Summer coughed and hacked as she tried to wave away the thick, billowing, ash-like smoke. This wasn't at all like the times before when she had used her silver eye powers. There was still some nausea, but this smoke was thicker than when Yang accidentally dumped the bottle of dish soap into the washing machine. If only this damn castle had a window for her to crack open. Thankfully, whatever that smoke was was heavy and Summer could see it start to settle.
As it lowered, Summer realized she couldn't see the Grimm Queen. Had she done it? Had she beaten Salem?
The sound of another person's coughing confirmed that she didn't.
Summer lightly cursed to herself ("Aw beans!") and shifted into a battle stance. "Well, so much for that idea."
Though the clouds still obscured her at waist high level, Salem's voice could clearly be heard. "Quite foolish of you, Summer Rose, to think that I could be so easily bested by some silver light show"
Summer blinked, then frowned. Was Salem's voice that squeaky before?
Salem seemed to agree as well. "Wait, what happened to my voice?" She coughed a few times. "Is that my voice? Curse this ash for ruining my voice!" Something flailed around in the lowering smoke, buffeting it away until a short figure appeared. Salem grinned and glared once more at Summer. "That's better. Now, Summer Rose, you shall feel my- hold on, why are you so big?" She scanned the room. "Why is the room so big as well?"
Summer was at a loss for words. Her previous thoughts of tactics and strategies went straight out the window upon seeing the barely-waist-high woman- no, girl. Instead, her mind was filled with just one phrase: "Oh my gods, she's adorable!"
Salem was too busy trying to fiddle with her clothes, not sure why they were suddenly five sizes too big on her, when she was scooped up by a pair of arms and squished into Summer's bosom.
"Oh my goodness, you're so cute and adorable! I know you're still Salem but I just want to make you cookies and take you on picnics and pat your head and hug you and help you ride a bike and watch you grow up and-" A pair of furious arms beat at Summer's chest and Summer looked down to see she was suffocating the girl. "Oh no! I'm sorry!"
As soon as she pulled away, Salem took a big gasp of air, and then glared as menacingly as her small face could allow, which came out to be an intense pout. "Have you gone mad? What is the meaning of this? I will not be handled as such!" Salem tried to kick and lash out, but Summer simply held her out at arm's length while she flailed wildly about, much like Yang used to do.
Now that she was closer, Summer could get a better look at how Salem changed. Beyond her decrease in height, Summer noticed Salem's hair was mostly gone, or rather it wasn't up in that freakish octopus bun anymore. It was much shorter, just brushing past her shoulders with some of the old pins hanging askew as if they were falling out.
Salem's body was a different matter as well. Where before the Grimm Queen was a voluptuous, grown woman, now she was more like Yang. Young, small, and quite a troublemaker. Her arms and legs were spindly, like someone who didn't go outside much, or eat much for that matter.
At the thought of that, Summer felt her motherly instincts kick in, eager to feed her, but she held it back. This was the Queen of the Grimm! The one who made the monsters that went bump in the night. The evil witch that Ozpin fought tirelessly against for years. The eldritch being that brought suffering on people trying to make a life outside the kingdom walls. She was not some cute, little girl with really pinchable cheeks!
…
If her hands weren't full with carrying Salem, Summer would absolutely pinch those cheeks. It'd be a crime not to, and Summer was no criminal.
All thoughts of cheek-pinching were pushed aside as Salem's tantrum began losing steam. "What…" Salem panted out, all her energy spent, "what's going on?" She seemed to finally realize her new size as she inspected her arms. "What happened to me? What did you do to me?!"
"I'm not sure," Summer replied, shrugging. "I thought my eyes were going to turn you to stone like it does to the rest of the Grimm, but… well, you tell me. No one gave me a manual on how my powers worked." All Ozpin ever told her was that it magically killed Grimm, and they did. Summer never gave it a thought to if it was inhumane, which was rather silly when talking about the Grimm.
