Just posting my advanced chapters.
My mother is still sick.
I still don't know when I would be able to write next.
But I just wanted to leave all of you everything I could before going dark for a while.
Anyways, here are my chapters. I hope you like them.
And if you want to support me, you know where to find me.
Good day and goodbye.
P.S. Chapters 36 and 37 for Thy Rusted Knight and Chapter 4 for Jaune's Pineapple Jam Part 2.
Considering his history with gods, Ozpin could confidently say that he was not fond of them. He would have loved nothing more than to never see a god again, but considering his existence, interactions with them was all but inevitable.
After all, he knew it was only a matter of time before one day he would suddenly find himself in front of the Brother Gods again.
It might take a thousand years or two or even tens of thousand of years but one day in the future, he would slip up, Salem might win, his sanity might break, and for some inexplicable reason, the relics will be gathered.
So he really shouldn't have been surprised to be in the presence of a god again but as the one called the Blacksmith popped into existence in front of them, Ozpin could only find himself flat-footed.
When he first met the Blacksmith during that fateful day called Initiation, he was too busy reeling from the Rusted Knight's assault to be able to properly appreciate the being.
Now that he had the opportunity to do so again however, Ozpin could only tilt his head in confusion.
There was no pomp, there was no gravitas, and there was no radiant glory threatening to push him to his knees. There was not a single iota of traits that were so in line with the Brother Gods.
Instead, other than the shock of suddenly finding a metallic person in front of him, he couldn't feel anything from her.
For all intents and purposes, the Blacksmith felt like just another person in their presence.
A strange metallic person perhaps but a person nonetheless. Yet as unassuming as the Blacksmith might seem, the Curious Cat stood on guard by Ozpin's feet. It stayed silent with its hackles raised, causing Ozpin to reevaluate the Blacksmith.
No matter what, he could not forget she was still a self-proclaimed goddess and Ozpin was familiar enough with her supposed sons temperaments to know that he had to act cautiously.
"My Lady." He greeted respectfully, bowing low at the waist like a servant from ages gone by to cater to her ego.
It worked because she smiled even if she only smiled because of amusement.
"Rise, Ozma. We don't do that here."
He winced at the mention of his original name but he straightened himself regardless. He paid no heed to any embarrassment he might have felt by debasing himself but he did take note of Mr. Arc's and Ms. Nikos' confusion at his name.
"Ozma?" Young Mr. Arc tilted his head to which Ozpin only nodded.
"It was my original name before I was cursed with reincarnation but regardless, we are not here to talk about me, are we?" He answered, redirecting the topic to the matter at hand as he nodded towards Ser Arc.
He felt a twitch in his head however when Mr. Arc and Ms. Nikos turned towards Ser Arc.
If they didn't settle matters fast, things were quickly going to get confusing. After all, they had a Ser Arc, a Mr. Arc, a Ms. Nikos, and another Ms. Nikos inside Ser Arc's head in the room with them. Only he, the Curious Cat, Nurse Tsune, and the Lady Blacksmith were not in trouble of being confused with one another.
"Lady Blacksmith, what are you doing here?" Ser Arc asked with a tilt of his head but the Blacksmith only chuckled.
"You prayed, didn't you? It would be irresponsible of me now if I didn't come to assist my champion in his time of need, wouldn't it?"
Ozpin blinked at the answer as the Curious Cat below him swished its tail towards his leg in envious dissatisfaction. Ozpin could understand the Curious Cat's feeling.
Ozpin spent thousands of years asking the Brother Gods, both Light and Dark, for help, guidance, and mercy, but neither answered.
In contrast, all the Rusted Knight had to do was pray and the Blacksmith would answer.
Frankly speakinhlg, it was unfair.
He sighed, releasing his feelings of dissatisfaction into the air as he turned to look at Ser Arc.
Ozpin's eyes sharpened. Ms. Nikos' situation, the one stuck in Ser Arc's head was both familiar and unfamiliar to him. It was why Ozpin was here in the first place.
