New chapter! This took longer than expected to finally finish, but on the bright side, this chapter is pretty long!
Author note at the bottom, and of course the usual disclaimer applies.
XXX
Perhaps stopping time was another power of the Maidens. Because when Cinder Fall's sword pierced right through Beth's body, time surely stopped.
Maidens were extremely powerful. Maidens could create natural disasters and stop them with a single breath or wave of their hands. At least, the fully realized Maidens could. Maidens could fly, and they could stop bullets and similar attacks. They were magical in a world that no longer believed in magic. They should have been invincible.
But when Beth was run through by a dark, glass blade, she did not smile in triumph or confidence. She did not remove the blade, she did not push Cinder away, and she did not look invincible. She looked shocked.
And Cinder Fall was nothing if not cruel, and she pushed the blade in further, staying still for a moment to let the pain set.
And when she began twisting the blade, time began to flow again.
Sable's scream was inhuman, and she pushed her two foes back with gale-force winds that rivaled those of a fierce storm.
Winter struggled to her feet, still clearly weak, but she stared in horror at the grisly scene before her.
Sable pushed off the ledge of the building she had been cornered into, and flew towards the other two Maidens. Cinder glanced up, a knowing smirk on her face, and with a quick pull, she removed her blade from Beth.
Beth stumbled back a couple steps, and then she slowly sank to the ground.
Cinder's smile grew wider and more malicious, and as she looked up, her eyebrows raised. She jumped away from Beth, pressing her hands together and forming a wall of fire before her, just as Sable soared through the spot she had been standing. Faint traces of lightning crackled along Sable's fingertips, and for a moment, she looked ready to hop back into battle with Cinder. But then her ferocious expression melted, and she turned and fell at Beth's side.
"Beth?" Sable's voice sounded more frightened than Winter thought possible. "Come on, wake up!" Sable carefully held a hand over the wound, but she looked lost. For all her elemental and magical powers, healing was not a gift of the Maidens.
Winter pushed herself over, practically crawling on her hands and feet, until she was half-lying by Beth. Sable barely took notice of her, now trying to administer the basics of first aid. Winter caught movement from the corner of her eye, and yelled loudly.
"Sable!" she screamed, alerting the Maiden. Sable turned just as Cinder moved to attack. Sable caught the attack just in time, forming a wall of rock in front of her and pushing Cinder back with all her might. She turned to Winter quickly, desperation written all over her face.
"Try to help her!" Sable pleaded, before launching herself into another battle with Cinder. This time though, Winter could tell Sable was acting defensively. Every movement, every subtle wave of wind or fire or earth that Sable sent at Cinder, was meant to push her away from Beth and Winter. Winter tried to muster a Summon for extra protection, but she couldn't even manage a brief flicker of a glyph. Her Aura was almost completely drained.
Instead, she returned her attention to Beth, then gasped softly. Beth's eyes were open, looking around slowly. When they landed on Winter, Beth's mouth lifted in a tiny smile.
"Please," Winter said. "Please stay with us." She reached a hand over to press down on the wound. She didn't know if Beth's Aura had already broken, if Cinder's attacks had been too powerful, or if perhaps Salem had figured out a way to cut through a person's Aura, but Beth's wound was very real and a dark red stain was growing over it.
"Wait," Beth breathed out. Or, Winter thought she heard her speak. But Beth's lips were barely moving.
"I'm going to call for backup on my Scroll," Winter said. "Reinforcements will arrive soon, and we can get you medical help-," Something small and light touched Winter's hand. Beth had slowly reached a hand up and tapped Winter's hand.
"Wait … S'alright," Beth croaked. Winter cringed at the weakness and pain evident in her voice. "It's not … don't … worry." Beth struggled to even get a sentence out, but she still wore a tiny, pained smile on her face, and Winter felt a wave of grief and concern hit her.
"Winter!" A pair of arms pulled her back, and she didn't even register the voice as she reached for her weapon, only to spin around, as best as she could from her kneeling position, and find Qrow staring at her with wide, red eyes. His face was right in front of hers, his nose inches from her own. His eyes roved over her, and she thought she saw him flinch. Did she look that bad?
Then his eyes fell on Beth and he sucked in his breath through his teeth. Winter expected him to try and help Beth, but instead he started to pull her back roughly. She furrowed her brows.
"Qrow, stop," she insisted, holding back a groan of pain. "Help Beth first." She slapped at his arm, though with so little energy it was more like a gentle cuff, and she tried to crawl back to Beth's side.
"Stay back," Qrow said suddenly, pushing her behind him.
"Qrow!" Winter snapped, her pain and fear finally making her lose her temper. He had pushed her with such force, some kind of deeper emotion behind it. But at that moment, she didn't care what his reasons were. She just felt all of the frustration, fear, and anger in her boil to the surface. If she was at her full strength, she might have shoved Qrow aside. Then Beth made a soft gasping sound, and both Winter and Qrow's heads swiveled towards her. Once again, the Spring Maiden gave them a small smile.
"It's ok, Qrow. Don't worry," Beth said. Qrow's shoulders lost a bit of tension. Still, Qrow did not move from his spot directly in front of Winter, except to inch a little closer to Beth.
"Sorry," he muttered. "I failed again. I guess I'm not that great at this job. I couldn't protect you either." Beth instantly reached out and grasped his hand with a surprisingly strong grip. Her eyelids fluttered for a moment, and her breathing grew more ragged. Qrow's eyes fell, his head falling forward. Winter tried thinking of a plan to emergency lift Beth to the closest hospital, or perhaps call a field doctor from the Atlas military, but then the heavy sound of Beth's breathing slowed and grew quiet. Until neither Qrow nor Winter heard anything.
Winter's eyes grew wide as Beth's body was enveloped in a faint, pale green glow for a few moments, and then suddenly the glow shot out of her, dissipating in the air.
