Within Ozpin's office, Evan was standing alongside Penny. As the two students stood in front of Ironwood, Evan clenched his fists as the General stood tall with his arms outstretched.
"You both performed admirably in the ring today! I would expect nothing less from the two of you!" Ironwood proclaimed.
"Thank you, General!" Penny exclaimed as she gave a salute to him.
"Yeah…thanks…" Evan said as he rubbed his arm and gave a small smile back to James. On the inside, Evan was feeling bittersweet over the victory and the praise he was receiving from the General.
"As you are aware, you have been nominated, by your fellow team members, to participate in the quarterfinals. I expect that you both should-"
However, before the General could continue, his scroll vibrated as it received a message. Picking the device up, the General's expression shifted into one of exasperation.
"We can continue this later." Ironwood replied as he moved past the two students and approached the elevator.
"Is something wrong, General? You look upset." Penny stated as she followed after him, with Evan not far behind.
"There is an…incident occurring in the courtyard. Winter is currently engaged in combat with another huntsman." Ironwood explained as the elevator doors opened.
"Hold on. Did you say a huntsman is attacking her? Why would someone attack a fellow ally?" Evan inquired as the three entered the small opening.
"From what my troops have told me, regarding who this huntsman is, I think I know exactly why he's doing this…" Ironwood trailed off as the elevator reached the main floor. Stepping out of the elevator, the General rushed outside, while Evan and Penny followed after him.
Looking around the vast courtyard, Evan could see two figures clashing their blades and fighting each other throughout the large area. Evan recognized one of them immediately as Winter, while the other individual was completely unknown to the teen.
The man was tall with black and spiky hair, red eyes, and some stubble poking out of his chin. He wore a gray dress shirt, black pants, and a red battered cloak. In his hands was a massive metal sword that he swung around with great proficiency. One thing that Evan did notice however, was the smell protruding from the man. The huntsman stunk of hard alcohol, the kind that people would order just to experience a few brief hours of happiness before immediately passing out for two days afterwards. The teen wrinkled his nose in disgust from the scent.
"This guy smells as bad as some of the drunkard Saiyans that would lounge about the bars back on Vegeta." Evan thought to himself.
Continuing the fight in front of a crowd of students, the man smiled as he withdrew his weapon, egging Winter on with a figure gesture. Winter, however, remained vigilant as she created a large white glyph behind her.
Quickly, Ironwood and the duo of students finally approached the two fighters as the General stepped forward. Launching herself, at this unusual huntsman, Winter prepared to stab her sword into the man's neck.
"Schnee!" Ironwood yelled out.
Instantly, upon hearing this, the Specialist stopped her attack. With her sword mere inches away from injuring the man, Winter lowered her blades and fell to attention as she quickly turned to face Ironwood.
"General Ironwood, sir!" Winter exclaimed.
"What in the world do you think you're doing?" Ironwood questioned as he approached the huntress.
"He started the altercation, sir!" Winter immediately stated.
"That's not actually true. She attacked first." The man replied back.
"Is that right?" Ironwood asked the Specialist, only for her to look away in shame. As the General looks around at the various students watching them all, Ironwood's attention turns back to the black haired man.
"And you." Ironwood coldly said as the black haired man pointed toward himself, mockingly.
"What are you doing here?" Ironwood questioned.
"I could be asking you the same thing." The man stated back.
"I-" Ironwood began to say before Ozpin interrupted him.
"Now, now, everyone. There is a sanctioned fight happening just around the corner at the Colosseum, that I can assure you has better seats…and popcorn." Ozpin elaborated with a smile.
"Break it up, everyone! We will take care of this mess." Glynda angrily said as she stepped forward, glaring at the three adults.
"Let's go." Ironwood replied irritatedly as Winter walked away with the General.
"Evan? Could I have a moment to talk with you?" Penny inquired with a look of guilt on her face.
"Sure. What is it?" Evan asked as the two walked around the courtyard.
"Back at our fight today…I saw you fight that one opponent and how you weren't able to defend yourself momentarily. While I'm thankful that you were to come out of that situation alright, I just feel so bad for not being there to assist you back there. Friends should have each other's back, you know?" Penny explained.
