I am crossposting this story from other sites, but I suggest hopping on Questionable Questing if you would like to see some character portraits. Or join me on Discord, server code is vN7sTYhEp6
I will be posting four chapters daily on this site until it catches up with other sites.
Evening of the same day (July 4th), hundreds of miles to the southwest;
The Infinite Man,
“—need to accept their offer, Ozpin! We’re lucky we managed to get an early warning of the invasion and managed to evacuate most of the vulnerable towns and vilges along the Grimm’s route, but there are still vital settlements that can be attacked! Who knows how long they will st? We need to accept Ats’ proposal and–”
“I assure you, councilman, that will not be necessary. We have already fully mobilized Vale’s army and I have teams of Huntsmen in strategic locations ready to take down the Grimm where they appear. Most of the vulnerable settlements have plenty of retired Huntsmen and the occasional Adventurer residing there. Not to mention their own militia force, which thanks to the current impasse on that gun control legistion that has been on filibuster for sixteen years now, has allowed them to retain their modern armament to fight off the Grimm.”
Several members of the Vale council bristled at that, “It is a matter of national security that we limit the avaibility of guns and other arms in Vale. Criminal elements have turned some parts of the city into a war zone a few years ago! Surely, the average citizen does not need to own a pistol, let alone an assault rifle?”
“In a world where the Grimm are an ever present threat, how would you recommend the people defend themselves if you restrict their access to vital armaments?”
“They would report their concerns to the police force, and if it's an outside settlement, then they should employ the Vale military!”
“The police that has recently been defunded? Did you forget, councilman, that in the st census eight years ago, the city of Vale had a popution of fifty-eight million? Yet, the police force only numbered a measly eighty-thousand? Well below the recommended one-hundred and fifty thousand that the chief of police has asked for? Add to that the recent legistion that defunded the police even further, and how do you expect them to protect the citizens when they could barely protect and arm themselves?”
Ozpin easily and acutely shot down the councilman’s compints, but knowing that someone like that would argue for the sake of arguing, he decided to move on before he recovers.
“As was shown in the report our generals have sent us, all the settlements in danger of attack have all been contacted and mobilized. They have agreed to coordinate with our forces in repelling the Grimm and pced themselves under my authority.”
“But we don’t have an air force, Ozpin! Ats could easily spare us a squadron or two. We could carpet bomb hordes of them with their help.” Another councilman compined.
Ozpin took a moment to sip his hot cocoa before he returned his gaze to the screen, “And whose fault was it that disregarded the need for our own air force?” Several of the councilmen and women shifted uncomfortably at that. “Even then, that would not have been a problem as we do have our glorious armada….which the council had insisted to fully muster and had Fleet Admiral Arc take it to the Narrow Sea.” Ozpin’s voice was cool and measured. If someone accused him that he enjoyed seeing the Vale council shift in their seats like children getting scolded, he would tell them that, yes, he did enjoy that a lot.
One councilwoman finally mustered her courage to retort, “You know as well as we do, Ozpin, that was a necessary measure. Our shipping nes from the southern cities of Vacuo and Mistral were getting raided. Commodity prices were skyrocketing, and the people demanded action. We had to be seen doing something!”
Ozpin smiled slightly at the petunt woman. He took another sip only to find his mug empty and frowned. He muttered an excuse me, much to the council’s chagrin, as he simply walked to his cocoa station, yes he had an entire part of his office dedicated solely to his precious cocoa, and poured himself another mug. Glynda looked on disapprovingly, but let it go as he returned back to his seat and audibly enjoyed another sip of hot cocoa.
The Vale council, which numbered in the hundreds, were nearly all in attendance in the former Royal Pace of the King of Vale. His former pace. In fact, they still retained the curtains and dressings he chose when he first built the pce. Yet, Ozpin, as well as the military’s commanders on the frontlines, were present online. They all had to patiently wait until the Headmaster of Beacon finished sipping his drink before he spoke.
