The Wrath of Atlas
Well. Chapter 4 is finally here! Whew! In all honesty, I found some parts difficult to write. So a few instances here and there may seem a little awkward.
Anyway. Not gonna update for awhile. Unless homework becomes relatively easy. Anyways, enjoy the chapter!
Chapter 4: Aeron, the Bounty Hunter
Silver woke from his sleep, stretching his arms out. He yawned quite loudly.
"Why do I always wake up so early?" (Silver)
He hated waking up. Sometimes, he would've preferred to sleep in all day. But for some reason, his body would force him to wake from his slumber. Silver thought it was probably his instincts telling him to wake up or be punished.
"Ugh. Six thirty?" (Silver)
He scratched his head and went out of his bed. Silver went through his regular morning routine. Brush his teeth, change into his combat clothes (as there were no classes that day ) and retrieved his Scroll. He had a meeting with Ozpin.
But seriously. A meeting on the second day he's been there?
~In Ozpin's office~
When Silver had arrived to Ozpin's office, Ozpin was the only one present. Ms. Goodwitch was nowhere to be seen. Though Silver double checked if she was in the room or not.
After the quick sweep, he gave out a sigh of relief. He was definitely scared of Ms. Goodwitch.
"Well good morning Mr. Ozpin." (Silver)
"As to you. So. Mr. Faye. What did you think about yesterday's test?" (Ozpin)
"Pretty straightforward. Though being launched into the forest was a surprise." (Silver)
Silver was still sore over the whole launchpad situation. Seriously, who sends their transfer students flying on their first day?
"Your being here mean you are prepared to hear out my request?" (Ozpin)
"Erm...Yes. Mr. Ozpin. But I haven't decided whether or not to accept. So can you go into detail about 'recruiting' these four?" (Silver)
"Of course." (Ozpin)
Ozpin's request went something like this. After nearby reports of unknown heroes and such, Ozpin had become intrigued of their presence in Vale. What he wanted Silver to do was to bring the four to Beacon. Though to Silver, this sounded like he needed to kidnap them.
"In any case, if you are able to bring these four in, that'll be splendid." (Ozpin)
"Why request me? Surely you have other people capable of such a task, Mr. Ozpin." (Silver)
"We have tried to approach them before. However, it seems their goals lie elsewhere." (Ozpin)
"So...they can't join simply because Beacon doesn't match their desired goal?" (Silver)
But that seemed a little weird. If one were to study and become a Huntsman, then they would be granted more freedom and finance in accomplishing their goals.
"Yes. I have tried to persuade them once before. However, they rejected my offer to join Beacon." (Ozpin)
"So...why try to persuade them? Why go through all the effort? (Ozpin)
"Because they're children." (Ozpin)
"?" (Silver)
Ozpin stood from his seat and turned towards the window behind him.
"The world is infested with the creatures of Grimm. We have been confined to our Kingdoms to protect ourselves. Only within our borders do we remain safe. That is something I want to ensure for years to come." (Ozpin)
"..." (Silver)
"I wish not for the strongest Huntsman, but for children to enjoy their youth. Even if the time is short." (Ozpin)
"...Mr. Ozpin, I don't mean to be rude, but, isn't that simply an, excuse my language, childish dream?"
He hoped he didn't piss off Ozpin. The headmaster's glare was nerve racking enough. His anger would be much worse.
"In this kind of world, shouldn't we be training to defend ourselves? I mean, isn't that the purpose of these combat schools? I mean, you encourage the best of the best. Am I wrong?" (Silver)
Ozpin turned to Silver. Uh oh. Did he say something wrong? Is Ozpin going to scold him? No! Ozpin isn't that type of person. Right?
"True. That is what Beacon was and has been for many long years. However, if that were the case, why did your father send you here instead of making you attend Atlas Academy? Why attend Beacon?" (Ozpin)
"Uh that's...:" (Silver)
Silver couldn't say anything about that. What Ozpin said was true. Beacon and Atlas were combat schools. The same could be said about the Shade and Haven Academies.
"Because he trusted me to help you lead as much as a normal life as possible. To enjoy what it feels to be a 'normal' person. In your mindset, your mind has always been in the battlefield. Sure there have been times of peace. But you never had the chance to lay down your duty as a soldier of Atlas." (Ozpin)
Ozpin was proving a point. Honestly, it's amazing how much Ozpin could deduce of his life. Silver knew Ozpin was an amazing person. But he didn't realize how easily he could convince Silver of his point of view. Though it was pretty creepy how much of his background and personality that he had checked.
