Play With Fire

The roof and walls had three-hundred and forty-seven visible bolts holding it to the hull, five lights; three in the roof, two on the desk. The books were all kinds of ones from history all the way to science and technology.

The General's room was decidedly boring. Until the gunfire happened, that is.

The ship vibrated as a weapon unloaded, the actual gunfire was muffled but still audible. It had happened a few times before, waking her up each time. It was terrifying the first time; the ship's hull shaking from its weapons firing as alarms blared and footsteps rushed around outside the door.

Apparently, even a warship of this size wasn't safe against Nevermore and Griffons.

The second time brought her to alarm as well but dismissed it as it was less chaotic.

And now for the third time, bright streaks of orange tracer rounds lit the office through the window, in contrast to the void that was the night sky. The guns firing were much louder, more violent, but definitely the same as the ones from before.

The streaks whipped across the sky, tearing through it and any Grimm that found its way into the line of fire. And it was a line; barely a gap could be made out between the bullets. But they were there, no matter how faint and nearly indistinguishable they may be.

At certain distances the bullets exploded with puffs of bright light, sometimes even on the hide of an avian Grimm, blowing vast chunks off it.

And it ended as quickly as it had started, from loud and chaotic to calm and almost quiet.

Emerald glanced to Alexea who stared boredly out the window, completely unfazed by the rapid end to the violent fireworks show.

"That was so cool!" the girl exclaimed,

"The average Imperial Battleline holds hundreds of varying Anti-Air weapons," a filtered voice responded, "we have seen far more,"

She rounded to Kotek, "and it's cooler than that?" she pointed out the window,

The giant spoke as he looked around the room, "violent. Cool is a state of temperature, violence is what weapons are made for," he eventually settled his gaze on her, "however, many in the Guard consider all manner of things…cool,"

Emerald tilted her head, "do they think you're cool?"

He is big and gold after all…

"My colleagues and I are rarely seen on the battlefield or by the general public," he stood to the side of the door within the room, "and I do not care what others think of my existence. Sister, see if you can find Hesperax,"

The woman's brows furrowed but she set about the task dutifully.

Emerald tried to look around his large form, "where's Celestine?"

"Medical Bay, she wishes to… enlighten the wounded of the Emperor,"

Emerald's eyes flattened, "you mean talk them to sleep about him?"

A tilt of amusement could be heard in his voice, "very few would fall asleep with her talking, but that is the gist of her goal," his head tilted slightly, "though I doubt she will be successful,"

Emerald nodded, "she tried in the town and no one listened,"

"She sees it as her duty to try at minimum, however, she knows this is a new world, separate from the Imperium entirely and therefore the chances of success are low,"

The girl blinked, "um," what was she supposed to say to that?

"What did you and Alexea do while I was away?" the giant man questioned,

The sudden switches in conversation were startling and hard to keep up with, "uh, not much, she took a shower and I laid on the couch until the gunfire started," she perked up, "oh, she has tattoos on her arms!"

His helmet tilted to the side slightly, seemingly taking an interest, "Of what type?"

"Like the bird Celestine has on her armour, but gold and black! One is her people and the others are Custodians," she spoke, proud of knowing what they were, "though I don't know about the ones around her eyes,"

"The wings under her eyes hold names, most likely of other Sisters," Kote spoke his observations,

Emerald's lips pulled into a small pout, "But why around her eyes?"

The giant hummed, "Her convent is not Terran based, therefore I do not know, but, presumably she is mourning the loss of her Sisters," he stood at his maximum height, "either way, it is her story to tell as she wishes, not mine,"

The door beside him swished open, allowing a slightly dejected Celestine and a bored-looking Lelith in. Emerald gave a wave to both of them and received one back from Celestine, but a glare from Lelith.

The Saint rubbed her eyes tiredly and stood next to Emerald while Lelith rolled her neck, "when are we able to leave this vessel?"

Celestine cast a flat stare at her, "how many times have Greyfax and I answered that question?"

Lelith shrugged, "it's amusing to watch the frustration grow,"

"Frustrating Greyfax will result in you resembling cheese,"

The Drukhari cocked a brow, "what is cheese?"

"...fermented milk,"

The woman's lips curled as she folded her arms, "that sounds disgusting, yet fitting for you Mon'keigh,"

"But cheese is tasty…" Emerald muttered sadly,

Lelith dipped her head towards Emerald, "Case and point, the upstart race of a child likes rotten milk,"

"Fermented and rotten are two separate things, Hesperax," Celestine shook her head in exasperation,

"And the Mon'keigh would make me look like rotten milk?" offence dripped off every word that left her mouth, "or cover me in it?"

"No…" Celestine sighed into a palm of hers, "cheese has holes-"

"And so do I!?"

-"Forget it." Celestine rolled her eyes at the Drukhari, unable to tell if she was serious or being facetious for the reaction. Probably a mix of both knowing her.

Emerald's brows pulled together and her lips pulled into a line, "You're weird,"

Lelith sniffed, "and you're a being unworthy of licking the dirt off my feet,"

The girl's eyes narrowed, "You're also a bitch,"

Kotek brought the blade of the Guardian Spear between the two of them, "enough,"

Lelith rolled her eyes and Emerald glared at her. She may not understand many things, but an insult was obvious to even her.

The door opened letting Alexea in as well, a scowl evident in the creases under her eyes. She stood next to the Custodian and eyed the Drukhari down.

"This is going to be a long trip…" Celestine muttered and Emerald couldn't help but agree with purple eyes staring her down from the other side of the room.

Why was everyone so angry with each other?

"Impressive, isn't it?" the General questioned with pride in his voice.

"It is a sight," Celestine intertwined diplomatically, cutting off Katarinya's and lelith's inevitable snark or snide comment. Two days with those two in an enclosed space was something the Saint never wanted to do again, "it reminds me of Hives, but…floating…"

That was where the comparisons ended. The city of Atlas hovered above the ground steadily. Its towering buildings rose into the sky and reflected any light like a gem. The main city sat behind small walls that separated farming fields from the city itself, where the largest building sat.

