Chapter 33
It was the night of the big dance. Beacon holding a special night off for students to relax and unwind. Truthfully, it wasn't so different from a regular school. After all, aside from the training and studying of Grimm, one can say Beacon and the other academies aren't so different from other schools and classes. As such, tonight was just the time to have fun and relax, nothing more than that. The students are drinking, talking, and maybe asking people out on a date and dancing on the floor. Why, even some of the faculty staff were enjoying themselves.
"I see you're hiding at the punch bowl too." Except for two students. One recently beaten but now fine Jaune Arc.
"Yep." And one Ruby Rose who was just socially awkward with people other than close friends and weapons.
How sad for these two. Dressed in fine suits and dresses yet looked like they were having no fun. Jaune then lifted his plastic cup and said, "To the socially awkward." Giggling, Ruby did the same and the two clinked their cups together.
"So." Ruby then asked. "How is your stance in Beacon. I heard your family came."
"Just my parents." Jaune said drinking from his cup. "And boy were they mad." He chuckled. "Still, luckily I was able to impress them after I got out of the hospital."
"What do you mean by that?" Ruby wondered curiously having not heard of this.
"Let's just say after some yelling, fighting, and a crazy battle against my dad and then some Grimm that came from the forest, I impressed him enough that I could stay." The way Jaune made it sound as if he was entering some kind of arc of a comic where he had to prove he was worthy. Shame Ruby wasn't there to see it, sounded cool.
"So then you're staying? Also, how come I didn't know about this!" She then poked a finger on Jaune's chest.
"Yep, I'm staying." Jaune smiled. "As for why you didn't know, things were going too fast."
"Weird." Ruby thought. "Not sure why, but it feels like we've been missing out on a load of important stuff." Ruby pondered.
"Yeah. Like we're not the main characters or something." Jaune jokes with Ruby laughing. "In any case, I heard about the destruction in some part of the city. A Paladin with Roman in it."
"Yeah." Ruby sighed. "That didn't go as planned, even worse, we're not sure what even happened." All Ruby and her team knew was that Atlas dealt with it, much to their teammate Blakes anger. Who said that Atlas couldn't help as they were the ones that brought the Paladin in the first place. 'Not that she doesn't have a point.'
While it was cool seeing those machines, Ruby wondered why Ironwood even brought all those machines here in the first place. Seemed rather excessive to bring dangerous weapons like that here in Vale in the first place. At the least things were now fine as according to the news, an Atlas warrior with a cool suit and mask dealt with the threat. Oh that must have been an awesome battle!
"Speaking of unplanned things, how's Blake?" Jaune then asked her. "I heard she was rather...sleep deprived."
"Right, that." Ruby took a sip of her punch. "Eh, let's just say she had a bit of an obsession, but Yang did something to help her out with that." Yep. There was more to Yang than being just a party animal after all. "Look. She's dancing with Yang right now."
"Oh." Indeed she was. Yang and Blake holding each other as they danced with one another. Jaune couldn't deny that both looked a little 'spicy' as they clung to one another. He then gave a small check to Ruby and gave an amused smile. She wasn't bad herself.
"Something up." Ruby asked out of nowhere with Jaune nearly coughing his drink. For a second he thought Ruby caught him spying. Luckily, that wasn't the case. Still, better answer fast unless he wanted to get caught.
"Um, uh." Jaune looked at Blake and Yang again, then saw a certain faunus nearby. Yes. Yes indeed!" He then pointed to Sun. "I thought Sun was going to dance with Blake."
"That." Ruby nodded. "I thought so too, but looks like he found another partner."
"Who?" His answer came when he heard some people gasping. Jaune turned and there he saw Sun...with a beautiful woman wearing a simple one piece yellow dress, that extended all the way to her ankles. Her shoulders bear aside from some thin straps and her hair let loose. Having a natural beauty with many boys and a few girls staring, with Sun looking the most shocked.
The woman then grabbed Sun and danced with him, or more like for the both of them as Sun appeared to flabbergasted to respond. "Lucky bastard." Jaune then said not even realizing the words that came out of his mouth, let aside the hint of jealousy that was in them. Not that he's the only one considering many males seemed to feel the same.
"Yep." Ruby gave a nod as she stared at the two dancers. "He's a lucky one. In any case, I'm sorry for what happened with Weiss."
"Eh, it's alright." Jaune muttered. "She's better with Neptune. Guy has killer moves."
"What?"
"You know. Not everybody can pull off blue hair."
"No." Ruby then said. "I mean, Weiss came alone."
