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Miracles of Ancient Wonder [RWBY/Exalted]

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Okay yeah, that part I got

I just don't understand why Sun seems to care so much
 
Graveless said:
Figuring her out wouldn't let him know if Blake was like him back in Vaccuo or actually was Anathema. His money was on the later, but wanted to be sure.
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This sentence is interesting... How exactly does Sun think Blake is like him? I mean the faunus thing is too obvious, he already knows she is one and it wouldn't make much sense to compare being anathema to that. Is Sun an exalt who believes he isn't anathema due to still being himself?
 
FullNothingness said:
This sentence is interesting... How exactly does Sun think Blake is like him? I mean the faunus thing is too obvious, he already knows she is one and it wouldn't make much sense to compare being anathema to that. Is Sun an exalt who believes he isn't anathema due to still being himself?
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Or he has been accused as Anathema constantly due to having a golden aura and wants to check if other supposed Anathema have the same issue rather than being actual Exalted.
 
BlackThief12 said:
It's about Sunny Boy and Nep-Nep investigating Ruby, Yang, and Blake.
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"Sunny... boy? I've never heard of anyone like that. Hang on, where... Nepgeeear, did we get crossed over again? Why is this city so dirty and broken-down? It looks horrible!"

"There, there..." Nepgear patted her sister on the back, looking around with narrowed eyes. "I'm sure it can't be that bad. It's probably just a beat-em-up or something. We'll skip to the final boss, it won't take more than a week..."
 
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Book 2 Chapter 2.1
  • Threadmarks
    • Miracles of Ancient Wonder Book Two: Remnant

    ~

    Chapter 2.1

    ~~~​

    Weiss landed in a crouch, blade toward her opponent and her free hand to the side. A cold fire burned within her soul as they fought. With each blow it grew stronger, driving her to further heights. She, of course, kept it quashed. She hadn't spent weeks learning to hide her power just to give it away in a practice spar.

    Pyrrha was on her as soon as her knee hit the ground, flinging her shield and launching herself behind it. As she moved, Weiss flicked her sword down and cast a repulsion glyph. Pyrrha continued through, but her shield didn't.

    As they clashed, the whir of Coco's minigun sounded and the bullets started flying. Weiss and Pyrrha both needed something to make their spars harder and their newest confidant was happy to provide. As they dueled, she riddled them with bullets.

    Weiss blocked those heading toward her with a glyph and occasional blade blow, moving her body with unnatural agility to ensure none landed. Pyrrha bent most of them around her with her Semblance and blocked the remainder with her shield.

    The two of the clashed again and again as they each tried to land the first decisive blow. Pyrrha couldn't allow Weiss to get a spell off, which she could even with both Pyrrha and Coco's guns focusing on her. Weiss couldn't let Pyrrha step back to her ideal spear range or close to the point where the larger girl's unarmed skills would dominate.

    For several minutes, they danced across the floor, neither committing to a hard enough attack to push through. It was a battle of endurance and grace, one good blow would turn the tide due to that person having less Aura to land one of their own. In a real fight, Weiss would have an overwhelming advantage, so they agreed to go until the visible portion of her Aura fell to the normal tournament standard. The additional, inefficient, energy would not count.

    As their bars dwindled lower and lower, Weiss seized her opportunity. With a flick of her sword, she created a repulsion glyph under her feet. A pulse of Essence made it blaze with power and launch her at Pyrrha so quickly that she could only react through instinct. The cold fire pushed outwards, allowing her arm to bend at an unnatural angle, getting the point of her rapier over Pyrrha's shield.

    It threatened to go further, re-shape her body. She clamped down on the impulse. There was no need.

    Her blow struck true, slamming into Pyrrha's sternum at the same time that an edge bit into her belly. Weiss glanced at the tournament screen. They were at six and five percent respectively, a double knockout that favored Pyrrha.

    Clapping erupted from the stands overhead. Weiss snapped her eyes up to the reason they could not go harder even if she wanted to.

    "That was simply wonderful!" An orange haired girl was loudly applauding. "Are you two entering the tournament? If so, I do hope to get the chance to face you."

    Another girl, this one with blue hair and darker skin, pinched the bridge of her nose. "Can you please hurry? We're going to be late to our next appointment."

    "Oh, right." The first girl leapt down, landing very heavily. "Salutations, Weiss Schnee, Pyrrha Nikos, and Coco Adel. I'm Penny and I have several questions I would like to ask you... if you have a moment."

    Weiss took a breath to recenter herself and stepped toward Penny. "I have some time for you. Miss Penny?"

    She drew the end of Penny's name out and gestured to go on.

    "Splendid and Miss nothing, just Penny!" The girl completely ignored Weiss' implication and continued, "I suppose I should get right to it then. What do you know about Ruby?"

    Weiss raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

    "Well, she's a very interesting person and I *hic* just wanted to know some more about her. I thought it would be best to ask you since you were her partner." Penny smiled, all teeth.

    "I see." Weiss focused her Essence into her ears. The distinct sound of two microphones were coming from Penny's hair. They were appropriately prepared for two members of the Atlas Academy's favored tournament team. The only question was, did General Ironwood send them to try and test her or was it someone else in the military who suspected something? "I do know a bit about her, though it is strange that you know that. Most people forget her real name within hours, let alone other facts about her life."

    "I- umm- guess that I'm just *hic* lucky?" Penny's smile wavered after the hiccup.

    "Do you want some water?"

