Breathe Chapter 78: Field Trip

Sitting in his office, Ozpin hummed softly as he looked over one of his most treasured possessions, a tool that he'd used and steadily improved over several lifetimes. His Long Memory.

Currently, his cane laid scattered atop his desk, reduced to its most basic components... Well, mostly. The gem that stored all of the Kinetic energy he’d stored up over the years was still safely housed in the pommel of his cane.

That, he would have to save for last or risk releasing all of the pent up kinetic energy stored inside, something which would not only destroy his immediate surroundings, but also send him off to his next host... Something that he would like to put off as long as possible.

He couldn’t say that looking at his cane in its dismantled state didn’t fill him with nostalgia. He could still remember when he’d added each piece. Each mark done by a different life, a spring here, a cog there, all the way back to the very first piece, when he’d still been called Ozma.

Placing the final piece of his cane on the table, Ozpin gave it one last look before glancing towards a container filled with an assortment of razor-like blades that he’d be using shortly... But, before he could get to that, it seemed he had something else he’d need to do first.

Humming, he looked up to see his long time friend and confidant waiting patiently a few short feet from his desk.

“Is there anything I can help you with, Glynda?”

“I was hoping that I could discuss a few things with you,” Glynda replied, glancing over his desk. “But, if you’re too busy, I could always come back later.”

That’s quite alright. I was just thinking that I could use a short break... Although, if this is about what we learnt the other day, you’ll be disappointed with what I have to say.”

Sighing, Glynda rubbed her eyes tiredly. “So you don’t know either?”

“Not exactly.”

It wasn’t that he didn’t have his suspicions, quite the opposite in fact. He had too many ideas on what the Shadow could be with no way of narrowing down which one was right... Especially with the Jabberwalker proving to be a very real entity, adding an entire different dimension filled with strange creatures.

If the fairytale was to be believed, that is.

He could always use the Lamp to find out what the Shadow was, but that would render it vulnerable, however briefly. Better to save that for when it was really needed than to use it prematurely and risk having it stolen.

“Why would he choose to reveal such a thing now of all times... Why even keep it secret at all?”

Likely due to how one of Salem’s followers got a firsthand view of what it was that followed him. It was better for Coal to be the one that told them about his mysterious helper than have an enemy do it for him.

Pushing his glasses up, a small smile made its way to his face. “I seem to recall that you weren’t much better when you first found out about Salem... In fact, I dare say you might have been a little more secretive than him.”

Glynda turned away, her face tinged a light pink. “I was younger back then.”

“A little older than Coal is right now,” Ozpin murmured. “Only, he didn’t have the benefit of being eased into all of this. This is all very new to him... To all of us. Given time, I’m certain we’ll know more, but until then, it’s best that we take things slowly. We wouldn’t want to blunder into a mistake, now, would we?”

He’d learned that lesson the hard way. Rushing into things and jumping to conclusions when you didn’t have all the facts made more problems than it solved. They were currently living at the start of a new age of Huntsmen... The last thing Ozpin wanted to do was to alienate the one responsible for it.

Turning his attention back to his desk, he began to reassemble his weapon. For a moment, the only sound that could be heard came directly from Ozpin’s quiet tinkering.

Stepping closer, Glynda turned a curious eye towards Ozpin’s work, watching as he expertly added a number of blades to his weapon. “What made you decide to modify your cane?”

“I’ve been meaning to do it for a while now, but only recently found myself with the time,” Ozpin commented, clicking several cogs into place. “Is there anything else I could help you with, Glynda?”

“There was one thing,” She hummed. “Today’s the day when the first year students are given their missions.”

Already? Given all the excitement over the past couple of few weeks, he’d all but forgotten.

“I just need another few minutes and I’ll be right down.”

“It’s no problem,” She reassured him.

He’d likely be a little late, but that wasn’t too large of a price to pay. It was imperative he finished modifying his weapon.

He had a feeling that it’d be necessary in the coming months... Especially since Salem just lost several more followers. He’d never known her to accept losing so easily. If anything, she was bound to be even more dangerous.

