Late again this week sorry. I had my second vaccine shot on monday, and the side effects put me down for the count for most of the week. Everything's fine now, and I'm glad I was able to finish this today at least x).
For the double rounds, Neo didn't need to be present or do anything in particular, so instead she lazed around at an ice-cream parlor to enjoy her favorite frozen treat. She was disguised of course, now that she was a wanted person just like Roman, but it didn't bother her that much. She had enough lien stored up to afford using illusion Dust to simply grab some ice-cream.
It was supposed to be just her and her ice-cream, for long hours before she had to prepare for what would happen during the single rounds, until someone sat in front of her.
Poking her head up and away from her ice-cream, Neo frowned at the stranger who had dared interrupt her, before that same stranger talked.
"It's been a while Neo". she said.
Neo's first instinct was to run off, just like the first time she had met Rumpole. However, just like before, Neo gave up before even starting, knowing she had certainly not grown enough to outrun her from this close, especially if she's been able to find her while she was in disguise.
Rumpole did notice the flash of panic and surprise over Neo's face though, yet it only made her laugh.
"A mute girl eating ice-cream instead of watching the matches isn't really that common you know." explained Rumpole.
Neo shrugged. She found no entertainment in watching those amateur matches. This was nothing like Mistral's Tournament that mostly featured people who had trained for decades, far more skilled than any of the students there.
"Now, would you mind telling me what you are doing here exactly ?" asked Rumpole, wanting to hear Neo's side of the pretty bad picture she and Theodore had found her in, "I thought you would have dealt with whoever posed Torchwick a problem a long time ago."
Neo looked down before setting to explain everything. Cinder was too strong to reliably kill while protecting Roman and herself, and now that he was in Atlas' hands she knew she wouldn't be able to get him out without Cinder's plan acting as a distraction.
Had this been her self from a little over a year ago, Neo wouldn't have said so much to Rumpole, knowing especially that the last part wasn't one the shorter woman would condone. However, after learning from her, she knew that Rumpole would only ask her that question if she had already decided she had overstayed her bounds. If she tried to lie or hide the truth, Rumpole wouldn't wait to find it before getting rid of her.
If Rumpole was going to kill her, Neo was going to fight back, but if there was a chance she could accept the path she had taken, then it was best to let her know the entire truth first.
"In a way, I kind of expected it." said Rumpole, "And while normally I would ensure her death personally I'm afraid my current priority is to protect my students."
Neo was confused. Wouldn't killing Cinder remove the threat, and so protect everyone ?
"I understand your confusion." said Rumpole, noting Neo's behavior, "However, I don't know if this Cinder is currently the only one threatening Vale, and I don't even know if killing her can be enough to stop her plan at this plan, from the little you've told me. One of the two working with her could pick it up after she dies, or if she's part of what I suspect she is, then someone higher up than her might take it over."
Neo nodded. Rumpole wasn't taking risks. The students had to be protected first, and only once they were safe would she deal with the threat, if it wasn't too late. It was the same thing Neo herself had tried to do with Roman, except she had no luck convincing him to flee to safety.
"I'll try to get custody of Torchwick." said Rumpole after a while, "Ozpin and Ironwood are sure to suspect something after this, but I believe you are worth this much."
Neo blinked twice, not sure she heard right.
"If I get him out, I'm expect you to follow suit." she continued, "But if I can't... no matter what happens, please come back to us alive."
Rumpole stood up, took a few steps before turning back one last time.
"And if the worst were to happen... please don't blame yourself too much."
Ironwood was exhausted, he just had to deal with a good student attacking another unprovoked live on television, when he was warned about several airships coming from Vacuo nearing on the city's airspace, currently occupied by his army's own airships. After confirming they were indeed only transports hailing from Shade, he decided to go to Beacon's airdocks to meet with them personally.
The only person to walk down those ships was Rumpole, Shade's headmaster right hand and their main suspect for a mole in their organization right now.
