WELCOME BACK! I BRING GIFTS FROM MY BRAIN! Alright, enough positivity, welcome to the third part of this series. I have once again pushed out another long chapter with no clue how I did so. Anyway, this chapter is more of an aftermath one and as such doesn't really progress anything nor does it have any action points but that's fine. I'll admit there's one part of this at the end I'm not confident came together as I wanted it to but I'm wondering if it's just me overthinking things I'll know if I'm wrong if people point it out so I guess we'll see.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy this as much as you've enjoyed the previous chapters. Oh and uh Merry Christmas.
-OtherwiseR00K
-One Day Later-
Summer couldn't help the small smile that crept onto her face. She may not be able to see at the moment but she could hear her two precious girls' laughter and joy as they watched some kind of cartoon as she leaned into the couch behind them. Her cane sat on her lap and the strip of cloth was still tied around her eyes just as opposed to her hair which was down from its usual bun.
Without her sight she couldn't tie it into the same complex fashion that resembled a rose, she needed a mirror for that and even after developing the style a few years ago it still took three minutes to do every day.
She was happy that her loss of vision was mostly temporary, she had been told she'd never see color the same but she was alright with that, it was a small price to pay to get her vision back. To see her Ball of Sunshine and her Little Rose's smiles again.
She makes it a point for herself to treasure her vision far more than before, she also notes to herself to take the girls to an eye doctor in Vale eventually and introduce more carrots to their diets.
Heavier footsteps brought Summer from her thoughts as she noted that Taiyang had just entered the living room from the kitchen. It was weird for Summer to have to recognize people from their walking but after a little bit, it became easier.
Taiyang walked with a heavier gait which made sense considering his size and his role on Team STRQ. Qrow walked softer but when on tiles his shoes clicked and clacked. The girls were much softer but usually pounded the floor as they ran around with near-infinite energy.
"Alright girls," Taiyang began, "the cinnamon rolls are done."
"CINNAMON!" the girls shouted at the same time before their bounding steps passed Tai and into the kitchen. Taiyang chuckled as they passed and though Summer couldn't see it, the laughter was infectious enough for her to giggle slightly.
"Summer," and just like that the tone in Tai's voice told her this was important, "there's been news."
Summer's brows went up at the words, News? Already?
When Summer first got out of the hospital and was allowed to go home the first thing she did was make Taiyang promise to keep her in the loop. It didn't have to be world-shattering news, just what was going on and where Ozpin's head might be.
She'd also asked Tai to keep a lookout for the man who saved her, Summer still wanted to find the man. She had to thank him personally for saving her and her family from the grief she would've brought them had she died.
"Well don't leave me in suspense," Summer said, she made sure she was quiet though. She didn't want the girls to hear her, even if they were distracted.
"The Cult was found operating in Vale," the news came like a sledgehammer smashing a large cinderblock, it completely shattered any possible ideas Summer had thought of, "There was a murder at an apartment building, Summercrest, it had all the signs of the cult. Ozpin and Qrow had arrived on the scene and examined it themselves, but there were oddities."
Summer noticed the pattering of smaller footsteps toward the living room door, "Mommy, Daddy, are you not going to get one?" Ruby asked, the three-year-old's voice spoke from the darkness of Summer's vision.
"Don't worry honey, me and mommy were just talking about adult stuff," Taiyang said, obviously keeping the murder cult away from the innocent child.
"Don't worry little Rose, we'll get ourselves one just make sure to leave two for us. Watch Yang, because she may get a little greedy," Summer, added, she agreed with her husband. She was sure any sane family would keep the idea of a cult out of a child's head.
"Oh, okay." and with that Ruby padded her way back into the kitchen.
After a moment of quiet, Summer assumed Taiyang was making sure the girls were busy in the kitchen, "Alright, I don't know the specifics but they went off to a warehouse that had been used by the cult. They were doing a ritual."
