They're coming.
In a rush, Winter tied the final knot.
She finished her job with a satisfied grunt.
She'd been in this room for several hours. After all these years, she'd grown tired of it.
The multi-colored crystals were gathered in the center of the advanced room. Technology was scattered around. The machines were pumping, creating various noises.
The only thing in that dull room that gave it color were the fragile crystals.
Each crystal was secure and tightened in a blob. Not a single shard strayed from the intricate pattern Winter spent hours to perfect.
This will do it.
Noting that this plan wouldn't fail, Winter stepped back to inspect her work.
Each dust crystal served a vital purpose in her life.
Sadly, it was time to say goodbye.
The last thing she wanted was to abandon this room, but there was no choice.
She'd spent days pondering ways to leave this room unscathed. Unfortunately, her options were very limited. This was the only way that would benefit them.
Honestly, Winter was going to miss this place.
Her own confidential laboratory.
The ashen room was located behind the legendary Baroque Theater.
Instead of demolishing the theater, the tyrant elected to leave it in debris. Cinder stated that it would be unnecessary to clean, would cost lots of money, and that the dust might be discovered in the process of fixing it.
She wasn't going to take the smallest chance.
Understandably, Winter agreed with her logic. So they left the Baroque Theater untouched. Sent away anyone who tried to pick up the debris. The only thing removed from the tragic area were body parts.
When that was done, the theater was left.
Abandoned.
That served Winter and Cinder's purposes well.
Since it was deserted, there was no chance of anyone finding this dust.
Miraculously, the hidden room was unharmed from the explosion. It wasn't affected at all. Not even some crystals fell from the shelves.
The door that blocked the room from the world was created of the finest steel. Not even a bomb would render it off its hinges.
Winter didn't care about Baroque. The fact that it was in debris didn't bother her at all. What she did care for, however, was her personal lab. She'd spent countless hours in here. Even if the experiments weren't the most fun, this room was like her home. More of a home than in the icy citadel.
She gave the room a once-over with a sigh.
The last thing she wanted was this, but it had to be done.
It was necessary.
This is for her, Winter repeatedly told herself. Victory will only be ensured when this room vanishes.
Another loud exhale.
Tightly, the woman gripped the rope and wistfully gazed down at it.
With the rope in hand, she walked to the door and left it cracked open. After, she set the tip of her rapier on the thin rope.
Deliberately, Winter flicked the weapon once, which caused fire to blaze on the tip.
When there was the slightest spark, Winter bolted out the door and slammed it shut. As she sprinted, she sheathed the rapier.
3…
Winter recalled the first time her father allowed her to enter the room. She despised the reason for her work, but she enjoyed learning about dust.
2…
She excelled in her work and took pride in it. Over the years, she accumulated vast knowledge of the confidential crystals.
1…
It was time to put it to rest.
BOOM!
By the time the room erupted, Winter was already inside the White Castle. Despite gaining some distance, the explosion caused her to stumble. So much dust detonating caused the entire vicinity to shake.
Naturally, the worrying noise caused the castle guards to become frantic.
Since Winter was strolling down the main floor of the castle like nothing happened, several guards rushed to the origin of the noise. Most of them shouted obscenities and barked orders to the underlings.
Besides the shouts echoing, metal clinked for miles.
Winter took steady strides down the hall. Her hands were formally behind her back, and she adorned her signature poker face. Even though no guards were in sight, she did nothing to draw attention to herself.
If the guards were this panicky on the inside of the ice citadel, she could only imagine the chaos outside.
At last, Winter reached the stairs at the end of the hallway.
Come, Weiss. I'm waiting.
"What was that?"
Judging by her tone, The Faker was alarmed. She hadn't heard a noise of that caliber since the bombing of Baroque. Until now, Cinder had been sitting on her throne and giving orders to her underlings.
The guards in front of her visibly jumped from the sudden powerful sound. The floor shook from the violent rocking. The burly guards covered their ears. It was a forceful blow, even from this distance.
"Go," Cinder stated.
"Yes ma'am!" her underlings replied in unison.
Instantly, her subordinates jumped into action. Their boss didn't need to tell them what to do. It was obvious. With that, the two left to investigate what would cause such a fierce punch.
Anxious, the dictator left her seat. Her adrenaline began to pump as she paced around the massive room.
What could have caused such a noise?
Before she could ponder the issue, one of her underlings, Mercury, burst into the room. The white double doors practically busted off its hinges.
"Your majesty!" Mercury yelped. "The castle has been breached!"
