Chapter 98: The Vault of the Winter Maiden
In which our heroes realize that the goal isn't to win, but to not lose.
Weiss was dead.
Dove was dead.
Penny was…
Ruby hated this. She hated this war and these relics and the Gods and Ozpin and Salem and…
She knelt next to the corpse and pressed a hand to its forehead. The body slowly descended into embers that scattered in the wind. "Prosperity, Bronzewing. I hope you get to see your friends, wherever you guys are."
Yang's semblance was burning with more accumulated power than she'd had since her brief skirmish with Adam Taurus in Mountain Glenn, but she was having trouble bringing herself to actually use it on her sister. After all, hadn't there been enough pain? Enough agony? Why would she add more to this blasted world?
She knew why.
Ruby needs me.
And yet…
I can't fight Ruby.
But I won't be hurting her. She just needs to be knocked out and taken to Mom, or maybe Ozpin.
We've already lost two people. Do you really think that you're good enough to take her in without that number rising to three?
What else am I supposed to do, just leave her? I've got to get her back, even if it kills me.
Ruby interrupted her inner turmoil. Her voice was strained. "Yang. Please, just think about what I've said. I'm not asking you to change sides or agree with me. Just listen to the full story and decide for yourself."
Ruby had murdered Dove despite him being unarmed and clearly defeated…
But Dove straight up ended Weiss. If Ruby hadn't avenged their teammate, Yang probably would have herself.
She'd begun droning on about some castle in the middle of the Grimm wastelands, but Yang tuned it out. If Ruby was corrupted, then anything she said couldn't be trusted.
But what if she wasn't? What if it was all true, and the schools were evil and the Grimm were good? And the kindly old teacher who was some doddering chum of Uncle Qrow was a religious zealot who was trying to end the world with the actual Brother Gods, because they weren't a myth but were dicks? It sounded like a conspiracy theory found on the wrong side of the internet, but maybe…just maybe…
Maybe, uhhhh…
M-Maybe…?
Maybe nothing. There was no way it could be true. Despite trying her best to honestly consider Ruby's side of things, there were just too many signs that she had been manipulated, either by this dead Salem woman or by the infected blood now flowing through her veins. Like how Ruby said she really did want to be a Grimm, but she'd never expressed any similar desire until after she'd already been transmogrified. Or how she was now just okay with teaming up with the people who'd sent Blake to kill them all? It just didn't make sense.
And that ghost Blake. That was…Yang would've called it a low blow from Weiss, but all her teachers had hammered into her head that honor and chivalry had no place on the battlefield, so she guess it was fair game. Still sucked, but there was not as much pain from that as there was from losing Weiss.
"…and then Mr. Ironwood said that we would be partners, not bosses, and–"
She would bring in Ruby, but she wouldn't cross any lines. Not like Dove had.
Yang let her semblance burn.
"Yang Xiao-Long!"
An opened palm cuffed the back of Yang's head.
"Don't roughhouse with your sister."
Yang turned around to see…Team Stark? The three of them were on the narrow pathway with a Mistrilian air-blimp improperly moored and floating away into the skies behind them.
"But M-Mom, she–"
"I don't care what she did, young lady. I won't tolerate any fisticuffs, fracases, or friendly fire. Now make up before I ground you both."
Yang looked at her mother incredulously, but her normally kind expression was rigid and unyielding.
"Fine. Ruby, m'sorry."
Ruby brushed her nose with the cusp of her hood. "I-It's okay, Yang."
Mom placed her hands on her hips. "So. You're my little Rook, aren't you? I must say I was expecting someone more…" Mom waved her hands and gestured to Ruby's everything. "…not that."
Ruby retreated into her hood, and Yang's heart damn nearly did a backflip at the tragic cuteness. "Sorry, mom."
"It's okay. C'mere, baby. Give your momma a hug."
A flurry of rose petals whooshed around them as Ruby slammed into Mom and started bawling. "Moooooooooooommmmmmmmmyyyyyyyyyy!"
"It's okay, my little fledgling. Let it all out. It's all going to be okay, Rook."
"I saw! I saw it all with Jinn! I was going to find you, but then we got attacked by the horsemen and Kraky took us to Salem and Jaune killed her and…and…and…I'm sorry! I should've looked for you! You were the best huntress in the world, and I should've known that you couldn't be killed!"
"It wasn't your fault, Ruby. This was never on you." Mom clenched her jaw. "It was Ozp–"
"Ahem," Weiss coughed. Yang did a double take at the white-haired girl who, despite all odds, had somehow survived a clearly fatal blow AND a fall from this weird cave back down to the crater.
"I hate to interrupt a touching reunion, but there's a war going on downstairs. Every second we wait is one more innocent hunter killed."
Ruby separated herself from Mom. "Weiss is right. Look, I know I must seem like a Grimm to you all, and you probably think I'm talking nonsense, but the truth is that Salem was never evil."
Uncle Qrow, seemingly entranced by the door behind Ruby, didn't even meet her eyes when he spoke. "Look, kiddo. Oz might not be what we thought he was…hey, don't elbow me, Tai…okay, so he might be a lot worse than I ever imagined, but Salem–"
"Salem what? What evil thing did she do?"
"She's been trying to kill me for years."
"Because you worked for Ozpin, who you just admitted was evil."
