In the aftermath of Iridescence's triumph over the Geist within the mines, confirmation of their success was sent to Ironwood across the tundra via scroll, but the gang's job wasn't fated to end quite yet. Their main target had been eliminated and all teams sent into the mine had been able to work their way into the central mining cavern without incident, but that alone didn't ensure that the area was entirely clear of Grimm. Since Ironwood would need some time for the forces he'd organized to set up shop around the mine to arrive, the three teams split up and performed another cursory sweep to eliminate any Grimm that evaded them initially. Even if the process was less exciting and more laborious than the initial segment of the mission, it was an important job nonetheless, and everyone finished their joint mission only a somewhat short time after the Geist was eliminated.
With their duties complete, RWBY, JNPR, and Iridescence then found themselves walking out of the mine side-by-side. The sun overhead baked the sky in a faint orange glow as it prepared to depart for the evening, and by the looks of things, Ironwood's caravan of armored military vehicles had just arrived to secure the area. The general himself stood closer to the mine entrance than most, but his back remained turned to his allies while watched the soldiers carry out their various duties. A shadow slowly encroached all across the area, and Ironwood's gaze tilting up led everyone to the source of the obstruction.
Amity Colosseum had arrived over the mine. It was almost hard to tell that the manmade structure was moving at similar speeds to some of Mistral's slower airships from so far below, but its sheer size and the spectacle of its mere presence overhead more than made up for its lack of apparent speed. Opal's gaze lingered on the international marvel for a while before she finally decided to pay attention to the conversation around her.
"So what you're telling me is that your upgrades let you wrestle an ancient Beringel one-on-one and win?" Yang asked.
"Yep," Tenebris said.
"I'd mention how absurd that claim sounds, but then again, your semblance always put you at a higher tier of strength by default," Weiss observed. "I suppose it isn't too farfetched for the greatest mind in Atlas to figure out how to augment your already incredible passive semblance."
"Exactly," Tenebris agreed. "Pietro put in work with my upgrades – they even helped me hold an entire Petra Gigas still after it tried to crush me."
"You can't be serious," Ren said.
"Eh, I'd buy it," Yang contested. "I didn't think that these remote mines would be all that useful at first – then they helped me blow up five Centinels all at once. If Opal can set Ember Cecilia up with this kind of firepower, it's not much of a stretch to think that Pietro could add a little extra power to some armor."
Jaune nodded. "I think it's safe to say that all of our upgrades were useful. The upgrades we managed to get Crocea Mors while we were on our way to Mistral were good for a while, but the tech that's been put into it here's been something else."
"And even simple upgrades such as Akoúo̱'s new discus blades seem to have a very impressive level of quality," Pyrrha added. "But aside from how effective all of our upgrades are, I don't think any of it detracts from just how impressive it was that Iridescence was able to take down our mission's target all by themselves. It took down several licensed Huntsmen's lives before this point, after all."
Opal gave her a humble look. "You don't have to flatter us, you know."
"She does have a point," Blake argued. "Your team does have a bit of a knack for taking down bigger targets more than our teams have. Don't forget that you ran into a Greater Cerberus on your first mission shadowing Port and took it down mostly by yourselves."
"Oh yeah, they did do that, didn't they?" Nora recalled. "One second we were all kicking Grimm butt by the breach and then Port tells us we're running to the other end of the city! I was looking forward to some more fun back there…"
Jaune sighed. "I was honestly kind of relieved when we came and saw you had things under control. Having to fight through one invasion back then was a nightmare for me – one more with even higher stakes and I'm pretty sure I would've slipped up hard at some point."
"And don't forget that for most of that fight they were alone," Ren added. "While I won't say that Iridescence is the strongest one of our three teams in the present, I will say that their team cohesion and individual competence started the strongest out of all of us when they finally settled their initial differences."
"Ok, so what I'm hearing is that we're a super effective team with an awesome track record," Lux said with a smirk. "Yeah, that sounds about right, but is that really big news?"
Aurora lightly slapped his shoulder. "Don't try and inflate our egos, Lux. I don't know about you but being chosen by Ironwood to be his right-hand team and potentially change the way the world works for the faunus is more than enough for me."
"Same here," Lux agreed. "Trust me, I wouldn't say that we're in a different league than anyone else here. We have our strengths and weaknesses – it just so happens that we managed to run into the Geist and a few fights that worked in our favor beforehand."
"You've got that right," Qrow commented. "Back in my day you'd see teams of Huntsmen all specializing in a single fighting style before they got dismantled a Grimm came along that could fight around it. Even if it isn't as common these days, that still happens, but your teams all have some diversity in them when it comes to how you tackle a fight. That diversity is one of the reasons I think you kids have even gotten this far."
Ruby smiled. "Thanks, Uncle Qrow."
"No problem. Now if you kids don't mind, I think I'll head off to talk to…" Qrow trailed off as he looked ahead.
Ironwood had already half-turned to face them. "My apologies if I'm interrupting something, but could I get the team leaders over here? There's something I'd like to discuss with you all. And that means you too, Qrow."
"Oh good, I was worried that you forgot about me," Qrow joked. "Come on kids, let's not keep the top dog in the kingdom waiting."
"Right," Ruby agreed.
The pair departed to approach the general, and Jaune gave his friends an encouraging nod before he followed after them. Opal looked back to her team to find them all at ease, and before long she found herself trailing after her fellow leaders as Iridescence made idle conversation with the rest of the gang. By the time she approached the semicircle that had formed near the general, Ironwood fully turned to face them. While his expression was neutral, she couldn't help but notice the tension that muddled his usually perfect posture. The looks on her allies' faces made it clear that she wasn't the only one who noticed the invisible weight on his shoulders. Given how their mission's success couldn't be the cause of the strain, Opal had a solid idea as to where the additional stress was coming from.
"Sir?" Opal began. "New problems in Mantle, I'm guessing?"
"It's that obvious, huh?" Ironwood chuckled mirthlessly. "But unfortunately, you're right. It would appear that the situation in Mantle only continues to get worse."
"Can't wait to see where this is headed," Qrow deadpanned.
