New chapter. Its not Beta'd. Its like 1:00 at night were I live and I have school tommorow. I can't be asked to write a decent Author's Note.
"Tai's gonna kill me," Oscar pouted to himself as he walked dejectedly through the streets of Vale. He'd been so distracted talking with Weiss he'd completely missed the last ferry back to Patch. For whatever reason, the ferries closed much earlier today. He supposed it had something to do with the abnormal number of city guards running about today.
They hurried about in groups of four to six, pushing their way through crowds as they raced to get to their destinations. Even now that the sun had gone down and the shattered moon hung over Remnant, they scurried about, entering buildings and dragging out rough-looking individuals. Oscar sorely wished he had asked Weiss about what was happening. He'd heard passing mentions of Roman Torchwick, but that didn't explain anything.
Torchwick was a powerful crime lord, but to mobilize the entire city guard to catch just one criminal, no matter how powerful or influential, was wasteful. Even if they caught him, someone else would take his place. The Mistralian boy pondered this as he kicked a pebble down the empty streets near the docks.
Since he couldn't get back to Patch tonight, he'd have to find a place to stay. However, he spent all of the money Tai had given him, so he couldn't just stay at an inn. His only option was to sleep in an alley, or to go ask Yang for help. Normally he'd simply choose the first option; he had slept in odd locations many times since he fled his home. But with the guards out tonight, he wagered it wasn't worth the potential trouble.
But going to ask Yang for help guaranteed he'd be on the receiving end of a scolding. The young woman was sure to be upset at his mistake, and he didn't want to be a burden on her. Maybe he should try and find either Jaune or Weiss instead. Jaune was pretty cool, albeit somewhat goofy. Still, he was nice. And Weiss was at least partially responsible for his situation. She owed him. Probably. He hoped.
Oscar was interrupted from his musings when he noticed a dim silver light out of the corner of his eye. Turning to look at it, he found the spirit that followed Weiss straining to move towards him. For whatever reason, some invisible force seemed to be pulling it back, but the spirit was clearly determined to reach him.
Suspicion entered Oscar's mind as he wondered exactly why the spirit was trying to reach him, but worry quickly overtook him. If the spirit was looking for him, it probably meant something had happened to Weiss. Stealing his resolve, he breathed deeply before walking up to the ball of light.
"Can you hear me?" He asked, cringing to himself when he realized what he probably looked like, talking to the air in the middle of an abandoned street at night. Fortunately, the spirit began to vigorously move about at his words, which Oscar took as a yes. That was good, he could work with this.
"Is something wrong?" He asked. The spirit held still for several seconds, before exploding into motion and moving up and down vigorously. Oscar wasn't sure what that meant, but it seemed like another yes.
"What is it?" He asked, and was met with silence. If the spirit had eyes, Oscar was sure they'd be looking at him with a deadpan expression. "Oh, right, you can't talk," Oscar cringed. Despite not having any features he could read, he was sure the spirit was saying something along the lines of "No shit, moron," He didn't know why he imagined the spirit having Yang's voice, but it just seemed fitting to him.
Oscar racked his brain trying to find a solution on how he could communicate with the spirit when it lurched backward, as though being pulled by an invisible hand. Yelping, Oscar raced after the spirit, which strained against the invisible force yet was clearly losing ground.
Eventually, the spirit came to a temporary stop, so Oscar took that opportunity to come up with a way to talk to the spirit. His mind raced as he contemplated anything from trying to see if the spirit could draw words in the air for him to read to possessing him and conveying the information to him that way. Eventually, he came up with a much simpler solution.
"Alright. I'm going to ask you some yes or no questions. If the answer is yes, go up. If the answer is no, go down. Does that make sense?" He asked the spirit, who quickly rose through the air. Oscar was a bit embarrassed to admit that it took him a second to realize it was saying yes. Quickly shaking off the embarrassment, he continued his investigation.
"Is Weiss in trouble?" He jumped right into it, and felt his heart drop when the spirit rose. Oh gods. Weiss was in danger. What happened? What was he supposed to do? He was just a kid! Anything that could pose a threat to a trained warrior like Weiss was too much for a kid like him! His panic thoughts quickly spiraled out of control, and it was only the spirit lurching backward that snapped him out of it.
"S-sorry. Uhh... crap. What was... no, you can't answer that," Oscar mumbled to himself as he trotted along after the spirit, who seemed to grow more and more frustrated with him by the second. "I've got it! Is it the White Fang?" Oscar asked with a grin, but that grin fell when the spirit lowered itself to say "no."
"Crap. What could it be then? Grimm? Her dad? Torchwick?" The farm boy mumbled, but his eyebrows shot up in surprise when the ball of light rocketed upward at his words. "What, Torchwick? Roman Torchwick captured Weiss?" He asked in disbelief. How had he been able to pull that off with how many guards were allegedly looking for him. And a more important thought came to him, which he quickly voiced.
