The day was absolutely beautiful, with the sun shining down through just a few thin clouds giving a little bit of shade to those below. Another perfect day. And for Acnologia, it was even better as he watched Team RWBY overpower the team they were fighting. His lessons were paying off and it was a glorious thing to watch.
He stood at the top of the Vytal Colosseum, near one of the exits to the massive stadium standing just far enough out so he could watch the team fight. Once the final buzzer sounded as Team RWBY won, which in turn put a smile on the dragon slayer's face.
Acnologia turned around and made his way out of the arena. The last few weeks had been quite strange, not specifically for Acnologia but for most of Beacon in general. Its not a normal year when not one but three teachers are suddenly hired, and two of them within just a few short weeks before the Vytal Tournament.
Speaking of the two mages, Irene and Anna become Beacon's first Expedition Teachers. They taught students the in's and out's of surviving on their own during long missions. Though many of the.....male students were of course....interested in their feminine figure to say the least. All of that was nipped in the bud when the two of them took out several groups of Nevermore and Ursas with minimal effort.
To put it lightly, no one would be back talking those two at any point though Acnologia would miss the few laughs he got out of the actions of the daring students and the consequences of their actions.
However, as much as Acnologia wished he could enjoy himself listening to such things or watching his students fight in the Colosseum, he had other arrangements today and only had time to catch team RWBY's fight. Classes were postponed until the Vytal Festival was over leaving the mage and Glynda plenty of time to catch up on paperwork the two had a massed over the days he was out and the work left behind after Glynda had been kidnapped. They managed to catch up with the grades left over from the day Irene and Anna arrived, but not from most of the days before due to their Classes.
But the two needed to get to it or else it would take the entire festival to finish all of the paper work, something neither of them wanted to do. With that in mind, Acnologia quickly found his way to his and Glynda's classroom with the latter just having made it to the classroom before the Dragon Slayer. The two spent a good chunk of the day taking care of the blunt of the paperwork by the afternoon, giving the two plenty of time to enjoy what the fair grounds had to offer before they had to finish the paper work. "Tell me, have you ever been to a normal festival?" Glynda asked Acnologia as they walked through the heavily populated fair grounds.
"Not purposefully, I may have dropped in on a few back in my younger more destructive years. But I've never enjoyed one, especially not with someone." He told her as they walked past a few vendors. "So that means you've never been on a Ferris Wheel, right?" She asked him as the two stopped in front of a massive Ferris Wheel.
Acnologia slowly looked up to the top of the massive carnival ride, looking at the rocking carriage one would have to sit in for a prolonged period of time. The Dragon Slayer looked back to his mate with a very skeptical look,"You want to put a Dragon Slayer, who nearly vomits in a stabilized Bullhead, on a rocking carriage several meters in the air?"
"You have a good point, how about we settle for something every Festival goer should get-" Glynda said pulling Acnologia towards a vendor with a strange spinning machine that had some kind of fluffy pink material in it,"-Cotton Candy." She told him with a smile before putting some Lien on the vendor's table.
In just a few seconds, the two were holding a white cone with Cotton Candy on the end of it. "Go on, try it." The Dragon Slayer looked at the fluffy pink candy webbing before he took a bite out of it, getting a good chunk of it in his mouth and on his face. "Its not half bad, a little- why are you looking at me like that?"
Glynda had a hand over her mouth as she tried not to laugh as there was just a globs of Cotton Candy stuck to Acnologia's face. "You have Cotton Candy stuck to your face, here let me help." She told him through a fit of chuckles as she began to pull of the webbed candy from his face. "Had I know it would be this much of a hassle, I would have opted for something with more solid."
The two laughed before both of their scrolls buzzed causing the Headmistress to pull the device from the confines. Glynda sighed as Acnologia threw the little bit of Cotton Candy he had left,"Ozpin calling?" She nodded at his question,"It seems we have a new arrival showing up and he want's to greet them, its on of James' Special Agents."
Acnologia's face twisted into a bit of annoyance before he just shook his head,"I guess this matter can't be helped. So shall we?" He asked Glynda as he held out his arm which his mate happily took as they started to walk towards the Bullhead landing pad.
-A few minutes later-
They made it only a little ways towards their new destination when suddenly there was an series of explosions going off around the landing pad. While Acnologia was immediately confused, Glynda knew exactly what was happening. "Of all the times for him to come back, its when Atlas shows up. Great, just great."
As they started to run at Glynda's lead, Acnologia obviously had a look of confusion on his face. "Do your remember hearing about someone named Qrow?" His mate asked him,"I remember hearing the General same something about a Qrow Bradwen, is this the same man?"
Glynda nodded,"He....is a bit like you in the disliking Atlas department, but it looks like he's gotten in a fight with this Special Agent." The Dragon Slayer only looked back towards where they were heading to find that the fighting had drawn a crowd. He let loose a short growl before he literally became a blur, leaving nothing more than dust in his wake as he shot towards the two fighting.
The two people fighting, a white haired girl that resembled Weiss and a raven haired man with a bit of a hair growing on his chin in a dirty five o'clock shadow. The two of them had jumped away from each other and charged back in to attack, and Acnologia took that moment to launch himself in between them.
With the mage suddenly appearing before them, the two fighter's eyes widen as Acnologia threw his hand down and twisted his entire body into a hand stand where he threw a dual kick into the two of them sending them flying backwards. The Dragon Slayer quickly twisted himself upright before he landed on the ground, a stoic look on his face. "What the? Who the hell are you?"
