Beacon tower
Ozpin's office (July 28)
Rex flew up close to the window of Ozpin's office and knocked on the window. It was then opened by Ozpin as he gestured his hand for Rex to enter his office room.
Rex made it through and saw that Glynda was standing by his desk, but by one of the seats in front of him was someone he had never seen before.
He saw a man that wore a white overcoat, with a gray undercoat, black sweater, a red necktie, and a white glove on his right hand. His suit pants shared the same color as his overcoat and were tucked into silver boots, accented in gray.
His hair was black, with some silver and gray areas, while his eyebrows were solid black. He had a strip of silver metal above his right eyebrow, a neurotransmitter that helped him operate the robotic parts of his body.
"Who's this?" asked Rex as he pointed at him.
Ozpin began walking to his desk as he said "This is the man I was talking about weeks ago. Rex Salazar, this is General James Ironwood of the Atlas military" as he held out his hand, towards Ironwood.
Hearing this made Rex quickly move his eyes to the man staring at him with a neutral tone.
"You mean, that general guy you mentioned before?" asked Rex in a surprised tone.
"Yes, indeed" said Ozpin, picking up on his reaction but Ironwood did too.
Rex sighed as he said "Well, this was bound to happen sooner rather than later so I guess I shouldn't act all surprised" as he slowly walked over to the general.
Ironwood straightened himself as Rex walked over to him. He then held out his hand and said "Greetings Rex Salazar. I am General James Ironwood of..."
"Yea, Ozpin already told me who you are. So let's keep the repetition out of here, alright" said Rex nonchalantly.
This surprised Ironwood but decided to go along with it and said "Very well" as he turned around and took a seat. Rex did the same as him.
Ozpin had chuckled at Rex's reply to Ironwood but soon got over his chuckle and straightened himself up.
He then faced Rex and said "Now, Rex. The reason that I summoned you here is..."
"...Because he has questions about me, I take it?" asked Rex, in a tone that made it sound like he knew exactly where this was going.
Ozpin leaned forward as he said "Yes, that is the case."
"Is he really as trustworthy as you say?"asked Rex in a cautionary way, making James look at him with a stern gaze but felt a bit hurt by his words.
"Yes, Rex. Even though you've had bad experience with military personal, he is a colleague that I trust. He knows about Salem so I trust him. Question is, do you?" asked Ozpin.
Hearing this from Oz surprised Ironwood. What made Ozpin exactly think that he wasn't trustworthy with anything about the strange boy but he would tell Ozpin? Yea, Ozpin said he had military experience but from whom.
"Now, as you request, we will let you talk alone with James and catch him up on everything. Me and Glynda will do a quick errand in Port's room, then we'll come right back here" said Ozpin as he and Glynda walked over to the elevator and headed down.
While they were gone, Ironwood faced Rex and asked "Rex, what exactly makes you think I'm not trustworthy?"in a shocked tone, but also annoyed tone.
"Because you're a military commander, meaning you have soldiers, guards, scientists. All of the above. And I don't intend on being experimented for whatever it is you're wanting with my powers" said Rex in a serious tone.
"What makes you think that I want to do this? We haven't even met and you're already thinking I'm a bad guy here. I merely asked for Ozpin to bring you here to talk. Whatever he's told you about me may make me seem like a questionable guy but I do these things to save the people of Remnant. And you're someone with powers I've never seen ever done before. And if what Ozpin told me was true, then you know about our Salem problem, am I correct?" asked Ironwood.
"Yea, he told me after I ended up on the news about Salem. But he also told me you and how your the general of Atlas's military. And that alone makes me skeptical to you" said Rex as he faced away from him.
Rex then turned around to face him as he said "But you're someone that Ozpin trusts and considering Salem, I'm going to need a lot of help in understanding everything about this world. Plus, in my predicament, I kind of need someone to talk to."
This made Ironwood raise his eyebrow as he said "What exactly are talking about? Your situation? What are you going on about?"
Rex then said "Look, Ironwood. I'm in a predicament here and I need to talk to people about them. Ozpin says that you're trustworthy with information but the fact that you're a military general, that makes me skeptical of you. But with your position as a general, I guess it would be good to make friends or at least, a partnership between us" as he looked at him with a serious face.
"Which is why, I thought about it and if Ozpin says your trustworthy with information, then I guess it couldn't hurt to tell you. But I'm not sure about people when they have connections with a military. Granted, the last one I was in I trusted them, but that was because I had no place else to go. And they did know what they were doing. But I'm going to tell the half-truth of me. And you'll have to work to earn my trust. And I want you to know one more thing" said Rex, in a stern voice, which Ironwood picked up.
"And what is that?" said James, trying to keep a straight face.
"I am still a human. That I have feelings and emotions, meaning that I'm trusting you not to go and try and experiment on me and figure out my powers. They are mine and I don't need other people with them. I am trusting you with this information because with what Ozpin told me about Salem, then I need your help as well. And I want you to make sure that no one else in your branch will do anything related to that. No shots, no scalpels, none of that" said Rex in stern voice.
"So, to recall, I am trusting you with my secrets, but not enough for the entire truth. So I'll tell you a bit about me but not the entirety of it. So you're going to have to work to earn my trust to know the truth. You may hate it but its what I decided. So if you think about trying to strap me to a table and figure out what makes me tick, you'll end making the worst kind of enemy you could think of. Do you understand?" said Rex in a serious tone.
