Heyo! What's up! Nothing much, just some good long work on a chapter. I'm very proud of this one. Suppose you'll test my pride against my writing skills. May the best one win!
The King opened his eyes after a violent shock shook his throne. The room where his court had once gathered was now empty, save for the bodies of his men. The siege had continued on for so long that even the improvised triage centers he had set up in his own quarters were packed full of the dead and dying. You could hardly walk a single pace in this castle anymore without tripping over the fallen. As the king of darkness, you'd think it wouldn't bother him. After all, he was evil, shouldn't the faces of the dead comfort him?
If it was supposed to, it didn't.
The lonely King gazed around at his devastated throne room as another shake rocked it to near pieces. To his left was a table that had been used by his most trusted advisor weeks ago to plan out a strategy for winning this siege— the advisor laid on that table now, the same map that assured victory was his funeral shroud. To his right was a rack laden with robes, staves, cloaks, and all of the kingly accoutrement his chief quartermaster had deemed necessary to keep there. Said quartermaster's corpse now lay dead against it. He had jumped in front of an assassin's arrow during one of the many night raids, saving the King's life. It pained the King to know his friend had died in his place, and he thanked the Brother Gods it was he who still drew breath. He had used his most precious robe to cover the man as a thanks to the deceased, but in his heart of hearts, the King knew the only reason he did it was to avoid the accusatory gaze of a dead man. To his back would be an escape tunnel, but an enemy martyr laden with explosive spells had brought that avenue of escape crumbling down. He had no doubt that the only things those tunnels held now were rocks, dust, smoke, and a very fine pink mist. His father stared at him from the other side of the room, his cold, judgemental eyes boring holes into the King. Thank the Gods it was only a painting.
The King looked away, unable to meet his fathers gaze. "What desolation have I wrought, Father?" The painting did not respond. The King stood violently, stumbling over the dead and through another shake towards the artwork. "What have I done to deserve this!" He shouted, "What have my people done?" Nothing.
"I was no worse a king than you. Why do they slaughter us so?" The King pleaded, but no answers were given. "The people were happy and safe! I respected the gods! Why has fate cursed me?" He screamed at the top of his lungs. The only response came from another thunderous strike from the enemy's siege weapons, causing him to slip and fall face-first into a pool of blood. His crown flew from his head and skittered off towards the room's exit. The painting followed suit. "No! Father!" The King cried as he scrambled for the artwork. The frame had broken and revealed the fragile work inside to the world. It was soaked in blood, ruined beyond repair. All that remained was his fathers eyes. They stared at him cruelly, as if they enjoyed the suffering of the last few months.
The King stared back with a roiling torrent of emotion. Rage gave way to happiness, then to fear, and finally to a gut wrenching sadness. He was tired. So tired.
The King rolled onto his back and stared up at the ceiling. His fathers image lay on his chest, now little more than a sopping wet red canvas. Spiderweb cracks erupted throughout the black stone above. Dust and small debris fell from the ceiling every now and again. How he wished to be crushed right now, to be spared any more pain and death, to be freed of this role forced upon him, to finally rid himself of this darkness.
His father would've known what to do. He was prepared for everything. Every possible army route, composition, and disposition. All types of civil matters, foreign and domestic. Famine, war, plague, holy crusades. His father had a contingency for them all. All except for one very big glaring issue. The King's own mother, his Father's wife.
She had killed him in his sleep.
It still shocked the King— his mother working for the wretches outside the walls. His own sweet mother, a traitor. Corrupted by the honeyed whispers of that foul woman. He hoped that same wretched woman liked the gift he sent her. Afterall, you don't often get the opportunity to draw and quarter a traitor.
The orphaned King sat up and grabbed the picture off of his chest. It was soaked through with blood just as he was. "When did this all become so… barbaric?" He asked no one in particular. The King gazed at the red square that once held his fathers visage. In that moment, the shaking stopped, all the noise of war quieted, and a breeze could be heard through the room. A cool calmness washed over his senses and pushed away the dread in his gut. For the first time in months, he was at peace with his lot.
Just as quickly as it had left, the real world had returned to the stage with a violent rocking of the room. But it didn't matter anymore. The King knew exactly what he had left to do. He stood and left in a hurry. And as he walked, he collected the crown from a puddle of blood and left his father in its place. The dead man had already done the lion's share of work, it was only fair that he got a break.
The corridors were just as much of a mess as the throne room. They were littered with debris, bodies, blood, and broken weapons. The ornate tiles once pictured scenes of heroism, they had shone bright from the gold that had inlaid it. Now half of them were so soaked in blood that they could never be cleaned, and the rest were shattered. Truly this place had seen better days.
The grand balcony should have been kept clean of all this.
As he rounded the corner, he was beset by the smell of death.
The king had said that the balcony was not filled with the dead and dying. This did not extend to its hallway. It was a graveyard. No surgeons wandered about, no apothecaries tended to the bodies. There weren't even any wizards reanimating the dead. It was just a silent stretch of bodies in between him and the outside world.
The king stopped dead in his tracks and gazed at the grizzly sight. It was at this point he realized that this would be his fate; to die just as these men did, and if he continued on his current path he wouldn't die in a month, or a week, he'd die today.
He found some small comfort in that. He knew what he had to do. There was nothing blinding him now. The King would die today, but perhaps others will live because of it.
The King continued on to his destination and spied his objectives.
The Four Horsemen.
