Black Paladin

Chapter 17: Vytle Plot Movement

I woke up to my alarm, something unusual for a Saturday. However, today was special.

Professor Port was having a special set of lectures on the best kind of Grimm; the truly ancient forms and their respective abilities, the rare, and something close to my heart, the unique.

I knew I was going to go and Weiss, who was determined to learn everything she could, would go with me. I got out of my corner to see her ready to go. I sped through my routine and we left almost twenty minutes early. Pyrrha and the rest of JNPR went out late last night with Yang and weren't moving anytime soon.

As we walked, Weiss asked, "So Obsidian, normally you all but sleep through Port's classes. I thought you didn't take anything he taught seriously?"

I explain, "Weiss, he understands what Grimm can do, however..." I pause, "Have you ever looked at my copy of Grimm Biology?"

"No..." Weiss says, "Is it different?"

"Yes and no. I highlighted the parts that are correct and... corrected... the rest." I say, getting it from my bag and floating it to her.

As she opens it, she gasps slightly and points to the section on Nevermore. "You highlighted three sentences."

I nod, "Nevermore are winged creatures of Grimm capable of unlimited flight. These creatures are capable of expelling their feathers in a technique known as a hail or barrage of feathers. Nevermore grow until they reach a wingspan of 95 meters unless further size is shown to be a survival necessity."

She reads the highlighted sections and my notes along the margins, and comments, "They don't require sustenance to regrow feathers or even whole wings?"

I explain, "Nope, while those and sleep are excellent to speed the regeneration and expansion, neither are actually required. This is a fairly universally misunderstood aspect of Grimm. We...They don't require any form of sustenance. This is regularly demonstrated by pockets of Grimm growing during decades or centuries of hibernation, not eating anything. I require some sustenance, however, that can be food, water, sleep, or other Grimm."

I pause, and she asks, "Why do you eat like we do then?"

I say, smiling, "Much like Grimm who survive encounters with hunters, eating, sleeping, etc, accelerates growth, and unfortunately consuming Grimm hyper-accelerates my...age you could say."

"Age?"

I explain, "Older Grimm can grow back more mass per second, they can grow larger, and more importantly, they can adapt their mass more directly. The thing I did for Duality? Incorporating dust into the organic structure like that? Before the breach, I couldn't have done something that complex, now? Who knows?"

Weiss asks, "So like experience? The more you age, the more tightly you can control...you?"

"Exactly. Sleep, training, food, and combat especially, accelerate my aging."

"Okay."

I open the door, commenting, "We're here."

To the large empty classroom.

"Great."

Someone calmly speaks from behind us, "Good morning students."

Weiss and I turn, weapons drawn, and energy crackling, to the relaxed visage of Headmaster Ozpin, who is holding his signature coffee mug.

"Professor Port had to make a last minute trip, so I will be taking over his extra lesson today."

Weiss and I sheath our weapons sheepishly, and walk inside, taking front row seats.

"Today..." Ozpin begins, his usual yet still unsettling tone seeping into his voice, "We will be covering the most powerful and deadliest form of Grimm humanity has ever survived encountering."

Ozpin brought up a slideshow of the creatures he would be covering, and as he explained, Weiss and I took careful notes. Several times throughout the first hour it was fairly difficult to understand why these were not covered in regular classes, however as his information slowly grew more and more terrifying, and the inside joke that Weiss and I shared that I could do something became more and more horrific.

Then he transitioned from threatening Grimm to Elders and we were floored. The power truly ancient Grimm wielded was beyond simple description. The way age mutated powerful Grimm from simple, single team level hunt, into a three or four teams minimum level hunt was indescribable. These Grimm were incredibly lethal, and for a brief moment truly thought that it couldn't get worse.

Then Ozpin continued his voice growing more hollow, as we transitioned into the ones I had so anticipated. The unique Grimm. Individual Grimm so strange not to have a designated species. Beings that were powerful enough to warrant dozens of hunters working together to stop, and even then the assault teams were almost guaranteed to have casualties.

Weiss and I both needed and took the offered break to get some water and to stabilize ourselves. Then Ozpin dropped his final painful level of information.

"One final subject I wish to cover is the creation of Grimm." Ozpin began, and Weiss and I looked up, confused. Both wondering what he meant.