    "No thank you." She didn't hiccup at all.

    "Are you sure everything's alright?"

    She hesitated, then hiccupped again. "Yes."

    "Very well." Those were perhaps the worst lies Weiss had ever heard. "What did you want to know?"

    "Umm…" She glanced to her partner. "Well, mostly just things about her. What food does she like? What did she do for fun? Who do-"

    "Why?" Weiss cut her off. "She's the most wanted person in the entire world. There's no point to knowing that sort of minutiae."

    "I-" Penny looked like she was about to cry. "I think it's important."

    Weiss raised an eyebrow, matching Penny's partner's expression. If she was really that interested in Ruby, then she'd likely be able to be turned to Weiss' cause. Though, she may also be too much of a liability to even bring it up with.

    "Well I... I think that if… If we want to find her then we should know more about her? Then we'll know what she might be doing?" The girl tried to smile.

    "I'm afraid I can't remember a lot that for the same reason that many can't remember Ruby."
    Weiss held her face still, adding a second statement for Pyrrha. 'She's got a mic, don't reveal anything important.'

    "Oh…" Penny dropped her head. "Professor Goodwitch said that if anyone would know, you would.

    Weiss barely maintained stillness. Was it really that easy? No, it couldn't be. "When did you speak with her about this?"

    "Just a little while ago. We were coming out of a meeting with-"

    Penny's partner loudly cleared her throat. "Penny."

    "Oh, sorry. That's classified."

    Coco stepped into view, raising an eyebrow at Weiss.

    Weiss slightly shook her head and glanced at Coco, then flicked her eyes back to Penny. "It's no problem. I understand."

    Coco nodded and stepped ahead of her. "I remember some stuff about her."

    "Thank you!" Penny cheered, all hints of sadness immediately vanishing. "I think the first thing I'd want to know is… does she have any hobbies?"

    "Umm… Weapons."

    "Weapons?"

    Pyrrha stepped next to Weiss and leaned in, whispering. "I can feel the microphones, along with a lot of other metal."

    "Oh?"

    "I think…" Pyrrha hesitated, briefly closing her eyes. "I think most of her body is cybernetic. Certainly more than anyone I've ever heard of."

    "Interesting." Weiss had access to some of Atlas' latest research and full body replacements, including sensory organs, were possible. It were so expensive that only top operatives, or incredibly wealthy families, would be able to receive them. If that was true, it would explain the mic, though they couldn't count on there not being a backup recording. "If Ruby knew that, then it could explain her interest."

    Weiss stepped back. Penny was engrossed with Coco, but her partner was watching Weiss like a hawk.

    "Yeah, I saw her in one of the labs doing a lot of complex work on her scythe for weeks on end. She also had a few questions about how I managed to make my weapon." Coco held her purse out, then shifted it to the enormous gun. "I wasn't able to explain as much about the construction as she would have liked, my Semblance makes it easy."

    Penny's eyes suddenly went wide. "So that's why she wanted to see the… *hic* technique for how I used my swords."

    "Hmm…" Weiss glanced at her, noting the lack of any swords. "What exactly do you mean by technique?"

    "Well-"

    Penny's partner cut her off, "That isn't something we should just give out to our enemies in the tournament."

    Weiss looked at the girl.

    "Ciel Soleil. It's nice to meet you." She nodded towards Weiss.

    "I'm not going to be participating in the tournament and would promise to not reveal your secret." Weiss met Ciel's gaze and smiled slightly. "Though I may go to Beacon, Atlas is still my home."

    "I see…" Ciel pursed her lips. "We'll need to speak with the other members of my team before saying anything else."

    "Of course." Weiss smiled. If she was reacting this poorly, there was no chance. "Would after lunch tomorrow work?"

    Ciel checked her scroll. "Penny and I have half an hour free at fourteen hundred."

    "I'll meet you both near the fountain then."

    "Wow," Penny gaped at them. "Ruby was right. You two are really similar."

    "Oh?" Weiss asked.

    "Yes! She said that the picture I took of us last week was very…" Penny slowly went quiet.

    "Last week?" Weiss and Ciel said at the same time.

    Penny looked between them.

    "Did Ruby contact you?" Weiss continued, stepping forward. Telling this girl anything was a trap, but Professor Goodwitch, whether she intended it or not, had put in bait too important to not trigger some of it.

    Penny hiccupped. "N-No."

    "You're certain?" Weiss sent an additional meaning to Pyrrha. 'We need to know what Ruby said.'

    Weiss glanced at Pyrrha, then to the others with a raised eyebrow. A moment later, two of the pieces of metal Weiss had hidden within her own jacket moved, pressing against her. That was the signal they agreed on, something Pyrrha could do to confirm or deny an idea without revealing it to anyone else

    "Penny." Pyrrha spoke as Weiss wove her Essence into a veil surrounding them all. "Have you spoken to Ruby recently?"

    "I *hic* I haven't." Penny stepped back.

    Weiss released her power, energy whirling around the group. "You don't need to worry. You're among friends."

    "You don't even know her." Ciel crossed her arms as dull silver flashed in her eyes, along with Penny's.

    "No, but we do know Ruby." Weiss smiled and advanced, hiding her true meaning between other words. "Very well as a matter of fact."

    "You do?" Penny's eyes lit up, still sparkling with silver.

    "Yes, she was my teammate for a long time." Weiss continued, sounding slightly sad in her normal voice. 'and the three of us happen to agree with her about the Anathema.'