"Nonsense! This must be some kind of trick by Ozpin. I shall make him suffer for this indignity!" Summer stifled the urge to coo at Salem's squeaky outrage. "Tell me, what kind of magic did he concoct for this? Did he gather the maidens for this?"
"Nope! Just me and my silver eye lasers," Summer said with a smile. "Ozpin doesn't really know I'm doing this. If it makes you feel any better, I won't tell him about this."
"Of course you won't, because this is the end for you!" Salem thrust her hands out at Summer and fire leapt from her fingertips. Summer flinched and turned her head away.
Pop-crackle!
Friiish!
Poof!
Summer cracked open an eye to see sparks and motes of flame jump from Salem's hands and burn out before reaching Summer's aura. She watched as Salem's expression turned from anger to utter confusion.
"W-What?" Salem's hands switched elements, and now arcs of electricity bounced between her fingers. She tried to zap Summer's arms, but all it did was cause Summer's hair to stick up. "My magic!" Eyes frantic with desperation, she began casting all sorts of spells.
Salem used ice magic; Summer felt slightly chilled. Salem used wind magic; Summer's hair was frazzled. Salem used water magic; Summer opened her mouth to catch the stream. Salem used earth magic; Summer got a pebble bounce off her forehead. There were several more spells that Salem tried to cast, but Summer neither felt nor saw any effect.
After one last feeble, and rather half-hearted, attempt to cast a spell, Salem's body seemed to sag with defeat. Her face was cast downwards, as if to hide her shame. "My magic," she said, almost warbling. "You took away my magic."
Logically, Summer knew that Salem without access to her powers was a good thing. Without her powers, she couldn't hurt anyone anymore, right? Except she also saw a child in her arms in despair over losing their favorite toy for being naughty. Summer tried to repeatedly remind herself who she was dealing with, but her maternal instincts were roaring at her to comfort the child. In the end, her instincts won out, having been given bear-like strength when Summer noticed Salem's eyes start to glisten.
Summer pulled Salem in close, carrying her like the child she was, letting her rest her head upon Summer's bosom. Summer patted her head and spoke soothingly as she slowly rocked side to side. "There there, Salem. I'm sure you'll get your powers back. You're the wicked witch of the Grimm, after all." She spoke with sincerity, but in the back of her mind, Summer couldn't quite believe this was happening. She had expected to either die or return home a hero to Remnant, not… do whatever this was.
"Don't coddle me," Salem said petulantly. "I'm not some mewling babe. I'm millennia older than you. I've faced worse hardships."
Summer paused in her motions and looked down as best she could. "Do you want me to stop?"
Salem said nothing, and then she shifted her head so she was looking away from Summer. "I'll grant you one minute so long as you never speak of this to Ozpin."
Ozpin. That was another can of worms Summer would have to deal with, and not just for going off on her own. But what was one more thing to not tell him? "Not a word. Promise."
'Even her mentality has become childish,' Summer thought. 'I wonder…'
One very, very long minute later, at Salem's request, Summer carried Salem to her throne room and then set her down upon the crystal table. Standing upon it, still dressed in her oversized clothes, Salem towered half a head over Summer and used what dignity she had left to hold a dark regal air. Summer humored her as best she could, but it only reminded her of when Ruby would wear her hood and jump on the couch proclaiming herself a superhero.
Salem cleared her throat to speak, but her voice still squeaked. "It would seem that we are at a stalemate, Summer Rose. Your attempt on my life has failed, as expected, and I find myself lacking the capability of doling out your demise. Given our unfortunate circumstances, I'd like to offer a proposal." Salem pointed a finger down at Summer and put on her most intimidating expression. "In exchange for your continued silence from Ozpin on this matter, I shall grant you safe passage home from my realm. What say you?"
"Okay."
Salem chuckled. "So just because of my new form, you think you can-" Salem blinked. Her expression turned flabbergasted. "Wait, really? Just like that?"
Summer nodded. "Just like that."