“You are of course correct, councilwoman. The audacity of those pirates to attack our convoys, they surely had to answer for their crimes. However, was it truly necessary to send the Admiral with basically the entire fleet when he himself stated he only needed a fifth of it?”
More uncomfortable silence, “we had to make a show of force to instill the fear of Vale onto those pirates. It's bad enough that some of our coastal cities on the Narrow Sea have gone rogue, refusing to pay their taxes and creating their own league. The rest aren’t any better as they don’t seem to bother clearing those pirates themselves, we had to show them that Vale is mighty and not to be underestimated.”
“And yet, you are so willing to go to Ats and beg them for aid. How do you think we would be looked upon if under the first significant danger we face, we run to our neighbors for aid? All of Remnant is watching us right now, councilman. Probably in high definition with popcorn and soda, thanks to the media exposure. How do you think our cities would react if they feel that Vale cannot guarantee their safety? Ats has always coveted Vytal, and they already have a foothold there. All it takes, is for Ats to offer safety and security as well as reduced tariffs, especially on Dust, and Vale could lose a dozen cities before the year ends.”
A lot of murmuring could be heard from the council as plenty of the members agreed with the headmaster, but there were still more reluctance. Ozpin understood them to an extent. Ats offered them aid for seemingly no gain, purely out of the goodness of their hearts to fight the good fight against the evil hordes of Grimm, and Vale already had a close retionship with Ats, so why not? Ozpin knew better, though. Just as Vale had its council, Ats too, had its own council. Unlike Vale’s diverse council that represented the poorest and the richest regardless of its many fws, Ats’ was only reserved for the nobility and the powerful corporations, which usually went hand in hand. Those vultures would take any chance to maximize their profits and influence. Schnee, Ats the origin, Chrono-tech, Hyperion, even Strega and their comfy slippers… Give them an inch now, and they will demand a mile tomorrow.
If only they were as straightforward as James…
Regardless, this meeting had gone on long enough. “It’s too te now to recall our Armada. By the time they sail all the way here, the conflict would well be over. Do not let fear and worry consume you, for that is how the Grimm win. Trust in your soldiers and your Huntsmen, trust in your fellow Valemen, and if that is not enough, then trust in me. Rest assured that if the situation looks dire, I shall take to the field myself.”
This time, a vast majority of the council looked relieved. Ozpin took another sip of cacao, “If that would be all, I believe that our generals and I shall be needed soon. Best of luck to our brave men and women on the frontlines.” A few more pleasantries and courtesies were observed before Ozpin conversed with the generals on reports and pns. Once the meeting was called to a close and Ozpin turned off the monitor, he muted all incoming calls that were not from the military. He turned to face his two closest friends and advisors.
“That went better than expected.”
“True, but did you really have to make them feel so—”
“Stupid?”
“I was going to say uninformed.” Glynda adjusted her gsses as she threw a look at the man who interrupted her. The man lounged on a comfy recliner as he drank from his hip fsk and simply gave her a wink, his red eyes gleaming with mischief.
“So, Oz. Any updates on Amber?”
“None, I’m afraid. She is stable, at least thanks to James’ quick action. I owe him for his help in delivering the life support so quickly, but it complicates matters when a few days ter, the Ats council offered their aid so publicly. Regardless, Amber isn’t recovering her powers.” Ozpin replied sadly. He could feel the anguish from the Maiden even as he stood here, that extremely faint connection that he still had with their powers transferred some of her pain and suffering. Probably due to their close proximity, for he never noticed that connection before. He could not shut it off, and he would not even if he could. It was his fault that Amber had gotten this way, the least he could do was to share her pain.
‘And what is one more, to the thousands or even millions he had failed?’
He shook his head to clear the sudden mencholy, “It is a shame we were unable to track down Amber’s attackers due to the invasion, but at least we have confirmed that the invasion was her doing.”
