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RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth

Chapter 7: Questions

"Lord Blackflame? We have a faunus who says he's from the White Fang, here to see you." Noire August said as she walked into the room.

Noire August was a brilliant secretary. She was a rather short woman, though she compensated for that by wearing shoes with the highest heels, Agreus ever did see. She often wore a simple business casual suit, much like the black one she wore today. Her eyes were a light green, while her hair was a brilliant midnight black. Her dark hair made the lone gray wolf ear stick out of the top of her head even more. She would have had two, but an accident four years ago ended with the loss of her ear.

"Thank you Noire. Did the reports on the unbound dust come in yet?" Agreus asked as Noire handed him a folder of paperwork.

"Not today, sir. I did have a message for you from Taiyang Xiao Long. He wishes to speak with you, preferably this week." Noire answered.

"Great, tell him he can come in tomorrow at five." Agreus said.

"Actually sir, he said he wouldn't be able to make it in." Noire responded.

"Hmm… I'll see what I can do." Agreus responded. "Anything else?"

"Your daughter would like to speak with you as well, sir." Noire answered.

"Is she here?" Agreus asked, pausing to look up from his computer.

"Yes." Noire answered curtly.

"Then send her in after the White Fang member." Agreus commanded.

"Of course, sir." Noire answered as she left Agreus's office.

Ten seconds later, a member of the White Fang walked in. Agreus watched as he took a seat across from Agreus's desk. His mask was in his hand. He was a rather broad-shouldered male. His eyes were a dirt brown color, and a black hood on his equally black hoodie covered his head. A pyre ring shone proudly from his right ring finger. He refused to sit down and remained standing respectfully before the head of the Pyre.

"Perry, may I inquire as to why you are here?" Agreus asked as he opened a document on his computer.

"Well, sir. I am here to give a report from the girl you spoke to last time you were at the Fang camp." Perry said.

"Belladonna?" Agreus asked.

"Yes, sir. She said that you told her to talk to one of us if she had information and we would deliver it to you." Perry relayed.

"I know that, what else did she have to tell you?" Agreus asked.

"Well, according to her, the White Fang is allying itself with a woman named Cinder Fall." Perry said. "Adam himself signed off on the deal."

"Hmm." Agreus steepled his fingers in front of him. "Any particular reason why?"

"Not that Miss Belladonna could determine. Adam just wants to see all of humanity fall. It seems that Miss Fall has promised him exactly that." Perry answered. "Actually, many members of the Fang, secret members of the Pyre included, aren't quite so keen on the idea."

"What about Miss Belladonna?" Agreus asked.

"She too wants out." Perry answered.

"How many non-Pyre members are in this group?" Agreus asked.

"I'd say a good twenty five percent of the White Fang who aren't members of the Sanguine Pyre would like out. What should I tell them?" Perry asked.

"Tell them to wait. As it stands, their position in the White Fang is useful." Agreus answered.

"They're not going to like that." Perry asked. "Could you at least tell us how long that will be?"

"I don't know." Agreus answered, pinching the bridge of his nose. "However, if the White Fang ever openly attacks Vale, then you all have my permission to leave."

"Thank you, sir. What about Belladonna, though? She thought you might have a different command just for her." Perry said.

"Perceptive girl." Agreus muttered. "Seeing as she is still too young for the Pyre, we can't induct her. Tell her, when she comes of age, the Pyre still has a place for her, however we can also help her get into an academy should she so choose."

"Is it too much to inquire why, sir?" Perry asked.

"No. She said she wanted to." Agreus answered. "Now, Perry, return to the Fang. I have a pressing meeting, and I'm sure you have duties of your own. Tell Noire to send in my daughter."

"Yes sir." Perry answered with a salute as he got up and left the room.

Agreus sighed. The situation with the White Fang was heating up. They Fang had been rather quiet since his visit three months ago. The info from the young Belladonna was definitely appreciated, yet it still wasn't much.

Agreus didn't have time to consider much else as Amber came striding through the door. Qrow followed right behind her. Agreus smiled a wide genuine smile at his daughter as she took a seat in front of his desk. She would turn fifteen in a few weeks. He had so very little time to spend with her, especially with the current round of Harvester killings, and the museum situation. That being said, he relished any time they had together. Granted most of their time together now was just training her power as a maiden.

