Hangovers were not unfamiliar to Anderson, and while it had been a long time since he'd felt one the pounding in his head reminded him of why he couldn't understand the people that insisted upon imbibing alcohol in quantities that would cause the throbbing in his head. He wanted to rub his temples and ease the headache, except the fact that his arms were restrained served only to annoy him. Opening his eyes, he found that he was being observed by three people, one of which reminded him very much of the Iron Virgin of Hellsing. Were it not for the salacious attire she was wearing, he would have immediately assumed that this woman was indeed Integra Hellsing.
The attire made him entirely uncomfortable, what with its excess of cleavage or the skirt that seemed unfitting to such a stern woman, the purple cape's strange flame-like design served only to emphasize the strangeness while the riding crop completed the ridiculous ensemble. If she wasn't for the confidence with which she brandished it, then perhaps Alexander Anderson would've been content to dismiss her as a threat.
Beside this Hellsing look-a-like was an older man, adorned with a white overcoat over an ensemble of gray, black, and red. With only a single white glove adorning his right hand, Anderson felt his curiosity piqued as he observed more of the man's features. Silver locks dusted his temples and a strange metal strip was adorned over his right eye for some unknown purpose. He brandished a rather impressive gun that brought back an oddly fond memory of a foe that the Iron Virgin once commanded.
In the center, Anderson regarded the final person with an extreme sense of apprehension. A head of silver hair that seemed entirely unruly framed a light complexion and sharp features. Small, rounded glasses covered his brown eyes. The light complexion, sharp features, and tousled silver hair seemed to contradict the appearance of youth. The calmness that the man sipped his coffee was only betrayed by a slight tensing of the shoulders, indicating that if needed he could strike at any moment.
"I suspect you have questions," The silver haired man spoke. "Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Professor Ozpin." He gestured to the man in white, "This is James Ironwood." Another gesture to the woman, "This is Glynda Goodwitch. You are currently being treated at Beacon Academy. I would like to first welcome you to my school."
Anderson's ears were ringing as he stared at the newly identified professor, "A school…?" He rasped before falling back into a coughing fit. Were it not for the pain in his chest, Anderson would have assumed he had finally entered Paradise. Alas, the pain was what made him aware of something that… should have been impossible.
"Yes. Ozpin nodded, "My school, to be exact. However, I'm afraid that we haven't moved past introductions yet. Could you please tell us your name?"
It had felt like an age had passed before he could recall his own name, as if it were something he hadn't had to remember in a long time. "My name… is Alexander Anderson." He muttered. "Am I… in Rome?"
Confusion, it seemed had crossed between the man known as Ozpin and his assistant. The woman, Glynda, adjusted her glasses, "Rome…? Forgive me, but where in the Four Kingdoms is that?"
Anderson's confusion must have been apparent, "Four…Kingdoms?" There weren't just four kingdoms. Anderson found himself looking at the three of them apprehensively, "Rome… the former seat of power for the Roman Empire." The continued confusion only worsened his gut feeling. "Italy of the continent of Europe, the home of Christendom?" He asked next, more confusion was all that he received in response. Though, the man in white seemed slightly uncomfortable. Anderson fell limp, his mind working double time to try and understand what was going on.
Closing his eyes, Anderson could only recite a familiar prayer, forcing it despite the pain it brought him. "In your hands, O Lord, we humbly entrust our brothers and sisters. In this life, you embraced them with your tender love; deliver them now from every evil and bid them eternal rest. The old order has passed away: Welcome them into paradise, where there will be no sorrow, no weeping or pain, but fullness of peace and joy with your Son and the Holy Spirit forever and ever." A shaky sigh escaped his lips as he felt tears running down his face, "Amen."
It was after some time that the sound of a cane tapping on the ground alerted him to the presence of Ozpin, "Mister Anderson, you have been asleep for a very long time." He said staring at the warrior priest, "What little you have said indicates to me that you have been asleep far longer than our own records can determine."
Anderson watched the headmaster warily, treachery was the nature of the Devil's minions. Yet… for all his desires to determine that the group before him was lying… he simply could not see any ill intent or deceit from them. He let out a sigh before trying to speak, only to be reduced to a coughing fit once more. Watching Ozpin place a straw into a small cup, he was astounded when it was offered to him. Not wanting to look a gift horse in the mouth, Anderson took a tentative sip before guzzling down the soothing water in the cup. Anderson cleared his throat, "Beacon Academy… where is it?" He asked, relaxing so that he wasn't pulling at the restraints.
"The Kingdom of Vale, located on the continent of Sanus." Ozpin replied with a hopeful expression on his face. A moment passed before that look of neutrality reset itself, "Does any of this sound familiar?"
Anderson shook his head, "There is neither a kingdom nor continent by those names that I know of." He made a mental note of how Ironwood's eyes widened slightly. The woman seemed to regard him with a similar sense of surprise. He growled when he tried to sit up only for the restraints to pin him down. "Where did you find me?" Anderson asked.
"Go ahead and release him Glynda," Ozpin ordered calmly.
