Unknown Legends

by KTWizard

In a land he doesn't know, he is surrounded by things he can't understand. Rules, Government, Weapons, Schooling, even their Goals. They are all unknowns, but so is he to them. Link, and the memories of his friends. But there is one common rule between their world and his. The Unknown has the Advantage. So he will remain just that as long as he can. [Pre-Season 3, Min-Canon Change]

81. Cladem

Mercury was just a screaming torso. That sounded a lot more morbid in his head than what he saw. A torso with flailing metal limbs and scratching at him like an animal. Still pretty morbid. No blood. Well that helped. Less helpful was the fact that he was sitting on the murderer by himself.

He knew why, but it still wasn't a helpful thing.

"Please shut up?" Jaune let out tiredly. Mercury's response was to deliver another punch to his chest. It was a dull throb the Great Fairy Sword swept away, figuratively of course. "Please? I've been thrown around all day by the Grimm, Cinder, and you guys. I just need... five hours to catch my breath, can you please give me that?"

"You going to give me back my legs?" He wasn't struggling as he asked the question, letting Jaune stare him straight in the eyes.

"No."

Back to thrashing. Jaune sighed.

"You're not going anywhere. Even if you knock me out, you're gonna be literally crawling on broken glass to get out of here." Pretty sure that would be painful without an Aura. "And you only have a minute until Pyrrha comes back."

"No way! You've got more faith in that girl than she deserves."

"Kind of dating her, so I think I have more faith than most."

"Bet it's going to hurt when she's dragged by the hair back to you." Jaune sighed at the poor excuse for a jab. "Bet you're thinking about it now, but don't worry. Emerald may be a special kind of bitch, loyal as one, but she's not going to let a girl with a bit of kick to her blows take her down. She's going to-"

"Pyrrha is going to walk over your teammate without any effort at all." He let out in so much of a sigh he about collapsed on Mercury. He couldn't exactly run away, so it wasn't like it was doing something bad. His punches weren't doing much now that he was holding the Great Fairy Sword either. "I mean, seriously, she has the Mirror Shield, your partner is using freaking flash bangs. How well do you think that's gonna work out?"

"Emerald's not exactly an easy bitch to catch. Cinder had to smother herself in honey. Why do you think the girl hung off of her?"

"What makes you think I would even notice that?" Jaune pushed one of Mercury's arm down. Probably able to because he was just a bit heavier, and the boy had no legs to push off of with. That helped. "And hell, Pyrrha nailed me to a tree from probably a mile away with her lance. Pretty sure the illusionist isn't going anywhere far."

"Pinned you to... wow, you really are into some kinky stuff, aren't you?" That was what he focused on? "And I thought it was the ginger that had all your team crazy."

"Nora's as crazy as she is strong. And trust me, she's threatened to break a lot more than legs." He finally got his arms around one of the boy's shoulders, pinning him. The snarl came out as his face was rubbed into the dirt honestly felt a little good. No wonder Cardin used to do this to him.

Except, of course, it was justified now. Cause Mercury was evil, and Emerald, and Cinder was the proof... wherever she was.

"Here's hoping there's enough left of her to actually bring to Ozpin or Ironwood."

"You think you're gonna get that far? In all of this!?"

"This, as you put it, is kinda winding down." A loud cry ripped through the sky. "Okay, yeah, there are still a lot of Grimm, and the Colosseum just got cut in half, but everyone's out by now."

"You're willing to risk your life on that? Dragging me and Em through hell? Bet you'd be a lot safer if you just threw me to the curb and got out of here yourself."

"I'd be risking more if I let you go." The silver haired kickboxer grinned up at him. "I'm not letting you go."

"Whether you want to or not, it's gonna happen. Just as Cinder, I'm a slippery guy." He twisted his hips and tried to spin. It took Jaune a full second to realize what he was doing.

"I bet that had a lot more weight when you had your legs." The scowl on the kid was fun to look at. He owed Cardin an apology. He actually got it now.

"What can I say, I'm feeling loose footed. Winna help me look around for it? I'm sure I can shove it right up your ass for safe keeping."

"Yeah, threaten the guy sitting on you with a sword." Jaune looked down at the surprisingly non-threatening assassin. "And in case you forgot, you did basically lay out a few good reasons why it would be better to just get rid of you."

"Maybe, but you don't have the guts to do it yourself."

"No, but did you already forget about Nora? I'm pretty sure she'd be up for it."

"Up for what, Jaune-Jaune!" Speak of the devil and she shall appear. And here he was smiling about it.

"Nothing, just telling Mercury here about how great you are at hugs." The boy looked up at him like he'd finally lost his mind. Maybe, the Great Fairy Sword wasn't exactly keeping his mind sharp. "Had to tell him about all the ones you gave me. Wanna show him one of your hugs?"

"What? Nah, he's a meanie in need of a beating!" She stood up proudly with the deceleration. "Hear that? I've been thinking of that rhyme all day!" He stared at her from atop Mercury.

"But... But that doesn't-"

WUMP! The Megaton Hammer fell. Jaune jumped atop Mercury. He bounced off of the ground. The sound he made as Jaune landed back on top of him was one of pain. The team leader of JNPR made one of panic.

"That couldn't be the best you can do!" Jaune shot back. "It's great, but you gotta have a better one, right?"

"Uh huh! I've been thinking of them ever since we started stomping on Emerald! Like, she keeps trying to shine, but I just gotta say bye!" Her smile was brighter than her words, that was for sure.

"That... is better!" Jaune wasn't sure himself how honest that was. "But where's Ren, or Pyrrha?"

"Here Jaune, and thank you for asking." He was wholly unsurprising to see Pyrrha walking around a non-descriptor pile of rubble. He was just as surprised to see her smiling without an air of fatigue about her.

That, and dragging a girl behind her by the hair. Wow that looked painful. And wow did Mercury looked pissed. Jaune was really sure now, he had to apologize to Cardin and tell him he understood how hard it was to just stop bullying. This was cathartic almost to the point of feeling like it could be a good hobby.

"Sorry it took longer than I thought. Emerald was a bit faster than I thought, jumping around rather nimbly." She shook the girl, and a groan of pain came out of her. Not dead, okay. And both legs, good. But one arm was... not what Jaune would call all there. "It was a good thing Ren had his Lens of Truth to help me."

"Link's, in honesty, but it worked out." The other boy of the team was cleaning that purple lens as he walked up behind the red head. "I'm only surprised you waited as long as you did to hit her."

"I'm sorry, but I was trying to hit her the whole time."

"Now I apologize, I meant Nora." Said girl beamed with the attention.

"Well... that explains the arm." Jaune listed, looking at it again. Oh yeah, humans had one elbow, one good place to bend it. Not... three. "Probably also the few dozen explosions I heard. I thought she just had bombs."

"Oh, she did." She did? "But most bombs have metal components to them." Jaune got onto his butt, sitting on Mercury's back, nodding sagely as he did so. The Great Fairy Sword flittered between his fingers. "So... not that I'm mad we got these two, but aren't we missing someone."

"You mean the girl who was in the cabin, Neo right?"

"That's her name?"

"Pretty sure it is. I saw it when I was reading through reports last month." What reports did Ren read that had that kind of information? "She used to be Roman's partner, you know that, but I guess now we know for sure she's like Emerald here." The girl groaned as he tapped at her head. Nora giggled. Wow, look at them, dangling around a bunch of assassins like toys. Good times, good times. "Her illusions are based more for mass use, rather than individual perception. The negative of this is that they can be broken by physical force, implying a range limitation."

"Illusions that shatter like glass." That jogged Jaune's mind. "Oh yeah! Pyrrha, how'd the shield work out?"

"Heavier than I'm used to, but a surprising number of functions." His girlfriend held up the Mirror Shield. Or rather, she balanced it on one finger. She was good. "Though I think using it to reflect light is... a primary use of a mirror."

"Just not one you think about when there are bullets flying at you and monsters trying to eat you." Jaune agreed. "But hey! Glad it wasn't just for show or name." He clapped his hands. "So, if we have two out of three, maybe now we should decide where to go next."

He didn't get the answer he wanted. Instead, the sky rumbled above him. Louder than thunder and enough to shake his confidence.

A crack split the sky, forcing them all to look up. Jaune swallowed on nothing. No one else said anything either.

Not really a need to when you were all watching storm clouds shift like water, then freeze like ice. No, really, that was all Jaune could think about as he stared at it. The clouds that had been dense enough to be like staring at the surface of water while under it suddenly looked like the ceiling of the world. No blue sky though. Just a literal ceiling.

That was bad. He knew that.

"Hey... you two... be honest. Is that something that Neo can do?" He double tapped Mercury's head, he growled.

"Bite me."

"Not into that. How about her? Does she have a word?" A gargle from the girl came out of her as Pyrrha dropped her. She only bent to avoid her broken arm, then hugged it like a doll. "No then, okay, um... I'm lost then."

"I am as well," Ren replied with a look up. Oh right! The Lens of Truth! "The clouds truly do look as they appear." That was less good.

"Not an illusion then." Pyrrha affirmed. "Something must be happening with the Salem monster. If that's the case, we can only prepare ourselves for whatever she has planned." That sounded like a good idea.

Until Mercury started to laugh. All that confidence that Jaune felt turned to bricks and left him in a hurry.

"Okay, what's funny?" He twisted to grab the kid by the head. The boy's teeth were crooked as his smile. "You lost, badly, missing your limbs, worse, and you're smiling. What's happening? What are you planning?"

"I have no idea."

"Don't buy it."

"Don't care, I don't have an idea what's happening, just a good guess." He laughed again. "Cinder told us that Salem was after Link, and the power he had, and that she had the power herself to remake and reshape the world." Jaune still hated that revelation.

"She's the Goddess of Creation, but Link is actual the God of Destruction."

"Darkness and Light, but I guess you're blonde enough to get that mixed up." He let it go. Mercury had to keep talking. "Just surprised you didn't figure she had a plan for this. I mean, she knew about who your superhero was, and you think she didn't have a plan for it?"

"Jaune." A hand at his shoulder and he looked up. The 'ceiling' had changed again.

Before it was an ocean, now it was just a stupidly high number of dots. They were dots, because even if they were darker than black, they were lining up under that Giant Whale Grimm, and that made them at least partially visible. And then there were the few stars he could see now. Seeing stars, great!

Seeing stars between what he could only really describe as giant arrows all pointing down, and enough of them to fill an ocean. Very very bad.

"Thanks for the ride, kids." Mercury laughed. "May have ended up in the pits, but at least I got myself a wild ride." His laughter grew louder. Jaune didn't try and dig into it.

"Pyrrha! Guard Ren and Nora!" He ordered, standing up and holding his sword up.

"Jaune! You get in here, too!"

"Not enough room!" He pointed at what was very clearly not enough room. "And it's okay! I got the Great Fairy Sword! It might hurt, but I'll be good!" He grinned for Pyrrha, but she didn't grin back. "Trust me, I'll be fine! Ren and Nora won't be."

"I can take a hit!" Nora argued, but Ren had an arm around her. He shook his head.

The sky shook above them. His nerves joined that noise. From beneath Jaune, Mercury kept laughing. "You're all so fucking dead."

"Then I'll drag you down with me!" He yelled back. "And Nora! Pyrrha's got the Mirror Shield, I have this healing sword, you too stick behind the literal defensive tool!"

"You're taking a great risk Jaune!"

"Just get behind me!"

"I'll be fine!" He shouted back. His fingers worked the hilt of the lavender blade. "Okay, I'll be in pain, but I'll be okay! You can beat the crap out of me later!" He watched them, even as he felt Pyrrha take his advice and put the shield above her head. Ren ducked behind her and Nora in front. They hugged each other.

She bit her lip, and he grinned. "See, no room."

And then, the sky fell.

He watched it, the barest edges of it, as the lances began to fall from the sky. He wasn't sure what else they were. They were long, pointed, straight, darker than the sky they were falling from, and tearing into the buildings ahead of them like mortar fire in one of Oobleck's classes. He watched a few of them tear through one of the few remaining skyscrapers still standing, ripping it into ruin and collapsing it a moment later.