"This information is classified, as we believe that it would cause a panic, but Grimm aren't born, they are created."Ozpin began, a chill descending over the classroom, "Normally this isn't covered at Beacon, because it is widely considered superstition by most scholars, but I feel that the information should be given to all student willing to learn of the possible dangers the Grimm present."

A picture appeared on the board, a fairly blurry one, but it very clearly showed Grimm, climbing out of black pools...

...looking up, the sky, dripping black fluid…

...red plain, with jagged crystals…

...a red landscape dotted with purple pillars reaching high into the blue sky…

…"This is the Grimmlands, a picture from a fleet of drones sent in to gather data on the area before it was destroyed..."

...red Eyes, a Voice, "Hello child"...

"…We believe pools like this exist all around the world and that Grimm are formed in these pools by negative emotion…"

…the Voice commands the Eyes watch "Go my creation."...

"…We believe that this liquid colloquially referred to by those who believe in its existence as Grimm Wells, creates and can enhance Grimm who remain in close proximity"...

… the Eyes followed us, the Voice approved, "Yes my child, kill them all…"

"… We further believe that this explains the limitless number of Grimm humanity has faced over the centuries…"

"… for you are my family…"

"...and the intensity that the Grimm display when defending certain areas… "

"... and united we will snuff out the light!" the Voice hissed…"

"... such as deep cave systems, as may well explain the concentration of overwhelming Grimm found deep underground."

The slide changes to the traditional end in slideshow black. and the memory ends. I slowly looked down and saw my hand shaking. Weiss looked over and I felt her concern, but I gestured heavily to Ozpin and signaled later.

Ozpin paused, seemingly watching us, as Weiss took in the information he had presented and I recovered from the vision. "That will be all for today students. I hope you can use this information well."

And on that painfully nonreassuring note, he left the room, leaving one of us nearly cationic in his wake.

"Are you entirely sure that was necessary, it may only accelerate his growth."

"Absolutely. The inclusion of Mrs. Schnee and the fear she has of his newly realized possible growth will spread to his teammates, and Mr. Arc's team, their fear will slow him down because he won't have the courage to experiment in his own. On his scroll…"

"You hacked his scroll?"

"Of course, I ensure access to the scrolls and data of any student that may be required to register as a WMD post-graduation."

"That happens?"

"Yes. At the beginning of the year, I had suspicions about 7 new students. I ensure that I recruit any student that I believe to have the potential for such ability. Four suspected students have been ruled out of the first year class, their powers are incapable of the feats I had suspected of them, and others most assuredly are."

"Can we ask who?"

"Yang Xiao Long, which after the incident several days ago you must have suspected. Pyrrha Nikos is still a strong candidate in the possible equivalent of the Magnetic Bomb, something that the Faunus Right Revolution taught us is a terrifying weapon and something that I know Atlas still regrets building to this day. Asure Clearwood, third year, twin sword duelist has the ability to draw energy from the environment and can kill plant life and people without aura easily. Finally, Tyrian Kingsline, second year, dust specialist, has a yet unmeasured geomancy semblance thus far demonstrated to be capable of creating a category 8 earthquakes, and possibly far worse."

"We're getting off topic, you said he won't have the confidence, explain."

"Obsidian is terrified of his powers. Simply put, he is terrified that his powers could act independent of his control, and after the Breach incident he understandably only grew more afraid. With the abundance of power I have demonstrated to him, and the fear of that power that I have put into place around him, he will be hesitant to continue down the route of experimenting with his powers and will simultaneously widen the field of experimentation, without the possibility of straying into the view of Her."

"What do you mean, widen the field?"

"No individual Beowulf ever recorded would give any graduate from Beacon trouble, no recorded single Ursa would ever be recorded as threatening enough to require the deployment of a full team. These species of Grimm simply have a limit to their abilities, until he began experimenting. The cameras I have placed in the training room have witnessed the training Grimm he has created for RWBY and JNPR, they are Grimm tailored to be killed only one way. Grimm that, without the knowledge of the existence of the existence of Chimera or Hydra have regeneration and armor able endure punishment unheard of outside those two species. He has created Beowulfes that press Mrs. Rose's natural speed with lighter and lighter armor, and regeneration beyond even the Hydra's when testing Yang's power. If he weren't in the room, ensuring that the fight didn't turn lethal, he would have created Beowulves that would require all the information gathering and planning of Chimera pack or a Hydra. These are threats that could kill teams, from Grimm that never become anything more than fodder. He is experimenting with the upper limits of basic Grimm, and his control of Grimm."

