What's this? A whole new chapter you ask? Well, yes. It has been ever so long and I really cannot apologise enough for the delay. But I am back and I have brought a whole new chapter for you. Through the weeks of writers block, university assignments and exams, I have finally managed to write an entire chapter and yknow what? I like this one... or at least the second half of it. So without any further Ado here it is, I hope you enjoy it.
Jaune didn't know what to think as he eyed Penny suspiciously. Just what had happened to the mysterious metallic girl he didn't know, but he did know that until he found out he was not about to start throwing trust in her direction. In stark contrast to the blonde however, Ruby seemed absolutely thrilled that Penny seemed to have returned to her senses and was standing far closer to her than the rest of team JSPR dared to venture.
With her shoes clacking ominously against the floor of the tunnel, Goodwitch approached their former opponent turned friend and gave her a suspicious glare. Clearly, just as Jaune was, the Professor was a little bit sceptical as to Penny's nature and the sudden switch between the sides. To Goodwitch it seemed all too possible that this was some kind of a ploy to earn their trust. After all, it is much easier to eliminate a threat if it believes that it is on the same side as the killer. As such, the Professor maintained a very tight grip on her riding crop, just in case she should need to use it again. It would be dirty work, but Goodwitch would have no qualms in destroying Penny in her entirety should she pose any kind of threat to the students.
"Penny, what happened to you? You killed a lot of people…" Ruby asked, a solemn and saddened expression upon her features. Upon hearing those words, Penny herself looked as though she had been slapped. Shock played heavily in her eyes. It was easy to see that were she human, the orange haired automaton would have had tears in her eyes.
"I-I know… but it wasn't me, at least not the real me. I saw it all happening in front of me but I was powerless to stop it. It was like a dream, but one that I couldn't wake up from. I didn't want to kill anyone but something within me changed, it was like there was an unstoppable force moving my body all on its own… It was terrible…" Penny replied, her voice low and sombre. Listening to her speak, Jaune couldn't help but sympathise with her. To be a prisoner in one's own body must have been a terrible and horrifying experience. Regardless of his suspicions of her, Jaune could see that Penny felt truly bad about what she had wrought. It was clear as day in her eyes.
"But what happened? Who was it that was in control of you Penny if not you?" Goodwitch asked, presenting the voice of reason into the deliberations; an action which Weiss clearly appreciated given the look on her face.
"I'm not entirely sure, it was a virus uploaded into the transmission systems between the kingdoms. When the signal was lost, so was all trace of the Virus. But if my memory banks are correct then it was-" the robotic girl stopped dead, her face contorted with shock as she finished her sentence "General Ironwood…"
"So he really was the one responsible…" Goodwitch stated rhetorically "I suppose I should have known. The general always did have an insatiable sense of ambition and an uncontrollable lust for power. But for him to have fallen so far from grace is almost impossible to believe."
The six of them stood in silence for a long while, each of them processing the information that they had just been given. Now that it was established beyond any shadow of a doubt, their next move had become clear. They had to find Ironwood and stop him… perhaps kill him if necessary. But as they came to this conclusion one by one, none of them dared say it aloud. It was Goodwitch who was the first to move, taking a few steps down the tunnel before turning to face them all. Shivers ran down the spines of Jaune, Weiss, Pyrrha and Ruby alike as they saw the rage burning within the Professors eyes.
'No betrayal hurts like that of an old friend…' Pyrrha mused, feeling fear well up inside of her at the sight.
"Students… We know what we have to do. Penny, feel free to accompany us. I understand that you may wish to have some words with the General and we may need your help when we arrive at Beacon. But I promise you this; if I feel that you present any kind of threat to these students, I will not hesitate to destroy you. Is that clear?" Goodwitch spoke with a cold air of authority, unquestionable and firm. Penny nodded the affirmative and the six of them set off down the tunnel again, drawing ever closer to their goal and an end to the fighting.
