Chapter 20
Ubi Solitudinem Faciunt Pacem Appellant
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The teeth of the chainsaw knife bit into Gambol Shroud, sparks flying as they tried to eat through the blade. Blake danced backward, her blade a black blur as she kept Vulpes's blade at bay while also deflecting shots from his pistol. Unnatural fear still gnawed at her, threatening to swallow her up whole, even as she tried to focus on Vulpes. Her heartbeat was frantic, breath short, hands quivering, as it took everything she had just to keep it from consuming her.
Smug superiority twisted Vulpes's face, his lips curled in a sneer as he pressed his assault. "I thought Atlas was supposed to be the mightiest of Remnant's Kingdoms, but they need children to safeguard their soldiers? Quivering, frightened children? Tell me Ms. Belladonna, who is more craven? You, wishing to flee to save your miserable little life, or the supposed defenders of Atlas, who cower behind you?"
Giving her no time to respond, he lunged forward, thrusting his knife directly at her mouth, the blades revving with hunger. Again, Gambol Shroud met the blow, but as Blake strained against the force of the blow, something brushed against her stomach. It was hard and metal. The crack of a gunshot tore into her ears as pain blossomed through her stomach, her Aura saving her from a fatal blow. Gasping, Blake reeled back, off-balance. A wide grin split Vulpes's face as he took aim, giving her a clear, unobstructed view down the gun's barrel. Again, the pistol rang out.
This time, however, Vulpes's face faltered in confusion. The clone that Blake had left behind faded away, the bullet passing harmlessly through its head. The real Blake was now at Vulpes's side. His head jerked in her direction, realizing what was happening just a second too late. Blake darted forward, catching him in the side with her sword.
Vulpes wasn't wrong. She was scared out of her mind, more scared than she could ever remember being. Maddeningly, she couldn't tell apart her natural fear of Adam and the artificial terror Vulpes had instilled in her anymore. The two had congealed together into an impenetrable mass that towered over her, impossible to make sense of. Running away felt like the most natural thing in the world right now. She wanted so badly to just turn and run, to get away from these horrible people. But she couldn't. Her friends were here, fighting the very same cold-hearted monsters that she was. Adam's cruelty terrified her, but the idea of it being unleashed on Ruby or Yang was unbearable to imagine. Worst of all, however, was what they would do to Weiss. Every last sadistic, vile impulse that Adam was capable of inflicting on the Schnee she now called friend? No matter how horrible the dread consumed her was, those thoughts crushed them underfoot. It was a choice between two horrible outcomes, except it wasn't. Letting her friends suffer in her place had never been an option. So, with no true choice, moving forward was all that was left.
Vulpes took a trio of hits before he managed to block the fourth incoming blow. His smirk was gone now. "So, Remnant is not completely devoid of those with mettle. But you are still a child, nothing more. A fledgling fighting tested warriors. You lack a fighter's drive, their push. You are trying to defeat me, while I am going to kill you." At that point, his knee drove into her solar plexus, forcing a breathless gasp from Blake. His blade came up next, a vicious, wild swing colliding with the side of her head, sending her crashing to the ground.
Blinking stars swimming in front of her eyes, she felt a booted foot crash down onto her chest, the pearly white pistol aimed at her again. Even though Aura, the air was forced out of her lungs. Panic was blossoming into life alongside her fear now. She couldn't breathe, he was going to kill her and all of her friends, and had to get out of here!
Flicking Gambol Shroud into its grapple form, she tossed it backward, the blade embedding itself in a tree. Grabbing the tether with both hands, she pulled hard. Sliding out from underneath Vulpes, he stumbled, his shooting hand jerking and a shot burying kicking up snow to her left. Forcing herself up into a sitting position, she jerked the tether in just the right way. Coming loose, the anchor came whipping back in her direction. Her desperate idea now in play, she rose to her feet, shifting her upper back, and swung. Swinging down like a hammer, the bladed end of Gambol Shroud came down on Vulpes. Taking him in the back, what happened surprised Blake. Gray Aura fluttered around him, before shattering like breaking glass. Vulpes roared as he stumbled forward, clutching back at Blake's weapon, which was now lodged firmly in his hip.
Blake stared. His Aura had broken already? Slowly, thoughts crept to the forefront of her mind. Aura and Semblance were reflections of the soul. Vulpes Inculta was the Legion's spymaster. He was not a front-line fighter. Almost at once, her fear began to melt away. It didn't vanish altogether, the dread of Adam still hung firmly over her, but the desperate mania was gone now.
