Hey, guys! Sorry I'm late, but I promise this will make up for it. On that note, I recently noticed we're approaching Shard's one year anniversary. It will be on July 14 and I'm not sure exactly what I'll be doing. I'll be on vacation in Florida at the time, so I have a decent idea of what kind of chapter it will be, but I'd like to do something more if anyone has any ideas.
All I could come up with is asking if anyone would like to design a cover art for the story. I couldn't draw to save my life and I'd like to finally have something that wasn't a grey head representing the story. If anyone's interested, I'd love to hear it.
As always, be sure to follow, favorite, and comment your thoughts and questions on the story. Any and all ideas are appreciated. Enjoy the next chapter!
"Thank you for the information, Ozpin."
"You're quite welcome, James, but please be discreet about this. Many of these White Fang outposts are near civilian populations. We don't want to cause a panic."
"That will be up to the Atlesian Council," the general responded, "but… I'll put in your opinion."
Ironwood slowly leaned back in his chair, careful to not damage himself even further. The brunt of the attack landed on his cybernetic half, making repairs somewhat easier, but the injuries to his flesh were deep and searing. Despite being healthy enough to return to his duties, the general could still feel the flames burn against his skin. The man had almost leaned back completely when a sharp pain on his abdomen flared up, causing him to grunt in response.
"James," the fellow headmaster said with concern.
"It's fine," he said. "My anatomy just makes healing a difficult process, but I'll pull through."
"Of course," said the man on the video screen. "Have you had any luck in finding your assailant?"
The general was about to speak when he felt a small pang in his head. He tried thinking back to his interactions with the purple-eyed man, but his memories were too foggy to see properly. He cursed the stolen data from the attack, and answered his comrade.
"Not a single lead," he said with gritted teeth. "They escaped into the sea, so they could be anywhere at this point, if they're even still alive. I wouldn't exactly be bothered by a few hungry Denta in the water."
The white haired man raised an eyebrow at the general's grizzly tone. Ironwood himself had to admit wishing death like that was a tad extreme, even for him, but he meant every word. Still, the thought of the intruders escaping him so easily had caused him more than a few sleepless nights. With new monsters appearing before him, the military man needed every ounce of information to fight his new war.
"We'll find them, James," Ozpin said, sounding a bit concerned.
"He knows we've discovered him," Ironwood responded. "Now that we've seen this new agent, they'll be sure to use more caution."
"You seem to be putting great value on this boy."
Boy?
"I'm sorry, Oz," Ironwood quickly said. "Something's come up. I'll speak with you soon."
"James…" The man was cut off by the monitor clicking off, leaving the general to see the new bits of metal in his reflection.
Boy. Boy…
The general clasped his head and looked down at the map Ozpin had sent him. Each spot represented a threat to his nation, to Remnant, and all the people who lived within. He felt a cold sensation wash over him as the face of his attacker once more flashed before his eyes.
No, Ozpin. He is no boy.
-x-
"They dead aren't walking again," said Zek. "That's a good sign."
"I don't think "good" is the word to use right now."
The two Totomians looked down at the mangled monster beneath them, careful not to get too close if Zek's theory turned out to be wrong. Aero looked across the room to see the other two Fractals were also lying in the same spots he'd left them. The prince noticed the scorch marks covering their bodies while a part of hoped those were Yang's doing and not his own.
"Welp," said the faunus, "we came all this way. We might as well get what we came for and fly. This place is pretty, but the dead bodies aren't exactly welcoming. Doctor, you may want to come in here."
"On my way," Oobleck responded from the tunnel, completely covered in dirt from his excavating. "I must say the mechanisms here are wondrous. Tell me, how is possible for this kind of lock to operate with a power source?"
"Adamantine is more than just a strong metal," Zek responded, "as you can see."
The faunus gestured over to Aero standing in front of the silver cube. Part of him, a very large part, in fact, wanted to stay as far away from the artifact as possible. His whole body resonated with a strange feeling at the thought of the dark crystal hidden inside. Feelings of fear and desire washed over him as he held his hands at the cube's sides, unmoving.
