A Living Myth RWBY X Child!Dragon Faunus! Male! Reader

Chapter 28: A New Approach

I own nothing
Chapter 28: Meeting the General

Everyone sat in silence as the ship headed towards Atlas. Nora was currently trying to gnaw through her bindings and (Y/N) fidgeted uncomfortably, not liking the feeling of wings pinned to his back.
"Where do you think they're taking us?" Ruby asked.
"I'm gonna go with jail." Qrow threw out.
"I still can't believe that fishing pole guy took us out like it was nothing!" Jaune growled.
(Y/N) huffed. "Yeah! That jerk almost broke my wing!"
"Welcome to Atlas." Weiss joined in somberly. "Those were Ironwood's Ace Operatives."
There was another person in the transport with them, a rugged looking male sitting up front. He had been quiet up until now, but Weiss's little comment got his attention.
"You guys had a run in with the Ace Ops? Ironwood must really have a bone to pick with you."
He looked down, annoyed and angry. Weiss rolled her eyes.
"They're not that big of a deal."
"Not that big of a deal!? The Ace Ops are the elite of elite military Huntsmen and Ironwood's personal attack dogs."
Nora leaned forward to look at the guy with an unimpressed look. "So they got you too, huh?"
"I wouldn't let myself get caught by them!" He said offended. "I'm here because I've been speaking out about Altas's exploitation of Mantle, and General Ironwood is trying to silence me!"
"You threw a brick at our ship." The pilot corrected.
"It's worth it if it gets people talking about our cause!"
"Well this guy's a nutty kind of fun." (Y/N) muttered to Qrow, who nudged him, but was also slightly amused by the comment.
"Our cause?" Blake indirectly asked.
"Yes!" The guy yelled. "The fight for better conditions in Mantle! Led by the charismatic, talented, lovely Robyn Hill and her Happy Huntresses!"
The pilot seemed done with the guy's ranting (the boy did not blame him) and rolled up the glass between the holding cell and cockpit. The guy still insisted on them hearing though, jumping about to yell over the glass.
"They were all top graduates at Atlas Academy and could've signed up for the military, but Robyn and the Huntresses chose to stay in Mantle! She gunning for a seat on the Kingdom's council and when she gets it, she gonna put an end to Ironwood's tyranny!"
"Happy...Huntress." Oscar repeated.
Yang seemed to agree with his sentiment. "Is that their real name?"
"Don't you think tyranny is a little dramatic?" Weiss pointed out.
Unfortunately, the guy only then recognized her and sneered. "Easy to say for a Schnee heiress living comfortably up in Atlas."
The guy then shrieked as a small fireball race past his head, dissipating on the metal wall behind him. (Y/N) glared at him.
"Another comment like that, and I'll set your pants on fire. Now sit down!"
The guy fearfully did as he was told.
"Easy, Fire Breather." Qrow warned. "We don't need them trying to put a muzzle on you."
"Let them try. They'll lose plenty of limbs before they can."
The hostile atmosphere faded off as the ship finally fell into Atlas. The city was enormous and beautifully illuminated. Everyone's eyes, besides those native to the Kingdom and Qrow, widened in wonder, standing to get a better look.
"It's gorgeous up here!" Ruby said.
"Don't let that fool you." Weiss sadly remarked.
The guy also stood up, his eyes narrowing in confusion.
"This isn't the police station. This is Atlas Academy."
The ship landed in front of the school and the soldiers ordered the group to step out. Everyone gazed up at the giant structure as the soldier motioned for them to follow.
"Guess we will be seeing the general." Ruby stated. "For better or worse."
The interior of the school was just as elegant as the rest of the city, but (Y/N) felt a pang of emptiness at the setting around him. To him, this place would only be a poor imitation of Beacon. The soldier led them to a massive elevator and as it went up, they began to discuss a plan.
"So, what do we do?" Ren asked.
"I don't know yet." Ruby admitted. "But we should be careful with what we say."
There was a moment of hesitant silence before Blake finally spoke up.