"Woah," she whispered, her voice coming out in a quiet gasp. "Qrow-,"
"She's gone. There's a chance the magic went to someone who was in her last thoughts, but I'd bet Lien it's gone off to pick someone random," Qrow said ruefully.
"Beth!" Sable appeared at Beth's side again. Her expression was one of devastation. Her lips moved rapidly, but no sound came out. Winter wondered if she was praying or pleading for Beth to stay. Remembering that Sable had been off fighting Cinder, Winter scanned the surrounding area for her. Off in the distance, she spied what appeared to be a block of ice with the silhouette of Cinder, stuck inside. Even with her tired vision and the distance, Winter could see the ice melting as Cinder heated it from the inside. The other two accomplices were nowhere to be seen, but that didn't mean they were gone. They couldn't stay huddled around Beth's body.
Qrow had the same idea.
"We can't stay like this," Qrow said, voice gruff. Sable ignored him. "Sable, come on. We're not finished here with the fight." Sable looked at him out of the corner of her eye, a cold and furious gaze on her otherwise grieving face.
"Sable, he's right," Winter murmured. Sable's glare moved to Winter, then she looked away, quickly standing up. Qrow followed suit, and Winter started to move to her feet too, only for Qrow to carefully place a palm on her shoulder.
"Schnee, are you sure you can fight? If you can't, don't push yourself." His eyes were hard and his mouth was set in a straight line. He would not take any arguments on the matter.
"I'm pretty weak at the moment, and my Aura is broken," Winter admitted. "I'll stay back. But I'll guard Beth's body. And if they come near me, I will retaliate." Without pause, she loaded Dust into her sabre. Qrow frowned, but after a moment he nodded.
"Stay alert," he told her.
"You must stay alert too. There's at least three enemies. There were two men, presumably more associates of Salem, helping Cinder out."
"What did they look like?"
"One had pale hair and skin and wore white clothing. The other had darker skin and dark brown hair too, with brown and black clothing. They seemed to work as a pair, like they were used to fighting beside each other," Winter explained. Qrow grimaced.
"Harish and Altair. They're the two who attacked Ruby and I."
"They-," Winter began, only for a loud, shattering sound to interrupt her. Cinder broke free of her cage of ice, sending shards scattering through the air. Steam rolled off of Cinder in hot waves, and the ice she sent flying through the air melted before they hit the ground.
"Ready for round two?" Sable asked. It was doubtful that Cinder heard the question, but even so, she stalked toward them, eyes on their group of fighters. Winter tore her eyes away from the enraged Maiden, trying to find where Harish and Altair had gone. She tried not to focus on Beth's still warm body next to her, or the fact that they were now at a greater disadvantage.
Until an idea struck her.
"Qrow," she whispered. Qrow didn't acknowledge her, but she knew he had heard. "I have an idea. But I need you to buy time." The only response she got was the curling of his fingers, but she trusted him to understand.
She reached for her Scroll, hoping she wasn't too late.
Cinder stopped walking suddenly, cocking her head to the side. She frowned, and Winter thought she might have gone a bit pale. Was she listening for something?
"I don't hear anything. I don't understand." Her eyes went to Qrow immediately. "Why isn't this city overrun with Grimm? What did you do?!"
"Maybe you just overestimated yourselves," Qrow offered, a little too cavalier. "It's ok. It happens to the best of us." Cinder's eyes flared.
"The robots are slowly but surely being detained." Harish appeared to Cinder's right, standing several feet away.
"And it seems the White Fang will not be joining us," Altair added, appearing to Cinder's left. How did they materialize out of the shadows like that? "Something must have happened in Mantle." Winter breathed a sigh of relief.
"That's unfortunate," Cinder said through gritted teeth. "But it changes nothing in the end."
"And you killed one of the Maidens," Harish added. "You know Salem wanted them all alive. Now we'll have to find the new vessel." Cinder reached up a hand, cradling her forehead as she squeezed her eyes shut.
"Shut up," she whispered angrily. Harish and Altair raised their eyebrows, sharing a look. Harish opened his mouth to say something, and Cinder shot him a deadly look. "Not you." The two goons shared another look, but they didn't say anything about Cinder's comment.
"Is she losing it or something?" Sable muttered under her breath. Qrow just stared, unsure of what was wrong with the Fall Maiden. He watched Harish and Altair dare to move closer to Cinder. Altair leaned in.
"You know," he said in a very low tone, "Her Majesty would not want you getting killed if you find yourself … distracted. Return now or leave for Vacuo, if you must." Cinder's hand snapped out, latching on to his wrist. Altair frowned, but otherwise did not seem bothered by the action.
"I'm not leaving," Cinder growled. Qrow slid his eyes to Sable, who was observing the situation with a fierce alertness. He tried not to look back at Winter and Beth's body, afraid of drawing attention to them. Their enemies were strangely preoccupied with something, something that was wrong with Cinder Fall, and now was a perfect time to escape. But should they? What would stop them from finding some more heavily populated area of the city and burning it to the ground? And could they even leave? Qrow was only somewhat reluctant to leave Beth's body - horrible as it sounded, her spirit was gone and nothing could be done - but Winter was clearly injured and would be difficult to move anywhere, especially while fighting off Salem's goons.
Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, they didn't have to wait much longer as their three enemies returned their attention to them. Qrow flexed his fingers, shifting into a more combative position. Sable's eyes glowed in anticipation.
"Well, we'd ask you to surrender, but we remember well enough that that would be pointless," Harish said, gesturing at Qrow. Qrow and Sable didn't respond. "You're outnumbered, you know."
"Are we? Seems pretty even," Sable drawled.
