Chương 758: 101
Chapter 101:
Far off, well away from the places humans and faunus knew well, beyond the reaches of the known and charted, there lay a particular land. Its location was not marked on any map, its position known only to a minuscule few. Even if more people did know about it, visiting would not have been the highest on anyone's list of priorities.
The sky was dark. That was not the product of any kind of cloud cover. Indeed, if one looked closely, they would be able to see the silhouettes of clouds drifting across the sky, darker shadows against a backdrop of dark-red, the color of congealed blood. The light of the sun did not reach this place. Instead, the light of the moon, hanging low on the horizon, shown clearly, providing all the illumination in this place, its light somehow harsher than it would be anywhere else.
The terrain and mood made this place desolation embodied. The ground was lifeless, an undulating landscape of rocky ridges, with barren stretches of cracked dirt lying between them. Dark-purple crystals, possibly Dust of some kind, jutted out of the ground at harsh angles, providing very little illumination of their own.
In the midst of this dark land, there lay pools of even deeper darkness. They dotted the landscape, like puddles after rain, though there was no rain to be found in this barren land. The liquid in them was thick, viscous, and tar-like. At times, the surface was smooth and glassy. At other times, it rippled, as though something was moving just beneath its surface. At those times, the ripples often swelled upward, the liquid peeling away to reveal a monstrous figure of black, white, and red.
The Creatures of Grimm...Everywhere one might have looked at this landscape, there they were, pulling themselves out of the ebony muck, spawning by the dozens...hundreds...thousands...and, as soon as they emerged, they began their march out into the wider world, to do what they had been made to do since time immemorial.
This was the Land of Darkness, once belonging to the God of Darkness himself, his domain, the home of both himself and his creations. This was where the Creatures of Grimm had been born...and continued to be born. However, after departing this world, the Land of Darkness had been left unattended...and someone else had claimed it for their own.
Rising atop a rocky ridge, seemingly carved out of the stone itself, a single structure stood. By and large, its walls were indistinguishable from the terrain. However, a large, cavelike entrance revealed a set of stairs, which led the way up into the cavernous structure, their path ultimately terminating in a large hall, its walls lined with windows, allowing one a sweeping view of the Grimm vista outside. The windows were briefly interrupted by dark, black and purple crystalline formations, which jutted straight up from the floor at regular intervals, their tips each bearing a single lit candle, which, despite the wax that ran down them, never seemed to burn down nor out.
The hall was dominated by a large table of ebony stone. Set around the table were several seats, carved from stone, so that their backs formed twisted, unnatural shapes. They were contrasted with the seat at the head of the table, formed from the same purple crystals that jutted from the ground outside, forming an arrangement like a throne.
The throne's occupant was human in shape, but the resemblance to humanity faded away from there. She was a woman, one who might have been attractive under most circumstances. However, her chalk-white skin, veined with lines of dark-purple, was enough to mark her as something else. Her equally white hair had been tied up into a large bun behind her head, with six offshoots emerging from the bun's base, each one wrapped in black ribbon, and dangling a black ornament. She was clad in a black gown, which accentuated a figure that would have been attractive, had her other aspects not been so unnatural.
However, it was her eyes that were her most inhuman feature. Pools of darkness, formed from black sclerae, they harbored irises of a deep, blood-red. Those eyes glowed with a pure, unadulterated malice, a lingering hatred for the world, and everything in it.
Salem: Queen of the Grimm, rested her elbows atop the table's surface, leaning forward slightly, bringing the tips of her fingers together as she stared past them at the other three people assembled at the table with her. "So...nothing...?" she said.
A few seats down, on the left side of the table, a man stiffened, setting down the black scroll he'd been fiddling with only seconds earlier. Sporting short, black hair, with gray strips along the sides, along with a distinguished mustache, he looked more like a college professor than some kind of agent of evil, which was only enhanced by the red and yellow suit he wore.
"I'm afraid there has been no contact from Cinder for the past two weeks," said Doctor Arthur Watts. "She has failed to make her regularly-scheduled report. And the news that has come out of Vale has been troubling."
"How so?" asked Salem.
Watts swallowed. "Grimm activity in the region has all but ceased. Even Mountain Glenn has been emptied. Furthermore, I have been picking up reports that the Vale Branch of the White Fang have been pacified."
"Is that so...?" Salem's eyes narrowed.
"I'm afraid so, Your Grace," said Watts, bowing his head to her. "I do not wish to speak prematurely, but I am afraid that something has happened to Cinder."
"You mean she failed," squealed a shrill voice one seat down from Watts, one seat closer to Salem.
Tyrian Callows couldn't have been more different from Watts if he had tried, his pale skin standing out in sharp contrast to Watts' more tanned complexion. Tyrian's sickly-yellow eyes darted back and forth, his entire body twitching with barely-restrained energy, his thin, slightly gaunt face seemingly always twisted into a maniacal grin. His black hair was slicked back, before being tied into a braided tail that descended down past his shoulders. He was decked out in a white shirt, left open to show off the muscles of his chest and stomach. Unlike the others, he did not sit in his chair, so much as crouch on it, like an animal set to pounce.
