"…and then I punched Torchwick in the face!" Yang finished her story. Qrow chuckled at his niece's antics. Winter Schnee, Specialist of Atlas, and currently the one asking questions about the situation, groaned into her palms.
"Miss Xiao Long, I was asking on why your team on why you were pursuing Torchwick and the White Fang in the first place. Need I remind you that you might have been interfering with official investigations?" She said evenly. Weiss stepped forward before Yang could retort.
"Sister. There were no such developments being made in these 'official investigations' in the first place." Winter's eyebrow twitched at her sister's probably unintentional jab at the current authorities in the room. Qrow tried to hide a smile behind his hand. He failed. Winter glared at him, and Qrow raised his hands in a placating manner.
"We were in a prime position to start a more focused investigation in the first place. My teammate and a friend investigated the current state of the White Fang. Yang and…Neptune," Weiss whispered the last name in a way that made the twitch in Winter's eyebrow more erratic. "Investigated Roman Torchwick's whereabouts. I and my team leader here," Weiss dragged Ruby to show off to her sister, like a child showing off her latest drawing. Ruby smiled weakly and muttered a shy "Hi…?" to the Specialist. "Investigated the Dust Robberies."
Weiss smiled smugly. "We have triangulated the most likely shipments and distributors Torchwick or the White Fang would steal next." Winter raised her eyebrows in surprise. Weiss showed her sister her scroll, Qrow leaning in to look, where it showed a list of data about dust shipment schedules, patterns of delivery, and a quick correlation to Roman Torchwick's latest hits. It was a brilliant presentation. Winter smiled at her sister. "Great work." She said, and Weiss stood a bit taller, preening under her sister's praise.
"Wow. Great job, smaller ice queen." Qrow said, genuinely impressed. Weiss glared at the drunk, black haired veteran, her sister mirroring her actions. "But. With Roman Torchwick now getting caught by you guys, won't this information you got be outdated?"
Weiss started to talk, but Winter stepped in. "It would still be a most useful piece of intel. I imagine Torchwick would have left instructions to his men what to do if he is not present at the moment, and these men might still carry out his instructions. Furthermore," Winter smirked. "We could use this information to squeeze a little bit more on Torchwick."
Qrow snorted at that. "Alright, alright. Still, great job nonetheless, you guys." He said, leaning back to his corner on the wall.
"Oh! And there was this other guy too!" Yang shouted suddenly, remembering the guy that beat up Torchwick's sidekick. "I think Torchwick was after him! The guy said that it was Torchwick's assistant that blew up the place."
"What did this man look like?" Winter asked.
"He has this black cap on, and a long sleeved shirt and black jeans." Yang recited. "He has black hair, around as tall as Blake," She pointed to her teammate. "and he was kinda young, but older than we are. So mid-20s, I think."
"Who is this 'guy', then?" Qrow asked. "A huntsman?"
"I don't…actually know?" Yang said sheepishly. "We just saw him drinking beer at the club. He has a weapon and a nasty semblance, though. He…messed up Torchwick's minion real bad."
The rest of the kids in the room winced at the memory. They saw Neo being carted away by medics, her face still screaming silently in pain, writhing around in the gurney as the personnel took her to the ambulance. It was uncomfortable to watch.
Winter and Qrow noticed this reaction. This was something they had to report to their respective superiors. A rogue agent was involved.
]|[
Said rogue agent of course, was lounging in one of the seats at Ozpin's office, where Winter and Qrow was asked to go to report. He looked as Yang had described. He was currently discussing something with the headmaster.
"Winter, Qrow." Ironwood greeted. The arrival of the two, had everyone facing them. The man the two were wary of stood up from their seat as well.
"This is a…collaborator of ours." Ironwood said. The new arrivals looked at him in surprise. "He has provided us valuable intel from his personal investigation into our current…issues." The general chose his words carefully.
"I'm Johnny." The adventurer introduced himself. "Nice to meet you."
"We are, surprised, sir. We thought that, Mister…Johnny here was a rogue element." Winter said.
"The way the kids was spooked of what he did to Torchwick's lackey, we thought we had a psycho on our hands." Qrow added. "What is happening, Oz?" He asked the headmaster.
