[Sorry this took so long I've been going through some bad personal stuff and got some writer's block. Ideally I'll try to at least do a chapter a month from here if everything is going well.]
Nero stopped, starring at where the figure had been, trying to see anything he could. If one of Cole's family had managed to infiltrate the school, he was definitely in for more than he bargained. However, the strange thing was that if it was one of them, they'd had the perfect shot, and didn't take it. An opportunity none of them would have passed up. They'd been trying to take down The Family for years but found no success due to their severe lack of resources, or at least that's the way it use to be. The recent attacks, assuming it was them, and infiltration of the school seemed to paint a different picture. He tried to push those thoughts to the back of his mind but found himself more worried than he should, unaware that his team had walked on quite a ways without him. Inigo was the only one to notice as the girls were wrapped up in their own conversation.
"Yo Nero," he said, trying to get his attention. Olivia looked back, hearing Inigo call his name.
"Nero? Hello? Wot are ya doin'," Olivia asked. Nero snapped out of his thoughts and looked over at his team, seeing they were a good distance ahead, looking back at him.
"Sorry, thought I saw something," he said catching up with them.
"Somethin' like wot?" Her tone had changed to a bit more concerned. Now knowing what he was, him looking at something so intently made her nervous. They continued walking as he tried to come up with something believable.
"It was just a fox," he said. Olivia glanced over at the treeline, seeing a couple small animals scurrying by, sighing to herself in relief. The initiation had left her a bit paranoid, even though she trusted Ozpin and the school, the fact that it happened at all left her feeling uneasy.
"Nothin' ta worry about then," she said, "come on, let's get ta class." She began to walk a bit faster than before, causing the others speed up as well. They made their way into an older looking building. Paintings of historical figures, grand battles, and various Grimm hung on the walls in between busts and ornate artifacts from previous initiations. It looked more like a museum than a school building.
"Wow," Xanthia exclaimed, "You think they have any unicorn paintings?"
"I don't think so sweety," Olivia said with a chuckle, "Unicorns aren't real." The young faunus looked over at her with a look a shock on her face.
"What?! You mean mythical creatures aren't real? Aw, man, I was hoping to catch one someday," Xanthia joked, unable to keep a disappointed look on her face. She smiled and laughed along with Olivia. They were about to enter the classroom when they heard a voice call out to them.
"Ah, Mister Noire there you are." They looked over to see Professor Ozpin walking up to them. "I need a word with you."
"Just him Professor," Olivia asked, looking at him a bit worried. Yet again something about to do with Nero was interrupting them. She had hoped that with the talk of the initiation in the past, they could be a normal team now. Well, as normal as a team with a trained killer on it could be.
"Yes Miss Aeronwen, just him," Ozpin replied.
"What do you want," Nero asked, getting a sigh from the headmaster. He looked at him a bit suspicious, knowing there was more to it than a simple talk.
"We'll discuss it in my office."
Nero shook his head as the two of them began walking, a bit annoyed that this couldn't have waited. The rest of the team watched him go, glancing at each other, concerned. They knew full well what they had gotten themselves into. However, they also knew that there was something that the headmaster was keeping from them, making their trust in him wane ever so slightly. Olivia adjusted the strap on her bag as she walked into class, trying to focus on that instead. Xanthia followed closely behind. Inigo though, stayed behind in the hallway, crossing his arms, trying to figure it out. Something about Nero's relationship with the Headmaster didn't seem right to him. He sighed and joined his team inside.
High up in the headmaster's office the two sat on opposite sides of his desk. The room was dead silent as Ozpin pulled out a larger scroll and set it on the desk, propping it up, angling it towards himself. Nero glanced around his office, figuring if he was going to be in here, might as well make use of the time. Amaura's scroll was most likely in there somewhere, locked away in a secure place. He made mental notes of the layout, seeing that it was slightly different than when he was in there before. There were a couple of small tables where there hadn't been before and lamps next to each of them. Ozpin didn't seem like the type to renovate on a whim, but then again anything's possible.
"So what do you want," Nero asked.
