Soooooooo… college, am I right or am I right? Seriously, I'm enjoying ACC a ton, but we always seem to have a paper or project to be working on in one class or another. I'm trying to keep these author notes short, but the one at the end of the chapter is going to be long, but please read it when you get there. It's important.
Update Shout-Out: Alright guys, this week is So Not Happening and it's sequel Of Things That Happened After by sweetdixie.17. I'm not joking when I say this is in my top five LOTR fics out there. Seriously, this one is ridiculously funny with just enough seriousness in it to keep things interesting. So please go read the story detailing the adventures of the most sarcastic, sassy elf ever to walk Middle Earth.
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Upon arriving back within Vale's walls, I declined Sir Branwen's offer of heading to a place down by the docks called the Crow Bar, instead electing to head straight back to Beacon. I would be lying to myself if I wasn't interested in the tournaments that were to take place in a couple hours. So after retracing my steps that had led me out into the forest last night, I quickly arrived back within the heart of the city, causing me to stop and look about myself.
While the Firekeeper and I were still new to this age, I thought I had at least somewhat acclimated to the bustle and life of Vale. It was only now that I realized that I was wrong, because even though the sixth hour had only just passed, the streets were already filled to the brim with busy store owners walking hurriedly to and fro, setting up banners, stands, and an assortment of other things, but even more surprising were the people. Mothers, fathers, children, and young adults were already browsing the wares the shop owners were selling. Excited Hunters and Huntresses in training could be seen weaving their way through the crowds, trying to reach the fairgrounds. Every one of them ready and willing to take full advantage of the Vytal Festival's activities. All in all, things were shaping up to be an interesting first festival for both the Firekeeper and me.
Mentally shaking myself, I looked in the direction of the air transports and began walking towards them, but before I could even take three steps I felt a vibration in my pouch. After making sure I wasn't in the way of anyone, I reached back and pulled forth the scroll I had absentmindedly slipped in before leaving Beacon last night. On the front of the scroll was a gray silhouette with the word Ozpin beneath it. Remember how the Firekeeper taught me, I carefully pull the two sides of the scroll apart and hit the green button. Immediately the part I had learned to be called a screen expanded to show Lord Ozpin sitting at his desk.
"Ah, Mr. Ash. I'm glad to see you in one piece." The Headmaster said, though I didn't miss the quick look he gave the two large holes in my armor from the Taijitu fangs. "I thank you for being willing to take time to help. Normally I would have Qrow, another Hunter that works for me, clear the road the night before the festival, but he was held up on his way back."
I gave a silent chuckle at the irony, which again, didn't go unnoticed if the raised eyebrow Lord Ozpin showed was anything to go by.
"He showed up, didn't he?" I nodded, to which he leaned back with a sigh, "Well, at least he made it back safe and sound."
As Lord Ozpin continued talking, a flash of mint-green in the corner of my eye all but forced me to divert my attention away from the Headmaster and towards my surroundings. While there was every color imaginable surrounding me, mint green included, my mind couldn't help but think it was the girl that has been tailing me for weeks. I felt my irritation flair at her, but at the same time couldn't help but feel slightly impressed. While I wasn't as good a tracker as Greirat or Patches, I was no novice either.
Suddenly realizing that I couldn't hear Lord Ozpin's voice any longer, I swiftly brought my attention back to the scroll to find him staring back at me amused. Bowing my head in apology, I heard the Headmaster take a sip from his mug and set it down with a soft chuckle.
"I will let you get on with your day and not bore you any further," he said, cheerfulness heavy on his tongue. "I'll send anything you and the Firekeeper need to know about the festival to your scroll. Though you may want to hurry, the fights start in two hours. Good day, Mr. Ash." With that final goodbye, Lord Ozpin ended the call with one last chuckle.