"Reinforcements are coming. There are Hunters all over the city," Qrow added. Another smirk passed between Harish and Altair. That in and of itself made Qrow want to chuck his sword at them.
"If you surrender now, we won't go after the kids you've tricked into doing your dirty work," Altair offered. Qrow felt his blood begin to boil. Altair and Harish each took a step forward simultaneously, moving into a formation where they closed in around Cinder, almost protectively. Cinder, on the other hand, barely paid any attention to them. Instead she clutched at her head, her expression more one of annoyance than of pain. Her eyebrows were knit together in concentration.
Harish spoke next, taking the reins of their "conversation". "Why are you even fighting? For Opzin? Because he told you a story you decided to wholeheartedly believe? Don't you know that Ozpin is the one responsible for the way Remnant is?" Sable started at Harish's question, and even Qrow paused for a moment, working the sentence in his brain. They were words, merely meant to distract them and create doubt.
"Ozpin has convinced you to fight for him so he can unite the world," Harish continued. "You should be thankful Salem stole his scepter from you." Sable tensed up. Winter clenched her hand into a fist, glaring at them.
"Shut up," Sable growled. It was easy to see her patience was waning.
"Why should we be grateful to her?" Qrow asked slowly.
"Because Ozpin's control of this world has been slipping, and if you'd continued on with your special mission from him, you'd be handing him control of all Remnant." Harish's gaze hardened. "Didn't it ever occur to you that some of the most powerful people across Remnant answer to Ozpin? Did it never occur to you that the only person who knew about Salem, and told you about her, was him?"
Qrow fired a shot, hitting Harish square in the chest and sending him stumbling back a few steps. The other man's Aura must have still been intact, as there was not even a bruise to indicate he'd been hit. But the surprised look on his face was almost enough for Qrow.
Sable whipped a hand out, following Qrow's lead and sending a wave of water at Cinder, immediately soaking her. Cinder blinked for a moment, processing what had happened. Then she flared up again. Her eyes locked with Sable, who simply grimaced in response before flying up high into the air. Cinder followed, another chase ensuing. Sable dodged attack after attack, not sending any of her own, and kept flying higher, leading Cinder away from the ground.
Harish rubbed at his chest, staring daggers at Qrow. Altair had also unsheathed his weapon, but appeared to be waiting for his partner to make a move.
"That's all you've got?" Qrow asked. "An attempt to convince us that Salem is good? When she's tried to tear apart kingdoms?"
"Ah, what a one-sided story you've been told." Altair sighed. "Stupid bird, your 'innocent' professor tore humanity apart to create the kingdoms in the first place."
"Your 'misunderstood' tyrant sends Grimm after innocent people."
"Maybe," Harish retorted, "you should ask Professor Ozpin exactly how the Grimm came to be."
Qrow ran at Harish, who was now bracing himself with his weapon out in front of him. He slammed into Harish, steel clashing against steel. The two pushed against each other in a test of strength, then Qrow slid his weapon away, ducking out of Harish's range as the pale man swung his weapon down. Harish's weapon appeared to be a metal rod with a long, swinging chain on the end, but as he brought his arm back for another attack, a ball of rock appeared on the end. Harish whipped the Dust-powered mace at Qrow again, surprisingly fast. Unable to dodge the attack completely, Qrow took part of the hit to his side, grunting as he fell to his knees. Altair took the opportunity his partner had given him and jumped behind Qrow, wielding a large, spiked sword.
Winter, whose eyes had been on Qrow, took one half of her sabre and pointed it at the small space between Altair and Qrow, unleashing the entirety of Dust she had put in the sword. A long wall of ice sprung up, blocking Altair from Qrow and curving around at the end like the crest of a wave. Qrow leapt onto the top of the wall of ice and slid down the top ridge. Right before he reached the end, he transformed his sword into its scythe mode. Then he jumped just as he reached the end of the ice, using the speed he had gathered to launch at Harish. Qrow caught him right in the crook of his scythe, then flung him faster than the eye could track. Harish hit the side of a building several yards away with an audible crack.
There was no time to celebrate as Altair hopped onto the ice wall. Qrow braced himself just in time as Altair crashed his spiked broadsword into Qrow, sending him sprawling. Qrow rolled to a stop, holding his scythe out in front of him to block any incoming attacks. The hits were beginning to add up. Qrow could feel his Aura draining, his muscles growing tired. He was reaching his limit.
Altair bared his teeth in a feral expression. Then his eyes slid away from Qrow. And landed on Winter. Qrow stiffened up, his anxiety skyrocketing. He looked over to Winter too.
Winter had moved from her spot close to Beth, and was now kneeling in front of the Spring Maiden's body protectively. She had her sabres drawn, but was clearly tired and injured. However, her eyes were alert, and she kept her gaze focused on Altair. Realizing what he was going to do, she looked over to Qrow, holding her smaller sabre up higher and pointing at the cartridge on it.
Altair broke into a run. Qrow sprinted after him.
She didn't have enough Aura to Summon. But she prayed she had enough for one more glyph.
"Qrow!" Winter shouted, drawing her sabre in an upward arc. The tip of the sword grew bright, and a dart of light shot from the end, landing directly onto Qrow.
Qrow felt his body grow lighter, and everything around him seemed to slow down. He looked down at his feet to see a large, glowing circle with spinning gears of light, like an ethereal clock. His hands and the rest of his body were covered by a similar glow. He vaguely remembered Winter mentioning the different uses of her glyphs, hoping he understood correctly. It was a strange feeling to have someone else use their Semblance on him, but he decided to just go on instinct.
Qrow bolted forward, scythe in hand, and cut off Altair's path from Winter. He slashed and spun repeatedly, slicing into Altair in rapid movements. He gave Altair no time to react. Qrow was barely thinking through his moves. He was just trying to use his newfound speed to the best of his ability. Altair tried to raise a hand, either to defend himself or return an attack. Thin wisps of dark smoke swirled around his fingers for a split second. Then Qrow caught him with his scythe, knocking the breath out of Altair in one second and then throwing him into the ground in the next.
