AN: Okay this one was supposed to be out a couple of weeks ago, and I was actually more or less done before Christmas, at least with the part I'm posting now. But as it happens, the holidays come, things come up and things go on the back burner and I didn't get around to posting it.
This chapter, along with the next two, were originally written as one super long chapter, but I cut it down. Now at the time of this posting the next two chapters are in fact done, I just need to edit them, which I've acknowledged I'm not very good at. But if this chapter gets enough attention, I'll up the intensity and post the next chapter quicker. In fact, I'm willing to bet by the time the third part of this is posted, I will actually be finished with the story.
Still looking for a Beta.
The Maiden and the Trickster
The holding cells were…better than what he would have expected. But that didn't mean Jaune in any way thought it was nice. They'd been separated into two groups with himself, Thor, Weiss, Ren and Blake in this cell, while the others were being held somewhere else.
Thor insisted that the fact they kept them together was a good sign, that if interrogation was coming, they all would have been isolated. That to break them down they'd make them feel alone.
Thor seemed way too confident his brother would come through for them, and while he did now Loki better than any of them, Jaune was certain there was a blind spot in Thor's view of his brother.
Jaune still hoped that this was just Winter being overprotective and wanting her sister near her. He didn't think that was really all that likely, given he thought Weiss's sister would have been more likely to show up in person. Then there was the fact that Weiss hadn't told her sister where they were. That, at least in his mind, made him think the conversation had been tapped.
It was lucky that Thor had been out of the apartment when they were raided, but then Thor threw that right out the window when he let his temper get the better of him. Jaune had seen that back at Beacon a few times. Back when Cardin had picked on Velvet was the first that came to his mind.
That was a sobering memory. Back then, when Cardin was his concern. He saw that picture more clearly now, that Cardin, while a grade A jerk, was not truly all the bad compared to what the world had to offer. He wished he still had that as his biggest concern, a school bully. Now he had gods and monsters to worry about.
But he tried to keep his cool and not panic. He really hoped they weren't going to prison over this, that Ironwood would see the need for them to come, with no communication available to reach outside the city.
But Weiss's point of him not being completely in his right mind didn't do much to calm his fears.
Blake broke the silence "You think your sister can help us?"
Weiss didn't respond for a moment but soon said "I'm not sure." She didn't look at anyone as she spoke "If she isn't responsible for this in the first place, I don't know if she has the pull to help."
That didn't ease Jaune's thoughts.
Ruby was trying her best not to show her fear. But it was scary for her, to be here in a holding cell. She was glad Yang was here with her. But she still worried about the rest of her friends. She was also worried about what the Atlas military…police…who ever these people were, would do to them.
They'd been put in these cells, and that had all it had been so far. But she'd heard stories of military interrogation and her mind was racing with all the tales of terror. Torture, manipulation, mind tricks and more.
She didn't even want to think of the tales she'd heard what happened in prisons.
"It'll be okay." Yang said, placing a hand on her shoulder, rubbing her thumb into her muscles to try and calm her. "Remember, Weiss's sister is a big shot here, and Ironwood likes us." She held her robotic arm up "He gave me this after all."
That eased Ruby a bit, but still…she worried.
A high pitch siren broke her thoughts and her heart rate jumped. "What's that?"
"Sounds like an alarm." Sun said.
Ruby didn't know if that was good for them or not, but her heart rate jumped at the idea.
3 Hours earlier
Loki listened, and he thought there was some merit to Cider's or rather Salem's proposal. A place at the table as it were, a seat of power and so on. But what he didn't like was this "Queen", sitting at the top when all was said and done. He could play the faithful servant part, he'd done it before, but he didn't care to do it again.
But what was more, he suspected this Salem knew who and what he was, and still had the gall to try and make him a subordinate. The arrogance of it made his blood start to boil. He wasn't going to be subordinate to anyone anymore, he wanted to be master of his life, and even if he couldn't achieve the grandeur of a god or even a king, he'd much rather live as a normal man with no one lording their power over him.
"Well, that's a tempting offer." He said, rubbing his chin, as if he was thinking it over. "But I'll have to decline."
Cinder didn't seem at all surprised or concerned by his response and he had a fair idea of what would come next. He looked at his surrounding to see if there was anything in the environment he could use to his advantage. There wasn't much, the area was pretty sparse, a few concert cylinders being stored for the neighboring construction site, a couple shipping containers and some bundles of rebar. Not a lot, if or rather when this fight broke out, he'd have to move it to a more advantageous area.
Before he could make a proper decision however, a blast of fire rocketed towards him. It came in the shape of a vertical blade that was cutting the ground as it the flame had physical presence. He'd just managed to sidestep it and felt the heat on his face. It felt almost good to feel that warmth, the magic in almost seemed to charge him with its power.
He turned to see more blasts, coming in like a storm of blades, all at different angles. He slipped and dodged them with relative ease, having picked up the pattern.
This girl had power, but she was clearly new to it in terms of actual combat applications. She had the hallmarks of someone who trained with her skill, but lacked proper battle experience with it. But it was more than that, Loki suspected she wasn't as accurate as she would be with two eyes, her depth perception was gone and if he was missing her dominant eye, her aim would also be off.
As he dodged and jumped he started moving back to put some distance between them. He could avoid her attacks at this distance, but if he got to close, she wouldn't have to do much to land hit.
But even then, the attacks were passing within inches of him, and sooner or later she'd opt for another form of attack. She was confident in her power, and she seemed to be forgoing any finesse for sheer firepower.
She was a young huntress of incredible skill, this much he knew, but she was near drunk on her new power and was content to crush her opponents with sheer force. As he dodged another on the blades of fire, he slipped one of his daggers out from his belt and threw it with shocking precision and speed for someone on his position.
Cinder seemed surprised the sudden reprisal, and blasted the dagger out of the air with a blast hot enough to melt the steel of the blade.
But it was the distraction Loki had been waiting for. He took her distraction to slip behind one of the shipping containers to get out of her field of vision. It wouldn't take her long to find him, there weren't many places he could hide. But he used the cover to sprint for the fence and heading to one of the construction sites that surrounded the lot.
He'd expected to feel many things in a fight, but what he was feeling now was something he wasn't quite familiar with. He felt energized, like he'd been living his life, or at least this life, in a constant state of lethargy and didn't know it. But he now felt like he was stronger than he'd been in a long time, and he felt faster as well. He reached the chain-link fence in half the time he'd expect and leaped over it in a single bound. Not exactly an impressive feat for a trained huntsman, but for him, who rarely trained this body, it was much more fluid than he'd have expected.
The crashing of the shipping container made him turn to see Cinder blasting it out the way and charging after him. He didn't think she'd be so easy to lose, she was going to try and kill him, silence him what she suspected he knew, and what she had told him.
As it was, he wouldn't stand up to her in direct fight, Even Thor probably couldn't stand up to her in fight of pure power right now.
That meant he'd have to out-think her, which just so happened to be his specialty.
