A/N: I deeply apologize for such a late delay. It seems that the website has yet fixed it's problems when it comes to 'Desktop Mode' and I had to ask for a different Beta to help with this chapter. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter and I am sorry for the late chapter!
Disclaimer: Brotherhoof12 does not own RWBY or the Spider-Man franchise.
(Chapter 46: Vytal Festival)
As the first day of the Vytal Festival drew to a close, Glynda, Ironwood, and Qrow gathered in the office of Beacon's Headmaster, Ozpin. Unfortunately, the immortal professor was pre-occupied with something important.
"1,000,096! 1,000,097! 1,000,098! 1,000,099…" the vaunted Headmaster of Beacon, a man who was able to inspire many young minds to reach further heights, was counting and stacking lien like he was some drug dealer high with a bad case of OCD. "1,000,100! 1,000,101!"
TWACK!
Glynda smacked her riding crop on the large desk with enough force to collapse the organized stacks of cash.
"No, the money!" Seeing the school's future funding fall to floor, Ozpin hopelessly tried to grab as many bills as he can only to realize that both he and the money were floating midair. "Glynda, good work in grabbing them all. Now, if you can- Urp!"
Glinda flicked her weapon and Ozpin instantly found himself in his chair, back straight, hands on his lap, and head facing forward. The lien floating in the air were stacked together and levitated away from the desk, before being dropped to the side.
"… You know, I have to count all that money again, Glynda." Ozpin told her in his usually calm manner.
"Maybe you should just buy a counting machine." A vein was throbbing on Glynda's forehead as she stared angrily at her boss. "Or better yet, maybe you shouldn't have decided to have all our gift shops and ticket booths accept only lien!"
"The sounds of bills as you flip them makes for a wonderful sound." He responded seriously. Glynda replied by shoving some lien over his mouth, shutting him up.
Glynda continued to stare at Oz with fury in her eyes. "Sometimes, I wonder whether siding with you is worse than working for her."
"All jokes aside," General Ironwood inserted himself into the conversation. "I'm glad to report that there were no immediate threats. Other than some minor crimes like thievery and some brawls, everything went well today. Cinder and her team show no real motive in starting something that might endanger the festival."
"Yeah," Qrow began only to let out an echoing burp that resounded through the room. "I'm not gonna lie, Oz. Some of those brawls were caused by me. I hate to say it, but you got some well-trained soldiers if they can handle a punch to the gut from me, Jimmy."
"Grr-hmmm!" James growled and felt a migraine growing from Qrow's nonchalant confession. "I was hoping we didn't have booths that sold alcohol on school grounds."
He used his organic hand to rub his forehead, nursing his growing headache. "Thank God for small miracles. At least you weren't really fighting seriously; otherwise I would have handled you myself."
"Would be just like the old days then." Qrow retorted childishly as though he were issuing a challenge to the general. Much like Ozpin, his mouth was covered over by Lien thanks to Glynda.
"Can we please get back on topic? Children, the lot of you." The only female in the room brushed a lock of hair away from her eyes and clicked her tongue in annoyance. "James, you told us you wanted to shed some new light on Spider-Man? Would you care to elaborate on what your meant?"
"Of course, thank you for reminding me, Glynda." He kindly told her, before throwing a glare at Qrow for making him forget the purpose of this meeting. He then asked, "Do you remember when Sandman first made his appearance a few months back?"
"He was at the docks attacking people. Why is that relevant?" She asked in turn, only to raise an eyebrow in curiosity when the general pulled out a miniature wooden box from his coat.
"The day after Sandman attacked, Spider-Man arrived and was caught sneaking around the scene. My soldiers had him surrounded only to be attacked by a third party. I believe they called themselves the Enforcers, a group of hired muscle. The built-in cameras on the soldier's armor showed these men, who confessed on video that they were hired by Norman Osborn as security."
With Glynda now engrossed in the conversation, Qrow saw she had lost focus on her semblance and took the moment to pry the lien off of his mouth. He turned to Ironwood and asked.
"Why does it matter that your boys got roughed up by some mercs?"
James opened the box and pulled out a small vial that contained a thick, silk-like thread.
"It matters because while my soldiers were busy fighting Osborn's hired guards, Spider-Man escaped the scene. Luckily, my men were able to snag some of the DNA he left behind."
Qrow blinked at the last sentence and blurted out, "Phras-"
"Not that kind of DNA, Qrow," Ironwood irritably growled as his burned red from embarrassment. "I meant his webbing! They were able to gather some webbing and my scientists discovered something interesting. We all know that Faunus possess animal traits, but they are not as strong as those of actual animals. For instance, a spider Faunus may be able to shoot webs, but the web they produce is not as durable as actual spider silk, and it can disappear in an hour or so."
"Could you spare us the impromptu biology doc?" The red eyed swordsmen didn't come here to relive his academy biology classes. "What makes that little thing you're holding so important?"
James shook the small glass vial. "This is webbing. Spider webbing."
"Right, so that isn't Spider-Man-"
"No," The general's voice turned serious. "This was taken after Spider-Man left the docks. The soldiers were able to save some of the silk, sent it to the lab, and they told me that this is spider's silk. This was not made by some spider Faunus, this is genuine spider silk produced by an actual arachnid. Spider Faunus typically have strands of base human DNA in their webs, but my scientists told me this seemingly came from what appears to be an impossibly giant spider. Whatever Spider-Man is, we can safely assume that he's neither human or a faunus."
After delivering this shocking news, silence fell over everyone in the room. Glynda was so stunned by what she learned that she lost full control of her semblance, freeing Ozpin to talk once more.
"Do you have more of this?" Ozpin inquired as he pointed at the sample.
"Unfortunately, what little we could scavenge dissolved days ago and this," James shook the small case, "Was the only thing they could save. They had enough to run some tests and the results are something to behold. A regular spider's web is relatively five times stronger than steel, and just four layers can even stop a .22 bullet. When the scientists meshed all the webbing together, they calculated that it can withstand up to 3.12 gigapascals of pressure."
"My word!" Glynda gasped in shock.
Ozpin was utterly speechless.
"Wow," Qrow was unimpressed. "Yeah, I have no idea what that means."
Ironwood pinched bridge of his nose as the tension in the room quickly jumped out the window.
"I'm sorry," Sometimes, tolerating Qrow's scientific ignorance was a test of patience. "But how exactly are you a teacher again?"