Her maiden powers were something else. When she first got them, Agreus had assumed that they were much like a semblance. They behaved so differently though. He had no clue what to classify them as. When asked, Qrow had informed him that Ozpin called it Magic. It sounded preposterous, but then again, they really didn't have anything else to go off of. If Amber's semblance ever manifested, then maybe he could better study her maiden powers.

"Dad?" Amber asked.

"Huh? Sorry, I zoned out. What did you ask?" Agreus replied.

"I asked if I could learn to use another weapon." Amber answered with a chuckle.

"Another weapon? Is there something wrong with your staff?" Agreus asked.

"No. Nature's Wrath is a fine weapon. I can fight well with it, but I want to learn to fight with a second weapon. If nothing else, it would be a great help in battle, just in case I'm ever disarmed." Amber responded.

Agreus said nothing. His daughter made a good point. There was one slight problem. Agreus wasn't a sword fighter. The art of the blade had never been his strong suit. His own weapon, The Final Call, was a halberd. A halberd he rarely used, but still a halberd nonetheless. And despite the fact that he rarely used his Halberd, he was actually pretty good with the weapon.

So, he couldn't train her. He was good with a polearm not a sword arm. Qrow would be a good choice, but the last time Qrow had met with Agreus, he had expressed a wish to train his niece with the scythe. He wished to be briefly relinquished from his duties to be with his family rather than watch over the family he worked for. Agreus could respect that.

"Do you know what type of sword you'd want to use?" Agreus asked.

"Scimitar." Amber answered.

Great, that ruled out any of the sword wielders in the Pyre. He didn't know a single one who used a scimitar. Standard issue Pyre sword was a falchion. Then again, Agreus wasn't sure he could trust much of the Pyre to teach his daughter. They would go too easy on her and she would never improve. All because of fear of him. It was an odd conundrum he found himself in. Who could teach Amber the art of the blade?

Who can teach her the art of the blade? Or rather, the Arc of the blade.

"Heh." Agreus chuckled to himself at the brilliant word association his mind had produced.

"Dad?" Amber asked.

The arc of the blade. Orion could teach her. He was a master of the blade, a dual wielder nonetheless. A smile slowly spread across Agreus' face. He could trust Orion Arc to train his daughter how to wield a scimitar. Blade Master Arc was a master with all blades.

"Dad?" Amber asked, confused.

Even Qrow looked at his boss in confusion. Agreus would sometimes get so lost in thought he drowned out the rest of the world. However, this was the first time he had done so to anyone in his family. Agreus ignored them and picked up his scroll. He opened it and began dialing. The end of the line rang for a few seconds before someone picked up.

"Hello, you've reached Orion Arc, speak now or forever hold your peace." The familiar voice of his brother-in-law came through.

"Greetings, Blade Master Arc." Agreus answered.

Recognizing the need for ceremony, Orion answered "Greetings Lord Blackflame, may I ask why I am receiving this call?"

"Indeed. I am calling to inquire if you are still in the market for an apprentice? Or does your son still fulfill that role?" Agreus asked.

"Unfortunately, Jaune cannot learn any more from me. So, yes, I am in the market for an apprentice." Orion answered.

"Excellent, then Blade Master Arc, my daughter, Amber Blackflame, would like to apprentice under you. She wishes to learn the ways of the blade." Agreus spoke.

"Does she understand the requirements of such a position?" Orion asked.

"She will." Agreus answered.

"Does she have a particular blade she wishes to learn on?" Orion asked.

"Scimitar." Agreus answered as he turned to his daughter.

She was smiling wide. Her father was fulfilling her wish, what little girl wouldn't be smiling wide at that?

"Interesting. When can we start?" Orion asked.

"When's the earliest you're willing to start?" Agreus countered.

"Get her here tonight and we can begin tomorrow. If she has a blade, bring it. If not, that will be our first task tomorrow." Orion answered.

"Excellent. Anything else I should tell her?" Agreus asked.

"Yes. She should also take it upon herself to learn basic first aid." Orion responded. "That is all, have a good day, Lord Blackflame."

"And to you, Blade Master Arc." Agreus said as he hung up.

"Dad?" Amber asked grinning widely.

"Qrow, you are relieved of your duties for the time being. Inform the Headmaster that Amber will be learning the art of the blade from Blade Master Arc." Agreus commanded. "After that, you may return to Patch to begin training your niece."