Atlas Academy and the Military complex, surrounded by battleships in a circular defence formation while the rest patrolled around the massive floating land.

Honestly, it wasn't the most impressive construct in existence that she'd had the privilege to lay her eyes on. Was it impressive? Yes, a floating city was bound to impress the majority, but it held nothing on the Imperator Titans or Crusade Fleets she'd been a part of or even led.

Even on approach in the Bullhead, the city remained subpar; though Emerald was entranced by the sights before her.

Then came the exterior of the Academy.

Towering over everything, accompanied by the shadows of the warships above. Familiarity in the strangeness of this world. Only if they were of the Navis Imperialis or even a fleet based Astartes Chapter or Sororita Convent, life would have been made easier.

But life was never destined to be easy. Not with Greyfax silently seething beside her still or the ever-bearing Null or even the shadow the Custodian cast over her.

So much in so little time had happened, and now an insurrection slash cult was to be hunted down. Did she want to do it? No, but duty came above and before anything else, especially with threats like these.

Though the inside of the building was…nice, she supposed.

It was strange for skulls and Inquisitorial symbols not to line dark, gothic halls that could fit two Dreadnoughts side by side. The missing hymns broadcasted from Servo-skulls and Vox casters added to the strangeness of the situation.

All of the worlds she'd seen, in and out of combat, were all roughly the same in architecture and theme. So to have none of it in sightest was an oddity.

When the group turned into a new hallway, Ironwood assigned rooms for them. Kotek took the first room, Alexea the next, Lelith, then Greyfax and finally the Saint and Emerald.

The Drukhari seemed overwhelmed at the prospect of her own room until the Null field negated the walls and invaded her space. And the realisation of being surrounded by them didn't settle well on her face either.

Not that she had much of a choice; Katarinya wouldn't let her out of her sight for long, and having a Null Maiden there as well most definitely boosted her confidence.

The Saint glanced at the woman in question, did she even account for Lord Kotek?

The fact that she was following Celestine to her room suggested a yes, but one could never be sure of what went on within an Inquisitor's mind. Let alone this ones…

Celestine, Greyfax and Emerald followed Ironwood down the white and grey ornamental halls of the Officers apartment complex. Wall-mounted electric torches lit the halls a light blue colour, breaking up the monotony of grey and white. Something that took Emerald's interest.

Then again, the girl had most likely not seen much in nine years of her life, so a lot could distract her.

The girl shivered on the odd occasion, unprepared for the cold in the little clothes she carried over from Vale.

"When we get to our room you should put something better on,"

Emerald looked up and nodded, "yeah, it's cold,"

"The entire building is heated, Emerald," Ironwood dropped back a step to walk next to the child, "it's definitely colder than you're used to, but it's better than outside,"

The Saint agreed with the man, just the trip from the Bullhead to the building was cold enough to make Vale's heatwave look normal, "At least it's easier to deal with than the heat,"

Emerald looked up to Celestine and shrugged, "I guess,"

Celestine gave her a small pat and turned her attention to the General, "I know the positions given to Lord Kotek and Inquisitor Greyfax were the best you could do, but what of myself?"

Kotek being placed as a commander in the Military was unexpected, especially after making a show in front of Ozpin over needing to test them all, but maybe that was still to come.

Greyfax on the other hand was stationed in an Intelligence branch of the Military, something fitting for her status but also rather concerning. If the branch didn't live up to her expectations, heads were going to roll and roll far.

The man clicked his tongue, "there honestly isn't anything at the moment I can give you without drawing ire of the Council," he hummed lightly, "I can see about placing you in a Public Relations-"

"No." Celestine's eyes flattened, "I am not anyone's trophy to show bar the Emperor Himself,"

"Well," he started slowly, "until Inquisitor Greyfax and Kotek are tested, I can't exactly do much with you,"

"Rapid response?" Greyfax interjected, "she can do a lot on that front,"

Celestine nodded in agreement, "I can go to whoever requires it the most,"

It was certainly better than being paraded around behind glass, the Emperor only knew how much the Ecclesiarchy tried that over the centuries.

The man breathed out his nose as they came to a stop in front of the door, "that works until I find a better suiting position, I suppose," he clicked his fingers, "that reminds me, while the inquisitor knows, you may not; the Sister of Silence is also partnered within the AIA,"

The Saint pressed her lips, "that makes sense, though partnering her with Lord Kotek would have been wiser,"

Ironwood licked the inside of his lips, "if the position doesn't work out, then she'll be reassigned,"

"I can tell you now, she belongs next to the Custodian, as the Talons of The Emperor," Greyfax stated lowly, "it is what they were made for,"

"Her actions in Wind Path proved she can extract information,"

"And she does that through destroying any chance at gaining specifics or extras," Greyfax countered, "that is not efficient,"

"And what would she do by the Custodian's side, then?" Ironwood questioned tiredly,

"Anything and everything," Celestine answered, "They are two halves of a whole,"

The man stayed silent, mulling over the decision. The fact this was the second time they fought him over the decision in the past two days was astounding, and a part of the Saint believed he was purposely separating them, something Greyfax openly berated him for on the battleship.

Though he had gall, she could give the man that. So few can stand in front of an Inquisitor and Custodian and deny them in the name of defending the Kingdoms.

His heart was in the right place, unlike where the High Lords held their pockets and status higher.

"I stand by what I've seen and been reported by Leuten- Specialist Ebi," he rubbed his eyes, "however, the reassignment will be taken note of and enacted if performance is subpar,"

That was the best they would get, wasn't it? When this man set his mind to something, it stayed with it. A potential problem for later, but if Greyfax could work enough, it wouldn't be. He wouldn't be.

A cynical part of her guessed all he could really do to herself, at worst, was kill her. Not that it was much of a thing to be afraid of.

"We will discuss this later, General," Greyfax said, "we have other tasks to complete. Library, where?"

"Within the Academy; go into the foyer and take a left, can't miss the entrance,"

Greyfax turned on a heel and entered Celestine's new room, clearly done with the man and the conversation.

The Saint gave Emerald a light push towards the door and the Girl followed the Inquisitor in.

