"What's the plan, kids?" Amber asked.
The three girls looked at each other. "We search for Blake?" asked Ruby weakly.
Amber rolled her eyes. "I mean, how are you searching for Blake? Vale's a big city."
"Uh…"
"We can't just walk around, calling her name, and hope she'll hear," Amber frowned. "That would never work."
The girls shared another look. Awkward silence fell.
Amber sighed. "Alright, do we have any idea where she might be? Favorite hangouts, restaurants, friends here, etcetera?"
"Blake, uh," Yang began. "Blake never really told us much."
"Blake never told us anything," Weiss growled. Ruby elbowed the girl, glaring.
Amber considered the problem. Tracking Grimm, easy. Tracking people, now that wasn't her forte. The principle had to be similar. "Okay, why don't we start at one of the shopping centers? Even if she isn't there, maybe someone spotted her."
"Maybe we should get the police involved," Weiss grumbled.
"We haven't even heard Blake's side of the story yet," Yang shot it down. "We owe her that much."
"I think we owe her nothing!"
"Actually, it's not a bad idea," Amber said.
"Amber!" Ruby and Yang shouted, rounding on the teacher. Betrayal etched on their features.
"Not to arrest her, but to help find her. She's been missing a whole weekend, remember? Normal people report missing friends to the police."
"Oh," Ruby pulled back sheepishly. "Uh, are we sure that's a good idea? We might scare her off."
"Good point," Amber conceded. "Well, let's get started then."
The shopping center nearest to the Bullheads was a modest lot, with business mostly marketed to Huntsmen and few eateries. They split the area amongst themselves, asking around if anyone had seen a black-haired, golden-eyed Huntress with a large bow on her head. Or cat ears, if she'd taken it off.
Sadly, they turned up nothing. Nor did they find any clue at the next set. At least with the five of them, they could cover each area quickly. Hours passed and they were no further than when they started. In the end, they were practically reduced to walking around Vale shouting Blake's name.
"Blake!" Ruby shouted down the street, hoping to see the quiet teammate materialize. "Blake!"
Ruby sighed, pushing forward, her team and teacher behind. "Do you think we really should get the police involved?" Ruby bit her lip.
"I think we should've done that from the start," Weiss grumbled to the exasperation of Ruby and Yang. Even hours later, she had not shown any sign of relaxing.
"And I think Weiss's hair looks wonderful today!"
Amber spun around hand flashing towards her staff. Link glanced back, unsurprised at the interruption.
The newcomer was another girl, around Yang and Weiss's age, with orange hair and luminous neon-green eyes. Her outfit was a mix of various greys and blacks and faded green. Stripes the color of her eyes streaked down her black collar and legs. A pink ribbon tied up the back of her hair.
"Penny wheredidyoucomefrom!?" Ruby exclaimed, as shocked by the sudden appearance as the rest.
Penny was apparently a student from Atlas here for the Vytal festival. Ruby quickly enlightened her about Blake's disappearance and their search. Notably, Penny also realized Blake's faunus nature, to Link's subtle smug grin. Amber was the only one to notice that.
"I'm Amber, a support teacher at Beacon," she introduced to the new girl. Weiss and Yang seemed to be shifting away while they were distracted. "This is Link, my bodyguard."
"Bodyguard? Are you in physical danger?" Penny asked, smile fixed in place despite the implication of her words.
"She means assistant," Ruby clarified. "Anyway, we should get going—there's a lot of ground to cover and with your help—" Ruby stopped, realizing that they were a few short of a full group.
Yang and Weiss had disappeared, abandoning the three to Penny. Ruby sighed, the breeze sharing her discontent.
"It sure is windy today!" Penny chirped. "Friend Ruby, you said that we would search for your missing teammate?"
"I—yes, Penny," Ruby gave up. They started moving, continuing down the street.
"Sensational!" Penny cheered. Amber winced. The girl was really loud. "I am also excited to make your acquaintance, Link!"