"We'll follow your lead, Ruby."
Ruby smiled a bit in relief as the elevator reach their destination. They all filed out, heading towards a large circular room connecting the halls. (Y/N) ears perked up as he heard a familiar voice. The soldiers stopped as Ironwood appeared, discussing something with Winter and Penny. The robot girl was the first to notice them and gasped in delight.
"Yay! You're here!"
The general looked back, and his expression softened a bit at the sight of the group. Winter's also widened as Weiss stepped into view.
"Winter."
Nora, of course, butted in, lifting the cuffs.
"Anyone want to give us a hand with these?"
Winter blinked, but then stood up straight, looking harshly at the soldiers.
"You have 10 seconds to take those off before I start hurting you."
They were quick to take the hint and immediately began freeing the group. (Y/N) sighed in relief and rolled his wings and wrists to get rid of the slight ache in them. Once they were all free, Ironwood led them into his office.
"It's so good to see all of you."
"The reception didn't really convey that." Yang stated.
The general sighed as he walked to his desk. "I sincerely regret how you were treated by my team, but a rogue airship entered our airspace. It raised some...red flags. We assumed the ship was stolen."
"Stolen?" Ruby tried to play it off before (Y/N) elbowed her. "Okay, yeah, it was stolen."
(Y/N) saw Ironwood's expression changed to slightly amused, but an angry Winter had him slowly slide towards Yang.
"You stole an Atlas airship!? What were you thinking!?" She began walking towards Weiss. "You could've been shot down! How unbelievably irresponsible-!"
Weiss hugged her, killing the rant immediately.
"I'm sorry I worried you, but we did what we had to do."
"I..." She sighed. "I suppose I understand." She then glared at Qrow. "But I cannot believe that you allowed this to happen, Qrow."
"You try stopping these kids when they have their minds set on something." He challenged back before looking at Ironwood. "Speaking of which, we have some important information for you that's...confidential."
"Oh, is it about the Relic?" Penny asked.
"Or perhaps the Winter Maiden?" Winter followed up.
Everyone blinked, Qrow especially.
"You told them?"
The general chuckled before standing up and pulling out the Lamp. "Do you really think you were the only one who got to work on a new plan after Beacon? With Ozpin gone, I needed my own team of people I could trust. So yes, I told them. The Ace Ops too. Which is why I'm so glad you're here. This. Until now, I believed it was impossible to truly turn the tide against Salem. Oz has pushed her back, kept victory out of her claws, but she will keep returning, stronger and stronger, unless we destroy her."
(Y/N) bit his cheek at the phrase. Ironwood still didn't know that Salem couldn't be killed yet, that she would just keep coming back and they had no real way to keep her down for good. They had to tell him the truth...right? Yet, as (Y/N) kept listening to the general, there was an unease settling into him. Ironwood soul, it was still the same color as Beacon, but something else was there...no, that wasn't it. It had been there at Beacon, but now it was more prominent. He couldn't exactly describe it, a crack maybe? Whatever it was, it felt unstable to the boy, and he began to wonder, how would the general take the news? With he saw down in Mantle, the general's unkept appearance, and that unstable presence in his soul didn't exactly reassure (Y/N) about Ironwood's mental stability.
"What about the Atlas Relic?" Ruby asked, breaking the boy's train of thought.
The general nodded. "You mean the Staff of Creation?"
"It's safe inside the Vault!" Penny reaffirmed.
"And the Winter Maiden?" Qrow question as Winter answered.
"She is secure and in stable condition."
(Y/N) tilted his head. "Stable condition? Is she sick or-,"
Qrow put out a hand. "She's not exactly a spring chicken."
"Oh, so she's old?"
"(Y/N)!" Weiss scolded.
He blushed and grinned embarrassed. Ironwood didn't seem to mind his comment.
"I know how this all looks. Recalling my military, the embargo, I probably don't seem the most...trustworthy right now."
"Then why continue?" Blake asked, backed up by Nora.
"The people of Mantle are hurting!"
"I needed to ensure Salem couldn't infiltrate Atlas. And I wanted my military here, protecting my people."
