Once again, sorry for the wait. Had some IRL stuff to take care of aside from my usual online class assignments.
…And being obsessed with the Cradle Parade patch of Punishing Gray Raven, ha ha. Been having way too much fun playing Lamia in the new events and stuff.
That aside… yeah, not much to really say about my situation in and of itself. Though about this fic… not going to lie, was hoping it would have more exposure by now. But then again, that is on me for having Ozpin, Salem and OC as the only character tags. Perhaps including a different character as a fourth tag would help it reach a wider audience since those three tags on their own have a rather niche audience compared to a lot of the other RWBY characters. Will have to figure that out unless you guys happen to have suggestions. For whatever it's worth, I can think of two other character tags I could possibly include, but I fear they might serve as spoilers if I did so. Will have to consider it more.
That said, I am genuinely grateful for what attention Defining Purpose has been getting so far, especially as it's still in the early phase before things truly kick off. So if I can just think up a way to gain some more exposure for this fic, perhaps it will be in time for the plot to kick into high gear and really draw some interest.
…Heh, I suppose me saying that is quite fitting considering Eva's mindset and actions so far, in addition to what she'll be doing (sort of) in this particular chapter. But I digress.
Anyways, let's just get on with the chapter. Hope you enjoy.
Chapter 7 - The Stage is Set
One look at Junior, what with his huge build and gruff expression, and many would assume him to be nothing more than a brute dressed up in a nice suit.
And these people would be quite wrong, Eva surmised. For despite his thuggish appearance, Junior's mind was as sharp as they come. After all, as a professional information broker, it was a necessity to be able to handle technology just as easily as breathing, what with how prevalent information is online.
So, with a brisk pace, she had made her way over to Vale's News Network's station. Flanked by both Roman and Junior still, they'd made it to VNN in record time.
VNN had initially been reporting on the Grimm incursion before the council had swiftly come cracking down, shutting down certain functions of the CCTS to prevent news of this spreading throughout the rest of Vale and causing negativity to skyrocket further. A decision that would very likely prove unpopular given people's instinctive desire to know more, but one that would prove ultimately useless.
After getting the cooperation of everyone that was holed up in the building, Eva motioned for Junior to get to work. Thus, with just a few technicians of VNN aiding him, Junior was able to develop a workaround that bypassed the council's shutdown of the CCTS by utilizing a backdoor into the whole system from here.
Before long, VNN was reporting once more on every available channel not just here within Vale but also further beyond, watchers in other kingdoms able to watch as Junior managed to hook up the VNN's system with some of the kingdom's CCTVs to directly show the carnage happening throughout.
Grimm running amok.
Members of the White Fang taking advantage of the chaos to gun down everyone they saw.
Citizens going wild and either fighting each other or doing themselves harm, only adding to the mayhem.
And finally, some of Atlas' very own soldiers – the ones she'd charmed – turning their weapons on the very people they were originally protecting.
It hadn't been easy for Junior, who'd had to jump through some mental and systematic hoops to make this happen over the course of fifteen minutes, but it had nonetheless bore results.
All the while Eva watched from the side, arms folded under her bust as she looked to several monitors that allowed workers here to see comments flood the news site in real time.
Naturally, there were words of shock and horror among these flooding comments, while others refused to believe any of this was happening, that it was all somehow one big hoax meant to elicit bad reactions for shits and giggles. And then, of course, there were some comments that seemed to egg the whole thing on, delighting in the carnage. Whether these were simply troll comments taking advantage of a bad situation or genuinely malicious people finally letting their feelings loose was irrelevant – what mattered was that people were seeing this.
And that meant that very soon it would be her time to shine in this mess.
With a smile, she continued to do her own part, using a laptop that Lisa Lavender herself had generously provided for her to type up a script – her own script of what would be said in just a short while, when this incident reaches its zenith.
Although Eva was plenty confident in being able to ad lib thanks to her years of acting experience, it never did hurt to have something to work with, especially when certain points need to be made first.
Giggling lightly at what was to come, the woman continued to prepare for quite possibly the greatest stage she'll be performing on yet.
"…What has become of Cinder?"
