Chapter-42
Tristan
It was with that lead that Tristan found himself walking through Vale in casual clothes, The Royal Palace wasn't too far from his location, and Tristan personally preferred walking either on foot or on a horse rather than a car.
Perhaps my king would have used one of those two-wheeled contraptions called 'motorcycles', considering her obsession with almost any form of non-human transport. Tristan thought. He had quite an amusing image of his king dressed in very formal clothes driving a motorcycle through Vale. Strangely, it was fitting for some reason.
Moving through the streets Tristan could see people walking past, although some of them gave a worrying glance to Atlesian ships flying overhead.
From what he'd learnt, aerial vehicles in Remnant were first brought into mass production because Mantle needed something to attack Vale without having to lay siege to its Great Wall during the Great War. Even from the distance, Tristan could see the massive black walls looming over Vale's buildings, containing hundreds of soldiers and huntsmen who were ready in case some grimm attacked.
It is said that the Great Wall of Vale had stood for 1000 years and could still resist the power of Mantle's artillery during the war, which is very impressive. Tristan thought. The Great Wall had been made by Ozma to withstand the hordes of grimm until the 'end of time', as Ozpin had termed it.
But…the Great Wall doesn't seem so reassuring because of aviation. Tristan thought as he continued walking.
Speaking of Atlas, Tristan could also spot holographic projections of large war machines that looked like they could crush an army during Tristan's time, which they probably could. General Ironwood calls them the Atlesian Paladins, which were created to replace the old Atlesian Steel Horns, or Remnant's version of tanks, to be able to reduce the number of soldiers required to operate heavy units.
But, it seems huntsmen are still considered superior. Tristan thought, because he'd learnt that it would take only a group of four huntsmen to put down a paladin.
Tristan kept walking through the roads before coming upon an interesting scene.
There were cracks on the roads, with some trucks burning in the side as a group of people had gathered in front of police tape and were taking pictures.
"Tristan!" Tristan heard someone call out as he heard Ruby walk up.
"What're you doing out here in Vale?" Ruby asked.
"Hello, Ruby…could you explain…?" Tristan spoke as Ruby nodded.
"Well, Weiss heard from one of her sister's rants that some of the new-fangled mechs of Atlas are disappearing, or more like they're getting stolen."
"Stolen? It couldn't possibly be…"
"I-I think so." Ruby spoke abashedly. "Blake and Weiss are asking if they could come in…and they're obviously not succeeding."
"Huh…" Tristan spoke.
Well, I need to go to the Royal Palace, but I do have time, so I suppose I could take a quick look. Tristan thought before going with Ruby to see Weiss and Blake arguing with a police detective. Yang waved to them as she was standing off to the side as Tristan and Ruby walked up.
"What is happening?" Tristan asked. At this point, he'd done so many patrols of Vale that the VPD officers could now recognize him and knew his status of working under Ozpin.
"Oh, sir. Good timing that you've come here." The detective spoke as Weiss and Blake noticed his presence.
"What happened here, exactly?" Tristan asked.
"Oh, my! Is that Tristy?" A jovial voice exclaimed as Tristan sighed.
"Oh no…"
"It was very, very, rude of you to leave without taking some coffee, my dear fellow!" The voice exclaimed as a tall man with burn scars on his face with slicked-back black hair and emerald-green eyes came up, wearing a bowler hat and a black trench coat over a white shirt and a black tie with green stripes. On his left chest pocket, there was a badge of the Atlas police force.
Tristan had met this man before on his patrols. And while he wasn't a bad person, he tended to have a…irritating presence.
"Um, who's this?" Yang asked as the man gasped loudly, looking between Tristan and Team RWBY before slapping his forehead and shaking his head in exasperation.
"How utterly disappointing, Tristy! I thought you were eager to mention our meeting to the youngsters!" He spoke as Yang grinned.
"Tristy?"
"Well, I can't call him 'Mr. Depresso Blind Knight', Can I? I try to be polite, but he obviously can't see it."
