Vale is for the Valiant

by OniHelix

Ruby was your average everyday teenager. You know, until you look at the fact that she is training to slay monsters using a giant gunscythe. One day, she encounters a strange foe that she cannot defeat, and the next day, she meets a friend which she could never understand. The only questions Ruby really have are... Who's Link? And he's a WHAT? T to be safe.

31. Rivaled by Few, Surpassed by None

No boring author's note, just a chapter. YEEEEEEAAAA-

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Chapter 31

Rivaled by Few, Surpassed by None

It didn't take long for Pyrrha to get to the top of Beacon Tower, wherein she saw Ozpin sitting at his desk, seemingly awaiting her, his cane resting off to the side. She walked in cautiously, as truth be told she had no idea what the purpose of this meeting really was. It didn't really matter to her though, she just wanted to finish up and go have a fun night with her friends.

"Well, it comes as no surprise that they've chosen you to move on to the final round of the tournament. Your performance was exemplary," Ozpin said as she approached his desk, sitting down in the chair across from his.

"Thank you, Professor Ozpin, but I would never have made it this far without my teammates," she said humbly, a snicker from another part of the room alerting her to the presence of a third person there with them.

"Personally, I think it's the other way around," said the third, stepping forth from behind a pillar and revealing himself to be Qrow.

Pyrrha rose from her chair in an attempt to be formal, turning to face this unfamiliar man. "I'm sorry, but I don't believe we've been introduced."

"Name's Qrow," he said, sounding almost hostile.

"Qrow is a trusted colleague of mine," Ozpin said as he gestured at Qrow. Pyrrha looked cautiously at Qrow for a moment before turning back towards Ozpin, a question on her lips.

"Professor," she asked, "if you don't mind me asking, why have you called me here?"

"Please, take a seat," he said, smiling. She did as he asked, and as she did he leaned back in his chair. "What is your favorite fairy tale?"

"I'm..." she stuttered, making sure she heard him right, "sorry?"

"Fairy tales, stories from your childhood," Ozpin clarified. "Surely you must remember some of them."

"Well," Pyrrha said, thinking back to her childhood, "there's The Tale of The Two Brothers, The Helix King, The Shallow Sea, The King of Man, The Girl in the Tower..."

"What about The Story of the Seasons?" Ozpin asked, leaning forward once more.

"Well, of course!" she almost cheered. "A callous old man, who refuses to leave his home, is visited by four traveling sisters. The first understands his reclusive nature and urges him to use his time in solitude to reflect and meditate. The second brings him fruits and flowers, tending to his crops and revitalizing his garden. The third warms the man's heart, convincing him to step outside and embrace the world around him. And the fourth and final sister begs him to look at all that he has, and be thankful. In return for their kindness, the man grants the maidens incredible powers, so that they may continue to help others all over the world. They graciously accept, and promise to share their gifts with the people of Remnant 'til the end of days. Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall; the four maidens. My mother loves that story," she said, remembering the tale fondly.

"Would you believe me if I told you that one's been around since I was a boy?" Ozpin joked.

"You're not that old, Professor," Pyrrha said, laughing.

"Well," Ozpin said, his carefree attitude finally melting away, "would you believe me if I told you it was true?"

Pyrrha wasn't sure what she just heard, and instead simply laughed nervously. "I... beg your pardon?"

"What if I were to tell you that there were four maidens existing in this world, that could wield such tremendous power, without dust?" Ozpin clarified.

"You mean... like a Semblance?" she asked shakily, not fully understanding.

"Like Magic," Ozpin replied, a small smile on his face.

"I..." Pyrrha said, looking down.

"Yeah," Qrow said, reminding Pyrrha that he was there. "First time hearing it's pretty crazy."

"You're serious?" Pyrrha asked in amazement, turning back to Qrow and then to Ozpin.

"Do I look like I'm joking?" Ozpin asked, completely straight faced.

"...No," Pyrrha admitted. "Why... why are you telling me this?"

Ozpin first looked to Qrow, who nodded before he turned back to face Pyrrha. "We are telling you this, Pyrrha Nikos, because we believe that you are next in line to receive the Fall Maiden's powers."

"'We'?" she asked, the elevator behind her opening to reveal both Glynda and Ironwood.

"Sorry we're late," Ironwood said as he stepped out of the elevator, Glynda following suit.

"Wait, what is this?" Pyrrha asked, getting defensive at this point. "Who are you?"

"You know who we are," Glynda said in the hopes of trying to calm Pyrrha. "We're still the same teachers and Headmasters you met when you arrived at Beacon."

"'Cept we've got a little part-time job," Qrow added.

"We are the protectors of this world," Ironwood said.

"And we need your help," Ozpin finished.

Pyrrha couldn't help but sit in stunned silence as everyone looked to her in earnest.

OOO

Meanwhile, the rest of our favorite students were discussing how exactly to go down to Vale and their ultimate destination, a place that Link and Yang refused to tell the others about beyond the address.

"So, we just gotta go here?" Jaune asked, saving the address in his scroll.

"Yep," Yang said, pocketing her own. "You guys taking taxis or something?"

"Yeah, that sounds like the best option," Jaune said, shrugging.

"Ren and I are riding together, okay bye!" Nora shouted, dragging Ren into a taxi she'd hailed before they sped off.

"This big dumb idiot's going with me," Lana declared, patting Volga on the shoulder. "Oh, and this one, too," she clarified, patting Sebastian as well. "I'm probably the only one willing to sit between these mountains anyway."

"Yang and I can probably take one person a piece," Link said, leaning on his bike, Yang similarly on hers.

"Yep, anyone got dibs?" Yang asked, Blake hopping onto the back of Bumblebee.

"I do," she said, smilingly slyly at Yang. "I hate public transportation, it smells weird."

"And I'm going with Link, obviously," Ruby said, zipping up to Link and grabbing his arm.

"Then who am I supposed to go with?" Weiss asked, gesturing towards her team who all but abandoned her.

"*Ahem* I do believe there's one more going solo..." Yang said, a laugh coming up shortly after.

"Who's that again?" Weiss asked, Yang covering her mouth and pointing to Jaune, the dork waving back meekly. "Oh. No."

"We're not waiting for an extra taxi just so you can avoid Jaune, Weiss," Link said, shaking his head. "And you wonder why everyone calls you Ice Queen."

"Stop that!" Weiss shouted, a little flustered.

"Sooo..." Jaune said, walking up next to Weiss, "wanna catch that cab? You won't get there just by standing around, you know."

Weiss thought for a moment before sighing. "I will indulge you, but solely because you looked out for me during the dance. But you are to sit next to the window."

"Hey, I'll take it," Jaune said, shrugging.

"We'll meet you there then," Yang said, starting Bumblebee.

"Just be quick," Link said, starting Epona, the engine roaring to life. "I don't wanna have to wait for you and Jaune to get there."

"That's up to the taxi driver, not us," Weiss said, waving it off. Yang simply chuckled before pulling away, Link following after. He took a different route, however, as he knew a faster way.

"Sooo..." Ruby said after a little while, leaning closer such to speak directly into Link's ear, "where are we going?"

"You'll see," Link said in response, turning down the surprisingly empty streets. They had a bit of a drive though, so he wasn't complaining.

"But I wanna know!" she whined, pouting. "You and Yang haven't told anyone and it's giving me anxiety!"

"Why didn't you ask Yang then?" Link asked.

"You're easier to break then she is," Ruby said, shrugging.

"And what makes you say that?" he asked once more, turning a corner. They were getting close, if he remembered correctly.

"Because couples and sisters are different, you know this," Ruby stated matter of factly. "Sisters fight over basically anything, couples work together on almost everything. So why don't you help me out and tell me where we're going?"

"Why don't you look up and see?" Link retorted, Ruby doing just that and seeing the large building that was to be the venue of their party.

"Wait, what is this?" she said, hopping off of Epona.

"It's where we're gonna celebrate!" Link cheered, shutting of the engine. "We'll wait till the others get here before we go in though, I don't wanna spoil the surprise."

"You're no fun," Ruby pouted, crossing her arms. "I just wanna know."

"Well, looks like you don't have to wait long. I see a few taxis coming in," Link pointed out, two taxis rounding the corner.

"We're heeere!" Nora shouted, nearly kicking the door off of the taxi, Ren apologizing profusely before exiting as well.

"FREEDOM!" Lana shouted, kicking Volga out of the way when he opened the door. "My legs were too cramped in there!"

"You were the one who wanted to sit there!" Volga shouted, standing. "And why'd you kick me?!"

"Sebastian's way too heavy, you know this," Lana said, stretching her legs out.

"...There's Yang," Link said, Yang coming around with Blake in tow.

"...And so I said 'I always kick my semesters off with a 'Yang'!' Get it?" Yang said as she pulled to a stop.

"Yes Yang, I get it," Blake said as she got off. "I was there."

"Oh, right," she replied meekly. "So, we all ready?"

"Still waiting on Weiss and Jaune," Link explained.

Yang couldn't help but snicker for a moment. "If I had to guess, she's killed the poor kid by now. He never stood a chance."

As if on queue, the final taxi they were waiting for came around the corner, Weiss and Jaune walking calmly out.

"No, I believe that Season 2 was better," Weiss said, Jaune shaking his head.

"I'd agree," he replied, "but the finale was extremely disappointing when you think of all the buildup it had. It just felt like they gave up on it."

"Now that you mention it..." Weiss replied, gazing up in thought.

"Wait, what happened here?" Yang asked. She was sure Weiss would have shoved him out of the car before then.

"Oh, we're talking about a show we both watch is all," Weiss said. "I didn't expect him to have seen it, admittedly..."

"Hey, I grew up with 7 sisters, I've been forced to sit through a lot of shows you wouldn't think I've seen," Jaune replied, accompanied by a shrug.

