A.N.
I'm back. Now, this took around two weeks since I also has another story I'm writing. 'We March On' is the title and it's in the general section. It's essentially the same premise as this but Ruby is the newcomer.
Alright enjoy the story guys, thank you for all of you that still read this far.
According to his own capability of rational thinking, Damian Super Hikaru Takahashi was arguably having a good day. It was the usual setting for him, within his room of platinum and atop his throne of coins; the Boss of Vale Index Finger read the latest reports on the Old Glenn Incident. There were three lengthy reports he had to read through in order to understand the entire incident. The one from his First Ring, which was an observer. The one from his Third Ring Candidate, detailing the source of the Mutated Imps and the raid on the train. Lastly, the one from his newest junior, detailing the strength and behavior of the Imps and their encounter with Matchlight.
Overall, he would say the operation was a resounding success if not for the freshly sealed hole in the middle of the city. The scroll on his side was displaying the southern park bereft of its usual luster. An uneven and ugly patch of earth—hastily casted earth Dust—surrounded by construction workers and Fixers. That would definitely reside in the mind of The Council for weeks; sudden breach of security meant increase of security.
On the topic of the breach... Damian was left pondering overnight on what goals the enemies were trying to accomplish. The breach dealt minimal damage. By considering that fact, the goals this time were to make The Council on edge and causing public unrest. The city's rate of 'accidents' might be through the roof considering that the Backstreet existed, but that problem existed in the city, pretty much the life of a city dweller. This breach came from outside, something that hadn't occur since the Matchlight's Rebellion. Was this the beginning of another rebellion? According to Jaune's report, it might as well be with how Matchlight revered his savior.
Should he deployed more to investigate? That would be unwise with how The Council had annihilated the Pinky Finger the day before, he'd rather have his main force close by but still had enough spread out around the kingdom to maintain the Index's standing. How about sending out his Rings? Again, with the Pinky situation, First Ring must stand by here just in case. Second Ring now handled the task in Atlas. Third Ring Candidate was the only one he could send anywhere. The question is, where to?
Information regarding Matchlight was scarce even for The Council. The best info he could get his hands on was the Old Glenn Incident, the rest were cold tracks. He really was tempted to send more people out, he really did, but unless he could secure total cooperation with Ozpin, this was one risk he'd rather not take. He missed the old time, just strode to the battlefield and whacked some plebs. Good times.
He sighed and read the reports again. Other than Matchlight, three details caught his attention. Apparently, there was a third party that worked with him—it wasn't his savior, that bit he was sure. They seemed to have different agenda too according to the interaction between Politan and Merlot. Apparently, Ruby almost distorted again, not a good sign. And apparently, Jaune tapped into the power of the Golden himself. Yeah, this one detail was a positive one.
Speaking of positive... there was The Stallion. If his calculation was correct, she should be doing the task laid in the third file, he just had to wait for good results then.
KNOCK KNOCK "Sir, there's a letter for you."
Hmm? "From who?"
"From the usual crow, Sir. It delivered the letter straight to the front desk as always."
Ah, fucking Ozpin, "Enter."
An attendant entered with a tray in his hands. He offered the tray and Damian retrieved the letter on it. He stood straight and bowed before exiting his study and heading to his next task.
Damian looked at the letter. It was a bland one with only the words "To Damian Super Hikaru Takahashi" written on it. Yeah, this was no doubt a letter from Ozpin. The top part was ripped and Damian read the content.
"If a Councilor Guard proposes a cooperation, you WILL ACCEPT."
The fuck? This was a strange one for sure. Usually, Ozpin and the Councilor Guard, or any part of The Council for that matter, always butted heads with each other. So it was quite strange for him to receive a suggestion—nay, an order—this direct.
Of course, he did have possible scenarios that explained why Ozpin and the Councilor Guard would work together. One specific scenario was one that he wholeheartedly agreed and would follow with all of his resources ready to back it up.
KNOCK KNOCK
"If this is the Councilor Guard, then perhaps this arrangement was made in haste." The Index Boss rummaged around his pile of coins before finding his platinum lighter and burning the letter, "Who is it?"