"Thank you for coming." Ser Arc said with a relieved sigh as the Blacksmith smiled at him.
"Now what seems to be the problem?"
"Well, Pyrrha won't talk." Ser Arc answered with a troubled smile on his face.
"I assume the one stuck with you?"
"Yes." Ser Arc nodded even as the Blacksmith hummed thoughtfully at his direction. "I'm...I'm afraid I may have lost her."
"Hmmm...you have nothing to worry about, my champion. Your lover is still with you." She answered as she peered into Ser Arc's eyes.
Ozpin did not know how she saw what she saw but sighs of relief immediately sounded out from around them as both Ms. Nikos and Mr. Arc blushed at the Blacksmith's words.
"Thank you, Lady Blacksmith." Ser Arc smiled, his eyes misting with happy tears as he raised a hand to shake the Blacksmith's hands.
"Nonsense, I did not do a single thing." The Blacksmith chuckled and Ozpin twitched at the goddess' humility.
"Even still, I thank you. You don't know how much those words mean to me. I thought I lost her again." Ser Arc repeated, even going so far as to bow his head.
Ozpin only watched while Nurse Tsune then patted Ser Arc's shoulder comfortingly.
"Isn't that nice? Pyrrha is still here with us."
Ser Arc laughed back as he raised a hand to hold Tsune's. "You're right. Thank you, Kaede."
Ozpin blinked at the interaction. First-name basis? It seemed like the rumor he heard from Port yesterday held some merit.
Other than the initial surprise he felt, Ozpin kept a cool face as he looked at his employees.
The Rusted Knight seducing his faculty? It was a double-edged sword if Ozpin had ever seen one. It allowed Ser Arc to gather friends and allies but it also left him hooks and weaknesses that his enemies could threaten him with. While part of Ozpin was glad to see the only other Magic Knight other than him find happiness where he could not, the cold ruthless part of him was pleased as he remembered that they were not completely allies.
It gave Ozpin an unpleasant feeling but what could he do? They were both pawns in a game between Gods and who knew what the future had in store for them?
He watched as Nurse Tsune smiled softly at Ser Arc before shaking her head. "Anyways, this looks like it's starting to become way above my pay grade. I'll make myself scarce and leave you all to it then."
She finished with a wink before turning to Ozpin for permission.
Before he could nod however, Ser Arc piped in. "Oh you don't need to do that, Kaede."
Nurse Tsune snorted at that before giving Ser Arc a smirk. "Well unlike you, Mister, I actually have a job that requires me to be ready at all times. Since nobody in this room needs healing, I need to go to those who actually do."
"Quite right, Tsune. Please pass on my compliments to those outside and tell them not to disturb us as everything is well in hand." Ozpin nodded to give her his permission, cutting off any reply Ser Arc could make.
Ser Arc grumbled discontently even as Nurse Tsune laughed at him teasingly.
"Oh don't be like that you big lout. You still have to come to me for some therapy after all."
Ozpin saw young Ms. Nikos and Mr. Arc freeze at that but the Rusted Knight only shook his head wryly.
"Do I have to?"
"Oh, you need to, Mister." Nurse Tsune sang happpily before walking away with a sway on her hips. "Besides, I'm sure we can make it enjoyable." She finished with a wink back at Ser Arc, causing the two students among them to gasp in shock.
Ozpin coughed pointedly as Ser Arc could only blush in embarrassment.
"Ahem, Tsune. May I remind you that you are not the only one with Psychological Training here? Professor Arc could come to me if he wanted to." He raised an eyebrow but it was at that did Ser Arc speak to let his thoughts be known.
"I...uhm...I think I want to go with Kaede." Ser Arc said with a blush and Ozpin could only sigh in exasperation.
"You'll come to both us."
After all, Ozpin would be better placed to hear more details about Ser Arc's days of future past if he was his therapist.