"But it's not protecting them."
(Y/N) agreed with them. "It's like what happened in Vale, the military's only making people more afraid and it's making them not trust you."
"It's a price I'm willing to pay."
He pushed a button on his desk and shutters closed over the windows, darkening the room.
"Just as you all have been entrusted with the knowledge of Salem's existence, I need you all to trust me. I have a plan."
A table rose up from beneath them and (Y/N) flew up in surprise before landing again. Ironwood then approached them.
"Ozpin believed that the best way to fight Salem was in secret. Whether that was the right choice or not, I'm unsure. But we find ourselves in a position that will need...well, a new approach."
"What do you suggest?" Qrow asked.
Clicking a device, the table lit up. A hologram of a familiar structure hovered over it.
"Amity Coliseum?" (Y/N) said, questioningly.
"Where the Vital Festival is held?" Oscar asked for clarification.
Ironwood nodded. "Indeed. When Beacon fell and everyone on Remnant lost contact with one another, I knew our current system was outdated. Amity was built to bring the nations together, and it will serve that purpose once again."
With another click, the hologram changed slightly, adding a tower to the top of the coliseum.
"Isn't it great?" Penny asked cheerfully. "Where not just going to replace Beacon Tower, building a tower on top of Amity Coliseum will restore global communications!"
Winter began explaining in more detail. "By launching the tower high into the atmosphere, our scientists believe we can create a sort of...satellite, out of reach of the Grim and capable of maintaining global communications even if we were to lose another tower."
"That is great." Ruby said, though Qrow was still confused.
"James, you don't need the entire military for this."
"I will for the next part...where I finally tell the people about Salem."
A quiet settled over them. It made sense, after all, (Y/N) himself had told the people of Treecaster about the existence of Salem to convince to join the outside world, but the panic of the revelation had only been dulled by the reveal and death of his tyrant grandfather and the support of instating Zack as the new Alpha. Just dropping that bomb...it would initially go well. Qrow seemed to agree.
"So that's why you withdrew your troops, to handle the panic that would break out in Atlas."
"Yes, panic is inevitable, and panic brings Grimm, but I believe we are ready. Once Atlas has come to grips with the fight ahead, I'll use Amity to spread the message to all of Remnant."
"But everything will fall apart!" Weiss objected. "Grimm will be everywhere."
"You're right." Winter admitted. "But Atlas is willing and prepared to assist."
"Trying to hide the truth from the world will eventually kill us all." Ironwood insisted as he turned off the hologram and opened the shutters.
"Oz spent his whole life, many lives, keeping this secret." Qrow pointed out.
"I know, but since Beacon, things have changed. Without him here to guide us, all I can do is use my best judgement." Oscar fidgeted and the general took notice. "What is it?"
"Actually, Oz isn't completely gone." The farm boy admitted.
Qrow joined in. "Ah, Oscar here...is the next Ozpin."
Ironwood lit up a bit. "Oz?" He ran up to Oscar. "I'm so glad you're here! I didn't think-,"
"Not quite." Oscar interrupted. "He's kinda, ah, gone at the moment?"
"That's not normal. How did he-,"
"We don't know." Ruby lied.
(Y/N) gave her a side glance, trying not to convey his surprise. He wasn't exactly against hiding the exact circumstance behind why Ozpin was gone for now, but he knew this would cause a divide in the group.
"We were...in a train crash and ever since, well, suddenly Oz wasn't there anymore."
(Y/N) lightly and sneakily tapped Oscar's ankle with his tail, subtly telling the older boy to change his shocked expression. Oscar got the message before Ironwood looked back at him.
"That's the worst news yet. Did you learn anything about the Relics before-?"
Ruby again half lied. "He told us that the Lamp could answer 3 questions, but that all the questions were used up already."
Ironwood turned around and walked to the window, crestfallen. "Right, right. I was told the same, once upon a time." He turned back. "At least we have you, Oscar. You're safe here in Atlas. Together, we can figure out how to bring Ozpin back."