"Well, what do you want me to do about it?" Oscar inquired. He wasn't any good in a fight, despite Tai and Yang's attempts to teach him. He couldn't sneak around like Yang's friend Blake. And he didn't know how to use magic like Weiss. He knew he had Aura, but he only vaguely knew how to use it. How was he supposed to help Weiss?
The spirit just stood perfectly still, as in disbelief at his stupidity. Suddenly, a thought popped into his head, and he realized he had been overthinking the entire situation. "Do you want me to go get help?"
Oscar was surprised to find that a simple action such as raising vertically through the air could be done so sarcastically. In retrospect, it was rather obvious that the spirit wanted him to go find help. "Alright. Got it. Just.. uh... float in the air as high as you can above Weiss's location. I'll bring as much help as I can get!" He reassured the spirit, which hovered in place for a minute before being jerked back.
The spirit hesitated for a second, but Oscar did his best to smile confidently. "Don't worry, I've got this!" He reassured the spirit, who continued to be jerked, this time to the right. Eventually, the spirit was jerked behind some buildings, hiding it from his sight. He was left alone with a pretty big responsibility and way too much stress for a fourteen-year-old.
"Ok, I just gotta go get some help and lead them to Weiss. Should be easy," Oscar said to himself as he took off in a random direction, searching around for any members of the guard. As he raced through the alleys and streets, one thought came to the forefront of his mind. One that left him shivering in fear.
"Man, Tai's gonna kill me."
For the third time in the past day, Weiss felt herself awaken. She lethargically blinked her eyes to try and rid herself of some of her tiredness, only to feel a jolt of adrenaline as she realized the situation she was in. Despite not being tired anymore, Weiss gently closed her eyes and slowed her breathing to try and conceal the fact she was awake.
It was a technique Winter had drilled into her head countless times as a child. When you find yourself in an unfamiliar situation, keep your cards close to your chest. Avoid revealing anything, and capitalize on every advantage you can find. Observe and absorb as much information as you can before your enemies find out what you're doing.
The Atlesian quickly took stock of the situation in her head. She was lying on a rough stone floor, and above her, she could see countless stars. She was outside. The gentle sound of crashing waves and the slightest scent of salt in the air told her she was close to the ocean. A glance around told her that she was lying tied up at a dock, with several large crates stacked high to hide it from the other docks, as well as a wall of similar crates blocking her view behind her. Overall, the area was about twenty feet long and thirty feet wide, with a shoddy-looking wooden dock heading out into the ocean.
More importantly, several rough-looking men and women were moving about the area, brandishing a variety of weapons. Daggers, clubs, cudgels, and spears seemed to be the most common, but Weiss saw a couple of axes and one person wielding a sword. Muttered conversation and paranoid glances around told her that these people were nervous about someone finding them, which meant only one thing.
Weiss's suspicions were confirmed when she saw a short girl with multicolored hair and eyes approach a makeshift table near the wooden dock about fifteen feet from where she was. Neo. That meant Torchwick was here too. So he'd managed to avoid being caught so far. But Weiss doubted he'd last much longer, especially after capturing her.
The white-haired woman began to piece together her memories about how she was captured. She remembered being hit with a dart that was tipped with some drug that knocked her out. She had managed to land a hit on her attackers, but not kill them. Still, given the position of the shattered moon, it couldn't have been longer than an hour since she'd been attacked.
"Ugh, that girl really did a number on you two, huh?" Weiss heard a deep voice from behind her say. A pair of voices scoffed in unison, which Weiss identified as her two attackers, Melanie and Militia. The deep voice chuckled to himself and approached the makeshift table Neo was sitting at. Once he stepped over her, Weiss was easily able to identify the giant of a man who had been speaking.
Junior, Yang's informant. He towered over her prone form, and Weiss felt a bit of fear. Ordinarily, she'd be able to take him in a fight, but her hands were bound behind her back and her sword was nowhere in sight. There was nothing she could do if he decided to attack her. The large man turned around to glance at her, and Weiss wasn't able to close her eyes and fake being asleep in time to avoid his gaze.
Instead, their eyes locked, hers filled with silent determination and fury, his with a surprising amount of pity and sympathy. Junior said nothing and gave no acknowledgment of her being awake and instead approached the crate by the dock that served as a table. Several papers hung over the edge, and a large map of the world draped over the edge.
At the end of the dock, Weiss spotted a flash of orange hair. Roman Torchwick was exhausted, given the way his shoulders slumped and his normally impeccable hair was in disarray. Yet he stood at the edge with a lit cigar in his mouth, puffing a thick cloud of smoke across the open waters. Both Neo and Junior were looking at him expectantly, but he simply sat there for a moment before walking back towards them.