    "You do?!" Both Penny and Ciel shouted, the first excited and the second horrified.

    "Please, have you heard from her?" Weiss said sweetly, using another burst of Essence to frighten Ciel so much she'd unable to act in a manner that would displease Weiss. It forced her deep into the larger, and inefficient if she wished to remain hidden, pool of power, but there was plenty remaining.

    "Well, she mentioned you a lot in her email and also talked about you a lot."

    "When did you speak to her?"

    "The week before the… uhhh… right before the… Red night. She told me about what she'd learned about that Anathema-"

    "Penny! Y-You-" Ciel started moving. Her entire body was shaking with fear, but she still tried to step forward.

    Weiss silenced her with another glare. "Penny, one last question. Are you working with anyone in Atlas?"

    "Oh, I shouldn't… but... " She leaned back and forth. "General Ironwood calls me up because I can remember Ruby really easily."

    "Thank you." Weiss released both of her effects. Almost all the tension vanished, replaced by both girls blinking.

    Penny shivered and stepped back. "I'm sorry *hic*, but I *hic* haven't heard from her."

    Coco and Pyrrha reacted slightly, stepping back.

    "That's alright." Weiss smiled. "We can talk about other things tomorrow."

    Penny paused for a moment. "I… Does that mean you also want to be friends?"

    "Sure."

    "That is stupendous!" She lept into the air. "I'll be sure to be there! Let's go!"

    "Wait, but I…" Ciel turned around as Penny hooked her arm and let herself get dragged away.

    After waiting for almost a minute, Coco coughed. "Well… That was illuminating."

    "Hmm?"

    "You sure it was a good idea to be that obvious?"

    Weiss grinned. "I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about… and neither will they."

    Compared to making objects invisible or hiding her own Aura, concealing the memory of others was easy.

    "They won't be able to remember most of the conversation." Pyrrha chimed in.

    "Mmh, scary," Coco said deadpan. Weiss hadn't expected any other reaction. "Schnee, did you ask me anything embarrassing?"

    Weiss raised an eyebrow. She'd actually figured this out after her first talk with Coco, but needed verification of the effect. "You may have mentioned something about a… disreputable job you wished you could try."

    She groaned, cheeks lighting up slightly. "Got it. Don't tell anyone about that."

    "Of course." Weiss turned back to the door, leaving the topic even though Pyrrha looked interested. "We need to know what she knows."

    "Are you going to bring her in as well?" Pyrrha walked to the edge of the room and collected their extra gear.

    "No, she'd reveal us by accident." Weiss joined her, using Wind Dust to push Coco's spent casings into a corner. "But we need to know what Ruby told her, back then and recently."

    "Why's that?" Coco asked.

    "Because Ruby can see the future and makes events conspire so that her desires become reality. For instance, she thought I wanted to take over Beacon. She also wanted to help me." Weiss looked at her allies in a conspiracy brought about by her partner. "And here we are."

    "That one's actually scary if you're right."

    "Exactly." Weiss sighed. "I want to minimize the chance of her blindsiding us, which means we need to know her intentions."

    They had a long period of silence.

    "By the way, how has speaking with your teams gone?"

    "No deep hatred, but also no knowledge of the truth." Coco shook her head. "Though, Velvet mentioned that there were a few people asking weird questions about Ruby."

    "My team's said the same thing, though…" Pyrrha looked away. "We're still getting a lot of questions about stopping her."

    Weiss adjusted the tie of her ponytail. "Get me some names. I'll be able to find out how serious they are."

    ~~~​

    Yang dangled her legs over the edge of an abandoned house, looking out at the city. It was the middle of the afternoon and everyone was out and about. Hundreds of people milled under her, living their lives in peace. When she closed her eyes, she could still feel the little points of danger coming from them, the light of their souls.

    Most were so small she couldn't really feel them, little dots in the dark ocean surrounding her. Very few were bright enough to overcome the gloom. Blake was the only one easy to find and… she wasn't a threat anymore.

    There was something wrong about that. Yang knew Blake could still beat her, even with her newfound burning might. She could see the differences between their ability to fight and just how much Blake was holding back.

    So, the threat wasn't really accurate, even though it felt right. What else would make her hair stand on end and her blood pump when she felt it?

    It wasn't just the threat they posed to her. It had to be something else, something like the energy flowing around everywhere.

    Actually, that could be it. Blake, Weiss, Ruby, and her all had very different feeling Auras. A couple of people at Beacon also had them, but she couldn't remember any in particular. The energy flowing around this city was unlike any of them. It felt… earthy for lack of a better word. The texture was like sandpaper when it touched the edges of her soul.

    Just like the center of the Grimm nest that she activated, it also wasn't really moving. The flows trudged along like honey. If she really wanted to, she could use her own Aura to give them a spark and really make something happen. But… when she ignited the energy at the Grimm nest, it blew up after a few weeks of them living there. If that was all it took to kill the Grimm, destroying the areas they seemed to like living in, she'd have done it in a heartbeat. But doing that in a city would be catastrophic if they always exploded…

    She'd know in a couple of weeks. If the new tower was still standing, then it might be safe.

    Yang glanced down, watching a familiar Aura flare slightly when it fell. It was Cole, one of the older members of… her cult, and his son, Roy.

    Roy hopped up onto a wall, laughing at the mud drip off of his dad's face. He was so small, both in body and soul. If his Aura was awake, she'd be worried about either of them fighting a single Beowolf. An explosion like the one she and Blake laughed off would kill both of them.