"Well, I wasn't hired to teach math!" The former bandit retorted. "Just break it down big, dumb, purple dinosaur style!"
"3.12 gigapascals can be converted to 452,517.7 pound-force per square inch."
"I see," Qrow said thoughtfully only to frown again. "Still not getting it. Dumb it down further."
"It means, Qrow, that this webbing is able to hold really, really heavy objects, like a train or a bullhead." Ozpin explained to his agent, making all three stare at him. "Your men have done some very thorough research, James. Have you found out anything more about Spider-Man?"
"Only what he leaves behind and people's testimonies of what they've seen Spider-Man do. Many of these statements range from the outlandish to the plausible, but they all share one commonality; that Spider-Man apparently doesn't use Aura."
Again, the room was brought back into silence after hearing yet another outlandish notion. They were at a loss for words.
"Don't worry; I'll be sure to get some more concrete evidence on that matter. I'm assigning Dr. Trask to handle this and I'll share whatever discoveries he makes with you."
"Thank you, James. Now, let's set aside our web-slinging friend and talk about Ms. Fall and her companions. For now, she has been keeping low, not once showing any signs of a her acting out of line, nor has she attempted to contact any of her allies on the outside."
"She even assisted in fighting off Grimm during the Breach." The blonde witch said with scowl. "Emerald and Mercury have participated in my combat classes, but not once have I seen them use their semblance. Their records from Haven are clearly forged, which is something I really want to bring up with Leo. And if what Spider-Man told Qrow is true, Emerald is likely to be the most difficult to handle."
"Please, we've all monitored them. That green-haired chick follows Cinder like a puppy. Hell, I'm sure if Cinder told her to sit on all fours, she'd do it. I seriously doubt Emerald would do anything drastic without her master saying so."
"As for their participation in today's round of fights." Glynda, whose usual expression was always stern, was now sympathetic. "The team that fought against them suffered some wounds that've led them to be bed ridden until tomorrow. It wasn't noticeable until after they were treated, so I can assume Cinder and her team were holding back, even when they were sparring in my class."
"And your point is, Glynda?" Glynda glared at the drunken reaper. "Hey, don't give met that look! It's the Vytal Festival; do you really think the normies know what's really going on? All they see are just flashy moves and kick-ass students." What Qrow said made Glynda revert back to her usual stern glare. "It's understandable that scrub teams aren't gonna cut it. Now, we need to see what their plans are for the second round tomorrow. Am I right, Oz?"
"Indeed, you are, old friend. They've been good actors up to this point, and we've stayed our hand and watched from afar. Their plans regarding the use of the White Fang were stopped and as a result we've added more security in preparations for another outside threat." A tired sigh left the grey-haired man's lips, "Which makes it all the more urgent in finding a new host."
"Is she still…?" James let his question hang in the air.
"A veggie, yes." Qrow bluntly stated. "Amber is still dying, even with the help of that mechanical abomination you plugged her into, which you built using funds funneled from your own kingdom without their consent. Thanks by the way."
"Qrow!" Glynda harshly reprimanded the man.
This group may have been formed to help Ozpin fend off the darkness, but James was still a man loyal to his kingdom. James is aware of what he was doing would not only have him be arrested by his own Atlas military, but that he would also be considered a traitor to Atlas. He knows his actions are wrong, yet it was a necessary sacrifice to keep Remnant safe.
"Be that as it may." Taking back control of the conversation again, Ozpin waited a second to have three pairs of eyes stare at him before talking. "We were lucky that Qrow and Spider-Man found out their plans for the Breach. Now that we are more prepared, I think now is the best moment to find a new host. As terrible as it sounds, Amber is slowly dying with each passing hour and with her attackers so close we can't wait any longer."
"Do you already have any candidates in mind?" James asked.
"I have two. Yang Xiao-Long and Pyrrha Nikos. Both have shown to be quite capable in battle and I'm sure they will be suitable candidates for the Fall Maiden powers." He looked at Qrow. "I made sure to contact Tai about my decision, on the account that he is Yang's father and a close friend of ours."
"Then you should know he's gonna say no. He's just taking too long to find the best words to say it. Otherwise, Tai would have called by now, screaming, shouting, and threatening you for trying to force such a responsibility on her. My answer is the same."
Ozpin shrugged. "Even still I am glad I contacted him about it. I only picked Yang since her family already knows of the dangers that lie underneath Remnant's surface. If Tai does not wish for her to be the next Fall Maiden, then I will respect his choice. Then the only one who is capable is Ms. Nikos. Do any of you have objections?"
"No." James's answer was precise and without hesitation. "She has years of combat and leadership experience, making her the ideal candidate for becoming the next Fall Maiden."
"Seconded." A sigh escaped Glynda's lips. "It is... terrible that we are deciding what a young life should become when they have yet to understand where their life is heading."
"We all made a vow, Glynda." James squared his shoulders and was about to use the same 'general speech' he uses to raise his soldier's spirits. "We have to discard our feelings and personal thoughts for the great-"
A long, disgusting, wet, and loud burp resonated within the large office, making everyone scrunch their faces in disgust.
"Ugh! Sorry, sorry!" Qrow pounded his chest. "I had to let out some air. I'm trying my best here to stay humble. Then again, you have more experience being a blowhard yourself, James."
"You-", The General of Atlas was about to blow his fuse when he sniffed the air. He quickly covered his nose. "Gah! Qrow, what the hell have you been drinking?"
"Everything!" Qrow boasted, making it sound like an accomplishment. "Well, not everything. I was just doing my usual rounds, looking for internal threats and anything suspicious."
"Yeah, you were doing your normal rounds, alright. Hopping around to any stand that sells alcohol!" Taking a further step back from Qrow, Ironwood could smell the air holding whatever Qrow drank. "I-" James sniffed his sleeve. "Oh god, my uniform smells like I had a whiskey sour! And-" James took another whiff. "Do I smell a Tom Collins?"
"Ding~ Ding~ Ding~! Give the man a prize! Didn't know you were so well-versed in drinks, Jimmy.""
"I can't walk out of here like this! What would my men think when they pass by me and they smell like I walked out of a brewery!"
The other two professors didn't sympathize with his plight. Glynda used her semblance to control hundreds of stacked lien and formed a fan out of them, using it blow away the smell of Qrow's acrid breath.
Ozpin, whose was still wearing his typical stone-faced expression, used a stack of lien to fan the stench away.
Qrow, being Qrow, simply shoved his hands into his pockets and just stood there without a care.