"I shall see you whenever required, General,"

Ironwood met her eyes, "I have a feeling that will be regular, Saint…" he sighed, "I'll have scrolls dispatched within the hour to your…friends. But until then, farewell, I have the Council and Jacques to deal with,"

She gave him a farewell. Ah, the politics of being that high up. How much she didn't miss that aspect of her status; stabbing things was much more straightforward and easier.

She entered her new room; it was larger than the hotel, but only by a square metre or so, and held a vastly similar layout only inverted and with a massive window taking up the furthest wall.

Emerald had dumped the bag on the bed and took in the large city out their window, leaving the Saint and Inquisitor alone.

"He's scared of us,"

Celestine nodded, "yes, rightfully so. The General has every right to be,"

"No, the other Headmaster, Ozpin,"

The Saint met the augur and flesh eye of Greyfax, "oh, well, we did just barge in out of nowhere… and you did threaten execution,"

Katarinya shook her head, "no, its something more, like what the Drukhari pointed out,"

Celestine took a seat on the side of the large bed, "what of the General then?"

The Inquisitor took her hat off and ran a hand through her hair, "he wants us separated so we're controllable, despite knowing he can't control any of us," she took a seat next to the Saint and rested her elbows on her knees and interlocked her hands, "but he sees the value in our capabilities despite not performing a 'test' yet,"

"And our assignments he gave us are probably his tests," Celestine theorised,

"Possibly, it would be risky, but he's just as scared of this cult and who's leading it," Greyfax turned her head and faced Celestine, "these 'test' might be nothing more than a word on paper so he can throw us into his defences as quickly as possible,"

A small hum left her, "we were all told of Tyrian's crimes, but is he really that notorious?"

Greyfax sent an incredulous look, "the man has a cult, if I were a lesser person I'd be scared of him as well,"

Celestine returned a deadpan look, "I know that, what I mean is; He's a General, this is a normality, so why is he so scared of him?"

The Inquisitor shrugged, "not a clue yet, but it's something I'll work on,"

"What of Ozpin? Did you get anything out of him while we were there?"

"No, the Null Maiden was interfering," Katarinya sniffed, "though there was a brief moment of…something. Something powerful enough to seep through the Null when I was close,"

Celestine's brows furrowed, "Could the man just hold a strong Psychic presence?"

Katarinya nodded slightly, "probably, yes, but I don't work with probabilities and maybe's."

"Fair," Celestine slapped her armoured knees and rose, "now, Library,"

"And what of the child?"

The Saint faced the girl by the window, "Emerald, we're going for a while, stay here and do what you will,"

The girl nodded without taking her gaze off the city below, "okay!"

Greyfax stood as once she was certain of what the child would be doing and led the way towards the Library and shivered once she reached outside.

A small smirk formed on Celestine's face, "Cold?"

"No, I'm humid," Greyfax fired back, "what of you?"

Cold was an understatement but it wasn't like there was a snowstorm, just a few snowflakes falling from the sky every now and then, "cool, but nothing offensive, unlike the heat in Vale,"

The Inquisitor marched down the stone path, lit by the blue electric lamps with Celestine at her side. A quiet few people were already out and about for the morning, many staring at the duo as they made their way towards the Atlas Academy's foyer.

"They hate you,"

Celestine snapped her head towards Katarinya, "what?"

"Your wings, they think you a Faunus, they hate you," Katarinya's eye followed anyone who dared to venture too close or whose gaze lingered with the promise of violence, "they think me your 'trainer' of some sort,"

Celestine snorted with anger, "their opinion matters little until they voice it. Let them wither in their false beliefs. I know I am a true servant of the Emperor, they are lost lambs in the dark awaiting slaughter,"

Greyfax flicked a gaze up at the Saint, "Don't you want to 'enlighten' them?"

In response, Celestine flared her wings and let them glow with her Holy power, "the wounded soldiers did not want my aid, nor do these plebeians clearly,"

Greyfax cast her gaze over the gathered crowd, "well, they don't know what to think of you now,"

In a literal flash, the Saint disappeared from beside Greyfax and materialised in golden light on the rows of stairs leading up to the Academies foyer, from which she awaited Greyfax with crossed arms and glowing, spread wings and a golden halo.

Let the populace think what they will after this, she made a show of what she was and abided by Lord Koteks order of not creating disturbances.

A couple of soldiers in uniform stared at her from their posts, only to be told off by another few, more tired and weary soldiers. While they didn't look familiar, their psychic presence felt a touch familiar.

With great strides, she waltzed over to them, "you there, you were at Mountain Glenn?"

The tired soldiers lost their weariness as she came to a stop in front of them and stood at attention, "yes mam,"

"I thought so, your felt familiar,"

The soldiers glanced at each other then one spoke, "we were in the Bullhead that delivered the Inquisitor,"

"Yes, you were," Greyfax spoke from her new place next to the Saint,

One of the men gulped, "in the makeshift tunnels, what did you do? You should be dead, but a light killed the Grimm,"

"The Emperor's light smites all, Guardsman," Celestine answered, "I am his Sword and Shield,"

The man gave her a confused look, "and what does this Emperor do with the dead?" his voice held an edge, a volatile one at that,

"Those who die in His name are rewarded in Immortalisation in the Halls of Great Palace," her face took a softer, more caring look, "and while those who died in that mountain were not fighting for Him, they still honoured themselves for fighting for the civilians there,"

"It was their duty, our duty," he muttered at his feet,

Celestine nodded, "As is mine, Guardsman,"

He looked up at her, "do you know what's happening next against them?"

"No, that is being worked on by Ironwood and the Lord Custodian," Greyfax butted in,

The group nodded and the same man responded, "I hope the Council lets us take the fight to them, not after those tunnels,"

"What was in those tunnels?" Greyfax demanded,

The group of tired soldiers glanced between each other again, this time with a sickness coating their faces.

"We," another woman gestured between herself and a different man, "were with Ebi, but there were tunnels there as well,"

"The things there were horrifying, to say the least,"

The man who was addressing Celestine nodded, "the bodies looked torn and malformed, some looked like something came from within,"

Celestine's face hardened, "chest cavity?"

