Hey there everyone! Hope you've all been doing ok since the last chapter!
As for me, well into late November and earlier this month, I decided to get myself an early Christmas gift – the HD collection of DMC 1 – 3 and the DMC4SE for the collective price of under $15!
As big of a fan as I am of DMC in general, as my previous fics would likely attest to, I first got into the series in middle school, around the time DMC3 first came out. It was my first and proper introduction to the whole franchise and hack-n-slash in general and by God, I was in love. Played it so much, I hit the 99h 59m 59s limit on the save file in a month then kept on playing it for an additional four months or so afterwards. I literally have more time on that game than I do on Elden Ring, lol. That isn't to say I was particularly good at the time though, ha ha.
I even bought DMC2 afterwards to see what I'd miss. Now, while it is indeed a subpar game… I actually kind of liked it. Because of how much I played DMC3, I was able to see how the combat from it had evolved from what little was in the 2nd game and I developed an unironic appreciation for it. It'll never win any awards, but I did genuinely have some fun with it and only appreciated it more once learning of its sordid development history.
But it wasn't until this HD collection that I finally got to play the very first game in the series… and holy hell, it's clunky! Granted, things got better once I unlocked a few moves for the weapons, but the combat for this game is such an absolutely massive far cry from its successors that I died far more than I ever did in DMC3 onwards… and that's saying something. I believe the term is 'Fake Difficulty.' Things in that game such as the fixed camera angles and lack of aerial combat compared to later games really screwed me over in nearly every fight.
However, that all said, I do genuinely love the vibe of the rest of the game; it feels like playing a mix of a Resident Evil and Castlevania game, what with all the exploring, puzzles and backtracking. It's genuinely pretty fun and if somehow, someway, Capcom ever made a remake of DMC1 with the combat system of 3 – 5, I genuinely hope that they keep the exploration in because it's pretty nice. Ah, and get rid of the inverted controls during the water section and stuff – that also sucked, ha ha.
Anyways, sorry for that little spiel, just couldn't help but share in light of my time with the collection so far and my self-professed DMC fanboyism. Would genuinely love to do another crossover between it and another series/franchise in the future, but only time will tell if I do that.
Not much else to really say at this point other than that I hope you all will continue to be in good health… and here's to hoping that 2025 will be a better year for us all. Until then, please have yourselves a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Onto the chapter!
Chapter 14 – Converging Paths
Following his departure from Eva Lambros' hometown, Ozpin had taken to heading back towards Mistral proper. Still, he kept his disguise on as a precaution. While the likelihood of him coming across an agent of Salem wasn't particularly high, it was still something that could happen. After all, his former wife has had plenty of time to plant herself deep within Remnant's more unsavory areas, with connections spreading all across the kingdoms as they'd formed. Although she preferred quality over quantity, that isn't to say she doesn't have her ways of monitoring the kingdoms' going-ons.
Walking down the dirt road, he took this to ponder what he's learned. Granted, that is all he's really been doing this whole time, but even so, he constantly reviewed and dissected all that Nicholas and Terra had spoken of to him.
The Liminals, while biologically human, were ultimately beings of magical origins. While Nicholas hadn't known for sure the exact origins of his… well, of his kind to put it simply, it can now be confirmed that the Liminals' ancestors weren't native to Remnant.
That narrowed things down immensely, the man thought with just a hint of sarcasm.
But that aside… what had really grabbed his interest – and earned his concern – was the idea of 'purpose.'
It's long since been the great privilege – and burden – of sapient beings to discover the purpose of their existences. Every day, people the world over have struggled to figure out what it is they feel they must do with their own lives, determine what drives them to get up and go out every day… but the relative few that do find a cause to live for, well, they dedicate themselves to it wholeheartedly. Whether or not they ultimately find objective success in the long-run, they do at the very least find fulfillment.
But the Liminals… unlike everyone else, their purpose in life is decided from the moment they're even born. Their entire life thus revolves around it, so much so that it seems to form a core part of their personalities and by extension their abilities.
Eva's purpose had been to become a shining existence, one that everyone else would look up. To this end, she'd worked her way up to Vale's most prized actress, the apple of many eyes… along with abilities – a Principle – that was geared entirely to entrancing people into doing her bidding.
And it hadn't been enough for her. No, for Eva, there had been a greater point to all her madness, which had seen her join up with a still unknown group in order to achieve a common goal.
…With that now known to him, it really was sad. These Liminals may already know what they must do in life… but that wasn't necessarily the same thing as knowing what they wanted out of life.
He could attest to this fact all too well, what with the cruel fate thrust upon him and Salem by the Brother Gods all those centuries and even millennia ago. In order to break this wretched curse on himself, he must unite humanity… while not a goal he disagrees with, he never wanted to have to try achieving it by battling his own wife nor with the threat of true extinction hanging over Remnant's collective head should the gods return and see them all still divided.
…
…Nicholas may have said it had been his purpose to help others and it was something he was perfectly fine with, but even then, the plight that every Liminal apparently seemed to have weighed heavy on him.
With that said, it also made other things odder in hindsight.