Vulpes's goggles slipped down to around his throat as he glared at her with smoldering hatred in his eyes. All at once, the fear came crashing back down on her, Vulpes's Semblance taking effect again. Except it didn't take this time. The pounding terror telling her to run as fast as she could from Vulpes, even as he was hunched over with her sword in his back created a clash of cognitive dissonance. The fear was real, but somehow its bite was dull.
Again, she tugged on the tether. Vulpes's face convulsed in agony as the blade buried in his back dug deeper into him, the force thrusting him towards Blake. Dropping his blade, he reached back in a frantic attempt to rip Blake's weapons out, even as his other hand took aim. Blake jerked her cord to the side. Vulpes was sent sprawling to the ground, his pistol flying out of his hand, the lone shot he got off not even coming close to Blake.
Seeing an opening to end this, Blake dashed forward. Vulpes's face whipped up, the hatred on it now a blazing inferno, but before he could get so much as a single word out, a high-heeled boot slammed into his face, knocking him prone on his side again. With a quick pull, she ripped Gambol Shroud out of his body, blood spewing out the second she did, and transformed the weapon into its SMG mode with a flick. "Don't move," she said, her voice still shaking as she took aim at his head. "You've lost."
Her thoughts were a jumble. Heartbeats threatened to burst her ribcage, the beginnings of an adrenaline-induced headache were pricking at the edges of her head, and Gambol Shroud ever so slightly trembled in her hands. Yet she couldn't help but feel a tiny sense of pride in herself. Vulpes was one of the main leaders of the Legion, she had stood her ground against him, and she had managed to win. She hadn't run away.
There was no time to bask in her achievement, though. Vulpes was a valuable well of information that she had to make sure stayed both secure and alive. A crisis had been averted by Atlas interrogating a front-line soldier from the Legion, Vulpes himself doubtless knew of even more plots that could end with hundreds, if not thousands, dead. So she thought fast.
Ejecting the magazine from Gambol Shroud, along with the one round in the chamber, she fit in a magazine of Ice Dust and fired four quick shots. Within seconds, each of Vulpes's limbs was encased in ice, anchored to the ground. The lone exception was his left hand, which had still been at his back, which was now frozen to his armor. Seething, glaring at Blake as if hoping he could kill her that way, Vulpes thrashed in his frigid prison. "Don't," Blake said, the words coming out as a plea. "You'll make your wound worse, you might go into shock."
"So. You're still a coward. Insisting on stepping into battles but having no stomach to shed blood," said a voice from directly behind her. Blake froze. This time, the fear that came rushing up to meet her felt utterly organic. To make matters worse, it was a familiar fear, a borderline existential dread that shook her to her core. Slowly, wishing there was something, anything, that she could do instead, she turned around. He was right there, as she knew he would be: Adam Taurus.
A paradoxical combination of feelings hit her. He looked so familiar, as if an image had stepped out of her memories. Tall, imposing, clad in black with the ornately drawn red white patterns on his left shoulder, and a white mask covering his upper face. Wilt was in his hand, glinting faintly red in the moonlight, sharpened to perfection. The long, crimson blade was also coated with blood, a lighter shade than the steel beneath it, which was dripping onto the snow below it. It was where the clash took place, where her memories of Adam, at times shamefully idyllic, met the cruel reality of who he really was. He had already taken a life today, maybe multiple lives. How many people had he killed since he had fallen under the Legion's influence? How many had he made suffer? Too many.
"Adam, listen to me," she said, her hands now trembling with renewed vigor as she switched Gambol Shroud back to its sword form. "The Legion is using you! Vulpes's Semblance manipulates emotions! They don't care about the Faunus, they just want expendable shock troops!" She had no idea what she was doing. Time and time again, Adam had proven himself resilient to reason, to pleas for empathy, and even to calls for caution. But surely even he would be outraged over being used. Under all the hatred and ugliness had to still be a love for the Faunus people and an unwillingness to let the White Fang be squandered on someone else's war.
Her hope died a quick death. "Using us?" He had spoken with scorn before, but now amusement had leaked in to join it. "We've never been stronger! We're marching as an army to Atlas itself, the capital of Faunus oppression! The Legion has fought, bled, and died alongside the White Fang, the true White Fang!" Just as soon as it had come, the scrap of mirth in his voice was gone. "Not like Sienna Khan or your coward of a father. It's a little sad to see how few Faunus are truly dedicated to the cause. But in our darkest hour, the Legion has proven themselves true allies. Look!"