“It would be a safe conjecture to rationalize the invasion as a massive distraction for us while the attack happened. It wasn’t a coincidence that the first sign of the invasion appeared at the same time as the attack.”
“Correct, Glynda. Yet, we still need to know who the attackers were. While Amber didn’t like fighting, she was still a Maiden and proficient enough in combat. Taking her on in a fight would be a challenge even for me. Defeating her then somehow stealing her powers? We will have to assume that we have a rogue Maiden gallivanting around somewhere. Assuming through conjecture alone, could prove fatal. Nevertheless, assume is what we shall do, until further evidence surfaces.”
Ozpin turned to his most reliable agent, “Qrow, I know I’ve been running you ragged these past ten days, and you have just returned. I’m sorry, but it might be longer before you could get that break you deservedly requested.”
Qrow waved away the apology, “Don’t worry about it. I’m sure my nieces can wait a few more weeks. First though, how’s the situation in the east? Did we send anyone to Celdic? I know the Admiral requested we work with his Adventurers in return for mobilizing the fleet. Two Adventurers can’t be enough to cover all that area. I hate breaking off a contract, especially one that I specifically volunteered for.”
Glynda sighed, “I had wondered why you were so gun-ho about going there. I hadn’t realized until Valestein contacted us earlier, and she let slip how much she enjoyed the Rye Beer there.”
The older man grinned, “Oh shucks. You found me out.” He sat a bit straighter then, “Valestein, you say? That name rings a bell.” He frowned then, “Reminds me of Jimmy for some reason.”
“That’s because she was James’ protégé, until a specific incident forced her to resign from the Ats Academy. She was almost ready to graduate as well, a shame. She plies her trade in the Adventurer’s Guild now.” Ozpin sipped on his drink only to find it empty again. Naturally, he went for a refill.
A bark of ughter sounded behind him, “Ah, I remember her now. Followed Ironwood like a lost puppy. Jimmy was so damn proud of her too. Top of her css, very talented Dust User. Good attitude all around. I almost thought they were hooking up, but Jimmy’s more tin than human.” Qrow took a sip from his fsk, “Her partner was the one who got her in that mess, right?”
“Correct. Regardless, we are digressing. The repair crew in Celdic have finished their assignment earlier today. The head engineer contacted us with Valestein about an altercation with Captain Montgomery of Celdic’s garrison, but it appears they managed to reach a compromise. With the absence of an active guild branch in Vale, Valestien has decred that as you are the highest authority on matters such as this, that you now bear the responsibility of reports and debriefs, Ozpin.”
Qrow ughed again at Glynda’s words, while Ozpin sighed. ‘Great, more work.’
“Fine, what does she report? Short of going there ourselves, we really have nothing but a skeleton crew here in Beacon at the moment.”
Glynda adjusted her gsses as she pulled out her Scroll and checked her notes, “She and her partner have agreed to carry on the contract but have recruited another adventurer who happened to be in town. You would be surprised who it was, Ozpin, for he was a high priority on your list. It was none other than–”
Ring*Ring*Ring*Ring
All the occupants in the room stiffened at the sound. They turned to one of the office’s Scroll Terminals that had emitted that ringing noise. It wasn’t strange to get calls through it, but what was strange was that Ozpin had muted all calls earlier and the caller ID was certainly not the military.
Ozpin hesitantly accepted the call, and a bespectacled brown-haired middle-aged man appeared on the screen. He could see daylight coming out of an open window in the background and the room he was in had Vacuoan style furniture and dressings. To say Ozpin was surprised to get a call from him would be an understatement.
“Mr Lichter. A pleasant surprise to receive a call from you. Could you have not gone through the normal channels?”
The man gave a sardonic smile, “What do you think I’ve been trying to do for the past two hours? It’s been a while Ozpin, Glynda. And is that Branwen in the back?” Qrow gave a careless wave, “Anyway, I apologize for hacking your systems. But you were busy with that council meeting, then you turned off communications. Took me a few minutes to get in, you might want to buff up your security by the way.”
