Mumbling to himself, Vilhelm navigated the streets of Vale, thinking back to the conversation he'd had with Ozpin a few hours earlier:
"Headmaster, you wished to talk with me?" Vilhelm asked warily, wondering why the headmaster had called him to his office.
"Indeed, but first I wish to know: is the canvas to your liking?" Ozpin replied nonchalantly.
"Yes, the size and quality are satisfactory," Vilhelm answered, surprised.
"That is good to hear. Also, I heard that you were training Jaune alongside Pyrrha?"
"You should know everything worth knowing there," Vilhelm retorted more sharply than intended. After all, it was Ozpin who had orchestrated the situation.
"And his progress in combat class has been astronomical. Both you and Pyrrha have outdone yourselves with his training." Ozpin paused, taking a sip from his mug. "But that is not the reason I called you here. Tell me, do you have a Scroll?"
"Why should I need a scroll? Don't we have notebooks?"
"I'm not talking about paper scrolls—this is a Scroll." Ozpin said while holding one of those strange contraptions Vilhelm had seen often in the hands of both students and teachers. "This is a Scroll. It can be used for a variety of tasks, like communication and the search for information. I will give you a couple of Lien to buy one; you need only bring me the receipt."
"While such a scroll is indeed a wondrous item, I fail to see why I should use one," Vilhelm replied, already wondering how the headmaster might benefit from this.
"Because it is tiresome to send someone to search for you when I want to speak with you—and Miss Goodwitch would be a whole lot less irritated with both of us," Ozpin answered.
"Understandable. When shall I depart?"
"Immediately. Your Bullhead departs in 20 minutes. Have a good day, Mr. Vilhelm."
Looking at a city plan, Vilhelm wondered if it would have been a good idea to mention to the headmaster that he had no idea where to buy a scroll.
"Ahem, salutations, sir— is everything fine?" a strange voice asked.
Glancing around, Vilhelm's eyes fell on a strangely dressed girl with orange hair.
"Well, I'm having some trouble finding my destination, but aside from that, I'm fine," he replied, still wondering why someone would approach him.
"Are you sure, sir? For it seems that you are lacking a heartbeat," the girl asked, worried.
How did she know? Vilhelm thought with a growing sense of dread, only to realize something. In Yahrnam, every hunter has a unique scent—that is how beasts and other hunters distinguish them from the civilian populace. Some hunters even have particularly strong scents—the moon-scented hunter is a prime example. Hunters also exhibit different scents depending on which faction they belong to. Vilebloods, for instance, have a sweeter aroma, while the Executioners carry a spicier one. This rule somewhat extends to ordinary humans as well. Although their scent is not as powerful as that of a hunter, it is usually enough to track them. And yet here stood a pariah to that rule: the girl did not smell like a human at all, but rather like material—there was a hint of steel, a trace of electricity, a lot of copper, and… something else.
"Sir?" the girl asked in a worried tone.
Thinking quickly of an explanation, Vilhelm responded, "Ah, pardon me—I was lost in thought. You see, ever since I unlocked my 'Semblance,' my heart has stopped beating. But you mustn't worry; that does not at all hamper my abilities, as the Headmaster of Beacon Academy can assure you."
"Ah, I am terribly sorry; I didn't know that was the case," she said, clearly taken aback.
"You must not ask for forgiveness—you did the right thing. With everyone else, a nonexistent heartbeat is quite worrisome," Vilhelm replied with a smile.
"Still, I did bother you, so at least let me help you find your destination, sir."
"You mustn't refer to me as 'sir'," Vilhelm said, memories of Cainhurst intruding on his thoughts. "You can simply call me Vilhelm. And how may I address you, miss?"
"Penny—Penny Polendina," the girl replied with a salute.
"Very well, but Miss Polendina, are you certain it is all right for you to accompany me?"
