Well, guys, it's official – some time later this year, probably in fall, I'm finally going to buy myself a PS5.
And man, for me, that's kind of crazy and funny to say. I'm always so terribly slow in moving onto the next gen stuff… well, current gen in this case. I was content not getting a PS4 until DMC5 came out in 2019. Now here I am deciding to get a PS5 after all these years…
…And all because of games like Khazan the First Berserker… and, of course, Ninja Gaiden 4. Lol, just like with DMC5, it took a few very specific games to finally kick me hard enough in the ass to upgrade.
But of course, all just in time to hear some news of the PS6, which thankfully won't really come out until 2027 from what little I've heard. Which kind of irks and bums me out to be honest. Granted, I'm far from the most tech-savvy guy out there so plenty of you will likely be able to tell me otherwise, but it feels like developers of today aren't truly pushing the hardware of current gen consoles to the limits like they used. I mean hell, look at God of War 3. A PS3 game that looks like a PS4 game back when it first came out. I'm sure if developers truly tried, they could really make current gen games look and play absolutely insane.
However, I do understand the need for constant innovation. I just wish it didn't always seem to come in waves like this.
Anyways, my little rant done.
Time for the chapter. As always, hope you guys enjoy.
P.S. Just saw the DMC Netflix opening. I may still have some reservations about the show… but damn, excellent song choice, lol. Really reminds me of the songs people would put in videos about DMC combat showcases.
P.P.S. This will be quite a lengthy chapter since I don't want to drag this 'arc' out too much with more chapters.
P.P.P.S. Coming up with chapter titles continues to be rough, lol.
Chapter 17 – First Meeting
Raven choked, her mind a clutter of barely coherent thoughts as air became a very precious supply for her, so precious that figuring out what to do was a pipe dream at most.
Following her awakening, she'd immediately pulled out all the stops. Calling forth the full power of the Spring Maiden, she'd laid waste to the entire area with an artillery strike's worth of elements.
Lightning strikes that could instantly carbonize a person, even with aura.
Winds sharp enough to cut steel.
A localized blizzard so fierce that it could kill any living being from the cold in minutes at most.
Flames great enough to reduce someone to ash on contact.
All the fury that a Maiden could command via nature had been unleashed, such was her desire to avenge her fallen tribe and salvage her wounded pride from earlier.
Except it still hadn't been enough.
Though her all out attack had utterly ruined the entire area, the targets she sought so desperately to kill had remain intact and quite well.
And all because one person had opted to take her elemental salvo head on… and without even the slightest bit of injury to them.
"That was quite something, I shall admit," spoke the woman named Rya, right hand grasping Raven's delicate neck tightly. "However, for all your strength, you are but a mere Maiden, one whose strength only equates to a quarter of a greater whole… and even that wouldn't be enough to stop me."
Raven's all out attack had accomplished nothing to Rya other than forcing her to take action. And even then, it had merely been as simple as tanking the hit and then grabbing her by the throat with such strength that she could literally do nothing else other than to feebly pound away at the large woman's forearm.
The bandit leader gasped, struggling for air, but to no avail. All she could do was just writhe and kick now since punching and pawing at Rya's arm was clearly failing. Unfortunately, all she was succeeding in was wasting what little energy she had left.
So, she finally managed to think, this was what true strength was like…?
For so long, she'd believed herself strong. She's been fighting ever since she was young and had emerged victorious time and time again, after all. Even when she'd been in situations where death had been all but a certainty, she'd still managed to find a way to come out of it alive and in one piece, a win as far as she was concerned.
Even now, with the power of a maiden within her and the likes of Salem existing, Raven had been assured of her strength, confident she could continue to lead her tribe wherever they desired while staying at least one step ahead of Salem in case the immortal woman ever managed to learn of the previous Spring Maiden's last trek.
Yes, she'd had many reasons to believe herself to be among the strongest there is, a born survivor in a world where the weak constantly perished. That said 'weaklings' died to Grimm after she and her tribe first swooped in to raid their homes for supplies and leaving them vulnerable was merely a sign of their weakness in the first place. If they'd truly been strong, then she and her tribe never would've tried to attack them in the first place.
But now, here she was, feeling weaker than she's ever been. Rya had done absolutely nothing out of the ordinary nor did she appear to possess the same form of invulnerability that Shen clearly possesses. Rya is, for lack of a better way to put it, just absurdly strong. Through the natural toughness of her body, she had shrugged off the all-out attack and with her natural strength had been able to get Raven in a vice grip that felt unbreakable. Absolutely nothing she was doing currently was having any effect.
Raven let out another gasp, only it was much briefer – weaker – than the previous one. Her vision was beginning to fade, her life being snuffed out.
Only for Rya to suddenly let her go.
The bandit leader collapsed to the ruined battleground, her vision steadily returning. She took in huge gulps of air, trying to get her brain and limbs working properly again.
"…W-Why…?" What she was even attempting to ask, not even she could envision. All she could do was just rub tenderly at her neck. Even with aura remaining, she could feel the bruise that had immediately formed from Rya's death grip on her just now.
She could only look up at the woman whose tall and muscular form towered over her currently. Rya, for her part, stared at her with only passing amusement.
"We do not particularly care whether you live or die in the end. But until then, you are required alive," Rya explained simply. "While I will certainly attempt to claim the Relic through my own strength, it had been brought to my attention in the past that a Maiden is required to properly show the way." The woman sighed, clearly annoyed by some memory. "That being said… I will not tolerate your disobedience any further. You may think yourself strong, but not even your strength shall be enough to escape this situation, certainly not unscathed. Now, you may follow along willingly for the time being… or you can try to carry on with your futile struggle and only get yourself punished. Either way, you will be accompanying us. It's merely a matter of how much pain you will experience in the interim."
"Raven!" Vernal cried out from a distance. She'd been blown away when the older bandit had unleashed her Maiden power. Vernal had already been roughed up, but the blast had left her disoriented long enough for her to be captured now, that Bliss guy having managed to subdue her at some point during these past few moments. The other guy in the group, still unnamed to them, was shooting Vernal an annoyed glare.
