long jagged scar across her throat. "I know I don't even measure compared to what you lost, but if it helps, I'm damaged, too."
"Topaz, there are so many things I want to say, to tell you and everyone else, but it hurts too much."
"Then don't. But don't think you're alone. You should talk to Grun. He still blames himself, you know."
"Topaz, I made a mistake that will stay with me until I die. And the worst part is I know one day Grun will hack my logs, and he'll figure it out. I know he blames himself, and I tried to make him not, but he does."
"Where were you when it happened?"
"I was on my way home."
"Then how could you have known?"
"I got an alert on my scroll that I didn't read until I got there. Twenty minutes later."
"You couldn't have known it was about that."
"If I'd read the first words in it, I would have, but I ignored it," Azul snapped.
"Would it have mattered? Grun said the halls were swarming with grimm. There was no guarantee you'd have changed anything if you'd made it."
"I could've at least tried. I may not have been able to do much, but I could have at least damn well tried." Azul clenched his free hand into a fist and leaned back against a wall. "I could have at least tried…"
Topaz didn't respond. Instead, she moved forward and wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace. Azul simply leaned into her and returned the gesture. After a while they separated. Azul sighed, leaning back against the roof once more. "You should head back to them. I'll … I'll be down shortly."
She nodded, retrieving and re-tying her scarf before moving off.
"Thank you, Topaz."
Topaz turned briefly and nodded before making her way back inside.
When Topaz entered the room she found Grun on his bed, trying to hack at Azul's log yet again. Azure was busy removing arrowheads from his quiver and laying them out one at a time next to crystallized dust chunks.
"Hey, Topaz," he said, not even bothering to look up as he continued to organize the dust and arrowheads by color and dust type. "Is Azul doing alright?"
Topaz typed yet again and pressed a button. "He's alive. I don't know if I'd say he's fine," the message popped on both their scrolls.
"Any way we might be able to cheer him up, Grun?" Azure asked.
"I'm honestly no–bingo!" Grun said as the screen on Azul's pad chimed a confirmation. The last password attempt had been accepted.
Azure sighed. "Well I guess I'm already guilty by association. Worst case scenario, I find myself cringing on the floor again." He rose from his bed and approached Grun. "Watcha got?"
Topaz moved in to watch, her eyes wide with curiosity. Azul had said Grun would find out one day after all. One day just happened to be tonight, and he did seem okay with it…
A plethora of folders lay in neatly organized rows, each labeled with a level of importance. Three primary folders sat out of order in the center of the screen: video logs, important documents, and blueprints.
Grun selected the video logs, revealing dated videos taken in weekly intervals going back three and a half years with one exception. Year 0, Week 42 had a five week gap before anything was recorded again.
"So what're you going to do now?" Azure asked. Despite himself, he could feel his heart rate picking up, even as his horse ears perked above his head, swivelling to hear if Azul was coming.
"We see what he's been up to," Grun said as he pushed to play back the first video.
The image cut to a younger looking Azul as he adjusted what they assumed was the camera. "Alright. So. I was told I should keep logs of experiments, not keep my mind idle after the security breach." He sighed aloud. "Alright, weekly log one. I don't really have an experiment to work on today, but I guess I can list a few things. You know, events, as a reminder to myself. As of today Grun has moved into my home, as well as my uncle and his wife-to-be if he has his way. I, uh…" He paused as he looked around. "I don't really know what else to say. I just–" He cut himself off as he moved his hand over the lens as the recording cut out.
"So it's a therapy log?" Azure asked.
"It seems like it," Grun admitted as he selected the second video.
Once more it revealed Azul backing his hands away from the camera. "Alright, Weekly log two. I made something today for Grun. I think he may like it. It's a set of gauntlets to help out with the whole talons issue. He tries his hardest not to destroy anything, but they aren't exactly dull. So what better to help than something to go over his hands, protecting both them and anything he interacts with." Azul gave a small grin. "I'll be giving these to him tomorrow. I still need to fix the joint at the wrist. For some reason it keeps sticking." Azul finished with a shrug before he moved to turn off the camera.
