Operation convert Salem in full swing


Cover Art: Mystery White Flame

Chapter 83


Jaune's gift to Salem was more fitting for someone his age and mentality – not to say stupid, but an eighteen year old boy. He brought her into the room they'd prepared for her, sat her down before the TV and plugged the games console in, then handed her a controller.

"This is video games…?" Salem asked. "I've heard Tyrian mention them."

"Yep. There are all kinds of games for every taste. Strategy, action, romance, shooters, fighting, business management, thinly-veiled erotica, and a strange amount of puzzle games with naked cartoon girls as the reward for completing a basic puzzle. I'm not sure why those exist since if you wanted to see that you could skip the puzzle and use a search engine…" He trailed off at Salem's raised eyebrow. "Ahem. Anyway, there's something for everyone and more games keep coming out every year. It's a good way to occupy yourself when you don't have anything else to do. Which you won't if you destroy humanity."

Salem hummed but didn't rise to the bait. She held the controller and crossed her legs under her, sitting like he was with her back to the foot of the bed. He'd thought carefully about what games to show her and decided on a co-op game to start. It wouldn't do to crush her in competitive, and he couldn't expect someone with no experience in gaming to have much skill at it.

He shied away from Huntsman-based games for obvious reasons.

Initially, Salem was quite clearly more playing along to humour him than because she was having fun – Roads of Anger didn't get much reaction. Silver Sword was a bust. Even classics like Sackman and Taijitu didn't earn much of a reaction.

RPGs saved the day. Or the night.

"Why is she riding on a mechanical walker?"

"I don't know."

"There aren't any Grimm?"

"It's a complete fantasy world," he said. "There are dragons, goblins, orcs and more but no Grimm. No Huntsmen, either. Instead, the world is under threat by the power of an evil god-"

"Damn Gods. It's always their fault!"

"Hmhm. And it's up to you and a plucky group of adventurers to stop them, discovering more about each other and the world along the way."

"It's like a story, then? A book?"

"Pretty much."

"Why have it as a game, then? Why not be a book?"

"Because it's interactive this way. It's a book, but you also get to control some events – change the story, develop the characters as you see fit and fight alongside them. You also get the added benefit of visuals and music to go along with just the words."

"I see." Salem rubbed her jaw. "Clever. And there are more of these… RPG…?"

"It's an entire genre. They've been a bit lacklustre lately but there are some cult classics out there and I've heard good things about `The Huntsmen III: Wildest Hunt`."

"Pah. Huntsmen. Who needs them?"

"Actually, it's about a huntsman who keeps getting dragged into politics against his will, slowly discovering that the biggest threat to survival isn't the Grimm, but the greed of your fellow man."

"Ah!" Salem preened. "A lesson worth learning!"

"Hm. You can get forty to a hundred hours of enjoyment out of some of these games – RPGs tend to be the longer ones in that regard. Of course, if you kill humanity then there won't be any more made…"

"Do not mock me, Jaune of Arc. I'm not so blind that I can't see what you are doing. Even so, there must be thousands of these games already, not to mention millions of books, fiction or otherwise. Even assuming I read through a book a day, I could keep myself entertained for hundreds of thousands of years."

"And then what…?"

Salem paused. "Excuse me?"

"And then what?" he repeated. "You have a hundred thousand years of being entertained, maybe even two. Then what? What happens after that time? What happens in three hundred thousand years? Or four? Five, six, seven or eight? What happens in a million years? Two million years? The stock will run out eventually, but you never will. Maybe it'll be five million years from now, but sooner or later you'll have worked your way through every book, every game, every TV series and every movie ever made. And then what happens, Salem? What happens when there is nothing left, and you have the rest of eternity before you?"

The white-skinned woman was silent. Frightened.

It didn't show on her face or in her eyes or anywhere at all, but she had to be frightened. Who wouldn't be? Just the thought of that kind of eternity scared him! People longed for more time, longer lives and the chance to live forever, but that was always with the assumption life would remain interesting. People would often say that the counter to that was that humanity would die one day. Either the planet would crack, or the world would just run out of resources and people would slowly die off, then you'd be left alone drifting through space or walking a barren hellscape. That was just a thought exercise to most people – it was a promised future for Salem.

