Ch 37 - And I will Never be a Pawn Again.
A/N: If this and ch 35 were put together, the blockbuster would be double the length I normally aim for, and longer than any other single piece I've typed. It's a bit shorter than the normal amount I intend to type in one sitting, but it was too much to attach to the last chapter, so it'll have to stand alone. So while the ending for the last chapter feels a bit abrupt, know that we're picking up just minutes later.
As a quick aside before we get to the chapter proper, "the eleventh hour" is an expression that arose from the fact that the armistice that ended World War One went into effect at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1918. Since our WWI doesn't happen on Remnant, I'm just gonna claim artistic license and say the Great War on Remnant was ended on the eleventh hour of an eleventh day (and maybe an eleventh month) as well. Realistically, this changes nothing whatsoever, but I just want to preempt that one guy who will whine about the expression not being applicable to Remnant because of differing historical circumstances.
Next bonus chapter is at 306 reviews. Also, really? You guys stopped at 303 reviews last update? Like, right before the finish line. Oh well, looks like I'll be updating a second time today.
My bro's hitting a lot of snags for the album cover for the band my uncle is in (IE; every time he finishes it, my uncle wants something new/changed, which equates to a LOT of work, so story fanart remains on hold until that's done.
Progress for the sequel continues. I had a fight scene that took 4-6 hours to churn out, where the fighting itself probably lasted less than five minutes. On the other hand, I got to rewatch Qrow and Tyrian's first fight, and it was as awesome as I remembered. What I didn't remember was how amazing Bad Luck Charm, aka Qrow's theme, is. Like, dear Gwyn its amazing. With the completion of chapter 9, the sequel stands at over 50k words so far.
I'm dropping this chapter literally as soon as Friday hits Eastern Standard time because chapter 10 of the sequel is proving tough. If you guys don't manage to scrounge up the three reviews needed for the bonus chapter by the time I go to sleep in like an hour, I'm gonna be disappointed.
Review Response:
CkyaBlyatintensifies: I kinda expected Pyrrha to win ngl. The only reason Pyrrha lost to Cinder was becuase she had really weak Aura. Pyrrha took only a few hits before getting her Aura shattered. Cinder at the time was definitely tired after fighting Ozpin, yet her Aura held strong despite taking much more hits than Pyrrha. This implies that the Invincible Girl was untouchable because if her opponent actually hits her, her Aura would break very quickly.
My response: Huh. I never really thought about Pyrrha having a weak aura. Interesting concept. It turns her semblance from more of an ace to a crutch, because without it she would be (and was) doomed.
Rando guy that likes this FF: Great going. I do personally agree with you on the concept of destiny, and I do like how you come up with chapters that could easily be filler, but you've managed to get them to where they are still relatively vital. Not much else to say other than the line "when knights were suffering undue stress, we'd beat the shit out of each other." Got a good chuckle.
My response: Glad to see that people share my opinion on the subject. Though the last thing I want to do is start a philosophical debate on destiny in the reviews. And I'm glad that someone finally noticed that I do my best to have something actually meaningful to the story happen every chapter, so that even the filler ones are still contributing to the story.
Yeah, it made me laugh when I came up with it as well. One of the things that I'm most proud of in this story was managing to slip in plenty of funny bits like that while still remaining serious.
Tigershark431: Awesome fight scene between Vyliria and Pyrrha, and good to see the creative ways people are mixing their fighting style with magic. On a more important note, I am now thrilled for a possible tournament match between Vyliria and Penny! Although I do have a feeling that one may come to another unorthodox conclusion like in the show... but hopefully not like in the show in terms of dismemberment XD
My response: One of my favorite things to do when writing fight scenes is think up ways of "How does this character mix Dark Souls spells into their combat style?" I've come up with plenty of awesome things as a result, from Weiss' sliding soul greatsword to Yang augmenting her punches with great combustion, and I have a future scene coming in a few chapters where Pyrrha twirls out of the way of an attack while casting lighting arrow, firing the projectile as soon as she's facing her opponent after getting clear of the danger.
And I've got even more cool stuff planned in the future.
I see that you've already deduced where I had this going. But don't forget: Yang's still in this. And either Vyliria or Penny will have to face her at some point... unless dung hits the fire first. Also, Sun's in the finals as well. I mean, we didn't see him fight, but he was there with Mercury, Penny, Pyrrha, and Yang when the finalists were all together in "Fall."