The group nodded.

The Saint faced Greyfax, "the man in Cambridge, his chest collapsed without much pressure,"

"You lot," Greyfax questioned the uniformed soldiers, "were you in Mountain Glenn?"

"No," one shook their head, the rest followed quickly after.

"Carry about your day," she turned to the remaining group, "follow me, tell me every detail," she turned to Celestine, "gather the Custodian, and bring him to Ironwood's office,"

"Do you know where it even is?"

"I can take you," one of them spoke up, "it's atop the Academy,"

Greyfax nodded firmly at them, "lead me,"

Celestine took a quick look around at the gathered people, some gave her open looks of disgust, others were confused while only a couple held awe. The exact opposite of the town.

It didn't matter, there was a job to complete and their opinion mattered very little. In another flash, she was gone again and materialising in the hallway that housed them now.

She marched up to the door that belonged to the Lord Custodian and knocked sharply before taking a knee.

The door swished open, "Saint, you need not kneel. what brings you here?"

She rose and looked up to find instead of the rubies that made the helmets eyepieces, a pair of dark brown eyes and a heavily scarred face, "Inquisitor Greyfax and I made a discovery regarding the cult,"

"Oh, do tell," he wedged himself out the door too small to fit him and held his helmet under one arm and the Guardian Spear in his free hand.

"If you would kindly follow me, we're taking this to the General right now," she asked humbly and with a certain shyness to it. She knew no one asked anything of a Custodian, yet she dared.

"Lead the way then, I am unfamiliar with these grounds," his voice sounded strange without the filter of the helmet,

Celestine turned and was met with a small squeak and nudge. She looked down and found a pale girl in Atlas Academies uniform, perfectly cured white hair sat in a neat bun on her head and two pale blue eyes stared up at the two demi-gods widely.

"Oh I apologise, we're in a hurry," Celestine knelt down and held a hand out for the girl to take. In doing so she noticed the Scrolls she held, "ah, you were bringing Scrolls to us,"

The girl composed herself and took the hand, "yes, on General Ironwoods order," with a free hand, the girl brushed her uniform off and straightened it where she felt it needed, "you must be Saint Celestine,"

Celestine nodded, "I am,"

The girl craned her neck up to meet the dark brown eyes of Kotek, "I, uh," she gulped, her breathing quickening,

"Hetaeron Guard, you may call me Kotek," the giant introduced himself to the girl, "breath fully, you may be experiencing a minor effect of what is known as Transhuman Dread. It is common with Astartes and my kind alike,"

The girl took slow, steadying breaths and clenched her eyes shut while Kotek made his motions as human-like as possible once she reopened them, "I'm sorry, that was unbecoming of me,"

"Do not be, many suffer from it upon witnessing Custodians and Astartes alike," Kotek kept his voice as soft as he could make it.

It was a strange sight, a Custodian making himself appear as harmless as possible for a regular human, comforting even. His slight accent lent to his softer tone, though his scarred face certainly didn't. They sat upon his face as an affront on his dark skin, only a shade or two darker than Alexea's.

"I have Scrolls for you," the girl spoke with mild nerves, averting her gaze from Koteks,

Kotek held his helmet out and upside down, "please place them within, I shall deliver them to who needs them,"

The girl looked as if she wanted to protest, but on glance up at the Custodian she clammed up and dumped the Scrolls in his helmet,

"Very well, Sir," she said quickly, "If you excuse me, I have a class to attend," she turned and left hurriedly down the hall and around the corner, out of sight.

Kotek lent the Guardian Spear against the wall just as the door for Alexea's room opened and she signed something.

"A scroll on behalf of General Ironwood," Kotek answered as he fished one out of his helmet and handed it over.

The woman took it with a nod of thanks, then signed something else,

"No, you may rest, once there is something, you will be informed,"

The woman nodded with a small frown and closed the door.

Without so much as a flinch, Kotek took a step to Lelith's and opened it himself, both he and Celestine found the woman hanging upside down off the side of the bed, her red hair splayed across the floor.

"Do I not get a knock, Mon'keigh?"

"Not until you have proven yourself, Hesperax,"

The woman frowned mockingly, "nothing I do will gain your trust,"

"And rightfully so," he spoke as he took another Scroll out and tossed it onto her bed, "this is yours now,"

Lelith fished it into her hand and held it up to look at, "ah, the joy,"

Celestine frowned at the sarcasm, "be thankful you were even granted one,"

"Oh, I am, Mon'keigh," she held it to her chest with a false smile, "so grateful,"

Celestine rolled her eyes, "you're dramatic,"

"I know,"

Without a word, Kotek closed the door, from which a muffled shout was heard, "and no farewell either? Animals…"

He took one of the remaining two and held the last Scroll out for her to take, which she did without question, "Lead the way, Celestine,"

She nodded and started down the hall with the giant behind her the entire time, not once leaving it even as he scooped up his Guardian Spear.

A Custodian. Following her. Her.

No, not following her command, she knew indefinitely, but the fact one was following a step behind her was astounding for her mind. The Ten Thousand followed none bar one, yet here one was, his presence forever known to her.

Once they were back on the same path Greyfax and herself took, the man took his place at her side and spoke, "I predict Hesperax will not be there when we return,"

Celestine nodded up to the man, "what makes you think that?" the moment the question left her mouth, she cringed. No one questions a Custodian.

"She is Aeldari, that alone makes them prone to flight; a Drukhari, even more so,"

The Saint nodded, "That is sound reasoning, but what are we to do about it?"

He looked down at her, "there is no we in this. I will be the one to capture her,"

Celestine stiffened at the minor chastisement, "apologies Lord,"

The man slipped his helmet on, returning his voice to the more filtered state, "do not apologise, no err was made,"

She took a deep breath in through her nose and nodded to herself. There was a lot to having a Custodian by one's side, they made mistakes hit harder; a Hetaeron Guard doubled that. Even if he cleared an error.

Her gaze settled out on the people once more, wishing Katarinya was by her side to tell her what they thought now.

Their shocked gazes between the two of them was amusing, all of them shifted themselves out of their path and a few soldiers stood at attention with some recognition of their faces, setting precedent for more soldiers to take notice and stand at attention.

