It's been a few days since she met her mother. Everyone was glad to have Raven back. She might not exactly act like the mother Yang wanted, and definitely not like the mother Ruby wanted, but she was glad to have her regardless.
In the meantime she had made inquiries with her criminal allies about any hint of the things she sought. Unfortunately, not even rumors of her missing Minions, or Magical artifacts were floating around. She spent most of her remaining time hanging out with Ruby and trying to score her mother's attention. Yang found out that Raven could show emotions like care and love, although that was very rare unless she was completely relaxed, or if some other emotion, like curiosity or concern was a bigger priority in her mind than being her self-centered self. You also had to impress her somehow, or show her that you are worthy of her time and attention.
Mom's relationship with dad seemed tense. Tai was a mix of anger at her leaving and how it affected them all and happiness that even momentarily she had returned. But within those few days Tai had managed to get Raven to open up, and eventually they did spent quite a while talking, mostly reminiscing about the past. There were topics they both wordlessly agreed to not approach right now, and while not everything was like they all wanted, for now they were all happy, even Raven if Yang had to guess. She had said she will stay here temporarily, until she has another place to move to, but she didn't really seem very determined to leave.
The only downer on this whole experience was that Yang felt somewhat mad at herself. When she set out she hadn't wanted to come visit because she was afraid she won't be able to leave again. She was right, as it turns out, as in the past few days she hardly spent any time in her own Empire and aside from her inquires about the things she was seeking, she mostly stayed home. The worst thing is how much she enjoyed it.
She shook her head. She had to get a grip on things. Visiting family was fine, and she absolutely loved spending time with the mother she just rediscovered, but she had an Empire to run. That, and she owed it to the Minions to find them. She'd be a lousy Overlord if she couldn't even do that.
Her scroll buzzed, and as she looked at it she saw that Malachite had texted her. The text was simple and short.
"It's time", Yang read aloud.
It seemed it was time for her to further destabilize Remnant. Then again, maybe it would be better in the long run.
She shook her head of the thoughts, and bid goodbye to her family and using a Tower Gate teleported to the warehouse she had claimed in Mistral. She had Malachite to meet.
And so she walked over to her bar. Malachite's goon led her further in to a planning room way in the backrooms. She could see Malachite sitting comfortably and confidently and she was motioned by her to join her.
Yang sat down near Malachite.
"Welcome, Yang, welcome", Malachite greeted her.
"What's the plan?", Yang asked, cutting right to the chase.
"No time for pleasantries?", Malachite asked with a disappointment, "How dull."
Yang stared at her waiting for her to finally tell Yang her plan.
"As you are well aware, "Malachite began, "I am planning a coup d'etat in Mistral"
Yang nodded. She was very aware of that.
"However, unlike your preference for Military-secured Autocracy, I would much rather prefer that my people need not be forced to obey."
Yang was surprised to hear that. Malachite didn't seem like the type, and she said as much.
Malachite let out a short amused laugh.
"Oh, please, Yang, do not mistake it for me caring about them. I like power, and I would have very little moral issues with a might-enforced rule. That being said, if people perceive my rule as just and better for them, doing something the previous administration could not, it would waste less of my resources suppressing discontent. If I convince them they want me, I will have less issues and troubles later on. I do not wish to have to give ever increasing power to the military to appease them and remain secure in my rule. Far better that the military and the people believe they want me."
Yang could certainly see the appeal in that, although she preferred to be far more direct. She is the Master of her land, and they all ought to obey her. Her word is law. Should any attempt to do what they are doing right now, she'd dispatch them with ease. She might not be the strongest, but Magic gives her quite the ability to cheat, and with her mother somewhat on her side, she felt more secure then ever in her position.
"The plan, then?", Yang encouraged her to keep talking.
"You made it clear in speeches, and I presume in private as well, that you believe Mistral is fractured."
"That's because it is"
Malachite nodded.
"I aim to reunite Mistral, secure my hold on all local areas before launching my coup. I will enter the arena in a far better position than Leonardo will leave. It helps that the reputation I built up makes me a name everyone knows and remembers. I do not need to rule by fear, although I employ fear where needed too. I believe that might be an attractive prospect to those who would recoil from your way of rule"
Yang ruled with fear only as much as it was needed to ensure that neither the Military she was building up, nor the Navy, or the Hunstmen rebelled against her. If they feared her, and her ever increasing power, that would stay their hand. Unlike Malachite, she did care for the people she was now responsible for. She did want the best for them, and despite her strict rule, Yang thought and still does, that it is evident that she was aiming to better her people.
