Here we are for another installment of GOTM. Gotta admit the only reason it took so long was that I was trying to figure out how the fight between Raven and Jolyne would go. Now I think I have an understanding of what I want to do for it. Of course, we won't be solely focusing on that in this chapter, I have a policy that there are at least three segments in a chapter for this fic, and I'm going to try and stick to it as much as possible without the chapter being too bloated.
Speaking of bloating, I've been thinking... should GOTM remain a Harem Story. Honestly, it feels forced. So the question is this: Should "Gamer Of The Multiverse" Remain a Harem Story? This is a link to the poll. Vote now. By the time the next chapter comes out will be the time limit, so a few days. This will impact the plot heavily, so keep that in mind: https : // strawpoll . com / NPgxENzdoZ2
That being said, I have a feeling that it won't really matter in the end. Since these chapters are horrendously long regardless of what I do. So instead of wasting time typing out this author's note, I think I should get right into My Response to Reviews/Comments.
[Response to Reviews/Comments]
(Qoutev) Sunky Addict: It's not Makimo, it's Makaria. I swear every time you type out a comment with her name, you always find some way to fudge it up. I'mma start calling you Luffy if you keep this up. Also yes, Ruby doing BJs is an image that has been stuck in my head ever since I wrote that she does do that, and it has been rotting in my mind ever since. I will never write a scene of her doing that... maybe....
(Ao3) AidenJacksonSmithDSBB: Well, I hope you're doing better now. And no need to thank me, seriously I don't need my ego to be stroked more than it already is.... Hope you're having a good day!
(Ao3) Kolt: Honestly, I don't get the whole craze behind DxD. I mean, I know the world itself is amazing, and I know that the concept is good, and that's ruined by it being a Harem Anime with the protagonist being the horniest POS to ever exist. Maybe that's why I refuse to watch it.... Ah oh well, not that I care.
That's something that I dislike about Ruby fics, and that's how Ozpin bends over backwards for every MC. Not that he didn't fan dangle stuff for Jolyne so that she could join the school, but at least try and stick to his character instead of hyper-focusing on his aforementioned bending over backwards. He, like all characters, has limits on what they'll accept and what they won't. And seeing as Jolyne is who she is... well, some buttons will be pushed later.
A-hem, moving on. I don't blame you for forgetting Makaria and Syd exist, especially considering they haven't appeared much, but they will be in Part 2 of the RWBYverse. As for Makaria and her keeping the child, personally to me it makes sense, and considering all of what she had been forced through, all of the pain she had gone through, and the loss of her two children because Jamol stole them from her, I felt as if her character would want to keep the child. While I was tempted to make it a more conflicting thing for Makaria, I spoke to some writer friends of mine and character-wise, they all said that it made sense for Makaria to keep the kiddo, especially with her missing out on the chance to be a mother in the first place.
That aside, Jamol coming after Makaria... I won't touch that, cause if I say anything, I will spoil something. So we'll just leave that alone, lol. Also don't underestimate Makaria. She's a powerhouse, and once she gets better you'll see that. Same with Syd. And yes, Syd is a very, very good doctor. Think Medic from TF2, just less mad scientist. Have a good day Kolt!
(Ao3) Tymaddux: Ruby is indeed dripped out AF. And you're right about Jolyne and how she won't change overnight. I've read a lot of fics that drop the ball about that. Jolyne has done a lot of terrible stuff that would make most War Criminals blush, and while she is trying to be a better person, she is still a villain at heart. That will be shown off in later chapters in Part 2, Part 3, and ESPECIALLY in Part 4 (because yes, the RWBYverse is a biggin. It kinda has to be for what I want to do in the future).
One more thing before I end this response. The problem with calling Charlie OOC is that there isn't enough of Charlie's character actually out there in terms of Hazbin Hotel so it's hard to discern what's Fanon and what's actually canon. I've only seen the pilot for Hazbin Hotel, and that was a long time ago. The Prime TV show isn't even out yet, so I can't say anything about that show either. So aside from her slightly happy personality (which from what I can see in the pilot seems to be a mask for when she's around Vaggie and the others) and underlying familial issues, as well as her inferiority Complex, it's hard to say whether or not Charlie is OOC. She might not be 1:1 from the show, any AU variant/Fanfic is going to have changes due to the outside world and beyond. Unless VivzeePop themselves confirm Fanon interpretations to be canon, I'm only going to go off of the "facts".
(Guest) Reader 451: If Jolyne did that with her Sycthe, which would be INSANE because she is not that strong yet, but if she did, Ruby would in fact catatonic. Glynda is Glynda, and the fluffles will indeed be missed.
With all of that out of the way, let's get into the chapter!
xxXXxxXXxx
[Jolyne]
The arena that had been selected for this little matchup was a rather large one, which was to be expected, especially considering who it was she was fighting, and for that she was glad. As for the arena itself, it was what one would have expected an arena to be; A sandy floor, walls that rose 30 feet upward, and an observation deck with obsidian glass windows off to the far left so that Ozpin and company could watch the soon-to-be onesided bloodbath. As for the length of the place, if she had to guess, it was about the size of three football fields stitched together, with the width of a baseball stadium with an open roof. A nice, large battlefield for a one-on-one fight.
She would complain, but there wasn't much to complain about. Personally, she would've preferred a lack of walls to make it feel more open, but then again she would be asking for too much. She had already cost them 250K in damages, so asking for anything more would be stretching it. They didn't need to bend to her whims. This wasn't like the last world, and she wouldn't allow it to be like the last world.
Goodwitch had explained to Jolyne what the rules of this match were to be. To put it into laments terms, there were no rules, aside from killing her opponent. That was the only thing she wasn't allowed to do, due to the special nature of paying a Blood Debt.
Her opponent, Raven, was running late. The reason for it was that Qrow, her brother, had to fetch her from the shared apartment they had. Jolyne found that infinitely hilarious, that Raven went from living like a ruler to living in squalor. Raven deserved worse in the Dragon's opinion, but she digressed.
Currently, Jolyne was decked out in her regular attire. She didn't change anything really. All she changed was that her Sycthe was now in her inventory because she wasn't going to use it—this was a blood debt that was being paid, not a death match, she didn't need to accidentally infect Raven with The Plague as funny as that would've been. The dual-haired teen had adjusted her eyepatch so that it wasn't as uncomfortable, and she had to refasten her boots. But aside from that, she wasn't in any special battlewear.
