Their home was burning. People were dying. Everything was being destroyed around them. None of them could believe that what had started as an ordinary day could end up like this. One student in particular took these events harder than anyone else.
Lala fell to her knees and started screaming. She grabbed handfuls of her hair and pulled hard enough to rip it from her scalp. In her eyes she wasn't at Beacon. She found herself back home in Atlas in the burning remains of her home standing over her parent's bodies.
"I don't want to sound insensitive, but can you take care of that?" Lotus asked.
Yasmin nodded and knelt down next to Lala. She gently grasped the young girl's hands.
"Lala, I need you to take a deep breath for me. Can you do that?"
Lala breathed in and out.
Yasmin smiled. "Good"
"Where are my mom and dad? Why is my house on fire? Why did they attack us? What did we ever do to them?"
Yasmin squeezed Lala's hands. "Lala, this isn't Atlas. We're in Vale."
Lala looked at Yasmin. "Why is it burning?"
Yasmin frowned. "I don't know. Now, we're probably going to have to fight. Are you okay with that?"
Lala nodded.
Yasmin smiled. "Good. Now, let's get our weapons."
Iris, Lala, and Yasmin each summoned their lockers. They brandished their weapons and set off to defend their home.
"You're a lifesaver Yasmin" Lotus said.
Yasmin waved dismissively. "I'm just doing my job."
That was true for the most part. Yasmin had been selected for the sole purpose of managing Lala's episodes. Lala was a skilled fighter, but her condition made her a liability. Without Yasmin around to care for her mental health there's no telling what could happen.
Lotus sighed. "I'm serious. I know I wouldn't be able to handle her the way you can. You take care of Lala, Iris went to someone else for training. I really am awful at being a leader"
Iris slapped Lotus on the back of her head. "Keep talking like that and you'll get us all eaten. For now let's find somewhere safe."
Lotus groaned. "God your hands are like stone now. What did George do to you?"
"All kinds of things. Speaking of, I wonder where they are."
Lotus shrugged. "Those guys can handle themselves."
Yasmin dialed a number on her scroll.
"Who are you calling?" Iris asked.
"Someone I work with" Yasmin replied.
The person she was calling answered. A voice that was unfamiliar to half of Team LILY came from the scroll.
"This had better be an emergency" the voice said.
"Captain Schnee, this is Private Yasmin. What is going on?"
There was a brief pause while Winter gathered her thoughts. "Vale is under attack by an unknown force. There are reports of Grimm, as well as White Fang. Unfortunately our own assets have been compromised."
"Compromised how?"
"All four of our Dreadnoughts have been destroyed, and our Knights and Paladins have been seized by the enemy. Assume any mechanical forces you encounter are hostile."
"Understood. Has a safe zone been established?"
"Yes, the general and I have established a perimeter. I am sending you the coordinates now. If you encounter any injured bring them with you if you can."
"Understood. Yasmin out."
Yasmin hung up her scroll. "Alright, looks like there's a safe zone not too far from here. If we hurry it shouldn't take that long to get there."
Lotus and Iris stared slack jawed at Yasmin.
"What?"
"You're in the army?" Iris asked.
"Kind of. I'm a private in name only. I won't officially enlist until I graduate."
"Later on you're going to have to tell us more about that."
The four of them traveled through the city looking for any survivors. They never found any. There were signs that a fierce battle had been fought in the area. The ground was littered with corpses and machine parts.
Yasmin sighed. "I think we should give up on finding anyone."
"So what, go to the safe zone?" Lotus asked.
"Seems like it." She looked at the way Lala gripped her spear, and the obvious fear on her face. "Let's try and avoid fighting if we can."
There were sounds of combat all around them. There was an explosion, and a massive white ball rose into the air before coming down. There was another explosion and it rose again, but even larger.
Lotus shielded her eyes from the blinding light. "Holy shit. Is that Corona?"
Iris shuddered. "Looks like they have things handled on their end. Let's try a different way."
They traveled a different route, but still found no signs of life. As they got closer to the school the fighting got more intense. They entered into an open street and found it littered with bodies. Some of them they recognized as fellow students.
"How could they?" Lala asked.
The same question was on all of their minds. They all had the same thought. Whoever was behind this needed to pay.
As they walked a black streak sped past them. It was so fast they barely noticed it. As the four girls looked at what was running past it was as if time slowed down just so they could see it clearly. It was a girl with long black hair running for her life. She was carrying something on her back. It was another girl with blond hair, and one arm missing. There was blood dripping from her exposed stump.
The girl was gone as quickly as she appeared. It took several seconds for the others to comprehend what they had just seen.
The black haired girl was Blake Belladonna, someone Iris had spoken to a few times. Well, attempted to speak to. Blake was a girl of few words. The other girl was Yang Xiao Long, one of the strongest fighters at Beacon. She had gotten into a fight and lost her arm as a result. Whoever could do that to Yang was someone the girls needed to avoid at all costs.
Unfortunately that wasn't their decision to make.