Some odd minutes ago, Watts had all but barged into Salem's personal chambers with his scroll in hand. On it was a live broadcast of the rapidly escalating situation in Vale, one of death and destruction and pure chaos that only seemed to swell by the minute.
…All things considered, this was something that had always been part of the plan, the part that Cinder was meant to figure out how to properly execute, but this felt much too soon. Ill prepared, in other words.
Hence Salem's reasonable question. Cinder may be the youngest of her current generation of agents, but a skilled one nonetheless, with a lust for power and control that could scarcely be hidden. Put another way, it was quite unlike Cinder to jump the gun like this.
That meant one of two things. Either Cinder's mental state experienced a sudden snap and she vastly accelerated the plan to bring Vale to ruin… or something had happened to Cinder and hijacked the plan essentially.
All things considered, Salem was inclined to believe the latter over the former. Cinder may always have the potential to deteriorate mentally, but she highly doubted there were any factors in Vale that could have forced the young woman to such a state.
"Unknown," Watts grumbled. "I've sent a message, of course, but with this being broadcast on every possible channel, not even my efforts can ensure the message will reach her so quickly. And that's assuming she's even in a position to reply immediately."
Salem narrowed her eyes, deep in thought.
How terribly convenient for this to happen when just a while ago she'd been approached by Alisa, member of the three-man group called Cradle.
There was an obvious connection between the two, of this she was certain. After all, Alisa never stated what the other two members were up to. However, Salem doubted this Cradle group was directly responsible for the situation in Vale right now.
But while Cradle likely had an indirect hand in the Grimm incursion, they were not the direct cause for it in and of themselves. Something else was at play here.
"…I believe there's another group at work here," Salem muttered as she handed Watts' scroll back to him. "It's the only thing that would make sense."
The not-so-good doctor hummed. "I'd been thinking the same as well, milady. But that just opens up a new can of worms, does it not? Did this Cradle group know about this other one? Or was it all truly just a bad string of luck?"
Good question, Salem thought. While the possibility of this being a coincidence was still there, the sheer timing of it all made the former possibility much more likely to be true.
After all, it was fair to assume that Alisa's ability to cause such fear in others wasn't entirely unique. That isn't to say other people out there had the exact same ability as Alisa, but whatever abnormality Alisa possessed likely wasn't exclusive to just her… and if that truly is the case, the next question is just how many people out there were just as abnormal.
…Looks like she will now have her hands full getting to the bottom of this. And that meant making good on the new alliance made with Cradle as soon as possible.
"Prepare to contact Alisa later," Salem commanded. "It would seem there are more questions to be asked… and for other plans of ours to be set into motion much more swiftly than we'd thought."
Watts grimaced, obviously not liking the idea of having that young woman around any time soon. But he nodded in obedience, knowing better than to refuse. "Shall I call back Hazel or Tyrian as well?"
"…No, continue to let them operate as they have been so far. Reducing the number of huntsmen in the other kingdoms is still a necessity. And if anything, it would be best to continue reducing their numbers now before anyone has the idea to bolster their own defenses to avoid having Vale's situation happen elsewhere."
"Very well. But what of Vale's current predicament?"
Salem drummed her fingers against the wall that she was near. "Let things be. Either Cinder will find a way to carry out her mission despite the new circumstances… or she doesn't. Regardless, this will be a severe blow to Vale's defenses, if it even survives the current onslaught. All that we need to do is go in afterwards to reap the rewards."
Regardless if the kingdom of Vale is destroyed or not, Ozma would now undoubtedly do what he can to protect the Fall Maiden and the Relic to the best of his ability. But said ability would be hampered by his duty to help the kingdom given his position as Beacon's headmaster. That should prove enough of a disadvantage for her own forces to capitalize on and raid the academy for the Relic afterwards.
Thus, while the current incident was certainly an unexpected one, it was still a boon to her.
…
…Even so…
As Watts left her be, Salem remained standing and mulled over the situation.
If there truly was another group out there, with abilities as varied and powerful as Alisa's… then given the seeming lack of a proper connection with Cradle, there was a chance that it would prove a thorn in her side.
