Chapter 17: Mantle
9
Dbroha instinctively tried to make himself look smaller as Maria guided the Manta through the busy airway.
"Manta 5.1, welcome home." A woman greeted over the radio. "Please continue your approach to Atlas docking bay Omega 12. A security team will meet you there."
Ruby glanced around worriedly. "I don't understand. What's happening here?"
"I don't know." Qrow admitted.
"Maybe this is a bad idea." Dbroha said.
"But we made it here." Jaune replied. "We got the lamp to Atlas. So I guess we just go in and get some answers."
"I'm with Dbroha on this." Weiss said as all eyes turned to her looking intensely at the fleet. "I've never seen our forces deployed so aggressively before. If we land in a stolen ship, there's no way the security team will let us anywhere near Ironwood. They might even take me back to my father."
Ruby and Yang looked at each other in discomfort as Dbroha growled. Fingers would be lost long before he let that happen.
"So...?" Blake tried to get an idea out of the Schnee.
"Winter!" She pulled out her scroll and nodded to Maria. "Put some distance between us and the fleet."
"Don't have to tell me twice!" Maria said, immediately steering the ship into Mantle for some cover.
As Weiss tried to contact her sister, Dbroha looked out the window to see the city below. In contrast to the bright, technologically advanced Atlas, Mantle was a bit more rundown. Even the young boy could tell the city had seen better days and the harsh orange glow of the heating vents hurt his eyes. He then caught sight of a projection of Ironwood against a tall building, droning about something. He barely recognized the man. Compared to the stern general he had known in Vale, this Ironwood looked like he was put through the ringer. He had full facial hair and was overall more disheveled.
"Many have expressed that these are uncertain times, and while that may be the case for the rest of the world, I can tell you what is certain. The Kingdom of Atlas will remain strong and will prevail through these times. That is my promise."
"General Ironwood..." Yang said, disheartened.
"He looks tired." Ruby finished her thought as Qrow shook his head.
"James, what have you been doing?"
Dbroha's frown grew as he noticed several robots marching through the streets and kids scrambling to get out of sight. He could almost feel the tangible fear in the air.
"This isn't right." He heard Weiss say. "None of this is right."
The radio then screeched to life. "Manta 5., we have noticed a detour in your route. You are to make your way to docking bay Omega 12 immediately. Do you copy? Over."
"We're running out of time here, kids." Their pilot warned.
"We need to ditch this ship." Yang answered sternly.
"Agreed." Her uncle said. "We get lost in Mantle and buy ourselves some time."
"I'm telling you, my sister can take us to Ironwood." Weiss insisted.
At this, Dbroha caught sight of something that made his head eyes widen.
"Ugh, Weiss? I don't think that's a good idea anymore."
She walked up to him and Dbroha stepped away from the window so she could see the projection of her sister, who looked even more militaristic.
"A reminder: failure to cooperate with Atlas Military Personnel is a punishable offense."
"Winter?" Weiss whispered in disbelief.
"No offense, Weiss, but I think the kid has a point." Their male chaperone pointed out.
Weiss swung her head at him. "There's obviously something very wrong! If we could just talk to her-,"
"Look, I'm not even sure we should be talking to Ironwood until we know exactly what's going on in Mantle."
"But-,"
"Everyone calm down." Maria interrupted. "I know someone who can help us with both.
"Manta 5.1! You are to make your way-!"
Maria hung up on her mid order.
"Geeze, lady, take a hint!"
(Timeskip)
Landing in a back alley, the group quietly followed the elderly woman through the streets, failing not to be suspicious. All around them was trash, poverty, and graffiti. Dbroha noticed a recurring slogan on the walls:
Show Your Teeth
He tucked his head in as he was reminded of the White Fang...of Adam. He shook his head, trying to relieving himself of his thoughts. Blake, as she could sense what he was thinking, placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, to which he gave her a half smile.
"Come on now, hurry!" Maria implored. "It shouldn't be much longer."
"Is...this many soldiers normal?" Jaune asked.
"No." Weiss admitted. "Or, at least I didn't think so."