"What will it be, Branwen?" Rya asked of her, ignoring Vernal's cry just now.
Raven's gaze alternated briefly between Rya and Vernal. Now that her mind was no longer foggy, she was able to take in the new situation much better now…
…And she could only grind her teeth and ball her hands into tight fists.
Back then, things had been so simple for her. It hadn't been until she'd gone to Beacon that things had begun to change. The changes back then had frightened her, yet she had persevered… until she'd learned of the futility of the battle against Salem, an immortal whose magical power dwarfed the Maidens' and who had nothing but time to scheme and eventually win. That had been when she'd finally shed the weights that had been holding her back – her supposed 'family' in the form of Taiyang and Yang, in favor of her true family, the Branwen tribe.
Life had returned to simplicity at that point, a simplicity she'd relished until the previous Spring Maiden, so young and naïve and oh so stupid, had managed to come to her and complicate things. Still, Raven had done what she could to make the most of it, all the while knowing Salem and her forces would come for the tribe if they ever caught even a whiff of a Maiden's presence among them.
It had ultimately culminated in her mercy killing the poor and frightened girl, thereby increasing her own power by way of taking the power of the Spring Maiden and allowing her to have an easier time concealing it from prying eyes. And all had seemed almost well by that point.
Until now.
Now her tribe lied most dead, slaughtered with insulting ease and her desire for vengeance having forced her and her remaining tribesmen into a position that she'd thought to never be in:
In a position that all but begged for mercy.
Shame and regret burned away at her insides like flames, only far more intense than anything she had ever experienced. This was something she'd thought she'd only ever go through if Salem had ever gotten her hands on her. Instead, she found herself in this position before someone that, while likely not immortal, was still an existence that she could scarcely comprehend.
And all through raw strength alone.
"…We'll go along with you," Raven quietly replied after a whole minute of seething. "But you have to promise to let my tribe go afterwards."
Rya was stronger than her, so much so that it boggled the mind. How the woman possessed such might, Raven would probably never know. Hell, she didn't even want to know, for the answer might frighten her. But even then, she couldn't back down so easily.
She was a survivor. She's pulled herself out of life-or-death situations before. She just had to find an opening, no matter how small it might be.
And to do that, she had to at least remain in one piece. Fighting her way while crippled and drained of aura would only worsen her already shitty odds.
Rya hummed. "You still have some spirit in those eyes… I suppose I must respect that. Very well then. As I said, my allies and I care not if you live afterwards or die in some other manner. That applies to your precious tribe as well. Do right by us and we shall leave you in peace afterwards. It shall be a short partnership, of that I can assure you."
Raven stared into the other woman's eyes, trying to discern if there was even an ounce of deceit in them. To her genuine surprise, it appeared Rya wasn't lying. Whether that was due to being very self-assured in her strength or if it was because of something else entirely, she could only guess at.
"…Then, right after you," Raven said as she got up and motioned towards the opening in the ground, where that hidden elevator had descended.
With nary another word spoken, they all took their leave…
…And with Raven already trying to figure out a way to come out of this a winner.
Leonardo let out a wheeze as Shen managed to land a powerful uppercut to his stomach. His remaining aura prevented the blow from doing fatal damage to his organs, but only barely. Upon taking the hit, he threw himself back, trying to remain as mindful as possible of the younger man's unique ability.
But of course, Shen wasn't about to just let him play keep away.
The young man slammed an open palm into the ground and tore out a small chunk of stone, after which he punched it directly at Leonardo. The headmaster performed a backwards roll in order to avoid it and then suddenly leapt to his right just as Shen jumped at him. He had to play this carefully, however, since Shen has shown the ability to ignore things like gravity and jump again while in the air.
Sure enough, Shen hadn't even fully landed before launching himself again at Leonardo. This time, it was too quick for the headmaster to fully dodge, so instead he actually went for a grapple with Shen. This action appeared to take Shen by surprise and before the man could swiftly adjust to the change in tactics, Leonardo kicked at Shen and knocked him off, using the younger man's momentum to easily send him rolling along the ground.
Shen didn't take long to come to a halt, even if said stop was only an instant long, and tried to rush at Leonardo again. However, the headmaster used up what was left of his fire Dust to blow off the small chunk of the ground and make Shen fall into the abyss below.
Not that it would do much more than slow him down, of course. But even so, as the younger man quickly jumped up, Leonardo punched the ground as hard as he could. While hardly a power type fighter, he was still plenty strong enough to tussle with most others and in this case, he used what little physical strength he'd retained from his heyday to make small chunks of the ground break apart and fly into the air.
After doing this, he immediately switched Stalwart's attack mode to ice Dust and fired multiple rounds at the debris. The rounds impacted and exploded, the resulting frost merging together to form a slope in midair, one of pure ice. It formed just as Shen had leapt upwards and the man's momentum was once more used against him, sending him literally sliding upwards and much higher into the air than he'd clearly intended.
Instead of course-correcting, Shen allowed himself to sail upwards towards the far side of the underground area… and directly towards the ruined platform of the secret elevator, which had become embedded in the wall from earlier. With little effort, he grabbed hold of the platform, spun twice, then flung it towards Leonardo's current position as if it were the world's largest frisbee.
Feeling uncharacteristically bold, Leonardo jumped towards the platform, even briefly landing on it before kicking off it. It served as an impromptu enough spring for him to close the gap between him and Shen, all the while fueling the ice rounds remaining in Stalwart with as much aura as he could afford to give up.
Shen, after having flung the platform, had briefly touched against the cavern's 'wall,' beginning to gird himself for a jump-.
-And that was Leonardo's chance to strike.
If attacking Shen while he was moving was futile save for using his own momentum against him, then what about when the man ever so briefly was still?
With a howl, he fired his remaining ice rounds at Shen. As the rounds struck his torso, ice literally exploded forth from them and coated the man's entire body borderline instantly, save for the brief flash of genuine shock on the younger man's face as he realized what the headmaster had been aiming for.