"Huh?" Jaune then looked and there he saw Weiss all alone. No Neptune in sight. The boy's eyes narrowed as he then held his drink to Ruby. As she grabbed it, Jaune then said, "I'll be back." Then left.
As he moved, the scene then went on to Blake and Yang.
"So, how are you feeling Blake? Better?" The brawler of Team RWBY asked her friend who she danced with.
"Okay." Blake said. "Granted, I'm still curious about Torchwick and those other criminals like Jason and the White Fang situation, but better overall."
"As long as you take it easy, then it's all good." Yang told her with a smile. "I have to admit though, things in Vale are definitely becoming hectic. I mean, all the damage done, and more criminals. Heck, feels like there's more to it than what we know."
"True enough." While doing her research and getting information, Blake learned that Roman had additional help in the form of three masked people. People she was sure that blamed the White Fang for the breakout. Not to mention the human Jason and how his own team has been causing both property damage and mugging people. She was honestly surprised though when she heard a skill faunus was part of them, since faunus were usually part of the White Fang if they were doing illicit activity.
She also heard that Adam...had some new help. She didn't get all the details, but supposedly while at the rally she heard some of the more experienced guards talking about it. If it's true, then she had another thing on her list to worry about.
"Which reminds me," Yang then interrupted. "How come you didn't go with Sun for the dance."
"Him?" Blake then slightly blushed. "Well, I was kinda….rude to him." Shooting him down while she had been obsessed. Honestly, she felt embarrassed and some guilt for doing that. "And I haven't seen him all night."
"I see." Yang then looked around a bit. Her eyes then widened. "I found him." She said though then paused. "Though...I think he's taken." She cringed.
Blake took a look over and there she saw it. Sun was dancing with a beautiful human girl, who was honestly very charming even in her eyes. Blake had to admit, it appears Sun found a much nicer date somehow with this older human. She didn't appear their age, so it did make her question how Sun even got a dance with her. It was then as the human and faunus paired dance, she noted how the human girl then saw her with Blake doing the same.
Then instantly she saw the human girl show smugness as she then brought Sun a little closer. Holding him ever slightly tighter.
"...!" Blake's ears shot up with a hint on anger in her eyes. The human girl-no, woman-just smirking as she leads Sun away. That little-!
"You okay Blake?" Yang asked, noting her partner's silence.
"Huh. Oh, yes. I am." No she wasn't. But Yang wasn't going to poke that hornet nest at all. If anything, maybe this teaches Blake to be quick and not just wait around and sit if a person she likes is taken away. She had to admit that the woman Sun was with is definitely charming. Simple dress, no makeup, yet a babe all around. Heck, how Sun managed it is downright amazing. She wondered what they're relationship was, as no way that Sanzang girl is a student.
'Oh. I wonder if its some student teacher romance.' Yang giggled to herself as she thought of it. In any case, for now she and Blake stopped dancing and decided to get some refreshments. Not noticing Blake giving a hiss at Sanzangs direction and the woman herself sticking out her tongue.
"Well, I suppose this is a fine night." Ozpin says with Glynda having returned with simple drinks.
"More or less." The Headmistress of the school complimented. "Nice to see everyone relaxing after the events going on around here."
"Considerably." Negativity should be kept low, and what better way to do so than a party. Here, nobody can get hurt.
"Don't drink that man. It's dangerous!"
"Who brought these drugs here!?"
"Uhuhu! My girlfriend dumped me!"
"I'm gonna dance naked!"
...Okay, maybe some negativity here and there. But what could he expect, this is a party full of hormonal teenagers. It especially worried him about the drugs and naked part. Nobody needed to see that girl naked at all.
"Ahem. Glynda." He then spoke with the woman nodding going over to deal with this mess. That was an extra pay for her. As she did that, Ozpin then noticed Ironwood coming in, looking slightly injured considering the broken arm. Ozpin walked up to his old friend and checked up on him. "James, I see you have arrived. Are you alright?"
"Fine. Fine." James said in a hissed voice. "I just...encountered some problems during clean-up with the Paladin."
"You must have. Because last I recalled your arm wasn't injured." Or filled with some kind of mana. Yes, Ozpin could see it. While it might have been difficult before considering his weakening magic, now that he was at full power he could sense 'something'. Particularly the strange emptiness of a lack of aura James' right arm had. It made sense since it was mechanical, however the fact that he had a cast on the robotic limb and the 'taint' on it told otherwise.
"Do we need to talk?" He asked worryingly.