As they walked, from behind him, Dbroha heard a click, Yang grunt, and then a crash. He turned in time to see a robot get him by his truck and his older sister made a face of regret. She then bashfully rubbed her head.
"Maybe we should pick up the pace?"
Now moving at a faster walking pace, Maria began to explain the history of Mantle and Atlas.
"You have to remember, the Kingdom had just lost the Great War. The people of Mantle needed a sign of a brighter future, and that sign was Atlas. After all, a home in the clouds is about as bright as it gets."
As she said this, they stopped at a cross as a truck past them. It was full of dirty, tired looking Faunus miners, and Dbroha could just feel their drained will from there.
"Unless you're the one having to look up at it." Nora retorted bluntly.
"This whole place. I can barely see anyone with a soul that isn't completely defeated." Dbroha sighed, frowning. "It's...sad."
"Yeah?" A voice challenged as a male, obviously drunk from the way he stumbled and smelled, appeared. "If you don't like it here, there's plenty of space out in the tundra."
Dbroha almost wanted to hiss at the aggression, but he noticed Blake lightly shaking her head, so he just sucked it up. "Sorry."
"Atlas is the greatest kingdom in the world!" The drunk yelled at the boy.
Ruby stepped in front of her brother. "Hey!"
Dbroha grabbed her hand. "It's fine, Ruby.
Blake then stood next to their leader. "Just ignore him."
"The embargo...the embargo has us in a rough patch." Another drunk said from a stoop. "But it'll blow over, you'll see."
The aggressive drunk then began to rant. "We try and help the other kingdoms and then this is what happens? I say let em rot!"
"He apologized." Blake said sternly on their youngest member's behalf. "He's a kid, he didn't mean to insult anyone."
The drunk spat. "Stupid Faunus like the two of you wouldn't und-," he was cut off by a familiar glyph appearing beneath him and launching him into a nearby dumpster.
Everyone turned to see Weiss wielding her sword and shrugging unapologetically.
"It was worth it."
Dbroha snorted as they all took off down the street before security could catch up with them. Luckily, the running made their journey quick as Maria led them to a back alley door just as a Faunus left in high spirits as a voice bid them farewell. She motioned head for them all to step inside.
"Ah, it's good to see you again, old friend." Maria greeted as they stepped inside.
The interior was just as cluttered and battered as the outside, but Dbroha held his tongue. The little old woman walked up to the desk in the back as an older looking man with dark skin, gray hair and facial hair, brown eyes decorated by glasses, and...a familiar looking pink bow, glanced at her. He sat up and began to push paperwork out of their line of sight.
"Ah yes, yes." He chuckled. "Have we met?"
"Well this is off to a fantastic start." Ren said what everyone was thinking.
"Cybernetic optical implants?" Maria hinted. "You adjust them? Every 10 years or so?"
He narrowed his eyes before shouting in recognition. "Maria! Yes! With the cybernetic optical implants!" He rounded the desk, revealing he was in an elaborate wheelchair (armchair?), and took her hand. "I adjust them every 10 years or so."
He laughed as he led her away from the desk to an examination table.
"Oh wow! Has it been that long already?"
Maria chuckled. "I know. I age like a fine wine. I would've been here soon if I hadn't run into these jokers. At the time I thought they might need my guidance while fighting a little old Sphinx."
"Oh, did they?"
"No, no. They had much more complicated issues."
Qrow cleared his throat to get their attention as the group circled in front of the elderly people.
"And this is?"
"Ugh!" Maria huffed. "So impatient! I didn't think I'd need to introduce one of Atlas's finest minds."
"Working in a place like this?" Yang questioned as a piece of the ceiling fell, nearly hitting Dbroha. (He managed to jump on Jaune's shoulders like a scared cat).
"He likes to keep a low profile." The retired Grim Reaper brushed off as Oscar pried the dragon from the blonde. "Something I've come to realize none of you know anything about."
"You can call me Pietro." The old man introduced himself.
"Finest heart too." Maria continued to compliment him. "This pharmacy is where he volunteers when he's not building the future of Atlas alongside Ironwood up in the clouds."