When Shen didn't immediately break free from the ice, Leonardo felt a huge sense of jubilation fill his once weary soul. He'd accomplished something of note for the first time in a very long time.
Alas… he didn't get to revel in this feeling for long.
The platform that Shen had thrown ended up striking the Vault itself. Magical in nature, it prevented entry from anyone that wasn't a Maiden. To be more specific, it did this by making any force that struck it rebound. Violently.
Thus, the platform was sent careening almost perfectly back the same way it had come…
…Directly at Leonardo in this case, who'd unknowingly jumped into its return path by this point.
The lion Faunus had only a fraction of a second to realize what had happened and could do nothing further. He most certainly tried to twist out of the way, but by the time he had even begun to move, the platform struck him directly in the back.
He struck the side of the massive cavern hard enough to rumble a portion of it. The blow had easily taken off the remainder of his aura, indicated by the flickering glow his body gave off ever so briefly. Moreover, what little aura that had protected him until the end hadn't been able to fully take the damage – his spine was impacted and he'd felt something crack.
Helplessly, he could only push himself off the side as the platform now tumbled into the abyss below. However, before he could share its fate, Shen managed to break free of the ice encasing him with a roar of effort. He then eyed Leonardo and threw himself at the headmaster, inadvertently saving him by tackling him back towards the path that led directly to the Vault.
Leonardo could only cry out, his back further ruined by the attack, but said cry was hoarse due to having the air knocked out of him too.
He was, for all intents and purposes, now defeated. By all rights, this was it for him, no further point in trying…
…But even so.
Weakly, he tried to raise his arm, Stalwart switching once more to another Dust type. But before he could even lift his arm a few inches off the ground, Shen mercilessly slammed his right foot upon his forearm, fracturing the bone.
"You've fought well," Shen said quietly, fingers curling and twitching as he glared deeply into Leonardo's eyes. "But this is as far as you go."
Rather than reply, Leonardo tried to struggle, but it was to no avail. Tired and weakened as he is, he couldn't budge Shen at all, even when accounting for his odd ability.
For nearly fifteen whole seconds, he did what he could anyways. Shen watched all the while, an odd sense of admiration in his eyes despite Leonardo desperately – feebly – struggling without any positive results.
That was when a voice finally called out to them.
"Finally done, I see. Good."
Leonardo, exhausted – he finally became aware of blood pooling around him. That hit had definitely torn open his back a bit – could only look up in time to the others arrive down here… on what looked like a cloud of fog, of all things. What boggled Leonardo, however, was that Raven and the woman that had accompanied her were also with this still unnamed group.
Inwardly, he seethed. Even now, he bore no anger towards Raven for evidently siding with these people. She always did ultimately respect strength. But instead, he seethed at himself even more than he usually did, for he knew she'd only done so because she'd seen no other choice at all.
Perhaps, if he'd been braver and stronger than he is now… more proactive… then perhaps he could have prevented this team-up from ever occurring.
As they landed, the fog dissipated… and returned to its point of origin – from under the veil of the other woman in the group, much to his confusion.
"Satisfied now?" the clear leader of the group – Rya – asked of Shen.
The man nodded.
The muscular woman hummed, clearly pleased. "Then step back. It is time to retrieve what we've come for."
"No…!" Leonardo uttered with the little strength he could muster, amounting to no more than a harsh whisper instead of the determined yell he'd been aiming for.
His single worded plea went unnoticed by the group, who all stepped past him and Shen… though Raven and her compatriot did slow ever so slightly as they trailed behind the others.
"Raven…" Leonardo gasped out. "Please don't. Not with them."
Raven may respect strength, but she that was because she was just like him – a coward at heart. She was just a lot better at posturing in order to hide it. He was hoping to somehow appeal to that survival instinct of hers, make the woman reconsider this course of action and flee. Whether or not she would be successful in such a hypothetical scenario was irrelevant to him at the moment. He just hoped she would listen to reason.
"If you do this… you'll be on Salem's radar," he feebly mumbled out.
Those words got a flinch out of her… but nothing further. She didn't even grant him the dignity of an actual response.
All he could do at this point was awkwardly look up from his downed position…
…And watch all that he's built fall apart.
Rya approached the Vault with a steady pace. Despite herself, she felt almost anxious. With anticipation, that is.
Thus far in life, she'd approached every situation with the same level of resolute indifference, as if it were somehow beneath her even though it was something she knew had to be done for one reason or another. Even when it was something she herself had desired.
At this moment, she could recall just how fragile she'd been as a newborn, always with one foot in the grave. That time of such absolute weakness had defined her, more than even her own purpose itself had in some ways. No, perhaps it'd be more apt to say that her time of fragility was itself the perfect fuel for fulfilling her own purpose.
To that end, she'd worked long and hard, building up her body so that she may never feel weak ever again… to gain and maintain dominance over all there is through nothing but raw and unfettered strength. This was something that became all the easier to do once her Principle had taken form, a Principle that, quite summarily, was as straightforward and simple as could be, the perfect manifestation of her desire and purpose.
Through raw strength and a bit of savvy, she'd become the leader of her hometown, all her fellow Liminals bowing to her every whim and directive… until the infighting that resulted from her own actions and his led the Grimm to come and overrun them all, slaughtering everyone that had been too worn down to continue fighting.
It had been she who had put down the Grimm immediately thereafter, but it had been far too late to rebuild her hometown afterwards, the population too devastated to make any kind of recovery. And so, she'd left in search of others… the ones who'd ultimately joined her in her single-minded journey to fulfill her purpose of dominating all others.
Alas, despite her woefully simple purpose, fulfilling it was anything but. In order to dominate others, she had to grow ever stronger, an easy enough task for herself. But ensuring all other opposition was taken care of… that was significantly more difficult to accomplish.
Not because they were stronger than her per say – no one was, not anymore – but because for one reason or another, they were entities that wouldn't or couldn't bend to her will, either because of sheer stubbornness or some other feature that made direct force hardly the most optimal solution at this time.
The Maidens? Not a worry at all, they were too weak.
The headmasters of the huntsmen academies? Same as the Maidens.