Ozpin sipped a bit from the mug of cocoa he was nursing. "I'll brief you later. Job first." He looked at Ironwood, who nodded, and faced Winter.
"Winter, we brought you here to help with the joint collaboration of Vale and Atlas in the investigation of the terrorist attack in the city." The general said. Winter tensed, standing in attention. "Coordinate with Colonel Ash of the VPD. Get Torchwick to talk." The specialist saluted, and Ironwood saluted back. "Dismissed. Report to me after your work." Winter nodded and headed back to the elevator, warily staring at Johnny as she turned, who stared back at her.
With Winter gone, it was Qrow's turn to report, but he stared at Johnny. "Is he still supposed to be here?" He asked. Johnny smiled at the man, who like Winter, also looked at him with caution.
"Johnny is…aware of our real threat." Ozpin said, and Qrow's eyes widened in shock.
Johnny looked over at the huntsman. "He's also another user of magic." He asked Ozpin. "He has a bit on him…"
Qrow faced Ozpin, Glynda, and Ironwood. "Who is this guy?" He asked seriously.
Glynda sighed. "Johnny is from a group of people outside the kingdoms that is still practicing magic. He has recently arrived at Vale, and has stumbled upon Torchwick and his conspiracy." The blonde professor briefed Qrow, whose eyes threatened to bulge out of his sockets as he grew more and more surprised at what he was hearing.
Ozpin continued where Glynda had stopped. "We have decided to bring him to our circle of…trust." He hesitated a bit on how he said that. Ironwood snorted, shaking his head.
"More like, forced to trust." The general said, hand in his head. He was still seething. They can't even hide secrets from this man! All the more reasons not to trust him.
"C'mon. I thought we were over this." Johnny whined. "How can I get you guys to stop being paranoid? I'm not about to take over the world or anything."
I just serve a girl that wants to cover the world with her legions of darkness. He thought, smiling inwardly.
"Maybe you can start by laying all your cards on the table. Jimmy doesn't like unknowns. And so do I, now that I think about it." Qrow growled at him.
"Fiiiiine. What do you wanna know?"
"That shit you did to Torchwick's lackey. What was that?" The huntsman asked Johnny.
"I was also meaning to ask about that. Is that also magic of yours?" Ozpin added.
Johnny rolled his eyes. Of all the things to ask, they ask about Legion Revenant. Guess it was also a fault on my part as well. "Yes it is. Atramentous Shade is a spell that summons a terrible fog that rots an enemy from the inside and makes it difficult for them to move." He raised a hand, a black fog slowly coalescing in his palms and spilling over it. Everyone began to step back from him and Johnny sighed. "It will only hurt you if I want it to." He dismissed the magical fog before it spread throughout Ozpin's office, the fog disappearing immediately.
"Such terrible magic…" Ozpin looked horrified. "Where did you learn that? Or is it something you developed" Johnny didn't miss Ozpin's prying tone. He was still trying to find out his intentions. Can't blame them for trying. Most of the Legion Revenant spells are terrifying. He thought.
"It was taught to me once I ascended the ranks of being an elite soldier of our army back home." Johnny said. It wasn't technically a lie. Only the strongest members of the Undead Legion are granted this terrible power. He wasn't a regular soldier, but Ironwood seems to have bought it, his eyes widening in surprise.
"What rank were you?" He asked. Johnny smiled inwardly. He was expecting this. The thing was, would they believe him.
"General." He said smugly. He felt everyone's skepticism to his claim. "I was given the rank after being a most loyal soldier to the army, and fighting in the war and destroying the enemy leadership." Gravelyn herself awarded him with being a Shadowscythe General after destroying the earliest of the foes of Shadowscythe. Sigrin Sunshield was a powerful foe. The lightguard was a terrible foe to fight in general. They had to be, as they were the only one facing the unending tide of undead from marching on to the rest of Lore. He could understand why they didn't believe him being a general. He didn't actually do military things. He was just there to deal with the enemy, most of the time. He left the actual commanding to the alliance or Dage.
"Forgive me if I don't believe that, Johnny." The actual general in the room said. Johnny shrugged.
"You asked. That's the gist of it I believe. What else do you want to know?"
"Do you know other forms of magic?" It was Glynda that asked this time.
"I do." Johnny said. The others in the room stared at him when he didn't say anything. "You want me to show you more, then?"
