Interlude 9
Elementary, My Dear
During V3C3
Emiya Shirou and Ruby Rose sat in the former's room on the floor. Between them was an array of cards that Shirou was shuffling with practiced ease.
"How are these cards gonna tell my Element, again?" Ruby asked.
"There's a degree of fate when it comes to magecraft. Any type of divination that relies on what could be called luck can work, this one is just what I know." Shirou finished shuffling the cards and held the stack out to Ruby. "Here. Place your hand on top of them and channel your prana through them." Once she had done so, Shirou shuffled the cards one last time before placing five of them face down in a star array and one card face up in the center.
Shirou looked at the card then at the book laying open next to him. He flipped through it to a different page and Ruby watched as a look of confusion passed over his face. Before she could ask what was up, he regathered the cards, shuffled, and dealt them in a different pattern. He then looked at the book once more before looking back at the card in intrigue.
"So? What's my Element?" Ruby asked somewhat nervously.
"It says here that your Element is Bloom."
"What does that mean?"
"Apparently, you'll be good with magecraft that stimulates rapid growth and explosions of power."
"Oooooo. That sounds fun!" Ruby said as she clapped excitedly, stars in her eyes.
"It might be. Other than prana burst and maybe strengthening, I don't know any spells that fit that description. I'll have to see if I can learn some."
"That's still really cool! Thanks for the help, Shirou!"
"Anytime."
Interlude 10
The Origin of it All
After V3C3
"Hey, Shirou, I have a question for you," Ruby Rose said as she entered Emiya Shirou's room.
Shirou turned around in his chair until he was facing her, "What's up?"
"So, I was reading that book on magecraft you gave me and it mentioned something called an Origin but it didn't say what it was and it didn't come up in the rest of the book, either."
"Ah, I see. Do you remember what I told you about Elements the other day?"
"Yeah, they're the building blocks of the world and are really important to magecraft," she answered dutifully.
"That's correct," Shirou said as he slipped into what he privately called his Tohsaka Mode. "A person's Origin is somewhat related to that. Simply put, they're the starting points of all people and shape who they are while directing their actions."
Ruby's eyes narrowed as she went over this information in her head, "So, your Origin is, like, your destiny or something?"
"Yes and no. The whole thing is pretty complicated but it's less that you're destined for that thing and are more inclined toward that thing."
"Can you find out what my Origin is?"
Shirou actually grimaced at this, making Ruby somewhat worried, "I could but I recommend against it."
"How come?"
"Awakening to your Origin is a double-edged sword. On one hand, you'll be able to refine your magecraft to get the best possible results when filtering it through your Element. On the other hand, it'll become almost impossible to stray from its path. It's not quite to the level of giving up your free will but it's dangerously close."
Ruby paled somewhat at that, "Yeah, I can see why you might not want to do it. I think I'll be fine not knowing. Do you know what your Origin is?"
"I do," Shirou said with a nod. "It's Sword."
"Isn't that also your Element?" Ruby asked with a tilt of her head.
"It is. I'm a very rare phenomenon known as an Incarnation. From beginning to end, I am a Sword." An amused smile came to Shirou's face as he added, "Or I guess you could say that I am the bone of my sword."
"What does that mean?"
Shirou chuckled softly, "Don't worry about it. Those words are meaningless to anyone but me."
"Alright. If you say so. What does that mean for your magecraft?"
"It means that I'm hopeless at basically everything that isn't in some way connected to swords. It's why I needed magic circles to place down even the simplest of bounded fields. One day, you'll be able to set those up with just an aria."
"Something to look forward to, then! Thanks for clearing that up, Shirou!"
"Anytime."
Interlude 11
Mystery Solved
After V3C5
"The magus is Emerald Sustrai, supposedly of Haven Academy," Professor Ozpin said as he crosschecked Shirou's description of the only person that was around every time his familiars pinged with the registry of visiting students.
"What should we do about her?" Shirou asked from where he was standing in Ozpin's office.
