Chapter Text
"Almost everyone is on Amity, escaped to Mistral, or in the hospital or the vault."
Almost wasn't enough. "Who isn't?" Ironwood demanded.
"Besides you and Penny, there could be people we missed all over Mantle and Atlas, but we can't find them. Grimm are running through the streets in Mantle, and that flying whale is less than a minute from Atlas. Anyone we missed, I doubt we're going to find them before the Grimm do."
That was unfortunate, but there wasn't anything that could be done about that now. Ironwood looked over to Penny. The girl was standing at attention, waiting to be told what to do. He shook his head, turning back to his scroll. "Thanks for the update, Robyn." Closing his scroll, the general turned to Penny. "You know, I appreciate that you've stayed by my side through this, but you really should get to safety."
Penny straightened up when he looked at her, but her shoulders went slack again quickly. "Sir... I'm with you to the end."
"...Then we should get to safety."
An alarm went off, beeping frantically. Turning to his desk, Ironwood brought up the holographic display to see what was happening. It showed the monstrous Grimm whale growing nearer to Atlas, but they already knew that. He narrowed his eyes at the image. Something else was happening. There was another Grimm coming out of the whale's mouth. It had people on top, riding it. Quickly zooming the view in, he saw who it was.
"Salem..." She was flying through his city now, riding a flying Grimm. He wasn't having it. Moving around behind his desk again, Ironwood sat down. He prepared to broadcast to every screen across Atlas. Taking a few extra seconds to make himself appear as professional as possible, he put a stern and calm face on, then started the broadcast. The screens would appear all around Salem, judging by where her ride was at the moment. "Hello, Salem. Welcome to my city."
There were enough security cameras everywhere, he could see her from whatever angle he wanted. Hazel was with her, along with Emerald. He watched the two of them jump off. He suspected they were on their way to free Salem's other servants. She stayed there on her Grimm, a giant flying shark, waiting for their return. He took control of a camera drone, flying it close to where Salem was. She saw it right away, and was apparently about to destroy it, but then she stopped. She knew why he had brought it close to her, and she gave a very evil smirk to the camera.
"General Ironwood."
"I told you to be afraid, Salem. It doesn't look like you listened to my advice."
"I hope you know that there will be nothing left of Atlas when I'm done."
It didn't concern him what she thought she was going to do. Things were falling into place in his mind. She was not leaving Atlas. "I used the Relic of Knowledge."
She paused, appearing to have to take a moment to process that information. "Oh really?" In her mind, of course, it didn't matter if he did. She could afford to wait for it to be usable again, and her plans didn't particularly require it to be used anyway. "And what did it tell you?"
"It told me where to find the other Relics. All of them."
"If you had them, you would have used them by now. You can't bluff with me, General."
"You're right. I don't have all of them. But I have five."
That number seemed to really bother her. "Five?" She blinked, reconsidering what she thought of the situation. "I'll make a deal with you, General. Hand over the Relics of Knowledge and Creation, and I will just destroy this city and leave. Everyone you hid away on that... floating communication tower of yours..." She looked up towards Amity. "I will leave them alone."
"Just the two? You don't want the other three?"
She did not look impressed. "You'll have to do better than that to even convince me you have them."
"Cinder Fall is trapped inside the Relic of Deliverance."
"Oh..." He had intended to continue, but that alone caught her attention. "So you have found other Relics." She just believed him, just like that?
"You are familiar with that one?"
"The gods have tried to kill me several times. That was one of the less amusing attempts, but yes, I remember it."
"...I will not give the Cradle to you. I will not allow Cinder Fall to escape."
She scowled. "Don't try my patience, General."
"If you leave Atlas and Mantle completely, I will give you three of the Relics."
"You're trying my patience. I just told you not to do that."
"The Relic of Serenity is too dangerous to take out of containment. Too dangerous for any of us. I will have the Relics of Knowledge and Confusion delivered to you. The Winter Maiden will retrieve the Relic of Creation and deliver that as well, though it will take longer. But you must leave Atlas and Mantle for good."
She looked annoyed that he was trying to negotiate terms with her. "I haven't heard of the Relic of Confusion. Tell me what it does." Of course she would want to know.
"It is a weapon. But it is far too dangerous to use."
"You don't say..." Salem started laughing. "What a brazen demand, General. You really are amusing. Bring me the Relics then. I will decide whether or not your city survives once I have them."
