Chapter 6.
It was a new day for Team RWBY and the Owl crew. It was the weekend and that meant Eda's human collectible stand was open. There was only 1 problem. There were no customers. Not a single Witch or Demon was at the market today. It was a long and borrowing day of nothing, well except for Luz and the girls. Luz brought one of her The Good Witch: Azura books and was reading it along with Ruby and King.
"Emboldened by the dishonor Hecate had shown, Azura lifted her staff to the cotton candy skies and shouted, "I challenge you to a Witch's Duel!" and look i even drew a flip book. Pew, pew, pew" Luz flipped the corner of the page with the doodle.
"Show me the picture" King requested.
"What?" Luz said.
"Show me the picture!" King repeated. Luz did so, lowering the book down to his height. "Hah! I can draw better than that" He said in a smug tone. "They use to call me The King of Artists!"
"Who's they?" Ruby asked
"And i thought you were the King of Demons?" Luz raised an eyebrow.
"I think you're making this up?" Weiss chimed in.
"Doesn't matter" King replied aloofly. "What matters is my followers would leave me offerings in fear of me!"
"I don't buy that either" Weiss said.
"Yeah King, you're more like a sidekick than royalty" Blake added. "Especially compared to Luz, who is royalty"
Luz was a little embarrassed by the compliment, while King was furious. "You will learn to fear Me!" He shouted.
Eda groaned in annoyance "Ugh! Please stop reading that! It's flowery language is an insult to witches!"
"Oh come on Eda, it's not that bad" Ruby said.
"Well it's scaring away all the customers!" Eda retorted.
"Uh? What customers?" Ruby asked. Pointing out nobody else was there.
"There isn't even any other stands" Blake added.
"You're right. This is a bad omen. Something horrible must be happening" Eda said in a fearful tone.
"Luz!" a familiar voice called out. It was Gus and Willow, they ran up to the stand. "Something amazing is happening today!"
"Gus, Willow! What is it?" Luz asked.
Willow held up a flyer. "It's the annual Covention!" she said excitedly.
"Madre de Titanes! I completely forgot it was today!" Luz smacked herself on the side of her head.
Ruby looked at the flyer with a raised eyebrow. "What's a Covention?"
"It's a job fair for student Witches to see all the different covens and help them choose one" Luz explained.
"Wow, just like Huntsmen fest" Yang said.
Ruby got excited hearing about this Covention being compared to Huntsmen fest and was about to ask "Hey Eda can we-?"
"No! Absolutely not!" Eda cut her off before she could finish. Making Ruby groan. "I Never joined a Coven for one simple reason. It's a crooked system that robs you of magical independence"
Luz became a little offended by what Ed just said, while Willow became a little dejected
"Eh, but, no judgment" Eda said. "I haven't been to one since we we're girls"
Ruby picked up on the "We?.. as in you and Lilith?"
"Yeah, is it a big deal?" Eda replied.
"It is if you and your sister went to one?" Weiss probed.
"Now we really have to go" Yang said.
"No!" Eda retorted.
"Okay, fine. You leave us no choice" Luz said.
She handed King the book, who began reading it out loud "You shall not shan't doeth no more harm," Azura callethed out..."
Eda groaned from hearing the words "So flowery, so awful" she covered her ears and tried to walk away from it. But King just followed her and continued to read.
"Hecate could only screech, screech as did she, for the screeching did worseneth."
"Alright! Stop it!" Eda shouted. "I will literally do anything if you stop!"
Moments later everyone was standing in front of the convention centre. Feelings among the group were mixed. Ruby, Luz, Willow and Gus were excited. Weiss, Blake and Yang were curious, while Eda wasn't enthusiastic at all. And King was indifferent.
"This is gonna be awesome!" Ruby said.
"Ugh This is gonna be horrible" Eda countered.
"Oh come on Eda it's not like this is a box canyon in the middle of nowhere" Blake tried to lighten her mood.
"That almost sounds better to me" Eda replied.
"You don't have to worry, your not wanted by the Emperor anymore, so there's no need to be incognito" Luz added.
"Fine, let's get this over with" Eda said walking up to the front door. The group followed her as she opened the doors.
"Whoa" Ruby said as she and the rest of her team marvelled at the sight in front of her. There were several booths set up with a sign advertising a different coven. Hanging from the ceiling were 9 large colourful banners. And they could see a couple of student witches flying on broomsticks.
Luz put her arm around Ruby "You weren't alive until today"
The group followed Luz, Willow and Gus, who led them around the convention centre.
"I told you about the 9 main covens, but there also exist small sub covens" Luz said.
Willow took the moment to chime in "Yup, there's the Flower Coven, Artist Coven, Big Dog Coven, Small Cat Coven, Tiniest Cat Coven—"
Eda groaned.
"Also the Grumpy Coven" Willow added.
"And lots more!" Gus said.
The group continued on until they came to a booth that looked more like a construction site, with pallets of wood and bricks.
