Chapter 32: Epilogue

Stand up to the victory! Yes, that's right, our proud hero's journey is over! Well, they're victorious to a fault. I mean, a police van got blown up under their watch. Oh well, let's just get to the wrap-up now. For the last time, just remember that I don't own RWBY, Rooster Teeth does. That's probably a good thing on their part, considering that I come up with… stories of a certain unique quality. Yeah, that's a good way to put it.

xxx

Sun and Neptune were, in a simple word, anxious. Very, very, anxious.

The thing was, their nice morning was interrupted by a sudden announcement to report to Ozpins' office for… something. The announcement was very clear on that point. It was a shame too. Neptune was really diggin' that cheesy sourdough toast he was eating for breakfast. Now it was going to be cold when he got back to it. If he got back in time, that is. Stupid toast running announcements. Making his toast all abandoned and cold.

So, as the pair waited in the chairs outside Ozpin's office, all they could really afford to do was fume and speculate about what they were dragged there to talk about.

"It's gotta be 'bout the van. It's gotta be," Sun kept on insisting.

Although Neptune admitted to himself that his partner was probably right, he also figured that it had to be about something more than that. There was no way that Ozpin would out of his way to lecture them over an exploded van.

"Look, it's going to be a debriefing. That makes the most sense," Neptune flatly added.

Sun leaned back into his chair, the wood creaking as he stretched out. "Ughh…. Whatever it is, it's still annoying as shit," he mumbled.

"I'd drink to that," Neptune agreed.

"Pfft," Sun blew out. "You're a fuckin' ightweight. Fuck, I don't even think I've seen ya drink before."

"Sorry that I like taking care of my young body," Neptune dryly remarked back.

"Please, yer body ain't that great…" Sun remarked off-handedly.

A confused look briefly crossed Neptune's face. "…Are you saying you've checked me out before?" he asked.

There was a long, awkward beat as Sun realized what he just said sounded like.

"…Nope," was the blunt, short reply that Sun settled on.

"Right," Neptune swiftly accepted. This morning wasn't really the time to be dealing with stuff like that. Nor for stuff like the meeting they were currently waiting for. Mornings were meant for stuffing your face with breakfast foods, damn it. Nothing more, nothing less.

Sensing the awkwardness of the beat, Sun went right back to speculating about why they were waiting at the office. "…Maybe we're gonna get a plaque or somethin'."

"Doubt it," Neptune quickly huffed out. "Look, does it really matter what happens now? I mean, our job is pretty much over."

"Well, yeah, no fuckin' shit," Sun replied off-handedly. "Still, doesn't mean it wasn't fun."

Neptune briefly stroked his chin in thought. Then, with a small shrug, he simply said, "I can agree with that."

And so, the hunter duo waited in silence, their bizarre adventure at an end.

xxx

Meanwhile…

At a place only known as Axis Point…

Five Faunus sat around a slim metal table. One man sat at the head of the table, while the others subordinates were seated at the sides. Even though some of the people wore either hoods or masks, the lights were still turned down to a dull shine. Even in darkness, these people still took care to conceal their features. Of course, this was for security reasons. But still, nothing good came from men who bothered to cloak their faces under the cover of darkness.

"So," a man with a hawkish nose began, "Our contract with the Fall woman has fallen through?"

"Correct," a woman obscured by a hood replied.

"Wasn't this deal under Taurus' jurisdiction? Why is he absent? He should answer for this negligence under his watch!" a man with a stringy, almost whisker-like mustache furiously demanded.

"He isn't privy to our process. You should know this," a man in a full-faced mask replied, his reedy voice slightly muffled by his facial covering.

The Faunus with the mustache angrily pounded his fist on the table before crossing his arms with a huff. Even though they didn't show it, every other meeting member at the table shared his frustrations. "What are we to do now?" the frustrated man groaned. "That was a costly investment!"

The man with the hawkish nose leaned forward, revealing himself more in the dim light above the table. His receding hairline was slicked back, yet plumed up in the back, almost like a raptor's plumage. A smug smile briefly tugged at his mouth as he reported, "It wasn't a complete loss. Torchwick provided us with more dust than we could ever possibly want."

"What of it?" the hooded woman interrupted. "Material is useless without a plan!"

Now the hawkish man's mouth couldn't help but contort into something that resembled a smile. "I vote we begin constructing the Metatron with our dust supplies."

A heavy silence covered the table as the other group members considered his proposal. The man with the mustache was the first to speak up. "That's nothing more than a pipe-dream! A fairy tale!" Why should we even bother—"

"I feel that the project has some potential," the man in the mask said, interrupting the mustached man. "I second that proposal."

"What a waste!" the hooded woman hissed. "We should focus on giving the dust to our existing troops!". However, any further protest was silenced by the man sitting at the head of the table, who had remained quiet until now. Even if he remained cloaked in shadow, his voice alone was enough to convey his power and standing.

"Rauthaz," the man said in a calm voice, "Do you have confidence in the stability of the Metatron?"

"I can guarantee it, sir," the hawkish man, Rauthaz, swore.

"And will it be viable to our cause?" the man at the head of the table pressed.

"Assuredly. The Metatron's abilities are hypothetically matched by none," confirmed Rauthaz.

"Then you are free to pursue that goal. Inform your division and begin plans to start construction."

Rauthaz grinned wider at the man's decree. "Of course. I'll be on it at once."

"Nobody will see it coming"

xxx

THE END

xxx

Well, that's certainly a note to end the story on. What could possibly happen now? Well, I can't answer that in this story. You'll have to wait and see for when that plot point comes up again. Hey, I promise nothing, and I deliver less.

So, yeah! The end of another story! Well, before I close up shop on this one, let me just get out a few last thank you notes. Thanks to my editor, Jimbo Yokimbo for making sense of the first few chapters. Also, thanks to Falcyon for letting me bounce conclusion ideas off of him. Check both of them out, they deserve it! Also, thanks to you, the readers! You make writing worth all the time and effort it takes me! So, so long, and thanks for all the views!

This is The Draigg, and I'm done here!