"Let's skip ahead to when Azul started acting funny," Grun said as he selected a log several months later.
"Weekly log forty-one. I have a project, one that will take some time to set-up properly, but the effect it could have will be unmeasurable. Up until now I have combined fire dust into my clothing for an increased edge in manipulation over the element, and for use in battle, but it is always limited by poor interaction with the cloth. It's amusing to hear how many think my semblance is control over fire. Beacon's headmaster, Ozpin, brought that curiosity to my door a week ago." He chuckled faintly.
"But that got me thinking recently. Dust is able to be infused into many things: machines, clothing, relays. The raw crystal itself can be utilised to create weapon rounds, or even strengthen weapon attributes, but I have not once heard of someone … infusing themselves with dust." His tone shifted. "I brought this question to Ozpin, hoping he would know someone, but to the best of his knowledge, nobody has attempted the feat." He took a breath. "And that's where I step in. I brought the idea to Ozpin. I would like to attempt to infuse myself with dust. I have to prepare plans and countermeasures in case of a … backlash, but if this works out…" Azul sighed as he reached towards the camera. "Then perhaps I can do better." He finished, ending the log.
The three stared in shock for a moment. No one was able to say or sign anything. Almost in a daze, Grun went to the next video.
Azul stepped back from the camera. "Alright, different camera. Weekly log forty-two, joined by Headmaster Ozpin of Beacon, and head of Strike Co. security, Viridis," Azul commented as he moved further away, approaching a tall man with white hair and a very familar cane. "Is everything accounted for?" he asked.
"It is." Ozpin extended a hand onto Azul's shoulders. "Are you sure you want to risk this, Mister Strike? We don't know what the consequences will be."
"I don't want to place any risk onto anyone else, and I can't do this to any other living creature. From the way dust works when a living person interacts with it, I should have enough data to know the outcome. If something goes wrong, you have control over the countermeasure, which should stop the machine."
"And assuming it doesn't? What will happen then?"
"I hopefully live to regret my decisions."
"You've made the proper arrangements?"
"Viridus will carry out my will and have my uncle take hold of Strike Co.," Azul replied.
"Here's hoping I don't have to, sir," a deeper voice responded out of view.
"Then if your mind is truly made up, I suppose we should begin. You've already heard the warning speech, so there's no real need to repeat myself. Shall we?" Ozpin turned to open a doorway into what appeared to be an overly large capsule. Various hoses and lights hissed and blinked randomly as the dust chamber glowed and hummed on the other end. A large reinforced tank had been loaded to the brim with crushed fire dust crystals just waiting to be used.
Azul simply nodded as he moved forward towards the capsule. With one final sigh he stepped into the machine. The door let out a loud hiss as it closed and sealed itself. Electronic locks chunked into place, and the chamber was ready.
"Begin the sequence," Azul said, his voice echoing over a set of speakers that weren't in the camera's view. "And then enter the booth."
Ozpin nodded grimly to someone behind the camera, then flicked a switch as he pulled out his scroll. "Interface complete. Running diagnostics. And we're ready to go." He walked briskly out of the camera's range before his voice carried over the intercom systems. "We have a go."
With a quiet hum, a fan began churning in the top of the dust chamber as tiny geysers of pressurized air blasted the powder into the empty space of the container. Slowly, the dust was whipped into a miniature tornado, scraping against the glass, but still inert.
"Are you ready for the next step, Mister Strike?" Ozpin asked.
A green light appeared faintly on the capsule.
The hum of a motor soon turned into a roar as the vacuum above the capsule began to work. "We're starting off at ten percent, just to be on the safe side. We'll increase at your signal."
He received another green light.
The tornado's funnel closed under the intake as the dust took on a concave appearance within its cell. A red glow began to fill the tubes, indicating the progress as the dust made its journey from tank to capsule. A barely perceptible glow filtered from the capsule's door. "Twenty percent and holding," Ozpin said.
