Apologies for the wait, got busy yet again with my online classes.
Also been playing through more of the Tsukihime remake as well and finally reached the true ending route. After having played through Ciel's normal route… ok, will admit that Noel's past has earned my pity now. Still dislike her attitude but that's more due to me just hating her character archetype as a whole, I believe, even though it's obvious that not everyone can just power through their own trauma.
That said, damn, Arcueid scary! And I like it. Having played Melty Blood a great deal before the remake came out in English, it feels pretty wild to see how serious all the characters are as opposed to their somewhat sillier and lackadaisical portrayals in Type Lumina. Still, I enjoy both equally and Nasu's writing is as strong as always, which is always a treat to read.
But enough rambling now – really need to trim it down, ha ha.
Now then, fic time.
I've no other comments to really say about my fic at this point, other than that I hope you all will enjoy what I have in store down the line. Now let's get on with it!
P.S. Noticed my strikethroughs weren't popping up at all. A damn shame that this site has trouble with certain fonts and whatnot. Thus, I will likely use bolded or underlined text from now on when certain characters (or rather a certain character introduced last chapter) speaks to get the point across. On that particular note, I went back to the previous chapter to make such an edit, hope you guys like it.
Chapter 12 – Shifting Pieces
It had been a long and arduous struggle – this tower and its awe-inspiring trials.
He'd journeyed here after hearing word of a young woman his age having been locked away by her own father, like a bird in a cage.
How cruel of the man, to deny his daughter, his own flesh and blood, the right to spread her wings and take flight towards a future of her own making. It'd been enough to have him, praised as a righteous and courageous man, to set forth to free her.
Alas, for all his courage and hard-earned strength, the tower had proven most formidable – the cruel man, so eager if not desperate to keep his daughter locked away forever, had gone about placing all manner of obstacles to bar any intruder's way to the top.
Pitfalls leading down into numerous spikes.
False walls that gave way to sharp weaponry.
Enchanted rooms meant to distort the senses.
Puzzles, of all things, that would have the close-minded forever befuddled and unable to progress or leave.
And, of course, numerous foes to overcome, from magical beasts that must have been a challenge to subdue let alone transport here, to animated suits of armor wielding deadly weaponry.
The young man, hailed as a hero, fought as hard as he could, not once considering retreat.
It had been among his toughest adventures to date and he'd nearly lost his life at almost every turn he made and floor that he ascended.
Ultimately, he reached the top, now coming up the stairs to the sole room on this final floor. Although he'd managed to emerge from the tower's challenges more or less unscathed, he was completely exhausted and dirtied. Were it not for his strength of will, he might just collapse right now and rest for a whole day just to not feel like he was on death's door.
Taking a moment to look presentable as to not frighten the woman, the young man finally reached for the door's large handle and opened it.
He stepped inside and beheld the tower's sole human occupant-.
The Girl in the Tower.
Her back was to him, the poor woman gazing longingly out the room's only window, one that had clearly been cursed to prevent exiting through.
But she turned upon sensing his arrival.
The man's words died on his lips as the two of them gazed into one another's eyes, he into the woman's sky-blue eyes and her into his deep brown ones.
His comparison of her to a bird turned out to be more apt than he'd thought – the woman was beautiful, fair of skin and hair and with a simple white dress that complemented her beauty well.
But it was more than mere physical beauty that had captivated him in that moment, a moment that seemed to stretch on, seemingly unto eternity.
Her eyes… for all the loneliness he could see in them, he could see a pure-hearted desire to see the world and experience its wonders.
Like him, she was one who wished to grasp the future and make something good of it.
And so, in that eternal moment, the two of them…
…
…
Ozpin slowly opened his eyes, letting out a quiet hum in the process.
…It's been a long while since he's dreamed of his distant past like that. Especially that particular time.
Sometimes, he wondered how different things could have been if he'd not died back then from illness. It wasn't the first time he'd ever entertained such a huge what-if and he knew it wouldn't be the last despite his efforts to not do so.
He gave himself a light tap with a fist to his head.
No matter, he thought. He had to get his head into the game as some would say.
