Greetings and what's up?! Thanks for joining me again for the next chapter of The Demon of Remnant. I hope you all enjoy the new chapter. Remember to leave me a comment or review that would be the Weiss thing to do (I know I'm terrible)
I do not own RWBY It is the property of the great Monty Oum and RoosterTeeth.
The Wizards Ultimatum
"For the thousandth-time kid: Why were you at the warehouse?!" The Detective was clearly annoyed but after three hours of not getting even a name out of him, Ryder could understand why. It didn't help that Ryder was leaned back in his seat with his feet resting on the table, an uncaring look on his face. He knew this song and dance: They'd ask questions, threaten him, make promises and after twenty-four hours he'd be free as a bird. They didn't have anything on him.
Ryder must have been smirking because the Detective slammed his fist on the table.
"You think this is funny kid? We found at least fourteen bodies in that place after the fire was put out. We have no evidence on who could have done it except you and the way you were armed to the teeth we could peg you as the culprit. Minor or not." An empty threat, If he had anything the Detective would've carted him off to a cell hours ago so Ryder just shrugged his shoulders.
An intercom buzzed in the corner of the room.
"That's enough Frank go grab some coffee and relax." The Detective ran a hand through his graying hair before standing up and walking out the door.
"Aww poor Frank," Summer was floating around the room doing flips in the air to keep herself entertained. "He should switch to decaf it's better for his health." 'There's that maternal instinct again' Ryder thought, he swore if an Ursa looked sad she'd bake it cookies to make it feel better. His stomach rumbled at the thought of food. They hadn't offered him anything to eat.
Not that he'd take it, too risky, however Ryder hadn't since this morning, or was it yesterday? Crap what day of the week was it? His stomach grumbled again. 'Fine mess I've gotten myself into,' he thought, 'I'm tired, hungry and out of leads.' Ryder brought his cuffed hands up to his necklace. It wasn't anything special, a silver ring with a checkerboard pattern winding around the middle on a metal chain. It was his treasure and besides Azrael it was all that remained of his past.
"That is a very nice ring young man." Ryder didn't react to the voice but was surprised he hadn't heard the door open. He looked at the new visitor: older, maybe mid thirties but the silver hair threw him off. He was dressed in a dark green suit that was almost black a cane tucked under his right arm, a set of dark glasses settled on the bridge of his nose exposing his eyes slightly. The man held two cups in his right hand and a plate in his left with a few sandwiches.
"May I join you?" the man asked politely, Ryder shrugged his shoulders, taking this as a yes, the man took the seat across from him placing the plate and the cups on the table. "I thought you might be hungry after everything you've been through. I hope you don't mind ham and cheese it's all I could find in the break room." Ryder didn't make a move for the food, to the protests of his empty stomach. Summer had ceased her flips and floated motionlessly by the table a wide smile on her face as she looked his way.
"You can trust him. He's an old friend." She said. Good enough for him. Ryder trusted Summer with his life, if she said this was okay, then he would listen. Also, never hurts to be polite. Ryder let go of his necklace and grabbed one of the sandwiches and took a bite.
"Excellent. I did not know how you liked your coffee so I took a guess." Ryder devoured the food in seconds, obviously a lot hungrier than he presumed, then took the mug from the table. Ryder took a sip tasting the bitterness of the coffee beans, a dark roast he thought, as well as the sweetness of sugar and a hint of hazelnut.
"You sure know how to make a cup of coffee old man." Ryder said placing the mug back down. The man's face relaxed.
"He speaks! That makes things less complicated. But first introductions. I am Professor Ozpin, Huntsmen and Headmaster at Beacon Academy here in Vale. And you are?" Ryder glanced over Ozpin's shoulder at the one-way mirror behind him. It wasn't the first time the police tried to interrogate him and their methods never changed.
"Ah," Ozpin began, "No need to fret. I have asked for privacy from Vale's finest. Being a Headmaster has its benefits." Ryder released a long sigh before responding.