"She commands the Grimm."
"She was holding them back. Besides, I control them now. Am I evil?" Ruby kissed her fingertips, then touched them to the ground. A Grimm snake slithered out towards Qrow. The old huntsman nearly jumped out of his skin upon seeing Ruby's new powers for the first time, but the snake only nuzzled up against his leg and softly hissed. "I'm getting better at giving orders. It now lasts a few hours, and then I have to say the commands again. Increasing the duration takes a lot of practice, but I seem to have limitless range. Watch."
Ruby closed her eyes and inhaled. "Protect the people of Atlas and Mantle."
The snake slithered to the edge of the path on which they stood, then jumped down to its doom.
"Oh. Oops."
"She sent Blake to kill us!" exclaimed Yang, breaking the oohs and aahs from the peanut gallery. "Ruby, Weiss, you two kept trying to convince me that Blake was an assassin or an infiltrator or whatever, but then as soon as I believe you, it's suddenly switch-sides-to-the-woman-who-sent-Blake-o'clock? The fuck, you guys?"
Mom coughed. "Don't say f–"
"Hey, that's right!" Weiss exclaimed. "I kind of never got an explanation about that either, Ruby."
Yang nodded vigorously.
"But!" Weiss raised a finger in the air. "We…" She angrily gestured to both herself and Yang. "…will give you a chance to explain it. And we will not go berserk or try to backstab you before we have the full, unabridged story."
"She could be lying –"
"What's the harm?" asked Weiss, raising her shoulders. "She's clearly not violent, and you risk nothing by hearing her out and deciding for yourselves. If you actually give her the chance to explain herself, she can resolve any lingering doubts we have."
Ruby actually was kind of violent, but Dove brought it upon herself. He got what he deserved, or maybe what he wanted. It was probably for the best that Ruby had disposed of the evidence of all that before her long-awaited meeting with Mom.
"I'm on board," said Raven. "I mean, Ozpin is definitely an Ozpenis. That alone already corroborates Rook's story."
"I'm willing to give her a shot," said Dad. Uncle Qrow nodded as well.
"Fine," sighed Yang. "But if anything doesn't add up–"
"We'll take her in," said Weiss, clearly with no intention of taking Ruby in at all. It was obvious to everyone, but the blind, unwavering loyalty she had for Ruby was no longer surprising. Yang rolled her eyes.
"Okay. I'll listen. And I'll try to keep an open mind this time."
This guy was pissed. The mini-headmaster was sending out waves upon waves of vibrant acrimonious aura at the students who dared stand in his way. Cardin had gotten pretty good at narrowing down what feeling the aura precisely meant, and Ozpin was indignant. The strange man was affronted by the defection of Team Castle to the point that he was prepared to kill them. When someone –
Attacking!
"Move!" Cardin screamed, pushing Sky out of the way before a glowing red disk shot from Ozpin and nearly severed his head off.
Ozpin dropped Ren's motionless body on the street with no tact whatsoever. "Miss Fall. Now that Miss Sustrai is no longer indisposed with young Mister Ren's shenanigans, I'd appreciate it if you assisted me with disposing of his team."
Cardin focused on Cinder's aura. She bore malicious intent against them, that was for sure, but gone was the fury that had been there before. Judging by the look on her face, Ozpin's surprise appearance was not something she'd –
Left!
Cardin felt the aura of an enemy about to strike and instinctively rolled out of the way. Sustrai's sickles carved through the air as the short girl appeared out of nowhere. He was fairly certain that she hadn't been there just a moment ago.
Hmmm. All throughout their fight with Cinder, little oddities had popped up here and there. A surefire hit had missed, a swish of fire came at him from behind when Cinder was clearly in front. Cardin would normally have discounted them as blunders he'd made due to an excess of adrenaline and a lack of focus, but his senses seemed to be failing him where his semblance hadn't.
That was the thing about semblances. No semblance was invincible, and nifty semblances alone didn't win fights. Sky still had yet to unlock his, and he was probably just as good as Cardin. What mattered more was how you applied whatever semblance you got or adapted to make up for the weak one or lack thereof. Nikos, Brothers rest her soul, had gotten an easy semblance – control your opponents' weapons for a guaranteed win. Queen Nora, on the other hand, had a mostly useless semblance, but it packed a punch when it came into play. To make up for these imbalances, she played it smart. Every member of Team Castle carried Lightning Dust, and Queen Nora's fighting skills were top notch in case they didn't get a chance to use it.
When he'd gotten his semblance, Cardin had been too distraught by the fact that he'd just brutalized a mute, diminutive preschooler to celebrate. Then, when he had time to figure it out, the whole thing seemed kind of…underwhelming. Like, who gets a semblance that tells them when someone's mad? So useless!
But as time went on, Cardin saw more and more of other people using their semblances in a tricky way. Queen Nora, Jaune Arc, even Professor Branwen; his shitty misfortune may have made his life a bit of a turdhole, but when he fought solo, he could make sure all that bad luck turned on his opponent. So Cardin had taken a page out of their books and made the best of a lame, underpowered semblance. And hey, an early warning system wasn't great, but it wasn't all that bad either.
But here, with Queen Nora swinging Magnhild wildly in the wrong direction as fireballs pelted by Cinder hit her, and Sky failing to dodge attacks from the Emerald girl that were obviously choreographed, it seemed like it was time for Malice to shine.