Summer's heart clenched for a second. A ritual by the Church of the Grimm Goddess promised death, the sacrifice, the victim, would be killed for a ritual to their deity. Summer's heart grieved for the past victims she was incapable of saving.
"They got there but it'd already been stopped."
Summer perked up, her heart still grieving but she was more focused on what Taiyang had to say.
"Qrow described the warehouse as a bloodbath, most of the cult members were slashed in vital spots. The place was littered with the dead and the man who had done it was still there, and…it was the man who saved you according to Ozpin."
"Wha-what?" Summer's brain stuttered for a moment, it had been weeks since she'd heard anything about her mysterious savior and it was in the scenario that he'd encountered a sect of the Queen's flock.
"He saved the would-be victim," Tai seemed to hesitate though, "a young Faunus girl."
That last bit was said with grit teeth, Summer could just tell because the information gave her a similar state of mind. Righteous anger at the actions of the cult burned through her veins. A young girl was taken and was meant to be sacrificed for, what? A better world for Grimm?
"Ozpin has given an official designation for the man who saved you though," Tai said, probably to get his mind onto something else, "he said to refer to him as a Wildcard."
"Wildcard? Is he not working with us?" Summer questioned.
"Ozpin wouldn't say, he only mentioned they seemed to have a similar goal." Taiyang probably shrugged while saying that, "Though he does plan to explain the whole picture after you have your operation in Atlas."
"Ugh," Summer hated waiting to learn things. At least she'd be able to see her girls by then. That was something to look forward to.
-Two Days Later in Vales Northern Agricultural District-
Adam Redgrave frowned as his all-black police cruiser went over another bump on the hundreds that made up the dirt roadways of the Northern Agricultural District. Of course, it was more than just the bumps that made Adam frown, it was just the final straw that contorted his face. His mind was more on the events of the last few days.
It'd been a year since any activity from the Church of the Grimm Goddess had come onto his radar. He'd gotten complacent, and he's sure Ozpin had as well. The cult had gotten into Vale without a hint of their presence until that murder at Summercrest. Afterward, the VPD was put on high alert and the Chief gave Redgrave more resources, even considering a task force but decided against it to maintain the peace.
Since then Adam had been working hard on finding anything related to the cult and would admit it hadn't been too hard. Though it was from no effort of his own. Bodies had begun appearing around Vale a day after Summercrest, it was at first thought a serial killer, which would've been hell for the VPD alongside the cult but it turned out to be something else.
The bodies were examined and a similarity was found between them all. They all had a mark on their bodies, a symbol which seemed carved into them and having scarred over. It was a mark Redgrave had been familiar with, the mark of the Grimm Goddess.
It seemed Vale had a viligante as well, and they were after the cult.
Adam sighed as he shook his head at the thoughts of a vigilante. He had enough things to deal with then some guy with an axe to grind with the cult. He also doubted the viligante would live that long considering how widespread the cult actually was.
Adam glanced out to his right, looking at the fields of wheat, corn, and any other crop he had forgotten the names of that he passed on his way to another crime scene. This one had been at a fertilizer store that many in the district went to for, well, fertilizer.
It was believed to be a robbery/homicide until investigators went to the back where they discovered a hidden basement. Adam knew what they'd found, they wouldn't have called him otherwise since he was so focused on the cult. Another site had been found or maybe, hopefully, the head base for the Vale sect.
The cruiser came to a halt outside the modestly sized store. Its front was painted green with a large white sign that was obviously strung up haphazardly if the tilting told the correct story with the words messily painted on. It gave a sort of charm to the place, Adam would admit.
Stepping out of the cruiser Adam finally focused on the yellow tape blocking the door off, and the two officers standing guard. Both looked at him with scrutiny before noticing the badge on his belt. They nodded their heads and held the tape up enough for Adam to pass without having to duck, he nodded to them as he passed.
The interior was typical for a store focused on plant life. Metal shelves held bags of fertilizer of seemingly different kinds with flowers and regular plants decorating the place. Vines were strung up above Adam that stretched across the store.