This was something she would need to confront Alisa about when she was called here. And no matter how the young woman may refuse, Salem would in return refuse to take no for an answer. She will hear the proper truth from Alisa one way or another…
…And if that means having to confront this new group in the end, then that is exactly what she shall be doing.
In northern Mistral, there was a port city known as Argus. As a major trading center between Anima and Solitas, it was extremely prosperous, with a high population and standard of living that made Argus one of the biggest and most well-known cities in Remnant that wasn't a capital city.
With this in mind, it naturally had a high tourist influx, with people from Atlas regularly making trips to Argus to enjoy a warmer climate compared to Solitas, which was quite the statement since Argus was often cool and snowy due to the surrounding mountains and climate in general. To accommodate the tourism, the city had numerous inns and hotels.
And within the classiest one that Argus had to offer, a small group of people were gathered within the sole suite to watch the news.
In total, there were five people, consisting of two women and three men, all of them adults. One of the women sat upon the massive sofa that the suite had while the others were seated throughout the room, giving her essentially free rein of the place.
As was to be expected, of course. She was, after all, their leader – in other words, their superior. Thus, she gets certain privileges.
They watched in silence as the news showcased the chaos in Vale without any censorship. Grimm rushed through the streets, tearing through everything that got in their way. White Fang members attacked citizens and Atlas soldiers at random. Citizens screamed and ran and tried to otherwise find safety and the Atlas forces stationed there worked in conjunction with huntsmen and the local law enforcement to bring some semblance of order to the whole thing.
All in all, it was quite the exquisite view.
And yet, the woman seated upon the sofa could only watch on in vague disinterest.
"Eva's doing quite well," she spoke sternly. "Yet even so, she dawdles."
"She does like to take her time setting things up," spoke up one of the men, who lazily leaned back in a chair. "It's her whole MO. Just give her a bit more time."
"It's all still going as planned though, isn't it? I mean, wasn't that the whole point of the call with her earlier?" asked the sole other woman.
"It was," spoke the leader. "Even so, swiftness is preferred."
"Well, at least this means we can finally begin properly, right?"
"…Indeed. Speaking of which." The woman in charge turned her fierce gaze to another man who was squirming in his current position. Said squirming wasn't due to him being nervous or anything. Rather it was just a simple dislike of remaining still. After all, being still was simply not something the man was quite equipped to do. "You've found a general location of them?"
"I have," the man replied tersely, though not disrespectfully. "Took some time to plot out their movements, but I've a good idea of where they're currently at and what villages they will likely hit next."
"Good. Then once we make sure Eva carries out her role here, we'll make own move," spoke the woman.
"…Huh, speaking of the devil," spoke the first man. He pointed at the TV.
The broadcast had changed from those images of terror to one that was now taking place directly within VNN's station… and with Eva taking the helm.
As the woman appeared, looking for all the world like a solemn woman stricken with concern, everyone in the room leaned forward. They were eager to see what kind of performance Eva would be putting on.
And the leader of them all, Rya, finally allowed herself a light smile.
It was time for things to truly begin.
Ozpin could only blink when one of his monitors suddenly switched to a broadcast coming from within VNN itself. Further adding to his surprise was the fact that it wasn't Lisa Lavender on screen nor any of VNN's other newscasters.
Instead, it was none other than Eva Lambros, one of the most well-known actresses in Vale, if not all of Remnant. A severe expression was upon her face, one of great concern and determination.
…Somehow, Ozpin found that expression off-putting. Yet once again, he lacked knowledge as to why he felt that way.
"Citizens of Vale," she began, clasping both hands to her chest tightly. "If you're watching this somehow whilst in the danger zone… please, don't fret any longer. Safety is here, at the VNN. The shelters are all under attack by Grimm and White Fang alike… but not here. Here it is as safe as could be. So, if you're at all able to do so, make your way here and be with me.
"Though I am just a mere actress, I love this kingdom – this world – with all my heart. And even with my meager abilities, I'll do whatever I can to help. But I know for certain that together with you all, I – no, we – will be much more successful at overcoming this crisis!"
