Pyrrha put down the dumbbells and breathed a sigh of relief. Her evening workout was finally done.
Alone in the gym, she sat on a bench and took a well-earned swig from her water bottle. She sparred with Jaune every evening, but what he didn't know was that she liked to squeeze in an extra workout afterwards. It was nice having a chance to train at her own pace, rather than having to hold back so that he could learn and improve.
On her own, however, she was a machine. She had to keep herself in check if she wanted to continue being the best in her year. That wasn't a boast. Her natural skill aside, she was the best out of all of them because she continued to put in the work. Discipline and commitment. That's what she owed her success to.
But she knew when to call it a night, and now was the time. She gave herself a chance to catch her breath then headed to the changing rooms.
As she made her way there, she heard hushed mutterings coming from nearby. They grew louder the closer she got. Curious, she decided to investigate them. The noise led her to Cardin Winchester and his teammate Russel Thrush. They were leaning against the wall acting suspiciously nervous. Normally she wouldn't bother with them, but something was strange about their jittery demeanour.
Cardin saw her and his eyes went wide. "Shit!" he cried. "What do you think you're doing, sneaking up on people like that, cereal girl?"
Pyrrha frowned. Something was wrong here. "I wasn't sneaking at all. What's going on here?"
"Nothing," Russel said hastily. "Nothing, we're just chilling. That's all it is."
"Yeah, nothing to see here," Cardin said.
Then she spotted something in Cardin's hand. Something he was desperately trying to hide from her. A syringe. Pyrrha only needed to see it for a second to know what it was. She had seen similar things being passed around during her tournament days. Performance enhancers.
"Are you taking steroids?" she said sharply.
"Sssh!" Cardin hissed. "Keep your voice down! You want the whole school to find out?"
She shook her head "Unbelievable. Steroids? Really? What's the matter with you? Where did you even get that anyway?"
"Don't worry about it," Russell said. "It's just a little boost, that's all. Just something to keep us going."
"We're hunters!" she snapped. "We're already stronger than the average person. We don't need to inject ourselves with that junk. You're both disappointments."
"What are you, my mom?" Cardin sneered. "Look, if you're gonna be a bitch about it, why don't you just leave?"
"Hand it over."
"What? Piss off!"
Pyrrha rolled her eyes. She raised her hand and activated her semblance. A black aura coated the syringe and it started to slip away from Cardin's fingers. Cardin yelped and held it tighter. Pyrrha sighed and gave it another tug with her semblance. That did the trick. The syringe flew away from him and landed in her hand.
At least, that's what was supposed to happen.
"Ow," Pyrrha grunted as the syringe accidentally hit her in the wrist. With her aura down, the needle had no problem breaking the skin. A quick sharp sting broke her concentration. She lost control of her semblance. The plunger pushed itself down, injecting the drug into her blood.
Pyrrha glared at the needle stuck in her wrist, then back at Cardin and Russel. They looked like they were about to wet themselves. Good.
"If you don't want me to go to Ozpin about this, I suggest you run now," she snarled. Cardin and Russell got the hint and quickly scurried away.
Pyrrha winced as her semblance pulled the syringe out of her wrist. She tightened her fist, and her semblance reacted by crushing it into a tiny ball. Steroids. The stepping stone of the lazy and uninspired. She shouldn't have been surprised that Team CRDL had resorted to taking them.
She rubbed her wrist and made her way back to her room. Hopefully, her aura would purge it out of her system. She didn't want any nasty side-effects from being injected by a dirty needle. She'd better be fine, for CRDL's sake.
[/]
Pyrrha had been asleep for seven hours. Worst seven hours of her life!
How did people do this? Just close their eyes and wait for their minds to turn off like they were robots? She was the Invincible Girl, not the Lie-In-Bed-Like-A-Useless-Twat Girl! The second daylight shone through the window, she blasted out of bed like she had rocket turbines up her ass.
"It's morning!" she roared. "Finally! What took it so long? Everyone get up! We've got a day to seize! Up and at 'em! Let's go, people, let's go!"
Her lazy teammates groaned as they woke up. "What's going on?" Jaune mumbled. "Are we being attacked?"
"We're the ones doing the attacking here!" Pyrrha barked. "Today thinks it can get a head start on us, but oh no! I've been waiting for this moment all night. The sky must be pretty scrawny if it can't lift the sun quicker! We gotta grab today by the balls if we wanna beat it! No mercy! No surrender!"
Ren frowned, looking completely confused by what he was seeing. "Did… did Pyrrha just say balls?"
"That is what it sounded like," Jaune murmured.
Pyrrha groaned loudly. "Why is everyone still in bed? Every minute we're asleep is a minute we could be punching something! Sleep is a disease! Comfort is a prison! And I'm in the mood for breaking chains!"
