Chapter-43
Yang
"Welcome to the latest match of the doubles round of the Vytal Tournament!" Professor Port's voice came out across the speakers as Weiss and Yang found themselves standing on the stage.
"Here we are, the semi-finals." Weiss spoke as Yang nodded. Yesterday, the weird detective dude, Kilo Green, had taken them out on investigating the missing Paladins. Apparently, he'd stumbled on some 'great clue' and had shooed them away after some point.
Yang wanted to look into the matter further, but honestly, with all the threats of 'servants' going about, Ruby surprisingly didn't want to pursue the matter until the Vytal festival was over.
"I can see why Rubes put us two up for the semifinals. With your versatility and my raw power, we'd be a pretty tough duo to crack."
"Which is why we make sure that we do not get separated into 1v1s. I've seen a lot of the other participants turn the doubles matches into 2 separate 1v1s. And judging from our opponents…" Weiss spoke looking at the opposite end, two students from Team FNKI of Atlas Academy, Flynt Coal and Neon Katt.
"...2v1 would be easy."
"I can already imagine Ruby get fixated over Flynt's weapon." Yang spoke looking at the stands, where unsurprisingly, Blake was sitting with a pained expression as Ruby had launched into a rant on Flynt's weapon. Blake shot Yang a pleading look as Ruby continued ranting without any care for Blake's growing discomfort as Yang shook her head.
I've got to admit, a trumpet? It's like this guy just came to fight in the Vytal festival than fighting grimm. Yang thought in concern.
At least Neon seemed to have a sort of staff, which while didn't seem any better, at least could serve at blunt force which could be enhanced through dust.
"At least we can use this match to try out what Ruby's been suggesting to us." Weiss spoke.
"Hey, you're Weiss Schnee, aren't yo…"
"Yes, and I know what you're going to say. I've heard such things a million times from many other students at charity events held at Atlas Academy, so you don't need to tell me." Weiss spoke as Flynt blinked before smirking.
"Well, glad to know I don't have to spend my energy talking. Voice is pretty important for what I do, you know."
"Uh…"
"Many of Atlas' huntsmen come from Mantle. And considering the Schnee family is a major contributor to the rivalry between Atlas and Mantle, most students of Atlas academy won't be too keen to see me. You can bet Flynt was going to hurl some nasty insult."
"Plus, Neon's a Faunus. I think that's another reason." Yang spoke as Weiss frowned at Neon's faunus tail.
"Hi there, Ms. Schnee!" Neon spoke up as Weiss cast an uncomfortable look at her tail.
"..."
"What's wrong? Is the big, bad faunus like me going to be savage?" Neon spoke with a smile of thinly veiled animosity as Weiss shook her head.
"...Nothing."
Poor Weiss. Even after improving her relationship with Blake, Weiss still isn't very comfortable around Faunus. Yang thought.
"Well, that's not nice." Yang spoke, crossing her arms glaring at Flynt as Neon stuck her tongue at her.
"Good luck for the match…that is, if you can fight without bending down!"
"Bending…" Yang's eyes flickered crimson for a second.
Perfect, Flynt's a jerk to Weiss and Neon's a jerk to me. This is amazing… Yang thought in annoyance.
"Participants!" Oobleck yelled. "Get Ready!"
The four teenagers took their stances.
"3!"
"Remember Blake's advice, Yang." Weiss spoke.
"2!"
Neon and Flynt smiled.
"1!"
Yang punched her fists together.
"GO!"
Flynt immediately fired off his trumpet. Weiss erected a glyph shield to absorb the sonic blast.
Yang ran towards Flynt and spotted Neon come at her with a kick from the corner of her eye.
I don't think so… Yang thought as she fired one of Ember Celica's gauntlets to move to the side. Neon flew past and Yang fired off her other gauntlet to go for Flynt.
"Flynt!" Neon called out and went to attack Yang before a white blur crashed into her, sending Neon flying backward before Weiss put up a gravity glyph to hold her in place.
Flynt's eyes widened in alarm as Yang's fist came for his face, staggering Flynt back.
"Weiss!" Yang spoke as Weiss was already there, launching rapid thrusts at Flynt's back. Flynt threw his leg back to kick Weiss away, only for her to block his leg with the flat side of Myrtenaster's blade. Yang drove her fist up Flynt's gut as the boy keeled over.