Veratyr, for example, had claimed to be on humanity's side… but was that because it may be his purpose? Or was that simply something he'd claimed as part of fulfilling his true purpose? And given the less than stellar opinion Eva had of him, to say nothing of the outright discomfort his name inspired in Nicholas and Terra alike, what did that say about him in general?
Eva had been willing to go as far as causing further chaos in an already tense crisis just to live up to her purpose. So, what would Veratyr be willing to do in order to achieve the same?
Then there was the other bit of information he'd learned as well – about this Rya.
From what he'd been told, Rya was undoubtedly the leader of this group Eva had been a part of. But to what end did she assemble this group? And how did he and Salem factor into this group's – Rya's – ultimate plans?
Additionally, Nicholas and Terra had briefly stressed that Rya would be a force unlike any other he'd ever encounter. It likely had to do with this desire to dominate as per their words, but to also claim she isn't someone he could handle… he's heard boasts of seemingly unbeatable people before, even had a few such statements attributed to himself throughout his many lives by others, but considering what Liminals had proven themselves capable of… it might not actually be a hyperbole.
All in all, there was still many questions in need of answers, but he at least had walked away without having to fight anyone. Moreover, he at least had an idea now as to who he was up against. And to think that Rya originated from Sanus as well, somewhere north of Vale… that such an enemy was born so closely to the kingdom… it was simultaneously unnerving and odd, seeing as she opted to go out of her way to recruit others first before proceeding with her plan, whatever it may be.
…
With all that he's learned, perhaps he should make contact with the rest of his allies and fill them in on these details. The sooner he could disseminate the information to them, the better. Perhaps that way, they could all come up with new leads to follow before this Rya and her group of Liminals can proceed further with their unknown goals.
And… perhaps he should finally deem it fit to include Leonardo in on this as well. Keeping him locked out of the loop might be necessary but keeping him uninformed for so long was bound to backfire eventually if this kept up.
Following the path to the next intersection, he took a path leading northeast, towards Mistral… towards Haven. It'll be quite a while before he actually reaches his new intended destination, however.
He just hoped nothing particularly crazy happened while he was out here in the veritable wilds.
With angry narrowed eyes, Raven Branwen overlooked the capital of Mistral from a large cliff.
It's been some odd time since she and Vernal had returned to where the rest of the tribe had been… only to discover that the tribe had been effectively wiped out. The tents that had been set up, the goods pillaged from villages and towns had all been utterly destroyed, reduced to little more than pieces of debris.
…And the rest of her tribe had been all but annihilated. Only a truly small handful of people had been alive by the time the two women had returned to camp via her semblance and they had expired not long afterwards.
But before dying, it had been Shay that had somehow managed to cling onto life despite being little more than a nigh-unrecognizable corpse, who'd managed to give them a brief rundown of what had happened.
A trio of people – two men and one woman – that had done this to the entire tribe, had lain them low after interrogating them all about her… and then crushed them all for good measure.
Aside from a brief description of their appearances, the only other thing Shay had been able to utter before passing was that the trio appeared to have been leaving in the direction of Mistral's capital, where Haven Academy lied.
Following the man's death, Raven had made use of the Spring Maiden's power – obtained after the previous one refused to prove her mettle properly – to set what remained of the campgrounds aflame, her way of honoring her fallen brethren to prevent them being food for carrion.
After having done so, she, Vernal and the absolutely small handful of others that had accompanied them on their recon, had made the decision to seek revenge.
The strong take from the weak… that was the law Raven and the others lived their lives by. Clashing with other strong ones was something to be avoided – it wasn't beneficial in the long run given the damage all sides involved would accrue.
And for this trio to wipe out her tribe, they absolutely must be strong. By all rights, seeking them out would be detrimental.
Even so… Raven wanted vengeance. The Branwen tribe had been the only family she'd ever really known… outside of her playing house for a time with Tai. And now that very family that she's cultivated for so long is gone. She couldn't let this slide, not one bit.
Hand resting on the butt of her sword while her helmet was held tightly in her other arm, she overlooked the capital with a critical eye.
It was risky trying to seek vengeance this close to the capital and to Haven, but circumstances were different now. For one thing, she had the power of a Maiden within her now, a power she'd honed for these past several years. While she wasn't particularly eager to rely on it lest Salem catch wind of it somehow, it was still a trump card worth using in a pinch.
Additionally, in recent months, she's taken notice of Mistral's diminishing huntsmen population. While it would be easy to attribute this decrease to Salem's machinations, the speed with which they were dying was certainly unnerving. But in this case, it was a blessing in disguise. Against particularly brave (or foolish) civilians fighting back if caught in the crossfire or the usual authorities, she and her remaining tribesmen can easily cut a path through them and withdraw as needed. Against huntsmen, escape would still be possible but far more difficult. Thus, with the population now much lower, their odds of slaying the trio and escaping were much higher.
There will be a reckoning, of that she was certain.