"Someone smart enough to know not to start a fight in the middle of a school plaza." He retorted as he stood tall,"Now considering the difference in the two of you, the white haired one behind me must be Ironwood's acclaimed Special Agent and you must be Qrow Bradwen." Despite feeling the angry glare from the woman, he ignored her and focused on Qrow.
"How do you know my name?" The man identified as Qrow asked the Dragon Slayer,"Hm, ask her." Acnologia said as he pointed to Glynda who was quickly making her way through the group of people, with Ozpin not to far behind with Ironwood behind him. The mage looked back to the people surrounding them,"Everyone leave, their will be more and better fights tomorrow at the Vytal Colosseum. I suggest you all enjoy the Festival Grounds before they close for the day and not waste your time by standing around here."
Everyone around the plaza was familiar with Acnologia, especially after the breach in Vale a few weeks back. None of them were going to say anything back to him, or stick around when he's saying leave. The crowd slowly dispersed as Ironwood walked over to his Special Agent while Ozpin, Glynda, and Acnologia headed towards Qrow.
"Well said Acnologia. Oh right, Qrow Bradwen meet our newest Combat teacher, Acnologia. Acnologia, this is my close friend Qrow Bradwen." Ozpin said, introducing the two with the subtle tone in his voice clueing them in on the fact that they were both apart of his inner circle. "Its nice to meet another friend of Ozpins." Acnologia told the raven haired man as he held out his hand.
"Likewise, say how'd you do that magic trick?" The Dragon Slayer raised an eyebrow as the two shook hands,"Magic trick, I'm afraid I didn't use any magic in that little stunt." Qrow just chuckled,"I mean I figured that much, I meant how did you just up and appear like that?" Acnologia just blinked,"I ran." The dusty man just gave him a wide eyed look,"Well alright then......Wait....Is this the guy you told me about?" Qrow asked, turning to Ozpin who only nodded.
"Oh.....ooooohhhhh, your Mr. Magic man. Now I got even more reason to like you." Acnologia only shrugged off his jokes as he turned back to find Ironwood walking towards Ozpin's tower and away from what seemed to be a disheartened Soldier who was then quickly found by Weiss, where ever she had come from. "If you'll excuse me, I wish to speak to Ironwood's soldier. And I believe Ruby Rose wishes to speak to you, Qrow."
The black haired man turned around to find Ruby smiling up at him followed by her latching herself to his arm. "UNCLE QROWWWWW! Did you miss me? DID YOU MISS ME?!" While that happen, Acnologia turned and walked towards Weiss and the soldier she apparently knew. He took a sniff and then quickly realized that they were sisters. In all honesty, the white hair should have been a big clue.
Weiss looked up for a second, seeing Acnologia and quickly smiled as she waved him over. "Winter, I would like to formally introduce you to my Combat Teacher Professor Acnologia." The soldier, apparently named Winter, looked up at Acnologia with obvious judgement. "Your....a teacher here?"
Acnologia let a deep breath out,'She's Weiss all over again.'
"Yes, I am. I've had the pleasure of teaching Weiss, who I can only guess is your younger Sister by the looks of it." Winter gave the mage a look over before she took a step closer to the Dragon Slayer, trying to gauge Acnologia further than what his brief power show had. "Is there something on my face Miss Schnee?"
"You managed to break up my little bout with.....that drunk, so you have some skill. But you hardly look the part of a teacher, don't you think dressing more to the part would put a better influence on your students?" She asked him. "I find that my abilities do that much better than my clothes, and my fashion sense is honestly nothing you should concern yourself with."
"Winter, I know he seems a little different than teachers from Atlas but he is honestly one of the greatest teachers I've ever had." Winter turned to her sister before looking back at Acnologia who gave away nothing with his expression, the man had a poker face that would last for eternity.
"By the way, Weiss, congratulations on your victory in today's round. I managed to catch your round before I needed to help Glynda with some....paperwork. It was also nice to meet you, Special Agent Schnee. If you'll excuse me, Ozpin has something he wants to talk to me about."
"I'll be joining you then-" Winter tried to inject only for a sharp glance from Acnologia,"No, you won't." It was then when the Special Agent realized how potential dangerous the Professor in front of her truly was. His eyes held a power far greater than anything she could ever fathom.
"Good luck tomorrow Weiss, I hope your team does well through the doubles rounds. I hope you to, Agent Schnee, have a enjoyable time here at Beacon." The Dragon Slayer told the sisters before he turned around a rejoined the group of teachers with all of them heading towards Ozpin's office where Irene and Anna were waiting.
As Winter watched them walk off she turned to her sister with questions thoroughly flooding her mind,"Weiss tell me something?" The younger Schnee looked up to her older sister,"Hm?"
"This Acnologia.....How powerful is he?" Weiss tilted her head to the side as she recalled what Acnologia did when Vale was breached,"He's......very....very powerful. He's strong enough to take out hordes of Grimm all on his own, I watched him first hand rip an arm off one of General Ironwood's new Paladin."
"He did what?!" She asked with wide eyes,"He is insanely strong, but its that strength on top of his incredible teaching skill that makes him such a great Professor. I've learned so much from him."
"Is that so, well then why don't you show me what you've learned. As well as your dorms, I want to personally inspect them myself to see if their up to my standards." She told her as they started to walk,"Okay but just know that the Bunk beds only look unstable."
"Bunk....beds?"
