"And so the bracket for this year's tournament has been made visible for all. Even the qualifier's are free to look over it. We believe this can effectively show how quickly hunters take to change and adaptation, as all their skills and abilities are available from their online profiles." Ozpin spoke into the microphone as Ironwood nodded from his side, taking to the podium as the man stepped away.
"As you know hunters not only need to be able to fight, but strategize as well. One of the key advantages to randomized battles was it's ability to force quick decisions for every match, affording no time to study and plan for the opponent. However with this years festival we believed it crucial to show off the other side of the coin, and allow the students of the tournament access to information that would allow strategies to be made. It is our hope that they'll show their wits in the coming matches."
Ozpin let a soft smile adorn his face, but on the inside he smirked heavily. With the attack on the CCT, as well as Vermillion's rather unfortunate string of bad luck they had all been placed into a corner. However the theft of minor documents brought up an unusual opportunity, one he was keen to put in action.
Whoever broke into the CCT clearly targeted the festival, and the hacking looked to only touch documents related to it. Meaning it was safe to assume something may have tampered with it, and the only thing worth while to the festival accessible from the CCT would be the tournament bracket. If that was truly their target then the best way to counter such a move was to make alteration of it impossible, at least not without being super obvious.
There were also the rumors to attend with.
Online the discourse surrounding Vermillion's rumored ability to control Grimm were blazing wildly. Some had even speculated he might appear at the tournament to aid Beacon towards victory, and had even argued about whether it was cheating or not. Ozpin had no idea how they came to that conclusion, but it was rectified by the bracket being visible, showing he had no place in the event.
Two Grimm, one bullet.
He felt particularly cocky at the moment, even if he knew the perpetrators of the hack probably had bigger plans. This move at least would leave them with less options, something he was banking on as he watched the general step down from the microphone. With a nod the two left the stage, allowing the soldiers guarding it to remain beside as the reporters shouted and yelled questions rapidly.
The two paid the mob no mind however as they stepped into the airship, with Ironwood letting out a sigh as they took off back to Beacon. The interview was done in Vale as a way to not specifically tie it to either Atlas or Beacon, with members of each group acting as security. All that was dealt with though, and the general was the first to break the silence as he voiced his concern.
"The event of match manipulation may be culled for now, but suppose that's not the target, what then?" He asked as Ozpin looked to the city below.
"We'll deal with it as it comes. Right now we should be glad that one of their options has been put to a stop."
"And all the other options?"
"That's where they come in." Ozpin told as Ironwood grumbled.
"I don't see how involving a group of children helps matters in the slightest."
"It isn't about them." Ozpin replied as he smirked. "It's about how they watch."
"Watch?"
"It's simple: we offer them extra credit in exchange for keeping an eye on the festival, claiming to have too few guards due to minor issues."
"And these 'issues'? How do we explain that question?" The general shot back as Ozpin adjusted his glasses.
"It's none of their business, and they don't need to worry about it. How does that sound?" He smirked as Ironwood frowned.
"Children are curious. They'll go looking for answers if not told."
"And if they just so happen to spy anything off while looking for said answers?"
The general grumbled as Ozpin smirked.
"They could get hurt."
"And it will be noisy."
"Ozpin."
"Trust me James, we'll hear them if they get into trouble. They're not exactly known for subtlety."
"The fallout could be disastrous on your reputation should they get severely injured."
"And I will deal with it should that come to pass." Ozpin replied as he leaned on his cane.
The general continued to grit his teeth, and Ozpin looked to the skies. He knew his friend was worried, after all the plan could very easily go south. But if it worked, then they may have found their answer.
We can't afford to pass up this opportunity.
.
.
Ruby stretched as she laid herself back against the bench.
It was decided Weiss and Yang would take part in the next battle: a partners match. While the bracket made each team visible, it didn't show who would be in the fight, just the participating team. It was the only real advantage they could pull in matters of surprise as it at least allowed them to form unexpected pair-ups. But the teams only consisted of four people, so researching those four and having backups for each pair wasn't exactly all that difficult.