"He didn't notice the cameras?"

"He disabled the easily visible cameras, and many of the hidden cameras, but I have ensured that we can observe the training rooms at all times regardless of the number of cameras you disable, accidentally or intentionally. I also ensured that the cave he retreated to is monitored for activity regularly."

"Damn."

"Indeed. Another far more pressing real concern, especially with his experimental control of Grimm, and my firm belief that She has an ability to communicate internationally via a Grimm network is that he will accidentally tap into her communication network."

"Wouldn't that terrify him enough to stop him?"

"He is an orphan, adopted and then orphaned again. She could easily influence him that She was the only one capable of filling the emptiness left in him by his mother's death, and there isn't a force in the world that could stop him from finding her should she succeed. His dedication could match the drive seen in Yang with her search for Raven, only in this case she would be assisting him so she can mold him into a weapon against the human race. A force that powerful at her side could be far more powerful than possibly even the Maidens and would be a death sentence to humanity."

"And you didn't tell him about those, so while he creates even more perfect killing machines out of the most terrifying Grimm ever recorded, he won't be looking for communication Grimm."

"Yes."

"To sum up your argument, you slowed down any progress he can make, because he will be terrified of the power's he could manifest, without the emotional support that has allowed him to experiment as much as he has, while simultaneously giving him dozens if not hundreds of small abilities that add up to the monsters you described, even while ensuring he doesn't have a desire or time to possibly discovered the existence of the one being capable of swaying him to the other side."

"That is a correct, if limited summation, yes."

"I'm not drunk enough for this."

When Weiss and I met RBY and JNPR in the cafeteria we were still recovering.

"How was your extra lesson. Did Port tell more of his yawn-tacular stories?" Yang asked.

"No." I said, barely able to speak.

"Headmaster Ozpin gave the lesson, and we just… it was brutal to hear the facts laid out like that." Weiss said mechanically.

"That's Ok!" Nora said, "Because Obsidian can just ka-floosh…" Nora made an exploding feature with her hands and slammed them together. "And boom, we're done."

Weiss and I pale further, and Blake asks slowly, "How bad was it."

"Bad. Very bad." I say, unable to eat.

"It can't be that bad." Ruby said, grabbing Weiss's notebook, and opened it, speed reading it, and then stops cold. "Oh."

"What did you get to?" Weiss asks numbly.

"Pluto." Ruby says slowly.

"Ruby, don't force yourself to read if you don't think you can continue." I say.

"How much worse?" Ruby asks, reaching over and comforting Weiss.

"Much." Weiss says learning into Ruby.

"What's a Pluto?" Pyrrha asks, laying a comforting arm around me.

"Pluto is an ancient Grimm, associated with the geist type that has the ability to reconstitute Grimm who die near it. It also seems to disintegrate people and building by focusing on them." I explain softly. "It manually collects the particulates using sets of arms and literally rebuilds the Grimm."

Ruby looks over, "The notes only say the first part. How…?"

"I need to go. Sorry." I say, all but running out of the cafeteria.

I run to the cliff. I needed the space, the isolation to process the horrible knowledge sprinting through my head.

I sit, barely breathing, trying to calm down. When I feel Pyrrha walk up.

"Obsidian?" She asks softly.

"Hi, Pyrrha."

"What's wrong?"

"I…"

"You can tell me anything." she says, reassuringly.

"Even since the Taijitu, the breach, I have had a much easier time connecting with my powers. The ifs and maybes are gone, leaving a burning how. Even for things that I don't want to know how to do, things that the concept of being able to do terrifies me. Every single thing Ozpin said today… as I… as I wrote it down, I could see the pieces come together in my head, how I could become each and everything he talked…" I stopped as a sob ripped its way free and handed her the book, opened to today's notes.

She took her time, reading over every creature, never asking any if the questions forming in her increasingly fearful mind.