Even as he spoke, a soft giggle worked its way up Tyrian's throat. He was no stranger to bouts of spontaneous laughter. But he knew better than to look as though he was taking amusement from this situation. However much he would have enjoyed laughing at Cinder, were she here in person, he could not allow himself to give the impression that he was laughing at the failure of his mistress' plans.
"As much as it pains me to say so, that is the conclusion I have reached as well," added Watts, definitely more composed, but still noticeably nervous.
Granted, they all knew that Salem was not one to "shoot the messenger". But none of them would dare try her patience.
"Remind me..." said Salem slowly. "...what was her last message about, again?"
"She reported that she had discovered another Maiden at Beacon," said Watts, "and that she was taking steps to secure her."
"Preposterous," rumbled a deep, gravelly voice from the side of the table, opposite Weiss and Tyrian. "Why would Ozpin risk keeping two of the Maidens in one place?"
Hazel Rainart was a towering mountain of a man, standing at exactly eight feet tall. His build was one of heavy, solid muscle, hidden beneath a black shirt and dark-green coat. His eyes, the color of his namesake, were set into a face of tanned skin, framed completely by the short, dark-brown hair of his beard, which joined his sideburns, completely enclosing his face. His expression was calm and composed, perpetually serious and stoic. He had the look of a man fazed by very little.
"And yet, Cinder seemed quite certain of her conclusions," said Watts.
"She got grabby," said Tyrian, a squealing giggle forcing its way out with his words. "She must have gotten herself smacked for trying to act out of turn."
"I certainly hope that is not the case," said Watts. "If that is true, then our plans in Vale have been mostly overturned. Worse still...what if Cinder was not killed...but captured?"
"Then she is as good as dead," said Salem, her tone ringing with the utmost certainty. "Ozpin will not waste time. He will act to return the Fall Maiden's power to its proper host."
"Still...if Cinder is in their custody, they might yet try to press her for information," Watts pointed out.
"Unlikely," rumbled Hazel. "It is too much of a risk to try and keep a Maiden, even a partial one, captive. Magic defies security measures that would counter Dust or Aura, so they would not risk keeping her long."
"True, I suppose," said Watts. "Then...the real question becomes, what of our plans for Vale?"
"You said the White Fang have been pacified," said Salem, looking to Watts. "Is that true?"
"So it would seem," said Watts, checking his scroll. "There has been very little activity on the network, but White Fang violence within the Kingdom has ended quite abruptly, and not through any order of Cinder's. Cinder's planned attack was a failure, it seems, as there has been no news of a breach."
"I see..." said Salem, lowering her arms to cross over the table's surface, hands resting flat against it.
None of the men at the table dared press Salem about what to do now, given that she was clearly mulling it over. It was best not to interrupt her.
Finally, Salem spoke. "Watts, is the virus Cinder planted in the Vale CCT network still active?"
"It is," said Watts. "Shall I go and assume control there?"
"Not alone," said Salem. "We leave nothing to chance this time. I will not risk another setback. All of you will address this. Ascertain the situation, and do whatever it takes to ensure that our overall plan for the Kingdom can be put into action." Her eyes narrowed slightly. "Should you determine that such is impossible, then withdraw as gracefully as you are able. In that event...I will make preparations to deal with this myself."
The air turned heavy for a moment.
"I won't fail you, Your Grace," said Tyrian, giggling more loudly, as he bowed his head to her.
"And what of Jester?" asked Hazel. "Last I heard, he was somewhere near Vale."
"There is no predicting where that man is, nor what he is doing," said Watts with a disappointed sigh. "Frankly, he is far too erratic to be trusted."
"He needs to learn his place," growled Tyrian, his smile finally falling from his face, becoming an almost childish scowl.
"Do not bother with him," said Salem simply. "Just focus on doing what I have sent you to do."
"As you wish," said Watts. The three men rose to their feet, making their way out the door.
As it swung shut behind them, Salem remained where she was, seated in her throne. Though her eyes were fixed on the doors on the far end of the hall from her, her gaze was elsewhere, miles away. "Just what are you up to...Ozpin?" she asked, mostly to herself, a dark, angry scowl on her face.
Morning came, bringing with it the expected scolding by Weiss. However, Weiss did wind up relenting, when Ruby explained her reasoning behind spending the night in Jaune's bed. As Ruby and Jaune had predicted though, Weiss did insist that this was a one-time thing, and that Ruby and Jaune were still expected to sleep separately on weeknights. All the while, Pyrrha tittered into her hand, finding the whole thing a comforting amusement after the scare of Ruby's attempted kidnapping.
From there, the days returned to their normal pattern. They attended to classes, worked on homework, and trained during their free periods. Ruby continued to slip out into the Emerald Forest to work on further developing the Raikoken. This time, her friends accompanied her, making sure to keep in the vicinity as they did their own training, not trusting whoever had been behind the attempted abduction to not try something, even out in the wilderness.
Aside from that, they continued to work on developing their own skills and abilities.