There were 2 male witches at the booth. One of them was a short and bulky with tan skin, with a gray beard and moustache, he was bald aside from 3 small hair atop his head. His clothing consisted of a dark grey tunic, dark blue overalls, brown gloves and boots and a hardhat.
The other witch had an identical attire to the short one. He even had the same skin color, but was younger, taller and his hair was black.
"Ooh what's that" Ruby asked curiously.
"That is the Construction Coven. They focus on using magic to build things" Luz explained.
The short Witch picked up both pallets and tossed them into the air. He then cast a large spell circle around the falling wood and bricks, turning them into a house.
"That's incredible!" Weiss said.
"That's incredible!" A second light blue hologram of Weiss was standing right next to her.
"AH!" Weiss freaked out from seeing another her.
The hologram Weiss walked over to a pair of Witches in blue robes and then disappeared.
"I see you've gotten a taste of the Illusion Coven" Gus appeared beside the 2 witches in a puff of smoke. "We specialize in tricks and deception"
Ruby looked at them with stars in her eyes. The rest of her team were almost as impressed. "This is so cool!"
"Why would you never join a Coven Eda" Blake asked.
"Yeah you'd be surrounded by fellow witches who would support you" Weiss added.
"Because of that" Eda pointed to something. They saw a witch wearing a strange glove, approach a younger witch with his arm stretched out. The first witch placed the glove on the wrist of the second witch and after a couple seconds, a symbol in the shape of a mirror appeared on their wrist.
"From now on that kid will only be able to cast illusion magic" She said.
"This was the thing you were talking about?" Weiss questioned. "About giving up magical independence?"
"Yep, but since i never joined any Coven, I can do all magic" Eda made a ball of fire appear in her left hand and ball of water in her right hand, then made them both disappear. "And that's why I'm the most powerful Witch on the Isles"
"Well that's not entirely true" Luz said with a little bit of smugness. "Because there's one more Coven to check out. The Emperor's Coven!" Luz announced while standing under a golden banner with the Emperor's symbol on it, hanging over an entrance flanked by 2 Coven scouts.
Willow stood right next to Luz "Only the best and most powerful Witches get to join this Coven"
And so did Gus "And they specialize in all types of magic!"
"What's so great about this Emperor guy anyway" Yang asked.
"Oh right, i guess no one told you kids?" Eda said. "You know about the whole story about the Boiling Isles being transported from the Demon Realm to Remnant?"
"Yes!" Team RWBY collectively answered.
"While that's middle part of the story" Luz said. She put her hands out, which glowed a golden color and a thick book appeared in them. The book was brown in color with a gold border and an image of the skeleton of a the Titan emblazoned on the cover. "Team RWBY, allow me to show you all the history of the Boiling Isles!"
Luz opened the book, and the first page was an illustration of giant horned demons that resembled the carcass which made up the Isles. "Thousands of years ago, the Demon Realm was populated by gigantic demons known as Titans"
She turned to the next page. This illustration showed the skeleton of a dead titan "No one knows how, but sometime in the past the Titans became extinct and there bodies were left all over the Demon Realm"
The next page was of multiple Witches and Demons of various shapes, sizes and forms in a forest on top of the dead Titan. "The Titans magic was so potent, that living creatures emerged from the beasts decomposing muck" the page after that showed a Witch and Human meeting for the first time. "This magic also caused a rift between this Realm and a place called Earth and interactions with it's inhabitants... Humans"
Team RWBY gasped at that last part.
"What?!" Weiss exclaimed.
"Another world with Humans?!" Blake added.
"How is that possible?" Ruby said.
"Please save all questions until the end" Luz said and continued the story. The next page was more violent. With humans carrying pitchforks and torches. "The Humans of this world were fearful and hostile to Witchkind and stopped going there"
She turned the page again. This illustration was of a mysterious cloaked Witch welding a staff with a red orb and horns. "One day, a mysterious Witch appeared and claimed that Witches were misusing magic, that it angered the Titan. Not long after that great disasters started happening all over the Isles and the people rallied under this man"
"He said that he was there to save us... He lied" Willow chimed in.
Luz turned to a new page. The illustration showed the mysterious Witch again, looking malicious surrounded by dead Witches. "The so called 'Savior' was looking to steal all the magic in the Demon Realm and kill every Witch and Demon that got in his way with a draining spell"
Team RWBY gasped again.
The next page had 2 very strange monsters attacking the mysterious Witch. The monsters were similar but different. Both were very wolf-like with long horns and bones jutting out at parts of their bodies. One of the beasts fur was dark purple, the other was golden. Their appearances reminded Team RWBY of Beowolves. "Just as the mad man was about to complete his fiendish plan. A pair of wicked beasts came charging in and attacked the mad man"
The page after that was a picture of the Boiling Isles on the left and Remnant on the right with vortex of a galaxy in between. "They stopped his spell before it was completed, but the resulting fighting cause it to go haywire and teleport the Boiling Isles on to Remnant"
She to the next page in her story. The page had an illustration of various Witches and Demons fighting each other. "Not long after that, Witches and Demons were locked in civil war for control of the Isles" the page after that depicted a male Witch wearing a white cloak, a mask with horns and holding a staff that had a platinum colored dragon atop it. "Eventually they were all bested and one stood as the new Ruler. A man named Charles Belos"
Weiss began to ask a question "And Charles Belos is?"