"Well, I hope none of you have weak stomachs," Ironwood stated, retrieving his scroll from his pocket. With the press of a button, it generated a holographic screen in the air before him which displayed a dead body laid face down on the ground. "Not exactly something for the faint of heart to look at, I know, but this is a situation that I feel all of you should be made aware of. Someone down in Mantle is taking out public leaders who speak out against Atlas, and more specifically, me. It didn't look like a pattern at first, but this is the third murder of its kind in the last week."
"They died?" Ruby whispered.
"Your opposition in Mantle dropping dead isn't exactly a good look for you, huh?" Qrow said.
Ironwood deactivated the display. "To be honest, I'm not really worried about my public image all that much. What I'm worried about is the unrest that these murders have caused. I think these killings are the actions of someone who's trying to frame me and, by extension, Atlas. I've sent some of the military's top men down to Mantle to begin an investigation, but I'm afraid that the damage has already been done. The divide between Atlas and Mantle has never been stronger."
"Well, if it wasn't for the embargo making everybody's lives so difficult down in Mantle, people probably wouldn't be so quick to blame you for everything else that goes wrong." Jaune's eyes widened as he realized his slight, and he stood up straight. "Uh, s-sir."
Ironwood sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "No. No, you're right. Things in Mantle have been hard to manage lately. I'm not blind to its issues. In fact, that's part of what I wanted to talk to you about." He gave his allies a nod and turned to stare up at the colosseum again. "I know that we've only just started the Amity Tower project in earnest, but between the efforts that need to be put in here and the tension down in Mantle, I think there's a lot of good your teams can do here. Even so early on in our alliance, I've come to see that you all have what it takes to-"
His eyes shifted to the side as his communicator alerted him to an incoming message, and his posture stiffened back to its normal rigidity before his hand finally rose to his ear and accepted the call. While Opal couldn't make out what exactly was being said on the other end, it didn't take all that much effort for her to hear the tired sigh that blew from Ironwood's lips.
"No soldier, it's fine. I was hoping he'd give me at least five minutes of peace before he barged right in, but you can let him land," Ironwood finally responded. "I'm more than prepared to deal with him myself."
'This can't be good…'
"More Mantle problems?" Qrow guessed.
"No." Ironwood's gaze drifted skyward. "This one's an Atlas problem. Opal, you're with me."
Opal blinked in surprise. "Oh! Yes, sir."
Ironwood started toward an airship landing zone a few meters away, and Opal wasted no time before quelling her curiosity about the general's order before she hastily caught up to appear at his side. She matched his methodical stride and spoke not a word, but the atmosphere around the general told her that she must have been requested as his sole accompaniment for a reason. As fate would have it, right as they stopped in front of the recently cleared octagonal landing zone, Ironwood saw fit to speak again.
"Trust me, Opal, I didn't single you out for no good reason," he started, though his gaze never stopped scanning the sky near the colosseum. "As the leader of my right-hand team, I figured it'd be a good exercise for you to get used to these kinds of encounters."
"These kinds of encounters…?" Opal inquired, leaning forward a little to get a better look at him.
Ironwood spared a glance at her. "Public relations and politics have never been something that I particularly relish in, but in situations like these, it always helps to have a trusted individual at my side. It builds their reputation as someone of importance and, if they're armed – as you are – implies that they're also someone whose combat abilities I trust."
Opal's ears pricked up as she realized the compliment, and a ghost of a smile tugged up at one corner of her lips. "You mean to help me build a foundation as a major figure in the kingdom, while at the same time using my presence as a nonverbal warning to whoever's coming here that they shouldn't do anything rash."
"Precisely," Ironwood intoned. "Though I will advise you to be mindful of yourself as well. Our guest doesn't have a reputation for kindness with his own kind, let alone those he can't relate to on a fundamental level. If you catch my drift."
Out of the corner of her eye, Opal caught wind of an aircraft coming into view and wordlessly turned to regard it. From behind Amity Colosseum appeared an aircraft that flew forth almost silently via the power of advanced dust technology and a series of four nacelles arranged in an x-shaped configuration. It was colored a pristine white unlike anything the Atlas military would ever produce, and a familiar snowflake emblem was quickly revealed on the doors of the airship's hatch as it eventually landed.
As the craft's landing ramp slowly descended toward the ground, it didn't take Opal long to assume that Jacque Schnee himself was about to emerge and bring his wrath down upon them.
She sighed. "Don't worry, sir. I'll be fine. Even if I detest people like him on principle."
"You and I both," Ironwood quietly agreed.
The hatch doors weren't even all the way open before the president of the SDC started stalking down the ramp, his light blue eyes blazing with cold ire. "Now let me get this straight, James. In addition to this nonsensical embargo of yours crippling my business, you've also decided you have the authority to commandeer private property?" He stalked straight up to the general and pointed an accusatory finger at his chest. "When the council hears about this, you will never-"
"Actually, I've already informed them," Ironwood calmly countered. "As this is now the site of a classified military operation, it didn't even require a vote."
"Didn't require a vote!?" Jacque exclaimed.
"You might want to brush up on council law before you lose this upcoming election, Jacque," Ironwood advised, an undertone of veiled amusement in his voice. "Now. I've allowed you to land here once as a courtesy. The next time, it won't be a friendly reception, and if you feel the need to berate me again? Well, I believe you have my office number."
Jacque's nostrils flared. "Lately, you seem to forget who your friends really are. I'm going to get that council seat, James, and maybe then you'll…" His gaze drifted past Ironwood entirely, and as his eyes widened, Opal briefly followed his line of sight.
Only a short distance behind them was none other than Weiss, with the rest of her team right behind her to lend their support if need be. Opal remained silent and looked back to Jacque to find his expression transitioning through all manner of thinly veiled emotions.
"Weiss…" Jacque breathed.
At the same time the businessman decided to walk straight past the most powerful man in the kingdom, Ironwood stared dead ahead and merely made the use of a single word to convey his desires perfectly.
"Opal."
She wordlessly stepped in Jacque's way, her mere presence and the look in her eyes enough to stop him dead in his tracks. It appeared as though he was hesitant to look away from his estranged daughter for even a moment, but Jacque quickly glared down at Opal with cold fury in his eyes when her feline ears flicked in the wind. He was about to open his mouth again when Ironwood beat him to the punch.