The effects of Winter's Semblance began to wear off, and Qrow changed his scythe back into its sword form, flipping it so the barrel was visible and firing off a few rounds into Altair, who grunted and then fell back onto the ground. Perhaps it was overkill at that point, since it didn't look like Altair would be moving anytime soon. But Qrow wasn't going to take any more chances. And if he was being honest, he was more than happy to take out some of his anger on Harish and Altair.
Winter kept her weapons drawn in front of her, still watching Altair for any signs of movement. Qrow leaned forward, breathing hard. The glow around his body faded to nothing, and soon he felt the weight of his body return to normal. His muscles felt like they were on fire, but he ignored it.
He looked over to where Winter sat, now slumped down with her shoulders slouched forward. Her eyes met his, and they shared a small smile over their triumph, even if they both knew there was more to do.
"Sable," Winter said. They were close enough now that even though their voices were hoarse and rough from the day's adventures, they could hear each other easily.
"I know," Qrow said. "I'll help her, if I can." He looked down at Altair with disgust, nudging him with his foot. "What about these two though? We don't want them running back."
"I don't think we have anything to keep them immobile. Our only option may be to contact someone from the military."
A harsh snapping sound stole their attention, and they both turned their heads upward to see Sable soaring back down, skidding against the pavement. She spun around as Cinder came crashing down to the earth, practically landing on all fours in a fiery blast.
"If this is you at your limit, this is such a disappointment," Cinder crooned, letting out a harsh laugh.
"You think you're the stronger one here? When you've had the power for weeks at best?" Sable's eyes flared, and her power alongside it.
Something darted out from one of the side streets, a blur of red circling around Cinder, fast enough to send the fiery Maiden tumbling to the ground. Cinder hissed, slamming a hand against the ground. A column of fire shot into the sky before her, and the red blur moved away just as quickly as it had arrived. Cinder stood back up just as the red blur stopped in a flowing movement, sending rose petals swarming around it.
A shot rang out, and Cinder hissed out a breath, taking a step backwards. Qrow looked confused, and Sable's eyebrows were raised. Neither had fired that shot.
They all heard the sound of shifting gears next, and turned to find the source of the noise. Ruby stood there, her weapon in scythe mode. Her normally cheerful face was stern, almost angry, and she glared at Cinder Fall. Cinder, in turn, looked shocked. Then her face twisted, and if she looked furious during her fight with Sable and Beth, her expression now was rage incarnate.
"You," Cinder hissed. Ruby's grip on her weapon tightened.
"Stand down," Ruby said. The command was almost funny, coming from such a young girl. Cinder seemed to think so too.
"Me, stand down? When I've got the upper hand here?" Cinder sneered, and took a step towards Ruby, igniting her hand in flames. "Why would I do that? Besides, you and I have unfinished business, Ruby Rose. Don't we?"
"No, we don't. I think I made my point clear enough." Ruby pointed at her eyes, and Cinder froze. She reached a hand up to her scarred cheek, fingers trembling. "You don't want that to happen again, do you?" Now it was Qrow's turn to freeze. Despite his fatigue from fighting and the fact that Cinder was a very dangerous magic-wielder, he still looked ready to jump in front of his niece if necessary.
Cinder looked at Ruby thoughtfully, though her shaking hand betrayed a hint of fear. "You're bluffing," she finally said. "You got very lucky that night at Beacon when I killed your friend, but you don't know how to use your power."
"I wouldn't be so sure." Another voice joined them, and on Cinder's opposite side, Kendall appeared. When she raised her eyes to Cinder, the light of the nearby flames caught them, their silver coloring becoming obvious. Winter released the breath she'd been holding, relieved. They'd both gotten her message and come. "That's quite the risk you are willing to take."
Now Cinder's fear was apparent. She growled, but her formidable front was cracking.
"Who the hell are you?" Cinder snapped.
"You already know what I am, yet you still want to know my name?" Kendall tsked, holding up her arm, which was covered in some kind of sleek, metal material. A weapon of some kind, though its exact function wasn't obvious.
"You think your metal toys can win against my magic? You might have the advantage against Grimm, but there aren't any Grimm in sight, are there?"
"But it's already worked against you before," Kendall said, in such a soft tone it barely carried. "Which means you and Salem's other associates have been given control of the Grimm by her. More than that. You've surrounded yourself with their darkness enough that you've begun to have some of their powers. But you've also gained their weaknesses too."
Cinder's eyes had a wild look to them, like an animal that had been cornered.
The air above them filled with a low humming, and wind swept around each person gathered in the street as Atlesian airships flew by overhead, no doubt bringing reinforcements to the different Districts. Winter breathed a sigh of relief. Qrow remained stoic.
Cinder bellowed, fire shooting out of her mouth, and blasted into the air, propelling herself with flames. Ruby shot at her with her gun. Her eyes flickered, then lit up quickly, only to fade instantly. Kendall looked up, eyes growing brighter, and then the entire area lit up and there was nothing but white. Cinder shrieked as the flash hit her. Harish and Altair let out similar pained yells, writhing on the ground. Wisps of darkness snaked around them.
When the bright whiteness disappeared, Cinder was nowhere to be seen. There was no sign of her in the air.
"She must have fallen," Kendall said. Her eyes were back to normal. Ruby lowered her scythe, breathing out a heavy sigh.
"I thought I could do it, but it didn't work," Ruby muttered. Kendall lowered her own weapon, making her way over to Ruby and setting a hand on the young girl's shoulder.