"Emperor Belos" Eda answered.
'Luz's father' Blake thought to herself.
Luz closed the book signifying the end of the story.
"Wait, what about those beasts? What happened to them?" Ruby wondered.
"No one knows, they were never seen again after that" Luz said.
"Some believe they are spawns of the Titan, created to carry out his will" Gus said ominously.
"Others that they are Demons that came from another world entirely" Willow added. "It's all theories and speculations from there"
"Eh, it's not something I'm worried about" Eda said.
A voice over the loud speaker made an announcement. "ATTENTION EVERYONE! THE EMPEROR'S COVEN PANEL WILL BEGIN IN 5 MINUTES!"
"Ooo these are always great, you guys wanna come?" Gus asked Ruby and her Team.
"Sure" Ruby replied.
"Why not?" Weiss said.
"Whatever. Anything to make this day go by faster" Eda anguished.
The group all followed Gus to the room that the panel was happening in. Everyone except King who lagged behind. A stranger nudged him on the shoulder. "Excuse me sir"
King turned and went "Weh?"
A female Witch in a cowl stood behind him. "The tea leaves foretell that, this, will lead you to your destiny" She pulled out a pen and handed it to him.
"Destiny" King scuffed. "I'm not paying for—"
"It's free" She said before retreating into the shadows.
For a moment King was puzzled. "Are you bestowing gifts upon me?" Until he realized what it meant and shouted with joy "Yes! I accept your offering! The King of Demons is back!"
Back with the others. Everybody was in a large stadium with an old fashioned theatre podium in the centre. Hundreds of of Witch students were gathered around the arena. Everyone waited with anticipation, except Eda for obvious reasons.
The light dimmed. Principal Bump and 4 Witches in white hoods and cloaks appeared on stage, a spotlight shined on them The audience applauds and cheers. Principal Bump summons a mic and spoke. "Hello, Bonesborough! Students ask me all the time, "Principal Bump, what's the height of magical achievement?""
A student in the audience raised his hand. "Is it this?" he made a spell circle his head got so big, he couldn't hold it up and fell over on top of another student.
Bump winced "Wow, i have you as a principal"
"Don't be too upset Bumpykins" 1 of the hooded Witches said. "The real answer is mastering all forms of magic! And that can happen in none other than the jewel of the coven system and the enforcers of his will, the Emperor's Coven!"
The hooded Witch removed her cloak, revealing herself to be Scarlett Von Bloodheart. The same Vampire that Team RWBY met at the Conformatorium, when they first arrived on the Boiling Isles.
"And we stand at the top, along side the Emperor! The Elite 4!" Scarlett declared.
The other Witches also took off their respective cloaks. Weiss recognized one of them was Conner Bluemoon, but the other 2 were complete strangers.
The third was a woman with black hair done in a ponytail that was roughly shoulder length and green eyes. She wore a white lab coat with a pocket protector that made her look more like a scientist than a Witch. She also wore green khaki pants and white boots. Her most notable accessory were the wide rimmed googles with a spiral pattern in the lens on her head.
The fourth Witch was physically different to the others. They were male, and he had sea foam scales in place of skin and blue spiky hair. His ears resembled fins and he had fish fins on his arms. And his hands and feet are webbed. His attire consisted of a brown tunic and shorts. He looked like some kind of sea monster. Yet he looked very handsome.
The crowd cheered.
Scarlett and the other 3 Witches each drew a magic circle above their heads and cast a different spell. Scarlett summoned huge vines from the ground, which weaved together to form a tower. Conner created a blue hologram of a wolf. The lady in the lab coat, shot lightning that hit the ceiling and the fish Witch unleashed a torrent of water that spiralled around the room.
All 4 then made the water evaporate, the vines caught on fire burning to ashes. The ashes rose into the air, combining into an explosion of fireworks. The audience was in awe from the display.
Bump handed Scarlett the microphone "Many of our members were students like you!, but now they stand with us protecting the Boiling Isles!" Scarlett said. "And that means you in the audience could someday be in one of us!" She declared with enthusiasm.
After the panel. RWBY plus Luz, Eda, Willow and Gus were leaving the stadium. Eda was looking around for something, but appeared to not find it.
"What's up Eda?" Yang asked.
"Have you seen King? I could of swore he was behind me?" Eda said.
"He didn't come in with you?" Yang said sounding a little concerned.
Eda groaned. "Great now i gotta go find him, before he causes trouble"
"I'll help you" Yang said.
"Sure, whatever" Eda didn't really care. And the 2 went off to find the tiny demon.