They heard people screaming. The three girls turned and saw someone walking towards them. He had a sword out and was wiping the blood off of the blade with a cloth. He sheathed his sword and stared down the students. He had red hair, two horns, and was wearing a black suit and an ornate white and red mask. Each of them recognized the man immediately.
"Adam Taurus" Lotus said, her heart pounding.
Adam placed a hand on his sword. "You know who I am?"
"Yes. You're an A-class criminal, wanted all over Remnant for murder and acts of terrorism. You've been deemed too dangerous to take in alive."
"Then you know what will happen if you stand in my way."
Yasmin looked past Adam. There were four bodies on the ground with fresh sword wounds. She recognized them. They were Team SLYM. They were unarmed. They must have been caught off guard by the sudden attack and had the bad luck to run into Adam. He killed them just for being there, just because he could.
Iris stepped forward. "Why are you doing this?"
Adam scoffed. "That should be obvious. It's time to end the rule of humans, and create a new world for the Faunus."
"And you don't care how many have to die to make your new world?"
"There is no such thing as a bloodless revolution. Force, and violence are the only things humans understand."
"What about the Faunus who live in this city?"
Adam shrugged. "My men offered them a chance to join me. If they would rather fight alongside the humans then they can die alongside them." He drew his sword and pointed it at Iris. "You of course are no exception."
Iris hefted her axe. "Then I have no choice but to stop you."
Adam laughed. "Very well. I hope you put up more of a fight than the others."
During their back and forth all eyes were fixed on Adam. It was understandable, he was a powerful fighter who had already killed many people this night alone. However the members of Team LILY didn't notice that one of their members was slowly losing their grip. If any of them had looked to their teammate, things might not have turned out the way they did.
The Lamb family was a close ally of the Schnees, and as a result found themselves repeated targets of the White Fang. Lala in particular had suffered greatly at the hands of the Faunus terrorists. She had lost her grandparents, her younger brother, aunts and uncles, cousins, even close friends. What ended up sending her over the edge was the night she lost her parents, and her home. In her diminished mental state she had no idea that the man standing before her was not the one who had taken so much from her. All she saw was the mask, the mask that haunted her nightmares for years. The mask that had taken everything from her with no remorse or pity. The mask that even now wants to torment her further.
Lala gripped her spear until her knuckles were white. All of the fear that permeated her face was gone, replaced with raw fury. She shot forward and stabbed at Adam with her spear. He held up his sword and blocked with the blade. She sent a flurry of stabs at him, but he effortlessly parried every one.
Yasmin didn't understand. He went out of his way to ensure that he blocked with the sword, even the attacks he could easily avoid. She was too late in realizing what he was doing. Her eyes widened in horror.
"Lala, stop!" she shouted. But it was too late.
Adam took a step back and sheathed his sword. He drew it back and swung it with blinding speed. Lala stumbled and fell to the ground, blood slowly pooling around her head.
It was a single cut just above the eye. Death was instantaneous.
Yasmin drew her sword. She knew she had no chance at beating Adam, but she had to try and hold him off for as long as she could.
Lotus and Iris joined her. They each attacked Adam together. It was clear from the start that they were outmatched.
Adam dodged Lotus' punch, jumped over Iris's low axe swing, and parried Yasmin's sword. Without missing a beat he pointed his sheath at Iris and shot her in the stomach, and beat Lotus and Yasmin back with his sword. He had a small grin on his face the entire time. This was a game to him, nothing more than a way to kill time.
The three remaining members of Team LILY were breathing heavily. Adam was on another level compared to their opponents in the past. Even surviving would take everything they had.
Lotus began to dance, and the three girls glowed with green energy. They resumed their attack, much faster than before.
Adam ducked, dodged, and parried every attack that came his way. He saw Iris' axe speeding toward him. He held up his sword to block, but wasn't prepared for the amount of power behind the strike. He was sent flying through a wall.
"You think that was enough?" Lotus asked.
"Of course not" Yasmin replied.
Sure enough Adam emerged from the cloud of dust and debris virtually unharmed. He brushed some dirt off of his coat.
"Impressive. You are skilled. I'll have to take this seriously."
His dark red aura surged. He had a wicked smile on his face. The girls steeled themselves for the ensuing battle.
Yasmin's foot shifted slightly. Adam appeared in front of her and attacked. Yasmin parried his swing and went for a counter. Adam sheathed his sword. Yasmin's eyes widened. He pulled the trigger on his sheath, and his blade exploded from it faster than she could comprehend. There was a spray of blood. Yasmin was slashed across her chest, the blade slicing through her heart. She fell to the ground and died.
He saw an axe speeding toward his head and fired a round into it. it's trajectory shifted and missed him by a hair. He stepped forward and stabbed Iris through with his sword. He wrenched the sword from her stomach and left her on the ground gasping in pain. He raised his sword and prepared to finish her off when Lotus struck him hard in the chest.
Adam sheathed his sword and watched Lotus drag Iris away from the fight. "How pointless. Do you think you can defeat me?"
Lotus walked toward Adam. "I can try."
Adam place a hand on his sword. Before he could draw it he saw several projectiles speeding toward him. He jumped out of the way before they exploded near him.