"Of course. Father has nothing against me going out and making friends." (hic)
Did she just hiccup? Vilhelm wondered silently before saying, "Well, if that is the case, I would truly appreciate your help in finding me a scroll."
"Of course. The closest technical store would be…" Penny paused briefly before continuing, "Loves and B9ta is around 20 minutes away—15 if we were to hurry."
"Thank you very much, Miss Polendina, and we mustn't hurry," Vilhelm assured.
"Of course, sir—right after me," she replied, marching off.
After a few moments, Penny broke the silence. "You have beautiful hair, sir."
"Thanks—it's a hereditary trait. And you know, Miss Polendina, would it be all right if you called me Vilhelm? Although I was indeed knighted, I'd prefer to be addressed by my name alone. Oh, and I will also cease calling you 'Miss Polendina,' if that's all right with you," he replied with a sly smile.
"Mhm, that would be sensational. And you were knighted?" she said, seemingly hopping from topic to topic.
"Indeed. Before joining Beacon, I was part of a knightly order within the Grimmlands. And you? As far as I can tell, your sense of fashion doesn't seem to be from Vale," Vilhelm said, noting that she wouldn't be too out of place in Yahrnam—if only the green were less vibrant and the skirt a bit longer.
"Yep, I'm a visiting student from Atlas Academy, here for the Vytal Festival," Penny replied in an upbeat tone.
"Ah, of course—I almost forgot. The Vytal Festival will occur in a few weeks, correct?"
"Yes—in 35 days, 15 hours, 21 minutes, and 18 seconds."
"My, my—you must be truly excited for the Vytal Festival if you know the date to the second," Vilhelm remarked with an amused expression.
"Of course," she answered, seemingly uncomfortable.
Noticing her unease, Vilhelm decided to change the subject. "Anyway, I've never been to Atlas. What does it look like?"
"Oh, it is amazing! You see, there is Mantle and—"
Truly, Vilhelm thought. What an interesting individual.
"And if you press here, you can search for stuff," Penny explained with the biggest smile imaginable.
"Truly, what a marvelous feat of engineering," Vilhelm couldn't help but say out loud.
Both Penny and Vilhelm were sitting on a bench, with Penny explaining the inner workings of Vilhelm's new Scroll.
"And this here?" Vilhelm asked, pointing at an unfamiliar symbol.
"Ah, these are the contacts," Penny explained.
"Contacts?"
"Mhm! These are the people you are most likely to talk with on the Scroll. More often than not, they are friends!"
"Ah, well, if that is the case, would you mind being added to my contacts?"
"You… you would consider me a friend?" Penny asked in disbelief.
"Of course," Vilhelm said, handing the Scroll over to Penny.
"Sensational!" Penny exclaimed while eagerly typing in her Scroll number.
"Now then," Vilhelm said, taking his Scroll back. "Shall we make our way—"
At that exact moment, some lowly cur bumped into Penny, making her trip and fall.
"You worthless mongrel, at least apologize!" Vilhelm snapped before turning to Penny in a softer tone. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah, it seems—" Yet, when Penny saw her own hands, her eyes widened in shock.
"Penny? Are you certain everything is fine?" Vilhelm asked, noticing that she looked as though she had just discovered she was turning into a beast.
"Y-Yes! Hic! Everything is fine! Hic!"
Truly? Let me see your hands; perhaps I can help," Vilhelm said, already wondering how he could plausibly explain carrying an entire apothecary's worth of medicinal goods with him.
"N-No need! Hic!"
The hiccups again? Vilhelm thought. Last time… Is she hiccuping when she is lying!?
Before he could pursue the thought further, another ruffian bumped into Penny, making her stumble once more. She instinctively stretched out her hands to prevent her fall—seemingly in vain—until Vilhelm grabbed her hand.
"Mindless idiots… To think manners have eroded this much. Unthinkable in Yharnam— Oh."
Vilhelm's tirade was abruptly cut short as he caught sight of Penny's hands—her metallic palms.
