RWBY: Beacon

Day Nine

I had originally planned to leave Remnant the day after our operation. I probably could have left the same day, but we hadn’t been certain how long things would take and Kent would need time to prepare the ritual to heal Amber once we had acquired the thief.

Unfortunately that had proven to be a slightly over-optimistic goal. More specifically, our newly captured foes had proven to be far more interesting than I had initially suspected. Proper interrogation took time and there were a number of things that I and Ozpin both wanted to know. There were also a number of other things I still wanted to do before leaving and those too took time.

Thus it was only now, on the evening of the second day since we had captured the trio I now knew as Cinder, Mercury, and Emerald, that I was finally ready to head…back. I had considered staying a little longer, perhaps for an extra day or two, but, well, I missed Zatanna. I missed sleeping in my own bed under the comforting weight of my own wards. I missed just curling up with a book and a cup of tea with nothing urgent pressing on me. Two weeks at the Conservatory and then more than a week here almost immediately after had given me little to no time to rest, recuperate, and internalize all the lessons I’d learned.

Plus, I was worried about Zatanna, and I didn’t want her to worry about me. This was the longest we’d been apart since we’d met and she’d been all alone surrounded by muggles most days since I’d left. Just thinking about it made me want to shudder in disgust. At least they were mostly female muggles, so no one was likely to get any ideas above their station. The mere thought of a filthy muggle pawing at her like an animal made me grind my teeth together. At least the people here had some sort of magic, even if they mostly just used it to hit things harder, faster, and more accurately.

At least I hadn’t wasted the extra days I’d spent here beyond those that I had initially planned. In fact, they had been extremely productive and profitable. I had gained five new Blueprints that varied from useful to potentially priceless. Ozpin had provided me with two new texts on his magic that he’d written and another ancient tome from a cache he’d hidden centuries ago.

I’d also collected a sizable quantity of other interesting objects, novelties, and reading materials, such as several mechashift weapons, a chest full of Dust––an odd, potentially magical material that the locals used to make their weapons and power their technology––cuttings from some of Professor Peach’s exotic flora, a dozen more books on aura, several others on discovering and training your semblance, and a small collection of history and fiction just to round things out.

It had gotten to the point that I’d had to start stuffing things into the expanded pockets I’d added to some of my clothing. I was no master enchanter and my expanded bag could only hold so much before things started to get mixed up. The terrariums in particular were really taking up a lot of space, but they were sorely needed to prevent pollen and dangerous spores from spreading onto my other possessions.

I had already wished farewell to most of the people I’d cared to speak with, as had Zatanna and Kent. I had considered leaving one or both of them here, but had ultimately decided to avoid doing so for now. I had only a very loose understanding of what would happen to them without my presence, and how their blueprints would be affected by them existing on a different plane from me.

My intuition––and the fact that I could feel that I could only currently create three Inferi from pure mana––told me that I would be unable to summon either of them while versions of them existed here on Remnant. Or well, I would not be able to summon them freely at least. I could feel a sort of connection to that one Inferius I’d left in Slaughter Swamp, one that I was confident I could cut off even when on an entirely separate plane. It would take time and effort, but if I really needed a fourth Inferi and didn’t have any magical corpses on hand, I could dispel that one remotely and free up that ‘slot’ within the Blueprint.

At some point in the future, I would need to test things out. However, I wasn’t willing to risk either of these two Blueprints on something like that. Perhaps I’d try it with Mercury or some other less useful Legendary summon. See how long he lasted on a different plane, if there were any issues with dispelling him from a distance, and so on.

Now however was not the time for that. I took a deep breath and smiled at Ozpin. There were six of us in his office, myself, Kent, Zatanna, Ozpin, Glynda, and Raven. “I do believe it's about time for me to head out. It's been a pleasure. I will return, but it may be some time until I am able to do so.” Or maybe I wouldn’t. There were still a number of points of interest on this Plane––Grimm and huntsman whose Blueprints I wanted to collect, magic I wanted to learn, and information about the Brother––but there were also countless other Planes filled with secrets, treasures, and knowledge of their own out there for me to claim.

Ozpin and I shook hands. “You’ve done us a great service, Hydrys, one we will not forget. No matter where life takes you, you will always have a place here among us.”

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

I smiled. If he’d said that a few days ago, I would have considered it a flattering lie. Sure I’d strengthen several huntsmen and enchanted a few baubles, but in exchange I’d received priceless knowledge and treasure. Now though? After everything we’d uncovered during Cinder, Emerald, and Mercury’s interrogations? I had absolutely earned every book, Blueprint, and minute of training that I’d received.

