Chapter 27
For the Record
About to leave for the airship to Beacon.
Jesus Christ, what a night.
In short: Ozpin is the original Master, he's from Earth - from ANCIENT FUCKING ROME no less!
Jesus, the only thing that would have made more sense than 'All roads lead to Rome' would be if he told me he was from Nazi goddamn Germany... Because everything stupid in fiction has some sort of tie to Germany.
I bet Hitler snorted Dust - moving on!
Salem was Talion (dominated the Grimm and added them to her army) and now is Sauron (skips the middle man and makes the Grimm her damn self), the god damn gods themselves cursed him with pseudo-immortality (should I stop saying 'god damn it' now that they're apparently real, and watching? Fuck no.), he's running out of magical power, he thinks that I could turn out to be stronger than him because of some fucked up 'pen is mightier than the sword' logic, and he more or less implied that he's one hundred percent certain that, with him or without him, I can - at least with Ruby Rose's help - kill Salem and be done with it.
Jesus Christ, did I miss anything?
Wait, I did!
Turns out the Power Glove doesn't really work like I thought it did.
Or... It does, since I liked to joke and say it was so good it was magic.
As it turns out: It is.
He more or less validated everything I've been saying about the whole 'visualize it to do it' thing.
Magic works like it's a Green Lantern ring: If your will is strong enough to overpower the fucking laws of physics, you can feasibly do anything; and if you can visualize it, the result is even better. And because I've based pretty much my whole arsenal off of stuff from Earth, I've associated it all with those things, and have been unconsciously - and literally - working my magic on them... Functionally making them exactly what it is they were inspired by.
In other words: Because I based it off of Captain America's shield... It fucking is.
And while that may beg the question - if I'm really walking around with a hunk of vibranium (the only one in the universe, now that I think about it... Neat.), why couldn't Pyrrha do anything to it? - I actually have something an answer, because I'm pretty sure at some point Magneto tried, but the metal was so - in a word - weird, that it took some dedicated focus to do, which is probably what tripped Pyrrha up.
And if that doesn't float your boat, the goddamn thing is (technically) literally made of magic in the first place. So I'll say 'a wizard did it', laugh because I'm right, and move on.
Anyways, expanding on the above, because I have all of these theoretical scientific concepts locked up in my head and stored on all of those hard drives, and because I've long since displayed the fact that I'm pretty much a walking talking repository of obscure facts, movie references, and pop-culture shit, Ozpin thinks I could very well be more powerful than he ever was. Again: Because the pen is mightier than the sword.
New plan: Master my Master Magic (say that five times fast!), build a tesseract, which is basically an object of infinite mass and energy... Technically - and even if it isn't I think it is, which by the rules as laid out by Ozpin means it goddamn will be - and then blow the fucking thing up in Salem's face.
Problem SOLVED, the end, go home.
Ugh.
Last little bit on that:
If I'm to understand all of what he said about the power glove correctly, then that means that it's more or less a focus for my powers. It, in a sense, creates the object, and I, in a manner of speaking, program it.
If I can get a damn clear image of it in my head (Cap's shield), understand what it's supposed to do from the world I drew it from (Absolutely fucking indestructible, bounces everywhere, et al), maybe have a good understanding of the science of it, and then use the Power Glove to create its general shape... I will unconsciously use that hardlight construct as a focus, and turn it into whatever it is that had either inspired it, or I had intended it to be.
Easiest example, obviously, being my shield. It's not a hunk of light, it's a hunk of vibranium.
Another example: More than once I've made Wolverine claws. Conclusion: They weren't three sharpened daggers of light, but three adamantium blades.
Now that I've hopefully got the gears turning in your head, realize what I could do with this.
My first thought goes to... Why not a lightsaber? That'd sure as hell break the mold, here on Remnant, and it's serve as a damn good opposite to the shield: Impregnable defense, and unstoppable offense.
God, I can only imagine the look on Cinder's face when we have our fight. Maybe I throw the shield at her, or some shit, and she blasts that thing away and I can't get it. She thinks I'm disarmed, and them - ZHOOM!
Bright-ass blade of ionized plasma about the temperature of the sun.
Aura or not, Master/Maiden or not, you're not getting away from a strike from that thing, untouched.
It really goddamn is a Green Lantern ring... But better.
And, silver lining: I've been doing this myself ever since I got the damn glove. So that should mean I should be able to do this without instruction from Ozpin.
I'll have to do some tinkering whenever I'm not surrounded by people, and I'll definitely start looking through all of my archives to try and think up what other weapons from fiction I can create, and feasibly wield. Lightsabers, maybe a BFG 9000, Mjolnir, a Piece of Eden, an Iron Man suit - fuck, the Nanosuit! - I need to figure out the limit of this thing... If there is one.
Or... Wait, no, I'd have to be smart about this, if I start pulling an arsenal out of fiction. A lot of them would have immediate drawbacks.
Like, I (somehow) make an Iron Man suit? I don't know how to pilot that fucking thing!
A Nanosuit? Those things symbiotically bond to their wearers - I'd never be able to take it off!
BFG? I'd have one shot, and while it would be glorious, after that one shot, that's it, unless I could fuel it with my magic.