The process continued much the same. Ozpin turned up the dust flow, and Azul's green light signaled permission to continue. "Seventy percent," Ozpin said, his voice uncharacteristically tense. The glow, which had once been imperceptible, now boldly outlined the capsule. The concave appearance of the dust cloud had disappeared in favor of an inverted funnel. A high pitched whining filled the air as the dust continued to flow unimpeded. Ever so slowly, the air around the capsule began to change.
"What's going on in there?" the deeper voice, most likely Viridis, questioned.
"There must be some kind of leak along the lines somewhere. Strange. Mister Strike is normally more thorough about those aspects of his work. Do you want us to stop, Mister Strike? Mister Strike?"
The capsule had begun to groan as the whining increased. The metal began to bulge as a rivet dropped to the floor, ringing with each impact as it bounced.
"Something's wrong," Ozpin said. "The capsule shouldn't be warping like this. I'm going to shut it down."
A red light began flashing on the capsule.
"Ozpin, hurry it up," Viridis said.
"I'm trying. The remote failsafe isn't working. We need to cut the power."
"Are you kidding? That thing is vacuum sealed!"
"A vacuum that's clearly been broken, Viridis. Mister Strike is in distress. Now tell me, where's the main power relay?"
"The back of the capsule unit."
"Good. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll just–"
"You're not going anywhere. I'm the head of security. It's my responsibility."
"It will be nobody's responsibility if we don't do something–"
Three things happened nigh simultaneously. There was the distinct sound of shattering glass, a bright light filled the room and obscured the camera lens, and the video and audio feed broke and distorted.
Grun jabed the pause button with a snarl and let out a long stream of curses.
Azure gaped. "What the hell?"
Topaz gestured in a fashion akin to hysterical anger.
After several minutes of heavy breathing, Grun looked at Azure. "How could he be so stupid?"
"... Dust is some of the most destructive stuff in the world. For him to do this …. Maybe he, on a subconscious level I mean, … wanted … to … die?" Azure shrunk back from the tower of muscle, fury, and primal rage that was Grun as he leveled a malevolent glare.
"He has a purpose, Azure. He can't die yet, and he knows it. He'll hunt to the ends of the earth for the man who killed his parents." Grun's voice dripped with barely restrained anger. His aura had triggered, and the air buffeted around him.
"... Did he have it then?"
"I…" Grun stopped dead, finding himself unable to retort. "I don't know."
Topaz gestured meaningfully to the logs. After a moment everyone returned to them, and Grun hit play on the video.
After around thirty seconds of nothing the audio began to cut in.
"-the camera," they faintly heard Azul, only followed by static once more.
"-sir-"
Another twenty seconds passed before the video began to play again, revealing charred red hands pulling back. There was Azul. His torso was wrapped in medical gauze, but from the open patches they could see burned, bloody flesh underneath. His jaw was partially covered, especially around the left side just around the end of his mouth.
"Damn thing is fried. I don't even know if I can recover the footage to see what went wrong," Azul commented.
"What matters now is getting you to a hospital," Ozpin said in a clipped tone.
"I have medical staff here, Ozpin. I just need Viridis to get them here. That's why I sent him out."
"And that's why I told him to call for a drop ship instead. Your facilities may be advanced, Mister Strike, but they can't deal with trauma, nor do they have the equipment necessary to see what the dust may have done to your body. Like it or not, you're going to your family's hospital."
"...Fine."
"Do you intend to let Mister Graphson know about this?"
"Not now." Azul shook his head. "I don't know. One day I'll tell him…"
"Don't move your head. There's enough damage as it is. Come along now." The video feed cut out shortly afterwards.
"One of my greatest failures," Azul commented from his spot at the door, looking to the group. "I knew you would figure out the password one day… Despite changing it every month."
"Three years," Grun rasped as he lowered the pad to the floor. His arms were trembling. I never hid one thing from you. I helped you push every boundary, exploit every legal loophole to track down the man who did this, and you couldn't be bothered to inform me you were trying to kill yourself?" Grun roared as he turned to Azul. Rage burned in his eyes.
"Grun, you know damn well that we don't know everything about each other," Azul replied. "You still hold your own secrets, and I hold mine."
"About our pasts, sure, but you did this after we met," Grun growled. "You told me it was a lab accident. Do you know what you could have done to yourself? Did Ozpin know?"