"You have anything less creepy than your fog?" Qrow asked. "Doesn't exactly make me want to fight beside you out in the field."
"I already told you I have perfect control over it, but sure, why not?" He muttered under his breath, and a wave of gentle light covered the room, the Hymn of Light energizing everyone. They felt the subtle aches and fatigue in their body disappear.
"That…A healing spell?" Ozpin said. Johnny smiled and nodded.
"The Hymn of Light. A prayer of forgiveness. Taught to the warriors that stand against the darkness." Archpaladin was one of the ranks he was the most proud of in obtaining. It helped him in battle time and time again.
The others in the room looked at each other. They all seemed to communicate with just their eyes. Johnny narrowed his own.
"Are you guys going to clue me in on what you guys are trying to tell each other?" The adventurer asked. He looked at each of them. Ironwood looked away, conflicted. Glynda bit her lip. Qrow closed his eyes in pain, his failures still haunting him. Ozpin looked straight at Johnny, and asked with a bit of desperation in his tone.
"We need your help in healing someone." He said.
]|[
They brought him deep underground. A vast vault with a hallway stretching in 4 directions. Johnny looked to one end. "What's in there?" Johnny asked. "It's locked. This place looks rich in mana."
His four other companions looked at each other. "Never mind that for now." Ozpin said. "This way please."
It was a tense silence as they walked through the long corridor. Johnny was still thinking why they brought him here. "Is why you're brining me down here related to the Hymn of Light?" He asked. "You need someone healed? Is a hospital not enough?"
"Yes. Yes. And no." Glynda said, with a touch of sadness in her voice. "We don't know what's wrong. Aura can't heal her wounds. And she does not wake up."
"It's that thing that I was going to report back about." Qrow snarled. "The Queen's pawns got to Autumn. They were doing something to her before I got to her." He turned to look at Ozpin. "And now they're here. In Vale."
"What?!" Glynda gasped. Ironwood grit his teeth. Ozpin's eyes closed. "Then it seems we are running out of time." He said.
"Then it seems fortuitous that we have our joint cooperation now. People can look to the streets and see Vale and Atlas working together, and feel safer." Ironwood said.
Qrow laughed in derision. "Oh, is that why you brought your little ships to Vale? If the people see an army guarding the city borders, they would ask what the hell we're guarding them for. What was the point of all this cloak and dagger if we're just going to lay our dicks in the table anyways?!"
"Qrow!" Glynda shouted.
"Discretion isn't working anymore! You've seen the disaster: that's what they're planning to do! Cautiously waiting in the wing just adds up more and more tragedies we could've prevented if we had just stamped them out in the first place!" Ironwood shouted at Qrow. "This isn't about putting fear into our enemy with our forces! It's about meeting their threats with the same amount of force!"
Ozpin interjected. "Our enemies aren't just the Grimm. They have pawns everywhere, and it seems that they will capitalize on what the White Fang has done. Negativity is at an all-time high. Which is why I am desperate that Johnny look at her condition."
[Amber, the Fallen Fall Maiden]
They arrived at the end of the hallway. A machine, with two containers that looked much like a coffin hooked to computers. A faint beeping sound echoed throughout the place. A woman with brown hair and skin, with an irregular scar across her face, lied unmoving with her eyes closed in one of the compartments of the machine.
"This is Amber. We hope that you could help heal her." Ozpin said.
"I have to know what's going on first. What's wrong with her? And why is she hooked up to…this?" Johnny asked. "Seems a lot of work for just this one person."
"We…don't know. This is state of the art technology from Atlas. And it is barely keeping her alive." Ironwood answered.
"Why don't you tell me the story from the top? What happened? When did this start?" Johnny asked. "I can't help her if I don't know what I'm dealing with here." He said.
"Can't you just heal her and move on?" Qrow said. "Aren't you here to help?"
"Yes, and I need to know what exactly I'm healing. Are her wounds even physical in the first place? Or is it related to the fact that half her soul is torn off? When exactly were you going to tell me that?" Johnny answered back in a sharp, accusing tone. The rest were silent. "What happened here?" His tone softened. "Tell me."
"The Maidens of Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall." Ozpin recited. "These four are given great magic. Power over nature, and the magic of the wizard that gave it to them. They are bestowed these powers so that they could aid the people."