Pyrrha grabbed her bed by the legs and threw it against the wall, creating a hole the size of a Goliath's asshole as it smashed through it. A loud crash could be heard outside as the bed hit the ground. Jaune, Ren and Nora stared at the new hole in the wall, completely mystified and absolutely awake.
"Boom! That's right!" Pyrrha cheered. "Now I don't have to sleep again! I'm not allowed to without a bed! It's the law!"
Ren blinked slowly. "Well, we did say we wanted a room with a better view," he whispered.
"Wow, Pyrrha!" Nora beamed. "I'm loving this new you! Where's all this gusto coming from?"
"Don't know. Don't care," Pyrrha said as she jumped up and down on the spot. "I've got this buzzing, tingly feeling all over me. Heart's beating so fast, I think it's gonna pop! I need something! A rush! Anything!"
"Sounds like you're having a heart attack," Ren grimly suggested.
"Attack? Attack! That's it!" Pyrrha spread her arms out wide. "All of you! Come at me! I've been waiting all night for a fight! Take your best shot!"
The three of them looked at her like she had lost her mind. Well, they'd be right! All this anticipation was killing her! She had an itch that only a bloody brawl of fisticuffs could scratch. She grinned viciously at them and growled like a dog. No, a bear! What sounded stronger?
A dogbear! Yeah, that's what she growled like!
"Hold on, let's slow down a second," Jaune said. "Pyrrha, it's nice to see you so… energetic today, but why don't we save the fighting for later? Let's get some breakfast first. That sound good?"
"Breakfast?" Her grin vanished for a moment, then instantly returned. "Amazing! Gotta eat big to get big, am I right? Good thinking, Jaune! Assemble the troops! We have a cafeteria to raid!"
[/]
Snails! Remnant was a breeding ground for snails! Case in point, everyone in Beacon!
She didn't know why she was only now starting to realise how slow everyone was, but it was getting on her nerves. She had waited two minutes for her team and Team RWBY to get ready, because that's all she could allow. Two minutes for them was two weeks for her. Team RWBY were about to argue when she banged on their door and demanded them to get ready immediately, but then they saw the look on her face. They didn't ask any questions after that.
Shame. Why was no one fighting in this school for hunters?
But they finally got to the cafeteria, and Pyrrha made sure to get the lion's share of just about everything there. While everyone else was busy toying away with their food, Pyrrha was on her seventh tray, much to the horror of everyone. Even more so when she began devouring it in huge bites. The sounds of her ravenous chewing echoed throughout the cafeteria.
"Damn, Pyrrha!" Yang said. "You're eating like you've been lost in the desert for years!"
"It is quite indecent," Weiss murmured. "Pyrrha, I hope this doesn't come across as condescending, but could you please at least use your cutlery?"
"How about chewing with your mouth closed too? You're spitting food all over me!" Blake snapped in disgust.
But Pyrrha didn't listen to them. Her body was working at ninety-nine per cent faster than normal human speeds, which meant she had to eat the food quickly if she wanted to absorb the right amount of nutrients. The food disappeared in a flash, but Pyrrha couldn't stop chewing. Her teeth bit into something hard and metal.
"Whoa, Pyrrha, calm down! You're literally eating the tray!" Yang cried.
Pyrrha didn't slow down. "This thing is made of metal!" she said in a slobbering voice. "Iron is also metal! Iron is good for the body! Must eat!"
By now, everyone had completely abandoned their food. The whole table stared at her wide-eyed and stunned. Even Nora was looking at her like something was wrong.
Ruby leaned over to Jaune. "What's with her right now?" she said.
Jaune shrugged. "Beats me. She was fine this morning, and last night during our sparring session."
"Try asking her. She's your partner."
"Are you sure? I'm not sure who she is right now."
Ruby shook her head and said to Pyrrha, "Pyrrha, what's going on? You're acting like you've hit that destructive depression stage in your celebrity career. Anything you wanna tell us?"
Pyrrha took the saliva-coated tray out of her mouth. "Can't explain it," she admitted. "Feels like something's been turned on inside me! Like I've become the person I was always meant to be!"
"So, being an award-winning champion fighter is not who you're meant to be?" Ren said.
"Oh, I'm a champion alright! I just need more victories! Speaking of…" She turned to Jaune sitting next to her. She smiled at him the same way a snake would smile at a rabbit. "Hey, Jaune. Did you know that tongue-wrestling is a legal material art?"
Jaune blinked. "Uh…"
Pyrrha grabbed his face. "Ding ding ding! Round one!" she announced, then plunged her tongue down his throat. It was an easy fight. He was caught completely off-guard, and so couldn't do anything to stop her. She wasn't training him hard enough! He should've been prepared for a surprise attack at all times!