He pointed back to the main camp. Even from this distance, Blake could see Atlas gunships still staffing it and the Paladin that had now pushed into the center of the camp. "Hundreds of brave men and women given Aura, in an instance! Caesar blessed them all with the power to stand against their oppression the way your father never could!" A sadistic smile slid across his face. "Common Faunus can now be given the power to kill Atlas soldiers with their bare hands! An unstoppable force can be created overnight! Our moment is finally here! And you? You made your bed with, humans, with Schnees." He said the name with the bile of a cuss word. "I knew you were spineless Blake, but even I thought you had enough dignity to associate with those who oppress us above all others. But once you hide who you truly are," the tip of Wilt gestured to her headband, "you forget who would have a collar around your neck if they could."
All of it felt so wrong. Everything was being twisted into their worst possible outcomes. Weiss wasn't who she had been, Winter was the disowned child, and no one she had worked with opposed equality. But even with the logical side of her mind stating all of this, guilt was pumping through her regardless. As he always had, Adam was making her doubt herself, making her feel like a failure and a waste, invalidating who she was and everything she had accomplished. Every time, this is what he did. She hated it, hated feeling weak and powerless, and hated that he had that much power over her.
"You're wrong!" she said, not sure what she was trying to prove or how she would do so. "I-" but he was already upon her. His first blow would've removed her head from her shoulders if she hadn't brought Gambol Shroud up in time. Shuddering as their weapons met, Blake struggled to stay on her feet. Heartbeats thundered against her rib cage as she struggled to breathe, her breaths now quick and shallow. It was so hard just to stay on her feet. What was she supposed to do? Even now, Adam's Semblance was building up energy from their swords clashing, the Semblance she had seen tear apart heavy Atlas mechs like they were nothing. How was she supposed to stand up against that?
Adam pressed in without mercy and hesitation, Wilt becoming a blur of crimson. Not a single blow was aimed below her waist or to any peripheral areas, he was only interested in blows that would bring instantaneous death. In a way, it made his moves predictable, but keeping up with the sheer speed and force was taxing. Every strike left her arms jarring as if her shoulders had nearly been dislocated, her grip tested, and throughout it all, Adam's blade was slowly beginning to glow with its own light. If she didn't do anything, she was going to die.
She let Adam have ground, the edge of his curved sword biting into her neck. Or at least the neck of the decoy she had charged with Ice Dust. Adam's satisfied smirk turned to a frown of confusion as he hit an ice sculpture instead of her. Then, with a deafening crack, it exploded, showering him with shards of sharp ice as Blake charged in from where she had vanished to, his side. Adam was a master at parrying, but even he couldn't handle a swarm of icicles and her at the same time. Three quick swipes from her found the mark, as did more ice shards than she could count, even Adam swatted a dozen out of the air. Grimacing in pain, his masked face focused on her, but she was already gone. Grappling a distant tree, she pulled herself away, Wilt burying itself in the dirt where she had been standing.
"You're fighting with slavers and rapists!" she called out as she landed, putting distance between her and Adam, spraying at him as she went. The path she was taking would take her towards the thick of the fight, if she could link back up with the others, she could turn this around. Taking a risk, her eyes left Adam as she frantically looked for her team. It was hard to spot them in the chaos. Atlas and Legion forces were still clashing, over a dozen bodies coating the ground now. Many of them were Legion, the shattered remnants of Aura dimly flickering over their bullet-riddled bodies. But for every one of them, an Atlas soldier lay dead or dying: bleeding from shotgun induced gashes, half vaporized by the Legion's energy weapons, and the one that had been reduced to a rotten corpse. And throughout it all, shots rang out and weapons clashed against armor.
A flash of yellow broke through the mess and caught Blake's eyes. Yang was in the thick of it all, trading blows with the man with the rotting Semblance: Lucius, the head of Caesar's Praetorian Guard. He was an older man, around James's age with a graying beard and head of hair, and yet he moved with the speed and power of someone much younger. Barrages of punches were connecting with his stomach and head, Yang showing no mercy, zipping around to pummel him from all angles, but he wasn't buckling. Somehow, he was standing his ground, returning each punch taken with one of his own. More than once, Blake saw a planned assault by Yang shut down by his gauntleted fist crashing into her face, a built-in shotgun blasting her back. Even now, from this distance, Blake could see a glow starting to form in Yang's glowing locks.
