Art Drawn by Sunnyside_Down for Kolt999 of Ruby Rose's Design in this fanfic!
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Alright, it's been a little over a month since the last upload, but I'm gonna fix that real quick! If you've noticed that updates are starting to get dragged out, that's because I'm busy with other things both in real life and also other fics. So expect that to happen more often than not. Also, I'm considering whether or not I should go back to the previous arc, The Danganronpa one, and read it over to fix any plotholes that might be there if there are any at all. I might even get a beta reader to do that for me. So if any of you are willing to fill that position, then contact me either on Fanfiction Dot Net DMS, or my discord account, which is the same thing as my username, DeathlyJazzHands55.
Also before we get into the mandatory response to reviews stuff, there's one thing that I want to address quickly, and that's the Harem aspect of this story. Yeah, I know I've been neglecting it, but trust me, this is where it begins to ramp up. So for those of you who are here for that... uh, here you go, I guess. It only took me 60-ish chapters to get there... um... Oops?
That being said, before we begin the chapter, you all know what comes first! My response to reviews/comments! And boy, are there a lot of them.
[Response to Reviews/Comments]
(Qoutev) Sunky Addict: If you thought Yang was overprotective... well, it'll definitely be a competition between her and Charlie, that's for sure. Not for the same reasons, but you get the point.
(Ao3) AidenJacksonSmithDSBB: Hope everything went well for you! Also thank you for your continued support and reading!
(Ao3) Kolt: And here I thought you were only going to review on FF, but it seems I was wrong! I never understood why FF doesn't allow emotes. Goes to show just how dated the site is lol. Also, nice reference to Fate.
Now, in my time away from writing, I read one of Coeur Al'Aran's fics, or at least began to, and I can definitely see why he's considered the GOAT of RWBY fics. That being said, maybe it's just me, but I'm not a really big fan of it so far. The fic in question being "Raise". It's complete, though I don't know if it was canned or what have you. That, and I've only read the first two chapters, so maybe that just means I need to be more patient.
I think it's safe to say that then when Jamol exits his PTD, he's gonna be shocked, confused, and angry; especially when he realizes just how much has been fucked up because of our resident Dragon. That being said, though, keep in mind the statements I've made about his power. He hasn't had a chance to show it, but there is a reason why he's been able to get away with so much. Just because people who know him keep coming out of the woodwork doesn't mean anything. Though, as the saying goes, just because you have power doesn't make you powerful.
Also, speaking of Ruby's unintentional cosplay... I'm sure you've already seen it, it's at the top of the chapter before the author's note (Sorry FF readers, you're just gonna have to check it out on Ao3, Wattpad, or Quotev. Frankly, it's stupid but I don't make the rules). I hope you like it! My sister made it. That aside, speaking of Ruby's... activity. Yeah, tis the unfortunate life of a Succubus.
Titan and Jupiter are walking Elden Ring references in Kuroinu skin. And speaking of that world... I hope that one of two things is going to happen—one, we get to it as the world after the next one. Or, two, it's one of the last worlds because let's face it, that world is a walking hellscape for its residents.
A-hem, tangent aside. And no, Jamol simply got those spell scrolls from The Second as a prize after one of their fights. That being said, Jamol has been through some fucked up stuff, which I do intend to explore once he leaves the PTD and he becomes a character again instead of a looming threat in the background.
As for the Wyvern Grimm, no, it wasn't the one that broke out of the mountain during The Fall of Beacon. That was one of its children. If you're confused, I'll explain it in a chapter sooner rather than later. That being said, there are more than a few of them roaming around there. Oh, and Clap and Flash is a reference to Todou's Boogie Woogie. I too, am JJK Brainrotted at the moment.
Oh, and my theory as to why Glynda uses a BDSM whip is both a joke with CRWBY and also to show that she is a very strict individual who is more than willing to whip a bitch if it means that they start to listen.... And that she's into BDSM as the Dominatrix.
Have a wonderful day Kolt!
(Ao3) R.134: Thank you for the criticism, and thank you for clarifying. I'll keep what you said in mind for when I move onto the next world, and tone it down on the OCs just a little bit. But going forward, just know that there will be more OCs, and some of them will become important.
Speaking of Adam, the big bad of this whole thing, he's more or less something that doesn't need to be worried about at the moment. He's just... kinda there for the time being—which I know is wasted, but we're like, way too early in the story to give him more than a few sentences of page time. That, and if he showed up, he would wipe the floor with everyone and kill them by breathing a little too hard. Hell, half the multiverse could be destroyed just by him walking with too much OOMPH. I'm being a bit hyperbolic, but you get the point.
If I were to involve Adam (The Demi-God, not the faunus) in the story now, it would be me killing everyone and everything. So yeah, no. I'm not touching Adam (The Demi-God) for a while now. Besides, I need to build him up more, and now that a certain new character I've recently interjected into the plot is here, I can do that now without having to wait till the next interlude.