After a heated round of apologizes, insistence that apologies weren't necessary, and more apologies for having issued said apologies when they weren't necessary, Yang felt like she and Ruby were good.
It had seemed crazy – it still did – but it was too crazy to be made up. Ruby had always been a creative type but weaving wild stories about Gods and relics wasn't her style. The extent of her imagination extended to the weirdest type of cookie possible and enhancements to her baby.
The whole Queen of the Grimm thing was still extraordinarily fucked up, by the way. Yang was sorry for not trusting Ruby, and she believed it was honestly Ruby's choice and not some Grimm mind control, but it was still beyond weird and not exactly okay. Grimm had been killing people since Day One of humanity's existence, but now Yang was supposed to just be happy that they were on her side? No way, buster. But none of that was her little sister's fault, so for the sake of Ruby, she held her tongue. Who knew? Maybe it would get easier with time.
Now that they were beyond the deluge of apologies and whatnot, the phase of questions had begun.
"Can we ask Jinn any more questions?" asked Weiss.
"Where's the dragon?" asked Qrow, looking up at the vault's ceiling. "And the sword relic?"
"This Dove boy…how far did you two go?" asked a very suspicious sounding Dad.
"Why's Crescent Rose a Grimm?" asked Yang.
"Rook, sweetie, would you like some cookies?" asked Mom, offering a platter of…wait where the heck did she get cookies from? And how were they piping hot?
She'd brought at least forty cookies, so naturally everyone had precisely one and Ruby had the rest. Mom smiled like this was a normal thing, which it very well may have been. Rubes had always been the biggest fans of freshly baked cookies as a little kid.
"Thow," Ruby slurred, cramming the last of the cookies into her mouth and swallowing as crumbs ran down her cheeks. "To answer your questions: no, we're all out of questions for this century, er, era. Kraky's staying in low orbit above the city until I need him. I figure that if things go bad down here, he can fly the relic of destruction as far away as possible. After all, we don't win against Ozpin by winning. We win by not losing. Althooouuuugh…actually, let's wait on that for a bit. Dove Bronzewing and I never did anything – not even kissing. I…I don't want to talk about him. This isn't Crescent Rose. This is Grimmrose. She's a more cautious gal, but she tends to talk back to me more than Crescent ever did. Just like Antiheld, she is a creature of the Grimm. I can reweave Grimm into weapons and draw them from my own blood. So, about that: Grimm aren't alive, but they aren't mindless either. They're not just another species or anything as simple as that – they're so much more. It's more like…it's hard to explain. Think of Life and living things as the God of Light's domain, and Grimm as the God of Darkness'."
"They're death?" asked Dad.
"No. Death comes after life, so it's a part of that cycle. The Grimm are a second force of nature that run in parallel to it, so they've got their own rules. You know how wool and plant fibers make up clothes, and wood is used for buildings, and animal fats can make soap, and they're all living materials? But animals aren't like plants, and people are entirely different. They're all still life, built from the same cells and proteins and atoms. Grimm are varied like that, too. They can be active, moving creatures, like Beowolves, but they can also be things that we'd see as mere raw materials. That's how I weave Grimm weapons."
"So Antiheld is a Grimm plant?" asked Weiss.
"Or maybe plants are un-Grimm plants."
"But they're evil. They kill people," pointed out Yang. "Grimm have always been monsters." Now that Yang thought about it, Ruby had always been a degree obsessed with huntressing and Grimm, even when she was little. Stuff plushies of every type of monster had adorned the baseboard of her childhood bed. Perhaps becoming their queen was like putting a kid in a candy shop. Except Ruby actually was a kid and would definitely go wild in a candy shop given her penchant for having a sweet tooth, so maybe Yang needed a better metaphor that wasn't so easily applied literally.
"They don't just hunt negativity. It's all they can see of us. Salem, as decent as she was, never cared about them beyond their usefulness, save for her horsemen. That was her failing grace. They respond a bit more positively to me. I think it's because I treat them like…okay, this is going to sound bad, but I treat them like an extended family… ormaybeaTeambutbutbutbutYangI'mnottryingtoreplaceyouIpromise! I swear to the Bro– wait, they suck. Uh, I swear to Dust, Yang, it's more like I'm their leader so I treat them like teammates by default. I mean to say, I'm their leader like their queen. I'm still first and foremost your leader and partner and fellow Rainbow. That's never going to change."
Ruby's semblance-fueled rambling made Yang lightly chuckle. Even as the most powerful woman on Remnant, she was still nothing more than a stuttering little girl when she got spooked by the thought of her sister being upset with her. Yang rarely ever got truly angry at Ruby, but Ruby still was horrified by the mere prospect of it.
"S'cool, sis. I know that the Grimm aren't trying to steal my love for you."
"I'm so glad you Penny."
"That's…what?" Yang wiggled a finger in her ear.
"Penny. She's coming back. That's…That's good. She's going to be our ace in the hole."
Yang looked around in all directions but saw no one. "How–"
"I can see it all now," Ruby said ominously. "She'll be here in a few moments. And then it can all be over."
Fighting with his eyes closed turned out to be a real bitch to have to do.