That was not how Ironwood wanted it to work. He had to check one more thing before agreeing. "Regardless, Cinder Fall remains inside the Cradle."
She grinned. "I find that to be acceptable."
What luck. Ironwood turned off the broadcast. He turned to Penny. "That went better than expected."
Penny was highly concerned. "Sir... that's not a good deal."
"I fully expect she intends to destroy all of Atlas and Mantle afterwards, no matter what we do. She'll pick through the rubble until she finds the Cradle and frees Cinder as well." He opened his scroll, calling Winter. "I need you to go to the vault and retrieve the Staff. Deliver it to Salem." Without waiting for an answer or protest, he ended the call and started another one with Jinn. "I need you and Oz to deliver the Lamp and the Voice to Salem. Hurry." He hung up again, not waiting for any response.
Penny voiced her opinion again. "If you know she's not going to honor the deal, why make it?"
"I just made a deal with the devil, Penny. I know she'll double-cross me. But I'm double-crossing her first."
"What do you mean?"
"Just watch." He pointed to the screen, which showed Salem landing her Grimm. Her henchmen returned. Hazel had brought Watts and Tyrian, and Emerald was standing back with Neo. They hadn't seen fit to free Jacques, or at least he had run off somewhere else as soon as he could.
Salem glared at the camera drone. "General, I think you should be here when you hand over the Relics. Don't you?"
As a matter of fact, he did. Standing up, the general looked to Penny. "Keep an eye on her. Call me if she starts doing something you don't like."
Penny went to sit in the general's chair uncertainly. "Something I don't like? Like attacking Atlas?"
"Something new." He clarified, opening the door and leaving.
Ironwood made his way through the school, his school. It was empty. He'd never really seen it this way before. He knew there were a few people still around, but each of them had a very specific duty to tend to. He had left one behind in his office, and he met the other two at the front doors. Oscar and Jinn looked very uneasy, each clutching a Relic in their hands. It had occurred to him that he would be bringing Ozpin to Salem as well, and that Jinn was a part of the Lamp. There were mistakes that could be made on all sides that would benefit no one. He was of course worried for Oscar and Jinn, but he wondered if the Lamp would even function if Salem decided to kill Jinn. He was beginning to consider if it would be worth it, if killing Jinn would make the Relic inoperable. He shook it off, not wanting to actually entertain such a course of action.
"General? Are we really handing the Relics over to Salem?" Jinn looked very worried. If they did give the Relics to Salem, she would be taking possession of Jinn as well.
"We have no choice. I want you both to put on brave faces. Try not to let her see how scared you are." Ironwood's mind was working overtime. He knew what he needed to do.
Jinn frowned. "I don't think I'm going to be able to hide that."
"Good." Ironwood put a hand on her shoulder, doing his best to reassure her, but more to look like he was reassuring her. "All I ask is that you try." They were being watched. "There's a good chance she will not honor our deal, and even if she does, she may kill us even if Atlas and Mantle are left intact. But we have to try. There's no fighting her." That was what her spy was supposed to think. The fear, poorly masked, would make her feel like she was in the same position she was always in. Whoever she had watching them would report that they were banking everything on this deal, and they knew she might not honor it.
Oscar looked from the general, to Jinn, then out the door. "Ozpin isn't coming out. I don't know why. This should be where we need him the most."
Ironwood nodded. "He knows a lot of information that Salem wants. I don't know how much torture he's willing to let you endure, but there's a good chance she will take you and you will have to endure it."
"Great. Now I feel really confident."
Ironwood could feel the eyes watching him, listening to their conversation. They would be reporting back to Salem before he arrived with the Relics. Normally, he would want a moment to brief Oscar and Jinn without the eavesdropper, but they probably wouldn't get that chance, and Salem's patience was not likely to hold out. Whoever it was watching them, they were hidden, and he couldn't even tell in which direction they might be. Forward was the only choice. "It doesn't matter. We have to act now. Stay behind me."
Stepping out into the courtyard of Atlas Academy, Ironwood led them away from the building. It would be a few minutes of walking to reach Salem. He needed some time within those few minutes to tell Oscar and Jinn what his plan was, but he needed that spy to leave. He still felt like someone was close, watching them, listening, even when they were out in the open. There was nowhere for that person to hide. He had to assume it was Emerald or Neo, or a combination of the two. There was no other way he knew that they could be hiding so close without him pinpointing their hiding spot. It was beginning to infuriate him.