Mjolnir? Only the worthy can wield it, and I do not want that question answered. I barely feel worthy of Cap's shield, let alone the third greatest physical symbol of heroism in modern comics. (Second being Cap's shield, and first being Superman's S.)
A piece of Eden... May? Help? I think? But unless I had Altair's, I'd get brain aneurysms every time I tried using it... And Ozpin mentioned he was able to replicate every semblance he came across, with his magic. So with the cloning abilities, mind control, and pseudo-astral projection all knocked out, the only thing it could give me would be advanced scientific knowledge. So maybe.
So really, of that list, only three things could potentially be usable for me: The BFG, the Piece of Eden, and the Lightsaber.
And only one of those things has long term use as well: The lightsaber.
And, you know, I'm kind of already a Jedi, by way of usage of a mostly undefined force that allows its user to exert its will over the universe, so... Fuck yeah, let's do it. I'll keep you posted.
Anyways, last bit of news: Ozpin had my plane's black box, and convinced Ironwood to abuse his power to get its data.
Now I have it.
Whenever I get an interface between my tech and Remnant tech working, I'll copy the file over, but until then, you'll have to deal with my shoddy transcript.
Ho boy.
The Final Minutes of Continental Flight Six Three Six
[Recording Begins]
(1) Maintaining altitude.
(2) Altitude steady.
(2) You see the trailer for the new Marvel movie?
(1) Don, I love you to death, but there are two people in this cabin, right now. One of them watches comic book movies. It's not the guy speaking.
(2) You see, I'd be tempted to believe that, but I saw your locker.
(1) I'll have you know, I got that picture for my son.
(2) And if he watches the movies, I guaran-goddamn-tee it that you've seen, maybe not all of them, but most of them.
(1) Shut up and check our fuel.
(2) Fuel level's a bit high, but we expected it.
(2) Tell me you've at least seen Die Hard.
(1) It's not Christmas unless Hans Gruber gets thrown from Nakatomi Plaza.
(2) You know apparently that was pitched as a sequel to Predator?
(1) No kidding?
(2) Yup. Initial idea was: Arnold's guy would have retired to private security, and would have helped build Nakatomi's whole defense network. But then the robbery happens, and he'd have to fight through it and the guys in order to save the day.
(1) How the hell do you know any of this? You're either in this cabin, or asleep.
(2) How do you know that?
(1) Your wife.
(2) Oh, well: Fu -
(LAX) CF Six-Three-Six, LAX.
(1) Go ahead, LA.
(LAX) Yeah, satellite's showing a tropical storm developing right ahead of you. You'll hit it in approximately fifteen minutes, recommend you descend to thirty thousand feet.
(1) Uh, roger that, LAX, descending to thirty thousand feet, but where was this storm when we took off? Last update would have had clear skies through to Monday.
(2) Beginning descent.
(LAX) CF Six-Three-Six, this caught us by surprise as much as it is you.
(1) Clarify, LAX.
(LAX) It wasn't there ten minutes ago, CF Six-Three-Six. LAX Out.
(1) [A sigh is heard] Copy that, LAX. Keep us advised, CF Six-Three-Six out.
(2) Might want to let the folks know.
(1) Mhm. [Click] Uh, ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. Got some bad weather brewing ahead of us, we're expecting some minor turbulence. Until we leave the storm, the fasten seat-belts sign will remain lit. [Click]
(2) Holding steady at thirty thousand feet.
(2) Wonder who dropped the ball on this one.
(1) Thor's probably pissed.
(2) Fucking knew it.
(1) I think I can see it, actually. One o'clock.
(2) 'Just' a storm? Holy crap, it's raining cats and dogs out there.
(1) LAX, CF Six-Three-Six, care to check your satellites again? This thing is looking severe.
(1) Check our fuel again, see if we can't go around it.
(LAX) CF Six-Three-Six, roger that, we're looking into it. Get you an update in two minutes.
(2) I dunno, man. We got a little extra fuel from the winds helping us out, but I don't think it would be enough to go around.
(2) GPS transponder's still working, for the worst case.
(LAX) CF Six-Three-Six, be advised: That storm is just getting worse. We have no explanation at this time but it's spreading far and it's spreading fast, your best bet is to go straight through.
(1) LAX, can we handle what something like that can put out?
(LAX) Until such a time as it develops hurricane-force winds, that's an affirmative. Better batten down the hatches, LAX out.
(1) Roger that, CF Six-Three -
(2) Holy shit, look at that!
(Rumbling and shaking is heard)
(1) LAX, be advised, this thing's dropping lightning. We've seen three strikes - four - in the last five seconds.
(2) No - wait for the next lightning strike and look at twelve.
(1) Standby, LAX.
(1) Talk to me, what did you see? Hurricane?
[The turbulence becomes more pronounced, almost constant]
(2) Hold on... There! What the hell is that?
(1) Let's not fuck around and find out. Divert course.
(1) LAX, be advised, there's some sort of... Anomaly, in the storm. Diverting course.
(2) The controls aren't responding.
(LAX) CF Six-Three-Six, clarify. Did you say 'anomaly'?
(1) Damn it - can we pull up?
(2) Not in time!
(1)-LAX, CF Six-Three-Six, roger, 'anomaly'. It appears to be a full sphere hovering at our approximate altitude. Be advised we are unable to divert course or ascend. Do you have our location?