Strategy was never Cardin's strong suit. Queen Nora was a commander, and a great one at that, and Sky did the plans. But in his time at Beacon, one of the most important lessons was to trust your teammates but not depend on them. It was with a heavy heart that he thus attempted one of the most challenging undertakings of his juvenile career as a fledgling huntsman – outthinking someone.
Low!
He'd already picked up on Emerald's semblance. Somehow, she disconnected people from reality or did something to blind them. It was impossible to tell what exactly happened, but the effect was to render them unable to see what was right in front of them. By this point, he'd gotten that it was something about sight, and it required eye contact. He also knew that she couldn't hit more than two people for more than a second at a time, though a second was a long time in this fast paced a fight.
Cardin had fought the best Beacon had to offer. He'd helped capture Morrighan. He'd even gone head to head with the Invincible Girl. Still, fighting Emerald solo was easily the most demanding thing he'd ever done in his short life.
Right!
As long as he kept her distracted, she wouldn't be able to screw with Queen Nora and Sky as they fucked up Cinder. The two of them had read his unspoken cues and split off, leaving the short girl to him.
He remembered from Vytal that she wasn't much of a fighter, but this semblance of hers was unreal. If he tried to open his eyes even once, he'd see horrible, gut-wrenching visions. Queen Nora cut up into slices and being thrown to maggots, Ren gouging his own eyes out one plop at a time, even himself being devoured by his own teammates. He knew it was fake, but it was sure as shit disturbing. He'd learned early on that the only way to fight Emerald was to shut his eyes as tight as possible and trust in his semblance.
Left!
He sidestepped in time to hear a sickle cut through the air.
High up!
The Dust fire clipped his hair instead of his forehead.
Right!
Up!
Left right left!
Hitting back was the problem. Basically, he'd have to wait until she was at the closest point of her attack (basing this solely on the particular taste of aggression in her aura) and swinging The Executioner on instinct. She wasn't an idiot, though; she must have realized that he was having trouble with going on the offensive, because the blind attacks of his were striking her less and less often. Not to mention, he had to tune out the overwhelming abhorrence he was getting from Ozpin. Even though he was only about three to four feet tall, that man's malice was the size of a damn mountain. The desire to see blood coming from ol' Oz was so thick that Cardin had to consciously bite back his instinctive drive to leave Emerald behind and charge at him instead. Cardin wondered how he could be so mad at three eighteen-year-olds.
Cardin also wondered why he wasn't attacking.
Cardin also also wondered why he'd stuck around to watch this fight if he wasn't going to join in.
Head on!
Shit. Cardin got hit that time, though it wasn't bad. Judging from the strength of Emerald's slash, it couldn't have cost him more than 10% of his aura.
Something was fishy, though he couldn't place what. Again, strategy wasn't his strong suit –
No! Queen Nora and Sky are fighting for their lives! You're the only one who can do this, so the least you can do is try to use your head for once, you damn numbskull!
Okay. So. Here were the facts.
Ozpin was an old man, but now he looked like a little boy.
Ozpin had magical powers as well.
Left!
Ozpin was evil.
Ozpin wanted to use relics to destroy the world.
Ozpin was…religious? What, like with the Brother Gods or something?
"Ruby didn't give us much to go on before Dove knocked us over the edge…"
"What?" asked Emerald.
"Sorry, talking to myself."
"C'mon, big guy. We're in the middle of a fight. Stay focused."
"Sorry. I'll do better."
Oh boy! As Penny descended the elevator to the vault, she saw that all of her best friends were assembled in one place! This was sensational!
"Salutations, Friends Weiss through Raven chronologically! And some blonde, bearded potential friend! It is so good to see you all."
Friend Weiss' expression turned bitter, and she looked away. Penny desperately hoped that the two of them would find some way to mend their fractured relationship. This might be their last chance, and she did not want Weiss to treat her with such disdain if that were to be so.
"Friend Weiss, I believe I have a solution to –"
"Hmph!"
Friend Queen Ruby beckoned Penny to her. "Did you…?"
"I did, Friend Queen Ruby. Unfortunately, Friend Fria is no more."
"Was it peaceful?"
"She was still alive when I approached her."
"So, you had to…you know…after all."
Penny met Friend Queen Ruby's sad eyes with equally upset optical sensors of her own. "I did. Friend Fria was willing. I showed her the situation on a scroll, and she understood."
"Was it painless, then?"
"Her heart was stopped instantly."
Friend Queen Ruby shook her head. "I'm sorry. I would have been the one to do it if I had been able, but I'm needed as Queen of the Grimm. And it will only work with you…"
There was no need for apology. Had it not been Penny in this position, it would have been someone else. The mantle she bore and the fate it brought would be a cruel one, and Penny did not wish to inflict it on any of her friends. Besides, only Penny had a perfect control of her internal functions, and she was already terminally damaged. Too many circumstances had convened to make Penny the only one for this task to call it anything but fate.
At least Friend Weiss would be here with her.
"I am ready to open the vault, Friend Queen Ruby."
"Open the vault?" asked Friend Qrow. "Kiddo, aren't we trying to keep the relics sealed away?"