    The explosion had burned with an unnatural fire. A fire that raged so hot that it didn't just burn physical things. When it had engulfed her, she felt the edges of her Aura igniting, rather than shielding her body. It was the purest form of the fire within her soul and… the thought of unleashing that on anyone was… There would be no coming back from that. Unleashing the least of them allowed her to tear through someone's Aura like it wasn't there. She could feel her unused potential practically begging to be released. The flames of sure death which would poison any who felt their touch.

    She hadn't gone back to the site of the explosion, but her scroll told her everything she needed to know. The plants which had survived the initial burst had all perished.

    How long did she have before she'd need to reach for those flames? How long would it be before she couldn't contain them anymore or just stopped caring about the damage they caused? She only needed to slip up once…

    She held a hand up to the sunlight streaming through her fingers. Yellow-green flames danced between her fingers.

    What could she do to keep herself from becoming a real monster when everyone around her was already so small? If she wanted to, she could destroy this city without anyone knowing it was her and she'd just started learning how to use that dark energy. If she grabbed ahold of it, how much power could she push into the world and shape it into whatever image she wished…

    "What do you mean this is mine?" She stared at the projected landscape on the table.

    "The previous holder of your Exaltation stipulated that rulership of his lands would pass to the next bearer." The daimyo, a Terrestrial who was her elder ten times over, smiled and zoomed the projection in. "This is the capital city, where he spent most of his rule."

    "But I'm…" She ran her fingers through her hair, grasping at straws. "I'm not a…. Any sort of…"

    "Please, Princess Tialeth, your mastery of Essence is still new. Any worries that you have will surely sort themselves out in time."

    Her Essence... right. The energy that infused her. She called upon it just like she did when she used a blade and the words she needed became obvious. "It makes little sense for me to command so much territory. My Exaltation was earned through besting a young Terrestrial in the arena. I'm no leader, all I know how to do is fight and show off."

    "You have already made a step on the path. And you need not worry about administrations of your orders. This land is yours to lead, your prefects will make sure that it becomes shaped to your desires."

    She sighed.

    "If you have a message to the girl you fought, I can pass it along. I'll be visiting my fifth great grandniece soon to congratulate her on aiding your rise."

    "I… Tell her that she almost had me with the final feint." It wasn't worth arguing with him. If the Deliberative said she was in charge of that land, then she was. "Is there anything I need to decide on right now?"

    "There is only one item that needs your immediate attention." He moved the projection again. "Prince Opal of Youth had ordered this land cleared before he perished, but had not specified what is to be built there."

    She was the champion of the greatest mortal arena so it would follow that her lands would have an even greater one. "I think…"

    She turned as she thought, glancing at the mirrors surrounding her. As her thoughts spun, her caste mark appeared on her brow.



    She was so young.

    Yang gulped. Visions of her early life were rare, but the face of the monster in her head at that time was so soft, so vulnerable. She'd barely been older than Yang herself and her eyes were full of innocence.

    She'd seen a vision of the construction when she was trying to learn to wield the energy flows. It was supposed to be a coliseum that fed on the energy and valor of the fighters within. Some time later, the monster realized that blood would feed it much better and had it remodeled. Even further on, matches to the death became common.

    What was to stop Yang from doing the same if she listened to Blake? Telling the cult to not hurting people could easily turn into controlling them 'for their own good', just like the old kings and queens of Vale. She was already unassailable and if Tialeth went that bad with other Anathema to check her...

    Why did life have to be so complicated? Why couldn't she just wander around punching Grimm?
    Because you are more.​
    "Shut up," She muttered under her breath.
    Crush them.​
    "I said shut up!" Her flames threatened to flare free, but she clamped them down, kept them inside.
    I said nothing else.
    Destroy them.    ​
    The voices were different.
    They're afraid. They're going to kill you.​
    Yang looked around frantically. No one was on the roof with her. She breathed rapidly, focusing on her other senses.

    There was an Aura above her.

    She looked up, nothing was there, but she could still feel its presence. It was terrifying and- Yang clenched her teeth. That felt just like Weiss when she was trying to help them practice.

    The Aura pulsed. Goosebumps ran up her spi- She forced them back down.

    There was something here, something she couldn't see.
    Burn.​
    "No… No." She didn't need to take this. She was Anathema, an unstoppable monster.
    Find it and kill it!​
    For once, she and the demon agreed, but that didn't help her.

    "How?" She growled.
    Burn it!​
    "Not helpful!" Yang dashed to the other side of the roof. The Aura followed her.
    Kill.​
    It pulsed again and a wave of dread- Yang forced the fear back down, it wasn't real.

    Wasn't real… Like a ghost or the energy that no one could see.

    But her flames could burn everything...

    Yang turned toward it. She could burn flesh, ignite fires that consumed all, and even burn souls. If this thing existing anywhere, she could burn it. She took a deep breath and opened her soul to the burning core within. Invisible heat seeped out of her soul and into her skin.

    Her right hand ignited with yellow-green flames, the green was stronger now, but her natural color was still present. Small flies popped into existence, their bodies burning like candles as they flew away from her.

    Yang raised a leg into the air and twisted the air around her foot. As she stomped, a pulse of green flames erupted from the roof.

    More flies appeared, their bodies shattered by the pulse of energy and burning hatred. They dissolved just like Grimm.

    But Yang didn't care about them for her real target was also there.