"Oh it's stuffy up there!" Pietro insisted. "Down here I get to help the locals, and have a little fun. I'm currently working on shoes that make you dance. You wanna try them on?"
"YES!" Nora immediately agreed before Yang shut her down.
"Before we get to that. We were wondering if you could help us? We came to Atlas, hoping we could talk to Ironwood, but, um."
"What exactly's been happening here?" Blake finished the question.
"What's with all the tension?" Dbroha added.
Pietro gave a worrying cough before answering. "Well, the Fall of Beacon took a toll on all of us. James was no different. I couldn't tell you exactly what it was he say there, but it changed him. He's-,"
"He's scared." Qrow assumed.
"Paranoid would be the more appropriate term. You have to understand, it wasn't just the Grim. Someone completely dismantled Atlas security code, made it their plaything! Made us look like traitors to some and buffoons to everyone else! Whoever managed to do that is either a genius or...one of our own. I fear the answer may be both, and so does the General."
"Maybe Atlas isn't as safe as we thought." Ren said.
Oscar looked at them. "But after we came all this way."
"We can't just leave." Dbroha said as Weiss pushed forward.
"How does the council feel about all this? Or Winter Schnee? Do you know anything about her?"
"Well, the council's so scared they'll agree to whatever he wants, though some representatives from Mantle are...wait, you're, you're Weiss Schnee!"
Weiss stepped back as Yang stepped forward to get the attention off her.
"Wait, what was it you were trying to say about Mantle?"
Pietro's eyes were fixed on Yang's mechanical arm. "You painted it!"
Yang pulled her arm back. "What?"
"Is everything okay?" Ruby asked.
The older gentlemen scanned the faces of the girls and Dbroha, pausing to study his wings and tail.
"You're Team RWBY! And you must be Dbroha!"
They glanced at each other before Ruby began to freak out.
"You know us!?"
He chuckled. "Oh my girl, I do. I most certainly do. And I feel like such a dunce for not recognizing you sooner. My daughters told me so much about you."
The young dragon tilted his head. "Your...daughter?"
Suddenly, the air was filled with loud sirens and screaming which immediately drew everyone outside.
"Trouble!" Jaune announced as they raced out despite Pietro calling.
The group rushed into the street as the sirens blared and a harshly red light filled the night. Everyone drew their weapons in preparation. Only one thing could cause this kind of panic:
Grimm.
"I guess the city defenses aren't doing much anyways." Oscar analyzed.
Nora rolled her eyes. "Somehow that doesn't surprise me that the city lacks some good defensive mechanisms."
Down the road, a robot was tossed into a wall like a rag doll, followed by another one, as the remainder of their group backed into everyone's line of sight, firing at something. One was then tackled by a medium sized, saber tooth tiger like Grim.
Ruby looked at the others determined. "Well we didn't come this far to fail now!"
She activated Crescent Rose's scythe form as the robots were easily dispatched by the Grim, who then turned their sights on the group. Yang and Dbroha burst forward, Ren and Nora on their tails, as they slammed into their opponents. Dbroha's fist collided with the huge skull of one of the Grim. As it fell limp, he ducked to the side to dodge once pounce at him, bashing at it with his tail as it soared past. Before it could regain its footing, he drove the blades of his gauntlets into its chest, killing it in an instant. He then blasted another one charging at him with fire, rendering it to ashes in a second. He then noticed Oscar taking out another saber tooth as two more charged him. He fired off a blast of lightning dust as Ruby shot the other one, and the two turned to dust before they could touch the farm boy. Ruby then raced towards the approaching pack as Dbroha backed her up. She jumped into the air, and with a push from her brother, flew at the Grim in a spinning wheel of death. Beside them, Blake offered Yang shooting support as Gambol Shroud blade had been broken in the fight with Adam. He then saw a Grim sneak up on her.
"Blake! Behind you!"