"Oh, you poor silly thing, little brother," said Friend Raven, flipping her hair. "My Rook is leagues smarter than you. She's going to stow the lamp in the vault and have Penny fly for the hills. Like she said, we don't win by winning. Even if he expends the entire armies of the Vermillion Alliance, Ozpin just needs to get his hands on all four relics at the same time to win. Our task is much harder. We'll never truly win; we just stave off doomsday for as long as we can."
Poor Friend Raven. She was so very wrong.
Friend Queen Ruby hummed. Then, she transformed into a rook and leapt off the edge of the vault's walkway. Her soft flapping wings were quickly drowned out by Friend Kraken's loud beating as he soared beneath them. Friend Queen Ruby returned with the relic of destruction but a moment later.
"Where's the lamp?" asked Friend Yang. "Aren't you supposed to be stashing that away?"
"I decided that the lamp will be more useful in the long run. We're going to hide the sword and the crown instead. Their powers are more unpredictable, and we can't use them for humanity's benefit as much. Jinn may be gone for now, but she'll be helpful for the people who are alive one hundred years from now."
Friend Penny opened the dorsal port on her back. "Um, Friend Weiss…"
"I have nothing to say to you."
"I shall need someone to retrieve the relic of choice from my internal storage."
"I'll do it," offered Friend Yang.
Penny offered her a glove to prevent direct contact with the crown. Unlike the other password activated relics, choice was normally inert and was only controlled by intent. Friend Yang most likely did not wish to see the possible deviations in the timeline available to her, but it was better to be safe than sorry.
With the relic of choice now back in hand (and out of her back), Penny stepped towards the door of the Vault of the Winter Maiden. Placing a single hand on it, she allowed her magic to undo the seal. Blue flames poured out of her eyes, and the chamber opened.
Ruby handed her the relic of destruction. "Is there anything you want to…say?"
"Yes. There is."
Penny turned to the crowd of friends.
"Friend Raven. I have known you for the shortest time, but I am pleased to have made your acquaintance. Friend Qrow. I suspect you face some of the same internal turmoil that I did due to your involvement with Ozpin. I urge you to forgive yourself and make peace with your actions. You were not to blame for being deceived. Friend Yang, y–"
"Wait, what is this?" asked Friend Weiss. "Why is…Penny what are you doing?"
"Weiss…"
Penny had 5.545 trillion transistors that allowed her to instantly compute the most complex of mathematical equations, access any and all information on the CCT network, and respond to most queries accurately within femtoseconds, but for once in her life, she found herself lost for words.
Friend Queen Ruby answered for her, saving her the heartache of admitting the truth. "Weiss. She's doing this on my order."
Penny struggled to find her voice. "That…is correct. As successor to Queen Salem, Friend Queen Ruby is the highest authority and my primary administrator. However, I independently concur with her that this course of action is for the best."
"What course of action?" asked Friend Weiss. "Why did it sound like Penny was saying goodbye to everyone?"
"She needs to," said Friend Raven. "We need to split up the relics in safe places. Oz made the vaults to keep Salem from stealing back the relics from him until he could gather them all, but we're going to use them against him. If we scatter the maidens, then he won't –"
"No. That is not it. I'm sorry to interrupt, Mom, but that's not it."
Penny steadied herself and tried to control the unusual sensation she was experiencing. This sensation was not sensational.
"Friend Weiss. I shall take the relics into the vault. Then, I shall seal myself within and self-terminate."
Okay.
This was how hard Cardin had it.
Cinder and Queen Nora were mostly evenly matched, so Sky tipped it in their favor. They were doing well, and so was he against Emerald. His semblance, once he got into the swing of things, perfectly countered hers. The problem with that was Ozpin watching like a hawk, with his rage about to boil over. Cardin didn't know what was stopping him, but the status quo was to their advantage, so he made sure to keep it. That meant letting Emerald get in a few shots here and there, just so Ozpin wouldn't step in to save them or whatever his grand plan was. Judging from the sheer power of that one magical attack he'd used on Sky at the beginning and the way he'd knocked out Ren without as much as a struggle, he would take them out pretty easily, so the goal for now was to avoid that.
So that's how he found himself winning against an opponent but still having to force himself to lose. It sucked big ones…literally no one had it harder than Cardin right now.
It was tempting to just bash Emerald's face open with his mace, but the goal wasn't to beat their opponents. They needed to find some way to stop this war, and maybe get back up to the bottom of Atlas and save the Rainbows. He was racking his brains for all they were worth to think up some way to do that, but it was tougher than it sounded.
A flicker of someone feeling miffed caught his attention. He'd managed to isolate Emerald, Ozpin, Queen Nora, Sky, and Cinder's auras, and it wasn't any of them. This was just a faint spark, something petty.
Then it was gone.
Then it was back.
Then it was gone.
Against his better judgement, Cardin opened his eyes. To prevent a nasty image from blocking his field of view, he grabbed his tiny opponent's face and covered Emerald's eyes with a meaty palm of his, then quickly looked around. No one was around him except the two Castles and their opponents.
No. The three Castles.
Making sure it didn't look suspicious, Cardin chucked Emerald (who had to weigh 50 pounds soaking wet) over towards Ren's twitching body. Maybe this was the break he was looking for? Either way, it would be good to have Ren back.
Ozpin raised his eyebrows and simply stepped away from the fighters, disdain on his youthful face. Emerald locked eyes with Cardin, but he shut them instantly. Flying towards her, he grappled her and covered her mouth.