"What?"
There was a hint of omnisity in her tone, which caused Mercury to gulp in fear.
"Intruders are in the castle, your majesty," he replied in a much steadier tone. "What do we do?"
"Wipe them out," Cinder stated as if the answer was obvious.
Deep down, she knew this day would come.
They were coming.
For her.
Worse, her throne.
She could think about what caused the noise later. She had to eliminate those pests first.
Those vermin threatened her reign for far too long. It was about time the fight was brought to her.
She was the captain of this ship. The waters have never been rockier. The only way she'd give up her vessel was by force. She'd sink with her ship before that happened.
They will pay.
To prepare, Cinder ordered her guards to block off her domain. Anything to prevent intruders from appearing in this room. She was the chatelaine. Anyone who dared enter without permission will be executed on the spot. No exceptions.
There was a sense of urgency, so her subordinates remained calm and heeded her orders.
As they rushed out, Mercury followed his leader.
"Your majesty, what's going on?"
"Prepare for battle," Cinder ordered. "Tell Emerald to do the same."
"Won't it be better if we stay here to protect you?" Mercury asked.
"No," the faux panther faunus instructed firmly. "This is my fight. If you interfere, there will be drastic consequences."
Although he didn't understand her reasoning, Mercury nodded. The last thing he wanted to do was push her buttons.
"Understood."
"Good. Now go."
For several moments, the world shook.
Ren and Nora stumbled and ultimately came together to hold each other up. Many frightened screams and shouts ensued.
The pair glanced around with worry.
The citizens were in a panic. Almost a frenzy. The two couldn't blame them. The last time there was a force of that caliber, deaths ensued.
"What the heck was that?!" Nora yelped.
"Just go with it!" Ren exclaimed.
This was the perfect opportunity. It was a distraction, so this was a blessing in disguise. As a bonus, people scampered to cover in various buildings. The fewer people outside, the better. What Ren and Nora had planned would attract unwanted attention. Random people could get hurt, and they didn't want that to happen.
The pair were close to the perimeter of the White Castle. They were in front of the railings and close to the entrance. The only thing that separated them from the front door was the large gap that was several feet deep.
Due to the explosion, a massive nearby tree ripped out of its roots and slammed into the gap. The steel railings that protected the gap tore apart like scissors cutting thin paper. The top of the broad tree crashed into the abyss. Again, this caused the ground to rock. The trunk was left sticking up in the air.
There was another round of startled screams. Naturally, people began to think that this was another terrorist attack. Anyone who was left outside ran to the nearest public building.
The normally busy kingdom was now deserted. Vacant. Like it was abandoned.
With concern, Ren and Nora glanced around.
This was a good thing. Lucky, even.
The less citizens involved, the better.
Before Ren and Nora could initiate the plan, several large bears leaped out of the abyss. All of them were a jet-black color. A stark contrast to the white cloaks the pair were wearing.
Unfortunately, the clever animals used the tree as leverage to escape. Apparently, these bears were good climbers.
From the sight, Nora's smile warped to a wicked grin. Her teeth twinkled in the gray atmosphere as she popped her knuckles.
A firm hand was placed on her shoulder. That snapped her out of her stupor as she turned around to see her partner.
Ren knew exactly what she was planning.
"Nora, smash."
Her impish grin grew.
"Gotcha."
With a war cry, Nora charged the beasts. Her hammer was thrown back dangerously behind her as she pounced at the new threats. With the recoil on her hammer, she soared in the air, her white cloak and blue snowflake fluttered behind her.
It was good that she caught the menacing animals' attention so soon. The wild beasts were about to chase their prey- random citizens. Some people were still outside, but from the threat, they tried to find shelter. People were running away from the animals and were almost mauled. However, the giddy girl intercepted them in time and beat them senseless with the terrifying hammer.
Any straying bears were distracted by Ren. A male faunus was about to be bitten, but Ren narrowly tackled the beast and knocked it off balance.
Several shouts and cries filled the air. The ensuing bears' roars reverberated even louder than the previous explosion. From the animal noises, the remaining bystanders successfully found safety.
"Thanks, man!" the faunus yelped as he stepped backward.
"Get inside!" Ren ordered as he wrestled with one of the beasts.
"Okay!"
With that, the man rushed away. When Ren knew he was safe, he sucker-punched the bear. It was a struggle since the animal was very strong and muscular. Not to mention it adorned vicious claws and piercing daggers called teeth. With a plan, the boy used Stormflower to lock the animal in place. Ice shot up from below and froze the hunk of meat.