Tsune laughed, winking at Ser Arc one final time before walking towards the door. "I'll see you next time, Jaune."
"See you, Kaede." Ser Arc raised a hand as he waved his lover goodbye.
"Should we...uhm...follow her out?"
A voice cut in, jolting them in surprise as they all looked towards the source.
Young Jaune Arc stood there unassumingly together with his partner.
"No, stay. I want to talk to you about something."
Before Ser Arc could say anything more however, a voice interjected.
"Now, is that all you needed from me? If you don't mind, I have duties to attend to." The Blacksmith cut in as Ozpin's mind latched onto her words.
Duties?
While Ozpin didn't claim to know everything about gods and goddesses, he wasn't aware they actually had real duties.
All the Gods of Light and Dark did were rule over their domains, grant wishes, and curse others with immortality.
So what duties could a goddess like her have?
Ozpin did not know but perhaps someone could? He looked towards his feet and there he saw the Curious Cat with its hackles still raised.
Throughout the whole exchange since the Blacksmith appeared, the Curious Cat stayed silent as the grave. It was wary, guarded, and utterly tense. Part of Ozpin wanted to jolt the cat through their bond but no matter how impatient he was to question the cat, doing so in the presence of the Blacksmith was just plain foolish.
Ozpin waited then for her to disappear but before she could even pop out of existence like how she popped in, a voice cut through.
"Wait!" Ser Arc called out, a blush creeping up his cheeks as they all looked at him. His mouth opened and closed before he finally pushed the words out. "I need you to talk to Pyrrha to Pyrrha first. Can you do that?"
"Of course I can do that but you should be able to as well." The Blacksmith spoke amusedly but Ser Arc only winced towards her.
"She's not answering back."
"Then perhaps it is time to call her here."
"Call her? What do you mean call her here? Isn't that the same as talking to her normally?" Ser Arc jolted as Ozpin narrowed his eyes.
"I meant summon her. Think, my champion, how did she get here in the first place?" The Blacksmith asked but Ser Arc only tilted his head.
The answer came however from young Ms. Nikos.
"You used your Semblance...after the fight with Headmaster Ozpin and the Curious Cat." Ms. Nikos answered hesitantly, glancing at Ozpin who only furrowed his brows.
"I don't remember that happening."
"You wouldn't." The Curious Cat interjected and Ozpin blinked as he watched it lower its hackles slowly. "You were knocked out then but it was just after Rusty did some magic."
"So magic and my Semblance then?" Ser Arc frowned, looking at his hand as he clenched it into a fist.
"Yes." The Blacksmith nodded even as she peered intensely at Ser Arc with glowing eyes. "Now why don't you give it a try?"
"Uhm, what exactly should I be doing?" Ser Arc asked unsurely and even Ozpin narrowed his eyes intensely.
Yes, what should Jaune Arc even be doing in order to talk with the dead?
Ozpin had always wished to speak with his daughters ago even after all this time but alas, he was not blessed with the same opportunity Ser Arc was.
"For now, why don't you try using your magic anyway you want to while amplifying it?" The Blacksmith answered and Ozpin watched as Ser Arc nodded and closed his eyes.
Almost immediately, light shined from the night and Ozpin had to squint his eyes as Ser Arc's Magic Armor materialized.
Looking at it this close, it really was a thing of beauty. Hard crystallized impenetrable light encasing a whole human body and leaving not one spot of weakness. Ozpin noted that even during the Age of Magic, he would be hard pressed to find someone who could compete with Jaune Arc in this one particular spell. All he would need would be to incorporate te elements into it and it would develop into the ancient technique called Susanoo.
Alas, they were not currently here to study magic.
They watched, they waited, but Ser Jaune Arc only gritted his teeth in frustration. Eventually, he sighed and silence dominated the room once again as the glow around his body died down.
"No dice, huh?" Young Mr. Arc called out nervously, attempting to lighten the somber mood suddenly permeating the air. He failed.
