Chapter 3 Trial by fire
Key
"A character speaking."
'A character thinking.'
'Why just, just why was I sent here to watch over the Vale operations.' Cinder sarcastically thought.
Sure she knew why. She was sent here to make sure everything goes according to her grand plan to obtain the maidens full power. She didn't expect it to be so easy. Roman was metaphorically running circles around Vales police department. Hell he was even running away from Vales hunters and huntresses easily, while she would admit it was impressive it also had the side effect of giving her nothing to do, besides pilot the occasional escape bullhead here and there. Currently, all she was doing was checking up on Adam and the White fang to see how well their train robberies were doing. Unsurprisingly they too were doing great so all this left Cinder to do was stay at their base and occasionally tell Salem how the plan was progressing along.
"Why is there nothing for me to do around here, hell even Mercury and Emerald are doing sabotage missions."
"Meanwhile all I'm doing is sitting around waiting for something to go horribly wrong." Cinder complained.
"Well what if I offered something for you to do?" Someone cheerily asked Cinder from behind her.
Cinder turned around and spotted someone that had bright yellow eyes, extremely pale skin, and long indigo hair. The top half of their outfit looked like something from a normal white school uniform with a yellow scarf around her neck. It could never fit any normal school's dress code what with the shirt being to short to cover their midriff. The bottom half looked like something a swimmer would wear, only with long stocking ending in shoes.
"Who are you and what are you doing here!" Cinder demanded while preparing her bow, ready to kill whoever this person was.
"Well I was just strolling around when I heard you shout about how bored you were, so I thought I would help you with that." Half lied the younger looking girl.
"You still didn't answer my question who are you?" Cinder slightly less aggravatingly asked.
"Oh well my name is Purifier γ, and why don't you come with me before I have to make you come with me." Purifier γ repeated with that stupid smile still on her face.
"You force me to come anywhere don't make me-" Cinder replied before being cut off by a giant black and yellow hammerhead shark and two drowns materializing out of thin air in front of her.
'Well this certainly got interesting, I better play it safe for now she doesn't look to be that intelligent.' She thought to herself.
"Fine I'll come with you, but only if you tell me where we're going."
"Great then lets go." This "Purifier" ecstatically responded.
Before knocking Cinder unconscious with a quick jab to the gut that shattered her aura instantly.
"That was easier than expected I was sorta hoping there would have been more of a fight." She disappointingly spoke to herself.
Two and a half hours later.
"Where am I and why do I feel as if someone punched a hole through my chest?"
"Wait a minute where's that, my lord that hurts." quickly added Cinder.
"Oh great you finally woke up, I was worried that you would've never woken up."
"Now get up your already are behind the other person that "volunteered" for this test." Purifier γ shouted to her.
"Why should I listen to you, it's not like I have much of an incentive to." Cinder questioned her.
"Oh I think you'll find that you have more of an incentive to complete this than we do." Another voice responded in the pitch black space they were in before Purifier could.
"Oh hey Observer β how is the other person doing any way I'm looking forward to fighting the person they summoned." Purifier quizzed this new figure.
"If you complete this challenge not only will you be the only human to survive direct combat with a siren mass production model."
"But you'll also be one step closer to overthrowing your master." This "Observer β" continued while ignoring Purifiers question.
Thinking over the words Observer just told her Cinder was slightly confused.
'What is a siren?'
'Why would she want to over throw Salem, and for that matter how did this Observer know about Salem?'
'The only people who knew about Salem were those of Ozpin's inner circle and those of Salem's own inner circle, so just how could this Observer know about her.' Cinder processed to herself.
"How, just how do you know about Salem?" Cinder demanded.
"So that's her name I'll remember that, but to answer your question you don't look or act like the one truly in charge of your little operation, so I guessed that you must have someone higher up than you." Observer almost jokingly responded to the question.
Making her look like a fool for divulging that information, infuriating her even more at the events that have transpired.
"Why would I want to overthrow Salem when our plan succeeds then I get all the power in the world."
"Tell me has this Salem ever betrayed or gotten rid of anyone she does not see fit to stay within her little club?"
"Further more what's to stop her from just killing you when she thinks of you as a failure, or if your a hindrance to her plan?" This Observer questioned further.
"Then if that were to happen, I would kill her once all the maiden's powers are mine." She retorted.
"But then how long will that take hmm a couple months no, most likely years before you have all their power and that's more than enough time to cut a loose end."
"Now what you need is at the end of this test and with it you could destroy this Salem and achieve what ever it is that you seek." the Observer finally finished.
"How am I supposed to trust that you won't just kill me after all of this is over?"
"You don't look so trust worthy yourselves." Cinder inquired.
"You really don't have much of a choice it's either go in that cave and maybe survive or die to me." Purifier cheerily answered.
"Well then I guess I'll be going then." Cinder flatly answered.
"Fiiiiinally the other person woke up, it only took the same amount of time it took for Ruby to find the wisdom cube and summon a ship." Figure α impatiently yelled to her companions.
