Secret Meeting of Hunter Schools
"Well, that was… something else." Jaune commented.
"Yep, and now I'm gonna go say hi to him." Ruby nodded before zooming her way to the man that is her uncle.
"Uncle Qrow!" Ruby screamed with excitement as she latches onto his right arm and he easily lifts her up.
"Hi. It's so good to see you! Did you miss me? Did you miss me!?" Ruby asked with joyful looks in her eyes, glad to see her uncle again.
"Nope." Qrow answered jokingly and petted her head.
"Qrow!" Ozpin called out to the older and more experienced Huntsman while Glynda is using her Semblance to clean up the mess from the fight. "A word." He said with a serious face.
"I think I'm in trouble." Qrow said to Ruby discreetly.
"You did kinda tear up our courtyard." Ruby pointed out with a gesture.
"Yeah, I did. Catch ya later, kid." Qrow winked at Ruby giving her a fist-bump before walking away to catch up with Ozpin and Glynda to meet up with Ironwood and Winter at the headmaster's office.
"And suddenly, your recklessness makes sense." Weiss said, crossing her arms and glaring at Ruby.
"You're just mad because he whooped butt." Ruby grinned with a light pat on Weiss's shoulder.
"That was a draw, at best!" Weiss proclaimed.
"Okay, how about we go meet up with the others and tell Yang about Qrow being here." Jaune suggested.
The two girls of Team RWBY agreed with him on that walking back to the dorm, but then Jaune heard his Scroll beep and took it out to see that he just got himself a message from Professor Ozpin asking him to come over to his office right away.
"(Weird, what could be so important for him to tell me now?)" Jaune thought wondered.
Still, Jaune isn't one to turn down a request from the headmaster of Beacon Academy, just need to make a quick stop to his friends and family to let them know that he's gonna join them later for there is a bit of an errand he has to do.
(Ozpin's Office)
Ironwood and Winter are there in the office waiting for the others to arrive, and the elevator door opens showing a grinning Qrow being accompanied by Ozpin and the others.
"What were you thinking!?" Winter asked angrily at Qrow.
"If you were one of my men, I would have you shot!" Ironwood shared his disapproval on Qrow's approach.
"If I was one of your men, I'd shoot myself." Qrow argued, showing that he never wants to work for Atlas in a million years. All the dumb fucking rules and the stupid uniforms.
"While I wouldn't condone his behavior, retaliating like you did certainly didn't help the situation." Glynda said with a small glare at Winter.
"He was drunk!" Winter pointed out.
"He's always drunk!" Glynda stated the fact.
All four turn their heads to see Qrow just drinking his booze from his flask until he notices the eyes watching him drink again like always, he holds out his flask away from his head and awkwardly grins trying to act like he wasn't doing anything.
"Qrow, why are you here?" Ozpin asked.
"You've been out of contact for weeks! You can't just go dark like that in the field!" Ironwood hated when Qrow does something like that and not knowing what is going on with that man when he's out on the field.
"I'm not one of your special operatives, Jimmy!" Qrow pointed out rudely.
"General." Winter corrected, hating how this man isn't showing the proper respect to General Ironwood.
"Whatever. You sent me to get intel on our enemy, and I'm telling you, our enemy is here." Qrow informed.
"We know." Ironwood leaned in.
"Oh! Oh, you know! Well, thank goodness I'm out there risking my life to keep you all informed!" Qrow was angered with how Ironwood is being, which pisses him off the most.
"Qrow—" Ironwood exhaled, trying reason with him only for Qrow to keep talking without giving the general a say in this.
"Communication's a two-way street, pal. You see this? That's the SEND button." Qrow pulled out his Scroll and pointed at the device.
"They had reason to assume you'd been compromised." Winter guessed. Not entirely sure what this is about, but it must be very important to General Ironwood.
"And I have reason to assume you don't need to be here." Qrow said before turning to the other teachers.
"Seriously, who invited her?" Qrow asked as he points a finger at Winter.
Guess that part was on Ironwood for not realizing that this is supposed to be a secret meeting between him, Glynda, Ozpin, and Qrow as part of the Secret Brotherhood.
"But sir!" Winter shocked.
"Winter. Leave." Ironwood ordered with a firm tone, and he doesn't want to tell her a second time.
"Yes, sir." Winter saluted; she knew that Ironwood must have some private business with the people here.
Winter gave one last look at Qrow with a dirty look from her eyes and enter the elevator to give the teachers the private meeting they need to have.
"Good, and our special guest should be here any moment now." Ozpin looked at his watch.
And right on time, Jaune teleported into the headmaster office startling Glynda and Ironwood of the unexpected way that Jaune came into the office.
"You wanted me here, Professor Ozpin?" Jaune asked.