Ruby was looking at a stand that had stickers with strange symbols on them. Ruby picked one up and stared at it curiously. The sticker had the image of a red fist on it. She turned to Willow and asked "What are these?"
"Oh those are Amplifier Glyphs! They're used to give Witches a boost in a pinch" Willow explained. "Watch" She took a Glyph that had a blue shoe on it, pealed off the back and slapped it on her arm. Her body became enveloped in a blue aura of energy. She then ran off at high speed and came back, right behind Ruby. Tapping her on the shoulder. making her yelp in surprise.
"That will help save time on my commute" Weiss commented.
Suddenly Tiny nose appeared and took 1 of the fist Glyphs and put it on her face. A red energy aura. She picks up a random Witch and throws them. "I AM THE DESTROYER OF WORLDS!" She shouted before running off. Security followed after her to stop her.
Ruby looked a little worried "Are they gonna be okay?"
"Eh probably" Luz said.
"So what should we do next? Willow's checking out a gardening Coven and Gus is getting autographs from the Emperor's Coven" Weiss inquired.
"How about we all take a Coven quiz to see which Covens you guys would fit in?" Luz suggested opening a pamphlet with a bunch of questions.
"Sounds interesting, let's go!" Ruby backed up, accidentally bumping into a familiar green haired Witch. Amity Blight
"Hey! Watch Where Your—Oh, it's you again" Amity glared not to pleased to see Ruby.
"Oh, uh Hi Amity" Ruby said nervously.
"What are you doing here?" Amity questioned.
"She's with me! Blight!" Luz addressed. "Is that a problem?"
"Actually i do have a problem" Amity stated. "Your human friend, got me in trouble with Principal Bump and i never get in trouble. Unlike you"
"Hey! You started shaking her like a maniac!" Luz retorted.
"Whatever. They shouldn't even be here" Amity sounded more irritated. "This Covention is for Witches, not Humans"
"Are you saying we have no right to be here?" Blake asked sounding very offended.
"We may not have bile sacks, but we're more than capable" Weiss supporting her friend.
"That right! We're Huntresses!" Ruby proclaimed confidently as she twirled Crescent Rose in scythe mode and planted in the ground. "Plus Luz here is being trained by a Powerful Witch and a Ferocious Demon"
Amity looked over Ruby's shoulder and pointed at something behind her "Is that your ferocious demon there?"
Ruby looked at where she was pointing. As did Weiss, Blake and Luz. They all saw King walking along and wearing Coven merch like a hat, t-shirt, scarf and holding a box full of cupcakes. "Cupcakes in my tummy-tum makes the King say yummy-yum!" A pair of bakers were following him.
"So you'll join the Bakers Coven?" One of them asked.
"Hmm... Nope!" King says before eating a cupcake and walking away. He then saw the girls in front of him and rushed over to greet them. "Luz! Ruby! Look at all the offerings people are giving me!" the little demon trips over his scarf as he made it to them. Dropping his box and a cupcake fell out.
"You okay little buddy?" Luz asked as she knelt down to help the small would be monarch.
"Yeah, I'm fine" King reassured her.
Amity then stepped on the cupcake, right in front of King and Luz. They both gasp in shock.
"Oops, that was an accident" Amity said, faking sincerity. Something caught her leg and she tripped.
Blake had used the ribbon on Gambol Shroud to tie around Amity's ankle. "That was no accident" She said coldly.
"What is your problem?!" Weiss asked angrily.
"ME?!" Amity was offended by the statement as she got back on her feet. "Your friend tripped me on purpose!"
"Because you stepped on King's cupcake!" Ruby retorted.
"Serves your pet right for not holding on to his food" Amity said.
"I am not a pet!" King scratched himself with his back leg.
Luz put him up against her chest. "He's a very good boy and the King of Demons!"
"I don't know about you, but I've had it with you and your pompous attitude!" Ruby addressing Amity.
Luz stood up looking very confident "Your right Ruby. Just like The Good Witch Azura said when facing down her rival Hecate at the Bog of Immediate Regret... I challenge you to a Witch's Duel!"
Everyone in that was close by, gasped at Luz's declaration.
Amity walks directly up to Luz with a smirk and says "I accept"
"Uh Luz?, I don't think this is a good idea" Blake said, trying to talk sense into her friend.
"No! Let her do this! For my cupcake!" King protested.
"Let's lay down the terms for this duel" Amity said.
"Right if i win you have to apologize for stepping on King's cupcake and swear never to join the Emperor's Coven!" Luz stated.
"Alright, and if i win. You have to drop out of Hexside and your friends need to leave the Boiling Isles and never come back" Amity stated.
"Well that won't happen anyway, because I'm not gonna lose. Deal" Luz held out her hand for a handshake.
Amity then cast a magenta spell circle, in front of Luz's hand. Luz looked at it apprehensively, knowing what was going on. But she pushed any doubt out of her mind and placed her hand in the circle. Amity did the same and the 2 Witches gave a firm handshake. The ring of magic closed in on their hands, leaving a faint glow that disappeared.