Cinder smirked as she watched Loki run from her into the construction site. That's all he could do, run and hide. She'd burn this whole area to the ground to kill him if she had to, it may not have been the most subtle way to deal with the issue, but that would hardly matter for much longer.
The area was completely devoid of life. The military crackdown and border closing had hurt many business and many projects had stopped completely. This looked like one, with signs of being in disuse for some time.
That meant Loki couldn't mask his movements, any noise he made would give him away. She could have leveled the complex and the steel frameworks that had been put up before the construction had stopped.
But she had time to play with her food, Emerald and Mercury would get the relic and they'd be on their way, she wanted to have a little fun before they had to go back.
"Come on out Loki, you know you're just prolonging the inevitable."
"Oh, I don't think so Cinder." His voice came from…somewhere. It sounded almost like it was coming from several directions in…almost an echo. She didn't think the skeletal construction of the building would of distorted the acoustics so much, but that was probably why he came here.
She walked on the concrete foundation through the forest of steel I-beams. She looked up and saw the building frame went up quite some way, and realized he could be hiding feet from her and she wouldn't be able to see him. "You think you can beat me?" She called out, hearing her own voice echo, which she was certain hadn't happened previously.
"Well, I'd hate to kill such a pretty girl." Loki's voice called out.
She laughed at the idea of him being able to harm her, he was not fighter by any record or account they had. He was a slippery little imp, that was certain, but the fact that he fled meant he knew she was beyond him. "You'll make me blush with your flattery."
A clinking of metal behind her made her spin and send a wave of fire to obliterate her target. The heat was so great the I-beams glowed red hot from the attack. But she saw no corpse or even a trace of the man she followed here.
"A bit jumpy, aren't you?" Loki's voice echoed around her.
"No, excited, I haven't had much of chance to truly test my powers against a real fighter, I guess I'll have to wait till after I kill you." She smirked as she put the small barb in her comment, hoping to wound his pride and make him react.
"Well then I suppose you won't ever get the chance." Loki's voice sounded closer now, a bit louder to her left.
"Oh, is that right?" She said, laughing again, although it came out sounding a little force.
She kept walking until she got the center of complex where the steel frames stopped and she faced an open floor the size of the arena at the Vytal festival. She looked up and saw there was no steel frame anymore allowing her an unobscured view of the sky. She took three steps into the opening, and heard metal grating on metal above her.
Looking up she saw a bundle of rebar falling towards her. Instead of blasting it she simply jumped out of the way and watch the steel bars hit the concrete, a few even embedding in it. The clanging and ringing of the metal on the concrete rang throughout the structure.
"Is that all?" She called out. "Trying to crush me with some scrap? Even if that had worked it wouldn't have even hurt me, are you really the desperate!" She laughed as she called out.
"Not really."
Cider's eye went wide when the voice whispered in her ear, and she felt something push into her side.
She spun and the threw another wave of fire, this time she caught him. But his Aura saved him from being disintegrated and simple threw him back into the forest of rebar.
She felt her side and felt a small cut. It wasn't deep, her Aura had stopped the blade more or less, but she'd let her guard down enough for him to get that attack in. She ran after him into the forest of I-beams but he was gone again. It was dark in here, even though it was still several hours till sundown, the sky was so overcast that in the structure, it was much darker than the time of day would suggest.
"You're tougher than I thought." She called out "I was sure that would have killed you, but I suppose your Aura is stronger than average."
"You could say that." His voice called out, again echoing in the building.
He was craftier than she thought, and he slipped away quite nicely. Watts had warned her he was a crafty bugger, but she hadn't taken it all that seriously with what else she'd been told about him. But he wasn't that strong, his attack was little more than a scratch and had already healed.
"You can drag this out as long as you like, but we both know the conclusion." She called out.
"I wouldn't say that." His voice echoed in around her. "I'd say one of us knows the conclusion, the other is quite oblivious to it."
Cinder started to grind her teeth at this. His words fitted her view of things perfectly, that he didn't stand a chance, but with them coming for his mouth, it made it seem like he was still confident he could win. His tricks and running meant he couldn't possibly beat her in a direct fight, so that left the possibility that he had more traps waiting.
But unless he planned to fight her here and now, which he couldn't have possibly planned for, there was no way he could set up a proper ambush. He could be bluffing, but she didn't think he was. That meant it wasn't safe to try and continue to look for him in this way.
She looked behind her and wondered if retracing her steps now would be safe. Instead she looked up and saw the sky, grey with cloud.
That was her best bet, up and out.
She used her power to rocket herself up through the beams, they passed in quick blurs and soon found herself above the skeletal structure of the unfinished building.
She landed in the highest steel beam and looked down into the mass of steel. She contemplated just going outside and melting the entire bottom floor and collapsing the whole thing to drive him out.
"Do you even know the extent of the power you wield?"
The voice wasn't behind her this time, but off to her side. She looked to see Loki standing a few beams away. He wasn't primed to attack or even bother to look even somewhat defensive. He in fact look perfectly fine, which surprised her, given the attack she hit him with. He must have been tougher than she anticipated.
"The Fall Maiden's power, the power of the nature itself." She sneered as she responded. What did he know.
"You foolish little girl." He sighed and even dared to turn his back on her "You have magic, one of the few forms in this world and limit yourself."
She was irritated at this point, that he seemed so dismissive of her and so at ease that he turned his back on her. But she couldn't help but wonder what he meant.
"What do you mean, limit myself?"
He turned back to face her "Magic is rare in this world, I've gathered that fewer than a dozen examples exist here, and it is thoroughly limited." He said and started to walk towards her town the narrow walkway of steel. "You and your 'Queen' do not understand the true nature of its power. I could teach you."
"Teach me what?" She was curious now.
"Now to tear the fabric of reality to fit your whim." His voice sounded silky on her ears, very pleasant.
But she shook that away "You're just trying to trick me, I was told you were a talented liar."
"So, you won't listen to me?"
"Why would I?" she said, "You are just delaying the inevitable."
"I suppose I am."
"Yes, you are." She said and let a torrent of flame roar towards him. He heard him hit one of the steel beans as she let the fire flow through her.
The flames had turned the steel to liquid, but she was sure he was dead at this point and let up. The area where Loki had been standing was now a series of glowing steel beams, with a puddle of the molten steel forming on one of the lower beans, with the rest falling to the floor below.
"Well…" she said to herself "that is that." She turned to leave, then she heard that same voice.
"What was it you were told about me you didn't believe?"
Cinder turned to see Loki, climbing over the molten steel with no indication he was touching glowing hot metal.
She didn't answer, but blasted him again. He didn't even flinch this time, but just stood there as the fire impacted on him and washed over him like a gentle fog. He just inhaled and it even looked like he was inhaling the flames.
"Well… what was it?" He said again.
She shook her head, this couldn't be real. But he just strolled towards her, at complete ease. "They said you were a god…in human form…" she couldn't believe this was real, that he was completely unaffected by her fire.
"God of what?" he said, now he was only a few feet in front of her.
That she couldn't remember, but was sure Watts had told her. Was it ice? Or was that what he was born from or something? Lies and mischief she knew for sure, but she didn't think that was what he was talking about. She was now wishing she hadn't brushed off what she'd been told.