As time drew on, and with every step bringing them closer to the campus of Beacon Academy, the evidence for the battle raging above ground became clearer and clearer. They each heard the muffled sounds of explosions and felt the ominous rumble which accompanied them. Yet they had no time to think about the battle in which their comrades were fighting, instead, they were forced to focus on their own running battle. As it turned out, having Penny along had proved invaluable to them. She knew where and when their enemy were posted and more often than not, she had been able to deal with them with minimal effort.
Goodwitch led the way at a furious pace, seemingly pouring herself into the task and wanting to get to their objective as soon was as humanly possible. Her numerous wounds were quickly forgotten in her single-minded determination to find Ironwood and remove him as a problem. Her aura wrapped itself around her as they ran, giving off a low purple light and a dull hum. Everything about her appearance served to show that standing against her would have been a suicidal endeavour.
Finally at long last and after what had seemed to be an eternity in the gloom of the underground, they reached their destination. Goodwitch stopped beside a ladder up to the surface and gave them some time to gather themselves before leading the way. She climbed the ladder and slowly lifted the cover a tiny bit, peering around for any signs of their enemies. Not having seen any, she shifted the manhole cover off to the side and climbed out to find herself in the courtyard at the foot of Ozpin's tower.
The sunlight was blinding to the six of them as they emerged from the bowels of the earth, their eyes needing time to adjust after their lengthy stint in the sewage tunnels underneath Vale. The courtyard itself was utterly deserted, any troopers likely having been called away to the battle raging across the campus. Gunfire and explosions echoed their way around the columns as Ozpin's group fought to keep their distraction alive.
Making their way around the base of Ozpin's tower, the six of them approached the main doors and entered the building to find the foyer completely deserted. There were signs of struggle everywhere throughout the room, as papers were scattered all over the floor and the artworks lay on the floor torn and tattered. It was a long shot from the illustrious room that it had been only a few short days before. To Jaune it was a shame to see everything torn apart and left in ruins, all for the sake of a single man's ambitions. It was a waste.
Moving forward into the room, their group made for the elevator. Calling it down, the elevator rumbled and screeched in its shaft as it made its way to them, lacking in the maintenance that it usually received. As the doors creeped open, Jaune could feel something welling up inside him, a sense of foreboding. It was a strong feeling which manifested itself in the base of his stomach and refused to budge. Somehow, he just knew that something was going to go wrong. Something which none of them had any power to stop.
They entered the small elevator and punched in the number for the top floor. Immediately, the doors closed and the elevator began to haul itself up to what had once been the brain centre for the whole of Beacon's campus; Ozpin's office. To Jaune it seemed arrogant that the General would impose himself over all of Vale from the office of the old headmaster, almost as if Ironwood had done it to satisfy his own sense of envy. Their ascent to the top of the tower crept by at an agonisingly slow pace, giving each of the elevator's occupants time to mull over the fight which seemed to be inevitably heading their way. One thing was for certain, it was not one which they were looking forward to by any stretch of the imagination.
Across the campus from Ozpin's tower, the tides of the battle had turned. Having fought their way through to the residential blocks, the battered band of huntsmen and huntresses in training had finally managed to free their compatriots; including a number of fully fledged and professional hunters. Gathering what armaments they could from the destroyed remains of the defeated robotic soldiers, those reinforcements had helped immensely in the fight. With a new wave of fresh fighters, the pressure on those who had been fighting since the beginning had begun to ease.
Their group had battled their way across the campus, cutting a swathe through their enemy even once ammunition had run dry and they were down to fighting hand to hand. Teams like CFVY and the remaining members of CRDL had proven to be invaluable in rallying the other students before each push. Seeing row after row of robotic soldiers being blown to pieces by Coco's gargantuan chain gun had proven to be invaluable for morale as it served as a constant, powerful reminder that this robotic enemy could be defeated.
Metre by metre, their group pushed further and further into the campus wiping out droves of the automated soldiers as they went. Either by the sword or a hail of lead, the pockets of resistance were steadily crushed one by one, leaving a trail of torn metal and scrap electronics in their wake. But no victory comes without sacrifice; even as the enemy was being destroyed in vast numbers, so too were the huntsmen suffering losses of their own. For every courtyard, building or hallway that they cleared, they would lose some of their own.
