"So tell me, how has your time here been." The general asked as we strode across the path.
Almost all of the other students and guests were back at the dance, leaving only a few stragglers and patrolling soldiers to occasionally cross our vision.
"It's been alright, everything seems like it moves smoothly." I gave as he let out a hum.
"Yes, that is good then. Ozpin has also told me that you've had the chance to visit Vale; what do you think of it?" He questioned as we came across the statue out front.
"To be honest it's a lot larger than I had first expected. There are so many lights, and it's sometimes hard to see the stars." I told as I looked up, glad to at least be able to see them at Beacon. The general let out a slight chuckle.
"Ah yes, one of the few downsides to living in the main cities. It's trivial for most who move in as they seek safety over beauty, and the sight of the sky is one of the many sacrifices they're willing to make."
"Really? I've never seen anything like it before." I questioned as he nodded.
"I wouldn't expect you too, it's mostly caused from all the man made light that litters most of the streets. Even if you lived in and been around such cities back in your time, it wouldn't be enough to cause such a reaction." The general explained as he looked over to me.
"There has been a lot of advancements over the years, both on and off the battlefield. All created for either simple convenience, or survival against the Grimm." The general smiled as he pointed to the tower where the headmaster's office was.
"For example: the CCT was created after the great war as a way for the kingdoms to communicate with each other. It was designed so they would be able to discuss matters through words, rather than violent actions." He explained as I looked over.
"So the CCT is what allows everyone to talk to each other?" I asked as he nodded.
"Yes, it's mostly mainstream now, being primarily used for just about everything, although there is a caveat." The man's face hardened. "Should any of the kingdoms cut communications, then the whole system would go down. At first this was due to our limited experience with the system."
"What do you mean inexperience?" I asked as he looked to the tower again.
"Well... when we first worked on the system we had no real idea of any limits there might have been, and so we took a much longer time searching for those limits as well as any exploits. At first the whole communication going down issue was caused by an error deeper in, one that we couldn't quite figure out. So we treated it as a feature, deciding to make use out of it."
"What kind of use?" I asked as we started walking again.
"A more... global use. The towers themselves would occasionally face issues due to small bugs that would act up from time to time, and so we would shut down the whole system to deal with them; the towers would still work, but global communications would be cut for a short time. A small message would be sent before hand as a warning to the kingdoms, who would then tell the people that the system was down for maintenance."
We passed by some soldiers, each gave a salute before they carried on and the general sent a minor nod their way.
"However this also meant that any of our agents that were away in the other kingdoms would be unable to communicate back to the main hub. This lead on to a new idea to make use of the system as a way to discourage espionage."
Our walk had taken us almost full circle, and we were close to the main dance hall again. We stopped just some distance off as he looked my way.
"Should any of the kingdoms try to exploit or invade another then the treat of shutting down communication would be brought up. It would cause issues for all kingdoms yes, but with such a shut down they would be the only one's not told. Other kingdoms would send the message to their people that it is simply maintenance, but the ones caught would not."
"So they wouldn't know?" I guessed as he nodded with a smirk.
"Exactly, they would need to send a message by courier. Once arrived the warning would be sent for them to stop whatever they were trying. The threat itself always worked because if they try to fight then the system would remain off, and eventually their people would start questioning them."
"And it would lead to potential pushback, you use their own citizens against them." I spoke as he nodded.
"The bug has been fixed for years now, instead the system is now set to shut off should anyone cut links with anyone else. It's essentially been turned into a controllable feature. We can at any point choose to remove the feature, but it has to be done before anyone cuts out, otherwise the whole thing will shut down anyway and all connections are lost." He finished as I questioned once more.
"But what if something else happens? What if it get's destroyed or broken i some way?"
He let out a single laugh. "Don't worry about that, all of the towers are heavily guarded. Nothing short of an invasion could possibly hope of breaking them down."