After slipping the scroll back into my pouch, I glanced about myself one last time, hoping to catch a glimpse of my little stalker. Instead, upon turning around I came face to face with two young girls who were about Lady Rose's size. The first was a cheery looking girl with curly ginger hair that had a pink bow in it. She had bright green eyes and a dusting of freckles across her face and wore an olive-colored blouse with a black and green collar, and stockings. The other girl had a serious feeling about her and had dark skin, short navy blue hair, blue eyes, and had an interesting gold symbol on her forehead that looked like a vertical oval with four small circles surround it. She wore a plain gray button-down shirt, a skirt, and a blue beret. All in all, you'd be hard-pressed to find two more different looking girls in Vale, and with the amount of diversity here, that's saying something.
The cheery one smiled brightly at me and wave, "Salutations, my name is Penny Polendina. Can you help us?"
I bowed my head, both in greeting and for her to continue.
The other girl stepped forward and gave me a nod, "Thank-you, my name is Ciel Soleil. Do you know the way to the airships? The map we were given was unfortunately lost due to… reasons." The last part was directed at her companion with a raised eyebrow.
Seeing the look her friend was sending her, Lady Polendina looked to the side sheepishly and traced circles on the pavement with her foot, hands clasped behind her back, "I didn't mean to lose it. I just got excited about arriving in Vale and… kinda forgot to hang on to… the map…and then the wind… kinda caught it…."
Lady Soleil just stared at her friend for a few seconds longer before turning back to me with a neutral expression, "So as you can see, we are rather lost. Can you perhaps point us in the direction of the airfield? We are to meet our superiors there soon."
Ah, the two are probably exchange students here for the tournament. Most likely from Atlas if Lady Soleil's manner was any indication. Nodding my head and motioning for them to follow, I began continuing on my way to the airships, checking behind me to see if the two were following. Sure enough, both girls had caught up were walking next to me on my left.
Lady Polendina apparently left her embarrassment back where she had picked it up because she was once again smiling and looking about herself in a way that was similar to how I had upon my first week in Vale. Lady Soleil on the other hand kept her gaze forward and focused on our current path. Once again I noted how the differences in the two couldn't have been wider. Shrugging to myself, we then walked in silence for several minutes before one of the two broke it.
Surprisingly it was Lady Soleil, not Lady Polendina, "Are you part of the faculty at Beacon, sir?" I raised an eyebrow at her deduction, which she apparently sensed, "Your armor is damaged and you were on the phone with Headmaster Ozpin when we found you."
I nodded, which caused Lady Polendina to gasp in excitement, "You work at Beacon! Do you know my friend Ruby?"
After a couple seconds delay due to her exuberance, I gave a nod which prompted the young girl's smile to somehow grow even brighter as she launched into a tangent about how excited she was to see her friend and fight with her in the tournament. This somehow continued all the way to the airfield, seemingly without pause for breath, I noticed.
Once the air terminal was in sight, Lady Soleil clapped a hand over Lady Polendina's mouth with a tired look on her face, "Penny… please, just be quiet for a bit."
I silently chuckled as Lady Polendina began profusely apologizing to her friend, forgetting that she just asked her to be quiet. To her credit, Lady Soleil just let out a large sigh and let the stream of words wash over her.
Looking up at me tiredly, Lady Soleil then gave me a nod, allowing a small smile to show, "Thank-you sir, we would have been wandering for who knows how long."
Lady Polendina nodded her head vigorously, "Oh yes, thank-you so much Mr. Maybe we'll see you again sometime."
I nodded my head in agreement. The cheery company was rather refreshing if I say, or rather think so myself. Leaving the two girls to go about their day, I stepped onto the airship that was soon leaving for Beacon and took my seat with a sigh. Though while I did find happy company refreshing, peace and quiet had their charms as well. Yes, peace and quiet served me just fine.
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Upon arriving back at Beacon, my goal to reach the Firekeeper was derailed slightly as I walked past a student named Coco Adel who was sparring with her teammates. These transforming weapons still confuse me at times, but I had thought I had been getting the hang of it. Then I stumble upon Lady Adel and her handbag… that turns into the biggest gun I've seen.
As I was observing the fight, I sensed someone step up next to me. Looking right, I found the Firekeeper who was already inspecting the large puncture holes in my armor with careful hands.
"Art thou wounded Milord?" She asked, worry obvious even though she knew the wounds were healed.