Then she opened the last page. The page on the Grimm Wells. She stopped cold. She read and the anger, no, the hatred growing in her mind was numbing. If she…

"Obsidian, I want you to know that this isn't going to come between us. That we are stronger than this...Ok?" She asks. Her fear slowly decreasing, and asks, "Your not going to create these...monstrous things, right?" as hate grew within her.

I pause. The sudden shift between the dark nectar of fear and the boiling spicy hate was disjointing. "Huh?" came my disjointed response.

"I hate to ask you to do this, but I need to. I plead you not to create one of these." She asked.

I began to agree, as she continued. "I… I…"

"I never told you how I lost my mother." Pyrrha said calmly, sorrow standing, as her hate burns out as looked out at the mountains. "She was a huntress. She went into the mountains to defend a village, and she died. I was six."

I move over, comforting her as she did me not an hour ago. "I understand."

"There was a Darkling Hive. Nineteen hunters want in. The live reports said they breached the Queen's room, and then screams." She continued, "The feed from the town was quiet for a moment, and then gunfire. The hive and then the town were overrun. Mistral gunships had to firebomb the whole area."

"How…?" I ask, confused how no one knew about these things.

"About a year ago, I pushed and the council in Mistral let me see the data. I didn't know how mutations like that could happen. Not until..."

I move toward her and wrap my arm around her, "I understand." I trying to comfort her.

She calmed slightly, and finally sat still. "Thanks, Obsidian." ...

Weiss and I had been working with my casting, as my glyphs were rough. She was demonstrating hers, just holding them in place, and when I demonstrated mine she was appalled.

"This circle wouldn't hold itself together for a full spell!"

"It isn't meant to. It is meant to forcibly manifest the proper dust type and intensity while I controlled the spell." I say.

"What?"

I realized as the anger, a flood of pepper rage flooded from her that I had messed up.

"You meen to say that you guided the energy from your blasts with you aura, not an actual glyph?"

"Yes?"

"You imbecile! You are tainting the dust that way, the effect wouldn't be nearly as potent. It wouldn't inflict any effect against someone who put their aura in a dense field, they could just slap it out of the way! The first competent person you came up against in the Vytle tournament would have taken you apart!"

I smirk, "So does…"

"I never bother to look, I was assuming you weren't some low country imbecile who was actually educated in dust use and application!"

"I am self-taught from a back country town the most potent dust available to me was C class, and that was only what was marked down due to overstock."

She paused, going bright red; regret, pity, and shame ran through her, and apologized. "Sorry."

"There is a reason I told you I didn't know what I was doing creating a focus, let-alone casting with any proficiency."

"The glyphs you used for movement…"

"Plagiarism." I said waving at her.

She nods, and we spent several weeks ensuring I understood the fundamentals of combat dust.

I trained with my Grimm aspect as well. Slowly at first, the concepts Ozpin had terrified Weiss and I with were less fluid than I had originally expected them to be. Most, a majority actually, of the Grimm he talked about weren't something I needed, given the massive overlap between one species traits and another, but several stood out.

My first priority, especially after Raven, was endurance. My first thought was the chimera's near indestructibility, and attempting to augment the experiment that Yang had already been helping my with, and while it worked, I carried all the weaknesses that made Chimera a surmountable threat, the inability to totally cover sensory organelles. My eyes, ears, nose and mouth were all still able to let damage beyond the thin layer that the hardening effect created, and when attempting to expand further, the material fought me at every turn. I had far more success with the Hydra's regeneration. They had a rate of regrowth that defied conventional logic, and while I had a regeneration effect, the Hydra's power was far more potent and far less energy intensive, and I benefited from it extraordinarily when training with Ruby and Yang.

Another was speed, and I turned to the Darkling. They were known for being blisteringly fast, and the combination with the already enhanced speed I was pulling from the Beowulf, combined with the near humanoid structure, something that helped tremendously when adapting it for myself, progress went quickly. Their parallel boned limb design was strange, given how accustomed I was a single fleshy tubes, not two dense strands in parallel, but this design was far more compact and aerodynamic, and the way the avian style claws and the jagged tail worked together felt almost like how Ruby described using Crescent Rose as a rudder to make sharper turns at high speeds.