Link smiled at the girl, nodding. He was happy to make hers as well.
"You are the second pointed-eared person I've met in the last few months." Penny said eager to chat.
"That's interesting, Penny, but we have to keep looking—"
"Wait."
They all stopped, Link's sudden call to halt shocking them all. The knight had a complicated expression, one Amber had never seen before. He addressed Penny, placing his hands on her shoulders. If the girl minded the sudden contact, she didn't show, the same smile glued to her face.
"You saw someone with ears like mine?" Link asked quickly. "Where? What did they look like?"
"I'm afraid I can't say," Penny announced cheerily. "The information is protected."
"Protected? Why?"
"The information is protected."
Link sighed, withdrawing from the young girl. He turned away from them without explanation. Amber moved to his side, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Someone you know?" she asked.
"Perhaps," Link shrugged, his eyes downcast. "Likely not."
Amber let it go. Ruby and Penny looked on, confusion on the face of the former. They resumed their search. For a few moments anyway, this time being Amber's fault.
Her scroll rang, announcing an incoming call. "Excuse me," Amber turned away from the trio, frowning. She pulled out the device and examined the screen.
To her relief, it wasn't Ozpin as she'd been dreading. It was her landlord, the owner of the diner beneath her apartment. She accepted the call, and the man appeared on the screen.
John was a thin man, with dusty blonde hair closer to white with age. A nervous energy suffused his face, and he glanced off-screen every half-second.
"Hey John, what's up?" Amber asked. "Is there a problem with rent? I'm paid up for the next three months."
"Ah, Amber, no it's not rent," John sighed. "One of the pipes burst and there was damage to the apartment. I'm sorry, but some of your furniture was ruined."
Amber winced. No doubt that was the reason John looked so odd. She'd hate to have to tell a Huntress news like that. "It's alright," Amber assured him. "It was cheap stuff anyway."
"I'm afraid to say, but I need you to come here. Settle renter's insurance and all that."
Amber tilted her head. "I don't think I have renter's insurance."
"Don't worry about that, it's part of the lease. I just need you to come to the diner and sign some things." Someone said something off screen. "And come by yourself, please."
"By myself, why?"
"I… uh," John stammered, eyes wide. "The, uh, water damaged the diner too. I don't want potential customers seeing my business in such a state. We're closed for repairs."
"Okay…" Amber answered, uncertainly. "I guess that's alright. I'm kind of busy right now, do you mind if I come tomorrow?"
John's eyes widened. "No!" He corrected, realizing his mistake. "I mean, we need to get this settled ASAP. Come now, while you're in Vale."
Amber nodded. "I am in town, might as well. See you soon."
"Please hurry."
Amber ended the call. That had been a weird conversation. She bit her lip. Amber turned back to the three others. "Ruby, Penny, I have something I got to handle, do you mind going without me and Link?" It wouldn't hurt to bring the knight with her, despite John's protests. She doubted a little water would faze him.
Ruby let them go, annoyed at the constant distractions from the search. Amber and Link went off in the direction of the diner.
Amber rarely actually spoke to her landlord. Though she ate at the diner whenever she was in town, the owner showed up only on occasion. John trusted her word as a Huntress and she paid rent in advance, so there were never any problems before.
Link and Amber approached the brick building, the large glass windows emblazoned with red letters spelling "JOHN'S". The windows were darkened, concealing the interior. A paper placard hung from the door announcing the closure for repairs. Amber grabbed the door handle and swung it open.
Amber strode in, Link following. The knight's head swiveled, taking in the appearance of the vacated diner. Spread out booths and tables sat empty; the lights dim above. While Amber couldn't say the diner was always packed, it was odd to see it so lifeless.
John stood at the bar, the older gentleman preparing coffee with apprehension. He jumped at the door's opening, nearly spilling the black liquid over himself. "Ah!" he cried. "Amber, you startled me!"