I shook my head and tried to gently pry her worrying hands away from the damaged armor. After another minute or so of fussing, the Firekeeper crossed her arms and looked up at me with a small glare. I stared back down at her unflinching, knowing she was only worried and not too angry.
Eventually, the glare fled her face and was replaced with concern, "I know thou art a force to be reckoned with Milord, some may even say unstoppable, but we know different. I just…" She fell silent, letting the weight of her unfinished words settle upon me.
I knew the truth in them, she was well aware of that, but apparently she still worried that I had forgotten how I was now prey to mortality. I hadn't forgotten, no matter how long I had lived with undeath, it is impossible for me to forget. The comforting, but at the same time damning, presence of a bonfire that was always in the back of mind while in the land of Lothric was no longer present. Now all I had was the flicker of my own ember.
After staring for a bit longer, we then turn to watch Lady Adel and her team just as I had been. Eventually the silence between the Firekeeper and I caused me to glance about myself. Quickly catching sight of the coliseum floating above Vale suddenly made me remember that the Firekeeper and I needed to get moving if we wished to watch the opening matches, and we certainly did want too because it was Lady Rose and her team that was opening the tournament. Quickly checking the time on the scroll, I found that we still had an hour and then gave the Firekeeper a small nudge.
As her attention drew back to me, I nodded towards the coliseum which caused her to gasp audibly, "Miss Rose asked us to be present during her team's fight didn't she? We must hurry!"
I chuckled at the memory of how the young Rose had excitedly ran up to the Firekeeper and I two days prior, asking us to come watch them during the tournament. As the Firekeeper and I thought about it, Lady Rose had hopped from one foot to the other in anticipation and awkwardness, but we didn't leave her waiting long. If the Firekeeper and I were to be perfectly honest, we had grown rather fond of Lady Rose and her team, so after a couple seconds, we had agreed to be there. This was sure to prove interesting…
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Stepping off the airship that had docked at Amity, the Firekeeper and I quickly walked inside. Looking to my left and right, I found long stretches of arcing hallway that eventually bent out of sight. Feeling momentarily turned around, I was broken out of my thoughts by a rather exuberant yell from our left. Looking over, I saw Lady Masa jumping up and down and waving her arms like a maniac to be seen over the crowd, drawing quite a bit of attention from everyone around her as she did so.
Weaving our way through the throngs of people, the Forge-Woman greeted the Firekeeper and I with a cheery hello, but also granted me a slap on the arm, "Welcome to Amity, Oz sent me' down to get ya' when he was notified of your arrival. Now hurry up, Rube' and her team are about to walk out onta' the field!"
Without another word, Lady Masa spun around and quickly walked towards a door labeled Vale VIP above it. Motioning us inside, the three of us walked down a short hallway that was open to the sky. The cheering that had been quite evident even outside became louder and louder with every step, and upon reaching the end, the Firekeeper and I got our first glimpse at the interior of Amity. Gladiatorial Ring didn't do the place justice. Along the entire coliseum was row after row of seats that must fit at least a hundred thousand people. Down below was a large octagon that you could fit the entirety of a small village which was separated into eight different segments. Imprinted on the platform were the four symbols of the kingdoms at equal intervals, and it all came together in the center where a smaller octagon was located.
As the Firekeeper and I took it all in, Lady Masa then led us over to some seats where Lord Ozpin and Lady Goodwitch were watching Team RWBY walk out onto the smaller octagon, "You think that's impressive, wait till ya' see the terrain generator."
Terrain generator? What's does she mean by terrain generator? I shrugged as we sat down in the three empty seats to Lord Ozpin's left, I'm sure whatever Lady Masa meant will become clear soon. Suddenly hearing the cheering increase tenfold, I turned outward to find Team RWBY standing face to face with another team I didn't recognize. Though that wasn't surprising considering this was a festival of all four kingdoms.
Over that cheering crowds, I was just able to make out the sound of music playing. Wanting to know what the Firekeeper thought of all this, I turned to look at her. Instead of gazing about herself like I had been, she was instead hunched forward and pressing her hands to her ears. With concern and a hint of panic, I got up and knelt in front of the Firekeeper which drew everyone's attention to me and then the Firekeeper's condition. With her own eyes widening in concern, then realization, Lady Masa pulled out two little white pieces of foam from her apron pocket and handed them to me.