Rather conveniently, just as he'd reoriented himself, his little trip finally seemed to come to an end… or at least, this portion of it.
"Here you go, pal! About as close as I can get right now!" spoke the driver of the rather archaic delivery truck he'd been hitchhiking in.
"Thanks," Ozpin spoke in a lighter tone than normal.
For that matter, he was dressed completely differently as well. He'd put away his usual outfit in favor of slightly shabby Mistralian clothing that fully obscured his body, the simple browns and other faded colors blending in with the kingdom's more tropical and jungle-like environment out in this particular region. Combined with him having replaced his usual glasses with a dinky pair of circular sunglasses and his hair made all messy, he now looked like a wandering merchant, complete with a huge backpack of random knickknacks and goodies he'd stocked up on while in Vale before leaving to make his cover a bit more authentic.
It'd taken two whole days to get from Beacon to here, primarily because he had to be careful when going incognito as well as needing to make the trek from his initial drop-off point in Mistral up to this point. Some parts of his journey had been done on foot and other times he'd hitchhiked much like he'd done now, sometimes out of the kindness of other people's hearts and other times needing to pay for the help.
As he hopped out of the back, Ozpin walked on up to the driver's side. "Know it wasn't an easy drive out here, but it's really appreciated, man. I'd offer you some goods as a nice little reward but, uh, I don't think it'd do you any good," he said, speaking in a manner far different than his usual one as well.
The driver chuckled. "No skin off my back. Anyways, just take that path down over there and follow it. You'll come across the town easily enough after a few miles."
"Got it."
"…Still," the driver now looked serious. "You sure about this?"
"…Yeah? You mean, peddling my wares out here?"
The driver nodded. "That really a wise thing, man?"
"I go where my instincts take me," Ozpin replied. "And my instincts say I could make some kind of profit here. Why the worry?"
The driver was silent for several long seconds before letting out a sigh. "Well, it's just… damn it, no way to put it nicely here, the people can be weird. Like, not all of them, but enough of them to make others not from the town do some double-takes and stuff, know what I mean?"
"Kind of, I guess. I'm lucky enough to get the nice customers. They some kind of cult or something?"
"I… I dunno." The driver let out another sigh, heavier this time. "This town is pretty self-sufficient for the most part… somehow. But the few times my boys and I make drop-offs over here, we can't help but feel a little creeped out with how a lot of the townsfolk act. Like they're hyper-focused on some shit. Not exactly a bad thing, but some of them can get pretty damn offended depending on what you do. And hell if I know what actually offends them; feels like it's different for every person there."
And that's exactly what Ozpin was looking for.
After all… this was Eva's birthplace he was heading for.
That the townspeople were evidently like her in their fixation on certain things meant that more of these Liminals surely exist. But whether or not they were actually a part of this group Eva was a member of was something that he would need to determine.
"Huh, well that's something," he said. "But don't worry – I'm carrying some protection on me in case of times like this. Can never be too careful nowadays, right?"
He made a show of patting a side pocket on his huge backpack, when in reality the Long Memory was stored on his person in its retracted form.
The driver shot him an uncertain look. "…Alright. Guess you do seem like you got some experience with stuff like this. Just hope you don't bite off more than you can chew."
"I won't."
And with that, he and the driver finally said their proper goodbyes.
Adjusting his backpack, the disguised headmaster now began the final stretch towards the town.
Hopefully he'll get at least some answers.
Currently on his flagship, general James Ironwood busied himself by pouring over every last scrap of data that had been compiled on Eva Lambros thus far.
The woman having spent a huge portion of her life here in Vale had resulted in quite the colored history to comb through. None of it so far has proven to be anything of note, the usual drama that a lot of high-profile celebrities tended to get involved in aside. And it seemed like the woman's various assistants and celebrity acquaintances were coming up clean as well as far as unnatural wrongdoing went.
This was simultaneously relieving and frustrating.
The general grimaced as he scrolled through the collated data on his computer, literal dozens of pages to go through still. He'd been at it without rest since the morning. The perks of his semblance, allowing him to keep on going when others would've already been worn down from the mental fatigue.