Ser Arc glared at him before sighing in resignation as his eyes peeked towards Ms. Nikos.
"Did you see?"
See what? Ozpin tilted his head but Ms. Nikos only nodded reluctantly.
"I did. It looked as if she started to come out of you. Like she started to become solid but...she didn't want to come out."
"Then perhaps it is time we go in ourselves."
In? In where? Ser Arc's soul?
"Uhh...what?" Ser Arc blinked in shock and even Ozpin had to tilt his head incredulously.
"Hold my hand." The Blacksmith stretched both hands, one towards Ser Arc and the other towards...Ms. Nikos.
"Me?" Ms. Nikos asked, pointing a finger towards herself with wide eyes.
"Yes, you." The Blacksmith nodded with a smile on her face. "Not only are you the other person here able to talk to her, you also have the same souls which would be extremely helpful if we have to improvise."
"Improvise? Why would you need to improvise?" Young Mr. Arc aaked worriedly but the Blacksmith only smiled etherealy.
"Don't worry. It's just a precaution if she still doesn't want to talk to us once we're in."
Pyrrha Nikos looked hesitantly at the metal head in front of her before nodding resolutely as she turned towards Ser Arc.
"Thank you, Pyrrha." Ser Arc said with a smile on his fave even as his younger self fretted over his partner.
"Is it safe?" Mr. Arc asked as Ms. Nikos squirmed embarrassedly.
"Jaune, it's going to be okay."
"Do not worry, young one. It is perfectly safe." The Blacksmith chuckled before turning towards Ser Arc. "Now come, my knight. Let us go visit your lady."
Ozpin watched as Ser Arc smiled, and as he raised his hand to touch the Blacksmith's, there was a flash of light.
They found themselves in a dark void illuminated only by two objects. And as the Blacksmith looked at the source of the illumination, she smiled.
It was as she expected.
They were in what was essentially her champion's core. The representation of the soul. Afterans had a distinct shape, they were puzzles without a solution looking for a purpose.
Mortals, from her observation of Team RWBY back in her tree and her own champion, however, apparently mostly had flames.
Flames that could give out light and power to its bearer in the form of Aura.
Her champion however did not possess a flame.
The Blacksmith looked up in impressed awe at the two spheres the size of a small house revolving above them.
One glowed with the creation of light while the other absorbed with the hunger of darkness.
They revolved around each other as if they were two suns locked in orbit with each other. She could only feel fraction of it from outside but now that she was inside it, she could feel the power emanating from them.
"Pyrrha!"
Her knight cried out, jolting her from her thoughts as he ran past her towards the two spheres.
It only took a glance to see why.
There, nestled between the two large spheres the size of a small house, was his champion's partner huddled within herself.
The Rusted Knight's steps echoed across the void as it seemed like his feet struck across a clear glass floor with every stride.
Pyrrha Nikos jolted, snapping towards her partner with wide eyes. "Jaune?!"
Yet even as the Blacksmith watched, another voice called out beside her.
"Uhm...what do I do now?"
The Blacksmith turned to see another Pyrrha Nikos looking at her shyly. This one was younger, inexperienced, and not as weighed down as the elder.
"Just wait for it." The Blacksmith only chuckled, pointing towards her knight as he approached his partner.
No sooner did the Blacksmith finish her words did the sphere made of light came crashing towards him.
"STAY AWAY FROM ME!" Pyrrha Nikos shouted with the strength of a thousand suns, hurling the sphere away towards her partner.
The Rusted Knight only had a moment for his eyes to widen before he had to catch the sphere with his bare hands if he did not wamt to be crushed.
Immediately, lightning arced away from the sphere and struck the ground beside the Rusted Knight. Earth formed and flowers bloomed from nothingness as the power of Creation flowed past the Rusted Knight.
Even still, he gritted his teeth as he pushed forward and shoved the sphere back with a roar.