It was a short speech, but one that came from the heart. And as Eva uttered each and every word, Ozpin could feel a certain pull towards her. Such was her passion in what she was saying.
It was almost enough to make even him consider going to her…
…But this feeling lasted but a fleeting second before he shook his head… and as he did so, the figurative cobwebs in his mind began to clear.
Eva continued to talk on screen. "Police and huntsmen and soldiers of Atlas, one and all… if you too are seeing this, please… I call on you to aid the civilians' journey. I've faith they can make it to safety… but your presence would set us all more at ease. Take up your arms and show the people the way here!"
"…!"
As her speech went on, Ozpin began to notice a shift in Vale. Eva's speech wasn't just being shown on every still working TV but also being blasted through any functioning speakers such as radios and anything else that still had a connection with the CCTS.
People were watching and listening… and obeying.
Without any warning, a huge surge of citizens forced themselves out of the shelters. Policemen and Atlas soldiers that had been guarding said shelters wasted no time in trying to herd said people in the general direction of VNN, which was located within the danger zone still, albeit not too deeply.
Ozpin watched on, gobsmacked as this happened. Even a number of huntsmen seemed to stop their advance in favor of now rushing off to wherever the civilians may be and formed a protective shield against the steadily rising presence of Grimm.
In the span of moments, what had once been a slow but steady subjugation of the Grimm and White Fang alike was now transformed into a veritable parade that headed right for the VNN.
And needless to say, even with so many policemen and soldiers and huntsmen now guiding the civilians, the simple fact remained that the noncombatants vastly outnumbered the actual number of capable warriors. As such, it soon became a growing bloodbath as people continued to recklessly head for the VNN even as Grimm slipped in between the gaps in the hastily formed guard and tore apart the civilians.
Chaotic chatter erupted over all comm channels as a good number of law enforcement and huntsmen had remained on task, understandably stupefied and enraged by their allies suddenly switching gears like that. Ozpin watched on the cameras as many people now tried to roughly grab their friends and acquaintances and tried to force them back into the proper perimeter. Some appeared to listen, visibly coming out of a daze that had suddenly come over them, but others stubbornly clung to their newly self-assigned tasks.
"Ozpin!" cried Glynda through the comm channel he had with her. "What is going on?!"
The man in question remained deathly silent for a few seconds as his hands balled into tight fists. There was no doubt about it now, not one bit.
"…A new threat has emerged, just as feared," he responded.
This must be what Veratyr had hinted at – what was looming in shadows that not even he had been aware of.
Until now, that is.
Glynda audibly grimaced, a sound accompanied by a cacophony of noise from the other comms channels he was listening to. Poor James was doing his can to rein in his men, many of which were now escorting a massive number of civilians to the VNN while some continued their own assault upon the people even now.
The chaos was growing out of control.
…
"What should I do?" Glynda asked of him. "Do you want me to-?"
"No."
His response was immediate and so harshly uttered that Glynda immediately went silent. Taking a quick breath, Ozpin spoke again in a calmer voice. "You and whoever else is left, focus on getting to the hole and plugging it as quickly as possible. I will try to handle this myself in the meanwhile."
"O-Ozpin…" Glynda was understandably baffled by his words.
"…I've been on the sidelines long enough," he muttered to her before ending the conversation.
Without himself here to serve as the final line of defense for both Amber and the Relic, there was no telling what Salem's forces could do… but given the chaotic situation in Vale right now, he doubted even her agents would be able to properly capitalize on this chance.
It was one hell of a risk to take, but with the crisis only escalating again, there was little else he could do.
And as he told Glynda just now, this was no longer a time for him to just stand around monitoring things. Had he not swore to himself following the duel that he'd need to be more proactive now?
Well, with whatever threat Eva clearly posed now – for there was no doubting that she had a hand in this somehow – it was only natural that he make good on that recent vow.
With the Long Memory in hand once more, he shut his office's systems down and immediately headed for the elevator.
As he took said elevator down to the ground floor, he made a call to one of the few pilots left for Beacon Academy. "Prepare for flight into Vale now."
Said pilot, an older woman that's been working for more than a decade at the academy, sounded surprise at his order. "Are you taking a flight into Vale, sir?" She surmised his general intent well.