"Yang! Bumblebee!" There was a quick jerk of the head and a grin from the blonde brawler. Lucius charged forward, gauntlet arcing over his head before he brought it down on her. Yang, in a single fluid movement, slid forward, ducked underneath it, and gave Lucius both fists right to the gut. Gasping for breath, the Praetorian was blasted off his feet, Yang letting out a laugh as she did. Spinning on the spot, she blasted her gauntlets behind her, sending her flying towards Blake. Despite everything, a kernel of warmth flickered to life at Blake's core.
It was briefly lived. Horrifically, the all too familiar sound of Brush, Adam's shotgun sheath, reached her ears. Not long after, a whistle followed. She didn't even have time to look back before the hilt of Wilt struck her in the back of her head. Agony spread outward as she was sent sprawling into the ground. Adrenaline pumping through her, she instinctively rolled onto her back, and just in time. Adam was already on her, flawlessly catching the now spinning Wilt before driving it point first down at her throat. Raising her own sword in the nick of time, her arms screamed in pain, her muscles feeling like they were tearing as their blades clashed, Adam slowly forcing them closer to her neck.
"Still running!? Were you ever brave at all, or did you just trick yourself into thinking you're something you weren't when you were with me?" Spit flecked onto her face as he screamed at her, involuntary shame building up inside of her, even now. How could he still do this to her, even after all this time? Why did he still have so much power over her?
"BLAKE!" A ball of golden fire slammed into Adam, shoulder-checking him so hard that he was forced to his feet and off of Blake. She had not seen or heard Yang angry very often, usually, she was more happy-go-lucky than that. But even when she did, it paled in comparison to the rage that was consuming her right now. Never, in all her time at Beacon, had she ever seen Yang like this. Her teeth were bared, veins were popping in her neck, and her eyes burned like stars with a smoldering hatred. Her fists were a blur as she laid into Adam, lacking any strategy or foresight as blow after blow rained down on him, all aimed directly at his face. One or two got in at first, enough to leave a noticeable crack in his mast, but he adapted quickly. Crimson began to meet yellow with every strike, Yang's jaw clenching even tighter as Adam adapted to her barrage. Wilt wasn't just glowing now, it was starting to shine with built-up energy. Terror gripped Blake in an icy grip. Yang was feeding Adam's Semblance and didn't know.
A warning formed on her lips, but before she could even formulate how to adequately inform Yang about the danger she was in, something thundered past her. Lucius, completely ignoring Blake, was charging at Yang as fast as he could. "Behind you!" Forcing herself to her feet, she switched Gambol Shroud to its grapple and tossed it. She had half considered targeting Lucius, but no, she had first-hand experience on how deadly Adam could be. Gambol shroud looped around the White Fang leader's ankle before she pulled it taught. She had acted just in time. Adam had slid his sword back into its sheath and drew it in the blink of an eye. For a second, Adam was a mass of black with glowing red outlines, Wilt a burning, scarlet sun in the dark. Too many times Blake had seen this snuff out lives as if they were dim candles.
Mercifully, Yang was not one of them. Blake had heaved on Gambol Shroud's cable with just enough force that as Adam swung, he missed. Fumbling to the side, a blade of blood-red energy surged forth with staggering force, tearing past Yang before she could so much as flinch, and hitting a legionary in the distance instead. The man's Aura shattered instantaneously, Adam's Semblance biting through it with ease before carving into the man's torso. He didn't even have time to scream before he hit the ground, his upper half doing so a second after his lower half. The strike had cleaved him in half, the cut crude and uneven, but undeniably complete. The anger faded from Yang's face as horror filled it instead, amplified as a few stray golden locks fluttered downward. Blake's heart was now beating so fast she didn't know how it hadn't given out, the thought of Adam not merely skimming Yang's hair but slicing her in half-consuming and terrifying her.
Acting quickly, Yang's brought her foot up into a quick kick at the side of his head, forcing him back a few steps before she followed it up with an utter barrage of punches. Instead of directly punching Adam though, she sent a storm of shells rocketing towards him, blanketing the ground around his legs. Teeth bared, Adam was forced back, lest he be caught in the thick of the blasts, only able to deflect one or two with his sword. Yang now had space, room to breathe. Or at least, she did from the front.