"Hello miss Rumpole." said Ironwood, "May I ask the reason for your visit, along with so many ships ?"
"I thought it would be obvious general." answered Rumpole, "I'm here to get my students home, to safety."
Ironwood had to take a moment before that sentence could sink it, and it almost made him blow up.
"I have my army overseeing everything ! This is the safest place on Remnant right now !" he almost shouted, "In what world would your little sandhole of a city be any safer that here ?"
"I am not here to argue with you Ironwood." said Rumpole, "I'm here to gather my students and that is it, unless you plan on confining all those Huntsmen and Huntresses in training here ?"
Without waiting for an answer, Rumpole walked by him and headed towards Ozpin's tower. After a few meters though, she stopped and turned back towards Ironwood before moving again.
"And to answer your question." she said, "The sturdiest walls do nothing against those already inside."
In his office, Ozpin didn't wait long before letting Rumpole in, Ironwood following her.
"Good Evening miss Rumpole." said Ozpin, "You have said you wanted to get your students back to Shade ?"
"Yes Ozpin." answered Rumpole, "I wanted to ask for your help in gathering them, if you don't mind."
"It is regrettable to see Shade leave us so soon, but I understand your concerns." said Ozpin, "I simply wished you were here to help instead."
"We have helped already, yet it doesn't seem anyone is willing to listen." answered Rumpole, "But I believe you already had this argument with Theodore."
"We had." agreed Ozpin, "And my decision hasn't changed, those students have participated fairly since the beginning, they even had one of their members wounded earlier and left to heal up back at Mistral."
"You can't seriously believe one of your students did this right ?" asked Rumpole, "From what we know of miss Xiao Long, even if she has a short fuse she isn't one to attack unprovoked, much less to the point of breaking bones."
"That is true, and while we believe there is some kind of trick at play here." explained Ozpin, "The fact remains that a students maimed another in front of thousands."
"We think Neo Politan has cast illusions to set up the two students in that situation." added Ironwood, "Since she was on mister Black's team and had fought with miss Xiao Long before, it is likely that she figured out some way to cause such a situation to occur."
"It's a bad habit to always jump at the same suspect general." pointed out Rumpole, "As far as we know her illusions can be seen by everyone."
"She's an extremely likely suspect." said Ironwood, "And our information on her semblance dates from a good five years now. For people who find their semblances so young, that is when there is the most variation."
"Not often to the point of suddenly changing a core aspect." countered Rumpole.
"Regardless, we know illusions have to be involved somehow." interrupted Ozpin, "Miss Xiao Long swears she was attacked while mister Black had the same story as everyone else watching. However, that is not the subject of your visit. I will ask for your students to gather in the auditorium tomorrow morning, do you have anything more to add ?"
"Thank you, and yes, I do." said Rumpole, "Vacuo would really appreciate if you could transfer custody of Roman Torchwick."
"What the ?" started Ironwood.
"For that I would need an official request from the Vacuan council." answered Ozpin.
"No need." said Rumpole, placing her scroll on Ozpin's desk, "I have one right here."
Ozpin took his time reading the document, while Ironwood completely blew up.
"We're not going to give you Torchwick !" he shouted, "He's a dangerous criminal and our only source of information on our enemy's plans !"
"If you treat any information you get as well as you treated the one we gave you, then I'm afraid no amount of information sources would help you." pointed out Rumpole, "Although I doubt he told you anything meaningful anyway."
Ironwood fumed and closed his fist until his knuckles went white, before turning to Ozpin.
"You're not going to let her are you ?" he asked.
"I can see all the paperwork is in order, and I see no reason to refuse such a request given the crimes charged here, even though I hardly understand how he was able to do them." explained Ozpin, "I will ask general Ironwood to transport him to Vacuo inside his high security prison after the Vytal Festival."
"Our ships are capable of transporting him, I was expected to bring him back along with the students, there are no better guards." insisted Rumpole.