"Penny, you couldn't have done anything back there." Evan said as Penny looked away, even more upset than before.
"Eehhh…That came out wrong. Listen, you were already occupied fighting that one lady. I was the one responsible for fighting that guy with the mace, or whatever it was. Anything that happened to me while fighting him is solely my fault."
"But what exactly happened back there? I don't recall you having any sort of history regarding headaches or anything like that."
"Well…It…It was a one-off. Yeah, a one-off." Evan explained.
"A-Are you sure that-" Penny questioned further before Evan quickly interjected.
"Positive. It's nothing to worry about." Evan said as he attempted to change the subject.
"Ok. But, can you promise me that you'll wear that armor of yours for our next match. I personally found it a little odd that you didn't decide to wear it to our fight today." Penny replied.
"Penny…The armor's…isn't it a little overkill? I'm tough enough to take anything that our opponents can dish out. Do you really think-" Evan began to elaborate before Penny took one of his hands in her own.
"Please…Can you promise me that?" Penny pleaded.
"…I promise." Evan relented as his shoulders slouched slightly as Penny let go of his hand.
"Thank you." Penny sincerely stated.
"No problem." Evan replied dryly.
"Hey Penny, I'm going to get in some extra solo training before our next match tomorrow. I should probably get started now before it gets too late. Got to make sure I get in some good sleep and all. I'll see you around." Evan continued as he gave a small wave to Penny.
"Oh. Well, I'll see you tomorrow Evan." Penny said as she smiled toward Evan.
"Yeah. See you then…" Evan replied as he walked away.
/-/
As fists slammed against the training dummy, Evan continued to wail on the stationary foe with all of his might. With every kick and punch, the dummy seemed like it would tear apart at the seams at any moment.
As Evan stood in the large room, he took a moment to breathe as he wiped the sweat from his brow.
"It's not going to work." A female voice announced from across the room.
Turning his head, Evan looked to see Pyrrha descend down the steps and into the training room.
"What…are you…talking about?" Evan asked as he inhaled.
Pyrrha gestured over to a nearby staircase as Evan grabbed his water bottle and followed after her. While the afternoon sun shone through the windows high up on the walls, Pyrrha turned to face Evan as he sat down next to her.
"During my last few years at Sanctum, I was part of the Mistral Regional Tournaments. Due to my skill, I managed to achieve victory numerous times, multiple years in a row, in fact. As such, many people have and still idolize me for my success. Practically overnight, I was seen as some famous icon. The "invincible girl". I wasn't able to make many friends while at Signal, at least, not anyone who appreciated me just for being myself. As such, I threw myself into my training, hoping that I would find some sort of respite if I merely kept on practicing and improving my fighting style. And while I found some catharsis in it, it wasn't healthy to do so in the long term. That look in your eyes as you fought just now, it reminded me so much of myself back then. I can tell that something's troubling you." Pyrrha explained.
"I-I don't want to talk about it." Evan replied back as he chugged some water.
"Come now, it can't be that bad." Pyrrha added, only for Evan to look more nervous.
"Even if you don't feel comfortable talking about it directly, maybe you could explain how you're feeling in some other way. It's not good to bottle any of those feelings up. You'll only hurt yourself if you end up doing that." Pyrrha pointed out. Briefly, the two sat in silence as Evan looked up at the ceiling.
"Do…Do you ever wish…wish that you could go back…back when things were simpler?" Evan asked.
"It's like, the more I learn, the more I feel that things were just better when I was initially ignorant about them. Maybe I'm just talking crazy, I don't know anymore. What do you think?" Evan continued on.
"While I was happy before all of this fame and glory was thrusted upon me, if I never went to Beacon, then I would never have gotten the opportunity to meet you, or Jaune, or the rest of my teammates. You all don't treat me like some holy figure, you guys treat me like any other student. That may not sound like much, but that meant the world to me. To have people that see me as an equal, and as a friend, is something that I thought was unachievable for me before going to Beacon. The experiences and memories that I've made in Beacon make everything that I've gone through worthwhile. We don't improve and become better if we regress and stay in the past. Sometimes, things feel so out of reach and impossible right now, but things will get better. I know that much, at least." Pyrrha stated as she stood and offered her hand to Evan.
