Chapter 10: Dust In The Wind
South of Vale…
"Start the train. We leave now!" Torchwick ordered as Team RWBY, accompanied by Doctor Oobleck, fought off White Fang members.
"But we're not fully loaded up." A White Fang Grunt stated.
"If we don't leave now, we won't ever get to now start the train!" Torchwick shot back as the grunt ran off to do as he was told.
"Looks like we're starting early." Torchwick sighed as he hopped on the train heading towards Vale.
(Feat JoJo Opening 3 Stand Proud)
Lower Vale…
Cinder leaped up to the top of a building with the help of the maiden powers to avoid an attack from Davion. But it didn't keep him away as he was launched high into the air, all thanks to his Stand.
While in the air, Davion sent several gusts of wind towards Cinder. However, as the gusts traveled sharpened like blades that can cut through steel. Cinder attempted to dodge, but three managed to hit her, cutting up her left leg, arm, and her chest.
As her aura struggled to heal her wounds, Cinder attempted to use her Stand to attack. But unlike before, as it attacked Davion automatically, she had a hard time commanding her Stand. Cinder was still new to Stands, and only having just gotten a Stand made it hard to use.
The half maiden did not know what she could do with the Stand. All she had were her flame bursts and arrows. But they were all blown away by Davion's Dust In The Wind, which seems to control the very wind itself.
Whenever Cinder attacked him, whether it was with burning arrows or just plain flames, Davion seemed to be able to brush them off like they were nothing. It was the difference between an experienced Stand User and someone who had just gained the power.
Suddenly she was hit by a large gust of wind from above, causing her to fall down into an alley below. Before she could even get up to run out, Davion landed in front of her blocking the exit trapping her in the alley.
"Care to continue, or would you like to hand over the arrow to me now?" Davion questioned.
Cinder didn't respond with words. Instead, she began to heat up the ground below them. Her Stand's arm came out and touched the ground, which slowly heated up and could burn at the touch. To avoid it, Davion began floating in the air, but Cinder commanded her Stand to fire several arrows at him as he did so.
The arrows mostly missed their mark as Davion effortlessly dodged them, but it gave Cinder the chance to charge in and land a blow to his face. In retaliation, a large gust of wind blew Cinder into the ground.
As Cinder hit the ground, Davion commanded the wind to slowly lit her up to his face level before launcher her through a nearby wall into a store. When she was thrown through, the people inside screamed in terror as Davion calmly walked through the hole.
"Ladies! Gentlemen!" Davion began putting emphasis on the gentlemen.
"Please exit the building in a calm and orderly manner. Or don't I don't really care." Davion ordered as he used his Stand to shatter every piece of glass in the store.
No sooner did he do that did every citizen and worker alike run out of the store as Cinder picked herself back up. Looking around quickly, she noticed that all the cameras were also busted, leaving her with one less problem to deal with.
Cinder quickly jumped back as Davion fired more blades of wind at her. Before she could even touch the ground, she was propelled upward and pinned to the ceiling as Davion stood below her with a large smirk on his face.
"Please don't tell me this is all you are worth?" Davion mocked as Cinder glared at him, irritated.
Summoning her Stand, she fired a few bolts of fire at Davion, who easily brushed them off without much effort. This did not stop Cinder, who continued to fire at the man who was slowly losing interest in her desperate attack.
"You do realize you will never hit me with those, right?" Davion asked as Cinder smirked in return.
"I wasn't aiming at you." Cinder responded, causing Davion to raise a brow in confusion.
Suddenly the telltale smell of smoke reached his nostrils, and the blonde Stand User turned around and saw what Cinder had done. She never had intended to hit him with those attacks; instead, she wanted to set the store on fire!
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"Clever bitch." Davion laughed as he released Cinder from the ceiling and exited the building before the fire spread any further.
"No point in putting that one out." Davion thought as he returned to the alley.