"Thank you, sir." Qrow said, before turning and leaving.

"So, here's what's going to happen." Agreus began. "Do you have a sword?"

"No." Amber answered sheepishly.

"No matter. Your uncle has agreed to take you on as his apprentice to teach you the art of the blade." Agreus continued.

"Really?!" Amber exclaimed in joy. "THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!"

The girl had leapt from her seat and hugged her father. Agreus, unprepared though he was, still welcomed the hug and returned the embrace. When they ended their embrace, Amber returned to her seat.

"Now, before you go, you must know a few things. The Arcs have agreed to give you room and board, but this will not be an excuse for you to laze around or spend all your time with your cousins. You are there to learn the art of the blade, as such you will be expected to maintain a certain manner of decorum at all times. You will refer to Orion as Blade Master Arc, Master Arc, or just Master, unless he specifies otherwise." Agreus explained. "Do you understand?"

"Yes sir." Amber nodded.

"Good. You will be expected to follow his orders and instructions as if they were law." Agreus continued.

"So, if he told me to jump, I ask how high, right?" Amber asked for confirmation.

"No, if he tells you to jump, you jump and don't ask anything. You are there to learn the art of the blade, so he will be unlikely to tell you to jump though." Agreus continued. "While you are there, I want you to give them no cause to complain. You will be expected to be up early and to work all day. Some days you may not even be training, and you'll just be helping do chores around the house. Do you understand?"

"Yes sir." Amber replied.

"Excellent, now go pack. When you are ready to go, we will fly out to the Arc's residence." Agreus finished.

Amber jumped up and ran out of the room. Agreus followed her out. He stopped by Noire's desk.

"Lord Blackflame?" She inquired.

"Noire, I am leaving for the day. Could you have one of the pilots ready a bullhead?" Agreus asked.

"Yes sir, would you like me to hold all your calls?" Noire asked.

"Forward them to Jeremiah please, and let him know that I am flying out to the Arc residence, then to Patch." Agreus answered.

"Patch, sir?" Noire questioned.

"Taiyang wanted to meet with me in person, did he not? That reminds me, would you be so kind as to inform him of my imminent arrival?" Agreus requested.

"Of course, sir." Noire said.

"Excellent. After that, if Jeremiah has nothing else for you, take the rest of the day off, my dear." Agreus said as he left.

Forty-five minutes later, Agreus and Amber were in a bullhead on their way to the Arc residence. It had taken Amber fifteen minutes to pack. Then another twenty to repack, as she had neglected to pack a few essentials. Nature's Wrath for instance. Sure, she was going to learn to fight with a sword, but she should still have a weapon she knew how to fight with in any case.

The ride to the Arc residence was relatively quiet. Only the humming of the Bullhead pierced the silence. Even though she was excited, Amber was kind of nervous. She had no idea what her training would entail or how long it would take.

The bullhead landed in a clearing near the Arc residence.

"Pilot don't power down. I shall be back in about five minutes." Agreus commanded.

"Yes sir." The Pilot answered.

Amber and Agreus disembarked. Waiting for them outside was Orion Arc himself. He watched as the two left the airship. Agreus readily grasped Orion's arm in greeting.

"Orion." Agreus greeted.

"Agreus, Amber." Orion returned.

"Hi Blade Master Arc." Amber respectfully greeted.

"Heh, glad to see you know the decorum required. However, you can still refer to me as uncle tonight. From tomorrow it will be Master Arc." Orion answered. "Now head on up to the house. Joan will have lunch ready soon."

"Thank you, Uncle Orion." Amber said with a smile.

She embraced her dad one last time. She smiled at him and left for the Arc residence.

"How long do you think her training will take?" Agreus asked.

"Between one and two years." Orion answered. "She'll be a master of the blade in no time. Tonight, and tomorrow will be the easiest days for her."

"She knows." Agreus replied. "I must be off now. Business to run."

"You can't stay for lunch?" Orion asked.

"Sorry, but no." Agreus answered. "I have important business elsewhere."

"Farewell, Agreus." Orion said.

Agreus nodded at his brother-in-law before boarding the bullhead once again. The bullhead took off. A quick command was all that was needed for the pilot to turn course and head towards the island of Patch. Agreus lost track of the flight time as he began to doze.