Ironwood was completely shocked. Not just by his words of Rex trusting him with his secrets and information but also his idea that he would do something like that to him. Yes, he's made some bad decisions in the past but he wouldn't do that to something new and he could talk to it. Or at least, he wouldn't think he would. But he did remember that Ozpin had said almost the same thing a few hours back, so he knew he had to make Rex trust him.
He was an unknown boy with unknown powers and if he said he was willing to trust him with revealing his secrets, then he should try and make that trust happen. He knew he had to agree with his demands and make him believe that he was trustworthy, even if that meant he would be kept in the dark.
Ironwood then brought himself out of his thoughts and said "I understand your demands and will agree with them. If Ozpin has told you about Salem, then you should understand how dangerous she is. And we need all the help we can to keep her at bay, and I believe that you are strong enough to help us. So I will agree to not do anything irrational nor experiment with you, even if that was never in my mind or my intention. I will inform any officers not to bug you or do anything irrational as well" said Ironwood as he stood up from chair and looked out the window.
"Your powers fascinate me but I forget that those powers come from someone that's living and it would be wrong to experiment like that. If these are your demands, I will make sure that they happen and I will see them through. You're a strong individual, Rex. I'd hate to see you on the wrong side" said Ironwood in his casual tone.
Rex sighed deeply as he said "Ok, good. At least we're on the same page as that" as he then leaned back to stretch his back and gazed up at the spinning gears by the ceiling.
He then stood up and said "Now that that is done, lets start with what you really wanted to hear. So what is it you want to know?" He knew what Ironwood was wanting to ask but he just wanted to make sure if there was anything else he wanted to know.
"Who are you exactly, Mr. Salazar?" asked Ironwood in a slight demanding tone but also curious way.
Rex just swayed back and forth a bit as he said "As you've already known and seen, you know about my powers?"
"Yes Mr. Salazar. Me and many other people are aware of your powers. That you have the ability to grow metal appendages of great size and power from your limbs. Nothing anyone has seen before, but yes. I've seen what you can do" said Ironwood as he then took out his scroll, and then displayed the video of Rex, battling the two grim creatures with such strength, endurance and power. Not to mention, he began to show the different builds he had created during his fight.
"So, would you mind explaining how were you able to do such capable feats?" Ironwood asked, referring to the videos and images. Rex glanced at the man as he too was lost in thought.
"Well, like I said, I'm only going to tell you a half-truth. I don't entirely trust you so I can't just tell you everything about me. So you'll have to work hard to earn my trust. You may hate it but military authority tends to not sit well with me. I'll try to make it short but don't forget what you promised to me" said Rex in a sort of tired tone, because he knew that he had to tell him the truth, just like he did with Ozpin and Glynda, but he also worried what exactly could happen if he did.
"You are right that I have to work hard to earn your trust since we've not even met each other before. But if I'm to earn your trust, then I must suck it up and agree with your demands" said Ironwood in his confident voice but also in his neutral tone.
Rex sighed as he simply said "Well. My name is Rex Salazar and I'm...I'm a dimensional traveler from across another world. In my world, I was infused with a special tech that allows me to grow my builds. And I've fought creatures bigger than the grimm out there, but with more variation, colors, and powers. And it was through those fights that I gained my strength and endurance. Like I said, I've been a military or government branch. And at first, I struggled with them, but I soon began to trust them. But seeing as your someone knew and I know nothing about, I don't trust you with all my information. So that's all I'm going to tell you about me. The rest, you'll have to work to gain my trust and I might explain more about me" said Rex as he kept his serious face on, making sure Ironwood got the message as he then took a deep breath and exhaled while he gauged his reaction.
Ironwood stayed completely looking stoic, but looked like he was eager to learn more as his eyes slightly widen.
Rex sighed as he said "I know that sounds completely stupid but its the truth. Well, mostly" as he rubbed the back of his neck.
Ironwood may have been keeping his stoic face, but his brain was racking with questions about what he said. Sure, his story was completely far fetched but it did add to some of the things about. His powers, how they weren't a semblance, how he could fight the White Fang and not realize what he was causing by doing so, and many other things.
But the main thing he wanted to ask was "Just was is this tech that allows you to create your builds?" asked Ironwood, hoping that he could explain that at least.
Rex turned his head to face Ironwood as he said "Being a bit pushy, aren't we?!" in a serious tone, meaning that he could easily tell what ironwood was trying to do.
Ironwood was a bit surprised by his words but he had a feeling he would react like this, after what he had told him.
"No, I'm not being pushy. Its just you said it was "some tech" that was the cause of your powers. But what kind of advanced tech could possibly make you create such strong and powerful builds" said Ironwood, trying to not make Rex angry.
Rex still kept his annoyed expression as he said "Yea right. If that were true about not being pushy, then you would've remembered that I wasn't going to tell you everything. You're a general from a different world and I don't know how your system works so I can't tell you everything, for fear you trying to pull something" said Rex as he kept his serious expression on.
Ironwood could see the seriousness in his face and could see that his attempt at making Rex trust him was slowly dwindling now. He knew that Rex was strong and powerful and it was only a matter of time until Salem got her hands on him. So he needed to form a partnership with Rex in order for them to work together and trust each other with whatever might happen in the future.
