章 802: 145
Chapter 145:
"Ill news indeed," said Ozpin, looking over his folded hands at the people standing before him in his office.
"And at the worst possible time," said Glynda. "The finals will be tomorrow. We have virtually no time to prepare."
"The upside is that the same is true of Adam Taurus," said Ironwood, looking over the information on his scroll. "Even having forcefully retaken control of the White Fang, he's in no position to organize a serious attack within that time frame. According to the information Amitola has supplied us with, because Sienna Khan had no such plans in place, Taurus would be starting with nothing. On top of that, after openly killing the previous High Leader, there is no way that Taurus will be able to bring the entirety of the White Fang under control in the single day he has to set up this attack."
He glanced up at Winter, who nodded in confirmation, before beginning to read off her own scroll. "In fact, according to Amitola, there is a similar issue regarding the White Fang's munitions. Since High Leader Khan followed up on her promise to return all the stolen Dust and munitions that weren't captured in Mountain Glenn, the Vale Branch has almost no firepower to speak of. At most, they might be able to produce one or two mid-yield explosions, but nothing capable of doing devastating damage."
"Hmmm..." Ozpin lowered his head, humming thoughtfully, before raising his eyes to look up at Ruby, who was feeling a bit out of place, amidst all these important people, even though situations like this had started becoming strangely commonplace for her. "Your thoughts, Ms. Rose? Having clashed with Taurus directly on two occasions, perhaps you have some insight into his actions."
Ruby frowned, looking down at her feet. "If there's one thing I'm sure about with Adam, it's that he'll focus on doing the most damage he possibly can. But just because he doesn't have many explosives doesn't mean that he'll plan to do all that damage with the explosions alone."
"In other words, applied in the right place, at the right time, even a small amount of explosive could do devastating damage," said Ironwood, glancing out the window, out at Amity Coliseum. "After all, even a minor explosion, if positioned in the right place, could damage the coliseum's lift-capability. Depending on which way it fell..."
Or if it fell at all, thought Ruby, feeling sick at the prospect. After all, if Adam timed such an attack right, then he would bring the coliseum down while it was packed to the brim with thousands of spectators and staff. There would be no hope of evacuating people from that mass before it crashed to the ground. If he sufficiently destroyed the lift-system, there would be nothing to slow its descent, and Amity Coliseum would be nothing less than a meteor, with countless innocent victims inside. That alone would be bad enough, even without factoring in the aftermath of something that massive falling on or near Vale.
"Of course, he would have to make it to the target points," said Winter.
"That's right," said Ironwood. "Pietro has already helped me to identify the best target points for such an attack. I will make sure they are guarded with my best people." He looked meaningfully at Winter.
"I shall offer up everyone I have available as well," said Ozpin.
Ironwood nodded. "Whatever you can," he said.
"What else is there?" wondered Glynda.
Ozpin glanced over at Ruby, who frowned pensively, before looking up at Ozpin. "Professor..." Her eyes flickered in Winter's direction.
I see... thought Ozpin, figuring out what direction the conversation was about to stray in. "Ms. Schnee, what is the situation with Ms. Amitola?"
"Amitola is currently restrained," said Winter, consulting her scroll again. "Out of consideration for her complete cooperation, I have given her limited freedom, so long as she has an escort. Soleil and Belladonna are both with her. At present, she is at the infirmary, waiting for Politan to awaken."
"I see," said Ozpin. "Not that I doubt your assessment of Ms. Amitola's willingness to cooperate, but I would still feel better if you were on hand to keep an eye on her."
Winter glanced at Ironwood, who met her gaze and nodded. Straightening her posture, Winter snapped her right hand up in a crisp salute. "Understood! I will see you later then." She turned and marched to the elevator.
Once the doors closed behind her, Ironwood looked at Ozpin. "That was a little ham-handed," he commented.
"I'm afraid there was no truly graceful way to suggest she needed to be elsewhere," said Ozpin.
"Perhaps we should just inform her already," suggested Glynda. "Winter is plenty trustworthy."
"I've considered it, and..." Ironwood closed his eyes and nodded. "I believe so too."
Ozpin closed his eyes for a moment. "Well, the situation being what it is, I can't fault you for that, James. If you decide to tell her, then I will leave that to you. Now then...Ms. Rose...what do you have to add?"
Ruby's skin had gone pale. "Well...Jester has been training Adam," she said. "And he's..."
"Ah...so that's your concern," said Ozpin, his own frown deepening. "Yes, considering that, it is within the realm of possibility that Taurus has more resources than we might have initially assumed."
"Yes, if Salem and her followers are backing him, there's no telling what resources Taurus has at his disposal," said Ironwood, his expression darkening.
"Or if the groundwork for an attack tomorrow has already been laid," added Ozpin.
"Can we be sure that it is going to be tomorrow?" asked Glynda, frowning.
"It's the only time that makes sense," said Ruby.
"Indeed," agreed Ozpin. "After all, the finals will be the climax of the festival. Not only will the coliseum be filled to capacity, but the vast majority of the population of all four Kingdoms will be tuned in, watching with eager anticipation. Not even the official closing ceremonies will command that kind of complete engagement. There could be no better time to strike a decisive blow. It would fulfill the goal of maximizing damage, and simultaneously deal a severe psychological blow to all those watching."