Amber approached, taking a seat at one of the bar stools. "Weren't you expecting me?" she teased. "You seem pretty rattled, John."
The man laughed loudly. "It's just the repairs, they're stressing me out." He eyed the knight accompanying her though he made no comment about his presence.
"Okay…" Amber frowned. John was acting weird. "This place is so different when it's deserted. It's weird to be the only ones here."
"You just missed the repair guys, and I sent everyone home!"
Amber was taken aback by the sudden response. "I was just making conversation." She figured the sooner they took care of business, the better. "Anyway, you had some paperwork for me? Anything else I need to do?"
"In…in a moment," John said. "Would you like some coffee first?" The landlord didn't wait for her answer, shoving a cup and saucer in front. Black liquid spilled over the rim, dribbling onto the plate below.
"I'm… good," Amber refused, growing tenser by the second. Link had not sat down when she did. From the corner of her eye, she could see his hand inching to the sword at his side.
"It's fresh," John said, pushing it forward. "Fresh Atlesian Black." He fixed her with wide eyes, leveling meaning into the name.
"No, thank you," Amber shook her head, refusing the coffee.
"Amber," Link said, cutting off the landlord before he could further insist. "We should leave."
"There's business to take care of, right John?" Amber asked. The landlord stared at her, jaw clenched, and white-knuckled hand clenching the bar.
"Yes, of course." The landlord shook his head slightly, contradicting his own words. Amber's stomach roiled. "Business."
Awkward silence fell. Link was right. They needed to leave. Something was wrong, something putting John on edge.
"Ah, I have to head back, John," Amber said quickly, rising from her seat. Her hand ghosted to her staff. "We'll handle it next time."
Relief flooded John's face, before his face paled, staring past them. Amber caught it, spinning around as she heard Link draw his sword, the metal scrapping against the leather bands securing it to his waist.
Three figures stood at the entrance, blocking what little light from the outside. The dim lights of the diner barely illuminated the three, but Amber recognized two of them. The green-haired girl with dark skin and crimson eyes and the slicked grey-haired young man with weaponized legs were at the ambush on the road. They were dropped in a fighting stance, smugly grinning.
The third was new, pink and brown hair and similarly mismatched eyes, wearing a coquettish bodice and tight riding pants. A parasol in hand, open and extended behind her, shadowing the wicked smirk on her face. She was joined with the other two, but the air around her reeked of danger despite her lazy stance.
"Honestly, John," A new voice cut in from behind her. Amber spared a quick glance behind her, afraid to take her eyes of the three blocking the exit. "You're lucky I'm not killing you on the spot for those little tricks you tried to pull."
The third attacker from what felt like a lifetime ago stood behind John, black blade drawn against his throat. Her red dress shimmered and glowed with orange light patterns, and Amber could feel the heat from her location. Amber started drawing Autumnal Grace, but the woman tightened her grip on her hostage, slicing into the man's throat.
"Amber, Amber, Amber," she tutted, "We don't want to let the poor diner die, do you? Or maybe you do, seeing as he was kind enough to bring you to me."
"I'm sorry, they threatened me!" John cried, tears welling up in his eyes. He shook violently, holding on to the edge of the bar to remain upright smearing the edge of the sword. "I had to, Amber, I had to!"
"John, it's alright," Amber smiled reassuringly, trying to comfort the man. "We'll get you out of here." She failed to keep the uncertainty from her voice.
"Amber, don't lie to the poor fool," the woman said, laughing at the piteous whine John released. "Though, I'd be more inclined to mercy, if you and your hero," she spat the word like a curse, "throw away your weapons."
Amber clenched her jaw. "Let him go, first," she offered.
"Oh Amber, why would I do that?" Her eyes sparkled, taking sadistic pleasure at their peril.