And the last thing I'll touch on in this response is with the whole "meandering" point you brought up in the final stretch of your response to me. I'm aiming to go a little slower with this so that I can actually build upon certain relationships with other characters, namely of which being Rantaro because he will be important here. I'm saving the children for the third part because that is where most of the Kingdom Building is going to be.
That being said, I hope you have a wonderful day!
(Guest) Reader 451: As I said in my response to Kolt, I can see why Coeur Al'Aran is as notable as he is. As for the stories you mentioned, I haven't read any of them. I am reading Raise, though. Two chapters in and I'm a little iffy on it so far.
Shine375: :smiley face:
And with that out of the way, let's get into the chapter!
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[Ruby]
When the blast hit, Ruby immediately ducked for cover as a way to avoid getting hurt, and she was glad she had. Although, in the grand scheme of things, had it really mattered? Not really, especially considering the amount of damage done from just the shockwave of the attack. And no more was that apparent when Charlie had practically picked up and thrown the silver-eyed warrior underneath a Bullhead after she originally ducked for cover.
The black-and-red-haired teen was confused, and more importantly alarmed when it had happened. But, before she could ask her new bodyguard why she had done it, her question was already answered, but not by words. Rather, by action; as had Charlie not done that, Ruby would've been crushed by the falling tree that Charlie had not only shielded her from but had shot to bits with her fancy white handgun so that others weren't killed and harmed in the process.
As the shockwave burst through the area, the ground shook as if an earthquake had happened, while at the same time, screams filled the air as everyone panicked to find a way to avoid being knocked off their feet, or hit by oncoming debris. Those that didn't were met with pavement, chunks of flying rock that all but shattered Aura in one go and pressurized air that knocked down those who were holding onto anything that was planted into the ground; though as was obvious, that hadn't really mattered.
But that wasn't all. That was just the first of the two shockwaves. And that one? That one was far more damaging than the first. As it rolled over the landing bay, Ruby watched from under her cover as windows shattered, Bullheads went flying, one of which had been the one that Ruby had been under, and the ground cracked from the pressure, uplifting chunks of ground like a spreading tsunami, before they were all pushed back into the ground by the loud and powerful boom.
Beacon Academy itself seemed to shake, and even some of the walls became chipped—walls that were apparently built to withstand strikes from even the most powerful of Grimm, like Gryhons and Alpha Beowolves. That alone was something that put Ruby in pure awe, and had she not been scared for her life, she would've commented on that.
Many people tried and failed to brave the sharp winds, resulting in those who weren't knocked following everyone else to the ground. And those who had their auras shattered were met with lashes the likes of which only caused by some dust-enhanced whips. She could hear the screaming and the pain in their voices. She could feel the raw unmitigated power coming from the blast, and she knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that whatever had caused the damage had to have been quite a powerful weapon.
But the question was... what had been the damage? As far as she knew, that was just the power of the chamber of the supposed gun that had been fired. For all she knew, there could've been next to no damage done. But considering those shockwaves, she did not doubt that something had to be destroyed.
So when it was all said and done, and when everyone who could stand had gotten up to check what the hell was happening, they were treated with a sight that shocked them all to their core. The gorgeous mountain that had greeted them when they had landed at Beacon Academy was gone. Deleted. As if it was never there in the first place—picked up and dropped off into the void with no care in the world. Now, in its place, was just a more endless blue sky.
Now, if Ruby had been told that it was because of a new weapon that Atlas was developing, then she would've believed the person telling her that far more than if someone had said that a person who had done that. Because sure, there were more than a few powerful people recorded in history who were capable of causing Earthquakes when they punched—Nicholas Arc being one of those great heroes. But this? Someone simply deleting a mountain? No. There was no way that was possible.
And yet... the person responsible for it was standing, staring at the woman whom she had briefly seen before her stint at the hospital—a huntress and presumably a teacher here—as if she had done nothing more than swat a fly. What made it even worse was that she could hear what Ruby had now recognized to be a lizard faunus of some variant, i.e. the culprit behind the destruction, saying "So... was that enough?" As if what she had done was nothing spectacular.
Speaking of the person responsible, she was about the same height as herself. She had shoulder-length black and pink hair done up in a ponytail, along with two forked horns sticking out from her head, alongside a long and thick black tail with white fin-like spikes running down the center of the black scaley tail. And if Ruby squinted, the silver-eyed teen could make out purple energy coursing through the scales.
As for her outfit, the strange faunus was dressed in country folk wear, that of a black and white button-down tunic with a pair of dark blue overalls along with black combat boots. Strangely, she wore what appeared to be a white jacket with an extended collar and red cuffs, with Mistrailian writing on the back. Ruby didn't know what it said, but it looked an awful lot like what someone from the Atlisan military would wear. Another thing to note was that she had a strange black eye patch with a red jagged thunderbolt design overtop her right eye. Ruby wondered how it was that she lost the eye, but if she had to guess it was probably from something brutal.