A glint of silver drew Weiss's attention upwards, and she saw Ruby floating high above her with a worried expression on her face. Their eyes met and a silent message passed between them. "Lay low. Help is on the way," Still, Weiss found herself in a poor position to be in, what with her being tied up. Even if help arrived, it wouldn't do to become a hostage. And so the heiress began to slowly undo her bindings using innate magic. It was slow going, but no one seemed to notice the ropes holding her hands together slithering around and untying themselves.
Weiss's attention was drawn back to the table when she heard Roman begin to speak, and she quickly shut her eyes to avoid being caught. Yet she continued to work away at her bindings, as well as using her Aura to speed up her body's natural regeneration to fix her injuries. At the same time, she listened to Roman speak, hoping to hear some useful information.
"So, I bet you're all wondering why I had you nab Ice Princess here, huh Junior?" Roman asked snidely.
"Yes, among other things. But first, you need to uphold your end of the bargain. I got you the Schnee, now you tell me why you were working with the White Fang," Junior demanded, but Torchwick just shushed him and wagged a mocking finger at him.
"In due time, my friend. In due time. First, we need to get out of this mess," Torchwick explained, gesturing vaguely around him. Having interacted with him two other times, Weiss could tell that something was different about him now. He seemed less energetic and far more panicked than he had. While she supposed that made sense, there was something else nagging at her.
"And how exactly do you plan on getting out of this one? The entire city guard is hellbent on catching you, and I doubt they'll calm down until you're locked up in Beacon Castle. Maybe it's best for the rest of us if you turn yourself in," Junior's words held an implied threat, but Roman simply chuckled and waved them off.
"Don't worry. I have a plan. Trust me," He said with utmost confidence. "The more important issue is where we head once we get out of Valean waters.," Torchwick said mostly to himself, but both Neo and Junior gaped at him. Even Weiss momentarily stopped her efforts to undo her bindings. Roman was fleeing the kingdom?
"Wait, once you get out of Valean waters? You're leaving Vale?" Junior asked, flabbergasted at his words. "I figured you'd just lay low in some backwater village for a few months, then come right back. Why leave Vale entirely?" If Roman heard him, he didn't show it, instead muttering to himself.
"Mistral's obviously out of the question. She's there. Vacuo? No, she'll be able to find me there. Atlas would be out of her reach, but I don't fancy my odds against the Tin man's army. Argus is too close to Mistral. And there's no way Neo and I'd be able to make it in the wilderness," Torchwick rambled, and Neo and Junior shared a confused look.
"She? Roman, what're you talking about? What did you get involved with?" Junior asked, but Roman just shook his head.
"It's better if you two don't know. It'll only put a target on your backs," He said, causing Junior and Neo to share another look.
"Roman, what's going on? Who's in Mistral? Are you talking about Lil' Miss Malachite? Some crime lord who you owe money to? What are you talking about?" Roman just ignored him, pondering something with a hand on his chin.
Suddenly, he shot up with a mad look in his eyes. "I got it! I knew the Schnee would be useful for more than just selling back to her father," He exclaimed, causing a cold chill of fear to rush down Weiss's spine. "Looks like luck is still on my side after all."
Junior just furrowed his brow. "The Schnee? What about her? How's she gonna help?" Torchwick just gave a feral smile.
"If there's one thing those animals hate, it's Schnees. They'll pay any price to get their hands on one."
Junior recoiled in shock, his dark eyes wide with surprise. "The White Fang? You're gonna sell her to the White Fang? Wouldn't Jacques Schnee pay more for her?"
Roman just shook his head. "Jacques can pay more, but only the White Fang can offer me what I need!" He said, his expression growing more and more confident as he spoke.
"And what is it you need?" The massive, bearded man asked. Roman just took a puff of his cigar and said one word in response.
"Protection."
He turned to Neo, who was looking at him with equal parts confusion and concern. He just put a reassuring hand on her shoulders and looked deep into her eyes. Weiss could tell that a silent conversation passed between them, but she clearly couldn't tell exactly what they were planning. Eventually, Roman cracked a smile and asked Neo a question.
"So, how do you feel about living in Menagerie?" Weiss felt a wave of realization wash over her. Roman would give her to the White Fang in exchange for them allowing him to live on their island nation. Whatever enemy he had in Mistral would be hard-pressed to reach him there. It was a pretty fair idea, provided they were able to make it out of Vale without being caught.
"Menagerie? Roman, why are you fleeing to Menagerie? Why have you been working with the Fang? What the hell is even going on anymore?" Junior practically screamed, drawing looks from his men who were spread about the walled-off area. Roman just twirled his cane so the bottom of it was pressed against Junior's chin. The taller man's eyes went wide with fear.
"Would you shut up? I told you I'd tell you later, so stop asking questions and start following orders!" Roman hissed. Junior gulped in fear and his men glanced around uncertainty. Even Neo was looking at Torchwick in surprise. With a flourish, Torchwick moved his cane off Junior's neck and shoved him away. "Now go get the boxes ready," He ordered with a hiss.
Junior walked away in shame. Several of his men rushed up to him and began to fret over him, but he just waved them off.