His four generals stood in silence as they watched the little ants of the enemy skitter around the siege lines. They were all in as much of a state of disrepair as the castle itself. Arrows littered their armor, slashes turned their cloth sections into torn and ugly rags, and their weapons seemed to drip with the life essence of all who were unfortunate enough to come against them. The King walked up next to them and leaned over the balcony's ornate railing. "Winter, Fall, Spring, Summer." He said as cordially as he could while being covered in blood. Fortunately they were of a similar state, as their fronts were also stained a dark red. In a better situation they'd respond with low jokes or some other form of humor. Now, they didn't even speak, just listened and looked at their King. "Winter, how was the operation?
The strongest and most armored of the quartet spoke plainly, "Your Royal Calvary was decimated. But they took with them twenty of the cretins for every man lost."
"Hm," The king grunted, "They didn't open up a route?"
"No, the enemy cavalry was too fanatical, the rain of arrows too thick." Winter looked off toward the field of dead horses just beyond the wall with sadness
The king nodded, "And Fall, your men are still able to fight?"
"Aye my lord. The infantry and archers stand ready at the wall. We have lost our ballistae, however."
"Spring, how goes the levy?"
The general sighed, "The people are ready. All are going to stand against the tide. Not even the weak will waver, the enemy certainly won't let them."
The King turned to face the last of them, "Summer, do I even want to know?"
"Not really," The King motioned for him to continue, "They number in the hundreds of thousands. And none of them, that I can tell, are levy troops. They are all the most elite troops the enemy can bring to bear." The King nodded as he took this all in. He had grown used to bad news over the weeks, but it still amazed him how outclassed they seemed to be.
Now was as good a time as any. "Horsemen," He said with all of the confidence he could muster. "We are lost. We have been chased back to our last fortress, and soon we won't even have that." The sudden lack of morale in their King surprised the four men and caught their attention. "We have been beaten, bruised, enslaved, and dishonored. They, who we once called friends, have dashed any hope of victory with betrayal. They have turned brothers against brothers, sons against fathers, and wives against husbands." He extended his arms to the world and raised his voice, "We have been outclassed by the sinister wit of those outside the walls! The blind who bought the lies of true evil!" His voice fell again, "We have nothing left." The King clenched a fist and brought it to his chest
"So we're done?" The King turned left to see his men. They stared at him with an unsure air about them and fidgeted in place. "It's over?" Summer continued.
The King laughed. "Yes, it's over." The mood of the men fell immediately. Looks of dismay plastered over their faces, even the ever Stoic Fall placed a hand over his face. "But that is a good thing." The four stopped their grieving in confusion. One at a time, they slowly looked over at a smiling man. "Sure, we have nothing. Our very dignity has been taken from us. We've no way out, no answer, no future."
The King smiled and looked towards the Heavens, "And so, with nothing left to hold onto, nothing to defend, we have only one choice." He turned and pointed to the main enemy camp. "Attack!" The men stared. "We will drive forward and crush them! Turn them to ash just as they have done to us!" The King's voice carried down to the men defending the castle. The people all stopped their duties to listen. "We will take what is ours! Drive them from our lands and march upon their homes, their people, their last hope!" The Generals slowly cracked smiles at this, while the men below cheered. "We will rise to this! We know what must be done! We will cut the head from the snake, and then burn the body until there is nothing left but ash of ash!" He placed his hands over the railing and towards his people. "We will show them just why they call us evil, why they call us villains, why they call us the blades in the dark. Why we are the Darkness itself!" The people cheered with new resolve and passion. The cacophony was so loud, so beautiful, that it drowned out the noise of the besieging army.
They all stood there for a moment, silently enjoying the cheering of the people. But Summer eventually got curious, "Sir, that's great and all, but how do we do that?" A sentiment of agreement went through the four. "I mean, Winter just told us how your personal cavalry couldn't even do it."
The King chuckled, "Simple, we give them something else to focus on."
"A bait?" Fall asked skeptically, "Did you forget what happened last time we did that?"
"I haven't," The King replied with a sad nod, "But that was because a Royal Guard unit isn't that tantalizing of a target. We need something far more… precious." He rubbed his fingers together in the same way you would two coins.
Spring laughed, "Wanna send the children outside the walls? Those bastards have taken a liking to genocide recently." That bit of dark humor shouldn't have been funny, but the irony of the "Good Guys'' killing children spoke to them all.
"No. We'll give them what they came for. The one thing which has caused them all this trouble." The King gazed off towards the enemy, but you could see how his eyes glazed over. "Me."
The Horsemen were taken back, "Waitwaitwaitwai-." Spring began.
The King raised a hand to quiet him, "No arguing, this is what we have to do."
"So we do what, chuck you outside the walls and hope they leave?" Summer asked while waving his hands around in confusion.
"No. Have more faith in me than that." The King pointed at four points on the wall. "We'll give them the city, and take their camp."
There was a moment of silence before Spring got bored, "Well, can you fill us in or are you just gonna stand there trying to look cool?"
The King laughed at his friend, "Yes, sorry for that. Do you see how they swell towards the middle of the wall?"
"Yeah, that's where I put most of my guys." Replied Fall.
"Hmm, withdraw them." He turned to them, "Everyone withdraw your men to those four sections of the wall and leave the middle open. I'll take my Guard and a few levy's to make it look like we're putting up a defense on five fronts, when in actuality we'll be assaulting on four. A four pronged attack into their camp should be enough to get through when most of their forces are preoccupied with getting me."