"Don't worry, brother," Zek said reassuringly.
The prince nodded at his friend and placed both hands on the metal. He tried once more to raise the box with his own strength to no avail, a testament to the craftsmanship of its maker. The aura forcing its way downward would be difficult for a crowd to even budge, so Aero resigned to using his tools once more. With some reluctance, he drew the chrome-orange aura from his blades and focused it on the cube, being careful to not unlock it by accident. The light quickly returned to his swords and he was able to lift the artifact like he was lifting a feather.
"How's it feel?" asked Zek. The prince responded by tossing the cube over to his faunus friend, thankful to no longer be holding it in his hands. Zek caught it in midair before dropping his arms close to the floor. He looked like he was struggling to hold the artifact and was barely keeping it an inch off the ground.
"I know it's not that heavy, Zek," Aero said. "You can't fool me."
"I have before," he said with a laugh as he spun the cube atop a single finger."
"I'm sorry," said Oobleck, "but am I missing something."
"You see," said the faunus, tossing the cube up and down, "this kind of metal is special. Not just anyone can use it, without permission anyway."
"Permission?"
"It fights against you if the person who made it doesn't want you to have it. It feels like someone turned up the grav…"
"Zek," Aero said sternly.
"Huh? Oh, right. Secrets. Sorry."
"Is something wrong?" Oobleck asked. "Please, if you have anything else to say…"
Aero considered answering the green haired man's request, but it was something he knew he didn't have the right to do. He felt the swords sheathed on his back and remembered the promise he'd made when he held the finished product for the first time. The prince wasn't sure if any harm would be done, but he still felt compelled to honor his agreement.
"I'm sorry, Doctor," Aero said in a low tone, "but there are some things we shouldn't say freely. It's not that we don't trust you, but there are some secrets we've sworn to keep. Right, Zek?"
"You realize I was forced to promise that, right? I don't exactly have the same level of…"
Aero glared at his friend, who let out a defeated sigh.
"Alright," he grunted. "Sorry, Doctor, but we aren't quite ready for that exposition yet. Maybe next chapter."
The boy looked over to see Oobleck nod, though a bit disheartedly, before walking amongst the ruins once more. Aero himself walked over to the Fractal bodies with a sword drawn in case one of them was simply playing dead. He let a bit of Beta's energy flow into him, giving him the same high he felt when fighting Grimm, though this burst felt even stronger.
"Do you think they'll stay… you know," Zek asked before tracing a line across his throat.
"I don't know, but the gaping holes in their chests make me feel a little better."
"We probably shouldn't stay here much though, just in case another zombie apocalypse breaks out."
"Right."
Zek turned to walk over to Oobleck, but Aero couldn't help but take another look back at the monsters lying in pieces on the floor. He thought back to the sound of Taiyang screaming and look on Ruby's face when her weapon was destroyed right in front of her, the shards of which were still scattered on the floor. The prince clenched his fist in anger, knowing full well his pair of blades wouldn't be enough to protect them if something like this happened again.
"Zek," Aero said.
"Yeah?"
"I know what we have to do next," he said with a look of determination.
"Awesome," the eagle responded with a smile, "but I think we have one more thing to do first."
"What is it?"
The smirk on the faunus' face grew wide before answering his friend.
"Something… obligatory."
-x-
"Easy, Yang," said her father. "I don't need a second broken leg."
"Ahh, have a little faith in me, dad," the girl replied. "I'm not gonna drop you."
Weiss stood next to Blake as they watched their teammate help her injured father onto the couch. The blonde man didn't look or sound completely sure his daughter wouldn't leave him on the floor, but settled down once he was safely lying on the cushions. He winced a bit as he adjusted his bandaged right leg, something heiress wished she didn't have to see.
"Here," said Qrow, handing him a glass filled with brown liquid. "This will help."
"I'm not drinking in front the kids," Taiyang replied.
"Suit yourself."