Currently, she'd sent the remaining tribesmen down into Mistral. They'd dressed themselves up a bit more presentably, to blend in better, though they were still armed, of course. They also had flares stashed in their pockets, so if or when they located the three responsible for this, they'll send up a flare and Raven will know to use her semblance to move to the tribesmen that finds them. Each flare was of a different color so that she would have an easy time discerning who had found the attackers.
Vernal was by her side, kneeling and sharpening the blades of her weapon. The normally cocky young woman had an expression of pure loathing on her face. She was just as eager if not more so to pay back the three responsible for what had been done.
As she finished up, the younger woman deactivated her circular blades and reverted them to their dormant state before standing up straight. "Think those fuckers will be here still?"
"They have to be," Raven answered. "Given the brief length of time since then, they must still be here in the capital somewhere. If not… well, finding a lead will put us back on track."
Of course, it would help her more if she knew exactly what the three enigmatic attackers were after, or at the very least had a general idea of their greater goal. Alas, if they had revealed such details to Shay, the man didn't live long enough to pass those particular details to her sadly enough.
Nonetheless, the bandit tribe leader was confident the trio was still here somewhere. If nothing else, they clearly had a greater purpose in mind and probably couldn't accomplish it that quickly. The only thing she had to support this conjecture was the implicit fact they had sought her out.
According to Shay, the woman – the leader of the trio, apparently – had been somewhat disappointed that she hadn't been at the campsite during the attack. Presumably, this meant the trio were aware she is the Spring Maiden now since the likelihood of anyone trying to seek out a bandit leader, no matter how fearsome, was low.
And if that was the case… no, they probably weren't working for Salem. If they truly had been Salem's agents, then it would have been more efficient for them to hide relatively nearby and ambush her upon her return. They hadn't done that, instead making tracks for here. That implied whatever goal they had, she was merely a… a side bonus of sorts. It was the only thing Raven could think of.
That particular thought made her grimace. While it was always good to err on the side of caution, the leader of the Branwen tribe couldn't help but feel like she'd been dismissed, the same way a veteran would dismiss a complete greenhorn somehow.
It was not a feeling she liked very much. Yet another reason to seek out these three and put them down.
Raven made a sound as she took note of the clear sky. The sun was still up, bright as could be. If the trio were as brazen as their actions so far would suggest, then the possibility of them trying something in the middle of the day was possible. But from a more pragmatic point of view, it'd be far more ideal to make a move during dusk and outright night.
In which case, they all may be here for the long haul.
"You think…" Vernal suddenly began, grabbing her attention. The young woman now looked pensive. "You think these guys are working for her?" Her question mirrored Raven's own thoughts from moments ago.
"Doubt it," she replied. "If they were, they wouldn't have to the capital like this. They would've been better off trying to ambush us on our return to the camp. Regardless… we just can't let this go." She shot Vernal a hard stare. "Right?"
Vernal matched her stare with one of her own. "I may not exactly be eager to take on an immortal witch or whatever… but I'm no fucking coward, Raven. You know that."
The words elicited a huff from her, amused. "Yeah, I do. Now just get settled in – we might be here a while."
Their resolve affirmed, the two decided to take a rest albeit without dropping their guard. It was important to make sure they didn't get blindsided while observing the city, after all.
The Branwen tribe will be avenged, Raven vowed.
No matter how much blood had to be spilled to do so.
It hadn't taken long at all to receive that call, Lil' Miss Malachite noted. In fact, it had pretty much come in the very next day after that little… incident… at her tavern.
Following said call, she'd been told to mobilize her gang and make them all head towards the inner part of Mistral's capital, where Haven Academy lied. Additionally, they'd been told to go in plain clothes as to not draw attention with their usual colorful outfits. In a world where colors and identity ruled, Lil' Miss and the rest of her crew had actually bristled at such a command, no matter how practical it had been.
Not even she had been spared from this command, for she had also been called to the inner capital. Seems like that bastard Gwrtheyrn wanted her to meet his boss. How fun, she silently drawled.
Dressed more like a typical middle-aged woman in Mistral's vaguely tropical weather, Lil' Miss made her way over to the hotel Gwrtheyrn had mentioned. It was a very popular one, a tall structure whose exterior mimicked Mistral's lush jungle-like beauty in this particular region.
With a large hat on top to cover up from the sun and a fan in hand to keep herself cool, the stout woman still couldn't help but break into a sweat. As much as she was inwardly seething, she couldn't help but genuinely worry. The scene from the other day continued to play out on repeat. If that bitch, Viktoriya, was here, then who knows who she might choose to nom on next.
If it turned out to be her…
Lil' Miss shook her head in a vain attempt to rid herself of such a thought. In the criminal underworld, losing one's life was an everyday risk, much more so than it was for the average person and perhaps even more so than it is for huntsmen. Criminals, for all the rules and parleys they may have at times, were prone to backstabbing one another. Thus, having her life be endangered was hardly a new experience.
But the way that monster in human form had killed those subordinates of hers… at least with other threats, she'd had ways to survive. But against Viktoriya? Different story.