She drew a small crowd with her spectacle, but he drew everyone. From the students to the families out on the morning grass, everyone watched in awe as he strode down a path with heavy footsteps.

The odd flash of a camera filled the air with mumblings and whispers.

Kotek ignored it all.

His strides matched her rapid pace as they ascended the stairs. How the giant was able to find holding on regular-sized stairs was beyond her, yet the man managed to keep pace with her, only damaging the concrete stairs slightly under his weight.

The reaction from the large foyer was much the same but on a much larger scale. It went from full of conversation to silent within moments, the two of them towering over nearly everyone in the massive room.

"I heard they were at Mountain Glenn," a student whispered to their friend,

"Yeah, that's what I heard as well,"

They ignored the whispers and marched towards the receptionist's desk, Kotek's voice carrying over the entire room easily, "we require an urgent meeting with General Ironwood,"

The receptionist stared up at him and shakily responded, "h-he's busy, a-at the moment. I, uh, I can leave a notification,"

He shook his head, "This is immediate, concerning Mountain Glenn,"

"H-he's in a meeting with Mr Schnee at the moment,"

"Unfortunately, this is urgent and requires immediate attention,"

The young receptionist gulped heavily, "I can't do anything, S-sir, I've been ordered not to let anyone in,"

"A woman with a hat, false eye, what did you do with her?" Celestine questioned gently,

The receptionist snapped their nervous gaze over to her, "She took her group to the Library to use a conference room,"

Kotek nodded, "we will follow, however, leave a notification for the General,"

The receptionist nodded shakily, "I will, Sir. I-is there anything else I can d-do for you?"

The Scroll he held for himself buzzed and he took it into his own hand. He read the notification.

"Saint, inform the Inquisitor I will be gone for a while,"

"It will be done, Lord," her brows furrowed, "Might I inquire why?"

He place his Scroll back and turned his attention to her, "I was correct, Hesperax is gone," he faced the receptionist, "lockdown may be required if things get out of hand,"

"W-what?"

The crowd jolted at the snap of sudden arcing electricity across the Guardian Spears blade and he faced the Saint, "I will return with Hesperax. Whether she is dead or alive remains to her answer,"

The giant turned and pushed his way through the crowd towards the doors of the foyer, leaving Celestine to make her way towards the Library. Though many people made way for her as she moved as fast as she could, a select few remained where they stood, the reasoning behind it unknown, however, they were shoved aside as she entered the Library.

She called psychically out for Katarinya and received a response. A few seconds later the Inquisitor came out of a door, "where is the Custodian?"

"Hesperax has gone off on her own, he left to find her,"

A deep frown formed on her face, "I will join him-"

-"No, he made it clear he would do it," Celestine pushed her back into the conference room, "he wishes to do it alone,"

"And why would he do that?" Greyfax's voice rose a level,

"I am unsure, however, he has given his orders and we must abide by it," the Saint attempted to placate the angry woman,

"Oh?" the definitely not placated woman scoffed, "we should have killed her!"

"Katarinya, he will kill her if he deems her worthy of such a fate," Celestine's voice lowered, "as will I if given the motivation and chance. Though it is clear he has plans,"

The smaller woman snarled, "fine, though if she attempts such a stunt again, I will end her myself,"

"As we all would, Katarinya, as we all would," Celestine glanced to the other occupants of the conference room, they sat on the opposite side of the large table, "apologies,"

She was apologising a lot lately.

"Uh, no problem, Saint," one of the soldiers gulped, "um, who are you going to kill?"

"Drukhari, not that it's of any business of yours," Greyfax snapped at them, "now, excuse me, I have someplace to be,"

"Will you find out what they were doing?"

"I am an Inquisitor, it is my literal title to do this," Greyfax spoke as she left the room with Celestine in tow.

"And where are you going?" Celestine questioned as she jogged up next to the fast-moving Inquisitor,

"I am now a part of the Atlesian Intelligence Agency, I plan to use it to the fullest extent," Greyfax waltzed up the circular set of stairs to the elevators, took all of a second to decide which one was the correct one and called it down.

"What did they tell you back there?" Celestine came up beside the Inquisitor,

"I am not sure, however," the elevator dinged and the doors opened, allowing the two to enter, "there may be some new Grimm type out there if my suspicions are correct,"

The Inquisitor pressed a button and the doors closed, then the elevator descended.

The elevator came to a stop after a second more descent, opening to a stark white hallway that held a security station. A window in the wall and a blast door.

The Inquisitor marched up to the window, "Inquisitor Greyfax, General Ironwood assigned me,"

The woman behind the glass nodded, he told us of your assignment, Greyfax,"

"Inquisitor," she corrected with a small growl,

The woman ignored the correction and opened the door, "Major Tanner is in his office. Go through."

Celestine followed the woman through into a semi-large room, stepped with desks and a massive screen up on the wall in front of the desks and stations. At least twenty people were at their stations, not many considering the agency's purpose.

"They lack security,"

"Considering I, a woman clad in gold was let in without question, yes, their security is lacking," Celestine agreed,

How could they keep their Kingdom Secure if their own offices were so easy to breach?

"I'll be back quickly and we can get started on our investigation," Greyfax marched down to the Majors labelled office, and Celestine couldn't help but wonder what Lord Kotek was up to.

And if she was going to need a body bag in a few moments…

It took less than an hour to find such a venue and even less time to get in, though that was on the guards' performance.

The lack of transport off-world was obvious and annoying; Lucius was her target yet she was trapped on this rotten world.

Why spend time being bored in the presence of the Mon'keigh when she could live like this? The crowd's roars ran deep as the latest opponent went down without a limb and she trembled in delight.

She sauntered around the ringside, her hands in the air and head back in delight.

The Mon'keigh here wanted a fight, she was more than willing to appease for her own entertainment, even if it was nothing like Commorragh or a raid. Yet she still held a self-assured smirk and twirled her knives as she watched the opponent get dragged off.

Four seconds.

Not much longer than the last one, or the one before them. None of them lasted long, much to her ire. Luckily for the audience, mindless bloodshed was what she craved, for the time being, however waning it was.