An indeterminate amount of time passed before the descent of the bullhead awoke Agreus. This time, he allowed the pilot to disembark as well. He was unsure of how long he would be. Of course, seeing as how Taiyang and Summer didn't live in the main village on the island, it would be a small trek to their humble abode. If he was lucky, Qrow would have already arrived. However, knowing Ozpin, Qrow was probably performing some menial task for the old man.

Agreus began his trek into the forest towards the Xiao Long-Rose household. It was an odd experience for him. Agreus was able to navigate his way to the house with little issue. Impressive, considering his utter lack of navigational abilities. The only minor issue he encountered were a few stray Beowolves here and there. No match for Blackfire. Their bodies went up in smoke in a matter of seconds.

Soon enough, the cabin he was searching for came into view. He entered the clearing in time to see the door open. A young girl stepped outside. Her hair grew to just above her shoulders, it was black with red tips. She had the most startling silver eyes. She started at the sight of Agreus. The head of the Pyre smiled. Ruby Rose was a hard face to forget.

"Ruby Rose." Agreus greeted.

"Hi…" Ruby responded, somewhat meekly. "Do I know you?"

"I should hope so, but it was seven years ago now. I saved your mother from a particularly nasty poison. As thanks, you gave me a 50-caliber bullet." Agreus answered. "Either way, allow me to reintroduce myself. I am Agreus Blackflame."

Ruby gasped and quickly curtsied. "The head of the Sanguine Pyre… I-I'm honored."

"There is no need to bow to me, Ruby, just run along and get your parents. I have business with them." Agreus commanded. "I'll wait right here."

Ruby nodded before disappearing in a shower of rose petals. The sound of something shattering could be heard. Then an angry female voice could be heard.

"RUBY ROSE! WHAT HAVE WE TOLD YOU ABOUT USING YOUR SEMBLANCE IN THE HOUSE!?" The unmistakable voice of Summer Rose resounded from within.

Agreus didn't hear the response. He did note that it wasn't a full five seconds before the door clicked open. Summer stood there, face a bit red, with Ruby right behind her. The young girl was red in the face and looked quite ashamed.

"Agreus, sir. We weren't expecting you so soon. Please, come in." Summer welcomed him in. "Ruby, why don't you go play with your sister."

Ruby took the unspoken command to heart and ran out of the room, sans semblance this time. Agreus followed Summer into the living room of their cabin. Summer left to get Taiyang. The two entered a few seconds later. Taiyang was clearly nervous.

"Lord Blackflame." Taiyang greeted.

"Taiyang. I'm sure you know why I'm here." Agreus stated.

"I wanted to meet with you in person but couldn't come into the manor." Taiyang stated.

"Yes. Now, what is so important that you had to meet with me?" Agreus asked.

"Two things. First I got a message back from Vick." Taiyang answered.

"Vick? Who's Vick?" Agreus asked.

"His Dust Alchemist." Summer supplied helpfully.

"Ah, and why couldn't this have been sent to me via email?" Agreus asked.

"Well, that's the second reason. Though I do think it's important that you read the message." Taiyang said.

Agreus shrugged and held out his hand for a scroll. Taiyang fumbled with his for a second before passing it over. Agreus took a moment to read the message.

Taiyang,

You have got to tell me where you got these samples. They are fascinating. Unfortunately, I can't tell you much that you probably don't already know, but… there is something wrong with them. This is Unbound Dust, obviously, but it is too… I don't know… perfect.

That may seem like a confusing description but let me explain. Dust crystals, artificial or otherwise have impurities in their structure. They don't follow a general crystal lattice structure. The bonds in the crystal are random and, well, inefficient. It's part of the reason that the energies stored within the Dust can be used so easily. Disrupt the bonds to release the energy. With the bonds being random, you can easily find and disrupt weaker bonds, thus allowing for a quick release of energy, such as firing a bullet. Machines can be made to break down the stronger bonds for longer more consistent releases, like dust engines. This randomness even occurs in artificial Dust Crystals. Granted, though they are more perfect in form than naturally occurring ones, the bonds between the atoms are still relatively random.