Connecting the handle to the rest of the cane, there was a sudden click as he accidentally triggered the new mechanism, releasing a number of razor sharp blades down the body, before retracting them. Retracting the blades, Ozpin replaced the final pieces, before carefully connecting the pommel.

Flicking it to the side, he quietly hummed his approval, noticing a faint metallic stripe that swirled around the base. Taking a practiced breath while gripping the handle, he stared down at his cane intently as the metallic stripe slowly turned green.

Its released form wouldn’t be quite as eloquent as his cane, but it would certainly get the job done.

...Breathe...

Standing on the bridge of what must have been Atlas’ largest Airship, I watched as several military personnel worked in groups of two on several displays, monitoring the Airships status while making minor changes that kept it at the optimal altitude... Although, that wasn’t all there was to it either.

From what Winter had told me, the Airship also worked as a sort of mobile control hub, giving orders to the Androids they’d brought with them while also coordinating the flight paths for all military aircrafts. Operating on a network that acted as its own CCT, it was all but impossible to hack.

A person would need to literally be in the control room to manage that and by that point, it’d be easier to manually take control.

“Sorry for the delay,” Ironwood apologized. “There was a small issue involving a platoon almost being overrun that needed my attention.”

“Oh... Anything that you might need help with?”

Chuckling, he waved me off.

“I appreciate the offer, but no. It’s not quite that serious... Some pushback was expected. Reclaiming the land has been a fairly pain free process, keeping it, however, is proving to be fairly difficult... Although, that’s an entirely different conversation. I believe we’ve gotten a little off track... And before we’ve even begun, no less.”

Placing his Scroll on a nearby holographic display, several blurred images appeared with the clearest one being a photo of a man wearing a finely tailored suit sitting in a coffee shop with his Scroll in hand... His face was only partially obscured by the glare on the window.

“When I heard from Ozpin of what you’d discovered on Merlot’s island, I immediately began searching for the second person accompanying Hazel Rainart,” Ironwood explained. “Unfortunately, every image that matched his description had been tampered with... At least until we found this one.”

It really was difficult to make out through the glare, but there were a few distinguishing features... A large moustache... Well dressed... A barely visible scar running across his face, courtesy of Merlot’s enhanced Grimm.

“That’s him,” I said. “When was this taken?”

“The day the second Ancient Grimm was discovered,” Ironwood answered, pulling up another image of Watts, only this time he was dressed in a lab coat. “His name is Arthur Watts... He’s a former Atlesian scientist who was believed to have died a number of years ago. He used to be one of the best technicians in Atlas.”

And now he was one of Salem’s best followers... One of her last.

“Is there any way we could track him?”

Ironwood shook his head. “Not currently... It’s taking Atlas’ best minds to erase the virus that he used to obscure his features. Dr. Polendina has agreed to lend his help... There is, however, someone that may be able to offer... Unique insight on the matter... Only she doesn’t seem too interested in talking to me.”

He wasn’t suggesting who I think he was... Was he?

“Cinder Fall?”

“I’m not overly fond of the idea myself,” Ironwood admitted. “I don’t plan on ever letting her out, but... She could provide valuable information. Contacts, safe houses, other significant locations,” He listed. “If we could just convince her.”

And by we, I bet he meant me. Knowing about Cinder and her past did give me some leverage, but there was still one pretty big problem. There was nothing to guarantee that she wouldn’t lead us towards a trap.

“Can I have time to think about it?”

“Of course,” Ironwood hummed. “Take some time and think it over. In the meantime, my scientists will be working on cracking Watts virus.”

“Thanks.” I nodded. I should probably check on team RWBY before Ozpin calls for all the first years to assemble, but... “Actually, there is one thing that I’ve been meaning to talk to you about concerning the Grimm that attacked Beacon alongside Hazel...”

...Breathe...

Letting out a groan, Yang bonelessly dropped onto her bed, uncaring of how it tilted when the legs began sliding off Blake’s books.