As I eyed the two little objects, the Forge-woman pointed to her ears, "They're earplugs. They'll help lessen the din that's hurt'en your friend's ears."
I nodded my head in realization and help the Firekeeper put them in her ears. While the sound didn't bother me too much, that is probably due to the close proximity to the roaring monsters and demons I was prone to run into. The Firekeeper, on the other hand, spent nearly, if not all of her days in relative silence. The loudest thing she probably experienced was Lord Andre's forge, a place, now that I think about it, that wasn't her favorite spot to spend much time near. I mentally frowned at my unthoughtfulness, how did I not think of this beforehand.
As if hearing my thoughts, the Firekeeper looked up and glared at me through her tiara, "Tis no fault of yours Milord, if it's any-souls than let it rest with my own."
Lady Masa laughed, "Would ya' just look at that! The two of ye' make a right pair make no mistake. What with all of Gigantor's chivalry and bowing, and you tis'en, and thy'en all over tha' place." The implications of what Lady Masa said flew right over our heads as the Firekeeper turned to look at Forgemaster much like I had when I was first exposed to her thick accent. Thinking she said something wrong, Lady Masa lightly blushed and awkwardly rubbed the back of her head, "Was it somethen' I said? Gigantor responded the same way when we first met, so if I did say somethen' rude then I apologize."
Realizing she was staring, the Firekeeper smiled kindly at the blushing woman, "You did nothing of the sort, it's just that Milord and I have never come across thou's accent before. It's just interesting is all. How do thee know the Ashen One?"
"Ashen One?" Lady Masa asked in a confused manner as she glanced at Lord Ozpin and Lady Goodwitch who both shook their heads without looking, as if to say 'don't bother'. Shrugging, the forge-woman then held her hand out to shake, which the Firekeeper accepted, "Ma' name's Sable Masa, I'm the Forgemaster at Beacon. As for how I know Gigantor over there, well he's been lenden' a hand at the forge a couple times a week."
The Firekeeper nodded her head in understanding, "Ah, so that's where Milord keeps disappearing to."
Lady Masa held a hand to her heart and mockingly gasped, "Gigantor, do ya' mean to tell me that ya' haven't told your lady friend about me? How scandalous!"
Again, the implications of what she said flew right over our heads, but before I could think about it, Lord Ozpin coughed into his hand with a grin, "The match is about to start Sable, so you might want to save your accusations for after the matches."
Lady Masa huffed as she crossed her arms, "You're no fun Oz." Beyond that though, she kept her silence as we all turned our attention back to the arena just in time to see the ground surrounding the two teams open up. The half Team RWBY was on suddenly became a volcanic wasteland while the other half became an ice field worthy of Ariandel.
"How is it possible for you to change the land like that?" The Firekeeper asked Lord Ozpin, her awe clear.
The Headmaster shrugged his shoulders, "I'm the wrong person to ask. All I do know is that there are several pre-made biome types stored underneath the arena, and when two certain biomes are selected, they're brought up automatically."
Any questions beyond that would have to wait, because with a countdown from Sir Port, the Vytal Festival began…
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"That concludes the matches for today. Please leave the Coliseum in a CALM AND ORDERLY FASHION!" Yelled Sir Oobleck as Team SSSN celebrated their victory. It was an… interesting win to say the least.
I honestly don't understand these children. Many of them seem to spend quite a bit of time talking, having fun, and doing a myriad of other things while combating their opponents. It's entertaining to be sure, but nowhere near as effective as just focusing on the fight. Though after seeing many students from the Four Kingdoms fight today, it's obvious how different the style of combat has become.
I myself am used to slow and methodical fights that boil down to who is more skilled. It didn't matter if someone used daggers, magic, or a greatsword, it was only a battle of who could outlast who. In this day and age, every fighter has not only their own weapon that can shift into another weapon, they each also have a unique semblance at their disposal that can completely shift the sway of the battle. Well… it certainly makes things more interesting, that's to be sure.