"Well, now that we're all here, let's head in!" Link cheered. "Yang, we're going in first."

"Naturally," Yang said, walking up to Link as they went towards the door, the sound of music presenting itself. "On 3. 1... 2... 3!"

As planned, they pushed the doors open together, revealing a familiar club. "Juniooor, I'm baaack!" Yang cheered, the music stopping. The rest of RWBY, JNPR, and VDMR came in after, the club goers present looking at them in silence.

"God damn it, what did I do this time?!" the club owner replied. "That Torchwick guy is in jail! I don't know about that woman! Please, stop punching me and the girls!"

"Not here for info this time, pal," Yang said, waving him off.

"...Then what do you want?" he asked cautiously.

"We're having a party," Link said. "Just wanna have some fun. We didn't even bring weapons!"

"Oh thank god," Junior muttered. "You know, I'd appreciate if you did that more often. Now, boys, get the music back up! Let's keep this night going!"

After he said that, the music came back on, the previous patrons going back to their dancing.

"Junior, come here though, I wanna ask a favor or two," Yang shouted, Junior approaching cautiously.

"Uhhh, what's that?" he asked, Yang pulling Ren forward.

"Do you have a kitchen? We wanna make some celebratory food," Yang declared, Ren waving passively at Junior.

"Oh, uh, sure, in the back," he said. "Melanie! Miltia! Can you come out here?"

The twins did as they were asked and came out to the front, each one waving to Link as they did before. Link, however, gestured to Ruby, who waved back with a smug smile on her face. Melanie and Miltia shared a look of defeat as they sighed.

"Yeah yeah, count your losses later," Junior said, "for now, take this one to the kitchen and help him with anything he needs."

"I'm going with!" Nora shouted, following as Melanie and Miltia led Ren to the kitchen.

"Anything else?" Junior asked.

"Yeah, can we get a few private tables and a few drinks?" Yang asked.

"Sure, let me show you to a few of our nicer tables," he said, turning and gesturing for the group to follow. "You know, Blondie, I'm way happier helping out like this than info, especially if you're this nice about it."

"Well, we made finals at the Vytal Festival, so we wanna just have a fun night before we have to duke it out," Yang said with a shrug.

"Oh, did you now?" he asked. "Good job. I've been too busy to watch the live broadcasts, but I do have them recorded for later. I'll keep an eye out for your matches. Anyway, here are your tables, I'll send someone up with drinks in a second. You can make song requests at the DJ's booth, but please keep other patrons in mind, got it?"

With that, Junior left them to their own devices, the group sitting down and sighing in content since their celebration could finally begin.

"I hope Ren can make something good down there..." Jaune muttered. "And that Nora doesn't eat all of it before we can have any."

"Someone should probably go check on them then, I don't know if Ren can stop her," Yang added.

"I'll do it," Sebastian said, standing. "I need to walk more anyway, the cab was rather crowded."

"Taking one for the team, what a trooper," Lana said, resting her head in her hands.

"It's the least I can do, after all, Link-sama will be representing us first thing tomorrow against Umberdyne-san," Sebastian said, heading over to where he saw the twins lead Ren and Nora.

"I'm gonna go make a song request," Lana said, standing up from her seat. "I need to keep walking anyway, I was way too smushed in that cab with Volga and Sebastian..."

"You volunteered!" Volga shouted, now annoyed. "How is that our fault?!"

"It's because you're way too big!" Lana shouted back, turning around and shoving a finger in Volga's face. It was so sudden, in fact, that it nearly pushed him out of his chair due to her startling him. "You're even bigger than Yatsuhashi!"

"Not my fault he's short," Volga muttered, Lana rolling her eyes and heading down to the dance floor in order to make her request.

"One of these days, you're gonna make her beat your ass," Yang said, Volga snorting out smoke.

"I'd like to see her try," he replied, Yang chuckling.

"Don't tempt her, she will," Link said, turning to see a waitress come by with a few drinks, Link taking one and knocking it back. "Oh, these are good."

"It's our specialty!" she said. "We heard you made it to the Vytal Festival Finals! It's the least we can do."

"They're probably scared we'd wreck the place if we got bad service," Volga chuckled, only for Link to bonk him on the back of the head.

"Or maybe they just have good service," Link replied, lowering his hand and taking another sip of his drink. "I'm willing to bet it's just good service..."

"Thank you, Mr. Valion!" the waitress replied, Link looking at her odd. "Oh, I've been watching the Vytal Festival closely. I'm so proud that all 3 of the top 5 seeded Vale teams made it into the finals! I'll be rooting for you tomorrow against Umberdyne!"

"Oh, thank you, Miss," Link said. "Could I get another one of these?"

"You've got a fight tomorrow, so maybe take it easy..." Ruby said, the waitress laughing and waving it off.

"Oh, don't worry, these are all non-alcoholic. Junior made sure to tell us that any drinks you guys get should be clean due to your fights," she said.

"Then yeah, I'd love another one, please," Link said, the waitress smiling and taking his empty glass before leaving to grab him another.

"So..." Yang said, chugging her drink and turning to Blake, "wanna dance?"

"I thought you'd never ask," Blake replied, she and Yang heading down to the dance floor to unwind. Shortly after, the waitress came back with Link's second drink, the huntsman in training quickly downing it and setting his glass down.

"I'm willing to head down as well," he said, standing from his seat. "Ruby, would you care to join me?"

"Hmmm," Ruby said in though, realizing she wasn't wearing heels, actually wearing comfortable shoes this time. "Oh, sure! Maybe I won't kill my feet this time."

"Let's hope not," Link said, offering her a hand and leading her to the dance floor.

"I hope Pyrrha gets here soon..." Jaune said, resting his elbows on the table.

"I wonder what's taking her?" Weiss wondered, taking a sip of her own drink. Link was right, these were good...

OOO

Pyrrha herself was riding down the elevator with the group of teachers and headmasters she used to trust, only learning shortly ago that they had... secrets. She looked at Glynda and Ozpin, the trust she had for them having melted away and replaced itself with uncertainty, almost as if they were different people. The silence was almost maddening, the only sound present being the *beep* of the elevator as it went down.

"Where are we going?" Pyrrha asked, almost too afraid to do so.

"The vault," Ozpin said, still looking forward. "Under the school."

Pyrrha thought back to when they entered, remembering Ozpin did something odd to make the elevator move without pushing a button. She knew why now; this vault he mentioned... it wasn't meant to be accessed by anyone else.

Eventually, the elevator opened to reveal the massive room that was the Beacon Vault, the room lit only by faint green lights. The group left the elevator right as it opened, Pyrrha coming out shortly after. Glynda stopped and turned to face her, ensuring she wasn't left behind.

"I'm sure you must have questions," Glynda said, understandably.

"Maybe one, or two..." Pyrrha admitted, following after the group. "I still don't understand. You said I was next in line to receive the Maiden's power. What do you mean by that?"

"The Maidens have existed for thousands of years. But much like in nature, the seasons change. No two summers are alike. When a Maiden dies, her power leaves her body and seeks out a new host, ensuring that the seasons are never lost, and that no individual can hold on to that power forever," Glynda explained.

"So, how does the power choose?" Pyrrha asked, Qrow grunting and turning over his shoulder.

"Through a series of stupid and convoluted rules," he said. facing forward once more.

"Qrow," Glynda said adamantly, chastising him.

"Hey, don't get mad 'cause I'm right," he replied, shrugging.

"At first," Glynda said, turning back to Pyrrha, "the only thing that was certain was that the powers were specifically passed on to young women. But as time went on, it was discovered that the selection process was much more... intimate."

"...Intimate?" she asked cautiously.

"As we understand it now, when a Maiden dies, the one who is in her final thoughts is the first candidate to inherit her power," Glynda explained, Qrow chiming in once more.

"Unless it's a dude or some old hag," he added. "Then the power goes to someone random, and our job gets a lot harder."

"Why tell me all of this now?" Pyrrha asked. "Why not wait until I've graduated?"

"Honestly, we've run out of time," he admitted. "I don't know if you've noticed, but things are getting a lot scarier out in the world. Tensions are high. Grimm are growing stronger, more prevalent. And it's not going to be much longer before the peace we've been enjoying so much goes out the window."

Pyrrha remained silent for a moment. "You're not... talking about a war?"

"Not a war between nations," Ironwood clarified.

"We can fill you in on the details once we know that you're with us. For now, all you need to know is that one of the Maidens has been attacked. And for the first time in history, part of her power was stolen," Qrow said looking rather displeased.

The group kept moving, the electric hum of some kind of machinery presenting itself. The group eventually made it to the end and the source of the sound, a pair of large pods with a control console between them, in the left pod being... a girl. A girl with a large scar over a significant portion of her face. But this was not just some girl.

"Is that..." Pyrrha asked, stepping forward cautiously.

Ozpin sighed and nodded. "The current Fall Maiden, Amber."

"She's... still alive," Pyrrha muttered, holding herself.

"For now," Ironwood said, drawing Pyrrha's attention. "We're using state of the art Atlas technology to keep her stable. But there is a lot about this situation that is... unprecedented."

"What do you mean?" Pyrrha asked.

"Well, we don't know what will happen if- when she passes," Ironwood said, sighing.

"Won't... her power... just transfer to the next host?" Pyrrha asked.

"Look who's been listening!" Qrow quietly shouted, impressed, before turning to Ozpin. "She is smart."

"Under normal circumstances, yes. But this is a delicate situation. It's not uncommon for the last thoughts of the slain to be of their attacker," Ironwood said, turning to Amber. "And to make matters worse, no one's ever seen the power split like this before. For all we know, it will seek out its other half."

"...Her assailant," Pyrrha said, putting the pieces together.

"And that would not bode well for any of us," Ozpin said, nodding.

