RWBY Distortion: Volume 3
Chapter 7: PvP
Ozpin arrived in the courtyard at 11:59 alone as requested, he hadn't told anyone else about this meeting, but that could come after. Whoever sent that letter was clear in the know as much as Qrow and Ironwood, but he was curious if he knew more.
Their certainty was a chance this was a trap, but someone who had written such secret information in that letter certainly had a knack for discretion. Infiltrating his office so untraceably proved they had no interest in killing him. Regardless, The Long Memory, his cane was the only weapon the headmaster needed.
Ozpin looked back at Beacon tower and saw the clock face outside his office strike midnight. Just then there was a whooshing sound. As Ozpin turned around he was greeted by a hooded figure in a green robe with his back turned to the headmaster. The being was clearly not human, given the fact that he was levitating a foot off the ground. His hands were hidden in the sleeves of his robes.
Ozpin straightened his scarf and formally said "Greetings, I take it you are the one who put the letter in my office?"
"Indeed I am" The being answered in a deep, distorted voice.
"How do you know of the Maidens? Not to mention Qrow's secret and Salem" Ozpin asked calmly.
"I have seen your world from an outside perspective, if you wish to stop the coming crisis, you will heed me" The being warned.
Ozpin gave a confused look and replied "an outside perspective? Surely you aren't suggesting you are some kind of higher being or deity?"
"I am not a deity, yes, but I have met beings whose power is beyond your comprehension" The hooded figure clarified.
"I think you would be surprised with what I could comprehend," Ozpin countered.
The figure gave a deep chuckle and said "you are quite wrong Ozma, the Two Brothers, your Gods of Light and Darkness are but insects compared to the entities I am referring to"
Ozpin gasped, he hadn't fully beloved these outlandish claims until now, but knowledge of his true name and the gods of Remnants was all the proof he needed.
"I fully believe you, what is your warning?" Ozpin asked calmly
"Amber's attacker is this woman" the figure said as he turned around to reveal his appearance. That of a creature covered entirely in white armor, his helmet resembling a rounded, draconian face with two glowing golden eyes and no mouth. He held out his hand, his sharp white, almost skeletal fingers glowed as he revealed the identity of the partial Fall Maiden.
On cue, an image of an ashen haired woman with amber eyes appeared in front of him. Then pictures of Mercury, Emerald, and a green-eyed girl in all black with two pigtails appeared.
"These four, they are visiting students from Haven!" Ozpin reminded the figure, unaffected by his appearance.
"Leonardo Lionheart collaborated with Salem to get them in" The being revealed.
"Leo! I…cacan't believe he would…." Ozpin was truly shocked by his old friend's treachery. Sure it was quite an accusation, but it was clear the creature he was speaking to was far more knowledgeable than he, and it added up as to how four people from Mistral could have infiltrated Beacon.
The being put his hand and Ozpin's shoulder and said "you are not wrong in your faith in humanity, some are simply too weak to resist evil forces like Salem"
"Thank you, is there anything else you can tell me?" Ozpin asked.
"Their plan has something to do with Pyrrha Nikos and Penny Polendina, though I cannot be sure of anything else. You must confront General Ironwood, Penny is not what she appears to be….Farewell" The being said before dissolving into thin air.
Ozpin sighed and walked off, 30 feet away, Luna and Erick were hidden in the bushes as Luna dissipated the precautionary illusion bubble.
"How did you come up with that creature's appearance?" Luna wondered.
"I didn't, my dad has worked with those creatures before, I toned down the face a little though '' Erick conceded.
Around noon, General Ironwood, Qrow, and Gynlda entered Ozpin's office. The green-clad headmaster had a look on his face as if he was deep in thought.
"What is it Oz?" Qrow questioned.
Ozpin signed and explained "last night, I discovered a letter left in my office, one that you will have to see to believe"
Ozpin handed the letter to Ironwood, after a brief moment all three of the teachers went wide-eyed.
"Who wrote this?" Ironwood demanded.
Ozpin shook his head and answered "a creature that has been watching our world from an outside perspective. I met with him and he gave me some vital intelligence"
"Ozpin, are you serious?" Glynda asked in a concerned voice.
"I wish I was joking, but I am not. Regardless of this creature's motives or origins, we must act on the intelligence he provided" Ozpin stated firmly.
"Ok...what did he tell you?" Qrow asked.
Ozpin tapped a few keys on his desk, causing images of four people to appear on the monitor. He pointed to the ashen haired girl and said "this is Amber's assailant"
"They're….disguised as Haven students?" Ironwood realized.
"Yes, The Creature also informed me that Leo provided them with the credentials and access they needed. One of my oldest friends is a traitor" Ozpin revealed.
Qrow, Glynda, and Ironwood gave each other a somber look before turning back to Ozpin.
"What do we do now?" Ironwood asked.
"Qrow and Glynda will go to the infiltrator's dorm and apprehend them alive, that is the first step, go now!" Ozpin ordered, causing the two to run towards the elevator and leave.