Malachite took the silence as a sign that Yang was insulted, and so she reassured her that it was not meant as an insult.
"I have no doubt you have great things planned for your people, but you must admit, your way of rule does not look very good in PR"
Yang nodded.
"That is true. Although I do have some newspapers that can see past all that and sing my praises."
"You might consider exerting some pressure on the other newspapers to ensure they say your truth", Malachite suggested.
"Maybe", Yang said, "Moving back to the topic at hand, I'm gonna guess that you plan to overtake all the cities in one fell swoop?"
Malachite nodded, pleased that Yang caught on quick.
"Taking too long would raise suspicious and could alert Leonardo to my plans."
Yang though for a bit, and then nodded.
"That's fine with me. I'll take the north, you take the south"
"That leaves east and west. There isn't any real cities or villages to the east being a desert wasteland. I suppose we pin the west on our way back? You would from the north and me from the south."
"Works for me", Yang agreed, before pausing and asking a question, "What about Argus, though?"
"It's Mistral Territory", Malachite said with finality.
"But it has Atlas' Military base.", Yang insisted.
"Will you be able to...nationalize it?", Malachite asked.
Yang smiled.
"That'd be a huge diplomatic incident. Atlas won't be happy"
Despite her words, it seemed as if Yang was more than willing to cause said incident. She even looked excited.
"Unfortunate", Malachite said in agreement, "But necessary. I will not have their base on my land, and I do believe this will look good for my people."
Yang thought about it for a moment and nodded,
"I can do that. How quickly do we move out? I need some time to prepare."
"How much time will you need?", Malachite asked instead.
"Three days. Maybe less. That's not an easy task you put on my hands.", Yang replied.
"That will do. In the mean time I will continue what I was already doing".
"And that is?", Yang asked with curiosity.
"I have been insuring that the right people get into the cities and the villages that we plan to take over. Once we do, they will take charge removing the need to leave behind a portion of our forces to retain control."
"Huntsmen?", Yang guessed.
Malachite nodded.
"Indeed. Some were once loyal to Leonard, others mercenaries. I took immense care to properly vet them. They can be trusted."
Yang nodded.
"Good. And after that?", she asked.
"We confront Leonard. We demand him step down and hand over full authority to me. That would serve to legitimize my rule. The preferable option", Malachite explained.
"And if it fails?"
"Then I hope for both of our sake that your murder of Theodore was not a fluke."
"It wasn't", Yang confirmed, "If I must, I will kill Leonard too. It makes no difference to me"
Despite her confident words, she was nervous. If nothing else, Theodore was a great teacher to her. He showed her just how big the gap between her and the elites is, gap large enough that even her skill in Magic struggle to bridge. And although he was the strongest, if Leonard possesses even fraction of his strength, then it would be a majorly difficult fight. Amongst other reasons this is also one of the reasons that stayed her hand on the invasion of Atlas. She wasn't sure if she was ready. Despite her nervousness, she did feel a growing excitement and anticipation. Sure, she kinda got her ass handed to her back then, but it is still one of the best fights she had ever had. She was excited to see what Leonard could do. And if Yang could convince her mother to come with...well, surely then, Leonard stood no chance against the team of a mother and daughter, did he?
"Perfect. All is settled then?", Malachite inquired.
Yang shook her head.
"Nearly. I want a promise or two from you."
"Oh?", Malachite asked with feigned curiosity, "Well, do tell, then. I do want to remind you that I asked no favors in return for helping with your coup"
"Nothing you'll miss, I promise", Yang said, "And besides, I did most of the work there. Here we work as partners."
"Indeed", Malachite said dryly, "So what is it that you want?"
"I think that below the Haven Academy lies an object that I would very much like to retrieve."
"Is that so? Perhaps I should take it instead."
Yang gave a short amused laugh.
"By all means, Malachite, try it. I have no doubt it is well protected. How about this, then? If you can get past the protections, it's yours, if you can't, it's mine.", Yang suggested.