(LAX) Affirmative, Six-Three-Six, but be advised: We don't see what it is you're describing.
(1) Be ready with any rescue crews, we have no idea what will happen when we hit this thing. We have no time to try troubleshooting procedures and an impact is unavoidable at this juncture. [Click] This is the captain: Brace for impact. [Click]
(2) Here it comes!
[Turbulence is joined by heavy rainfall]
(1) Brace for impact. Brace for -
[Turbulance and rainfall vanishes]
(2) Whoa!
[Alarms begin to sound]
(1) We're dropping. LAX, be advised, we are rapidly losing altitude.
(2) I've got control again!
(1) Pull up - LAX, CF Six-Three-Six, we have regained vertical control and are attempting to stabilize our altitude.
(2) It's fighting me Joe!
(1) Fight harder - LAX, do you read?
(2) [Struggling]
(1) Mayday, mayday, mayday, this is -
[A muffled thump, followed by a return of the turbulance]
(2) Left engine's gone!
(1) Captain Joseph Bailey of Continental Flight Six Three Six. We are in a rapid descent, losing control of our altitude. Our left engine has been damaged and we are going to crash. Anyone hearing this, please advise.
(2) Twenty thousand feet!
(1) Here come the clouds - Deb! Make sure they're all strapped in! - Mayday, mayday, mayday, anyone receiving me, please respond. This is Continental Flight Six Three Six, we have two hundred souls on board and are... Are...
(2) Are those towers?! How did we get over land?
(1) If those are towers that means there are people here. Someone has to be on a radio - I see a clearing, that's our best shot at landing this thing.
(1) Mayday, mayday, mayday, we appear to have entered the airspace of an unidentified city. We can see mountains and large... Possibly stone towers. Anyone receiving this, be advised we -
[Another thump, more alarms begin blaring]
(2) Right engine!
(1) - Are in an uncontrolled descent and are aiming for a clearing north on... Check: We have lost GPS navigation. We are flying blind. If anyone is receiving this, respond immediately, we are declaring an emergency. Is anyone -
[A loud screech, like that of the cawing of a bird, is heard.]
(2) JESUS!
[A tremendous impact is heard, soon followed by the sound of air whistling, alarms blaring, and a multitude of screams.]
(1) Be advised! We've just collided with a bird the same size as our plane! We are going down hard, we are in an out of control descent!
(2) Oh fuck, oh fuck oh fuck!
(1) [Click] Brace for impact! Brace for -
[The words are drowned out by the sounds of glass shattering, branches snapping and scraping against a metal hull, a deafening explosion, a massive tearing sound of metal being sheered from metal, and alarms blaring.]
...
[Silence]
[Recording Ends]
It might not look like much, but I think this at least gives me a few clues as to the 'how' of things.
The long and short of it being: Salem opened up a fucking wormhole, its mere presence fucked up the local environment, and going from one end of the universe to another, and to a planet with a completely different atmosphere to begin with, was too much stress for an airplane built by the lowest bidder.
That may sound like I'm pulling something out of my ass, but I think the biggest hint there was when the Captain said 'sphere'. When everyone thinks wormholes, they think a circle - but Interstellar put it best. A circle is just a two dimensional representation of a wormhole, we live in a three dimensional world, and what is a circle in three dimensions?
I'd question if that wormhole was still there or not, but considering Ozpin hasn't said 'oh, yeah, we found this strange-ass sphere floating in the air', or anything the sort, I'm willing to bet it was a one time deal.
In the long run, this isn't very useful information, but at least that closes that chapter of the book.
Oh, and as it turns out: Cubone wasn't the first Grimm to fuck my life up. It was actually Mothra!
So if that oversized bird hadn't decided to shit on the first vehicle it saw, I may not be as alone as I am now (sorry Ozzy, but you're kind of only terran in spirit. Literally. The rest of you is human.).
That's... Hm. That's great.
Ugh...
Final note: Cinder let me know about the robbery's almost-failure. She's more pissed at Torchwick than anything, and I've gotta admit, that's a good feeling: The Lady In Red not being angry at me.
I mean, she still told me not to fuck up finding the Maiden, but I've got to take what I can get.
It gives me an idea, but I'll wait until I see Ozpin next before I think on it too much.
'Till next time.
"Be advised -" Frantically cried a deep voice, desperation pouring out of his voice. "We've just collided with a bird the same size as our plane! We are going down hard, we are in an out of control descent!"
"Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck!" Came a second voice, crying out in raw fear, as he saw the ground coming up at a speed entirely too fast to be healthy.
There was a clicking noise, as the first voice cried out, desperately trying to prepare the hundreds of souls in his plane for the sudden end, "brace for impact! Brace for -" And with a loud crash, with the sound of thick tree branches and the thicker tree trunks snapping into pieces and tearing apart the plane's hull, the man's voice was snuffed out, leaving only the chaos of the landing before, finally, silence.
Aldric stood on the edge of the airship, looking out to the west, towards Emerald Forest, listening to the last few minutes of his last airplane ride for what felt like the thousandth time. He didn't know how many times he'd let this rattle around in his head, only that he'd listened to it once to write it down in his journal, again before we went to bed, several times during the wait for the airship, and now again when the forest came into view, prompting a wave of nostalgia. Not the pleasant kind, like playing a video game or seeing a movie one had really enjoyed as a kid, but a terrible kind that dredged up only bad memories and traumatic experiences.