"You were close," Kendall reassured her. "It takes a few years to master for most people. The fact that you're able to summon anything at your age means you're on the right track." Ruby smiled, but the disappointment was still clear on her face.
"Look at them." Sable was standing by Harish, who was still hissing in pain. Sable stared at him for a moment. Then she kicked him in the ribs.
"Sable," Qrow started. Sable jabbed a finger in his direction.
"Don't." Her tone was cold and angry. She was in no mood for arguments. Qrow let her be.
"We need to tie them up." Kendall nodded at the two prone men, lying on the ground. Sable grumbled, then waved a hand. Ice solidified around their hands and feet. "They could get frostbite," Kendall observed.
"I don't care."
Winter looked at Sable with sad eyes, and Qrow reached out a hand. Sable jerked away. Kendall watched for a brief moment, then she glided over. She began whispering to Sable in quiet, smooth tones that were too low for anyone else to hear. Sable didn't respond, but she also didn't move away. She just kept staring at the ground, eyes vacant. Qrow would check on her later, when she'd had a moment to gather herself. Now, his attention went to Winter.
"Winter!" Qrow slid down onto his knees next to Winter, checking her over. Earlier, when Qrow had called out for her, Winter had thought something was strange. Now she realized what it was. He usually called her by her last name, or some joke of a nickname he came up with. She tried to remember when he last called her by her first name, and came up with nothing. His eyes kept flicking back up to her face. Winter couldn't imagine what she looked like. She wondered if the strange Grimm bug had left its mark. Qrow reached out, gently holding her arm and looking it over, and scanning the rest of her for injury. "Are you ok? Where have you been hit?"
"It's ok. I don't have any open wounds or serious injuries. I look a lot worse than I feel, I'm sure." Winter huffed out a chuckle, but Qrow didn't laugh.
"Then where did you get these?" Qrow reached out a finger to her hairline, trailing the skin along it. Winter reached up a hand too, frowning.
"Why? What's there?" She did her best to keep her voice collected, not nervous like she really felt.
"It looks like scarring. There's-," Qrow stopped, looking hesitant. Winter quickly realized that he didn't want to upset her.
"I fought Cinder, but she knocked me to the ground." Her cheeks burned as she remembered how quickly the Maiden had overpowered her. Winter thought she could at least hold her own against Cinder, but she supposed she was wrong. "She used this weird looking glove. I don't know how to explain it, but some kind of Grimm came out of the glove and it stuck to my face. I can't say for sure what it was doing, but it felt like it was draining my Aura." Qrow's pale face went whiter.
"I-i ... " Qrow was at a loss for words. He shook his head. "That must be why your Summons broke." He fixed her with a hard look. "Idiot. Why did you send those if you were in trouble?"
"I wasn't in trouble at first," Winter replied calmly. "And besides, you were in trouble too!" She resisted the urge to smack him. "Don't act like you weren't! You were off fighting the Pennybots and who knows what else!"
"I could've handled it! Besides, you were the one who insisted on splitting up!"
Winter thought for a moment then relented. "That's fair. I did."
"I would have thought we wouldn't do that after the Kaigi Tower incident," he grunted. Winter thought he was trying to make a joke out of it, but she could see the tension in his shoulders, and the hurt in his eyes.
"I'm very sorry, Qrow. It was a foolish move on my part. I didn't mean to spring it on you so suddenly."
"I get it." And he did. "Besides, I really shouldn't be complaining when you're the one who saved Mantle." He grinned at her.
"I cannot take the praise for that. Your niece and her teammate already had things well under control there. They stopped the White Fang from attacking."
"What are you talking about? Ruby wasn't anywhere near Mantle last I checked."
"No, not Ruby. Yang," Winter said. Qrow's eyebrows raised and his mouth dropped open for a split second before he snapped it shut. A hundred thoughts were running through his head.
"Yang's here?" The question didn't come from Qrow, but from Ruby, who had inched closer to check on the two of them. Qrow held out an arm.
"Ruby!" Qrow called. Ruby ran over to her uncle, giving him a quick, one-armed hug. He patted her hair with a gentle look in his eyes. Both wore matching smiles of relief, making Winter smile at the sight of them. "You did good, kid. Even if what you did was dangerous."
"Sorry, Uncle Qrow." Though Ruby sounded apologetic, Winter guessed that the girl wasn't truly sorry for stepping in. "I thought if I saw Cinder again, my … powers would work more easily." Ruby ducked her head. "Guess I still have a ways to go."
"You'll get there, kiddo," Qrow reassured her. Winter nonchalantly looked over Ruby. She didn't seem to have any injuries or major bruises. Good. Ruby, however, took notice of Winter and Qrow's injuries.
"I should find a healer or medic," Ruby said. "You should take a break, and rest up."
"We'll find one soon. You don't have to go out of your way," Winter said. "Besides, there might be fighting elsewhere. This night might not be over."
"Then, I should find Weiss and Jaune and the others," Ruby decided. She held a hand up in a cheerful salute. "But if I see any medics, I'll send them your way!" And then she was gone again, leaving nothing but rose petals in her place.
"She's right. We gotta find somebody," Qrow said. "A medic to check us over, especially you." He shrugged at Winter's scowl, holding up his hands. "And we need to take Harish and Altair to the proper authorities so they can be locked up somewhere they won't escape and bother us again." Qrow frowned, looking past Winter at something or someone else. "And we should do it before Sable kills them."
"She won't," Winter said.
"If we don't move them and keep her away, I think she might." Kendall was in the process of lifting Harish onto her shoulders, and Sable was close by, glaring at him with undeniable anger. Qrow looked back at Winter, offering her a hand. "Need help?" Winter tested out her strength, taking Qrow's hand and slowly standing. She deduced that she could walk and stand, though she doubted she'd be able to run. Winter looked down at Beth's body, the grief finally settling. Her breath came out in a sigh, and she squeezed her eyes close. She refused to cry.