Not wanting to make things worse for him, Ironwood took a deep breath and then exhaled as he said "You're right, Rex. I did say I would agree to your demands. Even if I don't like it, we need to work together if our common worry is Salem and her forces. So I'm sorry for pushing my luck and I won't ask anything else if that was everything you wanted to say to me. But can you at least humor me and tell me...Have you fought with powerful enemies in your world? And do your powers come at a cost? That's it. I won't ask anymore. But can you at least answer me those two questions?" finished Ironwood, hoping that Rex would at least humor him and continue with their talk.
Rex sighed as he thought about his questions and figured that since they weren't about what his powers were and about him, it wouldn't hurt to reply to them as he said "Well, at least you're getting at what I'm saying. But to answer your question, I have. Many times. So I know what its like fighting on the battle field, if that's what you're curious about" as he began to think back to his enemies back in his world.
Van Kliess and the pack.
No-face.
His ex-business partner, Quarry.
And, of course, that cursed Bunny EVO. Good lord, he hated that stupid bunny.
Even Black Knight and the Consortium.
"Sorry Gatlock and Hunter Cain. You don't really fit their group" thought Rex in humor at him jabbing at the two villains he didn't consider major threats.
He couldn't believe he had faced such powerful enemies in his world, yet was able to defeat some of the bad guys in this world without much problems. Guess it went to show how different this world was form his. In a sense.
"So after hearing all this, is it too much that you show me your powers? I'd like to see them up close in personal then from a screen" said Ironwood, bringing Rex out of his thoughts, as he then looked at Ironwood, as he knew that Ironwood was trying to convince him to at least do that, if he wasn't going to tell Ironwood anything else.
Rex took a deep sigh as he said "Well, I guess it won't hurt. You've already seen them on TV. But don't forget your promise that there'll be no experiments, no nothing related to that."
"Yes, yes. I swear that I won't let any of that happen. If I am going to gain your trust, then I should at least agree with your demands" said Ironwood.
"Aright" said Rex as he then formed his smack hands, taking Ironwood by shock, seeing it up close. Rex then formed his BFS and laid it on his shoulder and then activated the blade function as he stared at the shocked teacher and stoic headmaster. Rex then deactivated his builds and then sat back down in his seat.
"Truly, such fascinating abilities, but I do still have my last question for you" said Ironwood, making Rex raise an eyebrow.
"With such powers like yours, do they come at a price? Like, is there any issues that could happen to you when using them?" asked Ironwood as he held his hands together, leaning back on his seat.
"Well there is one. I have one build that if I use it, I sometimes run the risk of losing my memories so I try and not use it often" said Rex as he looked at his right hand as he recalled how he almost lost it all from his battle against the Consortium but he somehow managed to not lose his memories.
"And what is that?"asked James.
"Its a metal giant but if I get attacked in the head, I risk losing my memories. And trust me, considering where I am, I can't run that risk. I'd be lost" said Rex in a serious tone.
Ironwood hummed in acknowledgment as he said "I see. I won't push any further on something like that since it seems to be a touchy subject to you" as he still wanted to be in Rex's good graces. Or at least work on making a connection with him.
Rex hummed in understanding as he then faced Ironwood as he said "Well I hope that answers your question, but that is the last thing I'll answer about myself. The rest, you'll have to work hard to learn about by making me trust you" as he kept his stern face on.
Ironwood sighed at this but knew he didn't have a choice as he said "Very well. I will not ask any more questions about you", finally finishing their talk about Rex as Rex sighed in relaxation.
Ironwood was still frustrated that Rex wouldn't tell him everything, while Oz and Glynda knew more than him, but he knew that he didn't have a choice in the matter. It was Rex's decision after all about this whole thing.
But Rex then chuckled as he said "But I will say this, when I told Oz and Glynda about myself, Glynda was all, "That is just completely ridiculous. Now I know you're probably making this up," and thought that I was nothing but coo-coo in the coconuts" joked Rex, trying to lighten the mood after all the seriousness a while ago.
Ironwood chuckled a little and said "That does sound like her" as he joined in chuckling a little.
Ironwood then stopped his laughter and faced Rex as he said "So you're really from a different world?"
Rex was surprised as he said "Yea, but I figured you would be more resistant to believing me and such a story like that."
"Well, I must admit that your whole Interdimensional traveler stuff does sound completely stupid and far fetched to truly believe, but I guess it does add up to the things you can do, without our worlds logic in it. Plus, when I saw your fight with the White Fang, I thought you were either fearless or stupid since the White Fang wouldn't take a defeat like that lying down. But I guess being from a different world, you didn't know about the threat of the White Fang " said Ironwood, still taking in what Rex had told him.
"Plus, if it was anyone else you had said this to, then they wouldn't believe you. But seeing what you can do and how Ozpin told me it wasn't your semblance, I kind of lose my ideas of where you might be from and narrow it to you being from the stars as a possibility. But it still amazes me that you're from a different planet. Guess that would explain your powers. In a sense" said Ironwood as he then began to sit back down as Rex did the same.
Rex didn't say anything as he saw Ironwood had taken a seat. He soon sighed as he then said "Actually, that's not entirely true" as this made Ironwood face Rex in question.
"What do you mean "not entirely true?" asked Ironwood.
Rex took a deep breath and then exhaled as he said "I knew that the White Fang was a threat since I had heard about them around the school from other students and teachers. Admittedly, when I was trying to find my teammate, and I saw their ships at the docks, I hesitated about trying to stop them. But I then remembered how the White Fang had been making the Faunus of this world look bad and made people discriminate against them" as he leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling as Ironwood took in what Rex said.