Thinking for a moment, Pyrrha stepped forward and placed her hand on the pod Amber was held in. Eventually she turned around to face the group, and she didn't look happy. "If all of this is true, why keep it secret!?" she shouted. "If this girl is so important... if we're truly on the brink of war, why not tell everyone?"

"From what we understand, it used to be common knowledge," Glynda replied.

"Excuse me?" Pyrrha asked, blinking a few times in confusion.

"How do you think legends and fairy tales get started?" Qrow asked in response, taking out his signature flask. "Even the craziest ones come from somewhere," he finished, taking a drink.

"Our group was founded in order to protect both mankind and the Maidens. Those hungry for power hunted them with the hope of inheriting their strength," Glynda said, thinking back to something she knew about. "Some more able to do so than others."

"And as you can imagine," Qrow said, capping his flask, "the ones that succeeded weren't exactly the kind of people you'd want to have unimaginable power."

"And so this brotherhood chose to remove the Maidens from the public eye, allowing their existence to fade away into legend," he said, stepping forward and looking at the pod Amber was in.

"The things we're telling you go against hundreds of years of human history, religion," Glynda explained.

"No one would want to believe us," Ironwood said, turning back to face Pyrrha. "It would cause an uproar."

"It would cause panic," Ozpin clarified. "And we all know what that would bring to clawing to our Kingdom's walls. Which is why we would like to..."

"I'll do it," Pyrrha said quickly, eyes remaining towards the ground. Ozpin looked up in surprise, however, as he didn't think she'd agree so... easily. "If you believe that this will help humanity... then I will become your Fall Maiden," she finished, looking up with a determined look on her face. The others, however, didn't look quite as determined. "That's what you wanted, isn't it?"

"It is, but I'm afraid it's not that simple. Given Amber's condition, you won't be able to inherit her power naturally. However, General Ironwood believes he has a solution," Ozpin said, gesturing towards the general.

"For the past few years, Atlas has been studying Aura from a more scientific standpoint; how it works, what's it made of, how it can be used. We've made..." he said, hesitating for a moment, "...significant strides. And we believe we've found a way to capture it."

"Capture it and cram it into something else. Or in your case..." Qrow said, side eyeing Pyrrha.

"That's..." Pyrrha said, turning to the general.

"Classified," Ironwood said, Pyrrha shaking her head.

"...wrong!" she shouted, Glynda glaring at Ironwood as she did.

"The feeling is mutual," she said, turning back to Pyrrha. "But desperate times call for desperate measures."

Ironwood nodded in response, sighing. "And these are indeed desperate times. We can't transfer Amber's power to you, but we can give you what those powers are bound to."

"...Her Aura," Pyrrha said in understanding.

"Her life... would become intertwined with yours. The question is..." Ozpin trailed off, Qrow picking up for him.

"What's that going to do to you?" he said.

"You have an important decision before you, Miss Nikos," Ozpin said, giving Pyrrha a moment to think about what exactly she was getting herself into. "There's no guarantee this transfer will work. And there's no telling if you will be the same person if it does. I advise you to take time on this matter. But understand that before the Vytal Festival is over, we will need your answer."

Pyrrha decided not to respond, instead taking one final look at Amber, the Fall Maiden. Placing her hand on the glass once more, she saw her own reflection over the face of the Maiden, turning away when she did, almost as though it was an omen.

"The assailant that attacked the Fall Maiden has made their first move," Ozpin said, stepping forward. "And there's no telling when their next move will be."

OOO

"A... Maiden?"

Gradivus had to replay the audio he'd stolen a couple times over, as he needed to make sure that what'd he'd heard was actually what he'd heard. A Maiden? In the vault? They were real?

"Looks like we've found our in, at least," Gradivus said, shaking it off. They probably misspoke or something, there was no way Maidens could exist. Magic? Laughable. Though now that he thought about it, Oni could do some... pretty crazy stuff. After all, he was known as the strongest Huntsman alive for a reason, at least by those who actually knew him. "Once we have an opening, we're going in."

"What's the plan?" Zeraphin asked.

"The elevator goes to the vault. We just gotta brute force it is all," Gradivus said.

"And what are we gonna find down there?" Zeraphin asked.

"I guess we'll just have to see for ourselves..." Gradivus replied. A Maiden... he doubted it. But it wasn't his job to speculate on whether or not something was down there, it was his job to find whatever it was and to report on it to Oni.

OOO

Once she'd finished with the group of teachers she now saw as little more than strangers, Pyrrha went back to her room and sat for a moment, thinking about what she'd been told. Maidens, their assailants, and her role as the next in line... It was all too much.

Stirred from her thoughts by the buzzing of her scroll, she picked it up and saw a picture from Jaune of teams RWBY, VDMR, and JNPR all gathered together, smiling. Unaware of what was really at stake in this world.

Hurry up and get out here! read Jaune's message. Ren made some Wagyu Beef stuff and it's really good! You don't wanna miss out!

Pyrrha sighed and laid her head in her hands for a moment before standing and heading to take a shower. She felt as though she needed to cleanse both her body and mind after what she'd just been through.

Finishing up and donning clothes to head out, she used the address she'd gotten earlier to hail a cab to Junior's club, heading inside when she was dropped off.

"Pyrrha's finally here!" Jaune shouted, leaving the dance floor and running over to meet her. "What took you so long?"

"Oh, um..." Pyrrha said, trying to come up with a cover story. She couldn't very well just tell him what she'd been told. "Ozpin told me... about some potential student teaching opportunities next semester! Yeah, that's all, it's nothing special."

"Oh, that's cool!" Jaune replied, leading her to their tables. "Maybe that'll help lower tuition a little! Beacon isn't too expensive, but it isn't exactly cheap."

"True!" Pyrrha said, almost too enthusiastically. She was still a bit too stressed from what she'd learned earlier. "I really need to just... take it easy."

"Oh, for sure," Jaune said, the two making it back to the table. "Finals start tomorrow, and there's no telling when you're up. Wanna try some of Ren's food? it turned out really good! And these drinks aren't too bad either."

As he spoke, he passed Pyrrha one of the beverages. She graciously accepted, taking a cautious sip before looking at the drink in surprise, taking a deeper sip.

"This is actually... very good," she admitted, taking yet another sip.

"And don't worry," Jaune said, grabbing a glass of his own, "these are all non-alcoholic. They know we've got fights tomorrow, so they're making sure we're ready to go!"

"That's... surprisingly nice of them," Pyrrha said. She was glad that at least someone was making sure she was ready...

"I guess Yang knows the owner," Jaune said, shrugging. "Anyway, wanna dance? You've earned it!"

"...I'd like that," Pyrrha admitted after a moment of thought, joining the dork to the dance floor where all the others were.

The rest of the night went by without a hitch, the teams enjoying their night before they had to get back to it the next day. They danced, enjoyed the music, and had fun until it was time to head back to their dorms. Now that they had an extra person, they needed the extra taxi so no one else had to suffer with smooshed legs.

"I'll ride back with Jaune," Pyrrha suggested, Jaune shrugging.

"Sure," he said, turning to Weiss. "You'll have to find a new road trip buddy then, looks like I'm taken."

"Oh well," she said, shrugging in return. "Sebastian, you willing to ride with me?"

"Of course," Sebastian said.

"Looks like that was an easy fix," Yang said, starting her motorcycle.

"Good," Link said, starting his own. "My fight is the first tomorrow, so I'm gonna head back earlier rather than later. Yang, is it okay if I ask that you make sure these guys all get taxis?"

"Yeah, I can manage that," Yang said. "It's the least I can do after you brought us all out here."

"Thanks," said the huntsman in training before Ruby hopped on behind him. "I'll teach you and Ruby how to play that game tomorrow night then as thanks. I'm not gonna go easy on you though."

"Yay!" Ruby shouted, Yang cheering quietly in kind and pumping her fist.

"Anyway, I'll be outta here," Link said. "See you guys later."

With that, he pulled away, Ruby looking around at the city as they drove. It wasn't very often they were down there without having to do something like fight Grimm or criminals. She took a minute or two to just... enjoy the atmosphere and fresh air.

"Oh, hey," Ruby said, a thought popping into her head, "the team and I were wondering earlier. I'm sorry if this is a dumb question, but, uh... What's your Semblance?"

"Oh?" Link asked, smirking back at Ruby for a second. "You guys don't know?"

"Of course we don't, that's why I'm asking!" she retorted, gently hitting him on the back. "So come on, spill the beans! What super duper special power do you have?"

"Fine, fine, I'll tell you, just don't get jealous," Link said smugly, turning back towards the road. "I call it Chronos. Basically, I can slow and stop time."

"Whaaat?!" she shouted. "Okay, that's not fair!"

"I told you, don't get jealous," Link said, sounding serious. "It's really not as good as you think."

"What downsides do you have, like come on?" Ruby asked. "If time stops, you can do anything!"

"Trust me, there's one downside that I'd really rather it not have," Link said. "When time stops, everyone stops aging. I don't."

"Wait, what?" Ruby asked.

"You remember how at the beginning of the year everyone thought I was older than I really was?" Link asked, Ruby thinking for a moment.

"Uhhh... Yeah, a little. Why?" she asked.

"Well, they're right," Link said. "But only half right. I'm 19, but only physically."

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked, confused.

"Say I stop time for say, one week," he said, turning a corner towards his destination, "I become one week older in comparison to everyone else."

"So..." Ruby asked cautiously, not too sure if she was following, "...you're actually how old?"

"Physically," Link said, "19. But based on my actual birth year, well..." he trailed off, Ruby leaning in closer.

"How old?" she asked.

"14," he said, smiling weakly. "I'm actually younger than you."

"What?!" she shouted. It was right in his ear, too, and it startled him enough to swerve a little. "You're 14?!"

