61 Chapter 61: Storm on the horizon

Professor Ozpin was many things, some good, some not so much. Having lived multiple lives, a feat that most could only dream of, he had been gifted with the opportunity to learn far beyond what anyone one man could truly comprehend. All while facing an immortal, unbeatable entry for centuries, strengthening his resolve.

Yet some days, he found his resolve wavering. The endless battle weighing heavily on his chest, dragging a single question up to the surface of his mind. One that while made literally hundreds of years ago, yet one that, at times like these, he couldn't help but ask anyway.

Why the fuck had he turned Salem down all those years ago?

"Price gouging?" He asked incredulously, rubbing his temples as he tried to keep his expression out of his voice. "What do you mean, price gouging?"

"I mean, ever since Howard shipping shut down, the other companies have been charging us twice the normal rate, sometimes higher, to ship us critical resources." Professor Theodore, headmaster of Shade academy, replied, his voice breaking up slightly from the poor survive in Vacuo. "Right now, we are being denied the resources we need to properly protect ourselves from the Grimm, let alone provide for the students. Unless something is done soon, I'm afraid we're going to have to start making serious cuts somewhere, and if I know the counsel, that's going to be our safety standard for students."

Ozpin bit back a sigh as he rested his hand over his eyes, rubbing the ever growing headache that came up whenever blatant human greed reared its ugly head, making his job infinitely harder.

Right now, he was in a meeting with the other four members of his inner circle who ran the huntsman schools (the three other headmasters and Goodwitch.) to discuss the current situation with not only the maidens, but also potential recruits for their organization. Unfortunately, that had been what brought up the topic of resources, something that the desert kingdom had always struggled with.

"Okay. We'll talk with the counselors later. Have someone officially look into it." Oz said tiredly, looking up over his hand. "In the meantime, Leonardo, how Spring's training? I hear she's proving to be a bit of a handful. That true?"

In response to his question, the timid Faunus wrung his hands nervously, eyes flicking from Ozpin to the other headmasters in the conference call.

"Umm, yes. She is proving a bit…difficult." He confessed, dabbing at his brow with a handkerchief nervously. "But, she's still very young. I'm sure once she's older, she'll be quick to make up for lost time and catch up to the others in no time. I hope."

"That's good to hear." Ironwood chimed in, ignoring the last, muttered statement, leaning back in his seat as he looked at his fellow headmaster. "Though are you sure that we can afford wait? From what I've heard, your criminal network has been monopolized by a single individual. And if they're working for Salem, then we will be in very big trouble."

At the accusation, Leonardo shifted uncomfortably in his seat, dabbing at his brow once again.

"Yes, well. We just launched a raid on a shipment leaving for Vale and didn't find any evidence to suggest they do, so I think we should be good on that front. I've even heard that Hazel has been trying to get in contact with the leader with little success. So it seems almost certain isn't involved in that." He said, still fidgeting in his seat. "However, I did find something that is…concerning."

"Something concerning?" Ozpin asked, sitting up straighter in his seat. "What is so concerning that's making you this nervous, Leonardo?"

Fidgeting in his seat even more, the headmaster pulled on his tie, losing it as he stood up, reaching for something off scene making half his body disappear for a few seconds.

"It'll probably be faster to show you than tell you." He said from off screen before returning, holding a large 950 JDJ rifle, his hands now covered in hazard protection gloves.

Confused, Oz exchanged a look with Glynda who was standing next to him, her face equally confused as to what the Faunus was doing and why he was acting like the gun might explode in his hands.

Carefully, Leonardo pulled on the bolt of the gun, moving at an incredibly slow pace as if he was afraid of something. Then, right as the bullet inside the chamber popped out, he all but dropped the gun, lunging forward to catch it before it hit the desk, letting out a breath as he grabbed it before it hit the floor.

"Here. This is what we found when we raided their ship." He said, leaning forward, holding the bullet up to the camera so the others could get a good look. And when they did, they saw what the Faunus was so concerned about.