Alone in her tower, surrounded by silence, no one to talk to, no one to interact with, no voice but your own, nothing to do. As years passed by. Decades. Centuries. Millennia. Eternity.

"I did not ask for this curse…" Salem finally whispered.

"I know. The Brother Gods honestly come across as childish assholes. You're stuck with it, though. Is it really a good idea to doom yourself to a cold and empty end, though?"

Her head snapped to his. "Are you pitying me!?"

"No-" Jaune answered immediately, then thought better of it. "Yes. Wait," he urged when she looked like she might snap. "I know it's not right to pity you, but I do. How can I not? Living for a thousand years sounds fun. Ten thousand sounds doable. Eternity? That's just not reasonable. If you could promise me eternity was an eternity spent with people and having fun then I'd be jealous of you, but we both know it's not. Sooner or later, something will give, and it won't – can't – be you."

"Do you think I don't realise that? I am doomed," she hissed. "I am cursed not to eternal life, but to eternal solitude. Both Ozma and I are, though at least he may have the chance to move on when I eradicate every human on the planet. Then there will be no one for him to inhabit."

Jaune pointed out the obvious. "There'll be you."

Salem reared back. "WHAT!?"

"I'm just saying. You're human, aren't you? Technically? If Ozma is meant to come back into the head of the person most similar to him, and you're the only person left on Remnant…"

He didn't think he'd ever seen someone look so horrified in their life. Could he blame her? Bad enough to be trapped for eternity, but with Ozpin stuck in your head? For him, it'd be weird. Awkward. For her, it might as well be torture. For both of them in fact. It was abuse of the highest order, forcing two people who had broken up after a tragedy to spend the rest of their lives together. You might as well call it slavery. It would be a nightmare for both of them.

But it could get worse.

What happened to Ozpin's hosts in time? What happened to the first Ozpin and what would happen to Oscar? Did they die when he took over? Were they consumed? Or were they trapped in their own body, a silent, voiceless, helpless soul who couldn't interact with the world around them?

No one knew, not even Ozpin, and certainly not Salem. Considering she couldn't die, there was little telling what the two of them sharing a body would lead to, only that it wouldn't be favourable from either perspective.

"No…" Salem whispered. "No, no, no. I can't. I won't let it. That can't happen!"

Here he was trying to win Salem over with the promise of all the good things humanity could give her, only to realise what she was really afraid of was being stuck with Ozpin for the rest of eternity. Go figure.

"I-I will keep some humans alive," she stammered. "A stock, a herd. They can live in a small farm off the tower, breeding and surviving just to provide someone for Ozma to inhabit."

"He'll go to whoever is most like him, though. If you keep a thousand people, that's still a one in one thousand chance he goes to you. And if they know they're cattle, they might be even less similar to him."

"Then I'll keep ten thousand! I will call them all Ozma. They will all study to be knights and think that they're men and… and… and I'll find ways to make them like him!"

"Or…" Jaune tried. "You could not destroy humanity and then there'd be millions of people for him to take over."

Salem refused to answer.

/-/

Outside her room, he found Glynda and Ironwood waiting, both tense and clearly on edge. Ironwood was the first to speak, barely waiting for him to shut the door before asking, "How did it go?"

"I… I don't know."

"That's not the answer I want, Arc."

"Do you think she was won over even a little?" Glynda asked.

"I think so. It's too early to be sure, but I think she enjoyed having things given to her, and I think she's starting to realise humanity created all those things. Right now…" He looked back to the door. "I think I gave her something even bigger to think on."

Glynda sighed. "I hope that isn't a euphemism."

"It's not."

"Are we really just letting her go tomorrow?" Ironwood said. "This could be a prime opportunity to test one of our immortality-ending ideas. We have her in our grasp."