"Not so loud, Ruby, that was right in my ear!" he shouted back, correcting himself.

"But you've burned away like... 5 years of your life with your Semblance! That's horrible!" she shouted once again, Link sighing.

"Yeah, it's not exactly something I like talking about, so I'd really prefer if you kept this between us," he said, Ruby nodding and leaning onto him.

"Okay, just..." she said, trying to find the right words. "Just don't go overboard with it, okay? I don't need you growing old and wrinkly before we even graduate, you know!"

"Don't worry," Link said, a hint of a smile on his face, "I don't plan on it. I try to use it as little as possible because of that. The only reason I had to use it so much in the past was because it took so long to get used to using it."

"Good," Ruby said, hugging Link. "I wanna grow old with you, not watch you do it without me."

"It sounds good to me," Link said, looking up to see the garage he was to leave Epona off at.

"My feet hurt after today, honestly," Ruby said. "They were't lady stilts, but I'm not used to dancing..."

"I can carry you, you know," Link retorted, the pair getting off his motorcycle so he could put it back in the garage.

"You'd better," she said, latching onto his back. "It's customary for someone to respect their elders, after all."

"Oh, ha ha," Link said as he walked towards Beacon. "Don't get too confident now, I may technically be younger than you, but I'm still legally older than you."

"You know, there were a few people who think it's odd that you're so much 'older' than me, but I guess they're all just dummies, huh?" Ruby wondered aloud.

"I guess you're right," Link said, shrugging, "but they would have no idea. Semblances are weird."

"You aren't wrong..." Ruby admitted.

"Anyway, let's get you inside so you can get to bed," Link said. "If you gotta wake up to watch my fight, then I'm sure you'd appreciate some sleep beforehand."

"I am a little sleepy..." Ruby admitted once more. "Do you mind just dropping me off in my bed?"

"Heh, yeah, I can do that," Link laughed, Ruby smiling and nuzzling into his shoulder, seemingly falling asleep.

The two eventually made it back to Ruby's room, Link taking great care to ensure he didn't wake her as he put her in bed.

"Goodnight Ruby, I..." he said, taking a deep breath. "...I love you."

Shortly thereafter, he sighed, as that was harder than he thought. Not because he didn't love her, but because the first time telling your partner you love them can be hard.

"I love you too, Link," came Ruby's tired reply, putting a smile on his face that lasted all the way until he himself fell asleep. Before he drifted off to sleep, however, he had one more thing he felt that he needed to do.

Date: XX/XX/XXXX

Log Issue 7

Second Semester of Beacon

The final day before the finals! Truly, this tournament has been quite fun from start to finish. Uncle has once again forced our hands, however, pushing the mission forward. I thought I'd have more time... Regardless, I'll do what I must. Though I have to ask myself; what will become of Ruby during Uncle's endgame here? Will she be safe? Or will he... No, I'll have to trust him. He may be harsh, but he's never led me astray. I think... At least I hope. Things have changed though. My loyalties may have been first to my uncle and then to Ozpin, but now they are to Ruby. I must keep her safe. I will keep her safe, no matter who or what gets in my way.

Even if it may be Uncle himself.

-Link Valion

OOO

The following day, the crowd was as loud as ever, if not more so due to the fact that today was the first day of the finals. The finalists once again gathered in the center, each one looking more ready than they did the previous day. The only exception to this was Pyrrha, who still seemed rather troubled from her talk with Ozpin.

"Now, for the moment you've all been waiting for! The one-on-one finals!" Port declared, looking gleefully at the stage full of finalists, the camera panning over them all, Yang waving enthusiastically. "Barty, why don't you explain the rules?"

"Ah, it's quite simple, Peter," Oobleck said, taking over. "Instead of a bracket system, each round of the finals will be randomly determined immediately before the match takes place! Aside from our first round of course, which was revealed yesterday!"

"Much like any good hunt, there will be zero time to prepare for the rest of you!" Port said, excited. "Now, will our first competitors please prepare themselves whilst the others make way for the first match of the finals, Link Valion versus Oni Umberdyne!"

As he commanded, those who weren't to be competing in the first fight left the stage, leaving only Link Valion and Oni Umberdyne, the two standing there at the ready. Beneath them, the center stage rose, meaning that this wasn't about who could make better use of the environment; this was a pure test of skill. Lights and cameras rose as well in order to ensure they maintained a clear view of the fight.

"Combatants!" shouted Port's voice. "Prepare yourselves."

"Seed 2, huh?" asked Link's opponent, the leader of CMZN looking at him sceptically. "You don't look too tough..."

"Looks can be deceiving," Link replied, cracking his knuckles in front of himself, Oni responding by cracking his neck.

"That's fair, I suppose," Oni admitted, drawing the larger of his two blades, heaving it over his shoulder. "I'll admit, I've been looking forward to this. Each of my other fights have forced me to sit back so no one could plan a counter for my fighting style. It'll feel good to let loose after so long."

"I hear you," Link replied, drawing his own weapons, namely his sword and shield. "Having to cover for my team gets tiring."

"Do it for Beacon, Link!" Ruby shouted, Yang joining her and dropping into the seat next to her.

"He's probably got this," Yang said, leaning back. "He always did fight better solo than with a team."

"Oh, so now you decide to root for him, huh?" Ruby asked, glaring at her sister. "When he was fighting guys ranked below him he was in a rough spot, but now that he's fighting the highest ranked competitor in the whole festival he's untouchable?"

"Little sis, you must know by now that I am weird," Yang replied, shrugging.

"No kidding..." Ruby whispered, turning back towards the arena, Link and Oni still awaiting their countdown. She didn't have to wait long for it, as shortly thereafter Oobleck began counting down. As he counted though, Ironwood and Qrow watched from a separate booth.

"If you still aren't convinced, Qrow," Ironwood said, still looking forward, "let this serve as a reminder to how much I've prepared."

"Heh, we'll see," Qrow said, grabbing his flask.

"Begin!" shouted Oobleck, commencing the fight. Essentially the moment he did, Oni was on top of Link, the Silver-Eyed Demon apparently intending to end the fight as soon as possible and ensure that no one could plan against him. Link reacted quickly and bashed away the tip of Oblivion as Oni tried to stab him, taking a swing at Oni in response. He blocked with his clawed gauntlet, however, using Link's shield bash to spin around and try to sweep his legs with his behemoth blade, Link jumping over it and trying to kick him in the head. Oni rolled to the side in order to dodge, taking a heavy swing at Link, the two locking blades. Oni couldn't help but nod, as Link was doing better than he thought he would.

"Damn, okay, you really are worthy of Seed 2," he said, narrowing his eyes. "But there's a reason you aren't Seed 1."

As he spoke, he pushed Link back just enough to jump up and plant both of his feet on Oblivion, kicking really hard and throwing Link back, he himself basically doing a small backwards roll. This staggered Link enough for Oni to charge in and try to land a few strikes, though Link managed to block them with his shield. Oni narrowed his eyes once again and pulled off an odd maneuver, taking a large, low swing and spinning around, Link still blocking each attack. Oni continued spinning, though he slowed down, now balancing on his blade, the tip in the ground. He continued to spin a little though, glaring at Link. Link wasn't exactly sure how to deal with this, however, and simply took a step back. The moment he did, however, Oni pushed off his blade and brought it down on Link, though he once again blocked it, Oni taking a couple more swings with the same result. Reaching for his second sword, Abyss, that was hung on his left hip, he drew it and slashed with both blades at once, the force of the two blades at once breaking Link's guard. This allowed him to land a reverse roundhouse kick on Link that pushed him back a fair bit, marking the first real hit of the match.

"I'm actually surprised it took that long to land a hit, so I'll give you credit for that," Oni said, switching Abyss to a standard grip. "But that's about all I can give you."

Link stood back up, glancing up at the board to see that one kick from Oni was enough to take a sizable portion of Link's aura out, the green-clad knight nodding in approval. He then turned back to Oni, activating the dust in his gauntlets, this one being fire dust. It seemed that he planned to bridge any gap there was in their offensive capabilities. Rolling his neck, he placed his shield on his back, winding back and chucking his sword at Oni, who simply batted it off to the side, the blade lodging itself into the ground. He moved to charge Link, but was stopped in his tracks when he saw that the wire from Link's sword was wrapped around him, which was odd. He didn't hit it away such that he'd get caught up in it. It took him a moment, but then it dawned on him.

"Oh shit, Takeshi was right about his Semblance."

He then looked over to Link, who was still holding him tightly in place with the wire from his sword, as he readied his rifle, loading a single azure round, taking aim and firing at Oni's head. Naturally, such a high caliber round knocked his head back, Link shouldering his rifle. Oni then leaned back forward, the still-smoking bullet somehow having ended up in his teeth, the Atlesian spitting it out and glaring at Link.

"Did he just... catch a bullet in his mouth?" Jaune asked, looking confusedly at the battle unfolding before them.

"Looks like it to me," Ruby said, nodding. "His aura barely took a dent from it."

"This is gonna be quite the fight, huh?" Yang wondered out loud, watching as Link continued to hold Oni in place, the red-haired beast struggling in vain against his restraints. Link, figuring he should do something else, put away his rifle and activated the gauntlet on his shield arm, the crevices filling with lightning dust. He then reached over to the wire and grabbed the wire, pulling it even tighter as the wire became electrified, steadily shocking Umberdyne. He showed little sign that it hurt, instead just gritting his teeth and glaring at Link as he continued to pull the wire tighter. Eventually Oni's aura became visible, it being silver in color, though shortly thereafter it became gold. Link narrowed his eyes in confusion as he began losing the fight, Oni slowly but surely freeing himself. Eventually, he got an arm loose and grabbed the wire, pulling Link in and head butting him when he got close. This did several things: first, it forced Link to let go of the wire, ending his torment; second, it ripped the Master Sword free, freeing him in the process; and third, it put Link into a daze that gave Oni enough time to grab his weapons, as he'd dropped them when he was caught. Using his chance, he sheathed his swords and picked Link up before moving to chuck him off the side of the arena. Link managed to anchor his sword into the ground as he flew, however, using his momentum to wind back around and launch right back at Oni, sword ready to come crashing down on him. Oni responded by drawing Oblivion, his aura turning red as he wound up, clashing with Link as he came down. He easily won, blowing Link away and sending his skidding back towards the edge, though he managed to stop himself with his active gauntlet.