The likes of Ozpin and Salem, however… that was a different story due to their respective backgrounds.
Or rather, due to the very presence of magic that both have, allowing them better odds than most of resisting her, however miniscule said resistance may ultimately be.
But even then… she wasn't too bothered by them. Rather, she was bothered by what they represented even if only marginally – representing an era where gods once ruled, the Brother Gods.
Beings that, for lack of a better way to put it, were far above her in power and scale. An infuriating fact. So long as they existed, even if not on Remnant anymore, she couldn't ever feel like she was the dominant one.
That wouldn't stand. They had to be confronted and dealt with.
But simply reaching out to them wasn't possible through conventional methods. Another way had to be found.
And the Relics were that way.
Rya suppressed a grimace. While some of this information was found out by herself through years of study during her self-travels and tales of old told by the elders of her destroyed hometown, the majority of her information had come from none other than Veratyr himself, damned cretin that he is, always being oddly helpful when she least wanted it, even when she and others had very clearly been threatening him.
…He always did have a way of finding out things that others never would have been able to… in addition to being the only one that she'd never been able to make submit to her back in their youth.
With a quiet sigh, she rid herself of her current thoughts. Nostalgia, no matter how complicated the feeling is, could wait for a much later time.
In any case, she was almost… giddy… to finally be taking the first true step towards achieving her goal.
"Hey," Raven Branwen called out suddenly, getting her to pause. "If you know all about Maidens and the Relics, then you know I have to be the one to do this, right?"
"I'm well aware," Rya huffed out. "But there is just one thing I wish to try first."
That's right. It would be as simple as having the bandit leader opening the Vault and the Relic inside would be hers. But there was something she felt like testing first.
She raised her right hand and slowly strained it. The muscles in her palms and all the way down her arm bulged then tensed. Raw power concentrated all around her and then within her raised arm.
Rya paid no mind to the way the entire cavern quaked violently from her might nor to how Raven and her companion audibly gawked at what was going on.
All that mattered in this moment was herself and the Vault directly before her.
Then, without any further fanfare, she brought her arm down in one fluid motion, as though she was about to grandiosely flatten something.
The power built up in this attack, for that is what it is, was unleashed in an instant, a shockwave of such strength that even the largest mountain ranges in the world would've been completely obliterated. And all this might was concentrated directly upon the Vault's sealed off entrance.
The attack met the sealed entrance, shaking the land above for miles on end…
…Before the force was rebounded back at Rya.
The woman stood perfectly still, weathering the blowback without even budging a centimeter. She had struck with only a portion of her full strength, after all, so it made sense that she could endure her own attack with no issue. The only thing that indicated her being affected at all was the way her multi-toned hair blew violently above from the high winds.
Rya frowned in distaste. A childish desire to use her full might now filled her, but she did well in restraining herself. Having now experienced this for herself, she knew that not even her full power would be enough to smash through the seal to the Vault. For the seal wasn't one that could be broken by power alone, but was instead comprised of something else, something that she at her current level couldn't do anything about.
…It was expected, actually, but it was nonetheless more than a little frustrating. It was a reminder that the power of the gods was still something beyond her.
"Really should've expected that," Gwrtheyrn couldn't help but comment from nearby. He then held up his hands sheepishly as she glanced back his way, annoyed, but that damnable smile of his remained.
Were the man not so useful, she'd really take a much firmer approach to reining in his more annoying traits. Alas, that was neither here nor there.
"You may proceed now, Branwen," Rya tersely commanded.
She could hear Raven actually stumble from surprise at being suddenly addressed. It would appear that her paltry display just now had rattled the bandit leader, understandably so. It would serve as yet another good reminder to the woman that Rya was not one to be trifled with.
Raven slowly walked past her until she was within arm's reach of the Vault's entrance, at which point she slowly extended a hand until it pressed against it.
A hum occurred – a reaction. The gate-like entrance to the Vault pulsed as Raven appeared to concentrate her Maiden power within her palm. A second later, the entrance began to glow a blinding white before steadily fading away…
…And revealing the inside of the Vault.
Gwrtheyrn let out an impressed whistle while Bliss and Viktoriya made minor sounds of wonder at what they saw. Even Shen audibly shifted in genuine interest.
Rya couldn't blame them, for they now all beheld what appeared to be an entirely different world on the inside of the Vault.
It was an endless expanse of desert, sand dunes farther than any of their eyes could ever see. Light shined overhead from a sun that simply shouldn't be there, yet it was.
Once more, it was a display of the fantastical power the gods wielded. But it was one that Rya this time couldn't help but admire somewhat.
Silently, she strode forth and past Raven, who had the good sense to step aside.
Entering the other realm – there was no other way to describe it – Rya beheld the singular alter in the center of it all. Upon said alter was the prize she sought today – the Relic.
It looked like a lamp of olden times, only noticeably more ornate as it possessed golden trimmings and a brilliant blue coating to it that at a glance looked like paint but was in fact some other substance that had no name.
With just a hint of subconscious reverence, Rya delicately raised a hand and plucked the Relic from its resting place.
The entire realm immediately began to shimmer like a mirage before yet another bright light occurred that forced even Rya to shield her eyes. When the light died down and she was able to open her eyes again, she'd been transported just back outside the Vault, the gate to it open to reveal a now completely empty spot.
It seems the realm had been supported entirely by the Relic, she noted. What, if anything, this meant, she couldn't tell at the moment.
But that was irrelevant at this time. All that did matter was that the Relic was finally in her hands.
"Three more to go…" she murmured, a hint of a smile dancing across her sharp yet lovely features. She then turned around to address the others. "We have what we've sought. Time to go."
In response to her words, fog began to pour out from under Viktoriya's veil, the young woman's a relatively small sum of her total mass to form the fog that now expanded under all of them. Once they were all accounted for, the fog began to travel upwards, easily supporting their weight.
"N-No…!"
Rya was in a good mood now, a mood matched by her companions. Raven's and the other girl's awkward visages were only marginally acknowledged, the two clearly bothered by what had just happened.