"What about me?" Ironwood asked in an annoyed voice.
"You would bring a squad of soldiers with you. It will need to be a small, unsuspecting group to catch them off guard, and there is something we need to discuss privately" Ozpin admitted with a darker tone.
"What would that be?" Ironwood replied slowly, instantly becoming defensive.
Ozpin answered by pulling up a picture of Penny on his holographic screen and asking "Is there something you wish to tell me about this girl?"
"No, she's just an exemplary student.." Ironwood lied.
"Your sweating James….it's not that hot in here. I have given you a lot of trust over the years, something that I hoped you would return, which includes not keeping secrets from me. So I will ask you one more time: is there something you wish to tell me about this girl?" Ozpin repeated.
"She...isn't a student, she's a piece of Atlas technology" Ironwood confessed.
"Continue…" Ozpin ordered.
Later that night, as the randomization for the first match of finals spun, Ironwood was in the stands relaxed. Using his credentials he had manipulated to where Penny and Pyrrha were blocked from facing each other until the final match. That would give them time to find the infiltrators and stop whatever plans they had.
Ironwood felt his scroll buzzing in his pocket, after walking to a secluded corner of the arena, he picked it up and said "this is Ironwood"
"They're gone, no one is in the dorm, they completely cleaned it out" Qrow informed the General.
"And the first match is Penny Polidina of Atlas vs Pyrrha Nikos of Beacon!" Port announced.
"I need to GO!" Ironwood dimmed as he hung up and ran back to the stands, surely enough Penny and Pyrrha were facing off and drawing their weapons.
"That's not possible!" Ironwood stammered, somehow they had overridden his access. It was out of his hands now, Ironwood could only hope that the battle ended before whatever their advisories were planning began.
Ironwood texted Ozpin with "I've been locked out, they overrode the block"
"Watch the stands for the four intruders, be ready for anything" Ozpin replied, there was no way to stop the fight now.
3….2….1 Begin!" Oobleck shouted.
Luna and the Ohm twins were scowling as the fight began.
"Seems like the good general lied to Ozpin" Luna guessed.
"No, he tried to block the matchup but they hacked past it" Erick warned psychically to his entire team.
Pyrrha slashed Penny with Miló, and just as that happened, Penny's torso glowed for a moment. Penny looked down in horror as she said "No, that my…"
Penny detonated in a flash of green light, leaving her head rolling across the floor, and her torso and legs separated with a massive gaping hole in her chest where her power core detonated. In reality, Pyrrha's hit had bounced off Penny's aura, but that was the cue that Cinder needed to overload Penny's power core. Cinder had taken no chances with an illusionary setup and framed Pyrrha for the deed perfectly.
Pyrrha starred in abject horror, her eyes wide and mouth agape.
"No!" Port shouted in terror.
While the remains of Penny's torso sparked with electricity from the exposed wiring inside, her green irises now showing their camera shutters, slowly expanded so her dark, lifeless pupils took up most of her eyes with the sound of a machine shutting down.
Tesa and Luna had their hands over their mouths in shock while Erick's eyes were filled with rage, he knew Pyrrha hadn't caused this, but everyone would think she did.
Ruby, the only member of her team at the Colosseum had just emerged from behind a maintenance door, Falling to her knees as all she could muster was "Penny... before she began sobbing miserably, completely enveloped in sadness at the sight of her friend's unmoving body.
Oobleck put a hand up to his ear and ordered "Broadcast, what are you doing? Kill the feed!"
"Something's wrong! We don't have control of the cameras! We can't even stop the broadcast!" The broadcast operator replied
"What!? How is that possible!?" Oobleck demanded.
In answer, the background screen behind the two teachers changed, becoming an ominous bright red background with a black queen chess piece hovering over the top. The arena was silent as a familiar voice rang out throughout the Colosseum and the rest of the world watching these events.
Cinder spoke in a violently calm voice as she began her speech with "This is not a tragedy. This was not an accident. This is what happens when you hand over your trust, your safety, your children, to men who claim to be our guardians…...but are, in reality, nothing more than men. Our Academies' Headmasters wield more power than most armies, and one was audacious enough to control both"
Ironwood, realizing who she was talking about, grimaces and rose from his seat again, marching up the steps.
"They cling to this power in the name of peace, and yet, what do we have here? One nation's attempt at a synthetic army, mercilessly torn apart by another's a star pupil. What need would Atlas have for a soldier disguised as an innocent little girl? I don't think the Grimm can tell the difference" Cinder scoffed.
Pyrrha continued to stare at the remains of Penny in dread and guilt. Lips parting as she raised a hand to cover her mouth. Then her eyes start watering, a single tear falling as her emotions finally caught up to the shock.