The drunkard spoke, "Back on topic. I don't see what the issue is. I mean, she's going to get freaking magical girl powers! Isn't that, like, every 5-year-old girl's dream? You know, other than being a princess and wanting a pony."
"Oh, yes. I'm sure every girl grows up wanting to be Mariner Moon." Glynda's voice was dripping with sarcasm. "Seriously, how do Ruby and Yang consider you a role model?"
Qrow opened his mouth to retort, only to be interrupting by the ringing of a scroll. His own scroll, to be exact.
"Hold that thought." Qrow answered his scroll. "Yes? Oh? You're waiting where? Okay… Okay…. Yeah, I'll see you both soon. Bye."
The drunken man ended the call, his demeanor changing as he returned his scroll to his pocket. Qrow's usual vacant and uninterested stare was now one of razor sharp focus. He straightened himself out of his slouched posture, bringing him to his full height. His footing, once wobbly and uneven, was now steady and poised. The drunken braggart that was Qrow was gone. Standing in his place was Qrow Branwen, veteran huntsman.
To witness his sudden change in attitude put his colleagues on edge. Whenever Qrow acted like this, it meant something serious was about to happen. Was it some mission that only Qrow knows about? A personal vendetta? Was it a call regarding his sister? Despite being the one who hands Qrow his missions, Ozpin was more than aware that Qrow had other obligations outside of the order.
"Might I inquire as to whom you were speaking to, Qrow?" Ozpin wasn't usually one to show much emotion in situations like this. He felt it unnecessary to display much of his emotions to his comrades. But seeing Qrow act like this concerned him.
Qrow replied, "That was Miranda."
"And she is?" Ozpin asked.
'Miranda must be one of Qrow's contacts. Maybe she needed his help on something? Perhaps, she was a fixer?' The immortal headmaster wondered.
"She needs me and it's important. She's actually waiting outside at the entrance."
A fixer who visits the person hiring them? That was rare to hear.
"Qrow, I'm sorry, but now is not a good time." Glynda told him. "We're discussing what perhaps the most pressing issue we have at the moment and you expect us to let you leave all because of a scroll call? Just tell that fixer you're busy right now."
"No, I- wait, hold up, what?" Qrow stared confusedly at the witch. "You got it all wrong, Miranda is not a fixer. She's…. An old flame. One I never thought I'd see again."
'Ooh… gossip.' Ozpin grabbed his cocoa mug and took a sip from it.
"We are in the middle of an important meeting that could save billions, Qrow. And you expect us to let you just walk out to see an old fling?" James shook his head. "Just tell her you'll see her tomorrow this is more important right now."
"Nope. And for your information, Ironwood, she's not some 'old fling'. She's the one who got away." Qrow snapped back at General. Pulling out his signature flask, Qrow was about to unscrew the cap, only to stop mid-twist and return it to his back pocket. "I really can't say no to her. Not after the bombshell she just dropped on me."
"Oh, and what exactly is said bombshell?" Ironwood incredulously asked, with Glynda nodding in agreement.
"That bombshell is a twelve-year-old girl named Sofia... My daughter."
Ozpin immediately spat out cocoa in shock and coughed. Glynda and the General were equally as shocked, not even registering the headmaster's uncharacteristic spit take.
"I... was not expecting that." Ozpin spoke as he calmed himself. "I was honestly hoping that it was a distraught housewife running away from her husband who discovered her second family."
"Ozpin, please…." Glynda groaned, embarrassed by her boss' soap operatic fantasies. Her embarrassment soon turned stern as she pushed her glasses back up to the bridge of her nose. "Everyone knows that NTR is trash."
"…A daughter?" James dumbly asked, eliciting a nod from Qrow. "Yours?"
Qrow nodded again.
"Your daughter?"
Again, Qrow nodded his head.
"A daughter that is yours?" It appeared that the General's brain had blown a fuse. He just couldn't comprehend what he was hearing! "A-"
"Oh, For Fu- Yes! I. Have. A. DAUGHTER!" Screamed an angry Qrow.
"But, Qrow… you... breed?" Ironwood couldn't find the right words to say. "A woman actually reproduced with you?"
"I don't like what you're implying." Qrow's left eyebrow twitched in irritation at the look James was giving him. "Also, what's the big deal? What's wrong with me wanting to reconnect with the love of my life?"
"It's you, for one thing." The general bluntly spoke. "I mean, is she blind? Suffering some form of mental illness? I mean, and no offense, but you give off what kids these days call a 'Himbo' vibe."
"You guzzle alcohol like as though it were water." Glynda added. "Not to mention you're immature, crass, and barely a functional adult."
"Plus, you dress like you're going through a mid-life crisis." Ozpin said.
It was this comment that Qrow took offense to, "Really, Oz? Mid-life crisis? That's rich coming from you. Also, I am 42, hardly old enough to be considered middle-aged."
"Once you drop your attitude, grow a real beard or shave, and stop wearing clothes that are fifty shades of grey, then we'll talk." Ozpin retorted, taking a sip of his cocoa.
"Ok, I think that's enough." The general waved his hands to Glynda and Ozpin to stop riffing on Qrow. "Qrow, I have doctors on my ship. They can help discern the truth of the matter."
Now, at first Qrow was thinking James was insulting him, but then caught the actual meaning of James's offer. 'He thinks Miranda could be lying and wants to let me know he has people who can do a DNA test. Huh, that's very thoughtful of him.'
"Thanks, but don't worry James. I appreciate the offer, but I won't need it." Qrow told the man. "I know she's not lying. I was the only man she ever slept with."
"Wait, you thought I meant you? That offer was meant for Ms. Miranda. I'll help her see the truth and assist her efforts in finding the real father." Ironwood told him with a jesting tone. "For shame, Qrow, leading the poor woman on like that."
"I hate you." Qrow could see his comrade trying to restrain his growing smirk. "Also, I take back my appreciation."
James Ironwood, typically a stoic and subdued man, couldn't hold it any longer and erupted into a laughing fit. So intense was his laughter that he started hacking and coughing. The humor was infectious, as Glynda joined in with her own laughter. Ozpin smiled and let out a quiet, dignified chuckle.
Qrow crossed his arms and pouted like a petulant child.
