RWBY: Dual Eclipse
"Speech"
'Thoughts'
Scene Change
Chapter 26: New Spanners, Part 1
"?! Qrow?"
Indeed, the drunkard of Ozpin's Inner Circle was standing there.
'I didn't even sense him until now! How did he do that?' Epsilon was almost beside herself in complete confusion. She made a mental note for herself to double-check and upgrade her sensor array.
"Well, gotta admit... this is about the third time I've been greeted like this." Qrow was acting rather nonchalant about having the business end of a pistol pointed in his face.
"...dare I ask why you're here?" Nelius lowered Croixshot. "For that matter, how'd you find me all the way out here?"
"Kinda my job to find out things. As for why I'm here..." Qrow took a moment to think over his next sentence. "...it concerns your machine over there."
"The Dual Diver? What for?"
"Got a message from my effective brother-in-law about how my neice had been acting a little off... something about dreaming herself back at home, but with nobody else around and the whole world going gray. Decided to ask some of the Beacon staff about it, and they confirmed she had been off her game. Ultimately Oz pointed me your way, considering what had happened before."
Noticeably, Epsilon could see that Qrow was trying his best to keep a neutral expression, but there was that occasional hint that something was weighing on his mind; perhaps a mix of learning the awful truth about Ozpin's ongoing battle and then hearing that his niece was affected by the Dual Diver in a manner similar to what happened to Ozpin.
"Yeah, we're still trying to figure out why it's acting up. Ran at least three different diagnostics checks and nothing out of the ordinary came up. The fact that it was able to do that without its power source is... more than a little disturbing."
Understatement of the day right there, ladies and gentlemen.
"Anyway, your niece was targeted?" Epsilon spoke up, taking holographic form to do so.
"Yeah, Ruby. Had a feeling something was off with her when one of her messages to Tai felt all over the place. One message from Oz pretty much confirmed my suspicions."
"Who's Tai?"
"Taiyang Xiao Long...her dad, one of my old teammates... that effective brother-in-law I mentioned."
"Wait, isn't her name..." It then clicked for Epsilon. "...Ruby's the daughter of that Summer Rose person you mentioned, isn't she?" To that, Qrow nodded.
"Got it in one."
'But if his surname is Branwen... maybe it's an honorary uncle kinda thing?'
'Think we can ponder on that later.' Nelius replied to Epsilon before turning his attention back to Qrow.
"To business, then. I don't know why the Diver picked up on her, nor do I currently know its selection methods, but Ozpin was here last night discussing some ideas to work this whole situation out. Considering this is new, even to me-"
"New how?" Qrow interrupted, more than a little alarmed by those words.
"This thing was not meant to indiscriminately pick people to send into their own hearts and minds, given that it was initially made for personal use; hell, most of the security measures were to ensure that the person in question gave full and willing consent first."
Qrow raised an eyebrow at that, and Nelius let a sigh of resignation.
"Bear with me on this... The Soul Diver was largely based off of two key monuments - the Heart Vault, and the Chara World. The former allowed you to delve into your heart, kinda like what happened with Ozpin, which is where you could store away certain memories, alongside valuable items. The latter, by contrast, holds a rotating method for self-improvement, like being able to acquire smarter methods of utilizing your weaponry in battle. Both, with proper allocation, could allow someone to delve inward and fix issues that even some of the best psychologists in the field couldn't begin to assess, and from there begin to improve their abilities."
There was a slight pause as Nelius took a moment to carefully consider his next few words.
"That said, I never studied psychotherapy, so trying to predict how this has affected Miss Ruby isn't exactly in my wheelhouse right now." It was after a few more seconds that he continued. "In addition to this, it seems the Diver's picked up on a number of other people as well... no doubt they're going to be equally confused."
"Such as?"
"Cinder Fall, for one." That got the drunkard's attention. "There's also been another reading, but no name displays for it... which only makes me wonder who could walk around Remnant without a name."