"On a promise of no harm coming to her." Glynda argued. "Test that and she will never listen to us again."

"Technically, we're already testing one idea anyway," Jaune said. "Two, even. The first being Roman's drugs and the second being a new idea of locking her away with endless entertainment and spoiling her rotten."

Ironwood cocked his head but, after a second to think, nodded. It was a novel idea, but not one that didn't make sense. Kind of like prison, except instead of keeping her in bad conditions, they were doing the opposite. A gilded cage to be sure, but if she had everything she could ever want then what was the problem? If anything, it was more like she was some foreign dignitary being paid a constant tax or tithe to keep her happy. If she wanted to blackmail them for boxsets and books, he'd take it. All the Kingdoms would happily go for that.

"Do you think the Grimm would end if we did win her over?" Glynda asked. "Would it be an end to the Grimm?"

Ironwood shook his head. "Probably not. They existed before she did. While she can clearly order some around, there are more just wandering the wilderness attacking anyone who comes close. I expect she can give orders, but that only applies to Grimm who are close enough to receive them. Even if she became peaceful, there would still be a need for huntsmen. The academies would still have a place."

"Unless we convinced her to wander the world giving orders of peace to all the Grimm."

"An impossible task, Arc. Even asking it may sound like a thankless job to her, so I'd keep it to yourself. It's enough of a victory if we can convince her to lift the siege on Vale and not make any more in the future. That way we can stop dedicating resources to stopping her and start spending them on protecting frontier outposts and villages."

True. That was something to aim for. "How goes the battle?" he asked.

"Well enough. Minimal losses for now. The Grimm still haven't managed to take the walls and defending the city is trivial until they do. The problem is them grinding us down. Injuries are rising even if fatalities are low, and ammunition is being thrown away. The Grimm are endless. Our stores are not."

"We're doing our best," Jaune defended.

"I know." Ironwood sighed and crossed his arms. "I realise I sound impatient but… in all the years of working with Ozpin, it never felt like there might be an end in sight. A solution. If I am impatient, it's only because I can see it now and want to grasp it within my lifespan."

"And all that is resting on me? Great."

"Who else can it rest on?"

"Someone qualified," Jaune said.

"You're the best we have for this. Think about it," Ironwood said when Jaune's jaw dropped open. "You're not a professional. You're not trained. You're a bumbling idiot who lied his way into a position of power and then had to stumble your way through the motions. Does that sound familiar to anyone?" He nodded to the door, making Jaune balk.

"You think I'm like Salem!?"

"In circumstance, yes. Neither of you planned for this. You both had something else you wanted – a selfish desire. Hers was to have her husband returned to her. Yours was to become a student. And through the authority of another, you were both thrust into roles you have no training and no experience in and left to sink or swim. Salem was not always the enemy of humanity she is now, nor did she intend to become it. No more than you did professor and then headmaster."

Jaune didn't know what to say. Put like that, they did sound similar.

"Our problem was that we always approached her from the point of view of a strategist, expecting to beat her through raw strength, skill or by outmanoeuvring her. We never thought to look at the person behind all that. Perhaps because we couldn't empathise with someone in that position like you can. Those are my thoughts anyway," he said, turning away. "I wish you well."

Jaune watched the General stride purposefully away, the words he wanted to say trapped in his throat until the man had already left. "Was that…" He turned to Glynda. "Was that a compliment? From General Ironwood…?"

Glynda smiled. "I think it was…" Then paused. "Although he also did suggest you're similar to the Queen of all Evil, great enemy of mankind and the worst thing to ever happen to Remnant."

"Half compliment…?"

"Half compliment, half burn, full passive-aggressive."

"Huh." Jaune grinned. "Well, it's not him trying to arrest and throw me in prison. I'll take it! Now, the best thing we can do is wait until morning and see what she decides overnight."

Glynda looked back to the door. "Would it be a bad idea to bring Ozpin in to talk to her?"

"Right now? Yes. A very, very bad idea."

/-/

"This seems like a very, very bad idea," Yang said.