When he did, several items shot out from the hole towards him. He noted burning chairs, clothes, and even some metal poles. Davion had no trouble avoiding them as he used his Stand to block most and dodged the rest.
But it seems it was all a distraction as Cinder appeared above him her Stand right behind her with a flaming bow already drawn and loaded. The half maiden fired several burning arrows down upon the Stand User, who protected himself with a shield of wind.
No matter what she did, Davion had managed to easily counter her. This was more than just a gap of experience. This was much greater than that. She remembered when she listened in on those three as they talked about the Stand power.
"They talked about Lailah and Star Ranks. Lailah was supposed to be a Star Rank what they said was the best of the best. So this person must also be one of them." Cinder thought.
"Not only is there a difference in experience but also power!" Cinder realized as she seethed in anger.
Just as she finally gained the power, her cousin was gifted with someone had appeared that could easily snuff her out. But that left one question if he was able to do that, why didn't he? No doubt Davion Brando was currently holding back a majority of his power.
"I will not be outdone!" Cinder hissed as she landed on a nearby roof.
"Really? Sorry but I find that hard to believe." Davion smirked as he slowly rose to look Cinder in the eyes.
"So far, I'm not impressed with your Stand. If I had to say it would be a low A Rank, wait no, a B Rank at best." Davion goaded.
"Don't mock me!" Cinder screamed as she and her Stand burst into flames.
Unamused, Davion went to attack Cinder until something interesting caught his eye. The flames slowly sharpened and thinned, becoming more concentrated than before. Soon they took the shape of two sharp blades. The blades also seemed to move like a chainsaw of flame.
"Well, color me impressed I didn't think you'd find another trick like this! In that case, let us have some more fun!" Davion commented.
Cinder jumped towards Davion and swung her right blade at Davion's head, but the Stand User stopped it with a wall of wind. However, he was taken off guard when her blade cut into his shield and slowly broke through.
Davion barely dodged the blade, having not expected it to break through his defense. The Stand User sent another gust of wind to send Cinder away, crashing into a roof before falling into a car. As people slowly began to surround where Cinder had fallen, she blasted off to reengage Davion.
"I take that back. Your Stand is definitely an A Brand." Davion smirked as Cinder landed in front of him.
"I don't care about your damn rankings!" Cinder shouted as she readied herself to attack him. But she was stopped when a large explosion shook Vale and sirens rang around the city.
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"It couldn't be." Cinder murmured as screams were heard from over yonder. Soon some Grimm could even be seen running in the streets as people ran around.
"This is too early, dammit!" Cinder hissed, catching Davion's attention again.
"Oh? Is this your doing? I have to say breaking Grimm into a city where many have never seen a real one in their entire life. Impressive." Davion stated.
"I can see why Salem chose you if you indeed thought of this part, that is," Davion added as he turned around to look at the spectacle.
The very act enraged Cinder because it showed that the man still didn't see her as a threat even with her new blades. As she glared at him, Emerald and Mercury rejoined her by her side through Cinder knew that it would barely help.
"Cinder, are you okay?" Emerald asked, concerned for her well-being.
"I'm fine!" Cinder hissed as Davion turned back around to face them.
"Oh good, the kids are back." Davion sighed, disinterested in the two new additions to his and Cinder's fight.
"I'm going to get you back for throwing me into a rooftop!" Mercury shouted as he readied to attack Davion.
"No, you two need to go to the breach." Cinder ordered, shocking both Emerald and Mercury.
"The breach?! I thought we weren't ready for that yet!" Mercury pointed out.
"It seems something went wrong. Now go and 'help' so that we blend." Cinder ordered.
"Yes, scurry off now, kids. Mommy and Daddy are talking." Davion laughed as Mercury and Emerald begrudgingly left.
"Honestly, even if they stayed, what help would they be?" Davion scoffed as Cinder ran forward and slashed at him trying to move faster than he can generate his barriers of wind.
But her assault soon ended when Davion swept her off her feet and then blasted her into the air. As Cinder fell back down, Davion fired several blades of wind up at her. She managed to block most of them, but many hit their mark.
