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Cinder has long since given up on the idea that anything was going to be easy. Finding the Fall Maiden to kill her seemed so simple yet got so complicated. Sneaking into Beacon and hacking the CCT for a grandiose plan of pitting Vale vs Atlas fell apart as well. Now here she was on Ironwood's ship. The maiden is right there and Cinder managed to put the place into a state of chaos. The virus was no longer burning a hole into her pocket. Yet Ozpin just happened to be here and Amber was awake...

A green blur shot between her and Emerald, Cinder reacting through pure instinct and snarling as her blade connected with a solid metal cane. Ozpin's eyes were determined, focused, just as expected they would be here.

"Out of my way old man." Cinder snarled, winning the strength with a blast of flames engulfing him with a cry. And Emerald but Cinder didn't pay much attention to her. Aura was being both useful and annoying as it protected them both but just barely as he was pushed back, a green aura materialized around him. The pyromancer narrowly avoided another attack as she was forced back down the corridor. The medical ward's main hall was wide enough to maneuver but was still tight.

"Out of my way old man! That power is rightfully mine!"

"I don't recall that ever being a rule and I seem to recall you cheating by forcibly taking the power from her."

She scowled, as decided to tank a hit just to close in on him. There was no time for this, it needed to end now.

"Emerald!" She cried and her minion got the message as Ozpin looked as if he lost sight of her.

Now disappeared from his view dual blades materialized. Cinder took her chance to attack, scoring a cut across the front of his jacket. Then man figures it out faster than she would have hoped but that was the story of Cinder's life right now. His hand pointed outwards and a great beam of green energy fired forth. Cinder wasn't the target but Emerald whole was too focused on the man to be able to dodge, blown back and into the wall. Useless, because of course she'd be right now. Cinder generated her own flames but was interrupted as the man now had a target.

With blinding speed, the blunt tip of his cane struck her over and over again. The lack of a point meant nothing as her aura once more flared to soak up the dozens of quick but lethal blows. Once a that should have broken bones. Then one final hit to her chest sent her flying back into the wall. The air knocked out of her chest and had her hacking and wheezing back to her feet.

Ozpin was old though and clearly hadn't hit the gym in a while as he didn't follow up on his attack. Instead catching his own breathe as well.

She has no such defects from age and moved to press in, her blows were heavy and sluggish, she couldn't quite muster the energy. Ozpin was not useless of course and struck back with renewed vigor but she had pushed in first and got more than a few hits. That's what this became, a match to see who could break the other's aura the fastest and end the fight. With all talent and technique being used for just that. Doing damage.

Ozpin skidded back from her next attack and rolled back to his feet and send out small green lights barely an inch on size each. Except all flowed like rockets towards her. Cinder didn't have the time for this and pressed one to take them, her blades cut across his chest and made a nasty gash across him. It was the moment she was looking for and thrusted the opposing blade into his chest, he paused, a sword in his heart then slumped to the ground. Cinder sighed, just received she could get on with it.

Emerald was there but got lost in the vicious fight between them and could only get knocked around as she tried to intervene "Okay well let's just-" She didn't even have time to scream as an ice spike was embedded into the side of her head.

Cinder turned with her blades in a guard position and growled at the sight of her new assailant. "Hello Amber."

The previous Fall maiden was just barely standing with support from her staff she got from Gods only knows where. She was breathing heavily, just getting it under control before holding the staff across from her. Two fairly new dust crystals glowed dangerously as she staggered forwards. As pitiful of a display, it was there was a determination that told Cinder she was in for a fight.

"Hello bitch."

Amber breathed, having the longest intake of air in her life and savoring the feeling of full lungs before exhaling. It's been said that you never really know what you have until it's gone, that had never been more true than today. Amber barely registered Ozpin moving to engage Cinder and focused on trying to move her body. The soreness in her muscles made it feel like she was made of rusted cogs and slowly lifted her hand to stare at it. The fingers move independently then in unison into a fist.

"I'm back..." She said slowly as it finally sank in.

They- no Jaune did it through his insane persistence, which was the decisive action needed for the device to work. Powering through the pain for her. Directing her gaze down at the blond boy, however, nearly made her heart stop.

"Jaune?!" Her voice came out coarse, irritated from lack of use then suddenly being raised in speed and intensity. "Jaune, can you hear me?"

