Shimmering Green

I, Silva Branwen, have discovered that I am not at all fond of mountain climbing, and I am using the term loosely since I am climbing inside a mountain instead of outside it. I planted another climbing hook into the darkness-covered cave/mountain wall and hooked myself to it to prevent myself from falling into the lake below me again. It's the sort of mistake you only make once, climbing up a steep mountain without any gear to ensure your safety. Now I don't get wet usually but going into a lake fully clothed is not a pleasant experience, more so when you have fur-covered arms sticking to your sleeves.

However, on the plus side, I can see the light from the Vault near my position, but it's still a way away. If all goes well, I just need one more day to reach the Vault and then drag Raven over here to open it. I felt amused at the fact I was about to snatch a Relic, with Ozpin and Salem being none the wiser; maybe I should leave an IOU just to mess with them. I climbed a bit further until I felt I had reached a good stopping point. I took out an Earth Dust crystal and started infusing it with my Aura and felt the elemental energy around me surge and flow.

I focused on the earth around me and the crystal in my paws and started shifting the rock wall. Minutes passed by, and I made a wide platform for me to rest on and use as a marker for my Door to Darkness Semblance. As I lay down on the platform and looked up at the light above me, I felt excited and nervous. I was excited because I was about to get a Relic that could answer some questions I had. The nervousness came from what the answers might be to the most important question, all the ways to defeat Salem and no longer make her a threat.

The simplest idea I could think of is using my Semblance or the Staff of Creation to send Salem to either the moon or even the freaking sun to deal with her. I mean, surely Ozma wasn't the only one to use the Lamp of Knowledge to answer some important questions, but he might have kept it to himself for whatever reason. I sighed as there was only one way to find out, which could wait until tomorrow. For now, I want some sleep and food. I opened a portal to Mistral's back alleys in the middle district to find a nice place to sit down and eat at.

I wondered about the streets of Mistral, seeing there was anything interesting I wanted to try today. I then saw a poster for something that slipped my mind since I was focused on the Relic, mainly the Mistral Regional Cup. I quickly used Soul Archive to recall all the details I could about it and found myself smiling as I could meet and fight Pyrrha freaking Nikos at this tournament! She took part in this tournament four times in a row and came out as the champion each time which means Pyrrha should be thirteen when she first participated.

Now, I have something to look forward to after I get the Relic and before I head off to Atlas to expand my technical skills in weapon crafting to make my dream weapon, plus maybe snatch the Staff of Creation while I am at it, after all, I could approach the Vault at Atlas the same way I did here by going underneath it. However, the one headache about it is getting my eyes on the Winter Maiden, which Ironwood undoubtedly has a constant watch on; I sighed at that fact and reminded myself to take it one step at a time.

First the Lamp, then the Staff. I won't be able to get to the Crown of Choice or Sword of Destruction for similar reasons. The Summer Maiden would be a pain to track down in Vacuo's desert, and as for the current Fall Maiden, she is probably traveling around the Kingdom of Vale doing whatever. While the Sword appealed to me, the Crown, however, wasn't all that interesting to me; sure, knowing all my choices and their results could help me choose the best path forward, but there is a reason Ozma never bothered using it, the sheer amount of information the Crown provides can overwhelm people and paralysis them from making a decision as in some situations there is no good choice only damned if you do or damned if you don't.

Well, I wasted enough brainpower on what-ifs for today; let's get some food, then call it a night. The spicy noodles at that shop look good.

***

Meanwhile, at Beacon, Ozpin, the Headmaster, was talking with Leonardo Lionheart over the comms.

" So anything to report, Leo?"

" Nothing but usual, Ozpin."

" I see; thank you for your work, Leo. Same time next week?"

" Of course."

Ozpin smiled at his ally and gave Leonardo his farewells.

" Good night, Leo."

" Same to you, Ozpin."

The transmission ended, and Ozpin enjoyed his cup of cocoa. He was wearing his usual black suit that offered a sharp contrast to his aged silver hair. After setting down his mug, Ozpin adjusted the collar of his green undershirt and took off his sunglasses, revealing his brown eyes, then set them down on his desk. Ozpin looked from atop his tower and saw Vale as the view reminded him of what he should protect. Suddenly another call came in, and it was from Qrow Branwen. Ozpin put Qrow's call on speaker and curtly ordered.

" Report."

" Nothing unusual, Oz, at "her" castle and aside from some movements from Hazel and Tyrian but from what I have gathered, their likely hunting Spring. That aside, Oz, can I talk to you about something more personal?"

Ozpin looked mildly curious at Qrow's change in topic and told him.

" Certainly, Qrow. What's on your mind?"

" Do you remember that faunus kid I told you about that my sister brought near my nieces and later on babysat them when Tai took a turn for the worst at Summer's... death?"

Ozpin closed his eyes as he tried to recall that particular bit of information and then replied.

" Silva, was it?"

" Yeah, Snowball. Well, get this, he has left the tribe for good with Raven's blessing, no less!"

Ozpin looked mildly surprised at this information and commented.

" That is certainly interesting, Qrow; knowing your sister, she does not seem the type to allow this sort of thing to happen when she took over the Branwen tribe."

" Yeah, imagine my surprise when I ran into her, and Snowball came up in the conversation that followed. And that's not the only thing that happened; she even freaking adopted the kid! Papers and all!"

Ozpin looked a bit confused at this information as it clashed with what he knew of Raven Branwen somewhat. He put it aside for now, then asked Qrow.

" Why bring this up, Qrow?"

" I was thinking of maybe hunting the kid down to see if he wanted to attend Beacon. Can you help him have a legal identity, Oz?"

Ozpin contemplated Qrow's request for a moment, then asked.

" Are you vouching for him, Qrow?"

" Yeah, Snowball did good with looking out for my nieces all those years ago and getting Tai's head out of butt."

Ozpin then asked him in a serious tone.

" And if he's changed and is no longer the virtuous boy you met before?"

" I hope to set him on the right path then because he has a good heart underneath whatever the tribe tried to bury."

Ozpin leaned back on his chair and told Qrow.

" I would like to meet him beforehand Qrow to see for myself what kind of young man he has grown into."

" Sure thing, Oz, later."

Qrow hung up, and Ozpin decided to turn in for the night.