-Ozpin's Office-
The elevator doors opened up, allowing everyone to step out of the cramped machine and into Ozpin's office where Ironwood, Irene, and Anna were waiting. Qrow quickly took notice of Anna and Irene with a massive smile coming to his face, but Glynda just as quickly shot him a look that had his expression droping back to its default bored look. "Damn it."
Acnologia motioned to the other two mages from his world,"Qrow Bradwen, Irene Beslerion and Anna Heartfelia. Irene, Anna, this is Qrow." The dragon slayer said, introducing the three to each other. "Ladies." The raven haired man said slyly with a wink, something Anna only nervously waved at while Irene just mirrored Qrow's own smile.
"You were so reckless, fighting Agent Schnee like that in the middle of a crowded Plaza, and you've been out of contact for weeks! If you were one of my men I'd have you shot!" Ironwood told Qrow, finally letting his anger out on the Huntsman. "If I were one of your men I would have already shot myself." Qrow rebuked, pulling a flask from his inside jacket pocket.
"What were you expecting from him James?" Glynda asked from Acnologia's side,"He was drunk!" The General told her to which Beacon's Headmistress quickly replied,"He's always drunk!" A loud gulp had everyone turn to look at Qrow as he downed gulp after gulp from his flask before the man sudden noticed everyone staring at him. As if on cue he pulled the Flask away with a shrug, leaving Ozpin to just shake his head.
"Qrow, why are you here?" The Headmaster asked promting Acnologia to raise an eyebrow at the question but let it slide, he didn't really know the particular reason why Qrow was out in the field to begin with. "You sent me out to gather intel on our enemy, that's what I did."
"So what have you found?" Ozpin asked,"Since everyone is here while your asking that I'm going to assume everyone knows who I will be talking about. I found out that the enemy....is here." Everyone looked between each other, obviously underwhelmed from the statement since they already knew that. "We already know." Ironwood told Qrow causing the Huntsman to look at everyone with an extremely surprised face,"Oh, you know. Well I'm so glad that I went out there and risked my life to keep you all informed!"
Qrow pulled out his scroll and pointed to the button on it,"See that, that's the send button!" Ironwood just shook his,"We had reason to think you were compromised-" He was quickly cut off by Qrow once more,"I told you I'm not one of your soldiers Jimmy and I'm not Raven! Do you know who the infiltrators even are?"
"Given the circumstances of our friend downstairs' condition, a good guess would be the people who put her in that state." Irene said,"Well you'd be right, they are the people directly responsible for Amber's condition." The raven haired man said as he took another drink from his flask trying to calm down. "Funny how you haven't found them out, oh Mighty King." The scarlet haired mage said as she looked to Acnologia who sneered,"Oh and have you had any better luck in the department Spriggan?"
Irene said nothing more but kept a smile on her face from ruffling Acnologia's scales. "Regardless of who it is, with my forces here it will be extremely difficult for them to try anything." At that Qrow just started laughing,"You think their scared of your little ships? I've been out there, and the things she's made.....they are fear."
"Seems we share the same opinion on this matter Qrow." Acnologia spoke up which caused Ironwood to shoot both of them a look,"We've already had this discussion, Acnologia. Besides, my men could only help the situation we're in. We even announced that they were apart of the security for the Vytal Festival after the Breach to calm anyone who believed what you and Qrow are insinuating."
"That doesn't change that they're useless against the things I've seen Jimmy." The drunk said as he put his flask back in his jacket pocket,"That is why we have Acnologia." Glynda said, looking at Qrow to give him some reassurance that everything would be okay. "As nice to see that you have level of confidence in the new guy, but the things I've seen.....their nothing like anything I've seen before. No one person could stop these things."
"We shall see. I've never met a Grimm that I can't tear apart." The dragon slayer told him,"But I would rather avoid that kind of confrontation if I could. Instead, shouldn't our attention be on getting our Fall Maiden up to par with the one who stole her power?" Ozpin nodded in agreement,"That would be in our best interest. If she gets her hands on the full power of one of the Maidens, it would not be good for anyone on Remnant."
"You got a plan for that Oz? She ain't in any condition to try and train, hell if we take her out of that pod we put her in she's probably going to die." Qrow asked Ozpin,"Well, the most simple answer is also the one that holds the most uncertainty. With Amber's attacker somehow finding a way to avoid Acnologia's attempts to hunt them down, our next course of action should change our focus from taking back the Fall Maiden's power to instead pass on the half we have left to the next Fall Maiden."
At Ozpin's words, Ironwood, Qrow, Acnologia, and Glynda all widen their eyes. "That's quite a leap in direction Ozpin, after all we don't even know if that could work." The General told his fellow Headmaster. "Do we even have another candidate?" Glynda asked which Ozpin merely shook his head,"I have a person in mind, but I want to dwell on it for a little while longer. I'm not sure if she is completely ready just yet."
"We're on a time limit Ozpin, we don't have a lot of time for you to think this over." Ironwood told him,"Relax General, this kind of decision takes a lot of time. I'll handle anything that occurs while Ozpin makes his decision." Acnologia told the Atlas General before Irene tapped her staff on the ground,"We....Acnologia. We will ensure that he has the time to make sure that the Headmaster has time to make his decision." Anna told him and the others.
Acnologia only snickered before he nodded in agreement which caused Ironwood to relent,"Very well." Ozpin only sighed with a bit of relief,"For now, we need to keep a close eye on everything that happens around the Vytal Festival. I will call you all when I have come to a decision." The Headmaster's inner circle all nodded their heads and dispersed back to their prior engagements.