"I know you're used to doing whatever you want, Jacque, but when I said that this was the site of a classified military operation, I meant it," Ironwood said plainly. "If you have anything to say, then you can say it to my face."
Jacque's furious glare swapped from Opal to Ironwood on a dime. "Oh, I plenty to say to you, James, but right now I have questions that I want answered immediately! You've roped my missing daughter into these schemes. I want to know how? How'd you convince her? How long has she been back in Atlas? Did Winter know about this? What has she-"
"It was my decision to come here," Weiss intruded. "Just like it was my decision to leave. Or have you already forgotten about all that?"
"If you think that I'm one to forget anything, girl, then you've well and truly misjudged the man your father is," Jacque admonished.
Weiss crossed her arms. "Believe me, I know exactly the kind of man you are."
"How dare you speak to me that way?" Jacque scoffed. "I have half a mind to-"
"Half a mind to what, Jacque?" Ironwood interrupted. "You're standing on military property now. Choose your next words carefully."
Jacque opted for silence instead of an immediate response. His eyes narrowed at the general while he adjusted his cuff links, sighing angrily and yet clearly letting the matter go for the time being the hopes of avoiding any further humiliation. Whether or not his efforts would be met success remained to be seen, but the rate at which he regained his renowned arrogant attitude was nothing short of astounding.
"I knew that one day, you'd overextend your reach," Jacque said. "I didn't come all this way to beg for an abandoned mine. I came here to thank you… for personally handing me the noose by which to hang you. You'll regret this."
"More than you'll regret the loss of your mine?" Opal argued. "For someone who doesn't care about the loss of one facility, you came out of that airship of yours awfully angry."
His gaze turned to her. "Until such a time comes in your life that something you know belongs to you is taken away, don't try and pass judgment on my actions. Not like a faunus such as yourself could ever comprehend the inner workings of Atlesian industry, anyway."
"Oh, I know exactly what it feels to have something important taken away from me," Opal coldly countered.
Jacque huffed and rolled his eyes. "And who might this one be, James? I would assume that it's your personalized rendition of an attack dog, but I'm afraid that making such a metaphor in regard to your latest pet project would be an insult to the actual canines in the world."
Opal grit her teeth. 'You bastard…'
"First of all, I'll have to ask you to refrain from insulting my subordinates," Ironwood began warningly. "This right here is none other than Opal Malachite, my future right hand. Once she and her team are officially recognized and announced as partnered with me, Opal will begin to accumulate a level of authority second only to the likes of Winter. I'll let you draw your own conclusions about what your petty attempts at dehumanization have earned you today."
"If that's your attempt at unspoken intimidation, James, I highly recommend you improve your form before we meet again," Jacque advised, and his gaze fell upon Opal's ears for a moment before it fell to her face. "No matter how much authority she's given or how popular she is among the mindless masses down in Mantle, she'll always be a second-rate player on the world stage. Only people like you and I have what it takes to have an impact."
Ironwood's next words came out unnervingly calm. "You're free to think that, Jacque, but don't complain when your whole world comes crashing down around you."
"Is this the part where you finally make your biggest political mistake yet and publicly threaten me and my business, James?" Jacque questioned.
"Not at all," Ironwood said. "But I will advise you to make sure the pillars of that castle you've built for yourself are made of stone instead of sand. After all, you never know when someone on either side of this game we play will make the move that tests their strength."
"As if I'll ever be outmaneuvered by anyone." Jacque's attention drifted beyond Opal and scanned across the assembled teams that had silently sidled up near his daughter. "These are the little friends you threw everything away for, hm? Brutes, children, and faunus. Hardly a wise selection you've made."
"You're wrong," Weiss said, her hands intertwining with Ruby and Blake's as they finally stepped up next to her. "They're not friends. They're family. And you aren't the one that has the right to pass judgment on their worth."
With only a harrumph of disapproval as his response, Jacque spared glared at Ironwood but barely before he turned around and ascended the ramp back into his airship. Fittingly, given how quickly he appeared, the hatch doors of the airship had only just shut by the time the craft was already in the air. Only a short few seconds later it was obscured by Amity Colosseum once again, and Opal's ears swiveled around as she heard Weiss sigh in relief behind her.
"You know, Opal, you surprised me back there," Ironwood mentioned.
Opal winced. "In a good way or a bad way?"
"Only good. Trust me, if you did something wrong, you'd have heard me mention it once Jacque was out of earshot," Ironwood reassured. "And when I say you surprised me; I'm referring to how you kept him from walking past me. You didn't even need any instruction to know that silently getting in his way would be the least obstructive way to get the job done."
"Oh. Well, the Malachite Clan has a lot of guards," Opal explained. "I'd guess that maybe I absorbed the basics of how to act around people like Jacque through osmosis."
"It isn't impossible," Ironwood agreed. "Still, that innate control over yourself is a good thing to have in this line of work. Even more so when you're going to be a somewhat public figure soon."
"Which makes my father's behavior all the more egregious…" Weiss mentioned, drawing the pair's attention back to her. "He believes that he'll always get his way all because he sits on a mountain of wealth, and even though he's been right most of my life, that doesn't give him the right to step all over those he doesn't know. I'm sorry, Opal."
She shook her head. "You don't have to be. After being arrested on our first day in the kingdom, I don't think that some childish insults from your father can phase me all that much. My main concern is the treatment of the faunus, and even if he said otherwise… I still believe that Team Iridescence will make a difference for my kind. Whether he likes it or not."
Ironwood nodded calmly. "Agreed."
Off to the side, another armored vehicle identical to the others that formed a perimeter around the area arrived. As it came to a halt a short distance away from the group, the passenger door swung open to reveal Winter, who swiftly scanned the area before she finally emerged.
"Hello, Winter," Weiss greeted. "You just missed father."
"Oh, I didn't miss anything," Winter reassured. "I thought that he'd come running over here once he heard one of his precious mines were taken away from him. Fortunately for me, my transport conveniently needed a maintenance check before I could follow after the general."
Ironwood smiled. "Well, I'm glad that you're here now. Ceremony isn't my strong suit."