Before she hit the ground, Cinder used her Stand to heat it up and create a large cloud of smoke to blind Davion when she landed. It didn't last long, though, as Davion jumped out of the smoke and blew the rest away with the wind.
When the smoke cleared, Cinder stood there with her blades gone, but her Stand held its bow ready to fire. Davion ran right at the half maiden who fired several arrows at him, of which he easily dodged and countered.
As he got closer, he opened his left palm, creating several blades of wind formed into a small ball. When Davion finally reached Cinder, she dispelled the bow, and her Stand took on blades again, but it was too late as Davion planted the ball in her stomach.
But to his surprise, it passed right through along with his arm, then his entire body as if she was never there at all. Before he could even question what had happened, a blade of flame sliced him in the back and pierced his left leg setting both on fire.
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"I thought I told you to go to the breach." Cinder pointed out as her form revealed itself behind Davion and turned to look at the green-haired girl next to her.
"I'm sorry, but I couldn't just leave you here," Emerald replied.
"For the moment, it's fine, seeing as you managed to finally get me a blow on him." Cinder sighed as she turned to look at Davion, who had put out the flames.
His aura was already working to heal the two wounds Cinder had given him as he used the wind to float above the ground to keep off his bad leg. Davion tore off his damaged shirt and jacket, revealing his muscular body as he turned to face the two women.
"Well, I'll admit when I'm wrong. Honestly, I never saw that coming, but now that I know about it, I won't be fooled by my eyes again." Davion stated as he closed his eyes shut.
"How do you plan on fighting with your eyes shut?" Emerald questioned.
"I can fight even better than I did before with my eyes shut, kid. So prepare yourselves." Davion declared as both Cinder and Emerald were pushed back by a large gust of wind.
Davion flew towards them as Cinder got back to her feet and slashed at Davion's head. But to her utter surprise, he easily avoided the attack before he swiped at her chest with his right hand. Once he did, a large wound appeared on Cinder's chest.
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Emerald attempted to take Davion by surprise by firing at him from behind, but the Stand User managed to use the wind to blow the bullets away. Davion quickly turned and sent several blades of wind her way, which seemed to home in on her.
The green-haired girl raised her weapons to block the attacks, but it seemed Davion noticed this and controlled them to move around and hit her back. Just as Davion had stated, it seemed he was able to fight even better with his eyes closed.
"How is he doing this?!" Cinder questioned as she attempted to stab him, only to be blown away.
"No illusions today, huh? Well, it never would have worked if I hadn't been so overconfident. But sometimes you need to be put down every now again to check your ego." Davion smirked.
"So what will you do now, I wonder?" Davion wondered aloud as Cinder and Emerald picked themselves back up.
Emerald focused on Davion, and her illusionary semblance, for what he didn't know was that it wasn't just ocular illusions. She can even cause some auditory illusions, which she will use to throw Davion off his guard, believing he was using sound to see in a sense.
Using her semblance, Emerald made it so that Davion heard footsteps all over him as well as voices, so he couldn't know where an attack would come from. Emerald motioned Cinder to attack. Cinder did just that jumping up into the air to slice Davion in two.
But Davion just stood there, not having moved an inch even when Emerald began her auditory illusion. As Cinder got closer, he raised a single-arm, and a large blade of wind sliced Cinder's chest, creating an X from her two wounds.
"I told you illusions would never had worked on me if I hadn't been more confident," Davion stated as he sent another blade Emerald's way.
"I'll let you in on this little tidbit on what's happening right now. I don't rely on sound to know where you two are. All I need is the wind that surrounds us." Davion explained.
"Don't you get it? The true nature of my Stand is not creating wind. My Stand is the very wind itself!" Davion declared as the wind picked up around them, and it became hard to even stand.
As he increased the speed of the wind, Davion noticed the large amass of Grimm that was in Vale. Cleary with the amount there a large response by huntsman and huntresses would surely come soon.
