The Philosophy Knight 3
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AndrewJTalon
Experienced.
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- Apr 24, 2015
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The dim glow of Dust crystals lit the abandoned manor's war room, maps and scrolls strewn across the table like the entrails of a failed plan. Cinder Fall stood with her arms crossed, one eye narrowed in irritation as Adam Taurus paced before her, Wilt resting casually on his shoulder. Her minions were elsewhere as she worked with the leader of the White Fang... But it was already testing her patience.
"Power," Adam said, voice low and deliberate, "is not merely force, Cinder. The ancients knew this. The Five Rings teach us that to master the sword is to master the self—ground, water, fire, wind, void. Balance in all things. Even tyranny must be tempered by understanding-So were the Faunus Empires before the rise of Man."
Cinder's fingers drummed against her arm. "Fascinating. And how exactly does quoting dead men help us kill Ozpin?"
Adam ignored the barb. "Miyamoto of the Rings wrote that the warrior who knows only victory is doomed to fall. One must appreciate the natural order—Confucius of Yan spoke of harmony through hierarchy, yet harmony demands justice. The Faunus have been crushed beneath human heels for centuries. My path is to wield power not for its own sake, but to right that wrong. Tyranny, yes—but purposeful tyranny."
Cinder's eye flared orange. "Power defines reality, Adam. Whoever holds it decides what is right, what is wrong, what is true. Philosophy is the luxury of people who have time to waste. We take the Maiden powers, we burn Beacon, we win. End of discussion."
Adam stopped pacing, turning to face her fully. "And when we win? What then? A throne built on unchecked ambition crumbles. I admit my bias—vengeance drives me—but even vengeance must serve a greater creed. Without it, we are no better than the humans we despise. What purpose is your power beyond yourself?"
Cinder's patience snapped like a brittle bone. "I am not here to debate ethics with a masked idealist. Power is reality. That is the only creed that matters."
"But what will you do with it once you have it?" Adam posed.
"Anything I want!" Cinder spat. Adam shook his head.
"To have such power, such ambition, induce such fear... And to have such a boring motivation. I will serve you, Cinder Fall... But I will have to do all the work for it."
Cinder seethed. She swept past him in a swirl of black and flame, the door slamming behind her with enough force to rattle the windows.
Adam stood alone in the sudden silence.
He stared at the maps, at the plans that suddenly felt... hollow.
"Free will," he murmured to the empty room. "Do I choose this path? Or has the injustice chosen me?"
His fingers tightened on Wilt's hilt.
"I miss Jaune."
The admission slipped out before he could stop it—soft, almost ashamed.
"He understood. The clash. The ideals. The drama of it all."
Adam exhaled, slow and weary.
"Perhaps... I am the one in chains."
He wrote that down. It would be great when he next fought his rival. He was sure Jaune would love it.
Unlike his so-called "ally"...
- - -
In their private quarters in the manor hideout, Emerald Sustrai found Cinder standing at the window, arms wrapped around herself like a child denied a toy.
"I am not stupid, damn it," Cinder muttered, voice tight.
Emerald approached carefully. "Of course not. Adam's just... stuck in his head."
"He thinks quoting scrolls makes him profound." Cinder's reflection in the glass looked almost vulnerable. "Power is simple. Take it. Use it. Win."
Emerald hesitated, then rested a hand on Cinder's shoulder. "You'll show him. You always do."
From the doorway, Mercury Black leaned against the frame, smirking. "Yeah, real philosophical powerhouse in there, Boss. Very straightforward. Totally winning their cooperation."
Cinder's eye flashed. A fireball the size of a Dust crate erupted from her palm and rocketed toward Mercury's head.
He ducked with practiced ease, already sprinting down the hall. "LOVE YOU TOO, BOSS! OW—HOT! HOT!"
The fireball exploded against the wall, leaving a smoking crater.
Cinder grumbled.
"I am not stupid... I just simplify things! It's not like I want to debate morality while fighting!"
"Of course Cinder!" Emerald said.
"It's all very simple! Everyone in my way must burn!"
"Absolutely!"
"I am NOT boring!"
"Nobody said you were!"
Cinder growled, but there was no real heat in it.
- - -
Mercury jogged toward the White Fang mess hall, rubbing the back of his neck where a stray ember had singed his hair.
"Food," he muttered. "Normal food. With normal people who don't shoot fireballs or simp for the fireball thrower and—"
He pushed open the doors.
The mess hall was packed.
Every table was covered in scrolls, books, and hastily scribbled notes. White Fang lieutenants argued passionately over bowls of stew.
"—the void ring clearly represents acceptance of impermanence!"
"No, you idiot, it's the emptiness from which all strategy flows!"
"Confucius would say hierarchy is natural, but justice demands we invert it!"
Mercury stopped dead in the doorway.
A young recruit looked up, eyes bright. "Hey! You're human—wanna join the debate on whether power corrupts or reveals?"
Mercury stared.
Then stared some more.
Finally, he turned on his heel and walked straight back out.
