Edge of Life
Chapter Forty Five
Beta: Smithrooks
The Edge of Life
The Director's facility
The AI version of the Director had split himself; half of his runtimes were now dedicated to Subject 13's procedure. His creation had taken quite the beating at the hands of Cinder, Braun was only 83% sure that the rebellious subject would survive the operation. But 83% was more than enough. Cinder had ruined Braun's life… and even in death Stanis Braun was nothing if not spiteful.
13 had been annihilated in one blow, if it could even be called a blow and not Cinder's attempt to tickle. The machines under the intelligence's control quickly cut open the chest of the unconscious subject, revealing all the shattered bones as well as the burnt organs. Normally they would be more careful... but time was of the essence. Long, spindly mechanical arms plucked away what remained of the rib cage; the lungs were charred and bleeding messily, and the heart was struggling out feeble beats with the aid of the critically damaged pacemaker. But all of that was irrelevant.
A moment later another arm stabbed a long needle into the weakly beating heart, then in less than a second the powerful muscle died; blood was no longer pumping and the subject was dead. Long hoses attached to the dead heart, and with a wet slurping sound all the blood was quickly drained and stored. Phase one complete.
Machines buzzed around the fresh corpse and plucked out the ruined organs and bones. Soon all that remained was the skull, spine and brain; the single blue eye that was salvaged was promptly cut open and hollowed out so the prosthetic could sit inside. One by one, the vertebrae were replaced with an extremely dense tungsten/osmium alloy facsimile; the jelly-like disks were flooded with nano-machines that hardened the substance to withstand the extreme weight.
Gradually, the AI-guided metal arms worked their way up to the skull and brain of the corpse; the single remaining bone was quickly cut away in chunks not dissimilar to that of a newborn's fragmented skull, and then replaced with the same alloy as the spine. The brain was treated with the utmost care as the machines attached several metal devices to the fragile grey matter.
The blue eye that was salvaged was connected to the now enhanced brain, the red optical sensor underneath covered by the original eye; the subject would want to retain some of his original physical appearance after all. The second eye was attached a moment later, although since they lacked the original specimen to cover the sensor with a fake rubber eye was grafted over the sensor; the synthetic colour would shine through however, and the subject would be forever bound to having mismatched eyes.
The empty places the heart, lungs and other vital organs had once occupied were then filled with more efficient replacements. He now had the ability to hold his breath for over an hour; his heart, though still inactive, would be able to sustain him and his soon to be hulking body. The subject would be able to go over six months without food or water, and hold such an extreme tolerance to poison and other chemicals that he could chug the juice of Nightshade berries with only mild discomfort.
Soon the limbs were replaced with the dense metal alloy, and the skin suitably expanded to accommodate for the large increase in subject size. Robotic muscles and compressors were added at every conceivable location to bulk up the strength of the subject; if he so wished, the subject could now arm wrestle against an Atlesian paladin using only a single finger… and win.
Aura amplification devices inserted at strategic locations throughout the body would bolster his already substantial reserves tenfold, as well as improving his control over his 'soul' almost a hundred times over.
Skin was welded back together as the last stages of the operation were drawing to a close; all that remained now was for blood to be pumped back into the body, and then they could restore the lifeless husk into the poor excuse for a person.
Long, thin tubes were attached to the body at all the easily accessible arteries and veins, then within moments thick red blood was pumped back into the corpse; the blood had been altered however, it was now filled with nano-machines that would aid in bodily repair and many other miscellaneous functions.
The thin spindly arms that had performed the operation were quickly pulled back as the table rose to a standing position. The subject's now 7'3 frame was still confined to the table, but in a moment that would change.
Whispered commands of his creator spurred Subject 13's new heart to life, nanite-filled blood pumping around the massive frame as life began to burn through its unnatural body.
Awaken
The subject awoke with a gasp, newly enhanced aura spurring to life in an instant and with hardly a thought he broke free of his restraints.
So with half his runtimes dedicated to ensuring that 13 survived, the Director turned his attention to other matters; namely how he planned on getting his just revenge on the elder woman. If 13 survived and was functional once again then he would no doubt run off to try and fight her; even with all the upgrades however, there was only a 0.00002% chance of success. So the AI had decided to even the odds a bit; if 13 himself couldn't be improved further, then what else could? His armour and arsenal of course.
Before now, the Director had never really helped 13 or 8 after they aided in his death; he was still slightly annoyed about that. So as a result, both his errant subjects had learnt to make and repair things on their own; while neither subject had ever been bad at science and technology, the Director was simply better than them. They were created for killing; a knife may be used to pick a lock, but it will never be as good as a key after all.
So the Director looked over the design schematics for 13's 'Minotaur' armour. The first variant of the armour was created by Mistral and was called the 'T-45 MK-II'; the armour then went on be upgraded over the years by 13 in his bumbling attempts to get more power, eventually culminating in what 13 had dubbed the 'T-60 MK.V'. The Director could honestly say the improvements weren't bad, but they just weren't up to Braun's own standards of excellence.
So with that in his artificial mind, the AI split off a dozen more runtimes to improve the armour. Make it more durable, faster, powerful… and he supposed he could keep the minotaur design too. If 13 was going to die, he might as well do it in style.
The rest of the AI focused his attentions on weapons. It was all well and good being able to not be turned to paste in one blow, but 13 would need to be able to cause some damage too…
Perhaps Venom would be the answer to the main problem. If injectable canisters of pure Venom were added to the suit, then that coupled with the raw power of the upgrades and the armour… 13 could become quite powerful indeed.
But will it be enough? The AI questioned itself silently. More calculations were processed; more data was burnt away in the search for the answer.
It will have to do.
Solus staggered off the table, the world spinning around him. Information crashed through his brain at incredible speeds that he knew should have driven any normal person insane within moments.
But he wasn't normal anymore.
Power unlike anything the merc had ever felt washed through his system. His aura felt almost 50 times stronger, no doubt a result of the numerous amps placed within his 'new' body. His eyesight was sharp and clearly defined, dual vision gracing him for the first time since he had lost his eye originally. Aches and pains from injuries years past had vanished, replaced by a crushing strength and clarity of thought. He felt taller too; before he had only been 6'1, but now? He was about 7'3.