Qrow took a moment to ponder this... so far, Nelius had been nothing but truthful about what he had experienced, yet there was something in the back of the drunkard's mind that refused to go away, even with this extra information.
Warship Yoshitsuna
Unknown Time
Mita's excitement at exploring into the wild, unknown yonder was slowly ebbing away into disappointment and frustration.
Together with the TDF fleets, they had to have swept over at least seventy or so galaxies by this point, and still little to no clue if Nelius and Epsilon were alive.
Meanwhile, in another part of the ship, Sif was still blanking out as to her realization that she had long missed her stop with Atreya. York, in a rare moment of amusement, decided to use the stunned thief as a coat-rack, seeing how many different items he could stack upon her before something fell off or she finally regained her senses.
She was currently adorned at least six different coats, a Pince-nez set of glasses on her face, a pointy hat, a baseball cap set atop the pointy hat, and to cap it off a Testament Emblem atop it all.
'Now to get a camera for this, dood.'
While York had run off to get a camera, Zotia walked by on her way towards where Zio had been messing with the broadcast receiver, seeing the still-stunned thief. Part of her wanted to giggle at what she'd seen, another wanted to try and snap her out of her stupor.
Meanwhile, Hilde had taken some of the other people on the ship for an Item World run, to let them get some exercise and acquire some more supplies they could use for the mission.
Beacon Academy
1:57 P.M.
Ozpin re-read his completed note to Ironwood, double-checking to ensure that the necessary details were all included.
To Ironwood;
It might be a bit odd of me to be writing a letter in this day and age, but our mutual friend made a discovery.
The intruder at the CCT during the Beacon Dance wasn't just a coincidence; it would seem they uploaded malicious coding into the tower. This coding is able to take hold within the key systems of people's Scrolls, and may very well hold a more sinister honest concern is this coding somehow spreading beyond the Vale CCT and into the other towers once Amity Arena docks here at Beacon.
When possible, I would like to request a team of your best technicians to look over Vale's CCT again.
Ozpin
'This should do.' Now came the fun part - making certain it got to Ironwood without being intercepted. Despite their repeated butting of heads, Qrow was usually his first choice to ensure the delivery of sensitive messages, but he hadn't been in contact since the inadvertant trip thanks to the Soul Diver, and when he had shown up it was due to concerns with his niece's performance within Team RWBY. Considering what he had witnessed, Ozpin wasn't going to press the matter.
Then again, Ironwood was scheduled to arrive in a few hours to double-check on preparations for when Amity Arena entered Vale's airspace.
That'd be the perfect time to pass the note along. He'd also need to get Glynda up to speed with what the next part of his plan was.
Unbeknownst to the headmaster, the spirit walking around the lower floors of Beacon began to find its way upwards... finding an odd sense of familiarity to the structure, memories beginning to return...
The Base
2:02 P.M.
"So if Cinder's been targeted by that Diver... could she take advantage of it?"
"That'd depend on her." Epsilon piped up. "Remember, this thing is meant to sort through one's mind and draw out underlying issues that need addressing. If Cinder's the type of person to repress such things, and this is a big if we're talking here, her being targeted could end up having the opposite effect... and if she is under Salem's employ it could have other ramifications."
"Could be an advantage for us, depending on when she makes an error."
"Possibly, but it could also backfire." Nelius responded. "Generally speaking, skipping or overlooking something could have issues of its own, especially if that something is lurking within your own head."
'Don't I know it...' Qrow bitterly thought.
"Anyway-" Nelius spoke up, breaking Qrow out of his thoughts, "-as I said before, Ozpin was here yesterday to figure our how to get Ruby up to speed on things, but he did bring up the possibility of this information getting to the rest of her team, and then to another team they frequently interact with. Through them, however, Cinder might catch wind of the plan if one of 'em were prone to saying things aloud."