Entering the hotel lobby, Lil' Miss proceeded to head for the reception desk, only to pause upon noticing someone standing right by it. A young man, strikingly handsome in that pretty boy way, much like how Gwrtheyrn is, only without the borderline deathly parlor. Said man was dressed almost vaguely like butler, something that certainly wasn't the norm here at this hotel.
It was enough to throw her off just long enough for him to take notice and he immediately approached. "You're here. Excellent," he stated. He gave a small bow in greeting before turning and motioning to her. "Please follow me. The others await."
Lil' Miss grunted in acknowledgement and trailed after him to the elevator, where he then hit the button for the top floor – the hotel's most luxurious suite. Seems like these unknown people like to live in style.
Can't say she could fault that, she supposed.
It was a brief but tense elevator ride. The young man, name unknown, was dead silent. So was she, but more out of nerves than anything else.
As it came to a stop and the doors opened, they headed down the short hallway and to the sole door there, which the man unlocked with a hotel keycard.
"She is here, Rya," spoke the man upon entering, outright kneeling once the two of them had cleared the entryway and closed the door.
Lil' Miss quirked an eyebrow at the man's behavior but quickly looked away in favor of taking in the room around her.
Like any other suite, it was massive – a veritable apartment big enough for several people to comfortably room in. The walls and flooring were light in color, once again giving off that tropical vibe, with plenty of sofas and loveseats and chairs placed about. There was a kitchen and dining room area next to a large patio deck that overlooked the city below. The wall that separated said deck from the rest of the suite was made of specially tinted glass that afforded inhabitants of the room the ability to look outside while making the inside of the suite look dark from an outside viewer's perspective. There was also a hallway that led to the bedrooms where the residents stayed for the night.
However, said residents were seemingly out in full force here… and most of them were looking her way.
Seated on a sofa directly across from the massive wall-mounted TV was none other than Gwrtheyrn, who shot her a cheeky grin. "Ah, so glad we meet again. Isn't that right, Viktoriya?"
He then looked to the young woman – the monster – who was seated primly and properly in a chair, looking over a magazine… a people's magazine, Lil' Miss noted. The leader of the Spiders couldn't quite suppress a shiver; was Viktoriya looking over the magazine out of genuine interest for the articles… or was it because she found the people in the photos appealing to her appetite?
"Yes," the woman began demurely from behind her veil. "It's great to see you again. We hope you've been well."
Lil' Miss made some noncommitted sound in response to the woman's words, acknowledging her but not trusting those words one bit. Hope she's been well… what a load of shit.
The stout woman instead looked to the final two people in the room.
One of them was a man, probably the oldest of the whole bunch, very well built and dressed in the sort of clothes she's only seen dedicated martial artists wear, albeit with some adornments to them. He shot her a brief glance before looking back at the TV. He seemed content to just lean against the wall nearby, but he was tapping his right foot like crazy, she noted.
However, it was the final member of this little group that obviously had her attention the most – the one that the still unnamed young man had seemingly been speaking to.
Said person, a woman, was tall and extremely well-built even when viewed from behind. With a black dress that hugged her muscular, yet curvaceous figure and long hair tied into a braid, she certainly made for a striking figure.
But more than that, she clearly had presence. Once Lil' Miss looked upon her, she found it borderline impossible to look away at all. It was as if some inexplicable force was holding her gaze in place lest she suffer severe consequences.
Currently, the woman named Rya was gazing outside, towards the deck and by extension the city. However, she hummed in acknowledgement of their entering.
"Good work, Bliss. You may rest for now if you wish," she said, voice stern.
The man in vague butler-wear stood up, head still bowed in deference before moving off to the side. What he went to do, Lil' Miss didn't know, for she was suddenly addressed.
"And so we finally meet, Lil' Miss Malachite," the woman said without turning around still. "Approach. We've matters to discuss."
The middle-aged woman was hesitant to obey at first, choosing to eye the others instead. Gwrtheyrn looked at her and seemed to silently beckon her in that 'don't dawdle' way she herself has done many times before.
The others didn't seem to even pay her any mind.
"The seven of us may not be in a rush," Rya suddenly began. "But that doesn't mean we like to just waste our time. Or rather, I don't like to waste my time too much."
Lil' Miss couldn't help but flinch at the tone… and blink in confusion as well.
Seven of them? There were only five people here.
Putting aside that particular thought, Lil' Miss approached where Rya stood. As she did, that inexplicable force only seemed to grow stronger somehow. And what a force it was; it wasn't just some type of charisma, that 'it' factor that people sometimes talk about… rather, it was a genuine force unto itself. Just by approaching Rya, Lil' Miss could feel the air grow heavier, stifling her breaths and weighing her down.
By the time she was within several feet of the woman named Rya, she could literally feel her very bones creak and her innards damn near sloshing about. If she was in this woman's presence for too long, it felt like she might actually die just from the power she exuded.
Rya finally turned and as the two of them locked eyes, Lil' Miss Malachite, not one to normally be so cowed, found herself feeling just like that as she took in the younger woman's eyes. A veritable kaleidoscope of colors, primarily blue and purple and wisps of gold… and silver underlying it all. Said eyes in all their terrible and captivating glory stared down at her and seemingly through her in turn.