"But...do you think the coliseum will be the target?" wondered Glynda, looking out over the bay.
"I do not think it will be the only target," said Ozpin. "In all likelihood, there are multiple goals that the enemy will be seeking to secure, once they bring about their desired chaos."
"Amber..." said Ruby softly.
"The Relic..." added Ironwood.
"The tower..." finished Glynda.
"All completely viable," said Ozpin, nodding. "Ms. Shinomori is an asset in that sense, seeing as the enemy might not yet realize that there is a second Maiden here."
"And a risk," growled Ironwood. "We've handed them an opportunity to seize two Maidens in one fell swoop."
"Nothing to be done about that now," said Ozpin with a sigh. "Even without Watts' virus in the system, it is likely that the enemy is watching our movements very closely. If we try to evacuate Ms. Shinomori hastily, they will undoubtedly take notice. At this point, our only viable course of action is reinforce the areas that need defending. On that point, it's good that Kyo is here. With him present, at least we don't need to worry about Grimm incursion."
I hope so, thought Ruby, frowning, feeling like she was overlooking something. Knowing what she did, it was probably something to do with Jester. The man was a complete wildcard, who seemed capable of going anywhere and doing anything. Yet the only thing he seemed to care about doing was keeping the Mibu Clan from directly interfering in Ozpin's war against Salem.
Even now, when they had sent Ruby to Beacon...well...trained Ruby and let her go to Beacon...he had matched that by taking Adam under his wing, equipping him with a powerful new weapon, and schooling him in its use, somehow managing to condense a process that should have taken years down into a scant few weeks.
Her brow furrowed. Kyo-nii is Amber's boyfriend now, she thought. If Salem's people went after Amber again, Kyo wouldn't stand by idly. If that was the case, then Jester's next move would be...
"I don't think we can count on that," said Ruby finally, drawing surprised looks from everyone, including Ozpin. "If Kyo-nii is here, then Jester will do something directly. If that's the case..."
"Considering the capabilities he's demonstrated, at least one of his abilities is spatial in nature," observed Glynda. "He can enter and leave areas completely at will. He was able to abduct Taurus from the middle of a fortified White Fang encampment. He was able to extract Hazel and Tyrian from our midst, deep underground."
And he was able to penetrate straight into the Mibu Clan's vaults to steal one of their most precious treasures, Ruby silently added.
In other words, if he was capable of that, then it was no long jump to assume that he could steal Kyo away in a similar manner. If he did that, and the rest of Salem's followers went through with whatever plan they had orchestrated, then a mass Grimm incursion was all too likely.
"What do we do?" asked Ruby.
Ozpin sighed. "At this point, the most I can do is ask you to have faith in us, Ms. Rose. We will do what we can prepare. However, you should focus on your match with Ms. Polendina. Whatever else, we cannot show any sign that anything is amiss to the people. If you are correct about Jester's plan to take Kyo away, then we must do everything we can to keep from attracting the Grimm in his absence. A significant part of that will be ensuring that the final round goes as planned."
"Right," said Ruby, swallowing nervously. She didn't really like it. It felt...wrong...to just try and carry on, as though nothing was happening. It felt that there should be more that she could be doing.
And yet, however skilled she might have been, the one thing that Ruby could not help was that she was but one person. She could carry her weight in a fight, of that she had no doubt. However, when it came to planning and acting on such a grand scale, there was a substantial limit to what she could do by herself. It was better then to leave things in the hands of people like Ozpin and Ironwood, those who had the power to move a great many people.
Wait! Just like that, Ruby's eyes widened slightly. I'm not by myself, after all.
That was the greatest asset she had here at Beacon, not her own skills, but her friends, all the people she'd forged connections with over the course of her time here. She couldn't fight on Kyo's level. She couldn't yet command the kind of strength that would allow her to route entire armies on the battlefield. However, to make up for that, she had people who would stand beside her and lend her their strength. Ozpin and Ironwood had the power to move a lot of people, yes. But, when she thought about it, she had the power to move a fair number of people too. Even if she had to be in the ring, she could make sure that her friends were ready and where they needed to be.
"You seem to have some other ideas, Ms. Rose," said Ozpin, smiling. "I will place my trust in you."
"I won't let you down," said Ruby, smiling confidently at Ozpin.
"Well...I am happy to accept your contribution, Adam Taurus," said Watts, before smirking over the edge of his scroll at the faunus before him, "however meager it might be."
The old Adam would have snarled in anger at that. His hand would have strayed to the handle of his sword, and he would have had to fight tooth and nail to hold back his desire to cut down the condescending bastard in front of him. However, the current Adam gave no such reaction, his expression not flickering in the slightest, not betraying any desire or murderous intent towards Watts, despite the doctor's clear attempt at provocation.
Instead, he merely inclined his head towards Watts. "Do what you will," he said.
Watts' sneer dropped. He hummed, then lowered his eyes to the scroll. "Well then...that takes care of the mountain. But what about...him?"
"Leave Kyo to me," said Jester, appearing out of thin air.