At first, she considered ending the fight instantly with her Finger Laser because that was probably all that was needed, but she decided against it. She wanted to make Raven suffer for what she had done to her and to others. This was her chance to make the bitch beg for mercy, so that was exactly what she was going to do. And to do that, she was going to limit herself to her Magu-Magu no Mi.
That might sound stupid—hell when she first thought about doing that she had believed that to be the case too. But when one considers the fact that, aside from her Aura, Raven had nothing really to combat against her power aside from her dust embued sword, so long as Jolyne was faster than her—which she was confident in the fact that she was—Raven stood no chance.
As for what Ozpin in the others would think about her choice, she didn't know, nor did she care. Honestly, she was more than willing to just kill the bitch the moment she stepped into the arena, but again, she wanted to maintain some kind of working relationship with the staff here—maybe not with Qrow, but Ozpin and Glynda needed to be on her side, or at the very least needed to tolerate her. Above all else, she didn't want to drive a wedge between herself and potential allies. Powerful allies, at that.
Her Admiral jacket blew in the wind like a cape, making her look like a general ready to go to war. She stared at the opposite entrance of the battlefield with her hands in her pockets, and her posture relaxed. She showed no real care for the fight ahead. After all, she had handily beaten Raven the last time they had fought. This would be no different. Besides, she had been weaker then. Almost a whole month had passed since then, and she had practically doubled in strength.
Realistically speaking, what chance did Raven stand in this fight? All she had was her Aura, her lightning magic, and her sword. While that was scary, it was nothing compared to her Magu-Magu no Mi. It wouldn't be a challenge to take her on, especially in a controlled environment. Perhaps it would be outside of one—after all, she nearly got her ass handed to her the first time they fought—but here, at least she knew she wasn't going to be killed by the psycho.
A stray thought entered the mind. What if Raven did kill her? Nobody else knew of her special condition, that being a Gamer. She didn't want to tell anyone about it, not unless they absolutely needed to be in the know like those of The Grey Council. What if Raven got a lucky shot done to her? What then? What if she was killed instantly because of Raven's sword?
Jolyne grunted. Those were What Ifs. Those wouldn't happen, because she wouldn't let it happen. She needed to stop being so paranoid. Especially considering that things were only going to get harder from here on out.
She couldn't let small things worry her. She didn't need to become a paranoid schizophrenic.
The sound of footsteps approached from the opposite entrance of the arena, snapping her out of her thoughts. Out from the opposite entrance of the arena walked Raven Branwen, clad in her attire from the last time they had met one another. Her hand was firmly on the hilt of her blade, and her eyes were narrowed with anger. There was a cold bloodlust hidden behind those eyes, and a frown as sharp as any blade. Her long black hair framed her face as nothing more than a mask, with an unbridled rage hidden underneath.
Jolyne glared. This was the woman who had tormented Styx. This was the woman who had allowed the ransacking and the bloodshed. This was the woman who had dared to mess with her. She had poked the sleeping bear and had paid for it once. She ran away with a few battle scars no doubt. But this time... in the arena, with nowhere to run, and nowhere to hide... Raven Branwen would feel her wrath.
"Dragon," she spat with venom, as Jolyne scowled.
"Bandit. How generous of you to take up the offer to be my punching bag."
Raven sneered, drawing her blade as Jolyne smiled, her eye widening with nothing but pure hatred and bloodlust. Her pupil shrank, as she twisted her foot in the sand. Her jacket blew backward, flapping in the air like a flag as she unleashed a burst of Despair Aura. It was on complete accident yet again, and forced Raven to take a step back. Purple electricity danced around her, which stemmed from her eye and formed around her body like a shield—it was like a storm had surrounded the Dragon, and was protecting her from an unknown threat.
There was a barely unkempt rage that coursed through the Dragon's mind, body, and soul. A rage that refused to be shackled any longer. The rage of a God. The rage of someone who had been through too much, and who had lost far too many.
Pure, utter Despair leaked off of The Dragon as she grinned ear to ear. And mixed with that Despair was something that seemed almost impossible to achieve. Mixed with that Despair, though meagre and weak, was her very Will. And it was that Will mixed with her Despair that made the air almost impossible for others to breathe. Made it so Raven Branwen had to take a knee—something that seemed to be impossible.
And while it was a subconscious activation, and while it hadn't been fully unlocked, Jolyne felt that foreign power for just a moment, before it had faded away. She didn't know what it was, but it was there, lurking, dancing above the surface. She'd figure out what it was later.
"What the hell is going on down there!?" Jolyne hadn't expected to hear Qrow's voice in her head, but that was when she remembered something she had picked up a long time ago. Her Listen skill that she got from Ibuki all the way back during the camp. Why it had activated, she didn't know, but it seemed as if it would be put to use after all.
"I do not know, Qrow. But what I do know is that she is furious." Ozpin's voice echoed in her mind. "Regardless of that, we cannot interfere. If we do, I don't doubt for a second that she'll be more than just angry at us for trying to stop her."
"We can't let this get out of hand, Ozpin. I don't want Raven to—"
"She won't die. I have measures put in place. If this gets out of hand, I promise you I will stop this myself. But let us believe in Raven and Ms. Brooks to not kill one another."
"Interesting..." Jolyne thought as she took her right hand from her pocket, said hand being coated in a thick layer of Magma, it bursting and bubbling and dripping off the ground. She didn't care what Ozpin and Qrow thought about what was going to happen. All she had in mind was making sure that Raven paid for her crimes against Styx and her people. For those she sold into slavery in the White Fang, she would make her pay.
There would be nothing in this world that could stop her from making this human piece of shit go unharmed and unscarred for what she did. "I'm going to make you hurt. I'm going to make you pay. I'm going to make you bleed. You bailed on me the last time, but this time will not be the same."
"I could say the same to you," Raven spat, slowly standing up, overcoming the wave of intense Despair as she levelled her sword in front of herself, the edge of the blade pointing out toward Jolyne, who stared at her with continued disinterest at the gesture. "You massacred my Tribe and took what remained. You left me without a home and made me look pathetic. Defeating you here will avenge my tribe, but also re-establish my pride."