Seriously. Did Ozpin have someone monitoring his every move?
"Mr. Ozpin, you're amazing. But...I don't understand where you are going with this. If you let children simply enjoy themselves, wouldn't the reality of this world seem more harsh?" (Silver)
"It is not about them coming to terms with reality. It is experience of joy in life." (Ozpin)
"?" (Silver)
"Mr. Faye tell me. What do remember of your childhood?"
Silver remained silent. That was a...topic he didn't want to discuss. In all honesty, a child soldier was a first for his father. He was put through rigorous training. The likes of which should've never been
"Then tell me Mr. Faye. What brings you joy in life?" (Ozpin)
Joy? Nothing came across Silver's head when asked this. Now that he thought about it, when were the times that he felt truly happy for himself?
"Mr. Faye?" (Ozpin)
"..." (Silver)
Ozpin was being quite blunt with him. Asking him of his happiest moment, despite the events from his past, was surprising.
"Mr. Faye, you are no longer a soldier on the front lines of battle. You are a student here in Beacon. This is a conversation between a teacher and a student. Why don't you consider this session as, therapeutic."
"Therapeutic?" (Silver)
"Yes. You seem very tense at mentioning events in your past. So, let's just focus on the best times. Even if they were even for a moment."
Silver couldn't argue with that. In all honesty, he kept many things to himself. Many emotions that he wanted to release. But if expressed himself, he felt that he would hurt the feelings of those around him. Guess a therapeutic session with Ozpin wouldn't be such a bad idea.
"...I guess. It was when I met my squadmates in the Imperial Lancers." (Silver)
"Oh? And if I may ask. Why did you feel joy when you met them?" (Ozpin)
"Well...It was because they didn't care who I was." (Silver)
"Hm? Can you elaborate?" (Ozpin)
"Ha...Well. As I was training under fa-General Ironwood, I could feel various negative emotions from other members of the military."
"Negative emotions?" (Ozpin)
"Yes. Jealousy of my position. Envious of my combat skills. My superiors hated me for my very existence. All sorts of emotions. What made things worse was my Grimm side." (Silver)
"Ah...I see. So, your Grimm side tempted you towards vengeance." (Ozpin)
Silver nodded.
"So in order to suppress that urge, I secluded myself from everyone else. For a long time, I was lonely. I grew jealous of people. Simple interactions were something I longed for." (Silver)
Silver looked at Ozpin. He seemed to be looking attentively.
"So what made your squadmates different from the rest?" (Ozpin)
"...They didn't care." (Silver)
"...Eh?" (Ozpin)
"Oh sorry! What I mean is that, they did not care for my origins. As an Imperial Lancer, we were all at an equal level. Strength didn't matter to them. They treated me as a person." (Silver)
Ozpin smiled. At least Silver had experienced some form of joy in his life. If he had experienced no joy in his life, it would've been harder to get his point through to him.
"Joy is something that every person should experience. Once they have experienced it, it is something they wish to obtain once more." (Ozpin)
"Uh... I can understand that but...aren't you making 'joy' sound like a form drugs?" (Silver)
Ozpin chuckled. Seems like Silver's comment seemed like a joke to him. Was that a good thing or a bad thing?
"You have quite the mind Mr. Faye. You can look at it from that perspective. I'm glad we had this conversation. So? How does it feel to go through therapy?" (Ozpin)
"Erm...a little refreshing?" (Silver)
"Glad to hear it. So will you accept my request?" (Ozpin)
"...I'll try. But if they refuse, I'll respect their decisions." (Silver)
"That is fine. Besides, you've met them before. Am I wrong?" (Ozpin)
"...You're a scary person Ozpin. But I can respect that." (Silver)
As Silver was about to leave, he decided to ask Ozpin one more question.
"...Mr. Ozpin?" (Silver)
"Hm? Is something the matter, Mr. Faye?" (Ozpin)
"Erm...If war were to occur, would Beacon be able to send its students to war?" (Silver)
Ozpin sipped his coffee.
~In the cafeteria~
He had to use his Scroll to find the cafeteria again, because his first run there involved him keeping up with Ruby.