Weiss looked to the side and erected a wall of ice as Neon crashed into it.
Flynt pointed his trumpet at the ground and fired it, using the sonic blast to send a shockwave and knock Yang and Weiss away.
"Yoohoo!" Yang heard Neon's voice as she brought up her hands to grab Neon's leg, only for the staff to hit her hands and have frost form over her arms.
"Shit!" Yang cursed as she moved her head to dodge a spinning kick from Neon before another kick caught her in the gut, making her stumble.
Neon went to attack before a fireball exploded against her back, sending her face-first to the ground as Weiss had Myrtenaster pointed before she dashed away from another sonic blast from Flynt.
Yang smashed her fists together to break Neon's ice.
No, no. I can't let this happen like a 1v1. Yang thought.
"Weiss, over here!" She spoke as Weiss formed a path of glyphs to quickly move at her side as Neon got up.
"Now that's rude, Ice Princess." Neon spoke with a pout as Weiss glared at her before creating a thin corridor of glyphs, leaving Neon with little space.
Good, she won't have space. Yang thought as she moved in, blasting Ember celica at Neon who found herself unable to move past and took the hits, flying back. Yang lunged and grabbed her leg before slamming her down to the ground.
However, Yang's ears rung as Flynt managed to get another sonic blast to hit the corridor of glyphs, giving Neon the chance to get back up as Weiss engaged Flynt once again.
"Woo, that was close!" Neon spoke. "Keep the Schnee off me, Flynt!" She spoke before blitzing at Yang, managing to hit her multiple times with her staff as Yang found herself disoriented from Flynt's blast.
Yang found herself getting more incensed with each hit as she tried to swing back, but her mind was still recovering from the disorientation and Neon easily dodged her strikes.
Soon, she found herself almost completely encased in ice.
What the-? Yang thought as Neon stuck her tongue out at her before leaving to join Flynt.
Flynt was not doing so well against Weiss, who was able to dodge his rather linear attacks.
"Hey, Ice Princess!" Neon called out as Weiss hopped back to dodge her zipping past her before Weiss put down a time dilation glyph and went after her.
Neon was clotheslined by Weiss' rapier as she struggled to maintain her balance on her roller skates.
Weiss lunged with a series of blinding thrusts at Neon while putting up a shield to block Flynt's blasts. Neon grit her teeth as Myrtenaster hit her aura at multiple points.
"Jeez, what is this blade made of? It's hitting harder than what I thought?"
"Myrtenaster was made from the finest of metals." Weiss responded as she continued to push Neon back while using her enhanced speed to clothesline Neon as she attempted to pick up speed.
Neon grit her teeth and froze Myrtenaster's blade, as Weiss gasped from the sudden weight, opening her up to a kick by Neon that sent her sprawling. Weiss retaliated with a gravity glyph that sent Neon back.
Shit, she's going to get hit by Flynt! Yang thought before grunting as she attempted to break out of the ice.
All of the energy from Neon's hits fed into her semblance as Yang's eyes went crimson before she broke her ice prison with a yell.
This got Flynt's attention as he turned back in alarm.
Yang immediately shot towards him, intending to distract him for Weiss to get back up.
"Oh no, I'm putting you down immediately!" Flynt exclaimed.
Flynt suddenly split into four clones. Yang's eyes widened as all four clones blasted their trumpets at her at once.
Yang planted her feet as an intense force slammed into her, threatening to blow her back.
"Gh!" Yang grunted as she struggled to move forward. If this had been used on someone who was much lighter like Weiss, they would definitely have been knocked far away.
Out of the corner of her eye, Yang spotted Neon dashing towards her, only to be intercepted by Weiss as the two clashed in white and rainbow blurs.
Yang slowly skidded back as Flynt did not let up on his semblance.
Damn it, this is getting a bit much…
"YANG! YOUR SEMBLANCE!" She heard Weiss yell as realization hit her.
"Oh wait a minute…" Yang spoke as she realized that Flynt's attack technically counted as force, meaning…
Yang's hair erupted in flames as Yang started feeling her face heat up a lot.
HOT, HOT, HOT, HOT! Yang's mind screamed. Her semblance had a lot of energy, a bit too much energy and she could notice her veins going golden.
The good news was that now Yang had enough power to overcome Flynt's onslaught. Yang dashed forward with a boom, as Flynt immediately realised his mistake.