    A floating ball covered in bony protrusions appearing with a screech as its body was engulfed by the fire. The tentacles coming out of its mouth lashed toward Yang, but she ignited her arm and batted them away.

    She stepped forward, cracking the roof, and punched. Her unenhanced fist moved through it without any resistance. When her hand was in the center, she ignited it and squeezed.

    Her arm sparked from the energy formed around it as it forced the creature's flesh aside.     With a mighty pull, she tore the creature's core free and it started dissolving as well.

    Yang took a second to watch it before dropping into the back alley. She needed to get back to Blake with the news of… invisible Grimm that affect people's emotions... Holy shit that was bad.

    She skid to a stop as the weight of that realization really hit her. She'd never, never heard of anything like that from any Hunter. If… if only the Anathema could do something to them....

    "Fuck." She redoubled her speed, blitzing to the end of the alley as quickly as she could and unleashing her own Aura. She wish she could have a fun brawl so much and now the entire crowd would too. The distraction was accomplished as the first punch was thrown.

    She sped through the market, tapping people to the side to get them out of her way. Only one blocked her successfully, a pissed off man in a long brown coat who retaliated with a powerful kick. His Aura was strong.

    Was he the city's Hunter? She'd been avoiding any powerful Aura just in case.

    Yang caught his blow with her gut and let him knock her away. For a moment, it looked like he was going to chase her. Then someone broke an oar over his head and he lept back into the brawl.

    Her head pounded and the demon screamed when she turned and ran, but she needed to get to Blake, not have a fun fight.
     
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    • Graveless said:
    "The previous holder of your Exaltation stipulated that rulership of his lands would pass to the next bearer." The daimyo, a Terrestrial who was her elder ten times over, smiled and zoomed the projection in. "This is the capital city, where he spent most of his rule."
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    So in the past there was dragonbloods in this fanfic...
     
    FullNothingness said:
    This part needs more than a little fixing...
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    I have no excuse besides my phone being dump while writing that part.

    Baughn said:
    Grimm are still attracted by negative emotions, right? But with these things around... Ho-lee crap.
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    Salem has a lot of tools she hasn't used on screen and had done her fair share of Exalt killing. After all, if the Grimm were just a ravenous horde, an enterprising personal combat and military inclined Exalt would have carved out much more territory by now.

    giodan said:
    So in the past there was dragonbloods in this fanfic...
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    Yep, they were there for the usurpation, but there aren't any on Remnant for reasons.
     
    Castle_Bravo said:
    I wasn't talking to you.
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    Dude, it's a public forum. You're talking to everyone. You may have directed your comment at Graveless, but the answer was quite obvious. Frankly, Exalted fics that treat exaltation as fair are doing it wrong. It's one part talent search, ninety-nine parts super power lottery - which means that it'd be 99% bullshit if Pyrrha exalted.
     
    Book 2 Chapter 2.2
  • Threadmarks
    • Miracles of Ancient Wonder Book Two: Remnant

    ~

    Chapter 2.2

    ~~~​

    "You asked to see me?" Weiss stepped into Professor Goodwitch's office, her arms full of papers.

    "Yes, for a review of your courses and a look at your research." The Professor was seated behind her desk. She had bags under her eyes and her hair was badly in need of a good stylist. Ruby, Blake, or Yang probably did something again.

    "Very well." Weiss closed the door and took a seat. "I suspect that the review would be simplest."

    She pulled her scroll open. "You've defied all expectations for a TA and a number of students are wondering if you're going to go on to become a Professor before you graduate."

    "As nice as that could be, I would have more of an impact in other fields."

    "I would imagine so," Professor Goodwitch sighed. "How has your new spell to contact the Anathema been progressing?"

    "I'll be testing it soon"- Weiss crossed her arms -" and it will be useful for more than just that."

    There was no point in denying her real intentions. Professor Goodwitch already knew what she was and could easily see what she wanted to do.

    "For one, we could use it to send high density information to General Ironwood, or other members of the Maiden stewards, completely securely."

    "We have secure communications."

    "It may also allow us to contact Ruby, who has not responded to anyone, and convince her to remove the curse." Weiss technically had received Ruby's message, but her partner hadn't responded to additional emails.

    "That would be very helpful; even though it would not change her fate."

    "I'm well aware of that. In fact, I'd be disappointed if you didn't try."

    "Then why would you convince her to release the curse?"

    "She's stopping you from killing people that need to be killed and I'm also confident that you will fail to kill her." Weiss smiled slightly. "Ruby is difficult for people to remember at the best of times and while she is likely the most dangerous of us to society at large, she does want to help people."

    "Miss Rose is a problem. However, she's a problem in a similar way that other Anathema have been before, but more successful in crippling those who would work against her." Professor Goodwitch didn't match the smile. "And she is hardly the most dangerous of you. She isn't controlling students and isn't within spitting distance of taking over a Kingdom."

    "I'm controlling no one and attempting a coup would be counter productive. It would be immediately obvious what's happening and all of the resources that taking over would provide would dry up in an instant as trade crashes to a halt."

    "How is it then that Mister Pico went from nearby failing Sorcery 101, shocking everyone when he passed the trials, to getting an A on his first exam in 201?"

    "I found out what inspired him most and made him think about what she would think about his lack of effort along with how happy his little sister be if he succeeded." He'd also been to office hours a number of times and giving him a little extra help to make his sister happy was worth it.

    "In other words, you forced him to change his behavior."