"These guys are nuts!" Jaune shouted, watching as the two began clashing blades, neither willing to give an inch. "I don't think I've ever seen Link fight like this..."

"He hasn't needed to before," Ruby said, shrugging.

"Aside from Fenrir a while back," Yang said, looking more closely at Oni. "Now that I mention it, his Semblance seems really similar to Oni's..."

"Wait, really?" Ruby said, doing as her sister did and looked more closely at Oni as he fought. "You might be onto something..."

As they'd said, Oni's aura changed to blue and he began outpacing Link's attack, putting him on the defensive. Though Link couldn't hear the sisters, he noticed this as well, and true to their deduction, the blue symbol for Rush was present in the ring in Oblivion. However, before Link could use wind dust in the hopes of maintaining pace, the symbol in Oblivion swapped to the red symbol for Striker mid-swing, Link barely ducking as the blade came screaming by. He then grabbed Oni by as much of his shirt as he could grab before ramming his shoulder in his chest, throwing him over himself and towards the edge. Oni managed to sink the claws of his own gauntlet into the ground, hanging off the side for a moment before pulling himself back up, looking decidedly displeased.

"I'll admit, you're really good," Oni said rolling his neck as he walked back towards the center. "I've been looking forward to a fight like this. But really, I'm going to need you to lose."

"You'll have to beat me then, because I don't intend to just forfeit," Link replied, readying his shield. "But the feeling is mutual; you're as good as I'd hoped, Umberdyne. Maybe even better."

"Glad I'm living up to your expectations," Oni replied, redrawing his smaller blade. "Let's keep going then."

"Let's!" Link shouted in response, the two rushing each other. The moment they got close, Oni took a swing, Link dodging faster than he should have been able to and sliding under Oni. Rising quickly, Link rammed his shield into Oni's back and staggered him. Oni attempted to turn around and strike Link, but he found that he wasn't there, Link having rolled around in order to stay at his back, rising and slashing. This staggered Oni once more, Oni grunting and grabbing his blade with both hands before turning in order to smash him into the pavement, but once again, he was gone. Quickly turning back around, he saw Link for just a moment before getting bashed in the face with Link's shield. Staggered once again, he was helpless as Link leapt above him and hit him with a front flip slash to the back of the head, knocking him face first into the ground. Link leapt over to Oni and aimed the tip of his sword downward in the hopes of ending the fight right then and there, but Oni rolled out of the way in time to avoid losing what was bound to be a massive amount of aura. He then tried to take a swing at Link whilst his sword was still stuck in the ground, but Link was able to block it with his shield before ripping his sword free and swinging at Oni, though the Atlesian caught it with his own armored hand, pulling Link in and smashing his head into his, knocking him back. Link recovered quickly though and prepared to attack Oni once again, though he caught him off guard and swept his legs before doing a short front flip and axe-kicking him back into the ground. He then raised his blade in the hopes of smashing him into the pavement, but Link pushed off the ground and drove his feet into his foe's stomach, knocking him back and giving Link some breathing room. After all, he'd learned that staying too close to Oni for too long could very well be deadly.

Taking a deep breath, Link checked the scoreboard for his and Oni's aura, seeing that the two of them were both only about a quarter of the way down. In the moment of reprieve the fight had, many did the same, including teams RWBY, JNPR, and VDMR.

"Jeez!" Jaune shouted, seeing the absolutely gargantuan levels of aura the two had, realizing just how long this fight was going to be at this rate. "This kinda stuff would probably be enough to kill most people, and they're still at it!"

"They're both fighting out of their minds down there..." Yang said, leaning forward in her chair. "One mistake could very well cost them the entire match."

"Link-sama will prevail," Sebatian said calmly, though one could tell from his tense posture that he was at least a little anxious about the match.

"Easy, big guy, it's not like if we lose anything bad will happen," Lana said, shrugging. "We made it to the finals and then performed really well against Seed 1, win or lose it won't reflect badly on us."

"I'd still like to win though," Volga said, leaning back in his seat. "If anyone can do it though, it's Green."

While her friends spoke, however, Pyrrha merely sat in silence, both focussing on the fight and still thinking to what Ozpin and the others had told her the previous day.

Back on the battlefield, Oni rose and shook his head, as he was starting to get both excited, yet annoyed.

"You're annoying," he said, drawing his blade. "I was hoping for a fight like this at the end, not right at the beginning. But oh well, I guess that just means I get to have my fun earlier rather than later."

Link merely glared at Oni, watching as his aura presented itself again, this time turning green, Link remembering the Art known as Soar being present in the hollow. What he wasn't prepared for, however, was Oni thrusting forth his free hand and dragging it back, Link coming with it.

"Ah, is Oni truly using his Arts in the first fight?" Takeshi asked from his own seat. "Perhaps this 'Link' has more to him than I'd initially thought..."

"Yo, you never told us what his Semblance was," Levon said, turning toward his teammate.

"Seriously," Zero replied, crossing her arms and leaning back. "For how often you figure out other people, you'd think you'd have told us by now.

"Ah, yes yes, his Semblance," he said, leaning forward. "He can freely alter time."

"What? no fair!" Levon shouted.

"...It does seem a bit overkill," Zero responded in agreement.

"But even with just that, Oni should have been able to win rather handily," Takeshi said, narrowing his eyes at Link as he was drawn towards Oni. "So what else is at play here?"

Gravity? Link thought as he caught himself with the grappling hook on his sword. Just like Gradivus...

As he was pulled, he quickly readied Farore and took a quick shot at Oni, though Oni narrowly dodged it, the Art shifting to Rush. As he dodged, he wound up a turnaround slash and aimed at Link, the sound of the swing being different than before. Freed from the pull of Soar, Link ripped his sword free and jumped over the path traced by Oblivion, the barrier behind him recoiling from the hit.

Wind, he though, landing and throwing the Master Sword at Oni, only for him to catch it and Sentinel to replace Rush in Oblivion. Physically yanking Link in as hard as he could, Oni closed the distance between the two very quickly. When Link was close enough, Oni stomped the ground in order to drive a piece of the arena upwards into Link, hitting him in the back. It hit his shield, however, so the damage was minimized, and Link's aura was spared.

Earth too, he thought as he began to descend, pulling hard on his wire to pull Oni up to him. Meeting in the middle, Link paid close attention to Oni's sword, Sentinel swapping to Reaver and the air turning cold. Link quickly used his Semblance to ensure he wasn't hit, instead smashing a fist into Oni's face as they met, putting him back on the ground, ice forming around his point of impact. He rose quickly though, the Art finally changing to Striker, Oni glaring at Link as he landed, rushing him and taking a few powerful swings before grabbing the blade with both hands and slamming it down, Link barely dodging as a colossal explosion filled the half of the stadium Oni was facing, the barrier protecting the audience struggling to fend off the attack. It did as it was made to, however, the viewers being spared from the heat of Oni's flames. Link quick took this chance to dropkick Oni as hard as he could, knocking him into the scorched half of the arena and evening their aura back out, each a little into yellow.

"He's down to yellow?" Zero asked, startled. She couldn't remember the last time her leader had been dropped to yellow. "This Link guy is something else..."

"He's far too ready for everything Oni does..." Takeshi said, leaning in closely and staring Link down, hoping to glean more information on him. "What do you know?"

Oni himself rose once more, looking decidedly angry at this point, and not even playfully anymore; no, he was actually pissed.

"That's it," he said, drawing both of his blades, eyes dead set on Link. "This isn't even fun anymore, it's just tedious. Fighting you is just a chore."

"Oh well," Link shrugged, rolling the shoulder on his shield arm. "I've been told fighting me isn't fun. But losing usually isn't fun, after all."

"Losing?" Oni shouted, glaring angrily at Link. "You call this beating me?! Pathetic!"

"Well, let's put it this way," Link said, shrugging, "you've been using your Semblance a lot. I've barely used mine."

"Right, your Semblance," Oni said, he and Link beginning to pace the arena. "You stop time, right?"

"Ohhh, you're perceptive!" Link replied, a small smile on his face.

"Wasn't me, but you'd figure it out eventually just fighting against you," Oni specified.

"You'd be surprised," Link said, shrugging. "Most never do, unless they last this long. That doesn't happen often, in case you didn't guess."

"I figured," Oni replied, glaring at Link. "I'm done talking with you. The more I do, the more you piss me off."

"Works for me," Link replied, shrugging. "It just means I can wrap this up and go back about my day."

As if he wasn't angry enough at this point, Link apparently treating this match as an inconvenience turned Oni over the edge, the now-furious Atlesian almost flying forward and taking a series of vicious swings at Link, though he was able to use his Semblance to dodge with relative ease.

"Whoa, Link's having a way easier time all of a sudden..." Yang said, leaning forward and looking on as Link continued to weave through Oni's attacks. "What's he doing differently?"

"Oh! Maybe he's finally using his Semblance!" Ruby shouted.

"What, are you saying you finally know what it is?" Yang asked, turning to her sister in interest.

"Well, come on!" Weiss shouted, scooting closer to Ruby. "Tell us!"

"I'd like to know as well," Blake admitted, leaning in to hear better.

"Oh, uh..." Ruby stuttered, not ready to be put on the spot like that. "He can... stop time?" she said, almost unsure of herself.