The two combatants stared down one another, as Despair Aura finally petered out, not because Jolyne was out of Mana, but because she had finally realized that it had been active. The Despair bar above everyone's head was sitting at roughly 50%, with some higher by a point or two. "Whenever I get pissed off, it seems that Despair Aura unleashes itself. I need to better control it if I don't want this to happen again... Also, don't forget to look into whatever that strange force was that leaked out with it..." Jolyne thought, as the dual-haired teen got into a lunging position, and the moment she did, Raven charged.
The battle had begun.
[Special Encounter – Boss Fight: Raven Branwen]
[Level: 480]
[Aura level – 100%]
[HP: 100%]
[Weapon: OMEN, The Blade that Channels Dust]
[Objective: Beat Raven Branwen within an inch of her life]
[Bonus Objective: Beat Raven Branwen with only the Magu-Magu no Mi and passive skills/traits]
[Quest: Get Raven Branwen to 1% HP]
[Rewards: 200,000 Exp, 50,000 Lien, 1 Legendary Gacha Token, 50 neutral Karma minus 50 Reputation with Qrow Branwen, plus 10 Reputation with Glynda Goodwitch, plus 25 Reputation with Ozpin Bianco/Ozma, minus 100 Reputation with Raven Branwen]
[Bonus Rewards: 500,000 Exp, and 100,000 Lien, 10 neutral karma]
[Playing: Operation Pyrite (Raven Boss Theme)]
Jolyne's magmatic fist slammed against the tip of Raven's Omen, which was the name of her blade, which was blue. A wave of ice repelled out from the tip of the blade, coating Jolyne's magmatic hand. The ice quickly melted due to the magma, but it was more of a distraction than an actual attack, as the true goal was to deliver an electrified punch to the left side of Jolyne's face, as Raven had taken the Dragon's left flank after distracting her with the ice attack with her sword, the ravenette's eyes sparking with red electricity.
"Is that...?!" Qrow's voice echoed in her mind, as Ozpin hummed before replying.
"I had a feeling that was the case. She's the Spring Maiden. How this happened, I do not know. But perhaps we will get answers later..."
"The Spring Maiden? That's the second time I've seen and heard Raven be mentioned as that. Once by Mono, and now by Ozpin. Is that supposed to be important? Bah, whatever." Jolyne thought as she assessed the situation. She could block the incoming attack. But, she could also take the hit, seeing as she would be taking no damage in the first place. Or, she could disperse her head to make it look like she had taken the hit.
As the fist got inches and inches away from Jolyne's face, she made her decision.
When Raven's fist "connected", the left side of Jolyne's head exploded into an array of magma particles, decorating the ground, which caused Raven to falter for a split second. Raven retracted her fist, it still sparking with the electricity courtesy of her Spring Maiden powers, as the magma particles that made up the left side of Jolyne's head quickly reformed, repairing Jolyne's face, once again shocking Raven to the point where she didn't see the left hook heading for her face. Jolyne's fist quickly transformed into magma, and in the time it took to blink, instead of her magmatic fist crashing into Raven's face, it met her crimson-red Aura instead.
Moments before the collision, Raven tried and failed to dodge the attack, resulting in her aura taking a sizable chunk of damage. It flashed, under heavy stress, and even slightly shocking the former Tribe Leader as it sent her skidding back, kicking up a cloud of dust as her feet dragged across the sand. The aura meter above Raven's head had dropped from 100% to a measly 25% in one strike.
Jolyne had to admit, she was rather impressed with that. Before, without the use of Dai Funka, she only would've done around 15% to Raven's Aura. The Magu-Magu no Mi was quite powerful, even more so than what she had thought it to be. Granted, she never underestimated the fruit, but still. It didn't help that in the time that she had last fought Raven, she had gained an extra 200 levels.
Although it was interesting how even though Raven was 80 levels ahead of her, all it made up for was the fact that she could tank the hits a little bit better. 25% of her Aura was remaining. 25% that shouldn't be there, but because Jolyne wasn't at the same level as her, was still in the way of her doing any real damage to the bandit queen.
"Did you see that?! Her aura plummeted!" Qrow's voice echoed in Jolyne's mind thanks to her Listen skill, which was activated involuntarily. Jolyne shut out the voice, not caring for the commentary as Raven was already back on the offensive, wildly slashing at Jolyne with her bright blue blade. Although, it truly wasn't wild strikes.
No, Jolyne saw more than wild slashes, they were deliberate. The bandit queen was trying to slash through Jolyne's magmatic body. It was a shame that The Dragon was dodging each slash before they could actually land. How? Because they were slow. Not intentionally, Jolyne noted, but Jolyne herself was leagues ahead of Branwen. Sure, she was 80 levels ahead of her, but levels only really equated to the amount of damage a person could throw out, it seemed.
For others, this flurry of horizontal and diagonal slashes might have been overwhelming, but Jolyne's experiences dealing with Dragons, undead warriors, massive creatures and hordes of enemies that could easily swarm someone like her in her PTD, doing that training allowed her to not only increase her reaction time, but it gave her an upper hand against those who had speedy attacks.
Had Jolyne not had that training, she most likely would've been dead already.
Each slash had a streak of blue aura following it, meaning that each attack was attempting to coat her with ice. Much to Raven's continued annoyance it seemed, none of the attacks were going to land. They either missed her by a mile or missed her by a hair.
Slash to the left, dodge to the right. Slash to the right, dodge to the left. Fake out slash to the left, dodge to the left because it was going to the right, the same thing as it would be in reverse. Forward stab, duck backward. Horizontal slash, jump back, diagonal slash, duck under it. This repeated until Raven fed up, launching a streak of lightning in Jolyne's direction, while at the same time, she sheathed her blade, a clicking sound was made, and when she re-drew the blade, it was yellow instead of blue.
This, Jolyne was not prepared for. Luckily for her, her barrier against spells of an epic rarity or higher activated, and immediately shattered after the lightning attack hit. Meaning it had to have been at least an Epic tier spell. The reason it didn't activate prior was that Jolyne turned off the shield to cause the distraction. But this time she hadn't expected the lightning attack.