They were slow to catch up.

"Alright, boys and girls!" the announcer of the fight spoke up, "we have one surprise… guest up against tonight's unrivalled champion!"

Lelith stood taller. The recognition and cheers washed over her. In the place of the Wyches, the Mon'keigh would have to do it for now.

"Coming in at just over ten feet tall and too heavy to weigh-"

In the dark entrance opposite where the Queen of Knives stood, two red eyepieces shone through the shadows until the golden, ornate armour was washed in blue light from the Guardian Spear.

She tilted her head as she swung her left blade around a finger, "Mon'keigh, it did not take you long, but longer than I would have liked."

In a blink, Kotek was opposite her in the ring, less than a metre away, "very little hides from me, Xeno,"

The audience fell silent at the show of sheer speed from the ornate giant.

Purple eyes rolled at the cowering ring-siders, "Good thing I wasn't trying to hide, Custodian, or you would never have found me,"

"I shall hold doubt in that," the giant's tone was conversational if firm. Odd. "you are to return to Atlas Academy,"

Hesperax stood tall once more, "I never even stepped inside the Academy to return to it," her eyes then narrowed, "besides, you do not control me, I do not follow anyone,"

The Guardian Spear's blade lost its energy, yet the Custodian somehow stood taller, "Defeat me, here and now, you will have one, singular, request fulfilled of nearly any kind,"

Her head reeled back in surprise, then pivoted to the side slightly with a smirk, "can I sit on your emperor's lap?"

"No."

Ah, there was the anger the man held, even if it was slight, it was there. And if it was there, it could be exploited.

"Shame." she cocked an eyebrow, "and the catch?"

Red eyepieces met her purple eyes, "I win, you are to return without question nor complaint, from the Saint's side you shall stay till we reach the Imperium. Once there you are free to go your own path."

Her lips twisted in disgust and disapproval, "not happening."

"Any request." Kotek quickly reminded her, "or do you need to be made aware of my positioning?"

She chose to stay defiantly silent, spurring the giant to continue, "only the Emperor can openly disregard my orders, even Captain-General Valoris takes my advice,"

Slaving to someone else, no matter how long, was out of the question. Her eyes flicked to the blood over the floor of the ring. Yet nothing here was adrenaline rushing; not the Grimm or the people.

Gold stood firmly in the corner of her eye.

Chapter Masters, Librarians, Warp Spawn of all types to the lowest of prey; all put up a better fight in the decaying galaxy she resided in, even then the thrill was starting to get hard to find to the point of an immortal Chaos Daemon seeming like a sane fight.

Yet here there was nothing.

She spat on the floor by her feet, "I have led the end of Astartes Chapters,"

"And I as well, Hesperax," Kotek spoke as he held the Guardian Spear back in one hand, and held the other out in front of himself.

She flicked the giant an arrogance filled smirk as she lowered her centre of mass. A tinge of fear so minuscule it nearly went ignored surfaced; if a man could fight a Greater Daemon that was directly fueled by a Chaos God and survive, they had the right to be feared. Even by her.

Magnus' feathers are a testament to his skill and power.

Her smirk grew into a twisted grin as she adjusted her grip on the knives. The silence between them was broken only by a clock ticking down.

The audience watched in morbid curiosity and anticipation of what was to come on the third tick.

The second tick she watched as the blade lit blue.

In a flash the sparking blade of the Guardian Spear slashed from her left side the moment the final tick sounded. Time ground to a near halt as she propelled herself in a flip over it.

She made to swing her blade in rapid succession but was stopped when the polearm of the 'Spear twirled into her. She wrapped her legs around it in a jump and used the wedge of her right arm's elbow to hold on until a massive gauntlet came at her.

The Drukhari wormed her way between the polearm and strike by swinging herself off the blade. Her feet effortlessly touched the ground and she spun to face the Hetaeron Guard.

Kotek swung the blade back to his side then, in a burst, was to her right swinging the blade diagonally from the bottom, up.

She sidestepped the blade and purposely let it nearly brush against her skin. Her body tremored in delight at the brush and her heart picked up its pace.

Her legs threw her the way the blade came from and then towards the golden legs, only to be once more intercepted by the polearm and used it to fling herself into the air, and come down at what should've been behind Kotek.

A gauntlet met her chest despite her best effort at avoiding it, and flung her into the small barrier separating the spectators and ring with a thunk and time resumed it's normal pace.

The pain drew anger and an excitement unfelt for dozens of decades. The fact she barely had time to think and react thrilled her.

"Oh~ this will be fun," a soft laugh left her as her blades shone in the light, "end the games, Mon'keigh."

She rolled her shoulders as she stood and fell into a readied stance, something that the Custodian copied in his own way.

In moments she fell blades first upon him and was blocked by the polearm then tossed to the side, rapidly followed by a swing of the blade which she arched her body effortlessly over.

She used it as a bounce point when it came around again, and flung herself to his side where she slashed at his legs.

The polearm turned into a whirlwind of death, forcing her back.

Her feet propelled her up and over his head, at her peak of height, she let her blades slash against his helmet for all but a fraction of a second before the man became a blur.

She came down and with a single foot on the floor she threw herself at him, her blades chincing against the golden armour for a brief second-

The pommel of the Guardian Spear cracked against her temple then the blade came from all directions. She weaved in and between the strikes, the blade coming close not because of his skill, but the taunt she dared make. That's what she told herself to keep the fear in line.

The crowd moved in slow motion as she pivoted around behind the Custodian and barely got the tip of a blade to impact on his armour before he faced her again.

The Guardian Spear came in a blur that she dodged just in time and now found herself with the ring entrance behind her.

"Tell me, Drukhari, what is the longest you've fought consecutively?" Kotek spun the Guardian Spear till the blade pointed at her.

Lelith rolled her shoulders and revelled in the pain from her temple. The scar on her abdomen came to mind, "A day."

Suddenly, the Custodian was gone and she was thrown across the ring and smoothly landed on her feet. Her senses warned her of another strike and she bent as far back as she could go.