Jaune watched it like a stream flowing towards him, the bolts slamming into the ground and tearing it up like the fallen Bullhead. The concrete was ripped up, dust spraying into the air, and leave the lances to jut up from the ground. And that was what they were lances. A stupidly high number of them falling from the clouds or were the clouds!

No wait, that wasn't right. They weren't lances. Nope couldn't be. Jaune realized that a bit too late.

THUNK-THUNK-THUNK-THUNK!

Not until after four of them had blown through his aura, his chest plate, and then his body.

They weren't lances, they were arrows. Larger than anything he'd seen even the most ridiculous student at Beacon throw, and probably thicker than his wrist, maybe his bicep… maybe his old sword.

Whatever it was like, there were five of them sticking out of him now. And he couldn't feel a thing. "Oh…" It was all he was able to get out.

Then he hit the ground. He didn't feel that either. He gripped the Great Fairy Sword tightly in his hand, feeling it flow and roll over him, even as he watched the arrows in his gut, chest, and leg. Were they about to just pop out? That would be pretty cool. They would, too, right? The fires had been reversed, so the arrows would?

Yeah, they would be… that was why the darkness that was ebbing off of them was… falling on him. It was just coming out. Even as the darkness rose over him, swallowing more of him, it was just taking time coming out. That was all. It was just… taking time.

"JAAUNE!" Pyrrha, his good old partner, however, wasted no time.

He felt her slid next to him, hands on his head and holding him up. He was quick to focus on her, watching as green eyes flew over his body. Her jaw was shaking.

"Don't worry…" He let out, holding the Great Fairy Sword with all the strength he had left. Probably just enough to crack open a soda can. "Looks… worse than… hurts." Okay, bad English.

"Don't talk! Jaune just… just shut… just be quiet!" She held a hand over his chest, then his face, then the arrows. It flew all over him, and it was shaking. "N-No metal, no… okay." She let that out just before she grasped at one of the arrows.

She ripped her hand away a second later. Did she scream? If she did, Jaune didn't hear it. That was bad. It was a lot colder than he remembered all of the sudden. Shouldn't his sweater be helping him?

"Sorry... 'M sorry..." Jaune forced the words out. Pyrrha opened her mouth at him. Her head was shaking. She must not know want to say. He didn't blame her, cause he didn't have a good idea himself.

Oh wait, maybe she was screaming. That could be it. He just couldn't hear anything.

When did he lose his hearing?

He could still feel her thought. Her hands, the Silver Gauntlets. That was Link's. She wore them well, used them better. She was able to keep all the arrows off of her, Ren, and Nora. That was because she was the best. The absolute best. Best he could have ever asked for.

Jaune smiled, or at least the best he could. His mouth felt heavy. No, that was wrong. It felt numb like it wasn't there at all. Pyrrha was still screaming, maybe, and crying. That one for sure. Her tears were hitting his face. Her tears on his eyes. Heh, they tickled. He wondered why that was.

Why was it the tears tickled him? He didn't laugh in the shower. He wasn't laughing now either. Right now, he was just staring up at his team, under a star-filled sky. That was nice at least. It was a great night.

Jaune tried to say something, but he couldn't hear what he said. He didn't have the air to push out words. It was actually hard to breathe at all. Did he even really need to breath? He didn't know.

He knew that Ren was trying to hold Nora back. He wasn't doing a good job, not that he ever did a good job at stopping her. He was crying, too.

He knew that Nora was trying to grab at him, but she kept pulling back something else. Something dark and black. She was screaming, too.

He knew that Pyrrha was touching his face, holding his temples, screaming something at him. He couldn't make out what it was. One thing he didn't know was how to read lips, and how tragic was that now of all times. Hopefully she wasn't trying to remind him about practice. He didn't feel very up to it. He felt tired, and in a little pain.

It was alright though. His team was alright. Maybe a little sad, but that was okay. They weren't hurt. They were okay.

Jaune though... he felt like he was going to sleep. The kind of numbness that came after a really long workout, and he was supposed to get to bed before he fell asleep. It didn't seem like he'd make it this time. Maybe they would carry him to bed if he did.

Making a note, he'd have to get Ren that brand of tea he liked. Maybe they could actually talk about a book Jaune had read. Nora would need pancakes, with extra syrup. She needed those make sure she was on top of her game. That meant happier than a clam. And Pyrrha... Pyrrha...

He'd have to kiss her and hold her close. Nothing else was as important for the girl he loved so much. God, he loved her, oh he loved her. That's why it sucked she was crying. He didn't like to see that.

He'd have to apologize. He'd have to... as soon as he... as soon as this was over. What was going on again? Something bad. Jaune felt a little nervous about that... but his team was alright.

And that made him feel pretty damn lucky.

That made it worth it.

That made it... worth it.

That... made... it...

…

---

It was a growl. Ozpin realized that only after he had dashed past the monster for the third time, with the surprisingly helpful assistance of one Weiss Schnee. The Hero's Shade was growling whenever he was close enough to attack, and it was without a means to stop him.

Or, Ozpin corrected himself, the monster began with growling, but that was starting to change.

WHACK! As he was able to zip past the monster's sword, raising his cane as Ms. Schnee lifted a wall of ice. The ice blocked him and Ozpin was able to strike him, no means to retreat or defend. The growl became a hiss, and it responded as elegantly as a demon would, by hitting the glass with his head, breaking it.

A fury of sword stabs came at Ozpin after that, each one delivered with expert retreat behind his shield. Deftly as Ozpin could dodge, it was thanks, once more, to the useful Glyphs of her family name that set him right. Namely as block runes started to crop up beneath the monster, and it was too focused on him to see that its footing was compromised.

A bad step in one slowed it by a factor of two, and Ozpin was unaltered as he drew his cane back, stepped to the side of the beast's next strike, and spun with his own deft move to clothesline the monster. The follow through nearly sent the beast to its back, but once more it showed the Hero's abilities, catching itself in a vault.

Red eyes stared hatefully forward, but Ozpin kept his own cool, pushing his way casually to be between Ms. Schnee and the monster. The hiss became a snarl.

"That is a more fitting look for you. Matching your demeanor." He commentated back. "And you should know, where you of wiser mind, that this is no longer a battle you can win." It always had a chance, but none no more.

The dark mockery of the Master Sword spun in its hand. Twice over then three, then pushing out with an almost clicking sound to the air. Ozpin saw the force behind the blade, as the monster jumped to slice at him. It would not be a strike he could so easily deflect.

But Ms. Schnee, a Mage by the considerations of most of Link's allies, formed a block of ice beneath the Hero's Shade, not before it. The rise pushed it off balance, having it fall forward almost comically. Ozpin made sure his strike was far from a 'casual brush'.

BAM! The handle of his famed cane striking the monster's neck. Were it human, if not breaking Aura, the blow would have doubtlessly snapped its spine. For the monster formed of hate and lack of love, it sent it into the ground, blowing apart the once elegant garden of Beacon. Ozpin strode after it, eyes narrowed and following the beast.

"Headmaster-"

"Please wait, Ms. Schnee." He gave her no more notice than that. "We may speak when the beast is gone." She may have nodded, he wasn't sure. He only knew that she was forming another glyph in front of him. White for hasting, and he stepped on it, feeling the energy lurch through him.

A fine move on her part, as Hero's Shade stepped up after that, dirt falling from its dark tunic and raising its sword in the air. No shield to defend it but attempting to all but mark the heavens with its blade.

WOOOOOOAAAAAAAGH! Now it was howling.

Ozpin entertained the idea that that was what was spinning the air, but only for a moment. He knew the monster was gathering energy like the Hero, attempting to turn the blade into one vicious strike. Ozpin lowered himself to match, pushing his own Aura into the edge of the cane. It had no defense to it now, and he had a chance great enough to try.

"Headmaster! I won't be able to stop that!"

"Thank you, Ms. Schnee!" Ozpin shouted, only to be heard over the roaring wind. "I would not think even your sister capable." It was no insult towards her elder. The attack that was before them was strong. But the cost to do so was clear.

He had to capitalize.

"No shield, no defense, no means to dodge." He listed as the power thrummed through his hand. "Putting away all that kept you safe, so you may take from me all that I am." An All-or-Nothing attack. Done so only when the battle seemed hopeless.

How ironic that he was about to do the same.

"You were made from the desires of the Hero, and I am his apparent ancestor, carrying that same spirit." Ozpin licked his lips through the wind, watching as the power gathered about the Hero's Shade. "It makes sense we both wait till now to give it our all." He pulled his thumb. "All in one strike."

As soon as the gears in his mind struck the right notch, he dashed forward. The Haste of Ms. Schnee's glyph making him a blur across the ground. In the midst of that blur, the Hero's Shade thrust the blade down, scouring the land with its power. He did not notice.

By the time the blade had hit the ground, he was several yards past the monster, and with his cane stretched forward. He took in a long breath to steady his shivering chest. Every nerve in his body was alight with pain and sensation. Where he did not wish to grab to dull the sensations, he yearned to thrust into ice to remove the burns. His mind was alight and the cane in his hand holding onto its form with the loosest of screws.

Truly the Mortal Draw was a move to be performed when all else seemed impossible. For any more than this, and Ozpin feared he would lose his arm.

The mute sound from behind him, coupled with the rupture in the air, was evidence enough that the Hero's Shade had lost far more.

A turnover his shoulder saw the monster fall, its blade hitting the ground soundlessly and vanishing into the shadows. Red eyes rolled in its head, the darkness of its features congealed. The long ruinous arc through its chest was evident, the portion from which its body fell. Its head hit the ground first, with the legs to follow. Both rippled like water, then dissipated like air.

Headmaster Ozpin watched it all, slowly, methodically, lowering his cane. The pain was dulling, but his senses were still sharp.

"Headmaster!" Sharp enough to have him wincing as Ms. Schnee ran up to him. "Are you hurt? You have to be! You pushed the limitations of my glyphs to their limits a-and whatever that strike of yours was seemed faster than even Ruby at times! Just look! You can barely keep a grip on your cane right now!"

"I am aware, Ms. Schnee." He had not the energy to wave her off. "But please be assured, I am far better now than I would have been had I not done that."

"I... I understand that, and I apologize if I gave the indication, I thought your actions brash or foolish." He smiled.

"I spoke no word of that."

"B-But you are in pain and you are still trying to stand! Please, at least sit down. You'll decrease the pressure your heart will need to generate to move the blood through your body. I'd prefer it if you lied down." He let the Schnee heiress touch him. But that was it.

"Ms. Schnee, though your consideration for my health is understood and appreciated, I am currently unable to move so easily." He let out another short sigh. His lungs burned like his heart and arms. "I fear if I move too much, I'll rupture the muscles in my arms."

"W-What! Then... Then just hold still!" The bang of glyphs came out behind him. He bit back a chuckle. "Please hold a moment, Headmaster. I'm going to-"

A crack split the sky. Weiss jumped with a twist of the Sealing Tome.

Ozpin's already inflamed muscles tightened at the noise, looking up to see what was happening now. He expected Salem to take some dire action, but he was not yet sure what. Perhaps that giant Whale Grimm would fall. She may even drop from the sky herself like some banshee of revenge.

But instead, through cracked glasses, he watched as the dark clouds above began to harden. Rippling water like protrusions suddenly condensing into something more like a wall.

"Ms. Schnee," he replied calmly. "Please put up your strongest defenses." She didn't question him.

Ice walls rose as the sky began to darken further, the glyphs about them churning out Aura and electrified magic he no longer had access to. They crackled around them, holding strong before them. He watched the sky, trusting the young Huntress before him.

"Headmaster, what's going on?"

"A plan of Salem, likely her finally taking action."

"That's not something I think I'm prepared for."

"The only one who could be is likely confronting her." He let out a long steady breath, the best he could do with limbs barely keeping themselves from rattling with pain. He only watched as the clouds shifted again, preparing himself for what the witch could be doing now.

He was not sure what the clouds did as they turned from the sheet of solid darkness to dots in the sky. HE did not know what they were, letting only a faint number of the stars drip passed them. He did not know what they were at all. But he did feel it.

The sky shook. The ground did with it.

"W-What on Earth?"