"And how do you know it'll work?" Winter asked
"Aside from the fact that we'd tried everything else before, look at how fanatical they are. Those savages couldn't think about anything more than what they'll have for dinner, much less predict and counter this. And the fact that I'm the prize will act as a blinder for them. They'll focus on me, I'm sure of it."
"What about that Queen?"
The King nodded and thought about his enemy for a second. With a bit of intentional dramatic flare, he turned slightly so that he was looking at the four from the corner of his eye, "Make sure her funeral is a closed casket." And with that, he waved them away.
"Good luck, sir." Said Winter
"Good luck." Said Fall
"See you on the other side brother." Said Spring with a wave.
"Have fun, my friend." Said Summer with a wide smile.
He listened as they left, and looked out towards the horizon. Hopefully cutting the head from the snake and giving them their prize would turn them back. Hopefully they won't advance any farther. Hopefully they wouldn't kill anymore of his people after this. Hopefully… this was it.
With a sense of peace deep within his soul, the King stood in the dying light of the sun and smiled.
And with a broken voice, he made the first Atlesian folk song.
"Well...will you sing it?" Ozpin asked
"I would, but I don't sing." Rexus replied
"Fair." Ozpin added with a shrug.
It was at this point both parties moved a bit to stretch. Ozpin moved his joints around and emitted several satisfying cracks, while Rexus got fully out of his chair and walked around a bit. In the interest of not being here for a week, they had agreed to only really discuss the common last story of both Maidens and Horsemen. Of course, some context had to be given and that increased the time, but the short version took only about forever.. It probably took normal people slightly less than that, but Rexus had to use dramatic pauses and act out some scenes like a storyteller would.
"You have a unique way of telling that story, Mr. Gallant. I've noticed that there are some changes from what I've heard before." Ozpin added with a final stretch before he settled back into a comfortable position.
"Oh, that's normal. I've never heard two Atlesians tell it the same way. There's always something different." Rexus stated as he leaned on the back of his chair.
"Mhm, but they all share a commonality." Ozpin stated. Rexus gestured for him to continue. "They are all dour. Never have I heard one that places that situation in a positive light."
Rexus finally sat, "Ah but that's where you're wrong. The entire situation is kinda depressing, but the King and the Horsemen never gave up. It's a tale about the virtues of perseverance more than anything."
Ozpin had a skeptical look, "I don't suppose you came up with that conclusion on your own."
"Nope, that was from my weird Atlesian teacher. He was a pretty fun guy when he wasn't on his meds." Rexus joked.
Ozpin shook his head and smiled, "Well, you gave me a story. I suppose it's only fair if you get one in return." He settled in and folded his hands in a theatrical manner.
A young Knight wandered towards the command tent. Given the current situation, the mood around the camp should be dire. They had precious food left, no fresh equipment, and no comfort left after nearly a half year of siege. And yet, the men around him were almost giddy. Preachers weren't even needed to keep morale up. And it was all thanks to them. Those who were inside that angelic looking tent. Those who commanded this host. The Queen and her Maidens.
The Knight walked through the white cloth curtain that separated the world outside from this one. His eyes were almost immediately assaulted by a bright white light. The entire tent shone with an ethereal light so bright it made the sun dark by comparison. Even his armor, which he had cleaned to a mirror like polish, seemed to be dull and un-tended to.
But her voice put it all to shame, "Oh, good morning Sir Knight. How was your evening?" The Queen asked in a cordial tone. She seemed to highlight her un-concerned mood by daintily pouring some tea.
The Knight would be lying if he said he wasn't impressed by her mental fortitude. Even in the face of evil, she sat here without a care. Even while leading an army, she barely concerned herself. She was a true born leader. "Very good, my Queen. How was yours?"
"Oh, fine. Though I suppose it will get better when you tell me the news." She offered a cup and a seat to the Knight, both which he took graciously.
"The enemy is defeated." The young Knight said with conviction.
"Oh, we've known that since we arrived. What else has happened?"
The Knight was briefly thrown off, but resumed speaking quickly enough. "They pull their forces to the left and right walls."
The Queen smiled, "That man plans to assault us. So he has finally lost it." She stood and walked over to a table while beckoning the Knight. On it was her battle plans, contingencies, and everything she could ever need in order to conduct a siege. "Pool men here, here, and here. We will meet them in combat and crush them before they even take a step out of the gates." She pointed to multiple places on the map and ended her sentence with a clenched fist.
He stood a few feet away from her with awe in his eyes, "Certainly, my Queen. But you must know, they have left the center open."
She frowned, "What do you mean, open?"
"Well…" He walked over to the map and pointed towards the main gate and road of the castle. "They have pulled ALL of their forces to the left and right. They have left no man to watch the middle, save for the royal guard and any levy forces they can scrape together."
"Are you sure?" She asked.
"Yes, my Queen."
She seemed to contemplate for a second, but then a fire lit in her eyes. "Disregard the enemy force. We shall place all our men at the gates. When the sun is set in the sky, we will assault and take the head of that foul King. We shall end this, today." There was an uncharacteristic venom in her voice. She was still mostly calm, but there was an edge to her now.
"If I may, this is a bait." The Knight said cautiously.
"No, it cannot be. He hasn't the pension for that complex a plan. He's simply grown deranged." There was a look in her eyes. It was crazy, and filled with hate. She had a mind about what she was going to do.