She turned as the creature pounced, only for a bright green beam to slice it in 2. Several beams were then fired, finishing off the remaining Grim. The lights dimmed as a familiar figure came flying in. A girl's form spun against the light of the shattered moon and Dbroha's eyes widened as she realized who it was. Her outfit was different, and her hair was now longer, but it unmistakeable who it was.
"Penny? PENNY?" Ruby said in disbelief.
Pietro stepped out with a smile. "Darling, why don't you say hello to your friends?"
The robot girl turned to them as her face lit up with an enormous smile. Dbroha could even return the smile and just blinked in utter shock. Here she was, back from the dead.
That was a new one for him.
Penny then began to move.
"Sal."
Both he and Ruby looked at each other, confused.
She got into a running start position.
"U."
Dbroha gulped when he realized what was about to happen. Ruby also seemed to know what was coming.
Penny then charged, blasting into the air with her new rocket boots. "TATIONS!!!!"
Ruby screamed, waving her arms in front of her as Dbroha flew up to dodge the tackle hug. Penny crashed hard into Ruby, sending them both skidding.
"Why...?" Ruby moaned in pain.
As Dbroha got back on the ground and everyone sheathed their weapons, Penny got up as Ruby struggled to find her footing.
"It is such a pleasure to see you all again!"
"Penny!" Ruby struggled to find the words. "I...I thought you-,"
"Died?" Pietro interrupted as he walked up to his daughter. "Well I guess in a manner of speaking she did. But we were able to recover her core from Amity Arena once it had made its way back to Atlas. It took me sometime, but-,"
Penny finished. "I'm as good as new! Better even! And now I'm the official protector of the city!"
"That's my girl! We're not gonna let a little ripping to shreds stop us, are we? Hehe!"
"No sir!"
"This is..." Weiss started.
Blake finished. "Strangely wholesome."
Yang chuckled. "Sounds like Penny to me."
Penny grabbed Ruby. "We have so many things to catch up about! I cannot wait!" A siren then went off. "It seems we will have to wait. Let's talk later! Can't wait to hear about all your adventures! I'm very excited to hear about your experiences!"
Penny then took off into the night, leaving more questions than answers.
"I can't tell if I completely understand what's going on, or have like a million questions!" Nora spoke for the group.
"And thankfully, I have about a thousand to million answers already!" Pietro responded. "But let's get out of this weather first!"
"I have absolutely no idea who that child was." Maria said as Pietro walked by. "Is she important somehow?"
"That was Unexpectedly wacky." Jaune said, pointing out the obvious.
"Never a dull moment." Ren followed up.
Dbroha smiled. "Maybe, but I'm glad big time."
"Yeah, that wasn't unwelcome." Qrow agreed. "I was honestly expecting things to go a lot rougher."
They all started to follow Pietro back to the shop when an uneasy feeling suddenly filled the air. Dbroha shot up again as the older kids were suddenly on the ground, tied down. He and Qrow drew their weapons, but Qrow was also incapacitated from the shadows. Dbroha managed to dodge another coming at him from behind, but he yelped as something caught his right wing, jerking him back. He yelled in pain as his wings were folded awkwardly by the bola that caught him. He fell with a thump as several military officers jumped down and encircled the group.
"Good work, team." A male with a fishing hook (likely what caught his wing) said.
"Hey! What's going on?!" Oscar yelled.
"Hey pal!" Qrow snapped. "I'm a licensed Huntsman! Just helped save everyone?"
He was ignored as several robots gathered the kids. Dbroha hissed as one tried to grab him.
"Take it easy." A Faunus male with a fluffy tail tried to say gently.
"You'd be mad too if your tail was tangled!"
He sighed, but then motioned for the robots to readjust the ropes so the boy could fold them in.
"Let's get them loaded into the next transport." The male from before ordered.
Dbroha noticed he was holding the lamp and snarled.
"Hey! Give that back!"
"Please!" Ruby said, still on the ground. "We were just trying to help!"
Pietro then returned, luckily looking angry. "What is the meaning of this!? What are the Ace Ops even doing down here!?"
"Ace Ops?" Ruby repeated.