He perceived the world with such clarity of thought; where his mind had once been plagued with chaos and emotion, now there was… peace. The emotion was still there of course, but now it felt… distant.
"Interruption: Enough dawdling 13," The AI version of the Director commanded from nearby. "Our enemy has already made her move on Vale, you must hurry if you wish to save your friends."
Solus looked over to the Director, his single blue eye locking onto the AI while his other new eye looked past him.
"Instruction: Your avatar will inform you of all the new functions of your weapons and armour."
Solus stepped past the Director to his armour. The darkly smiling Minotaur stared back at him; it was bigger, and judging by the information that his avatar just poured into his mind, it was far better too.
"Closing remarks: 13, do ensure that you kill Cinder for me," the hologram stated flatly before he winked out of existence.
Yes… Cinder would die.
He was done lying, to himself and his… friends. What was the point? He was going to die anyway, names were irrelevant now.
He would do this, he would kill Cinder. Not for himself, it hardly mattered to him now… he wouldn't do it because of the debt he still owed Summer… he wouldn't do it because the Director commanded him to. He was going to do this for the woman he had failed; for Kira, the love he had killed. And he would do it for Rose, the woman he damned; the woman who for some inconceivable reason kissed him… and he would be damned before he caused her any more suffering!
He would kill Cinder, even if it meant his own end.
It was bucketing down with rain as Solus landed across the Beacon courtyard from Cinder; great chunks of the once magnificent school had been torn away and destroyed, leaving only the bloodied battlefield. As the merc landed, Cinder dropped Rose from a chokehold and turned to face him with surprise evident in her gorgeous features. "Cinder!" he cried out over the pounding rain, "This is between you and me."
In the blink of an eye she stood before him, blazing golden orbs piercing into the glowing red eyes of his helmet. "My, my, how your power has grown…" she whispered sultrily as she ran a hand down his chest plate. "Not even close to mine… but let me extend an offer to you: join me, lay waste to this decadent society and live as a king by my side."
Solus smirked sadly under his mask; if she had asked him before he joined Beacon he might have taken her up on that offer...
But not now.
Now, she had to die.
"We need not fight," she purred, eyes dancing with promises of power.
"Sure we do," his voice rasped through the suit. "You've lived too long."
In a flash he pulled a short, flat-barreled gun from his belt, the weapon extending just as he pulled the trigger. Argentum's helmet cut off all noise as an ungodly sound shot out of the gun; all glass that was within two kilometres instantly shattered and Cinder staggered backwards from the horrendous screech.
The elder woman felt something wet on her face, and it wasn't the rain. In the haze caused by the terrible sound she wiped her face with her hand, and to her surprise and utter horror a smear of blood leaked from her nose and onto her hand as well as the ground.
Rage quickly overcame her, and in a flash she was on her feet. With her left hand Cinder grabbed the gun and crushed it, slamming a punch into the armoured man's gut with her right hand. He toppled backwards until he crashed into one of the numerous metal lamps that dotted the courtyard.
"You fool!" she hissed as she appeared before him, standing over his form. "You could have ruled the world with me! You could have lived like a GOD!"
The Wanderer chuckled darkly under his helmet; he wasn't going to be lied to again. He pushed himself to his feet as he subtly unhooked a small metal cord from his belt, the wire wrapping around a nearby lamppost; within moments Subject 13 could feel extra power flowing through his suit in droves. "A god?" he questioned, "Or a SLAVE!?"
As he shouted the final word his hands shot forward and grasped onto Cinder firmly, lightning pouring out of his fingers and into her body. Aided all the more by the extra power he was drawing, lights all over the nearby city flickered and dimmed from the enormous drain. Cinder screamed in ungodly pain, her body shuddering and convulsing as he poured more power into his attack. "YOU SAY YOU'RE SOME SORT OF GOD!?" he screamed in her face. "YOU'RE NOTHING! YOU RUINED MY ENTIRE LIFE! IF NOT FOR YOU THEN I COULD HAVE BEEN AT PEACE BY NOW! I COULD HAVE BEEN WITH MY FAMILY!"
With the aid of his enhanced muscles and power armour he clamped down even harder. "AND WHAT ARE YOU?! JUST A BITTER OLD WOMAN! WHAT GIVES YOU THE RIGHT!?"
Despite her screams of total agony, Cinder opened her eyes and let her fury show. For a moment her eyes glowed even brighter than they had before… then two burning streams of fire shot out of her eyes and scorched across the Wanderer's chest, searing through the wires that connected him to the city power grid. The lightning weakened dramatically as he sustained it under his own power and that of the suit, but she wasn't even fazed by it anymore; the energy just washed over her body like waves battering against the shore.
Before Mortem could react, a lightning fast punch shot forwards and crashed into his helmet; he was sent flying off the Beacon cliff, and if he had not gotten the upgrade and been wearing his armour he would have been turned to red paste instantly from the blow.
"I AM A QUEEN!" she roared as she watched him fall off the cliff and towards the city below. "IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT YOU WANT! I AM YOUR GOD!"
Solus let out a terrific battle cry as one of the Director's improvements to the suit activated; jets of flame poured out of his feet and the small of his back, and he flew towards the dust-powered witch with his fist raised to smite her.
She sneered at his attempt however, and as soon as he came close to her she grabbed him and threw him with staggering strength over her shoulders and onto the ground.
He rolled as the ground shattered under his weight, and in an instant he was upon Cinder again. His armoured fist slammed into her face with a hollow sounding bonk; to his utter horror, her head only tilted back slightly as an annoyed look crossed her features.
Despite how powerful he had become, it seemed she still outclassed him.
Almost beyond his control, 13 took a step back in slight fear as she raised her hand. He was fucked…
Her hand smashed into his chest with obscene force and he was hurled backwards through the air; he was completely ragdolled as he smashed through several walls in the school, concrete and other debris smeared across his wet armour as he finally came to a stop against a circular metal door that he vaguely recalled seeing once.