Jaune shouted, bringing his sword down in a straight slash. Stepping forward, he let out another shout, transitioning to a sideways swing across his body. Taking one more step, he reversed his sword's course, swinging it back across at a rising angle. The swing actually produced a visible distortion in the air in front of him, a faintly rippling crescent that extended out along the line of his slash, its passage making the grass in front of him bend slightly.
Panting, Jaune slid back into his starting stance, and prepared to go again. After a moment gathering himself again, he launched into the sequence of strikes again. Finishing that, he repeated them again...and again.
It had been Kyo's advice. Generally speaking, when trying to commune with the Aura of one's weapon, there were two approaches one could take. The first was basic meditation, practicing emptying one's mind, so that one could develop awareness of their weapon's Aura, and gradually learn to understand it. However, that kind of approach wasn't for everyone. Quite a few people had difficulty sitting still for the time necessary to enter the required state.
To that end, there was a different kind of meditation that could be practiced, a sort of meditation through motion. The repetition of a familiar series of actions kept the body active, limiting distractions, and allowing the practitioner to lose themselves in the familiar movements, allowing their conscious thoughts to give way. And so, Jaune had begun practicing the first series of three strikes he had learned from Pyrrha, over and over again, doing his utmost to completely lose himself into the activity, letting his conscious thoughts drain away with each swing of his sword.
As it turned out, it wasn't a bad approach at all. Besides losing himself into the actions, Jaune found he was pushing himself longer and harder than he normally would have, which had to be good for his strength and stamina. His mind was clearing of distracting thoughts, the familiar actions of putting his sword through the same three strokes lulling him into a sort of daze. From there, he was beginning to become aware of things he hadn't noticed before.
It started out with a dull buzzing sensation, issuing from the handle of his sword. In Jaune's hand, it was slowly beginning to feel warm, as though heated from within. Jaune latched onto that feeling, focusing on it, even as his body continued through the familiar motions, over and over again. Though his eyes were open, he wasn't really paying attention to what he was seeing, so he didn't notice as the blade of his sword began to shine.
Meanwhile, Ruby, Pyrrha, and Weiss all stopped what they were doing, noticing the change that had come over Jaune's sword. Weiss opened her mouth to ask what he was doing, but was quickly shushed by Ruby.
"Don't interrupt him," she hissed urgently. "He's doing it!"
"Doing what?" asked Pyrrha.
"Speaking with his sword," replied Ruby.
Pyrrha and Weiss glanced at Ruby in surprise, then looked over at Jaune. As he continued to go through the sequence of motions that Pyrrha had taught him, they could see glittering motes begin to dance off the blade of Jaune's sword with every swing. The blade itself was pulsing with a steady shine of Aura, mainly white, but with a little bit of yellow, giving it an overall ivory shade. That light intensified with each swing, gradually growing a little bit stronger as Jaune repeated the sequence over and over again.
Jaune's body was soaked with sweat, staining the fabric of his hoody and jeans. It poured down his face, stinging his eyes, but he scarcely even noticed, too absorbed in his growing familiarity with the feeling of the sword in his hand. It was like meeting someone after hearing a great deal about them for the longest time. The longer Jaune practiced, the more he realized that he wasn't merely swinging a sword, he was interacting with his first partner, the one who had been by his side, even before Ruby.
The warmth from his sword built, and Jaune could begin to feel a vague sense of emotion. His sword felt...happy. That was it! For the longest time, this blade, with its unique Aura, had been reaching out to him, trying to speak to him, trying to help him, even trying to lend him its strength. And now, Jaune was beginning to listen.
Next, Jaune decided to see if he could try the next step, what he'd seen Ruby do before, use his Aura in conjunction with his sword. Doing as he had been trained, he used Flow to channel his Aura into his sword in conjunction with his swing. He'd done this countless times before. But now, he had opened himself up to the Aura coming from his sword, allowing the two to merge together.
Ruby's instincts blared a danger warning. She immediately grabbed Weiss' and Pyrrha's shoulders. "DOWN!" she shouted, pulling them all to the ground.
Jaune had begun the third swing of his latest sequence, which sent his sword slicing across his body at an upwards angle. The blade abruptly flared, the light it was emitting reaching blinding levels. A wide crescent of pure light stretched off the blade, flashing out into the forest ahead of him, passing through the trunks of well over a dozen trees, cutting straight through them without the slightest sign of resistance.
At the same time, right as Jaune was finishing his actual swing, he found himself unprepared for the sudden surge in the combination of his and Crocea Mors' Aura, the intense release of energy jolting his hand like the recoil of a gunshot, wrenching the sword from his grip and sending it spinning off to the side. "Whoa!"
And then, ahead of him, nearly twenty trees, arrayed in a wide arc in front of him, and at least five ranks deep, toppled over with a series of loud, groaning crashes, their trunks cleaved through at levels in conjunction with the angle of Jaune's swing.