But she was still wrong to some degree.
"No. You'll be heading into Vale to make pickups – any civilians left that are still of sound mind… broadcast your arrival over the bullhead's speakers and take as many people as possible back here to Beacon or even to one of general Ironwood's ships," he explained. "I'll head into Vale on foot."
What he'd just said would sound like madness. It was the sort of impractical if not ludicrous things that much younger people would boast of doing – of traveling great distances in short periods of times under their own power.
Except in Ozpin's case, it was very much a feat within his capabilities. The benefits of his semblance.
And it was a feat he wasted no time executing the instant the elevator came to a stop and opened up. Aura gathering within him and triggering his semblance to the fullest, he put on a huge burst of speed unlike anything most others would be capable of performing.
Across Beacon's grounds did he go before leaping high off the incoming cliff that faced Vale. The sheer speed he'd possessed propelled him far out before gravity finally took hold and he descended into the forest below.
Upon landing, he executed a swift and graceful roll that saw him get up without even the slightest bit of damage or discomfort.
Eyes narrowed, he gazed in the direction of the VNN… and promptly took off.
By hell or high water, he will be putting as swift an end to this madness as possible.
Glynda unleashed a small burst of telekinetic power that instantly blew apart a huge Nevermore that had made a dive at her. Directly beside her, Doctor Bartholomew Oobleck made a lightning-fast swing with his weapon, Antiquity's Roast, that smashed through three Beowulves before he then spun it around and spewed an immense blast of flames from the staff's thermos-shaped tip that roasted a Creeper to ashes.
Not that far behind them was a handful of other huntsmen and Atlas soldiers, ones that hadn't been taken by whatever words Eva Lambros had uttered over every channel and speaker there was. This group, numbering a little more than a dozen strong now, was headed by Peter Port, the normally jovial older man letting loose a brutal swing with Blowhard, the axe/blunderbuss hybrid weapon cutting through an Ursa's attacking arm before the follow up slice took off its head. Peter then flipped his weapon around as to fire a single round at another Ursa nearby, the aura empowered shot exploding the unfortunate Grimm with enough force to make the immediate vicinity quake.
"-There," Glynda called out suddenly.
Following the extremely brief conversation with Ozpin just moments ago, she and her allies had pressed onwards as quickly as they could. They'd been close to the hole the train had made initially, but the spontaneous change in the situation had caused them to slow down considerably. If it hadn't been for that, they would've reached the hole several minutes ago at least.
Thanks to this most misfortunate slowdown, more Grimm had had the time to crawl out of the hole, primarily the species that could be considered native to the lands outside of Vale. But they all knew it'd only be a matter of time before the negativity reached a level where even the likes of Goliaths, which were found closer to Mount Glenn, would begin to earnestly make their way here.
And if that happened… well, while Glynda was confident in her ability to handle such massive Grimm, especially with the likes of Peter and Bart by her side, if enough Goliaths poured into Vale, the crisis would be well and truly beyond their ability to recover from.
…There was no more time to waste. They needed to hurry.
"Bart, Peter, clear out the Grimm coming out of the hole. Everyone else, form a perimeter and begin dwindling down the others still circling this area," she commanded. "I'll plug the hole and then we can begin the cleanup operation."
There was no oral response to her orders. There simply wasn't any more time to waste on such a thing.
Immediately, her fellow Beacon faculty members sprung into action. The good doctor, whose speed was second only to Ozpin's amongst the staff, was naturally the first to close the distance. With a huff of effort, he twirled his staff around before stabbing it directly into the ground. Pulling a trigger, Antiquity's Roast activated in full, its flamethrower function causing flames to burst out of the ground all over the area.
Each veritable geyser of flames was approximately several feet wide and reach up to more than a dozen yards in height. Thankfully, said geysers were spread throughout the whole area and kept well away from the primary hole that the train had made, ensuring no chance of these new holes serving as ways in for the Grimm.
The flames cooked the Grimm within the vicinity alive, that is, the ones that were closest to the geysers. But while this did take out a number of Grimm, there were still plenty more that had survived either by being just out of the blast zones or actually being just intelligent and swift enough to recognize the danger and leap out of the way.