A fraction of a second later Cinder stood before him again; he pulled himself out of the dented metal and glared at her under his helmet. "You cannot win," she sneered.
He didn't reply, as she wouldn't listen anyway. Ignoring the calming effect of the Director's devices in his brain, 13 roared with anger and the rocket boosters in his suit flared to life as he flew towards her. She didn't bother to block as one of his fists smashed into her throat and the other into her solar plexus.
As they rocketed forwards, they went through another dozen steel and concrete walls until they were outside once again in the pounding rain. She was hurled across the pavement but obviously unharmed; Solus put more power into the rocket boosters and flew about 50 metres in the air before letting gravity regain its dominance, smashing back into the ground where she had fallen.
Cinder nimbly rolled to her feet away from the gravity-aided stomp; the cobblestones cracked and shattered as he stomped where she had been. Within a second he turned to her, then with a rocket-aided boost sped forwards with his fist raised to bash her skull open.
Cinder was having none of it however. As soon as he came within range, she lashed out with her hand and smacked him to the ground. The pavement cracked and shattered further but she wasn't done; with a flight-aided boost she grabbed him by the legs and lifted him into the air, less than a second later he was thrown on his head with Remnant-shaking force.
The minotaur horns on his helmet snapped from the force of his landing, the twin metal spikes embedding themselves deeply into the ground.
A low groan of pain emitted through his helmet but Cinder wasn't finished, she grabbed his legs once more and began spinning him around her. Around and around she spun while holding his legs, the centrifugal force was enormous but it got even worse when she let him go. The merc was sent hurtling through the air at a speed his enhanced brain struggled to fully comprehend, but the flight ended less than a second later when he smashed through a highway and onto the ground in Vale. All this occurred in less than a second, despite the fact that Vale was roughly 15 kilometres away from Beacon.
Rain was still bucketing down as he flopped onto his back and moaned in agony. Dozens of fires burned throughout the city as students and hunters alike fought the horde of clones that were killing everything. People died by the dozens as they were either split apart by chain sickles, or blasted to pieces by shotgun boots. Screams of agony and fury rang loudly throughout the city as Mortem laid there moaning in pain.
But the short breather he had was quickly cut off.
A blink of an eye later Cinder was upon him, quite literally too. Her feet smashed into his abdomen and shattered the concrete under him as he skidded across the ground. He tried to rise, but she swung her right fist downwards to his face with thunderous force; his helmet dented inwards as he hit the pavement again.
Only a second later she raised her foot to stomp his face, but just in the nick of time he twisted his head to the side and only felt the thunderous shockwave of the attack and chunks of asphalt as they dinged against his helmet.
Solus rolled and tried to scramble away; his rocket boosters fired and for a second he thought he made it, but just before he could escape she grabbed his leg and swung him downwards to once again shatter the pavement.
As he hit the ground, he lashed out with his free leg and kicked her in the face with all his physical and semblance-aided might; her head snapped back but he doubted it really hurt her. When the blow connected however, her grip on him loosened and he shot forwards with his rockets and away from the witch.
He was at least 6 or 7 stories up when she appeared above him, and as quickly as she appeared she attacked. With her hands clasped together she landed a thunderous blow to his back that sent the Wanderer crashing through the construction site below; several dozen steel girders snapped clear in half as he sailed downwards.
The dense rain seemed to grow heavier as he smashed onto the ground, but despite the burning agony sprouting across his body and back 13 rolled to his feet and nimbly dodged the dozen or so falling metal beams that both heartless bitches gravity and Cinder sent crashing downwards towards him.
As soon as he was clear of the falling metal however, a burning jet of fire crashed into his chest and he was thrown backwards into a nearby stack of the damnable metal support beams. The formerly neat stack was thrown into disarray and the I shaped beams scattered around the wet construction yard.
In an instant Solus saw the far more powerful human rocketing towards him at insane speeds, but with less than a fraction of a second to spare he stomped hard on a girder that had been lying on the muddy ground. The side of the beam closest to Cinder shot upwards; the elder woman was unable to stop herself in time and she smashed into the metal harshly.
The metal bent easily into an n-shape under the incredible force, but Mortem wasn't done. With a howl of pain and fury, he kicked the beam once more and Cinder was thrown backwards into the air.
In the brief time he had bought for himself the Slayer of Independence turned to the nearby wrecking ball that was attached to a crane, and with absolutely no effort ripped the massive steel ball off its chain.
With yet another hate-filled scream Solus swung the massive metal ball and it crashed into his adversary; she flew into the air with only the slightest grunts of annoyance, and less than a second later she took control of her flight then shot a jet of flame at 13 faster than he could react. The flames burnt through the chain of the wrecking ball just as it swung towards her again; the Wanderer staggered at the loss of the weight, but he quickly recovered and saw the vile woman catch the chain and throw the massive metal ball towards him.
He dodged, just barely. 13 rolled in between two parked steamrollers; Cinder was rocketing towards him at insane speeds, but in a moment of quick thinking Solus grabbed the vehicles on either side of his body and swung them at her wildly. Again and again he struck her with all his might, until the metal almost completely disintegrated under her insane heat and his raw strength.
When there was naught left in his hands but crumpled metal, the attacks slowed down. To his utter horror Cinder stood, completely unharmed except for slightly ruffled hair.
Fuck! Was all his mind was able to process before her hand clamped around his faceplate in a vice grip.
A nanosecond later a thunderous blow crashed against his chest, and Solus was thrown upwards with such force that not only was his helmet utterly destroyed, but he was also sent at least a mile over the city.
Before gravity could catch up with the 'upgraded' subject, Cinder flew up to meet him and landed another thunderous blow that sent him crashing back towards Beacon. He smashed through the Emerald Tower and through Ozpin's office before crashing into the ground with pavement shattering around him.
Ruby couldn't believe it.
