RWBY: MRRN
Volume 7, Chapter 10: Old Friends
Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY. All rights go to Rooster Teeth.
Ironwood had just received news from Clover about what had happened in Mantle, how a shootout had started between Atlesian soldiers and the Happy Huntsmen and Huntresses. Thanks to Captain Desmond, not only were people on both sides dead, but Grimm had been attracted to the city. Thankfully, they were stopped by Team TIGR.
No doubt some of the Happy Huntsmen and Huntresses would use the incident as 'proof' of Ironwood's tyrannical rule of Mantle and Atlas. He had already watched a video of Atlesian soldiers shooting down Robyn's Huntsmen, but the video made it appear that it was entirely unprovoked.
There was no telling if Robyn herself was doing this or someone else, but whatever the case, people down in Mantle were active in turning the city against Ironwood. These people didn't want Ironwood to resign and step down from his positions, they wanted his head on a pike.
The General wasn't blind to the tensions between the two nations. He was aware that by taking the supplies that could've been used for Mantle's wall, he was angering the people down there, especially Robyn Hill. They called him out for not caring about Mantle's welfare by taking the supplies they desperately needed and not even telling anyone why.
Was it truly too much of a sacrifice for them? The Amity Tower Project would reestablish communications with the world and help clear up the confusion that had spread ever since the Fall of Beacon. The Amity Tower would address all concerns, solve all issues if he could complete it and unite the world against Salem. He needed to succeed where he believed Ozpin failed.
There was one glimmer of hope: Salem could be defeated. The power of the Silver Eyes could destroy Salem's control over the Grimm, which would leave her depowered, but would it leave her vulnerable? If Ozpin's words were true, Salem had lived for thousands of years, doing whatever she could to divide humanity.
But why was Salem so obsessed with dividing humanity? What was her ultimate goal in the end? Hopefully, he'd have the answers to these questions soon enough.
His desk beeped, indicating someone requested entry. Ironwood granted them permission; to his surprise, Oscar stood there.
"Hello, Mr. Pine," Ironwood greeted. "How are you doing?"
"Doing well," Oscar replied as he walked in. "The others have turned in for the night. These last few days have been exhausting." Ironwood chuckled.
"I can imagine," the General spoke as he stood up from his seat. "You helped defend Haven. You helped protect the Argus Limited. You helped repel the Iron Knights at Argus. You've been busy."
"Yeah," Oscar agreed. "Before I turned in for the night, I wanted to come by and check on you."
"Well, thank you," Ironwood responded with a grateful smile. "I may not look it, but I've been pretty busy myself. With everything going on, it's not making my job easier."
Ironwood turned towards the window, looking into the dark of the night. His grateful smile slowly dropped to one of sorrow and regret as this time of the day always reminded him of that terrible event.
"General?" Oscar asked.
"Please…you can call me James," James replied before sighing. "I'm curious: what did Ozpin tell you about me before he disappeared?"
"Well…" Oscar reluctantly started. "He said you and him didn't always see eye to eye, but your heart was in the right place."
To Ironwood, this was now justified. Had they taken action instead of waiting for their enemies to come to them or sending underprepared students to the North and Mt. Glenn, Beacon might still be standing. Ozpin's decisions not only failed to stop their ultimate objective, but it had led to the death of Alan Kura.
If Ozpin had listened to him from the start, then this terrible tragedy wouldn't have happened. Had they taken preemptive strikes against Roman and the Iron Knights, perhaps Beacon wouldn't have fallen. Deep down, Ironwood wanted to blame Ozpin entirely for this turn of events…but he simply couldn't. Even though they didn't always see eye to eye, Ozpin's goals were always to ensure the safety of Remnant from an enemy almost no one knew about…but not for long.
"Is that all he said?" Ironwood asked Oscar, curious to what else Ozpin might've said before he disappeared.
"He didn't badmouth you, if that's what you're asking," Oscar answered. "He knows your heart is in the right place, but…" Oscar hesitated, unsure of what else to say.
"I can already guess," Ironwood spoke, certain that Oscar wouldn't finish that sentence. "It seems almost everyone has a sour opinion of me lately. The Atlas Council, Atlas itself, Mantle, even my own soldiers…"
"No, no, it's not that," Oscar tried to assure, though he could tell Ironwood wasn't convinced. "Ozpin wasn't badmouthing you at all ever since I first found out…well, that he was in my head." Ironwood sighed.