"Sable," she called. Sable looked their way, slowly walking over. Her eyes stayed on Beth. "What do you want us to do?" Sable glanced at Qrow and Winter, a question in her eyes. "You were the closest to Beth," Winter went on. "What do you want us to do with her body?" Sable's expression twisted, and she looked away.
"It will be hard, but we can find a way to move her," Qrow offered. "I can contact Glynda or someone else from the Brotherhood to help."
"I'm burning her body," Sable said simply. Qrow blinked.
"You're what?" Winter shook her head. "Are you sure that's what you want to do?"
"You just asked me, and I gave you my answer." Sable's eyes were chips of ice. "It's the best way to do this. She'd … It's fitting, for a Maiden. Rejoining the earth and all that." Sable's fingers twitched, curling into a closed fist. "I don't want a service of strangers for her, and I especially don't want any cold Atlas soldiers taking her." Winter winced. Qrow didn't say anything, but he squeezed Winter's hand.
"Ok," Winter finally said. Sable knelt down, brushing a finger over Beth's shoulder, then yanking her hand back. Her back was turned to Winter and Qrow, but they thought they could hear her whispering something.
When Sable stood up again, she glanced at them from the corner of her eye. "You're going to need to get away from here. I'm going to have to get the flames really hot." They nodded and took a few steps back.
"We've got to grab Altair." Winter pointed to the man's prone body. Normally she'd use her Semblance to help, but she was still drained. Her Aura had begun to restore while Qrow and Sable fought Cinder, Harish, and Altair, but she had used what little she'd regained for the Time Dilation. It would take some time for her Semblance to build back up. Qrow frowned, looking at Altair. He was wondering the same thing. His eyes darted to Winter for a brief moment, then darted away again.
"I could drag him," Qrow mused after another few seconds of thinking.
"You grab him, I'll walk on my own," Winter said. Qrow raised an eyebrow. "I'm fine enough to walk on my own." Barely. Qrow gave in, leaving Winter's side to sling Altair's arms around his shoulders. Qrow grunted under the extra weight, but glared when Winter moved to help him. She backed away and left Qrow to it, walking painstakingly slow to where she had seen Kendall move Harish too, off on one of the connected streets. The sound of crackling flames could be heard behind them.
"Schnee, grab my Scroll. Call Glynda or someone else if you can," Qrow said, groaning again under Harish's weight. He balanced Harish on one of his shoulders, and used his free hand to throw Winter his Scroll. Winter fumbled with it for a moment, then grasped it. She sent a message out to the Brotherhood members she found at the top of Qrow's call list.
"Qrow?" That sounded like Glynda.
"This is Winter Schnee. Qrow is with me. We captured two of Salem's henchmen, but we need help moving them and getting somewhere safe"
"We need a medic too." Qrow appeared by her side.
"Are you injured?"
"We both are. Kendall is with us too."
"I'd be more than happy to assist you and the dear ladies." That was a different voice. Ori perhaps, judging from Qrow's eye roll.
"I'll be on my way too. Give us your location," Glynda said. Winter rambled off the street names and gave specific directions and coordinates to their location. According to Glynda, some of the Atlas soldiers and Brotherhood members had set up a tiny base of sorts in one of the street centers, which she gave them directions to. Kendall led the way, yelling out to them when she spotted someone else. Ori. He quickly strode over to them, checking on Kendall and Qrow before he moved to Winter's side, allowing her to lean against him for support. She was grateful. Her legs were beginning to shake.
After several minutes of walking and turning down more streets, they came to the tiny base camp. Kendall and Ori helped Qrow find proper handcuffs and cord to tie Harish and Altair's limbs. Qrow noticed that Kendall's power had left its mark. Strange scarring that resembled cracked clay stretched across their cheeks, arms, and necks. Ori agreed to keep an eye on them, and Qrow left to check on Winter, who had eased herself onto a makeshift cot as an Atlas military medic looked her over. The medic had already placed bandages on Winter's forehead and legs.
Then the ground shook, and a loud, crashing sound echoed throughout the street, quickly followed by a low rumbling. Everyone looked around, confused, but found nothing that could explain the noise. The plumes of smoke that reached into the sky seemed to get darker.
"That can't be good," Qrow said. His hand idly reached for the hilt of his weapon as he wondered whether he should leave and find the cause of the earthquake.
"That's in the direction of the military compound." Winter's eyes darkened. "I should go check it out." She tried to shift away from the medic, pushing herself off the cot. Qrow turned around and laid a hand on her shoulder, gently forcing her back onto the cot.
"No," he said. "You're in no condition."
"I don't plan on fighting. I simply need to check on the compound and make sure everything is all right."
"Geez Schnee, take a break! Your Aura's still drained and we don't know what's happening throughout the rest of the city."
"I should find the other Specialists. Or perhaps the General." Winter clasped her hands together, wringing them back and forth. "I left the other Specialists a while ago. None of them know my whereabouts."
"Listen, I don't know or care what Jimmy thinks. He can't push you back into fighting if you're hurt." Qrow gave her a hard, knowing stare. "We'll find everyone soon. I'm sure the others are just as busy." Winter hmphed, her shoulders slouching. Her eyes narrowed at him.
"Are you planning on going?" She asked.
"Not sure yet," Qrow replied. Winter nodded as if she understood. Then she turned to the medic.
"Excuse me, once you're done with me, could you please check him out as well? His Aura is low and he might be injured," Winter said, a little too casually. Qrow's head snapped to her, glaring hard.