"I need you to tell me what you know about the three men who attacked you," Ozpin stated.
"They're dead, why does it matter?"
"It matters because they managed to momentarily disable my school's security system in order to get in." His tone had changed to a more serious one. "It is my job to keep my students safe and if more of these mercenaries are targeting this school because of you then I'm going to need to know what you know."
Nero took a moment to think. A good number of questions were still rattling around in his head, now that he knew how Cole had managed to get in. How did they find him? Who hired him? Who had the resources to pull something like that off? Questions that in his current situation he wouldn't be able to answer. He sighed and crossed his arms, knowing that Ozpin wasn't exactly asking for the information. However, he knew he was right. If anyone else was looking for him they would do significantly more damage than Cole did. Innocent people getting hurt because of him wasn't something he was going to let happen again, not after what happened to Xanthia and her father.
"The one in the armor was a man named Cole Sozin," Nero said, "part of a splinter group of the White Fang."
"What about the other two," Ozpin inquired.
"Hired trash," he said flatly. "probably Junior's guys by the looks of them."
"I see." The Headmaster sighed, none too happy. "So this splinter group, Who are they exactly?"
"They're called the Cult of Fundament and there's no way they were the ones who took down your security system."
Ozpin looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "What makes you say that?"
"They only have three members left now that Cole is dead. None of them capable of taking down a system of this caliber. Whoever hired him is who you have to worry about."
"And who might that be?"
Nero shrugged. "I have no idea. I've stopped contact with The Family remember."
The Headmaster sighed, taking a moment to weigh his options. This cult wasn't going to be as big a problem as he thought, but now there was someone else to worry about on top of them. An unknown force that had the ability to infiltrate his school on a whim. He knew priority one had to be closing the security breach but as for what to do next, he was at a bit of a dead end. For now, he decided to focus on what they could get out of the way.
"Tell me more about this... cult. What do they follow?" This topic, in particular, had peaked his interest. Ozpin himself was a religious man and knew how devoted people could be to such things.
"Something called The Sword Logic."
"I'm unfamiliar with it."
"It's an ancient religion that dictates the destruction of anyone and anything that can't protect itself."
"To what end?"
Nero paused for a moment to choose his words carefully. The Sword Logic's final cause was, in essence, something not easily described. Something that only those crazy enough to follow it truly knew its meaning.
"An everlasting world." He spoke with a tone that suggested he was trying to figure it out as he said it. "They believe that by killing they prove themselves more worthy of existing and in doing so create some perfect civilization that can't be destroyed."
"And you truly think that they won't be a problem?"
Nero shook his head. "They've been nothing but a minor nuisance for years."
"Hm, regardless I think I'll be keeping my eye out for them, just in case." Ozpin made a few more notes in his scroll. On the inside, Nero was a bit relieved, with him being virtually cut off from The Family he wasn't able to get the information he normally would. So having an extra set of eyes on them gave him a little peace of mind. However, he didn't want to let Ozpin see so he just scoffed. "Do they have any unique abilities I need to be aware of?"
"Ember and Ash have the ability to control fire but Azula, their leader, is the one you want to watch out for. She can siphon someone's aura by touching them and if she does she can take their Semblance."
The Headmaster's expression changed to one of surprise, even though with a face like his it was hard to tell.
"What happens to the people she does this too?" He was fairly certain he knew the answer, but for the sake of being sure, he had to ask.
Nero was quiet, looking down at the ground for a moment before responding. "...They die." His voice was softer, more bitter than his normal dry delivery. Ozpin nodded, sighing to himself. This new information was more troubling than he'd anticipated. Not only did this Cult have a leader that could steal someone's Semblance, but whoever they were working for had more than enough resources and know how to bring down a school's security system. Beacon was far enough outside Vale City that it was usually unaffected by the criminal affairs that went on in the lower parts of the city. But if Nero's past was going to keep following him so closely, he'd have to take extra measures to ensure the promise he made to Amaura stayed sound.
"Alright Mister Noire I think I've got the information I need, thank you. You may return to your class."