The Blacksmith then watched as Pyrrha Nikos screeched, putting the sphere made of darkness in between them.
Creation and Darkness collided and lightning flashed as objects kept on being created and destroyed all around them. The Blacksmith raised a hand up, propping up a small barrier in front of them to protect the young Nikos beside her.
They watched as crystals and trees grew from the earth only to be destoryed in a blast of Destruction.
Yet despite the situation, the Blacksmith couldn't help but smile.
Frankly speaking, it was nostalgic. It felt like it was just yesterday when her own children clashed and argued against each other in front of her. It actually felt like she was in the Ever After again!
This time however, she had two humans pushing balls the size of houses against each other.
"Why won't you talk to me?!" The Rusted Knight shouted, pushing the sphere in front of him even as it grinded against the other.
"Don't come near me, Jaune! I'm warning you!"
"I don't understand. Why would I...or she, not want to talk to Jaune?" Young Pyrrha Nikos furrowed her brows as she looked at her older self.
The Blacksmith however, only smiled knowingly. "That's a good question, isn't it?"
"At least tell me why you don't want me near you." Jaune Arc yelled exasperatedly, pushing harder as he dug his feet onto the ground.
"This is for your own good! Just leave me alone!"
"Woman, you are my own good!"
Young Pyrrha Nikos squealed girlishly beside her at the Rusted Knight's words and the Blacksmith couldn't help but smile at the show of what she can only assume as a human mating ritual.
"I don't want you to die because of me!"
Well, that escalated quickly. Young Pyrrha Nikos gasped worriedly beside her but they both just watched as the Rusted Knight gritted his teeth in frustration.
"Who says I'm going to die anytime soon?!"
"Me, Jaune, me! I took over your body last night!"
"So what?! You can have my body anytime and anyway you want it!"
Young Pyrrha Nikos choked on air with a blush on her face at that. The Blacksmith however only looked curiously around them.
What was originally a dark void grew into a world before being consumed by darkness, before being created anew and destroyed again.
The Blacksmith watched as the cycle continued again and again amd again.
She had a thought however that whatever they were witnessing now, surely must have an effect on the outside world. Yet here, there were only two people pushing balls of godly power against one another.
"Just tell me what the problem is so we can solve it!"
She thought she was just imagining it but she could have sworn her champion rolled their eyes before muttering women underneath his breath.
For some strange reason, the Blacksmith suddenly felt very offended. Curious, perhaps she was being more affected by the mortal plane than she thought?
She looked towards the elder Pyrrha Nikos for a response but the woman only shook her head with tears in her eyes.
"I don't want you to disappear you stupid damned idiot! I don't want to be like Ozpin!"
Young Pyrrha Nikos gasped at that and even the Rusted Knight faltered as he found himself being pushed back. The Blacksmith watched as the Rusted Knight then took a moment to gather himself before pushing back with renewed strength.
"You don't know that! There is no reason for you to think that we are going to be like Ozpin and his hosts!"
"Really, Jaune?! Because I just took over your body last night and killed some people! I almost killed your friends!"
What happened next grinded their battle into a stalemate as neither side wanted to relent against the other. Arcs of energy continued to emanate from the clashing orbs and it was then did the Blacksmith finally had enough.
She waved a hand, garnering young Pyrrha's attention as she looked at her with wide eyes.
"That is what you need to do." She tilted her head at the direction of her older self. "You only need to touch her and then I will do the rest."
"What exactly are we doing?" Young Pyrrha asked hesitantly but the Blacksmith only stared at her.
"We're swapping your souls, of course."
"We are what?!"
"We are going to put her inside your body where she would be forced to talk. Be warned however, if they take too long then you risk being trapped here yourself while she assimilates with your body. Should you both wish it however, I can switch you right back."
Pyrrha Nikos bit her lip worriedly before a steely look invaded her eyes.
"Let's do it."
And do it they did.
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