"Yes, thank you for coming. There is something I wanted to share with you and another who will be joining us soon but just bear with being here for a while and all will make sense." Ozpin said.
"Okay, if you say so." Jaune had a weird feeling that Ozpin is going to show him something that would probably be most unbelievable.
"In that case. Go on, Qrow." Ironwood requested Qrow to continue what he was about to say.
"Your little infiltrator isn't just another pawn. They're the one responsible for Autumn's condition." Qrow informed them while taking another snip of her flask.
"What?!" Glynda was shocked, perhaps that same person might've been the woman she fought Torchwick months ago and that the one who infiltrated the tower during the Beacon dance.
"Autumn? You mean like the season?" Jaune asked.
"More than that, kid. A lot you're about to find out." Qrow said.
"Despite what the world thinks, we're not just teachers, or Generals, or Headmasters. The people in this room, the leaders of the other two academies, we're the ones that keep the world safe from the evils no one even knows about! It's why we meet behind closed doors, why we work in the shadows." Qrow said strongly on how he and the other teachers do.
The more Jaune hears about this, the more he's starting to realize that he just steps into something big and very secretive.
"So, you tell me, James, when you brought your army to Vale, did you think you were being discreet, or did you just not give a damn!?" Qrow demanded angrily as he walked up close to James' face.
Ironwood stared down at Qrow for a little moment before going over to Ozpin's desk.
"Discreet wasn't working." Ironwood placed his Scroll on the desk showing a hologram of Beacon, Vale, Beacon Academy, the Amity Colosseum and Ironwood's fleet of Atlesian Airships.
"(So, he brought in that big of a fleet because of something they've been fighting against is here.)" Jaune thought figured that little part out.
"I'm here because this is what was necessary." Ironwood believed as he gestures to the hologram.
"You're here because Ozpin wanted you here! He made you a part of this inner circle and opened your eyes to the real fight that's in front of us!" Qrow reminded the general of the day Ozpin revealed to him the Truth about Remnant.
"And I am grateful." Ironwood said.
"Oh, well, you've got a real funny way of showing it." Qrow mocked with an angry glare.
"The people of Vale needed someone to protect them; someone who would act. When they look to the sky and see my fleet, they feel safe, and our enemies will feel our strength." Ironwood stated, and Qrow started laughing.
"You... You think they're scared of your little ships? I've been out there, and I've seen the things she's made, and let me tell you - they are fear." Qrow pointed out and got serious again.
"And fear will bring the Grimm. A guardian is a symbol of comfort. But an army is a symbol of conflict. There's an energy in the air now, a question in the back of everyone's minds... "If this is the size of our defenses, then what is it we're expecting to fight?"" Ozpin pointed out that the enemies will use this to their advantage.
Ironwood knew that Ozpin is full of wisdom and experience that the rest, including himself lack given his current circumstances, but he still questioned some of Ozpin's judgement on certain things like his fleet might be a problem than being there to protect the kingdom.
Ironwood took back his Scroll, unknowing that there is a black queen chess piece with a red background color flashing in it.
"So then, what would you suggest we do?" Ironwood asked.
"I suggest we find our guardian." Ozpin answered.
"And luckily for us, we have Mr. Arc to help us make sure the threat won't bring harm to the festival, or at the very least keeping the people safe as possible." Ozpin gestured to Jaune.
"Thank you, I'm still learning more about these powers, but I will definitely do my best to help." Jaune smiled.
"Glad to hear it, now why don't you tell us what's your favorite fairy tale." Ozpin started the conversation with something that Jaune would be interested in listening.
"And you're sure?" Cinder asked as she placed around in the room while Mercury is sitting on the bed and has just given her the report of earlier at the courtyard.
"Bad hair, used a scythe, and smelled like my dad after a long day. It was him." Mercury answered with a nod.
"What do we do?" Emerald asked concern that this is the Huntsman they ran into before, fearing that their plan might be ruined.
Cinder thought about this for a moment, thinking back on how they ran into Qrow during that moment when she almost had all the power from that one woman, but they were able to retreat the instant he showed up meaning he didn't get a good look at their faces to know what they look like.
"Nothing. We stay the course. They have no idea who we are, so we have no reason to worry. Besides, the last of the heavy lifting is being taken care of thanks to our clever little friend." Cinder smirked as she sat on her bed.
She picks up her Scroll as it flashes the black queen chess piece which got Cinder's attention very greatly.
"Speaking of which... it appears we have a new access point." Cinder informed while seeing Ironwood on the screen with a curling "W" in the other corner of the screen.
"Anywhere good?" Emerald asked.
"You could say that. Go to your rooms. I'll prepare everything for tomorrow." Cinder ordered.