"Focus, Ms. Schnee," Ozpin ordered. "Focus on defending yourself from whatever that falls." A sure nod was her return.

And then… the sky fell.

Far faster than Ozpin had been aware they could, arrows rained from the sky. He watched them fall against the burning horizon, all but a guillotine to the city of Vale. It was a horrific site. All the more when the wave of it reached them.

He watched, limbs burning and mind aflame now to match, as the dark bolts shot into the ground. Larger than his own arm, and more numerous than the hairs on his head. They slammed down, littering the landscape with their unethical size. What little wasn't ripped up from the efforts of his battle with the Hero's Shade were quickly put to the proverbial torch.

That all happened about him, but the Headmaster gave it not a moment of his thought. His eyes were only on the shield that Ms. Schnee held before them, made of ice, magic, and her own Semblance.

It did not survive more than a single bolt blasting against it.

She did not have time to let out a gasp before two slammed into her chest. Horror flooded Ozpin.

His arm truly burned, muscles shifting to ash, as he whipped out his cane to beat against the more than fell. He pushed back against a sharp point from penetrating his skull, another set from harming Ms. Schnee's legs, and then half a dozen more from burying them in their mass. They exploded with his power, and the darkness that held them vanishing with the strikes. He gave them still no attention.

Ozpin saw only the girl impaled before him.

"Ms. Schnee!" His arm turned to mush as he jumped to catch her. His body screamed, ripping a growl from his own throat. Her head fell back against him, "Ms. Schnee! Please don't move! You have been injured and the shock will likely harm you. Stay still and I'll extricate the armaments."

To the agony of his own body he would. Even as he felt the months to years of recovery that would be needed, just moving his limbs beyond the point of exhaustion, he reached up and grabbed at the dark bolts that protruded from her dress. His fingers snarled around them, burning him from the effort of using his already tired limbs.

It took the Headmaster a full moment to realize that wasn't what was burning them.

"Wha... what?" He let out breathlessly, examining his own hands. Darkness curling against his skin, writhing, and then flittering away as his Aura took care of it. He felt only panic at the sight. "Oh..." Eyes fell back to Weiss.

And he saw the same darkness of the bolts crawling upon her white dress. No blood or guts, only the darkness of shadows claiming in her. He grabbed at the hem of her attire, trying to rip it away, only to see the white splotches of her skin falling to the same taint. He stared on, poking at what he could.

"No... this... I will not..." He spoke uselessly. He acted the same.

"Head... master?" His eyes dragged themselves over her body and looked at the dull blue eyes of the Schnee heiress. "What... happening?"

"You're injured. I apologize I had not saw the extent of Salem's attack." His voice was more measured than the containment vessel for Amber. "Please hold on for a moment. Do not speak. I will assist you."

"Oh... thank you." He nodded at the words, staring down at the darkness that began to coat her. It was growing. Quickly. "I feel... nothing. Does that mean I'm... paralyzed?"

"No, you are not. At worst... I'd say you may need a transfusion of blood, beyond that an allograft for skin layers."

"Ah... my father will... he will purchase one... won't he?" The laughter that flowed from her lips was colder than the world felt. Ozpin looked up to her. The face of the heiress stared up at the sky. Her eyes were dull and gray. Up to her shoulders, the darkness was growing. The Headmaster grasped her head, holding her up right. "How odd of me... to say something so... casually."

"It is a good sign. Being calm or finding humor in... difficult situations."

"Is this a difficult situation, Headmaster?" Her eyes didn't roll to look at him. "It feels like... like things are finally coming to an end." Panic took him as peace rode through her. "It hasn't been long... and yet it feels like eternity."

"You have an eternity yet to live, Ms. Schnee. And only a small portion of it will be under my care." He swallowed on nothing, finally thinking of another means to quell the rising darkness.

Aura, his own and the little of it he had left, pushed through the ends of his digits. He brushed them against her neck, making a ring about her. He thought it too similar to a noose and found the idea of it helping the young girl brutally ironic. How then he must have felt when the darkness did indeed reach the small barrier of green Aura and shift around it.

How he felt as his limbs began to spasm and his nerves died, just for the effort of giving this girl a few seconds of life.

"You have much to live for, so I will ask you not say that you have lived for too long. Your life has been rather short."

"I've done more than most could have their entire lives. And... my father, be it through means I loathe has... he has given me much. I had fame... I had power... I had wealth... I had friends." Those dull eyes sparked with life. He stared into them.

He continued to stare as moisture dotted their edges.

"And I... I was so lucky."

"You are still lucky, Ms. Schnee. Please do not speak as though this is the end. I find it unsuitable to think that you'll pass before I do."

"Headmaster... I'm not a fool." He never thought her as one. "I know what is... what is happening. I can feel it." His grasped at the Aura he pushed around her neck, steadying himself.

"And what is it you feel?"

"My body vanishing. My thoughts with them. I can't feel the ground beneath me. I can't feel air flowing into me." Ozpin forced himself to look from those tear-stained eyes, looking at the body that they were attached to. It was a far cry to say they were attached at all.

Darkness ruminated beneath him, shifting like water at the beach shore. The alabaster dress was gone, her pale skin to match mixed with the shadows. The Sealing Tom sat opened to an unassuming page a distance away, and not even her legs kick out to anything. The Headmaster was holding a girl's head in his hands, and only the Aura he put around her throat kept her here. And every moment was agony to him.

He refused to stop himself.

"Headmaster..." He looked to her. "I'm scared."

Ozpin would not look away.

"What... What will happen to me?"

He debated with himself for more than a moment. To lie, to empathize, to convolute, or to empathize.

"I don't know. I've never known."

"Of course not... I'm sorry... I'm sorry..."

"You have nothing to apologize for." His fingers were losing sensation. Ozpin knew he'd never recover them. "You have no one you need to ask for forgiveness."

"No my... my friends... where are they?" Her dull eyes shifted as her head attempted to roll. "Where is Ruby. She was... she was always such a bother. Shouldn't she be here... I-I can't hear Yang. I couldn't... couldn't ignore her if I tried... I can't... I can't see Blake..."

Ozpin's lip bled as his teeth dug into them. He did not speak a word, he only held onto the young heiress wrapping his mind around the possibilities on how to save her. What could he do to save her? He couldn't force his life into her without killing her. He couldn't maintain his Aura around her without dying, and that would not protection her. He could not sever her head from her shoulders. What could he do?

"I can't see... I can't... I can't feel." And even his Aura wasn't doing enough.

"Please... please relax Ms. Schnee." Ozpin forced himself to speak. "Just close your eyes. I am here... and I will ensure you are safe. It is what you are owed. Rest and... and I'll ensure your peace."

"Peace... am I dying?" Now he chose another option.

"No, you are just fatigued." He did not let her dull eyes focus on him. They could not. "Rest, and we will talk again when you awaken. You helped me to destroy a vile monster. You deserve your rest."

"I... but Ruby and..."

"Ms. Rose and your team will understand. At worst, you will be teased. I will stand beside you when they do so."

"Yes that... that will make short work of Yang's mockery." The ghost of a smile worked at her lips. "And Ruby will... she'll be-believe me. She'll be happy."

"None will doubt you. I assure you, Ms. Schnee."

"No they won't... no... no... oh..." Her jaw worked uselessly. Words failing to be formed. Ozpin kept his focus about his hand, pushing all that he could to the encircling of her neck.

Until with a sudden snap of his very soul, he was forced to relinquish himself. His body fell so much like the doll he felt like, staring into the darkness that overtook the young Ms. Schnee. Her eyes stared at him, dull and lifeless, as the darkness enveloped her. He continued to watch as her alabaster hair and skin were taken by the same monstrosity and shifted into nothingness.

He watched as what was left of her body bled into nothing, and he was left lying on dark grass lacking even a trace of the young woman who had helped to save his life.

Ozpin stared at it, then he stared to the sky, watching the stars mockingly hang above him. Mockingly as, they burned brighter than his body, so devoid of strength now that all he could do was lie in the ruin of a young promising youth.

He took in a long breath then. Filling his lungs until they were ready to burst.

Then, he screamed.

---

Winning a fight was not a new experience for Penny. She had logged only three confirmed defeats throughout her life cycle of use.

However, two of those came from testing her systems against larger targets, namely Instructor Link when he was outside of his friend's influence. One of those was to show the necessity of teamwork to Team Leader Cardin, who had recently shown his great ability to lead and inspire. Penny had compared him quantitatively and qualitatively towards former generals and found an 84/112 point match. He had great odds at being a great leader!

Penny readjusted her logs. She was off track.

On track, she affirmed that one of her defeats, and the most important, was against Traitor Impa. The woman who had left the companion ship of Instructor Link, leading directly towards the death of Former Team Member Sky Lark. What followed were the deaths of Associate Qrow Branwen, Instructor Link, and Former Team Member Dove Bronzewing.

The increasing count of deaths resulting from the actions of Traitor Impa raised her necessity to die. They increased the ferocity to which her Team Leader and Team Members trained. They resulted in the necessary actions against Traitor Impa.

They had killed a traitor. In the words of Team Leader Cardin, they had avenged them.

To Penny, these were new feelings, and she cherished them.

Lying on the ground, surrounded by forests, the ruins of Vale, a large UF Grimm above them, Penny felt content. She attributed this mostly to the presence of her Team Members.

Laughter helped.

"Still can't believe it," Team Leader Cardin spoke approximately 1.3 meters away from her. He was equally prone on the ground. "She was playing with us the whole time, basically goading us, and we finally just laid into her!" He let out another chuckle. "And now she's not half the trouble she was before."

"I believe your meant to say she is not worth any trouble, Team Leader Cardin." Penny corrected his statement. "Because she is dead."

"Thanks Penny. I thought she was alive but just knocked unconscious from losing half her body."

"It is no problem! I am happy to correct you where it is needed!" Team Member Russel started laughing, though Penny did not understand why. Team Leader Cardin was a fine leader, but he was still lacking in long-term information storage. She had room to spare still. "I can further attest she is less danger in part due to the Maiden's powers seeking a new host."

"Yeah, about that, I get you weren't affected by the air getting like ten times heavier, Penny, but where the hell did that stuff go?" Team Member Russel voiced his curiosity.

"As stated previously, I was unable to determine a vector of its trajectory." Neither responded. "A vector is a-"

"Unit of both speed and direction. I got that." Penny watched Team Member Russel wave his hand in the air before it flopped back to the ground. "But then, should we start looking for it? I mean that stuff was pretty badass, at least it's what made Saria so strong, right? Where do you think it went?"

"Don't know, can't care." Team Leader Cardin shook his head. "Bitch is dead, and the powers left her. Couldn't go anywhere worse."

"Shouldn't we care? I mean, that stuff was like half the reason she was so strong, right?"

"You said that already."

"And I'll say it again. She was basically super charged because of that stuff, right? And the powers she had, all that stuff was because of this Maiden stuff." Penny felt his head shake on the ground. "Wait, was she actually a-"

"Actually, Team Member Russel, I believe that she was a danger mostly due to her training and years of practice. According to the testimony of Former Associates Tatl and Tael, she was trained for over one thousand years."

"Sure acted like it. And I can't even say I'm surprised by that. Heh, and we still killed her." She was able to make out Team Leader Cardin's fist rising into the air before falling to the ground. "Dust to Dust, bitch."

"Is it bad that I don't feel bad? I feel like I should feel bad." Team Member Russel asked. "Don't mean I think she should have lived, before you start glaring at me. Just that... I mean she was a person, right? And we killed her."

"Who else did she kill?" Penny was about to answer. "Let him answer, Penny." She twisted her head to observe her Team Leader. He was not looking at her.

"You mean aside from Sky? You got that Qrow guy, you have Link, and I'm not about to forget Dove."

"And there's your answer. You killed a killer. We killed a killer. That's not something you should start to shed tears over. I'm not." He laughed.

"Yeah but, she-"

"Was a killer." Penny reiterated. "A person who chose to take away the life of another through direct action. By comparison of equal rights, and her willingness to break the right of another, she has left herself open to have her own right to life revoked." The conclusion was acceptable to her. "We were the ones to take it, and I have determined that we were the most qualified to do so."