"Ah. You haven't started yet, then."
Opal's brow furrowed. "Started what?"
Neither Ironwood nor Winter saw fit to explain what exactly they were referring to before they ordered everyone to board a transport to Amity Colosseum. Speculation among her friends varied; Team Iridescence being unveiled to Atlas ahead of schedule, an unexpected round of training, and awards being handed out for their valor were all options that were thrown out into the group's conversation. Weiss tried to refute each idea with what little knowledge she'd learned of Atlesian military operations through her sister but conceded that she too didn't have any idea what the general could've wanted to do with them in the colosseum.
Nevertheless, the anticipation of whatever Ironwood would have in store for them whenever at their destination was palpable. The twins had confident grins on their faces, Ruby jumped from topic to topic as to pass the time before they arrived, and even Ren couldn't but become infected by the excited smile that slowly spread across Nora's lips as their approach continued. Opal was tempted to let herself bask in the energy her friends exuded too, but the sigh of Pyrrha's lips pressed nervously together broke her from that spell before it could be cast. Amity Colosseum's importance on the world stage had only been heightened in the disastrous aftermath of the most recent Vytal Festival, and it didn't take Opal long to figure why Pyrrha didn't appear all that fond of another encounter with the place.
Before she could cross the cabin and attempt to set her friend at ease, the airship landed, and any chance Opal may have had to speak with Pyrrha in private thanks to the din of conversation around them was snuffed out. Opal wasn't about to give up, though. She knew she'd figure out a way to help out her friend without causing too much of a stir somehow.
All three teams had assembled at the center of the inactive arena by the time she found an opportunity to do so. The entire colosseum was illuminated dimly by industrial lights on account of the sun having fully set outside, but whatever ceremony Ironwood had them come here for hadn't started yet. As Qrow, Ironwood, and Winter carried on some quiet conversation, most of their teenage counterparts continued to speculate about why they were summoned here in similarly soft tones. The hushed din of voices along with Pyrrha's presence on the leftmost side of her team conveniently placed her in the perfect position for Opal to try and somehow alleviate her stress in secret.
"Pyrrha," she whispered.
"Hm? What is it?"
Opal gave a concerned look. "I know you've probably been trying to hide it from everyone, but it's pretty clear to me that you aren't comfortable here. Do you want to talk about it?"
"Oh. I…" Pyrrha paused. "I wouldn't want to burden you with my personal issues. Not when you have so much weight on your shoulders already."
"Pyrrha," Opal repeated gently. "Even if my team's going to be preoccupied with Ironwood soon, that doesn't mean I won't ever have time for my friends. When someone close to me is making the same mistake that I did after Beacon by keeping their emotions all bottled up, I'll always try and help."
She sighed softly. "You make a fair point."
"You'll tell me what's bothering you, then?" Opal asked.
Pyrrha nodded. "As you might imagine, this arena holds a great deal of significance to me. Its where the fall of Beacon all started, and now we're here again. Even if we're all still alive and well, it doesn't change the fact that where we're standing now is the same place my actions led to Vale almost being destroyed."
"But all of us know that Emerald manipulated you," Opal argued. "None of us blame you for the fall of Beacon, just like we don't blame Yang for what she was tricked into doing either."
"Opal." Pyrrha's expression became vacant as she stared at the floor. "You right that no one blames me. I know that, but I also know that it isn't much of a stretch to assume that we've been brought here to be commended in some way by Ironwood. Even if we deserve whatever is given to us next, I can't forget that this is the place that I cut Penny's life short."
"You aren't a monster because you made one mistake though." Opal stealthily intertwined her hand with her friends to give it a squeeze. "People back in Mistral may have always called you the 'Invincible Girl' but that doesn't mean you have to be infallible. You're as human as the rest of us. We can both agree that what happened to Penny was tragic, but you still have the same heart of gold you showed us all you had when you ran off to face Cinder by yourself."
"Even though my actions led to so much pain…" Pyrrha looked into Opal's eyes. "You'd still say that about me?"
"Everyone here would," Opal said. "I don't know if you'd want to or not, but when all this is over and we're back in our rooms, maybe you should talk to Jaune. Lean on him. Have him tell you just how concerned we all were about you when we heard you chose to fight Cinder alone."
Pyrrha smiled wistfully. "I think I'll do that."
"Good," Opal approved. "And if you ever want to talk with me instead of your team for whatever reason, you have my number. You're not part of my team, but you're my friend. That's one of the many reasons why I was so determined to save you."
"Then I'll continue to try and honor the efforts you put in to do so," Pyrrha said. "Thank you again for what you did that day."
"Not a problem," Opal said.
Her hand slipped out from its subtle entanglement with Pyrrha's, and Opal smiled warmly as she noticed her friend's posture straighten considerably. Only then did Jaune appear to remember that his girlfriend was at his side, but he said nothing as she proudly put a charming smile of her own on display. Meanwhile, Qrow wandered off to the side of the assembled three teams as the adults' conversation ended, which left Ironwood and Winter to stand tall and proud before the teens to catch their attention. Any whispered conversations that remained quickly cut themselves short after that.
It was time for the general's big reveal, whatever it may be.
"To begin, I believe that it goes without saying that this arena holds special significance to all of us. Whether that significance might act as a reminder of a more peaceful and simple time in all of our lives or the start of the conflict we find ourselves embroiled in… each of us have to decide that for ourselves," Ironwood began. "Either way, one could say that it's only fitting that we should be able to reconvene here today, when the world needs to be brought together more than ever. The road you've all traveled so far hasn't been easy."
Ironwood paused but briefly to glance to his side. Winter tapped a few keys on the large scroll that rested in the crook of her arm, and with a nod, the general continued without delay.
"You fought for your school and your friends at Beacon," Ironwood applauded. "You fought for the world and the innocent at Haven Academy and beyond. You faced down terrors the likes of which most people can't even fathom. That kind of behavior and valor isn't something anyone in their right mind would expect a mere student to possess. In fact… those kinds of traits are the things people hope to see in Huntsmen and Huntresses."