"Oh come now Tester α look on the bright side this "Cinder" is much stronger than Ruby so it will go by much faster." Observer told her inpatient "friend"
" Ya plus she might even provide some good entertainment after all she is half of a maiden, which in this world are apparently people who can use powerful magic." Purifier added on.
"Um what's the difference between magic and semblances in this universe do either of you two know?" Questioned the Siren.
" It appears that semblances are an extension of the persons soul and that magic is something anyone if taught how, or given can use." She responded.
"And how pray tell do you know that?" Inquired Tester.
"Oh I can answer that one easily, Observer had me steal a book from some white haired man with a cane, and oh boy did he put up a good fight."
"Wait how? You can easily knock out Cinder in a single punch, how could he possibly put up a good fight against you of all people?"
"Well I was trying not to wake anyone else up because Observer told me not to, plus this was my first good fight in this universe I wanted to savor it."
"Also because I wanted to study how strong this "Ozpin" was before progressing to this stage of the invasion, to see if he would be a threat to our plans like that Commander in charge of the Azur lane sorta is in our home universe."
"Wait how is she half a maiden, and what are maidens any way?"
"Well the book had a story with some old hermit that lived alone in the woods, and was visited by four young women each named after the four seasons."
"The women each did something kind for the man and eventually were gifted magical powers by him because he was a wizard in disguise making them maidens."
"Their powers would either go to whoever was the last person on their brain or a random young woman after their death." Finished Observer
"As for your first question, I have been watching her since we got here, and I just so happened to catch her absorbing some power from some girl, so I put two and two together and made the assumption that, that person was a maiden." Purifier happily told them.
"We'll just have to see if your guess was right, because this cave has a light cruiser siren inside of it." Tester finished.
'Good thing my semblance can produce light, exploring this desolate cave should be easy.' Cinder thought.
This completely unknown group showing up out of nowhere was unexpected not to mention a potential hindrance to her grand plan for ultimate power. How could she believe that whatever her reward was it could somehow overpower Salem without Salem even knowing it existed, plus what kind of name is Purifier and Observer? Any way she needed to find this reward, though now that she thought about it they didn't tell her what it was or what it looked like.
"Now that I think about it they didn't tell me what I'm looking for." Cinder scathingly shouted.
After walking in a straight line in the rather boring cave after some time had passed, she came across a yellow glow coming deeper into the cave. The yellow glow appeared to come from a human that wore some black clothes that were rather revealing. She also had bright yellow eyes just like Purifier.
"This must be the 'siren' they were talking about." Cinder assumed.
"Oh you must be the human I've been looking for." announced the siren.
As the siren finished stating the obvious Cinder attacked it by making the ground beneath it explode. This attack did little actual damage sadly, however it did temporarily stun the creature, which cinder took full advantage of by attacking it by turning the debris of the attack into miniature spears. However the siren managed to destroy the oncoming spears by firing lasers from the twin barreled drone, that had a bright yellow face on it.
"If that was the best you can do..."
The siren started announcing while it's rather large drone cannon started charging the drone for longer than last time.
"Then I suggest you just give up and die now, it would be less painful than if you prolong the fight." Declared the siren.
While the siren was declaring its victory Cinder created a bow using her magic stolen from the fall maiden. When the drone fired it appeared that it would consume Cinder completely, however the arrow fired from the bow easily pierced straight through the laser. The arrow collided with the drone causing it to explode and severely injuring the siren.
"Well it seems your all bark and no bite wouldn't it." Cinder maliciously spoke to the downed opponent.
"And here I thought I would have to try against an equal opponent, what with how Observer talked about you."
"How, just how-." The siren abruptly finished as an arrow went through it's head.
"How the actual hell did she take out a light cruiser siren with only two arrows, that doesn't seem physically possible." Shouted Tester in disbelief.
"Ouh maybe this universe will actually be interesting." Purifier ecstatically cheered.
"Perhaps the arrow and bow were encased in some magic, which enabled it to somehow pierce the laser?" Observer attempted to explain.
"Wait can magic do that?"
"It doesn't really explain in the book the limitations and what the powers are of the maidens, in fact it was pretty vague about everything."
"Well at least she finished it in a very respectable amount of time at only fifteen minutes." Tester complemented.
As Cinder walked onward she came across a cove with a small cape that had a stone pedestal. On the pedestal was a small blue cube that shone with a faint blue light.
"I guess this is the thing they were talking about." Cinder tiredly observed.
She just wanted this whole thing to be over.
"I fail to see though how a blue box can defeat someone as powerful as Salem."
"Unless it's some kind of relic, but if it's a relic don't I need the corresponding powers of the maiden to use it."
"Just grab the cube you'll see what happens next." Observer demanded.
With how much time she had potentially wasted already Cinder hastily grabbed the cube, upon contact with her skin the cube started increasing the intensity of it's light to the point of Blinding her.
"How much you guys wanna bet it's the Sakura Empire?"
"I'll accept that bet and I pick Sardegna Empire."
"I think I'll choose Iron Blood, after all it appears this universe has several alternate timelines where Iron blood Ships are resurrected here without the aid of a wisdom cube."