After he deeply exhaled in victory, he whirled around to check on his partner.
"Woooooohooooo!"
As always, Nora was enjoying the situation to the fullest.
From the sight, Ren couldn't help but grin. Although, what she was doing was dangerous. Nora cheered.
"Nora!" Ren chided.
In response, Nora stopped cheering, but continued to throw a hand in the air. The girl was forcefully riding on top of one of the aggressive bears. The animal was snarling, growling, just flat out irritated. If anything, she was pissing it off even more. The bear was trying to throw her off like an untamed horse would.
The girl showed not even an ounce of fear. Pure joy emanated from her. Like she wasn't riding a death trap. What made the sight more amusing was that several bears surrounded her and Nora was using her newfound mount as her own weapon. Her ride knocked into several of the beasts and even injured them. Her black, snarling mount swiped a nearby bear.
The horde was growing more violent and sent into a frenzy.
Nora certainly knew how to rile them up.
Since the other bears were trying to lash at her, Ren took it upon himself to activate Stormflower and shot the animals in rapid succession. As he twirled around, his white cloak danced behind him. Since they were big targets, he didn't miss a single one.
Unfortunately, the bears had a protective layer of fat, so they didn't go down easily.
His true intention was rewarded. The ferocious horde focused on him while Nora tired out the bear under her.
As she exhausted the beast, Ren centered his next bullet for an area attack. Like before, ice sprang up and entrapped the animals completely. They froze in place. With victory, Ren sheathed his weapon and gazed at Nora in amusement.
The bear she was riding finally collapsed from fatigue. The final snarls rang out before its legs gave out.
Reluctantly, Nora hopped off and poked its cheek. She pouted when there was no response.
"Aw, its broken!"
Since Ren knew she'd be alright, he walked ahead and advanced to the front doors of the castle. He turned around.
"Nora!"
Suddenly, Nora lost all interest in the collapsed bear and yelled back lovingly.
"Coming, Ren!"
Thanks to the unannounced explosion, the brothers, Neptune and Sun, took this as their chance.
Some guards poured out of the castle to address the explosion.
While the small army was focused on that, the brothers strategized.
The two were located outside the castle's west wing. Exactly where the crowd of guards appeared.
Perfect.
Handle the first wave. Worry about the rest later.
As instructed, the brothers stood directly in front of them, blocking their pathway. The two white forms looked like phantoms.
"Don't let 'em get by for anything," Sun ordered.
Neptune thrust his trident to the ground as the army approached. "Betcha I can take down more than you."
"You're on."
The small army finally came to a halt when the brothers wouldn't move. Sun and Neptune crossed their arms defensively in a silent challenge. Although there were dozens of guards, that did little to sway fact, their numbers made them more determined.
"Get outta the way!" one of the guards demanded.
Sun crossed his arms as his tail whipped back and forth under the white cape. "Eh, I don't feel like it. Do you, Nep?"
"Nah," Neptune sent the enemies his signature twinkling grin. "Running away isn't my style."
The guard in the center adorned buffalo horns. He was one of the burlier men in armor. Judging from his red face, he was literally fuming from the predicament.
"Move or you'll pay!"
To ready himself, Sun popped his knuckles. "This place sure is comfy. Mind if I take a nap?"
As the raging buffalo faunus swung his sword at the blonde boy, Neptune blocked the weapon with his trident. A hearty spark flew as they locked in a standstill. From the force, the blue-haired boy's cape flittered behind him.
Since Sun was perfectly protected by his brother, he smirked at the muscular, livid guard. Silently saying, 'you can't touch this.'
"You dare go against the army?!" the buffalo faunus roared.
Without much effort, Neptune pressed down on his trident, which caused his opponent to step backward. This caused the faunus to angrily grunt.
"Buddy, buddy," Sun drawled. "It's nothin' against you. We just can't leave. And we kinda sorta gotta fight ya."
Neptune shrugged as he kept his muscles strained on his trident's handle. "Sorry," he said, not apologetically.
Before the guards could react, Sun whipped out his staff and slammed the sturdy weapon into the buffalo faunus' side. The staff was surprisingly strong and violent, sending the enemy hurdling backward into his comrades. Several of them fell from the impact that felt like a blast.
Now free, Neptune poised his trident.
"What the hell?!" one of the lackeys yelped.
For fun, Sun twirled his staff and blew it like a candle.
"This'll be fun."
Boys, boys! Don't have too much fun now!
Stay dandy,
~Toto