It was enough to make Lil' Miss feel smaller than she ever has before. Not even at the most vulnerable points in her life had she ever felt this way.
"W-What is it?" Lil' Miss hated how she stuttered there but pushed on. "You just gonna stare at me, sugar?"
A bit of her usual bravado managed to bleed through… and much to her relief, it almost seemed to amuse the younger and far more powerful woman. "I merely wish to make sure your people know what it is they're supposed to," Rya stated.
"…Case the city and Haven's immediate grounds, then swarm in to make a huge distraction." Lil' Miss more or less summarized what had been told to her over that disposable scroll. "And otherwise make a path into the academy's depths."
"Indeed." Rya's arms, folded under her impressive bust, now slowly fell to her sides and onto her hips. This only served to make her look even broader in frame than she already did. "I believe you've been informed we seek a relic, yes?"
"That's right. Something that would get Leonardo's little panties all twisted up in notches, I reckon," Lil' Miss replied.
"Something along those lines, crass though you may have worded it," Rya confirmed. "Nonetheless, I will reiterate this: do nothing more than this. You and your people are ultimately here to serve as a distraction. Attempt to do anything more will result in grave consequences for you and yours, understood?"
Lil' Miss would've bristled fiercely if anyone else spoke down to her like this but didn't in this case. This wasn't a situation in which she could just mouth off and walk away in one piece. "I get it," she grunted out.
Still… she couldn't just leave things be. There had to be something she could do to gain some leverage. Even with how freakish Viktoriya is and the others here likely being just as abnormal in their own ways, that was no excuse to just roll over and do every little thing demanded of her.
That just wasn't how she rolls.
"…Hmph." Rya snorted. "Don't think you can hide your thoughts from me. I can tell by just a glance you're seeking a way to reverse our positions here."
Lil' Miss froze at that. Her intentions were that noticeable?
"Don't think yourself to be so sly. And to be frank, it's only natural that you would try to squirm out of this somehow," Rya continued as she turned to look out upon the city again. "You've fought long and hard to gain the position you have now. I must commend that drive of yours… to an extent."
"… I guess you're the same way?" Rya's words somewhat emboldened her, thus she risked asking. Maybe this was a way of getting some useful info out of the muscular woman.
Rya didn't answer right away, however. Instead, she was silent for nearly half a minute before deigning to reply. "In some respects, I suppose we're alike – two individuals born into poor conditions and dared to seek out a better living by our own two hands. Alas, that is also where our similarities end."
Lil' Miss managed to quirk an eyebrow at that. "Why you say it like that?"
"Our paths to power took different forms. And yours is a very fickle power," Rya began. "It's a power that is reliant not on yourself per say, but on that of others. You may be able to manipulate or intimidate others into doing your bidding through promises of fickle rewards and blackmail, be it through honeyed words or displays of imagined authority… but damage your reputation or you suffer a loss in manpower or other resources? You become little more than the wretch you were before your ascension to the top of Mistral's underbelly."
Rya raised her right hand up slowly, the action causing the muscles in her arm to swell and tense despite not putting any effort into the flex. Then just as slowly, her hand clenched into a fist… and the entire hotel felt like it was shaking.
"But my power? It is the power of both body and spirit," Rya declared, clenching her fist tighter and making it feel now like the area around the hotel was shaking too. Lil' Miss could only vaguely make out other people in the hotel and outside cry out in shock and desperate fear, the middle-aged woman too caught up in the waves of power that now literally radiated from Rya.
If before it felt like her body might eventually break just from being around this woman for too long, then it now felt like her entire existence would be snuffed out completely just from the force Rya was exuding.
And all the while, Rya still talked. "…I was born so terribly frail. A premature birth, you see. Every day was one of immense struggle to even breathe. Death had one hand on me at virtually all times back then, eager to snuff me out the instant my efforts waned. Even now, I can recall those days – at least, the sensation of those days – so vividly that it rankles me. I swore to never feel so weak again, so… vulnerable." Finally, the power that had been building up suddenly began to ebb away, albeit gradually. The shaking subsided in proportion and Lil' Miss slowly regained the ability to breathe.
"Ever since young, I made sure to act on that desire," Rya explained. "I trained and studied, honing myself as best as I could. And the results are as you see before you."
Lil' Miss had to tilt her head all the way back to look at Rya's face, for at some point she'd fallen onto her ass. Whether said fall was due to the violent shaking Rya was responsible for or it was due to the power in and of itself that the young woman had radiated, Lil' Miss didn't know for sure.
Rya, on her part, merely stared impassively at her. "My power – my strength – though far from reaching its peak still, is the result of my efforts and mine alone. It shall never let me down unlike your 'power.' That is the primary difference between the two of us."
Lil' Miss could only stare blankly, struggling to keep breathing even though the effect of before was now gone. And even as she became slowly aware of all the noise outside as people tried to recollect their wits about them, she could only focus on trying to stand up.