I looked back to the tower, amazed that such a thing even existed. It felt so... unreal, the things people were capable of. I sent a look back to the general.
"You seem to take pride in it, the tower I mean." I gave as he looked up to it.
"That I do. Atlas is known for it's innovation and technology, and as one of it's citizens I take pride in the things my kingdom has achieved." He turned his gaze my way. "Now enough about me, why not tell me a bit about yourself?"
"Myself? I thought the headmaster already told you everything about me?" I asked as he nodded.
"He did, but I prefer to hear it from the source. He's told me about who you are, and what you're capable of, but it's the same generalization as telling someone about a friend. It's best to get to know someone from the person themselves, rather than just hearing about them."
"I guess that's true. Then what is it you wanted to know?" I questioned as he shook his head.
"This isn't an interrogation, I just wish to know about you. We'll be working together from now on so I'd rather get to know the man who'll be fighting with us. How about something simple: Ozpin said you are able to manifest a type of armor over yourself, how about a little demonstration." He suggested as I thought it over.
He wanted to see my armor. It wasn't that extreme of a request, and if we were going to be working together it might have even been a good idea. He was a general, and so it would make sense that he'd use every tool and skill to his advantage. If the headmaster had him act as a leader then there was a high chance that the man would be giving me missions at some point. He would need to know my skills if he was to take advantage of them and lead properly.
"Alright, just step back and give me a moment." I stopped. "But not here, it might cause a scene so close to the dance."
"Hmm, you're right. Then let's move out front, next to the hunters victory statue; it should be clear, and it's far enough away from the students." He agreed as we went off.
Next to the statue we stopped, with the general standing some steps away. His gaze was intense as he focused on me. I felt the familiar heat wash over me as my armor let itself be known. Only this time it chose to abstain from my limbs, forming over only my face. I suspected this was due to the suit I wore, as it covered almost the entirety of my body, and only my face and hands were uncovered.
Yet as I opened my eyes I was caught in shock.
Something's here!
No... no that was impossible, how could there be anything around. The feeling was raw hate, burning in the distance. The very same feeling of emotion as the Grimm.
"General, I have a question."
"Very well, you may ask." He gave with a look of curiosity.
"This is a school of hunters right?"
"Yes... what of it?"
"So what are the chances that a Grimm could be anywhere nearby?" I asked as his look hardened.
"None, with so many students here the Grimm would be torn to pieces in an instant. My soldiers are patrolling the school as we speak, and they would deal with any Grimm in seconds. Why... what prompted this?" He asked as I looked him in the eye.
"Because there's one here right now."
.
.
"Impossible!" James let out as Vermillion turned and faced the distance.
"I know what I feel, it's a Grimm I'm sure of it. It's the same as last time."
Last time, what last time!?
James was in a daze. Vermillion just stated that there was a Grimm nearby, but surely that was impossible. His soldiers were all over the school, so the chances of a Grimm slipping in were second to none.
He was almost tempted to suggest the boy was mistaken, but he stopped himself. The way he moved, the way he flung his head, the whole action screamed of certainty. Instantly he remembered the talk with Ozpin, the one of the boy's Grimm tracking capabilities.
Instantly his guard was up. If there was a Grimm in the school, one undetected by anyone so far, it could only mean that it wasn't a coincidence! James had only one suspicion of how such an act was possible.
Salem!
"Vermillion, lead the way. If a Grimm is in the school then we need to stop it. We can't risk alerting the students incase a panic starts." Ironwood explained as Vermillion nodded.
The boy took off, and he made to follow. Along the way James began to notice something off. The current guards he had ordered to patrol the area were nowhere to be found, which was strange considering that Atlas took it's security with the upmost seriousness. His attention was stolen as he stopped alongside Vermillion and caught sight of something worrying.
"They're yours right?" The boy asked as James nodded.
"Hold for a moment." He ordered as he stepped forward. He leaned down and placed an ear over one of their mouths, only to let out a sigh. "They're unconscious, not dead."