Amber's mind raced. Autumnal Grace was half drawn, she could activate the wind crystal, unleash an uncontrolled blast. No, Link was too close, he'd be caught up in it, and there was no guarantee she'd hit the woman either. She'd just slit John's throat.
They were stuck. Exit closed off, hostage taken, they'd walked blindly into a trap.
"Who are you?" she asked, stalling for time. "What do you want?"
"Don't bother," the woman in red said, seeing right through her. "We know about your little students. We know nobody's coming for you."
"Then what does a little talk hurt?" Amber reasoned. Just get her talking, talking long enough to figure a way out of this mess.
"Hmm, I suppose you're right," she mused. "It wouldn't hurt. But this will!"
Amber saw the evil grin and the narrowing of the woman's eyes. She saw the decision made.
"No!" she cried, eyes blazing to life, and she flicked the activator for the wind crystal. Amber used her power on instinct, guiding the emanating blast of wind at the woman. It shaped into a roaring cyclone, blowing her sword arm away from John's neck.
Blood flew from John's neck, but little enough that it couldn't have been deep enough to hit an artery or windpipe. Amber had no time to celebrate the close shave, she was moving, fully withdrawing her staff and extending it.
Link reacted in time with the distraction as well, launching straight at those blocking their way out. His sword flashed, slicing at the middle opponent, the girl with green hair, while his shield deflected a firearm supported kick from the boy with grey.
Amber leapt over the bar, grabbing John roughly at the shoulder and hurling him to the side. She had not time to be gentle, and she heard something crack as he landed poorly on an arm. Amber interposed herself between John and the assailant, keeping her away as the man screamed in pain and fumbled with his injuries.
"Em, Neo, follow our plan," the woman ordered, arms flashing with orange light. She'd drawn a second black sword from somewhere, and she lunged at Amber. The blades locked on the staff. "With me!" she shouted at the remaining boy.
Amber broke loose, swinging the end of the staff up. The woman jumped back, avoiding the blow. She snarled and rushed back in.
At the front, Link avoided a series of blows before countering with his own. He focused on the grey-haired boy, preventing him from joining up with the woman against Amber. The other two girls attempted to flank him, forcing him to move to avoid the pincer.
The mismatched woman of brown and pink thrust the closed parasol in his face, it stopped short before flying open, cutting off his vision. A kama wrapped around his waist while he was distracted by the parasol catching on a chain connected to the end.
The grey-haired teen slammed a foot in Link's gut, opening fire and knocking the knight off his feet. The chain went taut, and he was bodily hurled through the glass window.
Amber had no time to worry about him, forced to back off from the woman to deal with the incoming ambush by the grey teen. She was toast if he moved behind her or went to John.
"Get out of here!" she screamed at the man scrambling on the floor. The man looked at her, terrified for his life. His eyes broke away from hers, shouting a warning on their own.
Amber barely managed to block the teen's foot, the discharge from the kick knocking her back. She batted away a follow-up kick, then thrust the butt of her staff at the ground. She triggered the wind crystal.
Once again, her Maiden powers amplified the blast, blasting the attacker—and the bar—clear across the diner. She spun intercepting the slash from the woman, thwarting her attempt at Amber's back.
"Only wind, Amber?" the woman mocked. "Too afraid of a little collateral damage to bring out the fire in you?"
"Get out!" Amber repeated, keeping her eyes fixed on the woman. She heard John finally get the message, grunting as he pushed himself onto his injured arm. Until he was out of harm's way, she couldn't fight at capacity.
Amber triggered the crystal again, forcing the woman to disengage lest she be blown away. She focused, conjuring large, pointed chunks of ice in the air around her. With a wave of her hand, she sent half of them at the woman, and sent the rest at the boy hoping to distract him while John made his way out.
She saw the boy smirk, his steely eyes tracking the incoming projectiles. He cocked his leg back, and then launched his spinning kick, slamming his heel into one of the ice crystals, diverting its path—into John's back.