"I'm sorry," he apologized. "It seems that everyone nowadays is wanting my head on a pike. Maybe I've gotten too used to it."
"Doesn't it bother you when people think of you as a tyrant or monster?" Oscar asked the Atlesian General. He shook his head.
Tyrant, dictator, hypocrite, power-hungry, selfish…Ironwood had been called many names by the media, some much more colorful. Being a General and the Headmaster of Atlas Academy, Ironwood was used to being called names behind his back, usually by unruly students. He had grown to not be perturbed by name calling from anyone.
"For the most part, no," Ironwood claimed. "Only…only when they bring up the Fall of Beacon."
For a few short moments as the General looked into the night, Ironwood heard the roaring of the Grimm, the shooting of firearms from the AKs, the screaming of innocent people that were quickly silenced by death, the cries of those who lost loved ones…but the one image that haunted him above all else was the image of the Black Queen chess piece.
It had appeared on the controls of his ships, turned his machines against the people they were meant to protect. It was Salem's way of telling Ironwood that she had taken control of his weapons, that all he could do was watch those terrible deaths unfold.
It made him want to break down whenever people blamed him for the loved ones who perished at the Fall of Beacon. Normally, he could get past such accusations; as a General, he sometimes had to make decisions that required him to endanger and even sacrifice the lives of his soldiers, a risk they agreed to take. But the Fall of Beacon…Ironwood had played right into their hands and his own army was used against him.
"James?" Oscar asked a bit awkwardly, reluctant to call the General by his first name. The name snapped Ironwood out of his thoughts before managing a brave smile and looking back at Oscar.
"I'm okay," he assured. "Thank you for checking on me, Oscar. I'd suggest you go and get some rest. It'd be wise to get some training in when you can before everyone receives their upgrades."
"Yeah, you're right," Oscar agreed before slowly turning to leave the office. "Night."
Ironwood didn't reply, but that one conversation alone provided him some relief. He had more people around who understood the circumstances and danger the world was in. In time, the Amity Tower would be complete and they would unite humanity against Salem. He could endure the scorn and contempt for a while longer if it meant seeing the Tower completed.
That's all that mattered to him.
-0-
Geom and Robyn chuckled as they sat at a booth together in the Sherwood Tavern. While Robyn was being a bit more lively than usual due to the alcohol, Geom was being moderate about how much he was drinking. It'd be very unfavorable for him to appear drunk in front of General Ironwood.
"You really did prevent a disaster from getting worse, Geom," Robyn commented, her speech somewhat slurred, but firm enough to assure that she was still sober…mostly. "How is it still that Atlas still doesn't recognize you as a great asset rather than some dumb animal?" Geom sighed.
"We both know why. Atlas is a lot of things, but tolerant towards Faunus is not one of them. Hopefully, in time, they'll grow much more accepting towards the Faunus."
"I'm sure they will with you around," Robyn replied, almost flirting with him. Sober or drunk, Robyn was never afraid to flirt around with the Faunus Colonel, one she had known ever since childhood.
"You know, Robyn, May's posing a bit of a problem," Geom spoke up. "It seems that she wants an all-out war with Atlas and is just looking for any excuse to do so." Robyn couldn't deny Geom's words as even she agreed about how volatile May Marigold could be when it came to tensions between Mantle and Atlas.
Having been raised in Atlas, May initially viewed Mantle as inferior as most Atlesians did. During her time at Atlas Academy, May realized how wrong her view was and how self-absorbed and apathetic the people of Atlas were to the plight of others. May insisted to her family that they needed to help them, but they would hear none of it and tensions began to rise. Eventually, they became fed up with May's 'skewed priorities' and disowned her, all but confirming her beliefs about Atlas.
"I've spoken to her about it, but she doesn't really seem to be listening," Robyn claimed. "The same is going for several of the Happy Hunters; they want an excuse to brutalize and kill Atlas soldiers. They want an excuse to get back for all the wrongs Atlas did to us."
"As one who grew up in Mantle, I can understand why," Geom stated, knowing full well the anger Mantle bore towards Atlas. Their conversation was cut off when Geom raised his hand to catch a tomato that had been thrown in his direction, aimed for his head.
"Traitor," a man spoke, sitting at a table with three other men who all bore Robyn's symbol.
"You don't belong here, you animal," the second man barked as Geom put the tomato down. "You turned your back on us to serve those Atlesian jackasses. You'd rather serve them than fight for us?"
