Episode 2: Chapter 7: Business

Chapter 7 of Episode 2 of Order of Seasons

            “All right. I call this meeting to order. On to first business. I am pleased to report that the power of the Spring Maiden is now ours to command.” Everybody in the room applauded this as Lord Mortem placed his hand on the glowing green canister next to the other two at the center of the table. “Now then, on to in-house issues. Mr. Indicium?” As soon as his name was called, Mr. Indicium walked over to Lord Mortem and pulled out a tablet scroll and held it aloft like he was reading a proclamation from an ancient parchment.

            “First Lord Mortem, an issue in direct results with the actions of the traitor Cinder Fall. All the Atlas androids now no longer have protocol 66 installed in the hard drive.”

            “Pity. And it worked so well against the fools in Vale. What of Alpha Theta directive?”

            “As of right now, the technicians we have in place at Atlas have managed to keep the directive off the radar of the computer experts. While we do know that the directive will work and activate without fail, there is some concern that Ironwood and Ozpin may have attempted to install an alternate program in case if things go wrong.”

            “First off, is this confirmed, and second, what would this program entail?”

            “We can’t be completely certain. As of right now, these are only whispers. These whispers entail the ideas that either it would return the androids to their original masters, or it would be a kill code. Either one of these is possible, and our technicians are looking into it.”

            “Fine. What else is there to report?”

            “The preparations at Amity Coliseum have been completed for when you are ready to make the first move my lord.”

            “Excellent. How appropriate, that the nation built around its military prowess will kneel to its own creations.”

            “Are you truly willing to wait three years before making your move my lord?” Lord Mortem smiled at this, and addressed the concerns from his high council.

            “I am a patient man Lord Fulgur. The fools in charge of the world still believe that the power of the maidens is simply floating in the wind of remnant. Besides, by making our move in Atlas, it would create much more distress in the hearts of man if they saw the protectors of the world crumble to pieces within their own walls.”

            “Ha ha! It would seem you have been taking a few pages from my book Lord Mortem.” A new voice added in laughter.

            “Lord Aeris, why would you assume that Lord Mortem would ever turn to you for inspiration?” Another voiced added clearly annoyed.

            “Lighten up Firma! I’m just saying out of all you idiots I’m the one who come up with the most fun ideas around here!”

            “You will address me as Lord Hibernis!”

            “Such a terrible temper Lord Hibernis.” Memoriare said as he leaned back in his chair. “Just let her have this slight moment, and then lets get back to Lord Mortem’s plans for the future.”

            “You are a fool Memoriare.” Lord Fulgur said standing up. “Just because Lord Mortem calls upon you for many a mission doesn’t give you a higher ranking than all of us!”

            “All I do is follow my orders to the letter Lord Fulgur. If you take issue with that, then I suggest you should leave this table.”

            “We are all at this table for a reason.” Adam said standing up. “Let us not bicker amongst ourselves like children.”

            “Oh look, the red head is getting concerned.” Lord Hibernis with clear anger in his voice. “The youngest of the high council expects recognition because he gets more attention and favor from the news stations than he ever will from Lord Mortem.”

            “Now listen here Lord Hibernis…” Suddenly, there was a loud crash as the giant buster sword of Lord Mortem crashed right into the table.

            “Kneel.” As soon as he said this, everybody in the room fell once again to one knee. Pulling his sword out of the destroyed table, he pressed a button and a new table took the place of the broken one. As soon as the new table was in place, he sat back down and motioned for everybody to rise and be seated once again.

            “Forgive me my lord.” Lord Hibernis said. “I acted out of turn.”

            “Fret not.” Lord Mortem said sitting down as well.  “So long as we do not rupture within ourselves, we shall soon rule over this world. Now then, we have reports that the Winter Maiden is on the move to the same bunker the Spring Maiden was attempting to move to. As of right now, our agents are orchestrating an accident to make it look like she was killed by the crash. In the meantime, we shall send the White Fang to deal with the survivors to make sure that the world still keeps their focus on the organization as a whole instead of any third parties.”

            “Lord Memoriare, forgive me for speaking out of turn,” Lord Fulgur said, “but according to my sources, the Demon Slayer Vergil has been spotted in Vale. Is it possible that Ozpin has begun to realize that there may be a bigger game at play here?”

            “Perhaps. Ever since Cinder betrayed us to try and find favor with Salem, it is possible that Ozpin may be beginning to understand the power that not only lies within the maidens, but also within himself and his sister.”