"Wait, nononono-!" Yang's fist immediately crashed into Flynt's stomach as the boy shot backwards, violently hitting the hard-light shield and tumbling to the floor, his aura shattering.
"Oh my! It seems Mr. Coal's attack managed to put Ms. Xiao-Long's semblance on overdrive! Flynt Coal is out" Doctor Oobleck exclaimed.
Yang's eyes widened as she ran to the edge.
"Oh gods, are you alright?!" She spoke.
I hit him a bit too hard. Yang thought as Flynt got up with a wobble and gave a weak thumbs up.
"I'm so sorry about that! I didn't mean it!"
"It's…fine. You're cool…Blondie." Flynt spoke in a pained voice as Yang shook her head.
I was way too excited. Yang thought as Flynt walked off.
Yang let out a sigh of relief before she turned back to Neon, who was dashing through the stage and clashing with Weiss. Weiss attempted to stop her with glyphs but Neon managed to dodge them and keep moving, dragging her staff to make the surface slippery for Weiss.
They're too fast. Yang thought. She couldn't engage Neon like this.
And even if I tried to blast her, I'd need some seriously accuracy. I'm not Ruby. Yang thought as tried to come up with an idea.
Yang then noticed a crack on the floor, as a result of her slamming Neon down.
"Got i!" Yang spoke as she took her stance.
"WEISS, OVER HERE!" Yang spoke as Weiss immediately went towards her, Neon trailing alongside her of course.
As they got closer, Yang brought her arms up.
Weiss' eyes widened.
"Yang! Don't you-!"
"Sorry, Weiss!" Yang spoke before bringing her arms down into the ground, using what remained of her energy to create a shockwave.
Neon and Weiss yelped as cracks suddenly appeared on the ground, with the force of Yang's strike sending them up in the air.
Yang gave a small pout when she didn't hear Weiss swear, as the girl caught herself on a glyph.
"NOW!" Yang spoke as fire glyphs formed around Weiss. Weiss fired off fireballs at Neon's direction while Yang sent her rounds as well.
Neon could only watch in helplessness as both projectiles hit her, sending her out of the arena as well.
"Neon Katt is out as well! The doubles round goes to Team RWBY!" Port announced.
"YEAH! GREAT JOB, YANG!" Yang heard Ruby cheer as she noticed her sister jump up from her seat and wave one of the custom Team RWBY flags she had Professor Peach make.
"That was a risky plan." A voice came as Yang noticed Weiss come up beside her.
Yang grinned. "Hey. I'm not as fast as you, nor can I hit a moving target going that fast like Ruby can. So, I did what I did best."
Weiss shook her head.
"It is endearing to see me be the poor victim of yours and Ruby's antics since the beginning of this year." She spoke dryly.
"You have only yourself to blame for that, Weiss." Yang replied.
On the way back to the stands, they met Flynt and Neon. While the two still weren't that cool with Weiss, they still gave Yang and Weiss a nod of respect and parted on relatively good terms.
Weiss and Yang found themselves walking through the hallways, looking at the Atlesian guards and Beacon huntsmen as they passed by.
"You know, with what I've seen today, I think we would have struggled a lot more against them…if not for all that's happened." Weiss spoke as Yang nodded.
"Yeah, compared to the likes of Perseus and the other servants, other students in the Vytal festival aren't really that difficult anymore."
Weiss shuddered a bit. "Really tells you what experience can do to you. I heard that Beacon is the only academy to actually have students accompany huntsmen in missions during the First Year. Shows why Beacon is considered the best."
Yang frowned. "Yeah, but with us being a part of, you know, Ozpin's little secret organisation, I think making a lot of progress in our combat skill is essential."
"Of course. Considering we're acting against the Queen of the Grimm herself and her acolytes…Lack of skill would get us killed."
"I wonder when we're going to see action? Ozpin did say he didn't want us to get onto the front lines of his organisation as of now."
"Maybe once we get into our third year."
Yang sighed. "Then we've got only two years…"
"One year. Our first year is almost over. Once the Vytal Festival ends, we only have a couple of weeks."
"Right. One year, sheesh…"
"Let's not think about such worrying thoughts for now." Weiss spoke facing forward, as Yang noticed Pyrrha and Jaune walking.
"Oh, hey, you guys!" Yang spoke waving to them as Pyrrha smiled.