When he entered the cafeteria, Silver saw Ruby sitting with her friends. Silver approached and greeted them.
"Good morning." (Silver)
They all replied the same.
"Hold on, let me grab some food first, then we can talk." (Silver)
The moment he left Ruby remembered what happened the day before
"Oh no." (Ruby)
"What's wrong Ruby? You not liking breakfast?" (Jaune)
"Ah no it's-" (Ruby)
"Sorry to make you guys wait." (Silver)
"Wow that was fast. Seems you're getting a light-" (Yang)
Yang stopped when she saw Silver's tray. If you had to describe Silver's breakfast plate, it was like he went to a diner and said 'one of everything'.
"Uh...Are you going to eat all that?" (Weiss)
Everyone looked in disbelief at the size of Silver's tray. The amount of food on that tray was equivalent to the amount to feed a family.
He sat down beside Yang. Then immediately began scarfing down the food as fast as he did yesterday. Everyone one there just stared.
"Silver's amazing streak ain't stopping anytime soon? Is it?" (Yang)
Nora giggled. She placed a grape on a spoon and flicked the grape into the air. Silver jerked up to catch it. He had a happy expression on his face.
When Silver finished most of his 'breakfast', he decided to make some introductions.
"Okay so before you guys start questioning me, we should introduce ourselves properly. I'm Silver Faye. I hail from Atlas and…stuff." (Silver)
"Stuff?" (Weiss)
"Okay! You already know me as Ruby Rose, leader of team RWBY! You've already met my partner, Weiss Schnee , aka, the 'Ice Queen'." (Ruby)
"Hey!" (Weiss)
"You know my sister Yang Xiao Long"(Ruby)
"Sup." (Yang)
"And last but not least Blake Belladonna." (Ruby)
The black haired huntress nodded. She then turned back to read her book. For some reason when Silver looked at her he thought of an image of a cat.
"Um, by any chance are you into cats?" (Silver)
Blake's eyes twitched. She gripped her book harder, hoping not to be noticed.
"Was it something I said?" (Silver)
He had hoped that he didn't ask a bad question. He could see that she tensed up when he asked that. Maybe she had a fear of cats?
Yang and Ruby chuckled.
"Okay, well our turn to introduce ourselves" the blonde knight said.
The blonde knight stood up from his seat.
"I'm Jaune Arc, leader of team JNPR." (Jaune)
"Nice to meet you." (Silver)
He shook Jaune's hand.
The amazoness waved.
"I'm Pyrrha Nikos. And Jaune's partner." (Pyrrha)
Silver looked at them. The ones from last night...
"Wait by partner do you mean..." (Silver)
They both blushed, Pyrrha waved him off.
"Nothing like that! I mean like a regular partner. We were grouped during our initiation" (Pyrrha)
"Uh...okay. That's too bad. It seems like you two would be a couple."
They both grew red.
"D-do you really think so?" (Pyrrha)
The orange haired girl introduced herself.
"I'm Nora Valkyrie! And this is our magenta eyed teammate is Lie Ren!" (Nora)
The teen with the pink stripe in his hair nodded. He seemed to be the level headed guy of the group.
"Well, now that we're settled with introductions we can get to know more about each other." (Ruby)
Jaune raised his hand.
" So...Silver, why did you come to this school?" (Jaune)
Everyone was curious. It was unusual that someone of his character would come to a school. Even if it was Beacon Academy.
Silver scratched his head.
"Well, there were a few personal reasons, but the main reason was my...father." (Silver)
"But why did you come here then? Wouldn't the academy in Atlas be more efficient?" (Weiss)
Silver thought about it.
"Well, there were a few...'complications'. But my reputation as an Imperial Lancer would have most likely segregated me from the rest of the students. The student body there would have feared me for my father's position. Besides, everyone their is pretty uptight. A really serious atmosphere."
"Wait, who's your father? He sounds like a high ranking official." (Weiss)
From the evidence he provided so far, it seemed that his father had a lot of influence in the Atlesian military. Though the name Silver didn't come across anyone she knew.
"Well he's actually my step-father. He took me in when I was seven. His name's James Ironwood." (Silver)
"What?!" (Everyone)
"Hm? You know my father? I see. It seems he's pretty popular." (Silver)
It seemed he was a very well known person. Though it never crossed his mind how high in the military his father was in, besides the fact that he was pretty high.