Unbound Dust is different. Unbound Dust tends to be too perfect to hold any one element. As a result, they hold roughly the same amount of energy for each element to keep it in a more perfect structure. However, even this is only theoretical. Unbound Dust is called such because it holds such an even spread of energy that it physically cannot release naturally like we do with normal Dust Crystals, or you could use a force so extreme that can shatter the atoms that make up the crystal itself. For centuries, Dust Alchemists, myself included, have tried to make true Unbound Dust. You have to realize; Unbound Dust does not occur naturally in nature. It is a product of very advanced Dust Alchemy. Even then, it isn't truly Unbound. It can still release small amounts of energy from the very rare, but still occurring, weaker bonds. It still houses some randomness.

This dust you sent me… it's too perfect. It is true Unbound Dust. There is no randomness to the bonds in this crystal. It is a truly perfect crystal lattice structure. No energy can be released from this… for you to have come across a sample of this size…

Sorry. If this is confusing, it's difficult to explain. I think the easiest way to imagine it is to think of the layout of the kingdoms. Standard natural dust is akin to the planning of Vacuo. There is very little order to the kingdom, if any at all. Artificial bound dust is more akin to Mistral. There is more order than Vacuo, but still very little. Unbound Dust is a far different beast. Common Unbound Dust is akin to Vale. A fairly standard grid layout, with a few points of randomness, like an intersection of seven streets (seriously, I think Vale has the record for the largest intersection on Remnant). This dust you sent me though, True Unbound Dust, is most akin to Atlas. No deviation from the grid like structure. It's kind of scary.

Honestly, I have no clue how anything like this can exist. What I can tell you is that the way it was made is neither natural nor standard. As for the Unbound Dust fused with the tissue… how? It is fused on an atomic level. Again, How? It makes no sense. If I weren't staring at it as I write this, I would say that it was a physical, logical and alchemical impossibility. I have absolutely no idea how anything like this could be created.

I've sent smaller samples off to other Dust Alchemists I know. Maybe they can tell you more, because I can make neither heads nor tails of this blasted conundrum. Anyway, I've rambled on for long enough. If you get another sample, send it my way. For now, though, as one of my friends in the trade says, science waits for no man.

Vick

Agreus finished reading the message and handed Taiyang his scroll.

"Great, all the Unbound Dust raises is more questions." Agreus muttered.

"Unfortunately, so." Taiyang said. "However, that isn't the main reason I called you down here."

"Then what is?" Agreus said.

"The whole island is being monitored." Summer said.

"By whom? Atlas?" Agreus asked.

"We have no idea, but we can confirm they aren't Atlas." Taiyang said.

"How?" Agreus asked, standing up.

"Atlas soldiers don't wear robes." Summer stated.

Agreus turned to her confused.

"Robes?" He asked.

"Robes." Taiyang confirmed. "We started to notice them about two months ago. They've been well integrated. We have no clue how long they've been on the island, but they clearly don't want to lose control."

"How did you find them only a couple months ago?" Agreus asked.

"They just sort of… blend in." Summer said. "We probably wouldn't have noticed anything had it not been for the fact that two of them followed Ruby to the edge of town."

"Why would they follow Ruby?" Agreus asked.

"We have no idea, but since then, the girls aren't allowed into town without either, me, Summer or Qrow." Taiyang said. "Since we started the setup to turn this island into a 'jumping off point for the Pyre' as you put it, we've been noticing more activity from this group."

"And you called me here to help deal with the problem?" Agreus asked.

"No." Summer said pulling out her scroll. "We called you here because you will want to deal with the problem."

Summer handed Agreus her scroll. It showed a picture of a familiar blond-haired woman. A woman who Agreus knew all too well. She was accompanied by five hooded people.

"I took that picture a couple weeks ago, but we can confidently say that Vermillion is alive." Taiyang said. "But whoever these people are, they've been monitoring all communications to and from Patch. I have no idea how long they've been doing this."

"How did you find out they were monitoring communications?" Agreus asked.

"Summer." Taiyang gestured to his wife.

"I went to the CCT tower here. I was to make a video call. The image was greatly distorted. I checked all around the desk and found this." Summer said as she handed over a small device.

Agreus looked at the device Summer handed him. It was a small bug. A very familiar type of bug. It was the same type of bug that the Pyre used when targeting certain unsavory targets. The device was designed to hijack the signal of any transmission and copy it to one of the Pyre's servers for later observation. Fortunately, the Pyre very rarely had to communicate with anyone on the island of Patch, until now anyways. With the launching of a branch of the Pyre on Patch, they would need to weed these criminals out.

And save Vermillion Blackflame, of course. One issue at a time though. First Agreus had to save his wife.

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