"The Councilor Guard wishes for your audience, Sir."
"By The Brothers..." He exhaled, "Come in." The double door opened and a man wearing a black leather suit entered. On a single glance, the man was more ready for battle than a meeting, especially with the riot vest, arrows, and the compound bow. He did carry a briefcase, however. Then Damian recognized the face, and boy did his interest jumped to the stratosphere.
A straight hair of azure that reached his neck adorned with horse ears on top, sharp blue eyes of the twinkling stars, and a lean face that conquered the hearts of women. This man, without a doubt, was The Chief's Right Hand and also one of the Lazulite twins. This was the man known as Roy Lazulite, The Star-Blessed Hunter.
"Color me surprised. I didn't expect a high profile member of the Councilor Guard to be visiting soon."
Still with his easygoing smile, Roy replied, "Life can be weird sometimes. One moment you are having a nice chat with a cute girl with nice ass and tits, but then you hit the street with an errand to do. Yep, that's me!" Damian laughed and let the Star-Blessed Hunter to take a seat, "Ah yes, I can finally rest my legs." His briefcase was placed on the platinum low table, "Well then, Esteemed Leader Sir Damian Super Hikaru Takahashi... do you mind if we chat a bit?"
Damian smirked, "You got lots of guts I see."
A laugh was the respond Roy gave, "Well, in all due respect Sir. We've heard rumors about you Sir, one of them mentioned a hobby that includes getting under people's skin, they chose me for this occasion after weighting that. Monique was the one who should be here, but last minute arrangement made me do it."
"I see I see. Well then, I do not mind a bit of chat, however I have some businesses that I must attend to."
"Ah, how unfortunate. Then shall we proceed straight to business, Sir?"
"Straight to business and make it quick."
"Your words, your will Sir," Roy opened the briefcase and Damian saw papers detailing about contract and papers that suspiciously looked like a battle plan. There were more beneath but he couldn't possibly get a glance at this angle. "Sir. I, Roy Lazulite, on behalf of the Chief Guardian, offer you an accord."
Johnathan had to admit, the main street of Vale was actually kind to people... even the faunus. Well, that might had something to do with the upcoming Vytal festival. A festival that represented unity, representing humanity's strives to become One after the fall of The Emerald Order. Yeah, what a load of bullshit.
Johnathan was a man born and raised in the frontier where everybody joins hands in the name of survival, be it from monsters or even other human beings. The same case happened here where people survived and lived with their own community. Thus, he could confidently say that the spirit of Vytal still lived within each communities, but not in humanity as a single and global entity.
But hey, he was not here to ponder the meaning behind Vytal itself or criticize the people for surviving. No, he was here to enjoy his break. Free from the shackles of formal suit, Johnathan wore his favorite black t-shirt and brown khaki pants underneath his old brown duster, basically his usually getup when traveling. And since the Index provided him with inventory gloves he didn't need to carry everything with his bags anymore. Good addition yes.
He originally planned to nurse Ruby back to health in her home but his superior, who was actually the Boss' right hand man, kicked him out and told him to enjoy Vale. Then here he was, walking around Vale with a steaming cup of coffee in one hand.
One of the holographic announcement caught his eyes. It was about the main spectacle of the festival, The Vytal Tournament. A tournament of might where representatives from every major Hunter Academy from all over the world gather to prove whose the strongest. It was a bombastic entertainment where every man and woman on the planet desired to watch live from the Floating Vytal. Johnathan would like to do that, but that would be detrimental to his job with the Index; his break wasn't even that long dammit.
Johnathan stroll around again with no destination in mind, buying another cup of coffee in the process. His stroll led him to Vale's west park, where greeneries could still be found in the usually colorless city; Vytal festival was around the corner, so that should be a natural justification.
The park was less crowded than he expected, which was good for him. He chose the nearest bench and let himself relax in the somewhat fresh air of the park. He missed this kind of air, good for the body, good for the mind, the very reason why he loves traveling.
"Excuse me~" John glanced to his left and was met with a woman wearing an oversized white cloak, "Do you mind if I sit here~?" He simply made room for the woman and resumed his mindless gazing. The woman sat beside him and they simply chose not to interact with each other and find their own enjoyment in the park.