"Boss, what do we do?" One asked.
"We could turn him over to the guards?" Another offered.
"And if that fails, who's he going to go after? Use your brains and think for once. We gotta do what he says!" Junior barked out. "Now, I want you all to start grabbing the crates and bringing 'em to the dock. And make sure not to drop any of them. I don't know what Torchwick has planned, but those are his orders, so let's get it done!" Despite his tone, it was clear Junior was shaken up.
His subordinates didn't question his orders, and instead took off toward the outer edges of the area and began to haul several large crates towards the small wooden dock. As they did so, Torchwick turned around and called out to their leader.
"Oh, and Junior?" At the snarky crime lord's words, Junior turned around with a sigh and responded with a weak "Yes?"
"Bring the Schnee over here. It's time we wake the princess up from her nap."
As soon as she heard his words, Weiss's mind began to race. She still had her eyes closed, but she knew based on the sound of his voice that Junior was about ten feet away from her. She wouldn't be able to attack quickly enough, even with the element of surprise. So she instead chose to wait and try and find a more opportune moment to strike.
Despite this, her heart felt like it was going to beat out of her chest. She had no chance of physically overpowering Junior, and without Myrtenaster she wouldn't be able to create her glyphs; at least, not easily. She once again had to rely on her innate and enhancement magic, both of which required Aura as fuel, which was something she was running rather low on between the fight earlier today and her healing her injuries.
She desperately tried to think of an escape plan as the large man approached her still form. Should she make a break for it and try to escape through the alleys? No, Junior's men would cut her off before she left the makeshift harbor. Jump into the sea? She wasn't a very strong swimmer, so that was out. Should she try and bribe Torchwick? No, he was too desperate.
Her thoughts were cut off when Junior reached down and pulled her up, tossing her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Yet curiously, the black-haired man turned away from Torchwick for a moment and spoke in a low murmur.
"Look at the crate to my left, about eight feet away. Your swords inside. Once we walk by it, I'm gonna drop you. Grab your sword and make a break for it," His baritone voice was quiet and stressed, and his words left Weiss reeling in surprise. All the white-haired girl was able to respond was one hushed word.
"Why?"
Junior grunted softly. "I don't like selling people. I told you before. Just because I'm a criminal doesn't mean I'm willing to do anything. And now Torchwick's gone too far," He explained before turning back to Torchwick. The information broker made a show of stumbling around a bit to make him dropping her more believable, but it was obvious to Weiss that he wasn't actually struggling to carry her.
"Just try to avoid hurting my men too much," Junior said right as they passed the crate. With a sudden cry, he lurched to the side and let his grip on Weiss slacken, allowing her to fall to the ground gracelessly. Despite this, Weiss's muscle memory kicked in and she was able to roll as she landed and slide to her feet.
Junior's eyes widened in faux surprise as the grunts surrounding them let out yelps of shock. Torchwick and Neo both turned around to face them, and Torchwick quickly let out a string of curses.
"Oh you've got to be kidding me! Why can't anything just go my way for once?" Torchwick complained. Letting out a snarl as he realized none of the men were moving in on Weiss, he barked out an order. "What are you idiots doing? Get her!"
Junior and his men moved quickly. Weiss moved quicker. Gripping the top of the crate, she flung the lid towards Junior's face, who threw his arms up to protect himself. True to what he said, Myrtenaster lay atop a pile of bags full of some unknown substance. Gripping her sword tightly, she twisted around just in time to dodge a swing from a heavy cudgel. Kicking the cudgel wielder's knee, she danced away from a group of grunts who all brandished rusty-looking daggers.
Dodging a swipe from one of them, she twisted her blade to send the weapon flying through the air. The other two charged at her, swiping through the air. The ex-heiress merely ducked under their attacks and slashed across their legs, sending them to the ground in a pile. Another grunt armed with a spear thrust at her, but she sidestepped his attack and sliced the head of his weapon clean off.
"Weiss! Help should be on the way! Just try and get out of here!" Ruby called out to her from high above. Weiss nodded wordlessly as she parried a swipe from a sword-wielding grunt before riposting. She swiftly pulled the blade out and slammed her elbow into the face of a grunt who had tried to sneak up behind her, breaking his nose with a crunch.
As she backed away from several more grunts, she vividly recalled the lessons Winter had drilled into her head regarding fighting multiple opponents. Constantly be moving. Make large, intimidating swipes. Be aware of your surroundings. Don't focus too much on one foe. Picture a circle around yourself, and attack anything that enters that circle.
It was thanks to these lessons that Weiss was able to fight her way away from the dock, ducking and weaving under clumsy blows from crude weapons and countering with debilitating but non-lethal blows. It took extra effort to avoid killing her foes, but it wouldn't do to repay Junior's mercy by killing his men.