Qrow was about to mention that the chances of such happening with Ruby's team were pretty slim, but then remembered the other team in question, Team JNPR, and its rather hyperactive member. Then again, from what he had observed of her, she could probably blurt it out and nobody would take her seriously, given how she rambled on about many other things.
He did feel a twinge of pity for her partner, though... poor kid probably never got any sleep with her around. Little wonder he looked so worn out.
"As it stands, his plan was to disguise this whole ordeal as an ordinary school assignment, or however things work up at Beacon. Believe he was going to get Glynda in on things as well."
"Sounds like an Oz thing to do. Got a backup plan in-case something goes wrong?"
"Depends on what could go wrong. There is an emergency function to bring everyone back should something go wrong with the Diver, and if the others start being targeted by it between sessions, only real thing to do is guide them through the process."
"All right, but suppose someone tries to steal it?"
"They wouldn't get far. I password-protected it, using something nobody on Remnant would know of as the subject."
"Not to mention the tracker I had installed." Epsilon spoke up. 'Granted, it's connected to the parts I grew, but that's a minor detail.'
"Covered your bases, huh?"
"Goes without saying. You already got a peek at what the Soul Diver side could do with people - the Item Diver's also plenty dangerous... I'd argue even more so."
Now that caught Qrow's attention.
"How so?"
Mantle Streets
2:41 P.M. Atlesian Time
"There he goes!"
"Get 'im!"
Down an alleyway turned a child that couldn't have been any older than twelve. He had dull blonde hair and sharp blue eyes, but the one standout feature was a pair of small horns that jutted out from his forehead.
He was clad in a hooded sweater and thick pants meant to help keep him warm in this chilly climate. Padded shoes lined with small metal bits on the soles helped him keep ahead of his pursuers. Seeing a second alley up ahead, he made his turn.
"How is this little shit so quick?!"
"Doesn't matter - the place up ahead is a dead-end. We got him!"
The pursuers turned the corner - only the kid was nowhere in sight.
"What the-"
"Check everything. He's gotta be hiding."
The group of pursuers fanned out through the alley, checking the alley for any potential hiding spots - trash cans, old dumpsters, the undersides and interiors of broken-down vehicles... after about three or so minutes, it quickly became apparent that this was a fruitless endeavor.
"Dammit! How'd he get away?!" One of the pursuers swore aloud.
"Unless that brat can walk through walls, there's no way he got away. Keep looking!"
What none of the pursuers would or could imagine was the one final escape route - upwards. The pre-teen had, against any known laws of physics, managed to leap straight up to an old fire escape, and from there carefully went through a broken window into the dilapidated building, a former office if the dusty amenities were anything to go by.
Hearing his pursuers leave the area, the child finally released the breath he had been holding. He was safe for the time being.
As the adrenaline began to level off, what had been fear of the situation began to turn to frustration.
'All I wanted was one of those Scroll-things...' He looked at the Lien in his pocket, saved up from running errands around Mantle for the past few weeks... why did they think he stole it?
And then there was that term they called him - Faunus. The heck was a Faunus, anyway?
'I just want to go home...' As if mocking his homesickness, his stomach rumbled, a reminder of what else he wasn't able to get today. 'This place is too cold... nothing like home at all.'
He'd wait a few minutes before checking the area to see if the coast was clear. Guess a Scroll was out of the question today.
The Base
2:32 P.M. Vale Time
"I'll be honest, I could give you a rundown, but often times letting others see it for themselves is a much better indicator - it was why I was going to give a demonstration back at the meeting before... well, that all happened." Nelius had admitted.
"Sounds nice and all, but I'll have to take a rain check on that offer." Qrow got up, taking a moment to stretch. "Mostly I want to go keep an eye on Ruby for when this whole thing finally decides to be underway."
"Fair enough. I imagine we'll be in touch once things are underway in full."
Just as Qrow was about to start heading for the stairs leading upwards, the Dual Diver's screen blanked out, displaying a message that none of the present parties would notice.