When Cinder had blasted her and the others back with such ease, Ruby thought they were done for. What could possibly stand against such power? They were so epically screwed that nothing could save them…
Then Argentum Mortem appeared. Ruby was honestly terrified for a moment that Mortem would join her and then the world would be even more screwed, but for whatever reason, whatever stupid thoughts he had running through his mind Mortem said no.
No.
He was going to fight her with everything he had; Ruby hadn't known why and frankly she didn't care, having someone of Mortem's power on their side was a boon that they couldn't ignore. And… even if he didn't win, Ruby would never forget that he had at least tried.
The fight had taken them into Vale and away from Beacon, but when they came back… it was a nightmare.
There was a thunderous explosion and the silver hulk of a man suddenly appeared before them once again, this time in a small crater made by his impact with the courtyard.
Only this time, he wasn't wearing his helmet.
Despite the pounding rain and biting chill in the air, Ruby saw him clearly. It was Solus, it… couldn't be true; Solus was an arse to be sure, but a mass murdering psychopath? That was too much… surely that wasn't right! Solus was Solus… he couldn't be…
And something was wrong with him too.
His hair had been shaved away and his eye patch was gone, she had seen underneath before of course. Normally there was just a patch of skin which used to be the eyelid that was fused together, but he had a new eye! It was a burning red that glowed with artificial malice even as he moaned, obvious agony in his mismatched eyes.
Most glaring of all however were the thin red lines that decorated his face in a macabre patchwork of criss-cross surgery scars.
What… what had happened to him?! All this was wrong, all of it! He couldn't be Argentum Mortem! Solus wasn't evil like that man…
Right?
Ruby… wasn't sure.
Yang had been certain that they were all gonna die.
Yang had literally no skill whatsoever in sensing the aura of others… but she knew that everyone could feel Cinder's aura when she had arrived at Beacon's gates. That woman… she was just too powerful, angry darkness pulsing off her in waves that seemed to batter the light out of all the assembled hunters.
But Cinder hadn't particularly cared, she had eyes only for her target: Ozpin.
Despite Yang's urging to leave and help the battle in Vale, they had stayed to watch the fight between Ozpin and Cinder. Whatever weak hope of success she had held on to up until that point had been utterly shattered when Cinder had thrown the defeated and auraless headmaster to his death through the stone halls of Beacon.
Then Mortem came.
He looked slightly different than in the simulations Solus had set up, taller and broader. His armour a slightly different shade of silver, several devices strapped to his back and belt… but he still looked like a nightmare made flesh.
When Cinder had offered that he join her…
Yang considered herself a brave woman, there were few people that she actively feared… but he was one of them. She had seen Blake fight him in the simulator, even fought him herself once… he was an absolute horror that just couldn't be beaten. Back all that up with a sadistic streak a mile wide and a penchant for causing utter chaos and destruction… he became nightmare fuel.
She had been certain that he would join her; he was an evil monster, she was an evil monster. They had a lot in common then, right?
Nope.
Mortem had been furious. Their battle had taken them away from the semi-ruined Beacon grounds and into the currently war torn Vale; Yang shuddered to think of the collateral damage they had caused in the city.
But then Mortem crashed back to Beacon from the sky through the main tower, and his helmet was gone.
It… it was too much. Solus Superstes was just a lie, a cover to hide who he really was. Never before had Yang felt so betrayed when she looked upon the battered and scarred face of Mortem, her teammate… she had let that monster train her sister… sleep in the same room as them.
It made her nauseous to think about it.
It couldn't be true; Solus wasn't exactly a paragon of goodness or anything, but he was better than this. She needed to speak with him, ask him what the hell was going on.
Blake had been ready to die for years, for a short time she had even wished for death…
But then she had come to Beacon. A safe haven, a place of hope and refuge for her weary soul.
She'd made friends, her teammates had become like a family to her. Together there was nothing they couldn't beat… sure there had been issues; Yang being nosey, Ruby being an annoying 15 year old and Solus generally being an ass. But they had still worked. Their team may have seemed dysfunctional from the outside, but on the inside they would go to extreme lengths to ensure each other's safety.
But even with her new 'family' Blake would never forget where she came from. The former White Fang was dead and gone… but she would always remember them. She had promised herself that she would find a way to avenge their deaths, and the best way to go about that was obvious: kill the man that had ruined them.
Kill Argentum Mortem.
If only it had been that simple; the man had disappeared for roughly two years. Almost everyone figured that he had died, caught up in the Vacuo Massacre. Then he resurfaced in Vale a few months ago, blasting through the city for no apparent reason other than to cause chaos.
Blake and everyone else from Beacon had rushed to the scene ready to put the beast of her nightmares down, but it hadn't been that simple; he had quickly retreated, leaving Blake furious at his escape.
Time had passed and she had calmed, but she had vowed to kill the beast as soon as she saw him again.
So when he appeared just in the nick of time to stop the Queen from killing Rose, she had felt a steep mixture of both hate and fear. The Queen was unstoppable, basically a god at this point; but if Mortem joined forces with her… then there was absolutely nothing they could do to stop them.
But he had said no.
No.
Blake had seen and felt the power of Mortem on numerous occasions; if the man wanted to fight Cinder in their place, then even Blake could begrudgingly admit that he was far more likely to win than any of them.
That didn't change anything though, Blake still planned on strangling the man with his own intestines when he beat Cinder.
The fight had taken them away from Beacon and into the city, the thunderous sounds of their epic battle still audible from the hill that Beacon was fixed upon.
But then with an ear-shattering boom Mortem had crashed back into Beacon via the main tower.
Only this time, his helmet was gone.
Blake had long wondered what such a monster's face could look like; would he be a pale man, devoid of empathy and with cold eyes? Or would he look good, an angelic face to mask the demon that he really was?
Neither apparently.
Betrayal unlike anything Blake had ever felt before coursed through her body. A man she had trusted, her own teammate was the monster of her nightmares. They had all known that Solus was hiding things, but this? He… it shouldn't have been possible. To her, Mortem had always been a being marred by his desire for blood and his greed for more power… but Solus was neither of those things.