"Hello again, Yang! Congratulations on your win!" Pyrrha spoke as Jaune smiled at Weiss.
"Congratulations, snow angel."
"Don't call me that, Arc." Weiss replied as Jaune pouted.
"Come on, Weiss Cream! Maybe give Jaune a little break!"
"The moment he stops floundering after me like a lost dog, I'll perhaps consider it." Weiss replied with an ice-cold expression.
"So, are you guys in the doubles?"
"Nah, Nora and Pyrrha. Nora for some reason already ran off to get ready for our doubles match. I'm just talking to Pyrrha while she goes there."
"Well, you two better win! Because I want to face you in the finals!" Yang spoke, pointing a finger as Pyrrha giggled.
"Of course, of course! I would love to win against you for the umpteenth time!" Pyrrha spoke
"Oh, ho! Still competitive, are we?" Yang shot back.
"Please, can you two not do your competition banter here. I don't want to be reminded of the time I got caught in the middle of you two sparring…" Jaune spoke, massaging his jaw.
"Yeah, but don't worry. It's going to be another one of them, right, Pyrrha?" Yang asked.
"..."
"Pyrrha?"
"I am…actually a bit nervous about fighting you." Pyrrha spoke as Yang tilted her head at the sudden nervousness coming from Pyrrha right now.
"What?"
"W-Well, I-It's because…" Pyrrha spoke nervously.
"Of your fans, right?" Weiss spoke as Yang scowled.
"Oh, just ignore them, alright? You're a student of Beacon, they won't try to do anything if something happens!"
"No!" Pyrrha exclaimed as Yang recoiled.
"I-I'm sorry, it's just…I really don't want to disappoint them. They do want to see the Invincible Girl's performance in the Vytal finals. B-But that doesn't mean you should let me win!"
Yang's eyes widened.
"Hold on there, P-Money. Just…" Yang tried to say something, but quickly realized all of the words she was going to speak was going to sound shallow.
Because I don't really understand Pyrrha's problem. She thought. Pyrrha had quite a bad obsession of keeping up her image, and she was worried about what her fans would do if she lost to Yang.
"Pyrrha, if something happens that disappoints your fans, then keep calm. Don't let one defeat get to you." Weiss spoke
"...Yeah, you remember why you came to Beacon, right? You wanted to be something other than 'The Invincible Girl'?" Jaune pitched in as well.
"Sure, those fans will complain in case you lose, but I can tell you from personal experience such things eventually lose their steam as people get used to it." Weiss spoke putting a hand on Pyrrha's shoulder.
"R-Right, thank you for the advice, Weiss." Pyrrha spoke with a smile, although Yang frowned at the brittle nature of the smile.
She's still troubled. Yang thought as she watched Pyrrha walk off with Jaune.
"Great fight there, Firecracker. Really showed Jimmy's students that Beacon's still the best." A familiar voice spoke as Yang smiled.
"Thanks, Uncle Qrow. I bet you weren't there for the doubles during the Vytal festival?" She asked as Qrow snorted.
"Right. Rae and Tai went in. And this is while they were dating in their second year."
Yang scrunched up her nose. "Eww…don't tell me they were…?"
"Sure as heck. Summer wanted to get down there and split Tai's head open with her axe because he was more focussed on showing off to Rae than actually focus on his opponents."
Yang shook her head. "I don't even want to know what Summer did to Dad after the fight."
"Best you don't. Lastly, I think I laughed a bit harder than I wanted to when you launched the Ice Princess into the air." Qrow spoke as Weiss crossed her arms.
"Is the disease of brutishness a Xiao-Long trait?"
"What? Of course not! It's a Branwen trait! Tai was all about being smooth. But since your sister's not going to compliment you…you did pretty well too."
Weiss bowed her head. "Thank you, Mr. Branwen."
"Anyways, the reason I'm here is actually for a different reason." Qrow spoke.
Yang and Weiss perked up.
"Oz's called Firecracker to his office. He and I have something important to talk to you about."
"Oh. Is it related to…?"
"Sure is. Ice princess, just tell pipsqueak about it." Qrow spoke as Weiss nodded before Qrow and Yang walked off.
"So, could you tell me what is it that Ozpin wants to talk about?"
"In his office, firecracker. By then, maybe you could talk about other stuff."
"Well…" Yang spoke before a thought crossed her mind, something that she'd never really asked about.