"An excellent question. We could apprehend her and try to interrogate her but that would pose a great risk. While I have no doubt that I could overpower her defenses to place her under a charm with enough time, this is assuming that Salem doesn't have a contingency in place should such an event happen. The best case scenario in such a thing would be that Emerald simply dies but it's equally possible that she would release a massive explosion."
"And the chances of Salem having a contingency in place are 100%."
"Precisely."
"I could use Rule Breaker to try and dispel the contingency."
"You could but Salem almost certainly has multiple layers of contingencies. Does Rule Breaker dispel them all at once?"
Shirou frowned, "I… don't actually know."
"Well, that's easy enough to check," Ozpin said before saying something in a language that Shirou didn't know as he transitioned from a Human to a magus. He then placed his hand against his chest and said what Shirou could only assume was two words that were accompanied by two weak bursts of prana before holding a hand out. "I've placed two enchantments on myself and am currently using reinforcement. If Rule Breaker is anything longer than instantaneous, I'll be able to tell."
"Trace, on," Shirou said as he stepped up to Ozpin's desk, Rule Breaker appearing in his hand. He took Ozpin's outstretched hand and carefully pierced his palm just enough for Rule Breaker to activate.
Ozpin hummed as Shirou dismissed Rule Breaker and stepped back before saying, "I'm afraid that this won't be an option. While the delay is almost imperceptible, there is a delay there. While this delay would be impossible for nearly every magus to capitalize on, Salem was a highly skilled and powerful magus even before she became corrupted and that was a very, very long time ago."
"Do you think she'd set the contingency to activate that quickly?"
"I can't say with absolute certainty but the odds are great enough that I do not think it is worth the risk."
"Wait, if Salem is that skilled with magecraft, how can we possibly teach Ruby enough to be able to unravel her mysteries when they fight?"
"Simple: She won't have to. While Salem is absolutely capable of incredible subtlety, she prefers to crush her opponents with overwhelming power. One does not need to know how to unravel a fireball in order to dodge it. The only time that she's subtle is when dealing directly with me."
"It's good that she's so simple but the fact that she managed to get this far using only brute force is troubling. Just how strong is she?"
"She is, without a doubt, the strongest being on this planet by a large margin. The only reason I have been able to keep her in place for so long is due in part to my own power but primarily because she wants to beat me at my own game."
"What if I were to trap her in Unlimited Blade Works right from the start?"
Ozpin hummed in thought for a moment, "I won't say that your chances of winning are zero since I do not know every weapon in your arsenal but your chance of victory is infinitely close to zero."
Shirou scowled at that, "I'll have to reject General Ironwood's offer, then."
"I figured that he would try to rope you into some scheme of his. James' heart is in the right place but he simply cannot comprehend just what it is we are fighting. His time will come but not in the way that he may want."
"Well, if Salem fights using overwhelming power then she shouldn't be able to keep up her output for that long. If Ruby stays on the defense then she should be able to outlast her."
This time, it was Ozpin's turn to scowl, something that filled Shirou with more than a little bit of dread. "I'm afraid that simply is not possible. You see, Salem has access to what I believe you would call the First Magic— it's hard to say with any certainty since you know so little about it."
"Salem's a Sorcerer?" Shirou asked as his skin paled considerably.
"Indeed. Her Sorcery allows her to do a number of things but the most relevant of which is that she has effectively infinite prana."
Shirou placed the back of his hand against his forehead as he stared at the ground, his mind swimming with all of the thoughts and implications. Eventually, it latched onto a particular question. "What about you? You're about as old as Salem, right? Are you a Sorcerer?"
"Yes and no. I, too, have access to the First Magic— that is how I gave the Maidens their power— however, due to the way my particular brand of immortality works, my connection to it grew steadily weaker over the long centuries. As it stands, all I can do is simple party tricks."
"Like what?"
"Well, I, too, have effectively infinite Od and my projections last a frankly absurd length of time but that is it."
"Wait, if you have infinite prana, why not form a pact with someone so that way they can tap into it?"
"That would be a disastrous course of action. As you well know, a person's Od and magic circuits are tied to their soul; as such, a pact like that creates a bridge from one person's soul to another. My soul is exceptionally powerful and singularly unique so if I were to form a pact with, let's say, you, your soul would be overwritten by mine." Ozpin smiled mischievously as he added, "Besides, I don't think you would want to perform the ritual needed for that."