-Acnologia and Glynda's Classroom-
Glynda tapped the top of the desk that she and Acnologia was sitting at with the same pen she was using to grade papers. The dragon slayer looked up to his mate before he raised a finger, creating a magic circle that stopped her from raising her pen. "What's wrong Glynda?"
"Am I that obvious?" She asked him only for Acnologia to chuckle as he put down his own pen and place his hand on hers,"I know your anxious when you start that tapping habit of yours. So what's wrong?" Glynda just sighed before answering,"I'm just....worried."
"Worried about who Ozpin picks to be the next maiden or about the one who has the other half of the maiden's?" The mage's mate only slumped back in her chair,"How about both? We still don't know who she is and the time it would take to train a new maiden with only half power......its just-"
"Calm down. I don't like seeing your beautiful face contort in such worry." Acnologia stood from his seat and carefully tightened his grip on Glynda's hand,"Who ever our mystery enemy is, we will handle it. If there is any promise that I can give you, its that if we loose anything to her, or her lackeys, they will not be able to cherish that victory for long. I have come to far in this world, found to much to cherish for me to allow anyone to take it from me. I give you my word, I shall protect everything we hold dear with my life and we both know that I don't plan to die for quite a long time."
A short exhale of air, an amused one of course, came from Glynda as Acnologia leaned down and kissed her on the head. "I already knew that, but hearing you say it out loud just helps and I don't know why?" The dragon slayer only let out a short huff of amusement,"I've been told I have quite the soothing voice." The two let out a few laughs before they got back to work, the mood a little lighter.
-The Next Day-
Thanks to a lot of hard work, and some helpful touches of magic, Acnologia and Glynda managed to get themselves caught up with the massive work of paperwork and so they got to actually watch the doubles round of the Vytal Festival. In fact, they got the best seats in the house......as the commentators.
Port and Oobleck were happy to trade their spots as commentators to catch up with their own work. "-And with today's introductions out of the way, lets get the Double's rounds underway!" Glynda announced over the loud speakers earning her a roar of cheers from the spectators in the Colosseum stands.
"The first match up of today is going to see is Sky Lark and Russel Thrush of Beacon vs. Penny Polendia and Ceil Soleil of Atlas, both teams have worked hard to get to this point but only one of them can progress to the singles round. While these teams make their way to the arena, would you, Professor Acnologia, care to take a guess on who will win this match?"
"Hm...." The dragon slayer let out a hum of thought,"While I've had the pleasure of teaching the two members of Team CRDL, I have little knowledge of the two members of the team they are fighting. It would be unwise to make a decision with such little knowledge."
"Well either way, we both wish the two teams luck in todays fight." Glynda finished before moving the microphone away from her mouth and leaned slightly towards Acnologia,"You should probably try to speak a little more. We're giving commentary and not everyone has a direct feed to watch us or the fight."
Acnologia said nothing but took a breath in and the nodded. They both knew he wanted to see the fight without having to comment on it like he was. "Very well." The dragon slayer told his mate before he leaned back. "Well, the battle should get started in just a few minutes and you certainly don't want to miss this doubles round match."
True to Glynda's word, the fight began in just a few minutes. And, to Acnologia's silent regret, Team CRDL did not win this match. "It seems that the two members of Team CRDL have a lot more training to do before their graduation, but they are still one of the few who made it to the second part of the Vytal Festival. Good luck to Miss Polendia and Miss Soleil, the singles rounds are even more daunting than the fights they have had until now." The Dragon Slayer stated.
"For now, lets congratulate both teams on a battle well fought. Give these students a big round of applause." Glynda added before leaning over to Acnologia and whispering,"That's much better."
The Mage only chuckled,"I try." His mate only held in a little laugh as they went back to commentating.
-A little while later-
After watching Yang and Weiss beat two students from Atlas, Acnologia and Glynda were commentating on a fight with students they were familiar with. Coco and Yatsu vs. Mercury and Emerald. "A classic Haven versus Beacon battle, with our very own Coco Adel and Yatsuhashi Daichi versus Haven's own Emerald Sustrai and Mercury Black!"
"These two members of Team CFVY are quite skilled and are arguable one of the best teams from Beacon. That being said, their opponents are no slouches on the battlefield. I am excited to see how this battle will go." Acnologia said calmly per the usual.
Before either of the two could say anything else, Acnologia was patted on the back causing him to turn for a moment to find that Irene was standing there. The Dragon Slayer looked to his mate before motioning to the ex-Spriggan. She only mouthed "Go on." before starting to talk once more.
As he did so, Anna quickly came in from the door at the back of the room to cover for Acnologia while Irene took him where ever he needed to go. As the fight began, Acnologia and Irene stepped out of the room letting them speak freely without worry of anything being picked up by the microphones they were using.
"What do you need Spriggan?" The blue haired mage asked as the door shut behind them. "Well dear King, its not what I need but what our dear employer does." Acnologia raised an eyebrow,"Oh, what does Ozpin need with me? I was to believe that I was just to look out for the Fall Maiden's attackers? What does he need now?"
Irene only shrugged,"He said he wanted your opinion on something since you know the students and also have magic. Me and Anna already gave him our opinion's about the other side of his little question." The Dragon Slayer only looked at Irene with confusion,"Just go Acnologia."