"Winter-,"
"You're injured?" The medic didn't even notice the stare-off between the two Hunters. She stood up, brushing at Qrow's shoulder, peering up into his face, turning his head from side to side. "You should sit while I look you over. Even if you think an injury or wound seems minor, it could be more serious than you think." The medic began going off about the effects of infections and the difference between a strain and a breakage. She guided Qrow to the cot next to Winter. Qrow didn't take his eyes off of Winter, still glaring at her. She blinked innocently in return.
Traitor, he mouthed. But his eyes glittered with mischief.
Winter felt something nudge her hip, and frowned. She reached a hand down. It was her Scroll, vibrating in her pocket. She held it out in front of her, staring at the screen. The General's icon flashed at her. Qrow leaned over, mouth forming a hard line.
"What do ya know. He's looking for you after all," Qrow muttered.
"That's a good thing, isn't it?" Winter asked. But the question wasn't aimed at Qrow; it was a question she was asking herself.
"You gonna answer it?" Qrow asked.
"I have to, Qrow." She clicked the button on the screen. "Hello?"
"Schnee! I've been trying to get a hold of you! Where are you?" The General almost sounded frantic. Winter wondered if he was really, truly worried about her. The thought filled her with warmth. Then she remembered that she had disobeyed his direct orders.
"I'm at the camp that's been set up in the Main Square, sir. I'm being checked out by one of the medics."
"Are you seriously injured?"
"I-i'll be fine, sir."
"Good. I need you to meet me at the compound. As soon as possible. We have an emergency." Qrow hissed, a muscle twitching in his forehead. Winter shot him a warning look, before returning to her attention to the Scroll.
"I'll be there, sir. It may take me a few minutes."
"Report to me once you arrive." Then the General hung up.
"Schnee, don't go." Qrow did not try to hide his annoyance. "You can barely walk."
"I'm much better." Another look. "All right, I am admittedly still in need of rest and recuperation. But I can walk better now, and I don't plan on fighting. The General knows the condition I'm in."
"Does he?"
No. Or if he does, he expects me to work through it. She stood up from the cot, ignoring how weary she felt. "I'll see you soon." Qrow wanted to argue, but instead he remained quiet, watching Winter as she left.
It took her longer than she would have liked to get to the compound. She could walk relatively normally now, though she knew once this was all over, she was going to crash and sleep for a day straight. She was truthful before; aside from a few cuts and bruises, she had no serious physical injuries. There was scarring on her face which she hadn't seen yet, but it didn't hurt. The only lingering effect from the fight was the weariness in her limbs from whatever strange Grimm Cinder had used.
When she came to the spot where the front gate and courtyard were, Winter initially thought she had made a mistake and turned down the wrong street. There was no front gate in sight. But she knew these streets like the back of her hand. She patrolled these streets.
Thankfully, there was a large gathering of Atlas soldiers. In fact, there were almost too many. Ironwood usually surrounded himself with a guard on occasions, but this looked like a quarter of the entire army had lined up in the streets. As she wove in and out of different squads, she could hear soldiers whispering, and their commanding officers giving them orders. To move? To move where?
"General!" Winter found the General amidst the crowd, with a few high ranking officers around him. She came to a stop in front of him and saluted.
"At ease, Specialist Schnee," he ordered. Winter relaxed, but only minutely.
"Sir, what's happened?"
"The base. It's been destroyed," Ironwood said flatly. His hands fell limply to his sides. Winter raised a hand to her mouth, trying to rein in the well of horror and dismay she felt.
"But … that's … how?" She finally managed to say. The entire compound? But it was huge! It housed the soldiers, held the training grounds and meeting rooms, and was connected to the Academy … it was all gone?
"Someone must have snuck in. Or perhaps it was Cinder Fall." Ironwood pulled out his Scroll, showing a picture of what appeared to be the sky and Cinder Fall flying by, her features slightly blurred, fire shooting out of her feet and magic surrounding her eyes. Winter deflated. The silver eye powers were enough to weaken or hurt her, but not enough to incapacitate or kill her. Was Cinder Fall the culprit behind the destruction of the military base? Most likely. A fiery explosion reeked of Cinder's doing.
"You weren't coming from Mantle." Ironwood's hard tone made Winter look up from the picture.
"What?"
"You weren't coming from the direction of Mantle." Ironwood looked down at her with stern eyes. "There are currently still people in Mantle. In fact, there's easily over a hundred more people in Mantle than there usually is. Why is that?"
Winter held herself up straighter, though she swallowed hard. "Sir, when we arrived at the border of Mantle, we were greeted by-,"
"I've already been informed of what is going on in Mantle." He withdrew his Scroll. "An army of Faunus arrived, fought the White Fang, and took over Mantle in the process."
"Sir, I don't think they have taken over Mantle."
"They're all over the streets of Mantle, Winter!" He ran a hand through his hair, eyes narrowing. "They took care of the White Fang problem, which I must admit I am grateful for. But Mantle was meant to be evacuated so the capitol wouldn't be destroyed, like it is now. These Faunus are a foreign group who shouldn't have even been able to make it into the city, let alone brought their weapons. And now, I can't even send any of my soldiers into Mantle. The Faunus and Mantle citizens could turn on them. My soldiers could be seen as an unnecessary show of force. I've been forced into a corner, because I can't do anything without my actions seeming at odds with the Mantle citizens."
Winter fell quiet, unsure of how to respond. She rarely, if ever, saw the General so unnerved, so stressed. She assumed Heather and the other Specialists were still in Mantle, so at least some members of the Atlesian military were in Mantle. But she didn't know for sure what was happening in Mantle at the moment, and she doubted the General would appreciate hearing her opinion that Mantle was fine because she told the other Specialists to go there while she left them.
"Schnee, please hand me your Scroll." Winter did so automatically. Ironwood pocketed her Scroll, not even looking at it. Winter furrowed her brows. "As of right now, you are not to leave the temporary compound. You are to stay until you receive further orders from myself." Winter's eyes widened.