But for all the good this was doing him, it wasn't turning up much in the ways of results. The simple fact is, with Vale obviously still in the beginning phase of recovery, his men didn't have the time to properly commit to digging into these matters. And in addition to virtually all his available forces being busy with assisting the capital, he was also kept occupied with coordinating all these efforts in addition to constantly being in contact with the council.
…He wondered if maybe this was some kind of divine retribution for how he'd shafted Ozpin over the Vytal Festival's security.
No matter, he simply had to work with whatever he currently had. This was always the case.
Unfortunately, this investigation into Eva Lambros wasn't the only point of major concern for him either…
The general let out a grunt as he finally tore his gaze away from his screen long enough to glance properly at what lied upon his desk.
Adam Taurus' broken mask.
Qrow, damnable alcoholic though he may be, hadn't wasted too much time approaching him and Glynda a day ago, just before he'd been about to head out again. And the veteran huntsman had been quick to provide the context behind the broken mask as well.
To think that a member of the White Fang that was as high-ranking as Adam Taurus was now dead… or at least, so it was assumed…
…Well, though it was an assumption, what James knew of the terrorist was that he'd never been one to ever take off his mask for anything, not even during the few times Atlas had come close to ambushing him when his guard was down. This mask was a sign of the Faunus' commitment to the White Fang's cause, so for Adam to abandon it in any way was just about impossible. Thus, it was reasonable to think that he was dead or at the very least incapacitated.
But that just raised more questions that had to be answered – who or what could have been responsible for this? Qrow had determined there to have been some kind of battle at the location he'd found the mask in, which was further supported by the small team James had sent out there earlier today, who'd just reported in their own findings.
Given the timing of it all, James was certain that battle had some connection with everything else going on.
"It's all tied together…" he murmured as he tore his gaze away from the mask, focusing back on the data gathered.
These Liminals… yet another thing to worry about. Eva alone had proven unbelievably dangerous considering the effect she'd had on people. If the others were anything like her, then this unknown group could be just as big a threat as Salem herself. Hell, perhaps even more so depending on how active they were now.
The very thought of this group made the general ball his right hand into a tight fist, his mind conjuring up a vision of the devastation that could be wrought in Atlas if these Liminals turned their attention to the kingdom. Granted, it was evident that the group was after Ozpin and Salem as per Eva's parting words, but if the deceased actress was willing to go this far to accomplish such a goal, then the others may likely be willing to go to similar lengths to ensure success.
…Which means that he in turn must be ready to go the distance if it meant victory. They were already locked in a very precarious stalemate with Salem. These Liminals' actions could easily break that stalemate and tip the balance in either direction.
And that absolutely couldn't be allowed.
…
More time goes by. He kept shifting through the data with a stoic expression as his focus sharpened only further.
It seemed that this search would be fruitless for the time being…
…Until it seemingly wasn't.
James leaned forward in his chair as he finally came across something. In immediate hindsight, this should have been something he and the others should have noticed from minute one after gathering things, but better late than never, he supposed.
Eva had a burner scroll in her possession. Its call log had been gone through and the same number could be seen on a fairly consistent basis.
It being a burner, obviously there was only so much that could be pulled from this, but it did establish a pattern, more so since it was the only number the burner scroll ever called. Additionally, he was now looking at a record of notable transactions that Eva had made during her time here in Vale.
Though nowhere near as consistent as the calls, it would seem she'd been taking trips out of Vale to regions all across Remnant. No records were ever noted, however, of what she did during these trips; they were blank spots, in other words. Moreover, these trips all appeared to last for a consistent period of time, ranging from just two days to as long as five days before she would return to Vale.
…She'd been not just in contact with someone, but also meeting them in person as well. Said unknown individual appeared to be on the more quite regularly as well.
Feeling energized, the Atlas general looked through Eva's burner scroll info more thoroughly. Although it was impossible to perfectly trace a burner in so short a time, it was possible to at least get a 'feel' for the general region it came from – which kingdom, if nothing else.
And the most call had come from Mistral's territory.
The same kingdom Ozpin had left for a few days ago to investigate by himself.
"Shit!" James hissed, punctuating his swear by slamming a fist into his desk. Good thing it was a sturdy desk, otherwise he would have broken it.