"It's fire." He said and his hands wiped out like snake and grabbed her wrists.
Cinder yelped at the force of this motion. He was strong, much stronger than he looked, stronger in fact than anyone she'd ever meet. He forced her to her knees, his grip was crushing her wrists. She need to do something to break free, but fire clearly was counterproductive now. But she had other options, other force to call.
She tried to call the other elements, but the power…wasn't there. Her heart started to pump faster, where had her power gone?
"Your magic doesn't work well on us Asgardians." He said looking down at her "Your relics and your maiden powers, feed our souls and return us to our true power so thank you for that." He grinned her, and she started to struggle to break his grip. "I may not be back to my true self…yet…but you've given me enough magic to do this." He threw her onto her back and felt something wrap around her and bind her to the I-beam. "Now I can figure this out properly."
Loki had long suspected the Maiden's power and the power in the relics was a means to unlocking his and Thor's latent power. After he'd found out about Thor's little action on the bridge, and his reactions to Cinder's power had confirmed it. He could do some minor magic now, like the restraint of Cinder's power and her bindings.
The power of the Maiden's wasn't as strong as the power in the relic, but it would serve its purpose.
"What are you going to do with me?" Cinder called out from behind him. Her voice had a pleasant panic in it after the arrogance she'd shown before.
"You'll live, if you don't do anything foolish." He said not turning to look at her. He was sifting through the chunks of molten steel. Many pieces had bubbled off in droplets and would serve his needs. He need five of the approximate size and shape of a small thumb drive. He'd found three already that were serviceable, but he still needed the other two and soon, he could feel even now the magic waning.
"So, you're the real deal then?" Cinder called "The real god of fire?"
"Yes, though I'm known for a few more things than that." He said as he found a fourth piece.
"Please...let me go, I'll leave you alone, I'll tell Salem…"
"I'll let you go, after I get what I want." He found the fifth piece and walked toward her. He pulled out a marker, and started writing on them.
He knelt down to her and place one on her forehead, one on each shoulder, and the other two he slid into her shoes.
"What are you going to do to me?"
Loki didn't answer but stood over her and held his hand above her. The pieces of metal started to glow and Cinder struggled against her bindings but to no avail.
Cinder had never felt this before, but it reminded her a bit of when she stole the Maiden's power, but it was pulling out of her.
The energy started to visually leave her body, and flowed into Loki's outstretch hand, up his arm, and into his body.
It felt like hours, but it couldn't have been more than a minute or two. It ended all at once, and she wondered if this was how Amber had felt when she stole her powers.
The bonds that kept her tied down faded like smoke and she tried to sit upright, but felt a wave of dizziness wash over her and she had to grip the I-beam to keep herself steady.
The plinking sound of metal made her open her eye and saw the piece of metal Loki had placed on her forehead in front of her, it had some sort of symbol burned into it, but she forgot it as a black boot came into her view.
"You may leave now, if you can."
She looked up and saw Loki towering over her.
"How…the Maiden's power can only be wielded by a woman, how…"
"I didn't take the Maiden's power, I took the primal energy that invests it." He said, "The power is still there in you, but with none of the supernatural force to power it, more or less you have a toy without batteries."
He turned and walked away from her. Cinder felt her heart racing in her chest, anger and fear mixing inside her. She needed to get that power back.
She used her semblance to form a dagger and charged him and stabbed for the base of his neck… and passed through the illusion and fell off the beam.
Loki found Cinder at the bottom of the structure, flat on her back and spread eagle. He thought she might be dead, given how drained he'd left her.
But the slight movement of her right hand told him what he needed to know. Her eye was open and her breathing was shallow, he thought she might be in shock.
"You know I was going to let you go." He said, "I understand the need to sometimes just get away." He knelt down next to her and her eye shifted towards him, telling him there was at least some conscious thought behind her actions. "But I think you'll have to make it up to me for trying to stab me in the back."
He waved his hand over her and the with a sudden gasp, she sat upright. No sooner than she was up she tried to attack him again.
He side steeped her attacks and waved his hand a second time and Cinder fell to the ground in shackles.
"My forum of magic is much more…versatile than yours." He said as he picked her up and slung her over his shoulder. She fought him, but now he had a bargaining chip.
The power he'd stolen wasn't truly all that powerful, but it had revitalized his natural magic enough that he could now perform some of his smaller tricks.
The alarm had stopped and now things had seemed to go back to the previous state of things. Yang didn't like the sudden spike in activity, followed by the sudden drop.
She didn't like not knowing what was going on, even more so when she was stuck in such a small space. But there wasn't anything to be done, other than wait.
Someone was at the door to the cell, and for a moment Yang thought of attacking the guard, but she knew that probably wasn't a good idea. They'd gotten captured without too much effort. Granted they didn't put up as much of a fight as they could of, and were caught off guard. But now they were in the base, and still weaponless.
The guard wasn't armed but instead just stood in front of them all. "Please follow me." He said and turned to leave.
Ruby went to follow, but Yang pulled her back and took the lead. As she took the first steps into the hall, she looked around to make sure there wasn't anything waiting to jump them.
She lead the group down the hall, and after a few minutes, she saw Thor and the rest of their friends following a guard of their own. The two groups converged and Yang stepped closer to Thor and whispered, "What's going on?"
"I don't know, they just came and got us." He said out of the corner of his mouth. "But we'll know soon enough."
Yang was certain he was correct in that assessment, but didn't want to leave it up to these Atlas guards to show them. But she also knew there wasn't an option to do otherwise.
The guards lead them down the hall and eventually to a door. They flanked the door and one punched something into the control panel.
The door slide open with a hiss and one gestured in. "Go on in."
Again the idea of resisting crossed Yang mind, but Thor just walked right in, and if he felt confident enough to go in, she supposed it would be safe enough.
Thor walked into a room that was bare ofwar bar for anything but a table in the center and for a familiar figure on the other side of the room. While he had his back turned to them, the pitch-black hair and green coat were all too familiar.
"Loki." He called and watched his brother turn to look at the group as it entered. He wasn't cuffed or restrained in any way, and there wasn't anything noticeably different about him in his appearance, but Thor could feel something different about his brother.
The rest of the group followed in, but Loki started speaking before they were all in. "Your welcome." Was all he said.
"For what?" Yang's voice came from behind him to question his brother.
Loki made a vague sweeping motion with his hand at them before saying "Getting you out."
"What are you talking about?" Thor asked his brother.
"I bought the general something much more interesting than all of you, I'm certain he's speaking to her right now." Loki said smiling.
Thor knew his confusion wasn't unique to him, but the other's must be feeling it as well. Blake spoke first.
"Who is her?"
"Cinder Fall, I'm sure you known her, tried to…have a talk with me. Unfortunately for her, the maiden's power does not react well with the soul of a deity." He turned to look at Thor as he said this "I'm sure you've encountered this before."