Glynda waved her crop causing Anderson to tense up. Purple energy radiated around his restraints before they released. He honestly expected something horrific to be located on his arms as opposed to the quickly fading redness on his wrists. Rubbing his wrists to restore circulation, Anderson looked up expectantly, "We found you in a vault. Typically, these vaults are reserved for artifacts that we can only assume is relevant to the lost history of Mankind." Anderson's eyes widened in shock as he stared up at Ozpin. "You are unfathomably old. Having said that, I find myself curious: Who were the ones who put you into that chamber?"
A frown marred his features before he set the cup aside. "Truthfully, I do not know how I came to be in that pod." He sighed, "I last recall a beautiful sunrise, and the laughter of children." The priest murmured, catching a noticeable tension from Glynda. Even Ozpin's eyes seemed sharper than they had been.
The Headmaster merely grabbed his mug and stood, he half-turned his head to the others, "I believe that we should let Mister Anderson rest." He said smiling, Anderson could only surmise that the others did not fully agree as Ironwood and Glynda seemed to be bewildered. "He has been through an ordeal and a half. I would assume that finding yourself awake in a displaced time can be quite… draining." Ozpin turned to leave. "I would caution you to not leave the infirmary Mister Anderson. A stranger lurking about the school would give the more… eager of my students an excuse to fight."
Anderson watched silently as they walked out, the door closed allowing him to relax. His eyes traced over the sterile white tiles of the ceiling. "Lord… where have you sent me?" He wondered softly as his eyes closed. It was odd for fatigue to set in, yet even a regenerator needed to sleep it seemed.
The Vault was magnificent, the mashup of old ruins of lost history and technology that seemed equal to that of the Kingdom of Atlas certainly would change how the world of Remnant would come to view science and history. Velvet Scarlatina watched with amusement as Doctor Oobleck seemed to zip around the room at impossible speeds. How the caffeinated doctor seemed to maintain such enthusiasm astounded the faunus. It wasn't a total bore thankfully. Velvet found herself snapping photographs of various weapons to keep herself entertained. "Simple longswords and blades, some much older than others." She shrugged before snapping away with her camera, "I'd like to say that the guns are better, if we're talking about the modern amenities. Well… what passed for modern back then."
"Seriously." A voice called out, she glanced seeing the familiar black beret of her team leader Coco. The leader picked up a small gun marked HK MP5 and pulled back the bolt before examining it. "Nine millimeter? That's a peashooter! They needed bigger stuff than that to kill Grimm." She laughed before exchanging it for a larger rifle marked SIG SG 550, Velvet noticed that other variants were among them. "This is more like it!" Coco crowed, putting it to her shoulder. "These may be old, but they're comfortable to hold. Might as well keep them for a little plinking. What do you think, Vel?" She asked with a smirk.
"Well do they even use dust rounds?" The faunus found herself asking. "Matter of fact, who knows how long the guns have been down here? The moisture control was excellent, but even after so long these dust rounds must have become diluted." Velvet squatted down and picked up a large ammo box with similar markings to the rifle Coco was examining. She opened the box only to raise an eyebrow in confusion, "These aren't dust rounds!" She stated before handing the round to Coco.
"Alright, I take it back, our ancestors must've been crazy using only slugs." Coco muttered as she examined the round.
"Not just any slug, my dear!" The energized voice of Oobleck called out. "These rounds are made from pure silver!" He exclaimed zipping back while holding a book.
"You seem rather happy, Doctor." Velvet smiled, even as Coco recoiled slightly at the sudden appearance of the Doctor.
"Why of course I am silly girl!" Oobleck grinned wildly, "Education doesn't stop just because you are no longer in school!"
Velvet giggled while Coco merely rolled her eyes, "Whatever, Doc." The leader replied lazily.
"So… Doctor Oobleck, what does silver have to do with the bullets?" Velvet found herself asking.
The doctor's grin grew impossibly wider, "While not as effective as most weapons nowadays and certainly not as potent as dust, silver was the first thought bane of the Grimm." He explained sipping from his thermos. "The discovery of dust rendered the usage of silver obsolete and so that knowledge faded from public memory. Only a scant few recall such a thing."
Velvet's ears twitched slightly, already she could see her leader's eyes scanning over the crates with the gears turning in her mind. The faunus cleared her throat, "Just how old are these ruins?" She asked.
Oobleck shook his head, "Older than the Kingdoms themselves, I daresay." He looked almost reverent at the vast stores of knowledge that lay within. "Truly fascinating…" He turned to the girls, "Let's see about moving what artifacts we can to Beacon, after all ladies… there's a treasure trove of knowledge just waiting to be unearthed here and we need a proper environment to do it!"
Velvet grinned hearing Coco groan in irritation, "This is going to be a long day…" CFVY's leader muttered.
"Cheer up Coco, it could be worse." Velvet laughed lightly. "We could be stuck helping Professor Port."
Coco paused for a moment, the sound of the boisterous professor and groaning Atlas soldiers entering her ears. "Y'know Vel…you make a good point."
A/N: Happy new year guys! Only an hour later than I'd planned, and far less chapters than I'd planned for the month. Sorry about that. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and once again thanks to Wiji1090 for helping me with this chapter. Hopefully my updates once a month (at least) can continue. This one just took a little longer because of the holidays. Look forward to the next one!