"It would be best to keep out of sight for now." Davion thought as he used his Stand to crush the roof they were on to fall inside the building.
As Cinder and Emerald hit the ground, Davion floated above them with a large smile on his face. Though his eyes were still closed, he still had a clear image of the current situation below due to the wind he was circulating into the area.
"So, Ms. Fall, would you like to surrender the arrow to me, or would you like to continue?" Davion inquired.
"I will never surrender!" Cinder hissed as she struggled to get up.
"Wait!" Emerald cried, catching the attention of both Cinder and Davion.
"If you want the arrow so badly, then here. Take it and leave us!" Emerald begged as he held the Stand Arrow up.
"What are you doing?!" Cinder questioned, seething in anger.
"He's too strong, and if you die here, then everything we have done so far was for nothing. And I don't want you to die." Emerald explained.
"So if you want the arrow, then take it!" Emerald added.
"Stop it, Emerald, we still need that Arrow!" Cinder ordered as she grabbed the arrow from Emerald's hand.
"But Cinder…" Emerald retorted.
"NO, I WILL NEVER SURRENDER, AND I WILL NOT BE BEAT!" Cinder shouted.
"Well then, in that case, I will end this now. Behold the true power of Dust In The Wind!" Davion declared as a small twister surrounded them.
The twister capped off into a dome, and before Cinder or Emerald could even do anything, both noticed a sudden lack of air. Both fell to their knees, gasping for any air, only to find none at all. It seemed that Dust In The Wind had created a vacuum removing all air in the area.
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Cinder attempted to shoot off some flames to attack Davion, who seemed unaffected by the lack of air, but due to the lack of oxygen, no flames could be made. Soon Emerald lost consciousness on the precipice of death while Cinder struggled to stay conscious.
"See how hopeless this battle truly was? You never stood a chance against me going all out. At the moment, my Stand is not only sucking up all the oxygen. It is removing all the atmosphere in the area, so to speak." Davion began as he approached the two girls.
"So even if you were to survive there being no oxygen, you would be exposed to conditions like in space and implode. It's quite the sight to behold, to be honest." Davion smirked as he took the arrow.
"Your Stand was interesting, but in the end, you never stood a chance, Ms. Fall. Farewell." Davion finished as he turned to leave.
"How dare you! How dare you do this to me!" Cinder thought as she slowly crawled on the ground, her face turning purple.
"I have not come this far to be killed like this! So if you turn your back on me, then…YOU WILL DIE!" Cinder thought as she summoned her Stand, which formed a whip of flame.
The whip hit Davion right in the back, shocking him as he turned to look at the Stand that now took hold of burning swords once more. He couldn't believe it because it was impossible due to the known laws of physics.
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"So her Stand was stronger than I thought!" Davion realized as it charged toward him. However, when it reached him, an arm made of wind formed behind Davion and punched it.
"MUDA!" Dust In The Wind shouted as it landed a punch clean at Fall's Reprise's face.
"MUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDA!" It cried some more as it battered Cinder's Stand, breaking several of her bones.
"Impressive, truly impressive. I was wrong about what I said before. Your Stand is no doubt, a Star Brand, and I cannot wait to see how it further develops." Davion stated as he stopped the vacuum returning air to both Cinder and Emerald.
"You can live for now. I hope our paths cross again, Ms. Fall. Until then, get stronger." Davion smirked as he flew up and disappeared.
Cinder laid their sprawled on the floor, gasping for as much air as she could get. She had lost and humiliated, and to make matters worse, he had spared her for reasons unknown. It was an insult to be spared as so, and Cinder vowed that the next time she met Davion Brando, she would kill him.
Elsewhere…
Ruby decapitated a Beowolf before firing on an Ursa that was soon frozen by Weiss, who backed up to give Yang room to break it apart. Blake then jumped behind Yang, slicing up a Boarbatusk before disappearing with a clone to allow Yang to finish it off.