Nero shook his head as stood and walked to the elevator, tapping the button to call it. As he waited, his mind wandered back to the initiation, and to Cole. While he was glad to be rid of him, something about how easy it was to kill him didn't feel right. Cole had never been anything close to competent when it came to being a mercenary but he could hold his own in a fight. It was almost as if he wanted to die. The abrupt ding of the elevator brought him back to the real world, irritating him a bit. He stepped in and pressed the ground floor button, giving the Headmaster one last look of resentment before the doors closed.
Ozpin spent a few minutes looking back over his notes, before closing the scroll and setting it aside. He got up and began walking towards the elevator when he felt a slight chill in the air, followed by a message alert on his scroll. He pulled it out to see a message from Amaura on screen, 'Open the window would you'. He reluctantly glanced back to see her sitting on the ledge outside the window behind his desk, giving a small wave. Her outfit had changed slightly since their last meeting. The long gray cloak she'd previously worn had been replaced with hooded duster coat and some light armor on her chest and shins. Grayish brown bandages covered her arms, midsection, and thighs, giving her an almost mummy-like appearance. He chuckled a bit as he walked back and opened the window, allowing her to enter.
"Not going to barge in like last time," he asked.
"Thought I'd be polite instead," Amaura replied with a cheeky grin on her face, which quickly faded. "So… I heard you had a little incident during your initiation. Is Nero ok?" He looked at her with a slight smirk on his face, finding it sweet that she was so concerned for him.
"Of course he's fine. You just missed him actually." He could see the relief that crossed her face, if only for a moment.
"Good. Wouldn't want to have to hurt you if anything happened to him." She held a menacing for only a second before a smile crept its way onto her face.
"Even when we were young you couldn't beat me," he said, with a chuckle. Amaura shook her head and gave him a playful push.
"Yeah, well, you haven't seen me in 10 years. Things change Ozzy."
"That they do."
A fleeting nostalgic smile appeared on her face as she turned and walked towards the window. She couldn't help but let her mind wander back to the past, back before she was Amaura, back when she was someone else.
"Amaura wait…,"Ozpin said.
She stopped but didn't turn back to face him, naively hoping that he wasn't about to start asking questions. Ozpin didn't know where to start. So many questions were filling his head. What had happened all those years ago that had forced her to stay hidden for so long? How did she even survive? Why now, of all times, would she need to bring Nero to a place like Beacon? Amaura glanced back over her shoulder.
"What, Ozzy?"
He sighed to himself, deciding it would be best for those kinds of questions to wait. However, there was something else that bothered him. "How did you know about the incident?"
She turned back to face him, raising her eyebrow. "Ozzy, do I detect distrust in your voice?"
"Not distrust just… concern. I'm in the dark about what's going on with you and Nero. I need you to trust me completely."
"I am trusting you, Ozzy. I'm trusting you with my scroll and my s—… and Nero. I just can't explain right now. I'm sorry."
"...Am I ever going to get an explanation?"
Amaura paused for a moment, choosing her words carefully. "Yes. You will. I promise… but for now, I need to keep Nero as far away from what's going on as possible." He walked over to her and placed his hand on her shoulder, giving her a concerned look.
"And what is going on?"
Her expression suddenly changed to a much more stern one. "Something I don't need you involved in Ozpin." He took a step back, surprised at her sudden change in tone and the fact that she hadn't used a nickname. "All I need you to do is keep him safe… He's all I have left." The Headmaster sighed, his concern for her only growing.
"Does this have anything to do with the Cult of Fundament?"
Amaura shot him a look of shock, unable to say anything for a moment. She had hoped that he wouldn't have found out about them, feeling it would be better for her to deal with them herself. But she knew that was naive to think.
"I. Can't. Say. If I did it would put everyone here in grave danger." She turned and began walking towards the window and this time Ozpin didn't stop her. He could sense the burden she felt was on her shoulders, wishing he could do something to help. "Oh and Ozpin, leave Qrow out of this. I don't want to hurt him again."
The Headmaster could hear a faint hint of pain in her voice, causing him to grow even more concerned for her. But before he could say anything she was out of the window in a cloud of ash, leaving behind nothing but a chill in the air.