Not a maiden, but when the man on bridge had struck him with the cane containing the relic, he'd felt a surge of power. The Maidens were linked to them somehow, and if their power worked in the same way, it may have actually made Loki stronger. That might have been what he was feeling.
The door opened again, and a woman entered. Were it not for her greater height, and more…mature figure, Thor would of thought Weiss's twin sister had come in.
Weiss wanted to run to her sister, but years of trained restraint held her in place. Her own general shell-shocked mind probably helped in that regard as well. Between everything that had happened from the morning to now, between the dreams, the arrest and sudden release her mind was process so much information she felt almost like she was moving through wet cement at points.
Her sister, ever the professional solider only let her eye's rest on her sister for a few moments before addressing the room at large.
"I hope you all understand you are among the luckiest people in Atlas. To defy a closed border policy at a time like this and walk away with a slap on the wrist." She walked with a brisk pace, arms behind her back, projecting the ever-confident solider Weiss knew her sister to be. But there were small things she picked up on. Her hands were clasped behind her back, but she was rubbing her thumb in her wrist, a small tick of agitation. Winter spoke again "If it weren't for the information you gave us, and the prisoner your little friend provided." She gestured at Loki at this point "I doubt even I could keep the general from throwing you all in a prison." She said before finally stopping pacing.
No one spoke for a few moments; the Thor spoke up. "Does your General believe what he's been told?"
"Yes, if only because of the…enhanced interrogation of Cinder." She said, saying the word 'enhanced' in way that made Weiss not want to know what they had done to her.
"If you'll follow me, I'll show you all to more…appropriate accommodations." Winter turned to leave beckoning for them to follow.
"Aren't you going to tell us anything else?" Weiss finally called after her sister.
Winter didn't break her stride as she called back "In due time, for now, follow me."
Cinder sat in her cell on the floor, in the corner, her head spinning and her stomach churning. This was an unmitigated disaster. Her power was gone, and Ironwood had effectively torn down all mental defenses she had. They had shot her up with something, and in her already exhausted state she, she sang like a canary.
She didn't know what they had put her, but she'd been aware of certain cocktails that common people called "Truth Serum" that certain, less reputable military organization were known to use. IT wasn't really truth serum, but it did make a person more susceptible to compliance and answering questions.
This was different though, what it was they used on her, she thought this might just kill her before long if her Aura didn't return soon. She didn't even think she could open her eye without getting sick right now.
"You are not looking well." A familiar, smooth voice said from behind her.
Her eye popped open and her stomach churned violently, but she saw Loki standing in her cell.
"You!" Her adrenaline spiked and she lunged at him, and passed through him like he was made of smoke. She landed violently on the floor and her stomach gave out and she vomited. "Hallucination." She muttered.
"Not quite." The false Loki said. "Your power has…restored some of my powers." The illusion knelt down next to her "This is a little trick of mine, it allows me to project myself as a hologram, to communicate with person's over great distances."
"Even if you were real." She muttered closing her eye "Why come here."
"Sympathy." He muttered "You were being used by Salem." He said it in such a nonchalant way he might have been talking about the weather. "I understand that."
"She didn't use me I-"
"Tell yourself what you like, but I've been around longer than you, and her for that matter. The signs are too clear to me." He cut her off "I'm here to ease your suffering." He waved his hand and the sick feeling she felt vanished.
Her vision and head were clear, the image still stood before he. She passed her hand through it and saw it shimmer, like a hologram. He was telling the truth, at least part of it.
"Why else are you here?"
Loki smiled at her "So cynical to think I could just want to ease a fellow lost soul's suffering." The image stood up and continued. " Well you'reyour right, I have some questions you're going to answer."
"Why would I do that?"
"For starters, I could stop easing those side-effects of the cocktail they shot you up with. For second, you're going to need a friend like me, now that in a matter of days your former master will know you are now powerless, and a traitor to boot, and don't tell me you think she'll spare you. You're a liability now."
She scoffed, but knew he was right "You're the supposed god, what in the world would you need me to tell you."
"You still doubt my power."
"It's not your power I doubt anymore, it's the truth of your claim, but I guess it doesn't matter to me much now."
"No it doesn't, things are coming to a head in the this world very soon, I've seen it, felt it, and even helped push it. Right now you are on no one's side, your previous ship has cast you off and none of the one's sailing by will offer you asylum, only death sooner or later."
"So what…you want me to climb on you ship? Why would you even want me, you have my power."
"No, I have the energy that powers it, but your Maiden powers are still in you, just weaken. You still have some skill and power, but more importantly, you have nothing."
"So, it's you or death."
"Well…more or less." He smiled as he said this.
"Tough choice." She muttered, but knew her options were extremely limited now. "Say I did help you, how could you help me? I'm stuck here."
"Sweet girl, I am the god of mischief, I can walk you out this cell as easily as taking you for a stroll in the park. You just need to answer my questions."
Cinder thought for a moment, and knew that in the end, she was already marked for death by Salem. Ironwood would execute her as soon as he thought she wasn't any more use to him. What was the worst that could happen to her now?
"Alright, what do you want to know?"
Weiss looked around the room Winter had led her to. It wasn't as nice as the apartment, but she at least had a room to herself.
She turned to face her sister and saw Winter closing the door. Before she could say anything, Winter embraced her in a crushing hug. "It was stupid to come back here."
Weiss was caught off guard but returned the hug "WE had to, everything I told you-"
"I know." Winter said, kissing her on the temple quickly before breaking the embrace "But we aren't as blind as Qrow might think."
"What do you mean?"
"We still have spy's Weiss, all over the world, the metal your friends found, that Grimm killer, for example, we've known about it for over a year. We even had reports on Salem location, although we didn't know what it truly was."
"Ironwood knew all this?!" Weiss near shouted.
"No, we had anomalies, that you and that girl your friend captured, finally filled in. Weiss Atlas has been building a War machine for this very purpose since before Beacon Fell. It's in overdrive now, and you and your friends just gave Ironwood the final piece of the puzzle, that is the only reason you aren't in a cell now."
That didn't make Weiss fell all the great. "But we needed to tell you, the relic."
"Yes, that was important, and thanks to you, the thieves have been caught." Winter said, rubbing Weiss shoulder. "Ironwood is…ready for total war, he's got an army armed with and made of that steel, and weapons I've…never seen. He thinks he can end this once and for all."
Weiss was quiet, but thought that all sounded like a good thing, but Winter's tone was saying otherwise. "Winter…what's wrong?"
"The General, he's…turning into a tyrant. He declared martial law and even father is…helpless to stop him."
"But once it's over.."
"I don't know if he'll give it up. The Atlas military is the strongest force in the history of the planet. If he can defeat the Grimm once and for all, and vilify the other world leaders…"
"You think he'd do that?"
"I don't know…but if it comes to that, dealing with it will be harder than any Grimm."
They sat in silence for a moment before Weiss spoke again "I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault, it was inevitable really. Maybe it's better that it happened now, at least we stopped the relic being stolen." She sighed "So what can you tell me about Loki." She asked.
Weiss felt her heart rate jump at this "What do you mean?"
"He just dropped off with the fall Maiden, completely drained of power, how?"