After excusing themselves from the ball room, the trio of Jaune, T'Challa, and Whitley made their way to find a place to talk in private. The three decided that T'Challa's private room on his personal aircraft was the ideal place to meet. Jaune explained to them what had happened in Vale the past few months, starting from the Breach and ending with what happened today. He made sure to explain that he 'helped' Spider-Man, since he didn't trust T'Challa, whom he had just met.
'I'm really grateful Whitley didn't tell the prince know who I really am. Maybe once I know Tchalla better, I can tell him. But for now,.'
After Jaune said his piece, Whitley told Jaune what was happening in his kingdom.
"And that's what's happening in Atlas." Whitley Schnee explained to Jaune his past actions before coming here. "Things are moving forward in Atlas and Mantle, most notably the nominations for the coming council elections. With Councilman Pierce announcing his intentions to retire, that leaves a seat ripe for the taking. A lot of names are being floated around as possible candidates, but the two most popular are Robyn Hill, the leader of the Happy Huntresses... and my Father."
Jaune leaned his chair away from the table they were using in the living room and stared at the ceiling.
"Oh boy, things are really starting to move now. Speaking of which, Weiss is finally getting the freedom she wants. By getting cut off from the family fortune thanks to your dad."
Jaune expected to hear a gasp of surprise from Whitley upon after hearing his older sister was now broke. When he leaned back onto the table, the blonde was shocked to see that Whitley was not even surprised by the news.
In fact, He was surprisingly calm.
"And?" Whitley asked, surprising Jaune and T'Challa. "What? Oh!? Am I supposed to be surprised by how petty dear old dad is? Fun fact, I knew that for years. Guys, I once saw the man tip a bell hop 5 Lien….in coins. All because the guy was a few minutes late with the luggage. But, to be honest, I'm more surprised that it took him this long before deciding on cutting Weiss off from her bank account."
The young genius paused for a moment to think before speaking again.
"I think I'm starting to see what he's doing. He wants to get more influence and being part of the council will get him that, but he's only one man and he still has his eyes set on Weiss to handle the company." The genius heir clicked his tongue in annoyance. "All this time and he still wants Weiss to inherit the SDC."
Jaune heard the resentment in Whitley's voice as he talked about his father, yet he could faintly hear some hidden jealousy towards Weiss, too. Not wanting to touch a subject related to family, considering his issues with his own parents, Jaune looked to T'Challa and asked.
"Hey, uh, Tchalla, what exactly is Wakanda? I think today is literally the first time I heard about it."
Understanding what Jaune was trying to do, the prince went along with it and explained his people's home.
"Wakanda is indeed a kingdom, just a thousand miles south of Vacuo. My kingdom is small compared to the other kingdoms, especially the unrecognized ones such as Menagerie or Latveria, but my home is trying to open its borders and establish formal relations with the rest of the world."
"And how is your progress, if I may ask?"
"My kingdom is getting some approval, but Mistral and Atlas are refusing to recognize Wakanda's status as a sovereign kingdom. Their hostility stems from the fact that we are the only place where humans and faunus live together as true equals, in spite of being a supposedly 'underdeveloped' kingdom. Vacuo refuses to open dialogues mostly due to ancient rivalries. Of course, my people hold some rather negative opinions on the outside world, as we had long since isolated ourselves for centuries due to the many wars fought between the kingdoms, and what the age of colonialism had wrought on our region. Many Wakandans see the other kingdoms as possible threats, fearing what might happen if we allow foreigners within our borders."
The prince shook his head in annoyance of his fellow countrymen. He resumed speaking.
"I'm trying to end such a self-destructive policy and form diplomatic relationships, so that we may have a better understanding of the world. The Vytal Festival seemed like the perfect place to start and I hope to keep exploring the other kingdoms and convince them to accept Wakanda as a kingdom."
"Wow," Jaune was amazed to hear T'Challa's reasoning for being here. "Is there anything else about Wakanda?"
T'Challa stroke his chin in contemplation. Soon, he began talking again.
"Actually, there's another reason why my people isolate themselves. Contrary to what the world might think, we are not some loose coalition of backwater villages. In fact, we have very advanced technology, decades ahead of even Atlas. My home is also one of the few places researching alternate fuels. Basically, my kingdom has never been as reliant on Dust compared to the rest of Remnant. We have a very unique mineral that we use, one which we intend to use as a bargaining chip in establishing goodwill with the four kingdoms."
'A new source of energy that's different from Dust?' Jaune thought back to the time he and Whitley tangled with AIM. 'Whitley told me that dust will be a thing of the past on the account that Remnant will no longer have any more. So, did Whitley tell Tchalla about what he told me?'
"Oh, I almost forgot!" As if Whitley read Jaune's mind, the boy snapped his fingers. "Don't worry, I told T'Challa about the dwindling Dust supply. I also told him about my goals regarding the SDC, so the both of us are helping each other find ways to make Remnant survive without Dust."
"Yes, Whitley and I share similar goals. When he is in control of the SDC and I become King, we will work together in advancing science to help the people of Remnant."
"But that's in the future." Whitley then pulled out his scroll, pressed his thumb on the screen and the device lit up, showing videos that looked to be about the festival. "I'm more focused on what's going to happen in the here and now. The small videos you see are in fact live feeds from some of Beacon's security cameras. From the front entrance to the courtyard, I've got eyes on everything."
The implications of how Whitley was able to get his hands on Beacon's security feed were giving Jaune a migraine. Rubbing his temples to ease his worries, Jaune looked at Whitley, who was now scrolling through live feeds on what was currently happening at the academy.
"Whitley." Jaune stopped rubbing his head and then placed both palms together in front of his face. "Please tell me you didn't hack into Beacon Academy."
"I didn't hack into Beacon Academy." The young man didn't hesitate to answer. "I'm not an idiot, Jaune, a friend of mine do that. I hacked into the Atlas airships."
"Oh, my God, that's even worse!" Jaune cried as a vein bulged on his forehead. "When did you have the time to hack in to Atlas military security? And who's your friend that hacked Beacon too?"
"Come on, Jaune. You really think I wasn't going to let an opportunity like this go? I hitched a ride with my oldest sister, Winter, who decided to show up today. It was easy enough to slip a small code into her ship's computer, giving me a backdoor to their servers. It was only a matter of time before I got control."
"Control? Control of what specifically?" Jaune dreaded whatever answer the Heir might give him.
"Everything." Jaune promptly banged his head on the table. "I just took control of literally every Camera in Ironwood's army. Security, power, and all functions pertaining to everything on those ships are now under my control. I'm even doing some scrubbing right now to see... huh?"