Whether it was planned or just dumb luck, Ozpin may very well be heading right into the enemy's hands.
And there likely wasn't a damn thing he could do about it; Ozpin was going under cover, meaning no scroll calls at all. Nor would he likely have the time to send anyone to assist him since his forces were currently tied up here in Vale, to say nothing of having no exact read on his friend's current location.
…But… perhaps Leonardo would be able to do something. The headmaster of Haven Academy had a borderline encyclopedic knowledge of everything within Mistral's borders, a necessity due to how spread-out towns and villages could be and with such vast stretches of treacherous terrain all around. He had to be that sharp in order to send out huntsmen to the desired location as soon as possible. That meant the man could likely figure out a way to get in touch with Ozpin as well since Mistral's level of technological advancement also occasionally called for more non-conventional methods of communication outside of its more developed cities like Argus.
A pity that Leonardo had been too preoccupied with other matters to attend their most recent meetings… but perhaps this was a blessing in disguise; this way, he could catch his fellow headmaster up on recent events and have him find a way to get in contact with Ozpin, hopefully prevent an attack upon his person by that time.
His decision made, James began to open up another screen in order to do a video call with the lion Faunus.
The general interlocked his fingers together and rested his chin upon them as he waited impatiently for the call to go through.
There was a possibility he was overthinking this… but he'd rather be certain that no danger would come to his friend this early on in this new crisis.
"Been a while since I'd been in your office," Qrow commented.
"And I'd prefer it'd be a while longer, given your manners," quipped Theodore.
Both huntsmen huffed in amusement at the brief banter. Alas, they weren't alone, the sole other occupant of the colorful yet orderly office glaring at the two of them.
Qrow sighed. "Nice to see you too, Xanthe," he said, addressing the short and unbelievably stern right-hand woman of Theodore.
The woman in question, flicking her long braid over her shoulder, huffed. "Can't say the same about you, damn time-waster. Ready to get to work, you two?"
Normally, the veteran huntsman would love to get snarky here, but doing so with Xanthe Rumpole was just asking for needless trouble. The woman was stern – and twisted – enough to remind him of his childhood with the damn Branwen tribe, for crying out loud, and that wasn't the kind of personality he would want to mess with too much.
Theodore, for his part, just rolled his eyes but acquiesced, nonetheless.
The Shade headmaster motioned for Qrow to follow him to his desk, where the two of them promptly sat while Xanthe remained standing.
"Alright," Qrow began. "So you already know why I'm here, yeah?"
"To assist with our little disease problem," Theodore commented, answering Qrow's somewhat rhetorical question. Ozpin had, after all, briefed the man prior to his own departure to Mistral… which Qrow still felt was a little too hasty, but nothing he could do about that.
"Right. Now, I'm not exactly eager to be helping out since… you know," Qrow said, not outright mentioning his semblance. But his strong misgivings were well-known amongst the rest of their little inner circle. "But Ozpin felt it'd be better for me to help out here than to keep on surveilling Salem."
It was Xanthe that spoke. "Can't say I like others butting into my detective work out here… but given the circumstances, I'll allow your presence just this once."
Xanthe was pretty much the go-to when it came to investigating things around here and often of her own accord, with Theodore only finding out after the fact. It's happened often enough that the headmaster had actually lightly complained about it from time to time to Qrow.
"Yippee for me," Qrow drawled. "Anyways, what exactly are we working with here? Whenever Theodore talked about what's going on, it's always kept pretty vague."
This time, Theodore answered. "We've been seeing a resurgence of old illnesses and diseases from entire generations ago out in the more isolated regions of Vacuo. But with the kingdom being what it is, people migrate and spread it all around. And now we've cases of them popping out here in the capital. Thankfully, fairly minor ones so far like Desert Fever and Night Rash, but it's only a matter of time before things get worse."
The two names he spoke of were basically older versions of viruses known for causing severe colds and the like way back in the day, before the people of Vacuo eventually grew immune to them. But now they've seen a resurgence and were just as severe as before people had adapted to them, evidently.
"Right now, the whole capital is just one bad day from an outright uproar," Xanthe now added, hand on hip. "I'm sure you saw for yourself how much lighter the foot traffic was coming here."