Just like that, Adam's mask of composure shattered. His wasn't the only one. However, his reaction was the most dramatic, angrily baring his teeth, hand going to his sword. "I killed you!" he snapped, outraged.
"You tried, but so have a lot of people," teased Jester playfully. "Granted, it's been awhile since someone was last able to carve me up like that. Took me a bit to pull myself back together." He tilted his head to one side, popping his neck, making his bells jingle in the process, grinning widely.
Aside from Adam, the most dramatic reaction came from Tyrian, who had scuttled back to the farthest corner of the ship's bridge he could reach, cowering away from Jester, the segmented plates of his new, prosthetic tail curling up in front of him, looking less like a threat, and more like he was trying to shield himself behind the metal appendage.
"So you can handle Kyo?" asked Watts, sound skeptical. "Forgive me if I'm uncertain."
"Ah, don't worry about that," said Jester. "I've dealt with his line for longer than anyone. They've killed me plenty of times, but it's never taken."
"Is that the only reason you're here?" asked Hazel, frowning from his seat, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Nah...!" said Jester, grin widening. "I've been moving around, getting things set up. I've got the Maidens on lockdown. Branwen is ready to take Cider's place, and then some. But...most importantly of all..."
Jester his his hands behind his back for a second, before bringing them back out. "I've brought some gifts, direct from Salem."
Pinched between the fingers of each hand were several small vials. Each one was relatively unremarkable on its own, just a simple thin, glass vial, stoppered with an ordinary cork. However, within each one was a sampling of ebony liquid. It didn't take much work to guess just what that was.
"Even when we get the people riled up, and I remove Kyo from the equation, the fact remains that it would take a while for the Grimm to start coming in," said Jester. "These will allow us to get a head-start. Hazel, Tyr, Doc; you guys will take care of the distribution. I'm sure you'll know where best to put 'em."
Jester turned his grin on Tyrian. "Come on, Tyr...no need to be shy. It's a gift...from your goddess. I know you'll dig it."
Hesitantly, Tyrian shifted, crab-walking across the floor of the bridge, reaching out to take the vials offered by Jester. Taking them, he momentarily forgot his fear of the man offering them, instead staring at the vials in his hands, beginning to giggle maniacally.
"Well now...this is going to be quite the show," observed Morgan, grinning.
"Yes," agreed Jester. "We'll make this Vytal Festival one to remember."
"And what am I to do?" asked Adam.
"Ah well, have your new cronies do whatever," said Jester, flapping a hand dismissively at Adam, "that is, if you have a handle on them already. I'll bet it's like trying to leash a pack of cats."
"That's one way to put it," growled Adam.
Truth be told, he wasn't all that surprised that he was having difficulty getting control of the White Fang remaining in Vale. Sienna had been working hard to break down the influence of the hardliners he had recruited and molded. Several of them had been waiting for the chance to serve under him again. But the rank and file had been softened by Sienna's moderate influence. More to the point, the revelation that he had killed Sienna himself was something that was causing unpleasant ripples to spread throughout the Vale Branch.
The result was that a scant handful of the White Fang were ready and willing to carry out attacks in time for them to be a part of this plan. Instead, Adam decided he would just carry out the key part of his plan himself.
In the end...he only had one target after all.
"That's right, Adam," said Jester. "You do what you need to do. I'll even set the stage for you. I think you'll like that."
"So be it," said Adam. Once again, he was working with someone he despised. But if it would get him a chance to strike down his most hated target, he would swallow his hatred for this man. However much Jester infuriated him, Adam could at least take the man's lessons to heart. He would take that anger and hatred, and use to hone his blade, a blade he would then turn upon the one person he despised more, above all else.
Ruby Rose...the time has come to settle the score, once and for all, thought Adam to himself. This time, there would be no proxies. He would come for her himself, and take her head with his own hands. Not even taking back Blake mattered more than this one kill. Adam would allow nothing to distract him from that objective.
"Good," said Jester, his grin widening. "Well then...starting tomorrow, the festivities will commence. We'll make this the most memorable-and final-Vytal Festival of all."
"How are you feeling?" asked Blake, looking over at Ilia.
"Powerless," said Ilia, her expression mournful. Her skin turned green, while her spots, eyes, and hair turned blue.
She was presently seated beside the bed Neo was resting in, her hand gripping Neo's tightly. Neo remained unconscious, her breathing soft, but even, the steady beeping of the monitor beside her bed indicating that everything was well enough. Despite that, Ilia still felt a profound sense of fear at how close she had come to losing someone who had become so dear to her.
Blake glanced sidelong at her old friend, taking in Ilia's appearance. After finishing her interrogation session with Winter, Ilia had been permitted to change and clean, something Blake and Ciel had insisted on. After all, Ilia's clothes and skin were sticky with copious amounts of blood. Allowing her into a sanitary environment, like the infirmary, in such a state was unacceptable. So she had been made to shower off, and change into clean clothes.
Ilia had switched into a short, black tailjacket over a gray shirt, and maroon pants. The most important thing was that her current clothes were clean. Aside from that, the only other concession to her captivity was the collar around her neck, suppressing her Aura.