The powers of the legendary Grimm were harder than I had imagined replicating, but given the knowledge that these things had a low ball estimation of several thousands of years to experiment, I didn't feel so bad about that. Especially after discarding the ones who were simply legendary for being faster of bigger than had even been recorded, I had about a dozen names to look into. Pluto was easy, as I had figured out how it did it, and applied it. Thor, who had wings of solid bones and could fly, well that was taking me some time to adapt. Unless I fully changed into it, then it just worked, almost like a requirement. I felt something… shift internally when I assumed the full form. Some small part of myself altered and was coursing with power, not a lot, but enough as I fully shifted to Thor to be noticeable, and as I felt for it with my aura, it came alive.

Air dust. Not much, barely even there, but enough to drastically push me in the right direction. I expanded the feeling through the wing, and as I slowly shifted back to my regular size, with my wings hardened into the sharp bone that Thor was famous for, it stayed, and it felt more powerful than I had imagined it could. I retracted my aura and flapped my wings, not usually enough to even move me initially, but I slammed head first into the roof of the cave. I felt the energy of the wind dust swirl around me in a sphere of protection and it was startling, the rush of being full of energy, dust, was exhilarating, and I flew a few laps around the cave, and landed.

Some of the power of ancient Grimm wasn't just biological, it was including dust into the biological powers that made them so strong. Something that was both terrifying, and somehow empowering.

I struggled with several others, before discovering they existed along the same vein. Generating lightning, fire, and in one special case, darkness dust became part of my ever-growing repertoire. My experiments with the other types were fruitless, as every dust had an entirely different feeling within me, and as far as I could tell had no correlation.

My final experiments were by far the most horrific, but the ones I felt were entirely necessary, especially given JNPR and RWBY's shared aspirations as hunters and huntresses. Having an understanding of the truly terrible things in this world. I scaled the cave, and I created a Grimm Well. Something I quickly realized isn't actually a Grimm. It was like a condensed form of the liquid that Grimm 'bleed' but simultaneously less and so much more. This small, foot long diameter puddle had power far beyond anything I had ever created before. Pondering the effect the liquid could have on Grimm and wondering if I should feel something empowering from the presence of this liquid, I failed to notice that it flowed remarkable like sentient tar, until I felt a new Grimm form. I looked at a small weed, absorbing the tar like substance, turning solid while, and growing at an exponential rate until the liquid was gone, all absorbed into the plant.

Then it moved. The plant got up out of the ground and moved toward me like a sentient spiky, vaguely animalistic looking tree. I responded valiantly. Drawing on my power in a burst of fear, as I turned everything in that general direction to ash. The molten rock left in the wake isn't as comforting as I thought it would be.

My power grew, but my teammates growth was in far excess of my expectations, each revelation more eye-opening, and disheartening, than the last and I felt that if I didn't stay ahead I would be left behind. I almost got to the point that I considered to begin to experiment with the nastier side, the exact powers I had discarded for their terrifying potential. Then, in a conversation with Ruby, my fears were calmly put to rest, and I was reminded of just how far I couldn't afford to push myself.

One early morning, before breakfast, Ruby drags me off to the side and demands, "When was the last time you slept?"

The question threw me, and I asked, "What?"

"You have been leaving the team room the moment you think we are asleep, and coming back minutes before our alarms go off. You have been doing it for weeks. Explain." Ruby demanded, showing her more authoritative side.

I blanked, I didn't know how she knew, I didn't know how to defend myself. I especially didn't know how I could explain myself until Ruby cut in. "You, and Weiss and sometimes Yang, and occasionally Blake all forget that I am not unobservant. I know you are going to the forest, I think you're going to your cave. Yes?"

I nod, confused by the upbeat emotions and the serious conversation.

"I assume you are training because you don't feel like a valuable member of the team without being the strongest. No?" Ruby continued, flooring me, knowing that she is right.

"When Weiss realized that I had gotten up into the top couple percentages of the first year, she was upset. I noticed; you noticed, and we all started getting dust lesson from her. Because of necessity, and because it made her feel better. When she realized that I dragged Yang up too, she was upset that she didn't feel as needed in RWBYO. We talked and she realized that it was a good thing, but not before spending a week barely sleeping and almost failing a quiz because of it. Blake had her episodes with Torchwick and running because of her White Fang history, but we solved those."