Briefly, she shot a glance at the others in the suite. All of them appeared to be completely unaffected by what had just happened, though Gwrtheyrn was grimacing at the TV sputtering due to Rya's little showcase just now.
Over the course of a whole minute, she finally managed to stand up. However, her legs still shook, threatening to give out on her if her concentration slipped even a little. It was outright herculean in effort that she was able to speak without falling again.
"W-With…" she rasped out before gathering herself. "With that kind of strength… why not just do this shit on your own?"
That was the only question on her mind right now. Through raw brute strength alone, Rya appeared to be more than enough to take on anything that Haven could throw her way, hell probably even take on the whole fucking kingdom! So why did she need anyone else at all?!
Her question caused a frown to appear on the woman's otherwise lovely but stern face. "Alas, for all my might, there are certain obstacles that block my path to true supremacy in this world, obstacles that can't be overcome with strength alone. Yet. Make no mistake, nothing in this world is my equal in might… but sometimes a subtler approach is required in order to expedite the process."
"In other words, she's the biggest hammer around, but is in need of a scalpel… or at least a basic knife," Gwrtheyrn suddenly chipped in, the shiteating grin present in his words.
Rya glared lightly at the man, but didn't even try to contest his point. "His choice of words aside, he speaks true. It is why these people have gathered under my nameless banner – to achieve a common goal that alone we cannot achieve. And that in turn is why you and your precious little Spiders are needed."
In other words, they were fodder. This fact was hardly new to Lil' Miss Malachite at this point, but now she had the context for why they were needed at all.
If Rya went around showcasing her strength without a care, then who knows what would be thrown at her to stop her. It would, at best, slow her down and annoy her, but Rya has now made it clear that she wasn't one to tolerate such annoyances. In which case, it was best to move subtly and have others occupy her opposition so that she could move unhindered.
A standard tactic, all things considered, but coming from one as mighty as her, it just boggled Lil' Miss' mind to see it done.
Lowering her head finally, Lil' Miss tried to fully collect herself here.
What a situation she'd been coerced into. If she tried to pull out of here now, well, she'd be lucky to make it a step before she was disposed of. But if she continued on with this, then she and her gang will probably get wiped out by serving as a distraction. Damned if she does, damned if she doesn't.
That said…
"Pretty sure that demonstration just now got ya some attention," she couldn't help but grumble.
Rya huffed. "The shaking was spread across the entire area. Pinpointing me as the origin would be difficult for any watchers out there. Even then… that is what your subordinates are here in the capital for. Now then, I believe we've chatted long enough. It is nearly dusk. Give the word to your Spiders to begin making a racket. As for yourself…I care not what you do, so long as you are sure to keep your crew in line, no matter what is thrown your way."
With that said, the young woman fully turned away from Lil' Miss, dismissing her utterly.
The middle-aged woman stared at Rya a moment longer before finally dragging her feet across the floor and towards the suite's door, whereupon the man from before – Bliss – practically appeared out of nowhere to open it for her in a courteous fashion.
Bliss, however, didn't escort her out entirely and merely closed the door to the suite behind her. Lil' Miss practically staggered down the hallway to the elevator and pressed the button for it. Much to her surprise, the damned thing still worked despite all that shaking.
It took a few minutes for it to arrive, probably because of other people using it, but when it finally reached the top floor, she was quite surprised to see it empty.
Good, she kind of needed to be alone.
As the elevator slowly descended to the lobby, Lil' Miss shakily pulled out her own scroll and contacted one of her lieutenants.
"It's go time," she said as soon as the man answered. It was amazing how she was able to speak without her voice getting all shaky. "Do not fuck this up."
She promptly hung up and nearly slumped against the back of the elevator.
Of all the things she'd been expecting, this sure as shit hadn't been it. Monsters, the lot of them, she was now convinced.
But if being on the side of monsters meant she and her Spiders got to exist later down the line… then so be it.
"…Ha. I almost feel bad for that cowardly lion," she mumbled as she now thought of Leonardo and his supposedly unshakeable position of 'power.'
She just prayed now that the capital would still be standing afterwards…
Over the course of just a few minutes, all hell seemed to be breaking loose in Mistral's lovely capital.
People dressed in plainclothes suddenly began to riot, smashing in windows and even knocking down walls. Officers that had been out on patrol were taken off guard from minute one, thanks in part to the sudden quake that had occurred, with these rioters being quick to capitalize on this weakness and overwhelm them.
Violence broke out in full now, gunfire occurring as some of the rioters pulled out standard weapons and started shooting. Primarily into the air or into the sides of buildings, only ever turning their guns on those that sought to try playing hero. A small mercy, if it could even be called that.
And through his security system, Leonardo could only gape like the fool he often felt like nowadays.
He'd been aware of the Spiders milling about and had at least tried to ensure the law enforcement within the capital was ready to move, but that quake had taken them all by surprise. Pathetic as it was to say, it had given them the opening needed to wreak havoc.
Even worse, there were very few fully licensed huntsmen around to help quell the sudden violence. Once again, he could only curse himself for his actions in Salem's name, his emotions warring harshly within himself.