[...IT WAS NEVER YOUR FAULT, QROW]
The message disappeared just as quickly as it had appeared, before a new message quickly displayed.
[UPDATE 4.4.66 DOWNLOAD COMPLETE]
Qrow headed up the stairs, exiting through the side door and headed down the long abandoned streets that lead to and from Mountain Glenn.
"...was it just me, or does he seem to have a lot more on his mind that he wasn't willing to chat about?" Epsilon spoke up after about a minute.
"Wouldn't surprise me any. Between keeping an eye on his niece, his work, and finding out the guy he works with is a millennia-old ex-sorceror forced to eternally fight his ex-wife because of the Gods..." For a moment, Nelius felt a twinge rise up, a mix of fury and pity, before it settled back down. "Regardless, we're already mired pretty deep into this mess, might as well see it to its conclusion."
Netherworld Assembly
Unknown Time
"Hey, the Assembly's already in session. You'll need to-" A Heavy Knight pair moved to stop an uninvinted guest to the assembly, only for the two of them to be literally blown off their feet with the pull of a gun's trigger. They each impacted the sides of the door, and didn't get back up.
The figure then kicked the Assembly doors open with a loud BANG, catching the attention of all present Senators. The one currently in charge, a Nether Noble going by the name of Senator Shanks, looked over at the disturbance, seeing a blonde man draped in a long red coat shooting him a glare... a Netherworld Ranger.
"Mr. Vash? You're finally back?" While he gave a pleasant-sounding response, his internal thoughts were entirely different. 'Damn it all! He's still alive?! I thought sending him to that deadend world would've finally gotten rid of-'
Shanks's thoughts were cut off by the whizzing of a bullet that went right through one of his horns, causing some amount of blood to pour out alongside the shards that went flying. He roared in pain, only to receive another bullet through the other horn, sending him from hurt and enraged to critically harmed and nigh-unconscious.
"Trust me, I've been waiting to do this for a LONG time." Vash had a grin on his face that belied no mercy incoming to the Senator. "I know damn well you wanted me dead, so I'm here to return the favor."
The other Senators were more than alarmed by the sudden interruption, followed by Shanks getting both of his horns shot off with ease. That alarm only intensified when Vash leapt up to the Senator's podium and put one final bullet into Shanks's head, erasing everything from the neck up.
"Huff... huff..." Soon two new characters entered the Senate Floor. "Vash, don- oh, too late."
The first figure who entered was a Magician, otherwise known as a Skull due to the pattern upon their hoods. This one was wearing a green outfit.
The second to enter was a female Healer, clad in the usual form-fitting robe lined with white fur trim.
"Vash, did you really have to do all of this?" She pleaded with him.
"Told you before, didn't I - I had some bullets with this asshole's name on 'em, and he's the last one I needed to take care of." With that, the demon named Vash dropped down from the podium, leaving Shanks's corpse up there for the Prinnies to clean up. "Let's get out of here."
"Let you leave, after you just killed our current speaker?!" One of the other Senators, a Serpent by the name of Senator Undercurrent, shouted at the Ranger.
"Why not? You guys have probably had your asses kicked so often I'm certain there's already a revolving door for you bunch at the Netherworld Hospital, if not in the Underworld."
Needless to say, this statement did little to appease the Senators - if anything, it had the opposite effect, stoking and directing their ire towards him. Several had already gotten up from their seats and were clearly intent on attacking the intruder.
"By all means, prove me right!" Vash's grin turned downright manaical, and with his guns drawn he sped forth to meet the oncoming horde.
Beacon Academy, CCT
5:00 P.M.
Having left Ozpin's office, Ironwood waited until he got to the main terminals before he opened the note that Ozpin had slipped to him during their meeting.
Reading it over once, twice... the pieces began to fit together.
'It repeats...' For a moment, a certain other emotion began to rise up, but he quickly suppressed it. Now was not the time.
He turned to head to the elevator, going back down in order to cross the campus and return to his ship.
Chapter 26: Complete