"He's a very clever and…intelligent man." She responded. "He's Thor's brother, but…if Thor is brawn, he's the brain." She said, not know how much Loki had told her sister or the General.
"Hmmm, I didn't know Thor had a brother." Winter said, "I don't see the resemblance."
"He is adopted." She added. Winter had meet Thor in passing at the Vytal tournament, and while she didn't know him well, she was at least aware of him. Loki was a totally unknown factor that showed up with a powerful enemy in hand, asking for their release. That had to be odd to Winter.
"How does someone like him subdue a Maiden?"
Winter's voice was kind, but she knew her sister was intensely hoping for an answer. But in truth Weiss didn't know. Loki was smart, and Loki was crafty, but to subdue Cinder, and suppress her power, she couldn't even guess.
"I don't know Winter, I know he…" she trailed off, realizing she had to be careful what she said. As much as she loved and trusted her sister, her sense of duty was incredibly strong. She'd almost put forth the idea that Loki had learned something from the knowledge relic, but then realized what problems that might cause. "He's very cunning, I'm guessing he tricked her somehow." She said. She wasn't lying, not exactly, because she thought that might be true.
Winter didn't seem to question this and she thought Loki had given a similar answer.
"I'll let you rest." Winter said. "You and your friends will be briefed tomorrow, get some rest, I'll have dinner sent up for you all." Winter hugged her one last time. "I am happy to see you." She said.
"I'm am too." Weiss responded before adding with a laugh "Thor and Nora areis going to need at least triple portions." Winter didn't laugh at this, but Weiss spied a smile on her sister's face. "I'm not kidding!" she let a laugh come out as Winter left.
"I'll see to it." Winter said as she left.
Weiss felt…better. All thing considered, things had worked out more or less.
"Glad she'd gone." An all too familiar voice said from behind her.
"Loki." She muttered before turning. "What do you want?" she kept her cool, but Loki shouldn't of been here. She'd seen him go into his own room.
"To talk." He said from behind her, she still hadn't turned to face him. But she didn't have to, he just appeared in front of her, just…materialized.
"What…"
"A little trick of mine." He said "An old one I've recently…reacquired." Weiss shook her head, this didn't make sense. "How I beat Cinder, I stole her magic." Loki said to clarify.
"But…how could you steal the maiden's power?" Weiss said, still shaking her head. "They are supposed to…why are you shaking your head?"
"You are the second to ask that question." He said "I didn't steal the Maiden's abilities, just the power that invests it, a subtle distinction, but one that I must distinguish."
Weiss now found herself curious. "Care to explain?"
"Think of it as… an engine and fuel." He said "A normal engine requires only more mundane fuels, like a semblance and aura. But a more powerful or extravagant engine needs a more…refined fuel source." He made hand gestures as he spoke. "The superior fuel may run both engines, but the inferior can't power the more powerful one, at least to any usable degree."
"So you…stole the Maiden's fuel?"
"In a manner of speaking yes, the magic energies that fuel the Maiden's power are mine and they've given me…some semblance of my old power." He smiled at his word choice, but Weiss had more questions.
"How did you even do that?"
"I was quite the accomplished sorcerer in my old life." He said smirking "Cinder unwillingly gave me just enough energy to complete a ritual to sap her energy." He walked closer to her "The maiden's power make me and my brother stronger if we are exposed to them, she didn't know that, and it cost her dearly."
Weiss knew Thor had reacted to the relic's power, in a fantastic and overwhelming fashion. If the Maiden's power were linked to the relic, and had many reasons to suspect they were, then it made sense for them to have a similar effect.
"So…you're a god again?"
Loki shook his head "I've only regained some of my power, some of my more basic magical abilities, this image for example." He said "But I've allowed myself to be distracted I came here for a reason."
"What?" Weiss said, suspicion heavy in her voice.
"To talk." Loki said. "I've grown somewhat accustomed to…our talks."
"We haven't had 'a talk' in a couple days, why the sudden interest?"
"It's all coming to an end soon." Loki said, now looking around the room.
"What's coming to an end?"
"All of this." Loki made grand sweeping gestures "In the next few days the world will change, for better or worse, even I can't say, but either Salem will win once and for all, or the threat to this world will either be destroyed or crippled."
Weiss's heart jumped into her throat at these ideas. Winter's talk and now Loki's frankness on the issue made it seem much closer than before. "So." She began "You…you know this for a fact?"
"As much as I can." Loki said as he stopped looking around the room. "I've been to visit Cinder in her cell, and from what she conveyed to me, Salem is almost readyread to move into her end games, and from what I know of Ironwood, he's going to try and strike her first."
"You visited Cinder?"
"In the same way I am visiting you." Loki clarified.
Weiss took that to mean in this…hologram form. Still the idea of him seeing Cinder made her agitated. "And she talked to you?"
"After I eased her pain, yes. That General of yours is rather ruthless."
"What did Ironwood do to her?" Weiss asked not sure she wanted the answer.
"I don't know what it's call here, but he shot her up with a powerful drug that made her talk." Loki responded "Frankly if she wasn't as strong a huntress as she is, even withoutwith her Maiden's energy, she probably would of died, that's probably the only reason Ironwood tried it."
That turned Weiss stomach, as much as she hated Cinder, she was never a fan of 'enhanced interrogation', as some people called it, even she understood it's need in certain situations.
"So…what? You just want to talk? Why?"
"You may not be here in a couple days, none of us might be." Loki said and Weiss was surprised to see sadness cross his face. "So I'd like to have some of the comfort I get from…talking to you."
He almost seemed ashamed of the last part, but she sort of got it. The end of…something was coming. Any comfort was welcome.
"What did you want to talk about?"
"So." Ironwood said to Winter, while not looking at her, but rather his desk "How long until preparations are complete?"
Winter lay a folder on Ironwoods desk "At current speed, thirteen days."
Ironwood reach to pick the folder, opened it, and started flipping through it "Will the weapons system be ready by then or will be have to go with plan B?"
"It should be ready four days before scheduled deployment, although we won't have to time to run it through proper testing, but it should work."
Ironwood just kept looking through the folder then responded, "I want you to recruit every hunter in the Kingdom that isn't already employed by the military." He said before pausing "I also want all private security troops and assets to be mobilized onto our ships."
"Sir?" She began "I'm not sure…those are mostly civilian owned assets we can't-"
"We can do anything to ensure the safety of the Kingdom" He cut her off "Martial Law allowed for it."
"Yes sir." She responded and waited a moment before posing her question "Can I tell the plan to the recruits?"
"Not until the day before deployment." Ironwood said finally putting down his folder and looking at her "But you are asking if you can tell your sister and her…friends, then yes you have leave to do so."
Winter was happy he picked up on her meaning without having to spell it out. Still, she was worried about him. She knew his actions were for the protection of the kingdom and the larger world, still, he was slipping down the road of a despot.
But at the same time, she knew that in this situation, a single strong leader with a clear idea, plan and goal was better than two dozen people arguing over what to do. And this may be the best chance for this to come to an end.