He sure had; from the drop-off port for bullheads all the way to Shade Academy itself, the streets were virtually bereft of people. At least when compared to the norm for Vacuo; there were still plenty of people out and about, that was literally because it'd been necessary. Before, one could barely walk ten feet without bumping shoulders with at least a dozen others (or getting their wallet stolen) but now Qrow had been able to slouch-walk without a care all the way here.
"Would explain all the Grimm I saw while on the way here too," he grumbled.
While nowhere near the level of an actual Grimm incursion, the creatures of darkness had been noticeably more plentiful in numbers compared to the norm as well, crowding areas that had once been void of them. The fear and paranoia these reemerging illnesses and diseases were causing… it was nothing short of alarming.
If this kept up and that 'one bad day' as Xanthe as put it occurred, it'd be a repeat of Vale's recent crisis.
Theodore brought up a map on his terminal and flipped the screen so Qrow could view it.
Said map was a more detailed one of Vacuo, the kingdom that is, and not necessarily the continent of Sanus. On said map was every region that made up the kingdom… and a whole lot of red circles and x's as well.
"As you can likely guess, the circles are where there have been noted outbreaks… and the x's represent the settlements that weren't fortunate enough to survive," Theodore explained grimly, his expression tight. "These other markings represent recent Grimm activity and the green ones are the areas we've successfully managed to purge them from."
Qrow grimaced as he studied the sight. "…That's a lot of red."
It was even worse than he'd thought. Theodore here had really been underselling how bad the situation had become. Then again, the man did like to keep things close to his stylish vest, so perhaps this should have been expected.
Theodore grunted in agreement with his unspoken horror. He tapped at the screen and it changed, lines of varying length and shape appearing now, the previous marks shifting. "So far, Xanthe here had done a good job figuring out how these outbreaks tie together. You can see that whatever the cause of this shit is… has been slowly getting closer to here."
"Meaning we might see hell being unleashed pretty soon," Qrow surmised, hands balling into fists.
Xanthe let out a wary sigh. "…Seems that way. But still no sign of what the actual source is… assuming it isn't the work of these so-called Liminals that has been mentioned to me."
Ah, so Theodore really had been keeping her in the loop then.
And speaking of which…
"Just what are the odds a Liminal might be responsible for this?" Theodore now asked Qrow. "I know that out of us all, you're the closest to Ozpin. He tell you anything that he hasn't share with us?"
Qrow held the headmaster's stare for a few seconds, debating what he should do. "There's some stuff that he does share with me that he doesn't with you and the others," he affirmed. "But nothing particularly new about these Liminals. So, I really can't say if this is their doing or not."
The staring contest persisted for a little while longer before Theodore sighed. "Alright then. Well, just hope we don't find out the hard way if these new guys are involved or not. In any case, the point of this little show and tell is that you won't have to travel far at all to investigate."
Xanthe stepped up, glaring at Qrow. "You and I will be looking into things here in the capital itself. Given that the outbreak had worked its way from the edges of the kingdom inwards, there's a good chance the perpetrator is still here or at least close enough to the capital to observe things. For what exact reason, I can't guess, but they're likely to be nearby."
Considering what Ozpin had said about Eva, if the perpetrator was a Liminal, then it was probably to get their jollies off, Qrow reasoned. Or for their 'purpose,' whatever that was supposed to mean.
"Alright, sounds good to me." He motioned to Xanthe. "You're the boss here. Just tell me what exactly you already have in mind and we can both go from there."
Operating within cities, while not his preference, was still well within his skillset for investigating. And in a tough-as-nails place like Vacuo here, well, he may very well blend in pretty damn easily. And people will talk if they'd seen something noteworthy. It was just a matter of asking the right questions to the right individuals.
And the sooner they can get this over with, the less chances for his semblance to screw things up.
…There's some stuff I need to take of first," Xanthe began. "Just meet me in an hour outside of Shade and follow my lead. Don't be late."
That was all the strict woman said before immediately sauntering out like this was her office.