Shirou blanched as he found himself taking a step back, "Yeah, I really don't. I don't swing that way and it'd just be way too awkward even if I did. Well, since Rule Breaker is out, what do we do, then?"
"As frustrating as it is, we do very little. Call back your familiars and create one to follow Emerald specifically. Increase the strength of the perception filter and apply another circle to suppress the magical energy it gives off. One of the books I gave you will have the information on how to do that."
"What about the members of her team?"
"They are equally suspect and likely equally warded. While it's not impossible that they're innocent people that Salem placed under a compulsion, it is unlikely."
"Do you think they'll try something before the festival?"
"Frankly, no. They already have all of their pieces in place and will no doubt keep their heads down until they trigger whatever trap that they have set. However, the fact that we know who they are and they do not know that we know puts us in a slightly advantageous position."
"And me having a familiar following her is for the off chance that you're wrong and they do try something."
"Indeed."
"I think 'frustrating' was too weak of a word."
Ozpin smiled at that, "This long game I have been playing with Salem is certainly vexing but you have to learn to take victories where you get them no matter how small. It is in those small victories that the war can be won."
Shirou pondered this for a moment before nodding, "You're right. I should go set everything up."
"Farewell, Shirou."
Interlude 12
Yang Finds Out
Before V3C4
"What was getting your Magic Circuits activated like?" Blake Belladonna asked her young leader.
"It was… incredible. It's like… You know that feeling you get when you have your Aura unleashed? It's kinda like that but… Oh jeez… I dunno… different. Like… Like… Everything just kinda clicked into place, ya know?" Ruby Rose explained even as she struggled to find the words.
Blake thought back to not only having her Aura unleashed but also all of the books she read where the hero awakened to some unique power and nodded, "I think I understand what you mean. How did Shirou do it, anyway?"
Ruby looked around nervously for a moment before saying, "Um… So, Shirou used this thing that he called an athame— whatever that is— that was in the shape of a dagger. After charging it up, he kinda… um… stabbed me with it."
Blake's eyes widened in shock, "He stabbed you?"
"Please don't tell Yang!"
At that exact moment, the door to Team RWBY's dorm was slammed open with such violent force that it was a miracle that it didn't come off its hinges. Standing in the doorway was none other than Yang Xiao Long, her eyes red and hair faintly glowing as she radiated more rage than they had ever seen on her before.
"Yang! Don't do anything, it was the only way to—"
"EMIYA SHIROU!" Yang bellowed in a voice so loud that it caused Blake to flinch. "YOU ARE A DEAD MAN!"
Elsewhere in Beacon, for some inexplicable reason, Shirou decided that it'd be a good time to visit Vale for a bit.
Interlude 13
I've got Your Number
During V3C10
"Miss Rose, can I speak to you for a moment?" Winter Schnee said as she approached Ruby Rose in the halls of Beacon.
Ruby spun around to face her and stood ramrod straight while making an awkward salute, "O-of course, Miss Schnee, ma'am, sir, ma'am! It would be my gratuitous honor to entertain your acquaintanceship!"
Winter chuckled as she slowly shook her head, "There's no need to try to be so formal, Ruby. Any friend of my sister is a friend of mine."
Ruby immediately deflated, "Oh, thank goodness. What can I do for you?"
"I was wondering if you would be willing to exchange numbers with me. My sister is very fond of you so I think it would be a good idea for you to have my number in case you need to contact me and Weiss isn't available."
"Sure thing!" Ruby said excitedly as she pulled out her Scroll and sent Winter her contact information while Winter did the same. "I'd really like to get to know Weiss' family more so I'd love it if you'd text me when you have the time. If you don't mind."
Winter smiled at Ruby, "Of course. I would like to get to know you, as well. It's a shame that we don't have the time to talk over tea while I'm here. Be sure to keep my sister out of trouble."
"She's usually the one keeping me out of trouble," Ruby said with a laugh.