Behind them, among the scrap metal and scorched earth of each battle were left both the dead and wounded from their own ranks. It seemed as though every few hundred feet, a new aid station would be established in the interests of seeing their wounded treated so that they might return to the battle where possible. Those who suffered more severe wounds were pulled back far behind the lines and dealt with as best as possible with the materials which the medics had. All across Beacon, the cries and groans of the wounded could be heard, forming a disturbing dirge which filled the air.
Finally, after hours of fighting in the grounds of the academy, the huntsmen managed to push into the courtyard surrounding Ozpin's tower. It was here that their robotic enemy opted to make its final stand. As the bullets whistled back and forth, tearing into both metal and flesh alike with the same degree of rabid hunger, Ozpin watched on. He found it incredible to see that his students, individuals who had only just begun their training would fight with such a level of ferocity. Everywhere he looked he saw them tearing into their opponents without mercy, their rage against the machines unparalleled by any battle throughout the annals of time. It was a shame to him, that the young people before him had so soon been stripped of their innocence, left bereft of their childhood and forced into a war beyond their control or reckoning.
Yet even as he watched on, he became aware of a new presence. Turning around he was met with the sight of one of his task forces. Into view came Oobleck and Blake, followed in close order by the rest of team Burgundy. In their arms, they dragged the limp form of what appeared to be a young woman. The five of them approached the old headmaster and dropped their captive at his feet. Raising an eyebrow, Ozpin looked at them inquisitively, anticipating the explanation as to who this woman was and why they had brought her before him.
"Oz, we got to the CTT and took out the relay system thanks to some quick thinking by Miss Belladonna and Miss Valkyrie. However we were given a lot of trouble by this woman here. Cinder Fall is her name, that is all we managed to get out of her, but I am led to believe that she is one of the co-conspirators for the attack on Vale." Oobleck explained, speaking at what seemed to be a hundred miles an hour as usual. Yet before the headmaster could reply, another young huntsman trotted over and interrupted.
"Professor, we have crushed the last of the enemy resistance. Your path to the tower is clear." He said dutifully before pausing to await further orders.
"That was excellent work, thank you. Inform the other students that they are to establish a defensive perimeter around this courtyard while team Burgundy and I head inside to confront the General and demand his surrender. Keep alert; we don't know if there are any more of them around. Whatever happens though, you must hold this courtyard." Ozpin ordered, leaving the huntsman to dash off and relay the message. Dumping Cinder with a contingent of seasoned hunters, Ozpin, Oobleck and team Burgundy crossed the courtyard and entered the tower.
To the end of his days, Jaune would swear that the trip to Ozpin's office that day was the longest he had ever endured. His stomach churned far worse than it ever had during air travel. The whole way up, he and his team were under a blanket of uneasy silence, with the metallic screeching of the elevator being the only break. After five minutes of ascent, the doors finally slid open to reveal Ozpin's office.
Very little seemed to have changed within the office. The vast and complex system of cogs continued to turn just as they always had and likely always would. As one by one they exited the elevator, Goodwitch began to look around suspiciously, her eyes darting around as though she might have expected some kind of trap or ruse. Yet none came. It wasn't long before they had spotted him, the man of the hour and the greatest threat that Vale had known in decades, General Ironwood.
The middle aged general was sat in Ozpin's high-backed chair, staring out of the windows at the battle which raged far below them across the campus. Drawing their weapons, team JSPR approached cautiously as if expecting a sudden charge from the criminal, yet none came. He sat in the chair, completely motionless and seemingly unaware of their presence. But he was, and quite unexpectedly, he began to speak.
"It's wrong, isn't it? That the old and powerful should sit in their ivory towers while the youth march to their deaths in the name of a cause. Just how many had to die for you to be here Glynda? How many have you and Oz sent to their deaths?" He spoke slowly, his voice sounding sombre and almost regretful.