"Huh… this isn't how I imagined this moment going," Nora murmured, "But still, you can't deny the results. You better watch out, Ren."
Their mouth-to-mouth combat session went on for several minutes. Then the bell rang. It was time for combat practice with Ms Goodwitch. At long last, a chance to fight someone!
She pulled away from him with a wet smack. Jaune's lips were so bruised, it looked like he was wearing blue lipstick. He smiled like he was in a pleasant dream. Ren had to pick him up and drag his limp body to the training ring.
"I feel sorry for whoever has to fight Pyrrha," Blake whispered to her team as they sat in their seats. "I mean, I feel sorry for anyone who has to fight Pyrrha anyway, but when she's like this… God help them."
"Is it too late to pretend to be sick?" Yang whispered back.
Goodwitch stepped into the arena and addressed the class with her usual speech about learning from each other, how every fight matters. Blah, blah, blah! The anticipation was killing her! Less talking, more smashing!
"Now then," Goodwitch said. "Before I start calling names, would anyone like to volunteer-"
Pyrrha's hand shot up in the air "Me!" She screamed. "Me! I wanna go first! Me!"
Goodwitch looked startled for a moment, but quickly gathered herself. "Very well, Ms Nikos. Please-"
"Yeah! Get some!" Pyrrha roared. She sprang out of her seat and jumped into the arena. She sneered at the rest of the class, who were looking at her like she was a grenade without a pin someone had thrown into the ring. "Who wants me to autograph their face with my fist? Any takers?"
"Ms Nikos, please go to the locker room and get your weapons," Goodwitch said. "You can't fight unarmed."
"Unarmed?" she laughed. "What are you talking about, I've got both my arms right here! Let's go!"
Goodwitch adjusted her glasses, unsure of what she was seeing. "Very well. Given your skill level, I will allow this just this once. Now please choose your opponent."
Pyrrha could feel everyone's buttcheeks tighten in fear. She drank it all in like a sweet protein shake. "Everyone," she purred.
"Excuse me?"
"Everyone! Get in here!" Pyrrha activated her semblance. Everyone's chairs came alive and flung them into the ring with a chorus of confused screams.
Oh, how she wished she had a camera to take a picture of everyone's faces. They were like little gazelles having accidentally stumbled into the lion's den. In the animal kingdom, only one predator could remain alpha. And this was her jungle.
With a triumphant roar, she pounced on them.
It was beautiful. She brought the bliss of heaven down to Remnant as she unleashed all her pent-up fury. One by one, they were all beaten into unconsciousness. The sounds of shattered aura and broken bones were music to her ears. Some tried to run, only to be dragged back in to meet their maker. The few brave ones that tried to fight her were annihilated by devastating punches and kicks. She eventually decided to mix things up a bit and start using the knocked out bodies of the students as clubs, battering them with their own peers.
"I'm fifteen, I'm too young to die!" Ruby squeaked as she was thrown into the air like red confetti.
"Ms Nikos, this is inexcusable!" Goodwitch barked. "Stand down at once, or I will be forced to step in!"
Pyrrha flashed her teeth to her. "Take a seat, Ms Goodwitch. Or better yet, take several!"
Every chair in the room launched themselves at Goodwitch thanks to her semblance. Goodwitch tried using her own to stop them, but she couldn't keep up. There were just too many. She was eventually buried under a mountain of chairs, unable to be seen.
Silence reigned in the arena when it was over. Bodies littered the floor like the sight of a glorious massacre. And there Pyrrha was, in the centre of it all. It had been loud, it had been violent, and oh so satisfying. And the best part?
It wouldn't be long until she was hungry for more.
[/]
Pyrrha sat before Ozpin in his office, buzzing in her seat. In the office was also Goodwitch (now with a black eye, many bruises, and a scowl that could sour milk), General James Ironwood, and some skinny guy named Qrow. She didn't know why she had been called to the office, but it had to be important. Why else would there be so many people? She couldn't wait to find out. The urge to fight was hitting her at full-force again.
"I suspect you're wondering what this is about?" Ozpin said. "Don't worry, you're not in any trouble."
"Yes, she is!" Goodwitch snarled.
"Later, Glynda. You see, Ms Nikos, we have a proposal we'd like to offer you."
"Yes!" Pyrrha roared.
"I haven't said what it is yet."
"Yes!"
"I'll cut to the chase; there exists in this world four young women with the power of the seasons. The women I speak of are the Maidens. The same Maidens you may have heard about in the old fairy tales. They are the personifications of Spring, Summer, Winter and-"
"Fall!" Pyrrha cut in. "Fall, like bodies fall! Everything falls when you hit it hard enough!"
"This girl's jumpier than a pogo stick on a trampoline," Qrow murmured. "I dunno about this, Oz."