Tristan sighed as Ruby's eyes widened. "No…"
"Yes…" Yang spoke with a grin.
"But anyways, I'll introduce myself! I am Kilo Green, Seeker of Truths and the best detective of Atlas!"
Weiss spluttered. "Kilo Green?!"
"See? Ms. Schnee knows me! Oh, I almost feel like you upon hearing this news, Tristy!" Kilo spoke, pretending to cry.
"Only because Winter curses your name when we talk sometimes." Weiss spoke before clearing her throat.
"Kilo Green is…well, a really popular detective back in Atlas, and often works with specialists like Winter. But, Winter describes him as a…"
"Utterly Lazy, Hare-Brained Fool with the mental age of a Child." Kilo finished for her.
"But don't blame me for it! It's not my fault that Winter has a poor taste in humor like the rest of Atlas. I would pity any comedian who declares their desire to start their job in Atlas."
"So, if you're a detective of Atlas, why're you in Vale?" Blake asked.
"Blame General Ironwood. Winter loathes me from the bottom of the heart, but my track record speaks for itself, and Ironwood would bring me along as the representative of the Atlesian police! THE TRUTH CAN NEVER HIDE FROM ME!" Kilo yelled to his left before blinking.
"Hey! Where did he…?"
"Sir, I'm here." A detective spoke up from behind Kilo.
"Gah!" Kilo screamed, jumping into the air as Ruby giggled.
"Goodness, I'm going to ask the council to tie a bell around the neck of VPD's detectives. You go to Atlas, and even a goliath would make less noise than Atlas' detectives."
The detective sighed. "Sir…we're getting distracted."
"YOU'RE getting distracted. I have people to talk to, can't you see?!" Kilo spoke as the detective shook his head and walked back.
"Well, as you can see, some Paladins have disappeared, heheh." Kilo spoke with a smile.
"WHAT?! Paladins have been stolen?!" Weiss exclaimed in outrage as Kilo smiled sheepishly.
"Yes, that's tragically what happened, Ms. Schnee. I guess you could say they vanished..."
"So, that's why there's a search..." Blake began.
"And of course, it is upto yours truly to uncover what happened!" Kilo spoke before pulling out a magnifying glass. He suddenly brought it towards Tristan as he stared at him.
"...Hm…Hm…AHA!" He yelled.
"I've got it! I know who took the Paladins!"
"You have?! Wow, you're so smart!" Ruby exclaimed as Weiss cringed at her team leader.
"So, who is it?" Yang asked.
"Why, it is…" Kilo spoke, spreading his arms with a grin.
"..."
"..."
"..."
"What? Who is it? Tell us!" Ruby spoke as Koil stood there in awkward silence.
He's going to accuse me-
"It is…Myself!"
…What?
Ruby smiled before blinking as she stared at Koil in confusion.
"...Yourself?" Weiss asked.
"Yes, who would be so knowledgeable about the routes that the trucks took to take the paladins? Besides, only an Atlesian will find any use of those Paladins because their demonstration to the whole wide world has not taken place as of yet!"
"..."
"Not to mention, the thefts began as soon as I came here!"
"Are you…alright?" Yang asked as Kilo smiled looking at her.
"Why, I am quite fine, dear, thank you so much!"
"Um, so…you stole the paladins?" Ruby asked in confusion as Weiss shook her head.
"As Winter said, he's an idiot. This is just one of his tricks…"
"Or it could be the truth. It would certainly be brilliant, wouldn't it, Your Eminence?" Kilo spoke with a grin as Weiss shook her head.
"Stop that! Now you're actually giving me second thoughts!"
"Kilo, please if you could be serious." Tristan spoke as Kilo leaned back.
"...I am quite serious, Tristy." He spoke putting his hat back on.
"So, why don't you join me for the investigation?" He asked as Tristan shook his head.
"I am sorry, but I must really get somewhere."