"The ever lasting oath has been made" Amity said. "We'll meet again in the arena in 1 hour"
"Fine with me. Time to put your money where your mouth is, once and for all" Luz said back to her rival.
"Good" Amity turned around and walked away, before saying one last thing. "Let's see what kind of Witch you really are?"
Luz looked on with determination in her eyes. Ruby, Blake and Weiss were concerned that she made a horrible mistake, and King was eating cupcakes.
Ruby leaned over to King and asked "Hey she can win this, right?"
"Eh, probably?" He said nonchalantly.
Back with Yang and Eda, they were talking to another Witch about if they saw King.
"He's about 2 feet tall, with a skull for a face and looks like a little dog" Yang described what King's appearance.
"I think i saw someone like that, at the Hat Coven booth?" The random Witch answered.
"Thank you" Yang said, before leaving. Suddenly a pair of hands covered her eyes. "What the?!"
a familiar and flirtatious voice asked her. "Guess who?"
"Is it a Vampire i know?" Yang asked sarcastically.
The mystery person took their hands off Yang's eyes and Scarlett poked her head over the blonde huntress's shoulder. "Bingo!"
"Hey! Scarlett. What are you doing here?" Yang asked.
"Oh, the Emperor sent me and my colleagues to make an appearance at this Covention. But i was quite happy to see you in the audience" Scarlett looked at her with lustful delight.
"At least one of you is happy" Eda made an off handed comment.
"It doesn't take much to make her happy" Lilith appeared along side Conner and the other 2 elite Witches.
"Oh great, your here too" Eda wasn't very enthusiastic about seeing her sister.
"Don't be so gloomy sister, you'll get wrinkles" Lilith made a jab.
Eda simply huffed.
"So who are your friends?" Yang inquired about the other 2 Witches.
"Oh right where are my manners. Yang, please allow me to introduce Francine Grassstain and Locke Poseidus" Scarlett introduced the female Witch in the lab coat and Fish person respectively.
Francine got right up in Yang's face and looked around her like she was a piece of art. "So fascinating. You're so different from the Empress, yet very similar"
"Um thank you?" Yang was slightly confused.
"Tis a pleasure to make your acquaintances, Lady Yang and Lady Edalyn" Locke greeted them.
"Ugh, not another flowery talker" Eda groaned.
When Lilith heard Eda say 'flowery talker' she raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "Let me guess, the Princess was reading The Good Witch: Azura and it drove you insane"
"YES! and it was awful!" Eda agonized.
"Another victim of the Princess's 'badger someone into getting what she wants, with annoying literature' strategy" Francine said.
"Luz has done this before?" Yang asked.
"Yup" Scarlett answered.
"We are all too familiar with this situation" Conner added. "She's talked to the point of insanity about that book"
"Come now Sir Conner, our fair Princess isn't malicious. Her taste in novels is just... very particular. And she is eager to share her interests with others" Locke said.
"A little too eager sometimes" Francine commented. "But enough about that. How are you enjoying the Covention so far?" Francine changed the subject.
"Well I'm having fun seeing all the magic stuff" Yang said. "But, i don't think Eda is?"
"Not every Witch was on board with the Coven system in the beginning" Conner said nonchalantly. "But it's what the Emperor decreed and it could be a lot worse"
"Indeedly so, For all the hardships and conflicts in the stemming from the Savage War and on wards. Our Mighty Emperor! Has lead us triumphantly to a new era of peace!" Locke spoke with pride in his voice.
Yang and Eda looked at the fish man dumbfounded.
"Is this guy for real?" Eda asked.
"Unfortunately" Lilith answered with a slight grumble.
"So Yang, care to join us for the rest of the Covention?" Scarlett offered.
"Love to, but we're in the middle of looking for King" Yang kindly turned down the offer.
"You mean the dog?" Scarlett said.
Before anything more could be said. Ruby came running up to Yang in a panic. "Eda! Yang! We got a problem!"
"Whoa! Rub what is it?" a startled Eda asked.
"Luz challenged Amity to a Witches duel! And if she loses she has to drop out of Hexside! YOU GOTTA HELP US!" Ruby explained the situation at fast pace.
"Amity? hey Lilith! Isn't that the name of your new protege?" Francine asked.
"Yes it is" Lilith answered.
"Looks like the princess has caused quite the ruckus" Conner said.
"Whatever, she can handle anything" Eda said confidently.
"Really you have that much faith in her abilities?" Scarlett questioned Eda's teaching skills.
"Of course i do. Plus she's a princess! That's a cut above any prissy blue blood my sister is teaching" Eda boasted.
"You think you've taught her enough that she's better than when you started?" Lilith questioned with irritation in her voice.
"She hasn't complained so far, that means I'm doing something right?" Eda said.
"We'll see about that!" Lilith said.
"How about we don't, I'm actually glad i ran into you Lilith. Now you can talk Amity out of going through with this duel" Ruby tried to defuse the situation.