CSIs stood behind the counter where a bloody stain lay on the wall. There seemed to be no hole so Adam ruled out a gunshot. He got closer and stood next to the counter, near a door that led to the back that was left open. There he got a look at the body and pulled out a small notebook.
{One large hole within the victim's head. Sword wound?}
After dotting down his finding he was grabbed by a man's voice, "Sir?"
Adam turned his head and looked at a man in an officer's uniform but he recognized the man. Crimson Vasilias had just earned his five-year stripe and was a rising star within the precinct, having dealt with many cases that put him in the crossfires of gangs and killers. Last Adam had heard Crimson's detective exams were within the week.
"Ah, it's good to see you, Vasilias," Adam said.
"Likewise sir," Crimson responded, "When I heard the report on the radio I thought it'd be a good experience for my exam." Adam nodded, it would be good for Crimson to see a detective work. However, there was something Adam had to ask.
"Have you seen the rest of the bodies?"
"Yeah, the CSIs are buzzing around down there. It kinda reminds me of flies on rotten food with how fervent they are," Crimson commented.
"Yeah, they get like that. If they didn't have a passion for it they aren't doing their jobs right."
"Hmm, I guess that makes sense. Still, kinda weird how the mortician can eat food while he's cutting open a corpse."
Adam grimaced openly at that point. That was a weird thing the morticians had started doing a few years ago, it was allowed because they were far enough from the corpse when eating but it still freaked out most of the officers. The CSIs didn't seem to care though.
He shook his head, now wasn't the time for distractions.
"Alright, lead me to the scene," Adam said, his tone going to a professional one. Sensing the turn in Adam's mood, Crimson nodded and gestured for him to follow him. Both men went toward the back room and Crimson turned toward what was left of a bookcase.
The once wooden structure was blown in, revealing a passage leading down. Adam looked into the passage, seeing it was lit by singular light bulbs installed in the arched ceiling supported by steel beams and rivets.
"We think the building was an old sewer station," Crimson said as he walked down the passage, Adam following behind him, "Cu already called the Council Building to request blueprints from the area for the old Vale sewer system."
"The old Vale sewer system? I thought the tunnels were sealed after the walls were finally completed?" Adam questioned.
"They were, or at least the entrances outside Vale were. There are still a few entrances to the old sewer system from the newer system. Plus they have an opening in the Vale river that I think leads here," Crimson and Adam finally reached the bottom just as he said that.
The pathway had descended into a large juncture with old concrete beneath their feet. The junction opened from three tunnels, though one had cement covering it with a small square hole letting water through. The canal was blocked off by a rusted guard rail with the area lit up by floodlights placed around.
"How do you know that?" Adam asked after Crimson's previous statement.
"When I was in high school I was interested in architecture and I remember reading about the old sewer system," he stopped and pointed toward one of the tunnels, "I'm pretty sure that tunnel leads to the river," he pointed toward another tunnel, "and that one leads to…well, I think the residential district."
Adam looked at the tunnels and grimaced. At least he knew how the Church had gotten into Vale, more importantly, he knew how they navigated it. The old sewer system was perfect for them. Adam had to make sure the entrances were blocked up, he glanced at the water flowing through the square hole, or at the very least watched.
Crimson led him further through the large junction until they arrived at a doorway with its hinges broken and the door lying inside. CSIs buzzed about, around the few corpses that littered the room. Though Adam's eyes had seen the corpses he was more interested in the room itself.
The room was most likely used to monitor the water, connected to the building that led here. It probably held personnel that checked the water as it flowed by. Now though it was covered in symbols and had a living quarters feel to it. There were shelves bolted into the walls that once held something but weren't there anymore.
Adam looked at the bodies again, mentally comparing the wounds to the corpse upstairs. The weird thing though was the way the bodies were positioned. One was looking away from the door near a chair that held a corpse leaning back into it. Another was head down on a desk within the room, also looking away from the door. The final one was facing the door but was on their back with a long hole that seemed to pierce all the way through as the blood pooled under their head.