"So, how were you accepted in Beacon…I mean, you were from a pretty infamous bandit tribe."
"Same way Oz accepted the Arc kid. He knew our transcripts were utter bullshit from the start. Besides, he could just compare our faces to his memories of the Branwen siblings back when he was Osmond."
"Branwen siblings?"
"My grandma Morrigan Branwen and her big brother Jackdaw, the same man who had terrorized the Empire of Kaze during the great War."
At the mention of Jackdaw, Yang felt a chill on her spine.
"Anyways, Oz didn't care about our tribe's reputation. He saw two potential huntsmen candidates, and took them in."
"And why did you even go there? Did you go to learn how to kill huntsmen?"
"Not that. Jackdaw had already taught the tribe how to take down aura users. He is known for having the highest kill count on huntsmen in Remnant's history."
"He sounds scary."
"Believe me, firecracker, today's assassins and so-called 'huntsmen killers' are nothing compared to the monster that was Jackdaw Branwen. He was the one who taught me and Rae how to kill huntsmen."
"..."
"The only reason we even went to Beacon was because Jackdaw died and no one else in the tribe had any idea how to properly deal with the grimm."
"Well, then it's good he's dead…"
"That he is. But his reign of terror still haunts the continent of Anima. I can't enter a lot of villages because people get spooked at the name of 'Branwen', all because of Jackdaw. Heck, some people believe Jackdaw's ghost haunts the wetlands where he died."
He was that scary? It really feels creepy to know I'm related to him. Yang thought. She didn't know why, but thinking of Jackdaw really made her shiver. Best she dropped the topic.
"So, you two entered Beacon to learn how to kill grimm?"
"Exactly. You know the details after that. We met a young Yin named Summer Rose…"
"Yin?"
"Oh, right. It's what the silver-eyed warriors were called in South Animan. Anyways, we met Summer and Tai and boom, Team STRQ."
The two soon reached Ozpin's office.
"Alright, firecracker. Enough of the depressing Branwen history, let's get down to Oz's talk."
Coming in, Yang could see the Headmaster gazing out towards the Atlesian ships, taking a sip from his coffee cup.
"I received a report from Odysseus today morning. The village of Oakshire in the mountains has been recaptured by Sigurd and a group of huntsmen and militia led by two servants." Ozpin spoke.
"The Atlesian army now has a point from where it can launch its attack on Prometheus' base of operations."
"Oh! That's great!"
"Do pass this onto your team members."
"Ok…Is this why you called me here?"
"Oh, no! What I've called you here for is a different reason. Take a seat." Ozpin spoke sitting down on his chair while Qrow walked up to stand beside him.
"First of all, congratulations on winning today's match. I see experience and more rigorous training under our servants has certainly put your team's skills over that of your peers."
"Oh, I don't know. I still have to beat Pyrrha…"
"Continue and perhaps one day you might beat Ms. Nikos." Ozpin spoke.
"But anyways, the topic of discussion is the Fall Maiden. I have shown you the condition of the fall maiden Amber back when I revealed my secrets to you."
Yang nodded. "Yeah, you said she's in a pretty bad shape."
"Well, upon studying the matter further, I have made a difficult…decision." He spoke as Qrow looked away. Yang noticed an angry scowl on her uncle's face.
"...We're going to kill her."
"Wait, what?!" Yang spoke.
"Hold on, you're just going to kill her like that!" Yang exclaimed.
"I know, firecracker. I did not like this idea as well when I heard it." Qrow spoke as Ozpin raised his hand.
"Her attacker, Cinder Fall, used a new type of grimm that has the ability to rip a person's soul out of their body. Since the maiden powers are in a way mana cores which attach themselves to our souls, my belief is that grimm tears out the soul, extracts the mana core from it, and then disperses it into the astral plane. But with Sigurd's intervention, the process was interrutped and Ms. Amber found herself missing half a soul."
Yang winced. She didn't exactly know what it felt like losing half of your soul, but it sure was painful.
"The damage caused was irreversible, and Amber has been in constant agony ever since. At this point, death would be a mercy to her."
"But, but-!"
"Ms. Xiao-Long, would you want the poor woman to suffer any longer?"
"Don't use those kinds of words!" Yang snapped before leaning back and slumping in her chair.