He said nothing as Amber forced herself off the bed and immediately fell to her knees. Legs melted to jelly as soon as she put weight on them. She still had muscle mass but a sheer lack of use had weakened them, and it didn't help that her stomach was now yearning for anything to fill it. Crawling on all fours to Jaune's side she rolled him off his right shoulder and onto his back.

She noted the steady rise of his chest and felt for a pulse that was also working fine. Although Amber was not a doctor and only knew rudimentary first aid. Yet she felt confident and more than a little relieved to say that he was stable at that moment. Yet when their gaze inevitably drifted over to his left arm all that relief evaporated into despair.

"By the Gods... Thank you for this blessed man, give him your strength to persevere and heal past tho struggle..." As Amber prayed to deities she never truly believed in she finally became aware of the battle going on outside the room they were in.

There was a fight going on between Ozpin and what she was certain was Cinder Fall. Amber could not just wait here, the Fall maiden powers were still within her. Calling for use, if Ozpin could not protect them then it was going to have to fall to Amber. Jaune just suffered for her and it was only fair she did the same. With an immense effort, she lifted his back up and tucked a pair of hands underneath his body slowly pulling out a familiar weapon.

Brown eyes peered at the collapsed Rubes Vitae now in hand. "I'm going to be right back okay." She didn't know if he could even hear her but felt more comfortable just saying it.

"It's been a while... I hope most of my muscle memory is intact." Realistically, Amber knew she was going to charge into a fight she had no business getting involved in. Yet she was determined to give it to her best go anyway. She owned Jaune more than that...

Amity had become something akin to an outdoor light bulb that's to the White Fang. Grimm that could we're swarming over the place with soldiers and Hunters desperately trying to fend them off. It was a near-impossible challenge with the thousands of people panicking and running seemingly in random directions. All tried to board airships and it was clear there wasn't enough for everyone and the Grimm were now covering the sky. Soldiers and Hunters shouted commands, trying to take control of the crowd but it was a losing proposition as Griffins landing made any attempts at asserting yourself impossible. It was the same all around the circumference of the arena, where every there was a landing platform.

This was the scene WRRN and company had arrived at when they burst through the doors and out of the stairway.

"How is anybody supposed to leave in this!" Yang cried.

"They can't that's why there's so many still here," Ren answered as another airship was barely able to touch off from a pad. People still reaching out to it desperately pleading before turning towards another. "Stick together or we'll get trampled."

His concerns were validated a moment later as they tried wading through the crowd, which was like walking through a thick bog. While finding adults and children alike being smashed up against one another. Some being knocked to the floor or just crying out for their family or friends before disappearing into the sea of bodies.

Grimm kept trying to get close and shot down while WRRN carried their exhausted leader and still unconscious Nora. Weiss knew this was a losing proposition, the chaotic nature of the evacuation made her realize getting out was here wasn't going to be as easy as getting to a ship.

"Up against the wall, just go up against a wall!" Weiss cried pulling Ruby with her. They had made it to one of the archways to a landing pad but there were too many people for it to be worth trying it. "We need to wait if we're going to get evacuated."

"The Grimm will swarm this place soon enough, we might not get a chance. With the city under attack, this might be the only chance you've got!" Yang argued.

"Weiss," Ruby clung to her leader pleadingly. "We need to get you and Nora off of Amity!"

"It's doubtful we'll accomplish anything other than getting knocked back or sandwiched between people."

"Guy's!" Blake called out and pointed something out from the opposite side of the archway. It took some serious shuffling to get over and the straining of their eyes but they all saw it. Black clouds of Grimm flew towards the Colosseum. Their one-track mind said they were gunning specifically for them.

"What is Atlas doing?!" Blake cried.

"They have a hand full of ships and an entire city to help..." Weiss said. "We're on our own up here..."

Amber's defiant look was hampered by her physical condition, the white shorts and top left her shivering in more ways than one. Her legs were so weak it took so much effort just to keep her staff from becoming a walking stick again. Amber tried to keep up a defensive stance but was failing miserably and Cinder knew it if her laugh was anything to go by.

"Yes of course you are up," Cinder said as if she expected as much when she got here. "Oh, is the Arc boy here as well? I'd love to finish him off after this as well."

