Ozpin held his head in his hands, the consequences of his latest defeat weighed heavily on his shoulders. He should have known that the girl would have been targeted, she had read Brutus's book almost in its entirety, and knew much of his secrets, a living treasure trove of knowledge.
And now she was gone, taken by an unknown assailant.
"Are you sure we don't know who took her?" Ironwood asked, concern and annoyance edging his tone. "If we can find out anything about them, we can find her and get the girl back."
"I've told you before, there were no markings, no outside or visual insignia, nothing." Glynda sighed. "As far as we know, it could have been Atlas, or any of the kingdoms that took her."
Ironwood bristled at the accusation. "I can assure you that Atlas had nothing to do with this attack." He growled. "We do not attack our allies."
Ozpin raised his hand, stopping the two from continuing their bickering. "What we do know is that the intruder was caught in the student wing, near the dorm rooms. Miss Violetta was in the medical wing, a good distance from the place the intruder was found."
"He was looking for a place to exit, but probably got lost along the way." Ironwood said.
Qrow shook his head, speaking up from his place along Ozpin's office wall. "The person who took Bun-Bun knew exactly where to go, he knew this place inside and out, he avoided the bulk of the students, the faculty and the staff on his way in, so why did he walk into the hornets nest on his way out?"
"The answer to that is simple." Ozpin answered. "Because he was looking for something, and I'm willing to bet that whatever it was, it was in her room."
"And for once." Qrow interjected, revealing a large iron staff from behind his back. "We lucked out."
"What is it?" Glynda questioned, glancing up and down at the rod, appraising it.
The rod, at first glance, was an unassuming piece of metal, but upon closer inspection, its thick body was covered in thousands upon thousands of lines of script, the thin lines of the words squirmed almost angrily under her gaze.
It was beautiful almost, the way they squirmed, no, not squirmed, but danced. Their movements were timed in perfect sync with one another, but horribly independent, never relying on the other for timing or direction, like a pair of dancers so used to rehearsing a routine that it had become second nature to them. Each one moving on its own, yet mimicking the other with its own original dance so unlike yet so similar to its counterpart, a mirror image that didn't reflect its own reflection.
A perverse but lovely parallel that truly promised so much.
Could she learn how to do that? The words promised her she could, they whispered false truths and true lies in her ears, told her of the pleasurable agonies of life that could all be hers if she would just pay the price.
She could reach across the great schism between consciousness and what lies beyond, all it would take was -
"Glynda?" Ironwood's voice broke through the fog, snapping her out of the mist and pulling her away from the then and was, what can and has, and back to the here and now, back to the reality.
"..Y-yes?" She asked, stuttering slightly as she regained her composure. What had happened to her? Had she even been paying attention? What was going on?
"You okay? You zoned out there for a second, everything all right?" His voice was filled with concern, gone was the stern billet of steel in his words.
"Yes, I..I'm alright. Where were we?" She said, shaming her head clear of the psychic mud that had invaded it.
"As I was saying, the book I have, written by Brutus Rose." Ozpin raised an eyebrow when he heard Qrow scoff. "Tells me that this artifact here is something called the Rod Of Iron, and that it is not a weapon, but a kind of 'focal point' that is capable of redirecting energy as well as storing it."
"So it's a battery?" Ironwood asked. "The intruder was after a battery?"
"Sort of, but one that is also capable of communication." Ozpin answered. "But the question remains.." He trailed off.
"Communication with what?" Qrow finished for him.
"Or who?" Ozpin added. The headmaster turned to regard his lieutenant. "Qrow, do you remember the word that Miss Violetta kept repeating?"
"Only too much." Qrow said, grimacing. "I remember what she did to herself after saying it."
"A tragic incident, yes, but she may have been on to something. We don't know who killed Brutus, or who took Violetta from us, for now, we must be careful, and vigilant."
Standing from his desk, Ozpin grabbed hold of the Rod Of Iron. "And this must be stored and secured."
(@)
Amber stirred from her slumber, the first morning rays filtering into the stone room from between the heavy curtains that lined the sole window. The light spilled across her desk, illuminating papers and matters of state. The light from a sun millions of miles away peeked its way across the floor and up her bed.