Glynda scowled at the audacity of the man, but before she could retort, Ozpin raised a hand. “I apologize for leaving you hanging then, Lucas. I assure you I was not aware of you calling. May I know the reason for your call, however? We do have a war to fight, and while a pleasure, I’m sure you haven’t called us to show off your interesting hacking skills.”
Lucas Lichter grinned, “Well, let’s just say I have a business proposition for you. In my capacity as a Hyperion executive, of course, as well as the consort to the Arc matriarch. Something that would greatly affect Vale as a whole, nay the whole world!”
Ozpin stared at the man on the screen. He did not know Lucas Lichter very well, but he knew that he was a recluse who usually left all matters of business to his brother and any political shenanigans to his wife or father-in-w. He was a scientist first, a huntsman second and everything else a distant third. For him to cim to have such a proposition? Not to mention the invoking of both the Hyperion and Arc names…
“You had my interest, and now you have my attention.”
18:00 hours, July 4th. The Quarry.
The Dutiful Man,
“We are in position. Awaiting attack call. Over.”
“Roger that. Standby for Sylphid. Over.”
“10-4. Out.”
Lieutenant Brocket pced down the radio and stifled a sigh. He’s been doing that a lot tely, but it would not do to have the men see him like this. They were already disgruntled as it was, and there was only so much he could do for men who were technically not under his command. Not for the first time, he cursed Herbert Montgomery and his band of sycophants.
They had set up a base camp and triage a mile outside the quarry proper, with the few noncombatants as well as the trucks ready to take in the injured. He gave them three of his Dragoons and a dozen men to guard them, and ordered them to start constructing fortifications for when they inevitably have to camp overnight. They only had two hours of daylight left, and an extra hour of twilight before complete darkness sets in. In this small timeframe, they needed to destroy an entire horde of Grimm. Once again, he cursed his superior officer, for the deys. He was forced to send nearly half his Dragoons with twenty of the most injured or exhausted soldiers of the garrison protecting the tower as escorts for the engineers back to Celdic. At least they had their own trucks, so they won’t take as long as they did.
Perhaps he wasn’t very fair to Montgomery, as while he was incompetent, he does have his heart in the right pce. The st time he was here, the quarry was clear of Grimm aside from the local Deathstalkers. Now, his scouts tell him there was an army of the abominations just sitting there. Waiting. For what, he does not know, but he shall not wait for them to rampage in his nds.
He sighed inwardly as he gazed upon the entrance to the Quarry. The pce itself was huge, and even from here he could see one of the rge excavators that was abandoned who knows how many decades ago once Vale had finished building their massive walls and abandoned the site. The entrance to the quarry formed a sloped gorge that acted as a funnel that opened up to thousands of acres of rocky terrain, split into four equally rge quadrants connected to each other by more gorges.
They had decided to turn the main gorge into a veritable death trap, with their two APC on the fnks with mounted grenade unchers ready to rain literal fire on the Grimm. Barricades were strategically pced to stall the charging Grimm, while the men set up machine gun nests, turning the pce into a kill zone. Behind them, the mortars were set up at the ready and aimed as far away from the troops as possible, equipped with votile Fire Dust munitions combined with white phosphorus that would surely melt whatever it hits. Finally, the two field cannons were pced on the high ground they were on where they could have a clear view of their targets. They will only be used in the case of a massive Grimm like a Goliath was seen approaching, but he doubted they would be very useful with their limited ammo.
Donovan’s gaze turned towards the scowling Guard Captain. The fool had wanted them to pce their troops inside the quarry and systematically clear the quadrants from the Grimm. Disregarding the fact they did not have the men nor the time for such an endeavor, this could only be done with veteran Huntsmen teams who could rely on their versatility and lethality to be constantly on the move. Their army, was not built for that. The moment they attacked one quadrant, the rest of the Grimm would converge on them and it would be a sughter.
