" So what his group got attacked ? It's not our problem. After all that he's done, he's expecting you to help HIM ?! "
" Ms. Xiao Long, I know how adamant you and the rest of you are against this." Ozpin said thoughtfully as he poured himself a cup of coffee. Teams RWBY, JNPR and SSSN waited for him to finish. After a short respite for a drink, Ozpin continued.
" But you must understand, a human Grimm is matter far worse than any threat he could pose. And since he's made contact with what would seem to be other human Grimm. There is far more at stake than a deserved grudge. I understand how you all feel about, I understand all to well, but whether we like it or not, Orion is the only person to make direct contact with these hybrids and is willing to tell." Ozpin finished bluntly, taking a last sip from his coffee and looking towards his students.
All of them but Yang looked unsure and their body languages showed it. Diverting gaze, low speech, nervously scratching their bodies all gave it away.
Though Yang still had more to say, as expected, but even she looked and sounded unsure of herself at this point. " What was the catch ? What did he want ? "
" He simply wanted a friend of his, an Emerald Sustrai, to receive medical attention for her wounds. He was against himself receiving thorough attention and insisted on Emerald being treated before him."
The news of Orion's selflessness had a profound impact on everyone. Yang especially was at a lost for words.
The person had mortally wounded her friends, beaten her sister, tortured and murdered Team CRDL was using himself as a bargaining chip to save his friend's life. Conflicting thoughts battled for dominance in Yang's mind about Orion. He had done all he had with an honest to god smile on his face but all of his sudden, he was willing to risk his life for someone else.
Not only that, his attitude seemed so different from when she had grabbed him earlier. His sarcasm was there, and the obvious threat but he didn't raise his voice, snap, or even try to defend himself.
" I don't understand...AFTER EVERYTHING HE'S DONE ! "
Ruby put a nervous but comforting hand on Yang's shoulder.
" If it helps you, please follow me to the Infirmary. Maybe I can clear any reservation you all may have."
Ozpin escorted Yang to the Beacon infirmary to see Emerald who being treated by Beacon staff and another person Yang didn't know.
The other had decided that they would trust Ozpin's judgment but Yang still needed a more convincing so that brought them to where they were now.
" Excuse me, Miss Veronica." Ozpin said politely as a brown-haired woman around Yang's age turned around before giving the staff a last set of instructions to treating Emerald.
" Oh Professor Ozpin, how can I help you ? " Veronica asked politely, giving a cordial bow.
" If it's not too much trouble could you tell Ms. Xiao Long about what happened before you escaped here."
" Oh it's no trouble. Hello Yang, I'm Veronica, nice to meet you." Veronica said politely, offering a kind handshake which Yang accepted as Ozpin left them alone.
" I'm Yang."
" Well Yang, ask any question and I'll do my best to answer."
Yang thought for a moment, thinking up questions that were the most important to know.
" Can you just tell me everything ? "
" I can certainly try."
Beacon took extra precautions since my last visit, though something was up.
Last time, I was confined to an area within Beacon where Ozpin interrogated me, or rather talked to me and tried to get me to slip up.
Now I wasn't as comfortable. I was on my knees and my arms were bound by chains to by wrist that spread my arms in opposite directions towards the ground. To make it worse, while I was like this, Mercury had gotten a cell with an actual bed. I sighed in annoyance at my luck as my door opened to show Yang who stepped through and the door closed behind her.
" Let me guess, you came to poke fun at me ? Beat up the guy that nearly killed your friends ? You know you shouldn't be here, people could start talking."
Yang growled in annoyance before sitting on the ground across from me.
" Your friend Emerald is healing up fine. The doctors said she'll be up and about in a week if lucky. I heard what really happened, Veronica told me. You could have broken those chains if you wanted, we both know their nothing special."
I chuckled slightly before gripping the chains that were holding me and pulling with my strength, easily breaking free and yanking the chains of my wrists. " I knew something was up, I didn't feel my aura being sapped so I assumed this was some test or something."
I laughed a little before taking a more comfortable sitting position from Yang, no fear was clear in her eyes but some rage was still there. " So why are you here ? More importantly, why are you even talking to me ? I know the look of someone who wants another person dead, and you have it."
" YOU'RE DAMN RIGHT ! " Yang snapped suddenly, before an intercom in the room started. " Ms. Xiao Long, remember our agreement."
Yang took a calming breath, ' You're damn right I want you dead. I can never forgive you for what you've done, but after talking to Veronica and Professor Ozpin, I realized they he was right. We'll need your help. This doesn't make us friends."
" I didn't expect it to. Look, you all want to save the world or whatever, while I want to avenge Cinder. Our goals just happen to intersect. I honestly don't expect any of you too trust me, and I'm positive you'll want my head on pike or me completely imprisoned. I get it."