However with the match only needing two people it meant Blake and her were left out with nothing to really do. Ruby had asked Blake if she wanted to do anything, but the girl said she had things to do and left. Yet some luck arrived for her in the form of one particularly infamous Faunus, and when asked Vermillion told her he'd be willing to kill some time, along with apologizing for leaving her before - which she'd been quick to wave off.
So there she was, waiting for the man of the hour in hopes of alleviating some of her boredom.
What's taking so long?
In all honesty she'd only been waiting for a few minutes, but still that didn't help with her drooping eyes. Ruby wanted to spend time with him, to learn about him so they could hopefully become real friends. She didn't believe he was all bad, and even though it felt nosy she still wanted to figure him out.
Hopefully then she could help him put more value in things, rather than being so willing to end all his problems with killing.
Ruby shivered at that, still uncomfortable with the fact that she was trying to befriend a murderer.
What would mom say?
Her mother would probably be concerned, but overall happy that she was trying to help others; she knew that and yet it still made her twitch. Thinking of her mother Ruby was reminded of why she wanted to be a huntress so much, and just how dumb it may have sounded to others.
The girl would always say it was to be a hero, and to make the world a better place, and while that was partially true she knew it was just an attempt to justify her true goal; one not even her family knew about.
Ruby Rose wanted to... no, needed to find out just what exactly happened to her mother. Helping people, fighting Grimm, those just so happened to go hand-in-hand with hunters. It made her feel cold and icky knowing that wasn't her main concern, but she pushed those feelings aside. She still wanted to help people, but when given the choice between saving lives or chasing a direct lead...
Ruby wasn't so sure she'd do the right thing.
"Hello there."
She was broken from her train of thought and her eyes flicked over to watch as Vermillion walked over to her. The girl was quick to her feet as she sped his way, overall relieved that his arrival would take her mind off things.
"Hey V, ready to go?" She asked quickly as he sent a puzzled look.
"Go?" He questioned as Ruby realized she forgot to tell him earlier. Mentally she slapped herself before looking to him again with a wide grin.
"To cheer on Weiss and Yang!"
.
.
I didn't exactly know what to make of it, but as we sat watching the fight it seemed as though Ruby only burned brighter with excitement. Still though, it was a silent relief as it took the attention off me.
Stupidly I'd agreed to spend the day with her, not that I minded the girl much as she was generally kind and nice to be around. The 'stupid' part came from the fact that I had no plans made when I'd agreed, and as such most of my time before meeting with her was spent in silent panic at what to do.
Luck had been on my side and she pulled me along to watch the upcoming fights. Oddly enough she meant it quite literally when she said we'd be cheering the others along, and I was certain I'd go deaf after it was all over.
Dust this girl can scream.
I had my ears covered - along with several others around us who sent looks of ire our way - and found it particularly difficult to pay attention to anything other than the screeching of the hooded girl next to me.
"SHOW 'EM WHAT WE'RE MADE OF!"
I clenched my teeth slightly and felt a twitch in my eye. Her words were starting to physically hurt, and that was saying something for anyone with aura. I reached up and tugged at her sleeve. There was no response. I tried again, only with more force. Still no response.
Just as she was about to shout again I leapt up and clamped a hand over her mouth, dragging her back down to her seat as she squirmed and thrashed. I let go as she let out a few coughs and glared at me.
"What was *cough* that for?!"
"I, as well as several others, would prefer if our ears survived the show." I spoke as she flushed and looked around. Ruby cringed in on herself as she finally realized all the angry glares. The girl let out a slight chuckle and a miniscule 'sorry' as she set her sights awkwardly back to the tournament.
I rolled my eyes a bit and let out a sigh, setting my sights back to the tournament just in time to see Weiss engage her opponent. Yet I found myself squint at an odd light that looked to coat her.
Wait... that isn't light...