"So I decided to go down there and take them down a peg. To show them that what they were doing was wrong. Or at least stop them from whatever they were planning. I had a feeling of what I would be doing if I went down there but all I thought about was the Faunas at the school and the rest of Remnant, in a small moment, that is. And I knew that if I let this go, I might not get another chance to stop the White Fang again. They were criminals and I knew what to do with criminals when they're doing wrong things" said Rex as Ironwood was getting more and more surprised by this news.
"So to answer your question, I did know about the White Fang and figured that they were a threat but in that moment, the only thing I was thinking about was the welfare of the Faunas in every part of the world that I only thought about taking down the White Fang and not about the threat of them" said Rex as he still stared at the ceiling.
Rex was internally surprised at what he was telling Ironwood. He knew that this was what his mind was like during his time at the docks but he never told anyone about it. But telling it to someone made him feel a bit better. He began to feel good about himself as he was surprised at how much he had seemed to change, mostly.
If this were his past self, he would've said that he did it to look good on TV or look awesome beating a group of bad guys. But he had changed a lot since then. He had begun to see the bigger side of being a hero. It's not about him, but about the people that can't fight. That's why he wanted to be a hero. So everyone could have a happy life. Even if this world wasn't his, he still hated that there was discrimination in this one as well. He had faced it before, what with being an EVO and all that, but he still showed people that he can make a difference to the world. And that's what he thought about here as well.
Even if it wasn't his, he still wanted to try and make the people feel safe, even if not all of them didn't like him. He fought the White Fang to make a difference and stand up for the good side of the Faunas.
All while he thought on this, Ironwood was internally shocked by the boys words. All he cared about was the welfare of the Faunus of the world and would risk fighting a dangerous group such as the White Fang to stop their evil ways. And he would do it to protect the good side of the faunas. He was amazed by the boys motives, he couldn't help but smile a bit at him. He may be a teenager but he has the heart of a soldier. He knows what's at stake and knows how to stop criminals. All so people can live a happy life, free from fear.
James Ironwood couldn't help but smile at the strange, otherworldly boy and how much he appreciated his motives.
"I must say that that is a very impressive mindset to have in a fight. Fighting a dangerous gang just for the welfare of the Faunas. You may be a teenager but I can tell that your experiences on the battlefield has shaped your mind into a soldier. So, I must commend you on such motives" said Ironwood as leaned froward in his chair, acting like he was bowing to him.
Rex smiled a little at the gesture and couldn't help but nod at him.
"But even as you tell about how you're from another world, I can't help but wonder. What are you doing here in the World of Remnant? You showed up at Beacon, and for a while you were hiding your powers from everyone, but I have to ask. What are you doing here if your home isn't even on this planet?"
Rex was about to argue that this was a question about him but it seemed to be more aimed towards him ending up in this world. He scratched his head as he leaned on the table with his arm under his chin as he said "Well, I didn't even mean to end up here. I was battling my oldest enemy back on my world. And when I was about to confront him, I was met with one of his lackeys, Breach. She had powers to open portals with her hands and before I could even speak, she said to me "This is for your own good" and "I don't want you to die" and before it, she threw me into a portal but that wasn't the weird thing" said Rex as he looked down at his feet.
"What do you mean by "Weird thing." There's honestly a lot of strange things about you but what exactly do you mean by that?" asked Ironwood.
"Normally, her portals would send me to a different part of my world but I ended up here. And before I went through it, she stuck me with some kind of drug. I became very dizzy and ended up getting pushed into the portal and before I knew it, I ended up in that forest out there. And that pretty much leads us to right now. Me, stuck in a weird world and I don't even know what's going on this world" said Rex as he kept his head down as he now felt like a bit was lifted off of him but he still felt sad.
Ironwood leaned back in his chair as he sighed as he said "I see. Well, my apologizes that that has happened to you, Rex. I can see how distraught this is making you feel. I, too, would feel bad if I was far away from home" in a sincere way, trying to make the boy feel less bad.
"I know. And I am sad, but there's nothing I can really do. Space is infinite and even if I had a spaceship or a build that let me breath in space, I wouldn't even know where to go. So I'm stuck here until I can find my way home. I just feel down because I'm far away from my friends and family. And I'm worried that something could happen while I'm not there" said Rex as he faced him.
"And I know that you're probably mad at Ozpin for not telling you the truth but I didn't want anyone to know about my powers because I was scared of what this world would think of me. Or what it might do to me?" said Rex as he leaned back in his chair.
Ironwood began to ponder in thought about Rex's words as he remembered that when he showed up on the news, many people in Atlas seemed to be amazed by him but he also knew people that weren't too sure about him but that was one because he fought the White Fang and they weren't a group to mess with.
Ironwood then snapped out of his thoughts and said "While I'm sure people would've found it strange that you were able to do these feats, I'm sure that they would've..."
"That's not it" replied Rex quickly, surprising the teacher.
Rex sighed as he lifted his head as he said "I mean, as in if they would think of me as a freak and not just a kid with extraordinary powers. I faced that problem back in my world and I just don't want that to happen here, which is the reason why I begged Ozpin and Glynda not to tell anyone."
"And what reason exactly would that be?" asked Ironwood as he raised eyebrow.
"I didn't want the rest of the students here to find out about my true powers, you know my builds and stuff. Because, I didn't want some crazy scientists or military personal finding out about me too and trying to get their greedy hands on my powers and trying to use them for their own benefits" said Rex in slight frustration.