Suddenly feeling a tapping on my shoulder, I looked up to find myself in a situation I have never been in before. Standing before me was the Firekeeper and Lady Masa, the latter of which was glaring at me. "My new friend here told me ya' got wounded during ya' stroll last night." She said, glare bearing down on me unwavering, "I didn't believe her at first seeing as you're sitting there all pretty and tha' like." She then pointed a finger in my face, "But now that I look at ya', I see two decently sized Taijitu Fang punctures in ya' shoulder. So, what do ya' got to shrug about that? Huh?" She declared with a poke to the forehead of my helmet.
I glanced at the Firekeeper with a raised eyebrow, but Lady Masa grasped the sides of my helmet in both hands and turned my attention back to her, "Nah ah ah, ye're going to answa' my question, not worm ya' way out of this by getting help from ya' lady-friend. She's with me on this by tha' way." The quick glimpse I got of the Firekeeper showed her staring down at me with just as much expectancy (And quite a bit of her own amusement) as the irate Forge-woman, meaning that this was my punishment for being careless last night. I hadn't realized that putting the two women in the same room would result in such dire consequences, but how was I supposed to know they'd get along so well.
In answer… I offered a confused shrugged. Hoping it would placate the upset women in front of me. Oh how wrong I was, because Lady Masa just calmly nodded her head and brushed off some imaginary dust from my shoulder, "Oh I understand, ya' didn't mean to get hurt I'm sure, but here's tha' thing." She then swiftly lifted my helmet off, exposing my bewildered face, and dropped a closed fist on top of my head, "TAIJITU VENOM IS LETHAL TO ANYONE! I DON'T CARE' HOW TOUGH YA' ARE, AND I DON'T CARE' HOW YA' SURVIVED, YE'RE NOT GETTING AWAY WITH BE'EN THAT STUPID!"
If it wasn't for the genuine anger and concern rolling off both women, I would have smiled at how Lady Masa's accent got thicker as her anger rose, but I did not feel like feeding fuel to an already roaring fire. Doing so would only put me in a position where I'll have to truly test the bounds of my physical resilience against someone who embodied the First Flame (Though the Firekeeper would never use her service to Fire in anything other than self-defence), and a fuming Forge-woman who I didn't know the semblance or skill-set of yet. As Lady Masa and the Firekeeper looked at each other with a smile, the before mentioned being gleeful while the latter was amused, I risked a glance to my right, hoping to find Lord Ozpin with some words of wisdom. Instead of a Headmaster and his assistant (Another woman whom I'm sure was just as gleeful as Lady Masa was about my predicament), I found a note on the Lord's seat that read, 'You're on your own. Good luck'.
Upon hearing the sound of the Firekeeper giggling, I shot my gaze back towards the women. The sight that greeted me was disconcerting to say the least. Lady Masa's grin had shifted from gleeful to evil, while the Firekeeper's was hidden behind her hand to muffle her laughter. Normally I'd want nothing more than the Firekeeper to be happy, but in this certain context… I don't think I like it.
"~Oh Gigantoooor~" Lady Masa sang, "~we've decided on ya' punishment~"
I gulped. Who knew two women I consider close acquaintances can scare me more than any demon I've faced? I certainly didn't.
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Please read the IMPORTANT message at least
Alright lads and ladiessess, I have finally brought you chapter 10 of Silent Ashes. I hope it was to your liking. I just have a couple things to say before we get to the important message. First, I tried to tone down how I wrote Masa's accent a bit, so I hope it's less… stereotypical that it was in past chapters.