Blake and Ciel were seated next to her, on either side, all three of them looking over Neo's sleeping form. Behind them, Blake wasn't surprised to see Roman Torchwick in the door, leaning against the frame, keeping his own vigil over the one person he probably considered family.
We make such an odd group, noted Blake. Two former members of the White Fang, Vale's most notorious criminal mastermind, and a student of Atlas Academy, all of them in the same room, watching over one person. It was an almost surreal situation to Blake's mind, not one she'd ever expected to find herself in.
"You kept her alive, until you were able to get help," said Blake, resting a hand over Ilia's. "You're not powerless."
"I am now," said Ilia, staring down at her lap. "I've got nothing left. High L-Sienna's gone...The White Fang...they'd kill me on sight now. I'm a prisoner; no weapon, no Aura...nothing."
"Well, you ain't the only prisoner," commented Roman from behind them. "Let me tell you, it ain't such a bad gig."
"Not all of us are suited to teaching our way out of a cell," commented Ilia, throwing a wry smile over her shoulder at Roman, prompting him to tip his hat in acknowledgement.
"Nah, but you managed to charm over one of the most capable women in Vale," said Roman, grinning back at her. "I'd never have thought Neo would fall for somebody the way she fell for you, bad enough to take a hit for you. That's something I figured she'd never do, not even for me."
"I'm not proud of that," said Ilia, looking down at Neo, "not when it leaves her like this."
"You should be," said Roman. "Neo's got it bad for ya, kiddo." He stepped forward, placing a hand on her shoulder. "And...well...I can't say she's got bad taste."
"Coming from you...that's quite the compliment," said Blake, smiling up at Roman.
"What can I say...I'm a charmer," said Roman, tipping his hat to her.
Ilia's head began to dip, and Blake could see her eyelids fluttering. "You need some rest," she said.
Ilia lurched up, forcing her eyes open. "I...I'm fine! I need to be here."
"No one said you had to go anywhere," Ciel pointed out. She motioned towards the window, which had a long couch built into the sill. "Just lie down. We'll wake you up, if anything changes."
"A-all right," said Ilia, letting Ciel and Blake help her to the couch, before lying down. Stepping out of the room for a moment, Blake returned with a blanket, borrowed from the staff, which she spread over Ilia, who'd already passed out.
"She had a long day too," observed Blake, gently brushing Ilia's hair, which had returned to its normal color, along with her skin.
Ciel nodded, moving her chair to sit beside the couch. Whatever else, Ilia was her charge for the time being. It helped that she too had developed an at least friendly acquaintance with the former White Fang member.
Roman, meanwhile, moved to take one of the chairs still beside Neo's bed, brushing his own hand through her bangs.
For a moment, a silence fell over the room. Finally, it was Roman who broke it. "This is...it's gonna be bad, isn't it?"
"It seems unlikely," said Ciel, staring down. "Taurus has next to nothing, virtually no resources, a handful of willing personnel at best. Normally, we should have nothing to worry about until after the festival. But..."
But the timing is too convenient, thought Blake, not giving voice to those thoughts. Adam's sudden appearance, just before the final round of the tournament, couldn't be coincidence. Jester had supposedly taken him away, and given what Jester had already done, Blake doubted that Adam could have escaped the madman, unless Jester had let him. So...Adam hadn't escaped Jester, he'd been set loose.
And the fact that Jester was involved meant that Salem was involved at some level, not that Blake could talk about that in front of Roman and Ciel.
"What do we do though?" she wondered out loud.
"What we can," said Ciel.
"About that...I can give you some more direction," said Winter, appearing in the doorway.
"Ma'am!" said Ciel, shooting to her feet, and snapping her hand up in a salute.
Winter smiled at Ciel's enthusiasm. "At Ease, Soleil. Don't wake up Amitola."
"Of-of course," said Ciel, settling down into her seat.
Winter smiled. "Things have certainly gotten complicated, but the finals will go forward as planned."
"Is that a good idea?" asked Blake. "With what we know-"
"That 'we' is exactly the problem," said Winter, glumly, her smile falling. "We know...but Vale...the rest of the world...they don't. There are things going on that could cause chaos, both here and abroad, if we came forward about them. Therefore, we have to continue on as though everything is under control."
"I think I understand," said Blake...though she didn't like it. After all, doing that was putting people at risk.
"We will be increasing security at the coliseum," said Winter. "Assuming it is the target, we will ensure the critical areas are fully protected."
"If Adam is as strong as Ilia suggested, then that might not be enough," said Blake.
Winter's frown deepened. "When it comes to that...we have a protocol in place. The General has Dr. Polendina working on developing an emergency landing protocol for the coliseum. Should any of its lift systems be damaged, or should any of the target areas be breached, the propulsion systems will guide to Amity to a landing in the bay, before its lift systems be fully compromised."
"That might work," thought Blake. "Um...Can Amity float?"
"No," said Winter simply. "However, we've identified a space that is shallow enough for it not to sink completely. That will be our target zone, should the worst happen."
I guess we're as prepared as we're gonna be, thought Blake. Despite that, she couldn't shake the ominous feeling settling over her shoulders. She had a feeling that, however things went tomorrow...according to plan wouldn't be one of them.