As for unorthodox conclusions... lets just say that this Vytal Festival will end in a manner that, AFAIK, has NEVER been done in fanfiction before.
Skeletalrepublic: Even in text form. A kick in the balls still gets me to wince a bit in pain.
Nice chapter, the divergence from canon is making itself more evident as these chapters go by. The fight scene was Fantastic but I still felt the pain in the aforementioned nut kick scene. Seeing Vyliria trying to get Pyrrha to admit what's eating at her is nice, I feel that Pyrrha was one of the most underutilized characters in all of RWBY in Vol 1-3, so your efforts to characterize her more is honestly great for me.
From the first few chapters going towards canon to the whole story getting out of field from the original, I'd say very much so that this is honestly my favorite Story for a RWBY crossover. It tops a lot of Dark Souls X RWBY fics and has even surpassed a few other RWBY crossover fics on my top 10 list as well.
My response: That it does.
I've said it before, but I'll say it again: Chekhov's gun isn't just a trope, it's also a rule/principle. Namely, "If you go out of your way to mention something, either USE it, or don't mention it. Like Pyrrha's fame for example. RT picked up the idiot ball on that one and never expanded on it, but I made sure to have multiple occasions of it being a negative for Pyrrha and those around her. So I also made sure to use Pyrrha as a character, because RT also underutilized her (possibly on the excuse of "why flesh her out if we're going to kill her?", but that's a poor excuse).
It makes me a very happy hollow to know that you're enjoying this hobby of mine so much.
thewolfgod99: It's yay day! Thanks for chapter.
More Patches awaits me, on the next episode of...From Ashes to Dust.
My response: You're welcome. Though unfortunately, the next Patches is not, in fact, the next chapter. Nor the one after that. Though the one after THAT does, in fact, include more Patches.
ScreamingStuka: oh, ohh OHHHH! Good luck rigging that tournament match Cindy!
Absolutely loved this chapter! The spar was awesome, from Vyliria using a multitude of different wespons, to Pyrrha now starting to think to use her semblance on herself rather than her opponent, the bruising of the family jewels, and the switcheroo of JNAPRs finals fighter. So good! Im just imagining all the ways that this will up turn canon and I cant wait to find out!
Also, any tips on how to beat Slave Knight Gael? That bugger is all stands between me and end game.
My response: Things will be going further off the rails, that's for sure. I certainly enjoyed coming up with everything, especially having Pyrrha embrace her inner Magneto as she comes up with new applications for her polarity. Though my decision to have Vyliria swap out with her was made early on in the book, I had only actually thought up how that was going to happen roughly a week before actually writing it down.
Starfigter: Ok now we know for sure Penny will be ok. I am kinda woried for Emerald thou. If trying to use ilusions on Yang felt like a door slamming shut in your face what will it be like trying to use them on Vyliria?
My response: Or will she?
As for Vyliria and Emerald's semblance... Well, since Yang was slamming a door in her face, Vyliria will be slamming a much bulkier, MUCH less amused door into her face at a MUCH higher speed. And if she looses her lid on all the souls she's devoured over her existence... Volume 3 Emerald gets near-debilitating headaches when she tries to manipulate just two or three minds. What happens if she unwittingly attempts to affect the literally countless souls sucked up by an undead's darksign?
Disclaimer: I don't own Dark Souls or RWBY. Dark Souls belongs to From Software and RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth. I only own my own OCs.
(Ozpin)
Professor Ozpin was currently utilizing every means he had at his disposal, and they were all proving themselves utterly useless. Ironwood had delivered a message that morning, and in addition to knowing that Salem pawns would be acting within the week, there was now a third player in the game of life and death he played with Salem, with the stakes being Remnant itself. This third party knew significantly more than anyone outside his war had any right to, and Ozpin had no idea how much they knew, and if they intended to interfere any further. And nothing he had could give him any indication as to who this person was, nevermind who was acting under her orders.
His increasing stress was interrupted by a notification from the terminal in his desk, informing him people wished to access his office. He pulled up the camera feed, and at the ground floor of the tower, he saw Pyrrha Nikos, Jaune Arc, and Vyliria Avalon, clad in her more casual armor, waiting. Deciding that he was getting nowhere right now, and welcoming the distraction, he pressed the key on his terminal that would allow them up, and minimized any sensitive windows as he prepared for their arrival.