"Trust me, I've dealt with it before and I don't want to go through that again here. Admittedly, when Ozpin mentioned you when I ended up on the news, I defiantly wasn't ready for this meeting, but that was because you were someone new and the fact that you had such authority of a military made me worry about what you might try and do to me. Which is I why I warned you not to do anything experimental" said Rex in his stern voice again.
"Because, even though I'm not a fan of it, I need to make a partnership with you, Ironwood. You're a general, meaning you have a lot of power in numbers behind you. And if Salem is as bad as Ozpin told me then we need all the power we can get to keep her from hurting people. Can we at least agree on that?" said Rex with a serious tone.
Ironwood was surprised by his demands as he understood his concerns. He admitted that he was a bit angry that he was left in the dark about Rex but it was his decision to tell them not to say anything. Guess he couldn't exactly falter him in that.
"I suppose that is something we can agree on but since I'm not going to get anymore info about you, Rex, I want to know what exactly Ozpin has mentioned about Salem" asked Ironwood as he wanted to make sure that Rex was at least caught up in this world's problems.
"I guess that would be something important to talk about, now that I've said what I wanted to say about me to you" said Rex as he turned around in his chair for fun but slowly and then stopped.
"Now Ozpin said that since I told them about my powers and where I was from, he thought it was fair that they talk about something about this world" said Rex as he locked his fingers together and leaned his chin on them.
Ironwood then raised his eyebrow as he asked "And what exactly did he tell you?" in a questioning tone.
"He told me that these creatures of grim aren't just a part of this world. They are controlled by something...evil... or I guess its someone... but she isn't human anymore" said Rex in his serious tone.
"He and Glynda then went on to explaining about that evil master mind by the name of Salem..."
Timeskip
After a while, Rex began to talk about not only Salem, but also how Ozpin had explained that magic was in Remnant, long after the birth of humanity, Dust, Aura, Semblances and the Creatures of Grimm. And told Rex about the old story about the 4 seasonal maidens and how that they were real too.
He then talked about how he should've been more shocked about it all but after dealing with sudden info with his life in providence, the tension tends to be boring and just not there anymore
Ironwood was surpsied by all Ozpin said but that was because how nonchalantly he was talking about it all. Like he was bored.
"I do have to say, judging by your reaction to everything, I expected you to be more shocked and surprised by this info that you might have questions?" asked Ironwood to Rex, who was still taking in the info.
"Of course I had questions for him...but after dealing with sudden info briefings in my life, the tension just gets kind of boring. That and this info is not what I expected to hear" sighed Rex as he looked down at the floor.
"Sure, of course" replied Ironwood as he sighed.
"But he also explained how whenever one of them dies, the power transfers to someone - a female - that they cared about" finished Rex.
"Yes, whoever was in their thoughts last. Important distinction, I know. But regardless, their souls become combined, in a way" replied Ironwood.
"Yea, and he also mentioned about how the previous Fall Maiden, Amber, had been attacked. That she was young, inexperienced. And her assailant, who they don't know her name, somehow managed to steal some of her power, but not all of it. They were afraid that if they didn't do something, the rest would go to her as well" explained Rex.
Ironwood raised his eyebrow as he asked "And he didn't say anything else after that?"
"No, not really. Makes me wonder where she is?" asked Rex.
"I see" said Ironwood, but he was secretly curious as to why he had hadn't told Rex about Amber. What reason would he have to not tell Rex about her. It was something he should ask Ozpin himself
Ironwood then said "I guess you were able to understand why we've kept things like this from the world and others."
Rex sighed as he said "And I did, and if I'm being honest, these maidens of power were kind of like me, in a sense" as he rubbed his neck.
This made the general look at him in question as James said "What exactly do you mean by that?"
"When my powers soon became apparent to my world, many villains came after me and tried to take my powers. So I guess I can understand why you would want to keep this secret. But it was still a lot to swallow."
"Reasonably understandable. And I guess I can see why Ozpin decided to tell you. After ending up on the news, the White Fang along with Salem would've seen you and had he not said anything, you would've been left in the dark and not know what was going to happen. And the fact that you're from a different world makes matters worse" said Ironwood, meaning that since Rex didn't know about the world, he wouldn't have known about Salem and how much of a threat she was. And could've been lured into a trap by her to try and either him to join her side of steal his powers.
"But now that your secret is out, she might be planning something for you. And now we have to be prepared for anything. She will stop at nothing to reach her goals" said Ironwood to Rex.
"Yea I know. Ozpin told me that Salem was a deadly person and she will stop at nothing to get her hands on what she wants. And what she wants is the relics and the maidens powers. And she's not doubt seen me on the news, and I've probably become a target for her. And he also told me that the reason that they told me these things is that the four seasonal Maidens are very important to you and how they hold the key to the Relics" said Rex.
"And what else did they say about the relics?" asked Ironwood.
"Glynda said that there were two brothers. One was the god of light and the other was the god of darkness And they both had pretty different ideas about how things should go" said Rex.
"The older one would spend his days creating water, plants, wildlife. And at night, his brother would wake to see all the things that the elder had made and become disgusted. To counteract his brother's creations, the god of darkness brought drought, fire, famine, all he could do to rid Remnant of life. Life always returned. So one night, the younger brother went and made something - something that shared his innate desire to destroy anything and everything, which I figured were the Creatures of Grimm" said Rex, recalling what he was told.