Ruby sat alone in the locker room, awaiting the signal for her to enter the arena for the final round of the Vytal Festival Tournament. She should have been shivering with anticipation. However, instead her muscles were tight with anxiety. The tournament seemed so small and unimportant, compared to the things she could feel going into motion around her, like the gears of some enormous mechanism that dwarfed even those visible through the ceiling and floor of Ozpin's office. She didn't think she'd ever felt so small and insignificant.
She was by herself right now. Her friends and teammates had all adjourned to the ringside seats to await the beginning of the match. Ruby had informed everyone she'd thought she could, who might be able to help. They all knew what to do, if chaos descended. Despite all that, despite all the preparations that Ruby and the others had put into this, she couldn't help but feel that it was all going to fall apart regardless.
A tone sounded from the door. Getting up, Ruby moved to answer it, surprised by who she saw on the screen, standing out in the hallway. Opening the door, she met the eyes of her godfather.
"Um..." she said nervously.
"May I come in?" asked Yukimura.
"Sure," said Ruby. "I've got a few more minutes before they call me out into the ring."
Yukimura smiled down at her, stepping into the room. "And yet, it seems like the match is the furthest thing from your mind right now."
Ruby sighed. "Let's just say I'll be relieved if it even starts at all."
Yukimura's expression immediately sobered. "I take it that you have reason to believe it might not."
"Um..." Ruby wasn't sure what to say to that.
Yukimura sighed, moving to sit on the couch. He patted the cushion next to him. Nervously, Ruby sat down. "I see that Ozpin is continuing the trend he started with your parents."
"What do you mean?" asked Ruby, looking up at him.
"Because I was fond of your mother, I kept an eye on Team Stark, even after they graduated," said Yukimura. "So it wasn't hard for me to see that Ozpin apparently had a special interest in them."
"Uh...That's..." Ruby was still unsure of what to say.
Yukimura chuckled. "There were a couple of occasions where I tried to find out. But Ozpin has always been good at stonewalling. Summer and Tai refused to talk. I never could seem to pin down Qrow or Raven. Half the time, it seemed as though they had wings or something."
"Uh..." Ruby couldn't tell him just how accurate his assessment was.
"All I did know was that those four were something special, from Ozpin's point of view," said Yukimura. "It seemed as though they knew things that most of the rest of the world, including myself, didn't. I believed that Ozpin had let them in on some important secret, and was using them for special purposes."
That was pretty much spot-on, not that Ruby could tell Yukimura that.
"And now you too," he observed, looking down at her. "Of course, if you did know those secrets, I doubt you'd be able to tell me. I would worry about coercion. But, knowing you, you would probably accept any such burden willingly, wouldn't you?"
"Y-yeah," said Ruby, nodding, feeling she could at least tell him this much.
Yukimura sighed, then wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her up against him. "Even if you can't tell me, please remember that I'm still your godfather. Please rely on me, at least a little."
Ruby smiled, leaning into the embrace. "Then, I'd like to ask one thing," she said.
"What's that?"
"Just...whatever happens today...don't die," said Ruby plaintively, looking up at him. "I want to spend more time with you, learn about the family I didn't even know I have. So...just make sure you keep yourself alive."
"The same goes for you," said Yukimura, smiling back down at her. "You need to live as well, otherwise you can't learn those things."
"I will," Ruby promised.
"I suppose, under the circumstances, that's all I can ask for," said Yukimura.
"Can you just stay here...until it's time," said Ruby.
"I would be happy to," said Yukimura, leaning down to kiss the crown of her head.
Ruby leaned against him, relaxing in the presence of her godfather. It was a blissful few minutes until she was notified that it was time for her to enter the arena. Swallowing nervously, Ruby pulled out of Yukimura's embrace, making her way down the hall.
She emerged into a charged atmosphere, filled with energy and excitement, the roar of the crowd nearly deafening, even from behind the forcefields that separated them from the ring. However, Ruby felt strangely divorced from all that excitement, almost as though she had a second cloak over her shoulders shielding her from the sensation of the crowd's enthusiasm. Her limbs tingled and her senses were stretched taut to their limit, just waiting for things to blow up.
Across from her, Penny had emerged from the other locker room at nearly the same time, her usual bright and cheerful smile on her face. The sight of that expression was usually a balm for Ruby's soul. But now it simply filled her with anxiety, the worry that, come the end of this day, that expression would no longer be there.
This is crazy, Ruby thought to herself. I'm driving myself up the wall with worry. At this rate, the worst outcome for me is if the bad guys don't do anything, and I wind up flubbing my match as a result. That'll make me look pretty dang stupid.
Taking a deep breath, Ruby forced herself to calm down, letting her anxiety run out of her. Even if something did happen, it wasn't going to help if she remained tense and on edge. She just had to be ready, whether for her fight with Penny, or something worse. Either way, all she could do was have faith in the skills she had cultivated with her family and during her time at Beacon. With that, she relinquished the last of her anxiety and stepped onto the surface of the inner-ring.
There was a slight lurch below her feet, the ring beginning to levitate upwards into its usual position, the lighting rig descending from above. Everything was proceeding as normal. Ruby barely paid any attention to Port and Oobleck as they stirred the crowd's excitement, barely paid the echoing cheers any mind. Instead, she met Penny's eyes from across the ring, her hand twitching towards the handle of her sword, preparing to draw it.