"L-later." Ironwood admits. "Right now I'm fine. I do feel twinges here and there, but overall, okay." For who knows how long. He was amazed he actually held up against whatever...this thing is. Thankfully most people didn't know about his robotic limb aside from a few people. Still, even James knew he needed to get whatever thing was attacked to him and quick.
He'd have gone to the medics, yet some instinct of his told him it was a bad idea. Leaving only one person left. 'Sigurd.' The general thought. 'He should know something.' His team found the Paladin blackbox and some good old video recordings, showing surprise surprise, one of the reported people sighted with Roman. One of which had the arm he now had. Not to mention...what Sigurd could do.
'That wasn't Dust.' He glimpsed at Ozpin, and while he knew about magic, Ozpin told him only Salem and he alongside the four Maidens can use it. If so, then what about Sigurd. Because unless he was actually a woman who killed the current Winter Maiden, then he had no idea what that was all about. "Moving on." He decided to continue. "How goes this 'recruitment' for the southeast?"
"Fine." Ozpin says to him. "We'll be sending those girls in with Oobleck very soon."
"I still don't like it that we're sending in kids." Felt risky, dangerous, even worse, it'll be on their conscience if something bad happened to them. He understood training them and certain missions, but this is another matter. It's one thing if its a grown-up, but another if those kids ended up, well, dead.
"I have faith that Team RWBY will surprise us." Ozpin stated. "Those girls have done things we haven't, and I believe they can do it again. They found this information before any of us after all."
"Right." Pretty sure Sigurd could have done the same, but whatever. Ironwood then decided to ask another question. "You said something about her. And how you can help her. Also, you learned about this Chaldea place."
"As for her," Ozpin spoke without revealing anything. "I can aid her, but not truly heal her. Let's just say the method I'll use will bring some functionality to her. Though unless we can get her other half, then it won't work permanently." Well that sucked. "As for the place I told you about, it turns out that woman over there," He showed Ironwood a glimpse of Sanzang. "Has told me a lot."
"What has she said?"
"Only that the four criminals, guards that Torchwick has, and possibly others are from a place called Chaldea. From what she described it, it's a place that's locked up very tight with no 'Servants' as she calls herself, allowed to leave." Aside from missions described as suicidal ones.
"Sounds like some forced labor camp only worse." James mutters with Ozpin nodding to it.
"Indeed. And I have no records of this place at all. In fact, she also told me that you're new friend is from that place as well."
"!?" Now that was news. In a way that made sense. Explaining how Sigurd didn't seem to exist at all anywhere in the system. Ozpin also mentioned in their secure line that they exhibited powers above regular Huntsmen. "I see...Anything we can do about it."
"No." The Headmaster revealed. "She had no idea where Chaldea was even located. In fact, she stated that they weren't even supposed to leave, but something happened that allowed them to." It would explain why they know so little of the outside world and why some of them turned to crime.
"How many are out there?' Ironwood asked.
"Uncertain." He replied. "All she said was that maybe around fifteen were released, but said something about Da Vinci sending more."
"To recapture them?"
"A high possibility." After all, most of them showed great skill and ability. Leading Ozpin to think maybe this Chaldea organization captured and trained people to do suicide missions while teaching them nothing of the outside world. That way they'd be put under their heel. Sounded something Salem can do, yet this was a third party. A party he didn't know.
'Not that it's surprising. I know many things, but it's not as if I know every little group here and there.' With of course the same applying to Salem. "In any case, we'll deal with this Chaldea later."
"Got it." An agreement was made, and a good one too. Shame neither noticed a green haired girl smirking, leaving the two as she got what she wanted. Cinder would enjoy this.
That was something for another time though. As the party continued on and on, ith the known Team JNPR dancing with their leader in a dress, Neptune dancing with Weiss, and Yang and Blake also grooving with Sun and Sanzang. The faunus and human both give each other glares.
Nearby Penny was also dancing with two other young girls with Sigurd, who's taking it easy, watching over them while in a sweet tuxedo with many ladies asking him to dance. Sigurd politely declined. All while of course nobody noticed the young Ruby Rose leaving the scene chasing after a dark figure in the distance.
"Why hellooooo everybody!" Or four criminals having entered the dance floor. In a flash of light and people being shoved, suddenly everyone heard a loud and rather obnoxious voice come and from it four people were now in the center of everybody's attention.
First there was the lead man. Blonde hair, a smug grin, and wearing a clearly expensive and obviously stolen black suit with a gold trim and shoes you wouldn't find any of these kids affording sans Schnee and a few rich folk.
