Chapter 12: Training
After a long talk, Ozma and Salem began to make a plan on how to fight Momin and his army. Two things were certain: they would need to find a way to beat him without killing him and they would need help. Ozma had already told Salem the reason behind his return and the mission the God of Light had given him. After taking all of it in, Salem began to make a plan.
"Did the God of Light say where these 'Relics' are?" Salem asked. "Or what they can do?"
"All I know is that they represent the ideas behind humanity's existence: Choice, Knowledge, Creation, and Destruction." Ozma replied while staring out the window. "He didn't tell me anything more."
"How typical." Salem remarked.
Ozma turned around with a serious expression on his face. "Salem, please."
"I'm sorry." Salem said with a sigh. "I know he wants Momin gone like us, but that doesn't change anything." Salem's grudge against the Gods hadn't gone away, given the fact that they abandoned her and the God of Darkness led Momin to Remnant in the first place.
"He also felt remorse, Salem. If he knew what would happen, he said he would have changed his decision. I know that doesn't change anything, but doesn't that help pave a way for reconciliation?"
"...Between that and bringing you back...it's a start." Salem said.
"Thank you." Ozma said with a smile. "Also, I hate to ask this but...is there anything else you know about Momin? He knew you longer than anyone."
Salem sat on the bed, reliving her memories with Momin. Doing this sent a shiver down her spine. "There is...one thing. From what I saw, he made some kind of crystal to control the Grimm."
Ozma was intrigued. Taking it could mean turning the tide of the war. But he didn't want to get his hopes up. "I imagine he keeps his close to him?"
"On him, actually." Salem replied. "He somehow managed to fuse it to his forehead. Which is protected by his mask."
Ozma nodded, knowing that taking or destroying the crystal would be no easy task. "It seems the best thing to do would be finding the Relics."
"We'll need help for that." Salem pointed out. "We may be immortal and possess Magic, but as you saw, Momin was able to work around that. We need to increase our numbers to increase our chances."
"We could travel to Vacuo and Mistral." Ozma suggested. "We could find Lisa and whoever 'Joan Arc' is."
Salem stood up and nodded, liking the idea. "They seem to have a large number of followers. Helping them fight will help us gain support."
"I think we should go to Mistral first." Ozma stated. "The people need to know the truth about Momin and his plans."
"But Momin has a new type of Grimm at Vacuo." Salem pointed out. "They need to know what's coming, so they can prepare."
Ozma forgot about the Apathy. He had seen what they were capable of, so he knew Salem was right. Vacuo had no idea what was coming, it could turn the tide in Momin's favor. But there was something else remembered.
"Oliver told me what Operation Downpour is." Ozma replied. "Momin wants to make new Grimm pools in Vale. That could put Cadabra and the capital in danger."
"...So much to do, so little time." Salem said in defeat.
Ozma put a hand on her shoulder to comfort her. "We can still find help. I may have an idea."
Ozma and Salem had assembled a town meeting. Everyone was standing near the gate with the two Magic wielders standing before them.
"The rest of the world is in a similar situation as Vale." Ozma started. "Momin's influence has spread far and wide. Some choose to follow him while others choose to fight. The people of this town have given everything they have to fight, but the truth is...we are outmatched."
Everyone began to murmur amongst themselves, their fear of Momin growing even stronger.
"For the moment." Salem continued for Ozma. "Now, it's time to level the playing field. You're all aware of our Magic, how we can destroy the Grimm and Momin's forces in the blink of an eye. Now...it's time you learn for yourselves."
The murmurs and whispers started up again. This time, a woman spoke up. "Where do we start?"
"Ozma and I will begin training any volunteers today. If you wish to fight, step forward."
The prisoners that Ozma rescued stepped forward, along with Oliver and six women. Ozma and Salem looked at each other and smiled. Their plan was underway.
Two days later
"Remember. Let go of your earthly connection. Connect to your souls."
Salem was guiding the volunteers in a meditation practice. As she taught Momin, the source of Magic was in the soul and the person must make a connection to it in order to properly wield Magic.