And that was where Peter came in. With a ferocious bellow that would have floored the students so used to him being so jolly, he charged at a Creeper and swung Blowhard into its side with such strength that he casually lifted the Grimm up and flung it into an incoming Alpha Beowulf. Said Alpha Beowulf, while noticeably stronger in every aspect than an average Beowulf, proved unable to dodge in time and was struck directly in its lean stomach by the thrown Creeper.
However, the wolf-like Grimm was shockingly quick in smacking aside the Creeper and jumping back up. With a howl, it pounced at Peter who'd directed his attention to an Ursa that had attempted to charge at him from the left side. But Peter, far spryer than his bulky physique would indicate, stomped on the Ursa's head before then spinning around. With the axe-side of his weapon, he deflected the Alpha Beowulf's claw swipe and then reached out with a single hand. Grasping it by its throat, eliciting a sudden gurgle from it, he choke-slammed it into the ground and then fired a round at point-blank range, annihilating its head.
By this point, Bart had ceased with the geysers of flames and had taken to the battlefield with gusto. As Peter stood back up to his full height, Bart rushed past him and thrust his staff into a Nevermore that had descended onto the street, the weapon piercing its chest with ease. As it died and its form dispersed, Bart twirled his weapon and smacked aside a Creeper that attempted to take a bite out of him before using Antiquity's Roast as a pole-vault that launched him high into the air in time to intercept a small flock of Nevermores, each one the size of his head. A spin of his weapon and pull of the trigger saw an explosion go off all around him, killing the flock in a split second before he began to descend.
Meanwhile, the gathered huntsmen and soldiers had spread out as per Glynda's command, taking to the nearby streets and alleyways in order to curb any Grimm presence there.
All in all, Glynda was allowed plenty of time to approach the primary hole and begin her work.
Concentrating, she used her semblance to reach out and gather as much debris as possible, the chunks that once had been the ground that was torn up from the derailed train. The deputy headmistress grunted in exertion, feeling through her semblance every last bit of rubble there was. While finding every last piece of rubble and debris wasn't strictly necessary to refill the hole completely, it would certainly help.
Thankfully, her years of experience patching up damage at Beacon had given her the willpower and speed to search for all the relevant chunks of former ground and begin to refill the hole.
Alas, not before more Grimm sought to enter Vale through it.
She grimaced as she heard a huge bellow – a Goliath was coming, just as she'd feared. She needed to hurry.
Thankfully, the others had heard it as well and wasted no time diverting their efforts into securing the hole. One of the huntsmen, a younger man armed with a weapon that pulled double duty as both a huge mallet and a grenade launcher, made use of the latter's function to fire three grenades into the still open hole, which blew apart the Grimm that had been gathering there in the underground tunnel.
This gave Glynda just enough time to fully finish patching up the hole.
From start to finish, this process only took about four minutes, if that. An almost anticlimactic way to put an end to this crisis… or so she would say under radically different circumstances.
Even as she let out a huge sigh of relief and others around her cheered, it was ultimately a very short lived moment of respite. There were still plenty of Grimm in the city, to say nothing of the rest of the chaos now occurring thanks to whatever that speech had caused.
Their work had taken a huge leap towards completion… but they were still far from truly done here.
"No resting just yet," she said tersely to everyone, cutting off their jubilation. "We still need a lot of cleaning up to do. I need at least one person to head to each shelter and do what they can to keep people safe there. The rest of you need to come with me to the VNN. Those people need to be stopped from continuing their mad dash there."
Everyone there grunted in acknowledgement of her words and wasted no time figuring out who should do what. Before long several of the huntsmen and soldiers were on their way to the shelters while the remainder silently made it clear they'll be going with her, Peter included whilst Bart made use of his speed to see to the shelters as swiftly as possible.
"Professor!"
Just as they were about to head out, someone called out to her.
Turning, Glynda blinked as team RWBY approached from down the main avenue to this area… with the mercenary Veratyr trailing beside them.
