Chapter 163: A Bitch of a Challenge

"You're looking awfully gray," Parc followed up their opening lines.

"Stress. Dealing with the new… students, has always been the most tiring part of this occupation." Ozpin leaned into his plush leather seat and brought his hands into his lap, "though you're letter hasn't been of much help either."

Parc chuckled, "oh, I know. Got you real on edge didn't it?"

"That it did. That it did. In fact, I'd say I am still on edge even now after having so much time to process it."

"Good. I didn't think striking a conversation with you when you're panicking would be very fruitful anyways."

Ozpin's eyes narrowed, "perhaps, but I have found that when your opponent is panicking, is the best time to get whatever it is you want. Giving me time to plan and reason and form contingencies, would not be in your interest."

"I know, but giving you that little contingency plan just makes my time here more fun. I'm guessing you've already chatted with you circle about me?"

"I have."

But not about what was in that letter, Parc guessed.

"Ironwood as bullheaded as I think he is?"

'Ironwood?' a curious Summer tilted her head. She hadn't heard that name before.

"Mmm," Ozpin shoulders bounced lightly, "as to be expected with a general. He is always on the lookout for a threat, and you suddenly barging into the academy proclaiming your knowledge of secrets we thought well kept, has launched you to the highest position in his red list. Right behind…" her turned to Summer, guessing the green cloaked woman was already brought into the throngs of knowledge, "Salem, of course."

"Wouldn't expect any less," Parc nodded approvingly, thinking about how fun it was going to be dealing with the Atlesian army and their bullshit. Adding how he was sure he could capture Winter—Weiss's sister who worked beneath Ironwood as a specialist in the Atlesian army—and use her as some form of leverage to keep the general in line.

Even if Ironwood was all about the protection of humanity aspect of his job, Parc wasn't too fond of his general bull in a china shop antics. Not long in the future when the Vytal festival would come to Beacon's shores, he would bring an army of robots to invade Vale saying 'it's all for security' only to get hacked and have his own robots go on a murderous rampage throughout the city.

"And what about Qrow, still out tracking those clues on Salem's pawns in… let me think…" he paused while Ozpin tensed, if Parc knew where Qrow, his more secretive operative was, it meant there was something very, very wrong going on. Moreso than it already was. "Nope. No idea." Parc finally said letting Ozpin let out a relieved sigh.

"I believe we've sidetracked long enough mr. Evans…" Ozpin leaned onto his desk, a grave tone taking to his voice. "Let us get into what we both really want to know. How do you know so much about a past I had long thought lost to the annals of forgotten history."

Smirking, Parc answered, "I've been watching you, Ozma. For a long time." When in doubt, play the creepy card. "And that means I know some of your darkest secrets, false god."

Ozpin tensed, his eyes flaring open before falling to a dark slit.

"Family, friends, mistakes, deaths, love. I have seen it all." Hyperbole at its finest but useful nonetheless.

"You make yourself sound as if you were a god yourself. I suppose your semblance is something along the lines of clairvoyance then? Future and past perception?" he asked.

"Oh no, far from. I don't even know what my own semblance is. Hell, I've barely had it unlocked for a week let alone two, so haven't exactly had the time to go about testing it." He let his words linger for a few breaths before continuing, "and I wouldn't call myself a god, that's arrogant, even for me. For now, I'm nothing but a simple Nephilim with a goal to do."

Ozpin and Glynda—who stood just off to the side behind Ozpin—their brows tilted.

"A Nephilim? A child of an angel and a man?"

"Yes sir. Though, replace the 'man' with 'demon' and you'll have it on point. See, I don't have a drop of human blood inside of me. Though, unlike a few people where I'm from, I won't get all bitchy about you getting it wrong."

A sigh escaped Ozpin as he went to pinch and massage the bridge of his nose pushing up his spectacles as he did so.

"You expect me to believe you are something other than a human and a faunus. That you are some half breed child of a almighty, holy being beneath the brother of light, and the unholy, demonic beings of the brother of darkness? Two forces so incompatible, they wrought destruction across all of remnant?"

'That's new. At least it tells me why he knows about those Christian terms.'

"Who said those two had anything to do with me?" Parc crossed his arms taking in the full, shocked expressions of Glynda and Ozpin. "As much as these 'brothers' are almighty on remnant. They are just two gods. There are more out there. Though, more benign that Remnants brutish ones. I mean, destroying all human life and ruining the moon? I'm glad I don't have to deal with such barbaric gods back home." Because a flood that killed millions and slaughtered off every animal bar a male and female made them sail on a tiny ship for a while was certainly 'less' barbaric.

"So, you are from another world then, one with other gods than our own?" while not impossible considering Ozpin's own ruminations on the subject, was still improbable. "How would you even enter Remnant if that were the case."

Parc said nothing in turn, simply shaking his head for the secret he wouldn't speak of.

"Alright. I can see you do not wish to answer that. Haa… let us move onto another subject. What do you have to gain by coming to me? You seem to be pretty aware of Remnants current issues, so I can't imagine you have come here to simply get on my nerves."

"No, no, of course not. As I said, I've got goals I need to do, and Beacon's just the first step in getting those done."

"And they are?" Ozpin pushed.

"Well," Parc hummed, "it's two fold really, three if you want to get into the more challenging aspect of the goal. The first really is Salem," all attention focused squarely on him. "I've got to… how do I say this… 'deal' with her." He thought it better to avoid telling them outright that his goal was to go pluck a millenia old milf.

"Secondly, well, I won't get into that part of my mission."

Not completely content with the lacking information but not wanting to pry further and ruin the already terse relation brewing between the two, Ozpin asked, "and the third."

"Oh, that's a bitch of a challenge, I won't lie. Especially considering you've been unable to do it in millenia. I've got to unify most of Remnant. Get you're little warring factions' spiel under control, keep Atlas from going on another Faunus massacre, yadda yadda. Basically, I've got to play peace maker."

It was certainly to be a frustrating endeavour getting three fourths of remnant to accept not kicking each other in the balls as a smart decision. And it was most definitely going to take a long time if he didn't play it smartly.

"That is certainly one as you put it 'a bitch of a challenge.' Humanity has proven to be far from the most peace-making of species." Ozpin mused, the exhaustion of his own efforts coming to show in his slumped shoulders and tired, blank eyes.

"I know." Parc's own body slumped, not looking forwards to dealing with the inevitable politics coming his way.

After a few moments of stillness between the two, Ozpin finally straightened himself out and was drawn to the green cloaked woman stood besides Parc whom he had been ignoring this entire time. Lingering on her for but a second and causing the Summer hidden beneath it to shiver as his analytical eyes scanned each inch of her body in unnerving detail.

"I'm sorry, I've been rude. Who are you?"