"For once, I agree with Qrow," Ironwood said. "This girl seems too unstable to wield such power. It could be dangerous."
Pyrrha's ears perked up. What was that about power? Power was nice! Power was fun!
"I assure you, she's not normally this excited. And she's the strongest candidate we have," Ozpin told his colleagues. He looked back at her. "To put it simply, we would like to offer you the power of one of the Maidens. I'm sure this is a lot to take in, so if you have any questions-"
"You wanna give me superpowers?" Pyrrha cried, leaning over Ozpin's desk. "Yes, gimme, gimme, gimme! What should my superhero name be? Wait, I've got it - the Even More Invincible Girl! The Invinciblest!"
"It's not quite as simple as becoming a superhero," Ozpin calmly clarified. "You will become one of Remnant's greatest guardians, defending the world from those who would seek to harm it and its people. It is a perilous undertaking, and I understand if you are slightly hesitant about it."
"I'm ready!" Pyrrha insisted. "Where do I sign up? Wanna see my qualifications? I can beat up Qrow if you want!"
"Hey!" Qrow snapped.
"That won't be necessary," Ozpin said. "Come with me. There's something you need to see."
Ozpin led them all into the elevator. He pushed the button at the bottom of the panel. The doors closed and down they went.
This tiny box couldn't contain Pyrrha's energy. "So, where are we going?" she asked impatiently.
"Deep below the school. To a place we call the Vault," Ozpin said mysteriously. "You need to understand what you'd be agreeing to."
Pyrrha was about to explode with excitement. Unfortunately, the elevator was designed by snails to go as slow as possible. Well, not if she had anything to say about it!
"This is taking too long!" she snapped. Activating her semblance, she slammed her foot down on the floor with a mighty stomp. The elevator broke off from its cables and plummeted all the way to the bottom, crashing with a loud metallic smash.
The elevator pinged softly and the doors opened, revealing a large dimly-lit hallway. Pyrrha rushed out like an eager child about to see Santa at the mall. Everyone else looked like they were about to pass out. Even someone as hardy as Ironwood was looking pale.
"Well, getting back up is going to be difficult," Ozpin hummed.
"Holy shit, I think I just laid an egg," Qrow whispered in horror, still gripping the rails tightly.
Pyrrha ignored them. At the end of the hallway, she saw a young woman fast asleep in what looked like a high-tech tanning bed. A large scar etched her face.
"Hey, who's that girl over there?" she said.
Ozpin walked up to her and dusted himself off. "That is the current Fall Maiden. Her name is Amber."
"Why is she asleep? It's one in the afternoon!"
"She's not sleeping. Her body is in critical condition. That's where you come in. In order for you to receive Amber's power, her soul will have to be transferred into you. It's a delicate and complicated procedure that must be-"
"Hey, wake up!" Pyrrha shouted, ripping the door off the tanning bed and dragging the girl out. She started slapping her across the face. "Rise and shine, princess! Ozpin might be fine with you taking a nap, but I'm not! Wakey, wakey!"
"Oh merciful gods above no," Glynda said in a voice devoid of hope.
Pyrrha kept slapping her until Amber's eyes cracked open slightly. "Oh my God… Pyrrha Nikos…" she mumbled weakly. "Can I… get your… autograph…?"
And then she fell asleep again.
But before Pyrrha could slap her back awake, something strange happened. Orange light burst forth from Amber's body and flowed into hers. Pyrrha's eyes widened as she felt a new sensation course through her.
It was amazing. She felt a surge of power that rivalled even her own existing strength. She felt stronger than ever. She felt like she could move mountains, part oceans, turn night into day. She laughed as the rush of power overwhelmed her.
But then it stopped. The flow ended just when it was getting good. Something was wrong. Pyrrha felt like a glass that was only half-full. There was definitely a missing part of this power. She had to find it. She needed it.
Pyrrha's skin tingled. As it turned out, she wouldn't have to look for long. She could sense its presence nearby. It was somewhere in the school. There was no time to lose!
"I'm gonna getcha!" Pyrrha cackled. A jetstream of flames burst from her heels and she went flying upwards, following the source of power like a moth flying towards a flame.
Ozpin and friends looked up at her as she crashed through the ceiling. "She seems so much nicer on TV," murmured Ironwood.
[/]
Cinder froze. Her whole body went cold and everyone could sense that something was wrong.
"Uh, Cinder? Are you okay?" Emerald asked.
"Amber is dead," she said quietly.
The statement drew panicked looks from all her team.
"She's what?" Mercury cried. "What do you mean she's dead? How can you tell?
"My link with her has been cut. I can't sense her life force anymore. There's no other explanation. She's dead."
"But how is that possible?" Emerald said.
"I don't know." She knew Ozpin was protecting her somewhere in the school. There was no way he would let someone like her be killed so easily. This shot more than a few holes into her plan. She felt like she was back at square one!