{Several single stab wounds to the head. Seemingly died quickly. How did the assailant do this? Semblance? Similar wounds to the Vigilante.}
Adam wrote his questions and observations in his small notebook. He was sure the weapons used were swords but the sheared door and the position of the bodies suggested they all died very quickly. Maybe not even realizing they were being killed before their worlds turned black.
Adam glanced at Crimson and saw him looking at the bodies, seemingly coming to the same conclusion as him. Though to make sure, "Vasilias, what do you believe happened?"
Crimson seemed to tense in surprise before looking at him for a moment and back to the door, "It happened quickly," he began, "I think the assailant threw swords or used some kind of semblance in quick succession. So quickly that some of them couldn't react," Crimson glanced at the only body facing the door, "seems one of them did at least."
Adam nodded, he was thinking the same thing, "I think I'll put in a good word for you with the examiners."
"Thank you, sir."
"Don't mention it, you have a good head on your shoulders." Adam complimented before looking over the scene once more.
It seemed Vale's viligante struck again. The sword wounds were similar to the ones found on the bodies of the cult members found around Vale and the large warehouse that was massacred. Adam wasn't sure what this meant but he hoped it didn't lead toward anything horrible.
-A Day Later Northern Vale Wall Security Control-
Within the dim room only lit by the monitors Coral Passerine sat bored out of her mind. She was a guard of the wall and Huntress, she'd signed up for wall duty a few years back after her team had split up after their leader was killed. Coral kept in contact with her old team and just a few weeks ago witnessed the other two members tie the knot. She was happy for the two, they deserved the R&R after all they've done for Vale.
Unfortunately the same couldn't be said for Coral. She was a wall guard, and as such she was usually on the wall with her wall sector captain Taggert Bluveds. She'd gotten into some hot water with the captain after she'd taken a dare to scale the Vale wall. Now she was stuck on camera duty.
Now to most that would be pretty nice, just look at the cameras, report any suspicious activity, and sound the alarm if a Grimm horde comes to the wall. Easy right? That was the problem. Coral hated how easy it was, she enjoyed the long walk she took along the northern wall, protecting the engineers who occasionally worked on the generators below the walls, and the occasional Grimm that wandered too close. She was a huntress in her late twenties dammit! She needed action!
Thankfully it was nearly over as she'd already been on the job for the last eight hours, she just had two more to go. She idly switched the camera she was watching to NW 2, seeing nothing she leaned back once again, utterly bored. Her fox ears flicked idly in her boredom.
At least there was something to look forward to. Before her shift started, she'd been informed of a poker game that was going to happen after her shift. Coral held onto this fact with an iron grip, reminding herself of it before she descended too far into her boredom. She could already see Todd's crying face as she took all his money. A cruel smile graced her lips as the daydream played out in her mind.
She stopped her cruel fantasies at the buzz of one of the monitors cutting to static. Corla frowned, leaning forward and pressing a few buttons on the console to try and get it back. Coral had been told that the cameras were pretty old and hadn't been replaced in a while, this was apparently to be fixed in a few days but all she had to do was press a couple of commands to get it working again. So she did exactly what she was told and went over the console commands.
Nothing happened.
She tried again.
Nothing happened.
This time she frowned. Coral had been told they'd come back on within a few moments of her putting the commands in. She grabbed her scroll, looked for her boss's contact, and pressed call. A moment later a gruff voice came through, "Coral, you're not getting out o-"
"One of the cameras in sector NW 4 is down," Coral's serious tone cut through whatever Taggert was going to say.
"Did you use the commands?"
"Yes. Twice."
"...I'll get a small team to check it out," that was all Tagert said before he cut his connection and Coral could only wait.
