Chapter 40: Valkyrie Maiden

The Schnee Manor was quiet, Ruby had finally gotten the rest she needed and was back to normal. Vest seemed to be a little bothered by something, she bit her nail and walked through the halls of the Manor.

"Where did Vest go?" Nora asked as she was still in bed, and had bandages on. She hadn't noticed Vest leave the room, but she did look over to see Ruby walk in.

"I don't know." Ruby said as she went to sit down. "Deity told me what happened, and what Vest said about Krystal..."

Suddenly, Weiss' scroll started to vibrate, followed by Ruby's ringing and Blake's ringing as well. Nora cocks an eyebrow up as Deity walked in with her scroll also ringing.

"Something doesn't seem right." Klein said. "If they're ringing nonstop, it must be urgent."

"Please don't say that.." Ruby said. "...I don't want to hear about any more bad news.."

Weiss hesitantly looked at her scroll. "Yang's calling."

"Answer." Deity said.

Weiss nods lightly and answers. "Yang...what's up? You're on speaker."

"Thank Monty you answered." Yang said.

"Why wouldn't we?" Ruby asked afraid of what Yang would say.

There was silence as everyone in the room, minus Vest waited. Blake looked worried and frightened about the silence. Yang could be heard taking a deep inhale and exhale. "Derek's dead...Scarlet showed up, and killed him...we were all trying to stop her, but she got the upper hand."

Blake's ears dropped as she drops her scroll. "....No...no....."

Ruby went silent, her hands were shaking. She didn't move, or speak. She just stood there, shaking.

"We don't know where she went...Draken seems to think she's coming after you all." Yang said. "Blake....we're terribly sorry, we weren't strong enough."

"Yang..." Weiss said. "....No more....we've lost too many people to that monster...." She hung up on Yang as she threw her scroll at the wall.

~~~

"VEST!" Blake yelled as she stormed down the hall.

Vest stops as she turns around. "Oh.....oh no."

Blake slapped Vest across the face, but before she could do anymore harm to Vest, Deity pulled Blake back. "You! should've ended Scarlet when you had the chance!"

Vest rubbed her face. She could hear the anger in Blake's voice, she was a bit confused on what happened. "What was that for?"

"Yang called, she said Scarlet killed Derek." Deity said. "And she also said that Draken thinks she's on her way here to end us all."

Vest felt her heart sink to her stomach as she looked away, she felt terrible. She had no idea Scarlet would target Yang and them, but she clinched her fist as she looks at the two. "...I've failed as a Maiden to stop the threat, I get that...I know what I need to do now."

Blake growled as she broke free from Deity's grasp, she huffed and walked off. Vest looked at her and watched her walk off, she looks at Deity for a moment before walking past her. "Don't tell anyone this, I'm going to give my Summer maiden powers to Nora...I still have the Fall Maiden powers, but if Scarlet's coming here. It's more and likely for me."

Deity looked at her, not saying a word. Nodding her head understanding the choice Vest will make.

Vest went to the room Nora was at, once she walked in she noticed Klein wasn't in the room nor was Ruby or Weiss. She glances over to Nora and walked over to the side of her bed.

Nora looked at her with a confused look. "What's up? Why did you come back here? Ruby and Weiss are going to set up defenses with Klein's help, in case Scarlet shows up here."

Vest knelt down by the bedside. "I'm going to do something, but I want you to bare with me on this."

Nora looked at her still with confusion. "And that is..?"

"Give me your hand." Vest said.

Nora wasn't too sure what was going on, but she slowly placed her hand on the bed flat out. Vest picks Nora's hand up with her hands, cupping Nora's hand she closed her eyes. Nora was curious now.

Willow spoke to everyone via scroll. "She's coming!"

"Crap, I need to make this quick." Vest said as she started to transfer her Summer Maiden powers to Nora, Vest felt her aura break a little, but since she still had the Fall Maiden powers she didn't totally collapse.

Ruby speeds down the hall leaving rose petals. "Where's Vest?"

Nora felt the Maiden powers flowing through her as she blinked a little out of confusion, her eyes were glowing however. Vest looks at her as she got up. "I'm going to finish what I should've done...I'm going put a end to Scarlet."

Nora sat up in bed. "W-What did you just do?"

Vest walked over to the door as she turned to look at Nora. "Congrats Nora...you're the new Summer Maiden." She opened the door and walked out.

Nora blinks as she felt the surge of power flowing through her still, she wondered if her body still ached or not. Then she realized, Willow just said Scarlet was coming. "Two Maidens in one room...and Vest being the Fall Maiden...Scarlet can't get her hands on the Summer or Winter powers..I need to do something."

~~

Deity, Vest, Ruby, Weiss, and Blake were ready to attack. But something seemed off, where was Scarlet at and why didn't she just bust through the door.

Willow was still looking at the live camera feed, she didn't see her anywhere either. What she didn't know was Scarlet had slithered her way past the camera's and into the room she was in.

"Mom, where is she?" Weiss asked.

"I-I don't know..." Willow said as splattering and spewing was eventually heard.

Weiss' eyes widen. "Mom!"

Scarlet hissed as she pulled her arm out from Willows back and licked the blood off her arm. "Hello Weiss...Ruby....Blake...Deity and Vest..."

"What did you do?!" Weiss yelled.

Vest clinched her fist, she looks at them and flew into the air and down the hall to the room. She had to see what happened, she wasn't going to let Weiss or the others deal with Scarlet.

"Vest wait!" Ruby shouted.

Blake scoffed, clearly she was pissed at Vest. But was also annoyed that she took off.

Vest busted into the room as she gasped. "You...You killed her." Her eyes glowed as she gritted her teeth. "You're uglier now, how did you survive?"

Scarlet tilts her head as she threw her Grimm arm out and grabbed Vest by the neck, not giving the Maiden any answers or the time to attack. She strangled, bringing her closer to her, Vest gagged as she helplessly clawed at Scarlet's arm.

"Give....give me....." Scarlet said. "The powers....give...back..."

Vest's eyes glowed brighter as she kicked her legs and clawed at Scarlet's arm more. "....Y-You want them back so badly....you have to kill me for them.."

Scarlet grins as she strangled Vest tightly and threw her into the bookshelf, causing it to fall over onto Vest. The sound of Vest's back breaking could be heard as Scarlet leaped and slammed down onto the bookshelf.

Vest yelled in pain as she gripped at the floor, Scarlet didn't stall as she flung the bookshelf off of Vest. She stood over the Maiden as she grabbed her by the back of the neck, and started to drain the Fall Maiden powers from her.

Scarlet could feel the familiar powers flowing back into her body as soon lifted Vest up off the floor. ".....Summer powers...where?"

Vest snickered a little with what strength she had left. "I'll see you in hell....I'm not telling you...."

Scarlet gritted her teeth as she snapped Vest's neck and threw her down. She could hear the rushing footsteps of the others coming down the hall as she made her escape, she was now going back to Salem. For multiple reasons.

Once Ruby and the others had made it to the room, Weiss was horrified as Ruby started to shake again. Deity hit the wall with her fist as she glances around. "Both Willow and Vest are dead....this isn't going as planned!"

However, Vest wasn't really dead. Her voice could be heard by Nora, as she was also showing Nora how to use the Maiden powers. This was giving Nora the idea of how to take advantage of the powers to help the others out.

A/N: [I can't take credit for Draken, Vest, Deity. Credit goes to my friends on discord]