Speaking of the man, he let out a loud roar as he charged Weiss, axe in hand. The noblewoman flicked her sword in a wide circle around her feet, quickly drawing a glyph from memory. The glyph in question had a rather complex design in the center, so she had to roll under Junior's swipe and finish drawing it.
The glyph was a large circle with twelve tick marks evenly spaced outside its edges. A complicated series of intersecting lines formed an intricate web of magic that seemed to swirl and curve nonsensically. Yet as Junior whirled around with a broad strike as two other grunts came in from the sides to box her in, Weiss danced backwards and activated it with the tip of her sword.
Junior and his two grunts both slowed as though they were stuck in a viscous liquid. Junior's axe lazily swept through the air, and Weiss had plenty of time to dart out of range. The slowing glyph she had made was a useful tool for removing several enemies from a fight. It wasn't effective against an experienced fighter, as they could simply disrupt the entire thing by pouring their Aura into it, but a bunch of common thugs were helpless against it.
Weiss didn't have much time to celebrate as she heard a sound like glass shattering. With only a moment to react, she quickly raised her sword to deflect a strike from Neo's stiletto as the girl suddenly appeared to her left. Pushing her back, Weiss quickly stepped forward and lunged. Neo was barely able to bring up her weapon in time to deflect it and began to stumble backwards.
Before Weiss could capitalize on her lack of balance, the multicolored girl squeezed the mirror she clutched in her left hand and began to break apart, quickly disappearing from sight. A flash of white and red to her right told her that Miltia and Melanie had joined the fight, but Weiss quickly gathered Aura into her non-dominant right hand and swept her arm to the side.
Militia's legs were jerked to the side, leading her to collide with her sister. The two groaned in pain, but the sound was quickly drowned out by breaking glass.
"Above you!" She heard Ruby call out from somewhere out of sight. Trusting her spectral friend, she threw herself to the side to avoid Neo as she dropped out of the air with a downwards slash. Rolling to her feet, she closed the distance she had made with the dodge and let loose a relentless stream of attacks.
Her blade was practically a blur as it darted in and out of Neo's guard. The mute girl had a panicked expression on her face as she desperately tried to block the swordswoman's strikes, but Weiss did not let up. Several times Neo let out wordless gasps of pain as Weiss struck glancing blows along her arms or her sides.
Eventually, Neo was able to twist out of range of her attacks, and the space she occupied was quickly filled as Junior and his two grunts finally escaped the glyph Weiss had made. Dodging their clumsy attacks with ease, Weiss let out a curse as Neo once again vanished into her mirror. Twirling her sword in the air behind her, she drew a glyph roughly the size of her torso without looking and stabbed the middle of it with her sword.
Pressing one of the gems of Dust on Myrtenaster filled the blade with Gravity Dust, which transferred to the glyph and acted as fuel. Both of Junior's grunts were jerked towards the glyph and slammed against it. They strained to get off but were held in place. Junior himself was able to remain where he was, but a quick knee to the stomach brought him to the ground.
"For the love of... Do I have to do everything for you morons?" Torchwick growled as he stalked toward Weiss. He lashed out at her with a wide sweep, attempting to hook her leg with the crook of his cane. Weiss let out an undignified yelp as she leapt back before flinging a bolt of electricity from her hand. The bolt struck Torchwick's chest but dispersed harmlessly across his white coat.
"Come on, Princess! Is this weak shit the best you've got?" Torchwick taunted as he closed the distance and slammed the head of his cane into the ground with enough force to crack it. Fortunately, Weiss had dodged the attack in time to counter with a slash. Roman raised his arms to block it from hitting his face, but received a nasty red scratch across his forearm because of it.
"Hey, Neo's still in the fight! Keep an eye out for her!" Ruby advised her friend. Weiss chided herself for forgetting such a thing. She'd been hyperfocused on Roman and forgotten to keep an eye out for the vanishing girl. It was lucky Ruby had seemed to notice this, however, because soon after she caught something out of the corner of her eye.
A ripple in the air appeared low to the ground, and the air began to fracture like glass. Jumping out of this fracture was Neo, who held her stiletto forward and attempted to put a hole in Weiss's neck. The girl in question was able to deflect the blow and send Neo sprawling across the ground. Now that Weiss had gotten a good look at her, she could tell something was off.
The smaller girl's face seemed unnaturally pale, and sweat dripped from her face like she'd just run across the city. Her hair looked frazzled and her eyes seemed somewhat glossy and dull. Lady Goodwitch told her that using the mirror probably caused some backlash, but Weiss was still surprised to see it so clearly. The strain of using that artifact was clearly too much for the girl.
"Here, why don't I help you with that!" Weiss taunted as she manipulated her Aura around her rapier's blade. A soft blue light began to cover the blade, and with a flick of her wrist, Weiss made a whiplike motion with it. A tendril of blue light wrapped around Neo's wrist and Weiss jerked her weapon to the side, pulling the mirror out of Neo's grasp.