As she struggled, Cardin whispered, "Ren. Ren, wake up." He couldn't let Ozpin know that Ren was back, or the killer boy might decide he was done with waiting and just slaughter the four of them.
"W-What?"
"Ren, we need you."
"Gotta…find…Cinder."
"Ren, we're fighting Cinder."
"Goodwitch…others dead…only Cinder…"
Ren fell back into unconsciousness, and his weak malice faded away. Well, Cardin had gotten something.
Okay, big man. Think. Goodwitch is dead. How can that help us?
She's on the side of the Vermillion Alliance – the bad guys. One less person to fight, I guess?
No, that's not right. We don't want to fight them all. We want to get her and the headmaster to call off the hunters. Except they can't. On account of the fact that they're all dead.
Emerald writhed within his grip. Cardin spared a quick peek at Ozpin. He was watching the battle between Queen Nora, Sky, and Cinder unflinchingly from a distance.
Why is he waiting? Why not help Cinder? She's struggling. Why not guarantee she wins against us by stepping in?
C'mon. C'mon. What's his angle? You can do this, Cardin…
Cardin grimaced. Urgh. It doesn't matter if I do jack shit. Goodwitch and the council were dead. Even if we come out on top, nobody can call off the Vermillion Alliance.
Nobody but…
Oh. It clicked into place.
Ozpin, you sneaky little fucker.
It didn't matter who won. Ozpin had stacked the odds in his favor. If Team Castle won, they'd be exhausted and easy to pick off one by one. If Cinder won, he could easily stab her in the back like he had Goodwitch.
He'd turned the only two teams that could screw him over against each other, then he'd step in and easily wipe out the weakened victor.
"Emerald."
"MMMPH! GRGRGGGMP!"
"Ozpin's going to betray Cinder."
Her eyes briefly widened, then regained their hardness. The struggling resumed.
"Why isn't he helping you? He could easily save her. He's waiting for us to weaken each other. Cinder took control of Haven when the old lion guy died, and now she's the only person besides Ozpin who the Vermillion Alliance will listen to. Didn't you overhear Ren just now? He was too delirious to lie."
Emerald bit down on Cardin's hand, and he reflexively pulled it away. To his great surprise, though, she didn't shout to the headmaster for help. Her eyes flicked from side to side as she thought on his words, before finally resting on Ozpin.
Cardin checked her aura. She was still malicious, but now it was a simmering, vengeful hatred, not her aggressive fighting spirit from before.
"Keep struggling," ordered Cardin. "We can't let him kn–"
An elbow knocking the window out of him was her response. "How do we stop him?
Cardin gasped for air, then answered her as she pretend-choked him. "He's almost at the breaking point. We just need to tip him over. I think I might have an idea. Play along."
"What are you going to do?" asked Emerald, stabbing at him with a sickle just slow enough for him to catch the blade.
"What I do best…be a douche."
"Brothers damn you!"
The cry was so loud that Sky peeled his eyes away from his own fight. Based on the fact that he didn't instantly die, Cinder had too.
"Brothers damn you, you stupid bastard!" Emerald yelled again as Cardin ripped her sickle gun from her hands and snapped it in two.
"Oh, you silly little girl," Cardin chided loudly and boisterously as he pummeled her with a mighty kick. "The Brother Gods don't care about you. Dust, those dumb fucks probably aren't even real."
"Stay focused, Cardy," called Nora, her voice slightly clipped.
A glass sword nicked Sky's chin, and he realized death had been just a hair's breadth away. He probably ought to follow his leader's advice as well.
"Then damn them too!" screamed Emerald. "Fuck whatever uncaring gods are up there for not smiting your ass!" Cardin slapped her down roughly.
"Em!" shouted Cinder. She reached a hand to her fallen teammate, but Sky cracked Arson on her foot, tripping her.
Cardin was fixated on trash talking, though, and he showed no signs of stopping. "You're a fool if you honestly expect them to do anything besides sit their lazy, fat god asses down on their god couch, reach over, and suck off one another's tiny little god di–"
The oversized ethereal green sword that came out of nowhere carved straight through Cardin's aura, Cardin's leg, Emerald's aura, and Emerald's eye. If it had been meant to kill either one of them, it was too sloppily aimed to meet its objective, instead only slicing their body parts.
"GAAAAAAH!"
"AAAAIIIIIEEEE!"
Emerald clutched her bleeding face as Cardin's leg flopped to the ground in one direction while Cardin fell the other way.
"EMERALD!"
"You! You…ah. It would seem I forgot myself." Ozpin straightened out his shirt and smoothed his ruffled hair, ending his outburst as quickly as it had begun. "Well, then. Miss Fall, I suppose it is time for you to –"
"DIE!" Cinder faced Ozpin. "DIE!" She flew through the air towards the small boy, her dual swords swinging wildly.
Sky looked at Nora. "Do we–"
"Ruby said Ozpin's the bad guy. Cinder was only our enemy because –"
Her swords flailed violently, slashing at the air around the boy as he nimbly dodged. "DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE!"
"I'll go help her. Sky, you go tend to Cardin. And Emerald, too, I guess."
Rushing to Cardin, Sky lit Arson and prepared to treat the wound. Emerald was flopping about like a fish, but she was stable. Sky knew enough basic triage to say that Cardin was at more risk of bleeding out.