Aside from that, though, she looked like someone who would typically fly under the radar from most major schools, and there she was, standing with her arms at her sides and casually staring at the huntress as if she did nothing substantial. All Ruby could do was stare in both awe and abject horror at the teen, her mouth agape and her skin broken out in goosebumps.
"What... was that...?"
"That, my dear Ruby, was a mere glimpse of the power of a God. You should be grateful it wasn't aimed at anyone here. Even with Charlie here, I doubt that in her current state, she would've protected you from that."
Ruby blinked, shocked from hearing Lilith this early. Typically, the Elder Succubus co-habitating in her body waited until noon to talk to her. And yet, here she was, replying to her question with a terrifying answer. One that, had someone told her before she was introduced to the world of Demons and all of that stuff, she would've thought to be a joke.
But after knowing all of what Lilith had told her about the supernatural, and knowing about the existence of Gods, Demons, and all that fantastical nonsense, she believed the Elder Succubus. But if that wasn't enough, when she looked over to Charlie, who looked more than confused and also shocked at the Faunus responsible—as if she wasn't supposed to be there—told her all that she needed to know. That Lilith wasn't exaggerating, and that she was looking at what amounted to a God in the flesh.
Because that was the only way that someone could explain that level of raw unprecedented power that had burst forth to destroy the once beautiful mountain, and have it reduced to nothing but a crater. Anyone who could just do that and act like nothing special had happened had to be a God or at the very least a Demi-God.
It wasn't long before the huntress took the faunus away into the building, and did so with urgency. Interestingly, following the pair was a white-haired teen of similar height, if not slightly shorter, wearing a similar outfit as the Faunus, at least, in theory anyway. The difference between the two was she wasn't wearing either a jacket or an eyepatch, and instead of overalls, she was wearing a pair of pants, with a sword sheath on her hip.
Ruby assumed that person to be the Lizard Faunus's partner. And if that was the case, Ruby was scared to see just what kind of power that woman had, especially if the Faunus had deemed the woman worthy enough to travel with her.
A part of Ruby hoped she never saw that teen again or her partner, but another part of her was far too intrigued to truly wish for that. All that she knew now was that things had gone from interesting, to scary, all in the first five minutes of arriving at Beacon. If she did see that faunus again, she hoped it was on the same team, because the last thing she wanted was to be against someone of that magnitude.
She pitied the poor fools who made enemies with someone as strong as that Faunus....
"Ruby, are you alright?" Charlie asked, concern lacing her tone of voice as Ruby nodded, standing up as she dusted off her suit. She looked over her mink coat and sighed. It wasn't ruined, so that was a good thing. She paid a lot of money for it. Not that she minded, of course. She could always buy another one. It was 5,000 Lien, and she had more than a hundred times that amount in her bank account.
Say what one will, but being a Succubus, if anything, was profitable. Granted, she was still uncomfortable with it. She was still only "comfortable" with what Lilith called "Blowjobs". But at the end of the day, so long as she had enough "Energy" to last her more than three months, the silver-eyed warrior didn't care. Besides, she was charging a lot of money for it. The last client she had made her 15,000 Lien alone. However, Lilith had been the one to take over for that one because he was asking for a lot of things she wasn't comfortable with.
The silver-eyed warrior shook her head. Now was not the time to be thinking about her "job". Besides, she wouldn't need to deal with that for a long while now. Especially after her last couple of sessions. She made sure that she wouldn't have to worry about those kinds of problems at school. Not for a good long while, anyway. If what Lilith said was true, she could make it through the first semester without any problems.
At least, that was what Ruby hoped. The last thing she wanted to happen was having to "refuel" and accidentally release the alluring pheromone that all Succubi produced when they were "low on fuel" during a class or something awkward like that. She could only imagine the unwanted attention that would get her.
"I'm fine, Charlie," Ruby replied, smiling, the concerned look in Charlie's eyes fading as she did so. The black-and-red-haired teen looked over to the entrance of the school and exhaled. "Now let's get in there. I don't want to be late, you know." In response, Charlie nodded. With that, the pair funnelled their way into Beacon, along with the crowd of confused and shaken individuals. For the start of a school year? This one would never be topped for a good long while.
[Jolyne Brooks]
All things considered, when she had finished showing off—because that was what it had been, a way to stroke her ego and to prove Miss Dominatrix Teacher wrong—she hadn't expected to be angrily rushed to the Headmaster's Office, all with vague threats of potential legal action. As if Jolyne would allow it to get that far.
All that said, when she finally got to the office with Weixue in tow, she had a few ideas of what Headmaster Ozpin would look like. In her mind, he was probably around the same age and appearance as Headmaster Kirigiri, i.e. somewhere in his mid-30s to late 40s, with a similar build and a similar level of tolerance—that being absolutely none. Instead, Headmaster Ozpin was a greying old man, wearing a green button-down shirt and black pants, with a cane resting next to his desk, and a cup of steaming coffee in his hands.