"Oh, then I'll take the Beacon huntresses…"
"We should introduce ourselves…" Ruby spoke as Kilo suddenly raised his hand.
"No need! I can tell who are by a simple glance!" He spoke before suddenly appearing before Yang.
"Your emblem gives a hint to your heritage from the get go!" He spoke. "In the Atlas records, that symbol of the burning heart was a symbol closely linked with the now retired huntsman Taiyang Xiao-Long…"
"...There is also a description fitting yours in the records of the VPD which talks of when a blonde-haired girl trashed up a night club belonging to Hei 'Junior' Xiong, making you…Yang Xiao-Long!"
"Moving on…" Kilo came to Blake.
"You are clearly a faunus, as evident by the cat ears on your head. Your eyes also bear a striking resemblance to the former revolutionary Kali Hemlock and current wife of the Menagerie Chieftain Ghira Belladonna. And of course, from Atlas' records of the information on the notorious Adam Taurus, it can be concluded that you are Blake Belladonna, former member of the scouts division of the White Fang…" He spoke as Blake's ears flattened.
"I don't need to talk much about Ms. Schnee. Winter's talks about her sister and her freezing my nose whenever I commented on your beautiful looks are enough for me to know Weiss Schnee." Kilo spoke as Weiss blushed.
"And lastly…you." He spoke looking at Ruby.
"There's no mistaking that Rose emblem, especially after Summer Rose's brief stint working as a temporary hire by Atlas academy which saw crime rates in Atlas drop because of Ms. Rose flushing out criminals. She did outstanding work in improving relations between Atlas' Huntsman's association and the Atlesian army. Pleasure to meet you, Ruby Rose."
Ruby smiled. "Hehe…that's mom for you. Always working miracles for the good of others." She spoke, scratching her head.
"...Anyways, Team RWBY, judging from your names, would you like to accompany the 'Truth Seeker' in another case to be solved?" Kilo asked as Ruby pumped her fist.
"Yeah!"
"Excellent! I'll talk to you later, Tristy!" Kilo spoke before taking Team RWBY with him.
Anyways… Tristan thought as he continued to head towards the Royal Palace.
Soon, he arrived at a massive gate with the emblem of Vale emblazoned on it. Tristan could see a lot of people standing in line to enter the Royal Palace, which according to King Osmond's will was to be opened to the people as a tourist attraction.
Tristan went up to the counter and purchased a ticket before entering the museum. Tristan walked past the large groups being led by guides and headed on.
Once he arrived near the main entrance, Tristan could hear a commotion of people.
Hm, there's people moving around. Perhaps I could take a look. Tristan thought. He rarely opens his eyes, but he highly doubted there was going to be a nasty surprise waiting for him.
Tristan opened his eyes and spotted a statue of an armored man holding a helmet raising a sword high up in the air. Near his feet, smaller figurines of people could be seen looking up reverently at the knightly figure as he stared in the distance.
Tristan moved past the crowd of people to look at the description given about the statue.
Julius Arc (25 BGW - 20 AGW)
Captain of the Storm Guard. Commemorated for his actions in evacuating Vale's citizens to shelters from Mantleian air raids during the Great War.
Slayer of 20 Bloodhounds at the Battle of Sauvage.
Martyred at the hands of Grimm in the Hel Mountains, Solitas.
"Arc…" Tristan muttered. Now that was interesting.
I should ask Jaune about this 'Julius Arc'. He thought before walking further. Tristan then spotted another much smaller statue to the side, with a much smaller crowd than Julius' statue.
Tristan curiously walked up to the statue, which was that of a man in a billowing cloak wielding war scythe against smaller figures of beowolves. Tristan raised an eyebrow when he read the description.
Thane ? (20 BGW - 65 AGW)
Founder of the Huntsman's Association in Vale, Atlas, Mistral and Vacuo. Co-founder of Beacon, Shade and Haven Academies and Pioneer of Huntsman curriculum in Alsius Academy.