Winter appeared just as they were exiting the school grounds. She saluted. "Sir."
"At ease."
She put her hand down, but it was clear she was very tense. "I hope you'll excuse me if I stay uneasy, sir." She looked over her shoulder, as if checking for anyone listening in. "Are we... really giving her the Relics?"
"Yes, Winter. We are." He answered firmly, leaving no room for mistake. "We have a deal. She will leave Atlas and Mantle intact."
Winter glanced at Jinn and the Lamp, then looked to Oscar. Her eyes lingered on the golden cube in his hands. "And we trust she'll honor a deal?"
"We have no choice." Ironwood stepped aside, not so much to get out of her way but more to indicate that she should keep moving. "You'd better hurry. We're going to need you with us."
"...Yes sir." It didn't take a genius, or someone who knew Winter well, to see that she did not like this plan. She went on her way regardless, and Ironwood continued his march toward Salem.
"General, we're being watched."
Ironwood knew that, but it was a surprise to hear Jinn say it. Oscar looked spooked at the revelation. Now that whoever was watching them knew they were on to them, there was no reason for Ironwood to keep quiet about it. "One of Salem's minions keeping an eye on us." He nodded, reassuring her that he was aware.
"No sir."
"What do you mean?" It was always a bad thing when someone told him that.
"I know Neopolitan can interfere with my abilities on a small scale, localized around her. I think Emerald Sustrai can as well. But while they may be able to obscure reality, I at least know that it's happening. I can tell something is wrong. With Neo, at least, I know exactly what it looks like. Neither of them are using their Semblances right now. I can pinpoint them precisely. Whoever is watching us, they're not... the same."
There was good news in there, as far as Ironwood was concerned. "So who is it, then?"
"I have no idea."
"They are able to block the Relic's power?"
She shook her head. "Not completely. They can't hide from me, I know exactly where they are, but I have no idea who they are or what they want." She added, under her breath. "Or where they came from."
"What would cause that?" Oscar asked before Ironwood had a chance.
Jinn shook her head. "If the God of Light wants something hidden from me... but why would he be hiding this person unless..."
"It's an agent of his." Ironwood concluded. If Jinn was meant to be neutral, and she was definitely not being neutral now, then it made sense that the God of Light might want to send an agent of his own to Remnant, if for no other reason than to keep an eye on Jinn.
Again, Jinn shook her head, uncertain. "I don't think that's it. Maybe, but I don't think so. I'm supposed to have access to all information past and present on Remnant." That made sense to Ironwood. An agent of the God of Light like what he imagined would likely not be from Remnant. But then, any other being from another world might be beyond her as well. Jinn confirmed that thought shortly after he had it. "I don't think they're from Remnant."
"I don't suppose you know what they want with us." Oscar asked, concerned.
"I have no way to know." Sighing, Jinn nodded up ahead. "I see them."
For a second, Oscar and Ironwood both thought she was referring to the invisible interloper, but when they looked they saw that she was clearly talking about Salem and her minions. The giant shark Grimm was well in view, and the various minions were standing around and watching as they approached. Salem was standing right in the middle, hands folded in front of her. As they got closer, they could see a small smug smile on Salem's face. Tyrian was hunched over and cackling next to her. Emerald and Neo were standing back and away, and Watts was just as far back but on the other side. Hazel stepped up beside Salem and said something to her.
Oscar gulped. "I'm pretty sure he just told her that I'm Oz."
"Count on it." Ironwood remarked. He noticed that Jinn quietly nodded, confirming it. He narrowed his eyes at the enemy ahead of him. If he could trick her into taking the Voice, he was sure he could fight the rest, at least long enough for Winter to join him. It would probably best for him to take the weaker ones out first, Emerald and Watts especially, so that he could focus on Tyrian and Hazel. He couldn't rely on Jinn and Oscar being much help.
"General." Salem's voice pulled him out of his thoughts. "I see you've brought me more than just the Relics." She was practically leering at Oscar.
"Winter is getting the Staff. She'll be here soon." He was not interested in making small talk with Salem.
She didn't look at him. Her eyes had been fixed on Oscar. She glanced over at Jinn, then looked down at the Relics they were both holding. It seemed she didn't care to waste too much time either. Looking up at Jinn's face, they locked eyes. Salem held out her hand. "Give me the Relic, child."