"You're not going to even try to extort me for more?" Salem asked expectantly.
"Raven is the bandit, not me. I just want to go home to my girls. Besides, I think I've done more than enough damage today." Summer gave an apologetic smile.
Salem folded her arms and pouted. "Yes, you have." She clapped her hands twice. "Very well then. I shall have a pair of beowolves escort you to the edge of my realm. Leave before I change my mind."
"Thank you." Summer made to leave, but paused as she stepped out of the door. A silly notion wormed its way into her mind out of instinct. It was a notion most people would squash without hesitation or remorse, but Summer couldn't bring herself to do that. Raven would call her weak for entertaining the idea, but Raven wasn't here now, was she? Turning her head back, she asked, "Are you going to be okay by yourself?"
"I said go away!" Salem shouted back. "Leave me alone!"
Summer scurried out the door and back down the hall she came from. No need to overstay her welcome. As she went back to the spot where she had dropped her weapon to carry Salem, Summer tried to review everything that just happened.
One, silver eyes may work wonders against the Grimm, but were ineffective against Salem. Why? Ozpin said she was an ancient Grimm Witch. She should have melted into a pile of goo from Summer's strongest silver eye blast, but Salem survived. She did say Summer couldn't kill her. Was that what she meant? Regardless, Ozpin would need to know about this, minus the promised details, and maybe Summer would ask more about the silver eyes.
Two, Salem was now a harmless, adorable, little girl. What did this mean? One thing was for sure, if Raven were here, she'd have stuck to her guns and dealt the killing blow when the dust settled. Looking back, it was really unprofessional as a Huntress to coo over a little Grimm girl, but darn it if Salem didn't remind her of her own girls. Summer had hesitated, and for that she had promised to leave in peace. Raven would never let her live this down if she found out.
But then what? Salem's powers were gone, at least temporarily. She can't hurt anyone now, right? But Summer knew that when Ozpin found out about Salem's state, he might order her to go back and deliver the killing blow. A foolish part of her hoped it wouldn't come to that. Grimm gave her enough nightmares. She didn't want to add the execution of a pseudo-child to that, no matter how old Salem really was.
Summer sighed heavily and with a half-hearted mutter said, "Dammit, Qrow. I wish you were here so I could blame your semblance." Soon enough, she reached the chamber where it all happened and picked out her weapon from the rubble, wincing as she looked at the damage.
Bad Wolf was going to need some TLC when she got home. The axe blade was dulled, the halberd extension was jammed, and Summer had a feeling the fire dust shells she had used probably warped the barrel a bit. But it was full-auto or nothing when it came to fighting Salem. It was still serviceable for now so long as she didn't get stuck in some drawn out Grimm fight.
Ready to leave, Summer picked her way back to the main entrance. Just like Salem said, there were two Beowolves curled up near the door. They perked up when she entered the room and stood as she approached. They way they stared and growled at her sent chills down Summer's spine, causing a sliver of doubt to question Salem's word in her mind. It would be far too easy for an 'accident' to happen on the way out. After all, why wouldn't Salem have her killed as revenge and keep Ozpin from finding out anything? There might as well be fifty more Grimm right outside the door. Salem never promised there wouldn't be any there.
Summer smacked her cheeks. 'No, that kind of thinking is what draws the Grimm in. Just take the escort and stay positive!'
Summer stepped forward with a smile.
The Beowolves swiped their claws at her.
Summer's semblance flared and the Grimm were stunned by the damage. In short order, she blasted open the chest cavity of one and used the recoil to decapitate the other with the axe blade.
As the Grimm turned to ash, Summer scowled and glared back towards the throne room. "Fool me once, shame on me. Fool me twice, you're going to get some punishment. I don't care if she's the root of all Remnant's evil, I'm going to bend that little girl over my knee and spank her!"
Summer ran back up stairs and halls to the throne room, where the door was still ajar. She threw open the door, an angry cry ready on her lips, but her furious second wind fell out of her sails upon what she saw.