"You came to this school as the strongest first year, and possibly the strongest student in the student body, but now you see Yang able to match you, and Weiss able to match you, and..." she paused, reddening, "When I cut off your arm and even Jaune getting some super aura now and... and.."

She paused, taking a breath, "I understand if you feel like we won't need you anymore, but that isn't the truth. We will never not need you because we will never stop being your teammates. You are part of RWBYO, and you will always have a place with us, regardless of how powerful you feel you are or aren't."

I stood stunned. "Wow."

She looked up at me, a frown, "What? I can be understanding, and logistical!"

"Logical." I correct, smiling at the joke. She had begun to taunt Weiss with the vocabulary mistakes she was prone to at the beginning of the year.

She stopped smiling. She looked up, somber, "I read your notes. Well and all."

I froze solid. The fear visible crossed my face, and Ruby's frown deepened. "Some of those creatures are abominable. I am not saying I don't want you to explore your powers, it would be unfair of me to disapprove of your experiments, while accepting your help experimenting with our limits, but some lines shouldn't be crossed. Ok?"

I nod, feeling her fears dissipate, and agreeing to something I regretted saying some months ago.

"About a year ago, I pushed and the council in Mistral let me see the data. I didn't know how something like it could happen, nor why ."

I move toward her, and wrap my arm around her, "I understand." I trying to comfort her.

She calmed slightly, and finally sat still. "Thanks, Obsidian."

"I know it is horrible to ask this, and I don't want it to come between us, but will you promise me, you won't experience with the truly horrible side of these monsters." Pyrrha asked slowly, fear building.

"I promise."

I had promised, I had agreed to something I knew full well that I wouldn't keep. But now, now I knew I could.

As the Vytal tournament grew ever closer, we were all told we needed to register; our team, it's members, names, years, etc.

As we got there, the teller through us for a curve ball. "Teams are restricted to four members."

We paused, momentary fear in all five of us showing, and almost immediately they calmed, but it was enough to spur me to action. "We would like to register two teams. Team RWBY of Beacom, and Obsidian Sinclair of Beacon."

They all paused, and Ruby began, "Obsidian you don't…"

"Ruby, this isn't about proving myself, or even about my pride. You will be at a startling disadvantage as a team of three, I wouldn't for a moment ask you four to decide with of you should join me. The same goes for a partnership, a team of two would be even worse off. However you four and JNPR have more than enough experience training against just me that I think I have a damn good shot. Remember CRDL?"

They all pause, remembering my fight against Cardin's team.

"I challenge...them." I called, pointing the newly perfected Fóvos at CRDL.

Cardin's face grew red, "I accept!"

Professor Goodwitch asked, slowly, "Are you sure Mr. Winchester?"

"I am!" He demanded, to the horror of his teammates.

"Fine then, Mr. Sinclair vs Team Cardinal"

I walked down to the arena, followed by CRDL, and as we all got in the ring, I smirked, and drew a clip of ammo, and asked aloud, "So Ruby, the bigger ones were for simple matches right?"

She called down, knowingly, and in mock fear, "No, those are for Goliaths."

"Oh well." I respond, mockingly, to RWBY's amusement, and CRDL's horror.

Professor Goodwitch began, "This is a class one dual, no permanent injuries allowed."

"I reassembled the dummy's leg from a land mine in advanced first aid last week." I defend, "It's probably can't be worse than that."

She almost smiled, as she called, "Begin!"

I pointed Fóvos, and the fear induced lowered aura in Sky from that alone, and fired a stream in the small ammo Ruby had devised, and in that moment, it became one on two. Dove and Cerdin stood, aura at about ninety, while Sky and Russell lay in the red, groaning.

I looked down, the way the handle shifted up, reminding me of Coco's weapon more than I had originally anticipated, and I morph it back into a broadsword to block Cardin's overhead, before kicking him hard in the leg, knocking him to one knee.

I swung the flat of my blade and slapped Cardin across the face with it, knocking him to the ground. The combination on my hits brought him to the yellow, and the lightning empowering it on the backswing shattered the rest. He fell auraless, and Russell fell another ten percent or so, and I charged.