But her words fell on deaf ears.
Lilith simply chuckled. "Are you kidding me!? I couldn't have asked for a better opportunity. A chance to see both our students abilities first hand"
"But if Luz loses, she'll have to leave Hexside and me and my friend will have to leave the Boiling Isles forever!" Ruby frantically elaborated on the situation.
"Well that last part sounds like your problem, not mine" Lilith said not carrying. "See you later Sister, i need to talk with my student to prepare" Lilith walked off "Let's see what you've been teaching the Princess?"
"We need to find Luz. It's time to prepare for bloodshed!" Eda said seriously.
"Who's blood?" Ruby asked concerned.
"Anyone's guess?" Eda replied.
Moments later, Eda, Ruby and Yang reunited with Luz, Weiss and Blake. While King went off to get more 'offerings' from the Covention. At the moment, Eda was giving Luz some last minute training for the Witches duel. Luz was practising her using her magic laser and Eda had set up a couple of targets for her to shot at.
Luz blasted 2 of the targets with ease, after shooting a third she blew her finger like it was an actual gun smoking after being fired.
"You really think she has a chance?" Blake asked.
"Oh yeah totally" Eda answered. "That finger laser thing is her ace in the hole"
"Is it smart to rely on one spell?" Weiss questioned. "If that doesn't work, then Luz could be in trouble"
"Relax Ice Queen. Luz literally has more power in her finger than most Witches have in their whole bodies" Yang said.
"And little control over it" Weiss added.
As she said that, Luz's next shot missed a target and hit a random pedestrian. "OW! MY EYE!" said pedestrian shouted in pain.
"Sorry!" Luz apologized.
"Why don't we spy on Lilith and Amity? See what they're doing?" Ruby made a suggestion.
"Good idea" Eda agreed.
Eda, Ruby, Blake and Yang snuck off to spy on Amity's training. They found her with Lilith not to far from where Luz was training. They watched as Amity summoned an Abomination as tall as a toddler, while Lilith supervised, looking pleased but not amazed.
Spying from behind a pillar, Eda, Ruby, Blake and Yang saw what was going on.
"See, Amity can barely make an Abomination taller than her shin" Yang said.
"No reason to worry" Eda said nonchalantly.
Suddenly, Amity made the little Abomination turn into an arm proportionate to it's size. It then grabbed a random student that was passing by and threw them across the room.
"MY LEG!"
They felt a little concerned for Luz right about now.
"Now is a reason to worry?" Blake asked with a little sarcasm.
"Maybe a little" Eda sheepishly said.
"Let's head back" Ruby stated. Blake and Weiss followed her, but Eda lagged behind for a moment staring at Lilith intensely.
Moments later, in the arena stands everyone had gathered to witness the duel between Luz and Amity. Team RWBY were sitting with Gus and Willow, who were incredibly worried about Luz. The only one who wasn't, was Eda. Who wasn't there. She said she needed to 'take care of something?' whatever that meant. Down in the arena itself, Luz and Amity were preparing to fight.
Lilith was standing on a podium over seeing the arena holding a microphone. "Ladies! and Gentlemen! the Emperor's Coven would like to present a exhibition duel between 2 of it's future members!"
The crowd applauded.
Lilith continued "In the red corner we have Amity Blight! And in the blue corner Luz Noceda!"
Eda had arrived from her mystery errand and sat down with the others. "Did i miss anything?"
"No they just started" Weiss said.
Down in the arena pit. The 2 young witches stared each other down with intense glares, from opposite ends of the arena. Amity cracked her knuckles with delight. Luz just looked unimpressed.
"Try to put up a fight. I want this to last more than 5 seconds" Amity said arrogantly.
"Funny, i was going to ask you the same thing" Luz mockingly retorted.
"And Begin!" Lilith announced.
Right off the bat, Luz fired a finger laser at Amity. Who recoiled from the hit. "So that's how you wanna play?" Amity then traced out a large spell on the ground. "Abomination Rise!" and a huge Abomination which towered over the girls rose out of the circle.
"Whoa? I've never made one this big before?" Amity said in surprise.
Luz was a little surprised as while, but tried to cover it up. "Pfft I've seen bigger"
"Have you seen one do This! Abomination Attack!" Amity commanded the slimy golem. And it turned it's right hand into a spiked mace, then swung at Luz.
Luz ducked the attack and shot another magic beam at it. Making hole in it's chest. But the Abomination closed up the hole quickly. "Okay, time for something bigger!" Luz held out her palm towards the Abomination. Preparing for a spell. Her hand glowed brightly, only for a small puff of smoke to poof with nothing happening.
The audience looked stunned, while Luz started to feel fearful. The Abomination loomed over her.
"Is that it?" Amity asked ready to deliver the finishing blow.
"I DON'T WORK WELL UNDER PRESSURE!" Luz panicked and ran away as the Abomination began chasing her around the arena.
"I saw this coming" Weiss groaned.