Beyond 'closure', Aldric couldn't really explain why he had wanted the recording so badly. To that point, he couldn't even say what kind of closure it brought him. What was he hoping to expect, to hear his father rush into the captain's cabin and give him his last words? He knew that wasn't the case - his Dad had buckled him into the chair once the storm hit. He'd been too busy. Despite all of this, Aldric still felt the urge to have this, to lay it down and write it up, if only so he wouldn't go the rest of his life without knowing.
As he brooded, his scroll held up to his ear, his radar let him in on a few guests making their way towards him, one in a low-cut leather jacket, and the other tightly wrapped up in a red hood. The taller of the two was clearly measuring her steps, trying to be as quiet as possible so as to surprise her blind friend. Aldric let her have it, as he mentally prepared himself.
When she got within range, she sprang forward, slapping him on his left shoulder. "What's with the long face Bee -" But her mistake was in specifically slapping his left shoulder, and as some small amount of vengeance, Aldric used his semblance to pop his arm off.
With a loud 'thud', his arm slid out of his sleeve and hit the deck. Aldric wasted no time in springing into action, screaming in faux-pain as Yang's head recoiled, and her gaze snapped from Aldric, to his arm, and back to him. Her sister was slack-jawed, clearly on the edge of screaming herself, if only out of surprise at what all had happened.
"Uh - uh -" Yang sputtered.
Aldric continued screaming for another two seconds, before he bent down, scooped his arm up, snapped it back into place, and quieted down. "What's up, Yang?" He asked, his voice going back to Ash's normal joviality.
Yang's eyes were wide, as she processed what happened. After a moment, she blinked, shook the daze out of her head, and gave Aldric a playful shove. "You jerk!" She laughed, "why didn't you tell me you had a bad arm?!"
"I thought you would've seen it." Aldric deadpanned, before angling his ear over to Ruby. "Who's this I hear?"
Yang smirked, "what, your super-awesome blind senses can't tell?" She asked, as Ruby took her cue to approach.
"Only when I'm fighting." Aldric lied.
Yang gave a sidewards nod of the head, "you met her before. This is my sister."
Aldric blinked, turning to face the silver-eyed huntress in training. "You the one with that 'fuck you' scythe?"
Ruby nodded, "yeah." She said, gaining back some of her moxy, "it's also a -"
"If you're going to say 'gun'... I remember." Aldric patted on his chest, "your one shot broke more ribs than the entire fight with the loud one." He nodded in Yang's direction, "you're the chick that made me invest in body armor."
Yang blinked, "you weren't wearing armor for our fight?"
Ruby was actually the first to point out the hypocrisy when she said, "neither were you..."
"Yeah - but that's how I fight!" Yang said, planting her fists on her hips and frowning dramatically.
"Also of note -" Said Aldric, as he stored the scroll in his coat and rested both of his hands on top of his white cane, leaning on it. "She's not wearing armor, either." He nodded to the shortest of the trio.
Ruby sputtered, "it's a combat skirt!" Before she looked down, "I think it looks cool..." She mumbled, moodily.
"You're trying to defend your choice of attire to the guy literally wearing a coat that is also a cape." Aldric said, arcing an eyebrow and grinning down at her; this prompted her to give him a once-over, as if noticing the overcoat for the first time. "And besides, I learned to stop judging people on the way they looked."
Ruby looked back up, "how?"
He slid his glasses off, "I stopped looking!" He said, with a wide, cartoonish grin.
The young huntress-in-training's eyes went as wide as dinner plates, "you got into the academy and you're blind?"
"He got into the academy single handedly." Yang said, grinning victoriously as she dropped her hands.
"Lady, if it didn't feel weird suddenly having and then not having, and then having again, tactile sensation in my left arm, I'd throw it at you." Aldric slid the sunglasses back on, hiding his lack of eyes. "And you're one to talk, little... Lady." Aldric said.
Ruby seemed to realize all of a sudden that she hadn't told him her name, and she nodded to the side, an apologetic smile on her face. "It's Ruby."
"Nice to meet you I'm Ash - but you're one to talk." He leaned forward, giving her an exxagerated frown. "How old are you?"
"I'm -"
"Isn't it rude to ask a lady her age, Beebee?"
"Well then how old are you, Yang?"
She grinned again, puffing out her chest and declaring, "seven -" before she blinked, and shrank back down,"hey!" But the damage had already been done, Ruby was masking her giggles behind her hand, whereas Aldric was outright guffawing.
"Shame, Yang." Aldric reached forward and poked her on the forehead.
Yang growled, before it turned to a feral grin. "Just wait until we start sparring classes! You won't see me coming!"
"You're right. That just means it'll be twice as bad when I kick your ass."
"Beebee, there are ladies present! Cut it with the language!"
"Sorry Ruby." Aldric then counted down from three.
Once he hit one, "hey!" Said an indignant Yang, to Ruby's continued giggles.
"How long have you two known eachother?" Ruby asked, after Yang ceased her attempts to throttle Aldric. "You're like an old married couple."
"Oh please, he couldn't handle me." Yang scoffed.