When the doors opened a minute later, he had composed himself, and outwardly projected an ironclad facade of calm and composure that had taken literal generations to perfect. "Miss Nikos, Miss Avalon, and Mister Arc. To what do I owe the pleasure this fine evening?"
Vyliria looked over to Pyrrha, as if to nonverbally ask for permission to speak, and received a nod in reply. "Professor Ozpin, I have spoken at length with Pyrrha, and would like to substitute for her in the finals for the Vytal Festival Tournament."
Ozpin was genuinely confused, neither knowing where the request was coming from, why it was being given, or why Vyliria thought she could do it. "Miss Avalon, you are aware that's against the tournament rules, correct?"
"Actually, it isn't," she said. "I read the rulebook, and it states that the substitution candidate cannot have fought in the teams match, but not the doubles. I participated in neither. Whoever wrote those rules clearly didn't account for a five person team entering the tournament."
Ozpin blinked. He internally cursed, because the incarnation of him between this one and the last king of Vale was the one that wrote those rules. A single black mark finally appearing on the life cut short by an unanticipated allergic reaction. Then again, it wasn't Oum Myont's fault he died that way. It was honestly just a tragedy.
"You know that rule will be amended after this tournament, correct?" Ozpin asked, as he tried to figure out what Vyliria's goal in doing this was.
"Yes, but that's after this tournament, so that doesn't concern me now, does it?" she said as she cocked her head to the side in apparent mirth.
"May I enquire as to why you are making this change at the eleventh hour?" Ozpin asked.
Vyliria crossed her arms upon her chest. "I'm not stupid, Ozpin. I would appreciate it if you didn't insult my intelligence." Jaune and Pyrrha looked taken aback, clearly not expecting this. "I know that you are responsible for the stress Pyrrha is under, even if she won't divulge the cause of it, probably because you asked. Just as I have my own secrets that I keep to myself, I am aware that you keep quite a few of your own, and your actions towards RWBY over the past two semesters, and your personal interest in both our teams make me sincerely doubt that you are only in charge of a huntsman academy. My friends and I are not pieces on a chessboard that only you can see, against an opponent I am unaware of, whose only piece I am even slightly aware of is the illusionist who has already attempted to sabotage this tournament…" She took a long breath, and her tone became more even. "From what I have seen, whatever cause you fight for seems morally just. As long as I do not find out anything to the contrary, I will work with you, but not for you. For my friends' sakes, not yours. But if whatever designs you have for Pyrrha bring her harm, if any intent you bear towards those I care for is ill, I will return what you did to them tenfold unto you."
Ozpin kept his poker face on the outside, but internally, his thoughts were a maelstrom. Attempting to play off what Vyliria had just said would only drive her to investigate further, so that option was out. She herself just admitted that she still has secrets she has yet to divulge, so bringing her into the circle still remained out of the question, nevermind the fact that Mister Arc was also in the room. Then again, she had also just stated that for the time being, she was willing to play on his side of the field, even if she wouldn't accept anything besides the broadest of suggestions he gave. Ultimately, his only choice was to continue the current situation, and acknowledge her words, while giving assurances that he wouldn't bring harm to her friends. And that last part was true. He would never bring harm unto his students deliberately, unless there was no other choice to be taken in order to stop Salem. Unfortunately, for Pyrrha, that may be exactly the case.
"My… apologies for any perceived insult, Miss Avalon. I assure you that I have no foul intent towards any student in this school." He neatly dodged around any implication and/or accusation that he was anything more than the headmaster of Beacon. "Very well, I will make the necessary changes. You are aware that you will need to disclose all of your capabilities to the other finalists, correct?"
"Already handled," she responded. She pulled out her scroll from wherever she magically stored the majority of her possessions, and tapped a few buttons. Seconds later, Ozpin received a message on his own scroll, and gave it a preliminary glance and saw a document that was eighteen pages long.
"Well, I see no more reason to delay. I will make the changes right now, unless there's anything else you wish to inform me of?"
Vyliria moved one of the arms she had crossed, placing a gauntlet to her chin, head tilting downwards as she seemingly contemplated something. She froze, as if realizing something terrible, before speaking up. "Actually, there is something else…"
"Go on," Ozpin offered.