That finally made her Team Members turn their gazes at her.

"Not that I'm about to say someone else should've gotten that killing blow before us, but how'd you figure that?"

"Seconded."

"By applying a weighted value to the variables associated with worth. Connection to victims, skill for lethal attacks, willingness to act, association, likelihood of contact, and a few hundred others. Would like for me to list them all?"

"I'm good, just... the big point? Why us again?"

"Oh, because we were the first to lose a friend to her actions." She had rerun the memories of Sky Lark another time since the defeat of Traitor Impa. "And that places us over all other contestants."

"Just that alone, really? That's it?"

"Ab-so-lutely!" She cheered. "For I could see no reason greater for us to target her!"

"Kay, kay... and why's that?"

"Because I would have been unable to satisfy our objectives if someone else had confronted Traitor Impa. This objective put us above all others."

"And that objective... was..." She looked towards Team Member Russel.

"Vengeance, of course. I would not be satisfied unless we were able to obtain vengeance for Team Member Sky."

Team Member Russel and Team Leader Cardin both grinned at her. She smiled back.

"No way I can argue with that. And coming from you, that means it's a proven fact!" Team Leader Cardin looked up towards the rolling clouds again. "We had to get our revenge ourselves, and we did it! We practiced, we trained, and we should a right-next-to immortal bitch that we are better than her." He threw his fist into the air.

"For Sky Lark! For Dove Bronzewing! For us!"

Team Member Russel copied their team leader. "For Sky Lark! For Dove Bronzewing! For us!"

Penny would not be left out. "For Sky Lark! For Dove Bronzewing! For us!"

There was no record of practice or rehearsal, but Penny felt confident with what to do next. Her team members, outside of her sight, mimicked her. Or perhaps she mimicked them. Or, more likely, they all felt the most appropriate action in tandem. Like a team.

"We got our vengeance!"

A crack split the sky.

In a moment, Penny was on her feet, eyes focused on the clouds above them.

She watched as the clouds began to shift. Beyond the normal shifts that were attributable towards cumulonimbus formations or air gusts. It looked as if, the clouds were increasing in density. A decrease in valence electricity, a reduction in thunderclaps, but a smoothness to the otherwise aqueous texture. Penny observed them and took deep analysis from what her ocular sensors could attribute to variable terms.

It was difficult for her to come with a reason as to why the dark clouded sky had become a dark ceiling.

"What… the hell?" Team Leader Cardin sounded equally confused. "The hell just happened?"

"I was going to ask you two that. Got any ideas?"

"Wouldn't be asking if I did. Penny?"

The android ran through her systems, looking for possible reasons for the shifting in storm cloud size, density, or shape. Air pressure changes, increases in altitude, alteration of jet streams, possibly even high-yield low orbit explosions. All of them would significantly alter the shape and texture of clouds.

None of them resulted in a hardening of the materials.

"I do not know. No observable record exists in my database or CCTV."

"Honestly be surprised if it did. This ain't something that would be forgotten about." Team Leader Cardin stood next to her. "So if it ain't natural, and there's no way it could be, gotta figure it's something the big bad in that giant Grimm is doing."

"That is an acceptable conclusion, Team Leader Cardin." She reanalyzed the Grimm. It had since recovered from the damage received from the light blade attack. Altitude was unchanged. "I am unable to penetrate the Grimm's exterior to observe the workings of Salem."

"You mean you don't have X-Ray Vision?" Penny faced Team Member Russel.

"I do not. And this distance is too great to allow for a suitable quality image. My telescopic range is also unable to sufficiently observe the details of the Grimm."

"Figures, but not something that would have helped us a lot." His large hand rested on Penny's shoulder. "Whatever's going on, pretty sure its way above us." Team Member Russel groaned, though she thought that was due to the fatigue of standing.

"Correct, Team leader Cardin. The height of the Grimm and clouds are outside of range for either of our attacks. Further, I have yet to determine a significant means of damage we can attribute to the clouds." Now Team Member Russel was laughing.

"That's… good to know. Better question now. What should we be doing?"

"I am also unable to determine a proper answer or course of action, due to too many unknown variables involving the sky." She adjusted her head. "However, I cannot conclude this is a good beneficial change to the meteorology."

"Me- oh yeah, weather. Does this count as weather? Feels like it shouldn't."

"Don't care whether its weather or the literal apocalypse taking its next step forward. I can't believe we're supposed to do nothing. Think we should be trying to help others?"

"We are not located within a significant radius of any known civilians, Hunters, or Atlesian Personal, Team Leader Cardin. Further, with our measured Aura levels, I do not believe we would be of significant help in situations involving Grimm classes above Ursa."

"Harsh, but true." Team Member Russel leaned back. "Then how about we-"

Then the sky shook.

Penny had to observe the phenomenon for an additional 5.4 seconds longer than usual, as she was unable to attribute the display to anything correlating to the laws of physics, matter, or meteorology. The sky did not shake. Yet, she confirmed with her ocular sensors that was what it did. The sky shook.

"Oh shit." Team Leader Cardin confirmed his witness. "That's bad." His hand left her shoulder.

She observed as the wall of darkness above them began to alter its shape. Thinning, actually, given that the points were suddenly contracting into definite points of space. The reduction of area leading to an increase in others, resulting in the natural assumption of an increase in density. Given the number of dots that her ocular sensors were able to observe, calculating those out with the assumed density of the clouds...

The variables were too high for her to give a definite number to.

Too hard to tell how many dark dots against an already dark night sky. Unable to determine the thickness of the clouds from earlier, unable to determine if their mass was different from normal clouds. Possible that the clouds extended from beyond her noticed range of sight. No alternative data coming in from the CCTV.

Too little information. Too imminent a problem.

"Cover. Cover... we need cover!" Team Member Russel was yelling. "We got nothing! There's nothing to hide under!"

"I'll dig a hole! I got some Dust left!"

"Not unless you can dig ten feet deep, Cardin!" Penny's programs followed her Team Members.

Assume worst case. Assault from above. Heavy armaments. Excessive volley volume.

Solution, find cover.

"We may be able to reach the forest in time."

"How sure!?"

"Perhaps 30%... a-and dropping." The number dropped quickly as the number of points in the air increased. They were still shaking. No, that was her body. "We will not all make."

"No, no, this is not happening!" Team Member Russel yelled. "We just won! We just did it! We are not just gonna flunk out like this! We can't!" Penny grit her jaw.

"You're right. We're not." Team Member Cardin stood above them. "We're gonna make it out." He looked back at them and grinned. He had an idea, and upon reviewing his history, propensity for certain actions, new nature, she reached a conclusion for his likely choice.

She did not agree with it.

"Team Leader Cardin!" She raised her hands in preparation to object. He was faster, or perhaps merely more dedicated.

He grabbed Team Member Russel and herself, pulling them both beneath him. A sheen of reflective material surrounded him a moment later, activating Nayru's Love. Penny looked at Team Member Russel, hugged up against him under Team Leader Cardin's armor. He was not pleased either.

"Cardin! What the fuck! You are not about to be an idiot like this!"

"I've always been an idiot Russ. Just started being stupid for a good reason is all." Penny could not see his face. She pushed against him, trying to see his face!

She lacked sufficient Aura, sufficient Dust, and sufficient strength. He had sufficient Aura, a specialized relic of Link's arsenal, and dedication. Penny was afraid she was incorrectly associating dedication for desperation. The thought occurred to her as the ground rumbled again.

"Team Leader Cardin!" She yelled out.

Penny could observe nothing from beneath her Team Leader. She only felt the pressure in the air increase dramatically, in time with Team Leader Cardin pulling them closer. She pushed harder to no avail. She had little time to act, and it did not provide her with enough to even voice an argument.

And then... the sky fell.

Faster than she was sure the terminal velocity of most objects would carry them; the dots began to slam into the ground around them. Penny felt the vibrations of impact as they rolled upon them, hitting in waves along the stone. She twisted her head, looking at one that jutted from the ground, taking as quick an observation of the material as she could.

Of comparative size to Penny's arm, and from the depth to which they were able to penetrate the concrete, equal or greater in mass. Arrows, more damning in nature that most of her systems were able to calculate. Warnings flaring in the milliseconds it took to stare at it, direction and required actions forcing their ways through her code, demands for processes instilled by the Atlesian Military.

None of them executable, as she listened to her Team Leader choke and gargle above her.

Fast as the arrows fell, Nayru's Love blew apart about him.

"No! No way! NO!" Russel screamed next to her. "Cardin!" He pushed back. This time, Team Leader Cardin released them.

He fell to his side, twisting in the air, and falling against several of the dark bolts that pierced the ground. Penny stared at him for a full second. In that second, she observed five of the bolts penetrating him, none of them protruding from his chest, despite their size and mass easily great enough to rip through his armor, torso, and Aura. She saw that they were stuck in him, and at points directly correlating to liver, kidneys, one lung, thoracic spinal column, and bladder. But she could observe no blood.

She only saw darkness creeping over his body. Then she reacted.

"Team Leader Cardin!" Penny howled next to him. Her hands grabbed at his torso, but found her digits seeping into the darkness. She pulled back in horror, and then stared up at him in mounting panic. "Th-This doesn't make sense! This doesn't make sense."

"It does... It does..." He mouthed back. She heard only through high gain filter of her auditory sensors. "Had to... protect you... had to..."

"No! That... this..." She grabbed his head. It was cold. A check of her temperature sensors. Perfectly functioning. He was cold. "We did it! We won! Y-You are not supposed to be in distress! Not after victory!"

She watched the darkness seep over his chest completely, his arms were vanishing with it. Russel was swearing as his legs were swallowed up. She watched her Team Leader stare back at her. A thousand and one possibilities ran through Penny's code to determine an appropriate action.

Everyone returned the suggestion of mercy killing. She removed each and every function from her programming.

"Oh shit! Oh no! What do we do!" Penny did not recognize that Team Member Russel was shaking her. Not until her grip nearly left Team Leader Cardin. "Penny! C'mon! Use that supercomputer brain of yours! What do we have to do!"

She reran the known variables through new functions. Mercy killing returned 99.9% of the time. Results were discarded. The 0.1% value was to walk away. She tore the code apart.

"I-I don't know!" Her fingers were gripping Team Leader Cardin's chest plate. It was turning to a dark mist beneath her grip. Increased pressure had no observable result. "I don't know! I don't know what's happening! Team Leader Cardin! What should we do?!" He smiled up at her. "Please! We require input!"

"You guys…" She increased the gain values again. "You're… good?"

"I-I am unharmed!" She found no new discrepancies after the bolts fell from the sky. "Team Member Russel is as well! You are not! You have been perforated by five bolts a-and they are currently converting you mass into… I-I don't know what!" There was no measurable value for darkness, only the absence of light.

Team Leader Cardin's light was slipping through her fingers.

"Good… glad… you're… good…" His voice was quieter. Penny was reaching maximum values for the gain filters.

"No!" She altered the configuration to her .stl files. She needed to hear him! "Team Leader Cardin! Hold on! Remain here! You must!"

"You heard her man! This is not the time to… to just lie down! Treat it like a bruise! Run it off!" Penny found no observable way for that to work. He was lacking legs. "Just… Just do anything but lying there! C'mon! C-C'mon!"

Penny let out a gasp as her fingers slipped, hands crashing into the ground. She had fallen right through Team Leader Cardin. Her eyes shook staring at the mass of shadows that spilled over her, slipping away from her. Her ocular sensors were shaking. Perspiration was collecting along the sensors. Her gyros were failing to maintain balance. This wasn't… this wasn't…

"Hey…" She stared at him. His head was nearly swallowed in darkness. "Thanks…"

"W-What?"

"Thank you… you… saved…"

Penny watched as her Team Leader was consumed into darkness.

"NO!" Her fingers reached for his face, grasping at the darkness. It was putty in her hands, squeezing through her digits. Then it was liquid, sloshing on the ground. In the midst of a panicked scream, it turned into mist… and faded away.

"NO! NO! FUCKING! WAY!"

"Team Leader Cardin! Team Leader Cardin! CARDIN! CARDIN!" Penny hollered. Her hands beating at the ground he had been swallowed into. She tore up the patches of concrete and granite, ripping into the earth, searching for him. She could find nothing. She didn't stop. "Cardin! CARDIN! Come back Cardin!"