"Of course you dunce! He's the headmaster of the academy in Atlas and the General of the entire Atlesian military!"(Weiss)
"Oh...Well that's great to know!" (Silver)
Weiss facepalmed. Weiss could now understand why his father sent him to this school. If only Silver could understand his position a little better.
"But then why make you wear an Imperial Lancers cloak?" (Weiss)
Silver shrugged.
"All I was told was to wear it for Ozpin." (Silver)
Weiss pinched her nose.
"If you didn't want to attract attention, wouldn't you not wearing the cloak reduce attention?" (Ren)
"Huh, never thought about that...Huh? Maybe I could've taken off the cloak…"
Everyone sighed at Silver's lightheaded attitude.
"Oh yeah, can you show us some tricks of your Semblance?" (Ruby)
Ruby wanted to move on from the topic of Ironwood and wanted to see more of Silver. She wanted to see that Semblance up close!
Silver didn't see any harm, so he pulled out one of the cylinders in his case.
"This is condensed steel, thanks to my Semblance and Atlas's advanced technology, I'm able to carry these in small packages." (Silver)
"Aren't those really heavy though?" (Jaune)
"Of course, see for yourself." (Silver)
Silver threw the cylinder. Jaune tried to catch it. But the moment he caught it, his hands immediately went downward. He was almost overwhelmed by the weight. It felt like he was carrying a person.
"How do you stand up with this!" (Jaune)
"Well..." (Silver)
Silver levitated it.
"Doing something like this is pretty easy." (Silver)
It levitated back into his hand.
"I can also do stuff like this."
The cylinder expanded to the size of a brick. Then it began melting, eventually turning into a liquid. Silver moved his fingers a bit, causing the liquid metal to turn into a Bullhead, then into a sword, then into a Beowolf, and finally, into a rose.
He gripped his hand, transforming it back into a cylinder and put it back in his case.
"Wow! That's so cool!" (Nora)
"That's superior to mine in so many ways." (Pyrrha)
"Well, that's how you look at it right now. You have to be extremely creative to put your Semblance to full use." (Silver)
"Hey Silver."
Silver looked towards Yang.
"Wanna hang out today? We're going into Vale before class starts. Wanna come with?" (Yang)
"Sorry, I actually have a few appointments today. I'll be sure to make it up to you guys." (Silver)
And like that, Silver cleaned himself up and left the cafeteria.
"Well that's a bummer. Still, pretty interesting to see a guy like him become friends with us." (Jaune)
"Well, when he's done with his appointments, let's take him up on our offer." (Yang)
She grinned in anticipation.
Everyone shivered.
~On the Airship~
Silver had gotten a chill on his way to the airship. He didn't know what it was, so he decided to brush it off and prepare for his search. He looked at his Scroll. His first one was with the bounty hunter, Aeron. From what he remembered, Aeron was a quiet guy. He wielded a weird looking weapon called a 'khopesh'.
Though it was only for a few days, Silver could tell that Aeron was a nice guy. Though it was awkward with his consistent silence.
If memory served him right, Aeron operated in a sort of stealth combat, analyzing his surroundings for opportunities and disadvantages, making him a very able assassin.
"We have now arrived in the city of Vale. Please remember to bring all belongings with you. Than you and hope to travel with you again."
All of the passengers quickly left. Silver being the last to leave. He used his Scroll to navigate his way around town.
"Huh. How did me and Aeron meet again?" (Silver)
If Silver remembered correctly, he encountered Aeron a couple years back. As he walked through the town, he remembered their first meeting.
~Two Years Ago~
Silver had been sent to Vacuo to learn more about the Four Kingdoms up close. His father left him there for a few days to explore the kingdom. He had been given enough Lien to afford a hotel room and food during his stay.
At that time, Silver had left his previous weapons behind. Silver had only brought Memory's Key with him.
However, because of the drastic climate change, Silver couldn't take the heat very well and at one point, collapsed. Changing from the winter like climate of Atlas to the inferno temperatures of Vacuo wasn't a smart idea.
From his blurry vision he saw a few people approach him. However his instincts told him that they weren't friendly.
"Hey kid. Are you dead?" (Person One)
"Ugh…" (Silver)
Silver could barely lift a muscle. If they attacked him, he wouldn't be able to fend them off.