“Yang! No! The bed!” Ruby panicked, desperately trying to stabilize it, only for it to suddenly stop when several white Glyphs materialized underneath, holding it in place. “Right, I kind of forgot you could do that. Thanks for the assist, Weiss.”

“No problem,” the Schnee heiress nodded proudly. “You know, we really should look into getting some proper bunk beds... I mean, I know yours is pretty stable, Ruby, but Yang’s­­–”

“Let it fall,” Yang said, her voice muffled by her pillow. “It’d be the most interesting thing that happened all week.”

Sitting in the bottom bunk with a book already open, Blake stared at Weiss with a dull look on her face. “Please don’t.”

Humming Weiss tapped a finger to her chin, before sighing when her Scroll began to ring. “That’s the third time today... Maybe I should just see what he wants.” Swiping her finger across the screen, she quietly removed herself from the room, heading towards the bathroom.

“Uh, Yang.” Moving closer, Ruby stepped onto the bedside shelf in the center of their beds, just barely able to see her sister. “You do know it’s only Monday, right?”

“Ugh...” Turning over, Yang shoved a pillow over her head. “Wake me up when it’s Friday.”

Yeah, that was warranted. After being given so much time off, going back to class did kind of suck, especially when there was a whole bunch of Grimm just waiting to have their butts kicked... Come to think of it, weren’t they supposed to be getting their mission assignments today?

...Or maybe that was tomorrow?

“Oh, right. I have just the thing to cheer you up.” Disappearing in a flurry of rose petals, Ruby reappeared at Yang’s bedside, drawing a curious look from said sister who’d rolled over to see what she had. “Check it out, dad sent us something.”

Holding a cardboard tube, she shook it, trying to dislodge whatever was inside, failing horribly in the process.

“Hey, Rube’s,” Yang snorted, an amused grin on her face. “You’re holding it upside down.”

“I knew that!”

Turning it around, Ruby gave one good shake, accidentally sending the contents of the package... One furry tube... Directly in front of Blake.

Blinking, Blake reached out towards it, only for it to suddenly pop into a dog, causing her to freeze on the spot. Tilting its head cutely, said dog moved closer, sniffing Blake’s hand, before deciding to lick it.

Disappearing in a blur of shadows, Blake vaulted off her bed, before launching herself upward, landing on top of Yang’s bed, causing it to rock dangerously, despite the Glyphs currently supporting it.

“Hey, watch the hair!”

“Zwei!” Ruby cheered.

Tossing the tube to Yang, she snatched the dog from his place on Blake’s bed and proceeded to cuddle him.

“Looks like dad’s going on a mission for a few days,” Yang hummed, reading a note. “He wants us to look after Zwei while he’s gone. He even sent some food for him.” Tilting the container towards the floor, several cans and one can opener fell out.

“Your dad sent a dog?!”

“Yeah, he does this all the time.” Yang smiled. “Oh, but don’t worry, Zwei’s a good boy.”

“The bestest boy,” Ruby added, holding Zwei up so he was eye level with Blake. “Just look how cute he is, how could anyone say no to that face?”

“Easy,” Blake answered. “N–“

“Would all first year students please report to the Amphitheatre.”

She was right, it was today!

“It’s about time... I was beginning to think they’d forgotten about us,” Yang murmured. Swinging her legs over the side of her bed, she dropped down, landing just in front of her sister. “Well, you all heard her. Let’s get going. Zwei will be here when we come back.”

Following her sister while Blake jumped to a nearby desk, Ruby paused for a moment. “What about Weiss?”

“I’m right here,” Weiss answered stiffly, closing the bathroom door behind her. “We should hurry if we don’t want to be late.”

“Okay, but... Is everything alright, Weiss?” Ruby asked softly.

Glancing towards her partner, Weiss gave a short nod. “I just had a... Unpleasant conversation with my father, that’s all. I’d rather not talk about it, if that’s alright with you.”

“If that’s what you want,” Ruby hummed. “But... Before you leave, let me introduce you to Zwei,” She finished, swinging Zwei out from behind her cape.