Commemorated for his initiatives to clear out grimm during the Great War and teaching Aura Users how to kill grimm in the most efficient manner.
Commemorated for conducting relief operations for victims of grimm attacks on villages.
Slayer of the White Grimm.
Passed away in his home at the Island of Patch.
Huh, this isn't attracting as much attention as Julius' statue is. Strange, for someone who has had such a large impact on the history of huntsmen. Tristan thought.
"Thane never liked the publicity. He always downplayed his achievements to the public so that he could enjoy his peace." A voice came as Tristan noticed Maria Calavera stare at Thane's statue with a smile.
"Thane came from a quiet, isolated village in the northern parts of Solitas. Despite his energy, Thane preferred a quiet, simple life more than any of his colleagues in Oz's inner circle."
"..."
Maria looked at Tristan. "Goodness, I don't think I've seen anyone with duller eyes than yours."
Tristan immediately closed his eyes. "No reason."
"Hm, alright. But yeah, that's why Thane isn't so well-known nowadays."
"Even then, it still feels quite strange." Tristan admitted as Maria chuckled.
"Even in death, Thane continues to be strange…"
"And I didn't know he lived in Patch." Tristan spoke.
"It's a funny story. Thane ended up in Patch in a near-death condition with his emotions all over the place. It was in Patch that he found his peace and overcame his past demons to establish the legacy we see before us. Thane settled in Patch after the war and was considered to be the big daddy of the community over there." Maria spoke.
Tristan looked at Thane's statue again. "He sounds like a nice person."
"He was a brutal, stone-cold, assassin to his enemies, but a big softie with a heart of gold to his close ones. If anyone in Patch was having a bad day, they were always welcome to drop by Thane's house, have a nice chat with him as he cracked jokes and laughed over cups of coffee." Maria spoke with a sad smile.
Tristan stared at Thane's statue. "I see."
From what Maria described, Thane had a life full of hardships. Yet, he ended up being a kind man who made others feel good. Tristan thought.
"Maria?"
"Hm?"
"Did Thane carry any sort of…past trauma?"
Maria sighed. "Of course he did. He and my dad were the only survivors of their village being destroyed…"
Tristan's shoulders tensed.
"...Thane was devastated by what happened and had contemplated to simply end it all on multiple occasions." Maria spoke before looking at Tristan.
"And I can guess what you want to know: How is it that he smiles even after all that happened to his village? I guess you too have some things to share, which I guess has had something to do with your dull eyes."
"...I have had problems of my own. My father died before my birth and my mother died giving birth to me. I fell in love with a woman who would never love me back until my death. I found a sort of belonging in my king's courts, yet I soon grew tired and abandoned my king. In truth, I felt tired of my life after some point because of all these. Yet I don't forget them. I hold onto them and remember my past trauma to keep moving on. Yet, I am unable to find joy. It simply shows me how cruel of a world we live in. My life was a tragedy and would continue to remain one."
Maria looked back at Thane's statue. "You're right. I don't think we need a reminder that the world gets shit real quick. But, that doesn't mean we have to be like the world."
"...?"
"Even after the world slaps us in the face, we can still laugh and smile. It doesn't make all that's happened meaningless…"
Tristan continued listening.
"People claim suffering and hardship often create strong people. I personally think people who bear it AND move past it are stronger than those who simply bear it." She spoke looking back at Tristan.
"That's what you wanted to know, isn't it?"
"Yes. But I'm afraid that time's gone now."
"True. You're a spirit. From what I know, you're only on our world because of something that's fuelling magical energy to you. Soon, you'll fade away to nothing. There'll be no point in thinking upon these things if you don't have a life to apply them."
"Tragic."
Tristan and Maria fell silent.
"So, what brings you here?" Maria asked.
"..."
"Oh come on! Now don't you fall silent! You distracted me by asking about Thane, I haven't even come to know exactly what you're doing here?"