"Sir-," she began, and Ironwood snapped.
"There is nothing to question in those orders, Specialist Schnee."
"Are you placing me under house arrest?" She couldn't keep the disbelief from her tone. She knew she had bent the rules, knew she had broken them. She had been prepared to be dishonorably discharged for her insubordination. But to bench her now, when the kingdom was falling apart and Salem's forces continued to run rampant? She hadn't considered the idea that the General would prevent her from fighting or working while the Brotherhood and their allies rallied and continued with their plans to fight Salem.
And with the compound destroyed, she'd be stuck in a tent or temporary housing unit, surrounded by soldiers. Normally house arrest took place at a civilian's residence, but Winter was not an ordinary civilian, nor did she have a home outside of the Atlas military.
She hadn't wanted to lose her position by any means. She didn't know what else to do except be a Specialist. And while the General's punishment was fairly lenient, all things considered, Winter found herself torn between following the General and following … the Brotherhood? Ozpin? Qrow? Herself? What was she following? What was she supposed to do? There was a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach, but she couldn't place what it was.
"I'm merely … benching you, for now. You disobeyed orders." His gaze softened. "And you were hurt too. I understand a lot has happened tonight. And while I don't approve of your insubordination, the people of Mantle are safe. It's created a new problem we have to work through, but we'll get to that later. You can take this time to rest up."
"Where are we moving to?" Winter asked through the haze that had begun to cloud her mind.
"There's some land right outside of the central city area. It was originally a Schnee warehouse and mining land, but with the recent fiasco at Jacques' party and the current state of the city, it was easy to convince him to give it to the military. It is still within the limits, so we shouldn't have to fear Grimm attacks. Though we will have a guard around the perimeter."
"You made a deal with Jacques, sir?" Winter felt uneasy. "That seems … unwise. He might expect something in return."
"Don't worry, Winter." James placed a hand on her shoulder in what was meant to be a soothing gesture. "I know your feelings towards Jacques, and I don't trust him much myself. I only offered him my ear."
"Sir?"
"If he has plans for the city, I'll listen to him as a Council member," Ironwood explained. Winter's blood froze. "Don't worry, I never agreed to anything he suggested. I only said I'd listen, nothing more." Winter pursed her lips, and Ironwood ducked his head a bit, making eye contact with her. "I swear Winter, I won't bow to Jacques."
"I know."
"We're all going through hard times right now." Ironwood straightened, smoothing his glove. "Clearly things have been difficult on you especially, given that you got tangled and caught up in this entire affair. Please, take the time you've been given at base to rest and train. You're one of my best fighters, and an excellent and skilled Specialist. I'm counting on you." Ironwood nodded at one of the other officers. "Officer Graves will show where we've decided to set up for now." Then he turned his back on her, returning to his serious meeting of stern orders and hushed whispers with his elite officers. Winter barely noticed the soldier at her side, gently tapping her on the shoulder and trying to lead her away. She kept turning the General's words over and over in her mind, which only left her more confused. She didn't know how to feel. And now, she had no Scroll. She couldn't get a message to Qrow, her sister, or anyone.
So she followed the soldier away from the General, listening to the noise of fighting and weapons get quieter and quieter.
XXX
Lots of things happened in this chapter! I hope you all enjoyed it! The story is moving, and it will continue to do so.
Happy holidays to those who are starting their holiday season out there!
Raine Adrastreia: I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter! I always love to hear the reactions of readers to my chapters :)
Incapacitated Ichthyoid: Glad you liked the chapter! Battle chapters are the funnest to write, but they're also incredibly hard because there's so much to keep track of and go over. So I'm always glad when they're well received.
Nina Vale: I'm so glad you liked the chapter and all the emotional moments in it! You hit the nail on the head for Winter's confusion; she's definitely torn about what "side" she should be on, and that's definitely going to be a theme in this chapter as well as future chapters. As for the Maiden powers, you were close. They've gone off to someone random, mainly because of the appearance of Qrow and Beth's own thoughts.
hypernova2718: Thanks for your review and your questions! I'm always happy to answer any questions anyone has. I'm also sorry if there was anything that was unclear. To answer them in order:
1. Winter jumps in the fight moreso to distract Cinder as well as aid Beth and Sable. She believes she's evening up the fight (making it 3 v 3). She's also fairly confident in her own abilities, and while she fights Cinder because she must and she believes she at least has a chance against Cinder, she didn't join the fight with the plan to engage Cinder in a 1 on 1. Winter drops down into the middle of the fighting, causing a momentary distraction. Cinder is the one who breaks away and attacks Winter.
2. Cinder encased Winter's feet in ice to prevent Winter from moving. There's really no reason whatsoever the other Maidens would do that (Winter is their ally, and they're both fighting or otherwise occupied at that moment). Cinder prefers to use fire as her primary Maiden power, but I do showcase her using the other Maiden powers as well.
3. So I was unsure of what moment you were talking about when you ask if Cinder has lost her powers. The short answer is no, Cinder didn't lose her powers; she did not die or have them taken from her. If the question is about the glove bursting into flames, I should have been more clear on that; Beth is the one who sets the glove on fire, and Cinder retaliates in anger by using her own powers. If it's about Cinder's use of her glass blades over her Maiden powers, I tried to incorporate them because in the show, Cinder is very capable with her weapons. She's relatively new to her Maiden powers, but she's been trained in combat for a long time. So she's falling back on something she is proficient in, and she's also using it as an opportunity to throw her enemy off her game. Cinder in the show (specifically Volumes 2-3) is shown to be clever, manipulative, and strategic, so I wanted to have her use both her powers and her weapons, though it is safe to say that she might not be as stable since Ruby's silver eyed powers left Cinder scarred.