The male smiled. "Thank you, sir. Uh, general. Ugh, Ironwood?"
"Um, we do have a bit of good news." (Y/N) said, trying to steal the conversation far from Ozpin and the Relic.
"You do?"
"We do?" Nora repeated.
(Y/N) nodded. "About what happened after Haven?"
"Oh right!" Ruby said.
"Are you sure you want to tell him now, (Y/N)?" Blake asked. "It's your decision."
"Positive, he should know about the rest of us."
"Rest of us?" The general repeated.
"I assume you have more allies?" Winter tried to guess.
(Y/N) nodded with a smile. "A lot more. Dragon Faunus."
Ironwood's eyes widened. "You found more?"
"A whole Kingdom's worth of them. It's where I was from originally...kind of. It's a long story, but they know about Salem."
"You told them?" Winter said accusingly.
"I had to. We need as many allies as we can get, and they thought humanity drove them into hiding. They're readying to reveal themselves and join the fight against her."
Ironwood smiled. "That is good news. And you're certain we can count on them?"
"Positive. Their current leader is actually my uncle, and he at least 100% is in our corner. However, I do ask that this information remains, between all of us, sir. I don't want to risk Salem finding out where they're hiding until after they reveal themselves. I don't want to...reveal all of our cards just yet?"
Ironwood nodded. "That's good judgement, (Y/N). Rest assured, this information will remain secret for now. Thank you for your trust."
The general then grabbed the Lamp and brought it to Ruby.
"You're giving it back to me?" Ruby questioned.
"After what happened with the Ace Ops, I don't want you to think I'm keeping anything from you, especially something as important as this. For the time being, I think it's safest with the people who brought it here."
Ruby hesitantly took it. "Uh, thank you."
"We must work together in order to fight Salem and win." Ironwood reaffirmed. "Now, if you're all on board?"
Ruby glanced down before looking back at him. "Tell us how we can help."
"Good, because getting the Amity Tower to launch isn't going to be easy. But first, I think we need to get those weapons of yours up to our standards."
Winter nodded. "This is Atlas. While assisting the military, we will provide you with the best equipment our scientists can provide."
Eventually, Ironwood led everyone back outside, where the Ace Ops were waiting. Fishing pole guy greeted them.
"I would like to sincerely apologize for the miscommunication in Mantle. We didn't-,"
A woman barreled past him, shaking Ruby like a maraca.
"We feel so bad! If we had known who you were we would be laughing over a hot meal right now and-."
"We understand." Ruby said as (Y/N) kept her standing. "You were just following orders."
"You could've just asked though." (Y/N) mumbled.
"Questions are for the weak." The Faunus of their group stated. "But we're all on the same team now, not that I'm happy about it."
"Your tail says otherwise."
He immediately grabbed his wagging tail in embarrassment as Blake covered (Y/N)'s mouth.
"Sorry, he's going through a snarky phase."
The leader chuckled. "We just wanted to say sorry and we're looking forward to working with you on our next mission. You might be students, but you've been working just as hard as we have, if not harder."
The smaller, pink eyed female of the group agreed. "Exactly why I'm looking forward to seeing what you kids can do."
The tall pale man behind her sighed. "Not everything is a competition, Hare."
Penny then slid in front of the team.
"Come on! Let me show you around campus!"
They all followed Penny who began rattling about the school's facilities and function and the length of the day they had finally caught up to them. By the time they made it to the door, (Y/N) was lightly snoring while getting a piggyback ride from Yang. He only bolted awake when Penny yelled "It'll be just like Beacon again!" and Nora immediately dropped.
"Can we please go to bed?"

So don't hate me guys, but I was always in the camp that Ironwood was one bad day away from a mental breakdown, so while his turn was rushed, I do think it made sense. So, I will be using (Y/N) as a means to elaborate the extent of Ironwood's mental instability. If you have some ideas that you wish Volume 7 used to better buildup to Ironwood's spiral, write it down in the comments. I may believe in the path they took, but I do want to improve the execution without contradicting things.