While it looked on the outside to be a cartridge was in fact a small vial containing a clear liquid inside. One that was in a special plastic which was noticeably thick even though the camera. However, what was even stranger was that it had a label on it, simply reading AC in tiny letters etched onto the container. Marking it as something special to anyone who knew where to look.

"What is that?" Glynda asked, leaning in next to Ozpin, squinting at the vile as she held her glasses in place.

"What are they, is the actual question." Leonardo said, pulling back. "All these guns and munitions we thought were being shipped out of the kingdom were actually just these vials. Hundreds upon hundreds of them all disguised as bullets and each one marked to tell one chemical from the other."

Reaching off screen again, the Faunus pulled in a school grade chemistry set, taking the wooden stand and placing the vial into it, before leaning back and letting out a sigh, dabbing his forehead once again.

"That one contained a type of Acid, one that can burn through skin in seconds." He explained. "And I'm afraid the others aren't any better. Irritants, powdered dust, toxic gases, some kind of mixture that when exposed to chemicals, makes their effects airborne, as well as some things I'm not even sure what they do. And while all of these are somewhat dangerous on their own, overall they're mostly harmless as long as their handled with caution. But if you combine them, then unless I'm mistaken, they make a-."

"A chemical bomb. One capable of wiping out an army in seconds. One that, if used correctly, could take out an entire kingdom." Ironwood cut in, his brow darkening at the news. "And given the sudden amount of dust shipments to Mistral that have been being stolen over the past few months, I expect I know which weapon they're making."

Turning to face Ozpin, Ironwood's tone became deadly serious, his face becoming set and hard.

"This is the work of Orion Obsidian. The last of the pure blood Obsidian line. He used his family's expertise in extracting raw dust energy and turning it into a gas to develop a new type of chemical weapon. One that could be used to destroy anything or anyone in the blink of an eye. Something that if he had succeeded, would have changed the entire course of the war."

Ozpin nodded as the headmaster of Atlas gave his report. Everyone had heard of the Obsidians and their incredible talent with dust and that the last 'pure blood' member, the only one who didn't discard the name, had been working in close proximity with the royal family before their death. But they didn't know just how far Orion had gotten on his big project to turn the war into their favor.

"Orion? Are you sure?" Glynda asked, placing her hand on the desk and leaning forward towards the screen. "I thought he died years ago, not long before the royal family started to lose on every front. Are you saying he somehow survived?"

At this, Ironwood let out a breath, slightly rolling his eyes in a playful way.

"Glynda, have you ever known me to leave a job half done?" He asked with a smile. "Of course he's dead. Put two extra bullets between his eyes to make sure. No, what I suspect is that someone is picking up his mantle, trying to finish his work. He had gotten far enough that competent blueprints were seized from his home. And while I still hold those, he might have sent a copy to someone else, someone within the monarchy who survived the purge."

At this, Ozpin felt Glynda twitch, her hand tightening into a fist on the desk as she glared at the metal headmaster.

"Seized? James, please don't tell me you still have them." She half begged, her eyebrow twitching with repressed anger and a hint of disappointment. At the same time, her glasses turned white, blocking her eyes from view as she started to shake.

But despite the obvious signs, Ironwood either didn't notice, or simply didn't see what was wrong.

"Actually, I do." Her replied mildly, as if having blueprints to a chemical weapon was normal. "Don't worry, even while the war was still raging, I made sure to keep them safe, allowing only a select few even know about them. And even after I showed Arthur and Pietro, neither seemed that interested in trying their hand at finishing it, so we hadn't even begun the process of looking into a construction team. Meaning there's no way someone's using them without my knowledge. More importantly, I think we should discuss who it is that's trying to replicate them. After all, whoever's doing it isn't planning on keeping the peace. I personally suspect-."

"I'm sorry, did you just say more importantly?" Glynda interrupted, her voice tight with exasperation. "Please tell me that's a bad joke. Do you have the faintest idea what you're doing by keeping those prints intact? Chemical weapons are a line crossed as is. Even just thinking about making a weapon that unnecessarily cruel is something else entirely! Why in Remnant didn't you torch them the second you laid your hands on them?!"