"Fine. If you don't mind, after this round give Glynda a break from commenting? If Coco and Yatsuhashi win or lose, she will want to speak to them to either encourage them or congratulate them. Either way, I want her to be able to do what she wishes when it comes to them." Acnologia asked the red haired mage. "Is that so? Very well, as you wish mighty King."
"You know very well that I no longer claim that title, it belongs to the son of Igneel now. Why do you insist on calling me by a passed title?" Irene only chuckled,"You call me by my ex-title of Spriggan, so why should I not call you by the same my King?" The blue haired mage let out a huff of air before he turned around and started his walk to Ozpin's tower.
The red haired mage only let out a short laugh before heading into the commentating booth.
-Ozpin's Tower-
The Elevator doors opened up to Ozpin's office, letting a slightly drowsy Acnologia step out of them. "Next time, just open a window. I'll climb up." From the corner of the room, Qrow nearly choked as he had just took a gulp from his flask. Ozpin himself had to stifle a bit of laughter,"My apologies Acnologia, but I was hoping to get your....advice with a decision I'm thinking of making."
"Decision? The kind concerning the Maiden problem?" Acnologia asked as he came to a stop in front of Ozpin's desk. "It would indeed. The candidate I have in mind, I would like to know if you think she could handle the responsibility of a Maiden."
"Who did you have in mind?" The Dragon Slayer asked. "Well....one Miss Pyrrha Nikos." The blue haired mage nodded slightly as he thought about it,"A good choice. Honestly, she is one of mine and Glynda's best student. No, she is our best student. She is careful, modest, humble, skilled, I believe that she would be a most excellent choice."
From the back of the room, Qrow chuckled. "You haven't heard how this transfer will be done." Acnologia looked from Qrow to Ozpin,"What does he mean Ozpin?"
"Well.....We are unsure of what will happen if our dear Fall Maiden's powers if she was to die naturally. It could go to Miss Nikos if we can revitalize her for a moment or, more likely as we have stated in the past, it could go to her attacker." The Headmaster told the Dragon Slayer. "Makes sense. Her last thoughts could very well be of her attacker given her condition."
"Yes so....we plan to pass on the next best thing. Her aura." Acnologia raised his eyebrow,"Transferring aura? I know its quite easy to pass over magic to another person, but can the same be said for aura?"
"Thanks to our dear General of Atlas, it can. While I am not fond of such a process, James claims that Atlas scientists have been studying aura in a more scientifically way and have found a way to transfer it from one creature to another." Ozpin explained. "I assume that this is all extremely experimental?" The blue haired mage asked. "You would be correct."
"And its dangerous." Qrow added,"So is leaving the problem up to fate. Neither decision is desirable, but at least there is a chance that we can gain the upper hand with one of them." Acnologia told the alcoholic. "I agree. So, Miss Nikos is a suitable candidate in your opinion?"
"Yes she is. Though I hate to be doing this to such a student at a inexperienced point in their life." Acnologia told the Headmaster,"As do I, but we cannot allow her to amass the power of a Maiden. It would be catastrophic."
Acnologia chuckled to himself as he turned around,"I gave a promise that our enemy wouldn't hold that power for long and I intend to keep it if Pyrrha does not become the next Maiden." Qrow and Ozpin looked towards Acnologia with interest,"And who exactly did you promise that to?"
"Can't you guess?" The mage retorted with his own question. "Miss Goodwitch. I should have known."
"What can I say....she scares me and I would prefer to stay on her good side and keep her happy." Acnologia joked. "Glynda scares all of us." All three men shivered for a moment as if they knew what would happen if Glynda heard what they said.
Back in the press box of the colosseum which Glynda had just exited to comfort her favorite team after their loss in the doubles round, the blonde haired beauty sneezed. "Oh my, I hope I'm not coming down with something."
All the while the three in Ozpin's tower only gave nods to each other before Acnologia took his leave.
-Beacon Infirmary-
Yatsu sat up in his hospital bed, rubbing his sore shoulder while Coco was soundly sleeping. Glynda was in a chair between the two beds talking to Yatsu about the fight. "Its nice to see your up after that hit you took."
Glynda and Yatsu looked to the entrance to the the room to find Acnologia walking in,"Professor....I'm sorry that we lost, we have made a mocking of your teachings. Both of your teachings." The tall swordsman told the two, having already said something of the sort to Glynda when she first got to the room.
"Yatsuhashi you have done no such thing. You both did very well, but your opponents were just better this year." The blonde haired teacher told her student while Acnologia stepped to the side of Yatsu's bed,"Glynda's right. You've done nothing but make us proud of being your teachers. I managed to catch your fight before I had to talk to Ozpin, your teamwork was great, theirs was just better."
The swordsman looked down, still ashamed. "You should take honor in your defeat. Learn from it as we have taught you to do. There is no shame in that Yatsu." From the corner of the room, someone agreed. "Yeah, ya made it to the doubles round! That's something to be proud of."
Cardin was standing up by what was his bed putting his armor on, having made a full recovery from his own fight. Its not every day a rock the size of you is dropped on your head. Aura be damned, loony toons logic hurts.
"Well said Cardin. Speaking of which, congratulations on making it to the doubles round yourself." The mage said as he walked towards the boy,"Thanks Professor. You helped us out a lot getting there. I doubt we would have even made it passed the first round if it wasn't for you and Professor Goodwitch."
Acnologia just chuckled,"I assume your going to meet the rest of your team to celebrate?" Cardin just nodded,"Yep, fair grounds are closing after tomorrow so we're going to enjoy them for as long as possible." The Dragon slayer just shut his eyes with a small smile before nodding his head towards. His student just chuckled before walking to the door, patting Acnologia on the shoulder as he left.