"Ryder Fenix, nice to meet you Professor." He extended a hand as best he could with the cuffs on, Ozpin shook the offered hand.
"A pleasure Mr. Fenix. Now that the pleasantries are out of the way let us get down to business, shall we?" Ozpin reached into his pocket to retrieve his scroll placing it on the table and keyed in a code. The projector on the scroll displayed a hologram with several files, news articles, photos and videos. "Now tell me Mr. Fenix how long have you been this 'Ghost' character?"
Ryder retrieved his coffee mug from the table and took a sip, eyeing the huntsmen warily. When he finished he spoke, his voice calm and even.
"It's been two years now. I'm surprised. In that time, I've never been made. Your smarter than most, I'll give you that. But that doesn't explain what you want." Ozpin only hummed as if contemplating his answer. He leaned forward tapping the screen of the holoprojector and a video began playing. The video contained all the 'Ghost' sightings in the last two years. Alley brawls in Vacuo, drug raids in Mistral, the one and only time Ryder had gone to Atlas to stop a group of White Fang from blowing up a robotics factory and his most recent the few encounters that had been caught on street cams, even the fight against Neo.
"Impressive work," Ozpin said as if examining an arena match, "you have great skill and abilities. Not many people that use your methods are able to stay incognito for such a length of time as this. Who did you train with?"
"I'm self-taught." Ryder responded rather quickly. He figured this would be about him only, his teacher made him promise to tell no one about her. A clear enough threat from her. The woman could be very persuasive.
"I see." Ozpin responded, "Well then perhaps you can enlighten me somewhat about your background if that's not too much trouble." Ryder shrugged like it was no big deal.
"All right, what do you want to know?" Ozpin brought his coffee mug up to his lips, sipped for several seconds then began.
"Tell me about the incident that occurred seven years ago at Sandlewood." Summer's smile was wiped from her face instantly, replaced by fear and sadness. Ryder shot up from his chair knocking it to the floor before slamming his hands on the table. His coffee mug fell from the shaking table, shattering and releasing shards of glass and its contents all over the floor.
Ryder wasn't angry, even if his eyes were glowing red, he was afraid. Only three people knew about Sandlewood, his home, Ozpin wasn't one of them. When he spoke, Ryder's voice was held a threatening edge to it.
"How do you know that name old man? Choose your next words carefully or you won't be leaving out of here alive." Ozpin didn't flinch or shy away from Ryder, he only adjusted his glasses.
"I know a great deal of things Mr. Fenix. I know Sandlewood was 'lost' to a Grimm incursion seven years ago. I know you are a survivor from that attack. What I would like to know is how you survived, what happened and anything else you can remember Mr. Fenix." Ryder calmed himself, taking a few deep breaths to try and relax. He retrieved his chair and sat down placing his hands onto the table. The silence seemed to last forever before he spoke.
"I was ten years old when my life was taken. Sandlewood, as you may know, was an experimental excursion by the Mistral and Vacuo council to see if a frontier town could be established between the two kingdoms. It wasn't the easiest place to live but it was home. My father and older sister were apart of the town guard, both being Hunters before settling there with my mom and me.
"When I was old enough my dad would take me out on patrols in the nearby forest. My sister Anya would teach me huntsmen stuff when my parents weren't around. Mom was a pilot, she'd fly people, supplies or anything else we needed from both Vacuo and Mistral. It was the greatest time of my life." Ryder paused to catch his breath. "One night we were eating dinner, like normal, dad and Anya were talking about the Grimm they'd fought that day and mom was cracking jokes about a few of the runs she made earlier. That was…um…we heard a scream. Dad and Anya left to see what was wrong. That's when we heard the Grimm. The rest is a blur.
"I remember mom grabbing her rifle and taking me outside. We ran towards the bunker near the air field." Ryder's hands were shaking, his breathing heavy and his eyes focused on the table. Summer moved behind him resting her hands on his shoulders for comfort.