She paused for well over half a minute, body language clearly displaying an internal conflict, before shaking hands rose to remove her helmet. She visibly swallowed, and her breathing was uneven, worry and regret plainly plastered on her face. "There's… there's another, personal reason I wanted to do this. I… this is not my secret to tell, but this is important enough that I feel the need to say it. I know I can trust my own friends, but can I trust that you will not reveal this information to anyone else?" the Irithyllian asked.
"That would depend. If keeping silent would put lives at risk, I would be compelled to act," Ozpin replied neutrally. "But otherwise, your words will not leave this room."
"I can accept that caveat." She paused for a few moments. "I… I made a promise not to speak of it…" and visibly swallowed again, and continued with a tone of voice betraying a fear Ozpin had barely seen in her. "But I'm scared. I, I can't keep my silence if it puts a friend's life at stake." Ozpin raised an eyebrow since that last sentence seemed contradictory to "If keeping silent would put lives at risk, I would be compelled to act," but kept silent regardless. Vyliria took a deep breath, squared her shoulders, and continued with a new resolve. "So… how aware are you all into Atlas' research into robotics and aura?"
What have you done now, James? Ozpin thought to himself. Before he could answer, Jaune did. "Well, Atlas has those new knights that are running security all around the fairgrounds, and they also got those Paladins."
"Didn't you actually fight one of those with team RWBY?" Pyrrha asked.
"Yes I did, but that's besides my point. What if I told you that Atlas had created a robot that was so advanced, that it could think and feel for itself? That was given a disguise that could allow them to pass off as human, with none the wiser? And that Atlas had figured out how to give such a being aura?"
"Are you actually a robot?!" Jaune shouted. Ozpin knew this wasn't the case, because if she was an Atlesian droid in the guise of a human, not only would Ironwood trust her, but she'd also have a much less outlandish backstory, in addition to not possessing the magic she did.
Vyliria was silent for a few seconds, confusion plainly plastered across her features, before finding her voice. "No… I can somewhat see how you came to that conclusion, but I'm not the robot. Also, she's a person, regardless of how she was created."
"So, you know this synthetic person?" Pyrrha questioned.
"You've met her too," Vyliria said. " I consider her a good friend, and she's in the finals for the Vytal Festival Tournament."
In the finals for… and then it suddenly clicked in Ozpin's head. "You mean to say that Penny Polendina is a synthetic person with an aura?"
"Well, I only found out when the skin on her hands got scraped off to the metal beneath when she put herself between a truck and a child, and she was reluctant to tell me even then, but yes. She trusted me with her secret, enough to not inform anyone else that I knew it. And I have been a friend to her even before then, that knowledge changed nothing between us."
"So why are you telling us now? Especially if you promised not to?" Jaune asked.
"Because something occurred to me just now, when I was reflecting on the little speech I just gave. Something that terrifies me, and worries me enough about Penny's well-being that I find myself required to break my word to ensure her safety, however much it causes me distress to do so. If the illusionist is part of a hostile party, and not acting alone, then it was likely they were aware of the people in the tournament. It would stand to assume that what they attempted on Yang was a trial run, for something worse they were planning further on. Penny, for all her social awkwardness, however much I've helped her with it, is extremely adept at combat. I have no doubt she will reach the final round in the tournament, bar one scenario. That being the other person that I have little doubt could defeat virtually anyone in her path: you, Pyrrha. So the question I will ask you all is twofold. Firstly, what happens when the woman whose semblance is the manipulation of metal faces off against a woman made of metal, and her senses are manipulated to make the former believe that the latter can only be countered by using her semblance to its maximum extent? And then what happens when Pyrrha Nikos, seemingly intentionally, murders Penny Polendina live, in front of the entirety of Remnant?"
One corner of Ozpin's mind registered Jaune's horrified look, and Pyrrha physically stumbled back, barely being caught by Vyliria to avoid falling to the floor. But the vast majority of his brain was focused on the chain of realizations that hit him like a sack of bricks (and one of his past lives knew exactly how that felt). That was the plan Salem's pawns were using. To use the reaction to that horrifying event to draw a Grimm attack on Vale the likes of which hadn't been seen since the fall of Mountain Glenn. And even that wasn't the end goal. All that carnage and destruction, all those lives that would be lost, that would all be a distraction. All a diversion, just to give them a better opportunity to attempt to finish what they started with Amber. And it was only by a fluke that Yang accidentally foiled part of their plan, or this would have all happened right under his nose, without being able to react until it was entirely too late.