"I-I'm sorry, I…"
"It's alright. We are talking about taking someone's life, after all. At any rate, surely you can see that death is the only option…"
"But can't you…like, use your hocus-pocus magic?"
Ozpin sighed. "Ms. Xiao-Long, magic is a wondrous thing, but stitching souls back together would be something even beyond me."
"Even with the other dude inside of you?" Yang asked.
"Yes, even with Odin."
"B-But if she dies…"
"Which is where my plan comes in. With the Atlesian army moving to attack Prometheus, it is simple Cinder will get desperate. She is after the power, and this will be her last chance. She is going to attempt a break-in to the vault underneath Beacon, to reclaim the rest of the power."
"I will be waiting for her, and when she comes, I'll put Amber out of her misery with a death rune. The power goes to Cinder, and then I shall kill her as well."
"Her too…?"
"Ms. Xiao-Long, while killing them outright would be difficult to cover up and such a thing could be used to sway public opinion against us, and with no one to carry out hits, arresting or subduing them is a safer option. But a maiden under Salem's control would be disastrous. I am prepared to take that risk if it means keeping the power safe."
"O-Ok, but then who's going to get the power…" Yang trailed off as she immediately realised Ozpin was trying to do.
Woah, woah, woah! Of all the things, I was not expecting this! Yang thought in panic.
"Wait…is this why you've called me? Because I am going to be…"
"...the next Fall Maiden. Exactly, Ms. Xiao-Long."
Yang's mouth fell open. "uhm…This…Why me?"
"Well, Ms. Xiao-Long, you are not only a member of my circle now, but also one of the strongest of your batch year."
"But why not one of the seniors, or Pyrrha?!" Yang asked, silently apologising to all the parties she blamed.
Ozpin shook his head. "A Maiden's power is no easy matter. Should I mention that with Jackdaw Branwen murdering the Spring Maiden during the Great War, I was concerned with entrusting the power to young women who had the strength and power to hold out against attacks."
"Right…huh, Jackdaw did what?"
"I suppose Qrow's told you about his grand-uncle? Good, then I won't have to explain Jackdaw too much. Jackdaw was a master at killing aura-users as quickly as possible, and he knew many of the forests of Anima like the back of his hand. Jackdaw simply lured the Spring Maiden into a forest near Kuchinashi and then promptly punctured her aura with his katana before driving it into her skull. I still remember his mocking laughter when he personally came to inform me about the Spring Maiden's death."
Yang gasped at the details of the gruesome death as Qrow looked away in disgust.
"That is why I've been careful about the maidens I choose." Ozpin spoke with downcast eyes as Yang tilted her head.
Ozpin got a bit gloomier than usual. I wonder if Jackdaw killing the Spring Maiden is the only reason for his caution. She thought.
"But, with Salem being relatively dormant in recent years, I admit, I'd gotten a bit careless. Amber was a good person, but she was not a very skilled combatant. And hence, she found herself almost perishing at Cinder's hands. Hence, I cannot pick your seniors because a lot of their skill comes from experience at Beacon. As much as I hate to admit it, I require someone with natural talent." Ozpin spoke.
"B-But if you want a skilled person, why not Pyrrha?"
Ozpin stroked his chin. "I admit, Ms. Nikos was my first choice. But after careful observation of her behaviour as well as looking at her past life in her transcripts, I deemed her unfit."
…WHAT?! Yang thought.
"W-Wait a minute, you're telling me the 'Invincible Girl' isn't ready for that power?!"
Ozpin shook his head.
"No, she isn't."
"But she's the best among our year! She should be the perfect fit!"
Ozpin let out an explosive sigh.
"Ms. Xiao-Long, this is where the most important criterion for me choosing a maiden comes in. That is the candidate's mental state."
"..."
"Ms. Nikos is truly a gifted child. I see her potential to become a powerful warrior. But me and Oobleck rank her mentally among the lowest for the life of a huntsman."
"...I don't understand."
"Tell me, Ms. Xiao-Long, if you were put on a pedestal since a very young age, that to a pedestal of never losing a fight, you would have a lot of external factors controlling how you should behave than knowing what you should do, wouldn't you?"
"I-I guess."
"Ms. Nikos has never lost a fight in her tournaments, and that's precisely the problem. Even when she's lost against Sigurd and other servants, she's acknowledged they are more experienced and that they would be naturally stronger than her. Ms. Nikos has never in her life experienced proper defeat in battle before, and hence she believes she has the strength to overcome almost anyone who tries to fight her."