A block of rebar and concrete was thrown over her head. The remains of his mace next to her. Spare blades she had lost over the use of her beam falling over it. Dove's armor sloshed against it. Dirt piled up. She didn't stop digging. She didn't stop searching.

She still found no hint nor trace of Cardin Winchester.

"We won! We won!" She screamed again. Her ocular sensors were inoperable. Too much condensation. "You are not permitted to leave! Cardin! CARDIN!"

He never returned her calls. She would call his name until he did so.

---

The numbers were falling. That was the positive.

Falling only in the sense that fewer were replacing the hordes that Yang Xiao Long was desecrating. What wasn't burned by fire or crushed by wood and oak was thoroughly blown away by her blows. And the even fewer that escaped her grasp were promptly shot down by Mr. Vasilias. He was rather talented with that weapon of his.

But it made her more evident to how much less she had to do. When they had crash landed before, she was working as hard as her students to secure the building holding the civilians. Now she was leaning back near the front entrance, eyes trailing the streets and horizon, watching for any other outlying threats. None so obvious were approaching.

BAM! "Fall down and die!" That except for the rather exuberant nature of the blonde brawler herself. Now, however, wasn't the time to criticize the girl for being high energy. It was far superior a mentality for her to have than the worry she wore like a cloak. Or better yet a beacon to the Grimm. Now, she was almost cheerful. "Keep coming you mangy mutts! I'll rip your heads off and show them to that bitch of a mother of yours in the sky!"

Her vulgarity could be done without, however.

"She certainly is not attracting the Grimm anymore, at least," Glynda mused to herself. BANG! She did so as she watched another Nevermore fall from the sky, crash landing into some unassuming pit nearby. The smoke and cartridge reloading from above her sounded off through the ruins. "And the boys upstairs are doing far better in terms of their protection. That likely will ease the minds of the families as well. And as consequence… reduce the attractiveness of the Grimm."

She let out a long sigh as she let the idea roll through her. The evidence was before her, and the monster that had been threatening them before was toppled. Threatening from some distance away, but the efforts of Link, or perhaps more accurately his grandchild Ruby, had done away with the mess. How she did not know, nor did she care.

The beast was slain, and the hordes before them were waning.

That was good.

"Yo teach! Things winding down down there? We're wrapping them up up here!" She looked up with raised brow at the grinning features of Sun. "What? It's an honest question." She'd let him have the one.

"I believe the efforts of Ms. Xiao Long have gone far and done much for us." He tilted his head. "Yes, the Grimm are dropping in number. And they are not being replaced by quality either."

"Awesome! Then we're doing a good job! You hear that guys!?" A cheer come from the higher rises, and she knew it was more than just the boy's team joining in on the jubilation. "And here everyone's wondering how I'm fit to be a leader, even after I help take care of these guys. Buuuut I guess this means I gotta buy her something nice for keeping the bigger groups off of us, don't I?"

"It would be best, I agree." She'd at least excuse the younger woman from any testing needed for her curriculum. That was for certain. "If possible, Sun, please keep the civilians secured for now. We cannot risk any moment of terror rousing the Grimm again. I'll inform you once we have transportation." Blessedly, he did not ask how she was going to get it.

"Right on, teach!" He ducked back inside and out of sight.

"So's the monkey going to be watching posse?" Yang's question irked Glynda, even if the blonde approached with enough power to make her own hair wave. "What? If I can call my teammate a kitty, I can call her boyfriend a monkey. Don't tell me he doesn't act like it."

"I hadn't said a word, Ms. Xiao Long."

"No, but you were thinking it."

"At this moment, I am thinking that we are going to need to secure a means of transportation that will protect the civilians and not attract the attention of the Grimm." She adjusted her glasses, intentionally looking away from the glowing blonde. "Neptune!"

"Yeah! Oh, no sorry! Yes, Ma'am!"

"Please come down here and assist Ms. Xiao Long?"

"Wha- assist me!? I could jump across the city right now if I wanted to!"

"She... kind of can."

"That is what I am worried about." They both stared incredulously at her. "I want you to spot for her, as you are the only one with a scope capable of seeing incoming Grimm. Keep watch, and I'm going to replace you." She was already heading for the door.

"Oh! Okay! Okay... but why?"

"Because unless one of your team members has a skill set, I am unaware of, I believe I'll be able to instill more confidence into the citizens, and properly protect them, then you will be able to alone. Am I wrong, Mr. Vasilias?"

"Nope! Not wrong at all!" It took Glynda a moment to realize that he wasn't just agreeing with her. He was jumping out of the window he was shooting from. Several stories up, and he launched himself from the broken skyscraper, hitting the ground in a roll that had to be testing his Aura. He turned to face her with a grin, probably to hide his pain. "I'm more than willing to help Yang, um, Ms. Xiao Long, Ma'am, miss... Glynda?"

"Stop, while you have some dignity." She instructed. His hot blushing nod was enough. "Just what out for the other Grimm, and I'll be back soon." She took only a few steps into the building before she hears Ms. Xiao Long, doubtlessly the new Fall and Spring Maiden, scoff.

"You going to be watching my back, or looking at it?" She pointedly ignored the pointedness of a pair of teens.

Instead, she focused on the short climb to the civilians, seeing them huddled in a partially damaged, but otherwise fortified, room. A quick look over the flooring made it clear why the team of boys had chosen it. The walls were intact, ceiling at least somewhat, not along any windows increasing the risk of a breach, and support column resting at the room's center.

"You've chosen a good defense point," she easily congratulated the team of foreign boys. They nodded at her, their hearts not into it. Given the panting she observed, as well as the freed Dust cartridges along the floor, she could see why. "I see that Ms. Xiao Long did not stop all of the monsters from entering?"

"No offense to her about it," Sun spoke up. His grin was as sure as before, but up close it was easier to see how much of it was an act. His legs were shaking, and his staff was a crutch. "Just... lot of the smaller guys liked to get in. The kind of critters that don't mean much when you're walking down the open street, but locked in a twenty by ten room with them, and there's like twenty of them?"

"Eighteen," the boy, Scarlet, added on. "There were eighteen of them."

"So twenty," Sun didn't miss a beat. And that was just one wave. Also had to deal with Nevermores, Creepers, some of the smaller Beowolves, but nothing like the King Taijitsu or Ursa. That'd been trouble."

"The flooring wouldn't have held," Scarlet added again. He was taking a whetstone to his blade. "Be thankful Sage was able to keep them away from the civilians."

"You'd be better to say I picked off the few that flew through your nets," the dark-skinned man pointed at them both. He was leaning on the wall, closer to the group of non-Aura unlocked people. "Just... glad the waves are dying down. They are dying down, right?"

"It's why I am here, and Mr. Vasilias is assisting Ms. Xiao Long." They nodded, with Sun snickering. She ignored him. "Now, the people. Are you all alright?"

They looked to her for the first time, and she took immediate stock of them. No damage from Grimm, at least nothing apparent. No claw marks, rips through clothing leading to ruins limbs, no matting of blood, and thankfully no missing extremities. Their clothing was stained with sweat and wear, but given their earlier fall from a Bullhead, it was both a blessing of luck and testament to the capabilities of team SSSN and herself for keeping them safe.

All that being noted, the group looked beyond fatigued. They stared up at her with heavy pants, loose grips along one another, leaning against the walls rather than huddled in terror. A few looked prepared to fall asleep then and there. Glynda understood why.

It was exhausting, remaining terrified.

"I suppose this is a blessing of the human biology, no longer having the energy to be afraid." She straightened herself. "A pity that it has to be a stratagem at all, but it works for us."

"It works?"

"We are leaving, and we should do so promptly." That roused the boys.

"You sure about that? I mean, there's not no Grimm outside, right? Moving now would be... that sounds bad."

"It would be 'bad', as you say, if there were a large contingency of them aiming for us. Given that we are no longer fearful of them, as their numbers have decreased, and our civilians are thankfully numb to this now, there is a much smaller chance of us being attacked. And before the curiosity can be inquired upon, we are moving because waiting here is not viable."

"Okay... why not?"

"Because it would take some time for the military or any rescue parties to search this deep into the city to find us. We need to regroup to ensure we can meet a convoy. The longer we take, the worse our situation becomes."

"Really? I thought we were in a good spot." Apparently tried to dance on his feet and tail. Again, up close, Glynda could see the fake grin he was wearing. It was also just as evident that his eyes were going towards the people more.

A true huntsman, staving off violence and fears.

"Shouldn't we just hunker down and wait it out a little longer, if the Grimm are going down?"

"My fear, Mr. Wukong, is that the fatigue, lack of hydration, or other medical issues may become more apparent if we delay. And those are fears for our group of civilians." She turned eyes towards them. "But do not be afraid, we are here to help you." They nodded. "Aside from them, we have our own unique set of problems."

"My Aura's doing okay. Same with Scarlet, and Neptune." Not Sage? "Pretty sure we got a great big ball of fire out there to keep the bigger threats from us still."

"But not enough Dust on our end." She saw the realization. "The longer we stay, the more we use, and I cannot ensure we will have enough. Ms. Xiao Long is capable in hand-to-hand, yourself as well, but can we say it would be as effective in the face of the Grimm's numbers?"

"Okay... no, you got me there." The boy dropped his fake jubilation. "Guess we are heading out then. Any suggestions on how we're gonna do it? I mean head sea-side, look for the roads that aren't caved in?"

"We will look the forest. The ships are likely all gone from port." Ms. Xiao Long had confirmed that. "From there, we will have a greater chance of finding Atlesian Military personal. If nothing else then, we may find more armaments."

"Sounds good to me. Guess we'll put Neptune and Scarlet on our tale, catching anyone coming up behind us. I can flank us as we head out, and Sage we will be good with the rest of the crowd." The green-haired team member gave a thumbs up. "Then we'll-"

A crack split the sky.

Her Aura flourished and she pushed her Semblance out, preparing for anything from a Lancer to a Gryphon come flying in. Nothing approached the window, not that she could see. Sun stood next to her, staff ready, and the click of the other team members' guns was appreciated. The sound was not.

"What was that? Yang getting excited again?"

"The possibility is not lost on me, but I am doubtful that it is her." She edged towards the window. "It sounded too loud, and too high. Rather, I think... it..." words fell from her mouth, but then nothing else.

"Think what? Teach, I'm all for a lesson in the battlefield, but I'm pretty sure now's not a good time for- whoa!" He let out as he got near the window. The sight was a clearly frightening one.

The fact that the swimming clouds above had turned into a veritable dark ceiling was something worthy of note, and trepidation. If only Glynda could think of a proper course of action for this. The only one that made sense was the plan they already had.

"We have to leave and be quick about it." She looked back. "Mr. Wukong, take stock of your team, make sure they are ready for transport." The monkey Faunus gave a sure nod, walking back to them. She looked down the street, finding what she needed. "Ms. Xiao Long! Mr. Vasilias! Take stock and protect yourself! Whatever happens, stop it!"

"That's a tall order!" Ms. Xiao Long yelled back, her body still burned with her Maidenhood. "That's literally the sky up there!" The boy next to her was whipping his head back and forth, staring down the scope.

"I-I don't think that's the sky! The sky doesn't... I can't see any cracks!" Glynda took that as she could.

"Keep your eyes sharp!" She yelled again, turning away. "Team SSSN, I trust you have a course of action?"

The sky shook. The people gave a shudder as the building jumped. The boys reacted appropriately.

"Sage, keep them safe. Scarlet, reinforce the walls." Sun turned his gaze to her. "I... don't want to order you."

"Stay here and watch them. I'm going to catch whatever is being thrown at us." Her heels clicked as she adjusted herself by the window. She stared up past her partially cracked frames, looking at the sky high above. It was unnerving. "Something is surely going to come raining down on us."

"Rain, right? That's what usually comes out of the sky." His laughter was fake again. "Gotta be rain. Right? Maybe acid rain, just to mix it up?" Glynda had many reasons to do that was going to happen.

"Rain clouds do not part before they precipitate a storm." She narrowed her eyes as she spoke.