Team O.N.I.X. walked into their next class, immediately noticing the plethora of Grimm heads on the back wall. A saber with a dust cylinder in the crossguard hung with a similarly styled dagger above the large segmented chalkboard. The room itself was large and semi-circular with a sloped floor and long curved desks. Once again they were the first ones there and so, had free reign on where they would sit. Taking spots near the front Olivia opened her book and began skimming through it.
"Alright now this is a class I can get excited about," Inigo said, "something we'll actually need to do our jobs." Olivia opened her mouth to say something but didn't get anything out before her friend interrupted.
"I know right," Xanthia exclaimed, "I can't wait to learn how to really kick some Grimm butt!"
"You seemed to do fine during the initiation," Nero said. She looked over and blushed a bit, having almost completely forgotten anything before getting shot.
"Really now?" Olivia leaned in closer, turning the young Faunus's face even redder.
"Y-Yeah I took out a whole pack of Beowolves by myself," she said with a hint of embarrassment, "I mean most of it was my Semblance though." Xanthia had never been one to brag, preferring to let her actions do the talking when anyone would let her.
"Wow, I wish I could've seen that," Olivia said. Her mind wandered as she pictured it, causing her cheeks to flush a little red.
"Even I have to admit it was impressive," Nero said.
"Thanks, guys," Xanthia said sheepishly. They returned to sitting in relative silence as more students slowly filled the room, chattering among themselves. Inigo pulled out his scroll and began to play a game involving a jumping unicorn, catching Xanthia's attention. She watched, wide-eyed and smiling. "What is that?"
"Robot Unicorn Attack 2 property of Adult Swim," he said, "It's so addicting, I could play it for hours and I'm dead..."
"Oh sorry did I mess you up," she asked.
"Nah, I would have died anyway," he said with a chuckle, "I suck at this game." Xanthia scooted closer to him, leaning on him to get a better view. Olivia glanced over, sighing to herself as a wistful look crossed her face. She returned to the textbook trying to distract herself when a woman walked past them placing a piece of paper in front of each of them. She was striking, to say the least. Her hair was tied in a bun and her suit-like attire gave her a very professional demeanor. However, her most noticeable features were the scars over her left eye and her missing left arm. The students watched silently for a moment, trying not to stare.
"I hope you don't plan on playing that during my class Mister Monty," she said, her tone flat. "And please refrain any displays of affection Miss Jocasta. That's what the dorms are for." Inigo immediately turned his scroll off and put it back in his pocket, as Xanthia scooted away from him, blushing a bit. Once she finished handing out the papers, she went to the front of the class, clearing her throat to get their attention.
"Hello class," she began, "My name is Professor Morgan and you will address me as such. No nicknames. In this class, you will be learning everything we know about the prey you know as Grimm. How they move, how they fight, and most importantly, how to kill them. Take what you learn in this class to heart. Fail to do so… and it will cost you dearly." Some of the students began whispering among themselves while others sat in silence, unable to keep from staring at her arm. "The papers I gave you are to assist you in taking notes on today's lecture. You will turn them in at the end of class to be graded."
The students let out a collective groan as she began her lecture. She pulled out multiple detailed charts showing various Grimm sketched out. Each minute seemed to drag on and on as she described them and each of the variations in great detail. Her virtually monotoned voice had started to put some of the students to sleep, including Inigo. When she stopped for a moment to let the class copy down a diagram, he stared at Professor Morgan, a sudden realization hitting him.
"I figured it out," he muttered.
"Wot," Olivia asked, glancing over at him. She too had started to feel a bit drained by the lecture.
"I figured it out," he repeated, "She looks like Glynda and Qrow had a teleporter accident." Olivia looked at him confused, turning her attention back to the teacher, trying to see what he meant. Nero looked over at the mention of Qrow's name.
"How do you know Qrow," he asked.
"He's a teacher at Signal," Inigo said. Nero was about to say something when he noticed the Professor glaring in their direction.