“Ruby,” Weiss sighed. “I really don’t think that this... This...” Staring into Zwei’s eyes, her facade broke. “This cute puppy can stay with us for however long he wants. Yes he can, yes he can.”

Hearing a knock at the door, Ruby jumped. Right, they needed to get to the Amphitheatre.

“Hey, guys. It’s Jaune... Just checking up to see if you heard that we’re supposed to be heading to the Amphitheatre... Because you don’t seem to be coming out,” Jaune’s muffled voice came through the door. “Also, do you guys know what this is about, because last time we were told to gather like this, it was because of some super powerful Grimm and that’s left me a little paranoid.”

“And we’re also waiting for you,” Nora said, thumping her fist against the door. “C’mon, let’s get moving already...”

“We’ll be right out,” Yang replied, shooting a quick glance towards her sister. “Won’t we, Ruby?”

“Yep,” Ruby answered. “Let me just get a bag to hold Zwei and we can leave.“

Grabbing her backpack, Ruby proceeded to empty it on the table right next to Blake, before packing Zwei in it.

“Hold on for just one second,” Weiss started. “You’re not suggesting we take this little cutie with us, are you? I might be willing to look the other way when it comes to him staying here, but I don’t think–“

“I’ll let you hold the bag,” Ruby interrupted, holding Zwei out towards her.

“Deal!”

...Breathe...

Having taken longer than I’d expected to in my meeting with Ironwood, I quietly pushed the doors to the Amphitheatre open, before slipping inside almost completely undetected. The only one managing to spot me was Ozpin who was faced directly towards the door.

The large training hall was packed with students, each standing in groups organized by which school they attended and would be representing during the Vytal Tournament.

Silently making my way around the back of the arena, it didn’t take too long before I finally caught sight of Ruby’s distinct cloak standing among the other students, right alongside Yang, Blake and Weiss who, oddly enough, was clutching a backpack to her chest.

Moving a little bit closer, I stopped when a dog's head popped out of the top and stared directly at me, only to have both Weiss and Ruby quickly hide him once more.

Coincidentally enough, it was around this time that Ozpin finished his speech.

“No... Bad Zwei,” Ruby whispered desperately. “If we get caught with you, we’ll be in super deep trouble and you’ll probably be sent home and then dad–“

“Ahem,” I coughed loudly, standing behind the team, causing three of the four to flinch, while the fourth...

Letting out a squeak, Ruby shielded her bag from view. “It’s not what it looks like, I swear!”

“And what does it look like?” I asked, doing my best to keep from laughing.

“Uh... Like we have a dog... Wait a minute.” Turning around, all of Ruby’s panic suddenly changed to outrage. “Coal?! Do you have any idea how much you scared me? My whole life flashed before my eyes... It was really short and not nearly awesome enough.”

“That just means you have a lot more awesome stuff to do in the future,” Yang hummed, ruffling her sister's hair. “You really had me going there for a second... So what brings you here... Unless you just wanted to Yang out.”

Letting out a pained groan, Ruby pulled her hood over her head and pretended that she didn’t exist.

“Something like that,” I replied. “Since you’ll be choosing a mission for the next week, I thought you might want one that’s a little more difficult than what they have here.”

Being locked to a first year level, they didn’t really have a lot of choices to pick from. There were a few that involved fighting Grimm, but very few of them ever really saw any action.

“What exactly can we expect from this mission?” Blake asked. “Is this another one where we’ll be discovering some new and horrible species of Grimm, or…”

“Not exactly, although it is a bit of a unique circumstance,” I answered. “There’s a small town to the east that’s rarely been bothered by Grimm, only it’s recently lost a few of their members... Their bodies were found in a small group of hollowed out trees.”

“If the town doesn’t have a large Grimm presence, then maybe it’s a human or a Faunus doing the killing,” Blake deadpanned.

“That could be the case, but there is one big problem with that theory,” I replied. “None of the bodies had any bones.”

Looking disgusted, Blake’s ears flattened on top of her head. Looking as if she wanted to say something, she suddenly looked towards a spot behind me.