Thankfully, Montgomery was able to see reason and agreed to his defensive pn instead. He also managed to leverage the fact that he had sent many of his Dragoons to escort the repair crew, instead of the garrison’s own troops, to take command of the men during the battle. It helped that the men simply trusted him more than their own officers, but who knows what may happen once battle commences.
He turned towards the Adventurers who had joined them in this mission. Donovan would easily confess that things would have been a lot harder without them, despite their young age, they had proven to be both competent and efficient. Valestein and Arc stood still staring at the entrance to the quarry with barely hidden concern on their faces as they awaited their third member who had proven crucial for their pn to lure the Grimm here to work.
And wasn’t that a surprise on its own that the venerable Admiral’s heir happened to be in the area and agreed to help them. He hadn’t seen much from him, but his men reported that he was a reliable crackshot if nothing else. Valestein did vouch for his abilities, so he hoped that would be enough to make a difference.
Donovan pulled out his old pocket watch out of habit and gazed at his deceased wife’s picture with their daughter Elizabeth. She’s been in a retionship with one of his Dragoons for a while now. He looked at Rory who sat attentively on horseback with the rest of the Dragoons who would act as reserve. The young man had already asked his permission to court his daughter long ago, and Donovan gave his blessings. Time would tell when they both would finally decide to marry.
Suddenly, he could hear multiple roars coming from the quarry. He pocketed his watch and pulled out his binocurs to focus on the lone rider galloping towards them while the literal hounds of hell chased her. Beowulfs, Boarbatusks and other pack-type Grimm chased her, but Brocket could see further in the back the more dangerous of Grimm in hot pursuit. Ursas, Deathstalkers and even a few Goliaths among others.
The Lieutenant grabbed his radio, “Steady, men. Wait for Sylphid to get behind the lines then open fire. Base, be advised we are preparing for combat. Stay vigint.”
“Yes, Sir!”
It pained him to rely on a young girl, basically a child, for such a dangerous assignment, especially one that was integral to their pn. Valestein had expined to him that Sylphid was a survivor of a Grimm Bait incident, so she would know exactly how to drag the Grimm towards her. Not to mention, the girl herself had volunteered even against her partner’s wishes.
He could see that the girl’s normally impassive face was twisted into a furious scowl as she allowed her repressed emotions to skyrocket, essentially acting as a beacon for the hordes of Grimm chasing her. She would occasionally throw a grenade at a cluster of Grimm that would detonate to devastating effect. Finally, she approached the halfway point of the mortars’ effective range,
at which point he gave the order for the mortars to fire.
The cacophony of FDR munitions striking the Grimm horde was glorious to witness, as the Grimm’s cries of pain were like music to his ears. It was a risk to use the mortars like this, but it was worth it considering the gorge created a wind tunnel into the quarry, so there was no risk of the fire spreading back to them. Sylphid didn’t even blink at the destruction behind her as she urged her horse to gallop behind their lines, his men making way for her, before she dismounted and rejoined her team. Brocket could see Arc grabbing her and checking her for injuries, but he had more important things to focus on.
“What are you men waiting for? Don’t wait for the smoke to clear, open fire, damn you!”
.
.
.
They had been shooting and fighting for an hour now. The machine gunners had fired in bursts to conserve ammo and not let their guns overheat. The mortars, however, had long exhausted their munitions, and were already packed and on their way back to base. The ACPs had taken over the shelling with their grenade unchers, but he had ordered them to husband their rounds. The Lieutenant had yet to use the cannons, much to the Captain’s chagrin, opting to keep them for emergencies. They only had so many shells for them, after all. The gorge had become a smokey hell from the constant machine gun fire and explosive munitions. He could still see the fires from the mortars raging on in some pces in the distance, forcing the Grimm to funnel themselves even more into a narrow line. His men had done well, so far, but they had only been killing fodder, and he wagered they had wasted a third of their ammunition, yet the more dangerous Grimm had yet to appear.