However, that wasn't to say all was lost.
"Attention all teachers and students!" he began over the academy's broadcasting system. "There are Spiders in the capital and starting riots! All that are immediately available, get down there now and aid the police!"
Immediately, he went into 'headmaster mode' for lack of a better way to put it. His usual shaking was nowhere to be seen as he got to contacting anyone from the capital's police that he knew and began the intense process of coordinating between them and his students and faculty. If there was one silver lining in all this, it was that Haven Academy didn't have quite the same distance between it and the capital like Beacon did with Vale's capital. While having bullheads would certainly be a boon, they were more or less unneeded as the now mobilizing students and staff can cover the distance on foot alone.
That said, Leonardo could only grimace; the chaos that began with the quake had allowed the Spiders to run rampant with absurd ease. It hadn't helped that they'd already been spread out to start with, allowing them to begin the violence with impunity in dozens of locations.
If only he'd been able to set up a proper sting operation… perhaps then this could have been averted by having the police take them out.
Alas, it was but one of many 'what-ifs' that he'll have to spend the rest of his life entertaining. There were no do-overs, after all.
"…Hm?" Monitoring through his surveillance system, he watched as the Spiders closest to Haven began to actually approach the academy one bit at a time. After they shot up nearby shops and stalls, of course.
The lion Faunus bristled, agitated. Were the Spiders really trying to attack Haven Academy itself? Was Lil' Miss Malachite so fed up with their power gap that she'd go this far?
"-?!" He made a sound of surprise when something else completely unexpected occurred. On one of the monitors, he watched as a Spider member, a lanky young woman, tried to mug an older looking man at the corner of a street – only for the woman's swift punch to be deftly deflected by the man, who then retaliated with a violent left hook that sent his attacker sprawling.
The woman was understandably dazed from the hit but scrambled back to her feet in time to avoid the follow up stomp, at which point she charged at the man and got into a wild grapple with him.
Leonardo's eyes narrowed in confusion. Though the idea of a random civilian being able to fend for themselves wasn't some unprecedented thing, the man appeared too seasoned in his movements, experienced. Not formally trained, but clearly more than used to getting into brawls with others of similar ability…
…In other words, the chances of this man being another criminal wasn't entirely improbable either.
Uncharacteristically, Leonardo swore. Too much has been happening these past few days and the stress was eating him alive. There were too many variables now.
He pulled out his scroll and called one of the teachers – a professor Hyde, a seasoned huntsman that had retired from active duty years ago – and wasted no time speaking. "Spread the word to the others – there are other criminals in the capital! Gang affiliation unknown, but still on the same level as the Spiders!"
He hung up the instant Hyde half-grunted, half-snarled in acknowledgement of this troubling bit of news. Now the students and staff would really need to be on their toes in case this other bunch decided to try their hand at fighting the residents of Haven Academy.
Was this some kind of gang war? Had he missed signs of this mounting?
No, not possible; there's no way warring factions would go as far as starting this much chaos just to disguise some grudge match.
There was something else he was missing here…!
His thoughts got interrupted as one of the CCTVs suddenly went offline. It actually made him recoil just from how abrupt it was.
Then it started to happen again. Then again. And again.
Frantically, he tried to switch feeds from one camera to the other, but already he was down several cameras and it didn't seem like it was the end just yet.
By pure dumb luck, he happened to switch to one camera just in time to see a young man pull out a throwing axe that he'd been stashing in his inner coat and chucked it with deadly aim and speed at the camera, causing it to go offline upon destruction.
Leonardo groaned in despair.
Someone out there must be aware of his security system. That implied some level of intimate knowledge of how he does things and now that same someone was putting that knowledge to terrible work.
But who could it-?
-No. No, he knew who it was. This was Anima, after all. There was only one person who could possibly know him well enough to inform others of what to do like this.
"Raven…"
Everything was going to hell in a handbasket, Raven couldn't help but think with a growl.
That sudden quake had managed to knock her and Vernal onto their asses, embarrassing as it was to admit and then not long afterwards, chaos started to break out across the capital. Already, she could spot flames beginning to run amok as places were outright torched or otherwise dealt enough damage for Dust pipelines to begin going critical, resulting in small-scale yet still deadly explosions.
Then one of her few remaining tribesmen, Ame, had set off a flare.
Raven knew before even bothering to open a portal that her fellow woman hadn't found the tribe's attacker. Rather, Ame had set off the flare because the situation was quickly going FUBAR. With all the chaos now going on, it'd take a very lucky break to find their targets.
No, Ame had sent up that flare as a call for backup. And Raven and Vernal had been all too quick to oblige, rushing through the portal and attacking immediately.
The bandit leader had equipped her sword with a fire Dust blade and used it to immediately set Ame's attacker alight. The flaming swing cut open the fucker's chest cavity and burned him alive. The woman paid no mind to his screams of pain as she instead took note of the tattoo on his now exposed chest.
A Spider.
Fucking hell, Lil' Miss Malachite and her damned gang were out here. For what, she couldn't fathom but one thing she did know was this:
They were in the damn way.