"Very well, that does sound reasonable.", Malachite agreed, "Your next request?"
"I think I might need Torchwick's help to pull of that Argus thing. I want you to not pursue him in Mistral or outside."
Malachite frowned.
"That is less reasonable.", she then spent a few moments thinking over it, "But I suppose I can put our history behind us if I get the throne of Mistral".
Yang smiled at her.
"Perfect."
Yang was about to stand up, bid her ally goodbye and leave, but Malachite raised her hand and gestured for her to stop.
"Something else on your mind?", Yang asked.
"Raven Branwen.", she said, "Did you find her?"
Yang nodded as a response.
"That is good. I wanted to remove all the criminal elements that weren't my own before I rose to power. Can I take it that the Branwen tribe is no longer alive?"
"The members of the tribe, except Raven, are dead, yes. Raven works for me now. She's quite powerful, and I'm sure she could be of great help in our final confrontation with Leonard."
That wasn't exactly true. Yang was pretty sure Raven would take great offense to any implication that she works for someone. But Malachite didn't need to know that.
"That will do nicely", Malachite said in a pleased tone, "Then do not let me keep you waiting. Go on, plot with Torchwick, and bring Mistral to its knees. Three days you said? Then lets meet here in three days, at the same time."
Yang nodded and left.
She made her way towards the warehouse and from it she teleported to Vale having placed a Tower Gate in Torchwick's base for an easier time supplying him with the Minions he might need for his raids. Beyond the initial test, he didn't request more of them yet, working on making his connection to her far more discreet, but he allowed the Tower Gate there for an ease of contact.
She used her senses to get a feel of the place, and very quickly locked on where Torchwick was and made her way to his office. She saw good amount of men and women, probably working under Torchwick, going about their business in this warehouse-of-a-base. Whenever any of their eyes rested on her, shadows rushed to cover her from their prying eyes. She looked suspicious, yes, but not identifiable. She wasn't sure if he trusted his men enough to let them know about their partnership.
"Torchwick!", Yang said as a greeting as she entered his office.
He looked up from whatever he was working on.
"Please, we're partners, aren't we? Call me Roman. Now what is this about?"
"Malachite's making her move", Yang said simply as she closed the door behind her.
Roman cursed with a string of words that seemed out of place for one that looked as composed as him.
"She also agreed to not pursue you if you help me help her.", Yang informed him.
Roman shook his head lightly.
"She doesn't have a habit of honoring her promises if breaking it is more useful. Or if would please her more", he said.
"So kinda like you, then?"
"Funny", he said dryly, before asking perhaps the most important question he could right now, "So, aside from this supposed ceasefire, what do I stand to gain from this? The way I see it her in power is bad for me."
"Really?", Yang asked incredulously, "Someone like you can't see even a single benefit from this arrangement?"
"Oh, trust me, I see plenty. I also see that the cons seem to outweigh the pros as it were."
"But think of how much easier it would be to expand your criminal empire with the support of two Great Kingdoms", Yang said instead.
"And think of how much more I would be in danger if Malachite gets to use the full power of unified Mistral against me", he countered.
Yang was shocked.
"Wait!", she said, "How did you know about that?"
"I'm not stupid, Yang, and that aside, I know how she thinks.", he answered, "That is the most attractive option for her wishes."
Yang wanted to say something in response but he kept talking.
"Now, let me guess the rest of your plan. You need me, right? I don't see you coming for me to just warn me. That means you need to do something that can't be accomplished easily with the skills or resources you have on hand. I doubt you would have any problems taking over the towns and villages that you need, and I doubt the bitch would have problems with that either. That must mean it's about something special. I see two possibilities. Either you lot want me to somehow convince the sizable Branwen tribe to join your cause, making use of my silver tongue. I don't buy that, though. I doubt she would trust the tribe enough to let them work with her. So, I'd wager it's the latter option. You want me for Argus. I'm guessing she intends to fully unify Mistral, despite the stupidity of it all, and wants Argus too. Now, since you're the one here, I'm going to guess that this task falls on you. And I think you want me to help you sneak in, and neutralize the Atlas Military base with as little evidence of you being there as possible, and place it under the bitch's control."