She heard Oobleck begin the countdown. "Three...Two...One...B-!"
Right as the match would have begun, the center of the ring exploded. Shrieks of surprise and fear erupted from the audience, people recoiling from the unexpected disturbance. Immediately, Ruby had flung her cloak across her body, running her Aura through it to harden it in anticipation of the heat and shockwave to come, hoping that Penny would be able to endure it too. Silently, she reflected that, as uses for the few remaining explosives he had at his disposal, Adam's choice for this one had been fairly poor. Yes, it was flashy and disruptive, but wouldn't do any real damage here.
However, no heat and shockwave came. Instead, the smoke billowed upward and quickly dissipated. In its place, Ruby felt her heart shudder as she saw the figure of the man she most dreaded facing standing right in the center of the ring.
Jester's grin was wide, almost seeming feral on his face, as he threw his arms up in a grandiose gesture. "GOOOOOOD EVENING, PEOPLE OF THE WORLD!" His shout was enhanced by his Aura, making his voice boom outward with a palpable force.
The shrieks and shouts of surprise and fear were replaced by shouts of confusion, everyone now speculating about what this wrinkle could be.
Ruby felt the blood leaving her face.
Jester continued as though he hadn't noticed the other two people in the ring, his voice no longer booming out, but still loud enough to carry to every corner of the coliseum. "Tonight, there has been an amendment to the order of affairs!" he exclaimed cheerfully. "Tonight's match shall be substituted with a new event that I think all of you shall find most entertaining. And I, your humble Jester, shall be acting as your Master of Ceremonies!"
With that, he swept into an exaggerated bow, bending at the waist, dipping his head, while sweeping his left hand across his chest, even as he stretched his right out to the side.
Ruby swallowed...only to find her throat had gone dry. Of all the scenarios she'd envisioned, this had to be the worst possible one.
"What's going on?" demanded Oobleck, staring down at the mysterious figure in the ring. "We weren't told about this."
"Cut the broadcast, quickly," said Port, speaking into the intercom. "Something is very wrong."
Static was their only answer.
The broadcast center of Amity Coliseum looked like any number of similar rooms found in network stations throughout any Kingdom. An array of terminals ringed the room. They were manned by a team of technicians who managed everything from deciding what camera to use at what angle to which channels had access to which shots. They also controlled the large screens that broadcast around the inside of the arena.
Unfortunately, none of those techs were currently alive. To a man, they were slumped at their stations, blood splattered across several screens. In the silence of that room, Arthur Watts calmly holstered his weapon, an elaborate-looking, double-barreled revolver. The gray metal of its barrels met a double-layered cylinder holding twenty shots. The barrel was decorated with gold-colored wire that wrapped around it in vine-like designs, with the handle being a dull-red that matched the color of Watts' jacket.
Slipping the gun into its holster beneath the flap of his jacket, Watts hummed as he strolled into the center of the room. Humming softly to himself, he extended his hands out to the side, bending his fingers slightly. Those fingers were decorated by a set of eight rings, double-bands of gold with a layer of black metal sandwiched between them. Watts flexed his fingers slightly and, one by one, the black center layer of each band lit up with white light, edged with pale-blue.
All at once, all the terminals and screens around him sprang to life, with larger holographic images flickering into being, hovering over them, surrounding him with a flood of images of the arena, and the three figures within it. Continuing to hum, Watts began to move his hands in motions reminiscent of those of a conductor, guiding his orchestra into the first movement of its performance.
Gradually, his influence spread, allowing him to reach out through the networks, ensuring that there wasn't a single screen across all of Remnant that wasn't displaying what was happening in the ring now.
Taking a moment to survey his work, Watts brought up yet another screen, this one hovering directly in front of his face, showing him a closeup of the inner-ring, with Jester set firmly in the center of the frame. Quirking one eyebrow up, Watts sighed to himself. "Still...in the end he simply jumps right out into the open. I can't understand that man in the slightest."
Still, he had his orders, and there was no choice but to carry them out. He had already completed the first of his jobs for the day, as the people throughout Amity would soon find, much to their dismay.
"Now then," he said, his smirk returning, "let us begin the climax of this...the final Vytal Festival in the history of Remnant."
A few levels up, in one of the many service hallways that ran around the circumference of Amity Coliseum, there was a janitor's closet. It was nothing special, nothing unique, just one of many such rooms scattered throughout, holding the supplies needed to clean the massive floating structure. There was only one thing different about this particular closet...namely...the black ooze that was leaking out from the slight gap between the door and the floor. That black ooze continued to spread, forming a thin puddle that stood out starkly against the metallic gray of the floor.
And then that puddle began to ripple...and a clawed limb reached up and out of it...
"You are not an authorized part of the Vytal Festival Tournament," declared Penny, her happy smile vanishing in a second, her expression replaced with one of hardened determination. "You will state your identity, and your reason for being here, then you shall submit to the authorities."
Turning to face her, Jester fixed the girl with his maniacal grin. "Ah, but I just explained. I am the Jester. And I am here to speak to the people of the world."