Aldric hissed, "I dunno..." He lifted his hand and counted off, "beat you... Got shot by your sister... Gave that Pyrrha chick a longer fight than anyone else in the tournament -"
"By biting her sword!"
"Wait, what?" Ruby looked between the two, "you did what?"
"It's called 'Refuge In Audacity', Yang."
"You bit someone's sword?"
"It's called stupid!" Though despite her argument, she was grinning from ear to ear.
"How did you bite someone's sword?"
"Is it really stupid if it worked?"
"Yang, I think you just used me as an excuse."
"I dunno! Did it work?" Yang leaned forward, "who won that fight again?"
"I'm going to tear someone's heart out and eat it in front of you two."
"I mean..." Said Aldric, his cool smile in stark contrast to Yang's confrontational one. "In the grand scheme of things... A certain someone didn't last two minutes against her... So that still makes me better."
Yang seethed for a moment, before taking in a deep breath, and turned to her sister. "Use salt."
Ruby blinked, "wait, wha -"
"Yeah." Aldric nodded, "I'd recommend some ketchup, too. Make the meal seem less bloody than it is."
"So you two really were listening?!"
Aldric simply smiled, and Yang gave her sister a one-armed hug. Ruby pouted for a moment, before turning to Aldric, "so... What's your shield made out of?"
"Hard light." Aldric asked, "and I'm just that good."
Ruby blinked, "how did -"
"Everyone asks."
Yang grinned, "I didn't."
"Because you were too busy being beaten with it."
"Oh that's it - c'mere you!" And Yang lunged forward, only to be interrupted by the timely intervention of a certain Goodwitch giving her opening speech to the rookie huntsmen.
Both of them turned to the television screen and watched Glynda's speech. Aldric used this chance to slip out his scroll and snap a picture of Ruby; he had a role to play, after all. He opened up the messaging app, clicking on the contact labeled 'Hot Stuff'.
Hey, Hot Stuff. You mentioned that a chick in a red hood and a huntress interrupted your op yesterday. Wouldn't happen to look like this, would she?
[Attachment: LittleRedRidingHood{.}JPG]
The response was almost immediate.
-Where are you?
Lady, there are two places in this world I could be. Next to you, fearing whatever it is you've cooked up to make you or I stronger, or doing my job. Take a wild guess.
-She can't be older than fifteen. How would she be on the ship to Beacon?
Ozpin's the superstitious type, right? Aldric typed, here comes some random teenager who more or less singlehandedly foiled a whole entire robbery... And would you look at that: Silver eyes! Yeah, what could possibly go wrong? For chrissakes, there's this one guy on this ship who has no aura, period. I'm pretty sure Ozpin lives his life by the phrase: Oh this'll be hilarious.
- I didn't notice her eye color... I'd ask how you know about that legend enough to take note, but I know enough about you to know that it would be a moot point. Instead I'll ask, how close can you get to her?
Aldric grinned, "alright you two. I've got a lady friend in Mistral." A fire lit up in Yang's eyes, her teeth bared in a one-sided grin, while Ruby turned to face him with curiosity. "And she's the uber jealous type. So who wants to help me piss her off?"
"Beebee, we're in public. I'm flattered, but no."
Ruby's face went beet red once the implication dawned on her, "Yang!"
"Funny, but nothing so risque. I may be blind but not everyone else is." He waved his scroll, "let me just take a picture. Both to piss her off and to let her know I'm doing fine in Vale."
Both of them seemed to be satisfied with one half of the answer - Yang more than happy to help Aldric cause some mischief, Ruby ever-pleased to help someone out in general. They squeezed in next to him on either side, and with the help of Yang aiming the camera, and Aldric giving Ruby a one-armed hug and providing a middle finger, they snapped the picture. Ruby sputtered about a bit and begged for a 'nicer' one, not wanting to give off a bad impression; any attempts from Yang to tell her that it was kind of the point remained futile, and as a very different blonde slowly stumbled his way over to them, she acquiesced and they took a better picture.
Once they separated, Yang took a step back and ended up bumping into Jaune Arc, that proving to be the final straw for the queasy rookie-Huntsman, who promptly bent over and heaved.
As Yang reacted about as well as Aldric expected of her, he attached the first picture and sent it off.
This close.
[Attachment: Squad{.}JPG]
"Ash?" Ruby voiced, as Jaune and Yang quarreled - mostly consisting of Yang yelling and Jaune cowering, trying not to get sick again.
"Hm?"
"How can you see the screen?" If it had been Yang, Aldric would have thought it was a dig, but Ruby asked with enough genuity that it caught him off guard for a moment.
He shrugged, "a wizard did it." He said, cracking a grin. "Trade secret. I could tell you, but -" He gave her a faux-serious look, one eye wider than the other, and an eyebrow arced. "Then I'd have to kill ya."
Ruby stifled a laugh, not fully satisfied with her answer, but willing to let it go for now. She gave Aldric a nod, before blinking and then sputtering for a moment, before narrating the action as a means of temporary goodbye, before sliding away to pry Yang off of Jaune, who appeared to be three seconds away from getting blasted to chunks by Yang's gauntlets.
As Ruby dragged Yang away to cool her sister's head, Aldric held his metal arm forward, "c'mon, angry lady's gone now."