"Seems like he's gonna die." (Person Two)
"Who cares. Let's just take his Lien and go!" (Person Three)
Silver could feel hands inspecting his body for his wallet.
"Hey." (?)
The three froze and turned to the person who spoke. In an instant, the three were sent flying. At least, that's what Silver thought had happened.
At first, he thought it was some adult soldier take care of them. But the voice sounded much higher. Like that of a teen. Silver forced himself to turn.
Silver's vision was blurry. But he could tell who stood above him.
His saviour was not a soldier. But a hardened teen at the age of fifteen.
He could barely tell what he looked like. Silver could only identify that he was a tan skinned teen. He wore only a green shirt and brown pants, and wore a red scarf around his neck.
However, he gave a blank stare when he looked down on the collapsed Silver.
"Hey. Do you... need help?" (?)
"...That w-would...be nice." (Silver)
Silver's mouth felt dry. He couldn't speak that well. Then he blacked out.
When he awoke, he found himself on a bed. He was in a hotel room that would've been considered expensive for any regular person. He scanned the room and saw the same teen sitting on a chair.
"It seems… you're awake." (Teen)
"Uh...um…" (Silver)
"No need to talk. I can...already tell you're...dehydrated. Just sit."
The teen moved his hand, making the water levitate out of a pot.
"Wow...Is that...Semblance?" (Silver)
Silver couldn't talk that well. His throat was still sore. The water eventually reached Silver's mouth. Silver felt a refreshing wave go throughout his body.
Silver was impressed that someone at his age can do something with that level of precision and control.
"Th-Thank you very much for saving me!" (Silver)
He simply nodded. Silver was thankful that someone saved him. If not, his personal belongings would've been stolen and his father would've pretty upset.
"I should properly introduce myself. I'm Silver Faye. If you don't mind. May I know your name as well?" (Silver)
The teen was a bit hesitant. But he just shrugged. Was his name funny or something?
"...Aeron. Aeron Darya." (Aeron)
"That's an interesting name." (Silver)
Whenever he learned a new name, Silver would be more interested in that person.
He then pulled out a sword. However, the blade was shaped in an odd way. The blade was curved, the tip being curved like a hook. He sharpened his blade.
"That's an interesting weapon. Never seen anything like it." (Silver)
Silver tried to get a better look at the blade.
"Is that a hand me down weapon?" (Silver)
"...You...could tell?" (Aeron)
"Ah...I could tell that it has been worn out. Does it belong to your parent?" (Silver)
Aeron fell silent. He looked back to his weapon and continued sharpening.
"Uh...oh." (Silver)
Silver realized he touched a nerve. Well this was just great. Now the atmosphere in the room was much more tense. Way to go Silver. A few hours of staying in Vacuo and he already ruined the mood for his saviour. After a few minutes of silence, he decided to break the ice.
"Uh…Mr. Darya?" (Silver)
"Aeron...is fine." (Aeron)
"Uh...If you insist, but I believe I should take my leave." (Silver)
Silver gave his thanks again and tried to leave. However, the moment he stood, his legs turned into jelly.
Before he collapsed, Aeron appeared in front of him.
"F-fast!" (Silver)
Silver was dumbfounded at Aeron's speed. Silver could keep his eyes on many people. However to him, Aeron was simply a blur.
"Sorry. I'm not used to this difference in temperature."
"It's...okay. I don't mind...helping someone who's not...used to...climate."
Silver could tell his voice was kind, but something strained him from letting it all out.
Although insisted he needed to rest, Silver kept assuring him that he could go on When they got outside, they immediately heard screams.
"What the?" (Silver)
They both looked towards that direction. They saw a Deathstalker rampaging through the street.
"A creature of Grimm?! In the middle of the Kingdom?!" (SIlver)
But that shouldn't have been possible. Like all the other kingdoms, Vacuo should've protected its borders. Did the Deathstalker find a way through the border?
Silver tried getting a good look at the Deathstalker. It seemed quite big compared to many of the other Deathstalkers he had seen in the past.
People left and right ran the opposite direction.
Aeron put Silver down near the corner of the building.
"Stay...here." (Aeron)
"Ah-wait a sec!"(Silver)
Aeron ignored him and took out his khopesh. He took a deep breath and ran towards the Deathstalker.
"Ugh...be safe."(Silver)
Silver needed a bit of time to recover, so he could only watch in the distance as Aeron ran forward to fight alone.