Team RWBY, along with several others from Beacon and professional Huntsman and Huntresses, was killing a horde of Grimm that had broken into Vale. This all occurred when Team RWBY had accidentally stumbled upon a White Fang operation in the southwest.
Though things had not gone like they had wanted, they at least managed to stop them from putting their plan into action on a full scale. Grimm continued to pour out the breach in the ground, and it almost seemed there would be too much until a strong gust of wind came through the area.
Suddenly every Grimm was decapitated and slowly dissolved away, surprising everyone there at the sudden unexplained occurrence. Though it was a surprise, some like to think of it as a blessing in disguise as Glynda sealed up the hole.
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"Well, that was something," Blake murmured as Team RWBY regrouped.
"Yeah, what the hell was that?" Yang questioned as other teams looked around, confused until the professionals ordered them to help the civilians.
"It was like someone somehow controlled the wind itself," Ruby said.
"Normally, I'd call you crazy, but it was too much like that." Weiss agreed as they watched Roman get apprehended.
"You…you don't think it was a Stand, do you?" Blake asked, getting concerned looked from the rest of her teammates.
"I mean, it's possible, but I can't believe that it was a Stand," Weiss replied.
"True after all this Stand stuff is still new for us, and how would a Stand control the wind?" Yang agreed.
"They did say that Stand power can do things that could seem impossible." Ruby pointed out.
"Even so, if it was a Stand, then why would they help us? I thought the people here with Stands were the bad guys." Weiss argued.
"I guess your right." Ruby sighed as they walked away to get some rest.
Unknown to them Davion Brando laid on a nearby rooftop looking down upon them as he twirled the Stand Arrow in his hand. He had just finished his bout with Cinder Fall, having gauged her Stand as good enough to let her live going against his uncle's orders.
That being said, he did keep Weiss Schnee safe in case his uncle needed her as a hostage in case Walter Schnee or his counterpart became a problem. He didn't know why his uncle didn't just simply kill him, but everything has a purpose, even if he had to suffer listening to his uncle's orders.
"It doesn't matter. After all, my duty to my father is far more important." Davion thought as his scroll went off.
"Speak of the devil," Davion said as he noticed the caller id.
(Feat JoJo OST: Dark Rebirth)
"I hear that you are currently in Vale Davion." His father began.
"By chance, is Joshua Joestar there as well?" His father inquired.
"Yes, he is, did Uncle Kage tell you?" Davion asked as he spun the Stand Arrow around.
"No, I can feel it. The wheels of time are intertwined in Vale." His father responded.
"When you get the opportunity to sneak off the radar and test his power personally, I want to know how close he is." His father requested.
"Sounds like fun that won't be a problem," Davion replied.
"By the way, I found an interesting Stand while I was in Vale. It was able to create flames even while in my vacuum attack." Davion informed.
"Interesting. Who does this Stand belong to?" His father asked.
"Her name is Cinder Fall. She is currently one of Salem's pawns, but if she were to be discarded or if Salem were to finally die. She can become a valuable asset." Davion explained.
"I see." His father murmured as he processed the information.
"I also heard that you are calling yourself Dio when I am not around. Care to explain?" His father questioned.
"I'd thought you'd be honored. After all, I am your son," Davion answered.
"Don't get too ahead of yourself, boy. I expect a report soon." His father stated as he hung up.
(OST END)
Once his father hung up, Davion let out a sigh of annoyance. His father was always like this, only calling when he needed something or if Davion had done something wrong. It was annoying, but as long as Davion stayed on his father's good side, then it was fine.
"At least my fun isn't over yet. That is unless Viola or Corpse Harvest doesn't kill him first." Davion smiled as he got to his feet.
"Now to get myself a new set of clothes," Davion stated as he left the scene of the breach.
With Cinder…
Cinder was back at the warehouse with Emerald and Mercury. Several hours had passed since the botched breach plan and her fight with Davion Brando, and she was not happy. Not only was she humiliated, but her breach plan was also foiled.