Jaune looked up, seeing Aldric's hand there. "Uh..." He said, grasping it, and letting Aldric help him up. "Thanks."
"Don't mention it." Aldric patted his stomach, "I used to have wicked bad car sickness."
Jaune brightened up a bit, though he was still hunched over, clenching his stomach. "How'd you get rid of it?"
"I made the mistake of telling my Dad that I was pretty sure it was because I read so much. He shoved me in a car and drove for six hours, told me we wouldn't go home until I read the whole book." Aldric grinned, "didn't help at all, but I got my proverbial sea legs really fucking fast." He gave Jaune a pat on the shoulder, "Ash."
Jaune gagged, before weakly giving out, "Jaune."
"Well, Johnny-boy, here's a bit of sage advice: Vomit on your own shoes, and if you can't -" He pointed in the direction the sisters had gone, "do not vomit on hers."
Jaune chuckled, "I'll keep that in mind." He said, as Aldric's scroll vibrated, and the ship lurched to a halt.
Aldric gave him a nod, "welp, good luck man. Probably see eachother again soon."
Jaune gave him a nod too, and the two parted ways, Aldric pulling out his scroll.
-Be very careful around her. You may know the legends, but I know the truth: If she awakens her abilities, she could hinder our own or nullify them entirely. Make sure you report on her especially; she may not be a Maiden candidate, but she could be trouble regardless.
10/4. Operation: Big Bad Wolf is ago.
PS: Your partially magical ass got into a fight with a fifteen year old. I got into a (kindof) beam struggle with a goddess. One of us won.
Hint: It wasn't you.
She didn't dignify that with a response, and Aldric didn't blame her.
He stuffed his scroll back in his pocket and joined the stragglers heading out of the airship, swinging his white cane back and forth. He recognized most of the crowd as they streamed outside, and even caught the tail end of a few events he recognized from the show, but for the most part just kept walking, content to get involved only if something brought him into it.
Like, for instance, when Cardin Winchester spotted him and came jogging over, "hey, Goud!"
Aldric pursed his lips, orienting his ear in Cardin's direction and waiting for the burly teen to reach him before saying, "dude, call me Ash, please oh pretty please." He said, continuing on forward. "How's it go... Cardin, right?"
The guy nodded, "yeah." He said, "so what're your thoughts?"
Aldric gave him a blank look. "Well, currently it's on whether or not the people in power will figure out that I'm an Atlesian spy." He deadpanned, "but they were for a while on what would happen if you blew up a tesseract." Ozpin had said that his 'boom' during his fight with Salem had started a nuclear winter, so his 'nuke it' option was seeming less viable, but if he could build a tesseract, or any object of a higher dimension than three, he would possess an object of functionally infinite mass and energy, the problem could solve itself - the only issue would be what happened when one detonated such an object.
He predicted Cardin's response, "why?"
To which, Aldric shrugged. "Keep the mind occupied." And from thinking about any combination of bodies he'd made, bodies he'd make, things he'd seen, or things he would see. "I assume you meant about anything else, though?" He asked, as they passed by the first three quarters of RWBY, right at the end of their initial meeting.
Cardin nodded, "yeah. About the initiation." He said. "What do you think they'll put us through, after what they did in the exam?"
Aldric shrugged, "I prefer to roll with the punches, Cardin." He said, "making plans hasn't historically worked out for me. They never survive first contact with the enemy."
The burnt-orange haired warrior nodded, "very true... But I don't think you're someone to not think of something." He said, flashing his perfect teeth.
"Oh, of course, but that doesn't change the fact." He said, "are you asking because you are hoping I shall join your team, as you intimated in the exam?" He asked, airily.
Cardin snorted, "if you weren't blind, Ash, I'd think you see right through me." He said, "yeah. My team will be the best, and I want the best for it."
"Makes sense." Aldric would admit to some curiosity as to who he'd get dropped with, if he'd recognize them or if he'd meet someone new. "Though I'd prefer to take my chances with..." He shrugged, "chance. Roll the dice and see where I get dropped and with who, without resorting to backroom politics. I rather detest the grand game." He said, running his free hand through his hair, as the two approached the main hall, which was already hustling and bustling with the rookie huntsmen and huntresses.
Cardin shook his head, "Gotta agree with you there." He said, "huntsman should be out there, taking the fight to the Grimm, not stuck behind city walls, begging for coin and campaigning for votes."
Aldric bit his tongue, not saying anything about the fact that Cardin was sort of doing exactly that with this networking he was getting up to. Instead, he said, "I don't disagree." He said, "but something to consider when taking the fight to the Grimm is the resources with which we have to work." He pointed out, as he noticed Yang and Pyrrha sliding into the main hall, though not necessarily together. "We could clear three cities worth of territory in a day, but if we didn't have the numbers, the resources, weapons, or defenses to keep it under control, or the people to settle it with... What point would there be to putting the lives at risk?"
His conversation partner rolled his eyes, "and you think our time would be better spent sitting behind our walls and praying?"
"I think our time would be better spent learning how to secure and defend what we have. Expanding comes later - when exactly is 'later' is part of our job." Aldric opined, "we take stock of our resources, from manpower to colonists, to weapons and technology. Go too early, or without the proper preparation and, well..." He shrugged, "you get Mountain Glenn."