"I am afraid I cannot let you do that." said Ozpin, "We do need him in Vale until the end of the Festival as bait."
"Then I guess you can ignore our request." stated Rumpole, "Because I don't believe you will still have him in custody by the time this ends."
Like Ozpin had promised, Rumpole met all of Vacuo's students the following morning at the auditorium.
"Students." she spoke up, "I know it is usually a Shade tradition for students to travel in and from any kingdom for the Vytal Festival on their own, however the school still has a duty to protect all of you until your graduation. While no issue has risen because of this tradition before, headmaster Theodore and I now believe that, with the increased grimm activity due to recent events it would be wiser to bring you all home. Considering our last competing teams have been eliminated in the double matches yesterday, I have come here with enough transports to bring you all back. I know this is sudden and many of you would like to enjoy the last few days of the Festival, however I'm afraid we must leave as soon as possible, so I am expecting you all to pack up your things and show up at the airdocks for departure as soon as possible. Now get to it."
Most if not all the students obeyed instantly, leaving only team BRNZ and NDGO who walked up to Rumpole.
"Miss, do we really need to leave ?" asked Nebula, the leader of team NDGO, "If there is an increase in grimm around the city, we want to help."
"That is noble of you." answered Rumpole, "But nobility doesn't save lives. Wait until your graduation to fight outside of missions, you are not ready yet, that is why the school is still there to protect you."
"But Ma'am" interrupted Nolan, a member of team BRNZ, "Isn't the job of of a Huntsman to rise up in time like these ?"
"You are not Huntsmen or Huntresses yet." said Rumpole before sighing when she saw the members of the two teams look down, "But the school year hasn't started yet, so if you feel so strongly about staying here, I guess I can't stop you."
The students' eyes instantly lit up as they all jumped in celebration before leaving.
"Thanks Miss Rumpole !"
"What do you think ?" asked Glynda, "Why did she want to get Torchwick away with her students ?"
"My first guess would be that she is indeed our mole, and she's trying to get one of Salem's men out after a plan gone wrong." answered Ozpin, "However that seems like something far too obvious for someone we've never been able to read."
"And what about this Cinder Fall's team ?" added Glynda.
"I honestly believe they are merely victims in this ploy." said Ozpin, "But even if Theodore is right, it doesn't matter. They are already back to Mistral and not the threat we must focus on right now."
"I really hope Neo isn't the one who caused all of this." said Glynda.
"And I hope you're wrong." said Ozpin, "Because if you are right, then it means our enemy is far closer than we are prepared for."
Should I point out that all of Shade's students being brought back home in the middle of the festival would only make Cinder's speech about the Kingdoms being on the brink of war even more convincing ?
To be continued on July 31st
Name : Neo Politan
Age : 16
Level : 16 (18%)
Class : Illusionist [You add both your Intelligence and Dexterity modifiers to your AC and to Dexterity or Intelligence based attacks as long as you can still cast illusions]
Path : Me, myself and I [You live for yourself first and foremost, no matter what pain you might cause others]
Title : The Gamer
HP : 10/10
AP : UNUSABLE
STR : 11
CON : 10
DEX : 18
INT : 21
WIS : 12
CHA : 16
Semblance : The Gamer
Status effects :
Gamer's body [Your body follows game-like mechanics. You can restore 1/4th of your total HP (rounded down) by resting 15 minutes. You can only die if your HP reach 0 and you fail your last breath]
Child of Remnant [You are from Remnant and follow different rules than other worlds. Your HP is always equal to your constitution and any bonuses that would normally improve it are transferred to your aura]
Fighting for your life [Your aura behaved in the only way that would let you survive, and will continue to do so until you overcome your trauma. You cannot use aura, but you can will any item you wield for it to reflect 100% of any attack that hits it]
Words that shouldn't be said [Your last words almost caused you to lose your life. You cannot talk until you overcome your trauma]
Defenses :
AC : 26(30)
For : 19
Ref : 25
Will : 23