But even in failure, can opportunity come forth, and Cinder would make sure to come back in full force from this loss. As soon as she was healed, she would return to Beacon and continue as planned, preparing for the Vytal Festival in one month.
Thankfully she was not spotted or recognized during her fight with Davion, so she had nothing to worry about in that part. But Cinder also knew she needed to do more than just plan. She needs to train.
Her battle with Davion showed that just having a Stand didn't make her any stronger she needed to know how to use it and to grow its strength. She got lucky in their fight because she knew that Davion could have killed her any time he had wanted to.
"Next time will be different." Cinder thought as she got up.
She looked at a nearby box and summoned her Stand, commanding it to create a bow before firing. The burning arrow hit the box slowly, causing it to set aflame but did little more. In a rage, she fired again. This time the flame on the arrow was much larger, and when it connected, it exploded.
"I will not be left behind." Cinder declared.
Hours Earlier…
The Stand Trio sat on a rooftop of Beacon, having just been released from the infirmary. At the moment, they weren't allowed to leave until Ozpin gave them the go-ahead. Apparently, at the moment, beyond overseeing the first year's missions, he was also looking for accommodations for them.
"How long do you think he's going to keep us here?" Richard asked.
"Who knows. Don't tell me you're getting bored?" Max questioned as he read a book.
"I'd be lying if I said no. It's not like we're allowed to explain the school." Richard pointed out.
"We're just going to have to make due," Joshua stated as he looked at the book Max was reading.
"What are you reading anyway?" Joshua asked, seeing as Max had used his Stand to take it from the Beacon library.
"Chakra Theory," Max answered.
"What's that?" Richard inquired.
"It's something, my father, William once theorized, was connected with our pressure point technique. He thought that if our pressure points could mess with aura, then maybe it can also impact the soul itself." Max began.
"Chakra's control every aspect of the body the soul included, so I'm devising some techniques and strategies to incorporate this. If I'm right, then my family's technique can evolve stronger than ever." Max finished.
"I thought that stuff about chakra was all fiction." Joshua pointed out.
"True, even with my family's pressure point technique, there is no evidence, but then I thought what if we used it in conjunction with our Stands," Max replied.
"A Stand is a physical embodiment of the soul, meaning it could connect with chakra unlike anything else," Max stated.
"Amazing, I would never have thought about it." Richard gasped.
"Well, you never grew up around this stuff." Joshua pointed out.
"True," Richard replied. Suddenly Joshua's scroll went off, getting a call.
"Hello?" Joshua asked.
"This is Ozpin. I'm calling to inform you that the child has woken up, and I would like you three to come and see him." Ozpin answered.
"I see. Where shall we meet you?" Joshua inquired.
"At the bullhead landing. From there, I will lead you to him." Ozpin responded.
"Alright, see you there," Joshua replied before hanging up.
"It's time to go. The kid woke up." Joshua informed his friends.
"Finally, something to do." Richard sighed as Max closed his book, and the three went to meet up with Ozpin.
===To Be Continued===
Next Time…Organ Harvest
Author's Note:
Hey, guys hope you enjoyed the chapter and the first official fight with a Star Brand. Like I said before, Dust In The Wind is one of my favorite Stands that I've created, and I think you can see why.
Now every time I reveal a Star Brand, I will explain how it could but not for sure kill Salem. Besides Joshua's and Lailah's as they will be revealed later on why they were considered able to kill Salem.
For DITW, the whole reason was because of the vacuum move he used against Cinder. If he had, continued things would have happened like he said, creating an experience like being in open space.
When used on most people, they would be dead for sure, but since Salem is immortal, she should be able to regenerate herself from imploding. Plus, since she is immortal, she can't suffocate, but even so, it's Stands like these that make up many of the Star Brands.
On the subjects of Davion's father, you'll have to wait a while before he is explained, but I've left several clues on who he is. Either way, I don't have much else to say about this chapter. I hope you guys enjoyed and I'll see you guys next time!