"I do fight for you," Geom insisted. "I wear Atlesian colors, but I haven't forgotten where I came from. If I didn't care for Mantle, I wouldn't be sending my soldiers and Huntsmen down here to help when needed."
"Oh, sure," the first man dismissed. "You know Atlas treats the Faunus and you still joined them? You really want to be on Ironwood's leash like a dog?"
"I'm not on his leash," Geom stated, his tone getting firm. "And I am not a traitor." The three men laughed hysterically.
"What's so funny?" Robyn questioned, silencing the three men. They didn't notice that Robyn Hill was at the booth with him, so they figured she wouldn't know about their jeering of him. She stood up and glared at the three men, who offered no response to the hometown hero.
"Geom is fighting for us," she stated. "He's done so, even after joining the Atlas Military. You're wrong to mock him like that." Again, the three men were silent and ceased their harassment of Geom.
This was his sad reality. Geom was not fully accepted by either city; Atlas because of his Faunus heritage and Mantle because they viewed his decision to join the Military as a betrayal. By no means was Geom a traitor to his home and nor was he was blind to the prejudice he'd endure from Atlas, but he did it all in the hopes of mending ties between the two Kingdoms and promoting Faunus acceptance in Atlas.
"Just ignore them, Geom," Robyn insisted as she sat back down. "They don't know you like I do."
"No, they don't," Geom agreed, nodding his head.
About thirty minutes passed and the two were still enjoying each other's company. Robyn, having consumed some more alcohol, had gotten a bit tipsy and was being more forward with her flirting towards the Tiger Faunus. Geom, on the other hand, had still been very moderate about how much alcohol he had; even though he was now technically off-duty for the night, he still couldn't afford to get drunk.
"Ok, you've had enough," Geom told Robyn. "You're a political candidate, remember? You can't afford to be seen drunk."
"Oh, please," Robyn dismissed, her speech a bit more slurred. "Many people in Atlas have hated me ever since what happened to Tywyll's dad all those years ago." Her lively smile was quickly replaced with deep regret and some hints of self-loathing.
"I didn't for that to happen! I mean…he was unpopular here in Mantle, but he wasn't corrupt or anything…" Robyn slowly put her head down on the table, giving a few heavy sighs.
Geom could tell that what happened had weighed heavily on Robyn for a long time. Her actions were well-meaning, but shortsighted, leading to Tywyll's father being left in disgrace and the ASU Captain to not only hate Robyn, but to despise all of Mantle as well.
"She and I were friends once," Robyn spoke quietly, talking about Tywyll.
Indeed, in their Academy days, Robyn and Tywyll were on the same team, Team SRLT (Starlight). Despite being on the same team, the two were as different as fire and water. Robyn was rebellious, prone to getting into trouble and had no problem bending or outright breaking the rules while Tywyll was much more behaved, a stern believer in law and order and strict about following authority. Despite these differences, the two became friends…that is until Robyn's actions left Tywyll's father in disgrace and depression.
"Robyn?" Geom asked the beautiful Huntress, prompting her to raise her head and look at the Tiger Faunus. She was about to drink again, but Geom pulled the drink away from Robyn.
"Robyn, now's not the time to get drunk," the Faunus insisted. "As I said, you're a political candidate for Council and you can't afford to be seen drunk." Robyn giggled a bit before reaching out to touch Geom's hand.
"Oh, come on," she spoke a bit flirtatiously. "It's not like they're spying on me or anything. Besides, do you really think they'll beat me, including that shitbag, Jacques Gele? Some of them may have riches and companies, but I have Mantle's support. Can you say the same for the rest of them?"
None of the other candidates had any support from Mantle, save Robyn Hill. All of the other candidates for the empty Council seat were Atlesians, most of whom didn't do anything to improve Mantle's situation. However, the people of Mantle still had a voice and all of them voiced their support for Robyn Hill on Council. They knew she'd fight for their rights, to have their city repaired, to receive the gifts that Atlas denied them for so long, and to finally put an end to Atlas's indifference to the pain of other Kingdoms.
Geom had learned about the evidence against Jacques Gele and was now in the process of being verified by Dr. Pietro Polendina. If the evidence against Jacques was proven true, then the Schnee would be put away for the rest of his life, that is if he didn't face the death penalty for terrorism. Jacques could deny it all he wants, but he became an associate to terrorism when he funded the Wild Hunt in Mistral, who were hunting down and killing Faunus in the Kingdom. Only after Darren Moss's death were they finally branded terrorists by the Mistral Council.