"There is no record of any guest speakers on the itinerary," Penny countered. With a hiss and grating sound, the blades of her Floating Array deployed from within her backpack, moving around her, then orienting to level their points at the interloper in unison. "If you do not stand down, then I shall remove you from the ring by force."
A cloud of red petals exploded out from behind Jester. Ruby was barely visible as a flicker of red as she dashed right past him, leaving a few flurries of red in her wake, ignoring Jester altogether, and instead throwing herself right at Penny, using her momentum to send the android staggering back as Ruby held her tightly.
"Don't!" she cried out urgently, bracing against Penny with all her strength. "Don't fight him!"
Penny opened her mouth to protest, but found herself taken aback by the look of absolute fear on Ruby's face. Her expression betrayed how she was pleading with every fiber of her being for Penny to stand down.
"He'll kill you," Ruby whispered. "You won't stand a chance."
"What do you mean, Ruby?" asked Penny.
Ruby just shook her head, urging Penny to stay put.
"Well well, this sure is nice," observed Jester, drawing their attention. "It's good to see that even a pair of committed opponents, like you two, can be such good friends. Now that that's out of the way, it's time to continue.
"You see, while I said that I came to speak, I shall not, actually, be doing most of the speaking this night. Instead, I have brought a special guest with me, a guest who will enlighten all who are watching, illuminating them with the gift of..."
He reached behind his back with his right hand.
Ruby released Penny, turning about, flaring her cloak protectively between her friend and Jester. At the same time, Akaibara flew from its sheath, the crimson blade ringing furiously, echoing the tension in Ruby's soul. Her sword regarded this man every bit as much of a threat as her wielder did.
However, when Jester withdrew his hand from behind his back, he did not produce a weapon. Instead, he produced a strange, elaborate-looking device of gold and blue, looking almost like a decorative lamp of some kind, which he held by a broad ring hooked to its top.
As impossible as it seemed, Jester's grin grew wider and more vicious.
"...Knowledge..."
Ozpin shot to his feet, taking up and brandishing his cane, even though he was in one of the spaces situated farthest away from what was taking place in the ring. "No!" he exclaimed, the shock and dismay in his voice completely uncharacteristic of the normally cool and composed Headmaster.
"That's impossible!" shouted Ironwood, standing up as well. "That's the Relic of Knowledge! It should still be within the vault at Haven."
"I can't believe it," added Qrow, having stood up alongside them. "Did Raven sell out to the enemy?"
"If that man is as dangerous as Ruby and Kyo have suggested, then she may not have been given a choice," said Glynda, her tone grim.
All eyes went to Kyo, who remained seated, but was staring down into the ring with an expression that was set somewhere between dark anger and nervous unease. Beside him, Amber looked at him worriedly.
"Kyo..." she whispered.
"This is the price we pay for meddling," said Kyo, speaking mostly to himself. His fingers tightened their hold around Tenro's sheath.
Jester turned about, sweeping the lamp in a wide circle for all to see. "Now then," he declared cheerfully, "I imagine that all of you are asking yourselves just what this adorable little bauble in my hands is. You need not worry, for this is not a weapon of any kind. Despite that, you could say that, in its own way, that this is one of the most dangerous objects on the face of Remnant. For this little lamp is a bearer of knowledge: knowledge forbidden, knowledge forgotten. If it has had the capacity to be known, then this Relic knows it."
"The Relic of Knowledge," Ruby whispered to herself, though Penny heard it, shooting her a confused look.
What is he doing with that though? wondered Ruby.
Jester cackled loudly. "Behold, ladies and gentlemen! What you are about to witness is no mere parlor trick, no simple product of Dust or Aura. This is a genuine miracle, a wonder of a lost era. Allow me to introduce our guest speaker for the evening. Jinn! Come forth!"
Jester released his hold on the lantern's ring. However, it did not fall to the floor. Instead, it drifted away from him, the entire thing rotating slowly, while the blue sphere at its center began to glow, giving off a shimmering, blue mist. That mist streamed outwards, thickening, and taking shape. Gradually, it solidified, forming limbs, a torso, then a head.
Her skin was a light, almost sky-blue, color. It was stretched taut over a voluptuous body, around which pale-blue mist swirled, almost like an ethereal gown. Long, dark-blue hair extended down from her head, with pointed ears extending out from within it. Her eyes continued that theme of blue, with dark-blue sclerae framing light-blue irises. They contained within them the light of someone older and wiser than any other.
With a series of jangling noises, gold appeared. A gold chain wrapped around the woman's waist, joined together by a large ring. Broad bands of the same color wrapped around her forearms, with another enclosing her left upper-arm. Her calves were similarly decorated. A ribbed necklace appeared beneath her neck.
There was no question that the woman was beautiful. But her colors and features marked her as something inhuman...something supernatural.
"I am Jinn, a being created by the God of Light to aid mankind in the search for knowledge," she said. "Tell me..."
Whatever she had been about to say trailed off as she turned to face Jester, and regarded his grinning visage. The wise expression on her face was replaced by a grimace of disgust. "Oh...It's you."
"In the flesh," declared Jester cheerfully. "It's nice to see you again, munchkin."