            “Speaking of which Lord Mortem,” Lord Aeris said leaning forward, “who is to receive the power of the child of the sun?”

            “Yes. Have you even decided who among us is going to get which power my lord?” Lord Memoriare interjected.

            “Of course my friends.” Lord Mortem stood up, and then started walking around the table. “To Nimbus Fulgur, warrior of lightning, you will be gifted with the power of summer, to match the terrible power your bolts can create. For Firma Hibernis, the power of spring shall be yours. A burning desire for power and control will be born of a new day after the sleeping world of snow fades and the power of the earth returns. For Calida Aeris, master of the wind, the power of winter shall be granted to thee. Seemingly foolish and soft in nature, but in time reveals a storm capable of great destruction and calculation like a raging dark fire. For Vinculum Memoriare, master of memories, the power of fall shall be bestowed upon you. Much like the decaying leaves, there is much history to them. But you hold the power to either preserve them for eternity, or snuff them out of existence. And for Adam Taurus, the newest member of my council, such a terrible anger that burns deep within you. The power of the dragon’s master, Salem, will be yours.”

            “How can you be so certain that you can attain the power of Salem my lord?” Adam asked.

            “Just as the markings in the ancient ruins that Lord Memoriare found said, the four of the seasons, the children of the sun as different as night and day, and the tether to the darkness in the form of the beast. With the chaos we shall create through the negative emotions in people’s hearts worldwide, the door to the dark realm shall be revealed to us. Cinder believed that the answer lied within simply having control over the dragon. However, it runs deeper than that. But with the power I have attained from the dragon, I shall rip the door open and drain the power of Salem for us to command.”

            “My lord, forgive me for asking,” Lord Fulgur spoke up, “but how did you manage to absorb the dragon? Grimm don’t have aura. How did you perform this feat?”

            “An excellent question. Most Grimm are indeed without souls, and I cannot absorb them. However, the dragon itself is much like its master, pure darkness. All of the lesser Grimm are born of this great beast, and since they are shards of the whole, they do not posses an aura. However, the dragon is a piece of Salem and is the bridge between our world and the dark realm, therefore the creature had a fragment of an aura that I could absorb. And along with it, a deep infinite pool of darkness that allows me to call upon the mindless creatures of the darkness.”

            “So in short, you can summon Grimm at will now?”

            “That is the extent of my power now, yes. The absorption of aura and the summoning of creatures of darkness.”

            “Interesting.” Lord Aeris pulled out one of her chakrams and started twirling it on her finger. “So what would the powers that you plan on bestowing to Adam entail?”

            “I can’t say for certain. Since Salem was the being who created the dragon, it is possible all the powers of the dragon are shared with Salem. But since Salem is the sister to Ozpin, perhaps her powers are more reminiscent of her other half. We shall know in three years time however.”

            “Another thing that bothers me Lord Mortem,” Lord Hibernis said standing up. “Why wait? If both the Spring and the Winter Maidens disappear now, even if it looks like an accident, after Cinder’s stunt last year, it might cause Ozpin to be even more suspicious than he already is. Especially if he knew what Cinder was attempting to accomplish.”

            “It is possible that Ozpin may be a bit more cautious than he was last year. But by waiting and letting this tournament and the next one go off without any issues whatsoever, then their guard will lower and it will be far easier for us to strike. Besides, that fool Ironwood hardly ever lets his guard down. It would create such devastation for him to witness the fall of his own kingdom by the hands of his own soldiers.”

            “Very well then.” Lord Hibernis sat down and placed his weapon on the table. “So who then will inherit the power that Ozpin wields?”

            “That is actually second business today my friend. I am opening the floor for suggestions for high-ranking members in the Order to become the next member of the Council and wield the final piece of the ancient old power of the wizard. I am willing to take suggestions.” Not a single sound was made as soon as he finished. Some whispers floated around the room, but nobody spoke up nominating anybody.   “Nobody? Really? Nobody can think of anybody to wield supreme power?”

            “I would like to nominate Leo Odi my lord.” Adam said standing up.

            “Young Odi? He’s still new to our cause, is he not?”

            “That may be so Lord Mortem, but he has been a loyal soldier to me for a good amount of time now. I think he is somebody who can take on a role that benefits you my lord.”

            “Well then. Any other suggestions? If not, then it shall be made that the next member of the council will be…

            “I nominate my son!” All heads turned to where the new voice came from. Instead of from the council, it came from the large sea of regular ranking members surrounding the council table.

            “You nominate your son Dr. Strohl? I thought he was not in the order.”