"Glynda, lets give our students the rest they deserve." The Dragon Slayer said as he held out his hand to her. Glynda stood from her seat and told Yatsu something that Acnologia kept from hearing as he was sure she wanted to keep it between her and her favorite team.
Eventually, she finished up and gave Coco one last look over before she took Acnologia's hand and the two walked out. A short was down the hall, Velvet was giving Cardin a hug.
"Its so nice to see that Cardin's change so much since I first met him." Glynda said with a grin on her face. "To be fair, he's not the only one whose changed since arriving here." Acnologia told his mate. "No....No he isn't." She told him with a chuckle,"So what did Ozpin want?"
"He wished to talk about our Maiden problem. He believes he has found a suitable replacement. I agreed." The blonde haired beauty wrapped her free arm around Acnologia's,"So you thought Pyrrha was a good choice too."
"Of course I did. She is an excellent student with a strong morale compass and an even stronger sense of humility. It helps that she's kind and honest, but I take it that most students tend to be that way with me. I do have a certain presence about me that makes the students....honest."
"I think you mean you scare them." Acnologia just shrugged,"Call it what you want, their honest." The two had a small laugh before they started to head back to their room. Only before they could really get anywhere their Scrolls went off.
The two only looked at each other before letting out a sigh,"This whole Maiden thing is really getting annoying." The Dragon Slayer grumbled before they both started making their way back to Ozpin's tower.
-Back at Ozpin's tower-
Acnologia gripped the side of his cloak as the elevator started its rise. He, Glynda, Ironwood, Irene, and Anna were in the thankfully spacious elevator. "If you puke on my shoes, I'll-"
"I won't puke on your shoes Irene. I might not handle mechanical motion very well, but I am not that bad." The Mage said through clenched teeth,"Put yourself together, we're about to be talking to our future Fall Maiden." Ironwood told Acnologia.
"You try having your insides jumbled up like they were in a blender and then you can tell me that." The blue haired mage spat out before he groaned,"Pfft, how sad. Very well, our new Maiden shouldn't see you in such a state before we reveal everything going on." Irene said before she pointed her staff at Acnologia, the blue haired mage glowed red for a moment.
After just a few seconds Acnologia stood tall, uninhibited by the motion of the elevator."What did you just do to me?" The red haired mage only shrugged,"Nothing to complicated, I just enchanted you so that motion no longer affected your senses. I'm only surprised you allowed me to do such a thing."
"Don't get used to it." Before anything else could be conversed between anyone, the elevator doors open. In front of them, Qrow was leaning against a pillar while Pyrrha sat in front of Ozpin's desk. "Sorry we're late." Ironwood said as he adjusted his tie and everyone stepped out into the office.
Pyrrha's eyes widen as she looked at her teachers and the General of Atlas,"Wait. What is this?! Who are you?" She asked looking back at Ozpin. "You know who we are Pyrrha." Anna stated softly.
"We are the same Teachers and Headmasters you met when you arrived at Beacon." Glynda assure the young girl. "Except we have a little part time job." Qrow said as he stood up from leaning on the pole. "We are the protectors of this world." Acnologia added.
"And we need your help." Ozpin finished. 'Hm, that was planned rather nicely.' The Dragon Slayer thought out in his head.
In just a few moments, everyone in the room was in the elevator with Pyrrha looking mightily shy of the teachers she had come to know. Acnologia wanted to say something to comfort her, but that could come after as Pyrrha looked around at her teachers. "Where are we going?"
Speaking as calmly as one would if they were just stating common knowledge, Ozpin looked to the girl and told her. "To the Vault, under the school." The young girls eyes widen as she leaned back slightly. The descent to the bottom floor was silent, the uncomfortable kind of silent.
The doors opened and everyone stepped out into the long hallway that they knew exsisted, except for Pyrrha who of course never knew of this place. Her eyes only grew wide as she stood still. She jumped when Acnologia placed a hand on her shoulder,"Its alright to be shocked Pyrrha. Its alright to be overwhelmed."
As the rest of the teachers walked down the corridor to the machine waiting for them at the end of the hallway, Acnologia slowly walked with Pyrrha while Glynda waited for them to catch up. She wanted to answer her students questions, just as Acnologia did.
Pyrrha looked around as she slowly walked to Glynda's side with Acnologia just a few paces ahead of her. "I'm sure you must have questions." Glynda assumed cause Pyrrha to look around a little more,"Just one or two."
Acnologia chuckled,"Humor, that's good. It means your coping." Pyrrha just let a slight gulp go down her throat as they started to walk. "I-I still don't understand. You said I was next in line to receive the Maidens power, what do you mean by that?" She asked her two teachers.
"The Maidens have existed for thousands of years, but much like in nature the seasons change. No two summers are alike." Glynda started, with Acnologia adding in to help the girl understand. "When a Maiden dies, her power leaves her body and searches for its next host. To ensure that the seasons are never lost and that no one individual can hold on to the power forever."
"So how does the power choose?" Pyrrha asked procting Qrow to turn his head a bit and answer. "Through a series of stupid and convoluted rules." Acnologia shot a look at the back of Ozpin's head for a split second, not letting Pyrrha catch it. Though Ozpin had never stated it out loud to him, Acnologia could easily tell that the magic of the Maidens and the magic Ozpin possesses were one and the same.