Raven took advantage of her being staggered, and went for the chest, thrusting her sword just under Jolyne's breasts, tearing through her clothes, skin, and muscle, drawing blood, and dealing actual damage to Jolyne for the first time in a while, all the while a yellow spark overtook her vision—electricity, she deduced. And the attack wasn't meagre, either. The sword protruded out of her back and caused Jolyne to cough up a glob of blood.
Had she been anyone else, this attack would've been fatal, and it would've probably killed someone like her. Her heart was missed by a mere centimetre, and had the sword actually pierced her heart, to hell with any kind of damage meter, she would've been dead in an instant. Gamer or not, if her heart was destroyed, she would've died instantly.
That was one of the rules. If her heart or her head was completely destroyed, it was game over. It didn't matter how much HP you had, it didn't matter how much power you had, if your heart stopped beating, or if your brain stopped functioning or was destroyed, it was like pressing the power button on a computer or console. There was no coming back for that, and if Raven had not missed by a centimetre, Jolyne would've died.
The attack did 7,968 damage, and it had staggered her further. Confusion rushed through Jolyne's brain after the attack had landed. How did her sword do damage? She had the jacket on and everything. This shouldn't have happened! Her jacket was supposed to negate all damage, and yet here she was, taking damage! And that was when she remembered that the blade was made entirely out of Dust, which was this world's counter to her Logia powers. And that was when it made sense.
Raven's blade negated Jolyne's invulnerability. The Jacket only protected from damage when a world's equivalent of Haki wasn't accounted for. If it was, then it didn't matter how much damage was supposed to be negated, it just wouldn't be.
And that right there, that little bit of forgotten information would have been so much more helpful beforehand! Because now, Raven had a way to fight her, and because she did, this fight was no longer one-sided. It was even, if not slanted slightly toward Raven thanks to Jolyne's self-imposed restrictions.
Raven had a shit-eating sneer on her face, upturned into a cocksure smile as she slashed horizontally, cutting up and through Jolyne's right breast, while also cutting her right lung in half, dealing an extra 10,000 damage to Jolyne, a trail of blood following the sparking yellow blade.
Jolyne was down past half her HP, and it was a sight that she hadn't seen since she had been attacked by that Soulless. The fear of death crept in, as her sole eye stared in horror, with blood trailing down both sides of her mouth, as well as around it from the violent upchuck of life fluid. Raven stared with sick pleasure at her handy work, but luckily for Jolyne, her Bleeding? Who, me? Perk activated, and all the blood that was lost was sucked back into her body and regenerating her health along with the damage, and it gave Jolyne the chance to jump back far enough to create distance between herself and Raven, but still.
She had recovered back to full health from the attack, and when she had, a pop-up telling her that it was on cooldown for 24 hours appeared. Once again, something that she wasn't told about. Regardless, she couldn't allow Raven to get that lucky again. She needed to end this, and quickly.
The bandit queen stared in disbelief at the miracle she had witnessed, as Jolyne's lips curled back into a wicked sneer. Her shirt was ruined, but that hardly mattered. She tore off the torn part of her shirt as her skin stitched itself back together. "You ruined my shirt... you'll pay for that too."
"You're insane," Raven spat, glaring at the Dragon.
"Many people have said that. You're not original," Jolyne said, cracking her neck from side to side. "Round two, bitch."
"How did she do that? Absorbing her own blood and regenerating damage. Ozpin, do you know of any kind of magic that allows that, even with the other Dragons?" It was Glynda's voice this time, and in response, Ozpin hummed in the negative. Whatever, Jolyne didn't care. She thought about removing her restriction but decided against it. If she did, it would be easy, yes. But she would be given extra rewards, and Exp and Lien were invaluable.
Was it greedy? Yes. But did the young Dragon care? Absolutely not.
In other words, she needed to end this fight and end it now. She had just about finished playing with her enemy. Now, she needed to mean business. She toyed with her food for long enough, now it was time to finish it.
Raven lunged forward, eyes narrowed and sword at the ready. She looked about ready to do the same thing as she had done the last time, but in order to do so, she needed to cover 15 feet of distance, which would take a few strides at the very least.
But... Jolyne wasn't going to allow it. She wasn't going to allow Raven to do what she had done the last time. She had gotten lucky, but she wouldn't get lucky again. Jolyne aimed her arms upward, both of which being transformed into Magma, which made Raven glare with confusion. Up until.... "RYUSEI KAZEN!" Jolyne hollered, as she fired up several dozen magmatic fists into the air.
Raven was first confused at what she had done, only until a shadow eclipsed her being. The bandit queen looked up and realized what it was that Jolyne had done. She had unleashed a meteor shower from herself and was quite literally raining down hell on the ravenette. Raven panicked, and leapt backwards as the first magma fist hit, creating a massive explosion, and blasting debris into the admittedly large arena.
When Raven had dodged back from the first one, she was covered in shadow again. She kept dodging, avoiding the debris, but it was clear she was starting to get tired. By the time she had dodged six of the over 30 magma fists, she was eventually hit by the attack point blank, which had completely shattered her aura, the explosion of the magma fist had knocked her to the ground.
The ravenette screamed in pain, as the rest of the fists landed, blowing up the whole ground of the arena, save for a few spots. The ground was melted, scarred, and burned. Jolyne lowered her arms, deactivating her Magu-Magu no Mi. Why? Because Jolyne was finished.
She had done 99% of Raven's health in one go. Once that magma fist hit, that was all there was to it. It was over. 299,000 damage in one go. How? Because of her jacket. Her attack and magic attack were being boosted by 100%, and what made it even better was that while Raven had a lot of HP, she was still a human. Humans had weak defences. She would know. She was human once. An attack like that would've left horrible pain and scarring.
The only confusion Jolyne had was why it stopped firmly on 99%. Perhaps the quest prevented Raven from dying. It was convenient, if nothing else. But that aside, the destruction caused by her Ryusei Kazen, or Meteor Volcano, was quite impressive. While not nearly as strong as her Finger Laser, it was still extremely strong.