"Why," he asked the empty hallway, "is everyone in this goddamn organization a fucking nerd?"
From the mess hall, someone shouted, "—and that's why the warrior's path is inherently tragic!"
Mercury kept walking.
He was getting takeout.
From literally anywhere else.
"Power," Adam said, voice low and deliberate, "is not merely force, Cinder. The ancients knew this. The Five Rings teach us that to master the sword is to master the self—ground, water, fire, wind, void. Balance in all things. Even tyranny must be tempered by understanding-So were the Faunus Empires before the rise of Man."
Cinder's fingers drummed against her arm. "Fascinating. And how exactly does quoting dead men help us kill Ozpin?"
Adam ignored the barb. "Miyamoto of the Rings wrote that the warrior who knows only victory is doomed to fall. One must appreciate the natural order—Confucius of Yan spoke of harmony through hierarchy, yet harmony demands justice. The Faunus have been crushed beneath human heels for centuries. My path is to wield power not for its own sake, but to right that wrong. Tyranny, yes—but purposeful tyranny."
Cinder's eye flared orange. "Power defines reality, Adam. Whoever holds it decides what is right, what is wrong, what is true. Philosophy is the luxury of people who have time to waste. We take the Maiden powers, we burn Beacon, we win. End of discussion."
Adam stopped pacing, turning to face her fully. "And when we win? What then? A throne built on unchecked ambition crumbles. I admit my bias—vengeance drives me—but even vengeance must serve a greater creed. Without it, we are no better than the humans we despise. What purpose is your power beyond yourself?"
Cinder's patience snapped like a brittle bone. "I am not here to debate ethics with a masked idealist. Power is reality. That is the only creed that matters."
"But what will you do with it once you have it?" Adam posed.
"Anything I want!" Cinder spat. Adam shook his head.
"To have such power, such ambition, induce such fear... And to have such a boring motivation. I will serve you, Cinder Fall... But I will have to do all the work for it."
Cinder seethed. She swept past him in a swirl of black and flame, the door slamming behind her with enough force to rattle the windows.
Adam stood alone in the sudden silence.
He stared at the maps, at the plans that suddenly felt... hollow.
"Free will," he murmured to the empty room. "Do I choose this path? Or has the injustice chosen me?"
His fingers tightened on Wilt's hilt.
"I miss Jaune."
The admission slipped out before he could stop it—soft, almost ashamed.
"He understood. The clash. The ideals. The drama of it all."
Adam exhaled, slow and weary.
"Perhaps... I am the one in chains."
He wrote that down. It would be great when he next fought his rival. He was sure Jaune would love it.
Unlike his so-called "ally"...
- - -
In their private quarters in the manor hideout, Emerald Sustrai found Cinder standing at the window, arms wrapped around herself like a child denied a toy.
"I am not stupid, damn it," Cinder muttered, voice tight.
Emerald approached carefully. "Of course not. Adam's just... stuck in his head."
"He thinks quoting scrolls makes him profound." Cinder's reflection in the glass looked almost vulnerable. "Power is simple. Take it. Use it. Win."
Emerald hesitated, then rested a hand on Cinder's shoulder. "You'll show him. You always do."
From the doorway, Mercury Black leaned against the frame, smirking. "Yeah, real philosophical powerhouse in there, Boss. Very straightforward. Totally winning their cooperation."
Cinder's eye flashed. A fireball the size of a Dust crate erupted from her palm and rocketed toward Mercury's head.
He ducked with practiced ease, already sprinting down the hall. "LOVE YOU TOO, BOSS! OW—HOT! HOT!"
The fireball exploded against the wall, leaving a smoking crater.
Cinder grumbled.
"I am not stupid... I just simplify things! It's not like I want to debate morality while fighting!"
"Of course Cinder!" Emerald said.
"It's all very simple! Everyone in my way must burn!"
"Absolutely!"
"I am NOT boring!"
"Nobody said you were!"
Cinder growled, but there was no real heat in it.
- - -
Mercury jogged toward the White Fang mess hall, rubbing the back of his neck where a stray ember had singed his hair.
"Food," he muttered. "Normal food. With normal people who don't shoot fireballs or simp for the fireball thrower and—"
He pushed open the doors.
The mess hall was packed.
Every table was covered in scrolls, books, and hastily scribbled notes. White Fang lieutenants argued passionately over bowls of stew.
"—the void ring clearly represents acceptance of impermanence!"
"No, you idiot, it's the emptiness from which all strategy flows!"
"Confucius would say hierarchy is natural, but justice demands we invert it!"
Mercury stopped dead in the doorway.
A young recruit looked up, eyes bright. "Hey! You're human—wanna join the debate on whether power corrupts or reveals?"
Mercury stared.
Then stared some more.
Finally, he turned on his heel and walked straight back out.
"Why," he asked the empty hallway, "is everyone in this goddamn organization a fucking nerd?"
From the mess hall, someone shouted, "—and that's why the warrior's path is inherently tragic!"
Mercury kept walking.
He was getting takeout.
From literally anywhere else.