"I'm going to cauterize the wounds, buddy. This is…I'm sorry, but this is going to hurt. A lot."
Cardin threw his head backwards and wailed louder than ever before. "FNNAAAAAFFF! GAAAH IT HURTS SO MUCH! FUUUUUUUCK!"
Then Sky pressed his torch to the wound.
Sky had dressed his wound and was moving on to Emerald, but Cardin could see the fight. Queen Nora and Cinder were the Vytal Festival winner and the runner up, making them in theory the best student huntresses in the world, but this little boy was holding them at a stalemate.
It had been a wild shot in the dark to insult the Brother Gods solely based on Ruby's words about Ozpin being crazy religious over them, but it had paid off. He'd lost his temper and lashed out, revealing his true colors earlier than he'd prepared. Cinder had clearly seen it, which meant that as soon as Oz was dealt with, the war could be stopped. Cardin would gladly give up his other leg just to see this whole shitshow come to an end.
Ozpin's devastating malice from before had been vented, and now he was running out of steam. Cardin sensed his retreat before it even happened. He was still rearing up for a major strike, but it wasn't directed at them. He had more important places to be.
Ruby.
"He's about to–"
"ENOUGH!"
Ozpin threw out his arms and sent Queen Nora and Cinder flying backwards in a cloud of dust and debris. Crouching on the ground, he suddenly jumped up and surrounded himself with a yellow radiance and levitated into the air.
"I cannot waste any more time here. The true fight has not even begun."
With that ominous message, he flew straight up towards Atlas.
Good luck, Rainbows, Cardin thought. Try not to die.
Cinder watched him ascend until he was no longer visible. "Why did he…?"
"We told you!" said an upset Queen of the Castles. "He's evil!"
"He really was?" Cinder turned to look at a flaming wreck that used to be an Atlesian airship. "But then…Ironwood…"
"Cinder," said Cardin. "You need to call off the Vermillion Alliance."
"I killed…so many…"
"Snap out of it," ordered Sky. "Even more will die if the fighting goes on."
"You're the only one left," said Cardin, relaying Ren's message. "Oz killed the headmasters to prevent them from stopping the war. He wants to keep the battle going so he can get to Ruby without interference while the four kingdoms are torn apart by infighting. You need tell them –"
"I get it," said Cinder, nodding her head. "I understand." Taking out a scroll, she pressed some buttons. Cardin assumed she was sending out some sort of mass messaging system to the troops.
"All hunters of Vale, Vacuo, Mistral, and Menagerie. This is Cinder Fall, acting Headmistress of Haven Academy and sole surviving general of the Vermillion Alliance. I am sounding a full retreat. We've sustained too heavy losses against Atlas and the Grimm to continue, and we need to regroup at Amity. Fall out."
Cinder pocketed her scroll. Cardin was fairly certain he caught sight of cracks on the screen that hadn't been then when she took it out.
Sky regarded her curiously. "Why did you say–"
"Telling people that they're wrong and the opponent is right will be met with denial. I certainly responded that way. The only thing soldiers will hear in the heat of battle is an order from their superior. We can attempt to explain the full truth at Amity however we need. All we needed for now was to just get the armies to separate." She looked skyward. "Where is that thing going?"
"To Ruby," said Cardin. "He's going to Ruby."
"Friend Weiss. I shall take the relics into the vault. Then, I shall seal myself within and self-terminate."
The noise level in the room dropped to sub-decibel levels.
Then, everyone spoke at once.
"Rubes, you can't–"
"Kiddo, there has to be a–"
"This isn't going to–"
Penny opened her mouth and emitted a high pitch frequency, causing all those present except Friend Queen Ruby to clutch their ears. Clearing her throat, she explained.
"Friends. I am damaged. Complete system shutdown is an inevitability for me. At least this way, I shall cease knowing that my termination has meaning. If I may protect my friends in my final act, I shall consider it a life well spent."
"You ordered her to?" Friend Yang asked in equal parts confusion and horror.
"I had to," Friend Queen Ruby said softly. "The entire world was counting on me. I didn't have anyone. I-I had to make a choice, and there was no one else to…no adults who…i-it was all on me. I asked Penny…"
"…and I said yes. I can take the relics to the other side of the vault and keep them away from Ozpin in perpetuity. Three of the relics shall be eternally sealed within the Vault of the Winter Maiden, along with the sole key able to open it. With this, we shall prevent Ozpin from ever uniting them and summoning the Brother Gods. With this, we shall win by winning."
"That…" began Friend Qrow. "That's actually right. Damn. You're a fucksight smarter than I thought, kiddo, and a whole lot more ruthless."
Friend Queen Ruby cringed at the quasi-compliment.
"P-Penny."
"Friend Weiss."
Friend Weiss folded her hands in front of her and met Penny's eyes with all the prim and proper décor befitting of an heiress. "I ask that you allow me to take the mantle of Winter maiden from you and die in your stead."
"You can't, Weiss."
Rage flashed in Friend Weiss' eyes. "Ruby…" she growled.
"Not like that. You just can't. Maiden powers are transferred by the death of the host. If you want to be the Winter Maiden, you'd need to kill Penny. Plus, only Penny can keep the powers hidden beyond the vault. There's no way around this."