"Get away from her!" Torchwick cried out in anger as he lifted his cane and pointed it at her. The glyph carved into the base of his cane glittered with red Fire Dust, and a plume of fire shot out from the tip as he activated the Dust with his Aura. Weiss let out a gasp of surprise, but brought her sword up in time and thrust its tip forward in response.
Channeling her Aura through the blade, a dome of soft white light sprang up in front of her, parting the fire around her and protecting her from the flames. She felt the heat surrounding her and felt flames licking at her hair, but none managed to burn her. With a snarl, Torchwick thrust his cane forward, burning up the rest of the Dust and shooting out a blast of flames that collided with her barrier, shattering it with a small explosion.
Roman dashed through the smoke and struck out with his cane, but Weiss was able to redirect the blow away from her body. The master thief growled as he continued his assault, lashing out with heavy blows Weiss couldn't block and instead had to either dodge or deflect. The ex-heiress was quickly losing ground, and needed to find a way out quickly.
Eventually, she spotted an opening. Roman had swung low enough she had to duck under his attack, but high enough she had room to lunge forward and slash his shoulder. The orange-haired man hissed in pain and stumbled backward, but Weiss did not let up. Using her Aura, she created a small cyclone of dust and dirt around him, temporarily blinding him.
"Weiss, just hold on! I think I see help coming!" Ruby called down to her. Weiss nodded gratefully and adjusted her stance, trying to catch her breath while Torchwick was preoccupied.
But she had no time to breathe. Neo was on her in an instant, slashing at her with her stiletto. Weiss was forced to once again back away and give her opponents ground. She was quickly approaching the far right wall of the harbor, and the exit was still around twenty feet away from her. She needed to find a way past these two.
"Weiss, behind you!" Ruby called out as she flew down to her white-haired companion. Weiss blindly thrust over her shoulder and was rewarded with a grunt of surprise and pain from Torchwick when her blade nicked his cheek. She whirled around to swipe at him, and the criminal wisely backed out of range.
"Neo's coming from your left!" Ruby once more alerted Weiss, who put her trust in those words and made a wide arc with her blade, forcing Neo to back up slightly. Roman tried to slink back into her guard, but Ruby once again spotted him. His attempt was thwarted with a blast of Fire Dust that singed his coat.
"On your right!" Ruby called out, and Weiss quickly dispatched the thug who'd tried to sneak up on her.
"Behind you, axe guy!" Ruby warned, and Weiss dealt with the goon who tried to cleave her in two.
"Neo, low and to your left!" Came the cry, and Weiss countered the upwards thrust with a rapid strike that drew a line of blood across Neo's arm.
"Torchwick, dead ahead!" Placing faith in Ruby's warning, she sidestepped Roman's attempt to slam his cane down on her skull and gave him an Aura-enhanced punch to the throat for trying.
"Gah! This bitch! Why won't she just stay still!" Torchwick growled as he swiped at her again, only to once again feel the sting of her blade slashing his arm. "It's like she has eyes in the back of her head!"
Neo did not give a response, rather letting her dagger do the talking. She charged forward and locked blades with Weiss, pushing her much smaller weapon against the Atlesian's larger one. But Neo was able to push her back with an Aura-boosted push. Weiss was forced onto her back foot, and Neo let loose a relentless barrage of attacks while charging forward. Weiss was forced to backpedal as she blocked the multicolored girl's attacks.
Eventually, she was able to disarm Neo with a flourish of her sword, but a swift punch to the gut forced her back. Neo leapt out of range of her counterattack, but several of Junior's grunts, who had once more risen to their feet, charged forwards, weapons brandished. Weiss tried to dodge by jumping backward, but instead, she crashed against a wall of boxes.
The two grunts' weapons swung towards Weiss, and axe and club respectively. Weiss tried to raise her sword to block, but it was a hopeless endeavor. She wouldn't make it in time. The axe would tear clean through her shoulder, and the club would crash against her skull. Even if she survived, she'd just be sold to the White Fang to be executed. She'd lost.
At least, she would've. Were it not for a pair of ribbons of darkness restraining the wrists of the thugs who were attacking Weiss. Their eyes were wide as they gaped in surprise at the restraints that they failed to notice a faunus in a white cloak charge towards them until she had already swept their feet out from underneath them.
"Weiss, are you ok?" Blake asked, amber eyes wide with concern and fear. Weiss was only able to gape in shock much like the goons Blake had just taken out. Unfortunately for her, not everyone was as surprised as her.
"You've got to be screwing with me! What did I do to deserve this?" Roman whined as he took a long drag from his cigar. Turning to the few remaining grunts, he called out to them. "Why don't you all take care of our uninvited guest?" The thugs all let out a collective roar and charged at Blake, who drew her two swords from their sheaths and adopted a fighting stance.
Once the goons were in range, she shot forward, staying low to the ground as she did so. A swift kick in the face took out one grunt, and a series of slashes took out another two. A fourth approached from her right, but she acrobatically flipped to the side to avoid his attack and used a low kick to throw him to the ground before slamming her wakizashi into his stomach.