Winter pressed another key on her tablet, and a scroll at the front of the line of teens buzzed with activity. Lux retrieved the scroll from his pocket, and his brow furrowed for but a moment before his eagle eyes widened in shock. Tenebris' scroll reacted similarly, though his reaction was much more subdued. Before Opal could question what was going on, both Aurora and her own scroll buzzed as well. Aurora retrieved hers first and her mouth fell somewhat agape at what she saw, and Opal lifted her scroll to learn what had her teammates so surprised.
The first thing that came up on her screen was her Beacon Academy student information and its associated number. The screen flickered and shifted in the blink of an eye, and the entire layout of the digital ID changed. Vale's emblem in the background was replaced by Atlas' own and the barcode changed from one pattern to another. Several official network applications once locked behind the restrictions that came with being a student were lifted, and a previously unimaginable number of valuable features became revealed to her.
"Wait…" Ren began, getting a good look at his scroll. "What is this?"
Winter pressed a final button. "You are being granted your Huntsman licenses, today."
"I know this is coming a little ahead of schedule, but gods know that you deserve it," Ironwood stated. "I only regret that I couldn't do something a little more ceremonious for the occasion."
Then it started to sink in.
"It's finally happened…" Opal whispered aloud.
"I've wanted to be a Huntress for as long as I can remember, and suddenly my happily ever after has been handed to me on a silver platter…" Aurora glanced to her friends. "We… we're honored, General Ironwood, but you don't have to do this."
"Please. With the threat of Salem still out there and tensions rising in our kingdom, I certainly could use more trustworthy fighters by my side." Ironwood moved forward and slowly started walking across the line of teens. "I should be so lucky to have all of you as my allies. Besides, I think we can all agree that the freedom that comes with being a licensed Huntsman will make all of our lives a little easier."
Unbeknownst to the general, Ruby and Opal shared a glance at the mention of 'trust' as he passed by. Both team leaders returned their attention to their scrolls before Ironwood stopped at the end of the line of his newly licensed allies. An odd silence permeated the space between him and the teens as he turned around, though the look on his face told Opal that he didn't suspect anything was amiss.
"It's okay. It's a big moment," Ironwood said, returning to his original position. "And what better way than to celebrate here? When this tower is launched and communications are finally back up and running between the four kingdoms, we'll tell the world about Salem and face down whatever comes at us after that, together."
Opal considered herself lucky that everyone's continued silence was interpreted by Ironwood as a simple loss for words at their licenses being so suddenly bestowed upon them. Even if they were keeping the general in the dark for an undetermined amount of time longer, she remained hopeful that Ruby would make the right call when the time came. They couldn't postpone the reveal forever.
"And that's… just about all the pomp I have in me." Ironwood adjusted his tie and awkwardly tapped his boot against the ground. "If you'll excuse me, I have to get back to running this operation. Um… well, then. Enjoy the cake."
Without uttering another sentence that made it clear just how inexperienced Ironwood was at basic social interaction, both he and his trusted right-hand turned to leave. A few moments after they started to walk away, Opal could've sworn she heard Ironwood heave a sigh of relief as Winter provided him some sort of consolation as to how he handled his departure.
Yet the oddly lethargic atmosphere remained.
"My dream. Fulfilled," Aurora murmured. "I know the proof's right in front of me, but it still just feels so surreal. It almost feels too good to be true."
"I know what you mean," Blake mentioned. "When Beacon fell, I didn't think this would even be possible anymore."
"If only Mom and Dad could see us now…" Lux said fondly.
Tenebris hooked his arm over his brother's shoulders and grinned. "I know Dad would probably want to throw some crazy party to celebrate, that's for sure. Mom would probably smack us over the head if she found out what we've done to get this far, though."
Lux chuckled. "I like to think Mom would congratulate us before she berated us."
"Let's call the odds fifty-fifty."
"You're on."
Qrow let a breath punch from his nostrils in amusement. "Geez, guys, lighten up a little. Enjoy yourselves for a change. You've earned it."
"Finally! Someone said it," Nora exclaimed. "Now let's kill some cake, huh?"
"It would be a good distraction…" Pyrrha mentioned.
"Then let's get right to it," Yang said. "No point in moping around, just like Qrow said."
It didn't take the group long to make it from the center of the arena back toward where their celebratory cake would be located near some of the bottom rows of seating. Even if the cake's visual appeal was somewhat marred by its presence atop a simple steel table in the middle of an utterly empty colosseum, that didn't stop anyone from enjoying the moment. Tenebris wordlessly took it upon himself to begin divvying up the cake and handing everyone their slices before Nora could tear into the entire thing herself, and it appeared as though the somber spell that had been cast over everyone was finally fading away. RWBY and JNPR were mingling among themselves closer to the table while Ruby and Qrow carried on a conversation Opal didn't want to eavesdrop on, and both she and the remainder of Iridescence were situated in the stands, having decided to wait before they went down to dig into their portions.
Not that any of the three seated members of Iridescence were all that interested in the idea of going down to grab a slice just yet. Aurora was still staring at her scroll and Lux's attention alternated between gazing at the empty colosseum and stealing a few glances at Opal every now and again. Opal would've taken this quiet moment to retrieve her journal and log another entry, but there'd be time to do so when they got back to their room, where she left the leather-bound pile of paper behind. For now, all she wanted to do was embrace the quiet moment they'd finally been blessed with after so much time being so busy.
Their lives would go back to their formerly busy pace before long, but for now, peace would reign supreme.
"Is it bad that I almost don't want to put away my scroll?" Aurora asked. "The logical part of me is sure that this license won't disappear if I do, but another part makes me worry that the second I shut my scroll off is the moment I'll wake up from some dream."
"Well, I wouldn't call that little worry bad," Lux mentioned with a shrug. "It just shows how much you care about being a Huntsman. Besides, getting our licenses today has probably been one of the most sudden things we've been through as a team."
With a sigh, Aurora deactivated her scroll. "Point taken. But how're you two handling things? I know you've both wanted to get licensed for a long time, too."
"I'm feeling great!" Lux smiled. "Tenebris and I always wanted to be just like Mom and Dad, and suddenly we're officially on their level. Even if part of why we wanted to get our licenses was to earn a little more lien and make all our lives a little easier, I can speak for both of us when I say that we're pretty stoked about this whole thing."