"The maidens are hunted down by those hungry for power." Glynda started. "Our group is founded to protect mankind and the maidens." Qrow took out his flask at that and took a deep swig.
"And we-I, had failed to protect her." Qrow said in a tormented voice. "There were three of them. They had hunted her down and ambushed her. On of 'em had this…thing on her hands that she stuck on Amber's face. It stole her powers away. I was too late." Angry with himself, Qrow tried to frown his sorrows further with more alcohol.
"We are now in a precarious situation." Ironwood explained. "The maiden's powers are only able to be accessed by young women. And as we had found further, when the maiden dies, the person in her final thoughts, if she is a young woman, would inherit her powers. If they are unable to use the powers, it is transferred to another random person."
The general placed a hand on the steel coffin where the maiden, Amber, slept. "Amber was attacked, and it is not uncommon for the last thoughts of the slain to be of their attacker. Thankfully, Qrow was able to get there in time to stop the assailants from stealing all of Amber's powers. It left un another problem: this is the first time the powers of a maiden is split in half."
"These powers." Johnny said slowly, forming a theory in his head. "Are tied to their soul. Someone out there are actively trying to hunt down her soul." He turned to face the four people responsible for defending Amber. "This is unimaginable torture. Her soul is split in half. Her body would not be able to survive this." Johnny remembered the poor victims of the Soul Cleavers of the Undead Legion. It was a terrible way to go. "I cannot stress this enough. I am not saying this lightly. End Amber's life. This pain cannot go on any longer. This is my advice. Even my powers cannot suddenly restore a huge part of her soul that was taken away." The adventurer said seriously.
Despair was written on their faces, and they looked down. "But, you don't want her powers transferring to her assailants. So you're going to keep her alive. Continue her pain." Johnny continued. "I cannot say the extent to what would happen if Amber dies. But I have to ask: Is it truly worth to continue her torture?"
"Yes." Ozpin said. "But it does not have to. There is another plan," Ozpin said. "The maiden's powers are transferrable. We found a way to do that artificially; this life support machine that keeps Amber alive is also capable of transferring Aura from one person to another."
He pointed to the second compartment in the machine. "We have to find another candidate that is trustworthy to pass on the Fall maiden's powers. Then, Amber's suffering could end."
"Has this been done before? Grafting another soul to another person?" The adventurer asked.
"There are similar enough cases to know that this would work." Ironwood said. Johnny nodded. "We have our greatest minds working on it for years."
"Then there's nothing to do but to find your candidate." The adventurer concluded. He turned back to face Amber. "And wait. But maybe…Maybe there is something I can still do." He placed his hands on the glass. Amber lay unmoving. He whispered a prayer under his breath, the Hymn of Light. "I don't know what this would do, but I can at least ease her pain."
The light bathed Amber, gently lapping at her skin. Her eyelids shifted, and Amber moved a little. Everyone's breath hitched as they hoped she would wake up, but ultimately, Amber stayed asleep.
Johnny's eyes closed, expecting what happened. "It was always a distant hope." Ozpin said, but his actions betray his words. His hand gripped his cane hard when he saw Amber moving a little. Not even magic could help Amber right now. "Now come," the headmaster told the others. "We should talk about finding our guardian."
]|[
Roman Torchwick sat in a cell. He had no idea where Neo was, where his weapon is. He woke up to a guard tapping at the bars of the cell with a stick.
"Wake up prisoner. There's someone who wants to talk to you."
The guards had placed handcuffs connected to his leg irons. He had to be marched out of his cell with an entourage. "Quite the collection here." He managed a raspy chuckle. "Worried about me escaping?"
No one answered him. His guards remained stone faced as they carted the thief through the hallway. "Fun lot, all of you." Torchwick rolled his eyes. "I want a lawyer. I'm placing my complaints to your superior. What's your name, officer?"
Said officer behind him snorted. They reached a door with metal reinforcements at its sides. "You'll have a lot of time to place your complaints, prisoner." He said. The door opened, revealing an interrogation room, with a woman sitting in the chair, waiting for Torchwick to arrive. Winter Schnee.
"Oh great." Torchwick said sarcastically. "I can't wait." The door closed behind him.