"They wouldn't have died if you hadn't pulled such a stunt James. You brought your armada to Vale, and against my better judgement I followed Ozpin's leadership and trusted you. Just why did you do it? Why betray us, the people you once named friend?" The Professor replied, her eyes having replaced their anger with an expression of disappointment.
"Betrayal?!" The General bellowed, turning his chair to face them and slamming his balled fists down against the desk "Glynda you speak of betrayal yet you know nothing of its nature! Ozpin took everything that I ever wanted from me. Everything I have ever set my sights on I have achieved, save for one thing; you. I command one of the largest armed forces on the face of the planet, am headmaster of perhaps the most prestigious hunter academies yet I would trade it in in an instant for you."
He spoke like a man possessed, yet the more he said, the more outraged that Goodwitch seemed to become. Her hands trembled at her side and her fist curled so tightly around her riding crop that her knuckles turned almost pure white.
"You mean to tell me, that you started a war, plunged the streets into chaos and killed untold hundreds if not thousands of deaths… because you were jealous?! Just what were you hoping to achieve James? That after the world had been reduced to ashes that I would run to your side in a moment of romantic passion and profess my undying love for you?" She snarled "I am a huntress, a woman sworn to protect the innocent and uphold the laws of the realm. It is in honour of that oath that I, Glynda Goodwitch huntress of Vale, am placing you, James Ironwood, under arrest. You have the option to come quietly or by force, either way works for me. You are to be imprisoned to await trial for the charges of high treason against the kingdom of Vale and crimes of war. What say you?"
By now, Goodwitch was seething. As she summarised his crimes and the reasons for them, it only served to drive home just how futile everything had been; so much death and all of it because Ironwood had struggled with a jealousy complex against Ozpin?
"General… is this true?" A soft voice asked, layered with a mixture of horror, disgust and shock. It was the voice of Penny. The android stepped forward from her position at the back of the group and into the light, her circuitry sparking through the wounds that she had sustained. At the sight of her, Ironwood recoiled a little, clearly shocked at the damage that she had sustained.
"Penny… What happened to you? Why have you brought them here?" He demanded, though his tone was much weaker and uncertain than it had been previously.
"These are my friends General. They have reset my system, after a… regrettable engagement in the tunnels beneath the city and have graciously allowed me to join them in bringing peace back to this city. You told me when we came here, that nobody would be hurt as a part of what you had planned. Yet Ruby's team have told me the things that you made me do… Father would never have consented to let me come here if he had have known what you were going to do." Ironwood simply stared dumbfounded as Penny spoke, the foundations of his power were crumbling away right before his eyes and he seemed to know it.
"Your plans have failed James. Come quietly and we can avoid any more bloodshed. Your allies are either dead or long gone, what can you hope to achieve by standing against us now? Give up, turn yourself in and I promise that you will receive a fair trial; though I can't imagine that the other kingdoms will be so kind once they are informed of your actions. Do you really think that Atlas will support you? They will look out for their own interests just as they always have, and where does that leave you." Goodwitch said, somehow managing to suppress her anger and speak calmly. But the General made no move to surrender, instead he merely laughed. It was a cold and joyless laugh which sent shivers racing up and down Jaune's spine as he knew that things were about to go south… and very quickly.
"Glynda you always did have a good sense of humour, once you broke through that cold disciplinarian shell of yours. Do not make the mistake of thinking that just because my plans have failed and my army destroyed that I will simply surrender myself to you. A fair trial? Ha! Don't make me laugh. You and I both know that there will be nothing fair about any trial which you might send me before. You may as well execute me now than send me through such a theatrical farce as that trial. So, to answer your question Glynda Goodwitch the Huntress, I will not be going anywhere with you." With that he cast off his long coat. Goodwitch eyed him cautiously as he stepped over to Ozpin's desk and began to remove the medals which were pinned to his chest. One by one he unpinned them and set them down with the utmost of care, ensuring that they were flat and neatly presented.