IMPORTANT: Early on with writing this chapter, I got hit with both the best and worst kind of writer's block. Not the kind where I couldn't think of what to write, but the kind where ideas for another story WOULDN'T STOP JUMPING INTO MY BRAIN-BOX! I honestly can't tell you guys how much I want to write this story idea I have. With that said, I WILL FINISH THIS STORY FIRST. So I don't want to give anything away for my next story, but it may or may not be featuring another crossover with one Laura Kinney (A.K.A. X-23). END OF IMPORTANT NOTE
Before we close this chapter out, I want to leave you all a little treat that popped into my head after writing the last chapter
Omake:
An Undead and a Qrow walk into a bar… No seriously, after arriving back in Vale, Sir Branwen (Somewhere else in the world, a woman sharing the same last name suddenly had the feeling that someone, somewhere, just complimented her brother… and she didn't like it) managed to convince me to have a quick drink with him at a place down by the docks called the Crow Bar. Upon entering, I was pleasantly surprised to find a small clean bar that couldn't comfortably fit more than 12 people that opened out onto the boardwalk via a large garage door that filled an entire wall. Situated in the front left and right corners were two small tables with stools. In these tables where a man and woman who sat by themselves. The woman on the left was enjoying the view of the water and the night breeze, while the man on the right was hunched over his drink, halfway asleep and mumbling.
Leading me towards the empty barstools, Qrow and I sat down as a man that was wearing a white button-up with the sleeves rolled up, a black vest, and a green bow-tie pushed a half-filled glass towards Qrow with a smile, "Didn't know you got back into town Qrow, how long you staying?"
Sir Branwen accepted the drink and took a swig before setting it down with a sigh, "Ah, that's the stuff Markus. I'm not sure, probably not long though."
"You never are." The bartender shrugged before turning to me, "What will you be having?"
"We'll both be having whatever you got that can wipe even me out." The Hunter said before I could do anything. Nodding his head, the bartender turned around and began preparing some drinks. As he did so, Sir Branwen leaned over so only I could hear him, "Ozpin informed me about the situation concerning you and your friend, and I refuse to let you pick something at random and get some subpar drink. Don't give me that look," he grunted as I narrowed my eyes at him in suspicion, "who do you think is chasing down any leads about your wayward artifact thief?"
I realized now that this was the spy that Lord Ozpin told the Firekeeper and I would look into whoever stole the Transposing Kiln. Bowing my head in apology, I then removed my helmet and took a sip of my own drink that had only just appeared alongside Sir Branwen's. Swishing the amber liquid around my mouth for a bit to really get the taste, I then swallowed and felt the burn it left behind. Not bad, but no amount of this stuff was going to get me drunk. There was only one thing that can inhibit an undead, and it wasn't something you'll find in Remnant nowadays. Speaking of…
Reaching into my pouch, I pulled forth a little stone flask that could only hold about four mouthfuls, but that was more than enough. This immediately caught my drinking partners attention, who set down his drink and grinned, "Well what do ya know, I didn't think you were the kind of guy to carry around your own booze. What's your poison?"
I uncorked the stone bottle, allowing some soft gold glowing wisps to waft out, and beckoned for two more glasses. Once they were set before me, I poured out two fingers of the golden brew in each and slid one over to Sir Branwen who eyed it with well-hidden excitement. Looking at him in the eye, I slammed the drink until the truly burning liquid was settled warmly in my stomach, making me feel an actual buzz.
Looking back at the Hunter, I found him grinning at me, "You, are my favorite person in Vale right now, no offense Markus, for giving me something new to try. Though I should warn you, challenging me to a drinking contest is one of the worst choices you could have made." I grinned as Sir Branwen grabbed the drink, brought it up to his lips, knocked it back, and in the same motion, fell backward off his stool and landed on the floor, snoring before he even hit the ground.
With the exception of me, the entire bar, including the man who had been half-unconscious, stared wide-eyed at the well-known drunkard who had just been beaten at his own game, and in one drink no less. After a minute or so of silence, I calmly stood up, put enough lien on the counter to cover our drinks, and walked out, chuckling as I took another swig of the potent Siegbrau.
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Markus is the name of the guy who voiced the bartender, so that's the name I'm going with.
I don't know if normal people can drink estus, but for this omake, they can.
Yes, Qrow has an adamantium liver, but the thought of fermented estus (A.K.A. Siegbrau) immediately knocking him on his ass makes me laugh.
I hope everything was to everyone's liking this chapter. Please leave a review with your thoughts, and I'll see you all next time…
…Archangel Out