She turned around just in time to see Lucius bearing down on her. As he closed the last leg of the gap, he pushed off his right foot, arcing upward into the air, punching downward with a battle cry that broke through the cacophony of noise around them. Pulling Gambol Shroud back, Blake shifted it back to its gun form and opened fire, but the stream of bullets into his back didn't seem to slow Lucius down. Spreading her legs wide, Yang tightened her right fist and punched upward. Her hand connected with Lucius's jaw before he could lay a finger on her. Jubilation shot through Blake.
But then, even as the legionary's momentum died and he began to tilt back, his other hand darted out, grasping firmly around Yang's forearm. And as he righted himself, he looked at Yang with triumph in his eyes. For a moment, Yang looked down at her arm, red eyes narrowed in confusion as if she could see something Blake could not. Then, she started to scream.
It was one of the most heart-wrenching things that Blake had ever heard in her life. Yang Xiao Long, the strongest, most dependable person Blake had ever met, was screaming in pure agony. Rot and decay were spreading through her arm, spiderwebbing from Lucius's hand. Skin welted and flaked off as it turned a sickly green, powerful muscles atrophied until they resembled rotten fruit, and as it reached the fingers, nailed yellowed, cracked, and fell away like scabs. And throughout it all, fear and agony seized every part of Yang that wasn't dead.
Her left arm became a blur, driving over and over again into Lucius's face in a desperate attempt to escape. Focused on maintaining his grip, Lucius was caught off guard and took a trio of hits to his left cheek, a dribble of blood leaking out of his lips. The fourth blow, to Blake's horror, didn't connect. Lucius caught it, not by the forearm as he had with the last one, but this time wrapping firmly around the left arm's Ember Celica. At once, gold began to turn to brown around his fingertips as the gauntlet began to rust.
Blake barely registered all of this. The second Yang had begun to scream, she had switched Gambol Shroud back to its grapple form and thrown it. Yang had seconds at most and she had no idea how much Aura Lucius had in reserve, trying to break his Aura was too much of a risk. Circling Yang's abdomen, the grapple hitched itself and Blake yanked her back. Two things happening in unison. The cord in her hands gave way, meaning she had succeeded in freeing Yang from the death grip of Lucius. At the same time, there was a soft, wet snap, not unlike someone cracking old, rotten wood in half.
Time seemed to slow down for Blake. Like a bundle of feathers, Yang almost seemed to drift towards her. She felt so light; it was a disorienting feeling. Someone as strong as Yang should've felt heavier. Completely lacking in grace, she tumbled into Blake's arms. Her long, flowing hair was smooth and soft, her skin was warm and comforting, and her heart hammered strong in her chest. And yet none of it could distract Blake from Yang's arm. An ugly, black stump that stopped above where her elbow had once been was all that was left of it. Stringy lines of torn muscle and sinew dangled from the edges, flapping impotently. Two yellowed bits of bone jutted out awkwardly, their ends uneven and jagged. The stench was horrific; it was a scent of death that assaulted her nostrils and never drove her to gag.
This couldn't be right. Nothing about this made sense. Yang was right here, warm and breathing and with everything that made her special. She had managed to avoid Adam's deathblow. How could such a triumph be turned on its head so cruelly? How could someone so full of life be mutilated so easily and so suddenly? Why? Why Yang?
Yang's pupils were so dilated that they were barely visible. Her mouth opening and silent rasps spilling out, her gaze darted back and forth between the remains of her arm and Blake. Although Yang had been warm to the touch a moment ago, it was fading like a candle about to sputter out. Cold was creeping in alarmingly quickly, Yang becoming clammy to the touch as her breaths became short and shallow. Oh no. Oh no. She was starting to go into shock.
They had to get out of here. Vulpes, Lucius, and Adam didn't matter anymore. If Yang didn't get to safety, she would die. Blake had been willing to suffer through so much, endure so much, but the thought of a single member of her team dying was more than she could bear. Pulling Yang's remaining arm over her shoulders and taking on the majority of the woman's weight, she frantically looked around for an escape route or help, trying to remember what you were supposed to do to tend to a shock victim at the same time. "Ruby! Weiss! Help! PLEASE!" Where were they? Gods above, she couldn't see them.
Shifting Gambol Shroud into its ranged mode, she turned back, half-baked thoughts about keeping Lucius at bay flitting through her mind. Instead, Adam was right there, mere feet away from them. Her blood ran cold. In the heat of the moment, she had utterly forgotten about him. Raising Gambol Shroud, she opened fire. It was a futile gesture, she had barely gotten a single burst out before he was on her. Wilt tore down in a flash of red. He ignored Yang completely, it was meant for her.