"Going up onto the roof in the middle of a lightning storm to pick up a metal sword?" Ruby asked.

"No. Sending Cinder up to get it."

"Because she might get struck by lightning and die?"

"I said bad idea, not good." Yang sucked in a sharp breath. "I don't trust her."

"Newsflash of the century," Blake said. "No one trusts her."

"And yet we're letting her take the Relic of Destruction. Which, may I remind you, probably isn't called that because it destroys the knots in your back during a good massage."

"This was Jaune's plan." Blake said. Her hand touched her pack nervously. "We have to have faith."

"Because Jaune is a mastery strategist and plans everything?"

"Sure. Why not?"

Yang swore under her breath and looked up, rooting for another bolt from the sky to take care of the problem. Cinder was a small speck of impatient black who couldn't have even waited for better weather. Despite spitting in the face of nature, nature didn't punish her for it. Shame. The figure crawled up to the peak, reaching out and bringing down the glinting object.

And now she has the Relic of Destruction, Yang thought. This isn't going to end well.

That fact only seemed to become more reinforced when Cinder thrust the sword up into the air and began to laugh so loudly that Team RWBY could hear her even over the storm that raged up above.

"Did the Prof plan for this as well?" Yang asked Blake.

"…"

/-/

Cinder couldn't stop laughing.

It took control of her, forcing her to look up at the silvery blade of the Relic of Destruction as she felt its power rush through her. Not in a physical sense, but through the sheer weight of its history, its legendary status and also the force it possessed deep within. The Relic of Destruction, that with the ability to destroy beyond any shred of doubt.

How many years had she spent wishing for this kind of power? How much had she sacrificed? Too much. Blood, sweat, tears and years of her life. Mercury and Emerald, too, but that wasn't much of a sacrifice. Chump change. The true cost was the time she'd spent slaving away under Salem, mocked by Tyrian, belittled by Watts, overlooked by Hazel.

Who was laughing now? She was! Only her!

I am the Winter Maiden. I have the Relic of Destruction. Not even Salem could promise me this much power! And the greatest irony, part of the reason she was laughing so hard, was that it wasn't Salem who gave it to her at all. No. It was Jaune. Her initial enemy. Her greatest rival. Now, her greatest enabler.

"Ha ha ha ha ha!" she cackled, bending double and stabbing the sword down into the tiles. "I'm the most powerful person on the planet! No one can match me! No one!"

Absolutely no one. The other Maidens were inexperienced and couldn't hold a candle to her. The other Relics were precise instruments dedicated to a single task, one of them rendered all but useless for another hundred years and the others not suited to combat.

I've done it. I've really done it. I'm all powerful. I'm invincible…

What now? There'd always been that question, that doubt, which held her back from truly planning what she'd do after. Power was the goal, but she'd never truly felt deep inside that she would achieve it. The maiden, maybe, but more? No, that just didn't seem possible with Salem in the picture. Now, however, she had it. It was hers.

So, what was she going to do with it? Return to Beacon, hand over the Relic of Destruction and fade into obscurity? Cinder chuckled, eyes burning as she cradled the weapon to her chest.

No. Not likely.

"I am sorry, Jaune, but you had to have known this would happen. First of all, I think it's time to deal with these rats."

Holding the sword in one hand, she let her power take hold and lift her off the roof, floating her to the edge and down as lightning crackled and thunder boomed theatrically behind her. Cinder's visage would be that of a being wreathed in shadow and ice floating down to the balcony Team RWBY resided upon. A terrifying and all powerful spectre they could not hope to defeat.

So it was when she descended, and she saw the distrust in the eyes of them. The fear. The readiness. Hmph. They weren't fools - she would give them that. They would still die, however.

"You have the Relic." Xiao-Long said nervously. "So, does that mean we're heading back?"

Cinder let her smile show, and it grew twofold when they all stepped back.

"Not quite. I shall return, but you… how shall I say? It's such a tragic occurrence that you all fell on this journey. However, it was always going to be dangerous. Accidents happen."

"You can't kill us!" Ruby Rose exclaimed.