But they were not the ones who'd spoken just now.
No, it was the other one they'd decided to bring along on their brief trip back to the surface:
Leonardo Lionheart.
The man had been forced to watch this entire time and surprisingly had remained silent. Granted, that could likely be attributed to his weakened state, but he'd been so quiet that for a moment, Rya had almost forgotten all about him.
"You can't do this," the beaten headmaster said. "You've no idea what you're doing by taking the Relic!" He belted out the words with a renewed sense of vigor… or perhaps desperation would be a much better word for it.
Rya allowed herself a chuckle. "To the contrary, I'm well aware of what this all entails. And even if by some chance I had been ignorant of what the Relic's removal meant, it wouldn't change what must be done. It's an essential part of my goal." Though she was flashing the lion Faunus a small smile, her gaze was hard, unforgiving. "And now that it is in my hands, you've no longer serve any purpose at all. It is only my sense of magnanimity that had allowed you to witness this moment… something that could easily vanished if you continue this futile begging of yours."
In the extremely brief time the words between them lasted, they had reached the surface again and Viktoriya gently deposited all of them a fair distance away from the opening.
Rya continued to speak to Leonardo. "But rest assured – no matter what becomes of you, I shall depart from the capital and do nothing further to it. The distraction caused by the Spiders had been only that – a distraction and nothing more. The level of damage they've caused thus far, however severe, is completely beside the point as far as I'm concerned. If it is fate that the capital of Mistral shall remain standing in the end, then that is perfectly fine… as would it be even if the kingdom had been crippled beyond recovery."
She did a little wave with her free hand, indicating for Shen to let Leonardo go. Her fellow Liminal obeyed in silence as he usually did, though not before glancing at the headmaster with a measure of respect and sorrow.
Turning on her heels, Rya now began her trek from the attacked Haven back towards the capital, specifically the suite she had rented earlier. They would take this time to now examine the Relic, determine how it works and then proceed from there.
Depending on how things go, perhaps she might even consider changing up the order in which she and the others went about collecting the remaining Relics… in addition to capturing both Salem and-.
The walk towards the capital was interrupted quite abruptly, what was little more than a blur coming out of nowhere towards them all.
No… towards her.
Rya only just barely glanced to her right with a level of surprise and interest when Bliss, loyal man that he is, immediately leapt in to intercept-.
-Only to be blown back unceremoniously with nary more than a grunt of pain and shock.
"-Hm?!" Rya let out a sound, having genuinely not expected such a thing to happen. While Bliss was hardly the strongest individual around, even with a direct order, getting blown back like that shouldn't have been possible.
In any case, something now went for her – no, for the Relic, looking to knock it free from her hand. Her grip on it was absolute, with no way of it breaking barring some truly ridiculous circumstances. But even so, she instinctively pulled the Relic back, the attack instead grazing the very front of her chest harmlessly.
With narrowed eyes at this unexpected development, she waved her free hand lightly, yet even then this single action possessed enough strength to rend the air itself and generated violent gusts of wind that would blow back even vehicles.
Her unknown attacker was no exception in this regard and was knocked back… but not as far as she would have liked.
But it did force the attacker to reveal themselves as they stabbed their weapon into the ground to keep from fully flying off into the distance.
Rya's eyes went wide upon noticing who it was… before narrowing her eyes in a mixture of delight and something far darker.
"Ozpin."
What had once been a quick but ultimately leisurely pace had become an outright rush at full speed at some point. Likely when he'd neared the kingdom of Mistral and had felt that unbelievable shockwave mere moments ago.
From countless lifetimes of experience, Ozpin had determined the origin point of the shockwave to be from Haven Academy itself… and considering just how far out he'd been at that point still, it had triggered serious alarm bells in his mind, all the more so considering it was enough to make him fall over despite the sheer distance at the time.
From there, he'd forewent restraint and had rushed onwards at full speed, pushing both his body and semblance to the very limits. At that point, he'd closed the remaining distance in no time at all… and had swiftly bore witness to the chaos and destruction occurring within Mistral's capital.
"No, no, no…!" he'd outright growled out at the sights occupying his vision, members of some gang running amok in the streets and forcing police and huntsmen alike to spread out to capture them all.
On his way to Haven, he'd made to slow down here and there to deliver a few precise hit-and-runs, making it at least a little easier for those on the side of good to apprehend the criminals swiftly.
And he'd also taken note of some other criminals that hadn't quite belonged either… in fact, they had resembled bandits rather than typical thugs…
…Raven's bandits, he noted.
With a tightening grip on the Long Memory, he'd rushed on the path leading to Haven.
Just in time to see a group make their way down said path, numbering six in total. He only vaguely took note of Raven's presence among the group, for it was the one at the front of it – the leader, most likely – who had occupied his full attention.
For no other reason than that she held the Relic of Knowledge in her left hand.
Immediately, he went right in with a vicious thrust, fully intent on knocking the Relic out of the woman's hand while he had the element of surprise. Alas, at the very last possible second, they'd all noticed him coming. When one of them jumped in to defend the leader, he'd been quick to change his thrust into a violent swing that knocked the defender aside before switching back into a thrust.
Alas by then, it had been too late; the leader had ample time to pull the Relic back and retaliate with a swing of her free hand that possessed unbelievable strength, enough to force him back. It would have sent him flying all the way back down the path if he hadn't stabbed his cane into the ground in time. Even then, he had to gird himself lest he lose his grip.
When the violent wind died down seconds later, he and the woman locked eyes.
"Ozpin," the woman uttered, clearly knowing him and even more clearly not being an ally to him.
One of the others, a dark skinned young man with the physique of a warrior, began to step forward quite eagerly – only for the woman wielding the Relic to hold up a hand. "Now, now, Shen. I shall see to this myself. I expect you all to stay back as well… this is something I've quite been looking forward to."
The woman stepped forward, a smirk gracing her face. "I must say, this was actually quite the surprise. Though capturing you is among our goals, I hadn't placed too high a priority on it. Still, it is good that you were so willing to come to us instead, even if it was unknowingly."