"Ms. Rose," Glynda began, addressing the young team leader who had just called out to her. "…If you'd come here to assist with the hole, it's already been addressed."
"Y-Yeah, we can see that…" the silver eyed girl mumbled. But the look of determination in her eyes didn't waver in the slightest. "And that's great and all… but what else can we help with?! We just suddenly saw a lot of people start flooding some of the streets heading in the same direction!"
"Seems like they were all taken in under a spell," murmured Veratyr, the man's expression unreadable as he looked off in the distance… of the VNN station, Glynda noted. "A force is at work here, captivating them all."
"…It would seem that way," Glynda agreed as everyone had looked to the man as he'd spoken. "But whatever the cause, those people need to be stopped now. The hole may be plugged, but there are still plenty of Grimm in Vale as well as the White Fang. We need to either take down all the remaining threats as quickly as possible or otherwise prevent the civilians from continuing deeper into Vale where these dangers still lie."
…There was also the issue of that Goliath and any other holes the train might have made along its trek here. She could only hope that James was also now aware of this fact and would split his forces up accordingly to lockdown this entire region and monitor anything from the general direction of Mount Glenn in case of any more Grimm bursting through the ground.
She was roused from her thoughts as she heard young Blake Belladonna growl. This in turn elicited a very quiet huff from the deputy headmistress. Like Ozpin, she was well aware of the girl's past and her clearly growing obsession with the White Fang. While an understandable response to everything that's occurred, there was a chance such a thing could prove fatal if left unaddressed.
In which case…
"Team RWBY," she spoke, causing the four girls to snap to attention. "Accompany these soldiers further north. They'll be focusing on suppressing Grimm and other dangerous elements alike. Though you're all still only first years, I will acknowledge your skills and potential. Now is the time to put them to the true test."
Ms. Rose's breath hitched and she clutched her weapon, Crescent Rose, tightly. "…R-Right! We won't let you down!"
"I know. Now go," she said, not just to the first years but also to the Atlas soldiers who had still been waiting around for any additional orders.
Said soldiers all nodded in unison and promptly took off, with team RWBY only scarcely mumbling quick goodbyes to her… and Veratyr as well.
"Thanks for the help back there! Uhm, you be safe!" Ms. Rose yelled.
"See ya around, handsome!" quipped the Y of RWBY.
As for Ms. Schnee and Belladonna, the two were silent yet nonetheless addressed him respectfully before they all dashed off after the soldiers.
As Veratyr gently smiled and waved at the team, Glynda stared at him. It would seem he'd won over those girls quite easily. She supposed she could see why – the man was obviously an immensely skilled individual and a well-spoken one as well. His ragged looking clothes aside, he did have the looks of those warrior princes that younger people probably fawned and preened over a lot – a very heroic looking person, in other words.
…And yet, despite him being someone that should put people at ease… why does she even now not feel the same…?
"May I call on you to help us?" Her thoughts aside, she'd be a fool to turn down any possible help now.
"But of course," he replied as he held up his sword. "Consider me at your disposal. Shall we be on our way then?"
Glynda didn't reply with words. Rather, she just looked in the VNN station's direction and took off. Everyone else, including Veratyr, followed, the mercenary keeping in pace with her easily.
"Is this the threat you implied?" she asked in as low a tone as possible. Since the two of them were side by side, now was as good a time as any to question him. As abrupt as her call to Ozpin had been, there was no way she could have missed the insinuation of his words nor the words Veratyr himself had spoken to the headmaster after their duel.
Out of the corner of her eyes, she observed the mercenary's expression. Unfortunately, it proved unreadable. "In part, yes."
"In part?" she repeated.
"Where there is one…" he began. "…There is always more."
…In other words, Glynda realized grimly, whatever was going on now was merely the beginning of something more.
…By the gods, she prayed that she and her friends would be ready for whatever else was to come.
Within the VNN station, Eva smiled in utter satisfaction.
Though her speech had been a brief one and utterly lacking in theatrics, she was still more than happy with how it had gone.
The thing about acting, she'd long since learned, is that it wasn't necessarily about going on long and loud monologues or having numerous attention-grabbing effects and scenes going on to make for a grand spectacle.