Each step left an imprint in the ground. The woman's face was the image of rage. Her hands were balled into fists. Dozens of glowing crystals orbited her body.
Lotus gasped with shock. "Professor Peach. What are you doing here?"
Peach adjusted her gloves. "Looking for survivors. Have you seen Maggie?"
"No Ma'am."
Peach looked resigned. "I see." She glared at Adam. "The guys on the council say to eliminate you on sight. I'll be more than happy to oblige them."
Three of the crystals that were floating around her body left her orbit and shot toward Adam like bullets. Adam exposed his blade to absorb them, when they suddenly changed course and went around him before speeding into his back. He was thrown to the ground by the ensuing explosion.
Peach was skilled enough to weave five different dust types into her gloves and her boots, but what made her truly dangerous was her propensity toward brute force. Dust was powerful as a powder, and its power was exponentially increased if utilized in its raw crystal form. The one, quite significant, drawback was its instability. Of course Peach found a way around that. She just threw them. Her semblance allowed her to control the trajectory of anything she threw, and she combined it with her arsenal of Dust to great effect. Even a warrior on the level of Adam Taurus would be at a disadvantage.
Adam coughed and looked at Peach. Gears began to turn in his head. This wasn't someone he could afford to play around with. He would have to end this as quickly as possible.
Peach looked at Lotus. "We've got one shot at this. You ready?"
Lotus nodded.
Peach fired a series of crystals at Adam. They flew towards him in a single file line before breaking apart and spiraling above his head. They came together and fell onto him like explosive rain. He absorbed three with his sword. That was more than enough. He got into his stance. His hair began to glow bright red.
Peach and Lotus ran at Adam together. they charged right into Adam's fatal circle without an ounce of fear.
Adam drew his sword and sliced the two approaching women in half.
Except he didn't. He felt the sensation of cutting into something, but not cutting through it. He saw Lotus holding on to his sword arm. He looked to his left and saw Peach's fist shining with a black light. She punched him hard in the stomach and sent him flying. He jammed his sword in the ground to slow himself down. With a metal screech he slowed to a halt and staggered to his feet. He then fell to his knees and coughed up blood.
Lotus ground her teeth in pain. Blocking that attack had broken her arm. The power behind that sword technique was obscene.
Peach didn't fare much better. She had taken the brunt of Adam's attack. The sword cut into her side, right through the steel fibers she had woven into her suit. Lotus' intervention was the only reason the sword didn't cut through her spine as well.
All three fighters were badly injured. None of them were in any condition to fight anymore.
"How about we call this a draw?" Peach said.
Adam rose to his feet and sheathed his sword. "Very well. You get to live another day."
He turned and walked away into the night. Once he was gone Peach fell to the ground clutching her side.
"God it burns. What is that sword made of?"
Lotus ran to her. "Are you alright?"
"I'll live. You check on your friend."
Lotus suddenly remembered. She ran to Iris and grabbed her.
"Iris, are you okay?"
Iris didn't respond.
Lotus began to panic. "Please say something. I can't lose you too." Her eyes began to fill up with tears. "Oh god. I'm sorry. I'm sorry I never looked out for you. I'm sorry I was such a terrible leader. I still need you. You have to wake up."
Iris grumbled. "Shut up."
Lotus wrapped her arms around Iris. "You're okay!"
"No I'm not. I got a hole in my stomach. Need a doctor."
Iris lost consciousness, but at least she was alive.
Lotus sighed. She picked Iris up and hoisted her over her shoulders.
Peach had stumbled to her feet. "Now what?"
"Yasmin said something about a safe zone. We should head that way."
Peach felt a chill run down her spine. "I don't think that's happening."
Lotus turned around and found the area filled with Grimm. Dozens upon dozens of them. Of course they were here. The despair the four girls felt attracted them like flies to honey.
"You know, I always knew this is how I'd go out" Peach said. She checked her wound. If she was lucky she'd be able to take out fifty before she succumbed to her injuries. She turned to Lotus. "Take your friend and get out of here. I'll hold them off."
Lotus looked horrified. "I cant just leave you here"
"That wasn't a suggestion. Get lost before we all get killed."
The Grimm attacked en masse. A wave of black monster descended upon them. Lotus turned and ran as fast as she could, tears streaming down her face. She looked up at the monster that had latched on to Beacon Tower. The sight disgusted her. it was the capstone on the desecration of her home.
Then something happened. There was a light at the top of the tower. It was blindingly bright, and it expanded far beyond its point of origin. A massive dome of blinding white light expanded so far as to cover the entire city. Lotus closed her eyes and waited for the end. instead she felt a gentle warmth through her body. she opened her eyes and saw that the Grimm that filled the streets were all gone without a trace. The teeth and claw marks covering the ground and buildings were the only signs that they had ever been there.
Lotus didn't understand it at all. She had no idea what had just happened, but she was deeply grateful that it did. She heard footsteps behind her and turned to see who it was.
"I'm guessing that wasn't you" Peach said.
Lotus shook her head. "Do you know what that was?"
"Nope." She looked around and didn't hear any sounds of combat. She sighed and clutched at her side. "Guess the fighting's over."