"Salem, we're back." a familiar voice called out.
Salem turned to see Ozma and a few other people from Cadabra carrying bows and swords. Ozma had been leading expeditions to observe Momin's progress with Operation Downpour. Salem stood up and walked over to Ozma, placing a kiss on his cheek. "Welcome back. How did it go?"
"Not well." Ozma said as he walked out with Salem. "When I left the prison, I managed to refill most of the holes with Magic. Momin managed to dig out more than half of them."
"So, he's not there." Salem deduced. "Otherwise, he could use Magic to dig out the holes in an instant."
"He's using prisoners again. He has his Demons and the Apathy keeping watch over them."
"How soon do you think he'll be done?"
"If it's taken this quick to make this much progress...I would say another two days. How's the training going?"
"Not very good." Salem looked to the ground in shame. "They understand the concept, but I don't think they understand how to do it."
Ozma sighed, unhappy about the news. If they were to have a chance against fighting Momin, more Magic wielders were needed. And Operation Downpour had to be stopped.
"I'm sorry." Salem said, still looking at the ground. "I could do better, I just-"
"It's alright, Salem." Ozma reassured her as he embraced Salem in a hug. "Perhaps this version of humanity isn't ready."
Salem looked up to him. "Did the God of Light say anything else about them?"
"He said that without his presence, humanity would be a fraction of what they once were." Ozma recalled. "I assumed he meant they would still be able to use Magic, but to an extent."
"It's possible." Salem agreed. "But right now, they're not ready. It may be time to consider...other ideas."
"What...what are you saying?" Ozma asked with worry.
Salem turned to him. "Let me go to the holes alone. Momin's forces won't be able to kill me, and I can buy Vale more time."
"Bad idea." Ozma quickly said. "The Apathy can attack you again, leaving you vulnerable to being captured."
"Then I'll destroy them first. Ozma, we need to do something about this."
Before Ozma could continue to persuade Salem not to go, a man ran up to the two Magic wielders.
"Ozma, Salem! One of the Demons broke out!"
Ozma and Salem quickly followed the man to the cells. Ozma was able to capture some of Momin's soldiers after they attempted to raid Cadabra. He hoped he could get any information out of one of them. The only thing he got was more trouble.
The Faunus had almost reached the main gate when Ozma and Salem landed in front of him. Turning around, he grabbed a blonde woman and held her in a headlock.
"LET HER GO!" Salem yelled.
"Back away or the human gets what she deserves!" the Faunus yelled back.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Ozma said as he stepped forward.
"I can break her neck in this position." he replied.
"Do it and I kill you where you stand." Salem said.
"Then I'll die happy knowing Remnant has one less human."
Ozma raised his staff at the Faunus, preparing to send Magic his way. Just as soon as he had an opening.
The opening came when the woman headbutted the Faunus in his nose, releasing his grip. He quickly dodged a bolt of Magic Ozma fired and prepared to send a fist to the woman who attacked him. The woman lifted her hand to defend herself as the punch made contact with her arm. A blinding flash of light was made right as the Faunus hit the woman. Everyone around them covered their eyes.
As the light died down, Ozma and Salem could see the Faunus holding his hand in pain and a yellow light surrounding the woman on the ground. Ozma fired another bolt of Magic at the Faunus, which made contact with his chest. Salem ran over to the woman and helped her stand, while examining the yellow light.
"Magic?" Salem asked herself as the light died down. "Are you alright, Layla?"
"Yes, I'm fine." the woman replied. "In fact...I didn't feel a thing."
A man ran up and hugged Layla, making sure she was alright. As they walked away, Ozma walked up to Salem. "What...just happened?"
"I think...they might be ready after all." Salem said with a smile.
A few days later, Salem's students had advanced significantly in their learning. They all had an ability to protect themselves in some form of Magic, very similar to Layla's incident with the Faunus. It seemed the only difference in the shields were colors. Other than that, everyone Salem taught had managed to produce a kind of protective barrier that could be activated at will.
"It seems we found that fraction." Salem said to Ozma.