With a fearful expression, Penny yanked her hand from his grasp with surprising strength and ran off.
"Penny, wait! Kosdammit!" Vilhelm cursed as he sprinted after her.
"Penny?"
In the end, Vilhelm found Penny hiding in an alley, covering her eyes with her exposed palms.
"Penny, you know… No matter what happens, your secret is safe with me," Vilhelm said, trying to reassure her. After all, he carried a far more dreadful secret himself.
Penny looked up for a split second. "Promise?"
"I promise. And up until now, I have yet to lie to a friend." Vilhelm chose to omit the fact that he had been forced to put former friends out of their misery more than once.
"You… still consider me a friend?" This time, she didn't bury her face in her hands, which Vilhelm counted as a success.
"Yes, of course. Now, do you wish to talk about it?" Vilhelm asked, sitting down beside her.
For quite some time, Penny remained silent, until she finally spoke. "I… I am the first synthetic human. I was designed by Atlas to be faster and stronger than regular Huntsmen. The hiccups you've heard… they were built in to detect when I'm trying to hide something."
Vilhelm hummed in thought, debating whether he should reveal his own truth at all. Then, mentally smacking himself, he realized—he could simply ask if she could keep a secret. After all, she was literally incapable of lying.
"Say, Penny, can you keep a secret?"
"If it does not harm anyone or endanger anything, I should be able to abide by your request," Penny answered hopelessly.
"It does not," Vilhelm assured her. "It is a personal secret of mine, which I am choosing to share with you and you alone. Can you promise to keep it, no matter who asks?"
"I promise," Penny said, now looking up with mild curiosity.
Vilhelm listened for a few seconds. After hearing no hiccups, he continued. "Well, you know, we are more similar than you might think."
With that, he pulled off his right glove, exposing his ball-jointed porcelain hand to a wide-eyed Penny.
"I am a sentient porcelain doll," Vilhelm explained. "At some point, I was human… but those days are long gone. Now, my consciousness inhabits this body of porcelain. That is also why you did not hear a heartbeat—I have no internal organs. I am completely hollow." He finished speaking as he slipped his glove back on.
"How is that possible?" Penny asked. "You move without any visible contraptions or internal mechanisms!"
"The world as we know it is governed by more than just logic," Vilhelm said. To Penny's surprise, white gloves materialized before him from a mist.
"These are the Surgical Long Gloves," he explained. "I have no need for them, so you can keep them." Seeing Penny about to protest, he cut her off. "See it as a gift—and an apology for scaring you. Now, I do hope that our newfound friendship won't suffer from this. And if you ever need anything… you do have my Scroll number, yes?"
Waiting for Penny to nod, Vilhelm continued.
"Then feel free to ask—especially at night. It gets rather dull just sitting around doing nothing, since I literally cannot sleep."
That caught Penny's attention. "You can't sleep? What about recharging?"
"No, not at all. I just sit around and stare at the moon. Recently, I convinced Ozpin to get me a canvas and some paint, so it's not as bad as when I first arrived at Beacon. But still, it gets pretty boring. So feel free to ask me anything."
"Really?"
"Of course. Now, I believe we should make our way."
«It» was watching. Watching the progress of the other… thing.
Once, it was human, yet through some miracle—or curse—the thing had begun to strip away its humanity. And «It» was concerned. That much, Vilhelm could feel.
Ever since the thing changed for the second time, «It» had grown restless. Yet no matter what power «It» possessed, «It» had no way to interact with the waking world, relying instead on pawns to fulfill Its plans. The other thing was once one of «Its» pawns—but no longer.
Now, it was heading toward the man-made abomination. Should it overcome the abomination, little would separate the thing from the dreamer.
And even though everything was going according to «Its» plan, that did not stop «It» from worrying.
And all «It» could do was hope.
Hope that the thing would accept mercy.
And Vilhelm could only wait, as he had done for the last two years.