I ended with a shrug as Yang got up and motioned for me to follow her. I got up and she quickly placed a pair of aura restricting hand-cuffs.
" Like you said, I don't trust you so I'm not taking any chances."
I simply smirked and shook my as I managed to motion for her to continue. " Lead the way."
Yang led me to the Infirmary and we stopped at the door as she pointed at the window. I looked through it too see Emerald resting up, covered in a few bandages, including some wrapped carefully around her forehead and some on her recently bandaged arm.
What really got my attention, was that Veronica was among the staff treating Emerald. She noticed Yang and I, and she quickly left her post to come see us.
" Oh, hello Yang and...Orion."
I gave a half-hearted wave of a hello before looking past her to see Emerald again. " How is she ? "
Veronica, as always looked down at her clip-board and flipping through some papers. " She has a several shattered bones, including some in her left arm and several of her ribs. We stitched her up, re-set her shattered bones and she's under watch for any sign of improvement. How are you doing ? "
" Well I'm doing good. Right now, kinda in handcuffs, under watch, and of course, not trusted by anyone here but other than I'm doing pretty good. So Yang, why exactly did you bring me here ? "
" Yang wanted your side about what happened." Veronica said to me before taking a seat in one of the chairs outside of Emerald's room. I took a seat across from her and Yang and began to recount the events of yesterday.
What Led To Our Current Situation
" Wait what do you mean they had a mask ? " Cinder questioned the hyper-ventilating Neo. Neo took several calming breathes and began again.
" Those students from Beacon got on the train. When they got to my cart, the blonde one from before stayed to fight me while the others two girls went ahead. I dealt with her easy enough. Then..." Emerald stopped as her eyes changed to white, fear clearly evident.
" Go on." Cinder said impatiently. Neo took a frightened breath again.
" Then I was about to kill her but something attacked me.."
" Something ? " Mercury asked curiously to Neo who nodded.
" It looked like a Grimm-Human thing. She had set of dust blades, it looked like every color you could think of. She attacked me and when I was about to leave the train came to a stop. At that point I left, there was no chance of me winning."
Cinder was in deep thought along with Emerald and Mercury. Orion, who had been silent, cracked his knuckles.
" Neo, what happened to Roman ? " Emerald asked.
" H-He was killed...I went back after the train was stopped and found him dead. I couldn't bring him back so I found some ice dust on the train and froze his body so I can bury him later."
Orion seemed the most surprised out of everyone. Neo took a calming breath and continued it. " I-"
Neo and everyone stopped as it felt like the ground had shaken. A White Fang grunt ran into the room, rifle drawn and shouted, " We're Under Attack ! "
Orion and everyone were on the move and we then they got to the lift, they saw that what was attacking them.
The White Fang was shooting at, in a sense, shadows. They were all uniform style, faceless but tall and lean with blades of shadows as well. They were losing numbers, but then black spears of shadows pierced and killed several shooters.
A woman, wearing a Grimm Mask that might as well have been apart of her, floated down or rather gracefully sailed down thanks to a pair of elegant but deadly black wings. Despite the mask, she had long flowing raven hair with red accents in it .Most of her was covered by a dark robe, except for her arms and hands, which she was using to carry an elegant but demonic looking dark bow.
" My my my, such fragile creatures, things must be so dull if they can't fly."
A swirling mass of energy appeared along side the woman and another one appeared. This one was wearing an eccentric red and black outfit, and was wielding a large canister like tube which a large spectrum of dust blades in it. Inside it was a long handle probably used for the blades.
" Just finish up here, and don't waste time."
" Oh come now Umbra, don't think we don't know about your little...reunion." The woman with the bow said to now named Umbra, who quickly drew her blade and aimed it at her.
" I will cut you down right now Uriel." Umbra said, her voice clearly giving it away that she would. Uriel simply laughed slightly before stringing her bow and shot arrows made of energy at two White Fang grunts.
Several White Fang members got inside Atleasian Paladin and went to fight.
A pools of shadows formed between and around Umbra and Uriel as several other people wearing Grimm Mask and darkened robes appeared and engaged The White Fang.
Adam joined The White Fang troops and engaged Umbra in a duel while Uriel destroyed the Paladins.
Neo looked like she was about to panic before Orion put a hand on her shoulder. " It's alright Neo, leave."
Neo gave Orion a grateful hug before teleporting away, leaving Mercury and Emerald in look of confusion.
" What ? "
" Didn't think that side of you existed." Mercury said to Orion who flipped him off. " And he's back."
" Enough you two, we have some work to do. " Cinder said as flames extended from her hands, summoning her twin short scimitars .