No, more often than not, the best way to make an impact was just to have an appropriate stage and just the right amount of words and emotions to trigger the desired response.
And that was exactly what she had done here. A brief speech delivered from her heart, empowered by her charm and broadcasted all across Vale – the greatest stage yet that she's been on. With all the frantic running and fighting for survival out there, even those with stronger wills would have been worn down and proven more malleable, more susceptible to her power.
The outcome, therefore, was exactly as she'd hoped for, if not even more.
Even from within the station, she could hear it – a veritable stampede of people making their way here just to be with her… and all because she said this station was safe. In reality, of course, just about every path here was fraught with danger, be it in the form of Grimm or White Fang or even the people she'd enticed into turning on the populace.
The ensuing chaos she'd ensured would certainly be enough to keep Grimm coming to Vale even long after the hole was filled. While saying the kingdom was finished was still something of a longshot, the overall impact this would have on the rest of Remnant would still be more than enough to serve the group's needs.
Now all that was left was for Rya and the others to begin moving out as well… That would be happening right about now, assuming they were watching the news.
In which case, her purpose in this hastily formed plan was done. But all that meant was that now she was free to act as she pleased.
Chuckling, Eva narrowed her eyes hungrily.
However, she was interrupted by Roman who suddenly approached her. "Hey Eva, baby," he began. His normally confident expression was gone. "…We may have a problem."
"Oh?" Eva was intrigued.
Roman motioned for her to follow him and she did so. Going out of the room she'd been resting in and towards a monitor room, one of the VNN workers pulled up something on one of the cameras – CCTV footage in real time.
On said camera, a near indescribable blur popped onscreen and rushed into the defensive wall that the huntsmen and soldiers that were poorly guarding the stampeding civilians had made. She watched as said defensive wall was effortlessly crushed, bodies flung about like pebbles in a hurricane. Civilians were roughly shoved aside and some parts of the nearby buildings were literally knocked right off and into their path, slowing them down if not outright halting them.
And all without a single casualty.
"…I think," Roman began as he nervously gripped his cane weapon. "That might be none other than Beacon's head honcho – the big O. In other words, a potential big problem."
"…No," Eva said after a moment as the footage switched from one camera to another, said cameras getting increasingly closer to the station.
The man, Ozpin – no, the wizard of old – was making his way here at a rapid pace. All while doing what he could to mitigate the outcome of her actions.
Rather than take offense or be otherwise worried, Eva smiled confidently… predatorily.
"If anything, I'd say this is actually better than I'd hoped for," she finished saying. "When he gets here, be a dear and be sure to welcome him warmly. Make sure the others know to do the same."
Roman looked at her in worry. "Are you sure? Won't you be-?"
"-In danger?" Eva finished for him. "Oh, dear and sweet Roman… I may not be the strongest person around… but I am the danger nonetheless." Her eyes flashed a brilliant hue as her power gathered.
Although she personally felt like Salem would be the bigger problem of the two, the wizard was still on the group's hitlist so to speak. So an encounter with him was actually not an entirely undesired outcome at all.
Her charm cranked even further, Roman shuddered just from being in her presence and promptly bowed in an overly dramatic fashion. "I'll be sure to roll out the red carpet then."
Eva patted him on the left shoulder, the action causing him to shudder in delight from her brief touch.
But Eva only barely paid Roman any mind now. Instead, she was already looking forward to the encounter to come.
Looks like her role in Vale wasn't done just yet, after all.
Up next is the encounter between Eva and Ozpin. Oh man, do I hope I can do it justice.
That said, while I do worry about the quality of the next chapter, it is still something I greatly look forward to writing… once I get some more schoolwork done, of course, heh. For the incoming encounter will be what really defines things going forward, at least as far as how battles will go.
Other than that… yeah, don't have too much else to say. Though if I did have to leave one final note here for you all, it's that you can expect future battles to be rather esoteric to varying degrees and in different ways. You'll see what I mean whenever I get around to them. And this also marks where the character exploration/development will really begin with Ozpin, Salem, their respective inner circles and my OCs. Do look forward to it.
Until next time, everyone. Take care.