While Finger Laser, or at least, Multi-Finger Laser had the strength to destroy a mountain, Ryusei Kazen had the power to descimate an entire landscape in one go. The smouldering ground was a testament to that. Granted, if she hadn't restricted herself to only her Magu-Magu no Mi, she probably could've ended this a lot sooner, but what was the fun in that?
Jolyne approached the crater that Raven was in, and what Jolyne saw made her smirk. It was brutal, and the damage that had been done to her more than made up for all the horrible things that she had done to those of Styx, and even beyond.
Raven's right arm was burned to nothing but scar tissue, with bits of bone peeking out, along with charred flesh and sinew. Her upper left shoulder was pretty much gone, and the right side of her face had been heavily burned. Her chest area was burned to practically nothing, charred flesh and muscle visible. Her torso was practically melted, and her left arm was missing completely.
Her legs were charred and burned beyond use. Her clothing was basically gone, with only small smouldering scraps remaining. Not that it mattered, seeing as her body was burned beyond recognition. The woman was breathing heavily, sputtering blood and on death's door.
Should the bandit queen survive her wounds, she would never hurt anyone else in her lifetime. If she was lucky, she would live the rest of her life in a wheelchair. If she was unlucky, she would become a vegetable. Either or were appropriate fates for Raven Branwen.
"RAVEN!" Qrow's voice echoed in the arena, as the man ran to the crater she was at. When he got there, his wide-eyed expression and mortified gaze said everything about what he was feeling. This was his sister, in a practically dead but alive state, suffering in a hole caused by Jolyne. Frankly, if this was anyone else, Jolyne would've cared.
But considering what she had done, and considering the suffering she had brought to innocent people, Jolyne truly did not care for what happened to her. As Jolyne stared uncaringly at Raven, Qrow glared at Jolyne. "You.... I thought this was just till someone bled... you said you wouldn't kill her...! You—"
"She's alive," Jolyne replied curtly, glancing at Qrow, whose glare carried a thousand words in just a simple glance. He hated her, and she understood why. It was just too bad that Jolyne didn't care. "Suffering, but alive. And that's on you for thinking that it was just till someone bled. Besides, even you must admit, she deserved this."
"That's—"
"Whatever your complaint it, know that I don't care," Jolyne spat, turning her back on Qrow and heading toward the exit, but not before looking over her shoulder at the brother of Raven Branwen with a scowl. "Her debt is paid. All of those who have suffered at her hands will now exist in the afterlife in peace, knowing that their tormentor will either die from her wounds or will live a life full of suffering and disability."
With her peace said, Jolyne excited the arena, Leaving a scathingly furious Qrow Branwen, and a mostly dead Raven in her wake. Just as she left, Mono delivered to her a pop-up.
[Quest Complete: Rewards distributed]
[Level Up! You have levelled up from 400 – 404. 100,000 Exp till next level up]
[Operation Pyrite, stopping]
As she exited the arena, Ozpin and Glynda stood inside the exit that she used, staring at her. She stopped, glancing over at Ozpin, who stared at her. "That was far more violent than I thought it was going to be," Ozpin said as Jolyne shrugged.
"Frankly, it could've been worse. I was putting a limit on myself to only use my magma powers. I could've ended it faster, in all reality," Jolyne replied as the warrior of the God of Light bowed his head in acknowledgement.
"You could've killed her..." Glynda murmured, staring at the Dragon. "The point of this was to injure and cause someone to bleed or until they called out to forfeit the match. I had half the mind to end the battle after Raven had impaled you. That in itself was taking it a step too far. But you survived it somehow, and then you retaliated with something worse. How do you expect to protect the innocent lives of Remnant with powers like that?"
Jolyne didn't answer, she simply stayed silent. Glynda's eyes and her lone eye met, staring at one another. Eventually, the Dragon broke away, looking over the exit ahead of her. "The same way as I've done it before. By destroying my enemies. And if there is no enemy to destroy, then with my speed and reflexes. You saw how fast I am, Raven could hardly keep up with me. If she couldn't, who else could?"
Glynda was about to say something, when Ozpin raised a hand, silencing the woman. "Glynda, go help Qrow get Raven to a medical professional." Glynda did as she was asked, but not before giving Jolyne one more side glance. After she left to go aid Qrow, Ozpin spoke once more. "Ms. Brooks. While I am... disappointed in how the fight ended, seeing as Raven is something that I had thought was someone else for the longest time, there is nothing that can be done now. By the rules that were set before the battle, you are hereby permitted to enter Beacon Academy.
"Tomorrow, by the end of the rest of the student's Exam, you shall know what Team you will be placed in. For now, go get some rest. The gymnasium is open for those who wish to sleep on campus. It isn't much, but it shall do until everyone is roped into a team, and Dorms are given to the student body."
Jolyne nodded, exiting the arena proper, and making her way to the main campus.
[Weixue]
To say Weixue was happy was an understatement. She had been happy before. She knew the thrill of being happy before, though it was a long time ago. During her time as a slave, there was seldom ever a time for her to be happy, with the exception of when she had been given gifts by that old couple... the same old couple who had been murdered in front of her for being too old to work.
For a long time, she hadn't been happy, nor had she had a reason to be happy. The closest she ever came to being happy was when she was freed from slavery by Blake—because that had to have been who it was, there was no other person who it could've been—and was put into the care of Brooks and Amami. And it was thanks to those two that she was able to feel true joy like this again.
It was all thanks to them that she now could be a proper, functioning, non-mess of a human being. After all, had it not been for them, she wouldn't have met Headmaster Ozpin, and if she hadn't met him, she would've never awakened her Aura.
Because of them, she felt stronger. She felt better than she had in years—since she was but a little child. She wasn't stumbling over her feet, and she wasn't in pain for every step she took. She was more attentive than she had been prior to awakening her Aura, and she wasn't nearly as tired. It was like awakening her Aura had healed her almost to full. Almost, as in that she was still weak.
Awakening her Aura didn't mean that she was suddenly strong. The same went for this Armament Haki stuff. The same went for her vision. Just because she had this, it didn't mean that she was strong, nor did it mean that she was suddenly able to fight on par with people the likes of Jolyne or Mr. Amami. That much she knew. Hell, she felt as if that she was about as on par as someone like, for example, the boy she had just met today.