"Did someone get to her first?" Mercury said. "Have we been compromised?"
Cinder shook her head. "Impossible. We've covered our tracks. No one knows who we are and what we're after."
"Are you absolutely sure she's-"
"I'm sure!" Cinder snapped. All this panicking was trying her patience. She had to put a stop to it, lest she be swept up in it too. She sighed. "It's fine. It's not the end of the world. The other half of Amber's power is still out there, it's just in someone else. All we have to do is find that person."
"Who would even think to kill her?" Emerald said. "I thought only the teachers knew who she was. Who else is there?"
"I'm about to find out," Cinder grunted. She closed her eyes and concentrated, searching for the missing half of the Maiden's power. It took some work, but eventually, she got a sense of where it was coming from.
She frowned. Either she was getting good at searching, or the power source was coming closer and closer. In fact, it was speeding towards her. What was happening?
Did she smell burning?
A fiery explosion suddenly ripped the wall apart. Chunks of rubble went flying in all directions. Smoke spilt into the room. Mercury and Emerald reacted immediately, looking ready to fight. Cinder would have been the same if she wasn't so transfixed. The power source was closer than ever now.
Stepping in from the smoke was a familiar tall red-haired girl. The golden child of Mistral, Pyrrha Nikos. Emerald and Mercury had been keeping a close watch on her since coming to Beacon. Being one of the strongest students the school had to offer, she was a potential threat to her plans. For some reason, her subordinates had decided to leave out the part where she liked to go smashing through walls.
"Knock, knock!" Pyrrha said in a cheerful voice that was barely restraining her bloodlust. "Sorry about the wall. I tried the door, but it was locked. You Haven students shouldn't be so anti-social."
"P-Pyrrha!" Emerald spluttered. "What the hell is this? What do you want?"
"Don't be afraid," she giggled. "This is just an exchange program. As in, we're gonna exchange punches until you hand over what I want. Come ooooon, don't make me say please."
"You crazy bitch, what are you talking about?" Mercury shouted.
"She's lost her mind," Cinder growled. "Pyrrha, if you don't leave right now, I will-"
Cinder's heart skipped a beat. Up close like this, she could feel the Maiden's power emanating from Pyrrha's body. There was no mistaking it. Pyrrha Nikos had absorbed the second half of Amber's soul. She killed Amber! The shock over the idea of Pyrrha killing anyone was quickly replaced with boiling anger.
The wretched girl laughed at her rageful expression. "Looks like boss lady knows what I'm talking about. Isn't that right, little miss grumpy boots?"
"You insolent maggot!" Cinder seethed. Cover be damned, she would not stand for this! "That power you have is rightfully mine! It belongs to me! You don't deserve even a shred of it!"
Pyrrha laughed at her. She laughed at her! "Wanna know something funny? Today's Opposite Day! Looks like you're the one with something that belongs to me! Too bad, so sad!"
Cinder had never wanted to kill anyone so badly in her entire life. Not even Amber. It wasn't personal, the girl was just unfortunate to possess something she needed. But Pyrrha Nikos? She would bathe in her blood and use her skull as a bedpan.
"I will flay you alive for this!" She summoned a black blade to her hand. "I will cut that power out of you from your still-beating heart!"
"That's more like it!" Pyrrha cheered. "Everyone in this school is so weak! Let's see if you Atlas lot can put up more of a fight!"
Charging her body up with her own power, Cinder cloaked her body in an outfit of flames. The air around her sizzled. This girl was only pretending to be a Maiden. She'd show her the full force of someone who had plenty of time to practice, of the power she'd never get a chance to use. And then, after dragging her name and soul through the ashes of her own failure, she would end her.
Two bodies clashed and a blinding light engulfed the room.
[/]
"Have you received word from Cinder, Watts?"
Salem's council had been minus one member as of late. Tyrian, Hazel and Watts were all present today, leaving Cinder's chair lonely. It was frustrating being unable to send a Seer to follow the girl. Relying on a human to relay words back to her was undesirable, but it was the best she could do when her subordinates ventured outside the Darklands.
"I'm afraid not, my lady," Arthur Watts said. "She insisted on keeping communication to a minimum, said it would keep suspicious eyes off of her. No doubt to pull off that school-girl disguise she insists on maintaining." He snorted when he said that last sentence.
"Maybe she has failed?" Tyrian giggled in manic glee. "Perhaps the prodigal child isn't as special as she thinks she is. Oh, what a shame. To be promised such glorious power, only to die miserably. I wish I was there to see it."
Salem smiled. "Have faith, Tyrian. Cinder will accomplish her mission. She knows what happens to all those who fail me."