"I'll be the first to admit that what just happened was pretty exciting, too," Opal agreed. "Ever since the attack that made me lose my eye, I've always wanted to learn how to protect myself and others. Training with Sandy to bring me up to speed with people that were already prepared to get into places like Haven or Beacon was just one of the big steps I wanted to take to do just that. Now that I have my license, though… it's almost like proof that despite my failures, I'm officially the kind of fighter I've wanted to become for years."
"Well, that's good to hear," Lux mentioned. "Though I think that you've always been the person you wanted to be ever since we ironed out our team's kinks way back when."
"If that's one of your attempts at flattery…" Opal paused, and she fondly leaned into his side. "It worked. Thanks, Lux."
Lux placed a kiss between her cat ears as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "You know, 'flattery' implies that the compliment wasn't true. I meant every word of that. We wouldn't have gotten this far without you, Opal."
Aurora stifled a giggle. "You two are adorable when you're like this."
"Don't make this weird," Lux said, feigning weariness.
"Oh, so I can take pictures?"
"Only if you aren't too fond of that brand-new scroll you have there," Lux joked.
"Honestly, I don't mind pictures being taken of us," Opal mentioned, not bothering to move from her partner's embrace. "Just be sure to give me a warning and not show everyone else. Tenebris teases us enough without Yang realizing she could jump in on the fun."
"Good point," Aurora conceded. "But I will get a picture of you two being all mushy like you are now someday."
Opal gave her a sly grin. "You've always been a sucker for romance."
"Both of us are."
"True…" Opal trailed off, and she glanced into Lux's eyes before she shimmied a little closer beside him. "Honestly though, I think it's safe to say that all of us have played really important roles to get our team where we are now. You've always been around and willing to support all of us, and you were the only friend I had by the time we both decided to leave Mistral."
Aurora smiled. "And you were the only friend that I had back then, too, but thanks."
"Lux," Opal continued. "Even if we got off to, well… a 'rough start' when our team first formed, your eyes the knowledge you have of the Grimm has helped us deal with some of our fights more times than I can count – especially when we were walking across Anima."
"Well, I was kind of an ass back when the school year started," Lux mentioned, squeezing her slightly in a one-armed hug. "But yeah, I've always thought it was the least I could do to put my knowledge to good use whenever we were out in the field. Especially while you were in that funk after Beacon."
"Definitely," Opal agreed. "Looking back, Jaune catching me training myself half to death was probably the best thing that could've happened to me. Otherwise, who knows what would've happened when Arach Nid attacked…"
Tenebris appeared beside their row, their team's slices of the cake held neatly on plates balanced perfectly on his arms. "Welp, I have this really weird feeling that I probably wouldn't have been the only one who ended up with a broken aura and some bad wounds."
"Definitely." Opal sat up straight again when Lux let his arm fall from her shoulder. "Sorry about that again, by the way. You shouldn't have had to nearly get yourself killed because of how I still wasn't back at my best yet."
"Eh, it's what friends do for each other," Tenebris excused as he began handing out everyone their portions. "Besides, if anyone had a fair shot of surviving a hit like that, aura or not, it was me. Better that I get a cool scar and feel like garbage for a while than anyone else tanking that hit and almost getting themselves killed."
Opal merely stared at her slice while he sat down in the empty seat beside her. "If only everyone could have your indomitable spirit, Tenebris…"
"Oh, that'd be a nightmare," Tenebris immediately asserted. "I know that it almost always seems like I lack any self-awareness, but I know for a fact that the world would fall apart in ten seconds flat if you had people like me everywhere. Even back in Vacuo, people got sick of me and my attitude sometimes."
"People got sick of both of us," Lux corrected, taking a bite of his cake. "It just so happens that more people were pissed off at you because of how many bets you made them lose back when you started brawling."
"Oh yeah, you're right…" Tenebris chuckled, calmly sectioning off part of his chocolate-flavored slice. "Then they started to realize that they'd be messing with both of us, and they'd almost always lay off before things got ugly."
Lux swallowed. "Except for Jupiter's goons. They never learned."
"How do you mean?" Aurora asked.
"What he means is that Jupiter and his cronies were so pissed that we 'liberated' them of some of their already-stolen supplies that they literally chased us out of Vacuo," Tenebris declared proudly. "Same day that we were ready to fly off to Beacon, probably around half of his gang came chasing after us. Mom and Dad met us at the airship that'd take us away, curb-stomped Jupiter before he could shoot us down… best farewell party we've ever had."
Aurora made a pained noise. "Opal, I sincerely dread the day that we might need to fly over and defend the relic there…"
"I wouldn't worry about it too much," Opal said, fighting back an amused grin. "Think of it this way – we've spent almost every hour of every day with the twins, so maybe we've built up some kind of immunity to whatever awaits us there."
"Ha! Funny joke," Tenebris said. "You guys might be able to handle us, but I'm pretty sure you'll figure out pretty damn fast that we're a more 'moderate' example of what Vacuans are really like."
Lux shrugged. "But don't let that worry you. We'll be there every step of the way to help handle whatever we'll have to deal with back home, if we have to go there."
"That's a relief…" Aurora sighed. She set her plate aside on the armrest of her seat and retrieved her scroll again, activating it to the same screen that displayed both her license and the several newly unlocked apps therein. "Though I do wonder what all these apps are. I'm sure Professor Port or someone else would've told us what they can do closer to graduation, but…"
"It all came ahead of time, right." Lux activated his scroll, and quickly caught up to the same collection of apps on-screen that she'd been staring at. "At least most of them look pretty self-explanatory. Mission performance trackers, records of Grimm sightings and areas where their population is particularly dense, aura monitors, an exclusive Atlesian Huntsman network… they really thought of everything."
"Definitely," Aurora agreed. "There's a reason that this kingdom's always been praised for how efficiently it gets things done. It looks like they've even figured out how to condense the mission board program into an app now!"
Lux pressed a digital button, and a scaled-down version of an official mission board flared to life from his scroll. "That it is. Wonder how they figured out how to send live updates about the available missions without ruining the scrolls' battery life."