The black haired man downed the drink himself and crashed into the chair closest to Taiyang. Weiss couldn't help but think back to their first introduction and wonder just what kind of person the man was. Winter certainly didn't like him, but the way he acted around his family gave the girl the impression he was something more underneath.
Still a drunk, of course, but still more.
"You're lucky, Tai," the man said. "That thing could've ripped your leg off."
"The bones were barely knocked out of place," he responded. "The doctor said my main concern is letting the wounds close."
"They're still pretty bad," said Yang. "Try not to lose any more blood, please."
"No promises," her father replied with a smile.
Weiss felt a pang in her chest at the site of the Xiao Longs. Her relationship with her own father was distant at best, and seeing those two together left her longing. Still, she put on a bittersweet smile for them, hoping maybe someday she could have something similar.
"Well," said Yang, "I'm gonna go start dinner for everyone."
"I don't think ordering pizza counts as making dinner," said Blake.
"What's that?" Yang asked in a surprised tone. "Did I just hear someone say they didn't want a large double anchovy?"
"I take it back," Blake said with wide eyes as Yang picked up the phone with a smirk. "Yang, I said I take it back!"
Weiss giggled a bit to herself before moving towards the staircase.
"I'm gonna go see what Ruby wants to eat," she said walking the first steps. "Oh, and I'll take a thin cheese pizza, please."
"Those slices are just soggy crackers with marinara sauce, but whatever."
The heiress scowled at her blonde friend's comment, but made her way to the second floor regardless. It didn't take her long to reach Ruby's room, but she hesitated a moment before knocking on the door. The hooded girl had been a bit out of sorts since they'd gotten back from their mission. Apparently, the monster that hurt her dad almost got her as well, not to mention her most prized possession was wrecked after the fight. Weiss took a deep breath and put her hand forward.
"Ruby," she said with a knock. "Can I come in?"
"Ah, come on!" came a voice from behind the door.
Worried about her friend, Weiss entered anyway. On the ground, Ruby sat cross legged with tools at her side and a severely damaged scythe in front of her. The girl was mumbling to herself and pulling at her hair in frustration.
"I can't do it here," Ruby said in an angry tone.
"Do what?" asked Weiss.
"Fix Crescent Rose," she replied. "I don't have the right equipment. Look, I can't even get the second blade fulcrum to turn properly! Not to mention the barrel has been offset by a whole seven millimeters. It can't even fire it properly! And don't even get me started on the…!"
"Ruby."
"Yeah?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Oh," the girl said, calming down a bit. "Sorry. I guess I'm just a little upset."
"I can see that," Weiss said, taking a seat next to her. "There's nothing wrong with feeling stressed, by the way. You almost got seriously hurt. Is there anything I can do to help?"
"Thanks, but no. Uncle Qrow said he'd take me up to Signal soon to use the forge there. It's where she was born, and it's where she'll be fixed."
"You do realize your scythe isn't a baby right?"
Ruby gasped and clenched her broken weapon tightly.
"Don't listen to her, sweetie. Mama loves you."
"You're hopeless."
Ruby just laughed in response and turned her attention back to the scythe. Weiss understood caring about your weapon, but her partner was obviously taking what happened to hers to heart.
"You know," said the heiress, "I actually expected you to be a bit more sad about this."
"I guess I am a little sad," her friend replied. "I mean, I love Crescent Rose, but I know she'll be fine. Aero's even gonna let me…"
Ruby stopped her sentence immediately at the mention of the Totomian. Weiss caught a quick glimpse of her flushed cheeks before she turned away, obviously trying to hide her embarrassment. It was something the white haired girl simply couldn't resist.
"He's gonna let you what?" she asked with a sly smile.
"Nothing."
"Come on, I promise not to tease you too much."
The hooded girl slowly turned to face her friend, but still avoided eye contact.
"He's gonna let me use some of his Adamantine when I fix her," she said with a gleeful smile. "I'm definitely gonna make a new blade, but I'm thinking about adding some reinforcement in the joints to… why are smiling?"