Counting the dots in the sky, watching them as they appeared in greater number. It was only studying that she realized how the clouded wall was shifting. From a sea of clouds, to a sheet, to an indispensably high number of dots. There were more leaves in all the trees of the Everfall than there were those dots in the sky.

"And whatever is holding those objects in the sky still will not do so forever."

"Double up shields then, Scarlet." The boy nodded, netting coming out of his gear and glowing as Aura was pushed into it. "Sage, keep yourself up when... whatever happens happens. I'll back you up." The trail of hairs splitting up flashed beside Glynda, and she saw the clones of the boy pop into existence. "Yang's got Neptune out there. Whatever comes down... it can't be long, right?"

Glynda didn't answer him. The shaking was getting worse.

And then... the sky fell.

It was until she saw a few of the objects shadowing against the burning horizon than she realized what they were. Watching as bolts of dark arrows literally fell like drops of rain into the ruined city of vale. A sheet of them like a turned faucet raining down, and they surrounded the building quickly. Far too quickly.

The Secretary of Beacon threw up her Semblance about the room. Forcing everything not in some form of contact with her or the building to halt. Loose pebbles froze in the air, and one of the dark arrows as well.

An arrow darker than black, and so heavy in her Semblance she thought she had stopped a truck at full acceleration.

She had a moment to observe it, in the same breath that she saw Ms. Xiao Long launch a flurry of flaming blows into the sky, marked up more by the tree limbs that split up the street to create an umbrella of wood above her, larger than the ceiling over Glynda's own head. The arrows punctured it for a moment, and bled around it, but the fire still roared above them.

The students, the civilians, and the teacher had no such defenses.

The dark arrows ripped into the building, past her shield, shredding Scarlet's net, and made short work of them all. She hadn't even time to scream.

One of the bolts hit her leg, all but shearing it off with the cinch of its dark staff. Before the air could enter her lungs, another had run through her stomach, pushing what little air she had out of her. She hit the ground with a dull sound that made her ears rings, riding crop falling from her hand. In terror she turned, hopeful to see the others were unharmed.

Instead, Ms. Goodwitch beheld Sun run through both of his arms, chest impaled and leaning against a wall. Scarlet she couldn't, and it took her a moment of already rising terror to tell it was because he was shot through the face. The civilians and Scarlet were a mass that was consumed by the bolts, perforating them like pins through a sewing ball. Dark rods that jutted out and stole away the fatigued life within.

Her eyes looked over them all, mounting terror demanding immediate action, but her body wouldn't respond. She could do nothing as she watched the body of Scarlet melt into darkness. Without sound or whimper.

Glynda couldn't summon her Semblance to tear the bolts from Sun. He slumped to the floor as darkness began to consume him. She could use her Aura to prevent the dark arrows from clawing their way up her body. They had already reached her chest. Her head could only turn to the burning skyline. Watching as the figure of Ms. Xiao Long rose into the air.

She was on fire.

But Glynda was swallowed into the icy cold darkness.

---

"I need to know what's going on with those two, right now!"

"Sir! We're having trouble getting a visual! The Grimm destroyed most of our drones and the dust-"

"Then deploy more drones, reach out to available Hunters, drop down to the ground and get me a visual if you have to! We need to know what is happening with Link and Ganondorf!"

Ironwood raged at no one but screamed at his men as he moved about the bridge. No one looked warily at him. They were too focused on their monitors, nerves having been lost hours before, and now working off of the cold mentality of an Atlesian Military officer. It was cruel and harsh, but it was what was needed at the moment.

After watching the Colosseum fall and then watching a beast Grimm comparable to the Whale Grimm rise, few were left to wonder the appropriateness of his orders. The hours had worn too heavily on them all.

"Still unable to achieve visuals of Link and Ganondorf sir. Speed of the former and destruction of later making pinpointing difficult." One of his men called out.

"And the square blocks they were left in doesn't help?!"

"Destruction and lack of drones makes the scanning process significantly slower, sir. If we had them, we would likely be able to pinpoint where-"

"Don't tell me what we could be doing. Focus on doing it!" He swung his metal arm at another officer. "Call back any Bullheads still possessing drones with them. I want those airborne this minute!"

"Sir!" The affirmation rang out, and he dropped his arms, staring out in the sky.

Rolling clouds just above their frigate and feeling like they were scratching at the head of the world. He loathed the sight of it, almost as much as watching the grandest achievement in engineering coming crashing down through the efforts of a single fight. Though said fight consisted of the now legendary Hunter Link and the Demon King showed the strength necessary to take it down, it was an ice-cold comfort.

"General, question, why focus on obtaining visuals on Ganondorf and Link?" The curiosities of the Beacon Professor were just as soothing.

"I'm not going to entertain stupidity Oobleck. Not now."

"Stupidity, idiocy, and foolishness borne of ignorance, lack of information, irrational behavior. Irrational to think observation of the opponents will us to alter or affect the match a significant way." The man stepped forward, eyes far from clam, but focused through the wear of this war. "Decided hours ago the inability to significantly impact fight. Curious what future observations will bring."

"Tactical information. And past that, just knowing what Salem's strongest agent and our greatest Hunter sword against her, is going to do."

"Knight, not Hunter. Simple mistake." General Ironwood ignored Oobleck's simple words. "Assume me foolish then. Clearly your observation. Describe to me new information that may be ascertained through direct visuals of Ruby Rose, Link, and Ganondorf?"

"That information is knowing who will be victorious! And that is paramount for us so that we may know our next course of action!" He saw the question on the Doctor's lips. "And I know there are plenty of others out there fighting in these grand battles Salem has set up against us, but if you think for a moment, the 'third rematch' between Ganondorf and Link is not the most pivotal among them, you are showing a surprising level of ineptitude!"

"I offer forgiveness. Clearly offended, not intentionally. Emotions high, rising, grated, tense." He rattled. "Then offer me, what are proposed courses of actions in relation to the outcomes of the conflict?"

"If we lose track of them, or worse, leave here, then I'll tell you what three things will happen." He held up the digits for the doctor. "One, either Ganondorf wins, and we abandon the people and Hunters left here, like cowards. Because we have proven twice before we lack any means of being able to hurt that beast of a man!"

"Cowards, James?"

"It will make us cowards. Two, Link and Ruby Rose win, and we then assist them with any form of medication or Dust rounds we have."

"Curious how this will assist Link. Does not use Dust based weaponry."

"It's all we have to offer, and if he wins, we're going to at least cover him." The doctor nodded. "Or three, Salem makes her move, and in that case, we're dependent upon any Maidens, Gods, or whatever else is down there. Link and Ruby are at the literal center of all of that."

"Situations two and three likely sequential, non-self-isolating. Two results in three, and two likely outcomes."

"Then you're just confirming why we can't leave." He knew what Oobleck wanted. The Doctor sighed.

"Incorrect, unfortunate, but necessary to iterate question. General," The manic doctor stood as tall as he could to the General. He was still inching shorter. "What can we do to Salem?"

It was a fair question.

"We can distract her, if nothing else." None of the men around him stopped their work. "She's a monster, and I'm not about to deny that, but if we leave here now, we leave her alone. And if she's left alone, she's going to gather up whatever it is she needs here and then destroy the rest of Remnant with it."

"Assumes she is able to grasp her victory despite loss of Ganondorf."

"That's not just what I'm assuming, it's what I know."

"Curious. Why this affirmation? Xanatos Gambit dependent upon several factors. Cannot see what is to be gained independent of Ganondorf's survival."

"You can't see her getting the relics as a bad thing?"

"Did not state that. Incorrect assumption brought about by dissemination of my words. Simplifying, how will Link and Ruby Rose's victory assure that Salem achieves acquisition of Relic of Destruction?"

"If I knew the answer to that, I'd be planning against it." He saw the incredulous look that earned him. "I just know she's planning on it, otherwise she wouldn't have put Ruby in a position to wear Link's mask! And throwing Ganondorf against her assured that would happen. No different than if I put a bunch of Atlesian Soldiers stationed outside Menagerie, I know that I'm going to get an armed White Fang Army at the border."

"Assumption of opponent's methods, acknowledging strengths against us, presumption of our own actions. Necessary caution as a leader, astute, wise, damning, fearful."

"Now you know why I'm on edge."

"Never doubted reason. Shared emotions, feelings, trepidations." The man's foot was clicking on the ship. Ironwood ignored it.

"Good, then-"

A crack split the sky.

The General whirled before the boom of the noise had dulled.

"What was that!? Status, updates, now!"

"S-Sir! It appears it was… the clouds?"

"I want an answer, not a guess!"

"The clouds sir!" Another personal yelled. "Look!" he was standing at his station and pointing out the window. His eyes followed and his fingers nearly crushed his palms.

It was the sky that cracked, because the clouds were moving, far beyond what was considered normal for a storm. He had been through enough of them and holstered above them to know what the appropriate and inappropriate measure of a cloud's activity was. He knew a storm wind coming in against the plain sights of shifting nimbuses. And though the dark clouds were already far from normal, this was beyond that.

Clouds didn't condense in size. They did not flatten, quickly or not. And they absolutely did not harden.

"What in the name of God on high?"

"Curious, implausibility, curiosity, mesmerizing," Oobleck listed next to him, face already at the window. "Accretion effect? No, no precipitation. Mixing drafts? No no, Cell and Downslope Windstorm impossible in combined efforts, pressures would interfere! What is causing this!?"

"Only one thing can be," Ironwood had no time to discuss who. "Shields! How do our defenses stand!?"

"Holding, sir! Rated at 76% capacity and holding against the Grimm!"

"Reroute any Dust batteries towards the shields! I don't care how inefficient it is, if we gain even one percent, its worth it!"

"Sir!"

"Everyone! Maintain visuals and find me something to work with! Openings, edges, cracks, anything that can tell us where to go and what she's planning!"

"Sir!" The louder chorus came. The men working again, he turned his eyes back towards the dark clouds.

No, the dark wall now. That was the only way to call the now perfectly opaque sheet of cover. No longer crackling with lightning and holding still. It made his phantom limbs itch, and his mind rattle with the danger. He stared at it as keyboards were worked on around them, and he couldn't get the agitation out of his head.

"Electrical storm having ceased. Curious, given closer contact of molecules one would suppose idea of increased electrical charges due to increased friction." Oobleck clearly had not. "No microburst either, so flattening cannot be situated to pressure changes. Impossible… deceitful…"

"It's magic, and you can bet whatever it is, it's bad," the General walked over to the man. "And you may not know a lot about it, but you can at least think faster than I can. Think then, why anyone would do this?" He didn't get the man to turn.

The sky shook. That claimed far more of his attention. It took Ironwood's as well.

They both watched as the sky around them began tosh fit again, or more accurately the clouds. The sheet of material they had made shifting like bumps were rising out of them. He was overcome with the image of grunts rising from the underbrush, pushing up dirt and vines with the effort. The clouds thinning in some portions as the densest parts rose into the night above them.

Ironwood swallowed as the points became longer and thicker, hardening like smithed parts, and darker than any paint job he'd seen ordered by even the most novice of recruits. Were they not directly watching them being formed, he was sure he would have missed them all together. As it was now, he wouldn't forgive himself if he so much as blinked.

"Anyone, I need details. What am I looking at?" He barked over his shoulder.

"Rapid formation of weaponry, injection molding lacking any exterior heat transfer or mold, blow molding? No, cavity still required. No press either. Already established a lack of external pressure." Oobleck listed off reasons the General didn't care for.

"Sir! They are… made of an unknown material." He looked at the cadet who spoke. "S-Sir! They are not responding to normal radar and lack any sort of lamination or heat signatures!"

"Unable to establish any visuals aside from basic. Unable to monitor positioning through all other forms of monitoring. Radar, heat, electro-magnetic, position based… they are just holding still and are… something unidentifiable sir."

"But what are they!?" He yelled out. "Bolts? Arrow heads? Ignore how the clouds made them like this. I need ideas as to what they are!" He waved his hand at one of the comms. "Coordinate with any available aircrafts to see if they can grab one. Do not handle them with an empty hand, treat them like a hazardous object!"

"Sir!" He started speaking faster than he typed.