"I hope they do Pyrrha…I really hope they do." Evan said somewhat somberly as he grabbed Pyrrha's hand.
As Pyrrha pulled Evan back on his feet, Evan began to climb the steps and quietly exited the room.
/-/
As the moon shone through the windows of Ozpin's office, Winter paced around the space while Ironwood stood patiently.
With a small ding going off at the end of the room, the elevator doors opened, revealing Ozpin, Glynda, and the black haired man. Upon hearing them enter the room, Winter turned to face the odd man.
"What were you thinking?!" Winter questioned.
"If you were one of my men, I would have you shot!" Ironwood declared.
"If I was one of your men, I'd shoot myself." The man replied back as he reached for a flask on his hip.
"While I wouldn't condone his behavior, retaliating like you did certainly didn't help the situation." Glynda pointed out as she walked toward the other end of the room.
"He was drunk!" Winter added as she faced Glynda.
"He's always drunk!" Glynda snapped back as she held her arms out in frustration.
The group turned toward Qrow as he began to drink the contents from his flask. Smirking slightly, the man put the flask away.
"*Sigh* Qrow, why are you here?" Ozpin asked as he sat down at his desk.
"You've been out of contact for weeks! You can't just go dark like that in the field!" Ironwood exclaimed.
"I'm not one of your special operatives, Jimmy!" Qrow said.
"General." Winter pointed out as she stepped forward.
"Whatever. You sent me to get intel on our enemy, and I'm telling you, our enemy is here." Qrow stated.
"We know." Ironwood said.
"Oh! Oh, you know! Well, thank goodness I'm out there risking my life to keep you all informed!" Qrow yelled out.
"Qrow-" Ironwood began to say before Qrow held his hand out and interrupted him.
"Communication's a two-way street, pal. You see this?" Qrow interrupted as he grabbed his scroll.
"That's the SEND button." Qrow continued on.
"They had reason to assume you'd been compromised." Winter explained.
"And I have reason to assume you don't need to be here. Seriously, who invited her?" Qrow questioned as he gestured toward the Specialist. The room was silent for a moment before Ironwood spoke.
"Schnee, we'll discuss this incident back at my ship." Ironwood stated.
"But sir!" Winter exclaimed with a look of surprise.
"Winter. Leave." Ironwood said firmly as he turned toward her.
"Yes sir." Winter replied as she gave a firm salute to the General. As she walked out of the room, she gave Qrow a dirty look before leaving through the elevator.
"Go on." Ironwood added as he gestured toward the drunk man.
"Your little infiltrator isn't just another pawn. They're the ones responsible for Autumn's condition." Qrow explained as he reached for his flask once more and started drinking.
"What?" Glynda questioned.
"Despite what the world thinks, we're not just teachers, or Generals, or Headmasters. The people in this room, the leaders of the other two academies, we're the ones that keep the world safe from the evils no one even knows about!" Qrow replied as he approached the General.
"It's why we meet behind closed doors, why we work in the shadows. So you tell me, James, when you brought your army to Vale, did you think you were being discreet, or did you just not give a damn!?" Qrow yelled out. Ironwood continued to stare Qrow down as he placed his scroll onto Ozpin's desk.
"Discreet wasn't working." Ironwood said.
Suddenly, a large hologram appeared in the center of the room showing Vale, Beacon Academy, Amity Colosseum floating in the sky, and Ironwood's fleet of airships.
"I'm here because this is what was necessary." James continued as he gestured at his holographic fleet.
"You're here because Ozpin wanted you here! He made you a part of this inner circle and opened your eyes to the real fight that's in front of us!" Qrow angrily said.
"And I am grateful." Ironwood added.
"Oh, well, you've got a real funny way of showing it." Qrow replied back.
"The people of Vale needed someone to protect them; someone who would act. When they look to the sky and see my fleet, they feel safe, and our enemies will feel our strength." Ironwood firmly declared. Qrow however, just started to laugh.