"You guessed it. Guess you have some smarts along with great strength" said Ironwood in admiration.
"The older brother finally had enough. Knowing that their feud couldn't last like this forever, he proposed that they make one final creation... together, something that they could both be proud of, their masterpiece" continued Rex.
"So, the younger brother agreed that this last great creation would be given the power to both create and destroy. It would be given the gift of knowledge, so that it could learn about itself and the world around it. And most importantly, it would be given the power to choose, to have free will to take everything it had learned and decide which path to follow - the path of light or the path of darkness. And that is how humanity came to be" said Rex.
"So far, these are the things Ozpin mentioned to me. Guess he really does trust you" thought Ironwood as he listened to Rex.
"He then said that the four gifts to mankind - knowledge, creation, destruction and choice - weren't just metaphorical. Each of them exists in a physical form, left behind by the gods before they abandoned Remnant, and each of them were extraordinarily powerful. If someone were to collect all four, they'd be able to change the world to anyone's needs or wants" said Rex.
"And that's exactly what she wants. We huntsman were created to protect them from her. When Ozpin's predecessor founded the schools, he built them around the Relics to act as a fortress. Not only would they be easier to defend, but they would constantly be surrounded by trained warriors. The hope was that hiding them would keep mankind from using them against itself... and, of course, keeping them out of her reach" said Ironwood, finishing the long, and unnecessarily drawn out story of the Brother Gods and the Relics.
"And that's what Salem wants" said Rex.
"That's right. Not much is known about her. Quite frankly, that's not what matters. What matters right now is that she wants the Relics, and if she gets them, it's not going to end well" said Ironwood, grimly.
Rex still felt a bit uneasy about the gravity of his situation. Not only was Salem powerful, but she also had an evil plan in mind. If she got her hands on the relics, she could do what ever she liked with the world.
Shape it however she want, and probably enslave everyone in the world to do her bidding.
If he was being honest, her plans wasn't much different than his own villains.
"But he also went to explain about why the four Maidens so important to the Relics. About how the four Maidens each have the power to perform feats of magic, and they are the only ones capable of reaching the Relics because the Relics are each locked inside a chamber that can only be opened by a specific Maiden. Winter for the gift of Creation, Summer for Destruction, Fall for Choice and Spring for Knowledge. But he then talked about how he lost Spring and that she's been gone for a decade" continued Rex.
"What exactly did he mention about her?" asked Ironwood as Rex answered his question.
"She was determined, at first, when she inherited her powers, but the weight of responsibility proved to be too much for the child. She... ran. Abandoned her training, everyone. That was over a decade ago. There's no telling where she could be now" replied Rex remembering what Ozpin told her.
"But he mentioned that she could be somewhere in Mistral. But that's about all he knows. And at this moment, those are the main things he talked to me about. And that's what I've been caught up on. At least, the main parts" said Rex as he leaned back in his chair.
Ironwood began rubbing his chin with his fingers as he began to get lost in thought. Oz had finally told the truth about Remnant to Rex and it seemed to have shocked him more about the truth of this world. Granted, he was still in the dark about Rex but when he mentioned that he wasn't a fan of army authority figures.
He said that he was a part of a government agency in his world so he guessed that he must've gone through something there that made him not trust him because of his position so he figured he shouldn't push anymore with Rex. He wanted make the boy trust him and so far, Rex trusted him with the truth of where he's really from and he didn't want to jeopardize what trust he's made with Rex, even if its just a little.
But Rex then faced him as he said "I can tell that you're still frustrated that I didn't tell you everything. But you're someone new, with the authority of an army at your side. And since I don't know it or know how it works, I can't trust you. But we both have the same worry of Salem. Since we know that she is powerful, we could use your army to save people while I try and stop her."
Hearing this, Ironwood was in complete shock at his words as he said "Stop her?! Rex, she is a strong enemy. You don't even know how strong she is. Why would you make such a bold idea and act like you'll go through it?!" as he was wondering why he would say such a thing.
"Trust me, I agree with what you say about how I probably don't know everything about her but I'm probably your best best in stopping her. I may sound like I'm being arrogant but with my skills, I might be able to subdue her and take her down. Plus, I don't want anyone else trying to fight her and die. I'd rather be the one to fight because I don't want anyone to die and not be able to go home to their families. Even if this isn't my world, people here still have families to go home to, while I don't have a family here. So I'd rather it'd be me fighting her than someone that has a family to go home to" said Rex as he sighed in slight sadness.
Saying it felt like he valued others lives more than his own, in Ironwoods eyes. And while Rex still wanted to go home to his family, he knew that making sure the people of this world was able to go home to their own families. But hearing this made Ironwood really surprised that Rex would say such a statement. And seem to be like he would follow through with it.
Ironwood just simply smiled at his words as he admired his determination and goal to stopping Salem. So much that he might give his life to stop her. But he hoped that he wouldn't die when fighting her.
Rex then sighed as he then said "I know that you're still angry that I didn't tell you everything but its just going to be something you'll have to work hard to learn more about. The fact that you have a military branch behind you might be a good thing to have to face what ever might happen in the future, but I want you to remember your promise. You keep your Atlas scientists and soldiers away from me and my powers. Even if you did try, it wouldn't work out the same with anyone but me" in a serious tone.
"What do you mean?"asked Ironwood.