            “He isn’t my lord, but if you give me a chance to convince him, he could be turned, and you could gain a very powerful ally.”

            “Do I not already have you, the strongest of the Strohl’s amongst my number?”

            “Not quite. My son is the last of our line before the lineage resets. So if he could be turned and given a longer vitality with this power, you could have the strongest Strohl under your command for eight generations.”

            “An interesting proposition doctor, but what if your son is against me?”

            “Then he will die by my blade my lord.”

            “A bold statement. I wonder if your wife shares your resolve.” All eyes then quickly turned to Aurora, who was completely caught off guard by the question.

            “Oh, of course my lord. My loyalty goes to you first.”

            “We shall see. Besides, is he not still currently at Beacon?”

            “I have been trying to get in touch with him for some time my lord.” Peter said sitting back down. “But first thing tomorrow I will go to Beacon and bring him here myself.”

            “Very good. I look forward to meeting this child.”

            “My lord, you completely overlooked my suggestion of Leo Odi.” Adam said clearly upset. “He is somebody who is actually willing to fight for you and you choose to trust that a student from Beacon is just going to simply give up his life and obey his father out of the blue?”

            “Firstly Adam, I have not completely dismissed Leo Odi from the equation. If the Strohl child does not join us, then the power falls to your soldier. If he does take up the offer, the two of them will fight to determine who will inherit the power.”

            “Fine. I will be patient.”

            “Very good. Now then, on to final business. Any updates on the Winter Maiden my friends?”

            “Lord Mortem,” Indicium shook as he walked over, “According to the away team, the Maiden is not on the airship.”

            “What?”

            “It’s possible that it was a decoy for us to chase after.”

            “This is bad. Any possible ideas where she might truly be?”

            “Perhaps she is with Vergil, it’s the only option that would make sense given the people hired to help with the transport of the Maiden.”

            “Do we have the location of Vergil now?”

            “Yes my lord. He is on an airship heading for Atlas.”

            “Then we must take action. I will go and destroy the airship myself.”

            “No my lord.” Lord Fulgur stood up and pulled out his weapon. “I am the best prepared for taking down airships. Let me go in your stead.”

            “I have mastery of the winds you fools.” Lord Aeris said with a smile on her face pulling out two chakrams. “Who better than I to orchestrate an accident?”

            “My whip could create a rockslide.” Lord Hibernis said cracking his whip on the table. “Let me go my lord.” Lord Mortem processed this, and then smiled.

            “Assassin.” As soon as he said this, a person in a white kabuki mask and flowing black hair landed from the rafters, and stood right next to Lord Mortem.             “You are to accompany these members of my council to bring the Winter Maiden to me. She must be kept alive. Everybody else must die. No survivors, no witnesses.” The masked assassin nodded and moved towards the exit.”

            “So, I guess we should follow her?” Lord Fulgur hesitated.

            “What else are you supposed to do fool?” Lord Mortem said clearly annoyed.             “Remember, no harm is to befall the Winter Maiden…yet.”

 

 

 

 

As they set up for the fight on top of the cliff, Lord Fulgur looked closely at his scroll.

            “So this is the kid that Dr. Strohl wants to inherit absolute power? He can hardly lead his own team!”

            “It is not balance he seeks in the child Lord Fulgur, it is power.” Lord Hibernis said as he looked out over the edge with a pair of binoculars.

            “I guess you’re right. Any sign of the transport yet?”

            “I’ve got a visual. It’s about 500 yards, and I think you have a three mile-per-hour wind blowing to the north. Think you can make the shot?”

            “I wouldn’t be here if I couldn’t.” As soon as he said this, Lord Fulgur pulled out a small briefcase, and morphed it into a giant bow. He then drew his arm back like he was pulling back an arrow, but nothing was there. Then, when he finished his draw back, a giant bolt of lightning appeared where the arrow would go. He lined up his shot, observed the aircraft for another few seconds, and nodded his head. With the signal given, Hibernis, Aeris, and the assassin jumped off the side of the cliff and started running towards the nearby cliffside. Fulgur waited two more seconds, smiled, and then released the lightning bolt, sending is straight towards the aircraft. He then jumped down after his comrades, still smiling, he simply said,

            “This should be fun.”

Author's Note

Please read/review/enjoy!

Reviews

[Shep]

I agree this should be fun as the bad guys and the good guys go head to head once more I am looking forward to reading the next chapter to se the outcome after reading another awesome chapter. moving on to the next chapter Please be kind and return the love,