"I'm telling you, Pumpkin Pete cereal is good! But, uh... it's not exactly healthy..." The boy in question was talking about his favourite cereal, Pumpkin Pete. Strange as it was, it was endearing to Weixue. The boy in question was dressed in a white chest plate, shoulder pauldrons, and wrist guards, with a red sleeve over his lower arms. Underneath his chest piece was a black hoodie, a strange choice for something underneath the armour, but who was she to question? He also wore a pair of blue jeans, held up by twin belts, and a pair of black boots.
He had golden blond hair, dark blue eyes, and slightly pale skin. He had a golden white sheath on his hip, which doubled as a shield at the click of a button—a mecha shift shield, which was rare from what she had seen amongst the crowd. Inside the sheath was his sword, Crocea Mors. It was a standard steel blade, with a golden hand guard and a white steel hilt wrapped in a blue fabric.
When the two had met, he had started their conversation with a "witty quip." She found it endearing rather than offensive. She was just glad others wanted to talk to her, especially because looked like someone who had been from some random settlement, and she wasn't exactly the most appealing to look at. The boy's name was Jaune Arc, and unlike everyone else, she could tell that he was like her—untrained, and hardly knew how to fight. But also like her, he was here for a reason.
His family was far too overprotective and didn't want him to become a Hunter because of his meek nature. His father refused to train him like he had trained his older sisters, and his mother hardly believed in his dream of becoming a hunter. Both of them were hunters themselves, and they knew the dangers, but that didn't stop Jaune from wanting to be a hunter.
To that end, his dream was admirable. Granted, much like her, he wasn't ready for combat. While he never said that to anyone, she could tell just based on how he held his sword when showing it off to her. However, the fact that he ran away from home to pursue said dream didn't sit right with her. Perhaps it was because she never had a true, honest familial life, and spent most of her childhood in a cage as a slave, but if she was in Jaune's shoes, she wouldn't have run away.
But then again, what other choice did Jaune have? His parents wouldn't let him, and his siblings apparently didn't support the idea either, so she guessed she could see why Jaune decided the best option was to run away and pursue his life as a Hunter.
That aside though, the boy was nice. Dorky and awkward, but nice nonetheless.
Jaune looked at Weixue and glanced at her sword. "So, uh... what's up with your sword? Is it Mechashift or...?"
"No," Weixue said, drawing out Wado Ichimonji. "It's a simple katana, forged out of Damascus steel and sharpened to perfection. It can cut through flesh and bone with ease, and seeing as it can cut steel, it can make quick work of Grimm. I don't need a mechashift weapon to be good at killing Grimm, or Dust for that matter."
"Whoa..." Jaune murmured, staring at the blade like it was magical. It definitely gave off that vibe, especially considering the fact that it radiated power. And from what Jolyne had said, the blade was alive. That was something that she didn't expect to be the case until it flared with its own soul power. The ultimate bond between weapon and wielder—Armament Haki.
She had no idea where this mystical power came from. But considering the sword looked like nothing she had seen before, she had to assume it had some mystical properties never before seen on Remnant. Still, it was nice to know that she had something special. The same went for her vision. A purely magical necklace that gave her magical abilities, and said necklace weighed absolutely nothing. It was like it wasn't even there.
"So... what was your favourite food growing up?" Jaune asked as Weixue frowned. The white-haired swordswoman shook her head, earning a raised eyebrow from the blond boy.
"I was lucky if I got fed," Weixue remarked, causing Jaune to look at her with alarm.
"Oh... uh... bad parents?"
"Try no parents... or caretakers... or anything really. I had master's. That's what I had. If I didn't perform well enough, they'd beat me and throw me back in my cage without food for the rest of my day. And what I did get fed was nothing but slop," Weixue responded, her voice venomous as Jaune recoiled.
"You were a slave.... I'm... I'm sorry to hear that," Jaune muttered. He was clearly uncomfortable with the topic. Weixue couldn't fault him. Especially considering that the boy was practically new to the world around him. Not literally, but considering his parents were very hover-y, she had to assume he wasn't exposed to the crueller aspects of the world.
Either way, Weixue brushed it off with a dismissive handwave. "No need to fret over it. I'm better now, and I have people who I can depend upon," Weixue replied as Jaune sheepishly smiled.
"That's good... It would be a little concerning if you didn't..." Jaune said as Weixue smiled. He was nice. Kind and caring too. She sort of hoped that, if she didn't get lucky enough to be on the same team as Jolyne, that she'd be put on the same team as Jaune. He seemed kind enough, and while he might not exactly be the brightest, nor was he evidently the best fighter, she and her could train to get better.
"Yo, Weixue," Jolyne's voice cut through her thoughts as the swordswoman looked over her shoulder. Her friend stood just behind her, arms crossed as she cast a glance at Jaune. She wasn't wearing her tunic, rather she was wearing something she had in her inventory, that being a black and white crop hoodie that exposed her stomach and waist, revealing her to have a six-pack.
Weiss covered her mouth and nose, hiding the slight nosebleed and her blush as her face heated up. She wasn't expecting to see that, and frankly, it was something that caught her off guard. As for the boy, he froze, staring at her with wide eyes.
"You're the one who... uh... blew up that mountain, right?" Jaune said, his voice surprisingly calm despite the pink hue on his cheeks. His question earned a nod from the dual-haired teen. "U-Um... name's Jaune Arc. Roles off the tongue. The ladies love it... hehehe..."
Jolyne raised an eyebrow, before cracking a smirk, uncrossing her arms and setting them in her pockets. She took a seat next to Weixue and huffed. "Gotta admit, if that's the best pick-up line you have, it needs work," Jolyne said as Jaune rubbed at the back of his neck sheepishly, glancing at the floor.
"Y-Yeah... Weixue over here said the same thing..." Jaune replied as Jolyne elbowed him, making him flinch.
"Jeez, you're a little touchy, yeah? Let me guess, tormented by a sibling or multiple siblings?" Jolyne questioned as Jaune blinked, before chuckling to himself.
"Yeah. Seven sisters... it was difficult, but hey! I survived," Jaune said as Jolyne's smirk turned into a grin. "So uh... what about you? Uh..."