The blade sparked past her nose.

With a flip, she was on her feet and manoeuvred between impossibly fast strikes with her own reflexes. Each time the 'Spears blade brushed her skin.

The only things moving in the building were the two of them and it thrilled her to no end.

She used the Guardian Spear as a platform to rappel herself over the top of Kotek and at the peak of her jump, the right blade was brought in with as much strength and speed as she could muster and embedded into the left Pauldron.

With the hilt still in hand, she used it as a pivot point and swung over the helm, from which she heard a faint, familiar click of a Vox transmission.

Before she reached the ground the polearm once more came from nowhere and straight into her abdomen and threw her over the crowd into a steel beam. She pushed off the beam and flew back into the ring where Kotek used the polearm to block her, only for her to grab onto it and make for an attack on his helm.

Just before the blade made an impact, the polearm violently tossed her into the floor a few feet away from the Custodian. Another impact to her side hurled her across the ground into a wall of the warehouse that acted as a ring barrier.

A gauntlet gripped her neck and she found herself lifted into the air. She stabbed at the hand with her remaining blade, but the attacks went ignored as she was launched into the ground with a crack, whether it was a bone of hers or the ground, she couldn't be sure of the struggle to breathe.

"Just know, I can kill you at any time," since when did she close her eyes?

Lelith peeled them open to find a sparking blue blade nearly touching her face, "my…" she took as deep a breath as possible, "body better not be permanently harmed, Mon'keigh…"

The blade switched off but did not move, "You will live. I believe I won,"

Her lips frowned heavily yet the anger didn't stay as exhilaration washed over her, as did the feeling of her blade embedding itself in his pauldron, "I will win eventually,"

A hand took its place of the blade yet its presence was made known, "I will maintain my doubt, Drukhari."

She stared at the hand for a moment; the Cult of Strife was nowhere to be seen, nor were any rival Cults. The Imperium and Chaos were far beyond here.

She took the hand and was hoisted up, "I will get that request, Mon'keigh"

"You're welcome to try," he spoke, "as for now, try anything and you die,"

Lelith tried to stretch but pain shot up her sides and back, "I will abide by the conditions set," she winced as she rolled her neck, "dying now will be of no use to me, not with Lucius still out there,"

She looked down to her left side and took note of the rapidly forming bruises with disgust. Her eyes flicked to the scar on her abdomen; at least it was temporary. Still, it was a rather bad blotch on her skin.

And this would have been a blotch on her reputation if other Drukhari were around.

"Oi, where's the fight!?"

Her gaze flicked up to the audience member, "you may enter the ring if you wish,"

The person's gaze flicked to the blood on the floor, then at her blades and then at the towering golden man and they stepped back.

She scoffed, "Coward."

The hilt of her lost blade appeared in front of her and she took it without hesitation, "How did you know I was under the city?"

"You have wanted a fight since we left Beacon two days ago, and the General doesn't appear to be the type to allow rings of this type up there," he cast a glance at the blood over the floor, "I want to know how you knew to come here,"

Lelith shrugged, "I didn't. Your logic is the same as mine,"

The fact that it was the exact line of logic she used to end up in the massive mining pit where the city of Atlas once was concerned her. Was she getting old and predictable? Or was the choice that obvious?

"If you wish for a fight, I am to be approached,"

A taunting smile formed on her lips, "I want that favour,"

The smile turned into disgust as her mind suddenly caught fire on the inside. She sped away from the person causing it, "abomination,"

Alexea rolled her eyes at her, never lowering her Bolter.

The woman was an abomination of the highest order, a true soulless being unworthy of its life. Yet there was nothing she could do about it. The Custodian was still in shape to fight and not showing any form of wear.

That favour, despite having no use for it yet, was going to be hers.

And did that man really think he could completely control her? The fact that he didn't bother trying to keep the blade said he didn't, not truely anyway.

Whistling.

Always the incessant whistling.

He knew the whistling annoyed him but did it anyway. Asshole.

Science was an art not to be distracted from, yet he demanded it be done.

A mass crashed into his side and a cheek was pressed into his, "Oh, so how're your little creations going?"

"Progress is being made, Tyrian" what more did he want?

"Oh, well I have someone else to help you, good doctor~" Tyrian sang, "please welcome-" He began to drum on his legs -"Doctor Arthur Watts!"

The crazed man quickly pressed a button and the doors to the lab swished open, revealing a tall, lanky man in a suit, "yes, your theatrics are exciting Callows,"

His cybernetic eye scanned the new doctor, "you should be dead,"

"An exaggeration on my part, I assure you," Arthur brushed his shoulder off, "now, I am told you are my new…partner?"

He rose from his seat at the table and hobbled over to the man, "yes, I am Doctor Merlot," he held out a chunky prosthetic hand, "Tyrian has told me of you,"

The tall man hummed, "yes, I'm sure he has,"

"Yes, yes, a new friend for us all," Tryrian clapped, "now, I have some news from our Majesty,"

Merlot cocked an eyebrow, "Oh?"

Tyrian nodded rapidly and enthusiastically, "I know, her voice brings wonders!"

Was letting this man help run his organisation a good idea? Probably not, but it did reveal on thing;

Everything he worked for was right, from the beginning to end, his work was right! The Grimm were ancient beyond doubt, from the first age of humanity; when only humanity existed!

And they were ruled! Controlled.

"Mountain Glenn is gone~"

Merlot coughed, "My tower?" he urgently asked,

Tyrian waved him off, "it's gone, it's all gone!" he giggled as he stalked between the vats and shelving, his movements janky and wild in some moments and smooth and fluid the next.

But always with a grin in place.

The man shot towards Merlot and pulled him into a firm side hug, "Don't be sad! We now have some new people to test ourselves against!"

"Great! That's great!" a part of him believed it was, science needed to be tested eventually, and his works sorely needed it.

"I know!" Tyrian straightened suddenly, "now, you two work on your little projects and parasites, My Lady wishes me back with Hazel!"

Merlot nodded, "very well, Watts and I shall get acquainted and to work,"

Tyrian's tail whipped like a cat as he stared the two of them down, "you better, our Lady is watching!~"

The man turned and marched out the door.