The man had been trying to maneuver past the ruined bar blocking the entrance, the delay leaving him open to attack, and the teen took ruthless advantage, the shard sinking into his lower back. John shrieked and fell.
"No!" Amber cried, eyes wide.
The teen endured the rest of the attack, his aura withstanding the frozen assault. The woman capitalized on her shock, launching herself at Amber with a malicious grin. She slashed both her obsidian blades, viciously knocking away a precious amount of aura.
"Argh!" Amber grimaced, ignoring the pain. She haphazardly counter-attacked, swinging the staff at her head. The woman danced away from the strike.
"How could you?!" Amber shouted at her, following, her eyes blazing with fiery light. "He's innocent!"
"I admit," the woman said, dodging Amber's furious assault. "I didn't plan for it." She tilted her head, Amber's lit up eyes reflected in her own. "I hardly care about it, though."
Amber lunged, ready to activate the fire crystal and release a short burst at the woman, when a foot planted itself in her hip. The gunshot combined with the force from the teen's boot would've shattered Amber's pelvis were it not for her aura taking the hit. What it did do, was to knock her off balance, forcing her to drop her staff in an attempt to stay upright.
The flame burst forth from Autumnal grace, missing the woman by a mile and guttering uselessly across the floor. Amber slammed the end into the ground, practically pole vaulting in a feeble attempt to put some distance between her and the teen. The ruthless kicker didn't let up, pursuing her with zeal.
"Are we using fire, Amber?" The woman laughed. She grabbed a nearby chair, and focused. The wood of the chair ignited everywhere she caressed her hand. When she had a raging blaze in hand, she pitched the doomed furniture at Amber, still distracted by the teen.
Amber panicked, triggering her Maiden powers. The flaming chair burst from the gale force, sending flaming debris around her. Smoke filled her nostrils, but there was no time to be concerned, as both the woman and teen were upon her again.
Link dodged, avoiding the parasol thrust. The mismatched woman, Neo, he believed she was named, smirked at him. He side-stepped, putting her in between him and the green-haired girl, Em, who was taking potshots at him, keeping him away from the diner.
Every time he approached, Neo would block his path. Every time he broke through, the green-haired girl would shoot a barrage. His aura had taken a few hits, but Link was yet unused to the strange protective shield. He knew it was not finite, so he relied on his usual tactic of agility and quick strikes.
Unfortunately, his opponents were hell-bent on keeping from Amber's side, and Neo was quite skilled in the same pattern. He needed to change it up.
He slashed at Neo, deliberately overextending. Her eyes sparkled, certain she'd gained one over him, the parasol flashing toward his unprotected face. He allowed a small smirk of his own, as he released the sword from his hand.
She saw it too late, the smugness vanishing, as he grabbed the parasol and pulled, reversing their positions. His free hand darted to his waist, withdrawing a knife and slamming its butt into her stomach. She doubled over, spitting up and silently wincing.
Link took advantage, sweeping her legs and pushing her off balance. Free of one obstacle for the moment, he charged at the other, simultaneously reaching for the hammer strapped to his back. Em's red eyes widened—
The world shifted. He was running towards the opposite side of the street, the diner behind him. Link stopped, frowning.
What magic was this? He didn't know but charging in thoughtlessly would get him—and more importantly, Amber—killed.
He could see the faces of the buildings in front of him. He could see the diner behind him, Neo to the right—
The parasol struck his thigh, eliciting a grunt, before flashing to his shoulder. Neo grinned, before Link shattered her to sound of breaking glass.
Another Neo materialized to his left. Two more, one in front and behind. Each one he struck broke like mirrors. Each time, a blow struck him from one of his unguarded directions.
Illusions. They had to be. Clouding his mind to prevent him from properly orienting, they'd overwhelm with misdirection and concealed strikes.
His eyes were compromised. His ears too. But he had one sense left to fall back on.
Link was adept at wild craft, and one needed a keen nose to survive alone in the wilds of Hyrule during the Calamity.