Pain split through her as Adam found his mark. Purple light flashed and then died around her as she felt her Aura break. The force of the blow crashed onto her like a tidal wave and her knees buckled. Her back slammed into the ground, Yang crumpling next to her as panic flooded her. She had to get up, Yang needed help, she couldn't let it end like this. But before she could so much as blink, Adam was above her, Wilt in both hands, pointed aimed downward. He drove the sword down, straight at Blake's stomach. Instincts screamed out at Blake to use her Semblance to escape, but with her Aura broken, it wasn't an option.
It found its mark.
Sharpened steel ripped into Blake, Adam's force driving the sword with enough might that she felt it exit through her back. Her eyes locked onto it, barely able to understand it. Even though she could feel the agony of being impaled and see the blood now pouring out of the wound, it felt distant and otherworldly. It was like someone else was feeling the pain in her stead. Instead, her thoughts turned to Yang. Had she failed them both? Would Ruby never see her sister again because Blake hadn't been brave or capable enough?
Above her, Adam was grinning with triumph, as if he had accomplished everything he had set out to do. From behind him, Lucius approached them, stopping beside them. He looked down on Blake, his eyes narrowed in disapproval. "That was selfish of you. She fought well and hard, all you did was make her suffer. And if she lives, you've forced her to the miserable torment of being a cripple.
Yang's decomposing forearm was still in Lucius's hand, the half of Ember Celica that had been fastened to it now sliding down the emaciated limb. Taking it just before it fell off, he held it up, turning it over in the dim light. Tiny bits of green and black flesh flaked off. Dropping Yang's arm as if it were garbage, he fitted Ember Celica onto his right wrist, fastening it into place. Experimentally, he shoved his fist out. With a bang, it fired, a shot shining as it tore into a nearby tree, blasting a fist-sized hole into it. "Well designed," Lucius said, taking up a fighting stance, Ember Celica on his right hand, his worn gray gauntlet on his left.
"Oh, don't worry about that," Adam said, glee in his voice. With a tug, he pulled Wilt out of Blake. For whatever reason, that snapped Blake out of the semi-dream-like state she had been in. The full force of her wound hit her all at once and her mouth opened wide in a scream, her hands grasping limply where she had been stabbed. Adam's lips curled in a smirk. "We could've been something great together, Blake. But I'm more than happy to do it without you." Wilt came down again.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, a blinding flash of white light enveloped Blake. A giant greatsword as long as Blake's body, as well as spectral and ethereal, had appeared between the two of them. Adam gaped as his katana bounced off of it. The sword was grasped by an armored hand, made of the same pale, semi-transparent material as the sword. It was jutting out of a glowing, spinning snowflake that was floating above Yang and Blake. Blake recognized one of Weiss's glyphs. But it didn't stop there. A second hand formed at the glyph, gripping the edge and forcing it open wider. A figure resembling a knight in full plate armor climbed out of the widened opening, still firmly holding its sword up as it planted both feet on the ground. Rising up to its full height, it reached a staggering fifteen feet at minimum. Then, without missing a beat, it stepped forward, bringing its gargantuan sword up in a viciously powerful underhand swing.
Adam shifted, bracing the flat end of his sword against his palm and catching the blow with the center of his blade. Even then, the raw momentum of the knight's swing was so great that as it struck, Adam was forced back, his heels crunching through several feet of snow as he struggled to stay upright. There was no relenting or mercy from the knight, which pressed forward and attacked without mercy. Blake stared, unsure of what was happening until a blur of red appeared on the edge of her vision.
Blake wasn't sure what happened next. A horrible, disorienting feeling overtook her, nausea pulsing through her as she experienced an uncomfortable feeling that could best be described as being turned inside out seized her. The next second, she was lying flat on her back, the cold prickle of snow biting into her. A thin arm was wrapped around her waist and someone was sobbing next to her. She knew that voice. "Ruby?"
Looking up, she saw her team's leader looking back down at her. Tears were streaming down her face as deep, wet sobs seized her, occasionally interrupted by a hiccup, her face a bright red. The moment she realized Blake was looking at her, she forced a smile on her face. Whatever she had meant to do with it, it backfired. By itself, her lips curled up into a wide, bright expression, one that clashed horrifically with her seizing body, swelling face, and the look of utter hopelessness in her eyes. "You're gonna be ok," Ruby whispered, sounding as if she was trying to convince herself just as much as Blake. "You're both gonna be ok."