Ozpin didn't have the patience to entertain a conversation. Not now, when things were so dire and in more ways than one. "Let go of the Relic," he demanded as he stood up fully. He idly noted the young man he'd knocked back get up as well, only mildly hurt and ready to move if given the word. "You've no idea what you are doing with it, Rya."
Given the information learned from Eva Lambros' hometown, he could only assume this group was the one she had been a part of. And given this woman was clearly the leader, she must be the Rya that he'd been warned about.
Someone that would be too much for him, to paraphrase Nicholas and Terra.
Even if that is true, he couldn't just step aside and let them all do as they pleased.
"To the contrary, I know well what shall happen when all the Relics are gathered," Rya replied, not even bothered by him knowing her name. She held up the Relic of Knowledge as she glanced at it. "And it is very much necessary for me… but that aside, you will be coming with us. While the Relics do take priority, you and Salem are also valuable to us – to me – given your… unique states of being. Magic is something beyond the laws of this world, after all, so if the Relics should somehow fail me, you may suffice in some other way. I suppose it's all a matter of how we put you to use."
Rya lowered the Relic and her gaze sharpened. Their conversation was done here, it would seem.
Grimacing, Ozpin readied himself… but not before looking past Rya towards Raven and another young woman that clearly was a member of her tribe. The two of them locked eyes for a split second before the bandit leader looked away with a troubled expression.
Yet another thing to address at a later point. Preferably with Qrow.
Ozpin made ready to go on the offensive – only to have to dodge to the side when Rya swung her free hand in a wide motion.
It was borderline instantaneous; an immensely widespread and violent gust of wind that snapped trees and tore up the ground. Despite moving several feet to the side, Ozpin was still caught up in the attack and only avoided slamming into a snapping tree by kicking off of it at the last second. Even then, he could scarcely move towards Rya at all, the wind still knocking him back.
That was when the chaos really became notable, with people screaming in shock and horror as the violent winds had reached all the way down the path and into the capital of Mistral.
Ozpin's head whipped around as he finally landed, eyes widening in horror as the fighting that had finally been settling down in the city was only replaced with something far worse.
He whipped his head back around towards Rya just in time to see her raise a muscular arm and bring it down. Once more, despite the distance between them, her strength was such that the resulting air pressure sliced open the ground.
And he was directly in its path.
Instantly, Ozpin knelt and slammed the Long Memory into the ground. Dodging would only result in the attack once more reaching into the city. He had to stop it somehow.
To this end, he called upon his fading magic and formed a barrier. It was made to be unbreakable, founded on the principle of 'absolute defense' back in his original life. To this day, nothing had been able to destroy his barrier once it was used, for it was independent from the amount of magic he had.
And true to this basic principle, when Rya's overwhelming attack struck him, though he gritted his teeth in response to the impact, his barrier held fast.
Unfortunately, while the barrier had managed to take the brunt of the attack, it couldn't fully negate all of it and so the rest of the area quaked violently.
Rya let out a hum that Ozpin only barely heard before she started to swing her arm rapidly in succession. With increasing speed and – frighteningly enough – power, she unleashed chops and wide slashes with her bare hand, Ozpin the direct target of it all.
Attack after attack clashed with his barrier, which continued to hold strong. But while this was the case, the same couldn't be said for him; by the time of the fifth attack, his bones began to ache and his organs were feeling jostled about. The force of Rya's blows was so great that not even his barrier could fully stop the effects of it all, merely mitigate.
But taking a direct hit would only result in his aura being fully shattered and him being left in a severely wounded, even mangled state. He was tough with and without aura… but Rya's physical strength was just absurd!
However, the pain steadily building up within him couldn't compare to the havoc Rya was causing. With the growing power and scale of her attacks, the aftereffects only worsened.
The ground broke apart and split open all around Ozpin, spreading deep into Mistral's capital. Buildings shook and the ones closest to all this could be heard collapsing. Screams grew louder, only to be abruptly silenced in some parts as people fell victim to a most unnatural disaster.
Rya, while doing nothing more than attacking him, would fell the capital all on her lonesome. And if by some chance the city remained standing, it wouldn't be long before the Grimm started to swoop in, drawn by the negativity.
The woman in question now steadily approached him while continuing her pressure. The air, when not being torn through by her blows, felt heavy all around him. Power was now coming off Rya in an amount that defied description. With every step closer she got, he could feel his body shudder and creak even more.
It was almost like trying to stand before…
Ozpin gritted his teeth even further, lambasting himself for not taking Nicholas' words seriously. The man, in hindsight, may have been wording it too lightly, but Ozpin held himself responsible for not taking it fully to heart. Eva's unusual and still all too dangerous Principle should have made it clear that Liminals weren't to be underestimated in the slightest and now many were paying the price for his rashness.
Even so, he refused to let his mistakes continue to pile up like this.
Concentrating, he started to tap into his cane. Over the course of many lifetimes, he'd learned to accumulate a mixture of magic and raw kinetic energy within the weapon – an absolute last resort weapon.
While he'd hesitate even now to label this moment such, it would still have to do.
With an uncharacteristic roar, he waited until that ever-brief lull in between Rya's attacks to drop his barrier. For all her monstrous strength, her speed was thankfully not up to that same impossible level as far as he could tell. Thus, with the added boost of his semblance, he charged forward and thrust the Long Memory directly into a surprised Rya's lower stomach.
Although he wasn't desperate enough to call upon most of the power stored within his weapon, Ozpin still saw it fit to use a decent portion of it – about fifteen percent, give or take.
Even then, seeing as he's spent lifetimes accumulating power, that fifteen percent was still by far and away among the greatest displays of force to exist, even greater than what Rya herself had demonstrated so far.
A blinding flash of light occurred as the power was unleashed on impact, enveloping the entire region and laying waste to the path leading up to Haven. Ozpin had done what he could to brace himself, but winded as he already was from his trek here and the usage of his barrier, he was still blown back by the recoil.
He only vaguely caught a glimpse of the others nearby shielding themselves before momentarily blacking out.
…
…
Just a little more than a minute goes by before Ozpin feels himself coming to.