Jaune letting out a girlish squeal as he fumbled around with his scroll instantly drew the team's attention a few rows down. "No no no, reverse, reverse!"
"Everything alright down there, man?" Tenebris asked.
"Yeah- no! I mean, kind of?" Jaune faltered. "Pietro called and decided he'd give me a tour through the new mission board app, but it just so happened that his tour just so happened to include setting me up with a mission I didn't want."
"To be fair, I wasn't the one who pressed the 'accept' button," Pietro distantly mentioned through the speakers. "I only opened up the window to show you that you could accept the mission. I'm a man of many talents, but someone who can control other people's bodies through my voice alone isn't one of them."
Jaune glared at his scroll. "This isn't over!"
"Heh! Well, it sounds like my work here is done," Pietro quickly asserted. "Good luck with your first mission, Jaune!"
"Did…" Jaune blinked twice as the call ended. "Did I just…"
"Get completely outsmarted by Atlas' top scientist?" Ren finished; smug amusement barely hidden behind his normal stoic mask. "Yes. Yes, you did."
Tenebris' brow furrowed. "What's the mission, though? If it was a mission posted on an official Huntsman mission board, it can't be something too trivial."
"You'd be surprised…" Jaune argued. "If you really want to know what job I ended up with… it looks like I'll be escorting pre-primary school kids to class down in Mantle pretty soon."
"Yikes," Tenebris cringed.
"We'll both will be escorting pre-primary school children to class soon," Pyrrha corrected as she deactivated her scroll. "I've decided to help Jaune with the mission. Better to have two licensed Huntsmen escorting some worried parents' young ones to school than just one, after all."
"Double yikes," Tenebris stressed. "You guys have fun with that."
"You know what? We will!" Jaune exclaimed, placing a hand on his partner's shoulder. "We're going to make sure those kids get to school so fast that their parents won't have enough time to attract even one Grimm into the city!"
Iridescence's brawler smirked as he looked at their accepted mission. "It says here that you have to take a whole class of them a good mile before they get to school… which means you're responsible for making sure thirty insane toddlers all walk in a straight line."
Jaune's face fell. "Pyrrha, remind me to never answer a call from Pietro again."
After a long journey through the tundra and the accompanying snowstorm, they'd finally infiltrated Mantle undetected. Emerald clamped down on her perpetually annoyed nature to make the trip somewhat more tolerable, Mercury only occasionally opted to exchange verbal barbs with Liumang to pass the time, and Hazel interfered in the proceedings a mere handful of times to make sure they were still on track the secret entrance their faunus ally spoke of. The few days it took them to trudge across the empty tundra undetected therefore fluttered by like the bitter winds that plagued the continent of Solitas.
Honestly, Liumang was almost more excited about the prospect of no longer having to fight off frostbite in his tail through his aura than he was about their journey ending when they reached the sewer entrance he spoke of. Emerald made some minor complaints about the stench of frozen refuse that lingered in the long-since abandoned sewer tunnel, but between the four of them, they were able to tear off the frozen grate that blocked their passage without much effort. One quick trip through about a mile or two of sewer tunnels and an even faster ascent to the surface and they'd emerged into the artificially heated slums of Mantle.
And the best part?
They'd done it all right under their enemies' noses. It might not have been much of a change in how Liumang operated – most of his cartel's longevity was predicated on its members' ability to disappear in a hurry – but he wouldn't be so arrogant as to say that his newfound allies' level of restraint was anything but admirable. He didn't harbor any plans to stick with them forever, but they were certainly people he wouldn't mind traveling with, for now.
Not long after they exited the sewers, Emerald received a simple message from Watts that contained little more than an address and instructions to meet him there soon. Despite the clear annoyance that etched itself onto the girl's face at the delay to her quest for vengeance, the decision was made to heed the man's call. The quartet spent the rest of their afternoon before the meeting merely getting to the attached coordinates Watts sent them.
Which brought them to the dimly lit, circular dead-end of an alleyway at which their additional pair of allies awaited them.
Watts looked somewhat like every other wealthy inventor-slash-aristocrat Liumang had ever seen or heard of on Solitas. He wore a large, symmetrical purple and pink coat with fur lining along its hood and accessorized with a series of four rings on each hand. Matched well by his bronze skin, gaudy mustache, slick black hair, and the arrogant air he had about him, and it was clear to Liumang that the man was right at home among the 'interesting' personalities among their master's secretive circle.
Contrast his calm and cool collectedness against the only other faunus in the alleyway – a pale man with gold eyes and a brown ponytail braided like a scorpion's tail that Liumang could only assume would be Tyrian. The long-since established maniac merely dressed in a white sleeveless jacket with leather belts strapped to it alongside some white pants. His jacket was left open to expose the vast array of scars across his chest, and his arms were covered with purple bandages and vambraces made from a similar leather to his boots. Crouched close to the ground, Tyrian's armored scorpion's tail and its prosthetic stinger scratched circles along the asphalt while the man smirked with simple pleasure at the sound.
Liumang liked to make people fight to earn his respect, this was nothing new, but the vastly different ways the two men carried themselves was, admittedly, somewhat impressive.
That, and their casual disregard for the bloody body that laid dead between them.
"I see you two have been busy," Emerald commented.
Watts crossed his arms. "As have you. The last time all of us were in the same room, I recall that you were one lackey lighter than you are now. I can't quite fathom how you managed to turn one of Mistral's most wanted criminals into an underling, but I sincerely hope you informed our dear mistress of his potential recruitment beforehand."
"Oh, so you've heard of me?" Liumang asked.
"Any member of an underground organization worth their lien will always possess at least some knowledge of all the major players involved in each kingdom's internal affairs," Watts answered confidently. "So yes, I have indeed heard of you, Liumang Bakuhatsu. Charmed."
"You have basic human decency too?" Liumang smirked. "Nice, and for the record… I'm not her goon. We're in a temporary alliance right now. Where the wind will blow me after our little mission's over… well, that's anyone's guess."
Watts nodded. "Which brings us back to my original question. Emerald?"
She rolled her eyes. "Yes, I told Salem about what my plans were before I left."
"And you still seek vengeance for Cinder, I take it?"