After another minute of shooting and not hearing any returning screams, Brocket signaled for the men to cease fire. The men immediately used this opportunity to cool down their guns and take a water break.
“Why did we stop firing, Lieutenant?”
Brocket turned towards the speaker, “Do you see any targets, Captain?”
“No, which is why we should advance and finish them off! They are weakened and disarrayed, even the Grimm would falter at such a barrage of constant fire.”
“I will not have my men attack blindly when we have the high ground and the defensive perimeter we established. I will not abandon this advantage unless we have no choice. Not to mention, we need to conserve as much ammo as possible. We will need to camp for the night and might need the extra ammunition on the way back to Celdic.”
“Your men?! Need I remind you, Lieutenant, that these are my men and that I have only agreed to give you the honor of command simply as a favor for your help with that grease monkey!”
Donovan sighed audibly, knowing yet another tirade of the captain’s was approaching. He looked for a quick distraction, “Valestein! Over here.”
That shut the captain up for a bit. The Adventurers had not done much during the attack, and neither did his Dragoons for that matter. Yet, they were integral in taking down the occasional Grimm that made it through the kill zone and stopped them before they would wreak havoc on the men. They were understandably bored, but he needed to get the soldiers blooded and busy, while saving the heavy hitters for the bigger targets. She approached him quickly, “What is it?”
“How’s Sylphid? Is she combat ready?”
The A-Rank Adventurer smiled, “Ready and bored according to her. Good thing Jaune brought her out of her funk with ice cream.”
“Good.” Donovan replied loudly, talking over whatever the captain was about to comment. He did not have the patience to entertain him now, especially as the smoke had started to clear from the gorge, and he could see the rge forms of Grimm staying just out of range. He gave her his binocurs, “What do you see and what do you suggest?”
Valestein took a moment as she observed the distant Grimm, while he took this chance to visually check on his men. They appeared to be a bit tired, but there was a good cheer to them for what appeared to be a job well done. It shall remain to be seen if they will maintain their cheer once they see the behemoths waiting for them.
Sara clucked her tongue, “Well, the good news is they are not blindly charging, giving us a chance to rest and recover. The bad news is, they are not blindly charging, meaning these are the old and experienced Grimm.” She handed back his binocurs and frowned as she looked at the sky before checking her scroll, “we have at most two more hours of daylight before it gets too dark to properly fight. Dusk is in an hour, I would rather we would be done and in bed by then. I’m sure plenty of the men would agree as well, considering half of them had to walk all the way here from Celdic.”
At that, she looked pointedly at the captain, who bristled. “Is there something you would like to say, Adventurer?” Montgomery’s loud voice attracted some attention from the men, and Brocket could see his Dragoons looking at him, but he waved them away. The same could not be said for the captain’s officers who approached and stood behind him. He had to stifle a chuckle as if it wasn’t for their uniform, they would look like alley thugs backing up each other.
Donovan interrupted whatever Sara was going to say, “Agreed, Valestein. Which is why I would like you to take your partners and move ahead. Aside from the cannons, we have no effective method of bringing down a Goliath aside from emptying all of our ammunition and hoping it falls before it reaches us. It is now time for you to shine, and I am sure the men could learn a thing or two about how Huntsmen and Adventurers operate.”
Valestein had an excited gleam in her eyes, but Montgomery looked baffled, “Do you honestly expect me to believe that this woman and her little pet could bring down those monstrosities?” He had produced his own binocurs and could now see the massive Grimm in the distance, cautiously avoiding the remaining fire from their barrage. The captain didn’t look that confident anymore.
“Of course we could.” Came a voice behind Valestein, and Brocket could see the young Arc approaching with Sylphid by his side. “We are Adventurers. The progenitors of the Huntsmen system. We’ve been hunting those monstrosities you see since before Dust was even used. We might not be as prevalent as Huntsmen, but do not for one moment think that we are any lesser.” The young man finally stood in front of Montgomery, and it was only now that the Lieutenant noticed that Jaune Arc was a tall man, easily towering over the captain, with a presence about him of assured confidence with a hint of subdued arrogance.