With a series of grunts, he forces himself up to behold the utterly annihilated path. What had once been a lush path of forestry leading up to Haven Academy's entrance had now been reduced to an almost perfectly flat crater, an impressive feat given it had once been a notable incline.
From here, Haven could be seen with perfect detail… and so could the devastated city behind him as he briefly looked over his shoulder.
A grunt caught his attention and he quickly turned back around just in time to see the smoke and debris directly in front of him get blown away…
…Revealing Rya, the portion of her dress that had covered her stomach destroyed and revealing her muscular abdomen. An expression torn between admiration and annoyance was worn upon her face as she wiped at the spot he'd struck on her. There was just barely a scratch upon her, little more than a welt from where the Long Memory had impacted against her.
A damned welt, only barely visible when up close. That was all his attack had amounted to against her.
She still held the Relic of Knowledge in her left hand, as if adding insult to injury. The only consolation in all this is that despite the lack of visible injury, his secret weapon had clearly dazed and staggered her. So harming her wasn't entirely impossible, just obscenely difficult to do.
Still… just what was up with her durability?!
"…Now that was unexpected," Rya commented, almost lamely. She glanced down at herself. "…And after I'd recently gotten this outfit as well. A pity. Still, a small price to pay to capture you if your little spat of resistance is done."
The others were now coming back into view, clearly rattled by what had happened, but fortunately for them, Rya had taken almost the entirety of the desperation attack.
"You…" Ozpin began, only to trail off. Just what could he possibly say. Frankly, he was just shocked to see his attack accomplish so little.
Before, Rya had viewed him like a prize to be won and something to play with up to a point. But now as his unfinished statement really got her attention, it was with a much more critical eye. He'd graduated from 'amusement' to 'genuine threat' in her eyes now, he could tell.
Her free hand clenched and unclenched a few times, knuckles cracking each time.
Ozpin knew not what she was about to do now, but he stood and readied the Long Memory anyways. Perhaps if he could get in close and just prevent her attacks from fully going through…
"Now, now," a voice suddenly called out to them. "No need to continue adding to this mess, right?"
Ozpin and Rya turned in unison to the former's left.
Someone had joined the ongoing crisis, the last one Ozpin expected to see pop up now of all times.
Veratyr smiled politely. "After all, I think enough violence has happened for today, yes?"
Raven had remained on the sidelines, content to just observe and see if she could spot a chance to backstab these bastards and run off.
Instead, she'd bore witness to Leonardo's final stand. He may still live, yes, but as far as she was concerned, this was it for him.
She'd witnessed the taking of the Relic from the Vault, only after the woman – Rya – had released a level of power that utterly dwarfed that of a Maiden upon the magical structure.
She'd then watched in awe and genuine fear as Rya had demonstrated more of her true strength, which was tearing apart Mistral's capital as mere side effect of her one-sided battle with Ozpin.
And in turn, she'd been damn near on the direct receiving end of something she'd never known ancient wizard could do, a display of power that put even Rya's current feats to shame.
Once more, all thoughts of her own strength fell to the wayside in light of those whose might was unlike anything she'd ever even imagined before.
And now, in the aftermath of all this fucking insanity, she – and Vernal, she only just realized – were witnessing something else ridiculous.
Out of literally nowhere, someone had appeared almost completely by Ozpin's side. Someone she didn't recognize… but Ozpin and Rya certainly did.
And judging by the way Rya's allies all zeroed in on the new arrival, it seemed they had some kind of history with the man too.
"Veratyr," Rya called out tersely, with such barely held anger that even Raven had to quirk an eyebrow at that.
As a precaution, she reached for her blade and cycled to a new Dust blade, a lightning type. "You still good?" she quietly asked of Vernal, not wanting attention shifting to them.
"I just want this shit over with," the woman muttered. With her primary weapons destroyed or otherwise lost, the younger woman had resorted to pulling out a simple dagger that she'd kept stashed on herself as an absolute last resort.
It would do fuck-all in this chaos, but it was better than nothing.
Worse comes to worst, Raven still had the Maiden power to make a smokescreen.
"Rya," the man named Veratyr called out, kindly in contrast to her obvious anger. "Been a while since we've last spoken… you still look as lovely as always." He then glanced to Ozpin. "It's great to see you as well, Ozpin. It pleases me that you're showing such initiative."
The man, hands clasped behind his back, proceeded to walk towards the middle of the crater, placing himself more directly in between Ozpin and Rya. He appeared unmindful of the others tensing up as he did so.
…But despite looking ready to pounce him, Raven didn't actually sense any true intent to do so; the others here… they were just posturing, for some reason.
She supposed it might have something to do with the odd shimmer this man's form had. Like he wasn't even fully there… huh, some kind of illusion then?
Funny how that was the most understandable thing all day… so far, at least.
"Spare us the pleasantries," Rya commanded. "Why are you here? For a certain definition of 'here,' that is?"
"To stop the violence, of course," he replied. "You have what you seek for the time being. Capturing Ozpin might be one of your goals, but it isn't one that needs to be done now. And besides, I still remember well how much you dislike being disheveled in moments like this." He chuckled as he then motioned to Rya's ruined dress and ruffled hair.
The woman audibly grimaced.
Veratyr then looked to Ozpin, who'd remained silent thus far. "And while the Relic may be in her hands, she's no way of using it. After all, she doesn't know how to even activate it."
"What?!" Rya growled out.
Veratyr ignored her. "Her obtaining it does put you and your allies in a bad state, but it still isn't unsalvageable. And in some ways, better that she has it rather than Salem, wouldn't you agree?"
Raven watched as Ozpin took a few seconds to comprehend the younger man's words. "Why are you doing this? Truly? What do you gain by stopping this battle from continuing?"
The new arrival hummed. "Truthfully? I just dislike pointless fighting. It's still far too early for conflicts between you two to have any meaningful impact. Defining your purpose… this battle, even if it continues, won't help you with that." Veratyr let out another chuckle. He seems like he's easily amused by things, Raven noted with some measure of annoyance. "There are, of course, some other reasons why I'm stopping this… but forgive me – those are my reasons to keep secret for the time being. In any case, nothing beneficial will come by fighting any longer today."