"What?!" shouted the rest of RWBY in tandem. "That's not fair!"

"No, it's not..." she said almost somberly, remembering what he'd told her the previous night regarding the drawback of his Semblance. The rest of her team didn't detect her displeasure and simply continued to watch as Link dodged through Oni's attacks.

Ducking yet another wild swing from Oni, Link rammed the edge of his shield into Oni's chin and knocked him back, setting him up for a heavy dropkick. This nearly knocked Oni out, though he skid to a stop before falling out. He quickly rose to intercept the following attack that came from Link, narrowly blocking whilst shifting into Sentinel to ensure he wasn't pushed back any further. Link responded by bashing Oni across the face with his shield, giving him a moment to roll off of his back and... kick him towards the center while pushing himself off the edge?

"...It would appear that Mister Valion has rung himself out?" Port said in confusion.

As he spoke, however, Link was loading a black shell into Farore and pointing towards the barrier before firing, launching him back towards Oni and giving him a chance to land a powerful kick that knocked him back to the center.

"We've spoken too soon!" Oobleck shouted, as Link clearly wasn't out just yet.

Rising and blowing his hair out of the way, Oni watched as Link released the spent shell, figuring it must have been a gravity round to have recoil like that. Link caught the shell and quickly threw it at Oni, forcing him to block it. In the split second he put Link out of his view in order to block, he'd crossed the distance between them and latched onto his torso in preparation to suplex him. Suplex him he did, smashing his head into the floor and knocking his weapons away from him. Oni pushed off and took a moment to put some distance between he and Link. Sadly, Link was between him and his weapons, so he couldn't just pick them up and keep fighting regularly. Naturally, he then had to resort to hand to hand fighting, and it was evident that he was still extremely proficient in that as well, his punches and kicks putting Link on guard for a moment before he started using his Semblance once more. It served the purpose it was intended to, however, and he was able to reclaim his weapons, quickly checking to see that his aura was, somehow, close to red, whilst Link's was still in mid yellow.

"Oh, no, I don't care if it's Seed 2 or better, there's no way in Hell going down in round fucking one," he said angrily, charging at Link with his larger blade held high, the glass glowing red and the humming presenting itself. Link merely moved to duck the swing that came, but found that Oni had predicted this, the Silver-Eyed Demon moving to trip him. It worked, and Oni toppled Link and brought his blade down right onto Link's shield. Unlike the previous times Link had blocked, this time sounded like grating metal, and Link pushed away quickly, putting his shield away and gripping his hand in discomfort.

"What the...?" he muttered as he looked at his hand, which still felt as though it was shaking violently.

"I've got an HF motor rigged up on Oblivion," Oni said as he kept approaching Link. "Even if you can physically block the swing, the vibrations are gonna make you wish you hadn't. That's why your arm feels like that."

Link merely shook his arm a few times and clenched his fist in order to try and shake off the feeling that Oni's sword had left him with, simply not being able to do so. It was just such a jarring feeling, like having your funny bone hit, except even worse. Shaking his head, he looked back up to see Oni charge in again, Rush active, though Link decided that enough was enough. "This feels like the right time," he said before using his Semblance once again, though instead of simply dodging the incoming attack, he moved behind Oni while also hitting his a few times, lowering his aura even closer to red. Keeping up his assault, he quickly darted around Oni and struck from multiple different angles almost simultaneously, though much like Fenrir, Oni was somehow able to block many of the hits, though he struggled noticeably more. Due to his additional blade, however, his struggles weren't too great. Coming in once more, Link took yet another swing at Oni, the Atlesian trying at the last moment to catch him with a stab, though Link dodged and hit him once more. However, this still didn't put Oni into red, as he had shifted into Sentinel at the last moment, using the split second Link was distracted to cover the change.

Gritting his teeth and pushing back before Oni could do anything, Link made sure to put some distance between the two of them. He didn't want to get caught by that sword again, that was for sure; his arm still felt weird. It was better for sure, but not quite perfect yet. Looking back up at his opponent, he saw that he was breathing a bit hard, as this battle was taking a toll on even him. He wasn't much better off, however, as his aura was rather low as well, though not as low as Oni's. Apparently, that hit he'd blocked had shook him enough to still hurt his aura, so now he knew another reason to avoid it. Figuring he didn't have much more time before Oni found any gaps in his fighting style to capitalize on, he stood up straight and began running around the stadium, gradually picking up speed before moving too fast for even Oni to see.

"More of that time bullshit, huh?" Oni said, looking around to try and see where he went. "Not gonna work."

Link merely ignored him and kept running, running faster and faster as he went.

"Gonna do anything, or are you just gonna run?" Oni shouted only moments before the ground next to him was carved into, seemingly as though it had been cut. He caught on quickly enough to avoid what was clearly Link's next attack, however, and made sure to keep an eye on every direction intermittently in order to avoid any other attacks like that.

"It looks like he can't risk stopping time right now," Ruby said, putting a hand to her chin in thought. "I'm sure the less he messes with it, the smaller a toll it takes on his aura. And surprised as I am to say it, he doesn't have too much to work with right now."

"So you think he's just slowing it for right now?" Yang asked, Weiss nodding in agreement.

"Yeah, I think she's right. He could be backing Oni into a corner to give him a golden opportunity to stop time and finish it in one hit," Weiss said, looking closely at the fight. "I am SO glad I don't have to fight him."

"Hey!" Yang shouted, though she turned when Blake chuckled behind her.

"I'm with Weiss on this one, fighting Link must be a nightmare if he decides to go all out."

"You're not doing much for me here..." Yang muttered. She needed a good confidence boost every now and then like everyone else, but right now? What she was receiving was quite the opposite, really.

Her attention was draw back to the stadium when another one of the massive cuts was made, Oni once again dodging, yet barely. This was followed by another, carving a large triangle into the battleground.

"Oh no, he's putting his emblem on the ground..." Ruby muttered, burying her face in her hands.

"What a showoff," Yang muttered. She respected it though; she would too if she had the means to do so.

It was at this point that Oni realized that the gouges Link had left in the stadium were more than just superficial; no, Link was now running along the triangle he had cut, closing in on him and giving him less room and time to react. Clever, he thought, looking around to try and see where Link would attack from next. He eventually saw it and turned to face him, narrowly dodging the attack. He was met by one more attack, once again narrowly dodging. Looking around, he saw there was only one more spot for Link to attack from if he continued with his current pattern, thus sheathing his second sword and placing both hands on Oblivion. Watching carefully, he waited for the exact moment Link came forward and swung, switching to Rush such to ensure he hit his target. Right before he figured the hit would have connected, he immediately swapped to Striker, hoping to end this all with one final hit. Feeling he'd made contact, he put his all into the swing, following through and taking an immensely wide sweep.

"That's all she wrote," he said, standing up straight. "That was a solid match."

And with that, Oni fell, that last of his aura having been depleted.

"...My word!" Oobleck shouted, looking down to see Link standing in the middle over Oni's unconscious form. "It would seem... Yes, Link Valion has bested Oni Umberdyne!"

It took a moment for his words to register with the crowd, but shortly after he spoke the crowd exploded in applause, even the Atlesian watchers who had vehemently backed Oni and Oni alone. It seemed they were more interested in a good fight than an Atlesian win, so at the end of the day, all's well that ends well.

"GO, LINK!" Ruby shouted, leaping from her seat and leaning over the barrier in front of her. "I KNEW YOU COULD DO IT!"

Hearing her cheers, Link turned to her and smiled, raising his sword above his head triumphantly before he too fell, dropping his sword on the ground.

"Oh, no!" Ruby shouted, rushing down to the battlefield and pushing everyone out of the way to get to him, sliding over to him. "Are you okay?! Please speak to me!"

She gently shook him for a while before he came to, looking around for a moment before he fixed his gaze on Ruby.

"Oh, hey," he said. "Did you see that? I won."

"Why do you need to keep worrying me like that?!" she shouted, causing Link to flinch.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry!" he said, sitting up shakily. "I don't control when I faint, you know."

"As long as you're sorry," she muttered, turning towards Oni when she heard him groaning.

"Ooohhh..." he muttered, rolling onto his back. "Did I lose? Damn..."

As if on queue, the rest of his team came over to him to make sure he was all right.

"Yes, sadly, that appears to be the case," Takeshi said, shrugging. "You put up an astonishing fight though, so I'm sure no one will fault you for underperforming."

"Whatever," Oni said, Zero helping him to his feet. "Hey, Valion," he said taking a few steps towards Link, "how'd you do that?"

"Oh, I baited you into attacking," Link said. "I made sure to put my shield in the way of your swing so you'd put as much effort into hitting it as possible. While you were doing that, I made sure to hit as hard as I could. And, well, it worked."

"That was bold," he said, a mischievous smile coming to his lips. "But you won. That was a good fight."

Taking another step forward, he held a hand out to Link to help him up, Link graciously accepting.

"I had fun!" Link replied, Oni putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Oh, I'm sure!" he replied loudly, his smile ever so slightly wider. "Don't let it get to your head though, there's still a whole tournament left to fight through."

"Oh, definitely," Link said, offering a hand to Oni. "I'd love to do it again sometime though!"

"Absolutely," Oni said with a grin, taking his hand in his and shaking it.

"Yay, new friends!" Ruby said cheerfully, Oni turning to her and looking at her for a moment.

"Weren't you that girl from the docks?" he asked, Ruby nodding gleefully. "Aren't you dating this guy?" he asked, Ruby nodding again. "Damn, good on him. Well, see you guys around. Oh, and Valion, you'd better win. There's no way in hell I'm letting anyone beat me and then go off and get beat himself, you hear?"

"Yeah yeah, I've got it," Link replied smugly. "Yeah, I need to go to my room. I feel like I'm about to pass back out any moment..."