"How could you…why her?" A single teardrop fell, followed by several more. "Why did it have to be her?"
"We were all alone. Ozpin was coming. I had to do something, and the war was starting, and she said she was already dying, and…I made a choice." Ruby looked away. "I didn't want this. I never wanted to be a leader. I just wanted to be a huntress."
"That's no excuse," Friend Weiss said coldly.
"I know. But Weiss, this needs to happen. It's the only way for the relics to be safe. After Penny is…after the vault is closed, you can scream at me and curse me and call me an evil no-good monster and hit me as much as you want, but you should spend the time you have now with her."
Weiss turned to face Penny.
"Friend Weiss. I want to truly apologize for deceiving you in regard to my involvement with Salem."
Weiss swiped a stream of tears away, dragging a hand across her face. "Oh, Penny. That doesn't matter now."
"It does. I was wrong, and I should have had enough trust in you to share the truth with you. I do not wish for you to hate me."
"I don't! You're my best friend!" Friend Weiss pulled Penny into a tight hug. "My best friend forever!"
"And you, mine." Gripping Friend Weiss closer to her, she whispered in her ear, "It feels like just yesterday we were watching hardcore pornography on a public bench in Vale."
Friend Weiss let out a quick giggle before recollecting herself. "I…I'm going to miss you."
"Your friendship was the most important thing to me, Best Friend Weiss. I will always love you."
"We're almost out of time." Friend Queen Ruby handed Penny the remaining relics. "We can delay no this longer. I'm so sorry, Penny."
Each step felt like her feet were made of lead instead of a titanium-alumina alloy. The relic of creation was just up ahead, floating between two stone pylons. A grassy field, not dissimilar to the default background of Penny's internal system desktop screen, extended as far as the optical sensor could see. Multicolored flowers sprouted from the ground, all in a state of bloom. As places to self-terminate went, this one was not half bad.
Turning around just before she entered the vault, Penny looked upon her dear friends one last time and waved goodbye with both of her relic-filled hands.
"Goodbye, everyone. Thank you all for being my friends."
The door sealed shut just as Friend Queen Ruby and her speed semblance slipped out. Penny had needed to be on the outside to close it, but in the time it took for the door to shut, Friend Queen Ruby had carried Penny in and then turned around to leave her there.
There was no telling whether or not the powers of the Winter maiden would depart and pass through the sealing walls of the vault. Penny doubted it, as nothing could pass through a closed vault, but Salem had never tried it, and there was thus no way to know for sure. Fortunately, death and the transfer of the maiden powers did not need to mean the same thing.
Penny detached her core, the mechanized portion of herself that generated aura, and the solar panel that could charge it. Her auric and electronic capacitors had enough power to keep her functioning through the remainder of the procedure, but she needed to move fast.
She manually opened the solar panel and inclined it towards the sunless bright light that filled the vault. It may not have been natural, but the light that illuminated the vault was photonic energy and could still be used, magical though it was. The maiden powers were tied to her aura, so as long as that aura remained, the powers would not leave it.
It felt odd that a technological solution could defy the magic that was gifted to Ozma and his people by gods, but this wasn't the first time. The aura transfer device had been used to outsmart the natural maiden transfer process, and Raven Branwen's body had been kept in a coma allowing Ozpin to delay her natural passing.
There was no wind, no weather, and no erosion in this chamber. Her core could, in theory, continue to operate indefinitely, short of external interference. And, as her powers had locked the door to the outside world, that was unlikely to happen. The core would continue to sit there and generate artificial aura without interruption for the remainder of all time.
It could not have been Friend Fria, Friend Weiss, or any of the others. Only Penny's core could hold the Winter maiden's powers eternally. All others would age or starve.
Penny had never seriously considered the concept before, but this felt like destiny.
Penny's mind would not survive it, though. It was already damaged beyond repair, making her thoughts fray. Before her capacitors faded, Penny knew that her ultimate action would be to delete her memory banks and finally rest, to spare herself the fate of becoming an inanimate husk of transistors and servo-motors.
Penny placed the crown and the sword on the ground in front of the spear. Laying down in the grass with her arms out, she savored the feeling of the breeze blowing over her. There may have been no sun within this altered dimension, but it was still wonderfully warm and bright.
Yes, this was indeed quite a sensational place to self-terminate.
Next Chapter: Red Like Branwens – In which three quarters of Team Rainbow and three quarters of Team Stark get beaten up by a thirteen-year-old boy.
Omake
Weiss: Penny is gone. I shall forever miss my–
Yang: Yo, I was next on her list of goodbyes. What was she gonna say to me?
Author's Notes
And so dies Penny, but saving the rest as she does. If the maiden can live forever inside the vault, it would never be opened, meaning that one could perpetually prevent the relic from exiting. I've seen suggestions of locking Salem inside, but since Ozpin dies and reincarnates, it wouldn't really work here.
Poor Cardin. He, like, has it worse than anyone. Sucks to suck, dude.
Wow. We're, like, actually almost done with this. It was January of 2023 when I posted my very first chapter of my very first fic, and the climax of the story will be Chapter 99 (Chapter 100 is the epilogue). It's gonna be crazy, waking up on Wednesday and Saturdays and not having a chapter of The Empty Seat to post. Crazy...
Happy rats, and don't do crime!