"Doc, good to see you." The supposed leader greeted. "We heard a report of an unauthorized ship making an unauthorized landing, followed by an unauthorized use of weapons by non licensed Huntsmen."
Maria immediately got out of dodge (Dbroha did not blame her) while Pietro's eyes widened.
"I-if we could just talk this out-,"
"They'll be able to talk this out when they get up to Atlas. Let's move out!"
The Ace Ops jumped into the air, leaving the group to be loaded into a military ship by the robots.
"You just had to say something..." Dbroha said under his breath as the doors slammed.
Welcome to Atlas folks. So, I'd appreciate some guidance on where Dbroha should be throughout the volume cause, he's a kid, but he's trained. What should I do? Seriously, I might be turning to you guys a lot throughout this arc for Dbroha. Call me out if you must.
Chapter 18: Meeting the General
3
Everyone sat in silence as the ship headed towards Atlas. Nora was currently trying to gnaw through her bindings and Dbroha fidgeted uncomfortably, not liking the feeling of wings pinned to his back.
"Where do you think they're taking us?" Ruby asked.
"I'm gonna go with jail." Qrow threw out.
"I still can't believe that fishing pole guy took us out like it was nothing!" Jaune growled.
Dbroha huffed. "Yeah! That jerk almost broke my wing!"
"Welcome to Atlas." Weiss joined in somberly. "Those were Ironwood's Ace Operatives."
There was another person in the transport with them, a rugged looking male sitting up front. He had been quiet up until now, but Weiss's little comment got his attention.
"You guys had a run in with the Ace Ops? Ironwood must really have a bone to pick with you."
He looked down, annoyed and angry. Weiss rolled her eyes.
"They're not that big of a deal."
"Not that big of a deal!? The Ace Ops are the elite of elite military Huntsmen and Ironwood's personal attack dogs."
Nora leaned forward to look at the guy with an unimpressed look. "So they got you too, huh?"
"I wouldn't let myself get caught by them!" He said offended. "I'm here because I've been speaking out about Altas's exploitation of Mantle, and General Ironwood is trying to silence me!"
"You threw a brick at our ship." The pilot corrected.
"It's worth it if it gets people talking about our cause!"
"Well this guy's a nutty kind of fun." Dbroha muttered to Qrow, who nudged him, but was also slightly amused by the comment.
"Our cause?" Blake indirectly asked.
"Yes!" The guy yelled. "The fight for better conditions in Mantle! Led by the charismatic, talented, lovely Robyn Hill and her Happy Huntresses!"
The pilot seemed done with the guy's ranting (the boy did not blame him) and rolled up the glass between the holding cell and cockpit. The guy still insisted on them hearing though, jumping about to yell over the glass.
"They were all top graduates at Atlas Academy and could've signed up for the military, but Robyn and the Huntresses chose to stay in Mantle! She gunning for a seat on the Kingdom's council and when she gets it, she gonna put an end to Ironwood's tyranny!"
"Happy...Huntress." Oscar repeated.
Yang seemed to agree with his sentiment. "Is that their real name?"
"Don't you think tyranny is a little dramatic?" Weiss pointed out.
Unfortunately, the guy only then recognized her and sneered. "Easy to say for a Schnee heiress living comfortably up in Atlas."
The guy then shrieked as a small fireball race past his head, dissipating on the metal wall behind him. Dbroha glared at him.
"Another comment like that, and I'll set your pants on fire. Now sit down!"
The guy fearfully did as he was told.
"Easy, Fire Breather." Qrow warned. "We don't need them trying to put a muzzle on you."
"Let them try. They'll lose plenty of limbs before they can."
The hostile atmosphere faded off as the ship finally fell into Atlas. The city was enormous and beautifully illuminated. Everyone's eyes, besides those native to the Kingdom and Qrow, widened in wonder, standing to get a better look.
"It's gorgeous up here!" Ruby said.
"Don't let that fool you." Weiss sadly remarked.
The guy also stood up, his eyes narrowing in confusion.
"This isn't the police station. This is Atlas Academy."
The ship landed in front of the school and the soldiers ordered the group to step out. Everyone gazed up at the giant structure as the soldier motioned for them to follow.