"You…You think they're scared of your little ships? I've been out there and I've seen the things that she's made, and let me tell you something. They are fear." Qrow elaborated.
"And fear will bring the Grimm." Ozpin added as he rose from his chair.
"A guardian is a symbol of comfort. But an army is a symbol of conflict. There's an energy in the air now, a question in the back of everyone's minds…" Ozpin stated as he gestured toward the fleet.
"If this is the size of our defenses, then what is it we're expecting to fight?" Ozpin concluded.
"So then, what would you suggest we do?" Ironwood asked as he grabbed his scroll.
"I suggest that we find our guardian. Someone that can represent the best traits of humanity. And while Evan is a powerful and incredible warrior, I feel humanity needs someone that they can directly connect with on a…deeper level." Ozpin explained.
"Hold on, why does that name sound familiar?" Qrow asked himself, out loud.
"I suppose while you're here, you should be aware of some…recent developments. After all, you were radio silent for quite some time." Ozpin said.
"A few months ago, a mysterious object crashed near the cities of Atlas and Mantle. Once Ironwood's troops retrieved the object, they found it to be a spaceship of sorts. And inside the craft was a single individual, a young man with a monkey tail, wearing strange armor. Considering the technology inside the ship was far more advanced than anything this planet has seen, along with the fact that this person seemingly had no records of identity tying him back to anyone else on this planet it was safe to assume that he was an extraterrestrial life form." Ozpin elaborated.
"Hold on. You're telling me that aliens actually exist!? Come on, you got to be pulling my leg here." Qrow hesitantly asked, only for the rest of the room to be silent.
"By the gods…I think I'm gonna need more than this." Qrow stated as he shook the near empty flask.
"It seemed that this traveler of the stars had suffered a severe head injury upon landing. After questioning the alien teen, it was determined that he was suffering from a case of amnesia. The individual wasn't even able to remember his name. For these last few months, during his stay at Atlas, he has been training under Ironwood's watch. As the Vytal festival approached, Ironwood brought this very individual to participate in the tournament. You would most likely know him as Evan Anderson, a student from Atlas." Ozpin continued on.
"That kid's an alien? I thought he was just some average faunus. He fought well enough, I suppose. But what's all this with you guys propping him up so much?" Qrow inquired.
"The young man has more power than he actually shows off in battle, most likely so as to not significantly injure those that he fights. Glynda has informed me of his performance in her class. The teen was able to fight Pyrrha Nikos on even ground during their fight. If he was forced to, I wouldn't have been shocked if he was able to take on and defeat that entire team of huntsmen and huntresses that he and his team defeated today. As of right now, I would say that he is one of the strongest people on this planet." Ironwood stated.
"And does he…this alien…is he aware of Salem? Does he know about the real mastermind that's planning humanity's downfall?" Qrow asked as he downed the last few drops of his flask.
"He does not. I didn't think there was a suitable time to tell him that. Despite everything, he's still a child. Dropping such information can be very…difficult to properly grasp. Not to mention, we still know so very little about him. We don't know where he came from, why he's here, or even what his species is. Although, after what you've mentioned about this agent of Salem, alongside the incident at the CCT Tower, it seems that the pieces are moving faster than I anticipated. I feel that after the Vytal Festival is over, I will have to inform him about all of this if we are to stand a chance against whatever Salem is planning." Ironwood continued.
"*Sigh* So if this kid isn't supposed to be our guardian, then who is?" Qrow asked as he turned toward Ozpin.
"There were a few potential candidates, but one in particular stuck out." Ozpin said aloud.
"I imagine that the name Pyrrha Nikos is of no shock to you…" Ozpin stated.
/-/
And that concludes our chapter! Apologies for not getting this out yesterday, I had a lot more on my plate than I realized! As always, let me know your thoughts by leaving a review. Share the story around if you like. We are rapidly approaching 50 followers, and I am rather excited! The next chapter should be out next Tuesday or Wednesday. I hope you're enjoying the story and I'll see you again next time!