Destiny No More

Chapter 71

The flight to Atlas took the better part of a day. Even leaving early before the sun rose had them arriving just as night began to fall over the frozen kingdom. That being said, Pyrrha couldn't help but be in awe at its beauty. She'd obviously heard of Atlas' floating city, a land genuinely safe from the Grimm, and she had seen it portrayed in movies and online, but she had never seen it with her own eyes. Nothing truly did it justice.

Pyrrha pulled her cloak closer to her body. Nothing had prepared her for the cold, either. She wasn't exactly unfamiliar with snow, as despite its typically warmer climate, much of Mistral was so far north that it too spent most of the year frozen, but this was a different kind of cold. Standing on the deck of the Atlesian battleship that the General had brought with him to Vale, there was little to protect her from the cold wind as she shivered. Despite that fact, she didn't want to go back below deck. Not only had she already spent the entire trip there, but she couldn't bring herself to look away from the city.

She finally did however, when she noticed the lights below it. Nested in the shadow of Atlas was an entire second city, the former capital of the kingdom from when it had been called Mantle. She couldn't see much of it, though the sun hadn't quite set yet the light from it was completely blocked out by a mix of the mountains in the distance and the floating city above them. It was older though, that much she knew. There weren't nearly as many lights as Atlas, though she did note that the wall which surrounded it was far better defended than Atlas proper.

It was strange for her to think just how many people lived in those two cities. Combined, they were nearly double the population of the city of Vale. Two of the largest cities in the world with one simply hanging above the other. It would have been concerning to imagine what could happen if she didn't know exactly how they managed it. She very much doubted that the Relic of Creation could suffer from technical faults.

"Enjoying the view?"

She jumped slightly, surprised to find that she wasn't alone on the deck. General Ironwood was a noticeable man, the fact she had failed to realize he was there was entirely her own failure.

"Sir-" Pyrrha started.

"I thought I told you to stop calling me that." The General smiled softly. "That doesn't change just because you're a Specialist now."

"Sorry." Pyrrha had to fight the urge to rub the back of her neck. To do so would open her cloak and let out the little bit of what heat she had managed to build up.

"There's no need to apologize." He stepped over to stand beside her, looking out over the deck and the cities they were approaching. "Even Winter still insists on formality more often than not, and I've been trying to correct her on that for years. I trust you won't be as stubborn?"

Pyrrha chuckled warmly. Winter was definitely strict, but a distant part of her couldn't help but wonder if that forced professionalism wasn't intentionally at his expense. Judging by the way she teased Qrow, it wasn't difficult to imagine, though it was hard to say for certain.

"Although, between the two of you, it's quite difficult to say which is the more stubborn." Ironwood said, snapping her mind back to the present. "I don't think I've met many people who would come as far as you have."

Pyrrha's smile fell slightly, but not entirely. It was a massive compliment, especially from one such as him, but it was also a reminder of everything she had been forced to give up to get where she was.

"I'm nothing special... James." It felt awkward for her to call him that, familiar in a way she wasn't certain they were. He didn't correct her however, and so she continued. "I'm sure Winter would have done the same in my shoes. Qrow too, so long as he managed to stay sober."