Whitely stopped talking when he noticed something of interest and was soon typing away on his scroll.
"Is something the matter, Whitley?" T'Challa asked, slightly unnerved by his friend's sudden silence.
"I see… well, this is certainly a surprise, but I shouldn't have expected anything less..." Whitley mumbled, worrying this two friends. "Should I or should I not interfere? No, it's too soon, so instead I'll… Yes, I think this will do quite nicely! Hehehe... Just wait until they get a load of this!"
T'Challa and Jaune shared a confused and nervous glance before returning their gazes onto Whitley, who was still muttering uncontrollably, with his fingers typing with a speed nearly matching lightning.
"Whitley!" Jaune clapped his hands in front of his friend's to snap him back to reality. "Is there something you wish to share with the class?"
"Huh? Oh, right!" Placing back his scroll on the table, Whitley once again typed in a few keys, causing a holographic projection to shoot out of the mobile device. Displayed on the projected screen was an odd image.
The images shown were a steady stream of numbers flowing down the screen. Unfortunately, Jaune wasn't a genius like Whitley, meaning he didn't understand what he was seeing. He looked to T'Challa and saw that the prince was just as lost as he was.
"You two don't see it?"
Jaune and T'Challa shook their heads.
"Don't worry; I got someone who can explain it better." The two boys watched as the stream of codes began to morph into the shape of a person. "He's also the one who is in control of Beacon's security right now. Jaune, T'Challa, allow me to introduce-"
"Hey, dudes!" A voice called out, with the image startling Jaune. "Yo, Jaune, how's it going? Good to see you again, Cat-migo! I mean, we haven't actually met, so I think it's time to introduce myself!"
The codes disappeared, replaced by a smiley face that darted around the screen as it looked at the two surprised teen heroes.
"The Name is V.I.C., or the Very Intelligent Computer, and I'm gonna tell ya what's been goin' down here at Beacon."
It was the morning of the Vytal Festival's second day and the festivities were already in full swing! Yesterday, there had been enough people present to fill the entirety of Beacon's courtyard. The matches from yesterday seemed to have caused a surge in attendance, as people continued arriving by the thousands.
"Wow~! There's even more people here then yesterday, Jaune!" Ruby excitedly zipped between each booth with the help of her semblance, leaving a trail of rose petals for Jaune to follow. "Jaune~! Hurry up! There's a shooting gallery I want to try!"
'I can't believe I'm hanging out with Ruby today.' Jaune's mouth twitched upward at seeing Ruby's smiling face. 'I'm glad she wanted to hang out with me this morning. She could have been with her sister or even Weiss. Instead, she asked me to hang out with her!'
"You should probably stop smiling so much. Otherwise, people are going to assume something."
'Oh, yeah, and then there's Blake.'
Team RWBY had decided that Yang and Weiss would compete in today's rounds, which consisted of a 2 vs 2 match ups. Of course, Weiss wanted to volunteer. She wanted to show her older sister, Winter, how far she had improved in her skills. Yang was nominated by Blake, as the cat girl wanted to sit this one out so that she can talk to Jaune.
'Today was starting out great. Ruby decided not to fight this round, all because she wanted to have some fun at the festival with me.' Jaune glanced at Blake, who was walking ahead of him to follow Ruby. 'But then we got a third wheel in Blake, because she wants to talk about Spider-Man! Seriously, if I had told my past self that he'd feel awkward hanging out with two girls interested in me, he'd definitely punch me and call me crazy!'
'Then again, Blake hasn't tried to pull me aside and ask about Spider-Man, so I'll take what little victories I can get.' Stuffing his hands in the pouch of his hoodie, Jaune reached the booth where Ruby and Blake were now competing at.
"You're pretty good at this, Blake!" Ruby complimented her friend as she hit two moving ducks in the same row.
"I have to be, since you and I are the only ones who actually aim with their weapons." Blake shot three moving targets, one from the top moving to the right, the second at the middle moving to the left, and the third moving to the right from the bottom. "Not to be rude talking behind Yang's back, but I'm sure she probably couldn't hit the side of a Goliath if she ever tried using a regular gun."
"True," The reaper said in agreement. Not one to be outdone, Ruby downed another target without even looking. "I think both of us are getting close to the best prize."
"Yeah, you're right." Blake mimicked what Ruby was doing, centering her gaze on the younger woman while still shooting the targets. "You want to make things interesting? We're both tied and only one target away from winning the prize, so whoever gets the last shot in wins."
"Hmm?" Ruby was not a betting woman, but if it involved shooting things, she thought it a sucker's bet.
"All right!" Her eyes were lit up with determination! "I'm ready!"
Both girls told the stand's operator that they were both going to use one last pellet. They aimed their pellet guns at the same target, lined up their sights and fired. But then something unexpected happened!
After firing at the same time, the two pellets somehow collided midway, causing them both to veer off course, missing their desired target. Ruby and Blake stared slack jawed and buggy-eyed at the missed target, unable to comprehend what they had just seen.
"Sorry, ladies, but it seems neither of you are getting the big prize!" The stand owner told the girls, only to mutter under his breath, "Thank goodness! If they stayed here any longer, I was gonna lose more customers."
"Dang it!" Ruby pouted, handing the toy rifle back to the owner. "I really wanted to see who the better markswoman was, Blake."
"I was curious about that, as well." Blake returned her toy rifle. "Your thoughts, Jaune? Who do you think would have won?"
Ruby and Blake looked at Jaune expectantly, wanting to know his answer. Jaune stayed quiet and looked between the two huntresses.
'What do I think? Well, it's really obvious what I think. I think… that I just became a THIRD WHEEL!' He mentally cried. 'Come on! Why did this have to happen? I thought Blake was the third wheel, not me!? I just wanted to spend time with Ruby! I need to find a way to get back in control of this! But how?'
Jaune's eyes darted about, hoping to find something that could grab their attention. Eventually, he found the perfect stand to serve as a distraction.
"Hey," Jaune pointed at another stand not too far from them. "That stand over there seems nice. Let's try it out!"
Following where Jaune was pointing, Blake and Ruby saw another shooting gallery, but this stand was different as the targets were the prizes. Seeing that the girl's was now on this stand, Jaune seized the moment by being the first to walk there, with Ruby and Blake following close behind.
"Hey, guys, check it out!" Ruby excitedly pointed at one of the stand's prizes. "The biggest prize is the exact one I tried to win at the other stand."