"In short, even if Ms. Nikos doesn't like her title, she subconsciously believes in it and hence, 'The Invincible Girl' controls Pyrrha Nikos more than she thinks it does."
Yang immediately thought of Pyrrha's earlier panic about ruining her image as 'The Invincible Girl'.
"I don't want to disappoint my fans, but that doesn't mean you should let me win!"
Ozpin's words made Yang pity Pyrrha even further. Clearly, the situation was much worse than she thought.
"..."
"Not only that, but the pressure to be perfect has also created a sense of idealism in her. She was the 'Invincible Girl', and that title means she should also strive to reach the pinnacle among huntsmen. She would believe a huntsman needed to be selfless, and would gladly lay down her life if given the opportunity."
"..."
"Now tell me, Ms. Xiao-Long, while such a trait is admirable, would it be so good when it concerned a devastating power that needed its wielder to survive to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands?"
"No, it wouldn't…"
Ozpin smiled. "And now you see, Ms. Xiao-Long. Ms. Nikos would never be able to realize the weight of the situation. She would see the maiden power as important, but not important enough to recognize her responsibility to keep it within her and survive. I can tell you if Ms. Nikos received the maiden's power, then 'The Invincible Girl' would tighten its hold over her psyche, and Ms. Nikos would become reckless enough to run into a battle she cannot win." Ozpin spoke before taking off his glasses.
"Sorry for the long explanation, but you can see why Ms. Nikos cannot take the responsibility of the Fall Maiden's powers."
"I-I see, but…what about me? You said Pyrrha would be reckless and jumping into a fight, but…"
"The difference is that unlike Ms. Nikos, you were given the freedom to understand your emotions and feelings. While there is the issue of your attachment to Raven, you still have enough mental strength to control that urge to stay there for your sister."
"And that time you went off looking for Raven with Ruby in the woods, I saw that change in you after that day, firecracker." Qrow spoke up.
"You're a lot more careful about the grimm than you used to be. In a way, Ruby's sort of taught you that you need to be in peak condition to be able to protect her."
Yang looked down, remembering the incident at the woods.
"And let me remind you of today's match as well. Even if you don't know, you are much less reckless than what you were at the beginning. Your encounters with enemies who've bested you have subconsciously taught you that you cannot force your way through every obstacle."
"In short, every problem I listed down for Ms. Nikos' illegibility is either gone or has diminished within you, Ms. Xiao-Long. Hence, you are the prime candidate for the Fall Maiden's power now."
"...I see." Yang spoke.
Should I take the power though? Yang thought. Becoming a Maiden wouldn't be so great, right? She would be hunted down by Salem's cronies for her power.
But then again, I'm the step-sister of a silver-eyed warrior, I think I'm already on their hit-list. It wouldn't matter whether I get the power or not. But still…
"Um, Headmaster?"
"Yes?"
"What about the other maidens?"
"Hm…the summer maiden works as one of the staff of Shade academy in Vacuo, the Winter Maiden's identity is being kept as a secret by James, which he refuses to divulge…and the Spring Maiden is unknown."
For some reason, I think that's not right.
"I-Is Raven the spring maiden?" Yang asked, even though the answer would probably be 'no'.
"Hm…before his death, Thane informed me that the missing spring maiden had gone to the Branwen Tribe. I am sure that the Spring Maiden is among them, seeing from the unusual weather conditions whenever they fight with the grimm, but the Spring Maiden being Raven…I wouldn't rule out that possibility."
"So, she is the Spring Maiden?"
"Until we receive hard evidence, no. But she is a suspect." Ozpin spoke. "But why such a question?"
"Well, I want answers from her. Uncle Qrow says that she won't let me come to her that easily. If I have the maiden's power…"
"Firecracker, while I do appreciate the sentiment…You still have to…"
"I can allow it." Ozpin spoke as Qrow looked at him.
"Huh?"
"Raven is quite a touchy subject for you. I personally believe confronting her would be the best path forward."
Yang grinned.
"But only when I deem you ready. With the Spring maiden being with the Branwen Tribe, I will not allow you to go until you have a very firm grasp over your powers."
Yang's grin faltered, but she nodded, understanding the Headmaster's point.