"Uh..." Jaune stared at the clearing he'd just made in front of him. Then his eyes went down to his right hand, before drifting off to find his sword. Finally, he noticed the girls, still prone on the ground. They lifted their heads to look at them, Ruby's eyes shining with excitement, while Pyrrha's expression was admiring. Weiss merely looked annoyed, clearly not happy to be left hugging the ground.
"You girls okay?" asked Jaune. "I used my Aura, but I didn't know it would do this."
Ruby was up in a flash, blurring across the ground between them. Before Jaune could react, she'd seized him in a tight hug around his shoulders, pressing her lips to his. Jaune reflexively brought his arms around her back, pulling her up against him, the presence of the shield on his left arm making it a little awkward. But he managed to hug Ruby back all the same.
Finally, Ruby broke off the kiss, still hanging off him, eyes shining with joy. "That was awesome, Jaune! I knew you could do it."
"Thanks," said Jaune. "I got some advice from your brother."
Ruby nodded. "Kyo-nii would know."
Jaune and Ruby let go of each other, Jaune going over to pick up his sword. "Still, that was way more than what I was expecting." He frowned, staring at the blade. "I'm a little bit worried."
"That is most understandable," said Weiss, brushing the forest loam from her clothes. "If that is going to be the result, then there is no way you can use that in a sparring match, much less the tournament."
"We'll have to see," said Ruby. "The more you work with it, the better you can probably learn to control the outcome."
"Was it like this with your sword?" asked Jaune.
"The opposite, more like," said Ruby. "Akaibara is really contrary, pretty Weissy actually."
"Hey!" protested Weiss, glaring at Ruby.
"So...trying to get her Aura to open up to me even a little bit was a chore, and it was a while before we were really able to get to the point where we could merge our Auras." Ruby looked at Jaune's sword. "And, of course, I can't do what you do with your ability. That would amplify it even more."
"So...what should I do then?" asked Jaune.
Ruby frowned pensively, scratching her chin. "Um...how much Aura did you put into your swing, when you used Flow?"
"The usual amount," said Jaune. "I mean, I put a hefty chunk in, when I go on the offense."
"Maybe start by lowering how much Aura you put into your swing," suggested Ruby. "That could tone down the level of amplification. Other than that...perhaps focus on your intention."
"How so?" asked Jaune.
"Well, a sword's default intention is to cut," said Ruby. "Depending on who or what you're using it against, you wind up using it to 'cut' or 'kill.' However, if you can modify your intention properly, you could produce a powerful attack, with less threat of injuring your opponent."
"Um...What intention do I use?" wondered Jaune.
"'Defeat'...maybe...or 'win'…whichever seems better to you." Ruby shrugged.
"It sounds like the only proper way he could manage to work that angle is if he practiced against another person," said Pyrrha warily.
"That's far too dangerous," said Weiss.
Ruby grinned. "Maybe not," she said. "After all, all we need to do is find the right person..."
"I had a feeling it would come to this," said Kyo, laughing as Ruby explained her idea to him. "So you would like me to be your partner's punching bag?"
Amber stared at Kyo in confusion, wondering just how he could be so blithe about something like this. Granted, that seemed to be a sort of trend with these siblings. So she supposed it shouldn't be that much of a shock, when Ruby and Jaune had approached them, when the older pair had been on another of their outings around campus.
"Yes, please, Kyo-nii," said Ruby cheerfully. "Jaune needs to work on moderating how he uses his weapon's power, and you're the one person I know is strong enough to take what he dishes out."
"And are you all right with this?" asked Kyo, looking to Jaune. It wasn't that he felt that Jaune's heart wasn't in this. He just wanted to make sure that Ruby wasn't making plans without his consent.
"Well, she said it would be the best way," said Jaune. "She also said that I could try it against her. But I'd rather not."
"Well, I'd say that Ruby-chan could certainly handle the kind of power you're describing for me, it would take a good bit more effort on her part," noted Kyo. "That would actually be some good training for her, in and of itself, but it would reduce the number of chances you have to practice for yourself."
"That's true," said Ruby.
"Then let's do it both ways," said Kyo.
"Huh?" grunted Jaune and Ruby in unified confusion.
"Ruby-chan will start by taking Jaune-kun's attacks. Then, after you tire her out, Jaune-kun, I'll take over, and we can go until you tire out."
"Will that be okay?" asked Amber warily.
"It'll be fine," said Kyo. "Would you like to watch, Amber-san?"
Amber blinked, thinking it over. "You know, it might be interesting."
"Then we can get started immediately," said Kyo, turning back to Ruby and Jaune. "If you would take us to one of the sparring rings..."
"Well, when I said I wanted to cut a deal, I didn't think it would be with you," said Roman Torchwick, grinning as he settled into the seat across the desk from Ozpin. "So...what exactly do ya want from me, oh Great and Powerful Oz?"
Ozpin chuckled at Roman's moniker for him, even as Glynda bristled silently behind him. "Straight to the point then," he said. "May I ask what prompted your sudden change of heart, when, for the past few months, you have determinedly obfuscated any inquiries we have made?"
"Well, a little birdie might have told me that a certain mutual thorn in our sides has been...removed," said Roman.