His hair was short, and his eyes were a shade of grey, but not quite silver. Around his neck was a green scarf, and slanted downward on his nose were a pair of small glasses that looked as if they were there for more fashion purposes than practical use.
His expression was unreadable, but considering how he sat, and with the air of annoyance surrounding him, Jolyne could only guess that he wasn't exactly all too thrilled to see her. Meaning that she was off to a great start—of course, that was sarcasm. But, what could she do? The blonde over there had basically insulted her, so of course she was going to react. That was just common sense.
Speaking of common sense things to do, Jolyne activated CHECK. When she did, the Dragon Faunus was rather... intrigued by what it was that she saw.
Name: Ozma – Champion Of The God Of Light
[Lv. Unknown]
[HP: Unknown]
[Stamina: Unknown]
[Mana: Unknown]
[Aura: 100%]
Faction: The God Of Light/The Wizard
[Curse: The Immortal Soul. Curse Castor: The God Of Light. While not out of spite, The God Of Light cursed Ozma to forever walk the plains of Remnant as a means to counter-act The Witch Salem. He is the Yang to her Yin. Until The Witch Salem is killed, he will forever roam the world.]
[Description: A five-hundred-year-old soul, forced to reincarnate in other young men's bodies like a parasite. Before Ozma took over the body of Ozpin Bianco when he was but a baby, he was previously a King. The man, Ozpin, never had a chance to live his natural-born life before Ozma had hijacked his body, and turned it into yet another vessel for this endless crusade against Salem.]
"Now that... that is rather interesting. Though I'm fairly certain that's supposed to be a secret. I'll keep it as blackmail until further notice..." Jolyne thought as time went back to normal. As that happened, she looked around the office and found herself impressed. It was spacious, with a massive orange-stained glass window behind the man, along with a clockwork mechanism above his head, making him look like some kind of time lord.
The desk the man sat at was neat and tidy, with a stack of papers to his right, a dark green working mat in front of him, and to his left was what appeared to be a computer of some kind. It was rather high-tech looking and something that appeared right out of a futuristic setting rather than a medieval one. She would've had more of a reaction had she not been spoiled by Mistral, and even then Scrolls had hinted at a far more advanced civilization than what she had been greeted with initially.
This begged the question... why were their settler outposts if technology had advanced this far? Were the Grimm just that much of a problem? Then again, there were whole schools designed around killing them, so she assumed so. And that wasn't even mentioning The Soulless, of which the weakest of those creatures had nearly killed her outright.
With that in mind, the settler outposts like Styx made a lot more sense than not.
"I take it you were the one who did that just now, am I right?" Headmaster Ozpin asked, his tone neutral, further making it harder to guess just what kind of mood the man had been in. Jolyne nodded once, as Ozpin's eyes wandered over to Weixue. "And who is this?"
Weixue bowed similarly to how a butler would, lowering her head in the process. "Weixue Sung. I would say it is a pleasure to meet you, but considering the circumstances, I'd assume it would be inappropriate."
"And for that matter, Ozpin, I think we all know what needs to happen," the blonde spoke up, earning a side glance from The Dragon. "She not only caused great damage to the environment, as well as damaged property, but she also could've caused a great number of casualties had everyone not gotten out of the way or had Aura. And that's not even counting the people that could've been living on that mountain!"
There was a tense air in the room for a second. Weixue stood up straight, glancing over at the professional huntsman, narrowing her eyes in such a fashion that didn't show hostility, but showed that she was none too happy with the implications. Her hand rested comfortably on the hilt of her blade, and once again, that purple aura radiated around it, which no one could see aside from Jolyne.
The Dragon Faunus was still interested in what that purple aura was about, and while she had an idea of what it could possibly be, the black-and-pink-haired teen would have to figure it out at another time. Now was not the time to speculate about strange auras, at least, for the time being.
Ozpin raised his hand in a placating matter, earning a huff from the woman. Ozpin turned his attention to Jolyne whilst clasping his hands together under his chin. "Now, miss, I do hope you understand the weight of your actions. Ms. Goodwitch is correct. The damage you have caused is quite... disastrous, and you could have very well killed many people today. The power you wield is a threat. I should hope that you are aware of that, no?"
"Yes, I understand that my power is quite dangerous. After all, I'm the one who wields it. But, with all due respect, Headmaster Opzin. Suppose that people were living on that mountain, how many would have actually survived, given the Grimm problem, prior to what I did?" Jolyne asked whilst Ozpin hummed.
"I would reckon a hundred people. I am an optimist, after all," Ozpin replied as Jolyne frowned.