He was deeply disturbed by the situation in Mistral. How could the Council turn a blind eye to such blatant terrorism, especially since evidence was revealed that Darren Moss had ordered the deaths of humans who spoke out against him? This had been proven when he ordered them to kill Silvio Steel. What gave anyone the right to persecute whoever they desired and call themselves heroes?
Hate and prejudice beget hypocrisy. When a human attacks and beats a Faunus to near death, no one blinks an eye and some of the law enforcement won't help. But when a Faunus beats a human, dozens of people want to lynch him. This vicious cycle of hate between Faunus and humans, both who had hurt and brutalized the other race, had to end and it was Geom's goal to help end that cycle in Atlas.
"No, you can't say that for the rest of them," Geom agreed. "I've met the candidates face-to-face and Mantle's welfare is not one of their priorities. But don't get cocky, Robyn; the election is still on for several weeks and anything can happen."
"Maybe," Robyn agreed before she groaned. "Ugh, I think I had too much to drink." Robyn let out a heavy groan before she got up from the booth and left a few Lien on the table. Geom left a few Lien as well and walked out of the tavern with Robyn, who leaned on him and chuckled several times as he escorted her home.
Geom personally hoped that Robyn would win the election and fill the empty Council seat. Having met the other candidates for the Council seat, Geom could easily sense that most of them had ulterior motives. A few of them seemed genuine, but they paid no heed to Mantle's situation nor a desire to help them.
Robyn wasn't like them. At times she could be cocky, a bit short-tempered, flirtatious, and prone to rebelling against authority, especially if she believed it unjust and cruel, but she was very genuine about helping others. There was nothing fake about Robyn, no façade for her to hide under to gain support; she genuinely sought to bring equality to all the residents of both Atlas and Mantle.
To many, she was the ray of light that Mantle wanted for decades. She was willing to stand up for Mantle's rights and defy those who she saw as corrupt, such as Jacques Gele. She was willing to defend her home against any who threatened them, which inspired many to stand with her, proven by the number of Happy Huntsmen and Huntresses she had gathered together.
"Stop!" an Atlas soldier cried out as three Happy Huntsmen and Huntresses were beating on the man, one of them using his own gun as a bludgeon.
"Hey, stop that!" Geom barked as he walked over to them, immediately gaining their attention. "Why are you attacking him?"
"None of your business, freak!" one of the Huntsmen snarled. "Now back off! This Atlas pig deserves to die!" He raised the firearm to strike the soldier again, but Geom quickly drew one of his swords and knocked the weapon out of the Huntsman's hands.
"Colonel," the soldier addressed, barely saluting him due to his injuries. "I was on patrol and these three-"
"Shut up!" another Huntsman barked, kicking him in the helmet.
"What is wrong with you!?" Robyn shouted, sobering herself in response to the situation. "This isn't what we do!"
"I was only on patrol," the soldier claimed. "I was investigating reports of a disturbance a few blocks from here before they started following me. I ran and they…they attacked me." Just as one of the Huntsmen was about to strike the soldier again, Robyn tripped the man and caused him to fall on his back.
"I said this isn't what we do!" Robyn stated again. "I created the Happy Huntsmen and Huntresses to protect Mantle, not to brutalize Atlas soldiers! I shot at Captain Desmond because he was going to unlawfully kill someone, but this is needlessly beating people up!"
"They deserve it!" one of the Huntsmen claimed. "These Atlesian bastards abandoned us and they still expect us to treat them like they're more important!"
"I don't think like that," the soldier claimed as Geom pushed two of the Huntsmen aside and helped the bloodied soldier to his feet. "I asked to be put down here. I know we haven't always done right, but I myself haven't done you any harm."
"Go home," Robyn demanded to the three Huntsmen.
"But Robyn-"
"Now," Robyn demanded sternly, prompting them to leave.
Robyn sighed in disbelief at this. She always promoted the ideal of defending yourself when one sought to cause you physical harm, but hurting others out of anger and hatred was something she could never condone. She could never condone her followers brutalizing Atlas soldiers out of spite and hatred.
"I'll call a medic," Geom informed the soldier. "Sorry, Robyn, but-"
"I know," she replied. "I'll see you later. And don't worry: I'm sober enough to walk home myself." The two of them walked separate ways, Geom to get the soldier medical attention from the beating and Robyn heading home.