"How odd that you would refer to your employer in such a manner," said Ozpin.
Roman laughed derisively. "You make it sound like we had a contract, that I got a nice little salary, maybe a benefits package..." He leaned forward, his expression hardening angrily. "I think we both know the real terms of my arrangement with her. My 'dental' would've been what they used to ID what was left of me, after she was done. I did what she told me, and she wouldn't turn me into a black smudge on the pavement."
"And doing what she told you included staying quietly in prison?" asked Ozpin.
"Well, I ain't about to complain too much," said Roman. "After that little red menace caught me, I was sure Cinder was going to have me hung in my cell before the week was out. I'm damn lucky she still needed something from me, or we wouldn't be having this conversation."
"And does what she needed from you have something to do with your cohort, who happens to be just behind you?" asked Ozpin, his gaze sliding slightly off to Roman's left.
Glynda gasped, her eyes widening. In a flash, her riding crop was in her hand, whipping out in the direction of Ozpin's eyes. However, before she could do anything, Ozpin held a hand up in front of her, forestalling any action on her part.
"Young Miss," said Ozpin, "please come out. There is no point in hiding anymore."
Roman let out an impressed whistle. "Well, that's never happened before. Might as well drop the act, Neo."
The air behind and to the left of Roman abruptly shattered like glass, fragments falling away to reveal the diminutive form of Neo, her appearance startling Glynda, even though the woman was already aware that someone was there.
Ozpin smiled. "Yes, I can see why someone with her ability would be so highly-valued." His eyes met Neo's. "I find myself curious why you have been helping us behind the scenes."
Neo affected a look of mock-innocence, pointing to herself, as though asking "Who? Me?"
Ozpin chuckled. "You are the one who sent us the warning that the Forrest Family was still in danger, even here at Beacon."
Neo nodded slowly.
"She was testing the waters, for the most part," said Roman. "Even if me getting caught by Red was a serious threat, it also meant that Cinder didn't have as tight a hold on things as we feared.
"And then you brought her into Beacon, and she went on to beat Adam Taurus, of all people. I may not have had too many dealings with the guy, but I know he ain't someone who's gonna go down easily, and Red managed that twice. When I heard about that, I thought that maybe...just maybe...you all might have a chance against her."
"And so, your associate has been assisting us, somewhat," said Ozpin.
"That's stretching it a bit," said Roman. "Neither of us was prepared to go out on a limb for anything less than a sure thing. Mostly, Neo kept an eye on things. She was watching when a certain student of yours' friend in the White Fang sold out her buddies to stop that attack from going off. She could've made things go differently, if she'd wanted, but Neo decided to let things play out." Roman gestured around him. "And well...here we are."
"Indeed," agreed Ozpin, "which leaves us with the question of where we go from here."
"Well, you're the one setting the terms," said Roman. "What do you want, exactly?"
"First off, I would like to confirm if you have any further information about Cinder Fall's plans...or perhaps the plans of those she was working for," said Ozpin.
"Nada," said Roman. "You think she'd tell a peon like me stuff like that?"
"Did you, perhaps, learn anything, Ms. Neo?" asked Ozpin.
Neo, not smiling for once, shook her head slowly.
"Well then, let us move onto the next thing," said Ozpin. "I have a proposal for you, Mr. Torchwick. Should you accept it, we can pave the way to your sentence ultimately being commuted, and you might even have the opportunity to...turn over a new leaf...as it were."
Roman grinned. "Well, I certainly wasn't expecting such a generous offer," he admitted. "What exactly do you want me to do?"
Ruby grunted, having to brace the flat of her blade against the palm of her hand as Jaune struck. The white light flashing from the edge of his sword transformed into a blazing crescent of white. Even though she'd braced herself, the force behind the blow was so intense that she was nearly blown off her feet. As it was, her sandals scraped against the floor as she was sent sliding back several meters.
"How was that?" asked Jaune, panting slightly, a sheen of sweat decorating his face.
"You tell me," said Ruby, smiling over her upraised sword. "It's no good if you need me to tell you. You need to figure out what the right way of doing this feels like."
Jaune frowned, looking down at his sword. "It wasn't right," he said. "It still feels too sharp. If your sword hadn't been there, then it would have cut right through your Aura." He looked back up at Ruby with worried eyes.
"Don't worry, Jaune," said Ruby, smiling at him. "Right now, you're still feeling out the 'how' of tapping into your weapon. So it's gonna take some work before you can fully control how you use it."
In fact, it had taken a bit of a warmup, before Jaune was able to re-establish contact with his sword's Aura. Even now, he was struggling to hold onto the impression of that energy, contained within the blade in his hand, so that he could continue to use it, when he attacked Ruby.
"Yeah," agreed Jaune nervously. "I just wish there was a safer way to do this."
"Safety isn't a given in our line of work," said Ruby. "Just go ahead, Jaune. Swing away."
"Right..." said Jaune, taking his stance again.