    Sometimes Weiss really hated Vale. "I advised him on how to become a better person. If I really wanted to change him, he wouldn't unilaterally hate the Anathema like he does right now."

    "So you did use your abilities to control a student?" Professor Goodwitch briefly looked like she was about to be sick.

    "As entertaining as it might be to argue, is this going anywhere besides a disagreement about what the worst thing the Anathema can do is?"

    She took a deep breath and released it in a huff. "Yes, I need your assistance with a spell. There are problems with it that are beyond my ability to solve."

    "So…" Weiss took a deep breath. "Immediately after disparaging me for using my powers in the manner that Vale most fears the Anathema, you ask me to also use them for the reason that Atlas does."

    "One spell is not civilization ending. This isn't inventing a new method of sorcery."

    "You already have me researching soul manipulation beyond the level that the best in Atlas have managed. Forgive me for being worried about making Beacon more fragile when I either die or have to leave." Everyone depending on Weiss for new spell research would be crippled when she left. It would be worse if it turned out that she was the only one who could maintain some vital piece of infrastructure that the new spell allowed for.

    Professor Goodwitch took a deep breath and sighed.

    "I'm not refusing, just pointing out the hypocrisy." Weiss rolled her eyes. If they really wanted to weaken themselves, then she would because it also helped ingratiate herself with Professors Goodwitch and Ozpin. "What's the spell?"

    "Demon summoning."

    Weiss almost flinched. Of all the possible answers she expected, that was not on the list. "I thought you were working on a new form of scrying."

    "You're correct. Demon summoning research had to be delayed because my original assistent... left."

    "And they were?"

    "Miss Rose."

    Weiss needed to find a way to make Ruby respond to her messages. What plan or goal could that have been a part of? "I see."

    "The spell works, but any creature that appears is immediately torn to pieces as if it was a fleshy Grimm that had just been killed."

    "But they're alive?"

    "Yes and they scream in the language of Sorcery."

    Yang would be beyond angry with her if she literally summoned a bunch of demons into the world. At the same time, this was an source of potentially unlimited information. "And you can cast the spell yourself, no need for me to fix that?"

    "I have a ritual room underneath Beacon for its use."

    The choice was obvious. "I'll see what I can do."

    "Please do." She handed Weiss a very old tome with several bookmarks poking out of it. "If we're lucky, one of these demons may know enough about the nature of the soul to save Amber. Assuming the book is correct about them killing Aura users, they would also make formidable soldiers."

    Dammit Ruby… No, no, this couldn't be tied into Ruby's plan to help Weiss take over Beacon. There was such a thing as being too paranoid. "I suspect that Atlas's automatons will be a… more efficient choice in that regard."

    "While you may be correct, they haven't shared the secret to build them."

    "Very well." Weiss flipped to the first bookmark and frowned. The world that both Yang and Tialeth used to describe the realm of demons was central to the spell array. It was possible that Yang might be alright with summoning them for information and then quickly getting rid of them. Weiss doubted she would ever accept summoning a demon army... even if it could destroy the Grimm...

    That was still so tempting and exactly what she needed Pyrrha for. Coco… had ethics too similar her own. Maybe one of the people Coco wanted her to speak with would also be useful as a sounding board.

    "Is there anything else we need to cover?"

    "Something that will put your unnatural powers to good use." Professor Goodwitch grinned. "'Paper work and grading."

    "Wonderful," Weiss said without any inflection. They'd be working on that task for at least an hour even if she went as quickly as possible.

    ~~~

    Nora drummed her fingers against the table and stared at the flag of Beacon. There was a slow breeze that barely moved it, but it was definitely moving.

    "How can a flag move and not move?" She mumbled under her breath and looked back at the book Weiss gave her. "No, wait… That's wrong. How could one person see it moving and another not?"

    She kicked her legs back and forth, turning the riddle over in her brain. The pole was thick enough that someone could stand on one side of it and not see the movement. And if someone was talking to her, then she also wouldn't hear it… But that didn't feel right.

    Ren would know the answer and she knew he'd give it to her if she asked, but that was cheating. Weiss wouldn't have given this book to Nora if she meant for Ren to figure them all out. It was a riddle and she needed to do something with it.

    No, it wasn't just a riddle, it was a sorcery riddle. She needed to think like a sorceress… or was it sorcerer for both guys and girls? Weiss said that a sorcerer put a bit of himself into every spell they cast.

    Nora looked back up at the flag swaying slowly back and forth in the wind.

    "I am the flag." Nora rocked in her seat, matching the flags movement. She shifted slowly to the left and then to the right. "How can I move without moving?"

    As she stared at the flag Nora, she felt the sun warming her face and the gentle breeze kiss her face. The only sound was the soft humming of the lights and the wiping of the flag. Everyone else was in class.

    It was so calm.

    Nora closed her eyes to enjoy the day. The rocking slowed down, her head dipped.

    Maybe if she took a quick nap then… No wait, she didn't need to think about that right now, she needed to focus!

    Nora took a deep breath and focused on her heartbeat. She pushed the rest of the world away, only listening to herself. That was what Ren recommended for meditating, even if she'd never been able to get it to work before.

    After a couple minutes of trying to not think about waving flags, she realized it didn't exactly work this time either. But, even with that stupid, distracting whipping, the meditation had managed something. She couldn't feel her Aura like Ren said he could, but it did get her to stop fidgeting and focus on the riddle.