He scented the exhaust of Dust-fueled vehicles, familiar from walking through the city. He scented the smoke of wood burning, and he smelled the faint wafting of strawberries and vanilla.
He struck, sweeping the war hammer into the blank space. Link felt a satisfying impact reverberate through his arms, but he didn't stop there. He continued the swing, releasing his grip on the hammer. It sailed through the air, in the direction of the wood smoke. If that was the diner, as he thought it would, then that would mean the green-haired girl was standing right—
A pained yelp echoed, the world shifting again. The diner reappeared in front of him, his directional sense serving him well. The girl was on the ground, the hammer beside her. Fire was beginning to rise in the diner behind her. Link had no time left to lose, no time to gather his weaponry.
He rushed forward, avoiding or enduring the shots by the girl on the ground. Link leaped through the broken window, pulling out his last weapon—the bow. An arrow was nocked and drawn before he had time to think. His eyes assessed a target, assessed the danger, and determined the path.
He took a breath; a short, smoke-filled breath that battled the oxygen in his lungs, and let the arrow fly.
The fire had taken root, dangerously so, helped along by the woman in red. In any other setting, the flames may have helped her; her Maiden powers could take easy advantage of the elements. But trapped indoors, with an injured civilian, she was limited.
The woman had no such limitations it seemed, uncaring of collateral damage or even her own ability to breathe. She stayed low and struck high, forcing Amber to dodge—wasting precious oxygen at this point—or knocking her into the rapidly building cloud of smoke.
Amber focused, dodging a set of kicks while dodging a glass arrow, willing the air to cool and whirl. Lower the temperature to kill the fire, circulate the air to clear the smoke. But she was too slow and the effort drained her focus from the foes.
A foot slammed, not into her body, but into Autumnal Grace, ripping the staff from her hand. The teen flowed like water, grabbing her arm, headbutting her with a grunt, then launching himself above and behind her.
Her aura strained under the pressure. Amber reached around, prepared to blast him, but he seized her other arm. Both arms secure, he planted his boot in her back, and fired rapidly.
With a dull flash of autumn light, her aura shattered. Amber fell to her knees, the strength of her legs failing her. The teen's boot was still on her back, and both arms were clutched in his grip. She couldn't move beyond feeble struggles.
"Well done," the woman congratulated, slipping on a white glove, a crest of a purple eye ringed in the same color emblazoned on the palm.
"Better hurry," the teen said. "Not looking to get barbecued."
Amber looked up, staring at the sinister glove. A faint glow began shining from it, dinly lighting up her face.
A beetle crawled out from the woman's hand—A Grimm—small, black, white carapaced, with beady red eyes glaring. Antennae twitched unnaturally.
Amber's eyes widened. She shot a glance at the woman in red. "…Please," she begged weakly.
The woman smiled, like an old fresco, beatific and beautiful. "No."
Two things happened, one soon after the other.
The Grimm spit on her—a black string of ooze that connected the pair of them. The muck coated her face and burned her skin. It was thick and hot and filthy, sinking into her skin. Amber screamed, the disgusting violation seeping into her. It felt as if it smeared over her soul.
The second thing happened almost immediately, an arrow piercing through the Grimm, through the woman's hand. It was her turn to shriek, blood staining the once pristine glove. The Grimm disintegrated around the arrow, breaking the connection.
Amber hardly noticed—could hardly notice—the boot removed from her back and her arms freed. She heard not the scuffle of fighting, the woman screaming curses, or the teen shouting their retreat.
All she focus on was the pain on her face, still present even after that thing was dead. She felt her consciousness slipping away.
Arms wrapped around her shoulders and chest, lifting her up. She could only hope who it was.
"Link…" she muttered weakly. "Get John out…"
The knight made no reply, none she could hear.
Amber was already gone.
"Dread it, run from it... Destiny arrives all the same."