The force Ironwood had assembled was more than just everything Atlas could muster. Recruits from the other Kingdoms and Menagerie had been gathered as well. Those huntsmen and soldiers had been harder to get, as they had to be recruited in person from their home territories. But in the end what they had was probably the most powerful military force the world had ever known.
She shouldn't be scared with this much power for the assault. But she was, there were things at work here beyond the realm of what most of these people had ever faced. Magic, and even gods. Not to mention the fighting in a terrain they could never of trained for.
But there was no helping it, this had to be done, and there were always casualties in war. She just hoped her sister wouldn't be one. She'd of forbade her if she thought that would do any good, but Weiss wouldn't stay. The only one who'd ever managed to cow her in any way was their father. It was odd in way, but made sense at the same time. Even though Weiss could overpower their father easily in a physical confrontation, he was still their father and that had an odd almost supernatural ability to make even Winter feel like a small child in his presence. She wasn't sure if all children felt this way with their parents of it had to do with how they were raised.
As Winter though of this, an idea came to her. One that made her feel sick, but it could keep her sister alive.
"I love him." Weiss muttered as she sipped her coffee. "And I hate him." She sipped it again. "How can I feel both at the same time for him?"
"It's easy." Loki said, "He's your father, but hasn't been…the best at it." Loki looked at the cup Weiss had brought him, forgetting he wasn't really in the room. These conjuring's really were quite convincing.
"I want…I want to see him." She said, "And mother, and even my brother, but if I do I doubt I ever leave that estate again."
"After all this is done, I'm sure you will." He said, "If I've learned one thing in my life, family feud and fighting never accomplish anything and in the end, everyone involved feels worse than before."
"You and Thor?"
"And my father." Loki added "I spent a very long time mad at him, and my brother. But it was only recently I've even begun to move past it."
"How?"
"I remember what it was like before I found out where I came from." Loki said, "Even if I didn't know the truth, I can remember genuine fondness from them and happy memories." He said, "It doesn't fix it all, but it helps me moving forward."
Weiss was silent for a moment, and Loki could see she was thinking.
"I think…I can remember a few times, when I was very young." She said.
Weiss's scroll began to buzz. She picked it up and looked over it for a moment.
"Who was it?"
"Winter." She said, "She's going to be sending us…all of us, a memo with the plan of attack."
"That seems, rather odd, to send sensitive information over a scroll."
"Not here, the local signal for this base is entirely controlled by the Military, it's about as secure as it can be." Weiss said and her scroll hummed again. "Winter wants me to meet here."
Weiss's tone told him something wasn't quite normal. He didn't know their relationship in detail, but he could tell something wasn't normal as far as Weiss understood it with her sister.
"What does she want?"
"She didn't say." Weiss said and something about how she said that made him think that was what was bothering her. "We'll talk later, okay?" She moved towards him, as if to embrace him, but stopped herself, remembering he was just an illusion.
"Yes." Loki said and vanished for Weiss's vision. But he didn't leave her. He simply made himself invisible to her, but he planned to follow her.
Weiss was nervous about what her sister wanted to talk about. Not because of anything other than this was outside of Winter's normal way of doing things. She had always been direct and never this…evasive.
But she trusted her sister more than anyone else in this world except maybe her teammates. As she made her way through the building, and out the front door she started looking for Winter.
She didn't see her sister, but was certain she'd be along in a few moments.
She waited. And waited. After five minutes, she pulled her scroll out to see if her sister had sent her a message. Nothing.
A car pulled up behind her and Weiss felt her blood run cold. She'd come out her unarmed.
She turned and was just in time to see two large men grab here and throw thrown her in the car.
She fought, but these men were much stronger than the average citizen. Hunters or former hunters she was sure.
"Miss Schnee, please be calm, we're taking you home." One of the men said.
They worked for her father, and now what she had feared ever since coming here had come to pass.
But how did they get to her.
Winter hated herself as she watched her sister put in the back of the car. But if their father kept her at home, she'd be safe during the operation. She wished she had another option, but she couldn't think of anything else that would be as effective in keeping her away.
She didn't know Weiss would ever forgive her, but as long as she was alive, she could deal with her hate.
Loki didn't like seeing his…friend, manhandled. He heard them mention taking her home.
Had to be her father behind it. In this state, he could follow easily, and he did.
Weiss was silent and looking at her feet. He wanted to talk to her but he restrained himself. He didn't want to let the drivers know he was tracking them. He'd wait till they got to their destination, find out where they were going.
This was…new to him. Acting for the benefit and concern of others. He'd tried to fight it, but Thor was right. He didn't know it what manner, but he was. He'd started to care, he wanted…friends and connections.
And Weiss was the one here who…understood him the most. With her family issues, the father and older sibling you both idolized and felt inferior to. The tool of their father's designs for the future, but cast aside when they were no longer useful.
He cared for her in a way. He didn't want to see someone like himself suffer more than she already had. He supposed it was his own desire to in some way to try and fix his own issues, on an emotional level at least. He knew on an intellectual level he could never undo his past, but on an emotional level, which was much more intense since his time as a mortal, he felt if he helped her, he could help himself.
It was foolish, and he knew it. But he couldn't help but feel it to be true. He wanted to help her, to save her…if he could.
"Something is wrong." Thor muttered.
Yang, who had been visiting Thor's room, perked up "What's that?"
"I feel…something." Thor muttered "Magic, I think it's making me…stronger." He clenched his fist to emphasize the point.
"That would be me, dear brother."
Both turned to see Loki standing in the room, somehow without entering through the door.
"What do you want?" Yang said marching up to Loki and tried to shove him, but her hand passed through him like air, and a shimmer came from his body. "What the?"
"Loki, how are you doing this?" Thor said standing up and walking next to Yang.
"I've gotten some of my old magic back, not much but a bit." Loki said, "But this is about Weiss." He said her tone much more solemn than Thor would of thought from his brother.
Yang, who had seemed ready to right, suddenly became much more passive and concerned. "What's happened?"
Loki, or rather his hologram, looked at her. "Her father has taken her home." He said "I managed to track them back to the family estate." Loki said "But more than that, I do believe her sister sold her out."
"What?!" Yang near shouted "She wouldn't-"
"I believe she did." Loki cut her off. "Weiss was responding to a message from her sister when they took her."
Yang shook her head, not believing what Loki was saying. Weiss adored her sisters, and she had every reason to believe the feelings were mutual. The idea of a sibling betraying one another was outlandish in her mind from her own experience. But a quick look at the two brothers across from her had offered a much different opinion on the matters.
Instead of asking for anything else from Loki, Yang pulled out her scroll and tried to call Weiss. It rang several time before going to voicemail. She tired two more times with the same result and eventually put her scroll away her heart rate pounding with worry for her friend.
She looked at the two brothers, who were staring at her. Thor looked concerned, Loki an "I told you so" look on his face.
"So." Loki said "How do you want to proceed?"
Weiss was lead back into the family manor, feeling shame, fear, and betrayal. Her sister had of been the one to set her up, and that had cut her more deeply than she would of ever thought possible.