"He is rather unstable," Watts uttered once the footsteps were gone,

"Tyrian has descended rather quickly now that he's free," Merlot looked up to Watts, "not that it matters, he has his uses and does as he's told,"

Watts hummed, unsure if he agreed, "now, what was I to help you in?"

"I am more of a biologist, living beings is where my speciality lies," Merlot wobbled over to his table, "however I have two things that need to be done and are proving for just myself to handle,"

Watts came up next to him, observing the tendrils and things in the vats, "and I am to?"

"Aid in both if possible,"

Arthur stood with his chest slightly puffed, "I can, my degrees weren't earned for show,"

"That wasn't a shot at your skill, calm down," Merlot waved him off and picked up some paperwork, "I need you to help with this aspect of a creation of mine,"

He handed it to the taller man who took it and let his eyes wash over the details of each page, then rereading them, "you can't be serious, Merlot,"

"Oh, but I am," Merlot smiled a little too widely, "and it works…mostly,"

"It is my pinnacle of research of the past decade, Arthur," Merlot took a step forwards, "think of what this would mean for our careers! For humanity! The Grimm are the most resilient creatures on this planet, now imagine what we could do by harnessing them!"

"What? Make people resistant to the cold?" Watts rolled his eyes,

"Yes, adaptable to everything; hot, cold, humid, dry. We could fundamentally make ourselves immortal, like the Grimm! Stronger, faster, durable!"

Arthur placed the papers on the table, "There are those out there that say the Faunus is the next step in humanity's evolution,"

"And there are those that say humans were created by the gods. So, which one is true?" Merlot queried,

"Evolution, enough evidence is there,"

Merlot tutted, "that's where you're wrong, the answer is both, Watts, we were created, destroyed and revolved back into existence,"

Watts opened his mouth but was cut off by Merlot who handed him a stack of folders and marked books, "Read these and you will see what I mean, if you don't believe me then, ask Salem, she will tell you all,"

Watts picked up the first folder and opened it to an image of a series of underground ruins and started reading, wondering just what he got into.

A/N:

Lelith Vs. Cheese. Who will win?

Kotek wins.

Now, with Lelith under control, I have one less thing to worry about. I tried to find the best way to have her reigned in, and having someone with who she can have a challenging fight with and a very good incentive to stay nearby said challenge was the best way I could think of.

The best way I can describe Kotek with her is this; he doesn't trust her, but he trusts her actions and reactions because, for him, they're predictable.

Why let her run wild and potentially cause harm when he can point her at himself, one of the few who can actually matcher blow for blow and entice her to stay with something no one would refuse; a favour from a Custodian. This is his (and my) bandaid to the problem that is Lelith.

I made sure Kotek got struck at least once because no one likes it when the OC outdoes a named character. I sure don't. But I couldn't just have them pound each other into the ground either because only one will be walking away from a fight like that.

It also helps that Silent Hunters has happened as well (where is that book even set? Pre or post Cadia falling?), so Lelith has had a literal universe given existential crisis beyond what anyone could imagine. I mean, if it can make her crawl on the floor muttering 'no' over and over again in the middle of a stadium in Commorragh, she ain't going to be the same again.

If you think I'm going to have Lelith abide by Kotek's rules, you'll be sorely mistaken. She'll have her own mini-adventures, much to the ire of Greyfax.

No, don't expect her to become sunshine and rainbows, she actually has the least change in this fic right behind Greyfax.

And finally, Merlot, Watts and Tyrian.

Honestly, I thought I'd get through the majority of this fic before an actual scene with the villains, but this left a bit open for you all to discover from the perspective of Celestine and Co's adventures.

Oh, and the title refers to everyone; they're all playing with fire, even if they don't know it yet. And I'm very specifically trying to set up a powder keg that's close to being lit.

And I think the first large Timeskip will be during the next chapter. I'll tie up loose ends of this chapter in the first half of the next one, so don't worry.

Uh, yeah, that's about it.

E: Good, very good. OCs are not annoying and fit their roles well. It's kind of necessary to have OCs in something like Warhammer, due to scale, so I'm glad these are done well.

On another topic, culture shock is my favorite part of crossovers. That realization of "oh shit, they really do come from a galaxy where an eternity of slaughter is perpetuated" will be glorious.

Near the top of chapter, as Kotek is talking outside and the bird landa near him (which is presumably Qrow), you describe it as "back", which I assume was meant to say "black". Only spelling error I caught.

I await more, as always.

Heh, I hate it in fics when the OC's overshadow the others because of the natural bias that seeps into them, so I'm very conscious of making sure that doesn't happen. Alexea is a regular Oblivion Knight who has no clue what the fuck is going on but rolls with it, lol, and Kotek…well, there's more to him.

As for one character's realisation; Drukhari. Enough said for now. Yes, be scared, it's 3000 words long and really disgusting.

Yeah, it's a spelling error. I have a new keyboard for my desktop and am still getting used to it, hopefully, I should get used to it soon. And it wasn't a crow, cause remember how Qrow transformed in front of Kotek?

Yeah, he'd have no reason to be suspicious if it was a different type of bird…

Saltmancer: Happy to see this updated again, another good chapter.

getting some #Magnusdidnothingwrong" vibes lol

glad you are okay, say safe now.

I'm happy to see people glad this was updated!

Oh, unfortunately for Magnus, I think he did a lot wrong, lol, but he's still my favourite nonetheless.

As for staying safe, this chapter is coming out in my last few recovery days of having Covid. Either New years celebrations gave it to me or I got it from work. I'm better now and will be returning to work next week, though. But I thank you for the concern anyway!

Fairfield Parallax: Two chapters in, this is good! I am enjoying the story and it's developing nicely. Also, fantastic username author.

Hopefully, you're still here and enjoying it!

And I'm thinking of changing the username just so I can reference Benery in the fic and it is not seen as egotistical, hehe.

GloGang214: ozpin just cant leave shit alone. Her agents this Her agents that. its annoying.

Don't expect Ozpin to get any better, just more paranoid the longer the Imperials stay gaining power.

See ya next time!