Cardin frowned at this, but shook his head. "Something like that happens, we just kill the Grimm."
"And after that?" Aldric asked, growing bored of this conversation. "We fix that problem but the Huntsman die, and we have less, and the Grimm outnumber us even worse. Then the Grimm inevitably try again and we lose more resources than we will gain in refusing to budge." Aldric explained, "war is ebb and flow, Cardin. We have to pick our battles." Case in point: Aldric picked now to give Cardin a light bow, before he took his leave.
His relative solitude lasted all of five minutes, until another familiar face came around.
"Ash." Pyrrha greeted him, after having spent the last five minutes shuffling around the main hall, a forlorn frown on her face. "It is good to see you. You left the exam so fast... I was wondering if something hadn't come up."
"Oh hey, lady, how's it going?" Aldric said, turning to Pyrrha and letting both of his hands rest on the top of his cane. "Good to see you too. Heard you beat our mutual friend's ass pretty good." He grinned.
She rubbed her arm timidly, "she gave a good fight." She said, deflecting the attention.
"Oh yeah?" Aldric's grin turned sinister, "I remember what your definition of a 'good fight' is... And she literally has two hunks of metal on her wrists. So if you tell me she really gave you a 'good fight', I call..." He hummed, "well, something very vulgar and impolite." Somehow, Pyrrha had done it: By merely being there, her timid, not-yet-people-person self, she had gotten Aldric to hold back on the profanity.
"I..." She nodded to the side, acquiescing. "Don't disagree." She said, "did everything turn out okay?"
Aldric chuckled, "oh, not at all. I'm part of a crime syndicate now, we're getting ready to drop a big ass bomb on Vale." He then nodded to the side, "and I'm pretty sure it won't matter if I drop the soap or not, it'll probably happen eventually."
Pyrrha stifled a chuckle behind her gloved hand, "I think..." She paused, "you may find it more wise to not advertise the fact." She said, it being clear to Aldric that that had been her second choice; she leaned in close and put on an expression of exaggerated concern. "It may make your mission more difficult." She said in a low tone of false admonishment, as though she were a mother teaching a child.
"She's learning!" Aldric said in a singsong tone, as Ozpin took the stage.
Aldric zoned out for most of the speech, instead taking the time to use his radar to scout out Beacon. As much as it rotted his soul, he knew that it would only help his standing with the Legion if he gave good reports, just as the opposite would also be true: If he gave bad, faulty, or too infrequent reports, his loyalties could readily and easily be questioned. What Aldric was grappling with would be the frequency of these reports and the amount and accuracy of the content. Would he drop a message once a day? A week? Would he give everything, or stagger the approach? Giving micro-drops of some information, and expanding on that as time went? All things to consider, and another as well: Exactly how in the loop should Ozpin be? He'd already worked out a plan for his information drops to the Watchmen, up to and including sending reports to Taurus and Torchwick, but with the revelation that Ozpin was the Master, and that he was - or at least had been - a terran, did that mean he should have a higher quantity of, and more unfiltered information?
As the opening speech wound down, Aldric assumed that would be something he'd bring up tomorrow tonight. Once everything was done, Goodwitch bade everyone to go and find their assigned lockers and store their weapons. Aldric bit back the urge to make a crack about his arm being a weapon, instead simply being glad he'd planned ahead for this, with the chainsaw and the spare, hidden Power Glove canisters. Though he would admit, the hidden, 'unregistered' weapons were kind of a moot point, considering the far more open exchange of information between him and Ozpin.
He and Pyrrha made idle chit-chat as they made their way to the locker rooms; Aldric actually started to wonder midway through whether or not his interacting with her wasn't having some kind of drastic change, before he remembered when he'd tried to reconcile time travel movies like Back to the Future and Looper, and instead just gave up and went with it, adding it to the list of things he'd have to talk to Ozpin about. When he found his locker and stowed his handgun and the shield in it, he spared a moment to consider Ozpin's words from the night before. If Ozpin was to be believed, the great red, white, and blue disc he was staring at wasn't at all made of hardlight like he'd thought, it was the actual, real effing deal, vibranium shield. This thing was iconic, legendary even, it was like Superman's 'S', or or the bat signal, - it was one of those few things even people who weren't a fan of the medium or the franchise could recognize.
The most versatile substance on the planet, and they made a frisbee out of it. He thought, with a light, wistful grin.
Though it made Aldric think again on the nature of his being here. Despite what Ozpin had said by way of explaining it, it didn't put to rest Aldric's ever-present fears that he may be in a coma, and this entire world had been constructed by his mind pulling on everything he loved and enjoyed during his life, as a means of keeping him level while he recovered. But as always, he figured that if he was right, there was nothing he could do about it and he may as well enjoy the ride and have a wicked story to tell later, and maybe be the subject of a psychology paper when he woke up; and if he was wrong, it would only behoove him to continue putting forth his best effort for the plan.
He would admit, though: If this really was the shield, like Ozpin suggested, Aldric felt just a bit safer now than he had before. This legendary disc had seen a lot of shit in its time, arguably far more than Remnant could ever do to it. Provided he wasn't stupid with it, it would serve him well. But despite this, the thought did crop up that, if he was accepting Ozpin as correct, and that this really was the iconic item it was, that meant, much like the Superman logo he had mentioned earlier, it was a symbol, and not necessarily of what Aldric was doing, now. It was a symbol of good and righteousness, whereas Aldric had used it to aid in murder and terrorism.