"Relax Wise, the game's just started" Eda said not sounding worried. "Beside. There's still a few surprises in store"
Back in the pit, Luz trips as she was running. Amity and her huge Abomination, cornered the incognito half-witch princess. Luz was totally consumed with fear. Not just from being crushed by an Abomination, but the fact that she'll have to leave her friends at Hexside. As the Abomination took a step towards her. The ground underneath it's foot lit up in a bright orange circle and a pillar of fire erupted from it. The Abomination took it's leg out of the tower of flames.
A stunned Amity glared at Luz. "How did you do that!?"
An equally stunned Luz replied. "I have no idea?!"
Ruby, Weiss, Blake and Yang were caught by surprise by that, as well as the rest of the audience. The girls knew Luz's magic was chaotic, but that pillar of fire was different from all the other time's her magic went haywire. It looked like she didn't do it intentionally.
"Did you guys see that!?" a shocked Ruby asked.
"Yeah she didn't use her hands or anything?" Blake said.
"Pretty weird?" Yang commented.
"Yeah it was..." Weiss gave Eda a questioning look.
"What?!" Eda said.
"Eda. When you said there were surprises in store, what did you mean by that?" Weiss asked. Her question sounding like she was interrogating the Owl Lady.
Eda realized her secret was out. "Okay... i may have set up a few magic traps around the arena before hand. Just in case things went south"
"You What!?" Weiss exclaimed.
"Shush. You want the whole Covention to hear you" Eda tried to calm Weiss down.
"Do you realize that's cheating?!" Weiss questioned Eda, still angry.
"Hey what she don't know won't hurt her. It'll just hurt the other kid" Eda brushed it off.
At this moment, King walked in to the arena theatre. Wearing more layers of Covention swag. " Things that are free People are giving offerings to me! I love offerings!" he stops Gus and Willow "What did I miss?"
"Amity is trying to kill Luz, so not much really" Gus answered.
King looked down at the arena. He saw Luz being chased by a large Abomination that Amity is controlling. And several holes in the arena from Eda's traps being activated. Amity's Abomination triggered another trap as it took a step. This time it produced a current of air strong enough to launch it and Amity into the air. The abomination landed on its back, while Amity landed right in front of Luz, kneeling.
"What's going on?! your not even using your hands to do this?! What are you up too?!" an angry Amity asked.
"Not dying!" a frightened Luz replied.
Back in the stands, a random student cheered. "Go! Amity!"
But King smacked him with a tote bag he was carrying. "You cheer for Luz! or Nobody!" the wannabe tyrant lost his footing and was about to fall.
"Amity let's talk about this" Luz tried to reason with her opponent.
"Yeah! Let's talk! Who are you really? Where did you come from? And why can you do magic without making a spell circle?" Amity demanded.
Unfortunately she wouldn't get her answers. Because at that moment, King fell off the edge of the stands, into the arena and on top of a hidden trap. Which activated, sprouting a bunch of spikes. The little demon wasn't skewered thankfully, but his clothes were.
"I'm okay" King said.
"Spikes? Really?" Weiss looked at Eda. While Ruby, Blake and Yang went down to the arena to help King.
Eda just said "What?"
"I knew it!" Amity declared "You were cheating!"
"I don't know what you talking about?!" a confused Luz defended herself. "Stuff just started blowing up around me too?! I'm just as confused as you are?!"
"Eda set up traps for the duel" Blake said in a deadpan tone.
"Of course!" Luz said not surprised.
At that moment Lilith and Eda came down to the arena and Lilith heard what Blake just said.
"Oh Eda. I do believe this means you lose!" Lilith said. And Eda simply groaned.
"Amity!, I didn't know anything about this" Luz tried to explain.
"You expect me to believe that pack of lies!" Amity turned and began to walk away.
But Eda saw something on the back of Amity's neck. "Hold it right there little miss perfect!" Eda rushed over to Amity and grabbed the thing that was on her neck. It was an Amplifier Glyph like the one's Ruby and the others saw. When she did Amity's Abomination shrunk down to the size of a toddler.
"Ah ha! She was using a power glyph! To boost her magic!"
The audience erupted into gasps followed by murmurs at the revelation that they both cheated in the duel.
"What a plot twist?" Yang comment.
Eda was ecstatic "Yes, yes, yes-yes-yes! You cheated. Perfect, prissy Lilith cheated. Hot dang, I love coventions! La-la-la— " and proceeded to do a series of victory dances.
"I only did that! Because i knew you! Would cheat!" Lilith said in defense of herself.
"Still cheated!" Eda countered. While she was still doing her little dances. "Welcome down to my level!"
Amity was still shocked by this. "But... I didn't know"
Luz tried to walk up to her, but Amity ran away. "Amity, wait!"
"Weh! Guys what about me!" King, who was still stuck on the spikes cried out.
"Sorry King" With a incredible ease, Luz pull King free from the spikes. Ripping his Covention clothes in the process.