Solus was rage and hurt mixed together into a concoction of sadness over some unknown tragedy he had lived through. His emotion had given him power; his rage burned hot, but died quickly. Deep melancholy seared through a tortured soul that had suffered too much… but it seems she had been wrong; Solus wasn't a good person. He never was, had all of his time at Beacon just been some cruel trick? A ploy to eventually destroy the school?
How could she have not seen this coming? The signs had all been there; Solus was open in being just some bounty hunter. He could fire aura blasts identical to Mortem's. He had always known about her Faunus heritage and White Fang origins. He admitted that he had met Mortem, even going so far as to say that the beast had trained him…
Why had he lied? Why had he come to Beacon? Perhaps he just enjoyed messing with people.
Blake didn't know, but she knew that the sting of this betrayal would haunt her forever.
If that… beast managed to beat Cinder, then he'd have to deal with her next.
Blake wasn't going to go down easy this time.
Solus moaned in agony as he rolled onto his back; his broken and shattered bones quickly knitted themselves back together under the aid of his nanite infested blood, but burning hot pain still seared through his body.
Idly, he noted that his team was looking at him; Yang, Ruby and Blake were looking at his face with visible expressions of horror and outrage.
Rose and little clone Kira were also there; their faces showed no surprise, just fear and worry for him.
It was nice to know that he wasn't completely abhorred.
Concrete shattered before him as Cinder appeared, her eyes blazing in victory. "What did you expect, 13? No one can beat me now; I am a god,and you are just a pathetic child that wants his mother."
The Wanderer glared at her from his position on the ground, he wasn't beaten yet; he still had one last card to play.
"Do you feel it?" the woman questioned, "the crushing feeling of your defeat? You couldn't save Vale, you couldn't save Beacon… you can't even save yourself."
"Perhaps you need more evidence of how grandly you have lost," the witch said as she began dragging him by the foot towards the cliffs. "The people of Vale are dying, but the structure survives… I will make it burn, and you will watch."
She dropped him as they overlooked the city, her eyes dancing over the war-torn landscape; people were dying in droves… but she could make it even worse.
In one swift motion both of Cinder's dainty arms rose upwards, and the small dotted flames throughout the city suddenly became burning wildfires that charred anything they touched.
The battered armour of Solus became steadily lighter as the Director's final gambit pumped into his blood, his rage mounting to even greater heights as he watched Cinder. Power that eclipsed what he held on his own pumped through his veins. He could do this now.
But that's what you get when roughly two litres of the Director's 'Venom' was pumped into you.
He had used Venom before of course, the most recent being when he had battled the Schnee power armour-clad operatives in the Ever Winter Mountains. He had only used about a drop or two then and he had still been able to effectively combat power armour, something even a full team of fully trained hunters would find near impossible.
But now… Mortem could probably lift half a continent.
But… his new heart couldn't take the strain; he would die soon.
He was on his feet in an instant, his hand clamped onto Cinder in a vice grip. The woman smirked, obviously thinking that he would be unable to hurt her.
With his free hand he landed a thunderous punch to her face; the witch was sent hurtling backwards and rocketed through the walls of the prestigious school as if they were tissue paper.
"I won't let you live!" Mortem roared after her.
Everything seemed to be going in slow motion for him, he saw Cinder pick herself up out of the rubble and wipe a smear of blood away from her nose with an astonished look on her face; astonishment quickly turned to anger however as she rocketed towards him with a feral scream of rage.
The Wanderer met her in the middle with a charge of his own; the concrete and stone shot outwards in a wave as the two titans met, and both combatants were thrown away in an ear-shattering sonic boom.
Mortem crashed through the buildings in Vale nearest to Beacon, but in less than a fraction of a second Cinder appeared before him.
The tower they were in crumpled as fire exploded outwards, but Solus was unaffected; the heat washed over him but his temporary power completely blocked out the danger.
Aided by the rocket boosters on his feet and back, Solus shot forwards and crashed into Cinder with ungodly force. Both combatants were thrown out of the collapsing tower and into the street below. Pavement shattered and cars were wrecked into a million pieces as he smashed the self-proclaimed god through the street. Finally, with a roar of fury he threw the woman through a nearby concrete parking structure.
The cement building shattered instantly under his might, huge portions evaporating into the rain due to her heat as well.
But soon Cinder was upon him again; a massive fireball shot towards him, but he dodged in the nick of time and the flames exploded harmlessly behind him.
The flames had just been a distraction however, a moment later Cinder appeared and landed a crushing punch on his face the sent him flying backwards. Solus skidded across the street with the road shattering underfoot; Cinder tried to press the attack, but as soon as she came close he ducked under her follow-up punch and landed a mighty blow to her gut that threw her into another building.
She shot outwards to attack him but Mortem was ready, as soon as she came close he swung both his hands down and smacked her to the ground. Concrete cracked and blew outwards, but the sound was negligible under the pounding rain; lightning flashed in the distance, and for a moment the war-torn city was illuminated brightly.
The second of distraction cost Solus however, as Cinder shot up and landed a brutal uppercut to his jaw that sent the armoured hulk rocketing upwards. The Wanderer soon caught himself in the air with his rocket boosters and glared at Cinder below him.
"There's only one way this ends Cinder!" he roared. "Either you die, or I do!"
She howled in madness as she flew up to meet him, but he didn't give her the chance. With the aid of gravity, Solus rocketed downwards at incredible speeds; they clashed with a mighty sonic and fiery boom that made a nearby building shatter, and both combatants were thrown away from the force.
Cinder recovered faster however; before Solus could right himself, she appeared over him and landed a bone-shattering kick that hurled him through another building.
She didn't give him a moment to recover and as the boy skidded across the pavement she viciously swung her fist downwards and smacked him to the ground. "This is justice!" she roared. "I spent EIGHTY YEARS learning how to fight! EIGHTY FUCKING YEARS PREPARING FOR MY JUSTICE! HE TOOK MY CHILDREN AWAY!" the Wanderer rose to his knees as she ranted. "AND FOR WHAT?!" she screamed with the fury only a mother could possess. "THIS DECADENT SOCIETY!" she gestured around them, the crumbling city filled with people fighting for their lives. "I HAVE LIVED TOO LONG TO DIE NOW! I AM A GOD!"