He could still try to sway her. "My Queen, our foe isn't an idiot. He knows that he cannot stretch his force this thin and expect to hold off any type of assault. This is most definitely a tra-."
"Leave!" She said forcefully, causing the Knight to jump. "I… must gather my Maidens." With that, she turned away and traveled deeper into the tent.
The Knight nodded to no one with a slight bit of caution and left.
The preachers had become rabid in his absence. They now preached with a renewed fervor, promising the men a fight that would mark them in history. The men were taking this message to heart and rallying around the sergeants. The morale soared.
But the Knight was a bit anxious. This was a trap. There was no way that the enemy, a man that had already demonstrated his tactical ability, would leave a straight shot to him. It was clearly bait, it had to be.
But what was the goal?
Was he seeking to flank and destroy the host inside of his walls? Perhaps he planned to bury the entire city when they stepped inside? Maybe the walls would come alive and consume them whole? Or maybe, just maybe, it was something much worse.
The young Knight shuddered at the thought. Whatever that King had planned, it wasn't going to be pretty. But the Knight was only a soldier, not a fortune teller. He could only stick to the plan and hope it all worked out. By the Brothers he hoped it worked out.
"Sir!" One of the senior officers approached the Knight. "Your orders, Sir?"
The Knight sighed, "We are to amass in front of the main gate and await further orders."
The officer looked at him like he'd grown another head, "But Sir have you seen where they gather? Doing that will expose our flanks."
The Knight shook his head, "This comes from the Queen herself. It's not my decision." He looked at the officer's face. Immediately the Knight knew what thoughts ran through the man's head. He wanted to say it how it was. The plan was stupid, and the Queen was no tactition. He wanted to say that it was suicide.
But the Knight stopped the man with a small shake of his head. "It's not worth the lashes, Wallace." They held a sad stare for a moment, both men lamenting the coming losses.
"Aye, Sir." The officer departed and started to shout out orders. The young Knight just stared up at that grand castle balcony. He saw them, the five that they had hunted for years. They stood motionless, just staring at him. And as he stared back, the Knight felt a strange moment of common humanity with his enemy. He regretted many things. He was disgusted by the lives he had taken, and he was torn apart by the men he had lost. All the destruction his young eyes had seen came tumbling down on him like a torrent.
And for a moment, he cried for the lost.
The Knight and his officers stood in a line. Behind them were ranks upon ranks of warriors, preachers, servants, and everything else needed in order to destroy an enemy. In front of them lay stone walls, a few guards, and a straight shot at the enemy. All they needed to do now was destroy the gate and flood in.
But for that, they needed the Maidens. And they hadn't seen them all morning. Now that he thought about it, he hadn't seen the Queen since earlier either "Sir," the officer to his left began, "The men grow restless. I fear they won't hold rank for much longer."
The Knight growled with annoyance, "Have the Preachers scatter around and give sermons." He turned to the man on his right, "And you. Go find the Queen and her damn Maidens."
"You don't need to." Said an angelic voice from behind. The Knight turned and came face to face with the Queen. "Sir Knight." She said as the Maidens trailed behind her a bit. They all quickly caught up with her majesty. "I'll take it from here." With that she passed him.
As she reached the front, the roar of the crowd abruptly ceased. All watched her closely. Even the archers on the wall 400 yards away listened. "Men of War! You were once known by something else. You were known as farmers, as judges, as brewers, as husbands, as fathers, as men. But he…" She wheeled around and pointed towards the Grand balcony where the King stood. "This blood stained tyrant has taken those names from you! He has burned your homes, your livelihoods, your sons, your daughters, your life!" The crowd roared in anger. The Queen nodded and smiled with pride. "Yes, he has done all of this, and more, without even so much as a shred of mercy. And so we have hunted him since he began his bloody rampage! But we've naught but a tomb's worth of our own dead to show for our troubles!" The crowd quieted with silence. "Today, we change that!" The crowd nodded collectively. "Today, we will show them just why they call us the protectors of the people, why they call us heroes, why they call us the force illuminated by the heavens! We will show them why we are the blinding light of the Gods themselves!" The crowd rose in glorious cries. The morale of the men was now cemented. Not even a god could route them. Even the Knight found himself lifted by her voice.
The Maidens walked to the very front of the host and drew their weapons of choice, "Now go, men! Go with the enemy's name on your lips and mine on your mind!" With that, the Maidens uttered a warcry and charged towards the gate.
The Knight drew his sword and did the same, and pretty soon the entire host was charging down the castle.
"Okay, come on. I know my version was a bit depressing, but that… that was stupid. I mean, where's the drama, the sadness, the grim-ness?" Ozpin had told Rexus the Maiden's version of the story. To say it was boring would be an understatement. Where Rexus had thought his version displayed a bit of human emotion, Ozpin's displayed almost none. The Queen and her forces were completely well balanced and un-genocidal, the military tactics they employed were sound, and worst of all, the knight whom the story was told by seemed to have unquestioning loyalty to a plan that would almost fail.
If Rexus was a betting man, he'd say that the story was a bit embellished.
But that didn't really matter, afterall. Rexus probably told his story a little sadder than others, while the Headmaster told his a little brighter than others. "Well, not all stories need to be sad. Some just inspire those that hear them." Ozpin replied with a shrug.