"Jolyne Brooks. A pleasure to meet you Jaune," the dual-haired teen said, outstretching her left hand for a handshake. Jaune did the same, before they retracted their hands. "As for me, I have a daughter and a son at home, adopted. I have two others, but they've been... displaced. I know one's been captured by the White Fang, whereas the other is somewhere else entirely. I've been trying to remain in contact with them, but something keeps cutting the signal."
"They could be in a place with no reception. I lived in a place like that. If I still had contact with my family I could get them to look around. But... we kinda departed on a sour note...." Jaune said as Jolyne nodded.
"I appreciate the gesture, Jaune. I wish more people would be helpful like that..." There was a hint of disappointment in her tone there, and Weixue didn't know why. Just what kind of people had she been around before to make her believe that? Regardless, it would be something she could ask about later. She blinked, shaking away the image of Jolyne's abs from her mind and wiping her bloodied nose with her hand, brushing it against her left pant leg before speaking.
"So, Jolyne, how was your test?" Weixue asked, confusing Jaune.
"Test? Has the exam already happened?" Jaune questioned as Jolyne shook her head.
"No. Due to circumstances surrounding my lack of transcripts, but absurd power as you've seen, Headmaster Ozpin wanted to test just how strong I was. So he pitted me up against a powerful... individual. If I won, I got to enter the school. If I lost, I'd have to pack my bags. Needless to say, I won. Though if I had been any slower, or if I had messed around any longer, I probably would've lost."
"Oh..." Jaune said, blinking. "Um... but who would they put up against you? I mean, I don't mean to be a broken record, but you blew up a mountain. I don't think anyone has done that in the history of ever!" Jaune exclaimed as Jolyne chuckled nervously to herself.
"No one. But they were willing to fight me due to something that happened a while back. I won't go into specifics, but they owed me a debt. A debt which they have paid in full," Jolyne remarked ominously. Of course, Weixue knew what kind of debt she spoke of, but that didn't need to be known. To Weixue, the idea of a blood debt sounded barbaric.
The white-haired teen looked around the gymnasium as Jaune and Jolyne continued to talk. Both of them got into an in-depth discussion about food, and it reminded Weixue that the last thing she ate was a plate of eggs and some bacon. Her stomach rumbled, indicating to her that she was hungry. Apparently, lunch would be served in an hour from now. That was good. The trip from Mistral to Vale was a long one, and she was starting to get hungry.
Weixue stood up, gesturing to the pair that she was going on a walk. Jolyne nodded, before returning to her conversation with Jaune. The former Schnee exited the gymnasium and began her walk. The halls were baron. There wasn't much to talk about, other than that they were clean. Her left hand was resting on Wado Ichimonji, something that Jolyne told her to always do should there ever be an enemy nearby. By now, it had become a habit more than anything.
Her boots clacked against the tile floor, echoing out into the long hallway as she kept a watchful eye open for anything inconspicuous. She was bored out of her mind and needed something to do. Hence the walk. But she also wouldn't have minded if she had come across a beast or an intruder. She wanted to test out this new Armament Haki stuff, and seeing as Jolyne's PTD wasn't there, she didn't have the chance to do that.
Getting to a cross-section in the halls, she stared down her two options of right and left. She frowned, before turning left. She never trusted right, as it always was a bad idea. She would always encounter something bad in those directions. When she was running away from The White Fang before she was captured and enslaved, she had run down the path to the right rather than the left and was immediately caught.
She looked back at that day with a scowl. The bellowing fire from the mansion. The thick dense fog. The rows and rows of dark pinewood trees. The eerie sounds of nature and the haunting screams and shouts for mercy, all of which were emphasized by the evil, demonic laughter of those monsters that brutalized and murdered her family.
A trail of nervous sweat cascaded down her right cheek as she scanned the hallway. Weixue had vowed to herself that she would never, ever let the White Fang get away with their crimes. She would hunt them down till they were extinct. That was one of the reasons why she joined Jolyne in heading to Vale in the first place. After all, The White Fang was here, and she wasn't going to let them continue their reign of terror.
"Oops, sorry!" A voice called out seconds too late as Weixue bumped into someone, seconds from falling to the ground as a hand reached out and grabbed her by the wrist, stopping her from falling. The person responsible for the save was the boy from the landing bay—not the unconscious one, but the one who had been carrying the unconscious one. "Oh! It's you, I didn't expect to see you around here. Weixue, was it?"
The white-haired teen stood up straight as she was pulled up. She hadn't been expecting to run into Titan here. She guessed it was better than a staff member and an endless array of questions about why she wasn't in the gymnasium. She smiled, dusting off her ankles before putting her hands in her pockets. "Yes, and if I remember correctly, you're Titan, correct?"
"Yup! If you're curious, my sister Jupiter is helping those two Swan Faunus recover from their near-death experience with a Grimm Wyvern," Titan said, rubbing the back of his neck. His deep red eyes shone like rubies, all mixed with an innocent gleam to them. To Weixue, it was insane how one could be that innocent and have survived an encounter with a Grimm Wyvern. But then again, she knew the literal Queen of Faunus in Jolyne, who herself was supposed to be a Dragon, so she guessed it was possible.
"I-I see..." Weixue murmured, sighing. "Well, I was on a bit of a walk to clear my mind. So I'll be on my way. See you at the exam!" As Weixue said that, she walked past the large man. Despite the innocence in his eyes, there was something off about him. He was too innocent. It wasn't an act, that much she knew, but there was definitely something off about him.
It was almost like... the longer she was around him, the more she got the idea that she was being watched. Watched by something powerful. And something deadly. She didn't know what that thing was, but it was something monstrous, and something that shouldn't be messed with.
And whatever it was.... It was close by.
That was when she saw it. It was a split second, but that was all she needed. As she walked down the hall, she saw a white hood, a singular pitch-black eye, and deathly pale skin. It was out the window, but it was clear that it was a person. But even so, the "person" seemed to give off the same aura as a Grimm, but also something else. Something otherworldly.
"Stay. Away. From. Him."
Those words echoed in her mind, belonging to a voice that was loud, booming, and nearly unhearable. It was like a God was talking to her, and it made Weixue clutch the side of her head like she was having a massive migraine. It got so bad that she fell to the ground, and passed out....