"Oh, jeez, u-uh," Ruby stuttered, feeling Link swaying next to her. "S-Sebastian?"

"I'm already here, worry not," replied the mountainous teen. "I'll get Link-sama back to our room. You're free to tag along if you'd like."

"Oh, of course!" she uttered, following Sebastian as he carried Link's now only half-conscious form out of the arena. "You really wore yourself out, huh?"

"Yeah, I might have toyed around a bit too much..." Link admitted. "I was hoping for a tough fight though."

"Well, you certainly got it!" she cheered, looking up to see that he had passed back out, Ruby shaking her head and followed after quietly. "At least you didn't go and hurt yourself this time..."

With that, the trio continued on their way, the remainder of their teams following after. Meanwhile, however, Qrow and Ironwood sat watching the post-match banter, Qrow taking a deep swig from his flask.

"Told you, he isn't something you can prepare for," he said, lowering the flask. "Someone sharing his blood shouldn't be too different."

"This is... Impossible though," Ironwood said, standing and pacing. "Umberdyne was the most promising student I've had for years. He was trained just for this."

"And that Strife brat was born for this," Qrow retorted, standing to leave. "But we've got bigger things to deal with. At least... they're looking to be happening a lot sooner."

"...You're right. I have other matters to attend to. Farewell for now, Qrow," Ironwood said, leaving as well.

OOO

It didn't take that long for Link to come back to, especially with a little bit of extra rest in him.

"So, I really won, huh?" he asked, now fully coherent.

"Yep, you took out Umberdyne and the rest of CMZN from the festival!" Ruby cheered.

"You definitely put on a show, too," Weiss added. "No offense, but I wasn't expecting Seed 1 to be eliminated so soon."

"There's Weiss, with her ever-eternal vote of confidence for you..." Yang muttered, shaking her head.

"Her astonishment is about as close to praise as you're going to get," Blake added, Link nodding from his spot on his bed.

"Hey, I'll take it," he said, hopping down from his bed and only stumbling for a moment. He may have been fully awake, but he was definitely still fatigued.

"Why are you guys all so mean to me?" Weiss asked, pouting.

"Oh, you know we're teasing," Ruby said, putting an arm around Weiss' shoulders and pulling her close. "With VDMR moving on we're just feeling a bit jovial. You can tease back, you know."

"...Honestly, I've got nothing," Weiss said after a moment of thought. "I'm not good at spur of the moment stuff like this!"

"You'll get it eventually," Link said, taking a seat and grabbing a water. "Don't you guys need to worry about the next fight? The rest is randomized, so you could well be next."

"They needed to repair the stadium... again because of you," Ruby pointed out, shrugging. "You and the rest of VDMR have this nasty habit of breaking everything in Amity Arena."

"Okay, no, that's basically just him," Lana said, munching on a bag of chips.

"No, yeah, that's on me, whoops," Link said with a chuckle, Volga shaking his head.

"I'm not helping pay for it if they want reimbursement," he said adamantly.

"Ahhh, they'll be fine, Ozpin wouldn't charge us for something like that!" he said, suddenly leaning back and looking worried. "Besides, Uncle would never let me hear the end of it if I had to shell out to fix an entire floating stadium..."

"He a stickler for cash or something?" Ruby asked, Weiss scoffing.

"Oh, tell me about it. I've got relatives like that too!" she shouted. "Right when the festival started, my father cut me off! I was lucky Pyrrha was there to pay for our food..."

"Yeah, my Uncle doesn't like having to share his funds with me, I have to more or less fend for myself," Link said, agreeing with Weiss for once. "I get by though."

"I definitely hear you," Weiss said, looking at her scroll, both hers and the rest of Team RWBY's scrolls buzzing in tandem. "Oh, it seems they're ready to roll for the next match, they want those who haven't fought yet to report to the battlefield in case we're chosen."

"Yes, Weiss, we got the message too," Yang said, pocketing her scroll.

"But VDMR didn't, maybe they wanted to know!" Weiss retorted, Link nodding.

"Oh, she's got you there, Yang," he said, standing and stretching, his muscles screaming out against him doing so, causing him to wince in mild pain. "Yeah, I'm willing to get dressed and head down. No way in hell I'm putting my armor back on though, I'm sore like you wouldn't believe."

"I'd believe it, you went through a lot down there," Ruby said as Link crossed the room to grab some sweats.

"Anyway, you guys go ahead, I'll catch up with you in a second," Link said, shooing everyone out of the room so he could change, a luxury he wasn't able to indulge in often.

OOO

The finalists made it back to the battleground, each one (minus Link and Oni, obviously) standing once more in the center and waiting for the roulette wheels to select the next match, everyone watching eagerly as they began to slow.

"Hey, aren't you Link Valion?" asked a spectator behind Link, the person in question turning and seeing the waitress from the other night, the woman smiling warmly and waving. "Oh, it is you!"

"Oh, you're the waitress from Junior's club, right?" Link asked, the woman smiling and nodding.

"Yes I am!" she cheered, seemingly giddy. "I'm honored you remember me; no one pays too much mind to people like me, let alone the highest seeded competitor from the Vytal Festival! I made sure to watch your fight in person, and you didn't disappoint!"

"Glad you enjoyed it! I tried my best," he replied warmly. "Hopefully the next fight is just as interesting, huh?"

"Oh of course! I wouldn't mind another Vale competitor, personally," she said, thinking to the roster. "Who do we have left? Other than you, of course."

"Ah, well, we have me, as you just said, Pyrrha Nikos, and-" he began, being cut off by the roulette wheel landing on the competitors for this round.

"Yang Xiao Long and Mercury Black!" Port announced, Link turning and seeing the two on the board.

"And Yang, no way we could forget about Yang," he said, gesturing to the screen.

"We most certainly can not! She's made her face very known back at the club..." the woman admitted, Ruby leaning forward to cheer for her sister.

"Break a leg, sis!" she shouted, cupping her hands to ensure she was heard. Nearby, however, Cinder smiled at Ruby, getting up to leave, though she made sure to keep an eye on the arena as she did.

"Would all other combatants please leave the stage!" Port requested, the others doing as they were told and walking back to their seats. After they did, the arena rose once again, accompanied once more by cameras and lights to catch every little bit of the action.

"You better not go easy on me," Yang jeered, smiling at her opponent.

"You wish," Mercury replied, accompanied by a dark laugh. Yang didn't notice, however, and the two readied themselves, approaching each other and getting ready for the countdown. They didn't have to wait very long, as Port began the countdown almost immediately.

"Three! Two! One! Fight!" he declared, Yang and Mercury preparing to do just that. Yang moved first, winding up for a punch while Mercury spun around and met it with a kick, the collision generating a shockwave that knocked the two of them back. Mercury recovered first and charged back forward, attempting to sweep Yang's legs from under her. She dodged by leaping over it and firing downwards at him, though Merc rolled to the side just in time to avoid it. The two began trying to beat the other, though neither could quite gain an inch. Eventually, they two traded blows, Yang pumping a shotgun shell into Mercury's torso while Mercury in turn landed a kick to Yang's face, the two of them recoiling back. Mercury furthermore blasted himself further away, ensuring he wasn't caught up in any more of the shenanigans Yang tried to pull, smiling as he stood back up.

Yang tried to pull her shenanigans anyway, firing away at Mercury, though her opponent effectively danced through each gunshot with ease as he weaved his way in. He eventually made it back to the blonde bruiser, attempting to land an axe kick on her, though Yang easily blocked and pushed his leg out of the way, more than ready to punch him square in the gut. Mercury dodged under it, landing a sidelong kick on her that pushed her back, though she stayed on her feet, now grimacing. That one hurt, mind you. Launching herself right back into the fray, she caught him off guard and landed a nasty combo on Mercury. He counterattacked quickly, though Yang dodged the kick and tried to slam him into the ground with yet another punch, Mercury dodging in turn. Using his current high ground advantage, he landed a powerful kick on her before throwing out an axe kick. Yang dodged, and seeing that when he made contact he broke the ground beneath him, she knew that it probably wouldn't have been fun to get hit by.

The two then began trading kicks, Mercury proving superior when it comes to foot-to-foot combat and knocking Yang back. Pressing forward such to continue his assault, he was met only by a furious uppercut that knocked him onto his stomach. Yang quickly took her chance to fire away again, Mercury being forced to roll out of the way or get shot, a lot. Sadly, one connected with him and blew him off the platform, though he wound up and fired downward with both of his boots at once, propelling him back into action, immediately going back on the assault. Yang easily blocked most of the kicks, though Merc found a gap when she ducked one, giving him a golden opportunity to kick her square in the face, pushing her back and giving him a chance to land another kick that sent her skidding away. He followed it up quickly by firing a round from his boots that Yang easily dodged, though she didn't see that it lingered in the air behind her.

Switching it up, Mercury began spinning around slowly on one leg, using the other to fire off countless rounds from his boot. Yang stood straight up and looking around confused, as most of the bullets weren't even fired in her general directions. Those of them that were fired at her were easily dodged on her way to introduce Mercury's face to her fists repeatedly, getting in close and trying to do just that. Mercury wasn't having any of that, and kicked her into the air, launching after her to smash he back into the ground. Yang stood and shook it off, looking around and seeing the shots Mercury had fired encircle the arena before crashing down onto her.

Smirking, Mercury turned away, brushing himself off as he silently showboated, believing that he had won. Behind him though, Yang rose from the smoke, slamming her fists together and blowing it all away, her hair now ablaze and her eyes burning crimson. Yang wasted no time in barreling towards her foe, smashing her flaming knuckles into Mercury, even powering through an aggressive kick to continue her assault. Mercury could do little to stop the furious female before him, Yang going to town on him with a rain of fists. He tried to fit in the odd blow, but Yang outright any damage that came her way, slamming a fist into his guy, forcing the air out of him in a pained groan. His aura became visible as it struggled to hold her off, Yang ignoring it and slamming a final set of knuckles into his face and launching him back, almost literally burning through the rest of his aura with that last punch. Sprawled out on his back, the elimination buzzer sounded throughout the arena, signaling Yang's victory. Taking a deep breath and closing her eyes, Yang reopened them with her lilac returning to prominence, raising an arm to celebrate her victory.