"Shit! Lapis! The kids are down!" It was getting hard to see now, everything was starting to get fuzzy, but she could make out a rock outcrop and five Atlas soldiers taking cover behind it. Three were opening fire at someone she couldn't see, any one of them was pointing at her. "Get them over here!" At once, Ruby tightened her grip and pulled both Blake and Yang behind the rocks, mere inches away from the soldiers. One of them dropped her rifle and opened a kit at her side.
"The blonde one is going into shock, don't move her more than you have to, and keep her legs up high. Dodger, if she starts bleeding from the mouth, turn her onto her side. I need to stop the bleeding on this gut wound, it looks like it went right through her kidney." Blake felt a needle prick her arm, but only barely. "Ms. Rose, I need covering fire while I work." But the medic had barely begun speaking before Ruby had swung Crescent Rose down like an ax, burying its blade in the snow. With a borderline frantic zeal, Ruby began to open fire with her weapon's rifle.
Slowly, Blake turned her head back towards Adam. The knight was still continuing its assault, and right behind it was a short girl with white hair. Weiss. Weiss, throwing an occasional thrust at Adam as she darted between the legs of the massive figure, turned her attention towards Vulpes. The head Praetorian was heading in her direction, both gauntlets at the ready. Her body tensing up, Weiss thrust forward with her rapier, driving it straight into the ground. As Lucius neared her, knees bending in preparation for another assault, a spiked lance of ice erupted out where Weiss had thrust. It found its mark in Lucius's chest, forcing him back.
Before anything else could happen, there was a flash of white. One of Weiss's glyphs appeared in the middle of the ice spike, angeled upward. With a loud snap, it was broken in half, and the outer end of the spike was pushing upward, towards the sky, taking Lucius with it. In unison, a trio of glyphs appeared behind Lucius and the makeshift projectile propelling him forward. He passed through all three, his speed increasing each time until he was little more than a speck in the distance that slowly began to come back down.
"Weiss!" Ruby called out. "They're safe!" With a jerk of her head, Blake saw the smallest of nods from Weiss before a trail of glyphs appeared in front of her, leading back in their direction, that she immediately stepped onto. Like a practiced ice-skater, she glided across the smooth, glass surface of the glyphs, back to her friends and safety, away from Adam. But not fast enough. Behind her, barely visible behind the glow of Weiss's summon, Adam's figure had turned black as he swung his sword. His wave of Crimson energy tore through the knight, bisecting it at the torso, and continued onward directly towards Weiss.
Weiss noticed. Terror seizing her body, she spun on the trail of glyphs as she neared the end of her journey. With no time to dodge as the beam closed, she took her sword in both hands and made to block it. She was only partially able to get Myrtenaster up in time. The blade hit her head on, clashing against her sword's guard. For a fraction of a second, she struggled against it, the energy robbed of some of its stopping power by the knight. Then, Weiss screamed. She was blown off the path of light, her Aura shattering and the glyphs snuffed out. She landed no more than ten feet away from them all, panting and quivering.
Slowly, Weiss raised her right hand, looking at her fingers. All four of them. Her pinky only had a few centimeters left about the lowest knuckle. The rest of it was lying on the ground right in front of her. There was no bleeding, Adam's Semblance cauterize the wound. But it was a small comfort. Now two of her friends had been mutilated. Because of him.
Everything was fuzzy now, but Blake still felt like she had been stabbed through the heart. Between Yang and Ruby, she had thought nothing could've possibly made this situation more hellish. And yet Weiss was struggling to get to her feet, clutching where her finger had once been as she moved to pick up her sword. She was trying so hard to put on a brave face, but Blake could already see tears forming in her eyes as her hands trembled. Weiss. When they had first met, Blake had thought the heiress was a spoiled, selfish brat. Such a thought was incomprehensible now. Why her too?
"Two of them, incoming!" The Atlas soldiers and Ruby adjusted their aim as two more legionaries with shotgun gauntlets charged. However, before a single shot could be fired, something inexplicable happened. They both collapsed mid-charge as if they had tripped. And as they hit the ground, deep coughing fits seized them, along with groans of agony and deep, involuntary convulsions. The heads of the soldiers exchanged quick looks, caught off guard by this sudden development.
"What...what the-" one of the legionaries rasped out before his head jerked forward and his mouth opened wide. A glob of blood splattered the ground, the putrid smell hitting Blake's nostrils before he retched again and vomited up even more a second time. The whole time, his retches were interspersed with hacking so vicious that tiny flecks of blood joined the mass already on the ground and convulsions that were so strong that the man couldn't even push himself up. "I can't-I can't-" the man tried to speak, only for another round of vomiting blood to seize him.