The trio hadn’t just been thieves, but prospective terrorists on a scale that was genuinely impressive. They had been in the process of hatching a plan to destroy all of Vale, one that, judging by the ashen looks on the faces of Ozpin and his huntsmen, had had a fair chance of succeeding.

Furthermore, Cinder––under the effects of my Imperius curse––had been an absolute font of information on Salem, Ozpin’s immortal adversary, and her current operations. Apparently one of Ozpin’s inner circle had been compromised by the woman, something that had left the man silently seething as he ran damage control.

Honestly, a lot of the questions and answers had flown over my head; I just didn’t know enough about the local history, infrastructure, and politics to understand many of the details. What I had found considerably more interesting was how Cinder had managed to steal half of Amber’s magic right out of her body.

It was a Grimm. A tiny, impossibly dangerous Grimm living like a parasite inside her arm. We’d extracted the thing from her body prior to Kent’s ritual, along with the glove-like layer of Grimm-white flesh lurking beneath Cinder’s skin, and I had managed to snag a Blueprint of it before Ozpin killed the disgusting thing.

The creature was both terrifying and fascinating in equal measures. Near as I could tell, it ate souls. Not quite like a Dementor did, but close enough to validate my initial thoughts when I’d examined Amber’s condition. On its own, the creature was fragile, slow, and easily killable by even a child. On a subdued or unsuspecting target however, it became a nightmare, slowly flaying the soul of its target using a web of tar-like black threads and either consuming it whole or feeding it into a nearby ally.

That was probably the most valuable Blueprint that I’d acquired over the past two days, but the others were pretty nice as well. Cinder, Emerald, and Mercury were all skilled and vicious combatants. It was up in the air how obedient they’d be as summons, but unlike many of my current Blueprints the trio was much less likely to balk at any unscrupulous orders I may give them.

Finally there was Amber. I’d collected her Blueprint and empowered her body earlier this afternoon, once she’d regained her soul and aura and was well on the way to a full recovery. I wasn’t sure if her injured state would have an effect on the copy of her I could produce, but I didn’t think it would. With both her and Raven, I had access to two of Ozpin’s four Maidens. It didn’t fully make up for not being able to create a duplicate of the man himself, but it was a start.

“Thank you, Ozpin. It was my pleasure. I’m glad I was able to help.”

Next it was Glynda’s turn. We shook hands as well and she smiled. “It was a pleasure to work with such a receptive student this week. If only all my first-years would be so hardworking. You saved a lot of lives, Hydrys. I wasn’t sure what to think when we first met, but now I know that it was a blessing.”

I turned to Raven. She nodded jerkily, her face hidden by her mask. “Safe travels, Hydrys.”

“And to you, Raven.”

I turned back to Ozpin. “I hope you managed to get everything you needed out of the trio. I’m not sure your magic is quite as well suited for interrogations as mine is.”

He smiled sharply, showing two rows of pearly white teeth. “I’m sure we’ll be able to manage. It's a shame that Miss Cinder expired so quickly, but I think we learned what we needed. If not…no one will miss either of our remaining prisoners.”

“Just make sure neither of them can get away. I’d rather Salem not learn any more about me than what that Lionheart guy has already told her. It would make coming back a lot more dangerous.”

Raven drew her sword an inch out of its sheath and a tiny portal appeared in the air showing first Emerald, then Mercury, their limp bodies hanging from the ceilings of their cells by thick chains. “They won’t.”

“That’s good enough for me.” Raven’s semblance was truly impressive. Hopefully I’d be able to get something from studying her copy’s version of it.

The room was quiet for several seconds. “You have it, yes?” Ozpin asked.

“I do.”

Ozpin settled down into his chair and spun around to look through the glass clock face behind him. He whispered something, his voice too quiet to hear even if I’d been standing directly beside him. Then he sighed heavily. “Safe travels, Hydrys.”

I closed my eyes and focused. Zatanna vanished first, her body dissolving into tiny motes of light that rushed into my body. Her Blueprint shifted slightly as new knowledge appeared within it. I wasn’t sure if I could access it directly, but I knew that the next time I summoned her she’d remembered what had happened here.

Kent vanished a moment later with another rush of sparkling lights and a tiny shift within my Spark. I reached for Slaughter Swamp and took a step forward into nothingness, leaving Remnant behind. The last thing I heard was a whisper from Ozpin and Glynda’s choked laughter. “At least he didn’t decide to wreck the moon on his way out…”