Theodore just shook his head and snorted. "Ah, even now, that woman acts like she's the boss and not me…"
Qrow snickered. "Sure hope Glynda never learns from her or else I might just stay away from Beacon for good."
The two of them shared a laugh at that, but the laughter tapered off pretty quickly.
"Be real with me, Qrow," Theodore said. "What's Ozpin hoping for here?"
"…You mean with these Liminals?" Qrow asked for clarification.
Theodore nodded and the veteran huntsman sighed.
"Hell if I know, to be honest," he said with a huge shrug of the shoulders. "I can tell with just a glance that it's got him spooked, maybe even more so than Salem ever did. But all I have to base this feeling off of are the two he's met so far… and I have a feeling that Eva didn't have that strong an impact on him, scary as her bullshit abilities sounded like."
Here with Theodore, Qrow could be honest about what he really felt, bringing up the feelings he had when Oz had first explained all this to him. Hard to believe that had merely been days ago.
"So, this Veratyr guy that was mentioned… think he might be the source of Ozpin's newfound anxiety?" The Shad headmaster asked.
"Seems that way. And if this really is the work of a Liminal here in Vacuo… don't know if they're a part of this group Eva was or if they're on their own. But the timing of it all is pretty damning."
No matter what the truth was, it couldn't be denied that a massive shitstorm was brewing… and Qrow was sure it'd envelop all of Remnant if something wasn't done soon.
And Oz – bless him, the man is trying – seemed to be going about things the wrong way, in Qrow's opinion. While confronting these situations more proactively was definitely something he could get behind, Qrow couldn't help but feel the ancient man was getting distracted by whatever implications these Liminals' existence carried.
Whether these implications were good or bad in the long run, however, the huntsman couldn't say.
The only thing he could be certain of is that this all seemed to start with Veratyr somehow. Whether that meant the guy was masterminding all this or not, he also couldn't say, but he was involved nonetheless. Letting him go might be wise in the short-term, but in the long-term? Qrow wasn't so sure of that.
Unfortunately, there was only so much they could do. They were few and their enemies many. Resources were stretched thin as it is.
Sooner or later, something was going to give and this time, Qrow couldn't even blame his semblance – himself – for it.
For the remainder of this final hour, Qrow and Theodore continued to speak bluntly about things that the others would never have been able to hear normally.
And then finally, it was time to meet with Xanthe.
In other words, time to get to work.
With one hand almost twitching towards Harbinger, he bade Theodore farewell for the time being and took his leave.
Cinder knocked as patiently as she could on the door before her. And just like the last few knocks, she went unheeded.
The half-Maiden clicked her tongue in annoyance and decided to try the door handle. As luck would have it, it was unlocked.
The place she was entering was a large storage room of sorts, located in yet another warehouse in one of Vale's more desolate sectors. Said room had been converted into a surprisingly comfy looking apartment place, with a bed, sofa, wall-mounted TV, and other such amenities. There was even another room connected to this one that had been modified into a bathroom too.
This was one of Roman's and Neo's numerous little safehouses throughout the kingdom, outfitted to suit their tastes. Criminals they may be, they would at the very least be able to hide out in style, as Roman would no doubt say.
Except, he was no longer saying much of anything; he's yet to wake from his coma and possibly never will.
It's been days since his loss and Neo was, much to Cinder's growing ire, still positively heartbroken over Roman's current state.
Out of some marginal respect for the young woman's loss – but primarily to stay hidden herself – the agent of Salem had allowed Neo to grieve since it was all but impossible to not see just how much Roman had meant to the mute criminal.
But now the time of grieving was over.
Now it was time to take action yet again.
As things stood right now, something was horribly wrong. Adam and his motely crew of fanatics were not answering her hails at all. While she knew damn well that the bull Faunus longed to be free of her tender graces, she also knew him well enough to know the man wouldn't simply leave her hanging like this.
After all, she knew he sought vengeance. If he'd smelled blood in the water, then he wouldn't have wasted any time striking at all. And after the mess that had resulted in Vale, it would have been as ideal a time as any for him to rebel against her in some dramatic fashion.
But instead, he'd been completely radio silent. It was an oddity among oddities from one such as him.