"Is there something you'd like to share with the whole class gentlemen?" The whole class was silent as they turned their attention towards them. Inigo felt his face heat up, unable to speak for a moment.
"Uh, no ma'am," he choked out. She looked at Nero then to the clock, the wheels in her head turning.
"Well, since we have just enough time for small demonstration—" Olivia raised her hand, hoping to be chosen. Morgan rolled her eyes. "Mister Noire, change into your combat gear." He looked at her surprised by her sudden focus on him. Olivia lowered her hand slowly in disappointment, watching as Nero got up and exited the room. She couldn't help but wonder why the Professor chose him instead of her when he didn't even seem interested. Dismissing the thought, she looked back at her notes, checking them over.
It didn't take Nero long before he reentered the room, dressed in his combat gear. Morgan reached up and grabbed her saber off the wall as a cage emerged from the floor to the left of her desk. The young huntsman took his place across from the cage, readying his weapons, shifting both into their melee form, not wanting to accidentally shoot into a crowd of students. The cage shook, a guttural growling coming from inside as the Professor approached, readying her blade, bringing it down on the lock and opening the cage.
The door swung open violently as a Beowolf jumped out. It began swiping at him, its movements wild and erratic. He dodged the first few slashes, having to resort blocking the rest. The beast's claws made a loud clang as they came in contact with his hammers, pushing him back with greater strength than he'd anticipated. Moving towards to offensive he swung at its head, landing a single solid strike. Unfortunately, this only seemed to piss it off. The Grimm launched itself at him, flailing its limbs wildly, spit flying off its snarling maw. Nero activated his Semblance and moved behind the creature only for it to slam it's tail into him, sending him flying into the wall, knocking him unconscious. Some of the students gasped while others simply sat there in shock as Morgan let out a heavy sigh, rolling her eyes.
"This is what happens when you're unprepared," she said. The Beowolf moved slowly towards Nero as if it expected him to try and attack it by surprise.
"Professor, the Beo—," Olivia tried to speak, but Morgan cut her off.
"Miss Aeronwen, if you wish to get my attention, you will raise your hand and wait to be called upon," she said. Olivia watched the Grimm as it got closer and closer, getting ready to pounce.
"Prof—"
Before she could finish the Beowolf pounced. Olivia jumped over the desk, running over to Nero, blocking the pounce with her Semblance, knocking it back. Snarling, it rose its paw to continue its attack but before it could, Morgan's blade pierced the Grimm's head. She glared at Olivia, as the Beowolf dropped to the ground.
"Miss Aeronwen return to your seat... now," Morgan said sternly. Olivia looked at her a bit shocked. She was being scolded instead of commended for taking action.
"Professor Morgan I was jus—"
"I'm well aware of what you were doing, I'm not an idiot," she said with a growing irritation in her voice, "but you will allow mister Noire to succeed… or fail on his own accord. Heroics like that can get you killed." For a moment Olivia didn't know how to respond.
"I wasn't just gonna stand by and watch him get hurt," she said, "that Beowolf could've killed 'em!"
"And what makes you think I would have let that happen? If I didn't know any better I would say that you think I'm a lousy professor." Olivia felt her face heat up in embarrassment, finding herself a bit flustered with everyone staring at her.
"That's not wot I meant at all I just—"
"Take. Your. Seat."
Her head hung a bit low as she obeyed, avoiding peoples gaze. She wasn't use to being scolded, especially not in front of an entire classroom. As she sat down Xanthia looked over, feeling bad for her friend. She understood how she must be feeling, having been scolded quite a lot during her earlier school days. The professor hung her sword before walking over to Nero, squatting down and giving him a light slap on the head. He stirred before regaining consciousness, holding his head as Morgan pulled him to his collar.
"Fuck," he muttered, seeing that the Grimm was gone. The Professor shook her head in disappointment, gesturing for him to take join his team. Nero holstered his weapons and returned to his seat, clenching his fists. Inigo and Xanthia sat there awkwardly with their teammates, unsure of what to do. Neither of them were exactly good at comforting someone in distress.