Second was a huge muscular man who looked more like a Beringel than a man. Yet he looked more cleaned up than usual with his dark skin and lack of weird elbows. Wearing for some reason a pair of blue swimming trunks that said some unknown word that was red on the lower part and had flower necklaces Lei on him, two of them. Red and yellow. Also having a weird ball on him that he carried.
Then the third was a young girl holding a staff and had on a cute purple dress and purple matching gloves and high heels. It revealed her back and she had on a crown. The girl was clearly putting effort and looking nice.
The fourth was another female girl, and wore an outfit not too different from the giant man if not more shameless than him. Having what can be described as a two piece bikini of black and a green edge with flowers behind her cat ears and an orange shawl. Revealing a lot of soft unblemished skin.
It was none other than-
"The Argonauts are here to party!" Jason shouted while pumping his hands in the air.
In an instant Sigurd, Sanzang, and Ozpin came down upon him while everyone else shouted one thing.
"EHHHHHH!"
What a way to break it down huh? Looks like Jason decided to crash the party with his style. Using and abusing Medea (Lily)'s magic to do so. In any case, I hope you enjoyed this nice relief chapter. Next chapter, we get down to business.
It had been a difficult battle. One that wasn't easy. However-
"Looks like I win." Standing before the roaring crowd Ishtar had her foot down on Gilgamesh's face and forcing it onto the sand. The King of Heroes giving a look so harshly that it would burn someone to ashes. Yet for Ishtar, all it did was show her superiority as she had done it. She had beaten Gilgamesh.
"We did it! We did it!" Her sister said inside her mind with Ishtar not hating it. She and Ereshkigal had indeed done it, and defeated this bastard. He didn't even hesitate to try and attack the school full of kids, his swords having been shot to cut them down. Luckily she shot them down then shot back at him.
"You...worm…" Gilgamesh declared, still being defiant to the bitter end. "Mongrel...Trash...Worthless…"
"If I'm all those things, then what does that make you?" Ishtar sneered, forcing his face to kiss the sand further. "Face it kingy, you lost. I admit, you had the advantage for the first half, but you spent so much power that you weakened yourself. You didn't even realize that you were running on fumes."
That's right, Gilgamesh was a full Servant. Giving him a massive advantage. However, like her and the others, he wasn't receiving the mana from the Master properly. Because of that, he wasted too much without knowing. Usually used to having a grand amount. Still, he put some wounds on her and showed why he's one of the strongest. Too bad he didn't account for certain things to happen in the battle.
"And," Ishtar continued as she finally got her foot off of Gilgamesh's face, and then grabbed him by the neck and lifted him. Revealing some of the wounds she landed on him. "As the victor, I earn the prize." With a smirk she then began draining Gilgamesh of all his mana. The King tried to remove her filthy hand off him, but was too weak to do so. Unable to do anything as she drained him of all his precise mana, before he only had a pitiful amount left.
"Ahhhh!" Ishtar moaned as she felt her being replenished. Even with just reserve Gilgamesh had a huge amount. If he had taken this seriously from the start, he'd have won. But he didn't, and tried playing with her. That would cost him everything.
The Goddess then flew into the air while still holding onto the King. The crowd watched until she vanished, Ishtar climbing higher and higher, until eventually she stopped. The school and ground below looked like a small playset to her. She then gazed at Gilgamesh before giving a grin.
"Bye."
"You...MONGRELLLL!" She then tossed him like garbage down into the world below, far away from the school. He'll survive, but he won't be any trouble anymore. As he vanished into the sandy abyss alone, she then decided to do something.
"Ready sis?"
"I'm ready."
The crowd watched as their savior, helping them in Vacuo vanish. Then suddenly a bright light came over the sky, parting the clouds and revealing the bright sun, we're two figures came. First came Ishtar, the one who stopped that mad man from killing them all. Then came...another girl. One just as beautiful with blonde hair and wearing slightly darker clothing with her own charming figure and outfit.
The two looked the same, like sisters.
"Gods…." One student then said. "They're Gods…."
"Their power, they're strength." A teacher herself said. "Like the legends."
"You mean like the story?! The Brothers?!" Another girl shouted.
"More like Sisters!" A man said as suddenly, everyone thought of one thing.
These two...Must be the Gods of Remnant. Not Brothers, but Sisters. Then like that, they all cheered. Shade Academy and soon others that would hear their name. For the Sister Gods have arrived and all of Vacuo knew it. And later on in the coming weeks or months...the rest of Remnant as well.
Should I show the battle between them? Not going to lie, the reason I didn't do it was because I wasn't sure if I would do well at all in writing it. But if I get enough yes, I guess I can try.