And directly in her eyes.
Amber grumbled as she rolled over, tossing the blankets over her head, cursing the day for its audacity to begin, and the night for its courage to end.
"High Regent, I have urgent news." The robotic, monotone voice of one of her guards filled the still air.
"Unless its an invasion, it can wait." Amber shouted from the safety of her cloth fortress.
"The leader of the Norsemen is here to see you." Her guard informed her.
The reaction was immediate, Amber's body tossing itself out of bed as she scrambled to undress herself.
"Tell him I'll be with him in just a minute!" She shouted, her guard bowing before leaving the room. Amber sprinted into her closet, her nightgown left piled up on the floor. She ran through racks upon racks of lavish and decorative clothing, before deciding upon some scarlet and gold ensemble. Tossing on her underwear and clothing, she forced on her shoes and stopped just short of the door.
Taking a deep breath to compose herself and separate from the chaos of the morning, she motioned for her remaining guard to follow her, and exited her room.
(@)
Chieftain Wulfric Ujik was a balding man, a thick grey beard ensconced his chin and despite being well over seventy years old, he still stood straight in his armor, his sword at his hip.
Beside him stood his two sons, Kij and Jik, their muscle bound frames filling the space to either side of their father. Their retinue of Huscarls took their place beside them, silently thankful for their fur lined armor in the chilly atmosphere of the Palace.
They were all tall, strong men, but all stood in the shadows of the Praetorians assigned to their security, whose massive frames and bulk seemed unassailable. Alongside each of the Praetorians stood their own personal retinue of Scarlet Guard, whose thick bronze plated armor and scarlet topknots sat still in the windless room, ornamented halberds clutched in their hands.
Sitting upon Brutus's throne, Amber began the delegations.
"I am honored to have such important and mighty men in my home, I do hope the presence of so many of my guards is not offsetting, they have orders from the King himself to handle my security very seriously."
"Where is the king? Unless you've got a cock under that dress, I don't think you're him." Wulfric said, his eyes wandering up and down the High Regent's body. "I was invited by the king, now I want to talk to the king."
Amber inwardly winced, the chieftain's language being a sour reminder to life outside the palace. This was not the first time a leader wanted to speak with Brutus, and probably wouldn't be the last.
"I'm sorry." Amber began. "But the king is indisposed for the moment, and is liable to be for some time. I rule in his stead, so you can deal with me."
Wulfric shook his head before turning to leave. "If I can't talk to the king, then I won't talk to you." He turned to stomp his way out of the throne room, his brow furrowed.
Amber didn't call after him, she didn't ask him to wait. She understood his frustration, he had to travel such a long way to find out that the person who invited him wasn't even there. Hopefully, they would stay in the city, where they could be called upon quickly whenever Brutus came back.
When was he coming back? It had been well over two years now, what was taking him so long in Vale? He said that he would be back soon, and she had already dispatched that squad with orders to report on what was happening in Vale, and so far they had reported nothing at all.
She sighed, the stress of the day already getting to her. Her hand settled on her belly, gently rubbing it. The stress wasn't good for the baby, and definitely not good for her either.
Would Brutus be back in time to share in her pregnancy? She shivered as she thought about it, the idea being quite unwelcome. She shook the thought out of her mind, deciding that the next appointment with the crown could be bumped up a bit.
Calling upon a nearby Praetorian, she began her duties.
(@)
Shar-Narrayah held the scroll up to her ear, smiling as she heard the news.
"Excellent work, Macharius, I was right to trust you. The news that the white fang is preparing an attack on Beacon is welcome, as well as serving our purpose. Assist the fang in their endeavors, assist Beacon as well, play both sides and pit them against one another."
Ending the call, she couldn't help but smile.
Beacon, Vale and the fang entering into a three way rumble? Why that would bring around so much destruction, chaos, death...
And Murder.
A/N:Shar has gone off the deep end, her thiccccc ass and thighs serving only to pull her under more.More to come, Next time.Review and Fav, peace.