"Lovely. Well then, what's a hundred lives to a man such as yourself? Don't get me wrong, the everyday civilian's lives are important, but speaking in the grander scheme of the world, and with such a massive mountain, and only a hundred lives—assuming they were there to begin with, what would be the point of raising a stink over it?" Jolyne continued.
Even when she spoke the words she uttered, she felt a little disgusted with herself, not only in the fact that she had thought about that but also in the fact that she was so willing to speak it. She had vowed to be a better person, and yet, here she was speaking as if the lives of those on that mountain, assuming there were even lives on there in the first place, weren't worth keeping around.
If she had to guess as to why it was she had said that, it was most likely because of the Evil Karma that she had acquired in her last world. Not only had she been disgusted with herself internally, but that disgust showed with the look in her eyes being filled with regret the moment she had finished her sentence, and Ozpin caught onto it. "And yet, even when you speak those words, you feel disgusted with yourself, do you not?"
Jolyne sighed. "I can't lie... Yeah, and in retrospect, I screwed up. However, I'd like to think that there was no one living there. And even if there was, their deaths were painless anyway."
Ozpin hummed, taking a sip of his coffee, before speaking. "Well, for your information, no one lived on that mountain. In that department, you're alright. However, that doesn't mean I can ignore the damage you've caused thanks to the shockwaves of the admittedly impressive explosion you caused." The Headmaster paused, clearing his throat, before continuing.
"The walls of the surrounding barrier will need to be fixed, and I will need several Bullheads replaced, up to eight, all of which cost fifteen thousand Lien a piece, and that's not counting for the medical bills for those who were injured in the blast. That would come up to nearly a quarter million Lien. I don't suppose you would have that kind of money on you, would you? For someone who looks to have lived in the countryside, I doubt it."
In response, Jolyne manifested 200,000 Lien out of thin air, walked up to The Headmaster's desk, and put it down. The man blinked, shock momentarily taking up the man's visage, before taking the stack of money and flipping through the bills, humming in approval. "That almost covers all of it. Fifty grand is still missing, but still, that is a good start. How much does that leave you with?"
"Eighteen grand, sir. Should I not be able to attend this school due to my... recent actions, I'm saving it for when I get home to feed my children with," Jolyne said as Ozpin's and Glynda's eyes widened.
"You have kids?" The old man questioned, even earning a side eye from Goodwitch. Jolyne chuckled to herself, dismissing the question with a wave.
"Adopted, but still. Due to our situation, it was beneficial for everyone involved. They're young, though. So I need to hang onto whatever money I have. I owe you more, of course, but I'm sure I can work it off should you need me to. I know my chances of entering the school are slim to none, even if I hadn't done what I did due to my lack of the proper transcripts. Still though, now that I'm indebted to you, I figure that if I can do some sort of work for you, I can pay off the rest," Jolyne said as Ozpin took another sip of his coffee, before he crossed his arms, lowering his head in thought. After a moment, he met Jolyne's gaze and spoke.
"I see... well, you'll be glad to know that I don't view you as indebted to me. Truthfully, what you've given me is enough to repair the damages. As for your status in the school.... I'll allow you and your partner to prove your worth. After all, denying someone with the strength that you carry is foolish." As Ozpin said that, Goodwitch snapped to attention.
"Headmaster! Are you—"
"Glynda," Ozpin interrupted making the woman halt midsentence. "Come now. Even you must admit that I'm right. Someone with that kind of power would be invaluable to have within the walls of Beacon. Not only that, but she'd make a great Huntress. And that's not even considering the fact that she's The Dragon."
Goodwitch seemed to freeze at that, before glancing at Jolyne, eyes narrowing as the titular Dragon Faunus crossed her arms over her chest. "And I take it you know either because of the horns, or the tail?"
"Both, actually," Ozpin replied. "That, and the power you exude. Add onto the fact that the skill you used was magic-based, and that checks off all three boxes for you to be The Dragon. Not to mention you match the description Qrow Branwen detailed to me when you first found your way to The Settlement of Styx."
"You know of Styx?" Weixue questioned as Ozpin hummed in acknowledgement.
"Raven mentioned it to me when she described the havoc the young Dragon here caused against her Tribe. Not that it was undeserved, but I digress," Ozpin said as Jolyne's expression soured at the mere mention of Raven. Her demeanour became rigid, and her lone eye gleamed with hate.
"Raven..." Jolyne growled as, involuntarily, her left hand transformed into Magma, the liquid rock emitting enough heat to start to make Goodwitch sweat. Ozpin's eyes widened ever-so-slightly upon seeing her flesh transform to magmatic rock but otherwise did not comment. As fast as it had changed, it reverted to normal, as the dual-coloured-haired teen coughed into her right hand, clearing her throat in the process.
"I apologize. Raven and I have some... unfinished business," Jolyne said as Ozpin adjusted his glasses, taking yet another sip of his coffee.