“Ooh, a mystery,” Nora hummed excitedly. “Count me in. So where do we begin? Do you need me to hide in a tree stump for an entire night, because I’ll totally do it.”

“Um, Nora,” Ren murmured. “I don’t think this mission is meant for us.”

It really wasn’t. The only reason I was offering this mission to team RWBY was because I knew they’d be able to handle themselves out there. “I can only really take one team with me, so...”

“Aw... Would it help if I said that I always really wanted to die that way?”

Say what now?

“Sorry,” I replied, my eyebrow developing a twitch. “Maybe some other time.”

Moping, Nora slunk off toward Jaune and Cardin, both of whom were busy examining one of the mission boards. You know, I kind of felt a little bad seeing her like that, but it was way too dangerous for her.

“I wouldn’t worry too much about it,” Ren hummed, picking up on my mood. “Nora always told me that she wanted to die to a sentient mountain, not spontaneous deboning, so there’s that.” Shrugging, he made his way over to the rest of his team.

That... Really didn’t explain anything

“So,” I said, turning towards the rest of the group. “Is that a yes or no on the mission?”

“Heck yeah!” Ruby cheered.

...Breathe...

Hiking up a small pathway leading towards one of the more isolated homes in the area, Qrow let out an annoyed sigh. Of all the boneheaded things Taiyang could, forgetting to lock up after he left somehow felt like the worst.

It was a miracle he even remembered to feed Zwei. Although, given how independent that dog was, it might just be the other way around. Somehow the image of Zwei pouring Taiyang’s cereal in a bowl for him didn’t make him feel better.

Why was this even necessary? It wasn’t like there was a ton of crime on Patch and even if there was, Taiyang didn’t exactly have anything worth stealing... Hell, the criminals might just feel bad for the guy and leave him something instead.

“You just had to open your mouth, Qrow... You just had to say you’d be in the area,” Qrow muttered to himself. “No, it’s not like I’ve got places to be... I’m only keeping the world safe from the epitome of evil. Nothing important. I... Crap.”

Spotting a few scratch marks on the porch and the broken door, he let out a sigh. Those were definitely made by a Grimm. Just his luck. If it’d been a criminal, he could have just knocked the idiot out and locked up, but now he had to get someone in to fix up the door... Or do it himself.

Grabbing a hold of Harbinger, he held it out in front of himself, opting to use the shotgun built into the hilt in place of the sword itself. Taiyang’s house was far too small for him to use his sword indoors. Ruby could attest to that.

Stepping over the busted down door, glass crunched under his feet as he made his way inside. Taking a quick look around, he found the house a mess, there were scratch marks all over the walls, broken appliances on the ground. Even the couch was totalled, having been split in two.

Hearing a creak come from somewhere on the second floor, he slowly made his way upstairs, being careful to step over the step that squeaked... Not that it really mattered at this point.

Reaching the top Qrow slowly made his way down the hallway leading off towards the bedrooms. Taking a quick glance inside each to make sure there wasn’t anything there, before continuing towards Taiyang’s room.

Making his way closer, a new sound, one of something sharp grinding against glass, made itself known. Feeling his heart begin to beat faster in anticipation, he stopped in front of the room where he found a long black limb resembling a tail resting on the floor.

Hearing a deep growl, a picture frame fell from above the door frame, shattering on the floor.

Reacting on instinct, Qrow brought his blade up in front of him, stopping a set of powerful jaws from clamping down on his head, only to suddenly feel something heavy collide with his chest, sending him flying back through several walls, before finally breaking free from the house.

Feeling his body bounce as he hit the ground, Qrow quickly came to a stop when he collided with a tree in the forest near the house. Letting out a wet cough, he looked down at his hand, only to find it covered in blood.

“Well... That’s unfortunate.”

Noticing his vision begin to fade, he quickly hit the emergency button on his Scroll, before looking back at the house.

Most of the roof had collapsed in on itself and there was a large chunk of wall missing with a large shadowy figure climbing out, holding one of Ruby’s old cloaks against its muzzle, leaving him for dead.