He raised his sword upwards, while Ruby braced Akaibara to block once again. A few seconds later, Jaune stepped forward, bringing his sword down in an angled slash with a loud shout. The blade flashed, blazing a light-cream color, and another crescent of light slammed into Ruby's upraised sword, driving her back again.
Amber and Kyo watched from the sidelines, the former's jaw hanging slightly slack, the latter beaming proudly.
"That's the energy of Jaune's sword...really?" asked Amber.
"It's amplified by his innate ability, but yes," said Kyo. "Tapping into that power for a single attack like this is just the first step though. Ultimately, the goal is for wielder and weapon to completely merge their spirits, and create something much greater than the sum of their parts. Still, he's coming along much faster than I expected. He truly has a strong affinity for this."
They watched as Jaune's sword crashed against Ruby's again. Both of them were sweating and panting. However, Ruby's arms were beginning to quake from the effort of interposing her sword between herself and Jaune. Another strike later, and she had to shake out her arms. One more slash, and Ruby nearly dropped Akaibara to the floor.
"I think that's enough for you, Ruby-chan," said Kyo, getting to his feet.
Ruby nodded. Pulling out her scroll, she fumbled with it for a bit, bringing down the safety barrier. After that, she traded places with Kyo. A second later, she brought up the barrier again. After that, it was Kyo who was fending off Jaune's slashes. Unlike Ruby, Kyo casually held his sword with one hand, still managing to hold off Jaune's attacks easily, the blows not even making his feet slide back.
Ruby settled in next to Amber, helping herself to one of the towels they'd set aside to wipe away her sweat. When she finished, she noticed that Amber was watching Kyo with fascination, listening as the boy coaxed Jaune into making another effort.
"So...how are you and Kyo-nii getting along?" asked Ruby, smiling at Amber.
Amber looked down, her cheeks turning pink. "W-well...we're doing quite well."
"He's not coming on too strong, is he?" asked Ruby, a bit worried. Given how inept Kyo had come off during his initial meeting with Amber, she was worried that he might be trying a bit too hard to win her interest.
"N-no! Not at all." Amber smiled. "He's kind and attentive, but never intrusive. He doesn't try to do things for me, unless I want or need him to. He's just…there…and that's what I need most of the time." She sighed and looked down. "I just wish I knew what to do."
"About him?" asked Ruby, canting her head.
"I've never really been in this position," Amber admitted. "I mean...there were boys who caught my interest before. But, being the Fall Maiden, I knew I couldn't afford to make too many connections. Anyone I entered into a relationship with would be just one more person Salem and her people could use against me. Make friends, and Salem's people would threaten them. Settle down, and they would find me. I had to keep moving, and keep to myself for the most part. My only other option would be to live my life tied down by Ozpin's protection."
Ruby nodded slowly, able to understand how Amber would have difficulty finding a special someone for herself.
Amber sighed her hand going up to trace her scar. "After the attack...I woke up with this. For a little while, I was afraid that it would make people afraid to approach me, that it would make me ugly."
"Kyo-nii changed your mind?" asked Ruby.
Amber's smile widened considerably, and she nodded. "Yes," she said. "He doesn't just accept it or overlook it. He embraces it. And...I think that's amazing." Amber turned her gaze to Ruby. "Thank you for introducing me to him."
"You're welcome," said Ruby, giving Amber a wide smile. "You deserve some real happiness, after what you went through. When you've recovered, you should travel with him."
"Travel...with him...?" Amber's eyes widened at the thought.
"Yeah. You sure wouldn't have to worry about anyone threatening him," said Ruby, giggling.
"That's true, I suppose," said Amber, her gaze drifting back to Kyo.
"What's more, if you go back with him to Leng, you can settle in Onmyo," said Ruby. "The Mibu can protect you from Salem. She won't even think about going after you, while you're there." At least, that was her belief, given what she knew.
"Are the people there as strong as Kyo?" asked Amber.
"Some," said Ruby. "There are a lot of ordinary civilians. But the friends Kyo has there are way stronger than the Maidens. And then there's his mother and father, who are stronger than him. If Salem tried to go after you there, she'd regret it."
"That sounds...wonderful," Amber admitted.
Ever since she had embraced her role as the Fall Maiden, Amber hadn't given much thought to having a home. Sure, she could have something like a home, if she'd decided to stay under Ozpin's protection. But it wouldn't be so much a home as a gilded cage, her comings and goings constantly monitored and controlled, every person she interacted with carefully vetted.
Traveling was much more enjoyable. Amber liked seeing new places and meeting new people. It allowed her to get out and use her power to help others. However, that way of life was more exposed, and not everyone she would meet was a friend. She'd learned that lesson in a particularly unpleasant manner, thanks to Cinder and her underlings.
Amber supposed that home would be a balance of both; being able to leave when she wanted, but having a place to return to, where she felt safe and welcome; where she could trust the people she interacted with. If that was the case, Amber wondered if she could be at "home", if she was with Kyo.
Given the way her cheeks warmed, when she entertained the notion, Amber realized she certainly didn't think it a bad idea.