"Nobody knew what would happen! Dust is a volatile substance that at the same time can be controlled to the finest degree. If you saw my notes, you would have thought the same as Ozpin!" Azul roared back.
"I thought you trusted me. Brothers in our shared vendetta. I thought I knew you. It turns out all I was was just another fool for you to–"
"Don't you dare finish that sentence!" Azul's fists burst into fire. "Don't you dare! I never told you about this because I wanted no thought to it. I wanted to forget this ever happened, but you know what? I can never undo the damage, and I don't want to weigh this team down with useless worry!"
"My father wanted to forget everything, too. It killed my mother when I was months old." Grun got to his feet. The wind around his body whipped in a frenzy so hard that Azul actually felt his feet slip against the floor as Grun opened the door. "And it made me an orphan at thirteen. You want to forget the past, then it's best if I leave now. I don't want to see neglect destroy you, too." With that he slammed the door behind him.
Azul stood in his place, hands clenched as he took several calming breaths. The flames slowly began to fizzle out. "Azure, go keep an eye on him…"
Azure made his way for the door and pulled it open. "Take this from someone who knows what it's like to grow up an orphan. These kinds of secrets, these kinds of emotions, they can't just be put on a shelf. Talk to someone next time." With that said, he calmly shut the door behind him.
After a few moments of standing there, Azul looked to Topaz. "Like I said, my biggest mistake, and Grun would figure it out before I could ever build the nerve to tell him. And honestly, I never would. The more time that passes, the worse the outcome."
Topaz walked up to him with tears in her eyes as she stared him in the face. Quite suddenly, she slapped him. Then, in the same confusing second, she hugged him tightly.
"I'll tell you all more if Grun comes back with Azure. ... It's time."
"Three years," Grun ranted to himself as he looked up at the night sky from his perch on the battlements of one of the academy's towers. In the past, being high up and secluded like this had always worked to clear his head, but now all he found was more confusion and anger.
"Yes, somewhere thereabouts, I'd say," a familiar voice spoke from behind him. "And I doubt there's a single day he hasn't been beating himself up for not telling you."
"Well, no one can tell when he learned from the master of secrets himself, now can they?" Grun sneered. "I've lost too much to secrets."
"It seems to me, Mister Graphson, that you're neglecting a very important variable in your scenario," Ozpin said as he strode next to the Faunus and leaned on his cane to look up at the stars.
"And what would that be?" Grun asked him.
"We're human."
"Good for you." Grun chuckled dryly.
"And there's the keen wit I've heard so much about." Ozpin smiled faintly.
"So tell me then, Ozpin the great and powerful, what would you do?" Grun said.
"Me? Well I haven't the foggiest. But then again, this isn't about me and what I would do. It's about you and what you're about to do." He slowly lowered himself to dangle his legs off the wall. "You can leave the school and throw away practically everything you've worked so hard to build for yourself, Mister Strike, and for our races as a whole; or you can consider what you know of Mister Strike and his personality, look at it from that perspective, and then follow the ideals that you've been trying to create with him this whole time. Either way, the decision is ultimately your own to make."
"Doesn't make it an easy one." Grun harrumphed. "Life was easier on the road. Not so many complications."
"Not so many friends either. And as for easy decisions, all I can say is welcome to the world of adulthood." He chuckled mirthlessly. "Huntsmen and huntresses have to make difficult decisions on a regular basis. I'll admit I've made my fair share of blunders when making those decisions. You probably will, too. I just want you to think carefully before you make yours, whether it blunders or not." With that he rose again and made his way towards the roof access. "Good night, Mister Graphson."
"You know," Grun said. Ozpin stopped, his hand on the handle. "My father used to say we were special, descendants of the proudest warriors the Faunus had ever spawned. It wasn't their strength or their numbers that made them so great, though. It was that they never had to look over their backs because they had total faith in the one behind them. Cute little kids' stuff, I know, but I suppose warriors like that couldn't have held many grudges, could they?"
"Who knows, Mister Graphson? Who knows?" The door creaked open and shut again as the headmaster left, giving Grun the chance to ponder.