James stood again, waving the boy forward as he looked ahead. The CCT looked empty from the outside, but the fact that his men were knocked out confirmed his earlier suspicions.
"Stick close and keep your guard up, someone's inside."
Vermillion nodded as they creeped in. It was dark, void of any light other than that of a few monitors. He could tell that whoever had broken in had been careful to avoid raising any alarm, meaning that they wanted to keep on the down low.
Of all the times...
It just had to be the Vytal Festival didn't it, and as much as he hated it he couldn't deny that it was the perfect moment to try and cause chaos. With everything going on it meant less time to keep guard over things, after all the best time to break in was when everyone had their guard down, and there was no event better to do that than a celebration.
They took a moment to look around, trying to figure out if anything had been tampered with. All they managed to find were a few downed guards, each sporting some burn marks across their equipment. Whoever was responsible had access to fire dust, or had a fire based semblance.
Vermillion looked over, sending a hand signal James's way. They boy had cleared the other side, and from the signal given he hadn't found anything. With that he cast his look to the elevator. Whoever was there would have needed it to reach the upper floors, as the door to the stairs was still locked when he first checked on his side.
James sent his own signal, motioning for the boy to follow. He received a nod as the two approached the elevator. Carefully they stepped inside, punching in the next floor as the thing sprung to life.
The two held their guards up - even through the corny elevator jingle - as a few seconds passed, and finally the door dinged.
James was ready for anything; for the creeping atmosphere, for the careful search, and even for any surprises that may have been hiding in wait as they looked around. What he was not ready for was an arrow to pierce the space between the two of them.
Instantly he was in action as he rushed out, taking cover behind one of the call desks. With a quick glance across James saw that Vermillion did the same; sending another signal before he rushed out. No words were exchanged yet James understood the plan: the boy would draw attention as he himself would try to cut their attacker off.
With purpose James swiftly moved around the outer edges of the various stands, occasionally catching sight of the battle in the center of the room. Through observation he was able to deduce that their culprit was a woman, and it looked like it was indeed a fire semblance that she possessed. She seemed to be able to manifest various weapons from the flames, and he had a sneaking suspicion that she had dust woven into her clothing as the levels of fire were more than most semblances he'd seen or read about.
Vermillion didn't have his sword, and so he looked to be fighting with his fists; blocking strike after strike with the bone plates on the back of his hands. Sadly the boy wasn't able to really hit their enemy, and the woman was getting a few hits on his arms and torso.
However through the rips in the suit James was able to see more plates underneath, they looked thin sure but they appeared to still be sturdy enough to take the blows.
So that's it.
The boy thought the armor wouldn't form under clothing, but from the looks of it the armor actually did; it was just thinner and smaller to avoid damaging his clothes. Whether this was intentional or not didn't really matter, but it put the man at ease knowing that the boy didn't sacrifice a majority of his defense by wearing more covering clothes.
Now!
James rushed out, having got into the perfect position as the woman lunged for Vermillion. He cut her off, placing himself between her and the boy before delivering a blow to her gut.
Well... what would have been a blow to the gut; instead he was met with a wave of fire. The flames singed his clothes and blinded him for a moment, but that moment proved to be perfect for her as his ears were greeted by the sounds of glass as it shattered.
James regained his vision a second later and caught sight of the broken window.
"We can't let her get away!" Vermillion screamed as he rushed for the hole and leapt out after her.
"Wait!" James called, but it was too late as the boy was already gone.
Shit!
With no choice he brought out his scroll and made a call. He brought the device to his ear as the rings went through.
"Hello." Came a voice as James passed his message.
"Ozpin we have a problem."
.
.
She was fast, faster than I had anticipated. The way she made use of her flames had me on edge, and kept me from keeping pace with her.
I had the speed needed to catch her, but the way she moved about forced me into a jumble and caused me to dash around in all directions. As I got closer to her she would change direction, and in turn I would as well.