"We met up with dad and Anya. Dad was telling mom about the bunker being overrun, while Anya just picked me up and held me. My dad yelled something before running off towards the screams. Anya gave me to my mom and went after dad. Mom was crying but she ran towards the hanger I think she was trying to help evacuate everyone.
"A lot of people had the same idea the crowd blocked all attempts to enter. But, all that despair and negative emotions drew the Grimm in like a moth to a flame. I don't know how I got out of there or what happened to my mom but I ran back towards the house to try and find dad to help mom. I never made it there. The last thing I remember was searing pain in my back and falling to the ground.
"When I woke up I was bleeding pretty badly from my back and my right arm was broken. I looked around for dad, mom and Anya. When I found…what was left of them…let's just say it's not something a kid should see. I took my dad's revolver Azrael, my mother's bandanna and a ring my sister wore for good luck. After that I made my way back to my house, I felt weak and wanted to lay down.
"I'd lost a lot of blood and felt dizzy. When I made it to my bed I just sat there crying. If I was smarter I'd have kept quiet but I'd just lost everything that mattered to me. That's when a Beowolf found me. I aimed with Azrael like my dad taught me, I actually killed it on the first try but as it fell its claws stabbed me through the chest. I lost consciousness from the pain and woke up days later bandaged, bruised and half dead but breathing. The rest is history."
As he finished Ryder felt himself shaking. Summer wrap her arms around him, she knew his pain. Ozpin had remained quiet throughout the entire story, listening intently but not recording the conversation or taking notes, that would've been wrong of him.
"I know it does not mean much now but I am sorry young man. But I appreciate you telling me, thank you." Ryder didn't respond to the Professor, not wanting the older man to hear the tremble in his voice. "However," Ozpin suddenly said, making both Summer and Ryder to look at him, "There is one piece of information I still need."
Summer sighed loudly, "Ugh! Come on Ozzy, Ryder's already been through enough. I remember you being a lot nicer when I was alive."
"And I believed I told you to stop calling me Ozzy. Really you haven't matured a bit since we were kids." Ryder shook his head about to tell summer to shut it but stopped, thinking about Ozpin's response. 'Could he…no, no way…but.' Summer crossed her arms over her chest.
"Hey! I raised two kids and kicked butt doing it so…I'd…say…" Realization dawned on them both.
"You can see her?!"
"You can see me?"
Ozpin held both hands up to stop anymore yelling. He cleared his throat then began his explanation. "Yes, I can see you Summer, and hear you unfortunately, but do not worry Mr. Fenix and myself are 'special' cases. While I would like to know what brought about your fate we'll leave that for another time. Now if you please Mr. Fenix."
Ryder was still in shock. "H-huh?" he stammered before realizing Ozpin wanted him to continue.
"R-right, okay, um. Well I don't honestly know what happened. I remember feeling scared, it was dark all around me. I was cold and began to cry for my family. I remember hearing a voice calling me asking me what I wanted. I didn't answer at first, I was still crying then it asked again.
"I begged the voice with tears covering my face to bring my family back. It, whatever it was, said it could not give death life but that I wasn't fully dead so I could go back if I wanted it. And I did. I wanted to live, to try and save people from things like what happened to my home. But mostly I wanted revenge on the Grimm for killing my family.
"The voice accepted. Next thing I know I'm in a bed bandaged up, a woman sitting next to me and Summer floating around looking as lost as I was. After that I spent the next five years training then left to do my own work two years ago. Now I'm here."
As Ryder finished his story, Ozpin's mind was racing. He hadn't heard of any ritual like that, he would have to consider this matter further. But the hour grew late, it was nearing three in the morning.
"You have given me much to think about Mr. Fenix. Again, I thank you. I will make sure you are cleared immediately."
Ryder got the feeling there was a 'but' coming on.