Rexus laughed and stood to stretch before adding, "That's a cop-out and you know it."
Ozpin also stood and instead just went to refill his cup, "Perhaps it is, but it is my cop-out. And I'll stand by it until the day I go to the grave." He finished filling up his cup and walked over to the window.
Rexus followed. "That mean you'll tell me the unabridged version eventually?" He asked half jokingly.
"I have a feeling you'll find the true version yourself long before I tell you." Ozpin replied in the same way a wise old man would.
Rexus smirked, "Man, you really are a headmaster."
Ozpin turned towards the student. "What do you mean by that?"
"You talk like… well, let's just say that if you had a long white beard and robes I'd think you were a wizard." Rexus fought off a laugh from his own joke.
Ozpin tried, but failed to do the same. He let out a hearty laugh that lasted a few seconds. "That… is a new one." He said while trying to regain his breath.
Rexus finally let out a chuckle and made his way back to the seat, "So we done with bedtime stories now?"
Ozpin also made his way back to his seat. "Unless you wish to add something else, yes."
Rexus stretched out his legs a bit and stood, "Well I suppose I should get back before I miss dinner." Rexus realized it would take a long while to recount all of both stories, but close to eight hours was a little excessive. They had even tried to shorten it up. They had shortened it up.
"Before you go," Ozpin put out a hand, "I have one more thing."
Rexus groaned and looked back down at the chair with longing eyes. "I just stood up though."
"Breath easy, this will take no longer than a few minutes." Rexus just sighed and sat back down. "Now, we've discussed the stories in detail. I think it's time to offer a fun question."
"Oh boy" thought Rexus, when a teacher say's fun it's almost always the opposite. He wondered if that applied to headmasters. The man in question leaned in, "Out of the two, who would you join?"
Rexus was slightly taken back by Ozpin's serious look and voice. And that question also didn't help. "You want to know what bedtime story army I'd like to join?"
Ozpin leaded back in his chair and made a steeple with his hands, "Yes." They both sat there for a moment. Rexus with a confused look on his face, and Ozpin with a very serious one. "Well?"
"It's just," Rexus came out of his stupor and placed his elbows on the desk, "You seem so serious about this."
"You wanted drama." Ozpin replied, his face losing some seriousness.
"Oh ha ha." Rexus rested his elbows on the desk, balanced his head on his hands, and closed his eyes to think. Who would he join? In reality it doesn't matter. It's just a little fake question for fun. But regardless if it was for fun or not, it was interesting. To join the doomed defenders, or the soon to be leaderless attackers?
Should he join the attackers he'd almost certainly survive. The attack was only directed at the leaders of the army, the main force was left mainly unmolested except for the elite royal guard that contested it. Surely that'd be the best choice. He'd only have to become a rabid, religious, genocidal psycho. He already had the rabid and psycho part. It wouldn't be too hard to add genocidal and religious to his roster.
Or he could join the doomed men inside the walls. They who would surely die. He'd die with them should he join them. There'd be no chance of him even feeling comfortable either. They were in a siege. They were starving, cold, and angry. The King's forces simply had it worse. There was no reason a sane man would join them.
The choice was clear.
"The Defenders."
Ozpin raised an eyebrow. "Oh, any reason?"
Rexus felt a strong pull towards the defenders. Maybe it was the fact that he'd grown up viewing the Horsemen and King as heroes, maybe it was because he was actually a long lost relative to one of them, maybe he just thought they were cooler. All he knew was that he'd pick them to stand by. What he felt for them was like what a patriot felt for his country. It was what a fan feels for their favorite team. What he felt for his family. "Eh, I just feel like I'd fit in better with them. That and it is cooler to be in a last ditch defense than it is to be in an almost assured victory."
Ozpin had a very interesting look on his face. "You realize that you wouldn't survive?"
"Sure," Rexus replied casually, "But I'd look pretty cool dying with those boys." He jokingly said.
"And you'd have to kill many." Ozpin's voice became a bit less controlled. It was almost like he was getting excited.
"Dude you recruited me, you know that hasn't ever been a problem." Ozpin recoiled slightly. That was weird to Rexus, seeing as the man read his file. Heck, he probably even found a way to see past those little black lines.
"You'd be fighting for an objectively evil faction!" Ozpin raised his voice slightly. But the weird thing was that the Headmaster seemed to be trying to reason with Rexus. Like he was trying to talk him out of it. He even got out of his chair slightly.
"Hey, chill." Rexus put out a hand. Ozpin regained his composure and slowly sat back down in his chair. "You're pretty passionate about this, aren't you?"
Ozpin nodded a bit, "Yes. The question still stands. You do realize that they were the evil antagonists of the story?" He had gone back to leaning back in his chair and steepling his fingers.
"Come on," Rexus shook his head, "Out of all people I'd expect you to realize that evil is a subjective thing. And plus, they've always been the real heroes of the story." Rexus added that last part as a sort of dig at the Headmaster.
They both sat there for a moment, holding a tense air. Ozpin tried to analyse his student, and the student right back. But, eventually, the Headmaster threw in the towel. "Well, I won't take any more of your time. I do apologize for you missing your classes today."
"Eh, don't sweat it. I can just get the work from someone else." Rexus stood and did a final stretch.
"As a teacher I must warn against not doing the work yourself." Ozpin said.
