An Anon's Journey: Remnant Act 1

V2E14: Trainwreck

BIGE CHAPER (7.4K WORDS)

A good week, Ozpin did not have. First, he had to deal with the media circus that Anon dragged at his feet like a cat bringing a dead rat to its owner. Then he had to deal with the headache that was the CCTT infiltration, including the ragings of the general at losing his mechanized army. And now, the seer that he worked so hard to try and keep in line had been kidnapped.

The Headmasters and Glynda stood in front of Anon's dorm after receiving a complaint from a worried student that a strange commotion had come from the room. Not two minutes after they arrived did the general kick the door down with brusk impatience. Glynda was about to explode on him until they found the scene that laid beyond the door. A struggle had definitely taken place. The window was wide open, the floor had the remains of a broken lamp, shredded papers and part of a ruined board lying in a heap next to a tipped-over garbage can. But the most worrying part wasn't the uncharacteristic disorder of the room.

It was the small pool of blood on the floor.

Glynda was the first to notice it. Her chest tightened at the sight of the crimson ichor.

"Oz, James..." She said as she walked to the red puddle, her voice quiet with deep worry.

The two men looked at where she was fixated and both felt a rush of emotion. Ozpin winced with gritted teeth, thinking that perhaps the struggle had a worse outcome than he had envisioned.

General Ironwood, on the other hand, was red with rage. Not only did they have the gall to ruin his army of androids, but they had the brazen audacity to maim and kidnap someone in broad daylight. The general felt his blood boil, one popped forehead vein away from an aneurism.

"This..." Ironwood's voice shook as he spoke. "This has gone too far."

Ozpin inhaled sharply, hiding his wince.

"James... Please calm down."

"Calm down?" Ironwood's eyelid twitched. "Your seer, your STUDENT is missing, his room is in shambles and there is blood on the floor!"

Ironwood stomped to the old wizard. Despite dwarfing him, Ozpin did not react to the General's physical might. James began pushing his index into Ozpin's chest with more force than was necessary, driving his point further.

"He's been kidnapped if he isn't dead. The man who could save us IMMENSE amounts of trouble is in the enemy's hand!" he pushed one last time with enough force to make the wizard take a step back. "First the CCTT, now this! All on your watch!"

Ozpin shook his head.

"I am aware, Jame."

"Are you?" Ironwood spat. "It seems you are aware of many things, yet you refuse to do anything about it."

Ironwood looked at the bloodstained floor, grim scenarios rushing through his mind. Each subsequent thought became worse and worse, only furthering his anger. Hope was a foul-mouthed, disrespectful, spiteful man. But he had his priorities straight, he honoured the dead and was willful to a fault. His convictions bled into every action he'd witnessed and he was far wiser than his age and demeanour let on. Even now, his words wormed into Ironwood's mind, reminding him that Ozpin was letting these infiltrators do as they pleased over worries about the festival.

"Hope was right," James noted grimly. "With how things are going, we are only digging ourselves further into our own graves."

The tone of voice gave Ozpin cause to worry.

"Now is not the time to do something irrational, James."

"Irrational?" Ironwood repeated, baffled. "Everything that you have failed to do culminated in this! And I'M the irrational one?"