"The tech inside me only listen to what I say. Anyone else and lets just say, you'll turn into something like those grimm things out there. Not exactly the same but close enough to what will happen to you. And I've got enough to worry about. What with the news issue and Salem, I don't want to deal with someone else having my powers. Got it?" said Rex in a slight stern tone.
Ironwood stood up from his chair and said "Don't worry, Rex. I agreed not to do any irrational with you and your powers and considering how much Ozpin has put his trust in you really speaks how much he must rely or depend on you. Plus, I don't want the two of us to have a hate relationship, Rex. You and I have the same goals in mind. Protecting the people of this world. So I want you to trust me in my words, but I understand that trust is earned so I'm going to have to work on gain that trust, am I correct" asked Ironwood.
"Yea. I don't mean to be mean but I haven't been the best experience with military people. Back in my world, the person in charge just saw me as a weapon and not a person and it's kind of stuck with me. That feeling of being not cared for by some one of high power. So yea, you're going to have to earn that trust, even if this isn't the best of times, its hard for me to trust any other military branch that isn't my worlds own. So ya better get to it" said Rex as he grinned at Ironwood as he gave him a thumbs up.
Ironwood just chucked at his gesture but knew that he wasn't wrong.
"Such a weird boy. Hard to believe that he can create metal in his body and be very powerful. It may be a challenge but I have to earn his trust. Just wonder how" thought Ironwood but his thoughts were then interrupted by the elevator ringing.
The two then turned and saw Opzin and Glynda stepping out of the elevator and began walking over to the table.
"I take it you two are now at an understanding of each other " said Ozpin as he walked around and sat down at his table.
"Indeed, Oz. Rex has told me what he wanted to say with me and I have to say I am impressed that he's a visitor from a different world" said Ironwood as he faced him.
"Well I wouldn't say visitor. More like a next door apartment neighbor that fell threw a weak spot in the wall. Completely unexpected but it's already done so what can you do?" joked Rex, as Ozpin and James chuckled at his joke while Glynda just rolled her eyes.
Ozpin stopped his chuckle and said "Well now that you're caught, I suppose there's one last thing that I wanted to talk to you about."
Rex raised his eyebrow as he said "What is it this time?"
"Its about the Vytal Festival" said Ozpin, making everyone pay attention to what he was going to say.
"As you know, I decided to move the festival one month early then what it was suppose to be. It was to happen on October 15 but I moved it to the 15 of September. And, if I'm being honest, its because of you, Rex" said Ozpin in his neutral tone.
Rex was surprised by this but wasn't sure if he was blaming him or telling him so he asked "What do you mean by that?"
"Now I know its not your fault, but when you showed up on the news, I got numerous calls from parents begging to cancel their children's registrations here at Beacon. The parents were afraid that you fighting the White Fang would create problems for the school as it would be targeted by them. They don't have much faith in us to keep their students safe, so I figured that moving the Vytal Festival closer would be a good thing as so the parents doubt wouldn't grow as much if it were in October. So the sooner, the better" informed Ozpin as he took a sip from his cup then set it down.
"Which is why I have to tell you, Rex, that when the festival comes around, expect to be surrounded by many people questioning you and demanding answers about you. But I also want you to show these people that you are a trustworthy person. Show these people that you can protect the students of this academy" said Ozpin, surprising everyone but not Rex.
"Tell me something I don't know" said Rex as he scratched his head.
The teachers looked at him in question at his words as Ozpin said "I'm sorry?"
"I mean, come on teach. People have seen me on the news so, of course, there's going to be some people that don't exactly want me there. So I've got to prove that I'm on your guys side and that I'm trustworthy. Kind of figured that would be the case so I guess I'm ahead of the curb on that" said Rex as he leaned back in his chair.
Ozpin hummed at his words and said "Well good to know you understand that part of the situation. Don't forget, people's trust is fragile. So don't break it. Show the parents of the students here that you're a reliable boy."
"Yep, got it loud and clear, teach" said Rex as he did a mock salute.
"Very good. Now that that's all said and done, I'll let you head back to your teammates. Wouldn't want to keep them waiting" said Ozpin as he waved his hand to his room, gesturing to the dorms.
"Yea, you're right. I should head back. Can't keep the ladies waiting" said Rex in his confident tone, earning a chuckle from Ozpin and a groan from Glynda.
"Good to see you're still the same confident boy as ever" said Ozpin as he still chuckled.
"Yes, that is just... wonderful" said Glynda in an annoyed tone. They both could obviously tell she was annoyed.
But before Rex left, he looked at Ironwood as he did the same to Rex.
Rex then walked forward and said "Well, lets try and get along, Ironwood. We've got a lot of things to do so work on gaining that trust" as he held out his hand with a stoic face on.
Ironwood stood up and said "Indeed. We're going to be partners in this whole endeavor so we need to build stable grounds so lets work on it" as he accepted Rex's and shook it as Ozpin raised an eyebrow at the two.
Rex then let go of his hand and and said "Right, well I better get going. Can't keep my teammates waiting" as he began making his way to the elevator.
"One more thing before you go" said Ozpin, stopping Rex in his tracks and turned to face Ozpin.
"As we've kept our promise to keep your powers a secret, even if that's failed right now, we still ask that you not speak of this info to anyone. We entrusted this info to you because we might need you in the future to help us with our Salem problem" said Ozpin in a serious tone.
"I get it. Trust me, if Salem is as bad as you say, then... I don't want to drag my friends into it. I... don't want them to die on my watch" said Rex in a sincere and serious tone.