Hopefully, however, he now had to wait only mere days.
Vilhelm jerked awake, still holding his brush, sitting before his canvas. He noticed that he had seemingly continued painting in his sleep.
What was that? he wondered.
I haven't slept in two years, much less dreamed… and then there's the content of the dream. What is «It»?
Shaking off the unease, Vilhelm looked at his new Scroll and smiled upon seeing a few messages from Penny—questions, of course.
Perfect distraction.
Thinking for a moment, he began typing responses.
Between Penny's constant questioning, classes, and painting, the week quickly flew by. To Vilhelm's relief—and slight disappointment—he did not "dream" again. He even grew somewhat accustomed to the looks other students gave him for seemingly never eating. Somewhat.
The only thing Vilhelm found somewhat disheartening was that one of his favorite pastimes—watching Jaune attempt to flirt with Weiss while Pyrrha gave him a disappointed glare—was slowly becoming stale. Ever since Jaune had been training with him and Pyrrha, it became increasingly difficult to see him as a humorous idiot. As he slowly but surely grew stronger, Vilhelm and Pyrrha had to rein in his ever-growing ego by challenging him to duels and beating him so thoroughly that he would see the error of his ways.
And Vilhelm had a quiet suspicion that Pyrrha was enjoying those duels a bit too much.
Suddenly, Vilhelm was ripped from his musings as the Headmaster entered.
"Students, I am happy to report that the vast majority of you have improved drastically in combat class since stepping foot in Beacon. Therefore, I have deemed it appropriate to announce the Semester Trials ahead of schedule."
A wave of murmurs spread through the students. The statement clearly had an effect on almost everyone.
Semester Trials? Vilhelm thought. Given that I seem to be the only one not reacting, I probably should know what they are.
"As many of you know," Ozpin continued, briefly glancing in Vilhelm's direction, "the Semester Trials will determine a significant portion of your final score."
Ah, that explains it, Vilhelm thought.
"In order to ensure a truly neutral rating, the Semester Trials change every school year. This year, you will be conducting your trials in the Emerald Forest."
The room erupted into discussion at that.
"You will not work in teams," Ozpin continued, his voice cutting through the chatter, "but alongside your partner."
He held up a gold coin, roughly two inches wide.
"The goal of the trial is to collect as many of these as possible. They will be distributed among all students according to their skill level."
That seems reasonable, Vilhelm thought. It encourages students to challenge stronger combatants rather than simply preying on the weak.
"This is how the coins will be distributed."
Ozpin gestured toward a large screen, where the names and pictures of every student appeared, each accompanied by a number indicating their starting coin count. Vilhelm idly noted that Pyrrha had the second-highest amount—five coins.
Then, he raised his hand.
"Yes, Mr. Vilhelm?" Ozpin asked, seemingly unsurprised.
"May I ask why exactly I have the most coins?"
It was a fair question, in Vilhelm's mind. After all, he had only fought twice within the academy—once during initiation and once during the brawl against CRDL.
"Because you have the most experience of any student here," Ozpin explained, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Your experience as a knight within the Grimmlands grants you a significant advantage. You will also be operating alone, making you harder to track—another advantage."
Headmaster… Vilhelm thought bitterly. I know I'm your little experiment, but did you have to make it so obvious?
"Now then," Ozpin continued, "seeing as there are no further questions, I am happy to announce that you have the weekend to prepare for the trial, which will begin Monday. Happy weekend."
The moment the Headmaster left the lunchroom, discussions broke out. Many were sizing Vilhelm up, most likely wondering if it would be worth the effort to take him on.
"Hey, Vil, we wanted to go to Vale today to watch the preparations for the Vytal Festival. Do you want to tag along?" Ruby asked.
With a smile, Vilhelm replied, "I'm afraid the inspection and maintenance of my gear is overdue, especially after that announcement."
"Oh, I see," Ruby said, sounding somewhat disappointed. "Well, good luck during the trial."