"Of course, I'll make sure to do it entirely by myself." Rexus put emphasis on entirely and winked. The headmaster just gave a small grin and shook his head. "But before that I gotsta eat. I hear they're serving steak tonig…" Rexus looked at his watch and immediately frowned. The digital face read 20:56.
"Oh yes, I do believe that I'll be getting some of that from the teacher's lounge before I leave." Ozpin said with a thoughtful look.
And at that exact moment, Rexus felt true malice towards his Headmaster. "Goodnight, Sir." Rexus said as he walked off mumbling his favorite Atlesian curses.
Ozpin just smiled and waved until Rexus passed through the office doors. Once he did, Ozpin fell into a very contemplative pose.
He had tried to convince with words, perhaps he'd try again with a less subtle tactic. It was only a few weeks from the freshman's first mission assignment.
"Fucken sonofabitch, dickhead, bitch, asshole…" Luka was pissed. So pissed, in fact, that she'd spent half of the period just stringing together curses under her breath as she stared holes in the back of Cardin's head.
It'd been a day since her failed attempt and recruiting Anna to help her with the Cardin situation. But that hadn't dampened her anger. If anything, she hated CRDL even more now. Anna's permission be damned, she'd turn them all into a pink sludge.
The period she was in, first with Dr. Oobleck, was so boring she wanted to sleep. But with Cardin in there with her, she couldn't manage it. That didn't stop Jaune though. He slept soundly in the front row. How he managed to do that with Cardin right behind him was annoying to Luka.
Matter of fact, he was annoying to Luka.
"Yes! Yes, prior to the Faunus Rights Revolution- more popularly known as the Faunus War-." Doctor Oobleck went on about something that seemed vaguely familiar to her. "Humankind was quite, quite adamant about centralizing the Faunus population in Menagerie." Luka would've caught the name Menagerie if she wasn't so caught up in her vendetta. "Now! While this must feel like ancient history to many of you, it is imperative to remember that these are relatively recent events! Why, the repercussions of the uprising can still be seen to this day!" The man quickly zoomed around again. "Now! Have any among you been subjugated or discriminated against because of your Faunus heritage?"
Luka looked around with an angry glare at all of the hands that went up, and then settled a soul crushing gaze back onto the back of Cardin's head. He'd pay for all of this.
"Dreadful, simply dreadful! Remember, students, it is precisely this kind of ignorance that breeds violence!" Luka could go for some violence right now. "I mean, I mean, I mean just look at what happened to White Fang! Now, which one of you young scholars can tell me what many theorize to be the turning point in the third year of the War?" That comment about the White Fang ticked her off a bit. But right now she wasn't concerned with what they were doing.
Weiss raised her hand. Oh, what did she know about this? Luka wasn't aware that the Schnee's next in line was a fanus history buff. Though she supposed it was only natural with all the slave labor her family used. "The battle at Fort Castle!"
Dr. Oobleck gave a nod. "Precisely! And, who can tell me the advantage the Faunus had over General Lagune's forces?" There was a second of silence in which Cardin flicked a little piece of paper at a sleeping Jaune. She was surprised Oobleck didn't notice it.
"Hey!" Jaune exclaimed in confusion.
It was at this point that Dr. Oobleck got right into Jaune's face. This actually caused Luka to chuckle. "Mr. Arc! Finally contributing to class! This is excellent! Excellent! What is the answer?"
"Uhhhh... The answer... The advantage... that the Faunus..." Jaune stumbled over his words as he stalled for an answer. From Luka's spot, she could watch as Pyrrha attempted to motion something to Jaune. What did they have? Was she saying they had binoculars? That...seemed right. "...had over that guy's stuff..." He stumbled a bit more with uncertainty. "Uhh... Binoculars!" The entire class laughed except Pyrrha, who slapped her forehead with disappointment. Yeah, binoculars was a stupid anwser.
Cardin's laugh seemed to echo the loudest. "Very funny, Mr. Arc! Cardin! Perhaps you would care to share your thoughts on the subject!" Dr. Oobleck singled Cardin out.
Luka already knew this wasn't going to be a scholarly answer before he even opened his mouth. "Well, I know it's a lot easier to train an animal than a soldier."
Oobleck shook his head. He shook it! Why wouldn't the teachers do anything about this prick! He was being openly racist during class! Luka let out a low bestial growl. But before she had the chance to spit fire, Pyrrha took hold of the situation. "You're not the most open-minded of individuals, are you, Cardin?"
"What? You got a problem?" Cardin spat out with annoyance.
"No, I have the answer! It's night vision. Many Faunus are known to have nearly-perfect sight in the dark." Pyrrha answered with class.
Not quite done with schooling Cardin, Blake continued where Pyrrha left off. "General Lagune was inexperienced, and made the mistake of trying to ambush the Faunus in their sleep. His massive army was outmatched, and the general was captured." She turned to face the racist. "Perhaps if he'd paid attention in class, he wouldn't have been remembered as such a failure."
From somewhere in the class, someone said "Ohhhh shit!" But it was so quiet only a fanus could pick it up. Cardin tried to stand up, but only got halfway out of his chair before Dr. Oobleck stopped him. "Mr. Winchester! Please take your seat." Jaune laughed at this. "You and Mr. Arc can both see me after class for additional readings." Jaune's shoulders fell at this and he let out a small groan. "Now, Moving on!"
Team LYAR's dorm was quiet. Really quiet. The reason? Luka was brooding in the corner. Now, usually, friends would ask why another friend was feeling down. But this wasn't a usual situation.