"Looks like Vale takes yet another match, back to back!" Port shouted as Yang was lowered back to ground level.

"Yang Xiao Long wins!" Oobleck added, as though the elimination buzzer and Port's declaration weren't a good enough indication of the result of the match.

"Yeah! You did it, sis!" Ruby cheered, the rest of her team sharing her sentiments.

"Way to go, Yang!" Blake cheered whilst Weiss pumped her arms in glee.

"Well done, indeed," Link mimed more quietly. Though he expected it, he couldn't help but be a little jovial in light of her victory. She fought well, after all.

"Better luck next time," Yang said as she wiped the sweat off her forehead, turning towards the exit to leave, though she saw Mercury standing back up in her peripheral vision.

"There's not going to be a next time, Blondie!" he shouted, Yang turning to see him leap towards her, a leg poised to attack Yang despite the match being over. Decidedly upset due to this, she readied her gauntlet and fired into his leg as he came by, a loud *crack* coming from his knee, Mercury tumbling back in pain. Needless to say, the audience gasped in shock. The match was over, there was no more need for violence at this point!

"My word!" Oobleck said, rising from his seat, Port quickly gesturing to someone outside the booth.

"Cut the cameras!" he commanded, someone doing just that.

Alas, it was too late, for the damage had been done. The unrest caused by this unprovoked attack had drawn the attention of many a Grimm, a beacon figuratively having been lit in the arena that they could all see. A beacon they all were drawn to.

"My leg, MY LEG!" Mercury shouted, holding his leg in pain while rocking back and forth.

"That's what you get, you little-" Yang began, though she stopped when she noticed several Atlesian Knight-200s and foot soldiers coming down to the arena. "Huh?"

"Yang Xiao Long, stand down!" shouted one of the soldiers, both the solders and the Knights raising their weapons to her.

"What?!" Yang shouted, no clue as to what was going on. "Why?!"

"Mercury!" Emerald cried, rushing to her partner's side, the partner in question now crying hysterically.

"Why'd she do that?! WHY'D SHE ATTACK ME?!" he shouted, turning to Emerald. Emerald in turn turned to glare at Yang with nothing but pure disgust in her eyes. Yang, still confused, now looked around to try and find some answers, only now noticing the replay of her walking around the battle-fatigued Mercury before outright shooting him in the leg, breaking it. The replay then showed him double over, crying out in pain. It took a moment before Yang realized what she had done, looking over to her team and seeing them look back at her in absolute shock. It was then the sound of Mercury's leg breaking stopped ringing out in her ears, replaced by the sound of the crowd cursing her name.

But why? What had she done?

OOO

With the spectacle that was Link and Oni and the havoc caused by the aftermath of Yang and Mercury, Gradivus knew he'd found his opening. Everyone was at the tournament grounds, even the guards and staff, meaning Beacon Tower was empty. Barren. Vulnerable.

With GOLD in tow, Gradivus moved cautiously towards the tower, still keeping an eye out for any stragglers. Verifying the coast was clear, they moved towards the tower. Now, they were fully aware of the cameras that littered the area, but they came prepared. Lucius, the blue haired boy with gold eyes and glasses, had a Semblance that allowed him to manipulate and generate powerful electromagnetic pulses capable of shorting machines, and as such made a point to use it whenever they were coming into view of one. After all, they'd had plenty of time to familiarize themselves with the locations of all of them due to the time they'd spent here.

Eventually, they made it to the elevator that Gradivus had deduced from his stolen audio had no button for the vault, and as such they had to use a different method of getting to the vault due to their lack of any special keys. What they had decided on was for Lucius to mess with the electronics of the elevator to loosen it while Gradivus moved it down with G-Force.

"Tampering with the electronics may result in the elevator locking up," Lucius said, raising his hand to do just that.

"That's why Tetsuya is here," Gradivus said, gesturing for Lucius to do it. He did, Gradivus moving the elevator down to the vault. True to Lucius' deduction, the doors refused to open while the power tried to fix itself. "Do it," Gradivus said, Tetsuya nodding and tracing a circle on the door with his fingers, traces of his pink aura leaving a mark on it. When the circle was done, everything in the interior of it disappeared, allowing them all to pass through.

"We're in," Gradivus said, readying his scroll and tossing it to Zeraphin. "Take pictures of everything, Oni wants to know exactly what is here."

"Yeah sure," Zeraphin said gruffly, not liking being stuck on camera duty.

"This place is... huge," Gradivus said in awe at the size of the vault. Having just walked in, the room almost seemed endless. Zeraphin cared less and simply took pictures of the room, scowling as he did. "Let's go then. We just need to find what's in here and get out."

With that, they continued moving deeper into the vault, Zeraphin snapping photos as they moved. Eventually they came to the end, and more importantly they came upon the pair of pods that held... the injured Fall Maiden.

"The Fall Maiden... Really is real...?" Gradivus said. He'd heard the stories, he'd picked out small details over the course of his mission, he'd even heard Qrow outright tell Pyrrha what was down here, but he just refused to believe it.

"That's... a bit unexpected," Zeraphin admitted, taking a few pictures of the pod.

"Scroll," Gradivus said, holding his hand out to Zeraphin in order to reclaim his scroll. "Now."

Before Zeraphin could even take a step to hand off the scroll, Gradivus reclaimed it with G-Force, calling Oni as soon as he could.

"Speak."

"Sir, we made it into the vault," Gradivus said, still staring down the Fall Maiden, almost as if he looked away she would disappear. A legend he'd thought was nothing more than myth was standing there in front of him, so he can't be blamed.

"Oh?" was Oni's reply from the other end, sounding interested. "Good. What have you found?"

"I'm sending the images now, Sir," Gradivus said, doing just that.

"Hm. The vault is bigger than I'd expect. What of the girl?" Oni asked, Gradivus swallowing nervously.

"Sir, we have re- reason to believe that, uh..." he said shakily, not sure if Oni was going to believe him or not. After all, if he was viewed as trying to prank Oni of all people, he may not see tomorrow. "...we have reason to believe that girl is the F-Fall Maiden."

Oni was silent for a moment, stressing Gradivus out, though he eventually spoke.

"What leads you to this conclusion?" Oni said, sounding tense. Or was he... excited? It was hard to tell over the call.

"Ozpin, Goodwitch, Ironwood, and Branwen all referred to her as the Fall Maiden..." he said quietly. He wasn't sure whether or not this is what he wanted to hear.

"..."

"...Sir?" Gradivus asked cautiously. Oni was really starting to scare him at this point...

"Your mission is complete. You are to leave Beacon and begin preparations to leave Vale. You will be updated later as to your next assignment."

"S-Sir?" Gradivus asked, shocked. "What's going on?"

"I told you," Oni said, Gradivus sweating in fear at this point, "depending on what you found, I may take extreme measures."

"I-I see, understood, Sir," Gradivus said, Oni hanging up. "GOLD, we need to leave as soon as possible."

Understanding exactly what he was talking about, they nodded and prepared to leave the vault, and by extension, this entire campus. Things were going to happen, things they weren't ready for.

Meanwhile, back at Oni's compound, he merely sat at his desk, elbows on the table before him, smiling.

"Finally," he said, rising and laughing loudly, lightning striking somewhere in the distance. A storm seemed to be brewing... "After all these years, Ozpin... you've made a mistake."

---

I hope you're ready.

So yeah, new chapter time. See, I've recently had this nasty habit of writing the longest chapter of a story I ever had and then... just completely blowing it out of the water! For instance, chapter 30 was what, 13,073 words long? Child's play! This chapter now comes in at 16,413 words long. I... don't quite think I'm going to top this one soon. But hey, I've proved myself wrong like 3 chapters in a row now, who am I to say it won't happen?

Now, regarding the monstrous wait between this chapter and the last, please just know I had a hectic summer job that left me with... basically zero time. Any time not spent sleeping or working was spent taking care of myself, leaving only very little time over the weekends to whittle away at this gargantuan wall of text. I have since finished up work and am now transitioning back to a much more lenient school schedule, so expect wait times better than... almost exactly 3 months. School is still school though, so don't expect chapters every day! It could happen though, so who knows? Not me, that's for sure!

Additionally, for those who have been keeping up with REKT (a big thank you to those who do!), we haven't given up yet, we've both just been busy with real life events (mostly work tho). A new chapter is in the works, but due to a difference in scheduling between BryanPrime and I it may still be a while. Bear with us though, it's definitely coming!

Finally, for those who have been waiting for art for REKT, the wait is (kinda) over! The first portrait, that being Tabitha Ostrum, has been posted on my personal Twitter, so feel free to go check it out at/

wildcardoni

(Don't forget to add the 'at' symbol, fanfiction just won't let me add it to this chapter)

/follows are welcome, but 100% unnecessary. I'm hoping to get the others done pretty soon with my better schedule, but it still takes a while, so again, bear with me. (My DMs are also open, if anyone wants to chat. I'm friendly, I swear!)

So yeah, art is (kinda) here, chapters should (ideally) be more frequent, both here and over at REKT, and feel free to check out my Twitter. (Sorry for the shilling, but Twitter is way more accessible for most people than, say, DeviantART or other art sites, and I feel it's way easier to use. I meme a lot though, so don't mind the incessant shitposts.)

Whew, wall of text over, time for an outro. Thus, I say as I always have-

OniHelix out!