We raced across the rooftops, flying across the sky like a couple of comets. Even with all the fire I was unable to identify her, and upon closer inspection it seemed she wore a mask as well.
While I may have been unable to see her face, I could definitely feel her. That feeling of Grimm from before, it was practically radiating off her, almost as if she were covered in the beasts.
As I focused more I was able to identify the point where the Grimm feeling was strongest. She was covered in it, yet the feeling was at it strongest across her arm. It was nothing like before. Most Grimm felt of the usual rage and fear, at least from last time anyway. Yet the woman's arm held a different emotion, one that genuinely confused me.
It felt... excited, and even a tad smug. I didn't understand how, but her arm was somehow able to give off positive emotions.
The Grimm were creatures of darkness, attracted to negativity and wielding a burning hatred of all life; so why had her arm been giving off positive feelings? More importantly I was able to tell definitively that her arm was somehow connected to the Grimm, and if I remembered the headmaster right that would mean that the woman was connected to the Goddess.
With more drive than ever I increased my efforts to catch the intruder. If she was connected than it would mean that there was a chance she knew where the Goddess was. I couldn't let her get away.
Quickly she dropped down from the roof, running across the field and around some of the pillars that outlined the front of Beacon. I followed in an attempt to keep her within my sights.
Even as she escaped my vision I was able to follow after and catch her again. Whether she knew it or not she was practically a moving alarm for my senses, and so long as my armor remained up I didn't need to worry about losing her.
She was getting slower, bit by bit it seemed like she was starting to lose her stamina. Every pillar she brushed past I would get just a tad closer to her, closing the gap by just the tiniest margin.
Just as we were to repeat the pillar chase she took off in another direction, looking to fumble with something in her hand. The tiny light I saw from the object confirmed that it was a scroll.
She's trying to call someone!
I pushed myself again, but even though she looked tired she was still able to keep me bouncing around before dashing through some bushes.
Bursting through I was able to spot her heading for the dance hall.
This was a problem for me as my armor wasn't known to everyone at Beacon; dashing in would only cause them to panic and think I was some sort of Grimm. Everyone else who saw the armor had already known it was me, but the other students at Beacon did not.
Reluctantly I let my armor drop, now forced to rely on my vision alone. Even if I caused a scene I didn't have to worry about a mass wave of panic, only some weird stares at most.
In the distance as I closed the gap I was able to see her struggling to get by, completely ignored as she pushed through. I slowed myself as I entered, carefully brushing through the busy area. I got some off looks, but was ultimately ignored in favor for their friends and other distractions. And so I passed along in hopes of catching the intruder, yet my vision was cut off as I bumped into another student.
"Watch it buddy." He spoke before walking off, leaving me be as I realized what had happened. The woman was gone.
It was just a moment, only a single second where I lost sight of the girl. In that very second I felt a wave of dread pour down my spine. If I lost her then we wouldn't be able to get the answers we needed. If I lost her then I would have failed the headmaster... I would have failed my duty.
My eyes scanned frantically as I searched for my target, feeling the desperation only build as I was left bumbling about the crowd. I tried to keep the panic down, but I started to crack the more time had passed. The few seconds had felt like hours as I was left clueless as to her whereabouts.
I was just about to break when I caught sight of her.
Off to the side a little bit against the wall I was able to see her. Relief welled up as I started her way. She looked to be calm, but I didn't want to let her know I was coming. As such I creeped around, using the crowd as cover during the approach.
So close... just a bit more...
Now!
I leapt out, watching as she turned to me with a look of shock behind the mask. Wasting no time I grabbed her by the throat, hoisting her up into the air as gasps and shouts filled the space around me.
I didn't care, not the slightest bit. There in my hand I watched her hands claw at me, a look of rage in her eyes as she stared down.
The world around us seemed silent as we stared at each other, almost haunting in a way as the background noise was drowned out. All my focus was on her; the woman who thought she could invade Beacon and escape.