Both team Jasper and Penny stepped up beside the Professor. They had their weapons drawn and hard set glares on their faces. Goodwitch smiled slightly to herself, secretly glad to know that she wasn't to face Ironwood alone. Though he may have committed countless atrocities and murdered hundreds, Glynda simply couldn't escape the fact that Ironwood had one been a friend to her. In their younger days the two of them had been rather close, that was until she had opted to follow Ozpin rather than taking up residence in Atlas with James. She couldn't help but wonder just how different things might have been if she had made the other choice.
Her deliberations were interrupted by the cold rasp of steel being drawn. Ozpin stood before them, bereft of his decorations with his Naval Officer's sword in hand. The blade was thin and elegant, a full three feet of tempered steel. The guard was of polished brass with the Atlesian royal seal stamped upon it and formed a protective dome over the front of his hand. The sword came to an end with an elaborate brass pommel in the shape of a snarling Lion's head.
"It has been some time since I have drawn Harbinger in anger, yet I can assure you that her blade is just as sharp as it ever was. Very well, I am ready, let us bring an end to this." He said solemnly, an air of calm about him where there ought to have been one of guilt or even fear. He held the weapon firmly in his right hand and stood there, seemingly waiting for someone to make the first move. Jaune kept an eye firmly fixed on the blonde professor as he waited for the signal, any sign that the fight had begun. Both he and his team were prepared. Yet just as Goodwitch twitched and was about to attack the elevator door opened once again to reveal Ozpin himself, accompanied by team Burgundy and Bartholomew Oobleck. An air of disquiet once again settled over the room as the greying professor stepped out of the elevator and into what had, until recently, been his office.
"I see that you have made yourself quite at home in here James." He stated flatly, his eyes fixed on the General.
"Ozpin! How very… nice… of you to finally join us. I have been watching your escapades across the campus from here. Very good indeed, I see that you haven't lost that tactician's mind of yours in all the years that you have sat gathering dust high up here in your tower." The general replied maliciously.
"And I see that after all of these years and all of your successes, your ambition and lust for power hasn't in any way diminished. Look at yourself James, you have invaded and occupied an innocent kingdom through low tricks and fraternising with criminals. What happened to you? In our younger days you were always a man of honour, yet here you are cowering in a stolen office and threatening children. I don't believe that you could have sunken any further if you had tried." The headmaster said with a disappointed sigh.
"Honour? How can you have the audacity to stand there and preach to me about honour after all that you have done?" Ironwood growled, a vein bulging in the middle of his forehead "Why did you do it Oz? I was young and in love and you stole her away from me!"
"Stole her? James, just listen to yourself, these words you are saying are beyond foolish! I didn't steal her away from anyone. I offered her the choice of working with me at Beacon to help prepare those who would later defend the weak, and she chose to do so. It was her choice, not mine. Just as it was your choice to senselessly attack Vale and murder the women and children therein!"
"Enough!" James bellowed, his voice was so loud that the tower seemed to shake with the force of it. "You have not come here simply to bandy meaningless words about. We are men of action Oz, and the only way that we are going to settle this is by action with cold and honest steel in hand."
Ozpin sighed and took his weight off of his cane and, to the surprise of the students present, he flicked a switch and the weapon seemed to come alive. It clicked and whirred mechanically as its once round form shifted into that of a simple rapier. It was the blade of a dualist and of a similar length to Harbinger yet it was distinctly Ozpin. The sword itself was simple and unadorned, with the pommel being a simple orb. Its handle was of a simple wood, wrapped in worn black leather. The only distinguishing mark was a trio of cogs, engraved into the flat of its blade, an inch below the cross-guard.
Seeing Ozpin draw his weapon, the students lowered their own, confident in the headmaster's ability to handle the general yet equally curious to watch the two headmasters fight. It seemed like a matchup of near biblical proportions, the power-hungry general duelling with the stoic professor of Beacon. Yet Goodwitch didn't look so enthused by the prospect. She stepped forward defensively, her eyes filled with concern for the old headmaster as well as a brief glint of what Jaune judged to be affection.
"Oz… You don't have to fight him alone. There are enough of us here that we can subdue him. To duel him alone would be too risky. Please."