Jinn broke eye contact with Salem, looking to Ironwood for guidance. He was about to tell her to hand it over, but Oscar stepped forward. He quietly walked over to Salem, holding the Voice of Confusion in his hands as he approached. She watched him skeptically, but unconcerned. Ironwood found himself holding his breath as Oscar stopped in front of her. Jinn's heart was racing, trying to pound out of her chest. Whatever was about to happen, none of them could imagine it ended well for Oscar.
Salem finally changed her tone, turning disdainful, contemptuous. "Oz is hiding, isn't he?" She didn't wait for an answer, reaching out and grabbing the golden cube with one hand. "Give me that." When Oscar held on, she let out a low growl, putting her other hand on it and wresting it away. He held on stubbornly, leaning into it and pushing the Relic into her. She pushed back, using it to hit him away. After taking a moment to calm down after the slight scuffle, she shot a glare at Ironwood, then back down to where Oscar was laying on the ground. "You're lucky I want you alive. For now, anyway." With a huff, she shoved the Voice into Tyrian's hands, then turned back and held out her hand to Jinn. "Give me the Relic. Now." Whatever patience she'd had was gone.
Oscar shook his head, dazed from the hit. He looked up at Salem, then back to Jinn. "Don't give it to her."
"You've already irritated me enough for one day, boy." Salem stepped forward. "Give me that Relic, little girl."
Oscar pushed himself up, sitting as he looked over the enemy before them. He spotted the Voice in Tyrian's hands. "James... go easy on Hazel, please."
Salem dropped her hand, glaring at Oscar again, clearly fed up with him. "What?"
Hazel echoed her. "What?"
Oscar held up his hand so they could see. His skin was changing color, turning to a dull grey. Slowly, the grey matter dripped away, his fingers disappearing bit by bit. The discoloration spread to his sleeves and started growing in patches on his chest and neck. Within moments, his legs turned grey, and he slowly dissolved into a shapeless puddle. At the back of the group, Emerald gasped in horror and Watts swore. Ironwood had to look away as the boy disappeared.
Salem turned on Ironwood, hissing angrily. "What is this? What happened to him?"
Jinn sprang into action, holding out her Relic and extending the pole. She axe blades unfolded, the sharp blade threatening at Salem's neck. At the same time, Ironwood pulled out his pistol, aiming and firing it at Hazel's chest. He'd been told to go easy on Hazel, but that would be a consideration for after the fight. The shot knocked him back, almost completely stripping his Aura. Enraged by the brazen move, Salem grabbed the handle of Jinn's weapon, pulling it and dragging her closer. She slammed the weapon's handle into Jinn's midsection and knocked her away, then turned and threw it at Ironwood, knocking him off balance.
As the Relic clattered to the ground, its handle still extended, Salem pointed accusingly at Ironwood. "That was your only chance, General! Once your Winter Maiden delivers the Staff of Creation, I will kill all of you and destroy Atlas, but not before I take all of your biggest and most powerful guns and aim them at Amity!" Infuriated, she stalked towards the general and stooped down to pick up the Lamp. "What could have possessed you to act so foolishly at the most important point in this entire conflict for you?"
Jinn pushed herself back onto her feet and held out her hand. The Lamp flew out of Salem's hands and to Jinn. "This is mine."
Startled, Salem looked between Ironwood and Jinn, confused. Her face twisted to an expression of rage. "I don't like being tricked, General."
"Tyrian!"
Salem's attention was drawn back to her minions by the sound of Emerald's scream. What she was was a grey blot, the same grey plague that had taken Oscar, starting to spread across Tyrian's body. When he realized what was happening to him, he dropped the Relic and started panicking. His arm fell away, turned to grey sludge on the ground that moved, almost as though on its own, to join with the sludge that had been Oscar. With his remaining arm, Tyrian reached out to Salem for help, but then he collapsed into a pool, splashing around the small golden cube. All the grey matter began to slowly soak into the Relic, the Voice of Confusion, as it drank its victims.
Salem whirled on Ironwood. "What have you done?" She held up a hand, intending to grab and strangle him, but stopped when she saw her fingers turning grey. "You... you..." Her anger turned toward Oscar. "That cursed brat!" Her fingers started falling off, the little grey droplets running along the ground to join the rest of the mass as it made its way to the Voice. "No! I can't! I can't be killed like this! I'm..." She stumbled, parts of her falling away in soft grey clumps and rolling into the grey mass. "My power... My beautiful wickedness..." Hyperventilating, panic-stricken, she reached up with what was left of her hands to try in vain to hold her face together. "I'm... I'm melting!"