Narrowing my eyes a bit more I noticed that a soft fog seemed to brush across her. It was dark, almost like that of smoke, and seemed to fade somewhat. For a moment I thought to question it, and yet I stopped myself. Something about it sent a flurry of stress throughout my body, and I looked over to Ruby who seemed to be questioning it as well.
"I didn't know Weiss could do that?" Ruby let out as I kept my gaze on the battlefield.
I'd seen Weiss fight before, and I didn't remember a time where she ever tried to use smoke. All she ever seemed to fight with were her glyphs. Yet I had trouble seeing the tactical advantage of her using smoke the way she did. It was so faint that I could still see her movements just fine, and it only looked to stretch across her body and nothing else.
"Hold on..."
I looked over to Ruby as her eyes slowly widened; a look of realization planting itself firmly across her face.
"Ruby, what's happening?" I questioned as she stood, took out her scroll, and looked to make a call.
"Blake, it's happening again."
"I know." Came the voice of Blake.
Before I could ask what was happening Ruby took off, and with a slight stumble I chased after her.
.
.
Everything felt strange to Weiss, and taking a moment to observe her surroundings made the reason clear. The world seemed to slow. She would have believed it stopped completely if not for the tiny movements of the dirt before her. Even the slight fog looked to slow around her.
The girl tried her arms, and then her legs, only to realize none of them would respond. She attempted to blink, and the world changed. It was brief, but for a split second she could have sworn she saw something.
After a second the area was replaced with a soft grey haze, one that shadowed everything and rendered even the light of the sun mute. It was at that point Weiss realized she could move again; something she took to immediately. Her hand shot out, reaching for something, anything, to grab onto.
No such luck, and the limb looked to be swallowed by the very darkness drowning the world.
"Yang... Yang can you hear me?" She tried, only to receive nothing but the soft ring of absolute silence. "Anybody... hello..."
Her voice filled the void around her, and even though no walls were present she could have sworn the call's reverb grew louder for a moment. With no other options she started walking. There was no destination, and no specific goal, but she'd gain nothing by standing around.
For a few seconds she paced, only to halt as a giggle brushed past her ears. Her head whipped to the side as she raised her weapon, only to be greeted with an empty hand. Her vision shot to the ground in an attempt to see if she dropped it, yet she was rewarded with nothing but more void.
Strangely enough she could see her legs, and her arms.
What's happening?
It was a question she felt perfectly apt for the situation, and something she was determined to figure out. Before she could even start to brainstorm she heard another giggle, one that slowly dampened into weeping. Her head turned slowly towards the source of the sound, and for once she saw something other than darkness.
"Ruby?" Weiss muttered as she stared at the girl.
Her leader was on her knees, clutching something that was hidden from view by her ragged cloak. She certainly looked worse for wear, which was odd as Weiss had never seen her in such disarray. Quietly she approached the weeping reaper, slowly reaching her hand out towards the girl, only to freeze as she saw what lay in her hands.
Myrtenaster: her personal rapier. The weapon she hand crafted herself specifically for her trip to Beacon, and eventual career as a huntress, lay broken and bloodied in her leaders arms. The blade was snapped near the guard, and the dust chambers were dented. The hilt was torn and soft streaks of dried blood etched itself across the once bright silver weapon.
Weiss wanted to question it, to question everything, and yet she had no time as the world shattered again. The void was gone, and before her was a single man, the same one who was to be her opponent for the match.
"Heh... n-not bad... for a Schnee." He let out as he stood slightly. "Never knew you were so s-skilled with hand to hand. G-guess you ain't so bad after all."
She wanted to ask him what happened, but she was stopped as Yang gripped her shoulders and shook.
"Weiss, can you hear me?" The brawler spoke softly. The heiress gave a slight nod, all the while her head felt light. She trembled slightly as she tried to move, only to collapse against her current partner.
"Hey hey, take it easy. I got you." Yang spoke as she kneeled down "Fight's over, so relax a bit."
"Yang... I... I think it happened again."