"Well…I came here looking for some information on the Relic of Choice."
Maria gave him a sly grin. "Oh? Well, now isn't that interesting. Is someone a little curious about the relic?"
"Of course."
Maria shrugged. "Alright then, come on."
"You will be taking me?"
"Hey, you're a knight, right?"
"Yes. I served under King Arthur Pendragon of Camelot."
"Alright then, I want to know what you think of Vale's palace." Maria spoke as Tristan walked behind her.
Maria quickly took Tristan past all the exhibit and approached another grand doorway.
"Maria? What is this?" Tristan asked as Maria continued walking towards a huntsman and a huntress who were standing guard at the door.
One of them gasped. "Ms. Calavera?!" They exclaimed excitedly as Maria leaned on her cane.
"That's me. How are you doing, Magenta?"
"I'm doing absolutely fine, Ms. Calavera!" Magenta spoke as Maria laughed.
"Wow, Maggie, you've made it a lot longer than the others in not asking me for my autograph."
Magenta blushed as her companion smirked looking at her.
"So, Ms. Calavera, what's the deal?" He asked.
"I need to go in." Maria spoke as the huntsman raised an eyebrow.
"Alright then. You do have permission from King Osmond before he passed away, so in we go. But…" He looked at Tristan.
"He's with me."
"Oh! He's lucky…" Magenta grumbled as Tristan sighed.
"Enough grumbling, Maggie! We need to go in!" Maria spoke as Magenta nodded.
"Sorry…" She spoke before stepping aside to open the door as Maria and Tristan walked in.
"So, where are we?" He asked.
"Oh, the Throne Room."
"What? The Throne Room? Where the Kings of Vale sat?"
"Yep."
"And we're allowed?"
"Oz gave me special permission as Thane's apprentice to be able to enter the throne room. Since Oz was the last King of Vale, he had a say on which of his orders to keep and which not to keep. He chose to keep my allowance into his throne room going."
"Well, that's nice."
"Why don't you take a look at it?"
"I…"
"Oh come on, don't tell me you're going to say that excuse of 'I don't want to see this cruel world', are you?"
"...Ms. Calavera, my past is not something to make light of." Tristan spoke.
"I have seen enough and made enough mistakes. I do not want to see such a thing."
In truth, he simply felt uncomfortable being in a Throne Room, since all it could remind him was of…
"The King doesn't understand the hearts of men."
His greatest mistake, where after years of trying to set aside his guilt and desire to be with Iseult, Tristan had finally let his emotions take control of him at another one of his king's 'emotionless' comments, and say such words.
I simply cannot find myself to feel any sort of peace whenever I think of that incident.
"That's the thing with a lot of people. The difference is, you decided to ask me about how Thane dealt with his past hardships, didn't you?"
"I…yes. But what could this tragedy of a man hope to do?"
"...Now you're just being self-conceited. But enough of that, I don't think I can convince you as of now, so let's focus on the objective. You want to know something about the location of the Relic, don't you?"
"...Yes."
"Great, because I know a little secret. It's a lead to where the doorway to the relic of Choice may be." Maria spoke as Tristan looked at her.
"The doorway?"
"Of course, Oz told you Beacon's one is the fake doorway, right? I have a lead to where the real doorway could be."
"And you're going to…tell me?"
"Oh please, you're one of our allies. I don't think it's that much of a problem. Besides, I've told this to a lot many people. It didn't click with them because they just asked it out of boredom. Who knows, maybe you might actually figure something out." Maria spoke.
"...Very well."
"First of all, let me talk a little about the Throne Room. So, back in the Emerald Forest…"
"Yes, the Headmaster has informed me about the shrine."
"Oh, he has? Perfect! Then I'll skip over to the current Throne Room. You see, after Oz decided to get more serious about hiding away the relics, the coronation ceremony at that spot in the Emerald Forest was stopped. So, of course, things were now done from the Throne Room then and there. A tree from Forever Fall was used to make a wooden throne that Oz enchanted to never experience wear and tear. As such, people started to believe the Eternal Throne of Vale was truly eternal."