"To you too, Miss Rose."
The next day, during breakfast, Vilhelm noticed that Team RWBY was nowhere to be seen. However, such thoughts were pushed aside when he saw that Penny had sent a new message, asking if he had time.
Sure, Vilhelm wrote back.
He didn't even have to wait a minute before receiving a reply, asking if he could come to Vale. Checking his watch, he saw that the next flight to Vale would leave in ten minutes, so he wrote that back.
Well, that's a surprise, Vilhelm thought as he spotted three-fourths of Team RWBY. But before he could ask anything, Ruby appeared in a burst of rose petals and began speaking faster than Djura could fire his bullets.
"Thank Oum you're here! We need your help—Weiss fought with Blake, and now we can't find her! And we only have two days to prepare for the trial, and—"
"Now, now, slow down, Ruby. Deep breaths, and then explain what happened calmly," Vilhelm interjected, trying to slow the barrage of words to a more understandable pace.
Ruby took a deep breath before explaining. "Weiss and Blake got into an argument about Faunus treatment, and at some point, Blake said..." Ruby's voice broke, seemingly unwilling to continue.
"Ah, I see. So you finally found out," Vilhelm said, understanding the entire fuss.
"Wait a moment—you knew?!" Weiss and Yang shouted in outrage.
"Indeed, I've known for quite some time, actually. I was curious to see how long it would take for you to realize it."
"What are you guys talking about? Her Faunus heritage?" Penny asked.
Ignoring RWY's disbelieving glances between himself and Penny, Vilhelm continued, "Yet I still don't understand why, of all people, you're asking me for help."
"Well..." Ruby hesitated. "We kind of met Penny, and she offered to help, and then we mentioned that you could help too, and well..."
"But why me?"
"Because if we don't count the teachers, you're the most competent," Weiss explained.
"And getting the teachers involved could be a bad idea," Yang added. "There's a chance they don't even know about her heritage."
"A danger that was present with me as well," Vilhelm interjected.
"Yeah, but I could threaten you if you'd found out," Yang countered.
"But why should I even help? I barely know Blake, and she was quite suspicious of me last time we talked," Vilhelm tried, already knowing he was fighting a losing battle.
"Pleeeeaaaseee," Ruby and Penny pleaded in unison, with Ruby adding her best impression of puppy eyes for extra effect.
"By the gods, you lot will be the death of me," Vilhelm finally relented, admitting that he'd lost this battle from the very beginning. Besides, he was worried—he seemingly couldn't say no to Penny.
"Very well," he continued. "Lead me to the last place where you saw her. Meanwhile, you can catch me up on everything that happened."
"Is that so?" Vilhelm asked while scanning the area. He could smell it as clear as day—the entirety of Team RWBY, the direction Blake had run off to—but a more pressing issue was how he could explain this to the merry little band of friends he had somehow managed to make.
"Well, yes," Weiss admitted, unaware of Vilhelm's inner turmoil. "While I do regret lashing out at her, she could've told us."
"While I agree with that," Vilhelm began, "I can't really hold it against her for keeping tight-lipped about it." Deciding to explain his tracking skills as a secret from Cainhurst, he continued, "And we can go now—I know where she went."
"That quickly?!" Yang exclaimed. "Damn, pretty boy, next time I lose my hairbrush, I know who I'm gonna ask!"
"How much do I have to pay you to stop calling me that?" Vilhelm asked while leading the group through Vale.
"Some things simply can't be bought," Yang said with a grin.
"Unfortunately. Vilhelm said while noticing that the trail led deeper into Vale. Wich is a shame because- Hm?
"What's the matter?" Ruby asked.
"Well, it seems your friend has company," Vilhelm explained. Though I can't place this scent... Wait—are those bananas?
"Alright, how are you doing this?!" Weiss nearly yelled in frustration.