She tried to come up with other possibilities, but it just wasn't likely in her mind. The only reason she was out there was because of Winter.
The Manor felt as cold as ever, and she knew these thugs would be taking her to her father.
As they made their way through the mansion, Weiss felt an odd mix of emotions. Aside for her fear, anger, and general distress. But she was bit surprised to feel an odd sense of relief of seeing her old home. It was familiar, and despite her bad memories here, there were good.
Before she wanted to be, she was in front of her father's study. One of the guards, or thugs, or whatever they called themselves spoke "Go in"
She didn't want to, but knew it was inevitable at this point. She gripped the door and opened it. She walked in. And the site the greeted her was heart sinking to her.
Her father, whom she both hated and loved, sate at his desk before her. But he looked like he had aged several decades from the last time she had seen him. His hair, always white, was now thin and falling out, and what remained looked wispy and dead. Her skin was sallow and oddly transparent, vein seeing through.
The blood vessels around his eye had ruptured, giving her a perpetual tired looked.
"Weiss." He said, and even his voice was weak.
"Father…what." She began.
"That General." He muttered. Standing, shaking as he did so. His movements were shaky and he needed a cane to steady himself. "He's taken everything from us...for his war effort."
Weiss didn't understand, that would make him angry, but he looked…like he was dying. "Father, he's…I know what coming he's just doing what he thought was right."
"He's poisoned me Weiss, to make me look weak." He said, "Any support I had is gone, they are unwilling to help a dying man with a boy as his heir."
"Father, please that is ridiculous." She said, although she thought he was correct on that latter part of his statement, with his two older daughters disinherited and an underage heir apparent, she didn't doubt Ironwood would have a hard time seizing control.
"Is it." He whispered as he limped towards her "I'm not the only one to have a 'sudden illness' strike me. Several other businessmen, politicians and influential people have drop dead all of a sudden." He muttered "But this isn't why I want you here."
Weiss was puzzled, but her heart was racing. Her father was dying and she was claiming a man both she and her sister respected was behind it. But she kept her poise as best as she could "Then why did you want me here?"
"In the loss of everything, and the realization of what the means." He said looking at the floor "and the knowledge I won't live to see it return, I've thought of how I've treated my family."
He turned to look at her, and she saw a sadness in his eye's she'd never seen before, and it scared her. Her father had been a cold and distant man her whole life, with genuine emotions other than anger being a rare occurrence.
This man was not her father, he was a shadow of that man. A man faced with mortality barreling down on him, his legacy in tatters.
Overwhelming pity for him churned in her stomach, mixing with rage. Rage at him for the years of emotional neglect and abuse the unflinching standards, and the fact he disowned them when they didn't follow his wishes.
But he was still her father, for whatever that counted for, and here he was, dying. The idea that Ironwood might be responsible scared her. She'd always respected him, and her sister looked up to him in way she never did with their actual parents. The idea he might do something so…sinister to grab assets for his war effort, scared her.
"So, what now?" She said, "Are you going to apologize?"
"There isn't any apology I could give that you would accept." He whispered, Weiss was sure if it was due to lack of strength, a sense of shame, or both. "But I am, and I don't expect forgiveness." He said and sat down again, closing his eyes.
Weiss waited for him to say more, but after a minute or two she realized he was asleep.
"He's not himself you know." A familiar voice came from behind her.
"I can see that Whitely." Weiss said, not turning to look at her younger brother.
"He doesn't know who or where he is some days." Her brother said as he walked into her line of sight. "Mother isn't much better, though for different reasons." He made a drinking gesture with his hand to show his point.
Weiss wasn't surprised, her mother had been having drinking problems that were severe before all this had happened, and added stress of the world as she knew it coming crashing down, undoubtedly pushed her even further.
"Is she awake?" She asked.
Whitely shook his head "In her room, out cold."
So, this was what had become of the Schnee family. A dying patriarch, and downward spiraling drunk of a matriarch, two disowned daughters and boy who was in no places to help any of them.
"What would Grandfather think if he could see what we've become." Weiss muttered, her eye's never coming off her father as he dozed in his chair. She wanted to fix all of this, and all the harm her father had done, but now, that idea seemed so far away.
If what her father said was true, and she wasn't sure now if it was given Whitely comments of his mental state but he'd seemed fairly lucid, so he was probably telling the truth as far as the loss of the family company, the idea that Ironwood had done it may have been an old paranoia coming to the surface in his illness.
"He'd probably be happy to see it all come to an end frankly." Whitely said. "While father has done great things for the company, it wouldn't be recognizable to Grandfather now."
"So that wasn't part of his delirium, Ironwood has taken control?"
"In a manner of speaking." Whitely said in a calm, even tone. Weiss finally turned to look at him and thought he wasn't looking so well either "The shareholders let Ironwood take control once father got sick. With you gone, never mind being disowned, and mother in her…condition, and the fact I'm not of age, it wasn't a hard case for him to make, especially with fear that is gripping the world."
"What about Winter?"
"Turning control over to her would have been the same as Ironwood, she'd still enlisted and subordinate to him." Whitely said. His voice was so calm it was almost unnerving to Weiss, but she pushed it aside for now.
"So, were all in the same boat now." She said, looking back at her father. "What is wrong with him, exactly."
"The doctor doesn't know exactly, but it's some sort of parasite, another they've ever seen before." His voice never changed, despite talking about their dying father. "It just sort of…poped up recently. Tiny little world in the blood, almost completely impervious to any treatment…even Aura can't slow them down…in fact, it just seem to make it worse."
Weiss's blood ran cold at that, this sounded incredibly familiar. In fact, she'd seen it happen to someone else, and he'd only survived by divine intervention.
"Whitely, can I borrow your scroll, I need to make a call."
"I'm not saying we don't help, I'm just saying maybe storming the front gate isn't the best idea." Jaune pleaded with everyone as they discussed what to do to save Weiss.
"But they kidnapped her!" Nora shouted, "It's like…like…" Nora struggled to find the words to fit her thoughts.
"Justified?" Ren offered.
"Yeah!"
"Technically." Blake cut in "As her legal guardian, while she'd under 18, her father has the right to detain her and bring her home, so long as it's not in cruel or unusual way."
"Ambushing her and throwing her in a car isn't 'cruel or unusual'?" Yang offered.
"If he claims her as a runaway, which she technically is, then he can argue extreme measures needed for the 'wellbeing' of his child."
"That's total bunk." Ruby muttered.
"We know that, but the authorities don't." Jaune said "Which is my point why raiding the compound isn't a good idea."
Thor, Yang, Nora, Sun and Ruby wanted immediate actions. Which he understood, a friend in danger was a powerful motivator. But he, Blake, Loki and Ren was much more reserved on the matter, wanting to think things through first. Rushing in without a clear view of situation wasn't something he wanted to do.
They discussed it for a few more minutes before he heard a ringer going off. He turned to look at Ruby, who fished her scroll out of her pocket.
Ruby looked at the scroll before saying "I don't know this number." She looked around the room like she was looking for answers from the assembled group.