Anna didn't ask because she knew exactly why Luka was brooding. And she'd have no part of this vendetta. As for Yossif and Rexus, they were actually just scared of their leader. They sat in a corner "working" on homework, but they were really just trying to get as far away from her as possible.
Luka suddenly stood. Anna watched her cautiously out of the corner of her eye while Rexus and Yossif both tried to lean away from her. "You guys wanna turn CRDL inside out?" She asked with a dark tone.
"Lukaaa. We talked about this." Anna chided.
Luka didn't pay her any mind. She instead coldy focused on the two in the corner. "Well, you guys on board?"
Both were immediately relieved that her wrath wasn't focused on them, but they had opposite responses. Yossif understood that she didn't want to have a friendly spar. This would be an off the books grudge match. And there would be blood. He'd be on board if they had hurt her, manslaughter charges be damned, but they hadn't. They'd be the aggressors, and they'd be punished accordingly. Yossif wasn't really ready to land in any hot water at the moment. He was still reeling from his rebellious thoughts during his conversation with his father. He couldn't handle something else pulling at his mind.
Rexus, on the other hand, mistook his leader's intention. "What, like a spar? Sure." But Luka shook her head. It took him a second, but he caught on. "Oh. You're not aiming for a spar?" She nodded grimly. "I'm still down, as long as they fire the first shot. Gotta have an excuse in case anyone wants to launch an investigation." Anna glared at Rexus angrily for encouraging Luka.
"We don't need an excuse, they're racists." No one touched that sentence for fear of lighting another type of fire under their leader. Thankfully, she didn't push that avenue. She, instead, took a look around and sighed. "Just Rexus?" Both Yossif and Anna nodded in unison. She inhaled angrily and turned towards Rexus. "Well then, let's go."
"Wait now? But I'm comfy." Rexus complained.
"What?" Luka quietly demanded.
"Dude, I'm comfy and it's late. Can't we just do this another time?" Rexus asked.
For a second, all three of them thought Luka was gonna rip Rexus to shreds. She looked ready to scream.
And then she did, "You're all useless!" She screamed loud enough to wake up the entire dorm wing, and then stormed out.
Anna followed her as far as the door, "Luka, Wait!" She yelled after her leader. Luka didn't even turn around. It was at this point that teams started to peek out of their doors and look around. They all looked straight at a confused YAR and a very angry L walking down the corridor.
"Uh...can I just say-." Rexus began.
"Shut up." Anna immediately shot him down. "Get your stuff on, both of you. We're following her."
"But I-." Rexus tried again.
Anna pointed directly into his face in order to quiet him. "You've lost speaking privileges." Rexus threw up his hands and walked over to his clothes. Yossif, who had already gotten ready during that little event, walked over and shared a worried look with Anna.
This had two outcomes.
They were hoping they didn't get the bad one.
Of course Jaune was a cheat. He was too stupid to get into Beacon normally. Luka was currently listening to Cardin blackmail Jaune. Before that it was Jaune pushing away Pyrrha. And before that, she was just sitting here by herself. To be honest, she was lost. Why wouldn't her team side with her? Could she not see something they could? For that matter, why didn't the teachers get involved? Cardin and his team were openly racist. Didn't this school have a policy regarding that? Immediate expulsion and or community service for 40 hours? That wasn't even discussing the fine.
Maybe she should get the teacher involved. Wouldn't they be able to help?
No.
They have already demonstrated an unwillingness to punish Cardin. No, it was about time for some vigilante justice. Cardin and Jaune seemed to be finishing up, so she'd have to make her move now. She stood up from her hiding place, and was immediately pulled back down by someone. She couldn't even yelp before they had covered her mouth with a forearm. They then set about putting her in a very tight hold that she could barely wiggle in.
But she was feeling defiant, and bit into the person's arm as hard as she could, making full use of her wolf fanus canines to draw blood. She heard a surprised and pained grunt, "Damn you got a bite." Rexus? She was too tense to relax her mouth.
Cardin was finishing up, "We're friends now, Jauney boy! And the way I see it, as long as you're there for me when I need you, we'll be friends for a long time. That being said, I really don't have time to do those extra readings Dr. Oobleck gave us today. Think you could take care of that for me, buddy?" There was a slight pause. From her spot, she couldn't see what was going on. "That's what I thought. Don't worry, Jaune; your secret's safe with me."
Luka heard the distinct noise of Cardin scrambling back down off of the roof. Jaune didn't seem to move.
A few seconds passed, "When is he going to leave? Luka's about to tear my fucking arm off!" Rexus loudly whispered.
Another person quickly covered his mouth, "Shut it." Yossif said.
Anna whispered from a bit farther away, "He's going."
After a few seconds, Luka heard the blonde in question leave. Rexus didn't move yet. Luka, in response, started to gnaw at Rexus. He winced and angrily said, "You keep doing that and I'll file your teeth down to nubs!" He whispered loudly only to be shushed again. After a minute they were all certain Jaune was out of earshot. Rexus quickly released Luka and crawled away, grabbing at his arm in pain. "By the Brothers, do you sharpen those things?" Rexus asked with pain in his voice.
"What is wrong with you guys?" Luka yelled quietly. Her entire team had just prevented her from hurling that racist off the roof.
Yossif moved to look at Rexus' wounds. Rexus just kept his arm away from Yossif and told him to screw off. Anna squatted in front of Luka, "What's wrong with you? Do you know how much trouble we just saved everyone?"