Five more grunts charged at Blake, but a yellow blur crashed into them before they could reach her. Cries of panic rang out among the grunts as they found themselves facing an enemy they were all familiar with. Weiss knew that Junior and his grunts had a history with Yang, but the genuine fear in their voices at the sight of her was surprising.
Granted, not that surprising, given the way that she easily bashed one grunt in the head with her shield and knocked him out, only to grab another by the collar and toss him roughly to the ground. As he scrambled away, the other three grunts silently debated whether it was worth trying to fight Yang. Given that she had yet to even draw her sword, they stood little chance of beating her.
"Geez Weiss, we leave you alone for half a day and you manage to get kidnapped? What happened? Did you forget that you don't have bodyguards anymore?" Yang quipped as she absentmindedly drew her sword in a flourish. The three grunts standing before her all dropped their weapons and fell to their knees, begging for mercy.
Junior, who'd been groaning in pain on the ground, finally rose to his feet, only to pale when he saw Yang there. "Blondie? H-hey, it isn't what it looks like!" He cried out in fear. Yang just glared at him, and he shriveled back. Neo and Roman both began to back away toward the shoddy dock at the end of the harbor.
A few grunts tried their luck at escaping past Yang, only to run straight into a group of armored men who burst onto the harbor, bowling over the terrified grunts. At their head were three familiar figures. The middle one wore a red tunic and bore a massive, double-bladed battleaxe and had light grey hair and a bushy mustache. Commander Port, the man she'd talked to after her first encounter with Torchwick.
Next to him was a somewhat scrawny-looking blonde young man in slightly big armor. But despite his appearances, Weiss knew Jaune was a level-headed individual, and one she was glad was here to help. The third figure, however, was a surprise. A freckled boy with black hair and multicolored eyes stared at her with relief. Oscar was here.
"Well well well. It looks like your reign has finally come to an end, eh Torchwick?" Port laughed boisterously as he twirled his axe effortlessly. Despite his age and weight, he was still clearly an experienced warrior capable of dealing with any petty thugs. As he spoke, his men quickly began to go about the harbor, shackling the downed grunts and forming a semicircle around the dock.
"Port, huh? Well, I'd take you over Goodwitch any day," Torchwick quipped, but Port simply chuckled darkly.
"Oh I assure you, she's on her way. In fact, the entire city guard is setting up a perimeter around this district as we speak. These soldiers and I just so happened to be in the area when we ran into Arc and Xiao-Long, saying young Lady Schnee had been kidnapped. You have no hope of escape, Roman."
Yang gave Weiss a cocky grin. "You owe us for this one. We're only in this to get back at Torchwick for making us look bad."
"She says that, but she was more panicked than any of us when we heard you'd been kidnapped," Jaune quipped, causing Yang to shoot him an angry glare. Weiss just smiled gratefully at them.
"Regardless, I appreciate the help. Especially you, Blake," Weiss thanked the faunus, who looked back at her in surprise. "I would've been killed if you hadn't intervened. So I owe you my thanks."
"O-oh, uh, you're welcome, I guess," Blake responded. She seemed perturbed by the notion of Weiss apologizing, but the ex-heiress had turned her attention away from her and to Jaune and Yang, who were arguing playfully.
"And how did you know I'd been captured?" She asked, already feeling she knew the answer.
Jaune just rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "Well, we wanted to talk to you about something. But when you never came back to the castle, we got worried about you and decided to go look for you. We ran into Oscar, and he told us he'd seen you get captured," He explained while Yang nodded along. Militia and Melanie, who'd been shackled by two guards, looked confused at his words.
"And what a stroke of luck that was!" Port called out. "After all, none of us would've known what had happened were it not for this young man," He said as he patted Oscar's shoulder.
The boy in question just smiled at Weiss bashfully. "I honestly didn't do much. I think you've just got someone looking out for you," He joked with a small glance to Ruby. Weiss matched his glance and smiled as well.
"Yeah. I guess I do," She said as she looked at Ruby. The silver spectre stared at her with relief in her eyes, clearly happy that Weiss hadn't been hurt. Exhausted, but not badly hurt. Weiss felt her chest tighten strangely as she stared at her young friend, and her pulse began to race. The noblewoman dismissed it as adrenaline.
"You've got to be kidding me. I'm not going down to a bunch of kids!" Torchwick cried out in indignation, gesturing for Neo to stay behind him. He, Neo, and Junior were all backed onto the old dock at the end of the harbor. The guards were in a tight formation around them. Even if they charged through and managed to break past them, they'd be chased right into the perimeter set up by the other soldiers.
"So, you've finally been caught, Roman," Junior mocked. "All those deals you made, all the people you helped, and they've left you to the wolves. How does it feel?" The black-haired man mocked. "You stepped on too many toes, my friend!"