"I see. Whatever that business is, I hope it can be resolved peacefully. For as much as it is tenuous, she is a close friend and ally of mine," Ozpin said as Jolyne sucked in a breath, before exhaling as she bit her lip in frustration. "I take it that you're heavily against that."
"She and her scumbag bandits nearly burned down Styx, of which I've made my home. She killed my people with her men. If things are resolved, it will be far from peaceful. She has a blood debt to pay back," Jolyne replied as Ozpin raised an eyebrow.
"A blood debt?" Ozpin questioned, curiosity in his voice as Jolyne sighed.
"A tradition that a close friend of mine passed down to me. Basically, the person who is owed shall bleed for however much the person they are indebted to wants them to, usually in a fight. It doesn't usually end in death, not unless the person has done something beyond heinous," Jolyne explained as Goodwitch scoffed.
"Barbaric. That's what it sounds like to me," Goodwitch said as Ozpin hummed.
"It could be perceived as that. But it is a lot simpler than owing someone money. It could also be seen as a punishment for crimes committed. Do you owe anyone a blood debt, young Dragon?" Ozpin asked as Jolyne shrugged.
"That's the thing. The target of the debt doesn't actually know if they are in debt. Chances are though, if Raven wishes to, she can declare what I have done to her Tribe as a Blood Debt. I..." Jolyne paused before a smirk took up her visage. "I think I know where you're going with this. And I like it."
"Headmaster?" Goodwitch questioned as Ozpin smirked.
"It allows bygones to be bygones. Any hard feelings can be avoided, and besides. I would much prefer a little blood be spilled than to have a long-standing hatred between the two," Ozpin said as he finished his coffee. "That, and it can serve as your exam, seeing as you have... extending circumstances surrounding your ability. And while it goes against typical exam protocol, I can't imagine testing you in any other way. While the exam is meant to teach teamwork, I can tell just by looking at you that you are more than capable of working with others."
Ozpin then turned his attention to Weixue. "As for your partner, she will have to participate with the others, as she does not have special circumstances. Although considering that pendant and the magical properties it has, I can assume she lacks an Aura, correct?"
"That is correct, sir," Weixue said. "I... was not given a chance to have it awakened due to... circumstances beyond my control."
"I see. Then let's fix that, shall we?" Ozpin said, getting out of his chair, and when he did, Jolyne was shocked to see just how tall Ozpin had been. He dwarfed almost everyone in the room, sharing a similar if not slightly higher height than Goodwitch. He approached Weixue, outstretched his hand, and hovered it in the center of her body. And then, he spoke.
"For it is in determination that we achieve success. Through this, we become a paragon of light and humanity to rise above The Grimm. Infinite in death and unbound by time, I release your soul, and by my power, condemn thee."
It was in a language that Jolyne had never heard of before, but thanks to her ability to understand any language, she found it strange that he was "condemning" Weixue, but then again it could've been a mistranslation.
When the chant was finished, for a split second, nothing happened. Ozpin was about to say something, but then... a bright, white light exploded out of Weixue's body. It rose like a flame and reached the limits of the office they were in. It touched the roof, and expanded outward, nearly filling the whole room in its presence and sheer magnitude, before constricting itself back around Weixue. At the same time, the sword on her hip, Wado Ichimonji, exploded into a black and purple flame, while Weixue's hand was still on the sheath.
The snow-coloured-haired teen flinched when the blackened flame travelled up her arm, before swirling and twisting around the appendage, seeping into her arm and coating it with a thick black metal-looking substance. The noise created by the steel-like black substance was like a ringing bell, and what was more, Jolyne recognized it.
"Buso... The same thing that Sakura Ogami had.... But how does Weixue have it if it was a skill inherited from Ogami? Unless...? That was a lie." Jolyne smirked as the thought left her. Weixue looked at her arm and flexed it. It wasn't impeded, and it moved fluidly. She also noticed that colour began to return to her skin, and the tiredness around her eyes was seeping away.
Ozpin, meanwhile, stared at Weixue with a smile. "That, my friend, was a lot of Aura. I always had a suspicion that someone's aura awakening, when delayed, increased the amount of Aura a person has. Although, while the explains you, it doesn't explain the sword awakening an Aura of its own."
"That's not Aura," Jolyne said, earning a quizzical look from Ozpin, to which the Dragon continued. "That is known as Buso, which can be translated into English as "Armament," and is yet another soul-related power. At least, I think that's the case. The sword she wields, Wado Ichimonji, is alive and has a soul of its own. My guess is that when you awakened Weixue's Aura, you also awakened Wado Ichimonji, and allowed it unfettered access to Weixue's being. Now that it has become one with Weixue, she can use Buso alongside the sword, or perhaps just in general."
As Jolyne explained that, Weixue dismissed the Armament on her arm, before looking over to Jolyne. "You seem to know quite a lot about this Buso stuff, Jolyne," Weixue said as Jolyne dismissed the comment.