Vyliria broke the silence she had caused, speaking in a soft voice filled with a hurt that should be impossible for someone who had only lived a single lifetime. "I have failed far too many people I have cared for in the past. Found far too many corpses of those I called friends, or even family, and spent far too long wondering what I could have done differently, if I could have done anything differently in the first place, to ensure that they would have lived. And I swear on Gwyndolin's name, that I will not lose anyone else," she finished, her voice breaking at the end.
"I… will take all of this into account," Ozpin eventually said. "I will be having words with General Ironwood, and will dispense the document you sent me immediately. Congratulations on being in the finals for the Vytal Festival Tournament, Miss Avalon. And… thank you for your intervention."
"I'm not doing it for you. I'm doing it to protect the innocent, but more importantly, I'm doing this for my friends. For Pyrrha. For Penny." She looked Ozpin in the eyes as she spoke, before finally placing her helm over her head once more. "But… you're welcome, Professor."
"Please, call me Ozpin, Miss Avalon. You've earned it," the headmaster replied.
"Then call me Vyliria," the Irithyllian countered. "Calling me Miss makes me feel old, and I paid far too much to have a youthful body," she joked. At least, Ozpin hoped she was joking. If she wasn't, the implications were troubling, to say the least.
"Is that all, Vyliria?" he asked.
"Yes… Ozpin."
"Then you are dismissed." He got to work, but met Pyrrha's eyes before she turned to leave as well, silently conveying the wish that she make her decision with greater haste, and she gave a slight nod, still looking off put by the revelations Vyliria had made, before turning to join Jaune and the Irithyllian in the elevator.
The doors closed, and Ozpin sighed. The mystery man had to wait. Right now, he needed to make a call to James.
(Pyrrha)
The walk back to the dorms was a subdued affair, Vyliria emotionally exhausted, and Pyrrha and Jaune not in the mood for banter under the moonlight. It was only slightly before their dorm building that Vyliria raised a hand to halt them, and Pyrrha and her partner both went to full alert and checked their surroundings.
Vyliria picked up on their slight panic, and quickly interjected. "No, no, there's no problem. I just wanted to say something."
"Oh," Jaune said. "Well, what is it?" Pyrrha had to admit her own curiosity was piqued.
"Pyrrha, I won't pry further into whatever is stressing you out, but I obviously can't just duel you everyday to help you cope. Soooo… another method that I personally used to de-stress myself when faced with a difficult choice was to forget that choice for a time and throw myself into a different task." With a wash of embers, the Mistralian watched Vyliria conjure forth a single weathered (paper) scroll. "This scroll contains a single miracle. One of two lightning miracles I have not taught you. The former is because I made a promise to the one who taught me when I learned it not to teach it to another, and the latter… because I could never manage to cast it myself. This spell is the latter. It is the purest form of the lightning spear: sunlight spear, the legendary bolts thrown by Gwyn himself against the dragons in the days of yore. It is literally condensed bolts of sunlight, far beyond the mere lighting that his own soldiers used. Lightning is the bane of all dragons, and anything related to them, but according to every account I have heard or read, sunlight spear makes a greater lightning spear look like a sharpened stick. I have reasonable faith, but revelations I learned in the past have shaken my faith in Gwyn himself, and I never quite looked at him the same way as I did before. Consequently, I've seemed to have developed a mental block that prevents me from managing that particular spell. Understand I'm not trying to stress you further. I'm not asking you to learn it anytime soon, or to even learn it at all. I'm just asking you to take some time in the next few days to toss the dilemma that plagues you aside, and devote yourself to the tale behind this miracle, in the hopes that it alleviates your stress. Would you accept?"
Pyrrha considered the offer. Several opportunities to take a break from the ever-present agony of deciding her own fate, and that of Amber's, would be very welcome. If she learned it, she would have an absurdly powerful miracle in her hands, and if she didn't then the only thing she had wasted was time, in exchange for less stress. As it stood, there was no reason not to take the offer. "I would be honored," she said.
Vyliria passed her the scroll, and she gently took it and pocketed it for later viewing. "Pyrrha?" the Irithyllian asked. "You have so many good things in this world. I won't force you to make a decision one way or another, but please don't throw them away."
Pyrrha swallowed, taking the words into consideration, adding them to the top of the pile that was her dilemma, although a sizable chunk had been removed by the same person who had just added another speck to it. "Thank you, Vyliria."