In the ring, Jaune was beginning to sag. He was absolutely drenched with sweat now, his body heaving with every breath he took. Still, he lifted his head, fixed Kyo with a determined stare, adopted his stance, and started again.
"Your partner is quite determined," said Amber.
"Yeah...he is," agreed Ruby, smiling fondly.
Jaune finally gave out, over a dozen tries later. At some point, he had foregone trying to make his attacks non-lethal, and had simply focused on making sure that he could call upon his sword for every strike. Kyo didn't admonish him for that, explaining that the more he engaged with his sword's Aura, the more Jaune would be able to control it, later on.
By the time they wrapped up, the cafeteria had almost closed. Fortunately, Ruby and Jaune were able to make it before the dinner period ended. Kyo took Amber back to Glynda's quarters, and wound up having dinner with them, Glynda's manner towards him having apparently softened, after seeing the way Kyo was helping Amber.
A few days later, on a Friday afternoon, Ruby had returned to the Emerald Forest, her friends with her. She continued to work on perceiving the world's Aura. It was there, hovering just at the edges of her awareness, like a stray thought on the tip of her tongue, something she new she needed to think and say, and yet she couldn't quite work out what it was.
She relaxed her body and mind, both going slack. As she did, she listened, allowing the sounds and smells of the forest around her to inundate her. Her awareness slipped away, and Ruby felt her Aura blending in with something...larger. What was more, she could sense the Aura of her sword, blending with her own.
It's the same! The thought struck Ruby abruptly. When she called upon the Aura of her sword, she merged Akaibara's Aura with her own. It began to occur to her that she was doing the same with the World's Aura. In fact, she had already achieved that, it was the state she had been born into. If she was a part of the One, then her Aura was already merged with it. Therefore, all she had to do was listen, just as she did with her sword.
Granted, it wasn't quite the same. The scale was vastly different. The "voice" of the world around her spoke on such a scale that Ruby imagined it might take decades for it to sound out a single syllable...if she were to compare it a human manner of speech. But, if she could listen, then she could begin to call upon that vast Aura, and invoke it within the limited scope of her own perspective.
So Ruby inhaled deeply, breathing in, centering herself, making herself the center of the world...or at least her small corner of it. And, just like that, everything came together. Up above, a low rumbling sound built, heavy, dark clouds emerging from nowhere, the sky turning almost black.
Ruby's friends stopped their own training, staring up in awe at the sight, watching as the clouds formed a vortex above Ruby's head. The words came out of her mouth automatically.
"Thunder of heaven,
"Thunder of earth,
"Come forth from the thunder clouds,
"Light the darkest places of the earth,
"Grant your strength to me!"
Lightning leapt about the vortex above, before a massive bolt lanced downwards with a deafening crack and a flare of light that forced Ruby's friends to shield their eyes. The bolt struck her sword, the clap of thunder creating a shockwave that they had to brace against to remain standing.
When the sound of thunder faded, and the ringing cleared their ears, Jaune, Weiss, and Pyrrha slowly opened their eyes, their ears now being met by an intense crackle, accompanied by Ruby's voice. "Raikoken." They found themselves staring at Ruby, standing triumphantly right where the lightning had struck. Her sword was held aloft in both hands, arcs of white lightning, edged with blue, dancing along the length of her blade.
The difference between this and the lightning Ruby normally created from her Aura was like night and day. It was more than just the color, the energy's hue not washing a brilliant crimson. The electricity dancing along Ruby's sword formed wider arcs, stretching over a meter away sometimes, before curling back to reconnect with the blade, almost as though the intense force bound there was barely held in check.
That wasn't all that strange though. This was true lightning, the unrestrained power of nature's wrath embodied, now bound to Ruby's will.
"I did it!" exclaimed Ruby exultantly.
"Holy crap!" shouted Jaune, gaping unashamedly at the spectacle.
Weiss and Pyrrha were less vocal, but just as astonished, gobsmacked by the sight before them. Sure, they had seen the clouds forming over the site of Ruby's battle with Cinder, had seen the bolt leap downwards. They'd even seen the final seconds of Ruby's technique, before it had petered out. But this was the first time any of them had laid eyes on the whole thing altogether.
Ruby had just called forth a storm on a clear day, and called a bolt of lightning right down into her sword, and was now holding it fast with her will. Ruby had commanded the power of nature itself. The sight was simply...awesome.
Every time I think I close the gap, she pulls away even further, thought Weiss ruefully, though she couldn't bring herself to resent the realization.
Pyrrha looked on with shining eyes, imagining what it would be like to face that kind of force in the ring.
Jaune...Jaune's expression softened into one of pure, loving admiration. She looks so beautiful.
Ruby lowered her sword slightly, keeping it in both hands, the blade held at a shallow angle, nearly horizontal. Closing her eyes, she turned her focus to the energy now racing along and through Akaibara's blade. The arcs of energy shrank down, forming shorter and shorter loops, condensing around the blade, almost seeming to dye its red steel blue and white.
Then Ruby released her sword with her right hand, flinging the blade out to her left in a wide swing, stopping sharply with her arm fully extended. The accumulated energy scattered away from her sword in a shower of brilliant sparks, almost like fireworks.