"I knew a person who had it. It increases a person's fighting capabilities," Jolyne said, before looking Weixue over. Her skin was noticeably less pale. She could now chalk Aura up to being both a shield and what appeared to be a healing tool. The dual-haired Dragon Faunus hummed, crossing her arms. "I've got to say, this Aura stuff seems interesting. You look a lot healthier than before, Weixue."
"Indeed, she does," Ozpin said, before looking at Jolyne. "Curious that you say that as if you don't have Aura yourself. Then again, considering you displayed what could easily be misconstrued as multiple semblances, I take that to be the case."
"Correct," Jolyne replied curtly. "I use Magic. Any kind of magic, really. Energy, Soul, Nature, honestly doesn't matter," Jolyne continued, resting her arms at her sides, and slipping her hands into her pockets. "I'd be heavily interested in seeing if I myself can have Aura, but I'd assume it would cancel out my Magic."
Goodwitch cleared her throat, catching everyone's attention. "While I think this conversation is definitely... enlightening. The first years are waiting for your speech, Headmaster. Afterward, I'm sure we can continue this conversation at a later point. After all, young...."
"Brooks. Jolyne Brooks, my apologies," Jolyne supplied, as Goodwitch nodded.
"Right. Young Sung needs to get ready and meet the others that she will be working with for the foreseeable future, should she pass, and Young Brooks over here still needs to take her impromptu exam..."
And Jolyne couldn't wait to get her hands on Raven Branwen. And this time, there was no running away for her. She could finally get her payments worth of blood, and avenge those who had died because of her men. Granted, she couldn't kill Raven, but she could make her wish she had. After all, just because she couldn't kill her, didn't mean she couldn't permanently scar her.
[Makaria]
The wooden walls of the cabin that Makaria Plutos now found herself in were clean. Too clean for her liking. The light from the early morning sun was bright. Far too bright for her eyes to adjust to. The smell of fresh air was a gracious scent. But too gracious for a defiled being like her. Her body was clean thanks to Syd. But it was too clean for the actions wrought against her.
Her body was free from that man. But her soul would never be cleansed of him. Of the disgusting, vile acts he had committed upon her. He forced her to bear his children—twins, if she had remembered correctly. She was only ever able to see their faces and learn of their names. The greatest curse of them all is to be a mother without seeing the faces of her children more than once. To have been cursed to have only known their names.
She never got to see them grow. All she could hope for was that they didn't inherit his worse traits.
But that wasn't the end. Syd may have gotten her out of that hellhole. But she would never be free of him. He had tainted her womb, defiled her body, and made her into nothing but an object. For two decades she was left to rot and fester. And after all that time being made to be nothing a "fuck stick" as he referred to her, her mindset would take years to change.
She looked back at that day. The day that she had met him, and shivered. All she had to do was decline. That was it. Brave the storm and find another place. But then again, she had known that monster for so long, that if he truly had wanted her, he would've killed Jasper and stolen her anyway. So perhaps she made the right choice. After all, Jasper was still alive. A slave, but still alive.
Her hand laid upon her belly, as she stared at the roof of the cabin. She could smell food being cooked in the next room over. Syd was most likely making breakfast. She was more than a little hungry, but she couldn't move all that much. She was made bedridden because of the lack of vitamins, and the fact that her weak body could barely hold her weight. Syd had been giving her medicine that he had stolen from a medical wagon, and while it helped, it wouldn't be enough.
What made matters worse, was that she could feel it. He had gotten what he had wanted. He had another one of his creations in her. But this time... this time she wasn't going to allow him to take this one away from her.
She had already lost two children, she wasn't about to lose this one. For as morbid and as disgusting as this one's creation had been, she would never let it go. This was hers. Not his. And now that she was physically free from him, that statement couldn't have been more true.
"How do you fair today, milady?" Syd's smooth yet dark voice rang out from the doorway to her bedroom, dragging her out of her thoughts as she sat up, looking at the man who was her saviour. His ghostly pale skin was illuminated in the light of the sun, as were his black and red eyes. He wore a dark purple button-down shirt, and a pair of dark blue pants, with red suspenders. His hands were gloved, as per usual, and he wore a pair of black shoes. In his hands was a tray of food, some tea, and her medicine.
She had lived with him now for the past four days. At first, she was fearful of him. After all, with eyes like his, how could she not be? From her old lands, people with eyes like those were nothing but evil, and she had only been in Remnant proper for about six months before her kidnapping. Being locked in a cage didn't help much when it came to learning the ways of the new world.
And yet, despite her preconceived notions that this man had to be evil, he took good care of her. He was always at her side when she coughed, always doting over her like a father would when she tried to do things on her own, even if it led to failure most of the time due to her weak body—even if she was what Hestia called a "Gamer", she was riddled with "debuffs" due to her time being a sex slave. They would pass, sure, but it would take a while. The shortest of these "debuffs" would take three months to go away, and that would be "Weakness XIV".