"Oh, so it's just about you guys?" Luka retorted.
"No, it's about you and your Gods forsaken vendetta." Anna shot back.
"It's about the fanus he keeps hurting!" Luka countered.
"Will you both shut up?" Yossif yelled a little bit louder than he should've. He left Rexus to his own devices and walked over to Luka. "Listen, this is stupid and you know it."
Luka was a bit taken back by her silent teammate's sudden words, but she still tried to prove her point. "No it's not! If I get him no one else will have to worry about him!"
"Let the teachers handle it!" Yossif yelled louder in an attempt to shut her up.
It didn't work, "They have had all of the chances in the world. He's openly racist in front of them!" Yossif backed off a bit.
"Luka, it's not your fight." Yossif gently said as he attempted to place a hand on her shoulder.
She violently pulled away, "Then whose is it? It's not Velvet's, she won't fight for anything! It's not the teachers, because they don't care! It's not Jaune's, cause Cardin has him by the balls! Whose fight is it, Yossif? Who but me?"
The man was taken back by Luka's sudden use of profane language, but tried to continue on convincing her. "Luka, you-."
He was cut off by Anna, "Could be expelled." The two looked at her in surprise at her sudden entrance. She squatted down next to the two and nudged Yossif away. "Listen, if you get expelled, it'll look bad for me, for you, and somehow, for these two." She motioned towards Rexus and Yossif, the latter of which had gone back to trying to bind the former's wounds, much to the former's disliking. "You're our leader, Luka. You have to put on a good face for us."
"I should've known you'd make it about yourself." Luka coldly spat. "All you business types care about is 'personal image'. You're no better than that Schnee." Luka propped herself up against the low wall she had hid next to. "And it's fine if I get expelled, as long as I can save others from him." She said with a bit of sadness.
Anna shook her head, "Then what? You get expelled, and possibly put in prison for assault. He gets to go to the infirmary for a week, and then just keeps going. It's not worth it Luka." Anna analyzed the situation with logical precision.
Course, emotions didn't care about logical thinking. "It's worth it to me!" She yelled. Both Anna and Yossif recoiled in surprise at the sudden exclamation. "Don't you understand? This is why I wanted to become a Huntress! This is why I came to this school!" Luka placed a hand to her face. "I've been told all my life that Hunters are great heroes that vanquish evil wherever it may be. But all the hunters at this school seem oblivious to what's going on! They do nothing while fanus are picked on for no other reason than the fact they have an extra pair of ears! I'm sick of it! They preach about being nice and stopping racism, and then they just ignore it when it happens right in front of them! I…" She let the hand fall, revealing a determined stare. "I need to stop him. I need to do this."
There was a few seconds of complete silence. Both Anna and Yossif tried to bring forth a rebuttal. But they seemed to fall short of some logical and complete way of deconstructing her argument. Both saw how the teachers seemed almost apathetic to the plight of the fanus, and both saw the validity of Luka's words. But… they didn't want to see her kicked out for some greater good. "Then wait." All three of them turned to see a bloodied Rexus leaning against an AC unit.
"What?" Luka asked with a bit of anger.
Rexus got off of the AC and walked forward, "You wanna whack a guy, you gotta do it right." He got right down next to Luka. "Believe me, all of us want to see him eat dirt, but vigilante just works in the movies. We need a plan in order to do this."
Luka was a bit confused. "What? I… but we have to do it now."
"That's just not true." Rexus wiped a bit of blood off on her shoulder, an action which she hardly noticed. "We already know that he won't kill anybody." He looked around at everyone. "He's too much of a pussy to go that far." He then refocused on Luka. "Sure, the longer we wait, the more ears he'll tug on. But it'll be all the sweeter when everyone sees him with a black eye and no attackers to turn in. You following me?"
"But-." Luka began.
"But nothing. You're not gonna get expelled if we can prevent it, even if we have to tie you to a chair in the room." Luka tried again to say how it was he reason for becoming a huntress and everything else she had gone over before, but was again stopped by Rexus. "Listen, I know you don't like it. And to be honest, neither do I. Hell, I wish I could put that prick in a hearse everytime I see him. But like I said, you can do this and stay in school if you just do it right. Ok?"
Luka looked around and tried to come up with a counter. After a few seconds, though, she gave in. "Ok."
"Good," He put a finger in her face, "No attacking him during school hours or on school grounds."
"Then when?" She demanded.
Rexus smiled, "Hey Yossif, aren't we going on a field trip to Forever Fall in a week?"
The man in question thought for a second, and then smiled. "I think so."
Anna shook her head, "I don't like the sound of that." Despite her apparent dislike for the plan, the three of them could see a smirk pulling at her mouth.
Rexus turned back to Luka and patted her shoulder. "You do know how dangerous those trips can be right. Wouldn't it be a shame if a certain team happened to be ambushed by grimm?"
Oh what a shame it will be. Let me just say, it won't be pretty. Anyway, that was six baby! We're well on track now. If you got criticism, shoot, if not I hope you enjoyed what I had here.
Big thanks, as always, to my boi SwagMagusSupreme for easing my nerves and correcting my mistakes. I couldn't do it without you, brother.
Next time on Dragon Ball Z: Cardin suffers from a not good time.
Thanks for taking interest in what I do, and sorry for the wait.
Don't die!
Have a good day!
And Peace!