Zwei barked as he sat on the porch, watching as Taiyang and Yang stared each other off with their fists raised, waiting to see who would make the first move.
"Show me what I taught you." Taiyang stated. "And don't hold back. This won't end till one of our auras are broken."
"Fine by me." Yang sprinted forward and jumped up with a punch aimed at her father. He rolled out of the way and attempted to kick her, she raised her left arm up to block the kick and and threw out a punch that hit Taiyang's side with her prosthetic arm, making him stagger off slightly.
"Not bad." Taiyang rubbed his side. "That thing hits really hard."
"I know right?" Yang chuckled as she then held up her arms in defense as Taiyang ran towards her, punching at her, she blocked his first punch, but was caught slightly off guard when he punched her in the ribs and caused her to take a few steps away.
"Come now, any real opponent you fight won't keep hitting the same spot."
Yang took a deep breath before running forward with her fist reeled back. Taiyang, ducked and stuck his leg out in anticipation of her next move, but it never came as instead, Yang rolled over his leg and kicked him in the back, making him fall to his knees before she then stood herself up.
"Not bad." he then stood himself back up as Yang started to walk around him. He kept facing her now, reeling his fist back, ready for a punch. Yang did at the same time as well.
"ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORAAAAA!" they yelled in unison as their punches collided, each punch coming out faster than the last before Yang stopped, swept his leg out from under him with her foot and caught him, now smiling down at him.
"I know you don't want to really exhaust yourself this much, Dad." Yang pointed out, pulling him to his feet.
"True, but I haven't gotten my blood flowing this much in ages." Taiyang chuckled as he scratched the back of his head now. "Alright, you win. You can leave. I don't wanna be a hassle on you. But before you leave, there is one more thing I'd like to give you. Give me your scroll."
He fiddled with it slightly before handing it back to her. "There. Oh! One last thing."
"What now?" Yang rolled her eyes before he hugged her.
"Come home safe, and with your sister." he stated as she hugged him back.
Cinder jumped to the side to dodge a Beringel that jumped at her, it slammed it's fists into the ground and roared before, Cinder with a single focused orb of fire threw it, right through it's head, the Grimm crumbling to dust as Salem smirked, Emerald and Mercury only watched from the side.
"Remember to control your emotions, control the power, not the other way around." Salem coldly instructed as the door opened, diverting everyone in the room's attention.
Tyrian, stumbled in, looking rather weak and defeated, his tail now without it's stinger as he fell to his knees in front of Salem.
"Please... Forgive me." he bowed his head down, wanting nothing more than for forgiveness.
"Where's the girl?" Salem demanded coldly.
"She got away. Qrow, Qrow Branwen showed up and interfered! The girl wasn't alone either! She was able to best me and take my stinger." he explained, now kissing the ground in front of her feet.
Salem turned away from Tyrian in disgust.
"Oh! But your grace! I poisoned Qrow! He will surely die within the day!" Tyrian laughed as he hoped she would accept that as a job well done.
"With help he'll survive, they've been slowed at best..." Salem remarked before turning towards Salem. "You disappoint me." she stated before walking away.
Cinder just smirked as Emerald and Mercury followed after her.
Tyrian broke down into hysterics, screaming and crying as a Beowolf had followed him in from outside and licked it's teeth, smelling the negativity flowing off of Tyrian. Cinder stopped, wondering if he was going to let himself be eaten like this.
Tyrian screamed as he whipped the Beowolf with his tail and jumped onto it and stabbed it's throat before he kept stabbing into it as many times as he could to the point where the Beowolf stopped moving as he laughed maniacally as tears fell down his face.
Cinder watched this scene with disgust as Emerald took hold of her hand and pointed towards Salem.
Cinder went back further into the fortress with Salem.
The Patch Tavern was busy at this time of day with people cycling in and out of the place, through it's door. However, the door would find itself forced open the hardest when Yang Xiao Long entered the establishment, wearing her complete outfit, with her gauntlet, her coat tails and of course her sunglasses.
A smile happened upon her face as she sat at the bar, lowering her shades. "I'll have a strawberry sunrise please, no ice. Little umbrella." she stated before turning to the seat next to her where Alix was sitting, he was already drinking a strawberry Sunrise.
"Oh hey! Uh you were late so I already got my drink." Alix chuckled awkwardly.
"It's fine, Dad just had to give me something." Yang assured as she took her sunglasses off, putting them away as her drink was slid out towards her. However, right before it reached her, a hand from her left side interjected.
"Hey, blondie." one of Junior's thugs from the other day glared at her, aiming a gun at her. "Let's pick this up properly."
All of the Tavern's other patrons stood themselves up, each with weapons. The bartender, took a rifle out from under the bar as they surrounded the two.
Alix let out a sigh as he finished his drink. "Does a scene like this always have to happen when we go to a bar?"
"Hey now, it wouldn't be me otherwise." Yang chuckled as she then turned towards the man. "Gotta say, I'm impressed your guys actually had clothes other than the uniforms that made you stand out like a sore thumb."
"Yeah, well... Some of us from Junior's or may not have put a bounty on your head. We were about to raid your house, but the fact you walked out here and right into all of us, just makes our job that much easier." one of the men chuckled as Alix stood himself up, clutching a dagger in his hand.
"I wouldn't make any moves if I were you, boy." one of the men warned in a very thick southern sounding accent.
"So, what're you thinking?" Alix asked her as he let the other dagger fall out of his sleeve, it notably had a bronze color to it.
"Oh! You finally brought the other one!" Yang grinned. "I gotta say, bronze looks good."
"Oh, i know, right?!" Alix chuckled.
It happens every night,
I watch my world ignite,
But there's no waking from this Nightmare
"Hey, we've got you surrounded, ya hear!" another of the men sounded irritated that they were being ignored as Yang transformed her Ember Celica gauntlet.