It was delightful watching their expressions as panic raced through them. Fear was a delicious form of negativity. Even if they were on her side - for as long as she allowed it - she always enjoyed reminding them all of their place.
"Now then. Cinder may appreciate her secrecy, but when she keeps you in the dark, she keeps me in the dark," Salem continued. "I don't like being out of the loop, Watts. Insist on having regular updates from her. We wouldn't want her thinking she has second doubts, would we?"
Watts nodded. "As you wish, my lady."
"Good. Very good. Now then, Hazel. How goes your hunt for the silver-eyed warriors?"
The hulking man hadn't said a word yet. This was not uncommon for him, but it was unusual to see him so distracted. He hadn't taken his eyes off the window the entire time.
"Hazel," she said again with an edge in her tone.
"Forgive me," he said, still not looking at her. "There's something coming towards us. It looks like a meteorite."
"A meteorite?" Watts scoffed. "Don't be absurd."
"I can only tell you what I see."
Salem turned her head to the window Hazel was looking at. True enough, there was something heading their way. A huge ball of fire trailblazing through the dark sky. Salem had never seen anything like it before in the Darklands. It was a realm devoid of such life and spirit.
"Good lord, what is that thing?" Watts gasped, finally seeing what Hazel was seeing. "What should we do?"
"I suggest you get out of your seat, lest you be squashed," Salem said.
"My mistress, what is the meaning of this?" Tyrian cried.
"I don't know," Salem smiled. "But I am curious to find out."
Everyone quickly left their seats and ran over to her side of the room. The fireball was getting closer and closer. She could already feel the heat. Salem was intrigued. Whatever it was, it was alien to this world. She wanted to experience it first hand. The threat of danger didn't resonate with her. After all, what did an immortal being have to fear?
The fireball crashed through the room and exploded upon impact. The furniture disintegrated. Every window was obliterated. The walls were set ablaze. It was an impressive sight that she didn't mind the fact that part of her home was devastated. The shockwave was little more than a light breeze to her. Tyrian and Hazel had to brace themselves for it. Alas, poor Watts was sent flying out the window.
The flames subsided and a figure was starting to take shape. Standing in the newly formed crater was a young woman, looking no older than seventeen. Tall with fiery red hair that was literally on fire. Flames danced around her, yet she remained unscathed by them. Her body was throbbing with ancient energy. A familiar strand of energy. Salem observed her, waiting to see what she would do next.
The girl opened her eyes and Salem saw madness behind her green orbs. "Woohoo, what a rush!" she cheered. "Did you see that explosion? I rate that ten out of ten! Biggest boom you've ever seen, am I right?
Salem normally had little patience for humans such as her, but very few were as unique as her. "That was quite the entrance," she hummed. "I don't often get visitors."
"Well, you've got one now! The second I heard about you, I just had to rush over and say hi!"
"And who might you be, my dear?"
The girl's smile was positively wicked. "Consider me your replacement. Hell's gonna need a new devil after I'm done beating the crap out of you!"
"Blasphemer!" Tyrian screeched. "You dare speak to our lady Salem in such a vulgar tone? You will be punished!"
Salem raised a hand. "It's alright, Tyrian," she said calmly. She addressed the girl again. "I know that power. It is the power of the Fall Maiden. Only it was split in half a long time ago, yet you wield its full potential. That can only mean one thing. Tell me, what did you do to poor Cinder?"
"Why don't you ask her?" the girl said. She threw on the floor the severed head of Cinder Fall. Half of it was scorched to the bone. The other half was twisted in an expression of rage and pain.
Hazel whispered something unintelligible under his breath. Tyrian's eyes lit up for a moment, only to darken when he saw the girl again. Salem blinked slowly and that was all the reaction she gave.
"She was such a whiner!" the girl laughed. "Even when I was cutting off her head, she still wouldn't shut up about how unfair it was! It was unfair for me too! All her yapping was hurting my ears! I should've burned her mouth off first!"
Salem felt nothing at the sight of Cinder's lifeless head. She knew her pride would one day overshadow her skill and judgement. If anything, her death was convenient for her. It meant she just found a more powerful replacement.
"Excellent work," Salem approved. "You've done well to make it this far. Now kneel and pledge yourself to me. I will make you my most trusted warrior, and I promise you even greater power in the future.
The girl would be a fool not to accept her offer. It was either this or Salem would kill her with just a flick of her hand. There was no other choice for her.
To her surprise, the girl laughed even harder. "I don't think so. See, I've been seeing some freaky things ever since becoming this Fall Maiden thingy. I've been getting flashes of Cinder's memories because our souls are conjoined or whatever. So I went searching through them, trying to find who she thought the toughest son of a bitch in the world was. And since I don't wanna beat up myself, that leaves only you."
Salem gave her an amused smile. "You know who I am, and yet you still want to fight me? You are a fool, child."