"Yeah," Blake crossed her arms and eyed the prize suspiciously. "Now that I think about it, all of the prizes here are the same as the ones from the last stand."
"I mean, I know this is the Vytal festival and all, but these stands are a little generic, like the kind you see at a typical carnival." Jaune wondered aloud. "I bet the reason for the similar prizes and stands is that most of these tents are one in the same, so of course that means they'd share the same prizes. But let's not brush this place off just yet, just try it out first."
Jaune called out to the stand's operator and asked if they could try a shot at getting the biggest prize. The man shook his head and glumly replied.
"Yesterday was a complete mystery to me. I had just finished getting everything up and running, when suddenly my tent collapsed, damaging most of my pop guns in the process. Now, I only have one and I had to change how my stand operates by having the prizes be the targets." He explained to the three teenagers. "One of you can try but you only get ten shots. I'm sorry, but those are the rules."
"What say you, girls? Who wants to go first?" Jaune asked the two huntresses as the stand operator retrieved the only working toy gun.
"I think you should go, Jaune. You picked this one and I think it's unfair that Blake and I were the only ones having fun." Ruby reasoned, with Blake nodding in agreement. Jaune didn't really want to argue about who goes first. After paying for the pellets and taking the pop gun, Jaune aimed the toy rifle at the prizes, all while deciding which one he should try and shoot down.
'Should I try and take down the biggest prize this place has to offer?' Jaune set his sights on the cartoon pig clad in a red and blue onesie. As he held the faux weapon in his hands, he had an epiphany. 'Holding this thing made me realize that I never really shot a gun before, let alone a toy one. I was always way more into the whole knight look with the swords and shields.'
With that realization, Jaune was sure that his chances of success were slim to none. But then, as he looked down the iron sights and stared at the plush pig, he realized that he indeed had some experience via shooting webs. His confidence restored, the blonde spider fired his first, hitting right side of the plushie, causing it to budge to the right. But it did not fall. He fired the second and third shot, hitting the same spot again, forcing the stuffed toy to edge closer and closer to the edge.
'Yep, it's definitely like shooting my web shooters.' He fired again, forcing the toy to move closer over the edge of the shelf. 'I remember how hard it was for me to aim just when I started practicing with my webs. But now, I can shoot standing about as well as I can swing from building to building. Just a few more well-placed shots and….'
Jaune didn't even finish that thought as he fired again and again, before his seventh shot brought the toy down! Jaune smirked victoriously and the girls applauded his success.
"Congrats! A lot of people usually for the smaller ones, but you're the first to bring the biggest one down!" The man handed the toy pig to Juane, who turned to look at Ruby and Blake.
"Nice shooting, Jaune!" Ruby smiled enthusiastically, giving him two thumbs up.
"Yeah, that was pretty good aiming." Blake commended with a smile, though hers' was less enthusiastic than Ruby's. "I would say it was a lucky shot, but seven 'lucky' shots show how skilled you really are."
Jaune beamed at the compliments and looked down at his prize. Without any hesitation, he handed it over to Ruby.
"Here," Ruby looked surprised as Jaune gave her the plush pig. "I don't really have a reason to keep it, but I hope you like it, Ruby. Just think of it as a memento from your time being at the festival.
The reaper looked at the toy in her arms and smiled thoughtfully. She hugged the toy to her chest, burying her face in its head, to hide the faint blush dusting her cheeks.
"Thank you, Jaune." Ruby told the boy. Ruby broke eye contact with Jaune, and looked to the side. Her face lit up and she waved an arm over her head. "Oh, Velvet! Hey!"
Hearing her call out his fellow photographer's name caused Jaune to turn around. He saw the V and F of Team CFVY walking toward the trio. As the two upperclassmen approached, the blonde eyed Velvet's blind companion.
'That guy Velvet's with, I think his name was Fox, last I remember.'
Velvet and Fox joined up with the group. Like them, the two were here to enjoy the festival, as their teammates were preparing for their match. Ruby was surprised to hear that Coco was competing instead of Velvet, as she felt that the rabbit Faunus was the better choice. She took the moment to gush over Velvet's performance in their team's match from yesterday.
"You were so awesome when you went all out yesterday, Velvet." Ruby stared at the rabbit faunus in awe. "Your weapon was so amazing and the way you fought by mimicking the other team's fighting styles was incredible! I can't believe Coco didn't want you to take part in today's round."
"No, Coco made the right choice. I kind of went overboard with Anesidora and it short-circuited. I left it at the school forge to get it fixed." When she looked at Juane and Blake, she realized she had forgotten to greet them. "Oh! I'm sorry for ignoring you guys! Good morning, Jaune. To you as well, Blake."
"Nice to see you, Velvet." Blake greeted in turn, before turning to Vel's teammate. "Fox."
Fox turned his head to where Blake was, having heard her voice, and gave her a polite nod. The blind huntsman then directed his attention onto Jaune. The sight of his milky pupils staring him down sent a jolt of discomfort coursing through the blonde boy's spine. Jaune couldn't understand how Fox knew where he was, considering he had barely moved or spoke anything.
'I didn't even say anything to Velvet, so how does Fox know where I'm standing? Could it be his semblance maybe? Man, I keep getting surprised by just how diverse semblances are.'
Fox continued to stare intently at Jaune, making the young man feel a little guilty for not properly greeting the two older students.
"Good morning, Velvet. You too, Fox."
Velvet gave Jaune a wide smile, while Fox's face showed no emotion whatsoever.
'Man,' Jaune felt nervous as a lone drop of sweat rolled down his forehead. 'I wonder what Fox is thinking right now.'
Power. That was the one word Fox thought when he sensed the presence of Velvet's new friend.
Fox usually wasn't usually caught off guard, considering he had a semblance that allowed him to detect another person's mind. And when one adds that to his other four finely-tuned senses, which went beyond the peak of human limits, resulted in a hunter who was barely fazed by anything.
And yet, Jaune Arc, the seemingly normal civilian, had been able to trigger both his semblance and his senses.
'His Muscles are coiled, tense, and ready for any possible attack.' Fox couldn't help but wince in pain as he heard Jaune move his arm. 'When he moves his body, his muscle tissue screech like steel as they twist together, yet hold strong without breaking.'
"I remember I didn't congratulate you guys the last time I saw you." Jaune spoke out. "I saw your match yesterday, too. You were incredible! I don't mean to sound insensitive, but it's incredible how you can fight without seeing. You have nerves of steel!"