"Wait, how does that work I thought you need a wisdom cube to summon ships?"
"Well do you remember that universe where the reincarnation of the Iowa was the first one to appear and how they don't need wisdom cubes to summon new ships."
"Yea what does that have to, oh."
"Exactly, whatever the Creator wishes will happen, do not forget that."
"Yea, but you have to agree that the one where we bench press planets was a little silly."
"I don't know I think that version of us was pretty cool."
"How about we just get back to the topic at hand."
"Sure."
"Yes lets watch what happens, also I am totally going to win this bet.
The light finally began to fade and in its place was a girl that looked no older than sixteen possibly even fifteen, however the girl was surrounded by three massive gun turrets each almost the size of Cinder herself, and what appeared to be parts of the bow on a ship. The girl wore what appeared to be a uniform that had a sash at the waist that was red with gold stripes with armor on the shoulders, and neck regions of her body that were plated in gold. She also had a single massive sword on her back. The armor on her neck had a very distinctive crest that looked like a golden flower. Her hair was a lighter shade of dark blue, the hair was in two short ponytails, and her eyes were bright fiery red.
"Greetings I am Yamato, th- the first of the Yamato class battleships built by the Imperial Japanese navy, um if there is anyway I can help I will, but only if there are no Pppplanes involved." The rather timid girl announced to Cinder.
'So a little girl that sounds like she's going to burst into tears if she so much as see's a plane is somehow going to kill Salem.' Cinder contemplated, while wondering what god was making a fool of her today.
'However one couldn't over look the excessively massive sword, and cannons on her person, hm this might actually be interesting.'
'She knew this girls obvious fear seeing as how she practically spelled it out for her, so she could have Emerald manipulate her using fear.'
'She could also convince her that she needed to "save the world" from all the corrupt and evil people there are, after all she looks fifteen years old how hard could it be to construe the truth to a fiften year old.'
"So little girl." She said with venom and contempt dripping in her voice for this waste of time that this whole thing has been.
"What is it that you can do to aid me in saving the world from the bad people of the world."
"Why are you calling me a little girl as if-."
"Wait am I a human, Holy shit I'm a human, how am I a human?!"
As Yamato was shouting as Observer β walked out of the pitch black cave.
"Well if it isn't the great and mighty Yamato I've heard so much about you from Hamakaze."
"Hamakaze where is she, is she okay, please tell me she's okay?" Yamato desperately asked her.
"Oh I can assure you she is perfectly safe, in fact last I've heard she even got a refit."
"But I've got good news for you two there are a total of twelve caves in this world, so far two have been opened, each cave contains inside of it a single wisdom cube, and the more wisdom cubes opened makes the cave more difficult than the last cave was."
"Really, how very interesting, and where are these caves pray tell."
"If I told you then it wouldn't be much of a surprise wouldn't it."
"Well this has been nice and all, but how about you send me back to my base." She tiredly asked Observe.
"You literally have a ship right next to you that has a radio built into her, just ask her to contact Roman to have him send a Bullhead to pick you two up."
"Wait what do you mean she has a radio built into her, she a girl with ship parts sticking off of her."
"Yamato I want you to think the words rigging off as a command in your brian."
"Um, okay I will now, uh ma'am." Yamato politely responded.
Suddenly after her response, all of her ship parts that aren't directly on her person turned into those blue cubes and went into the water forming a warship the size of which Cinder could not comprehend. It was such a behemoth that it dwarfed even some cargo ships she remembers seeing.
"What the hell is that thing, how did you create such a large warship just by thinking." Her question scared the smaller girl with how fierce the tone was.
"IIIIIIII did tell you who I was didn't I."
"Yes but you didn't tell me you were the size of a cargo ship."
"There are cargo ships that get as big as me? Wow I didn't know that!"
"Wait, what's the largest battleship tonnage wise?"
"Oh that's easy it's a measly twenty-one thousand tons, hell even a Nassau class would give it a run for its money."
"Well thats a little boring."
"Anyway I think I'm gonna go leave now, have fun not killing Cinder." Observer finished as she left to go tell Texas the same thing after Ruby woke up, just now using telepathy.
Cinder decided why not try the plan that Observer suggested, so she and Yamato got onto the ship and went to the bridge.
"Can you read me Roman, I repeat can you read me." Cinder repeated for the third time.
"Yes I can read you just fine." A suave voice replied on the radio.
"Great than can you trace this signal and send a bullhead to come pick us up."
"Wait who is this us your speaking about, the kids are still on their mission."
"Well I found a new kid to help with my plan."
"That's just great what nex-, wait the signal report just came in and..." Roman paused while reading the paper.
"Why are you on an island in the middle of nowhere?"
"Trust me it's a long story."
Well that is Chapter 3 hope you all enjoy
As for why Texas was picked well it simple. Texes is a very slow standard class battleship meanwhile Ruby's whole gimmick is speed (before we get into the silver eye thing). I thought the clash slow and steady with fast and nimble make a good team, that would cover the other's weakness.
(P.S. this is my first fan fiction so any and all criticism is welcomed)