"Guess we will be seeing the general." Ruby stated. "For better or worse."
The interior of the school was just as elegant as the rest of the city, but Dbroha felt a pang of emptiness at the setting around him. To him, this place would only be a poor imitation of Beacon. The soldier led them to a massive elevator and as it went up, they began to discuss a plan.
"So, what do we do?" Ren asked.
"I don't know yet." Ruby admitted. "But we should be careful with what we say."
There was a moment of hesitant silence before Blake finally spoke up.
"We'll follow your lead, Ruby."
Ruby smiled a bit in relief as the elevator reach their destination. They all filed out, heading towards a large circular room connecting the halls. Dbroha ears perked up as he heard a familiar voice. The soldiers stopped as Ironwood appeared, discussing something with Winter and Penny. The robot girl was the first to notice them and gasped in delight.
"Yay! You're here!"
The general looked back, and his expression softened a bit at the sight of the group. Winter's also widened as Weiss stepped into view.
"Winter."
Nora, of course, butted in, lifting the cuffs.
"Anyone want to give us a hand with these?"
Winter blinked, but then stood up straight, looking harshly at the soldiers.
"You have 10 seconds to take those off before I start hurting you."
They were quick to take the hint and immediately began freeing the group. Dbroha sighed in relief and rolled his wings and wrists to get rid of the slight ache in them. Once they were all free, Ironwood led them into his office.
"It's so good to see all of you."
"The reception didn't really convey that." Yang stated.
The general sighed as he walked to his desk. "I sincerely regret how you were treated by my team, but a rogue airship entered our airspace. It raised some...red flags. We assumed the ship was stolen."
"Stolen?" Ruby tried to play it off before Dbroha elbowed her. "Okay, yeah, it was stolen."
Dbroha saw Ironwood's expression changed to slightly amused, but an angry Winter had him slowly slide towards Yang.
"You stole an Atlas airship!? What were you thinking!?" She began walking towards Weiss. "You could've been shot down! How unbelievably irresponsible-!"
Weiss hugged her, killing the rant immediately.
"I'm sorry I worried you, but we did what we had to do."
"I..." She sighed. "I suppose I understand." She then glared at Qrow. "But I cannot believe that you allowed this to happen, Qrow."
"You try stopping these kids when they have their minds set on something." He challenged back before looking at Ironwood. "Speaking of which, we have some important information for you that's...confidential."
"Oh, is it about the Relic?" Penny asked.
"Or perhaps the Winter Maiden?" Winter followed up.
Everyone blinked, Qrow especially.
"You told them?"
The general chuckled before standing up and pulling out the Lamp. "Do you really think you were the only one who got to work on a new plan after Beacon? With Ozpin gone, I needed my own team of people I could trust. So yes, I told them. The Ace Ops too. Which is why I'm so glad you're here. This. Until now, I believed it was impossible to truly turn the tide against Salem. Oz has pushed her back, kept victory out of her claws, but she will keep returning, stronger and stronger, unless we destroy her."
Dbroha bit his cheek at the phrase. Ironwood still didn't know that Salem couldn't be killed yet, that she would just keep coming back and they had no real way to keep her down for good. They had to tell him the truth...right? Yet, as Dbroha kept listening to the general, there was an unease settling into him. Ironwood soul, it was still the same color as Beacon, but something else was there...no, that wasn't it. It had been there at Beacon, but now it was more prominent. He couldn't exactly describe it, a crack maybe? Whatever it was, it felt unstable to the boy, and he began to wonder, how would the general take the news? With he saw down in Mantle, the general's unkept appearance, and that unstable presence in his soul didn't exactly reassure Dbroha about Ironwood's mental stability.
"What about the Atlas Relic?" Ruby asked, breaking the boy's train of thought.
The general nodded. "You mean the Staff of Creation?"
"It's safe inside the Vault!" Penny reaffirmed.
"And the Winter Maiden?" Qrow question as Winter answered.
"She is secure and in stable condition."