Yang had been worried ever since she found out Ruby was going to be target a lot by the bad guys. She wanted to protect her sister even more than ever. And with her getting older along with the encounter in Mount Glenn, she also wanted to meet Raven and get the answers she wanted out of her.
And of course, Pyrrha already had so much pressure on her.
She already has to deal with 'The Invincible Girl', she doesn't need the 'Fall Maiden' to join in as well. It would be better if I took that load for her. I have my goals, and Pyrrha and I have become close through our regular spars. Yang thought shaking her head.
If getting the Fall Maiden's power meant she could protect Ruby, get the strength to go find Raven, and ensure her dear friend didn't receive a burden that could severely affect her mental health…
"In that case, I accept." Yang spoke.
"Thank you, Ms. Xiao-Long. I'm glad you took time to consider your eligibility for the position."
"So, should I just wait?"
"Yes. I shall call you when the time is right. You may leave now, Ms. Xiao-Long." Ozpin spoke as Yang got up and went to walk out.
Yang Xiao-Long, Fall Maiden. I definitely didn't expect today to go like this.
Interesting choice, Ozma. Odin's voice rang in his head as Ozpin sighed.
"And good thing she accepted. I would not have felt secure at Ms. Nikos receiving the power." He spoke.
"Huh, you're saying something, Oz?" Qrow spoke as Ozpin shook his head.
"No, I was talking to Odin. So, the servants say they cannot use their primary noble phantasms? Well, at least that means there is no risk of the Atlesian air force being blasted out of the air by a powerful noble phantasm."
"Yeah. I just hope Ice queen and Sigurd manage to pull this off."
"True, true. I need to get Prometheus and Cinder off my back before I can focus on other kingdoms."
"Right, the whole thing with the Crown in Vacuo."
"Yes, yes. While Vacuo isn't in a chaotic state, the reports of several new cities emerging in the middle of the desert aren't reassuring."
"Especially the Jungle one. Like, how the heck did a jungle sprout out of the desert out of nowhere?" Qrow spoke.
"Yes. After the Meteor turned West Sanus into a desert, there shouldn't have been any chance for new vegetation to grow. I can only assume some other force is at play."
"Well, then Poor Theo's got quite a struggle."
"Indeed." Ozpin spoke as he looked out of his window again.
"I can only hope Sigurd succeeds."
A/N: Ah, I love the RWBY fanfic community. They are the sole reason why I got interested in exploring Pyrrha's psyche in the first place. Like, Pyrrha's such a wonderful character. Her struggle with her title of 'The Invincible Girl' is practically a goldmine for character development. Of course, that can't be done now that Pyrrha was sadly killed off, but at least the fanfic writers have decided to do what CRWBY cannot at the moment.
Speaking of which, I know this is a RWBY-focused chapter, but frankly, I need to open some avenues for the Maiden arc as well as Yang's own character development and I'm already done with the Tristan part. We'll be going back to Sigurd's group next chapter.
And more importantly - Yang's going to be the Fall Maiden! In all honesty, Yang's character arc can be resolved so quickly that she would become super irrelevant with just one wrong move. At least becoming a maiden would help create a much bigger arc for her that can tie into her mommy issues, her protectiveness over Ruby as well as her friendship with Pyrrha.
With Ozpin's plan, it's a thing I've been doing with Ozpin's increased aggressiveness. I personally think Cinder's entire operation would just collapse if Ozpin pulled off the kid gloves and sent in a large group of huntsmen to crush Torchwick and the White Fang. If they can't handle a bunch of First year students, then a serious Ozpin with Vale's entire force of fully-trained huntsmen as well as a chunk of the Atlesian army on his fingertips would just steamroll them. It's laughable to think Cinder and her group would have posed a credible threat to Ozpin, but that's how it goes, I guess.
Hope you guys enjoyed and Constructive Criticism is appreciated!
Foot Notes:
Yin: Chinese for 'Silver'. At this point, I'm just making up names for Silver-eyed warriors called across Remnant. But, the culture of the Silver-eyed warriors remains Scandinavian in my FANON.
Response to Reviews:
Zoukuyuujinchou: I'm not saying you should give constructive criticism. Back when I first started writing this story, I basically copied another author who I cannot remember and wrote 'Will Appreciate Constructive Criticism'. Ever since then, it's become a habit of mine to write 'Constructive criticism will be appreciated' in every chapter I upload in this and my other stories.