"Hey," she said gently, "I'm a friend. That's what friends do."
"Yeah," Jaune contributed, "if there's anything I can do, if there's anything any of us can do to help you, all you have to do is ask, Pyr."
"Thank you too, Jaune," she said, grabbing his hand and holding on.
"Though… considering I may have a match tomorrow, we should probably get to bed," Vyliria said.
Pyrrha took a look to the sky, seeing the moon well into rising overhead, and realized that the Irithyllian was right. But at the same time, that brought a memory to the forefront of her mind. "Hey, Vyliria, on the topic of sleep, I had a strange dream the other night…"
"Oh? Do tell…"
"There was a Grimm invasion on Beacon itself. There were White Fang, and some other faction involved, but I don't quite remember who. I… died, and so did Penny, but we were reincarnated in another galaxy. There were no Grimm or Faunus, and no one had else had aura, but they had incredibly advanced science that let them traverse the stars and live on other worlds. And there were over a half a dozen other alien races! We were recruited by some galactic figure of great renown, and we were working to stop some race of insectoid aliens that were abducting entire planets. But something felt different the whole time. I had this sense of… Destiny Lost…"
"That's an oddly detailed dream, Pyr," Jaune concluded after a few seconds.
"Yes, it is. It also just seems so outlandish," Pyrrha responded.
"I wouldn't say that. It sounds like a very interesting premise, and I'm sure if you or someone else wrote a book about it, that it would do quite well," Vyliria countered.
"I'll take your word for it, then," Pyrrha responded with a smile.
(Cinder)
Cinder had one last thing to do that night. While the day long delay to the tournament was unanticipated, it ultimately didn't matter. Even the fiasco with Yang and Mercury's match could be worked around. All that really mattered was that Nikos be matched with Ironwood's precious little toy. Her own underlings were already sleeping, and she'd be shortly joining them. She just needed to arrange it via the Black Queen Virus in the CCT to ensure that if the randomizer picked either Pyrrha or Penny, that the other would be chosen.
For some reason, the contestant names and pictures were arranged in alphabetical order by first name instead of last, but Cinder just blamed it on some obscure coding Watts put in to annoy her, and panned down. She came across Penny, and tapped her picture, and then scrolled down to the next, which would obviously be Pyrrha… except it wasn't. Confused, and sure she hadn't seen JNAPR earlier in the list, she panned further down, and was met by the image of the mask of Vyliria Avalon. Her mind screeched to a halt, and she felt her eye twitch. It took a lot of willpower not to scream in rage or use her maiden powers to burn something. Frustrated beyond belief, she matched the two anyways, and immediately followed up with a message to Taurus, that simply read: Ready plan B.
()
A/N: Vyliria knows something is going on behind the scenes, and she's not happy about it, even if she's playing along for the moment, if only for her friends, and not for Ozpin or anyone else.
Rest In Peace, Monty Oum. You were taken before your time.
Everyone's piercing together Cinder's master plan, even if they haven't been made yet. And either intentionally in the case of Ozpin and Pyrrha, or partly intentionally or even unintentionally in the case of Vyliria, are taking steps against it. You'll see how things change because of this in the chapters to come.
And in case you forgot, Vyliria's (un)life sucks. And so does her past. But I want you to also remember: Vyliria only very rarely gives her word, or swears something. And unless it endangers the life of a friend, when she makes that commitment, she will keep that oath if it's the last thing she does. And there are extremely few lengths she won't go to to keep a promise. Remember that, because at some point, perhaps not even in this book in particular, it will become a driving force that will keep her going far beyond even what undead endurance could provide.
Pyrrha has her hands on Sunlight Spear. I wonder what will come of that…
Yes, the dream Pyrrha had was a reference to Destiny Lost, by Twisted Fate MK 2. Considering that his was the most prominent of several stories that inspired me to write this, I'd thought I'd throw in a shoutout, especially since he wished me well on writing this. So if you read this, you rock. As for everyone else, give his story a read. Or don't, because I can't actually force you to do it, but I'd really recommend you give it a go. Please?
Lastly, I feel like Vyliria managing to piss off Cinder without really trying or knowing she's doing so is becoming a running gag, and it's kinda hilarious.
P.S. Writing these two chapters was really fun. Like seriously, messing around with this canon episode was a blast.
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