As she finished she began hovering, the effect was ruined however because her face was covered in smears of her own blood. Even her heat was faltering, the pouring rain that had been utterly incapable of touching her now soaked the woman; her clothes matted and sodden, hair ruined by the fighting.
Although he could hardly comment, since he probably looked about the same.
"You're not a god," Solus hissed to her. "You're not even human anymore!"
He rocketed forwards and pounded Cinder through a building, the towering structure crumpling inwards even as Solus raced after her. Both combatants sped through the city at an unbelievable pace, wrestling in mid air as they slammed each other into buildings and through the rain.
Finally 13 managed to break free of her iron grasp and pull back; he was on her again in an instant though. His fist slammed into her face and she shot backwards, but he quickly followed her flying form; grabbing her hair, he dragged her face through a glass tower.
She twisted and kicked him backwards through another building, a thunderous explosion of fire and stone shooting outwards as she followed him. Burning heat seared across his body and charred his face.
An agonising scream of pain came out of his mouth as he felt his aura fail to protect the right side of his face, skin burned away to show the gleaming metal bone underneath; the synthetic eye undamaged, but revealed in all its twisted red glory.
But the agony pushed him further; 13 screamed in hate and pain as he shot forwards and slammed his leg into Cinder's gut.
Obviously the Venom was waning though, as she wasn't hurled backwards and only bent over the leg with a gasp of pain. Solus didn't stop however; he swung his left hand around and landed a thunderous punch to her chin.
Cinder screamed in pain as she was launched out of the building and towards the ground. The Wanderer should have followed up, but pain speared through his heart that momentarily made him gasp for breath.
Cinder recovered quickly though, both titans glaring fiercely at each other from their positions; Cinder on the ground and Mortem in the air.
The Wanderer spat out a wad of nanite filled blood, his silver jawbone glistening in the rain. "Come on then!" he screamed. "Let's finish this!"
The elder woman screamed in primal hate and shot upward towards 13; they collided with an ear-shattering sonic boom. The buildings around them shattered into chunks that poured downwards with the rain as Cinder gripped him firmly around the neck and dragged him upwards.
The burning heat of her grasp soon became cold as they flew higher and higher, the stormy rain left behind as they rocketed past the clouds. Solus choked as he tried to inhale, but there was no air, no rain, nothing. Just the vacuum of space.
But they didn't stick around for long; as soon as Cinder let go of Mortem, she swung her hands downwards in a sickeningly powerful strike that sent him hurtling back towards Remnant. As he fell towards the planet, she sat atop his chest pounding heavy punches into his battered and maimed face.
Again and again she hit him as they re-entered the planet's atmosphere, heat searing across both of them as they picked up speed; her inhuman wails of pure rage and pain becoming audible as she pounded his face over and over again.
Agony dominated his mind, but the pain grew so much worse when he hit the ground. They crashed through what was left of the main building, and in an instant what remained of the school shattered into a million pieces.
He hit Remnant's surface with unimaginable force; his entire world shook, but Solus was unable to properly get his bearings. Cinder came free of him as they hit Remnant; she used his body as a cushion but was thrown backwards as he collided with the dirt and stone.
The landing had obviously injured her quite badly as well if the scream of utter agony was any indication, but Solus was almost too far gone to register this. After a few moments of laboured breathing from both of the combatants, Cinder was the first to make a move. 13 tried to move, but his broken body seared in red-hot agony. All he could see was the pounding rain and through the obviously cracked lenses of his eyes, five Cinders limped up to his fallen form with victory written across her now unrecognisable features.
The Wanderer tried to rise to his feet but his legs failed him, collapsing back into the mud pitifully. With what seemed like a herculean effort Solus tried to drag his broken body away from his would be killer; he was nearing a stone object of some kind that he couldn't clearly make out due to his shattered eyes when she finally caught up to him.
She flipped him over onto his back; Solus tried with all his might to kick her, but the attack was slow and sloppy. With a grunt of pain due to her wounds, Cinder grabbed the offending leg and gave it a harsh twist that ripped it out of the socket; then without mercy of any kind, she placed her foot on his hip as leverage before violently tearing the limb away.
The severed leg was just tossed away like it was trash, dumped into the muddy crater they had made with their landing.
Solus screamed in further agony as she tore his leg off; blood spurted out of the wound as he tried to crawl away again, but was stopped when his back thumped against the indistinct stone object.
His strength was gone, his aura dead. He was dying.
But Cinder wasn't content for death to claim him at its own pace, she crawled into his lap and began tearing away sections of his now ruined armour. Chunks of metal were soon removed until his chest was visible but she didn't stop, anger alight in her eyes. Cinder tore away huge pieces of his skin with her hands, until eventually his metal ribs were clearly visible as well as his frantically beating heart.
Weakly, Solus tried to stop her by swinging his left arm at her face, but she grabbed it with her bloodied hands and within moments shattered the metal bone with one well-placed strike.
Turning back to his exposed organs, Cinder plunged her hand inwards past all the artificial organs and through to his metal spine. Ignoring his anguished scream, she wrapped her fingers around his backbone then gave it one violent tug; the metal split in half cleanly and she withdrew her hand.
He moaned in utter agony, there was nothing he could do anymore; even screaming was quickly becoming too difficult.
Blood leaked out of his mouth and eyes as 13 stared at her. "The era of the four kingdoms is at an end, 'hero'," she wheezed as she glared at him with bloodied eyes. "Your metal skull will decorate my great hall for all eternity."
He didn't say anything; he wouldn't give her the satisfaction.
She raised her hand, a small ball of flame ready to burn through his innards and end his life.
"You could have been so much more…" she whispered.
He closed his eyes.
She began to lower her hand, but the flame never came near him.
Within the blink of an eye, Ozpin appeared and blocked the killing blow with his cane. Less than a second later his arm was moving as he landed a hail of strikes onto Cinder that knocked the critically injured woman away.