Dbroha tilted his head. "Stable condition? Is she sick or-,"
Qrow put out a hand. "She's not exactly a spring chicken."
"Oh, so she's old?"
"Dbroha!" Weiss scolded.
He blushed and grinned embarrassed. Ironwood didn't seem to mind his comment.
"I know how this all looks. Recalling my military, the embargo, I probably don't seem the most...trustworthy right now."
"Then why continue?" Blake asked, backed up by Nora.
"The people of Mantle are hurting!"
"I needed to ensure Salem couldn't infiltrate Atlas. And I wanted my military here, protecting my people."
"But it's not protecting them."
Dbroha agreed with them. "It's like what happened in Vale, the military's only making people more afraid and it's making them not trust you."
"It's a price I'm willing to pay."
He pushed a button on his desk and shutters closed over the windows, darkening the room.
"Just as you all have been entrusted with the knowledge of Salem's existence, I need you all to trust me. I have a plan."
A table rose up from beneath them and Dbroha flew up in surprise before landing again. Ironwood then approached them.
"Ozpin believed that the best way to fight Salem was in secret. Whether that was the right choice or not, I'm unsure. But we find ourselves in a position that will need...well, a new approach."
"What do you suggest?" Qrow asked.
Clicking a device, the table lit up. A hologram of a familiar structure hovered over it.
"Amity Coliseum?" Dbroha said, questioningly.
"Where the Vital Festival is held?" Oscar asked for clarification.
Ironwood nodded. "Indeed. When Beacon fell and everyone on Remnant lost contact with one another, I knew our current system was outdated. Amity was built to bring the nations together, and it will serve that purpose once again."
With another click, the hologram changed slightly, adding a tower to the top of the coliseum.
"Isn't it great?" Penny asked cheerfully. "Where not just going to replace Beacon Tower, building a tower on top of Amity Coliseum will restore global communications!"
Winter began explaining in more detail. "By launching the tower high into the atmosphere, our scientists believe we can create a sort of...satellite, out of reach of the Grim and capable of maintaining global communications even if we were to lose another tower."
"That is great." Ruby said, though Qrow was still confused.
"James, you don't need the entire military for this."
"I will for the next part...where I finally tell the people about Salem."
A quiet settled over them. It made sense, after all, Dbroha himself had told the people of Treecaster about the existence of Salem to convince to join the outside world, but the panic of the revelation had only been dulled by the reveal and death of his tyrant grandfather and the support of instating Zack as the new Alpha. Just dropping that bomb...it would initially go well. Qrow seemed to agree.
"So that's why you withdrew your troops, to handle the panic that would break out in Atlas."
"Yes, panic is inevitable, and panic brings Grimm, but I believe we are ready. Once Atlas has come to grips with the fight ahead, I'll use Amity to spread the message to all of Remnant."
"But everything will fall apart!" Weiss objected. "Grimm will be everywhere."
"You're right." Winter admitted. "But Atlas is willing and prepared to assist."
"Trying to hide the truth from the world will eventually kill us all." Ironwood insisted as he turned off the hologram and opened the shutters.
"Oz spent his whole life, many lives, keeping this secret." Qrow pointed out.
"I know, but since Beacon, things have changed. Without him here to guide us, all I can do is use my best judgement." Oscar fidgeted and the general took notice. "What is it?"
"Actually, Oz isn't completely gone." The farm boy admitted.
Qrow joined in. "Ah, Oscar here...is the next Ozpin."
Ironwood lit up a bit. "Oz?" He ran up to Oscar. "I'm so glad you're here! I didn't think-,"
"Not quite." Oscar interrupted. "He's kinda, ah, gone at the moment?"
"That's not normal. How did he-,"
"We don't know." Ruby lied.
Dbroha gave her a side glance, trying not to convey his surprise. He wasn't exactly against hiding the exact circumstance behind why Ozpin was gone for now, but he knew this would cause a divide in the group.
"We were...in a train crash and ever since, well, suddenly Oz wasn't there anymore."
Dbroha lightly and sneakily tapped Oscar's ankle with his tail, subtly telling the older boy to change his shocked expression. Oscar got the message before Ironwood looked back at him.