"That is not for you to decide," Rya retorted, nearing the man. "If anything, you've only given me more reason to see this through. You say I don't know how to activate this Relic as needed? Then surely Ozpin does. All the more reason to prioritize his capture now."
Ozpin tensed at that.
"Say you do go through with that… what would it bring about?" Veratyr quirked an eyebrow. "I recall informing you a little on how the Relic works, so you should be aware even now that it is useless unless you know what to really ask. As things currently stand, you already know all else that is relevant to you."
"…Hmph."
He then turned to Ozpin again. "And how about you?" he asked of the ancient wizard. "To be perfectly frank, can you truly afford to keep this going? When so many are in need of help in the city behind you right now?"
Ozpin's right eye twitched.
The man named Veratyr stared at him for a while before humming, seemingly pleased. He then looked to Rya and his smile widened even further.
"Then it seems my job here is done. Not to worry, you all shall have your chance soon to go at it," he said. "It will just take a little while longer to set the stage."
He then swept his gaze over the others there, including Raven and Vernal. Raven tensed as they briefly locked eyes. Something about this guy bothered her, more than just his words.
But why did she feel bothered? She couldn't say.
Without another word, his form suddenly dispersed without a trace, leaving behind an awkward silence for them all to deal with.
…
"…So what do we do now?" Vernal asked, outright baffled.
Raven, for her part, could only shrug.
After saying his piece to Rya and Ozpin, Veratyr awoke.
Hanging by the neck still, he now calmly reached up and untied the noose. He did so with a very well-practiced hand, having done this plenty of times before. If anyone had been around to witness this at all, they'd be utterly shocked by his cavalier approach to his own death, self-inflicted at that too.
But as far as was concerned, death was but a revolving door to him, thanks in part to his rather unique constitution. But primarily, this was due to the sheer power of his own spirit.
He had a goal that he desperately craved to achieve. And he shall allow nothing, not even death, to stop him from achieving it. This desire alone was enough to abate death time and time again, no matter how scarcely or frequently he engaged in acts such as this.
The noose undone, he calmly went about untying the rope from the beam and stashing it away.
As he did so, he mulled over the situation, unconcerned.
Rya and Ozpin, despite how high their emotions had been running by the time of his interference, were ultimately pragmatic individuals with bigger fish to fry. Rya now had a need to fully ensure the Relic of Knowledge remains secure in her grasp and reassess her list of priorities. Ozpin in turn must see to the people in the capital of Mistral lest more perish when they could have been saved. The crisis in Vale had already been nightmarish enough for the man, so seeing a repeat or something even worse in Mistral would not be tolerated.
It had still been something of a risk, but one worth taking in his eyes. In any case, Veratyr was confident that he'd managed to dissuade them from continuing their battle. It isn't as if Ozpin has a way of taking Rya down at this moment any way; his childhood friend – though Rya would contest the 'friend' part – was far too powerful for anyone else to take on directly.
He supposed part of the successful dissuading was due to his choice of words – 'setting of a stage' and all that.
Truthfully, this was only partly the case. He really didn't have a 'need' to see Ozpin and Rya clash in a battle of wills, but he did have a 'desire' to do so.
In reality, he merely needed to prolong the four-way clash between Ozpin's inner circle, Salem's cabal, Rya's group and his own group. Just by keeping the conflict going long enough, he'll be able to eventually achieve the next step towards his goal but he first needed to saturate Remnant more thoroughly. Allowing any one faction to get too far ahead of the others in achieving victory would put a damper in his woefully simple plan.
A damper, but not a stop.
He let out a quiet chuckle. "Feels like I've become something of a referee…"
But a referee with his own machinations in play here, rigging the matches, so to speak.
In any case, just by continuing to make use of his own abilities did help the saturation process, especially in times like this where his spirit was able to temporarily roam free from his body. The benefits of his unique constitution again and one he fully intended to make use of.
Still, he couldn't get too complacent. There was still some other things he could do here in Mantle.
Rya sought the Relics in addition to Ozpin and Salem. Allowing her to get the latter two can't be allowed for the time being, but the Relics were a different matter. He was well aware of her goal, after all, and in some part he too wished to see the Brother Gods… albeit for reasons quite different from hers.
Right then, time to start making some waves here in Mantle… and Atlas, by extension.
As Veratyr now took his time leaving Crater Craven, he idly wondered how things were going in Vacuo. He supposed Valentino will be having his own spot of fun some time soon.
He looked forward to hearing about it.
Phew, finally done!
In all honesty, didn't initially plan to make this whopper of a chapter, but once I started writing it, I decided just to go all in. As I was envisioning it initially, I could see the events of this chapter honestly stretching out another two or even three chapters if I let myself get too caught up in padding. So, to this end, I opted just to end things here and now, for lack of a better way to put it.
Anyways, the next chapter or two will be dealing with the immediate aftermath of the events in Mistral while simultaneously switching PoVs to other characters, OCs and canon ones alike, so that they finally get their own moments to shine and set them down their character development paths that I have planned.
In due time, I will also be switching back to Vale to show what's been going on there, not just with Glynda, but also with Cinder and Neo… and perhaps even some other characters like RWBY and/or JNPR. However, while Glynda/Cinder/Neo WILL be getting some love in the limelight, the RWBY/JNPR part is a bit more uncertain at the moment. I do want to include more PoVs and whatnot, especially as they relate to the events of this fic thus far, but it's not something that I fully believe is truly necessary at the moment. Ultimately, I'll be playing that part by ear as I get further along my intended storyline.
Anyways, do hope you enjoyed Leonardo's sections in this chapter because in the next, he'll be getting more of the limelight one final time to expound upon his character.
Also, hope you guys liked Rya. She is overpowered, I'm shameless enough to admit that, but there's much more to her than just raw power alone as I hope I've hinted at so far. You'll see as things further develop.
Now then, until next time, everyone. Stay safe!