    She went over all of the different flavors of energy that sorcerers used. The flags were supposed to be moving. It could be journeys flavored, going to a different place. Flags usually symbolized places and the two kids looking at the flags could be in different places that were really the same place, like two temples on the opposite sides of Vale!

    Nora thought about it a little more. No, that felt silly, it had to be more than that.

    The flags were moving, but not in the sense of taking a trip… What if instead of physically moving they meant emotionally. A flag could be art and one of the kids could be thinking about how they felt about the flag.

    That idea felt nicer, but something was still missing.

    "Okay. Elements, magic, Dust... gods... maybe?" Nora mumbled to herself.

    Pyrrha had been going on about gods and astrology for a long time. The titles of the gods that she was talking about were also sort of magic flavors. Art was… Serenity? Yeah, that was right.
    Serenity was also about happiness and joy and love and marriage and sex… Flags probably weren't about most of those, but people were.

    The people saw something different in each of the two flags. One of them saw the flag moving and the other didn't. That could be art, it could be… intimacy. Because if that flag represented something one of the people cared about a lot it would be moving to that person.

    It clicked. The riddle she'd just solved was all about what someone who needed to leave his monastery to walk his own path.

    To that man, the flag he once called home may or may not be as moving as it was to someone who cared about it a lot.

    It wasn't the flag that was moving, it was the people's hearts and souls. The same thing could be completely different for two different people.

    Nora felt a warm, fuzzy feeling in her belly. That felt like the real answer…

    The fuzzies were replaced by a lump. Didn't Pyrrha worship the same gods as the Girl in- no wait, her name was Ruby. Ruby and Pyrrha definitely had some sort of connection there. Did they see their goddess the same way as each other?

    She thumbed through the actual sorcery book. The greater aspects could be divided into smaller ones. So Battles had a bunch of different signs, which had their own meanings. Pyrrha was Spear, she'd said so herself. If Nora had to guess, then she'd say Ruby was Gauntlet, because she was terrifying, or Lightning Bolt, because she was really violent.

    But… that didn't match up with her other memories from before the night she turned into the Girl in Red. The dorky girl who loved her scythe couldn't fit into that.

    Hmm, the energy of the stars was also associated with subtlety, secrets, and manipulation. Was the Girl in Red the real Ruby or was she a…

    Nora placed her fingers on the previous page, hesitating. She'd looked over the aspects of the sun's energy before, but hadn't really thought about it. It was power, dominance, skill, and sorcery.

    The other Anathema woman had controlled their minds and Ruby'd lived with two of them all semester. Could the Girl in Red be something they forced her into her brain?

    Nora shivered and remembered what it was like to be under Anathema control, about to kill Ren. Ruby'd stopped when Jaune, Ren, and Nora stepped up to fight her. Making her fight Professor Goodwitch would've be easy, Ruby'd been arguing with her all semester.

    Was that it? Was she still under control and…

    Ruby wasn't Anathema. When Nora'd asked Professor Goodwitch and Weiss, they both said so. The Anathema couldn't be brought back from the demons possessing their bodies, but maybe if Nora just sat down and focused, she'd be able to free the real girl trapped inside that monster?

    Nora bit her finger and took a deep breath. She needed to learn this and... the commands from her anathema training were still there. If there was ever a time she needed them to help her focus, it was now.

    But... she hesitated, tensing up when she felt the tendrils of Anathema power coming back. She… She needed Ren. He'd be able to make her stop if something bad happened and… and…

    And some people were walking right towards her.

    "Umm, excuse me?" A dark skinned girl with green hair waved. "You wouldn't happen to be Nora Valkyrie would you?"


    "Yep." Nora nodded, watching the short girl with her hair tied up in two ponytails. There was something familiar about the way she walked. Maybe it was the rapier on her belt? No, that was too plain.

    "Ha," The first girl looked at the boy and snickered. "Told you."

    "Fine, fine, you win this time."

    "Soooo…" Nora drew the word out. "What can I do for ya? I'm kinda in the middle of something."

    "Sorry." The first girl smiled and held out her hand. "I'm Emerald. We can from Haven to watch the tournament."

    "You're not fighting?" Nora quirked her head to the side. "You look pretty tough to me."

    We're-"

    "Cheerleaders." The boy cut her off.

    "Knock it off." She snapped at him. "Sorry, we were going to enter the tournament, but our leader had… an accident and can't fight right now."

    "Oh, that sucks. Is he okay?"

    "It's she and… She's…"

    "A cripple." The boy interrupted again.

    "-healing." Emerald frowned, gritting her teeth so obviously that nora could see them move. "Anyway, we heard all about your team and how you're Beacon's favorites. Also about… everything that happened last semester."

    "Uhh…" Nora'd told that story so many times it was getting as old as Professor Port.

    "But, we wouldn't want you to think about something like that on an empty stomach, so I thought we could get lunch first." She pulled out a very… boyish wallet.

    "Hey!" The boy shouted, trying to snatch it back, and failing.

    Nora looked at the book of riddles and the book of sorcery. She really did need Ren's help now so… "Sure thing, but there'd better be pancakes."

    "Sure… sure."

    ~~~

    "We need to talk, now!" Yang dashed up to Blake and grabbed her arm. Blake read between the lines to her true meaning. 'Something really bad just happened.'

    "Give me a moment." Blake said to Rusty, standing up from her seat. "I should be right back."

    "I get it." The boy nodded, smiling at both of them.

    "What's happening?" Blake sent Yang a mental message. 'And what's really happening?'