Oh, how foolish was she? Of course she could kill them. Quite easily in fact. The only real danger was Raven Branwen interfering, but with the Relic on her side she was quite content in the knowledge she could kill the other maiden. It would even be a convenient chance to try and steal that power. Why not be twice the maiden she already was?

"I believe I can kill you all quite easily. I'm the single strongest person on Remnant right now. I can do whatever I want. I can declare myself Queen of my own Kingdom and no one could stop me." What started as a meaningless boast made her pause and think. Queen Cinder Fall? Well, that had a ring to it. "In fact, I think that I shall. And you shall all have the honour to witness your future queen in action – for all of the time it takes me to end your pathetic lives-"

"You shouldn't kill us!" Belladonna said quickly.

Cinder frowned at the interruption. "Oh? And why not?"

"Because!" Her pack came around in front of her and she unzipped it, rummaging through desperately while everyone waited, hands on their weapons, tension rising high. "Because – where is it? Please. Please. Ah!" Her hand came out holding a sealed envelope. "B-Because Jaune expected this would happen and told me to give you this!"

A letter? Cinder let her power fade, curiosity taking over. It wasn't like they could escape her and even if they could, where would they go? It wouldn't hurt to check what the faunus was offering. Using her power, she generated a gust of ice-cold wind to bring it sailing over to her, then snatched it out the air with her hand, unfolding and breaking Beacon's seal on the back.

The paper inside was crisp and expensive, but the penmanship was neither. It was legible enough, but not as cursive or neat as her own. Cinder chuckled, having seen Jaune at work before. Genius he may be, but even a genius had flaws. His handwriting was one such. Slowly, she read.

To her majesty, the High Queen Cinder Fall,

Cinder's breath caught. Gold eyes widened, and the fire of the maiden winked out. Impossible. This was… how could he have possibly known-? Her chest stuttered, a sound halfway between a laugh and a gasp slipping out.

By now, you will have decided to take the Relic for yourself. You will have obviously realised that you are one of – if not the – most powerful person on Remnant right now, barring perhaps Salem herself. You've likely also decided to break away from me and Beacon, declaring yourself Queen of Vale. Or perhaps you plan to create your own Kingdom.

Her legs trembled. Her eyes watered. No. No, it just couldn't be possible.

Exactly as I planned.

Ours is a world of bloody evolution, and one where humanity must be strong to survive. You are strong, Cinder. Your focus, your determination, your thirst for power – it represents the greatest asset humanity has. Ambition. There is no one on Remnant as ambitious as you, and no one who I can think deserves the title of Queen more.

Take it. It's all been planned out. You will have my support, for while you are individually strong, I'm sure you don't want to waste time mining stone, ore, timber and all the other things needed to build your Kingdom. Vale will assist with this, and the strong alliance between Beacon and you will pave the way for your rise to power.

I would ask that you spare Team RWBY. They are to be witnesses of your rise, of your moment, and they shall carry back the proof that will be needed to legitimise you in the hearts and minds of the people. I have need of them, Cinder, and I will be most displeased if any harm befalls them.

Do not test me on this.

This letter is proof to you that I knew in advance your plans – perhaps better than you, yourself, even did. After all we've been through, I'll ask you not insult me by underestimating my capability. After all, if I could plan for this, then do you really think I can't plan a contingency for if you were to betray me and harm them?

To the future High Queen, I bid you greetings and wish you a safe return.

There will be much to plan if your rise to power is to be smooth.

Yours Sincerely,

Jaune Arc

Headmaster of Beacon

Your ally

The paper fell from Cinder's hands and drifted down to the floor. The frost in the air melted, becoming a thin mist as her toes touched the ground and her feet followed. Hysterical laughter warred with panic in her head, but beyond it all, beyond all the anger at his threat and the fear at his prediction, she felt something more. Something powerful.

Awe. Belief. Numinous.

He'd known.