Grun sat for a few more minutes before he got to his feet. With a drawn-out sigh he walked to the edge of the battlements and casually stepped off. The wind whistled as the ground rose to meet him at a rapid pace. At ten feet above the ground, Grun let a bust of air go beneath him, slowing his momentum until he alighted gracefully on the ground. Brushing himself off, he examined his surroundings.
"There you are. I've been looking all over for you, Grun." The familiar silhouette of Azure came jogging into sight. "Are … are you doing okay?"
"Better, thanks." Grun nodded. "I just had a lot of things to think about."
"You wanna take a walk or something? Maybe raid the kitchen?"
"We should head back. Azul's got some explaining to do."
"Yeah. Sure." Azure fished into his pocket and pulled out a granola bar. "Here. I know how hungry you get, especially when you're angry."
"Thanks," Grun said. He took the bar, tore it open, and took a hearty bite as they headed inside together. He was still mad, but Azul at least deserved the chance to explain himself. For now, that would be enough.
Azul sat on his bed, quietly contemplating drinking more from his flask to help keep him talking. At the moment he was just staring at his reflection in the polished metal surface. Grun would want more answers. Azure's curiosity would lead him to want some as well. As for Topaz, he honestly had no idea if she would want to know or not; she hadn't let go of him since Grun and Azure had left.
After enough time had passed and Topaz was starting to drift off on Azul's shoulder, the door finally opened. First Azure stepped in, then Grun followed. Both looked somewhat subdued as Azure gently closed the door behind him.
"If you want answers, I'm not holding back," Azul said from his seated position.
"You promise not to do anything stupid after?" Azure asked.
"A majority of the things I do are considered stupid and risky, but I'll keep you all informed of what happens before it happens."
"Always?" Azure pressed.
"Unless it's classified company secrets, yes, Azure."
"Then that's good enough for me. Grun, you said you had some questions, right?"
"How many times have you almost died for this?" Grun demanded.
"Once from the accident itself, and twice learning what I need to do from that point on."
"Who else knew?"
"Viridis, head of Security."
"No one else?" Grun asked.
"He and Ozpin are the only other ones."
"What did you mean by learning what you need to do?" Azure asked.
Azul sighed. "The dust has bound itself to my being. As such, my body has become more dependant on said dust, burning it off like it would food and water. This means that on a monthly basis, I have to restore the lost dust, which, I will admit, is one of the major reasons I drink. The process isn't exactly painless."
"And Ozpin is the one who showed you how, isn't he?"
"Once again, nobody has ever done this to his knowledge. Nobody knew the process. I had to figure it out on my own."
'Now tell me everything," Grun said as he sat down on his bed. "No more secrets about this."
"Where do you want me to start?"
"From the beginning would be nice," Azure said as he plopped down on his own bed.
Azul gave a faint bark of a laugh. "Alright then."
"You know, it took him nearly five months to purchase these things," Azul commented about the package as he heaved it onto his shoulder. He and Grun were headed towards Junior's club for a delivery he figured should be done in person. After getting everything smoothed over with Grun and the others, he was feeling … unusually calm. Maybe even a little happy? Nah, probably just content.
"And that was with you discounting him more than seventy percent," Grun said as they walked.
"Sixty percent," Azul laughed. "Then again, he did buy in bulk, so the whole adding more to the discount is a little… overkill, but I did say I'd give him one."
"So who are you setting a trap for?" Grun mumbled under his breath. "Two of us, no visible arms, taking the long way to Junior's with boxes of guns? Did you really think I wouldn't pick up on it?"
"Give it five seconds," Azul muttered back.
"You're the boss," Grun said as they kept walking.
A whistle was the only warning they received before a red explosion rocked the street next to them. Grun and Azul both jumped out of the way.
"Well, well, well. What do we have here? A present? For me? Oh, you shouldn't have." A shape jumped down into the smoke. As it cleared, he rose, his black gloved hand holding to his bowler cap as he doffed it up properly with a roguish grin. Behind the pair, a slim and prim looking lady landed. A dainty parasol lay open on her shoulder, and everything about her seemed to be a clash of two colors right down to her eyes. She smiled sweetly as she closed her parasol and leaned on it before blowing a kiss their way.