That meant something had happened, either keeping him busy or…
Cinder quietly sighed as she ceased thinking on this matter. What was done is likely done. While learning what exactly had become of Adam Taurus' cell would bring some measure of closure, she should assume that she'd lost yet another piece to set against Ozpin and his allies.
This meant it was all the more important to keep what few pieces left as close as possible.
And speaking of which…
The woman silently grimaced as she immediately locked onto Neo.
The mute criminal looked like quite the wreck, her normally flawless outfit crumpled as she sat despondently on the sofa. Her face, specifically near the eyes, was puffy from all the tears shed and she'd clearly been pounding away at the table in front of the sofa, looking all banged up from the criminal's cries of frustration and grief.
Neo barely responded to Cinder's presence, only barely flickering in her general direction from behind her messy and unwashed locks of hair.
Cinder placed a single hand on her hip and finally deigned to speak. "I believe you've had enough time to cry," she stated plainly. "Time to get back to work. After all, you and your dear little boyfriend did agree to help me… even if said agreement had been under less 'ideal' circumstances on your part."
Cinder wouldn't sugarcoat it – she'd all but coerced the two into aiding and abetting her plans. Even so, the two of them had gone along with it without too much issue, so there was a degree of genuine professionalism there. It was a standard that Roman and Neo had always tried to stick to.
Neo ignored her, instead clutching Roman's signature bowling hat. Looks like she'd stolen it from police lockup since the man's clothes and ruined weapon had been turned over to Vale's police force following his admittance into the hospital.
"Look me in the eyes… now." Cinder's right eye glowed fiercely as she began to call upon what portion of the Fall Maiden's power she had. "Or I will burn that hat out of existence."
Now that got a response; Neo immediately looked up and glared at her wildly, teeth beginning to gnash together. The diminutive woman would die fighting to defend Roman's sole remaining possession.
A ridiculous act this was, but it was something Cinder could work with. After all, if Neo can go from despondency to anger that quickly, then she still has some spark left in her.
As she released her focus, Cinder continued. "I know you don't like me. You never did. The feeling is rather mutual." She let out a sigh. "But for better or worse, we do need each other still. I still have need of your particular skills and abilities to carry out my true mission… and if you want payback against those that put Roman in his sorry state, then you'll need to help me out."
Were this situation vastly different, Cinder would play a bit of a long game, using honeyed words to make listeners unwittingly convince themselves that they want to help her of their own accord. But this is no such situation. She and Neo alike were in no mood for any games or long conversations for that matter. It was best to just be direct.
"He was made into the toy soldier of Eva Lambros and thrown directly into Ozpin's path," Cinder explained. "Eva is sadly dead and gone… but she was a part of a group and to some extent, her actions were based on orders from others. And Ozpin was the one to beat him so grievously as well. So, if there's anyone you must go after, it would be them."
The half-Maiden stepped forward and continued. "On your own… given enough time, you could probably find a chance to strike at Ozpin… but this other group? Impossible. You wouldn't even know where to start looking, much less find a chance to kill them. But with me… I can help locate them eventually."
And give her the chance to strike, was left unsaid. Because it didn't need to be spoken aloud.
Sure enough, Neo got the point and continued to stare at Cinder, but without the anger and hate from moments ago. Instead, there was only contemplation before she looked back down to Roman's hat. The diminutive woman brought the hat close for a tight hug, at which point she finally looked back at Cinder.
Don't fuck with me, her eyes seemed to transmit, just show me the targets.
A few seconds go by as the two women glare at each other, albeit without animosity.
Then they nodded in agreement. A more mutual alliance had just been struck. Neo will continue to go along with her, but only as long as the latter can provide the criminal an actual chance at revenge.
A fair enough price, Cinder would say.
With the accord struck, Cinder motioned for Neo to follow her now.
It was time to begin planning anew in earnest.
In the several days that had followed the Grimm incursion in Vale, a steady slew of bullheads and ships had been in and out of the kingdom. Some forces from other kingdoms, primarily Atlas, had been sending over people to aid in Vale's cleanup and reconstruction efforts while also ferrying students and other concerned parties out of the kingdom and across the seas to either Atlas or Mistral as needed.