Cinder continued with "And what, I ask you, is Ozpin teaching his students? A brutal execution for the sake of victory? Huntsmen and Huntresses should carry themselves with honor and mercy, yet I have witnessed neither"
"Grimm are on the way, get to the landing platform and warp down to the city while everyone is distracted, I'll meet Luna there" Erick ordered telepathicly, causing Tesa and Steven to give each other a nod. They ran out to the platform and disappeared into a bolt of lighting, Luna jumped off the floating colosseum and landed on the rigid body of an invisible object as they flew towards downtown Vale.
"Perhaps Ozpin felt as though defeating Atlas in the Tournament would help people forget his colossal failure to protect Vale when the Grimm invaded its streets. Or perhaps this was his message to the tyrannical dictator that has occupied an unsuspecting kingdom with armed forces. Honestly, I haven't the slightest clue as to who is right and who is wrong. But I know the existence of peace is fragile, and the leaders of our kingdoms conduct their business with iron gloves" Cinder stated coldly.
Cinder finished her speech with "As someone who hails from Mistral, I can assure you the situation there is... equally undesirable. Our Kingdoms are on the brink of war, yet we, the citizens, are left in the dark. So I ask you: When the first shots are fired... who do you think you can trust?"
As the red screen vanished into statics, an alarm sound caused the larger screens in the colosseum to flash with orange with the words 'CAUTION.
The warning announcer spoke with a robotic female voice saying "Alert. Incoming Grimm attack. Threat level: Nine. Please seek shelter in a calm and orderly manner." The crowds began to flee in terror, wild screaming echoing through the rapidly filling the exit tunnels, while Ironwood entered the announcers' box and grabbed the microphone from between Port and Oobleck.
"Ladies and gentlemen, please. There is no need for panic" Ironwood assured the crowd
With that said, a Giant Nevermore appeared atop the arena's domed force field, giving a series of deafening screeches as it clawed and pecked at the shield causing ripples of light to pulse through the barrier
Sun Wukong stood up with Coco Adel standing next to him, shouting "A Nevermore!?
"How did it get past the Kingdom's defenses!?" Coco questioned as she lowered her glasses.
The black-haired, soft-spoken member of Team JNPR, Li Ren rose up and bluntly said "It wasn't alone"
In the headmaster's office, Ozpin was gripping his cane tight, watching the city coming under attack with a horrified expression.
Qrow and Glynda ran into the office as Qrow said "Oz!"
"Get to the city!" Ozpin ordered.
Qrow paused and began to say "But-"
"NOW!" Ozpin shouted.
Qrow and Glynda exchanged a look before going back the way they came. Meanwhile,
Back at the Colosseum, watching the Nevermore attack the shields as Ironwood answered his scroll "Ozpin, the girl..her power core was…" the general had no time to finish.
"You brought your army to my Kingdom, James…..Use it" Qzpin ordered in a grave voice
High above Vale, just off the coast of the ocean north of Beacon, Atlas's three airships were already being attacked by Vevermores, but they were causing little to no damage.
"Dammit!, This is Blue Four! Blues Two and three falls into defensive positions!" The Captain of the Redeemer ordered.
Over the scroll, the Captain of the Defender responded with "Roger! Blue Three, in position!"
The Redeemer's Captain, after a brief pause, asked "Blue Two, what's your status? Blue Two, come in! Someone answer me, dammit!"
Aboard the bridge of the Resolute, Ironwood's ship, computers were sparking as dead soldiers littered the room. Dressed in an Atlas uniform and holding both her umbrella blade and familiar cane with a feathered hat on top, a girl with pink and brown hair opened a cell where her imprisoned boss was waiting.
"Well... it's about time.." said a man with slanted, dark-green eyes and bright, long, orange hair, with long bangs covering his right eye.
He wore a red-lined white suit with long black pants and black shoes. His accessories included a small gray scarf, black gloves with buckled sleeves. Neapolitan happily handed over his cane and hat as roman walked up the helm.
The Resolute turned sharply and unleashed a barrage of giant red lasers into the Redeemer's engines.
"We're hit! What's going-" the Defender's captain had no time to finish as his ship collided with the redeemer midair, causing a series of explosions that sent both of them tumbling toward the waters below.
" Woo-hoohahahaha! Oh, it is good to be back!" Roman laughed maniacally.
The attack on Beacon, after months of preparation from Cinder's group, had begun...
Author's note- time for the battle of Beacon Next chapter! I am debating whether Team STEL will fully reveal themselves in the next chapter or the one after. A few things to note.
1. The creature Erick cast an illusion of is a real thing, they just won't be appearing until MUCH later in a future story, his illusions are solid, like a bubble of psychic energy that tricks the mind of whatever touches it, unlike Luna's where are essentially holograms.
2. Thoughts on the alteration to Penny's demise? Thought Cinder wouldn't bank on Emerald's illusions after the failure last time and decided to use the Black Queen Virus to overload her energy core. She had a power core in her chest and a computer core in her head in my version.
3. You get an imaginary cookie if you PM me with what the three ship's names are referencing
4. I will be selectively choosing what happens in the Battle of Beacon, it will mostly be the same, but some deaths and outcomes will be different;)
Leave a review, I always appreciate it!