-Northern Vale Wall Tower -
Taggert Bluveds frowned as he shoved his scroll into his uniform chest pouch. He was the Northern Wall Captain and Passerine had just told him one of the cameras was offline in sector NW 4. He grabbed his rifle and looked to the only other person in the tower, his second in command.
"Burns, we've got possible camera sabotage," Taggart said. Nova Burns looked surprised but stood and grabbed his weapon. Unlike Tagert who preferred the older ways of weapon usage, Nova had a mecha-shift weapon. A sniper rifle that could change into a broadsword at the click of a button.
Tagert moved toward the stairwell and moved down quickly, Nova right behind him, the hollow interior echoing the steps they took. Down they went until they reached a landing with two doors on either side. Both left through the closest door and right onto the pathway made on top of the Vale wall.
The two went forward, passing several guards patrolling the wall until they came to sector NW. Taggert began walking toward the side of the wall looking toward Vale and leaned over the edge, looking down toward the inner wall. Cameras lined the inner wall and usually, he could see them barely if he strained his eyes.
Taggert could see the camera directly below him so mentally checked that one off. He looked to his right and saw the other camera intact, checked that off, and another behind that one was intact as well. He turned left and froze, the camera was gone.
His head snapped to Nova, "Get Todd on the scroll, we may have an illegal crosser!"
Nova nodded and took out his scroll. Tagert moved over to the other side of the wall, the one facing Forever Fall, and looked out hoping to see something but all he could see was the sea of red Forever Fall sported.
Tagert hoped he was wrong but no one would leave by scaling the walls of Vale unless they were planning something. He just hoped it had nothing to do with his home, he'd fight tooth and nail to keep it safe.
-Two Days Later at Beacon Academy-
Beacon Academy was a majestic sight to any new student walking up to the school for the first time, the architecture itself resembling that of the castles that once littered Remnant. The King of Vale had commissioned the building to be made and had even helped set the foundation. The Academy had a very rich history for the relatively short time it has been in operation.
Of course, the true marvel was the main tower, standing heads and shoulders above the other peaks of the building. The tower even outshined the CCT tower which stood behind it, as if the main tower were the sentinel that protected the smaller one.
The tower was also where the headmaster's office was, along with his quarters being below it so he may be capable of attending to his duties even late into the night. Even now the headmaster sat within his tower where a meeting was about to commence.
Ozpin sat behind his desk with his eyes glancing toward the others in the room waiting for the last three members for the meeting.
Glynda Goodwitch stood over to his left at full attention and had been standing like that for the last minute or two.
Qrow Branwen leaned casually on a support beam near the elevator.
Taiyang Xiao-Long sat on a small sofa Ozpin had brought up for this very meeting.
Next to Taiyang was a now healed Summer Rose, though she was sporting bulbous eye units that glowed blue with the color of the metal retaining its grey coloring.
Summer was poking at them as well, making a small tinking noise that would probably have echoed through the room if not for the clockwork above their heads. Taiyang gently took her hand and brought it to her lap to get her to stop. Apparently, the metal itched around her eyes but the Atlas scientists had told them that would happen at first before the body got used to them.
Ozpin hadn't really cared about the explanation as he was simply happy a friend had survived her wounds. Though she was no longer as vital to the war as she'd once been Ozpin was sure she'd do what she could to help and he had a few ideas for what that could be.
A soft beep interrupted Ozpin's thoughts and brought his attention to the computer in front of him. It seemed the final members had sent their requests to attend. Ozpin pressed a few buttons on his computer activating the hardlight dust projectors within the room and the glass dimmed the light outside.
Ozpin pressed one final button and three screens appeared in the center of the room, each showing the faces of a headmaster to another huntsman academy on Remnant.
"Sir," Captain James Ironwood saluted Ozpin. Ironwood is the headmaster of Atlas Academy and relatively new to Ozpin's circle and the shadow war of Remnant. He was in his early thirties and wearing his newly pressed Captain uniform proudly.