Torchwick let out a growl and smacked Junior with his cane. "Would you shut up? This show isn't quite over just yet," He boasted, much to the amusement of the guards and knights who surrounded him.
"Torchwick, you may be the slipperiest thief in all of Remnant, but even you must surely realize that there's no way out of this one, right?" Port chuckled, but Roman just took a drag of his cigar in response. Pushing to the front of the crowd, Weiss stepped forward to speak.
"Give it up, Torchwick. It's pointless. You couldn't beat me. How do you expect to beat all of us?" She taunted, gesturing around her as she spoke to the city guard and knights-in-training that occupied the harbor.
Torchwick let out a snarl at the sight of her. "You know, this is all your fault. If you hadn't stuck your nose in other people's business, then I wouldn't have to deal with all of Vale being after my ass," He complained, but Blake just scoffed.
"Her fault? You attacked her when she first came to Vale, then sent your lackey to steal something from us. And you claim it's our fault when we went to get it back? You brought this on yourself," The raven-haired faunus declared.
Torchwick just let out a slight laugh. "You mean to tell me the reason you broke into my compound was to get a stupid book? Why? It's not even worth much. Maybe a few hundred lien. Perhaps a thousand if you sell it to one of those scholarly types. The book was just supposed to be something extra on top of the real prize," He explained with growing anger.
Weiss just shook her head vehemently. "No. Maybe to anyone else, but I need that book. And I'm willing to do whatever it takes to get it. That was your mistake. You underestimated the lengths I'd go to!" She cried out passionately.
Torchwick just gave a hollow laugh. "So the entire reason you exposed my little scheme with the White Fang was to get this book back?" He said as he withdrew a beaten and old book from his coat pocket. Weiss let out a gasp as he did so, recognizing it instantly as Maria Calavera's translator tome. Ruby flew closer to double-check and gave Weiss a grim nod. It was the real deal.
"Give it to me!" Weiss demanded, but Roman just wagged his finger.
"Look, I get you're a Schnee, but this isn't Atlas. You don't wish for things and have them magically happen. And if you're willing to do whatever it takes to get this book, then how about you help me get out of here and I'll hand it over to you?" Torchwick offered. Neo and Junior looked at him like he'd grown a third head, and Weiss just let out a laugh.
"And why would I need to do that? You've been caught, Torchwick!" She cried out, pointing her blade at him. "I'll have it back by the end of the night regardless," She confidently claimed. Torchwick gave a slight smirk. Yang, Jaune, and Blake shared a look. But none of that mattered. Not when she was finally so close.
"Whatever it takes, huh?" Roman muttered to himself. Weiss faintly heard him, but Blake's ears perked up. But before she could say anything, Torchwick cried out. "Well if you want it that badly, then take it!" As he cried out, he pulled his arm back and threw the book out towards the ocean.
Weiss didn't waste a second. Immediately, she dropped her sword and sprinted to the edge of the harbor. She'd been about ten feet away from the edge, and given the arc at which Torchwick threw the book, it was going to be about eight feet out from the edge. She could make that jump. As soon as she reached the edge, she pushed what Aura she had left into her legs and leapt forwards.
She strained her arm to reach for the book, hoping to toss it quickly back to shore. Who knew what damage seawater would do to its pages? She had everything perfectly calculated in her head. She would be able to grab the book and twist her body in time to throw it back to dry land. She was dimly aware of many voices shouting at her, but she was only able to focus on the book. It was the only thing that mattered.
Which is why she didn't notice as a glowing orange ball of fire formed in the crook of Roman's cane. With a cry of "So long, Princess!" He flicked the fireball outward, sending it hurtling towards the book. Catching sight of it out of the corner of her vision, Weiss's eyes widened. She barely had time to bring her arms up to shield her face when it collided with the book and engulfed both it and her in a fiery explosion.
This chapter was fun to write. Torchwick has thus far in this fic been carried by his artifacts, winning not because he was skilled but because he had a Batman-style toolbelt that could put him at an equal level with the other characters. But now that he's lost ccess to that and only really has his cane to fight with, he has to rely on more direct combat. And Neo's aggressive hit-and-run style means I can let Ruby actually do something in a fight instead of being a spectator.
Something I know some of you may question about this fight is how was Weiss able to fight so many people when before she struggled against just Torchwick? Well, for one, Torchwick lost his biggest advantage; his magical artifacts and weapons. But also keep in mind, Weiss has spent time since the last fight recovering. It's been less then a day, but that's more than Roman and Neo had. They've likely been avoiding guards all day, and haven't had a moment to rest. So Weiss may be tired, but they're much more tired then she is.
I llike writing fight scenes, and I like writing cliffhangers. This chapter as both. And next chapter will have more of one of those. Expect the next chapter to come out soon. I'm enjoying writing these chapters a lot.
P.S. Thank you to everyone who has left an encouraging review. Its nice to have been able to get all that off my chest, and your reviews meant a lot to me. See you all soon.