    "There's a riot in the market." Yang gasped. 'And it's my fault.'

    "What?!" Blake shouted so loud that everyone around them was staring. She spoke again, quieter. "I mean, what?"

    "Let's go somewhere that we can talk." Yang looped her arm around Blake's waist and kicked off.

    As they arced through the air, Blake whispered, "Just doing that reveals a lot."

    "I know, but it's less than I already did."

    Blake frowned; that was a problem.

    Yang bounced them from building to building until they were on top of an old apartment complex.

    "What happened?" Blake checked over the side to make sure no one was on the street.

    "I lit a building on fire and started a brawl so I could get away."

    "Why?" Blake knew Yang well enough to know that she wouldn't just do something like that for no reason.

    "Watch my hand." Yang held her arm put, palm up, and ignited it. Greenish wisps were visible within it now, not just her normal yellow ones. She swung her arm around and ignited a bunch of flies which hadn't been near her before.

    "What are those?"

    "I don't know, but they aren't the only thing I burned." Yang took a deep breath. "There was some sort of tentacle Grimm that… Did things like what Weiss did when she was training with us. You know, the aura of absolute fear thing?"

    A shiver ran down Blake's spine. When Weiss unleashed everything she could, Blake had been so scared she froze, unable to do anything in case it annoyed Weiss. "Okay, that's… really bad, but isn't enough to light a building on fire."

    "It also spoke to me. It tried to make me kill everyone around me and… if Weiss hadn't made us practice recognizing that and fighting her off…"

    Blake grabbed Yang's non-burning hand. "You wouldn't."

    "I don't know that. What if it got me when I was asleep or already mad or..."

    "Yang," Blake hesitated. She needed to find some way to get through to her. "I don't believe you'd ever do something like that."

    "I don't think we can rely on… faith." Yang stopped the fire, but the bugs kept burning. "Blake… Have you ever heard of anything like this before? Phantom Grimm that can speak to people and control them."

    "Wasn't there a... " Blake wracked her mind to separate the books she'd read for fun from the actual text books on Grimm they had at Beacon. "A Possession Grimm? I think we were supposed to cover those next, er, this semester."

    "Yeah, Geists. They take over stuff." Yang continued when Blake raised an eyebrow. "Uhh, like trees, and rocks, and… whiskey barrels."

    Blake raised an eyebrow.

    "My Uncle Qrow hates them because one tried to literally drown him in liquor…" Yang shrugged. "Anyway, they build giant bodies to fight with, but are just as vulnerable as any other Grimm."

    "Which these aren't?"

    "I stuck my hand through it and could only touch it when I lit it on fire." Yang threw a quick punch. "I… I needed to let more of the dangerous parts of the fire out in order for that to happen and I can't close them off."

    "That's… not so bad." blake gave her another squeeze. "if it only hurts Grimm, then you should be fine."

    "It is really bad." Yang dropped her head. "Because I think we're the only ones who can do anything about them."

    "The two of us?" If that was true, then that might be the crack in Yang's logic she needed. "There isn't anything particularly special about us."

    Yang raised her head, pouting at Blake. "Blake, you know that's not true. We're Anathema and…"

    "And this may be something that only the Anathema can do?"

    "Yeah. This is big. Bigger than anything else I've ever heard of." Yang squeezed Blake's hand. "If we're really the only ones who can fight these type of Grimm then…"

    "Then?"

    "Then I think you might be right about the cult." Yang's voice was so soft that Blake could barely hear it. "I was pointed at them when I was searching for this Tyrion. He'll probably know more about them or at least point us in the right direction."

    "You're going to tell them?"

    "I- I think so. I just need to figure out what to say."

    "I could prepare something for you."

    "That'd be nice." Yang leaned her head up for a kiss.

    Blake gave her a quick one. "How about after the big celebration dinner tomorrow?"

    "Sure… What're they celebrating again?"

    "Someone getting married and a bunch of old members who moved to other cities are coming back. "

    "More sources of info, I guess. If we can find god of this Cult of the Nightmare Queen, then…" Yang groaned. "Let's bring it up with Carmen after all of that's done. I don't want to ruin someone else's celebration by telling them one of their gods is here."

    Blake couldn't help imagining Yang officiating, which would probably make them even happier. It wasn't exactly the sort of thing Yang would do though and so she shouldn't laugh at the thought, even if it would help Yang so much to have those people thank her for being herself.
     
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    • So...

    Demons are going to be a thing then

    And that other cult

    I just hope Ruby catches up before they reach Tyrion
     
    Happy Friday~
    Graveless said:
    Weiss almost flinched. Of all the possible answers she expected, that was not on the list. "I thought you were working on a new form of scrying."

    "You're correct. Demon summoning research had to be delayed because my original assistent... left."

    "And they were?"

    "Miss Rose."

    Weiss needed to find a way to make Ruby respond to her messages. What plan or goal could that have been a part of? "I see."
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    I'm not sure if this the right or wrong kind of Exalted paranoia.

    Graveless said:
    "Something that will put your unnatural powers to good use." Professor Goodwitch grinned. "'Paper work and grading."

    "Wonderful," Weiss said without any inflection. They'd be working on that task for at least an hour even if she went as quickly as possible.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    Sorry Weiss, even bullshit Exalted charms can only do so much here.

    Graveless said:
    "It's she and… She's…"
    "A cripple." The boy interrupted again.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    Missing a line break

    Graveless said:
    She really did need Ren';s help now so…
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    Ren's
     
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