With one hand, she put on her mask and with the other, she simultaneously swung her blade again. The searing flames upon it cauterized the man's severed neck and stump, his face frozen in agony even as his head now unceremoniously rolled along the ground.
Out of slight pettiness, Raven then gave the man's burning body a light punt kick, knocking it away.
She then turned to Vernal and Ame, the former helping the latter up from where she'd been knocked down. "What's going on?"
"Don't know," Ame wheezed out, having been struck just prior to them showing up. "There was that odd quake, then the next thing anyone knew, those fucking Spiders started attacking anything that moved. They were in plain clothes too, just like us, so we didn't notice until it was too late."
Raven grunted in frustration. What sort of play was Lil' Miss making here?
The only upside is that her remaining tribesmen would be taking out the various cameras installed throughout their respective areas. It was something she knew about from her time in Ozpin's stupid little cabal. Chances are that Leonardo would quickly figure out her part in all this, but with the cameras being taken out and all this chaos, this knowledge would do him little good, not when he had to deal with the Spiders causing it all.
This meant that she and her tribe would at least have some time to continue operating here.
"For now, just spread out and keep searching for our targets and avoid fighting as much as possible. You'll need to save your strength until we find those bastards. Vernal and I will figure out what exactly the Spiders are up to in the meantime. You have another flare?"
Ame grimaced. "I don't, but I can just regroup with the others if I gotta. Might help with the cover, make it seem like we're just hapless sheep herding together for safety."
"…Hmph. Get to it then."
Raven didn't spare Ame even a glance after saying that, already marching off down the street. Vernal, as always, followed closely behind.
"What's the play now?" Vernal asked.
"…Looks like the Spiders are heading north. Towards Haven," Raven surmised, judging by the way the chaos appeared to be spreading. "Don't know if Lil' Miss is finally tired of Leonardo hogging the top spot of power or not, but it seems like she might be trying to depose the man."
Vernal snorted. "Great. So we're in the middle of a fucking grudge match… well, not like we aren't either." She grumbled out that last part.
Raven was silent. It couldn't be that simple. She was missing something here.
"Come on," she murmured. "Let's see what their endgame is."
The two broke out into a brisk jog in Haven's general direction. And all the while, Mistral burned and screamed around them.
As the distraction began, Rya moved out of the suite's interior and onto its deck. All to better observe the situation.
She paid no heed to the sounds of violence and despair that now played out like a wicked symphony, only idly noting that it wouldn't be long before the Grimm respond to the mounting negativity.
With arms folded under her breasts yet again, she watched with an unreadable expression. The only movements were her eyes, which flickered from one street to another.
Out there, people were running for any kind of safety they could find. The Spiders spread out, making use of homemade bombs and guns to utterly ruin storefront after storefront, whenever they weren't engaging the local law enforcement that arrived on the scenes.
Shots were exchanged and bodies fell, Spiders and police alike, with civilians occasionally being caught up in the crossfire. Only misfortune was to blame for their deaths.
It was all more or less by her design, only acknowledged by a brief hum before she continued to look on.
Until finally, she saw what she'd been searching for.
"Shen," she called out, the others having been waiting in silence within the suite. "Time to live up to your purpose yet again. Move forward for us… make a path."
The man said nothing, didn't so much as make a noise. She didn't need him to verbally respond to know he now came alive.
A split second later, Shen dashed past her and leapt off the deck, unmindful of the drop below. He moved as usual, untethered by paltry things like friction and gravity.
When Shen finally reached the ground, Rya watched as he made a direct beeline for their intended destination:
Haven Academy, where all desired parties were currently heading to.
And there we go. Glad I was able to get this chapter out before the end of the year. Perhaps I can get one more out… but to reiterate what my above AN insinuated to some extent, it is quite unlikely; school stuff going on, plus some time to myself to just relax and recharge i.e. the DMC HD Collection, ha ha.
Rya got a bit more depth in this chapter as you all can clearly see. Hope it further sparks interest in her character since she will play quite the significant role in this story as I've said before. And I can also say without spoiling too, that in terms of raw power, she is easily number one in the fic… and that's really saying something considering what else I have in mind. To give some insanely vague context, let's just say that my chuuni/shonen tendencies from my previous RWBY fics will be making quite the epic return, lol.
That said, don't think I'm just going to toss all else aside in favor of ridiculous feats of power and whatnot. There will, of course, be a careful balance between character development and feats of battle power/balancing, as already hinted at by Rya herself outright admitting that not even her strength can achieve literally everything. You'll see what I mean eventually.
The other Liminals in her group will also start to get more of the limelight as well as they become more active and interact more with RWBY characters. To be blunt, the Liminals will be serving as foils to several characters simultaneously, setting the stage for character growth for everyone involved. I just hope I can do justice to what I'm envisioning when it comes time to write those scenes out.
Anyways, that's just about it from me for now.
Thanks for sticking with me through yet another year of fanfic writing. I hope I can continue to deliver enjoyable works in the coming year for you all.
Once again, have a safe and happy Christmas and New Year, everyone. Until 2025!