29 The Return of Magic
Right after the train had come to a violent and abrupt stop, teams RWBY and _NPR made their way outside. Zwei and Oobleck popped out of a train car behind them, apparently making a great team. The Grimm were on their way and coming fast. Both teams were in a daze as they saw the people of Vale looking at them in alarm and curiousity.
"Uh.. guys?" Pyrrha was the first to snap out of it and get ready. This prompted the others to get up and ready too.
That's when they saw Neo hop off a train car with messed hair and lipstick marks on her face, neck and above her chest. On top of that, she was in her Evolved Proxy form, which confused all but Blake and Pyrrha.
"Today I learned an important lesson.. Aura doesn't protect you from lipstick" Neo clears her throat as Neopolitan is seen flying away on Succubus wings before blowing a kiss at Neo.
"What.." Ren just sighed and stopped questioning his leader.
Suddenly, Neo saw a system notification and quickly gave it a glance while reaching into her inventory. She froze when she saw it and gave it a good look.
[Ding! Side Quest: Solo all the Grimm coming into Vale through the tunnel!
Bonus: ???
Rewards: A reunion, S grade magical talent]
The system notified her and she nodded slightly. She had no idea what reunion would be but the reward was good enough to pull out all the stops. She retrieved Rhongomyniad from her inventory. It immediately filled the air with magic once more. Even as it was currently, it was not 'activated' yet and still one felt its presence.
Neo opened the floodgates. Her magic poured and resonated with the lance as it activated. Words appeared in her head, a chant. An activation sequence.
"So edgy.. fine! Here we go.. Sacred Lance, removing restraints. Split the Heavens and tether the Earth" She begun the chant as the lance transformed, flooding the area with golden light as magic permeated throughout the atmosphere.
Everyone felt some kind of energy react in their body. As if it was someone who had been without water for so long and finally found an oasis. The Grimm, mindless in their hunt for humans, didn't react at all in the face of the growing power.
"O light, may you be released from the ends of the world. Rhongomyniad" Neo finished the chant as golden threads of light and divine magic lit up the Valean skies.
Neo pointed the golden glowing lance at the tunnel and cleared her throat once again, doing the best impression she could.
"ONE PUUUUNC-" Her yell was overpowered by the roaring descent of magic that fell down and smashed through the tunnel like the hand of God.
The dust and rubble that flew everywhere also didn't help. The full capacity of Neo's mana was used as the light incinerated and disintegrated every last Grimm inside the tunnel. On top of that, the entire structure of the train tunnel collapsed under the raw power.
As if the showcase of raw power wasn't enough for the lance, the magic blew the top off Mt. Glenn and a giant pillar of Golden light burst through it, spreading magic and light across the skies and reviving something once thought lost to the world. Magic, was awakened once again in those who had awakened their aura.
Neo's mouth curled in on a straight line as the dust settled.
~There... aren't restraints put in this..?~ Neo asked herself, though she felt drained, magic wise and almost slouched over.
~Play it off..~ Neo nodded to herself and put the lance back in her inventory before she turned to her teams, who were staring at her with jaws comically dropped low.
"Who's hungry? I could go for some pizza" Neo nodded once as the scene behind her was still playing out.
The pillar of golden light was still coming out of Mt. Glenn and it lasted for a solid ten more seconds before it faded away. As for the teams and Doctor Oobleck, they had no idea where to even begin. The look she had? The lance she pulled out of nowhere? The incredible display she showed with said lance? The fact that it killed hundreds of Grimm? That it blew the top of the Mountain away? Or how about the fact that they all felt a power in themselves because of it?
"Oh, right.. Still in my form. Don't want this getting out to the public so.. bye!" Neo took off running.
Weiss raised a finger and opened her mouth but only a series of strange noises came out. Yang blinked repeatedly and slowly nodded, seeing why her Mother took interest in the short girl aside from her looks. Ruby experienced a new sensation upon seeing the Lance in action.
"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!! SOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOCOOOL!!!!!! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!" Ruby held her face with stars in her eyes.
"Ruby! Calm down.." Blake tried to pin her leader to the ground and stop her rapid bouncing, though she failed due to nobody helping.
"I keep saying I won't be surprised anymore.. I keep saying it but.." Ren seemed inconsolable.
"RENNY I want that on Magnhild!!" Nora lit up and shook Ren, who was too inconsolable to even dispute her.
"Well... it IS Neo after all.." Pyrrha whispered to herself.
Roman was looking at the glowing sky with a growing smirk, knowing this would make Cinder have a mental breakdown.
-Ozpin's office-
Ozpin was looking at a video that was rapidly spreading on the net. He saw the teams getting up after a terrible train crash. Then Neo popped out in her form that strengthened her body. Then she pulled out that lance and he seemed very interested. But the moment it was unleased, truly unleashed, he dropped his mug. At the beginning of its display of power, he felt it all the way in Beacon. At the zenith of its power, when it blasted through the Grimm and blew the top off the large Mountain, he reckoned it was felt across the world. It took the shape of a giant pillar of Divine light. Like it was a tower that held up the world and healed it's grevious wound left by the God of Darkness.