Even after all the trouble she put me through I was still able to catch her. Now all I needed to do was wait for the general to catch up, and once he did then the real questioning could begin.
Yet my attention was torn as a loud scream filled my ears.
.
.
"What happened?" Ozpin asked as he straightened himself.
"Someone broke into the CCT." James clarified as Ozpin cast a look over all the students below.
He had intended to simply keep watch from the upper balcony as they went about their night, but it seemed as though he wouldn't get that luxury.
"Explain further please."
"Vermillion has followed after her, I'm about to send the order out to the soldiers to look around."
"James that'll cause a panic." He stated as he watched the students start up another dance.
"Only the soldiers will know, and I'll order them to keep quiet and be discrete. Listen to me Ozpin: someone broke into the CCT and we don't know why. This has Salem written all over it, and right now the boy is giving chase to our culprit." James explained as Ozpin let loose a sigh.
"Fine, keep everything quiet. I'll look for Vermillion and our mysterious guest from where I am." Ozpin told as he started for the stairs.
"Right, we'll discuss later; over and out." And so the call ended with Ozpin on high alert.
Whoever broke in was surely taking advantage of the positive atmosphere, and combined with the dust theft it painted a terrible picture. The festival would be filled to the brim with guests from all across Remnant; in other words it was the perfect time to cause a disaster.
He came upon the last step, keeping a calm face as he strode across the lower floor. Along the way he received some waves and calls from a few of the students, returning each with a polite gesture as to avoid looking worried.
Yet his gaze was removed from the path and he ended up bumping into someone.
"S-sorry headmaster, I wasn't watching where I was going." Came the voice of young Ruby Rose. She was perhaps one of the more... 'excitable' first years he'd accepted into Beacon in a while.
"No apologies necessary Ms. Rose, I myself had my attention lost elsewhere, so the blame is partially mine. Anyway, how are you this evening." He tried in an attempt to ease the girl's worries.
It would be best to keep everyone happy and relaxed, both to avoid panic and to spot any 'panicked' individuals. Whoever their culprit was would surely try and escape pursuit, afterwards they would try to blend in to avoid suspicion; after all chances were they would pose as a student for the night until the heat died down. It would be much harder to do that should everybody else look naturally relaxed.
"It's alright, minus the fact that everyone else looks like they know how to dance whereas I don't have a clue." The girl spoke as her tone dipped a bit.
"Maybe, but not everybody does. Last I checked Mr. Wukong was flailing around, but he still looked to be having fun. Dancing isn't about knowing how to do it, it's about letting yourself move to the music however you want; it's about having fun." He stated as the younger girl looked to understand.
"I still hate the dress code though." She said bluntly as he let out a small laugh.
"You're not the only one." He let out, only to be interrupted by a large yell.
He turned his gaze and saw than may of the students were backed away from a single spot. With speed he strode through, forcing himself past several students in an attempt to find out what was happening.
At the center his eyes caught sight of a scene he never thought he would see. There between everyone and at the center of the gathering was Vermillion, holding one of the students up by the neck.
Why is he- wait... that's-
His thoughts were broken by the shriek of young Ruby.
"BLAKE!"
Author's note
...
Here we are once again, this time with a tad shorter of a chapter.
I wanted to focus on the dance really; well... the events around the dance anyway. Despite being a dance our focus has been on everything but.
V's powers been acting up, revealing our little intruder before Ruby was able to escape her sister. Ironwood seen some action here, creeping around and striking from the rear. It didn't work of course, but at least it was something.
Also got a scene with Oz. Without Qrow around somebody has to hold onto the bad luck, and our eternal headmaster here will have to deal with what is essentially a brand new problem now.
Just when he started to get less hated by the main cast this happens. How will V deal with this, how will Ozpin deal with this, guess you'll just have to wait and see.
Anyway, with that out of the way let me know your thoughts, and see you next time.