The stage is always set,
The place I can't forget,
The hidden eyes that I can feel there
"Ready?" Alix glanced over to her, combining his daggers at their bases.
"Ready." Yang stood up, taking a deep breath, the smell alcohol and burning in the air was something she'd never be tired of.
The Bartender tried to shoot at her from behind, but Alix knocked the gun from his hand with a swing of his weapon in it's dual ended spear form as Yang ducked under a revolver shot before uppercutting the man that interrupted her drink's arrival.
My eyes are open wide,
I'm racing to her side,
There's nothing that I won't do for her!
Alix spun his weapon around in front of him, blocking a few bullets that were fired in his direction before, swinging downward and hitting one of the bounty hunters.
But this is not a dream,
My mind repeats the scene,
I can't forget it and it's torture!
Yang deflected a few bullets off of her gauntlets as she charged forward, ripping a handgun from a bounty hunter's hand and throwing it at another, smacking them in the face before she then kicked them over a booth.
That was before,
But not anymore,
I've left it behind
Alix quickly transformed his weapons back into daggers as he slid down under a swipe of another woman's hatchet before slashing at their legs and forcing them to to the ground as then sprung up with a kick towards the chest of another goon that attempted to shoot him.
The pain I went through,
Left me with a new war cry!
Yang fired a shot from her gauntlet at another man who was clearly not ready and trying to build his rifle, it hit and knocked him through a window as she smirked and propelled herself to the side to avoid the downward slash of a sword with a shot from her Ember Celica gauntlet.
I'll live my life like everyday's the last,
No living in the past,
Best day's ever,
I'm never looking back!
She landed herself right next to Alix who smiled to her as he activated the dust in his daggers, making them glow green. "That looks new." Yang remarked.
"Oh it is." Alix grinned. "Think of it like a close ranged blast of wind hitting you right in the face. I still can't believe everyone in this bar has it out for you."
"Wouldn't be fair otherwise." Yang stated as she glanced over to Alix before the two charged forward.
Call me sweetheart and I'll tear you apart,
Just call me "Sir".
Yang blocked punches a man with brass knuckles threw at her before she then kicked them to the ground with minimal effort.
Try to resist once you meet my new fist,
Bye-bye!
Alix slammed a dagger down into the ground, causing the floorboard to spring up from under a bounty hunter and launch him at Yang, who promptly met him with her prosthetic's fist.
Just look at the fire in my eyes,
and bring my strawberry sunrise
Yang glared as the knuckled man from before was leaning over the bar and reached for her strawberry sunrise, and she stepped on his foot and slammed his head against the bar before picking her drink up and taking a sip.
It was you who began it,
now you're saying
"Goddammit!" one of the men swore loudly as he got his weapon stuck in the ground by Alix who promptly took this opening as a chance to slam them into a wall with a swipe from his dagger.
Yang threw her finished drink in another bounty hunter's face, shattering the glass. "Duck!" she told Alix who managed to successfully use his semblance to phase through the attack and also give Yang an opening to punch the bounty hunter attacking her from behind.
I feel like I'm finally unbroken,
Whoa, now I'm back from the dead!
My Strength's back and confidence growing,
Out of my way cause I'm armed and ready!
Yang charged forward and dodged around all attacks that came her way, punching and shooting through all of the men and women that came at her, the ones that she dodged would only be met by Alix whom didn't let up his assault much either.
Ready!
Armed and Ready,
I'm ready!
Armed and Ready
Ready, Ready,
Armed and Ready!
Yang found herself boosted forward towards the largest man, holding the largest weapon by Alix, who created a vortex to push her. She fired a shot and increased her momentum more before finally slamming her fist right into the man's chest and knocking him through the window.
She took a deep breath, her left hand starting to shake considerably after the fight as Alix walked over to her, spinning his daggers around as he put them away into his jacket.
"You okay?" he asked her.
"Fine." she took a deep breath. "I'll be fine." she assured with a smile.
"How was the drink by the way?" Alix asked.
"I've had better strawberry sunrises." she remarked.
"I was about to say the same thing about it before we were interrupted!" Alix chuckled as the two left the tavern along with all the beaten and exhausted bounty hunters who knew when they were beat.
The pair stood by the docks as a boat docked on it's shores. "So you're still certain about going to Mistral?" Alix asked.
"I am." Yang affirmed. "My sister needs me."
"I mean she's probably fine." Alix folded his arms behind his head. "If anyone's strong, it's your sister. And if she's traveling with Jaune, Ren and Nora then she's in good hands. Even if that Jaune dude isn't as good of a fighter."
"She's totally fine." Yang affirmed. "But I still need to give her the scolding of a lifetime for leaving the way she did."
"Fair point." Alix chuckled a little with her as he let out a sigh upon looking back towards Patch. "I gotta finish packing. Our flight out to Atlas leaves tomorrow." he explained. "Be safe out there buddy." Alix held his fist out.
"You too." Yang fist bumped him before he walked off back towards Patch while Yang with Bumblebee boarded the boat that within the hour left port.
"Hold on, sis." Yang looked towards a team picture she had on her scroll. Her thumb was notably covering Blake's face on the picture as she stared forward in the direction the boat was going.
Commentary: With this chapter, Yang's storyline of Volume 4 is finished. I admit I indulged a bit here, with giving Yang an action set piece alongside Alix, whom likely has had his fair share of bar/club bouts alongside Yang as have her other friends. This is also the last you'll see of Alix for the time, if he even made it out to Atlas with the rest of Team FCSA. I also had Yang teamed with Alix here as a sort of way to scale her power down a bit, in that she still needed help to get out of that fight fine. Next up is the volume finale, hope you'll stick around for it!