Ironwood stared at Glynda through the screen, eyes wide in shock. Confusion clear on his face and in his voice as he answered the question.

"I would have thought the answer would be obvious." He said, looking at his fellow headmasters. "I kept them because they have the potential to turn the war against Salem in our favor. Just imagine, her troops, an entire horde of Grimm, gone in an instant. Completely eradicated by a single payload from an airship. With that, we could outmaneuver her on most any front! Why, if we mass produce them, think of how many huntsmen wouldn't have to-!"

"Oh for-! James! You can't be serious!" Glynda snapped, silencing the general as she slammed her hand down on the desk, glaring daggers at him. "Can you hear yourself right now?! This is the exact reason the Atlas counsel has problems supporting you! You are ridiculous! You think that the ends justify the means, but that's not how life works! Can't you understand that not every problem can be solved with brute force?! Why does everything single thing need to be a show of force! First the mess you made when you decided to destroy the stolen aura transference machine, and now this! Would it kill you to for once just stop what you're doing and try to coordinate with the rest of us before you go and make your big plans?! Because for all your good intentions, you've made things worse here than they were before!"

As the yelling came to an end, Ironwood sat in his seat staring at the furious woman. Completely taken aback by her outburst, and if Oz was being honest, he was as well.

Out of all his lieutenants, James always got along with Glynda the best as he always seemed to butt heads with Theodore, and Leonardo's lack of action bothered him to no end. He was a man of action, something that had earned him both Ozpin's and Glynda's respect. Though sometimes they both wished he could tune it down once in a while.

"I'm sorry, you lost me for a second there." Ironwood said, breaking Ozpin out of his thoughts. "I'm a bit confused on what you're talking about. The aura transference machine was-."

"I don't care if you think it's your responsibility! The fact of the matter is that you it wasn't within your kingdom, and therefore, not your jurisdiction!" Glynda snapped, cutting him off. "The fact is, because of your reckless actions, public opinion of Atlas has gone up in flames! When the news broke earlier tonight, there was a mob of angry protesters who stormed down to the slums of the city looking for refugees to take their anger out on! If Fall hadn't been in the area by pure luck when it happened, it would have turned into a blood-!"

Glynda fell silent as Ozpin raised his hand, both informing her that he had something to say and reminding her not to overstep. As justifiably angry as she was, it was not her place to start dishing out punishment.

"James, I appreciate the bravado you put into all your work." He said politely, yet firmly. "But please, next time you send your men into my kingdom, make sure to let me know beforehand." The headmaster broke off as he saw the tin man open his mouth to reply, prompting him to raise his hand once more, indicating he wasn't done yet.

"When the blueprints and parts were stolen, you did the right thing informing me immediately. However, I repeatedly told you to let me handle it. I even explicitly asked you not to send your men to the kingdom to avoid this exact situation. By doing this, you've not only disobeyed my wishes, you've lost my trust. I can't work with someone willing to go behind my back doing the one thing I told him not to do."

"Oz, I-." Ironwood began, but was cut off again by said headmaster, raising his voice slightly to drown out the general.

"Regardless of the reason behind it, your decision has had dire repercussions for the relationship between Vale and Atlas. Now, if Salem were to invade, you wouldn't be able to send reinforcements to aid us, leaving us more vulnerable than if we had left the machine in the hands of a insignificant gang. Her goal has always been to divide us, and this has only helped her-."

"Oz, I never sent my men into your kingdom."

Immediately, Ozpin broke off mid sentence, his mouth falling open as he felt shock in both selves. Something he hadn't felt in a long time. Not since the two had merged years ago.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?" Glynda whispered, her face mirroring what Oz and the other headmasters felt on the inside.

"I never sent my men to Vale." Ironwood repeated, his gaze not wavering. "My men stayed stationed in my kingdom and have been reporting to me weekly. They not only didn't leave, they couldn't have."