Glynda growled at Qrow for his input,"Qrow!" The alcoholic only looked back in front of him,"Hey don't get mad at me because I'm right." She only sighed before answering Pyrrha's question,"At first, the only thing that was certain was that the power was specifically passed on to young women. But as time went on it was discovered that the selection process was much more intimate."
"In-timate?"
"As we understand it now, when a Maiden dies the one that was in her final thoughts is the first candidate that will inherit the power." Glynda explained. "Unless it was a dude or an old hag, then it would go to someone random. Which makes our jobs a lot harder." Qrow added again.
"In this case, the power itself most likely picks its next candidate based of the virtues of its previous hosts. At least that is what I believe based of the nature of the power." Irene told Pyrrha.
"W-Why tell me all of this now? Why not wait until I've graduated?" The red headed student asked. "Because we're running out of time." Acnologia told her. "I don't know if you've noticed but things are getting a lot scarier out in the world. Tensions are high, the Grimm are growing stronger more prevalent, and its not going to be much longer before this peace we've been enjoying for so goes out the window." Qrow explained.
Pyrrha shakily asked,"Your not talking about war are you?" Ironwood was quick to quell that fear at the very least,"Not a war against Nations." The raven haired man looked back at Pyrrha to finish up this section of question time,"We can fill you in on the details later when we know your with us, for now all you need to know is that one of the Maidens was attacked and for the first time in history part of her power was stolen."
Just as Qrow said this, the group made it to their destination and Pyrrha immediately sat her eyes on Amber who was still in the pod. "I-Is that-"
"The current Fall Maiden. Amber." Ozpin finished for her. "She's...still alive!" Ironwood nodded,"For now. We're using state of the art Atlas equipment to keep her stable but there is a lot about this situation that is....unprecedented."
"What do you mean?" Pyrrha asked the General, who only sighed. "We don't know what will happen if....when she passes on." The red haired student prodded the statement,"Won't her power just pass on to the next host?"
"Look who's been listening, she is smart." Qrow said aloud, but whispering the second bit rather loudly to Ozpin.
"In normal circumstances, yes. But this is a delicate situation. Its not uncommon for the slain's last thoughts to be of their attacker. And to make matters worse, no one's ever seen the power split before. There is a likely chance that the power will seek out its other half." Ironwood told her.
"Her assailant." Pyrrha stated,"And that wouldn't bode well for any of us." Ozpin said as he turned to her. The young girl staid silent for a few moments before she walked over to Ambers pod and placed her hand on the glass that let her peer in. "If all of this is true, why keep it secret?! If this girl is so important, i-if we're truly on the brink of war why not tell everybody?!"
Glynda waited a moment before she took a couple steps forward,"From what we understand, it used to be common knowledge." Pyrrha's head tilted to the side,"Excuse me?" Qrow just rolled his head a bit as he pulled out his flask,"How do you think legends and fairy tales get started? Even the craziest one's had to come from somewhere."
"Our group was founded in order to protect both mankind and the Maidens. Those who were hungry for power hunted them in the hope of inheriting their strength." The blonde haired Headmistress explained,"And as you could imagine, the ones that succeeded weren't the kind of people you would want with unimaginable power." Qrow said after taking a couple gulps from his flask.
"So this brotherhood chose to remove the Maidens from the public eye, allowing them to fade into legend." Ironwood explained. "We understand that what we're telling you goes against years of human history, religion-" Anna added,"No one would want to believe us. It would cause an uproar-" Ironwood added, but Ozpin quickly simplified it all,"It would cause panic. And we all know what that would bring clawing at our Kingdoms walls. Which is why we would like to-"
Before anyone else could say anything, Pyrrha interrupted them. "I'll do it. If you believe this will help humanity, then I will become your Fall Maiden." She told them, causing all of them to stay silent and just look at her.
Finally Acnologia sighed,"Your a very humble individual Pyrrha, willing to accept such a burden. However this will take more than humility." He told her in a way that led her to believe that there was more to it than just that. "But you wanted me to be your fall Maiden, right? That's what you all want isn't it?" She asked, confused by her blue haired teachers words.
Ozpin stepped forward,"It is, but I'm afraid that it isn't that simple. Given Ambers condition you won't be able to inherit her power naturally. However, General Ironwood believes he has a solution." He told her, placing the spotlight on James.
"For the last few years, Atlas has been studying Aura from a more scientific standpoint. What its made of, how it works, how it can be used. We've made significant strides, and we believe we've found a way to capture it." Ironwood explained.
"Capture it, and cram into into something else." Qrow added,"Or in your case-" He told her, letting her figure it out on her own. "Thats-" Pyrrha started causing Ironwood to jump in,"Classified."
"-Wrong." Pyrrha quickly finished. "Trust me, the feeling is mutual." Glynda told her. "Extremely so." Irene added,"But desperate times call for desperate measures." The Headmistress told Pyrrha.
"And these are indeed desperate times. We can't give you Ambers powers, but we can give you what those powers are bound to." The General stated. "Her Aura." Pyrrha said out loud to confirm what he was implying. "Her life would become intertwined with hers, the question is-" Ozpin started with Acnologia finishing for him,"-What is that going to do to you?"
Pyrrha's eyes widen and she looked down,"You have an important decision before you Miss Nikos. There is no guarantee that this transfer will work, and there is no telling if you will be the same person if it does. I advise you to take time to think on this matter, but understand that before the Vytal festival is over....we will need your answer." Ozpin told her,"The assailant who attacked the Fall Maiden has made their first move, and there is no telling when their next move will be."