"That's the worst news yet. Did you learn anything about the Relics before-?"
Ruby again half lied. "He told us that the Lamp could answer 3 questions, but that all the questions were used up already."
Ironwood turned around and walked to the window, crestfallen. "Right, right. I was told the same, once upon a time." He turned back. "At least we have you, Oscar. You're safe here in Atlas. Together, we can figure out how to bring Ozpin back."
The male smiled. "Thank you, sir. Uh, general. Ugh, Ironwood?"
"Um, we do have a bit of good news." Dbroha said, trying to steal the conversation far from Ozpin and the Relic.
"You do?"
"We do?" Nora repeated.
Dbroha nodded. "About what happened after Haven?"
"Oh right!" Ruby said.
"Are you sure you want to tell him now, Dbroha?" Blake asked. "It's your decision."
"Positive, he should know about the rest of us."
"Rest of us?" The general repeated.
"I assume you have more allies?" Winter tried to guess.
Dbroha nodded with a smile. "A lot more. Dragon Faunus."
Ironwood's eyes widened. "You found more?"
"A whole Kingdom's worth of them. It's where I was from originally...kind of. It's a long story, but they know about Salem."
"You told them?" Winter said accusingly.
"I had to. We need as many allies as we can get, and they thought humanity drove them into hiding. They're readying to reveal themselves and join the fight against her."
Ironwood smiled. "That is good news. And you're certain we can count on them?"
"Positive. Their current leader is actually my uncle, and he at least 100% is in our corner. However, I do ask that this information remains, between all of us, sir. I don't want to risk Salem finding out where they're hiding until after they reveal themselves. I don't want to...reveal all of our cards just yet?"
Ironwood nodded. "That's good judgement, Dbroha. Rest assured, this information will remain secret for now. Thank you for your trust."
The general then grabbed the Lamp and brought it to Ruby.
"You're giving it back to me?" Ruby questioned.
"After what happened with the Ace Ops, I don't want you to think I'm keeping anything from you, especially something as important as this. For the time being, I think it's safest with the people who brought it here."
Ruby hesitantly took it. "Uh, thank you."
"We must work together in order to fight Salem and win." Ironwood reaffirmed. "Now, if you're all on board?"
Ruby glanced down before looking back at him. "Tell us how we can help."
"Good, because getting the Amity Tower to launch isn't going to be easy. But first, I think we need to get those weapons of yours up to our standards."
Winter nodded. "This is Atlas. While assisting the military, we will provide you with the best equipment our scientists can provide."
Eventually, Ironwood led everyone back outside, where the Ace Ops were waiting. Fishing pole guy greeted them.
"I would like to sincerely apologize for the miscommunication in Mantle. We didn't-,"
A woman barreled past him, shaking Ruby like a maraca.
"We feel so bad! If we had known who you were we would be laughing over a hot meal right now and-."
"We understand." Ruby said as Dbroha kept her standing. "You were just following orders."
"You could've just asked though." Dbroha mumbled.
"Questions are for the weak." The Faunus of their group stated. "But we're all on the same team now, not that I'm happy about it."
"Your tail says otherwise."
He immediately grabbed his wagging tail in embarrassment as Blake covered Dbroha's mouth.
"Sorry, he's going through a snarky phase."
The leader chuckled. "We just wanted to say sorry and we're looking forward to working with you on our next mission. You might be students, but you've been working just as hard as we have, if not harder."
The smaller, pink eyed female of the group agreed. "Exactly why I'm looking forward to seeing what you kids can do."
The tall pale man behind her sighed. "Not everything is a competition, Hare."
Penny then slid in front of the team.
"Come on! Let me show you around campus!"
They all followed Penny who began rattling about the school's facilities and function and the length of the day they had finally caught up to them. By the time they made it to the door, Dbroha was lightly snoring while getting a piggyback ride from Yang. He only bolted awake when Penny yelled "It'll be just like Beacon again!" and Nora immediately dropped.
"Can we please go to bed?"