Perilous Arc |AU|

An Arc Venerated [Chap. 18]

"He's waiting for you." Clover announced, standing off to the side with his companions flanking him. "Don't waste any time."

I nodded at Clover and the others as one, getting a sneer from Harriet and a wide smile from Elm. My feet automatically led the charge towards the office with Winter, only after completely ignoring Harriet. The door hissed lightly as both halves receded into the walls.

The open sky met my gaze from across the large office once the door was out of the way. Large windows measuring the entirety of the back wall revealed all of Atlas, only broken up by stone pillars that separated the panes of glass. I stepped calmly into the room with Winter, taking in my surroundings. The walls to our sides were covered in shelves and various wall-mounted metal storage boxes. Items littered the shelves in an orderly fashion, some looking important and others sentimental. The blue tones of the various lights set a particular atmosphere that was hard to pin down. A steely desk sat above the depression in the center of the room, resting atop a tiered set of steps that skirted around the room. I looked appreciatively at the domed ceiling before a throat clearing caught my attention.

"Specialist Schnee. Good to see you've returned." James Ironwood greeted from behind his desk, gently placing a holopad down as he acknowledged us. "And you've brought our guest, too. Good work."

I ignored how Winter preened at the kudos, instead regarding the man with a cool gaze.

"General." I greeted. "Heard you wanted to see me."

"Mr. Arc. If I may call you Jaune?" I shrugged at the question, and Ironwood seemed to take it in stride. "It's good to see you up again. The Fall of Vale was devastating, and it's unsurprising that many were out of commission from it. I'm glad to see you weren't among those that were permanently off duty."

"I'm beginning to learn that I'm hard to put down." I grunted out, getting a small smile from the General as he stood from his seat.

"That's an understatement, Jaune. The refugees we've ferried here from Vale have spread all sorts of interesting stories since the Fall. My own soldiers that have been rotated out of Vale have turned in some eye-catching reports." James reported, tapping a few buttons on his desk. In a mere second holograms leapt from the surface of his desk into the air, all displaying different bits of information. Chief among them were reports and videos playing of my deeds, from defending Beacon tower all the way to killing the Wyvern. Newscasters flitted around the room on screens, all speaking of the current state of Vale and the narratives showing how the situation continued to improve.

"Welcome to Atlas, Jupiter."

The words from Ironwood were warmly welcoming, and I couldn't help but recognize that with an appreciative nod. Slowly though, my gaze slid over to Specialist Schnee beside me whose face was slowly turning red.

"Holding your laughter is bad for you." I deadpanned, watching as she struggled to maintain her decorum.

"Am I missing something?" The General interjected, looking between us in confusion. I rolled my eyes away from the Schnee and shook my head.

"She said the same line on the airship." I sighed. "She thinks the name is funny."

"Really? Well I tend to think of it in opposite. What you have accomplished in Vale is nothing short of phenomenal. You took nearly everything that was done to cripple Vale and neutralized it, giving Vale's forces every opportunity they need to reclaim the rest of the Kingdom and the academy itself." Ironwood praised, taking time to walk around to the front of his desk to face us.

"General Ironwood is correct. I may give you grief for the reputation you've garnered, but it is well earned. Your actions have practically nullified all the work of that woman and her lackies, and the Kingdom of Vale will be standing again in a mere fraction of the time they theorized." Winter explained, her voice with a steady coolness to it that put weight behind her words. The General clapped his hands as she finished, a smile growing again on his face.