"Now, as I was saying before being so rudely interrupted," she began, glancing quickly at Olivia, whose face turned red. "That is what happens when you're unprepared. Mister Noire was lucky that this was a controlled situation. The real world isn't as forgiving as I am." The class glanced to one another nervously, unsure of what to think. A silence filled the room until it was ended by the bell ringing, freeing the students. "Class dismissed. Don't forget to hand in your notes before you leave."
Olivia packed her stuff with a bit of a huff and turned in her notes along with the rest of her team. They only made it a few feet out of the room when she began to vent.
"Ugh, can you believe her," she asked angrily to nobody in particular, "She wasn't ev'n pay attention after Nero got knocked out, she just mocked 'em. That's wot happens when yer unprepared." Her accent seemed to get a bit thicker with each word. "If my teammate is in danger you better believe yer arse I'm gonna do somethin'!"
Xanthia watched nervously as her friend boiled over in anger, wanting to find some way to make her feel better. Her ears perked up a bit as something came to mind, at the right moment the young faunus reached over and grabbed Olivia's hand, beginning to walk closer to her, resting her head against her arm. The team leader looked over at her then down at their hands blushing a bit.
"It's something my sister use to do when I was littler," Xanthia said, glancing up. Olivia's blush deepened, surprising herself at how much of a calming effect this squirrel faunus had on her. Her anger had almost completely melted away, the instant their hands met.
"T-thanks," Olivia said, unable to keep herself from smiling.
"Aw, how cute," Inigo joked. Olivia looked over, playfully glaring at him.
"Shut up," she chuckled, punching him in the shoulder. He grabbed his arm as dramatically as possible, stumbling forward making noises of fake pain. Olivia just shook her head and kept chuckling while Xanthia laughed.
"Oh… Oh, gods, she got me. Nero I—" He tried to lean on his teammate for support but was practically shoved off.
"Get off me," Nero said harshly.
"Whoa sorry, you alright?" Inigo immediately stopped the wounded act, looking at him with a bit of concern, along with the rest of his team. Nero had been pretty stoic up until this point, except for when he and Olivia fought, so it caught him off guard.
"I'm fine," he replied in the same harsh tone. Inigo glanced over at the girls with a look that said 'yeah I'm not buying that either'. Looking back to Nero, a mischievous expression crossed his face.
"Are you mad cause you got your ass kicked?" Nero slowly turned his head, shooting him an angry look.
"Yes, Yes I am," he said, which surprised Inigo. He had expected his teammate to be more defensive about what happened. "I'm no stranger to getting my ass kicked… but I have no idea how that fucking thing hit me while I was in my Semblance."
"Yeah, that was kinda freaky," Xanthia said.
"Maybe ya just can't go through Grimm," Olivia guessed.
"I've never fought a Grimm before so it's possible," Nero said. He rubbed the back of his head as it still hurt from getting thrown into a wall. If he couldn't go through them it would be very problematic for his usual fighting style.
"Well, I wouldn't worry about that too much," Inigo said, "I mean it's not like it's gonna be our job to fight them or anything." Once again Nero gave him an angry look, only getting a chuckle from Inigo.
The team headed back to the dorms to change into their combat gear for Glynda's class. Xanthia immediately grabbed her bag and ran into the bathroom, knocking another one of her bags to the ground, nearly spilling its contents. Olivia chuckled and walked over and picked it up, noticing something strange beneath the plush unicorn. A small white half mask with slits for eye holes, or at least what it looked like. She looked at the bathroom door debating on whether or not to reach in and find out. Luckily, the door swinging open made her choice for her, quickly setting the bag down on the squirrel Faunus's bed.
"Ugghhh, I hate that uniform," Xanthia whined, "I don't like not wearing pants." Olivia chuckled nervously as she grabbed her own gear and took her turn in the bathroom, hoping Xanthia hadn't seen her looking in her bag.
"Eh, pants are overrated anyway," Inigo said. Nero shook his head chuckling to himself. He'd noticed Olivia's look of concern when looking in Xanthia's bag, making his suspicion of her grow ever so slightly.