"I-! But-! That's impossible." Glynda stammered, trying desperately to make sense of the situation. "We've confirmed personally that it was a special operative badge! There's no way it was a forgery! But if you didn't send them, who did?"

As the situation turned more dire, Ironwood leaned forward, his elbows resting on his desk, fingers pressed together in front of him.

"My men didn't go anywhere." He said firmly. "Nobody could have dispatched them without my knowledge. However, if it was a special operative badge that was found, I think the war might explain that."

Reaching up, he pinched the bridge of his nose, massaging it as he spoke tiredly.

"During the war, many special operatives lost their lives, and their bodies never recovered. If someone stumbled upon one, it's not difficult to assume they could have either stolen it, or had someone make a new one. Either way, it's a perfect way to frame someone which seems to be what's happening. And given the severity of this one move, I think we all know who's probably behind it."

A hushed silence fell in the room at the general's actuation, the mention of her making her first move taking the breath from all of them.

"B-but that's impossible!" Leonardo cried, his entire body shaking. "W-we've confirmed that two of her known associates are in Mistral! She's supposed to be moving in here, not Vale! How could she have the resources to make a play for two kingdoms at once?!"

"She probably doesn't." Ironwood said immediately, his eyes narrowing as his face darkened. "I bet she let her men be spotted to draw us away, making us think she was going to attack Mistral instead of Vale. Leaving us vulnerable. Well, too bad she's overreached this time."

Rising immediately, the general turned his attention to Ozpin, fire burning within his eyes.

"I'll dispatch half my army immediately, crush whatever she's plotting! We'll stomp out her plans and leave her weaker than before!" He said, jabbing his desk with his finger. "I'll mobilize them right away, if I hurry, I can have it done tonight. From there, they can be at your kingdom's borders in-!"

"Oh for the love of-! James! Have you heard a word of this conversation!" Glynda said exasperatedly, pressing both hands over her face to smother her scream. "I just said your kingdom is enemy number one! You can't just send a few hundred troops across the border without agitating the public even more!"

"Agitated the public?" Ironwood asked in disbelief. "You can't seriously be worried about that now! If Salem is making a move against Vale, we need to secure both the kingdom and the Fall maiden! I told you letting her roam free was a bad idea. If she gets attacked again, fully realized or not, she'll-!"

"Everyone, calm down!" Ozpin snapped, immediately silencing everyone and drawing their attention.

"James, I understand and appreciate your concern, but we don't know if Vale is Salem's target. There's no need to start making rash decisions based on pure speculation."

"But-!" The general began, but stopped when Oz held up his hand, reluctantly giving him the floor.

"James, if Vale is Salem's target, that's all the more reason to wait and see what happens next." He said calmly. "If it is, she'll have planned for your army and undoubtedly prepared a counter. Besides, while she has mastered the art of planting deception, she doesn't own it. Right now, there are no shortage of people wanting to start another war with Atlas. It wouldn't surprise me if one of them is behind this attack."

His words seemed to have the desired effect as he saw the headmasters start to calm down, their fear beginning to fade from their faces as he continued.

"As it stands, Vale hasn't fallen to complete chaos yet. Right now, if we can calm the masses, show that Atlas is innocent, then I think we can end this conflict before it even begins. All while looking into who might have played a hand in causing all this. And if it is Salem, then we'll come back here and talk about how to handle it DISCREETLY. Until then, please, everyone just stay calm, prepare for her inevitable appearance, and don't do ANYTHING that would cause more civil unrest."

The headmasters exchanged a look, nodding and speaking with each other as they took in Ozpin's words. It was true that not only was it a fact that Salem's forces were in Mistral, but also that it just didn't make sense for her to try to take two relics at once. For as powerful as she was, ultimately, her greatest and potential only weakness was her lack of autonomous pawns to carry out her orders. Like I or not, she needed more sentient units for her to be truly effective. Something that, thankfully, she didn't have many of after the war.

However, that opened a new can of worms that pointed to an almost equally terrifying possibility.

If Salem wasn't the one behind the attack, who was?