The other legionary didn't even manage to speak, merely convulsing on the ground as he experienced the exact same symptoms. Facedown in the snow, nothing was separating him from the rapidly expanding pool of his own blood. Before too long, both of their movements grew weaker and weaker, to the point where they were barely visible. Then, they stopped, neither moving. They were both dead.
"Oh, gods." One of the soldiers pointed. Whatever had just happened, it was spreading throughout the enemy forces. No less than five men were now on the ground, the exact same symptoms gripping them, and many more were beginning to cough. Adam was not among the affected, instead looking over the battlefield in confusion. Then, growling, he turned and began to run. As she looked, Blake could just barely make out a small group that had already begun to run in the same direction, away from the main battle. Seconds later, Adam was gone. Lucius was out of sight and she couldn't spot anymore Legion VIPs anywhere. Vulpes was still on the ground, struggling madly against his restraints, but one of the Atlas soldiers had moved to secure him. A few were still fighting, able to fight through their symptoms and only minor trails of blood leaking from their mouths, but it was clear the fight was over. The surviving Atlas soldiers were beginning to outflank them.
"It's...why they didn't do this before," one of the soldiers said, looking down at the two bodies. "It kills people."
Ruby, however, spared it little attention. Abandoning Crescent Rose, she dove into the snow, desperately digging through it with her bare hands. With a cry, she pulled something out. A finger. Weiss's severed finger. Spinning on the spot, she held it out to the medic. "Can it be reattached?" she asked, fear dominating her voice and tears still flowing down her face.
The medic spared a brief glance. "Maybe, I don't know. We're far out from the base. Leave it with me, I'll see what I can do after I stabilize these two, go help the others clean up the stragglers." Ruby looked as if she wanted to do nothing more than refuse, to stay with her team. She looked at all three of them: her sister who was now convulsing worse than ever, Weiss clutching her hand and losing the battle to keep herself from crying, and finally Blake struggling to keep her eyes open.
Without a word, she grabbed Crescent Rose and sped off with the aid of her Semblance, towards the handful of remaining firefights. "Bleeding's been staunched, we need to stabilize this one now. Dodger, I need your help with this. Do exactly as I say." Blake looked down. The medic had already bandaged her wound. It was so hard to focus. But she had so much to say to all of them, to Ruby, Weiss, Yang. She had to say she was sorry, to apologize for getting them into this mess. Her mind a jumble of desires and half-formed thoughts, she stretched her arm, reaching out for Yang. It was the last thought she had before darkness took her.
XXXXX
Author's Note: Vulpes going down fairly early on isn't me trying to assassinate the character, I genuinely think this is how it would work out. He's a spymaster, he operates on terror, sneak attacks, and proxies. He doesn't do as well when someone is able and willing to face him head on. Like when he turns his back on you in Vegas and the last this that goes through his head is a 10mm, or if you meet him in Nipton with the Gun Runners pack. Hence his Semblance reflects that. It's excellent for manipulating people and making them too afraid to fight him. But if someone with decent skill does stand up to him, he's gonna struggle.
Had a bit of low writing energy, but the finale pushed me through to finish writing this. It's...bleak, yeah. Anyone who's been following my work for awhile knows how I roll, happy endings have to be learned in my book. James got his turn to go through the meat grinder, it's Team RWBY's turn. Though I didn't want to just kick them and go "you lose," so I gave them little victories here and there, like Weiss managing her summon a little early and them managing to defeat and capture Vulpes. But it's a hard moment for Team RWBY, because they essentially got thrown in the deep end and had to deal with multiple Aura users as well as awoken legionaries, while they were still first years not experienced by the later seasons. I honestly wanted to depict them doing the best they could in a situation I intentionally made unfair, the same way James did the best he could despite getting ganked by Cinder.
The next chapter focused on them, I'll have them getting some much needed rest, I promise. Also, please let me know what you like or do not like about the story, it's how I grow as a writer and make the story the best that I can. What's more, if you want to join me and a bunch of my writing friends on Discord, please let me know. Than you so much for sticking with me. Your views and reviews mean more than I can put into words.
I would like to thank my legacy Patrons, SuperFeatherYoshi, xXNanamiXx, RaptorusMaximus, Davis Swinney, Mackenzie Buckle, Ryan Van Schaack, ChaosSpartan575, and LordofNaught for their amazing support.