"Yes, and?"
"Well…Apparently, some Silubr hunter by the name of Durin found out about the Vault's location. Of course, Oz was concerned but didn't want to kill a silver-eyed warrior to guard the secret. So, he basically contacted the Jarl of Sylfirheim, who was the Chief of all silver-eyed warriors across Remnant, and had him to call Durin back to the tribe."
"Hm, a rather peaceful way of getting rid of someone while not causing them harm."
"Of course, Durin didn't really like Oz being so secretive, so before he was sent away, Durin talked to the craftsmen who were designing the Oak throne for the new Throne Room. Durin paid them to include a little message."
"A message?"
"Yes, a message that would not only convey the location, but also make sure Oz didn't get suspicious about it."
"And…how do you know this?"
"Apparently, one of Thane's childhood friends back when Sylfirheim was still there, was a descendant of Durin. She told Thane about Durin's secret, and Thane told that story to me, of course."
"So, why didn't you take a look?"
"Well, I personally think it's good no one has an idea about the location. Throughout our war with Salem, Oz always made one thing clear: If even one Relic remains locked in a Vault, Salem can never achieve her goals. So, I think it's good to remain secret. But that doesn't mean I'll stop others finding out about it. Even if they do, it'll just be like guarding the other ones."
"That's true. So, what is this message?"
"...You still want to keep your eyes closed?"
"Yes."
Maria grunted. "So you only open them when you're alone…" She spoke before walking to the back of the throne.
"Choice is the Root of Kingship"
Tristan nodded at that. A king's reign could definitely be decided by what choices they take. Her majesty Artoria's reign was that of a protector who was to save Britain from the Saxon invasions, because she chose to defend her people rather than ally herself with the invaders like her uncle Vortigern did.
"But…this is the message?"
"..."
"But, it is more of a philosophical observation on Kingship."
"That's the thing, Tristan. The message is hidden here."
"It is?" Tristan spoke as he furrowed his eyebrow.
"I'm afraid I'm lost."
"Eh, think more about it. Maybe then you can arrive at the truth."
"I…see. Very well, I suppose I didn't have to spend too much time into looking for major clues. Then I shall take your leave." Tristan spoke turning to leave.
"Are you coming?"
"Yeah. I just came here to show you the message. Besides that, I don't really have much work here nowadays. Let's go." She spoke as Tristan walked with her out.
Maria had shown him a message that apparently revealed the location of the true doorway, yet all that was there was some single line talking about the destiny of kings.
Perhaps I'll have to look more into this matter. Tristan thought. Besides, even if he did figure out the location, there would still be the problem of The Fall Maiden.
A/N: This chapter was a little bit of a mess. But moving on from that, we have a bumbling detective now! I'll just say it straight away, Kilo Green is partially inspired from Herlock Sholmes from the Great Ace Attorney Chronicles (Which is an amazing duology, if you're into mystery solving). Koil and the whole Paladin thefts aren't really relevant to this volume. I have things planned for Kilo later on.
And a little talk between Tristan and Maria in the Royal Palace. I probably won't be putting too much time into it, considering that would be again wasting pacing.
Anyways, I'll try to get another chapter out sooner.
Hope you guys enjoyed and Constructive Criticism is appreciated!
Response to Reviews:
Zoukuyuujinchou: Yep, I'll keep on cranking out RTSP Chapters until I've finished Volume-3.
An: Really? Cool, I didn't know that. But I'll stick with the explanation I've given, since it can still be integrated into Canon's explanations. And 'The Lone King' is my own made-up bullshit. And after seeing the 'Indecisive King', I can conclude 'The Lone King' is not like that. Biggest difference is that I've planned 'The Lone King' as a Tragedy, not like 'The Indecisive King' which has an happy ending. I'll probably release a chapter that's entirely about 'The Lone King'.