Kids milling around, families having picnic, couples holding hands... and if his eyes weren't playing tricks, he saw one couple sneaking behind those thick bushes. Pretty normal sight honestly, which brought a smile to his face. This scenery reminded him of home.
"Say, young man~ Do you mind if I ask some questions~?" Without as much as a glance, John answered with a positive, "Ah, thank you~ How is Little Ruby doing~?"
"What?" That definitely garnered his attention. His neck rotated and John finally took a closer at the woman, and was surprises with what he saw. The woman, for a lack of better word, was a literal copy of Ruby but aged up a decade. Straight hair with red tips reaching her neck, check. A round and smooth face with a smile of an angel, check. The only think he couldn't confirm was her eyes since she closed them.
This woman could pass off as Ruby's elder sister. But, based on what he'd seen with Ruby and the interactions with Senior Ermessia and Senior Big Steel, Ruby lost her entire family at a young age. Perhaps, this woman was a survivor? But why she chose to approach him in the first place and not Ruby? She also asked him about Ruby to him specifically, which meant she knew of his involvement with Ruby in the first place.
"Are you... Ruby's sister? Or cousin perhaps? Distant family?"
She let a silent laugh, still with her eyes close, "Of course not young man~ I am her mother~"
Johnathan blinked. And then blinked again, "Excuse me?"
Her laughter was audible now, and it was melodious, "Ahaha~~ You should have seen your face young man~ It is a funny one~"
He immediately regained his composure, "Ma'am, impersonating someone is something that I do not recommend, especially impersonating someone that is already deceased. And especially when that someone is my friend's deceased mother."
"But I am her mother though~" she replied with an innocent tone, which irritated John, "Perhaps, this will be enough for proof~" Her hand came from beneath the cloak. A picture with burnt edges was within that hand, "Look at this~"
He recognized that photo; it was the same as the one hanging on Ruby's wall. A photo of a happy family, one blond man as the father, the woman in front of him as the mother, and two children—one red and one yellow.
Her hand retracted and John was left pondering, "Say... hypothetically, if you are truly Ruby's mother, how in the name of The Brothers' are you still alive? Or a better question, why do you not see Ruby immediately?"
Her smile dimmed a little bit. It was still there, but it didn't have the same happiness and warmth they initially projected. Johnathan saw a woman that carried a burden only understood by herself. A sense of duty and perseverance that Johnathan personally understood, because if it weren't for those, Johnathan would still be a boy that vehemently denied his own reality.
"Before I answer that~" Her tone reverted back to normal, "What makes you strive this far, Jaune~?"
Crocea Mors instantly appeared; ready to be drawn against his enemy—
"Don't be so trigger happy, Jaune~ Remember where we are~"
Jaune had to force his hand away from the hilt of Crocea. He took one deep breath and looked around. They were in a park, specifically the west park, there were civilians, fixers, and a few hunter milling around. While inciting a fight here was technically legal since this wasn't part of the Golden Street, the civilians would be in danger and the fixers plus hunters won't be pleased with the disturbance to their relaxation time.
Jaune wisely calmed down, but Crocea was still in his grip, just in case. He glared at the woman, his gaze delivering the unasked question.
"When I was still a human~ Your father and I used to partake in Star of The City missions together~ It was before Ruby's birth, on a Star subjugation mission 'Tyrian de Fel'~ Nick was boasting about his first son~ That must be you, I've been around Nick long enough to recognize an Arc just by a glance~"
Jaune listened intently to every words that came from the woman. He couldn't trace a single lie from them, not from something that was spoken so fondly. Which resulted in a dilemma within his mind. She seemed friendly, but she knew his identity. But, the fact that no Council had approach him meant the woman kept it secret. Then there were the words 'used to be human', that might be an indirect statement of claiming herself to be a Distortion. He needed more info before proceeding.
"Then how are you alive? I am under the impression that you died when Matchlight first awaken."