"Oh, you know."
Weiss watched as the girl covered up with her hood in embarrassment, something the fencer had to admit was adorable in its own right.
"I thought you said you weren't gonna tease me too much."
"Oh, Ruby," she said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "There could never be too much."
"Whatever," the girl responded.
"I take it he'll be helping you at the forge then."
"Probably. I haven't exactly asked him when he wants to go. He has… a lot on his plate right now."
"I don't think he'd mind going whenever you wanted too," she said with a smirk. "I mean, you're both moving forward so fast. It hasn't been a month and you already want him to help make your baby."
"WEISS!"
The heiress let out a genuine laugh as her teammate lit up like a fire and rambled on about how what she said wasn't true. They were only fixing Crescent Rose, not making a new one, yada yada yada. Weiss didn't care. She knew what she meant. Thinking about it for a moment, she considered bringing up what Zek had told them about Aero's promise in the forest, but she decided, out of the little warmth in her icy heart, to spare her friend from that… for now.
"I'm only kidding," she said, still laughing, "but I can see it now. Both of you, standing by a blazing fire, working diligently on repairing your most prized possession."
"Weiss…" she said in a low tone.
"Suddenly," she said standing up, dramatizing all her actions, "your fingers accidently graze one another, both of you hoping it's just the fire causing you to sweat."
"Weiss…" Ruby said again, now even softer.
"Then, you know you can't hold back any longer. You both lock eyes, lean in as close as you can and… what, nothing?" Weiss looked confused as her friend sat silently, now not even protesting her cheesy story. She had to admit, it wasn't quite as fun to mess with her if there was no reaction.
"... cheese."
"What?"
"Cheese. Thick crust. None of that soggy cracker stuff. I heard you all talking downstairs. You can go tell them that now."
"Oh," Weiss said, worried about Ruby's downtrodden tone. "I guess I'll just… go tell Yang what you want… yeah."
The heiress made her way to the door, feeling guilty that she may have crossed some line with her teasing this time. She only saw it as innocent fun, but something had obviously gotten through to her friend. She was about to turn around and apologise, but Ruby spoke up first.
"Weiss?" she said softly, still not looking her way.
"Yeah, Ruby?"
"Let's say, in a hypoproffesional…"
"Hypothetical," she corrected.
"Right, that. Well, in the event that someone kinda-sorta-maybe-possibly wanted something… like that too… actually happen…"
Weiss' eyes grew wide as Ruby gulped and turned her way, her voice getting softer with every word.
"...how would… this person… actually… do it?"
"Ruby," Weiss said an unnervingly calm tone, "what exactly are you saying?"
"Do you promise you won't tell? Really promise?"
"On my honor," she said with sincerity, though she knew it was painfully obvious already.
"I may have the a little-tiny-super duper small… c-crush on…"
"Go on," said Weiss. "You can say it."
"On… A-A-Aer-NO! Nope nope nope nope nope! I can't do it!" The hooded girl ran and jumped onto her bed and buried her face in her pillow, kicking and screaming muffled shouts into the fabric.
"Listen, Ruby," she said, sitting on the edge of the bed and putting a hand on her shoulder, "I know what a first crush feels like, so, because we're friends, I'll help you deal with this."
The silver eyed girl made some muffled sounds into her pillow her friend couldn't understand.
"What was that?"
"I said, you're acting surprisingly calm right now. I expected you be a bit more… Weiss-y."
"I assure you I am acting very Weiss-y night now," she said as she walked to the door. "For now we will wait until you calm down before discussing our next move. As your teammate, I swear this a battle we will win."
"Umm…thanks," said Ruby. "Really."
"You are quite welcome, Ms. Rose," she responded. "I'll see you down stairs in a moment."
With that, the white haired girl made her way back down to the others, but not before making a quick stop in her own room, shutting the door, prepping her journal for another entry, and covering her face with a pillow before letting out the loudest, highest-pitched scream of excitement she had ever produced.
This is going to be fun.