"You shouldn't even have to ask that question," Emerald said.
"Unfortunate, but understandable," Watts sighed. "I sincerely hoped that you'd abandon your petty quest and choose to coordinate completely with us. Nevertheless, orders from our mistress herself dictate that our missions needn't be mutually exclusive, in the end."
"What do you mean?"
Hazel hummed. "He means that Salem's made his mission a priority above yours."
"What!?" Emerald exclaimed. "But Salem promised me that she'd let me get revenge! That's the only reason she could make sure I'd stay loyal to her! You're telling me that even though we've been on the chase for weeks now, that all our hard work has been for nothing."
Watts titled his head from side to side. "Not quite. While Salem has decided that my word carries more weight than all others' while we're on this frozen continent, that doesn't mean that I have the right to breach your agreement with her. All I ask is that you wait for the proper opportunity to achieve your ultimate goal and keep your group's heads down in the meantime."
"All that time spent tracking them down… and we're told to sit around and do nothing for who knows how long…" Emerald glared at the impromptu leader of their faction's venture in the kingdom. "Fine. It's not like I could afford to piss off Salem anyway."
Tyrian chuckled. "Oh, dear sweet Maiden, lighten up! Your time for revenge will come. So long as you have our goddess' blessing at your back, whatever you desire shall be yours! All you need to do is heed her command, and that blessing shall never fade."
"Is that so?" Liumang questioned. "Last I heard, you were the world's most notorious serial killer. Bound for death row and put on a barge headed straight for this kingdom here… but you're still around. Was your big desire back then just to live, back then?"
"Oh, no! With my execution on the horizon, my only desire was to perish as magnificently as possible! To end my life with a crescendo!" Tyrian stressed theatrically, one arm stretching high toward the broken moon overhead. "At the time of my initial capture, I thought my bloodlust was satisfied, that I'd seen and done all my wicked heart desired… but then she freed me from my bonds. The day that I met our goddess in the flesh, my desire became solely to serve her magnificence, and my bloodlust was given a second wind!"
Mercury huffed. "See? Completely insane."
"Hilariously entertaining, more like," Liumang opined. "The world needs more batshit crazy killers like him in the world. Keeps things fresh. Not sure if I'm buying the whole 'goddess' schtick he's selling, though."
Tyrian's tail wrapped around his waist as he stood upright. "Oh, believe me, whether you find faith in our divine savior or not, you will be humbled by her power. Should the day ever come that you meet her, pray that you'll be prepared."
Liumang shrugged easily. "Not all that worried about talk of some old lady with magic powers, but I'll keep that in mind. Thanks."
Slight surprise flashed on the scorpion faunus' face. "Impressive. I'll admit that I had my doubts about your sense of reason, what with you walking right into a lovely little game so many times larger than anything you've dealt with, but it would seem that you know exactly what to do and say in situations like these. Well done, my faunus friend."
"I couldn't have built the biggest criminal cartel Mistral had ever seen if all I ever did was make enemies." Liumang stepped forward and extended a hand. "Give a little respect, don't piss me off, and we'll make the most of this makeshift alliance of ours, easy. Sound good?"
"Oh…" Tyrian chuckled darkly, and the pair shook their arms in tandem as he stepped forward to grip Liumang's at the elbow. "I like you."
"And so it was that the two faunus of our circle make a fledgling friendship. Quaint." Watts rolled his eyes and checked his watch as he rose to his feet. "As fruitful as the past few minutes have been for our coordination and cohesion, though, I'm afraid that we needn't waste any more time. Mantle's police force may be ineffective in many regards, but they'll most assuredly be on the hunt for our recently departed 'friend' here."
Hazel glanced at the corpse and shook his head. "It won't take them long to find this place, either. Not with the smell that thing's going to give off soon."
Watts stooped over to retrieve a briefcase that matched his coat and slowly started weaving his way between his allies out of the alley. "All the more reason for us to scatter, then. Emerald – I trust that you'll keep your head down for the foreseeable future?"
"Not that I have much of a choice…" Emerald mumbled as he passed her. "But yeah. We won't interfere with whatever your big plan is. Where are you going, anyway?"
"To visit an old friend," Watts explained. "Jacque Schnee might carry himself as the cleverest man in Atlas, what with his expansion of the SDC under his leadership, but he's vulnerable to persuasion all the same. I'll need only to stroke his ego, and he'll be the perfect pawn to help fulfill our goals."
Watts rounded the corner back out into the kingdom's lower city, and he was gone with the wind. Tyrian placed his hands on his hips and gave his back a stretch.
"Then I suppose it's about time I move right along to my next target," he mentioned. "It's been an unexpected pleasure to meet you, Liumang – may the winds of fate assure your safety in these troubling times."
Liumang smirked as the scorpion faunus backflipped atop the building behind him. "If the winds of fate decide to turn against me, I'll just blow them to hell. It wouldn't be the first time that things haven't gone my way."
"An admirable approach to life!" Tyrian applauded, his voice ever the more distant as he turned around and bolted off. "May it serve you well, friend!"
"Now it's back down to just us." Liumang turned around, only to find Emerald already headed down the same path Watts took back out to the streets. "What's the plan now, kid?"
Emerald stopped. "We find shelter."
"Then we get bored half to death waiting for mister mustache to tell us we can do our jobs again… great," Mercury drawled sarcastically.
"No," Emerald corrected. "Then we keep ourselves in the loop about what Tyrian and Watts are up to. I'm not going to have us wait any longer than we have to before we get our mission done."
Liumang nodded approvingly. "Now that's a plan I can get behind."
Authors Note: Badabing, badaboom, this be a chapter chock full of unexpectedly neat character moments I'm glad I discovered. From Ironwood slowly acclimating Opal to the lifestyle of being the leader of his right-hand team and subsequently defending her honor when Jacque is a dick, to Team Iridescence being a family, to Liumang and Tyrian somehow becoming bros, I like to think that this chapter speaks for itself. Even if Emerald and co. can't play around and sneakily fuck with Mommy Salami's plans without pissing her off, you can rest assured that they'll have their time in the spotlight eventually. Next time, some sparks shall fly.
Maybe. Not sure yet. Peace!