"Glynda." He said turning to her with a slight smile "In all the years that we have known one another, it is only now that you have worked up the courage to show the depth of your feelings. You have been my most trusted advisor and valued companion all of these years, but you know just as well as I do that this is the way that things must be. He is right; James and I must face one another here and now to decide the fate of Vale."
Goodwitch's face shifted to a slight red at the warmth and fondness in his words. She looked down for a moment, considering the meaning within before stepping forward and surprised all of those present by lightly kissing Ozpin on his cheek.
"For luck…" She said, almost shyly "Just… Please be careful."
Ozpin nodded with another smile before turning back to face the general. His fingers tightened around the leather on the hilt of his rapier and he raised it in salute to the general, a mark of respect between duellists whom know that one is about to die. Across from him the General stood scowling yet mirrored the action, the cold steel Harbinger's blade gleaming fiendishly in the light of the office. Both blades swished through the air as the salute ended and the two fighters took up their duelling stances.
Ozpin took a steadying breath and prepared himself, going over the basics of duellist combat. He straightened his back and squared his shoulders, sliding one foot a little in front of the other. Jaune could hear Weiss humming in appreciation at Ozpin's form, impressed at the precision that the wizened older man seemed to be demonstrating.
At the opposite end of the Office, Ironwood had adopted a completely different stance. He was stood almost square on with Harbinger held loosely down at his side. His feet were shoulder width apart and to most people watching it might have been interpreted that he had left his guard down, yet Weiss knew the stance well. He was hoping to goad Ozpin into a premature strike, yet in reality Ironwood was a coiled viper, ready to strike at a moment's notice. His knees were bent and his eyes analytical. He was calmly assessing Ozpin for any weaknesses that he might exploit.
Goodwitch edged back from the two fighters until she and the students were all back against the office wall. Her eyes were fixed firmly on Ozpin and Jaune knew from the look on her face that she was looking at his stance in a way that only a combat instructor can. Ruby turned to the disciplinarian with a frightened expression on her face.
"Professor… Ozpin is going to win isn't he? He wouldn't agree to fight the General if he couldn't, right?" Her little voice was full of an innocence which only the young can possess.
"I don't know Ruby…" Goodwitch sighed, turning to look down at the little rose with equal parts worry and fear in her eyes. "Ozpin hasn't fought properly in a great many years. He has kept in loose practice, but his days fighting both the Grimm and criminals in Vale are long passed. There is no guarantee that he will be able to best the General… But if I know Ozpin he will sure as dust try…"
It was not the most reassuring speech, yet the tone of her voice suggested an air of confidence. Clearly she believed in the headmaster's abilities and to Ruby that meant that she should too.
"Give it your best Professor Ozpin!" She cheered confidently, her voice rising clear and sharp in the otherwise quiet office.
"Break his legs!" Nora cried with her usual ferocity.
"Give him one for Qrow!" Yang yelled. Her voice seethed with rage as her burning red eyes beheld the man responsible for her uncle's death.
"For Vale Ozpin... and all those in it" Oobleck said in an oddly calm manner.
Ozpin smiled to himself, glad to know that the students and his colleague were behind him. It gave him a newfound strength in his heart, a strength that one can only find in the knowledge that others are depending on them. He took a calming breath and kicked off, sending a slash at the General's chest, aiming to rend him from shoulder to hip. In an instant Ironwood had reacted, raising he blade to catch his long-time rival's.
'So it has begun.' Ozpin mused, pushing against the General 'Once again men shall dance the dance of death.'
So there it is, I hope you enjoyed it. This does mean that there is yet another chapter to this story before I finally bring it to its conclusion. It got a little dialogue heavy towards the end there but I really enjoyed writing the interactions between Goodwitch, Ozpin and Ironwood. I like to think of Goodwitch and Ozpin as being in a relationship which neither acknowledge aloud but it is invaluable to them both.
As always if you liked this, please do follow and favourite so as not to miss out of the final chapter. Hit me up with reviews and let me know what you think and as awlways, I have been TheFlagshipArkos and I will see you all in the next chapter! (Hopefully soon)