"Everyone else! Assume the worst! Are those shields up!?"

"Shield have been raised by 2.5%, but battery cannon is down 44% of its total yield." That was acceptable. "Still rising, but further increases would require taking energy from the main engines."

"Take the minimal amount. We will land sooner than expected if need be." He hated the admitted truth that they had more room to land in now than before. "Spare nothing! We have no idea what those are capable of."

"Small in size, density unknown but volume quantifiable." Oobleck listed back. "Approximate 4 inches in diameter, 2.45 feet in length, size comparable to adult male's arm. My arm, not yours. Outlier, discrepancy, on your part." He took no offense to the man.

"Glad to know they're small, but I've seen rockets destroy mountains. And I do not want to know what the couple thousand of those arrows out there could do to this ship, or the rest of Vale!"

"Not thousands, tens of thousands, like millions." The man's fingers dragged on the window. "Extending beyond horizon, beyond curvature of the planet and therefore beyond vision. So many, for an unknown, unidentifiable target. Who, what, why?" He could only answer one of those.

But the General never had time to.

For then… the sky fell.

The General didn't even have time to suck in a breath, let alone fling out an order.

Before he knew it, the frigate was being bombarded. The shields had done nothing.

He made out, for the briefest of seconds, the sight of an arrow ripping through the top of the bridge and shooting through the floor, taking with it chunks of treated steel and thousands worth of high-class welding. It was just one, and the many that followed took far more. They took the computers, the screens, the windows, and everything else. He didn't even realize it meant the shields did nothing, not before he saw his men being impaled.

Limbs were being ripped from bodies, soldiers were letting out cries as the bolts slammed into their guts and pinned them to chairs, others had no voice at all, the falling arrows taking off their heads. He blinked, and half his crew was gone. He raised his hand, not having time to shout as he jumped for the Doctor.

Two arrows slammed into his back, another through his arm. Through and through.

Through and through the metallic forearm to impale Doctor Oobleck along the neck. The man let out a strangled cry, his own drawn weapon dropping to the ground. Ironwood cursed, biting his tongue before turning away from the man. He was alive.

"S-Status!" he shouted down the bridge.

No one answered.

"Status!" The wind began to rip through the bridge. His hearing went with it. "No… DAMMIT!" He turned back to the professor on the ground. "Oobleck! Get…" His voice died as he looked at the man, hand frozen as he leaned forward to pick him up.

The arrow in his throat had grown. No, not quite so extreme, and yet even 2worse. It was spreading across his neck and face like a toxin. Darkness that dripped from the overly sized wound. It crawled along his chest, his neck, his face. He stared into the eyes of the most enigmatic instructor he knew as his body was swallowed by the darkness.

Fruitlessly, he reached into that coven of shadows, but came back holding dark clouds and shadows.

Ironwood cussed.

Then he quickly grabbed at his shoulder panel, ripping out the safety measures and detaching the arm. It let out a hiss as the metal components undid their combined servos. Pneumatics came apart, and the metal limb slammed against the floor like a gun shot. The General breathed heavily into the headwind, watching as his arm was overtaken by the darkness of the bolt.

He didn't have time to stare with hatred at the sight, feeling the ship lurch. No one at the controls, all his men dead or dying, his ship starting to lose altitude. He had to fix that.

One step, two, forcing his was forward, the lifting of the air around him and the torrent of air feeling like he was a salmon swimming up a waterfall. It wasn't until the third step he realized his problem. Not until he started to get a lack of response from the metallic legs.

He was shot in the back. The darkness was spreading over him, too.

"Dammit," Ironwood looked over his shoulder. It was spreading, just like the others. Slower though, like it was taunting him. Maybe it was, maybe it was because he wasn't organic. No idea, and he didn't have time to care. He had to get to the ship controls!

Ironwood swung his shoulders to get his legs to move, forcing his feet forward step by step, doing everything he could to stop the frigate from falling! If it went down... then the few people left alive would be in danger. Atlas would be at a loss. Salem would be one step closer to victory! Gritting his teeth, he let out a yell as he tried to fling himself at the console.

He never made it.

His leg gave out, darkness finally taking it and turning everything below the waist into a mass of shadow. He toppled over himself, laying on the ground like broken steel and a ruined man. His mind screamed in anger, but he didn't have the breath to do the same. He was sliding before he knew it. His one good arm already too weak to grasp at the floor.

Ironwood's body slid to the punctured glass, it tripped over the broken pains, and he watched as the bridge of his command, and all the men he'd let done, vanished from sight.

He fell out the window, darkness crawling up his chest. Fear took him as he plunged towards the ruined remains of Vale, watching as his ship hovered brokenly in the air. The thousands of arrows lanced into it, dragging it down slower than he fell. A broken sight for the broken man.

Ironwood watched as it was swallowed, watched as the pride of the Atlesian Military was dragged away, and he lost track of the sensation of wind flowing about him. He consigned himself to what this was.

A true and utter defeat.

The crippling of his military, death of his men, and death to himself. The darkness grabbing at his head now was proof of it.

The last distant roar of his rage bellowed through the air. He felt the fire and could feel the beats of wings with it. He felt his body slip through the little portion of the ruins that stuck up from the ground.

The darkness had taken him before he impacted the Earth. It was the only mercy he was given.

He accepted it.

---

She watched the sky fall, and not even the threats she had made in her life were as horrific as what she witnessed now.

It was so simple, so quick, and yet she was forced to watch all the horror that was set upon each and every soul who had not escaped. She watched them turn from proud victorious warriors to masses of dark shadows, bleeding into the ground and being erased from existence.

If there was a way for her to describe it, penned to same ancient tome to be used by the Hero in the ages to come, it would be a blanket. The kind a mother would throw over a child at rest to give them peace at night. Heavy, dense, thick, and dark. It wrapped over the city like a quick sheet, and in the blinks of an eye later, took away all that didn't belong.

Belong to Salem. The stones and ruin could stay. The people could not.

She watched and counted who she could, seeing them being torn from existence. Not so much ripped, but merely pushed. The power of Destruction, fired from the hands of the Goddess of Creation.

Cia shivered as she watched, listening to the dark woman hum.

"A short volley, but one I'm pleased with." The woman spoke, before twisting her hand and bringing forth another portal. "That will be good for now. It is time to finally speak to my lost love." She took a single step towards the portal before turning red eyes to Cia. "Wouldn't you like to come as well? The man you loved is also there."

She didn't want to. She wanted to sit still and wait for whatever horrors were about to unfold to come at her from a distance. She didn't want to go to the center of all the madness. There would be no comfort for her there.

But who was she to deny the Goddess of Creation?

Her staff wrapped hard on the ground as she walked, pushing her forward more than keeping her balance. It chinked from the metal of the Wind Fish, and then to the concrete of the ruined cityscape. Cia kept herself small, hidden even, behind the imposing form of Salem. The woman balancing her bow and arrow in her hand.

She was a force to be feared, and she stood before the only being Cia would freely admit made her whimper. Who could not in the face of a God of Destruction, taller than any man and wielding a blade no effort of creation to resist? Stood, however, was a kind word.

The giant of power was hunched over, the bolt that Salem had fired still pierced through his chest.

"You still live. As I knew you would." Eyes turned to her, both silver, but one dulled as stone compared to the brilliance of the Fierce Deity's. Cia looked away; fearful her mind would be taken at the sight. "No simple volley would do away with you. If it had, I wouldn't have needed the years to prepare for this."

The Goddess of Creation, the corrupted Princess of Wisdom, walked with an unabashed ease to the ruined streets. The God of Destruction, her only possible killer, and the Hero of Time, worn by an unworthy girl, standing beside him. Either could kill Cia in a flash of time, Salem slightly longer than that. But the woman's red eyes watched them with an unpracticed ease.

"Salem…" The voice of the giant made the already shivering Cia freeze. "What… why…"

"Why? I may have had the eons without you, but you had nearly as many before to know why. I have never hesitated to tell you why. It has always been the same reason." Her fingers twisted as she spoke. "As for the what, that is a bit trickier."

An arrow formed between her digits. Lengthening the longer she spun her fingers, the point dripping with the shadows and curling about her hand. It took little time for it to reach a length suitable for a normal bolt, and then it increased in size, to the point where she knew any average man would need a great deal of force to balance. Yet the Goddess only continued to spin it, like it was an ungroomed blade of grass.

"It is a curious thing, isn't it?" Cia stood like a statue as Salem walked about the Fierce Deity, and the girl wearing the face of a man she loved. "You once gave this tool to me. Not on a whim, far from you. You are not capable of acting out on whims. Too delicate with all that you touch, for fear that you may make the wrong decision."

The witch stepped back as the giant of a man gripped the Relic of Destruction. Nothing poured from it, and that was what made her fearful.

"A tool to correct mistakes, as you called it. To remove only those that had wrought destruction itself. I could not use these arrows you gave me on plants, trees, oceans, the sky, let alone the people themselves. But they were the closest to them, weren't they? The closest to being considered viable for these once called 'sacred weapons'. Just because they had a propensity to destroy. But no, you drew the line with them, because they used that destruction to create."

She slid a pale hand along one of the arrows, letting its size and shape change up and down. Growing and shrinking, darkness slipping off of it and pattering to the ground like rain. It evaporated as if the ruins were boiling.

"No no, you gave me these so that I could stop those raging fires I created to decimate a forest, to quell the beast I made to stomp out a mountain, or to destroy the dragons I made the ruin a city." Her smile never left her lips. "I used them then and asked only to make them so they could take care of all the other distractions, but you always refused, always so careful to not let them be too much. It was why I had to work long on these weapons, and through many many lives. Gifting them to the heroes of your choosing, and my blessing, all so they could be altered just the tiniest amounts. That is, of course, until I finally held the devices of my power within my hand."

The Golden Power all but thrummed in her hand. Even with the destruction that was still piercing all of her senses, the ruined cities, the sense of death, the smell of ash, the taste of misery, the Dark Witch could only stare at the power that flowed from the singular hand on the Queen of Creation. It was a gentle reminder.

She had not chosen wrong.

"It was rather difficult, altering nothing without changing it. Adding to it without making it more than it was before. Because any more than nothing is something, is creation. That would have ruined what you gave to me." She flicked one of the dark arrows between her fingers. "So instead of altering it, I had to cover it."

Salem's finger found the tip of the arrow, the same that had poured from the sky and killed hundreds, thousands, easily. She grasped at it and pulled it down without fear.

Light poured out from it.

"The Light arrows, named after your title, that bestowed to you in worship by the humans. The God of Light, and these were arrows gifted to me. The Goddess of Creation, now the Goddess of Darkness." Her laughter was sweet as soured grapes. "I cannot add to it, so instead I surround it. There were many tests I had to do with it, several over the centuries, but it wasn't until I was able to take that last item, that last sacred vestige of my power, that I was able to truly take make what was needed."

The Fierce Deity growled, and Cia shirked at the noise. It was not aimed for her, but it felt as if his claws were about to rip through her sin and rend her spine. The sight of his sightless eyes, the power of nothing... it made her flinch.

Salem spoke on, unhindered and unafraid.

"To make a shell, that your destruction loathed. One that, once I forced to seep into the those attached, will force your light to destroy them." Her smile was long. "It was humorous at first, realizing that your very gift to me sees me as a threat no, but I was able to sue that to my advantage. Layering them with my power, and then destroying them"

A long hiss left the mouth of the Fierce Deity, and the girl, the one who falsely looked like the Hero, put a hand at his side. The side caused bile to rise in her mouth.

"Your consistency again, working against you. When you have been blessed with Wisdom, and you make use of it through Choice and Power, it is easy to turn that rigid structure of your morals into a deadly weapon. One for me, and one for you. Do you know why I love that about you? It is a facet of you I've long loved, and long depended on. No matter the time that passes, you are always just what you are."

She stopped before him, staring at the Fierce Deity she had hunched over, hand working at the arrow through his chest. The helix blade rattled in his hand, and Cia knew a flick of it would rend her from existence. A swing... and all the cities would go with it. It was what she had witness before.