"Fight you? No, I don't wanna fight you. I wanna have a barbecue. I see you already brought the smores."
A stream of flames suddenly erupted from her hands, engulfing Hazel and Tyrian. They didn't get a chance to scream. A few seconds later, they were nothing more than ash and bones.
Salem sighed and rose out of her throne. "I've entertained this farce for long enough, child. I could have given you so much, but it seems you've chosen death. What a shame."
"The only thing I want you to give me is a good fight!" the girl roared back. "Hurry up and show me why Cinder always wanted to piss herself whenever she was near you!"
"You would have done well to learn from her example. I am immortal, child. You cannot kill me."
She expected all sense of hope to vanish from her when she said that. No matter what she did, she would never be able to kill her. The battle was already lost. She expected her to turn tail and run. Salem would never let her get away, but she still wanted her to try.
But that didn't happen. Instead, an elated look formed on the girl's face. "Finally," she whispered in a malicious voice. "A toy that doesn't break when I play rough with it."
A strange sensation passed through Salem's body, and she realised she had just shivered. A moment of terror had briefly flickered through her body. How was that possible? Maiden or not, she was still just a mortal, yet her voice spoke of something much worse.
Salem pushed back her doubts and glared at her. "You will leave this life painfully and nameless," she vowed darkly.
The battle commenced.
[/]
This had been a big mistake. On Salem's part.
This girl was ridiculous. For any other mortal, she would've been a nightmare to deal with. Not only did she fight with the power of the Fall Maiden, but she also possessed incredible physical fighting skills. Her movements were too fast to keep up with, and they carried with them the strength to move the heavens. One slap from her made Salem feel more vulnerable than what she had felt in a millennium.
Then there were her Maiden powers. She had no control over them. She was just tossing fireballs at random, laughing the entire time. She turned the Darklands into a scorching inferno during their battle. Her castle was destroyed. The flames rose as tall as mountains. The land was more devastated and hellish than what it had been when the Brother of Darkness controlled it.
But that wasn't the worst part. Salem knew how to deal with reckless fighters with a talent for destruction. She had slain many in the past. But what separated this girl from them was that she truly had no fear. She didn't care who Salem was or her immortality and power. She fought recklessly without any sense of self-preservation, sometimes jumping straight into attacks. The only thing she cared about was causing her as much pain as possible.
Salem was drained and wrapped in agony. She could no longer die, but she could still feel pain like everyone else. She threw everything she had at the girl. She fired her strongest spell blasts at her, unleashed all the dark magic at her disposal. She tried retreating at one point, allowing her mightiest Grimm to swarm and overwhelm her.
It was useless. The girl moved too quickly. She fought too relentlessly. The whole thing was just a game to her. She cackled as she tossed the Grimm aside like they were leaves in the wind, catching up with Salem and unleashing a torrent of violence upon her without any sign of slowing down. How did she have so much energy?
It felt like hours since the fight began. Salem eventually lost track of time after receiving too many punches to the head. She was lying on the floor, broken and defeated. The girl sat on top of her pounding her head into the ground.
Her tormentor howled with laughter. "This is amazing! Do you think you can lend me some of that immortality? I wanna do this forever!"
"Please…" Salem groaned. "Perhaps we can strike a deal, you and I? Just let me go."
"What's that? It's hard to hear you with my fist in your mouth!"
"Leave me be, and I'll call off the Grimm. I'll abandon my conquest for Remnant. I swear it to you."
Anything. Anything to stop the pain.
"What?" the girl cried. "You're just gonna wuss out? Why would I want that?"
Salem's blood went cold. "But… I'm the greatest threat to mankind! The Grimm are the scourge of Remnant! Surely you'd want me to back down!"
"Are you kidding me? You and your Grimm are the only fun things in this world! I get to pummel you as much as I want, and it's considered a good thing! You're not going anywhere! We're gonna do this until the end of time!"
Salem couldn't believe her ears. What was wrong with this girl? She was genuinely insane!
"It's gonna be great. We can fight in the morning, fight in the afternoon, fight in the evening, fight, fight, fight! We won't ever have to stop! I will… I will..."
The punches ceased. Salem dared to crack an eye open to see what was going on. The girl suddenly looked really tired. Her body wobbled and her eyelids started to flutter. It was the only time she had seen her not acting like a ravenous maniac. Salem didn't know whether to be relieved or worried.
The girl let out a huge yawn. "Nighty, night," she mumbled before collapsing on top of her.
And just like that, she was out like a light. Salem heard her snore softly. Now would've been the perfect time to kill her, but she was so afraid of what would happen were she to accidentally wake up.
No, Salem wanted nothing to do with this girl or the rest of mankind. If this is what they were producing lately, they could keep Remnant. She called for a Grimm to take her back to Ozpin. She had an important message for him.