All of that aside, despite her problems, there was always that air of maturity and care around Syd. And despite his rather young appearance, his eyes carried wisdom beyond her years, and his gentle smile was the most beautiful thing in the world. But even then, if she wanted to be left alone, he would grant it.
Every now and again, she could hear him strumming along on a string instrument. It sounded like a guitar but made deep sounds like the deeper notes of a piano. For as lacking as their conversations had been, usually summing up to be a few words and gestures, she gathered that Syd was a kind man despite his appearance. And despite the short time she had known him, she trusted him, if only slightly.
The white-haired Elf looked over at Syd, clearing her dry throat. "Better..." Makaria murmured, reaching out for the tray. Syd approached the bed and passed it on to her, the white-haired woman taking it eagerly. Breakfast this morning consisted of sausages, eggs, and herbal tea. "Thank you, Syd."
"It is not a problem, my dear. After all of what you've been through, this is the very least that I can do," Syd replied, before walking over to the wall next to her bed and leaning against it. His arms were crossed, and his expression thoughtful. "Still though... I don't understand. Why keep the child of the man who had ruined your life? I could always remove it. I am a doctor after all. I might not be practicing at the moment, but I'm still a doctor at heart."
Makaria frowned, swallowing the mouthful of eggs as she looked away dejected. "I care not about who gave me this gift. I was robbed once of being a mother. I will not be robbed again. Even if it is because of that man, this child... it is not his. It symbolizes my freedom. And while it will be a year before it ever sees the light of day, on that day, I shall truly be free from his grasp. Until then, his shadow will forever loom over me."
Syd, in turn, frowned. "Poetic as that is, it's childish. Are you sure you are as old as you claim to be? 489 years old, was it? I believe that for elves, the human equivalent for that is 48, is it not?" The dark-eyed man questioned as Makaria shook her head.
"Try more about 37. Every thirteen human years is seen as one human year's worth of aging. However that only starts to take effect around the time we hit sexual maturity at the age of 19. After elves hit that age, we begin to age a lot slower. Even for half-elves. My other two children will live half the normal elven lifespan. Instead of living for 6,357 years, they'll live for 3,178 years," Makaria explained as Syd snorted.
"I asked for your age, not a breakdown of how elves age, my dear." As Syd said that, Makaria's face burned a bright red with embarrassment. Instead of talking back, she silently ate her eggs, earning a silent chuckle from Syd. "You needn't be embarrassed, dear. I'm merely joking."
Makaria sighed, taking a sip of her tea whilst Syd stood up straight, putting his hands in his pockets and lowering his dead. "You should take your medicine, Plutos. It will help you in the long run. It will make those pesky side effects go away faster, you know?"
The elf shook her head but said nothing. She didn't know why he was so persistent in making her take the medicine. Most of the time, it hardly did anything. No matter what he'd mix out of the powders, they never did anything for her. She wanted to tell him the truth, but she feared that if she did, he wouldn't believe her.
But, for the sake of amusing the dark-eyed man, she took the folded paper envelope and put the powdered mixture into her tea. Stirring it with her finger until the powder was fully mixed into the drink, the white-haired woman proceeded to down the tea in one go so that all the medicine would enter her body all at once. When she did, involuntarily, her status screen showed up and the timer on "Weakness XIV" went from three months to two and a half months.
"Of course, I'm trying to make a stronger mixture, but I think this version will do for the time being," Syd commented, as Makaria looked over in his direction. Did he know? Or, perhaps, was he guessing? Honestly, Makaria didn't know. All she knew was that the medicine that he gave her had reduced the timer by half a month. If she took that specific medicine again, she could get better! She would be able to do stuff!
"Are there... any side effects for taking more of that medicine?" Makaria asked as Syd looked over to her. His expression was unreadable, and the silence that surrounded the man made Makaria begin to feel stupid for asking, but after a while, he spoke.
"Yes. If you ingest more than one dose a day, you'll be worse off than you were to begin with. That, and specifically for you given your condition, it wouldn't do well for your baby, milady."
Makaria pursed her lips, nodding. That made sense. Doing more than what was needed most likely wouldn't help things. She'd have to take it slow. But considering that the medicine had taken off nearly a fifth of the timer meant that she had to wait only five days to get this pesky "debuff" to go away.
Granted, she still had "Magic Drainer XIV" which reduced her Mana by 95% and "Stamina Drainer XIV" which did the same but applied it to stamina, both of which still had the three-month timer on it, but that didn't mean that having "Weakness XIV" gone sooner than the rest wasn't going to greatly improve her quality of life.
"I see... I apologize for the stupid question. Um... can be left alone to finish my breakfast, please?" Makaria asked as Syd nodded silently, slinking his way out of her room and closing the door behind him. When he left, she went back to silently eating her breakfast.
-To Be Continued-