"But," Yep there it was, "with all this information and your violent tendencies I am reluctant to let you go."
Ryder thought he heard wrong, his eyes glowed red and the handcuffs around his wrist began to heat up. Ozpin noticed this but remained impassive.
"Try to see it from my point of view." The older man said, "Would you release a potential dangerous person with a body count loose on the streets?"
Ryder moved to say something, but stopped himself. 'No. I'd do the same thing.' Sighing in defeat Ryder receded back into his chair.
"So, what happens to me now Professor?"
Ozpin stood from his seat and walked around the table to stand beside the young man.
"Well as I see it you have two options. Option A: you get tried as an adult for taking the law into your own hands."
"Or?" Ryder asked.
"Or," Ozpin placed a hand on Ryder's shoulder, "Option B: you attend Beacon Academy."
Ryder sat in quiet thought. It wasn't a bad deal and even if he could break out of prison he'd be hunted by every bounty hunter, hitman or cop in the four kingdoms. Not the life he wanted. His mind made up Ryder inclined his head in agreement.
"Very good Mr. Fenix. The new term starts in a week for first years. No need to worry about paperwork we'll take care of that. I will also set you up with sleeping arrangements. The next chapter in your life will be a great change I am certain you will enjoy it."
Ryder's 'but' senses were tingling.
"But," Ozpin started.
'I hate that word!" Ryder thought.
"Let me make one thing perfectly clear." Ozpin's grip tightened on Ryder's shoulder, looked the young man in the eyes. "There will be no killing of anything besides boredom and Grimm in my school. If you step out of line in my eyes you are done. Agreed?"
Between his vice-like grip and the edge in his voice Ryder could tell he meant business. He could also see why he was a Headmaster.
"Agreed." He relented and the grip loosened. Ozpin gave his shoulder a light pat before walking to the door, retrieving his coffee mug as he went.
"I'll take care of your release and the return of your belongings. Goodnight Mr. Fenix, Summer." He waved back before exiting the room. Ryder rested his head on the table, between the fight at the warehouse and his meeting with Ozpin he was exhausted.
"Well, that just happened." Summer chimed in from his right, he felt her hand ruffle his hair again. It annoyed him when she did that, what was he a puppy? But for the moment it felt comforting.
"I wonder how much Beacon's changed since I went there?" she asked.
"Who knows," Ryder said, "a lot can change in fifty years." That comment earned him a smack on the head. Worth it.
"I'll have you know I'm only thirty-four young man. Such a rude boy I've raised." Summer started pouting puffing her cheeks out.
Ryder laughed a bit, lifting his head from the table he threw a smirk at her.
"I practically raised myself. Between your constant nagging and master's spartan training I barely had time to do much but teach myself."
Summer stopped pouting and took, what he called, her mom stance: arms crossed, head tilted to the side, eyebrow raised.
"Really?"
Ryder shook his head at here. Getting up he walked over to the door.
"I turned out fine. Hey!" He yelled, banging on the metal door, "Could one of you jackasses come uncuff me? I have to take a leak!"
Summer sighed holding her head in her hands.
"Apparently your people skills need work." Ryder clicked his tongue and waved her off.
"Oum help me." She lamented.
And that is it for chapter 2. What did you guys/ladies think? It took me a while to figure out if I wanted to wait or give some insight into Ryder's history. So, I started at the chapter served mainly as to how he met Ozpin and a little bit of backstory. Don't fret there will be more. Next week will be a double chapter release so I hope you all look forward to it. Please leave a review.
Reviews:
Cheese PufXx: Hope your eyes are pleased at this new chapter. If not, I have a chimichanga that'll help persWADE you. See what I did there?
Grano Onis: I'm thankful for your insight and advice. I tried to incorporate the tips you gave me in this chapter and hope they turned out well. It took me forever to do this chapter. As for the commas…well I couldn't find a beta reader and my friend that helps me was busy all week. If you want the job I'd be glad for your assistance.