"Cainhurst secret," Vilhelm replied smoothly. "And there she is," he added, pointing at a balcony. "Perhaps Penny and I should wait outside to give you time to talk things out with her."
"Yeah, thanks again, Vil," Ruby said before entering the building, followed by the rest of RWY.
"Soo..." Penny began.
"I smelled her," Vilhelm finished.
"That actually explains a lot, but that wasn't what I wanted to ask," Penny continued.
"Really? Then ask away."
"Are you mad at me?" Penny asked, avoiding eye contact.
"Why should I be mad at you?" Vilhelm questioned. "You acted accordingly, given the situation."
"Really?"
"Yes, and—"
At that moment, from the balcony above, Blake's voice interrupted him.
"You! Up here—now!" she shouted.
"Well, I guess we'll continue this conversation at a later date," Vilhelm said, gesturing for Penny to follow him.
"You are a Faunus!" was the first thing Blake said, pointing an accusatory finger at Vilhelm.
"Absolutely no problem," Vilhelm retorted. "I am always happy to help, but wouldn't you first want to introduce us to your friend?" he added, nodding toward the Faunus holding a teacup with his tail.
"Don't change the topic!" Blake yelled. "Now, what kind of Faunus are you?"
Fed up, Vilhelm answered, "A very rare breed known as a human."
"Don't play these kinds of games with me—"
"Blake, for crying out loud, there are no Faunus where I'm from! I saw my first Faunus a couple of days before the semester began!" Vilhelm lashed out.
"Alright, guys, please calm down," Ruby began, but it was futile.
"It was none of their business!" Blake continued her tirade. "So why did you help them?"
"Because they asked nicely. And besides, I disagree—you're on a team with them. It is their business." Vilhelm didn't need to look at Weiss to know she completely agreed with him.
"So what?" Blake challenged.
"My point is that you kept crucial information from your team and then ran off a day before a crucial test!"
"Because I need to prove that the White Fang aren't behind the robberies!" Blake tried to sound intimidating, but the sheer stupidity of the statement negated any effect.
"Blake," Vilhelm began, pinching the bridge of his nose, "you're trying to prove that a notorious criminal organization known for stealing Dust is not responsible for some robberies? And besides, how exactly do you plan to accomplish this? Hiding at a potential crime scene to catch the 'real' culprit in the act?"
Sometimes, I should really keep my mouth shut, Vilhelm thought for approximately the hundredth time that day.
The group—now numbering seven—had followed a lead given to them by the monkey Faunus, who had introduced himself as Sun. He was currently lying in wait next to Vilhelm, explaining that a large shipment of Dust would be stored at the docks that night. Upon hearing this, the group (minus Vilhelm) had somehow decided to take his jokingly made remark about staking out the area completely seriously. And since Vilhelm not only had little else to do but also didn't want to see anyone in the group get injured, he was forced to tag along.
"So..." Sun began. "Do you know what she likes and all?"
"Pardon?"
"Blake," Sun clarified. "Do you think I have a chance?"
"I don't know," Vilhelm answered while keeping his eyes on the path leading toward the harbor. "I know her even less than you do."
"Really? That's a shame..."
And then they heard it.
At first, it was only a faint hum, but it quickly grew louder.
"They're here," Sun whispered to Vilhelm.
With a nod, Vilhelm glanced over everyone's positions one last time before directing his gaze toward the incoming Bullhead—or, more accurately, the White Fang symbol painted on its side.
Author's Note
Alright, I finally finished this chapter, but I'm still not entirely happy with the dialogue. I'd appreciate some criticism, and I'll update the chapter when I release the next one.
As for the Semester Trials, I wondered how Ozpin would gauge Vilhelm's capabilities without making it look too suspicious, so I came up with the trials as a solution.
Also, the idea that Hunters smell different from normal people is actually canon. For instance, the Chapel Dweller mentioned that the incense must have masked your scent, and I doubt he was a Hunter or afflicted with the plague—so it must be quite noticeable.