"But you're not dying." She managed to pry her hands away just enough to stare in shock at General Ironwood as he stood over her. "You will be alive for eternity, trapped as a formless mass, inside the Voice of Confusion. You will feel all of it, be aware of all of it, and you will never be freed." Then she fell back, all of her melting away and joining the mass as it drained into the Voice. Within a minute, it was all gone. Salem, Ozpin, and Tyrian on top of it all. There was silence.
Emerald dropped to her knees. Beside her, Neo slowly backed away from the scene. Watts stood stalk still, his eyes locked onto the Voice. Hazel took a step away and sat down. Taking a deep breath, Jinn stepped forward, holding out the Lamp, extended into an axe, and pointing at their defeated enemies. She didn't expect any fight from at least Emerald and Hazel at this point. Neo might try to run, and Watts was still a wildcard.
Ironwood stepped around the Voice, pointing his pistol at Watts. "Get down on your knees, with your hands on your head." When Watts slowly, carefully, did as he was told, Ironwood turned his gun towards Neo. "You too." Neo's eyes were white with fear. She nodded, getting down on the ground. Emerald still hadn't moved since dropping to her knees, probably some kind of traumatized that Ironwood didn't want to deal with at the moment, so he went to Hazel. "I trust you won't be so much of a problem since Oz is gone now."
Hazel let out his breath, then nodded. He put his hands on his head. "I won't resist."
"Good. I've lost several friends today. I'm done with death for now."
"Sir?" Jinn was concerned.
Ironwood turned back to face her. "What is i-" His voice caught in his throat. The Voice was pulsating. He pointed his gun at it instinctively. He had no way of knowing if shooting it would do anything. It would probably just eat the bullet. Backing away, he waved his gun at Hazel. "Get back." He shouted to Jinn. "Get back!" Watts and Neo got up and backed away as well. Ironwood had to stop and grab Emerald's arm to haul her away. He could hear the Grimm shark take off, either simply leaving because it was no longer under Salem's control or fleeing because it understood what the Voice was capable of like the rest of them did.
The Voice began to spit up grey matter. The sludge poured out from the top and sides of the oscillating cube, pooling around it before coalescing on one side. It started to take form. First a grey mass, a blob, then an arm reached out from it and fell onto the ground, turning back into mush. Ironwood aimed his weapon, no longer at the Voice, but now at the growing grey mass. He could see Winter in the distance, running to meet them. Another arm reached out of the mass, this time hitting the ground and staying intact. The Voice finished its work and became once again inert, and the grey mass continued to mold itself. A figure, fully formed, began to emerge, stumbling and falling apart, then coming back together. There was a head now, and legs. The figure collapsed again, but held together in the shape of a person just as Winter reached them, skidding to a halt next to Jinn, Staff in one hand and sword in the other.
"What the hell is this?"
"It came out of the Voice." Jinn answered Winter quickly, holding a hand out to motion for Winter to move back.
The form managed to push itself onto its hands and knees, continuing to take shape, and Ironwood could see more features forming. It definitely wasn't Oscar or Tyrian, judging by the feminine figure. Ironwood knew it could spit someone back up, and if it wasn't one of those two, then that only left Salem. He took aim, for what good it would do, and watched as the grey finally started to change color, turning white.
But it wasn't white, not like Salem. It was pale skin. First the hands, then the arms. Then, inch by inch, the legs and shoulders changed to a Human color, then the whole body. They watched, dumbfounded, as it finished, and long hair fell around the naked body before them. Red hair. Her arms gave out, and she fell onto the ground, breathing in gasps in the cold Atlas air.
Ironwood motioned to Winter. "Check her." It wasn't Salem. Winter handed the Staff to Jinn and slowly approached, keeping her eyes on the new arrival while glancing over to the Voice for any more signs of action. Ironwood couldn't rely on what his mind was telling him. He wasn't sure, and there were most likely other possibilities, but he could only think of one person this could be. He hadn't exactly seen her naked like this, but he was pretty sure this person was the same size, shape, and everything else as...
Winter rolled the Voice's product onto her side, facing Winter so as not to reveal more intimate parts to all the men present. She dropped her sword. "It's... Pyrrha."