"Well, I honestly was expecting more," Azul commented to Grun.
"You know, Azul, out of all of this I just can't wrap my mind around one detail."
"And that would be?"
"How damn stupid that hat makes him look," Grun said, gesturing to the man. "I mean where'd he get that thing, a blind haberdasher?"
"Hey!" The man touched his hat sentimentally.
"And his girlfriend's using an umbrella, at night, on a clear day. What, did we go walk into a silent movie or something and nobody told us?"
The girl's hands bunched up into fists as she crouched and leaned forward in a pouting simper. The man gritted his teeth and growled.
"I've seen worse. Not many, but some," Azul commented.
"The girl, the movies, or the hat?" Grun asked.
"...Yes."
Another explosion blew up where the pair had been standing moments before. "Hello, we're trying to rob you here! Rude much?" the man asked as he lowered his cane once more, the little target site sliding back into place.
"Hey, Tea Mc Biscuits! We were trying to have a private conversation here!" Grun shouted before turning back to Azul. "So how do we do this? On the one hand, I'm not one for fighting little girls. On the other hand the other one's a woman, so flip a coin or something?"
"Miss Rainy-Day is all yours," Azul commented.
"Okay, so see you in a minute," Grun said, cracking his neck as he set his crate down and turned to the girl. "I guess you'll have to be singing in the pain this time."
The girl simply smiled coyly and gave the come hither gesture as she whipped her parasol out, engaging a hidden blade at its tip.
"Ladies first," Grun offered as he spread his hands and bent low, getting into an almost feral stance.
She charged forward, attempting to impale Grun on her blade. Grun didn't even seem to move as his body shifted to the side, neatly avoiding the strike. Grun pressed the attack, attempting to land several open palm smacks to her body. She blocked with her parasol as she deftly moved it in the path of his strikes while attempting to cut Grun with the blade. Finally she flipped over Grun, stabbing forward where his chest was, only to meet thin air as Grun ducked low. With her arms extended, she was completely open. Grun landed two punishing punches to her stomach. She recovered in time to block the third, however, moving back to distance herself from the Faunus.
"What's wrong, poppet?" Grun asked, grinning as his body erupted in green light. His strikes increased in speed and power. Even when she blocked the air pressure seemed to slam punishingly into her body. Grun attempted a kick. When she blocked he barreled himself off of her parasol. Flipping in the air, he brought his heavy combat boot down in a flying axe kick. The girl brought the parasol up to block, but the momentum forced her down on one knee.
"I'm sorry. I thought you were the stronger of the two of you. I guess your boyfriend there is the muscle and the brains of the outfit."
She simply smirked as she leaned on her parasol again and waved her finger in a chiding manner.
"Care to let me in on the joke?" Grun asked.
The conversation was broken as an object suddenly came hurtling down to earth. When the dust cleared, a smoking man with a charred white jacket and incredibly singed red hair lay unconscious and caneless. Surprisingly his bowler hat remained completely undamaged. The girl gaped, then rushed to his side, the battle forgotten.
The man coughed. "Hey there, beautiful."
The girl wrapped her arms around his shoulders and lifted him up slowly to his feet.
"So, after this match, shall we continue to the second half?" Azul commented as he walked towards the group.
"It might be better if we were to beat a quick retreat," he said with a smirk.
"You do that," Grun smirked in return.
Holding on to him, the girl leapt with her parasol and the two were soon up and over a building, shrinking into the distance.
"Don't forget your party favours!" Grun shouted after them, firing a handful of throwing blades that missed the two by a lot, but released a nice short electrical shock between them, giving the pair a nice zap. "God, that hat was awful," Grun said as he lifted one of the crates.
"Interesting enough, most thugs use Atlas because they can steal their products easier. Those two were using Strike Co.," Azul commented as he grabbed his own crate.
"Well you do have Junior advertising in the underground," Grun noted as they walked.
Azul shrugged. "The extra sales help."