[Ozpin]
The moment the battle between Brooks and Raven had ended, the Branwen Tribe head was brought to an infirmary within the building, hooked up to as much medical technology they had available, was put on immediate life support, along with being surrounded by several medical staff with healing Semblances—a whole grand total of three—along with Aura boosters to maintain her aura flow. The results? Not good.
Her vitals were tanking, and tanking fast. If this kept up, she would be dead by the day's end. In the back of his mind, Ozpin knew that Raven would piss off the wrong person, and would die because of them. Even back when she was a student at Beacon, in the back of his mind, he knew that there would come a point where she would screw up. And now? She did. She screwed up. She pissed off The Dragon and it got her in a hospital bed, dying painfully and slowly.
Raven was non-verbal, seeing as half of her face was melted off, and her lungs most likely were severely damaged. The X-ray had yet to be finalized so that the internal damages could be spotted, but it was clear that she was not in good shape. She was lucky to be alive, and that was being generous.
By all accounts, Raven should be dead. But something stopped her from dying. Perhaps it was the will of the maiden's power keeping her alive, or perhaps it was something else entirely. All Ozpin knew was that Raven was alive, and that was all that mattered.
"Let me have a shot at her, Oz... Just one," Qrow growled, as Opzin turned around on his heel, and openly glared at Qrow, who flinched.
"Are you suicidal, or are you just drunk, Qrow?" Ozpin said arms crossed behind his back as his cane clacked on the aluminum tile. "Because unless I was the only one paying attention to that fight, Ms. Brooks was able to beat Raven, your better half, with only using one ability because she was bored. Do you really think that you have any chance against her, Qrow? Your Semblance is a strong one, yes, but it doesn't make up for that kind of power."
"I—" Qrow paused, before lowering his head in a lazy bob, followed by an exasterbated breath. "Yeah... sorry. It's just... she said that it was a Blood Debt. Now Raven's dying, all because we misread what that meant. I just... she's my only real family left aside from Tai and the girls. I don't want her to die, even though I know what she's done is wrong. She doesn't deserve to die just yet..."
Ozpin sighed, bringing his arms to his sides before walking to Qrow, and taking a seat next to him, his cane out in front of him as he rested both hands atop its handle, crossed over one another as the centuries-old man looked at the ground. "I know that you feel angered at this turn of events. But this has been a long time coming. We all knew that it was only a matter of time before Raven bit off more than she could chew. And while it pains me to see a former student fall like this, there isn't much that we can do. The only thing that will save her now is a miracle from The Brothers themselves." "And they won't bless anyone anytime soon, those damned cowards."
"I know Oz..." Qrow responded dejectedly, closing his eyes as he stood up. "I'm gonna go zip around the city. Maybe I'll find something to do to pass the time. The more I'm here, the angrier I get. You know what to do when I'm needed." As the black-haired man said that, he turned to the window, and opened it, before standing on the ledge, and free-falling. Moments later, a pitch-black crow flew off into the distance.
Once Qrow left, Ozpin stood up and walked back over to Raven's bed. A breathing machine was placed on her face, her sole remaining left eye staring at the ceiling, with unimaginable pain hiding behind them. She truly was a wreck of her formal self. Her eye darted to look at Ozpin, and a mix of pain and hate appeared.
"Here you are, dying in my infirmary. I told you we would meet each other like this. I warned you this would happen, and you didn't listen. A shame your life is ending here, Raven Branwen, Spring Maiden." As Ozpin spoke, a hint of callousness seeped into his voice. "You left your team leader to die all of those years ago. Summer was a wonderful woman. She had a family and a brilliant daughter. She even picked up the slack when you left. And your final insult to her was to leave her dying in his clutches. If she saw you now, even after you betrayed her, she still would weep for you, you know that?"
Ozpin watched as the nurses left to go on their break, most likely because their semblances drained their Aura. The headmaster walked over to the outlet that had all of the equipment plugged into it and placed his cane ever-so-close to the plugin. Raven's sole eye widened. But with no vocal cords to scream from, she couldn't scream for help.
"Frankly... you've been nothing but a pain in my side since you left. And now I find out that you have The Spring Maiden's powers... the powers that used to belong to one of my daughters from hundreds of years ago. I don't mind telling you, because it's a secret that you will take to your grave. No one else is here, so I'm free to admit it. It greatly upsets me that Diana's power ended up with you. A foul, wretched woman who has killed more innocents than she has saved. By killing you, those powers would go to someone more deserving. Perhaps like... your daughter."
With that said, Ozpin unplugged the machines with his cane, and almost immediately, the alarms rang. But when they did, he shut them off. "It was just a false alarm, no need to worry!" The old man shouted before any of the nurses could go running out to investigate. Raven breathed heavily, but those breaths weren't doing much. Her face began to turn more pale, and her sole remaining eye began to lose the light within them.
Before long, Raven was moments from passing, when one final word muttered out of her mouth, followed by her last ever breath. "Yang..."
The light left her eyes, as Ozpin stood over her cold, lifeless body. There was no guilt. There was no remorse. There was nothing. This was the outcome he wanted. He didn't know how Raven got the powers to begin with, but now, it didn't matter. She was dead, and that was that. The old man picked up the cord, shut off the heart monitor, and plugged the other machines back in to make it look like nothing had happened.
After all, it was a false alarm. The nurses would discover that she had unexpectedly died, and that was that. Ozpin exited the infirmary, adjusting his spectacles as he did so. This was fated to happen. Raven would die to pass on the power of the Spring Maiden to Yang. And while he hadn't expected it to happen this soon, it helped with what was to come.
Ozpin was a cunning man. He wasn't above ending a person's life if it meant furthering his goals. He had done it before as the former King of Vale, and he would do it again to ensure that Salem was defeated, along with that outlier.
After all the pain and suffering Raven put people through, it was over. And The Spring Maiden's powers were now, hopefully, with her daughter who would turn out to be a better wielder of them than she ever could've been. The last Spring Maiden that was killed by Raven was now also avenged, but he couldn't have seen the succession of power to be a merciful one. This was Raven after all, and she had a penchant for being cruel.
After all, it was why she sided with The White Fang and sold them slaves.
Now, where was he? Oh yes, he was off to go give the future students of Beacon a little pep talk before lunch....
-To Be Continued-