"Answer it." Jaune said gently.
"Hello?"
Jaune listened then heard Ruby gasp "Weiss! Oh my god where are you are you okay?! What? Yes he's here…okay…sure." The entire room had gone dead silent as Ruby pulled the scrolled from her ear and look at Loki. "She wants to talk to you." She held the scroll out to Loki, who walked forward and took the scroll and held it up to his ear.
"Hello." He said.
Jaune knew everyone was listening intently to try and hear what Weiss was saying over the scroll, but it was hard.
"Yes, I'll be there." Loki ended the call and tossed the scroll to Ruby. "Blake." He said, "I'll leave it to you to tell the other the story." And with that, Loki faded from sight like a hologram flashing off.
That was new to him and judging by the reactions most the other's it was new to them as well.
"What the hell was that!" Sun shouted, "I thought he had some weird lying semblance, not…whatever that was."
"My brother." Thor said, with a shadow of a smile on his face. "Has reclaimed some of his old powers, but that is a story for later." Thor turned to Blake as asked, "What did he mean by 'leave it to you'?"
Blake pointed to her cat ears, "I heard the whole thing."
"Well." Jaune asked "What going on?"
Loki looked at the man who was sleeping on the bed before him. He wouldn't have looked impressive in Loki's opinion, even at peak health.
Weiss's father looked almost like a corpse, and if it weren't for his slowly rising chest, he'd have thought he was dead.
"Are you sure you want me to try and save him?" Loki asked looking away from the man to Weiss.
"Yes." She said "I…want some reconciliation with him, but not with him in a delirium on his deathbed."
"Hmmm." Loki hummed. "Nothing else? No other reason?" Weiss's body language told him there was indeed more, and he wanted to know before he did anything. She shifted on her feet uncomfortable with the question "Nothing you may…gain from this?"
"I…" she began "I want to fix the company, the family name and legacy, but if he dies…without regaining control or…taking me back as heir, then that dream dies with him."
There is was, and Weiss looked completely and utterly ashamed of herself, she couldn't even look at him.
"So you want me to save him so you can…get the company. If you save him, he'll reinstate you."
"It sounds so cold and…uncaring when you put it like that." She said, looking at the floor. "Like I'm some sort of greedy monster."
"The fact that you feel shame about even thinking it means you aren't a monster." He said "But…I'm surprised by the fact you managed to think of something so…calculated."
"It's not just that, I do want to reconcile with him." She said finally looking at him, her eye's near pleading with him to believe her, and he did. He hadn't known her for an extremely long time, but despite the demeanor she put up in front of strangers, he knew she wasn't nearly as cold or heartless as first impressions gave. She was in fact very caring and warm underneath it all.
"Weiss, you know me." He said "I'm not going to judge you for this, you know more than a bit about my past. You want two things that just so happen to align with the single goal in this case. Don't feel bad that saving him can help you in more than one way, even if one is a little more…calculated."
She didn't look very convinced by his statement, but she did ease up a little. "Can you save him?"
Loki passed his hand over Jacques, feeling the parasites through his magic. "I think I can." He said "You believe this is the same parasite that infected Thor?"
"Yes, a weapon, manufactured to kill. If he were a hunter, he'd probably be dead by now." Weiss said. "So his suspicion that he's been 'poisoned' is probably correct."
"Indeed." Loki said as he pulled out small pieces of bone with runes carved on them. At full power, he could just snap his fingers and fix the issue, but the power he'd stolen wasn't that strong and he'd need to use some more spells to make sure he didn't this without killing the man. He started placing the carved runes around Jacques in preparation.
"What are those?" Weiss asked.
"Runes, they help focus my power and cast certain spells." He said as he placed the last one on Jacques forehead.
"I didn't think you needed anything to do your magic."
"Simple spell and tricks, like the illusions, no. But to do something like this, safely and properly at least, these will focus the energies."
"But you teleported here, right? Doesn't that take more effort?"
"Not when I'm applying it only to myself, if I wanted to bring someone along, I'd need some assistance." He said as arraigned Jacques hands in a certain manner.
"So, you need these…runes if you're trying to applying magic to someone else?"
"For this instances, and if I don't want to kill them, yes. Now." Loki took a few steps back "You may want to back away, this is a very, precise spell."
Weiss listed and retreated behind him and he raised his hands level with his shoulders.
"Maybe I should lock the door?" Weiss asked before he started.
He thought for a moment and said "Yes, we don't want anyone bargaining in to try and stop this." He didn't turn to watch her do it, but heard the click. "Okay, prepare yourself."
Whitely was a bit surprised to see his sisters distress at their father's condition. He'd honestly thought she hated him.
He didn't know who this man was she had brought to…help he supposed, but it was pointless. He was on death's door. The best doctors in the world couldn't help him, this man would be next to useless.
A loud sounding blast and tremor running under his feet broke his thoughts. Aids and security were running to his father's room.
"What was that?"
"What was that!" Weiss said as she stood up after the blast.
"Feedback." Loki said as he stood up in the vapor. "Those parasites had some magic in them as well."
"So, it didn't work?" Weiss said.
"I didn't say that." Loki walked over to her father as he spoke. He was remarkable uninjured, as if the energy had radiated out from the air around him and not back on to him.
Weiss walked over to look at her father, and he was still sleeping, but his face seemed, more peaceful.
"Did it work?"
"I think it did." Loki said, but before he could say any more there was a pounding on the door, followed by a crashing sound and both turned to look and see guards coming shouting at them.
Weiss looked at Loki, who had his hands raised, and she followed suit, not wanting to risk another confrontation. They were escorted swiftly out of the room, but not roughly. They were only lead away to another sitting room and then left alone, because despite everything, she was still Weiss Schnee. A team of nurses and doctors were running to her father and she had the distinct impression they were removed more for her father getting seen to than for security reasons. Not that it mattered much, she knew they were being watched here anyway.
"So, you think it worked?"
"Well enough, I believe I managed to purse the parasites from his body, but I don't have the power heal his actual body. The rest will be up to him to recover normally."
"So…you didn't actually heal him?"
"No, I removed what was making him sick, he's going to have some time recover, but with the parasites gone, he should be able to."
Not what she'd been hoping for, but it was better than nothing. "But could you have healed him? If you were given the chance?"
"Of course, fixing a human body that's damaged isn't much trouble at all, a wave of my hand would have been enough"
"So…you don't need the runes to work your magic on other people."
"Honestly." Loki said, "It depends on what I'm trying to do and with what results." He sighed "The body heals itself, so I just sort of…give it a push to work faster, but If I want to say expel something from someone, and not kill them, I need more control."
Weiss wasn't sure she understood fully, but she thought she had the general idea. She suddenly felt very tired, and sat down on the couch. Loki followed suit and sat down next to her.
They sat on a couch and waited in silence for some time. Weiss didn't know what to say, and even if she did she wasn't sure if she would want to, the silence was nice.
Eventually a security officer came into the room and walked up to them.
"Miss Schnee, your father would like to speak to you and your… friend."
AN: Okay, there's that.