-A little while Later, After Pyrrha had left-
The teachers were all standing in Ozpin's office, thinking over what could come within the next few days. "I hated that." Acnologia said as he stood at the massive window in the office. "Your not the only one." Glynda told him.
"We couldn't just wait around, this had to be done." Ironwood told them. "That doesn't make it any better General." Irene stated,"We left that poor girl with an unwinnable choice, either she allows humanity to suffer so that she can remain herself or she has to give up her own self so that humanity can have half of the Maidens power. That's not a choice in the end, its an ultimatum."
Ironwood only shook his head,"I know that, and I don't feel any better about it either but it had to be done."
"As much as I hate it, Jimmy's right." Qrow said,"I hate it as much as the rest of you. Even if she does say no, we still have to give the power to someone." Ozpin only sighed,"We must simply wait to see what Miss Nikos will decide."
Irene staid silent for a moment before she turned and walked towards the elevator,"I'm going to go and talk to that poor girl and let her know that this is her own decision. We can move passed this if she were to say no, correct?"
"We'd have to." Ironwood replied,"But we could. I told you all that the enemy wouldn't hold the Maidens full power for long if they were to take it, and I intend to keep that promise should it turn out to happen." Acnologia said as he looked up, his eyes giving off a faint blue glow.
"We know Acnologia. We know." Ozpin said before nodding to Irene,"Do not pressure her one way or the other Miss Beslerion but let her know that this is her choice." Irene nodded and stepped into the elevator.
Acnologia let out another sigh before Ozpin's and Ironwoods scrolls let off an alert which caused Ozpin to quickly pull up a feed on his computer. "Oh my Oum." He muttered as everyone else quick gathered to see a replay of Yang Xiao Long shooting Mercury Black in the leg. "Why would Yang do that?!" Qrow asked as he slammed his fist on the desk, obviously angry and confused.
"What have you been teaching her?!" He asked looking at Anna, Acnologia, and Glynda. "Nothing like that!" Glynda told him out of shock of the situation herself. "Why does it matter?" Acnologia questioned, not seeing that harm in the situation. "Acnologia?!" Glynda shouted in absolute shock.
"He has metal legs." Acnologia said,"I could smell and hear the hydraulics go off in them when I fought him back when he first arrived in our classroom. Is that not in his files?" Everyone quickly widen their eyes as Ozpin quickly searched through the boys file. "There's nothing in here about it, and your sure of this?"
"Of course I am, there was no denying that in the fight. His kicks were stronger than a normal Huntsman his age, he was to quick in his attacks and kicking metal is not the same as kicking a real leg." The Dragon Slayer assured them.
"Then why is he acting as if he was incredible inju-" Ironwood questioned before he stopped and Acnologia's eyes widen. In a split second, Acnologia had jumped out of Ozpin's tower through a window. "Acnologia!" Glynda shouted down,"Where is he-"
"It was staged." Ozpin said with a hint of anger in his voice,"We've been played again." Ironwood stated causing Glynda and Anna to completely understand what Acnologia was charging towards. "They used the Festival as a way to cause fear and Miss Xaio Long was caught in the cross fire!" Anna said with clear surprise in her voice.
"And Acnologia is going to try and catch them before the escape on the First Responders Vehicle." Glynda said as she raised her riding crop and fixed the window. "We need to get there now." She said as she, Anna, and Qrow ran to the elevator. Ironwood quickly got to work trying to get his men in search of them and Ozpin quickly started to look for Mercury's team as fast as possible.
Meanwhile Acnologia landed on the pathway in between a few groups of people and immediately took off towards the docking bay to find which vehicles departed when. It was a slim chance that they might have to stop before taking off and he was banking on that chance.
He ran towards a group of students coming out of a doorway,"MOVE NOW!" He shouted at them in such a feirce tone that caused all of them to dive out of the way or flip over the stairs leading up to the doorway. Instead of opening the door like a normal person in a rush, Acnologia didn't have that kind of time.
The door blasted off its hinges and went flying across the cafeteria, which was the building that connected to the rest of the school. He raced through the hallways, choosing to take stairs instead of elevators and he quickly made it to the Bullhead docking bay.
His eyes quickly caught the one directing the Bullheads and the mage grabbed man,"H-Hey!" Acnologia pulled him close and let out a deep growl that scared the poor man nearly to death,"There was a injured boy from the Festival, Mercury Black, where is the Bullhead that picked him up heading?!"
"It was emergency services, I would have to look to find out!" The man said. "Then look." He said letting go of his shirt will a deep growl. The poor man fumbled and retrieved a large Scroll Pad as he looked through the information,"N-No Bullhead has reported picking him up, but the First Responders here say he has been picked up by-"
Acnologia let loose a deep growl before he punched a deep hole into the steel wall nearby,"DAMNIT!" The man jumped,"I'm sorry sir!"
Another growl came from the Dragon Slayer as he pulled his fist from the wall,"Forget it. You didn't do anything wrong." He told the man before he started to walk back to Ozpin's office, eventually meeting the others on the way.
"Did you-" Glynda started to ask only for Acnologia to growl,"No." Qrow punched a wall nearby, not doing anything to the wall. "They stole an emergency vehicle and picked him up, however we know that they will be back to finish their mission. Which means we can do nothing but wait." The Dragon Slayer told his fellow teachers and Mate. Glynda just hugged Acnologia, who put his arm around her to comfort her.
"I hate waiting."