"Yes, ma'am." Emerald nodded before leaving.
"You got it." Mercury smirked as he leaves the room too.
Cinder Scrolls through the screen revealing the roaster of the Vytal Festival tournament matches of the double round for tomorrow, she thought of using Coco and Yatsuhashi to go against Emerald and Mercury thinking it would be a good show for everyone to watch.
"Let's give the crowd a good fight." Cinder smirked.
(Back with Jaune)
"Oh… my… Grimm." Jaune said.
Jaune and Ozpin were just talking about fairy tales and even bringing up one story that Ozpin claim to be very real, and that he is very serious about it.
"Professor Ozpin, if you and the others are serious about this then this could change… everything!" Jaune said in shock.
"In many ways, yes. Which is why when the time is right, about the single round of the tournament, we're going to show you more and another that I just mentioned. Someone who is very trustful just as you are." Ozpin said calmly.
"Like what? A secret war against a powerful enemy that the entire world doesn't know about except for a select few like you and the teachers here!" Jaune guessed gesturing to the teachers.
Ozpin gave off a small smile that Jaune wasn't actually right on the mark and Jaune is very shocked to see that expression.
"Fuck… I can't believe I really walked into this." Jaune said.
"We know it's a lot to take in, even when it's just a small part of the whole thing, but we wouldn't be telling you this if we weren't sure at first and that we needed something to help us fight back in a battle making it into our favor." Glynda stated.
"I saw the way you fought, I'm pretty sure you were holding back, but I can tell how strong you really are along with a big heart. Reminds me of Ruby." Qrow chuckled.
"Yeah, she sure is something else." Jaune smiled.
"Because of your traits along with the mysterious Chaos powers you possess, we believe having you on our side would be the best for Remnant to have a strong champion becoming the shadow in the darkness that will show the people where the light is." Ironwood believed, wanting to put his fate in his boy like Ozpin.
"Whoa, Jamey… That was really deep. The deepest thing you have ever said in your stick-by-the-rule mud fucker." Qrow was surprised to hear this from Ironwood.
"It was something a former scientist would say from his file." Ironwood recalled those words from that scientist he read about.
"All we're asking is for you to lend us your strength in protecting the people, protecting the kingdom, from the dark forces we are facing. To truly bring hope to the world, far more hope than ever before as a Shadow Knight if you will." Ozpin added his encouraging words as well.
Jaune never knew that he would find himself into something unexpected like the day he met the spirit of Shadow the Hedgehog and gain the power of Chaos, but now he may have found another unexpected thing with the fairy tales he was told are real.
But even so, it doesn't change the fact that he still wants to protect people and become a hero like his great-great-grandfather back in the Great War, and these guys want to do the same.
"Alright, looks like you have the Ultimate Lifeform backing you up." Jaune smiled.
"Thank you." Ozpin nodded.
"That is all, you may return to your team." Ozpin said.
Jaune nods and then teleport out of the office.
(Outside of Team JNPR's Room)
He found himself at the door of his team's room, but what he didn't expect was to see Cinder there leaning her back against the door.
"Cinder? What are you doing here?" Jaune asked in surprise.
"What? Is it wrong for a girl to come over for a visit and say hi to a friend?" Cinder asked in a teasing tone as she moves up to him.
"No, no, just didn't expect you to be here." Jaune said with his cheeks blushing.
"Well, would you mind if I come in with you?" Cinder requested with her eyes looking at his.
"S-Sure, the others won't mind." Jaune nodded and they went in. Unaware that Cinder may have other reasons to see Jaune.
(Next Day, Double Round)
The scene shows the arena again with the selection hologram display showing the fighters being Mercury and Emerald vs Coco and Yatsuhashi, just like how Cinder planned it to be.
"The randomization process is complete! Ladies and gentlemen, your doubles tournament line-up!"Port announced with the crowd cheering in excitement.
"Emerald and Mercury of Haven, versus Coco and Yatsuhashi of Beacon!"Port said.
"Good luck, you two!" Velvet cheered while Fox waves at them.
"This fight is going to be so awesome! Who do you think is gonna win?" Nora asked her friends.
"Coco and Yatsuhashi do have the experience advantage for being a year old in grade level, but Mercury and Emerald do seem to have their own thing going on that could show us something unexpected." Ren said.
"Meaning we could be looking at a fight that will show us what they're capable of." Jaune said, looking over to Cinder who smiles at him.
KO a new chapter is done and hope you all enjoy it!
Jaune has been informed about some important, top-secret things by the headmasters and teachers in the room as he'll find out more, and next up is the battle between Beacon second-year students vs the two minions who are pretending to be students.
KO comment, favorite, and follow through of how this story will go!