Three Jellyfish-esque Grimm floated high above the table playing a sick game of Tug-a-Salem. One pulled on an arm and a leg, another yanked her midsection, and the last had its tentacles wrapped around her shoulder and neck. Each of them fought like they wanted a piece of her but didn't want to share. Meanwhile Salem struggled to pull away the one constricting around her throat, her pale face filled with fear as she turned blue.
Summer didn't think, she just opened fire. Her gun barked four times before it clicked empty. She hit two of the Grimm, but the last one weaved among the buckshot, the one still gripping Salem by the throat. It had swung about wildly, and Salem was now looking far too limp to be healthy.
Summer shifted her weapon to axe form and leapt onto the table, running straight for the Grimm. With a cry of fury, she jumped and swiped her axe across, slicing away the tentacles. Once Salem was free, Summer pulled her close and tumbled across the floor. But she didn't stop fighting. While the Grimm shook at the loss of its limbs, Summer got to one knee, raised the axe overhead, and threw it with all her strength. The blade carved clean through the jellyfish, disintegrating it, before bouncing off the far wall with a clatter.
Seeing no other Grimm in sight, Summer turned back to the limp girl… Salem in her arms. There was no breathing, the windpipe likely crushed, and when Summer tried to move Salem's head, the resulting sound from her neck was rather revolting to hear.
This was always the worst part of the job.
'It's not Yang or Ruby. It's not Yang or Ruby,' Summer reminded herself with deep breaths. 'It's just the Queen of the Grimm… who looks a lot like Yang and Ruby. Dang it.'
She wasn't disintegrating, Summer noticed. Perhaps she was too old for that? No matter. Summer would still make a grave for her. She held the girl close and brushed her hair. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry I didn't rescue you in time."
"Rescue? What are you babbling about?"
Great, now Summer could hear her ghost. She sounded well for a dead person. "I originally came back to spank you for letting those Beowolves you summoned attack me"
"That wasn't my fault!"
"No, I know now it wasn't. I guess since you lost your magic, it makes sense that you also lost your control over the Grimm as well. So much for safe passage. I'll probably have to fight my way out."
"I suppose so. I can not help you anymore. At least see to it that the Grimm are punished for making a liar out of me."
Summer chuckled. Salem would say that. "I will. I'll avenge you."
"What?"
"Listen to me, declaring vengeance for the Grimm Queen's life. Some huntress I am."
"What are you talking about?"
"I know it sounds silly but seeing you hanging like that, I just couldn't stand it. A huntress fights to protect the weak and defenseless from Grimm, even if they are a bad person. If you were still alive, maybe it would have made up for turning you into a cute little girl."
"It does not, but I suppose I can overlook that defenseless comment."
"Don't worry, Salem. I'll make sure you get a proper burial before I leave."
"...Excuse me?"
"And just like that promise I made, I'll make sure to tell Ozpin I took you out with my silver eyes, or something equally epic than what actually happened."
"I appreciate the gesture, but-"
"I don't know what religion you follow, if at all, but if it's all the same to you, I'll pray to the Brothers your spirit will rest easy."
"Absolutely not!"
Summer jumped at the loud screech in her ear and whipped her head around to find Salem's dark gaze glare daggers at her. "Salem! What? How?"
Salem jabbed a small finger into Summer's cheek with every other biting word. "You will not give any semblance of sentiment or thought to those two-bit, backstabbing, egotistical, whimsical, lazy, faerie light shows that have the audacity to call themselves gods!"
Summer tried to come up with a response to that. "You're alive!" She did not.
"Yes. I am painfully aware of that."
"Your neck was snapped!"
Salem rolled her neck around, the bones popped as she did. "Not the first time it's happened."
It was utterly disturbing to Summer how calmly she said it through a child's voice. Like it was something she was used to dealing with. That only opened more questions than she had answers for. Questions that were probably written all over her face from Salem's next words.
"How about you carry me to the kitchen and I explain everything over lunch?"