Herbert Montgomery unconsciously took a step back before he gathered himself. “Now, listen here you! I do not care who your grandfather is, I will not allow—”
“Allow? I am not yours to command, Captain. Also…” Montgomery visibly shuddered as he looked up at the young man only to freeze at the chilling look of his eyes. Even Brocket, who wasn’t the target of the gre, felt its effects. It felt like the man was looking directly at poor Herbert’s soul and found him…cking. “I would appreciate it if you would not insult Fie. She is very dear to me, and I find it unbecoming that you would undermine her contribution to this mission. I’m sure we will not need to have this conversation again, yeah?”
Donovan had to give it to the d, he had balls. He highly doubted that Herbert would–
“O-o-of-f c-c-course. I wouldn’t even d-dream of it. I meant to say, that surely even you would have trouble taking on those giant monsters?” The guard captain nodded his head rapidly like a clucking chicken and to Donovan Brocket, this was nothing short of a miracle. This had to be some sort of Aura technique, and he had to learn it.
Jaune Arc nodded his head, “Have you ever seen a Huntsman in action, Captain? I mean against Grimm of that size, not the fodder we’ve been mowing down for the past hour?” At the Captain’s hesitant shake of his head, the young Arc smiled genially, “Well, there is always a first time for everything.”
Arc turned to Valestein, who had an exasperated smile on her face as she turned to him, “Well, Lieutenant. We have received your orders and shall bid you adieu. Let’s go you two, we’re burning daylight.”
All three adventurers sprinted off towards the quarry’s entrance, not even bothering to take their steeds. It didn’t take a minute before they were witnessing a scene of carnage as the Grimm saw their challengers and charged at them. The three adventurers systematically demolished their giant adversaries like they were born to do it. Which frankly, they probably were, as he saw the young Arc grab a Deathstalker’s tail and smash an Ursa with the giant scorpion. How the heck was he that strong?
Unfortuneatley, they didn’t get to enjoy the show as much as they hoped as one of his Dragoons approached him with radio in hand.
“Sir! The base is under attack by Grimm.”
Donovan Brocket sighed, he must have jinxed himself. “Duncan, Rory. To me. Captain, I trust that the Adventurers have the Grimm at hand, but just in case, keep the men at the ready in case a stray one breaks through. And keep an eye on the skies, there is a suspicious ck of avian Grimm today.”
Montgomery had seemingly recovered from whatever spell Arc had put him on, “You don’t need to order me around, Lieutenant. Take what men you need and make sure our base remains intact. I will handle it from here.”
Donovan gave the captain a look before he nodded and got on his horse and turned to Duncan. “Load the ACPs with six men each. Have them follow us as swiftly as they can.” He didn’t wait for the other Dragoon to reply, trusting him to do his job before he galloped off with the rest of the Dragoons.
Ozpin is one of the most complicated characters in the series. The show writers, for some reason, want us to believe he is secretly evil or some shit. All I see, is a tired old man who single-handedly protected mankind from an insane immortal witch and gets shit from entitled brats for it. If he had to dirty his hands occasionally to do it, who the fuck are we to judge him for it? This is like the whole Dumbledore is evil narrative again.
I hope I did him justice, as I find him to be a compassionate yet eccentric man.
Poor Donovan. This is my attempt at a mix of the competent soldier vs the hedonistic one. It’s not that Montgomery is evil or anything, he’s simply incompetent and got too used to cruising through ranks from the decades of peaces that Vale enjoyed. Basically, what happens when a child is never told no and grows up firmly believing that he is always right. Unfortunately, I see many people like that tely. The whole “good times breeding weak men who in turn create bad times only for strong men to take over, thus creating good times” narrative is also at py here.