Fox couldn't help but let out a smile at the compliment. He took great pride in his skills, especially since he was being trained by a man who also shared his handicap. But the young man knew he had a long way to go before he can match his mentor in skill.
Of course, it wasn't going to be easy outmatching his instructor. Fox has a long way to go before he becomes a man who knows no fear. Not without training, that is.
Feeling the movement in the air that Jaune's arm shifted through, Fox reached for his hand and squeezed, with the blond doing so in turn.
'Controlled.' Again, Fox heard Jaune's muscles strain as he sensed the reporter put an effort to control his strength.
'He's pure power and he doesn't even realize it.' Putting his hand back to his side, Fox chose to remain quiet and let Velvet take most of the attention. 'Last time I met him, I thought that I was just losing it after so many deployments outside of the kingdom. Now, I'm certain that Jaune is more then what he says he is, but that makes me even more curious on why he's keeping it a secret. Vel told us he was just a normal civilian living in Vale. But sensing what I do now, I can see it's just a cover.'
Things would be easier if he would just ask Jaune about who he was, but decided to not push about a topic. A person has secrets, he should know, since Fox was keeping several from his friends too.
'If Jaune is like my mentor, then I should just wait and monitor his actions. I should also let my mentor know about this too, just so he won't be surprised if he ever meets Jaune.'
"Fox," Velvet called out to him. "You want to join their group while we wait for the second round to start."
Outwardly, Fox sent a silent nod to confirm his agreement. Internally, he sent his thoughts on the matter to Velvet.
'Sure, sound like a plan to me.' He projected into her mind. 'I think I'm gonna try my luck at some of the fortune telling booths too. You know, just for the hell of it.'
"Great!" Velvet giggled, knowing full well what Fox intended to at those booths. Soon, the group of five went about their business and waited for the announcement of the second round's commencement.
"Still, I do wonder who Coco and Yatsu are going to fight; you think their opponents are going to be a challenge?"
'I doubt it.' Fox's shook his head as he followed Velvet. 'Those two are our tanks and their teamwork is incredible. Whoever they're fighting, well, I think we should pray Coco and Yatsu go easy on them.'
The second day's rounds of the 2 vs 2 match ups have concluded, and the results had been expected, but still surprising.
Yang Xiao-Long and Weiss Schnee had won their match against Flynt Coal and Neon Katt.
Penny Polendina and Ciel Soleil won theirs against Russel Thrush and Dove Bronzewing.
Lie Ren and Pyrrha Nikos had been victorious against their opponents, Sun Wukong and Neptune Vasilias.
As for Coco Adel and Yatsuhashi Daichi, who were against Emerald and Mercury?
"Gaaah~!" Coco rubbed the fatigue out of her eyes as she and the rest of her team made their way out of the infirmary. "That little… She must have pulled something to make me drop my guard."
"It's a shame we lost, but I believe our defeat was assured the moment we got too overconfident." Yatsuhashi, being the calm, level-headed giant that he was, threw in his two liens as he nursed his wounds.
"Normally I'd agree with you, Yatsu, but I still feel that we were cheated." Coco looked to their blind teammate. "Isn't that right, Fox?"
'Indeed, Coco, you were both deceived the moment the match started,' Thanks to Fox's incredible senses, the blind melee fighter had been able to drown out the cheering crowds to focus on the heartbeats of his teammates and their foes. 'Before you fought, I made sure to track their heart beats. Coco, you said you saw Yatsuhashi walking towards you in the forest, but it was actually Emerald.'
Understanding what her friend was saying, Velvet joined in the conversation.
"Which means her semblance is the ability to cast illusions that can fool the senses." Her team looked at her as she continued explaining. "The weird thing is that when she approached you, Coco, She could have rushed you while you were still trapped in her illusion. Instead, she slowly walked towards you once your back was turned. It seems to me that using her semblance impedes the speed of her movement. Her semblance works well with her weapons too, as she can make illusions to hide their weapon's shifted mode."
"Uh, Vel?" Coco was thankful for her to explain in detail, but Velvet was starting to mutter.
"The strange part was that her illusions seemed to work even while she was being recorded on the monitors, confusing everyone when they saw who they thought was Yatsu attack you instead of her. Maybe a specific type of lens can look through her semblance? Not to mention Fox was still able to recognize her heartbeat, which must mean that her semblance can only affect vision. For Mercury, it seems that he practices some form of kickboxing, but his attacks seemed way too strong for some reason. Even if he has some specially made footwear, he should still suffer draw backs, so maybe his legs-"
Coco clapped her hands right in front of Velvet's face, snapping her back to reality and keeping her from going full analyst on them.
"Calm down and take a breather, girl." Said her team leader. "We all get it, so please calm down before we have to take you to a nursing tent from losing too much oxygen."
Feeling her face redden from embarrassment, Velvet looked away from her team who. Taking Coco's advice, it took only a few seconds for her to finally regain control of herself.
"Now that we know know Emerald's semblance and skill set, thanks to my semblance that let's me remember and mimic anyone's skills, I can tell that Emerald isn't some typical Huntress. From her skills, semblance, strategy, and even her controlled movements, I can only guess that her mindset is similar to that of a thief."
Coco was beyond furious upon hearing Velvet's analysis. "Tsk! The little witch played us from the start! She made us look like total chumps in front of millions of people!"
"To be fair, Coco." Yatsuhashi said to his leader, "We do have to divulge how our semblances work when we apply to become hunters. At the same time, it is common for Huntsmen to conceal their semblances from their opponents, too. It was a fair fight, even if we lost."
'I wouldn't consider how they fought being 'fair', Yatsu.' While Fox had been able to identify the two by their heartbeats, he did notice two things that made suspicious of the duo. 'I only did it out of curiosity, but I picked up a certain scent on them while they were fighting.'
Fox had smelled a faint but familiar scent on the two that made him question just how innocent the two supposed freshmen were. That suspicion soon changed to certainty after the battle's conclusion. As He and Velvet had been allowed to enter the arena to check on their partners, the blind student had been able to get close to Emerald and Mercury as they walked past them.
'I hoped I was wrong, but when they passed us, I was sure of what I smelled on them.'
It didn't matter if they tried to hide it, for Fox's sense of smell still caught the odor. Even if the two had taken a hundred showers, he would have caught that scent anyway.
'It smelled like rust and copper. And before you ask, no, I'm not talking about their weapons.'