"Such as now, the reason why you do not simply destroy that arrow through your chest." So did Salem. "I know you can destroy it, as easily as all else you've destroyed. The dragon that was made to rip through this city, the wall of Grimm that would devour the people, or even the life of that one mad man. You are more than capable, so why don't you just destroy it?"

The giant palm of the god, instead of simply answering, opted instead to pull at the arrow. Cia watched with a hiss through her teeth as the being ripped more and more of the deadly tool out of his chest, letting the darkness spill off and flood into nothing. The faker behind him stared on in mounting horror.

"Ah, because of that fear. That fear that if you use more of your power, it will destroy what else is around you." Her grin had not fallen. "Not so much that you'll harm the darkness, far from it, but that it won't be able to recover what is already gone."

The faker next to him, wearing a face that Cia longed to hold and stroke, made a noise. She didn't hear it in full, but Salem laughed at it.

"What does that mean? Oh the Hero within you must be silent as ever, never witnessing this power." The Queen of the Grimm pulled back on the arrow in her grasp. "It is what I have said. The power of darkness, my creation, flowing over those struck with it. His arrows, his light, destroying that darkness like a plague he sees it to be. He could destroy that arrow through him, but then what would be left?"

She wrapped against her own chest.

"The absence of creation and destruction. And, following the law this horrid creation of mine continues to persist, all vacuums must be filled. But as I've said, you cannot fill this with nothing." Darkness seeped from her pale fingers. "Only creation can fill that void."

Cia let out another shuddering breath. The same way it had been told to her before, and now it was far worse. Her staff, the last remnant of her power, felt like a twig next to the woman before her, and a wisp of that before the God hunched before them.

SHINK! But the Hero, her hero, drew the blade again Salem.

Cia's mind tore at the idea of loving the sight, and begging him, or the girl who wore his face, to stop.

"And here is the courage that cannot fail," Salem gave no mind towards the Master Sword pointed at her. "The Hero who was cursed through Time, the same as my own vessel, to forever be born again and again. Learning anew, while I was cursed to relive what has been." A look of angered confusion swept across his face. "You know of what I speak. Or... perhaps not all of it."

"Be silent, Salem."

It was the first he had spoken in Cia's presence, and she felt herself nearly compelled to throw herself to the ground in fear. Where Salem not with her, the dark witch was sure she would have done just that. But a darker mistress, with more power, kept her legs locked, and spirit frozen.

"Of what matter, my love? It is the game that you and I set up, though I should say the me that was ripped apart by your destruction, your nothingness." Her laugh was high and soft. "That my false self would carry the privileged of Wisdom, knowing what lurked at the edges of every mistake, and that your chosen would have Courage, Choice, so that what he was set out to do, he could not fail. And all in the name of resisting power. The perfect cycle, to perpetuate and endless sense of discord."

Her finger traced the air again, and darkness followed it, sitting still in the air. It emphasized for a moment the stillness in the land around them, and Cia was afraid to so much as breath. It may have sounded like thunder if she did.

"Is it so wrong for me to wish that chain? An endless repeat, repetition of your same mistake? Can you not see how that would drive one mad?"

"You lost track of the beauty you created."

"I would dare to say that you were blinded by it. You are one of light, after all, capable of destroying that which displeases you. A pity you cannot see all the errors that I do."

"You look for fault. There is none."

"No? None at all? Then how do we continue into conflict? If there is no error, how can conflict arise? How can two parties, faultless in their paths, collide and create those errors?" She shook her head, shaking the alabaster hair. "There is always fault in this world, because there is too much error in what I have made. And you, of all those in this eternity of ours, refuse to help me correct it. It is why I have to act the way I do. It is why I am required to take what I must from you."

The dark arrow the Goddess held twisted until it was lulled in the direction of the Fierce Deity. The Hero of Time, a fake worn by the expression of a girl, stood confidently in front of him. Confident... Cia did not miss that.

Neither did Salem.

"And what is this? Certainly not a lost lover of mine stepping in front of us. Oh no, of all things Link was, he was not so dense, not like the ignoble nobles protested. He would not be aware enough to keep our mistake from their eyes if he did." The man she loved growled, and her stomach churned while her heart soared. "That anger is proof enough. But there is more. You are no fool, but you are deciding on what to do. You are thinking, looking for a weakness."

Cia followed her gaze, one of the easiest things she could have done. To stare at Link, the Hero of Time. Worn as a mockery on a girl that not even the Master Sword could recognize as worthy. Watching silver eyes dart, head shake, grip changing... was he thinking?

"There is the thought." Salem believed so. "The question of why I may tell you this. The obvious curiosity for any leader. You, mistake of a second generation, may have that above your grandfather. He who would dive alone into battle, failing to command even a single soldier. You think at least partially before you act. Perhaps because of the company you kept, or because of the men who have fought."

The Fierce Deity stood tall behind the girl, but a hand still at the bolt in his chest. Cia could tell he debate was about tearing it out and risking what may come or striking at Salem now. Now, because that was inevitable.

"Do not worry. It is within my plans for you to know." Her fingers slowly curled, one after the other. "You must know, for my offer to have any merit. I thought long with the Relic of Wisdom upon it, finding the many paths to take to lead me to this moment, to wear my victory is assured no matter the outcome." The Golden power glowed again. "And with Courage, with Choice, within my grasp, I know that whatever path I choose, I am assured what I want."

That wasn't it. Cia knew that wasn't it. And Salem, with a wistful smile, made that clear.

"But so much could go wrong down that one road. A desire to take destruction from you may lead me to lose Creation. A need to take power from the whole world could rob me of my mind. A choice, but one made without wisdom, could lead to ruin. And what choice could I make, with all the wisdom of the world, if I did not have the power to make it so." The power hummed again. "Power, the last of the three I needed. So that I could make the possibilities of my victory assured."

The face of her love quivered, and she knew it was because of the girl wearing it. Not her love, the Hero of Time would only be angered. The weak child who pretended to be her far more than worthy ancestor was to blame. The Fierce Deity, still clutching at the dark arrow through him, stared on.

"It matters not how wise I may be, and promised I am in my choice, if I lack power. If I lacked the means to achieve my goal, and the assurance I would achieve it would only bring that promised ruin. But now… now I can lay the curtain down upon this act. All my plans, all my choices, down to this final moment."

The golden Power in her palm bloomed again. The invincible shield of the hero rose, and Cia lifted her own staff up. The Gates whirled uselessly at the end.

"My love, my partner, my nearest equal in all the creation I've made, I'll ask you one final time."

It was all useless, when she saw the bow, curled with darkness and dripping with shadows like the corners of the dusk sky, held in the hand of the Goddess.

"Assist me in the destruction of this world. Help me to rend the land and sky, rip the stars from the heavens, and turn all back into the void that we first walked into. Take it all away, so that I may finally remake it in the image I see fit."

Her finger drew back on the bow, the dark arrow notching itself. It stared down the Fierce Deity, who looked back unflinchingly.

"If you do not, you know I will kill you, and take from you the power myself. As I did with the Hero, as I did with the princess, as I did with the King." The bow string soundlessly drew. "Pierced as you are, your eternal nothingness is already being filled with creation. Soon you will be no more, and I will take it from you."

The Fierce Deity stood, and Cia's love stepped in front of him. For only a moment. A heavy hand brushed the petulant girl away, and she made not a sound, cowering, like Cia did, beneath the size and gaze of that giant man.

"No matter your choice now, I will have your destruction in my hand. All I offer now is the chance to live with me. Live… and we may draw back the ruin in your chest and stay on into the new world I'll fashion. Stay with me or perish with the failures I've wrought."

Cia stepped around them, gripping her staff with a strength to make her knuckles pale, her lungs blue from holding her breath. She knew what she was staring down, and she hadn't the courage to breath, or dare disturb the careful edge on which stood the precipice of history.

The girl wearing the face of her love, however, had no such restraints or knowledge.

Silent as the Hero of Time, and fast as she knew him capable of, the Master Sword swung out with a vicious arc. Cia was just able to see the streak of the metal as it aimed to take Salem's head from her shoulders. Aimed to, but for all the love she had for the man, she knew better.

The woman dipped backwards, shadows surrounding her and pulling her back. A pale eyeless copy of herself remained in her place. The Master Sword soundlessly swung through it, blowing away the force of creation with the purity of destruction.

A moment after that, Salem fired an arrow at the girl. It wasn't until her love, not the child, batted the shield, did she realize the extent of the plan.

Flipping the arrow with the skill only the Hero of Time could provide, sending the rocketing and destructive projectile back at the Goddess herself. In the blink of shaking eyes, Cia watched as the arrow flew away from her love's swinging shield.

She watched it blow through Salem's shoulder.

For a moment, and only that, she debated about running then, throwing out a portal and fleeing before the command was given to her. But her fear told her better, and she was wise to stay.

So she could witness Salem effortlessly lifting a hand up to her shoulder, and pulling her own arrow free, dripping with darkness. Her smile was cruel, while her love's was pained.

"Was that the Hero of Time, to whom my last incarnation loved, or the girl within, to whom Destruction has fathered? Who was it with the idea to use my weapon against me?" The Hero of Time did not speak, and Cia watched silver eyes, tracing them as they followed Salem. The quick snapping sound as the arrow broke was in line with the tension. "It does not matter. Either of you would do, either of you would. Either of you would have thought it a smart plan. But as I have said, I am too wise to make such simple mistakes. Either telling you of my plans without cause or revealing a weapon that may truly kill me."

Another arrow was produced, slipping down her arm like a blade. It fell until the dark morphic fletching twisted in her fingers. She held it up again, aimed at the Hero of Time.

"But these are a tool coated with my power, the same as me. Coating that I already bare. I gave it command to disperse upon the touch of something that is not me. The shell I use to cover it keeps the light from within from burning me. If you so dare, you may try and grasp it, peal back the darkness, and use it upon me." She held out the arrow towards Cia's love. "Dare you grasp the darkness to try and find the light?"

For a single quick moment, Cia thought her love would do just that, or the girl beneath would foolishly act to do so. Grasp the arrow and fall for her mistress's trap. It would be too easy, to simple, to believable. But in the end, it wasn't a decision for them to make.

Another flash of white overcame the pair of them like a wall. Cia's cry was muted by the rip in the air. Not overridden or drowned out, but blotted out, like a water to sponge.

Salem stepped back again, two of her soulless copies dissipating again as red eyes stared on. Cia's fingers felt necrotic from the deathly grip they held her staff with.

How could she not, as the Fierce Deity stood with blade raised above his head.

"The choice I knew you'd make, and still I am sorry to see it. A pity, knowing answers you wish to change." The Fierce Deity pushed the imposter of a child away. Salem turned her arrows, notched, towards him. "You've chosen your end. I'm truly sorry to see it. For I've chosen my own victory." Golden power whirled in the hand grasping a bow of darkness. "Your death is assured."

"I know." The weight of the voice weighed on Cia. "I look forward to their embrace."

Cia was already stepping around them, edging herself away knowing full well what was to come. She was letting the portals along the edge of her staff fly out and take form, making an escape for herself. She was doing all of this, and she expected a cruel comment from Salem, a mockery over the actions of the giant who knew not what he had decided.

But instead, she laughed.

A laugh higher than the soft chuckling she made before and more boisterous than the cries of Ganondorf. A loud sound that had her stopping, staring, and watching as the wide red eyes of the woman gleamed like the alabaster smile stretched across her face. She stared at it, the dripping shadows of her weapon, and forced herself to move.

"Even knowing what you will decide doesn't force me to lose my love for you. You are everything I remember you to be, and I adore that we may see each other again." Darkness pulsed about her.

Cia followed her command.

She twisted, throwing out another gate, sliding it under the Hero of Time. He tripped, no doubt a fault of the girl who couldn't fathom what she was doing. She saw the surprise across his silver eyes and adored that he was looking at her again. But she had no time to bless him or curse the girl.

"Farwell, my love."

"Goodbye, Salem."

Cia jumped through her own portal, ungracefully flopping out the other side and ripping the portal shut.

A moment later, leagues away, she saw darkness rising like a tower into the sky.

At just the same time, a shower of light slammed into it, throwing it back to the ground.

The ground shook across the forest, her body shivering as she felt the battle of Gods begin.