"Hello, old friend," Leonardo Lionheart greeted from his seated desk. Lionheart is the headmaster of Haven Academy and the oldest member of Ozpin's current circle as he was already in his early forties. Though the man gave off a grandfather feeling from his clothes alone.
"What are we here for Ozpin?" Theodore asked, his eyes narrowed with his arms crossed. Theodore is Shade's headmaster and has been a part of Ozpin's circle for nearly as long as Leonardo but has always been a bit brash, though Ozpin could not blame the man for his attitude considering his position within this war.
James looked in his fellow headmaster's direction, his face likely displayed on another monitor within the captain's office. James' eyes narrowed at the disrespect from Theodore to Ozpin but Ozpin himself didn't mind.
"Before that, I must thank you all for taking some time in your schedule for this. I'm aware of how busy you are, especially Ironwood and Theodore so I'll make this as quick as I can. Our Ace has been crippled." Ozpin said, cutting to the matter directly.
"What happened!?" Leonardo asked, he being the first to wave off the shock between him and Theodore. James had merely lowered his head, he'd already been informed of this when Summer had gotten her new optics.
Ozpin glanced at Summer, who shrank under his gaze, "She got too confident within her abilities and made a grave mistake. The only good thing that came out of it is that she survived."
"Her eyes?" Theodore asked.
Ozpin shook his head, "No, I'm afraid not. They were slashed by one of her attackers."
Theodore breathed deeply, obviously keeping himself calm. Leonardo was looking off at nothing, his eyes were elsewhere most likely thinking of something. James simply kept his head down.
"However, I called this meeting for more than just our Ace's fall. I've been recently dealing with the Church of the Grimm Goddess getting within Vale's Walls." Ozpin said grimly.
Theodore scoffs, "Don't call those parasites a church, refer to them as they are. A cult of psychopaths and monsters worshipping that witch."
"Either way, they had infiltrated the walls. Though they are now eliminated, and they have been culled from my kingdom." Ozpin reports.
"Good," Leonardo says, the others nodding, being of the same mind.
"Yes, however, we are not the surgeons that cut this disease out."
"Then who?" James asks.
"It would seem another Wildcard has appeared outside the deck."
"Why does this matter?" Theodore asks, being the only one not truly caring about this, "Wildcards have appeared before Ozpin, most die within a few days, I'm fairly certain you've recruited one into our circle as well, that detective."
"Yes, Redgrave has been instrumental in keeping Vale safe with his commitment to its safety," Ozpin admitted, "But this isn't like Redgrave, this is far different as this Wildcard seemed to throw himself head first into our war. He's already responsible for the death of the chapter in Vale, having killed them all as of this moment."
This made Theodore's eyebrow raise, the others looked interested as well, "All of them?" Theodore questioned.
"Yes, we even found a proto-bishop within the very warehouse me and Qrow encountered him in."
James and Leo's eyes widen while Theodore's narrow. A proto-bishop was dangerous, less so than their completed counterparts but one being in Vale wasn't a good sign.
"How did they get a bishop into Vale?" James asked.
"I believe I may have the answer to that," Ozpin said while pulling up something on his computer, another image appeared from the projector showing an SDC freighter, "A few months ago an SDC freighter reported one of their containers had gone missing from the dockyard. It was investigated but neither the container nor the dust inside was found. It seems a little too coincidental to me for this to happen mere months before the discovery of the cult."
Theodore looks as if he's considering something, "Ironwood," James turns slightly, "could Jauque Schnee be a part of the cult?"
James takes a moment to think and then scoffs, "It'd be easier if he was but no, I've had meetings with the man before. He's simply a greedy businessman who doesn't care what he has to do to make a lien. The cult doesn't line up with that goal. It's more likely he hasn't put much money into his screening tests for his lower employees."
"That man cares far too much for money. Lien isn't the end all be all to life, I feel he should know that considering his own family," Theodore says, frustration slipping into his tone near the end.