Russell barely got his dagger in place to intercept me before my sword crashed into them. And through them. Fóvos struck painfully into his armor and the lightning shock accompanying it took care of the rest. He fell, below the defeated line to the ground, and Professor Goodwitch called, "That's enough. Victory to Mr. Sinclair."

I walked over to Cardin, and knelt down, "Coco kindly requests that you leave her friend alone."

"Or what?" He demanded.

"I stop interceding between Coco and Nora. Then they can decide how to encourage you to stop." I smile, and he pales to a degree that rivals even Weiss.

As I get back up to the rest of the team, Yang asks, "What was that?"

"Velvet and I worked out a compromise with Coco and Nora. I take CRDL apart in the ring, or they do out of the ring. Only one option doesn't require the hospital." I explain, 'Or the morgue.' I added silently, and shrug.

Seven pairs of eyes turn to Nora, and she says, "We'd break their legs!"

Ren asks slowly, "You and Coco would…?"

"Yep!" She calls, caressing Magnhild.

Seven pairs of eyes turn to me, and I explain, "What? You try arguing with Velvet while Coco sits across the table, 'rotating' her gun. I'm not stupid."

"Yaaaah." Yang said slowly.

"I'll be fine. But I expect to see you in the finals." I say, mocking Weiss's tone demanding tone.

They all smile, and we head back to the room, on the way back, Ruby began, "I know we've been training hard, and we've all had huge improvements, but I think we should hold some of it back for the Vytle tournament."

"What?" Yang asks, "But...but...super punch?"

Ruby began, "Yang, with Tri-color girl, and the women from the bulkhead, and all the remaining White Fang still loose, we should have a few new tricks next time. And we don't want to hurt anybody, this is a fighting tournament for pe..a..ce."

As she faded out, confused by her logic behind of her statement. Weiss commented, "Why Ruby, was that a well thought out, forward thinking, tactical decision?"

We all laugh, as Ruby pouts, "Weiss!"

"I agree." Blake says softly, "Having an ace on hand for something dangerous is always a good plan."

Yang finishes, "Ya... I guess."

We continue walking, and Ruby turns, "Obsidian, do you agree?"

I snort, "Even if we agreed to go all out, I can't go all Grimm, I'd be strapped to a lab table in Atlas by the next day. I'll tone my swords down a tad through, I do not need to invite scrutiny."

They nod slowly, and we walk back to our room, preparing for next week, and the challenges we would face.

Cinder

A woman's voice demanded from the crystal ball, "What do you mean you can't find him?!"

Cinder looked over, pain burning through the mark with every second of her unyielding glare. "We don't have anything to go off of."

The glowing eyes almost seemed to grow out of the Seer, and she screeched, "He is mine!" before calming, "The being I felt within the darkness was immensely powerful, and located in Vale. We cannot allow Ozpin to control his power or he will ruin everything we have worked for."

"His power can't be superior to the Maiden's. Once I have…" Cinder defended.

"Do you not recall how you took that power from its predecessor?" The voice demanded, and Cinder froze. The mark on her back nearly burning, "He could learn to do the same. With us he could end Ozpin today, but against us… Not a single one of us may survive."

Cinder felt fear, one she hadn't since she began under her mistress. "Could he truly… you?"

"He will be the most powerful being on Remnant, and may well be close as it is. Beyond Ozpin, beyond the maidens, beyond even me. Can you see now why he is so important?"

"Yes."

"Good, now send out the children and find him." The voice dralled again, calming to it's normal almost soothing texture. "Oh, and Cinder."

"Yes?"

"Stay focused. It would be most unfortunate if Tyrian needed to intervene, he always leaves such a mess behind."

Cinder shuddered, and set off, determined to bring down Ozpin, and find this monstrously powerful man.

AN: I apologize for the long wait. Between work and vacation, school and my creative indecision that chapter has been a beast. Fortunately, the next few are all nice and straight forward. Probably.

AN2: Yes Darkstalkers are slightly redone Aliens. I found pictures of them redone as Grimm on the internet and couldn't get the idea out of my head. And no, while Obsidian got some cool toys this chapter, he isn't suddenly going to have god mode on all the time. He also could have been a lot worse, think about all the fun toys I couldn't give him from the horrific things floating around on this site, he is relatively tame even by cannon standards for Grimm. ("Gerr, I'm big old Dragon, gonna squish ya" comes to mind)