"Why did you do that?" asked Pyrrha, feeling slightly disappointed to see such a magnificent sight end so...abruptly...mundanely...she wasn't sure how to think of it.
"Well, I'm just trying to work on one thing at a time," said Ruby, smiling back at them. "I did it this time, sure. But I need to make sure I fully master the first part, so that I can pull off the Raikoken every time."
"First part...?" Weiss blinked in confusion.
"Well, getting the lightning into my sword is the hard part," said Ruby. "You could say that, when it comes to what to do with it, there are a bunch of different sub-techniques that Sarutobi passed down. I managed a couple of them, when I was fighting Cinder. They weren't actually that hard. But actually getting to the point where I can pull off the Raikoken, whenever I need to, that's the part I need to work on the most."
"Will it be ready in time for the tournament?" wondered Pyrrha.
"I'm not gonna use it for the tournament," said Ruby, drawing startled exclamation from Weiss and Pyrrha.
"I get it," said Jaune chuckling. "Amity Coliseum is a giant floating arena. Call down lightning strikes in the middle of that, you'd be freaking people out."
"And the lightning would be smashing right through the overhead barrier," added Pyrrha, catching on.
"Definitely the kind of thing that wouldn't go over well with a live audience," finished Jaune, nodding sagely.
"Besides, reining in this kind of power is going to take some doing," said Ruby. "Right now, I wouldn't dare use this against another person, unless I was prepared to kill them." Her expression became grave for a moment.
"...Right," said Pyrrha nervously.
Weiss opened her mouth slightly to wonder why Ruby would bother spending so much time on this technique, if it wasn't even going to be useful in the tournament. However, she stopped herself, realizing easily enough that Ruby was thinking much further ahead than that. Ruby's focus was, as always on her future of a Huntress, on cultivating strength she could use to protect people from the Grimm. Of course, for Ruby, that would take priority over anything and everything else, much less a simple tournament, no matter how big and storied it was.
"So now you just lather, rinse, and repeat, right?" asked Jaune.
"That's how it goes," said Ruby, looking up at the sky, which had cleared barely a minute after the lightning had first come down.
Taking a deep breath, she took up her sword once more, holding it up in front of her. Closing her eyes, she once again fell into opening herself to her awareness of the One.
A few minutes later, the sky boiled with dark clouds once more.
"Have you seen the news?" asked the voice on the Man's scroll.
"Who hasn't?" wondered the man, somewhat rhetorically.
Well, he wouldn't have, normally. He was too busy to spend much time watching the network, even something like the news. He generally delegated someone to monitoring the news networks, and reporting to him anything of note. However, this time, he'd been asked to watch the news personally.
It had been quite the piece, to say the least. The Emerald Forest, north of Vale, was no stranger to storms. However, dark, heavy storm clouds suddenly boiling over in the middle of an otherwise-clear day, expelling a single bolt of lightning, dissipating, then reappearing all over again...that was about as strange as weather got. Already, meteorological experts were speculating wildly about the cause, mainly in an effort to hide their confusion at the utter inexplicability of it all.
The Man knew better, having a meteorologist in his employ, one who was paid quite handsomely to be completely honest. Said meteorologist had informed the Man that such an occurrence was virtually impossible.
Therefore, if the phenomenon was not born of the natural world, then it was the product some something else…or possibly someone else. "Do you have reason to believe that this has some relation with our target?"
"Not in particular," replied the woman on the other end of the line. "Call it more of a hunch. Given that the Mibu have quite the penchant for inexplicable phenomena, and that the epicenter of this event took place only a few miles directly north of Beacon, I am willing to hazard that it is more likely that she is involved than not."
"An interesting conclusion," mused the Man. "But what would be the aim of something like this? What would that girl gain by staging such a spectacle?"
"Seeing as she hasn't plastered her face across the news, declaring her responsibility, I suspect the spectacle is secondary," replied his agent. "In fact, she may be trying to avoid drawing too much attention, seeing as this phenomenon is occurring out in the forest, and not in the skies of Beacon itself."
"And what do you think her aim is?"
"Given what we know of the Mibu, I would hazard a guess that her aim is training."
"Calling down lightning from the heavens is training?"
"It is, if you are practicing the art of calling down lightning from the heavens. The event occurred with a diminishing interval. Therefore, my speculation is that she was seeking to hone whatever skill this is, her speed and efficiency improving with each repetition."
The Man frowned. "Interesting. If you are correct, then it is all the more imperative that we deal with her."
"Shall I rescind the requirement to take her alive?"
The Man mulled it over for a moment. "No. But there is increased urgency. I will make available whatever resources you require. Get this done as soon as possible."
"They are already wary. Last time, a hasty operation failed. They would likely be expecting something, the next time they come to Vale, and we do not possess the means to seize her on Beacon grounds."
"I am aware of that," said the Man. "Time is of the essence, though. We absolutely cannot allow her to be at large, by the time the Vytal Festival begins. That is your deadline."
"Understood."
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