"Good to see you still understand how grave our situation is. Now I'll let you go on your way" said Ozpin, as Rex nodded and got on the elevator and turned around.
His face then turned to a serious one as he said "Don't forget what you promised, James. I'll help you but no experiments at all" as the door began to close.
Ironwood then said "I'll keep that promise" as the doors closed and Rex began heading down the elevator.
Ironwood then turned around to face the other two staff members as Glynda asked "What exactly did you two talk about?"
Ironwood sat down as he said "Rex simply said that if we were going to build any trust in working together in stopping Salem, that I needed to keep any Atlas scientists and soldiers away from him. He told me that he's had bad experiences with military people, that he wasn't sure about telling me his secrets. So I made him a promise that I'd keep that all away from him at all times and that I would work to earn his trust. Trust me, with the way things are going, I'd be a fool not to earn that boys trust. He's too strong and helpful not to work on gaining his trust."
Ozpin's eyes widened a bit at his declaration to working on creating trust with Rex.
He then smiled as he said "Well, I guess you're going to have to work hard. That boy is a stubborn one. Kind of like someone we know" as he looked over at Glynda, making her scoff in disbelief, and making Ironwood laugh.
Glynda just groaned as she said, "Do you still think this is a good idea? He's made himself known to the world. People are going to be demanding answers. What are we going to do about that? And there's still the issue of if Salem gets her hands on his powers? And why didn't we tell him about Amber?" she asked looking at her associate.
"To answer the first question, I don't know but what else should we do. Let him wander around Remnant without having any info on what's really out there and possibly die. Plus, he has no where else to go. He was lucky that he landed in the Emerald forest and not "anywhere else" said Ozpin as he took a sip.
Hearing Glynda say the words "Amber" reminded Ironwood of her and how Rex didn't know about her so he then asked "Why didn't you mention her to Rex? If he's going to help us, he should know everything, including her."
Ozpin was surprised at his words but knew that he was right. He had told Rex about their world and Vice versa, mostly, but he wasn't sure about how to go about it.
He took a deep sigh and said "Trust me, James. I've thought about telling but I don't know if..." said Ozpin but rubbed his eyes in frustration.
But Ironwood was able to pick up his words as he said"...Wondering if he could be her next host?"
"Yes. I thought about telling him but I had been trying to see if there was a way to possibly transfer Amber's powers to him if she dies but I couldn't figure anything out" said Ozpin as he looked at the elevator and watched the light go down to the bottom.
"Oz, you know that only women have been able to inherit the maidens powers" said Ironwood again, as he was curious what Ozpin was thinking about.
Ozpin sighed as he said "Yes, I know. But after seeing Rex's powers on display and how he's able to handle a situation, I've just been wondering that if Amber was to ever die, he could inherit her powers and keep them from ever going to her assailant. I guess I didn't want to tell him because I thought on if he might end up going back to his world, we could try and transfer Amber's powers over to him and he could take the maidens powers back to his world. Far from Salem, but I've thought more on it, and a man has never been able to inherit the maidens powers so its a stretch. That and he might not like the idea of someone dying and might try to help and revive her. But if our best medics can't help her, then what could he do?" said Ozpin as he rubbed his forehead in frustration.
Hearing this, Glynda was completely shocked as she said "You want Amber to die so we can attempt to see if we could even do that. Is that what your saying?!" in a completely shocked tone.
"You know that's what I meant, Glynda! I would never want to do that to her! But its more on what might happen if her assailant could ever come back and try to steal the rest of her powers. It's just more of a back up plan I've been thinking about if we didn't have someone else to take her powers. Trust me, I don't want to risk attempting to transfer her powers to him. But with his skills, he could easily keep the powers away from Salem. And if he went back to his world, he could take the Maidens powers as well, and we would be safe from Salem's plans ever happening" said Ozpin as he took off his glasses and rubbed his face in frustration.
James was surprised at Oz's plan but could also understand his frustration.
"I guess I can understand your reasonings but it's not a big possibility for him to inherit Amber's power but we still need to find a female be suited to inherit her powers" said Ironwood.
"*sigh* You are right, James. But I have been looking at some ladies that I think would be best and inheriting her powers" said Ozpin as he put back on his glasses.
But who could that be?" asked James.
"I don't know yet. In all honesty, I haven't thought about it because I was stuck on the idea of him inheriting her powers if she died but maybe I was wrong for thinking that" said Ozpin.
"Why?" asked Glynda.
"Because I, too, don't want her to die. She was just too young and inexperienced to know how to fully fight with her powers. I guess I thought that if she ever woke up again, I could fix my mistake and train her more. I guess my guilt of her situation made me think that I didn't tell him because I thought with him, she would be protected and we wouldn't have to worry about her dying but I've been having second thoughts. But only because the future is unpredicted and we don't know what might happen so I guess its safe to think of a second solution. I don't like it as much as you, Glynda, but we don't know what coming" said Ozpin as he leaned back in his chair.
Glynda had no answer it was probably for the best but the question remains what else could they do?
"So what do we do now?" asked James.
"We work on getting things ready for the Vytal Festival. People all over the kingdoms are going to be here soon and we need to be prepared. But we must all ne prepared for people demanding answers about Rex so we must work on how we divert away from their direct answers. He trusted us to keep his information secret just as much as he did with us so we've got work on keeping these things away from the publics eye" said Ozpin as he then pulled up his screen and began typing.