She gave him a small giggle as an answer, "Now now~ Why don't you talk about your driving force first before I bestow my own wisdom to you~"
He sighed. Fine, he'd humor the woman, "This sword and shield, Crocea Mors. She is the last remnant of my family. I've been training to be strong just so that I can be worthy of wielding her, to be the next Golden to grace this world. That is the only way I can honor my family, not just my own family but also my ancestors and their ancestors.
"We were once a simple band of hedge knights before. A force that unites Vale in the wake of the Grimm even before the rise of the kingdom. The first of the Arc chose not to be a king; he chose to be his blade, vowing to put his majesty down if they become a devil. My great grandfather, the man whose radiance matches the sun, the only man who claims the title Golden, and also the man who brought down the Emerald Order for reasons lost to history. He is the greatest of the Arc, and I will honor my family by becoming Golden, just like him.
"I was trained as a Knight, not a Hunter. Yet I try to be a Hunter anyway, thinking I could bring back the glory of the Arc in incognito and change The Council bit by bit. In hindsight, that was a stupid idea, especially since I didn't know how the Hunter system works. All I know is just how to fight like a knight. Then here I am. Barely surviving an encounter with two Star of The City threats and finally found someone I could protect as a knight."
Jaune didn't know how long he talked, he only knew there was a hand on his shoulder once he finished his tale. He saw Madame Rose gave him a smile that reminded him of his mother.
"You strive this far with your dreams upon your shoulders, unbending, unflinching~" The hand left his shoulder, "Truly, what an amazing young man you are~"
"Yeah... just walk forward, like what my father used to say to me." Jaune had said his piece, "How about you, Madame?"
A giggle escaped her, "I suppose it's my turn now~" She gazed forward, even though her eyes were closed, Jaune got the impression that she could actually see the world. "I won't deny that I died in that explosion, but as I had found out after that, the soul of the Bearer of Silver is actually quite strong~"
"The Bearer of Silver? What's that? Something to do with silver eyes, just like Ruby?"
She continued, "My soul persisted after death, a fact that Emmanuel wasn't even aware of~ I stayed on the burnt remains of my home, unable to move, unable to talk, eternally bound until The Brothers pluck me away~ Then, I was saved~" Her lips curved upwards, forming a smile full of reverence. His hands came from beneath the white cloak and joined together, "One of the very first Distortion in existence took notice of me and revived me in this distorted body~"
"This sounds eerily like Matchlight... Wait, the very first Distortion?"
"My first thought was to get to Ruby, but then my savior, my Distortion—The Choice—enlightened me~ He showed me the path forward, the path towards humanity's liberation~ A path where every man, woman, and child have no need to worry about their future~ A path where Ruby can live a truly happy life, free from the shackle of the world~"
His eyes were wide like the Valean Ocean. That speech, that conviction in her voice... He came to a sudden realization—
"This Duty that I undergo, first in the name of Ozma, and now in the name of The Choice~ I will fulfill it and bring humanity towards their freedom... and eventual Apotheosis~"
—This woman, this Distortion, was a fanatic of the worst kind. It was they who walked the path of righteousness yet brought harm to the world. She sound convincing just like a saint, but Jaune refused to believe one of the progenitor of the Distortion would bring something positive to the world.
This Distortion must go down. Crocea Mors answered him, yet the blade only halfway from leaving her sheathe. The glinting silver of the Distortion's eye glanced at him. She only lifted her eyelid a little until a small fraction of her silver eye could make contact with his. And Jaune was frozen in apprehension.
Not terror, apprehension.
He knew terror when Imperator declared itself King, and Jaune weathered through it. This... woman felt like that... yet Jaune already prepared for it. The only reason holding himself back was that small warning pounding the back of his skull telling him that he won't survive this encounter if he proceed. He kept eye contact with the woman, pondering whether he should proceed or ceased. In the end, he wisely sheathed Crocea Mors and listen once more to her spiel. He must survive this, The Boss needs to know.
She closed her eye and let her hands fell on her lap, "It is a heavy Duty indeed, one that I'm afraid would falter if I meet my daughter~ And I believe her pure soul can't handle the revelation that I'm alive very well~ But, you know of me now, and Emmanuel too soon enough~ I leave that matter to you both~"
The woman stood from the oak bench and faced him. Jaune braced himself for the worst when she seemed to rummage for something under that white cloak, only to reveal something completely harmless on first glance. One was a piece of paper inscribed with letters and numbers forming some kind of code. The other was a red cloak that seemed to be made from the same material as her own cloak.