Then he felt the hot coffee burning his lap and crotch and yelped in pain.
"Oww! Tss.. tss.. I suppose I was right about you.. I'm sorry, Amber but I need to do this.." Ozpin pat his lap down as he received several calls.
The Vale Council, Vale PD, Ironwood, Lionheart and more.
Today was going to be busy, it seems.
-Cinder's room-
Cinder was undergoing panic of such an extreme degree, she practically froze as she stared outside their window. She saw the enormous light that blew off the top of the Mountain and surely killed the giant Dragon Grimm within. First, it was the twins mischief. Second, it was the oddly amazing bath and massage Emerald enthusiastically gave her, making her question numerous things. Finally, it was this. She was done with today.
She closed her curtains and just went back to bed, where Emerald had made herself comfortable. She didn't even care at this point anymore. She lied there with a still sleepy Emerald for a half hour, until Neopolitan and Neo barged into their room.
"....What? I'm not doing anything today anymore.. fuck it. I'm not.. I'm so done.." Cinder muttered as Neo and Neopolitan smirked at each other.
Snapping a picture of Cinder and Emerald, they both left and walked out of the room.
"I thought for sure she'd start yelling and questioning what happened. I guess I broke her a little?" Neo thoughtfully smiled.
"Oh well! Wanna come to my room while my team catches up? I have that quest reward to claim" Neopolitan nods and claps her hands fast.
Getting to JNPR's room, Neo shuts the door and opens the system interface.
[Ding! Side quest completed: Solo all the Grimm inside the tunnel!
Bonus complete: One hit kill everything inside!
Rewards: 30,000 shop points, a reunion, S grade magical talent! (Description: Will learn all skills pertaining to magic 4x faster than usual)
"Oh YES! I'll be a genius in magic.." Neo cackled to herself before looking at the 'reunion' part with a raised brow.
She was poked in the back by Neopolitan and heard a familiar, repetitive whine. Snapping her head back quickly with wide eyes, she laid her eyes on Neopolitan, who had a fox cub in her arms. The fox had an oval shaped black spot of fur under its right eye that made it look distinguished. At the moment, it was whining. Though one could tell, it was extremely happy as it jumped into Neo's arms.
"Kit..?" Neo asked and got a whine in return as the fox rubbed his head all over her body.
Neopolitan seemed confused. The fox appeared out of nowhere, likely due to the system. It looked like Neo and the fox were well acquainted though. She saw Neo's face light up in the most joy she's ever seen on her face. She could see tears of happiness in her eyes as she hugged the fox close and rubbed her face in his orange fur. She grew concerned for a second once she heard the stuttering breaths and choked sobs that came from Neo as she pet the fox cub.
The concern turned into a warm happiness, seeing as it wasn't because she was sad. Neo was the happiest she had ever seen her. She put two and two together after a few seconds. Neo had been reunited with someone quite important to her in the past. With that in mind, she put her hand on Neo's shoulder and gave her a look.
"Y..Yeah I-I'm okay... really. It's just.. so long. I haven't seen him in so long" Neo sniffled and wiped her face, which had been licked by the fox and was wet with her tears.
"This is Kit.. I knew him before I got here. As a kid. He died when I was thirteen and I missed him ever since" Neo hugged Kit as he curled up into her.
Neopolitan gave her a look to continue. Being as happy as she was, Neo granted her wish and spoke about her past some more.
"So when my Mom was still alive I'd go camping with her and my Dad out in the woods in the back of our house. Well, one day we go camping and I see this furry baby caught in a beartrap. His paw is stuck and he's yelping. No Mother or Father in sight. So I get my Mom to help free him. My Mom, being a vet helps him out and he stays at our place. I played with him every day and we just kind of bonded I guess. I told you before my Mom died when I was five.. I took Kit here with me to our new house since he was domesticated by then. At thirteen, he died because.. my Father made me give him up to his new son. Kit had his neck broken by my Father because he bit his six year old son for poking his eye really hard. It broke my heart, really.. I love animals far more than I love people. My Father and I really got distant after that. Little things kept piling up and I grew resentment for the new family he created. My stepmother tried to include me, though. And their son got.. tolerable as he grew older but I couldn't bring myself to love them like I loved Mom and Kit here" Neo sighed and felt Neopolitan raise her face and kiss her.
Her face showed empathy and understanding.
"It's honestly not as bad as you might think. I agree with you though. I know you feel that way about your birth parents. But Roman and 'Neo' were more of your true family. I hope one day I'll be included in-" Neo was interrupted with another kiss and an assuring look.
"I'm already part of it huh.. Thank you" Neo genuinely smiled at Neopolitan as Kit licked them both.
"I wonder how Kit knew I was me? I look so different now. Must be my amazing aura" Neo nodded to herself as the team door bust open.
"NEO!/LEADER!!" Team RW_Y and Nora yelled as they busted in.
"Deja-vu?" Neo hummed as Kit yipped in confirmation?