He smirked at Yang's dumbfounded expression.
"Now, tell me dear, did I hit it spot on or what?"
Yang was a mixture of total amazement and scared. How in the world was he that good? Yang resolved to never betray him. He'd probably know every step she planned to take anyway.
"How the hell did you guess all that?", Yang asked amazed.
"I'm just that good.", he said smugly.
Yang fully believed him. Fuck the threat the Huntsmen Headmasters posed to her, Roman was the most dangerous one by a large margin, she concluded.
"Well. Yang, tell me then, why should I help you out?", he asked her, "I'm still not convinced I benefit enough from this".
"Besides having two Great Kingdoms at your back?"
Roman shook his head.
"We've been over this. That poses a bigger threat to me than I benefit."
"I will make sure she keeps her word. If she tries killing your or something, I'll kill her back. Better?", Yang asked.
Roman laughed mirthfully.
"A bit. I must admit it is tempting to do this. Not often someone has a chance to give as big as a middle finger to Atlas as what we would be doing."
"So, you're in then?", Yang asked hopefully.
"What do you get out of this deal, I wonder?", he asked instead.
"Me?", Yang asked surprised, "An ally I could trust more than Leonardo, and who's far more likely to see things my way. That and we have a good working relationship, and the more power she has, the more she can find the things I am looking for. There's also something I suspect is in Haven, and I want it. She promised me that if she couldn't get past its protections, it's mine."
Roman thought about her words for a bit before smiling at her.
"You know what? I think maybe this could be good for me."
"What made you change your mind?", Yang asked curiously.
"We succeed, I can leverage more things and favors from you, and through you from Mistral too. If we fail, I lose not really much. Atlas would hate me, but hey, I'm a criminal so that's given anyway. What comes after is what interests me the most"
"What do you mean?", Yang asked for clarification.
"I see two outcomes if we succeed. Either Atlas issues diplomatic protests but leaves you both alone. That's good for me. Or, and this is great for me, he uses the Argus incident as a casus belli against the bitch. Either way I don't particularly lose out, and I might stand to lose an enemy with this too.", Roman explained.
"You do realized that I would join the war?", Yang asked.
"Don't care. If anything, the more of you go to war the less potential enemies I have. That, and if the Kingdoms are preoccupied with war, they'd have less time and attention to give to my criminal activities which suits me just fine."
"You wouldn't help me?"
Roman laughed.
"You kiddin'? No way!", he said.
Yang could appreciate the honesty, though she wished his answer was different.
"So, I reckon you need me to come up with a plan for Argus then?, Roman rhetorically asked.
"If you wouldn't mind", Yang responded.
"You strike me as a lady who prefers simple plans, right?", Roman asked.
Yang nodded.
"Then here's a simple one. Have you heard about the Colossus mech stationed at Atlas' Military base?"
Yang was about to shake her head when voice of Gnarl interrupted her.
"Oh, I heard of that one, Master. It saw some use during the Great War, but is mostly abandoned nowadays unless a particularly large Grimm or very strong one comes about, which is rather rare there."
Yang nods then instead.
"That relic from the Great War?", she asked making sure that Gnarl and Roman were talking about the same thing.
"Exactly!", Roman said excitedly, "The plan is simple really. We sneak in, kill the cameras, steal the mech, and wreck havoc on the base. Then we can use it to make taking over the other places easier."
"Have I ever told you how much I like you?", Yang asked humorously, "Now that's what I call a plan! Fun, cool, and most of all, a likely to be successful one!"4
"Flattery already?", Roman asked with humor as well, "Dear me, I might have to hide my frail heart from your fiendish attempts to steal it."
They both laughed.
"We have three days to prepare. That's enough for you?", Yang asked returning to business.
"Maybe. You'll have to see if you can get Malachite to find the plans for the base. Simple plan aside, I do want to know what to expect there. Aside from that we'll have to do some prep work"
"Like what?", Yang asked with curiosity.
"See how well we work together, scout out the area to see the possible venues for attack, get any supplies we might need, that sort of thing."
"Well, then, I'll go bully Malachite a bit and get those plans"
Roman smiled at her and she smiled back.
The things were moving finally.
And her reach was stretching ever forward. Three days later, the world will change once more.