With the Vytal Festival canceled and now more than enough people aiding the kingdom of Vale, there was no need to keep students from the other kingdoms around and so they were given the right to leave should they desire it.
And just about a majority of the students from Atlas had desired it, with them all being sent back via bullheads to their home kingdom.
All except for one particular student – one Penny Polendina.
The poor and awkward girl had been hesitant to leave when there was still so much to be done… and especially when her new friend Ruby and her team had looked so saddened by all that had happened. Unfortunately, both the general and her father had politely demanded she return to Atlas posthaste. The former desired it partly out of her concern for her, but also out of a desire to keep her true state of being hidden from others while the latter had desired it purely out of fatherly love.
Their concern was touching, but it somehow only ate away at her. It made her feel like she was prioritizing the wrong thing over the right thing somehow. She will always love her father and respect general Ironwood, but she felt she could have done more back in Vale. After all, she was combat ready.
"Welcome to Atlas," spoke the cheery automated voice as the bullhead finally landed at one of the airports and people began to pour out onto the platform.
Penny, so lost in thought, didn't move until her handler nudged her. "Come along now, Penny," spoke one Ciel Soleil. "You're supposed to be back home no later than sixteen hundred hours. Best not to linger," she said as she glanced at her watch.
"R-Right," Penny mumbled awkwardly. Ciel was a kind girl despite how strict she was, but her obsession with time can be a bit hard to deal with, even for a girl as special as Penny.
"Pardon me," someone said directly to them, causing the duo to pause before they could even properly leave the transport. "I don't mean to be a bother, but could you provide me some directions? I'm trying to reach to the port that leads directly down into Mantle. I'd hoped the bullheads would make a stop there, but it would appear I'd misjudged things."
The person – a man – then chuckled lightly at his own mistake.
Penny turned to face him, her 'brain' automatically taking note of his appearance. Tall and muscular, clearly well-trained… yet not on any file she has access to.
This man wasn't a resident of Atlas, made all the more evident by his commentary just now.
"A-Ah, I'm sorry sir, but I'm afraid the way to Mantle isn't here," Penny began, not at all bothered by his rather shabby clothes which contrasted with his physique and objectively good looks. "There is actually a special port that can take people to and from Mantle approximately four kilometers due northwest."
"I see… how fascinating," spoke the man. "It's my first time ever being here in Atlas as I'm sure you could tell. I'd have thought the kingdom would have one massive hub that allowed for travel everywhere… but I suppose things are rather different."
The man then smiled. "Ah, but I'm rambling now. Apologies. Could you please point the way? I'll be out of your hair immediately."
"…The hub you wish to reach is on our route to our own destination," Ciel suddenly spoke. "If you are fine with it, you may accompany us until our paths diverge. That said, I do recommend keeping your weapon hidden as best as possible. You may be a huntsman or some affiliate with a huntsman, but open carry can put citizens on edge since only soldiers and students of the academy are allowed such a thing."
"Of course, I'll do my best. And thank you very much," the man said warmly, gently motioning for them to lead the way. As the three of them now began to leave, he continued. "May I know the names of my guides?"
Penny smiled brightly. The man was very kind and polite and being around him made her feel at ease after all these dreary thoughts she'd been having. "I'm Penny! And this is Ciel! It's very nice to meet you. Mr…."
The man smiled. "The name is Veratyr," he spoke. "And it is indeed nice to meet you too, Penny."
He gazed around briefly. "…It is a lovely kingdom, Atlas. And I've high hopes for Mantle as well. I do believe I'll enjoy my time here greatly."
And there we go!
Not a particularly long chapter again, but one that does really set up the set pieces I have in mind. And on an aside, I hope the title of this chapter makes sense – it's to mean that all the characters are akin to chess pieces and they're all moving about on the playing board. A reference to the fairly brief chess motif that Ozpin and Salem alike used in the first few seasons of the show.
Other than that… actually don't have much else to say without risking getting too spoiler-y, so I think I'll just settle for saying that the next few chapters will be quite fun for me to write, ha ha.
As always, hope you enjoyed and don't hesitate to leave a review of any kind.
Until next time, everyone. Take care!