[/]
Pyrrha woke up with a chainsaw of a headache.
Groaning, she rubbed her head and sat up. She felt like she had run a marathon, lifted thousands of pounds of weights, all the while being on fire. What had happened to her?
She blinked the sleep out of her eyes and realised she wasn't in her own bed. She was in the infirmary - a private suite used only to treat people with serious conditions. Confused and slightly concerned, she looked down at herself. She had no visible wounds on her body. The only thing that hurt was her head. She touched it carefully. She couldn't feel any bumps or scars. So what was she doing here?
She tried to remember what happened in the last few hours. All she remembered was leaving the gym, stopping Cardin and Russel from taking steroids, then going to bed. Apart from that, everything else was blank. Had she skipped out on an entire day? How was that possible?
Oh… the steroids. That's right. She had been jabbed by the needle. It must have caused her to blackout. So, there were some dirty side-effects to it after all.
"Cardin," she growled. "When I get out of here, I'm gonna-"
"Oh, you're finally awake," came a voice beside her. Pyrrha turned her head. Ozpin was sitting by her bedside.
"Professor Ozpin?" she frowned. "What are you doing here? What am I doing here? Where's my team?"
"Oh, they're somewhere around here," Ozpin said calmly. "As are most of the first years. I'd avoid seeing them for now. You gave them all quite a scare yesterday."
"What?" Pyrrha gasped. "What do you mean? What happened yesterday?"
Ozpin looked surprised. "You mean you don't remember? Not even a little bit?"
She shook her head. "No, I don't remember a thing. All I remember is going to bed and-"
She froze. Something was different about her. She felt powerful. No, extremely powerful. It was as if she had absorbed all the energy in Remnant and stored it deep within her soul. It sounded absurd, but she had a feeling that if she wanted to, she could bend the fabric of reality to her whim.
"Professor, I feel strange," she said. "Something just surged within me. I can't describe it, but I feel really strong all of a sudden."
"That would be the Fall Maiden's power," Ozpin said as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"The Fall what?"
"Good lord, you really don't remember," Ozpin whispered.
"Remember what? Professor, what's going?"
The headmaster's face looked complicated. She could see a flurry of emotions raging in his eyes, but he managed to keep himself calm. "To put it simply, you obtained the ancient magical power of the Fall Maiden through a series of events I won't get into. If you feel like the strongest person in the world right now, it's because you are."
Pyrrha's eyes widened. "What? Seriously?"
"Yes. And with that power, you travelled to the Queen of the Grimm's domain and proceeded to beat her into submission. According to her, you were more monstrous than any Grimm she could summon. Then you passed out on top of her."
"The Grimm have a queen?"
Ozpin sighed miserably. "Yes, yes they do. Anyway, you gave her such a good thrashing, she promised never to invade Remnant again when she delivered you back to us. Grimm around the world are in full retreat, and mankind is expected to enter a new age of peace all thanks to you."
"Wow," she breathed. There was so much information to absorb. "I must have been pretty motivated that day, huh?"
"Yes… you have accomplished in a day what I couldn't do in thousands of years… and you don't even remember doing so."
Pyrrha was confused by what he meant by that, as well as his cold expressionless tone, but she didn't pry. "No more Grimm? That's incredible. I'd never thought I'd see the day. So, what happens now?"
Ozpin stood up. "Well, I don't know about you, but I'm off to kill myself. And this time, I think the gods will allow me to stay dead. Have a nice life, Ms Nikos."
That was a strange thing to say, Pyrrha thought as Ozpin walked away. But then again, everything about this situation was strange. Fall Maiden? Grimm Queen? This all sounded like an epic fantasy story and she was somehow the main character of it. It was a shame she couldn't remember any of it. From how Ozpin put it, it made her sound like a savage beast. When did she ever act like that?
Then a huge burst of embarrassment hit her. The steroids! They must have caused her to act out of character. What did people call it? A roid rage? How humiliating. Just another reason to condemn performance enhancement drugs. She hoped she didn't do anything too outrageous.
Well, aside from the whole defeating the Grimm menace thing.
Maybe her friends could fill her in on the details? She still had her scroll. She could give them a message. She turned it on and saw she had received a text from Jaune. He'd definitely be able to help her. She read it and nearly choked.
Hey, Pyrrha. Thanks for saving the world and stuff. When you're out, you wanna practice tongue-wrestling again? I know I'll beat you this time. Or we can just try normal kissing if that's okay with you?
Tongue-wrestling with Jaune? Was this real? Was this just a drug-induced hallucination? She didn't waste time thinking about it. Her fingers typed in a swift reply.
Okay, maybe she did owe the steroids something. At least she'd be able to re-experience some of yesterday's details.
Drugs bad.