Jaune had outsmarted her. Again. Yet again. Of course he had – how could he not? While she was undoubtedly the most powerful person on Remnant, she had forgotten one crucial aspect. That he was the most intelligent. The brains to her brawn, the heads to her tails. He was the other side to her, the perfect rival but also the perfect partner. Perhaps, even, the perfect King.

How could she betray that? Why would she? Her heart soared and heat rushed through her. The memory of his lips on hers. Of his body, of his wit, of his sly mind and clever tricks. Could she kill him? Yes. Could he ruin her in return, laying some cunning trap that would only begin with his death, and that would ruin her life forever? Also yes. In a way, they were the perfect counters for one another, but a counter was not always a bad thing. It kept people in balance. It perfectly complimented its partner.

Cinder Fall threw back her head and laughed.

"Um." Ruby Rose stepped back. "So, are we fighting…?"

Oh, sweet, naïve, foolish girl. Her and all her little friends. They had no idea. Xiao-Long still believed she had a chance with Jaune, Belladonna thought herself important and the Schnee believed she had merit. And perhaps they did – but only in some scheme of Jaune's making. He would use them and throw them away because they were tools.

And from one mastermind to another, she knew not to take one's tools away.

"Consider yourselves fortunate. Jaune has asked me to spare you – he predicted all of this, even my rise to eventual power." And if he predicted she would become a Queen then it was assured. Cinder smiled gleefully. "From now on, you shall refer to me as `your majesty` or `Queen Cinder` and I will receive the respect my position demands!"

"You have got to be-"

Belladonna punched Xiao-Long and swept into a low bow. "Your majesty."

Reluctantly, the other three followed suit. Xiao-Long bowing and Schnee pulling a picture perfect curtsy while Rose struggled with her own but tried all the same. To see her once enemies brought low before her as such, well, it was a reward all of its own.

Queen Cinder was pleased.

/-/

Queen Cinder was asleep, and Yang wondered if she'd die if she tried to smother her before she could wake up. Probably. It wasn't worth the risk to her sister and teammate's lives. Instead, she moved over to Blake, who was busy stoking a fire in Salem's kitchen, ostensibly baking a celebratory cake for Cinder's sudden ascension to royal status, but also prepping supplies for their journey home with the Relic.

"I thought we were dead for a moment," Yang told her partner.

"We nearly were."

"The Prof came through again. Ha. He always does." Leaning on the kitchen counter, Yang shook her head. "He really is amazing. To not only predict how far she'd go, but to plan for it and have an answer in hand is just nuts."

"Yeah," Blake replied in a haunted tone, tossing some paper into the fire. "Amazing."

"What are you burning?" Yang's eyes narrowed. "Are those letters?"

"Something like that…"

Moving, Yang caught one before it could properly burn, fishing it out the fire and reading the first few lines out loud. "To Cinder. By now you will have found the Relic and decided to take over Beacon as its new headmistress, to shape the future generations in your image. Exactly as I planned…" Yang reared back. "What? That didn't happen. Wait…"

Another letter came out, half burned. Yang flattened it out desperately.

"By now you will have decided to replace Salem and declare yourself Queen of the Grimm. Exactly as I planned." Tossing it back in, she stole the one in Blake's hand. "By now you will have decided to strike out alone." Another. "By now you will have decided to gather all the Relics and challenge the Gods." Another. "By now you will have decided to kill Salem. By now you will have decided to kill me. By now you will have decided to take over the Kingdoms. By now you will have decided to retire and become a simple farmer…"

They went on and on. There were at least fifty letters already burning in the fire and as many more in Blake's pack, all neatly strapped together, waiting to be burned. In the fire, the letters curled out their envelopes, and it was always one line that Yang saw.

Exactly as I planned. Exactly as I planned. Exactly as I planned.

"He… He didn't plan any of it, did he…?"

"He planned for everything." Blake replied. "Literally. And as far as Cinder will ever know, he perfectly planned for her. Here." Her partner pushed a stack into her hand. "Help me burn these."

The fire burned brightly that night.


Outsmarted again, Cinder.


Next Chapter: 26th November

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