She handed those items onto his hands, "Give this paper to Emmanuel~ He'll know how to read it~ As for this cloak... just give it to Emmanuel too~ He'll know how to give this to Ruby without looking suspicious~"
Jaune was perplexed, "How do I even meet the Headmaster of Beacon on my own?"
Her answer confused him even more, "The Choice had spoken of this before~ Go back to Ruby's home and Emmanuel will be there waiting for you~"
After that, she excused herself and skipped away happily. But Jaune had one more question. "Hey, Madame. How did you lay low for years undetected? I don't think The Crow who specialized in intelligence gathering would miss you."
"Just research the 'Huntress In The Woods'~ That's me as a Star in the eyes of The Council~"
And then she skipped away happily and blending in with the crowd once she exited the park. Jaune looked down at the items he was given before pulling out the Index issue scroll and taking a picture of them. The Boss needs to know.
But first, he had a Headmaster waiting for him.
The life of Marcus Black was full of tragedy and fortune if he had to say for himself. Beginning life as a street urchin, accidentally killing someone, got hooked into it, became the best assassin in all of Mistral, almost burning to death courtesy of his own son, somehow survived and now living the life of a Distortion in New Glenn serving under The Freedom Devil. What a great life he thought.
So great in fact that he could enjoy everything he loves all at once in this life of his. In his first hand was a ball of light containing the Semblance of the only person he respected. In his second hand was a pack of ice ready to be poured into a sparkling glass. In his third hand was a knife chopping a lemon for garnish. In his fourth hand was a shaker preparing his favorite mix. As for his other hands, they were reorganizing his collection of drinks.
Normally having many hands and huge body would prove detrimental to an assassin like himself, but the team's hideout was big and his role wasn't assassination anymore, it was demolition. Like seriously, his huge body was comprised of metals in all shapes and forms. Including but not limited to: Boxes, triangles, arms, legs, pointed legs, bladed arms, poles, pipes, guns, big guns, explosives, and launcher for said explosives. All held up together with tangling wires that somehow let the only remaining of Marcus Black—a lone metallic skull—controlled the entire thing. Yeah, logic was pretty much illogical once the Great War season passed.
"Buratino. Are you listening to me?" A voice with an edge resounded from his left.
Marcus Black, known as the Distortion 'Buratino', dismissively glanced at the source. He internally smiled that the Bitch in The Red Dress became livid by his action. He opened his mouth to say something, and then immediately closed it, making the Bitch angrier and angrier by the second.
Ah, what a comedy.
He then looked at the bitch's underlings.
One green, an illusionist of excellent proficiency.
One grey, an excellent assassin born from the best of the best, and unknowing of his father's survival. He was honestly proud with how far little Mercury had grown.
He looked back at the Bitch, her right eye burning in her power. Buratino bent down until his skull was face to face with the Bitch. He punctuated every words that shot from his mouth, "Little girl. Your threats. Meant nothing." The upper and lower jaw vibrated and produced sounds that irritate one's ear, "Salem was nothing! Compared to the man we plan to usurp! Emmanuel Ozpin, the strongest man! Be grateful that Milord graces you with cooperation."
It was clear that an argument would break. Fortunately before such event become a reality, the door opened with a bang, "Buratino~! We're back~!"
Ah, the Huntress In The Woods was back. Mister Matchlight and his Neo Politan a few second later. And finally, the latest addition to this liberation crew, Doctor Prajit Merlot—The Man of Grimm.
He ignored the Bitch and grabbed more glasses. Let us enjoy the coming storm with merry!
A.N.
Yeah, I spent the last two weeks just thinking on how to carry the story into the next act. Oh yeah, this story already finished the first act, yay to me. Now onto plot development... this is what I came up with. There were other ideas of course but this path stood out the most to me.
Thank you for everyone who read this far, and if you enjoy it, that's good. Feel free to tell me your thoughts in the review if you want.