"Intriguing." Ozma was fascinated by this form of Magic. He could use Magic to protect himself from harm, but this was different. It seems that people could make a protective aura around themselves. "It's not a very practical offense, but this could be an advantage over Momin."
"That, along with the weapons we stole from his soldiers, could increase our chances." Salem said as she wrapped her arms around Ozma's right arm.
"We have to be careful, though." Ozma pointed out. "These Auras seem to break after a given amount of damage, and rebuilding them could vary from each person."
"They've been training hard. I think it's time we take training to the next level."
"There are a few holes not far from here. It's a trial by fire, but it's safer than going to the larger ones."
"I'll lead them at sundown."
"We'll do this together." Ozma said as he held Salem's hand.
Tock was exiting an elevator and made her way to the throne her master was sitting on. He was currently practicing his Magic on one of his human prisoners, firing multiple beams of energy from a black orb he created with his hands. The screams from the woman put a smile Tock's face, which quickly left as the Magic died down. She quickly bowed before the masked man looking at her. "Master, Taurus has news."
"Salem?" Momin asked.
"Yep. He followed your orders and sent this." Tock handed him a tablet with multiple recordings taken from the Demons' helmets. Momin played them all and saw Ozma and Salem leading a group of humans against his soldiers and Grimm. Glancing at each camera, he saw that the humans were small in number, but they held their own remarkably well. In fact, they seemed to not be fazed by the blaster bolts. Perhaps Salem had taken time to train them. He then focused on one camera that had a recording of Salem pushing dirt back into one of the holes.
"Taurus sent minimal forces against her." he observed. This was part of Momin's plan; see how well she could hold against a few Grimm and Demons. "I assume our operation was delayed again?"
"Seems that way." Tock confirmed. "I may have an idea on that."
"I'm listening." Momin said as he kept his eyes glued on the screen.
"Salem and the second one used Magic to push all that dirt back. Maybe you can go yourself and dig the holes in an instant?"
"...Perhaps."
Momin turned his attention to Ozma. He saw that this warrior was indeed powerful, and saw that he rarely fought without his staff. When the soldier disarmed Ozma and fought him hand-to-hand, Momin saw that he didn't use Magic like Salem did. Perhaps he chose not to use Magic without his staff. Or maybe...Ozma couldn't use Magic without his staff.
"Tock...how goes your training with your swords?"
"Grand." Tock said with a smug smile, looking at the swords she stole long ago.
"Salem and this one can certainly hold their own against a force this small. I think it's time to see what they can do against a larger force. I want you to join Taurus in an attack against the capital of Vale."
"Will I be bringing support?" she asked.
"You will." he replied. "I will send more ships and Grimm to Vale tomorrow. You may leave."
Tock stood up and made her way to the door. But she stopped and turned back to Momin. "One more thing, Master. Taurus sent you something else you might want to see. Swipe the screen when you're ready." With that, she left the room.
Momin swiped the screen to see a video of Taurus.
"Greetings, my Lord. I assume Tock has shown you the footage of Salem and her new friends. Now, I need to show you something else."
The video showed a group of Beowolves and Ursai running towards a mountain. Momin could also see soldiers standing in their way, trying to make them stop. Their efforts were in vain, as the Grimm were easily able to either push them aside or kill them. They continued running to the mountain.
"This is the fourth herd of Grimm that ran to that mountain. I didn't receive any news or orders about letting them go, which is why my men were trying to stop them. I don't know if you want this to happen, but we're losing more Grimm each day. I mean no disrespect, but if we're going to keep our presence in Vale, this is a little counterproductive."
Taurus was wrong. Wherever the Grimm were going...it was not Momin's doing. It seemed something else was calling them to that mountain. And Momin was going to find out what it was.
Author's notes: hey everyone, Happy New Year! I'm really sorry you all had to wait this long for a new chapter, I had some computer problems that kept me from writing. Also, I had a interesting idea for a new story I wanted to try, go ahead and check it out. Again, sorry for the wait, everything's fine right now. I'll be updating more frequently now, thanks for your patience.