-0-
Mathdon looked down from the window of the dorm he and his teammates were staying in. He had hoped to spend the night with Pyrrha again, but the beds were too small for two people to sleep together. He wouldn't be embarrassed; most of his friends had already seen him and Pyrrha sleeping together in the same bed several times, even before the Fall of Beacon. But being with his beloved was only one of the many things occupying his mind at the moment.
One thing he hated about his Asperger's was how hard it was for him to get to sleep some nights without having a sleep-aid on hand. While the rest of his teammates were sleeping soundly, Math was still awake and it felt like his brain wouldn't shut down until it had processed everything on his mind.
Some of his thoughts were on his relationship with Pyrrha Nikos, the Amazonian redhead he had fallen deeply in love with. In time, she had reciprocated that love and the two entered a beautiful and loving relationship, one that their friends supported wholeheartedly. He never once suspected that he'd end up with such a person like her, one so accepting, caring, loving and beautiful.
In time, their relationship blossomed into something else, something that led him to desire Pyrrha as much more than just his girlfriend. He wanted her as his beloved, to spend his life with her and share a lifetime together.
Another thing on his mind was the constant issue in the group about omitting information from General Ironwood. Several of their group members vocally spoke against keeping information from Ironwood since they were reminiscent of Ozpin's lies and half-truths to them before he disappeared. By doing so, they were hypocritically condemning Ozpin while repeating his mistakes.
Were they truly repeating Ozpin's mistakes or were they avoiding that? Ozpin only ever trusted himself with the entire truth, an action that had led to casualties on their side. Despite these deaths, Ozpin never stopped lying, never stopped telling half-truths and was never going to stop.
As one who had witnessed what Jinn had revealed about Ozpin, Math easily felt sympathy for Ozpin, but it was often forfeit by Ozpin's habits that often landed the group in danger, the biggest example being when the Argus Limited was attacked and they weren't prepared. Even if the Disciples hadn't attacked, they still would've risked attracting Grimm and had no plans of countering it if needed.
One could say that Ozpin deserved sympathy after being forced to relive terrible moments of his life by Jinn, but Math would argue that he wouldn't have to relive those moments if he had simply kept his word. They didn't need to know every little detail, such as him and Salem once being in love, the fact that they had children or their own personal history. But the true nature of the Relics, the high stakes involved in this war, Salem's immortality, Ozpin's plan with the Silver Eyes…all of these were vital facts that needed to be known by the group.
He was never going to say anything, even when others had proven their trust.
General Ironwood had always been one to place his faith in military might more than anything else. He had good intentions, but they were often hindered by his paranoia and unwillingness to trust others. From what they had seen, the Fall of Beacon had done a huge number on his mental health.
He had closed Atlas's borders, forbidding anyone from entering or leaving the Kingdom without his permission. He had enacted a Dust Embargo, which prevented Dust from being exported to the other Kingdoms who desperately needed it in the wake of the Fall of Beacon. From what he heard, his protection of Mantle was seen more as controlling the Kingdom and keeping its people in line.
Could Ironwood be trusted? Was he stable enough to not do anything extreme in response to being told the entire truth? Math was slow to trust Ironwood after what happened at Beacon; while he didn't force Pyrrha into the machine, he supported it and was content with lying to the two of them to persuade them to help them.
One major fact they kept from him was the revelation of the Dark Heralds, those who possessed powers from the God of Darkness to destroy Salem. All they knew was that the abilities they held would allow them to wound and kill Salem with the aid of the Silver Eyes, but that's all they knew. He, Saf and Robin would have to learn how to control their abilities on their own; until they did, they didn't have solid information to give to the Atlesian General.
If Ironwood proved to be stable and level-headed enough to not take such an extreme response, then once the Kendricks got a better grasp on their abilities, they'd tell him. Even then, the line preventing them from repeating Ozpin's habits was very thin and all it'd take is using their fears to justify their actions just as Ozpin did. Time would tell whether they were right or not to keep this information from Ironwood for now.
"Math, what're you doing up?" Robin asked his cousin, his echolocation having alerted him to his cousin being up.
"I couldn't get to sleep," Math claimed. "You know how it is with me." Robin sighed.
"Get some sleep," the archer stated. "I don't want you waking up groggy."
"You mean like Nasser?" Math joked, earning a chuckle from his cousin.
"Screw you," Nasser responded.
Author's Note: Hope you're doing okay amid these crazy, chaotic and scary times! Stay safe everyone!