Orion, being the battle-lover that he was, was the first person into the fray. He began to cut through shadows until three people brandishing dark katanas and Grimm Mask that looked apart of them, surrounded Orion.
" Three on one, poor odds for you." Orion said with a smirk as Muramasa went up in black flames.
Mercury was dealing with a man wielding a sword a dark sword and shield while Emerald dealt with one wielding a mace.
Cinder was battling Uriel who was using her wings to stay out reach of Cinder swords, who switched them into a bow like Uriel.
" You humans, always fighting among yourselves, always seeking to be better than the other, what a wasted existence." Uriel said as she landed across from Cinder. Uriel's bow changed into an elegant dark long-sword that she leveled her sword at Cinder.
" Your voice is really annoying, do be quiet and die." Cinder let two explosive arrows fly at Uriel who elegantly flurried her blade and cute the arrows out-of-the-way and taking the brunt of the explosion without fail.
" You humans are such...petty things. Angels far exceed what you are capable of, now lie down and die." Uriel's sword changed back to a bow and she fired an arrow at Cinder who's bow changed back into swords as she tried to swipe the arrow out of the air.
Orion narrowly avoided a decapitating blow from one of the masked attackers as he heard a pained scream. He risked a quick look to see Cinder pinned to the ground Uriel's sword.
Emerald saw it too and it caused her concentration to waver. " CINDER ! "
That spilt lack of concentration was enough for her opponent to attack her with his mace, and she only had time to throw her arms up to block, breaking bones as she was sent crashing into a mech that tumbled over from impact.
Meanwhile, Adam was dueling Umbra to a stand still because their similar styles. Adam however, was being to waver so fell back and his highlights began to glow red.
He was about to slash but Umbra was already behind him with her odachi like blade dripping with Adam's blood. Adam fell to the ground in heap.
" A worthy death, for a worthy foe. Die like a warrior." Umbra finished as she flurried her blade and sheathed it back quickly.
" ENOUGH ! "
Orion gripped Muramasa tightly as he was surrounded by a ring of Hellfire. His attackers all stopped in their tracks as Orion aimed his sword at them, gripping the handle tightly with his right hand and placing his left on the pommel of the blade.
" Why do persist ? Your fighting is pointless ? " Uriel said smugly as she floated down across from Orion. Umbra joined her as well, both wielding blades at Orion.
" If your angel, how about I send you flying ! "
Muramasa went up in a torrent of blue Novafire, and even Umbra took a cautious step back. The flames began spreading throughout the building as some formed a barrier around Emerald and Mercury.
" Welcome to Purgatory ! "
Umbra was smart enough to retreat with Uriel by creating a portal and quickly escaping along with Emerald and Mercury's attackers. Any others that stayed were in for a rude awakening.
" Orion you idiot ! "
Novafire exploded with the force of the stars as the entire building was brought down.
In the Present
" Do you even care about your own allies ?! " Yang questioned Orion who looked at he in confusion.
" Who ? Emerald and Mercury are fine, Roman is dead, so is Cinder, while Neo is missing. If you meant The White Fang, then no. They were just a means to an end, but things took a different turn and here I am."
Yang clenched her fist angrily before punching Orion out of his chair and sent him sliding down the hallway.
" What the hell is wrong with you ?! They're people, and just used them like pawns ! " Yang yelled down the hallway as she grabbed Orion by his collar and threw his back to where they were sitting. Orion took all this with a smirk on his face and a small amount of blood on his lip.
" Yang calm down.. Yes, he's a despicable human and deserves every bit of this, but like Ozpin said, we need him now. You heard what he and I both told you, these things are more dangerous than anything you could think of." Veronica said, placing a hand on Yang's fist that was raised to punch Orion again.
" I fought the weakest ones, and I barely made it through. I'd love to see you try to win against them. After all is said and done and we "save the world" or whatever, you and I can throw down."
Yang threw Orion to the ground and glared him down. " I can't wait to wipe that smug look off your face."
" The feeling is mutual Xiao Long, the feeling is mutual. Now then, if there's no more questions about my loss to some wanna be angel, I'll be going back to my dungeon."
Two guards grabbed either of Orion's arms and marched him back to his " dungeon" leaving Yang and Veronica alone.
" Are you ok ? " Veronica asked Yang, who had her face in her hands.
" I-I can't trust him. After everything he's done why does Ozpin expect me to trust him ? He's a murdering sadistic psychopath who's nearly killed my friends, me and my sister. I can only imagine what he's done to others, and I have to put my trust in his hands ! "
" I know I know, it's alright Yang." Veronica said comfortingly, putting her in a warm hug. " You can't fall to his level, because if you do, then that makes you worse than him."