"I agree," James says frowning, "unfortunately the Schnee Dust Company is simply too important for Atlas' economy for me to make a move. The current General of Atlas also has a very good relationship with Jauque and it wouldn't surprise me if he's in Jauque's pocket."
"We seem to have gone off-topic," Ozpin says, steering the conversation back to the original point, "We will have a conversation about Jauque Schnee but for now let us focus on our Wildcard."
Leonardo seemed to agree and so did James but Theodore was dismissive, "Why are we speaking of this Wildcard, the last one turned out to be useful for you, yes, but the one before was killed. They come and go, Oz, so I'm wondering what makes you think this one is any different."
Ozpin is quiet for a moment, he's thinking of what exactly to say and once he formulates his response, "I believe we've been given a very special opportunity."
The others looked toward him beside Qrow. Everyone in the room had an idea of what Ozpin may have been speaking of but Qrow knew he'd been there after all and had spoken to Ozpin about this very same thing.
"This WIldcard is in fact not like the ones before him, what we have is a man who had seemingly no purpose before his interaction with the cult. Before this, our Wildcard was responsible for saving Miss Rose, and I had Qrow trail him to see if anything came of it. I learned that he is not within the CCT records nor does anyone matching his description exist."
"Are you sure?" James asks, "Even if our Wildcard wasn't born within the Kingdoms he'd still have some kind of file if he's been to the larger settlements."
"Yeah, I'm sure," Qrow said instead, "I checked for his features but only came up with people that didn't fit the rest of his description and I doubt he's a stripper named Candy."
Summer, Glynda, and Taiyang immediately sighed at Qrow's bit of vulgarity.
"Quite," Ozpin says, ignoring what Qrow just said, "This may have to do with why I have a vested interest in this Wildcard. He wields a relic from the time of the Gods and before my curse."
All was quiet, a few moments for everyone to marinate in what Ozpin had just revealed.
"A-a relic?" Glynda asked, her voice slightly shaken, "As in one of those sealed away?"
"No," Ozpin's words cut through some of the worries that had permeated those in attendance, "I'm referring to a relic from the age of magic, a relic I'd forgotten ever existed because I'd assumed they had all withered away with time."
"Why are we just learning this?" Theodore questioned, "If these relics existed why haven't we been on the lookout?"
Ozpin sighed, "Because it honestly slipped my mind that there could be remnants of that age besides me and…Salem."
Theodore looked incredulously at Ozpin, "It slipped your mind?"
Ozpin fixed the man with a stern look, "Theodore, my soul is much older than it has any right to be and over my long life I've learned that memories are attached to the soul, and as you age and make more memories the oldest ones either dim or fade. The simple fact is my age has gotten the better of me in this instance, more importantly, my assumption that all of the magical items from the time when the Brother Gods walked Remnant had all withered away has gotten the better of me. Whether this Wildcard came across a cache of these relics or the one, the only thing this affects would be the deck the Queen currently has."
Theodore doesn't say anything. He simply looks away from the camera, he looks like he's thinking and Ozpin decides to leave him to that.
"What kind of relic does this man have?" James asks, the look in the Atlas Captain's eyes is a calculating one. Similar to a strategist coming up with a play against the enemy.
"It's what was used to imprison magic users in the past," Ozpin says, "A rather paradoxical form of magic that destroyed magic, which was coined as Anti-Magic. Though it seemed to be infused into a dagger."
"Do you have this WIldcard's location?" Leonardo asks.
"No, but that is no fault of our own," Ozpin says, "Qrow had been capable of finding him rather easily at first but had described him as lost, he was simply wandering Vale. After our encounter with him I believe he found a purpose and as such isn't moving around aimlessly."
"I'm assuming he's still within Vale's walls?" Theodore asked.
"I'm afraid that might not be the case. Two days ago the Northern Wall went on alert after a camera was found destroyed, after a further investigation several holes were found within the wall resembling those of a sword. It's my belief that our Wildcard has escaped into the wild on the hunt for the cult."