"I know."
"What do I do?"
"Relax. We'll figure it out later alright?" Yang suggested as Weiss let out a stuttered breath.
"A-alright."
"Hey... is she doing alright?" Questioned the man behind them as he walked up. He was covered in scratches and dust, yet wore a look of slight concern.
"She's just tired. Don't worry too hard about her, she'll be fine." Yang told as the man stopped.
"You sure? Girl looks like she'll drop any second."
"Positive." The blond returned as the man sighed.
"Alright then, I'll leave you to it. Don't push yourselves, there's still the rest of the competition to go, and I'm interested in seeing how far you two can make it. See you." He spoke as he turned and headed over to his partner; the young girl had just pulled herself from the rubble Weiss suspected Yang put her in.
"Weiss!"
The heiress let her gaze trail towards the source of the call, and she saw Ruby running along with Blake and Vermillion. The three looked concerned, with Ruby all but jumping to her.
"Are you okay!" Ruby raised her hand. "How many fingers am I holding up!"
"Okay take it easy Rubes. Give a girl some space." Yang said as Ruby stepped back slightly; hand still raised.
"Two." Answered Weiss, finding it slightly humorous that her leader decided on such a cliché trick. She blinked wearily, her head felt light and she wondered if it would go away soon.
"Weiss, it happened again didn't it?" Blake asked as the heiress gave a slight nod. Yang helped her to stand, and they started towards the edge of the arena.
"C'mon, let's get you some rest." Yang let out as the others trailed along. Despite everything Weiss felt her attention drawn away from herself and towards Vermillion; who looked confused about everything.
"What's going on?" He asked, drawing looks from the others. Blake placed a hand on his shoulder as she leaned in.
"We'll fill you in afterwards." She told quietly as Vermillion gave a slight look of worry.
Weiss stared at him, particularly at his eyes, gazing beyond the crimson rings and burrowing into the nothingness. She felt no sense of fear or danger at the death he radiated, instead filled with an odd sense of comfort, just as she had before. Weiss thought back to the wound along her neck, and while it was gone she could still imagine the pressure of the blade once lodged within the flesh.
The warmth from back on the train had been there for a bit, but seemed to fade now. The heiress cast her gaze down to his blade, sheathed at his side. Looking at it outside of battle allowed her to take in it's design, and she found particular beauty in the tiny intricate carvings along the edges of the scabbard. They resembled words, and yet she couldn't recognize the language.
It was strange, this was the second time she lost herself in the middle of battle, and yet this time her hallucinations followed Ruby rather than the man who started the whole thing.
Assuming of course he was responsible for it all to begin with. None of them had any proof, nor a motive to tie to him. Vermillion had been trying to kill her before, so what would be accomplished by doing anything else when she was going to die? From the looks of it he had no idea what happened just then, meaning none of the others told him about the train incident.
Weiss softly reached for her neck, wondering if the long healed wound came alive while she was out, just like it had before.
"Yeah... it was there." Yang whispered to her, and she lowered her hand with a sigh.
Weiss sent a quick glance to their controversial companion, noting that he seemed worried, something he wasn't even trying to hide. She wanted to giggle.
My would be killer afraid of me dying, what a ridiculous situation.
She'd felt nothing particularly off about him, just the usual doom and gloom from his eyes, but she was pretty sure all of them were used to that anyway. However her slightly happy mood was overtaken with tension as a single worry consumed her mind, one that had her reach into her pocket and pull out her scroll; shutting it off as she slipped it away quickly.
All she could do was hope 'father' never noticed anything.
Author's note
...
Okay so this chapter was a bit of a ride. To be honest I never expected to swap perspectives as much, but here we are.
We skimmed over a single fight, all because Weiss slipped back into the void. Oh well, at least they won, and apparently Weiss can fight without her weapon.
I also included Oz and Jimmy back into the fray, doing damage control as usual, with Oz scheming throughout the whole thing.
Anyway that's it for this time, see you later.