"Of all the people who could have called upon me..." muttered Jinn, clearly unhappy with her lot. She turned to regard her surroundings. "Truly, you are beyond mad to reveal to me like this."
"Oh, that barely even scratches the surface of my madness," declared Jester proudly.
Jinn sighed despondently, before glaring at him. "I have two questions left to answer in this era. Get it over with."
"Happily," declared Jester, before turning to address the audience himself. "Quite the trick, no?" He flipped his head to look at Jinn. "That was rhetorical, by the way, don't answer that."
Jinn clicked her tongue irritably.
Jester returned his attention to the audience. Ruby wanted to ask what this was all about. However, she could tell that Jester had not forgotten about her. Attempt to utter a single wrong word, and he might attack before the sound could leave her mouth. Glancing at Penny, Ruby quickly reached up and covered the android's mouth as well, shooting her a warning glance.
"And this is just the beginning!" Jester declared. "As you have heard, Jinn here can answer any two questions, for she has knowledge of all things that are and were. Sadly, when it comes to what will be, her knowledge ends, so she cannot answer anything about the future.
"And this lovely lady was locked away in a dusty vault, deep beneath the foundation of none other than Haven Academy. Now, I'm sure that you're brimming with questions of your own, about how she got there, and why she was hidden. However, I shall be asking the questions today. But I can still answer some of yours. For, you see, this lovely Relic, and the lady within, were hidden away by none other than the esteemed Headmaster of Beacon Academy himself...Professor Ozpin."
Jester turned his head, his eyes finding the windows of the skybox where Ozpin and Ironwood were watching from. Even through the glass, which appeared opaque on the outside, he still somehow met Ozpin's eyes, able to see the look of panic forming on the man's face.
"Truly...a man of mystery," continued Jester. "So little is known about him, yet he is entrusted with so much. Of all the thousands gathered here today, and of all the millions watching abroad, the fact remains that only a tiny handful of people know the truth about this mysterious man. However, that will not remain the case any longer for, as I have said before, we have with us, right here in the ring, a repository of everything that has ever been known, including everything about the mysterious Ozpin."
"Stop him!" shouted Ozpin, looking desperately at Kyo.
Kyo rose to his feet, a resigned expression on his face. However, he still drew his sword.
The glass window exploded outwards. Reaching out with her hand, Amber called up winds that swept the broken glass up before it could fall on the vulnerable people below. Kyo was already gone, flying through the air, covering the distance between the skybox and the force field protecting the audience in a single leap. Tenro rang like an enormous bell, the sword's blade cleaving through the barrier as though it was paper. Kyo descended into the arena, alighting on the inner ring, sword poised for another strike...aimed not for Jester...but the lamp.
"I'm sorry," he said, his eyes flickering towards Jinn as he brought the sword down.
However...his slash fell short. Kyo's eyes widened. It wasn't as though he'd misjudged his distance, certainly not against such an easy target. Rather, his sword suddenly appeared to shrink mid-swing, the blade shortening, until the tip was just an inch too short to reach the hovering lamp. Before the Kyo had finished the swing, Tenro had already returned to its original length.
Abruptly, Kyo was launched backwards, flying straight back out of the ring, flying ahead of the sound of the impact that had launched him in the first place. Jester now stood where Kyo had been, showing no sign that he had even moved. In fact the only thing that had changed about him was his pose, he now stood, his skull-capped marotte extended straight out, looking as though he'd hit Kyo with it, though no one had actually seen the blow land, not even Ruby.
What's going on? she wondered, horrified to see her brother, one of the strongest people she knew, batted away so effortlessly. I didn't even see him move! This isn't just speed!
Kyo slammed into the barrier around the ring with an angry crackle, before falling to the floor, stunned by the hit.
"Now now...your turn will come in a bit, Kyo," said Jester, still grinning. "After all, it's because of you that I'm here today. You broke the rules first. Remember that."
He turned towards Jinn once more. "Jinn, my dear...for my first question this evening, I would ask that you tell, and show, everyone here, and everyone who is watching...Just what is Ozpin hiding?"
Ruby's ears picked up a desperate shout, a single, lingering cry from high above. Looking up, she saw Ozpin mouth hanging open as he cried out, staring down into the ring. His voice was loaded with more despair and fear than Ruby could have ever imagined such a sound could convey. And yet...that sound quickly vanished...along with everything else. Looking around, Ruby was horrified to find herself alone. Jester had vanished. But so had Penny, along with the audience, her friends and family. Silently, she wondered if everyone else was experiencing the same strange phenomenon.
As she tried to get her bearings, Ruby suddenly found that the void was no longer empty. Objects appeared, a building...then the terrain around it, a scene coming into view.
All around her, she heard Jinn's voice ring out. "Once upon a time, there stood a lonely tower..."
Suddenly, Ruby was no longer outside, but inside, a room, and all the objects within it coming into being, one by one. Strangely, she found her vision guided to one object in particular, a large vanity mirror, with a woman with fair-skin and blonde hair seated in front of it.
"...that sheltered a lonely girl..."
The woman turned in her seat, almost seeming to look straight at Ruby with a pair of light-green eyes, her face a picture of beauty.
"named...Salem."
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