"Then we should search for him," James was the first to say, "Someone with access to an artifact that can destroy magic is someone we need for this war. Think of the possibilities, this could help with clearing this cult from the face of Remnant. Maybe even sever Salem's immortality-"
"James," Ozpin cut in, his tone hard, "The Gods themselves put that curse on her. A relic from that time would not have the capability to do something like that, much as I wish it did. No, don't even think of that possibility for it only brings disappointment."
Everyone was quiet after Ozpin's words. Even though it was directed toward Salem's immortality it was fairly obvious Ozpin was thinking of his own release from his curse as well. Sometimes they forgot the man leading them was centuries, maybe even thousands of years old. It must've been agonizing but Ozpin seemed to soldier on.
"Besides," Ozpin said, breaking the silence, "I don't believe we should get in the way of our WIldcard."
"That seems to be the height of irresponsibility Ozpin," Theodore said.
"Maybe," Ozpin admitted, "However, something about the way the man carried tells me he would not work with us. He isn't beholden to laws the same way we are."
"Is that such a good thing?" Leonardo asks, "We hold ourselves to these laws so we may not overstep. We have to think of the public and the panic an open war may cause."
"That is why he would be the only one in open war," Ozpin says, "While we have our shadow war, our Wildcard will wage the war we should've waged. The man is obviously very skilled and seems to have his sights set on our persistent thorn. Disrupting the cult will be an overall net positive in Remnant."
"I feel this may come back around to haunt us," James says.
"Perhaps," Ozpin grants, "but gambles always have a degree of risk. My hope is that we grasp whatever positives come from this gamble while mitigating the damage."
"Ozpin," Leonardo says, "I'm unsure if this is the correct course of action, but you've never led me astray before so I'll defer to you."
Ozpin nodded, appreciating the faith placed in him.
"I don't like it," Theodore said, frowning at the decision, "I'm more of the opinion we should find him and detain the man but I have more important things to handle. I won't argue against this but if he comes to Vacuo I will get answers from him on his motivations."
Ozpin nods, having expected nothing less from Theodore. He turned to look at James, the captain's face scrunched in thought.
"I'm still inexperienced with this," James admitted, "I'm against the idea of letting this man roam freely but I'll defer to my seniors in this decision."
Ozpin nods, "Thank you. I do believe something good will come from this."
And there we go. Now once again I'd like some feedback on how the last bit was and my reason the Yellow Brick Bunch isn't hunting Emiya down, was it okay? Should I rework it? Was it absolute dogshit? Need an outside perspective for this.
Alright on to some things about the chapter.
Number One) The lack of Shirou.
This was done because I wanted people besides Shirou to take center stage in this chapter. This is probably the most risky part of writing this chapter as I know most people are here for the EMIYA Alter Lily but the other characters are just as important. The reactions to Emiya's existence and what they fit him into since he isn't from Remnant. Though he technically was in the chapter with the wall and murder investigation but wasn't seen. Don't worry though he'll be back next chapter.
Number Two) Ozpin's Circle
As I've said before I am doing something different with Ozpin and that reflects his circle. Theodore trusts Ozpin but isn't blindly following him. Leonardo trusts Ozpin and believes in what he says. James is new and is still learning to trust Ozpin but does trust they know more about this than him. I've also gotten rid of the idea that the circle is unaware of Salem's immortality, that always seemed stupid to me as I feel they should know even if Ozpin never explicitly said it I feel it was heavily implied that she is immortal just as Ozpin is even if their two different version of immortality.
Number Three) Adam Redgrave.
Yep, that name won't get confusing. Redgrave is a detective within Ozpin's circle but is not given the same information the others are. Redgrave is more concerned with Vale and keeping the people within it safe. I feel like Redgrave would be better set within Vale's police force and confined to that. He'll be a bit of a pop-up character that deals with the lower-level things.
And that's all. Once again review so I may know if anything should be reworked and I hope it was to your expectations.
-OtherwiseR00K