Even Solus could tell that Ozpin was a mess, the man's upper half was completely bare to the pounding rain and covered in deep wounds of both cuts and burns. One of his eyes was closed over with dried blood and his hands were shaking badly, but the man stood tall and proud nonetheless.
He only spared the mortally wounded form of 13 a glance before following after his old love.
The rain continued to pour down on Mortem's face as he lay there, unmoving. Is this the end? He questioned to himself idly. I'd hoped it would be sunny…
Only a second later, three figures appeared by his side; words were shouted but he could hardly hear them. A few moments passed before he realised who the blurry figures were: Ruby, Rose and Kira.
"I'm sorry," he croaked, his chest rising and falling gently. "I've failed…"
"No!" Ruby cried at his side. "You did your best… but why didn't you tell us who you were?"
He didn't say anything, so Rose spoke for him. "Would you have said anything?" the elder woman said sadly as she ran her hand down the side of his face that remained. "He was trying to distance himself from whom he used to be."
"He did terrible things…" Kira whispered as her tears mixed with the rain. "But all that doesn't matter now…"
There was a booming explosion that Rose turned her head to; Ozpin was dying.
"I-" he wheezed, blood pooling out of his mouth and eye. "I wish I could take it all b-back… so many l-lives taken, I c-caused so much p-pain. I'm a m-monster."
Rose turned back to Solus. "Please Solus… we need you. I need you!"
Young Ruby was sobbing, her hands desperately clamped onto his shoulder. "P-please d-don't go S-Solus!"
A small, croaking laugh slipped past his bloody lips, his eyes closing in resignation. "N-Not Solus. That w-was just a-another lie." His eyes opened, the natural blue contrasting sharply with the synthetic red. "The n-name i-is Jaune Arc; it's s-short, sweet, r-rolls off the tongue and l-ladies love it," a weak wheeze of laughter at his own terrible joke.
"Jaune," Ruby whispered with a weak smile, her eyes filled with tears.
Rose pressed a gentle kiss onto his bloody lips, "Jaune, I'm so, so sorry. But we need your help…"
He didn't say anything, but his eyes showed only compassion and regret. "Cinder is too powerful for us…" Rose whispered slowly as tears crept down her face. "But if we give you our aura then you can blast her away…"
Jaune, despite the deep agony he felt all over his body nodded. "Get h-her in front of me, I c-can't move."
Rose smiled weakly, then whispered, "Ozpin is already doing that. All you need is the extra power."
Without any more words spoken, the three girls pumped all their aura into Jaune; what remained of his body quickly converted the foreign energy into his own and enhanced it. For so many years he had only felt the crushing darkness that consumed his soul, stained by the atrocities that he had committed and the lives he had taken. His life and soul had been defined by one single event of his youth that had been utterly out of his control… all this had blackened his aura to the shriveled husk that he had become so accustomed to.
But now it felt different. Where before, darkness had been an omnipresent reminder of his pain and failure as an Arc, there was now a blinding light that soothed over his rough edges and calmed his weary spirit. What could have caused this? He had done nothing… unseen to Jaune, the three girls that had charged his aura looked at him with nothing but love. All those that could feel aura around the planet silently spurred him on.
General Ironwood stood at the head of his battleship that was inbound to Vale; he could feel the deadly dark power that the insanely strong enemy held. He could feel the faltering energy of the only power that seemed able to stand up to the evil, its own aura shining brightly like a beacon of hope through the darkness.
Don't give in. The general pleaded silently to the light. You can do this.
Qrow raced through Vale in a flurry of steel, decimating any of the odd clone soldiers that stood in his way. He had to get to Beacon, his nieces were there… and so was the witch that had caused this. The armoured being that had been fighting tooth and nail with the crushing darkness was faltering, its light dimming in the face of the waning darkness.
Come on, come on… Qrow begged silently. Just a little more, just fight a little longer…
Sun ran through the pouring rain and bloodied streets of Vale, even as he felt the burning pressure in the back of his mind caused by the intense dark energy that… woman… was outputting.
He had seen the massive battle between the two superpowers, the crushing darkness and the steadily intensifying light. He'd recognise the face of the other power anywhere; his saviour the Wanderer was fighting the blackened husk of a woman.
Come on man. Sun thought desperately. You can do this, I believe in you.
Pyrrha quickly tore through another clone, emerald-coloured hair flopping around as the girl collapsed to the ground lifelessly. The others from team PRWN were either dead or missing, Pyrrha didn't know anymore; the massive battle had separated them all into different sections of the city.
The Spartan girl had seen the face of the armoured man that fought for all their survival. She didn't know how Solus had become so powerful so quickly, but whatever he had done it had worked. All she and the others could do was hope that he could win this.
I believe in you Solus. She thought to herself as she engaged another enemy male. You can win this.
The collective people of Vale cried out for their saviour, hunters and huntresses all over the city dying in droves but still silently begging for the armoured man to destroy the vile woman that had caused this nightmare. Rain splashed down and they felt the crushing feeling of defeat pound in their veins but hope still remained, the armoured behemoth had been fighting on even terms with the witch; he could end this, he could save all of them because he was a hero.
The girls took a step away from Jaune as he glowed faintly. The energy was hardly even a pittance compared to what he'd had at his disposal before the fight, but it would be more than enough to wipe away the already critically wounded and fatigued Cinder.
Probably.
Ozpin finally collapsed, a gaping hole in his gut spilling his lifeblood onto the ground. But that was okay… he could accept his death, knowing that Cinder would not be allowed to continue herself.
Jaune raised his one good hand, a ball of glowing energy quickly forming in his palm. Cinder was facing the opposite direction, standing over the fallen form of Ozpin saying something he couldn't hear.
The ball of energy grew brighter, glorious white light shining through the twisted darkness that swirled around the surface.
Maybe… maybe this is my… redemption?
He fired the energy. The glowing black and white beam of pure aura shot outwards and slammed into Cinder's back. The woman barely screamed, a short agonised yelp of pure torture before she felt her body begin to burn away under the attack.