"No! my offerings!" King lamented over the lose of his 'offerings'.
"We'll get you more offerings King. But right now i gotta try and make things right" Luz ran off after Amity.
"Luz! wait!" Ruby said as she followed after her with Weiss. King chased after them too. But his short legs meant he trialled further behind.
Meanwhile Eda was still dancing and Lilith was getting angry at her antics. "Knock it off, you're making a scene!" Lilith demanded.
"You cheated!" but Eda wasn't letting up "Hey, where's the rhyming coven? What rhymes with cheated?"
Blake and Yang were watching from a distance.
"Should we do something?" Blake asked.
"Nope" Yang replied.
"Stop acting like a child!" Lilith was getting more annoyed.
"You were defeated, don't get heated, get your stank face treated." Eda rhymed.
"Rhyme one more thing. I dare you!" Lilith growled.
"Oh, it's okay, I'm done" Eda Paused for a moment before saying "Because my rhymes are depleted!"
"That"s It!" Lilith had reach her limit. She summoned her staff spun it around, creating blast of blue magical energy and blasted Eda into the podium.
Despite the hit she took, The Owl Lady grinned "There she is" Eda got back up and summoned her own staff and spins it in a circle only for it to fly out of her hand and clatter on the ground. She picks it back up with a roar and sends a burst of energy at Lilith. Lilith grunts and sends one back.
Back with Luz, Ruby and Weiss. They managed to find Amity, in a dark spot near a couple of bathrooms, squatting down on the ground. With her face buried in her arms.
"Hey... Are you okay?" Luz asked concerned. But Amity didn't say anything. "Look I'm sorry about earlier"
"Ugh, seriously? Just leave me alone" Amity replied turning away.
"Amity. Luz is just trying to-" Ruby spoke only to get interrupted by Amity.
"What!?, Embarrass me more?! Because that's all she's done to me since you people showed up"
"Hey! We're just as upset by this as you" Weiss retorted.
"Upset?!" Amity stood up with anger in her voice. Looking Weiss in the eye "You don't know the meaning of 'Upset!'. I've worked my whole life to get where i am and suddenly she shows up with a crazy amount of magic power like it's nothing! who are you?" Amity demanded while pointing to Luz.
"I was born a half-witch" Luz stated.
"What?" Amity was taken back.
"My Dad is a powerful Witch in the Emperor's Coven, but my Mom is a human. Who stumbled on to the Boiling Isles by accident. They fell in love, got married and had me" Luz briefly recounted how her parents met.
"Is she serious?" Amity asked.
"Yup" Ruby answered.
"We've met them in person" Weiss added.
"So who is your dad?" Amity asked a new question.
"Uh you wouldn't believe us if we told you" Luz said.
"Try me"
"He's the Emperor" Ruby stated.
Amity looked at Ruby, Weiss and Luz dumbfounded for a moment. Before chuckling. "Are you serious?" Their expressions didn't show any indication that they were lying. "Oh Titan you're serious"
"Yeah, we found that out when we got taken to the castle" Ruby said.
"It was a wild first day for us" Weiss added.
"Learning magic hasn't been easy for me" Luz then took out a pencil and notepad. She then drew a light glyph and tapped it. The glyph crumpled up into a small ball of light in her hands. "But just like you. I'm training hard" Luz gently cups the ball holding up to Amity, who stares at it in awe.
But she tried to hide she was impressed "That's nothing, a child can do a light spell" But added curiously"But I've never seen it done like that?"
Luz covered up the ball of light and made it fad away "I know it probably won't make up for today, I'm sorry. Can we start over?" She extended a hand to Amity.
"I'd like that" Amity traced a spell circle in front of Luz's hand. She pulled Luz's hand into the circle, their hands glowed briefly and the circle disappeared. "Why don't we call it a draw?"
"Works for me" Luz said.
Not to far away, a loud explosion coming from the theatre that Eda and Lilith were fighting in. Followed by a victorious 'Woo! Hoo! from Eda. Small chunks of debris landed next to the girls.
"What the hell was that?!" Amity exclaimed.
"I'm guessing that would be Eda winning another Witches duel with her sister" Weiss answered.
Indeed, Eda did win the fight. Right now she was standing atop a pile of rubble with Lilith on the ground defeated.
"Hahaha! I win again!" Eda taunted.
"I hate you.. so much right now" Lilith groaned.
Unknown to everyone. A hooded male Witch had watched Luz and Amity's duel was currently exiting the convention centre. He pulled something out of his pocket. It was a pom-packed mirror, which he opened, revealing the image of a young woman in the mirror. She had blue hair in a bob cut, with pink eyes, along with the signature pointed ears of a Witch and wore a light blue dress.
"How was the Covention? Did you find the one we have been searching for?" the woman asked.
"It was... entertaining to say the least. I got some swag. And no" Hood man answered.
"Unfortunate" She said disappointed. "Return as soon as possible. We'll search again tomorrow"
"Yes ma'am" he said closing the com-packed.