It made him wonder if he was worthy of it. At least when he'd believed it was just an approximation, he'd felt somewhat justified in using it. It wasn't the real deal, he was just paying tribute, as it were. Almost as a joke, but now? Now it just felt different, like it had a legacy that Aldric wasn't living up to.
But, his thoughts were cut off when Yang came back around, jumping towards him and planting her hands on his shoulders, as though she were going to leap-frog over him.
"What's got you so down, Beebee?" She said, landing and leaning forward, her face less than a foot to the side of his.
Aldric snorted and shut the locker, "it's not often I'm not without that shield." He said, raising his scroll and pressing it to the locker's keypad. "And it's been a while since I've actually seen it."
Yang seemed to notice he wasn't giving everything up, but also knew that this was a situation that wouldn't be helped by letting him brood. "Oh, I've got bad news for you, dude. The paint's been blasted all off, it looks like it's been in a sand blaster."
"Or you spent an hour working out your frustrations." Aldric deadpanned, as his scroll chimed, letting know it was done syncing with the locker. "Are these things really rocket powered?"
"Don't have things like that in 'back-asswards' Mistral?" Yang grinned, letting go of Aldric as he picked the cane up off of the wall next to the locker, and let Yang lead them out.
"You know, I could probably drop this cane and navigate by your voice alone." Aldric said.
"Aww -"
"It's so loud and obnoxious that my blind ass could hear it from the other end of campus."
"I take back my 'aww'."
Aldric rolled his head about, "you can't resist my manly charms, Xiao Long."
"You're skinnier than me!" Yang scoffed, as they exited the building - Aldric sensing Pyrrha eying them as they left, frowning after them.
"So is Pyrrha, but we both kicked your ass." Aldric led.
Being mentioned seemed to be what was needed, as she took the cue to jog up close to them, "did I hear my name?" She intoned.
"Oh there you are!" Yang said, revolving on her foot and marching backwards, while Aldric continued forward, swinging his cane to and fro.
"Say the word, lady, and I'll kick the loud one out." Aldric said, giving Yang a poke in the thigh with the cane. "Probably appreciate it, my ears always ring when she leaves." He sensed the only member of RWBY he had yet to personally interact with spotting all three of them as she left the locker room, though the gears turning in her head were quickly distracted when she was accosted by Jaune; anything after that Aldric didn't see, as the two left his resting radar range.
Pyrrha smiled, "that's not necessary, Ash."
"Oh please, of course it's necessary." Yang said, turning back to facing the way they marched, as Pyrrha came around to Aldric's right, "see, if I make him mad enough, eventually he'll throw down. And maybe without that shield it'll be a fair fight!"
"Bitch, I could put you down with my right arm tied behind my back."
Pyrrha frowned, "isn't that your -"
"Don't spoil it!" But it was too late, his attempt at subterfuge had been ruined.
"Nice try, Beebee! But the invincible girl over there can't lie!"
Pyrrha rolled her eyes, as the trio made it closer to the main hall where they'd be sleeping that night. "Yang... May I ask why you call him Beebee?" She wondered.
Yang looked thrilled, but Aldric shut it down, "nonono - hell no! That story does not need to -"
But as expected, she didn't even acknowledge it. "We met in a bar. He was working security for his sugar mama and she wanted some entertainment and told him to fight me." She said, "thus: Bar Boy."
Surprising Aldric, though, was Pyrrha showcasing a small amount of adaptation to the environment the louder two had constructed around her, "I assume he won, though." She let it build, before baiting the blonde one with: "After all... You didn't last very long in our fight."
Yang's mouth spread in a wide 'o' of surprise, as she pointed over at the redhead, "did - did you just insult me?!" She gasped.
"I'm impressed lady."
"You two are a poor influence, I admit." Pyrrha said, a wide, thin smile on her face, and a brief distant look glazing over her eyes, before she raised her gaze to meet Yang's purple orbs. "But it feels good, I don't often get the chance to laugh like I do with you two."
Yang's response was immediate, "uh, excuse me - I haven't actually heard you laugh once." She pointed out, "it's always -" And she raised her hand, covering her mouth and mimicking Pyrrha's stifled giggles.
Aldric built off of her with, "I want it noted that by the time I'll have finished speaking she'll be fighting the urge to do just that."
True to form, Pyrrha's expression had morphed into one of barely-suppressed amusement, as she tried to keep herself from smiling, by saying, "oh, so you could see that?"
Yang and Aldric's laughter stopped dead, as the two slowly turned to look at their new friend, expressions aghast. Aldric even lowered his glasses, revealing the wide, dark pits that would have been his eyes. Pyrrha remained as stoic as she could, trying to keep herself from smiling.
"Damn, lady!" Aldric finally cursed, raising his free hand to his chest, "right here." He chuckled, before turning to Yang, "I have a new best friend. You've been replaced." He said, immediately turning it around.
"Oh - oh! Oh! Okay! Okay!" And Yang leapt on top of Aldric, digging her knuckles into his thick head of hair, the three of them laughing. "Say that again, Beebee! Say it agaaaaaain!"