Their scent was familiar as he and his team had become quite familiar with during their missions to the kingdom's border.
'Those two had the scent of blood on them.'
So, this chapter did not have action and instead I wanted it to focus on other characters and some small high jinks when it comes to Jaune's normal life.
For those who do not know, Miranda and Sofia are indeed Marvel characters that are related to the X-men comics. I also made a small easter egg for Trask if anyone knows who that is.
My reason for it, is cause I know some of you commented a long while ago about why I didn't publish a chapter about why Atlas Soldiers took some of Spider-Man's webbing. Well, here us why, I wanted to give some time and space out some small details for later. I also wanted to show some differences between Jaune's webbing and a regular spider Funaus webbing. Since, in the Toby Maguire Spider-Man 2 movie, that Spider-Man showed that his webbing can hold long enough to stop a train.
As for the Spider Faunus, Trifa, who literally showed up for one episode for, like, 45 seconds kind of gave a poor light on how great they are. Like, the show does kind poor writing that involves them and they really don't show anything great about being a Faunus. In my opinion, I feel like Spider-Man has a way better description of being a Faunus, then an actual Faunus in the show.
Blake has yet talked to Jaune yet, because I plan for her to at least observe Jaune for this chapter and then next chapter she will confront him.
Back to the chapter. You all guessed what Fox is and by some intent I hope you guys see what I plan for Velvet too. Now, I know what you guys are thinking that this story already has too many characters. Yes, so maybe it's time I finally do some more crossovers, but I am still on the fence about making some decisions.
Next chapter will be the third day and soon the chapter after that you all will finally receive the action everyone has been waiting for.
Thank you all for your patients and to my Beta who helped me get this chapter finished. Please leave a review, fav, and follow the story! Thank you!
[Omake: Sand That Can Escape the Hourglass]
The first day of the Vytal Festival...
If Roman had one thing to complain about being locked up, it would be that he was always locked in some drab cell with walls that were painted either a fecal brown, egg shell white, or a urinated yellow. He was sure that the last cell he was in used to be white before turning a rather nauseating yellow. Valean prisons were known for their poor sewage systems, which often broke down whenever a person tries to flush just once.
But being arrested by Atlas and thrown into one of their cells? Honestly, Roman thought it was quite the luxurious experience.
'And from what I can hear outside.' Roman sat down on the bench and pressed his right ear to the wall he was leaning on. 'I can safely assume I'm inside one of their flagships. Nice to know they consider me enough of a threat to keep me out of a regular jail. Still...'
Roman retracted his ear from the wall and looked up at the camera watching him. 'Kinda wish they made the camera a little more inconspicuous. The last prison I was in at least made an effort to hide the camera.'
"Although, it was kind of nice that they let me keep my suit; I'd rather not wear a jumpsuit, I was already born with enough orange as it is." Roman said to the camera. The only response he received was the sound of the camera lens adjusting.
Having no means of entertainment, Roman opted to lean back, resting his head against the wall behind him. At first glance, people would have thought this a pitiable sight, a man once feared by a whole kingdom reduced to such a sorry state.
But not Roman; a criminal mastermind like him didn't get to where he was today by throwing in the towel. In fact, he was right where he needed to be. He had his reasons. The main reason being that Cinder had ordered him to find a way to bypass Atlesian security. And what better way there than from inside an Atlas prison cell?
'As for the other reason,' Roman heard what sounded like falling rain outside of his cell door. But the man knew that it wasn't. He looked to the camera, which swiveled its lens toward the door. He knew this to be the sign that the camera operator was now inoperable. 'Marko always did prefer the softer approach when it involves staying incognito. Plus, Beacon is probably keeping an eye on Neo, now that she's part of the pyromaniac's fake team for the festival.'
Roman watched as sand started sifting under the cell door. Eventually, the sand grew and grew, before shifting into the familiar form of Flint Marko, better known as the Sandman.
"You look like trash." Marko commented, not pulling any punches regarding his boss' appearance. The sand golem began explaining what was happening in the outside world. "The Maggia's been moving in on your turf, along with some small-time thugs too. They thought with you out of the picture, it'd be easy pickings. They didn't take into Neo, Rhino, and I being there."
"Rhino..." The ginger stroked his chin in thought. "Oh, right, the hole-digger! How is he, by the way?"
"He talks... a lot." Not wanting to digress from the main topic, Sandman told his employer. "I've already uploaded the virus like you told me to. They won't know what'll hit them until it's too late."
"Excellent." Roman rose from the bench. "And that other thing I needed you to do?"
Sandman stared at Roman and said nothing before shifting his body to resemble the master thief!
Roman stared at his identical doppelganger with an impressed smile. "Wow..."
After a long series of trial and errors, Flint had finally used his imagination for something other then basic violence. He had been able to transform into a perfect duplicate of Roman, down to the last detail.
"Wait..." The thief spoke as he pointed at his replacement's stomach. "Do I really look like this? I think you got the waist wrong.
Sandman said in Roman's voice. "No, I didn't."
Suddenly, the door opened and standing on the other side was an Atlas Soldier. Roman was about to order Flint to attack, only for his voice to die when he saw sand pouring out of the helmet. Marko explained, "This guard is just a copy of the original that was controlling the cameras. Follow him to one of the shuttles, but you can only land at the festival."
The faux guard plunged its hands into its sandy body. It quickly pulled out Roman's weapon, Melodic Cudgel, and tossed it to its rightful owner.
"Since they'd shoot you down if they spot on of their own fly away, it'd be best if you get a disguise too. I saw a laundry room some hallways back, so you-"
Roman stepped out of the cell without a word, leaving the fake to take his place.
"Security is just watching looped footage from the last hour. You only have thirty minutes before it cuts back to a live feed."
"Guess I better hightail it out of here in fifteen, then." Roman turned to Flint and tipped his hat to him. "Thanks for covering me."
"Don't thank me. It was your idea to begin with."
"I know. I was thanking myself." Roman smiled at his sand clone. "As much as I like to boast about my skills, I doubt I'd actually survive this if Cinder's plans actually works."
Turning on his heel, Roman moved to make his getaway, only to glance over his shoulder at Sandman. "I'll make sure your daughter stays safe until you come back. Good Luck, Flint."
Now free of his cell, the crime lord walked behind his 'guard' to safety, all while smiling at the knowledge that he was now free from Cinder's control.
"It's about time for the 'King' to take his throne back from the so-called 'Queen'."