Moments before her death, she raged and screamed in a vain attempt to reach out and crush the shadow that destroyed her, but she was so much less now than what she used to be. She was more than half a machine; she was like a painter gone blind, a composer gone deaf. Very distantly, she could remember the power of the light, but the dark power that she touched is only a memory. And so, with all of Cinder's world-destroying fury, only the barest wisps of flame escaped her. In the end, she was unable to touch the shadow that had ruined her.
In the end… she didn't even want to.
Ashes floated away weakly in the faltering rain. Cinder was gone.
Or maybe this is my punishment.
His arm thumped to the muddy ground as he felt his fake heart sputter feebly. He was done, he had finally beaten her; the woman that had turned him into the monster that killed thousands of people… she was finally gone. Maybe now he could finally be… free.
Ruby dashed up and hugged him as close as she possibly could, her eyes streaming with tears of both joy and sorrow. "Ruby," he whispered painfully. "Y-you saved me you k-know?" her teary silver eyes locked onto his own, mismatched orbs. "I w-was so lost i-in misery and p-pain I had caused m-myself… but y-you took me o-out of t-that, s-showed me t-that there was s-still beauty in the w-world."
She sobbed harder, knowing what was coming.
"B-but my t-time has p-passed Ruby." With his good hand, he wiped the tears out of her eyes, before pushing her chin upwards to make eye contact. "Thank you Ruby. F-for everything."
"No!" Ruby cried, her tears mixing with the rain. "Stay! Don't go, PLEASE!"
"R-Rose," Jaune croaked weakly. "Y-you know w-what I have to d-do."
The time traveller nodded her head slightly, tears clouding her vision, and in one swift motion grabbed Ruby by the collar and yanked her backwards, restraining her.
"NO!" the younger Ruby screamed and flailed as she tried to break free.
"I need t-to go, I-if Atlas r-recovers t-the technology in m-my body then t-there would b-be another war…"
Ruby screamed more but Jaune hardly heard her; the steady thrum of energy began to rise in his suit. "Goodbye…"
A blinding purple light seeped from his form. Within moments, the energy began to suck inwards and tear away at the prone form of Jaune. All light seemed to fold into him, and then a moment later… he was gone.
Jaune Arc had finally died.
A/N
That was the single longest chapter I have ever written, coming just shy of 10000 words.
So finally Jaune has found his peace, he wasn't a hero in the end; he was just a man doing what he thought he had to do. He slowly grew as a person throughout this story, changing from the murderous villain to just (and let's be honest here) an arse who doesn't deserve the friends he had.
Was he really a savior in the end? He certainly didn't fight for the people of Vale, he cared very little about the world as a whole. But he did care about his team, he went into that fight knowing that he wouldn't survive, knowing that if he lost then all his friends would die very painful deaths.
There are so many stories where some brave hero decides to give their life to save the day, and because of their sacrifice the good guys win; the survivors all cheer, and everybody lives happily ever after. But the hero never gets to see that ending, they'll never know if their sacrifice actually made a difference; they'll never know if the day was really saved. In the end they just have to have faith. Ain't that a bitch.
Cinder had ruined his life, if she wasn't a factor he would have died with his family, eaten by Grimm after he passed out. She had ruined his life in her quest for revenge, and he simply returned the favour.
Cinder wasn't evil, she was just human. Like Jaune, her life was defined by suffering; her own and what she caused others. What she did was wrong, but I understand why she did it. In her position I would likely have done the same. I believe that you get to a point in life where you choose your family, and if someone hurts my family… I would do anything within my power to get revenge.
Will there be anymore? Yes. Next week the final chapter will be uploaded and 'Edge of Life' will be complete.
All that being said, let's look at the reviews:
Smithrooks:
Thanks for reviewing.
Yeah, I intended for the whole Ozpin and Cinder thing to come as a shock. I feel that it helps tie her reasons together better; as well as adding a personal touch to her quest for revenge.
The scene of all the students and teachers standing on the walls was actually inspired by Lord of the Rings, I liked the powerful image it portrayed; and to have Cinder tear that down so quickly really helped cement her power in the eyes of the readers.
The battle between Ozpin and Cinder had been a long thing coming, I hoped to show both his power and his motivations. Ozpin has almost always been depicted as a calm if slightly senile old man, I wanted to show that behind all that is still a powerful hunter that will fight for what he thinks is right.
Josh Cahoon:
Thanks for reviewing.
Sadly it will never be quite that simple, in the heat of the moment indecision would be the greatest killer.
Bubbajack:
Thanks for reviewing.
Yeah what can I say? Grimm would be difficult to write as a main antagonist because most of them basically amount to: "Rarr I'm going to eat you." That doesn't really do much for an in depth plot does it?
Personally I liken my story to all those really good zombie games and TV shows, the Grimm may be 'evil' but man is still the true monster.
I also loved all those stories that made the reader feel some level of sympathy and agreement with the antagonist (in this case Cinder), because it shows a much more level playing field. I try to show my dislike for the concept of good and evil with the character back stories, take Cinder for example; what she set out to do originally isn't wrong, it's completely understandable that she'd want revenge against Ozpin.
I believe that the concept of heroes an villains is reliant on perspective, from a certain point of view Cinder could even be seen as a hero; bringing justice to those that have done wrong.
On the topic of power armour, yes when he first got the armour in "Shadowed Soul" it was listed as T-45 MK-II. But in "More Power" it was called T-60 MK-V, You actually brought up a very good point; when he first got the armour it was very basic, but he had time to upgrade it as he saw fit.
Guest:
Thanks for reviewing.
Perhaps, but sometimes people are faced with the choice between what is right and what is necessary.
Raven kight
Thanks for reviewing.
Quite.
Julini:
Thanks for reviewing.
Thank you :)
Hirshja:
Thanks for reviewing.
Indeed, although the armour only helped so much.
The American Wolf:
Thanks for reviewing.
I haven't heard from you in quite some time, although it is a welcome surprise to see your review. I can't take all the credit, without the aid of my trusty beta then my writing wouldn't even be half as good.
As always please leave a review.