Amber didn't respond and eyed the body of the former Headmaster of Beacon. She didn't like Ozpin but also did not necessarily hate the man and felt a ting of emptiness at the sight of the corpse.

"Now be a good girl and hold still..."

Cinder angled her blade and moved in to lob off her head. Thankfully where Amber couldn't rely on conscious technique her muscle memory was able to fill in and direct her arms up to parry the attack. Frustration flooded Cinder's facial expression as if the idea that Amber would defend herself was inconceivable.

A fury of blows came in from Cinder's single blade, the attacks are fast but telegraphed enough to be read like an open book. It didn't help that there was a slight limp in her step as the false Maiden pressed her assault. Looking to finish Amber and get her prize once and for all. Although the sore and drained girl didn't go so easy.

"Just die already!"

Aura flared from the attempts to cut gashes into her body. Amber used her wind dust to great effect in sending Cinder flying back into a wall. The quality of the crystal worked better than the impure and draining ones she once had. Amber was more than grateful now that Jaune didn't just pawn this off. Her familiarity with the weapon aided her greatly. Even then she could feel her body gradually begin to fail her.

"I can't beat her like this..." Amber thought frantically. Cinder's aura while damaged and the woman her felt tired from the battle with Ozpin was still dangerous. Amber while having a fully intact aura was unable to keep up or make moves she normally would. Her body was unmoving for too long. Had she not had the basic muscle memory to rely on and determination to stand face Amber had little doubt she would have been hacked to pieces.

Still, she needed to come up with something to turn the tide of the fight in her favor or its grim end would be inevitable.

"You wanted to know where Jaune is?" Amber asked and Cinder eyed her cautiously. Definitely curious but ready for any aggressive moves. "He's on his way now. Soon his whole team's going to be here and you're sure as hell going to fail again." She adopted a more mocking tone. "Just like when your posse tried getting into Beacon, or at mountain Glenn, or the hotel ambush. Actually, have you succeeded at anything in the past year-"

"UGH!" Cinder let out an animalistic growl and dove in, any amount of caution and care thrown to the wind. As Amber had hoped would occur, a protracted fight would lead to her death. Amber couldn't wear Cinder down easily and needed her assailant to make a mistake.

Cinder dove in trying to just end this fight here and now. Amber was barely able to bring her staff about to parry the blow earning a nasty gash across her neck. Aura of course being the saving grace here and Cinder's battle with Ozpin and desperation now that she thought there was a timetable made her reckless. So was Amber but she could afford to be, aura was useful for that so she did the unthinkable and caught one of Cinder's blades.

"Just die already! This power is MINE!" Her shriek came out like a banshee's from a fable and a mere foot from Amber who winched as the sound was blown into her ears.

Brown eyes lit up with the powers of the maiden, ice was poured over the blade and even fused over Cinder's hand. It all happened within a fraction of a second so Cinder didn't even have time to you'll away as the sword was broken in half by the burning heat that followed. Distracted by the bold move Amber let go of the staff and allowed her weight and Cinder's surprise to carry them to the ground. The former straddling the ladder.

Amber's hands flew to cover the pyromancer's face and gripped the flesh hard. "I was not-" Her hands grew cold as the true maiden pressed everything she could into the attack. "Given this back-" Red aura flared against the assault, the cells of Cinder's body desperately resisted the damage. "To lose it again to you!"

Amber could feel something coming to jab into the unarmored back, beating against her barrier. While the second of Cinder's hands, still frozen, tried solving Amber off. She was hooked on like a leech though, and the aura that they both depended on failed for Cinder. Shattering and followed by a desperate squeal by the woman on the floor. Clearly in pain from having the liquids in one's head being frozen and crystallizing within your own brain.

Eyes burned with the half of power she still held, the other half inside of this thief. Cinder's arms tensed, her body became slacked, then fell limp. It's wasn't a peaceful silence that followed but a bright glow nearly blinded Amber as something burst out from the corpse underneath her. It flowed into her chest and she nearly collapsed to her back by the sudden surge of power into her body.

Staggering back to her feet. Amber pressed her back against the wall, she needed the support just to stand. Her breathing was shallow, requiring conscious thought to continue. Legs shook as if they were twigs ready to snap, getting up after months of lying down was not a smart move, clearly. She eyed the body of Cinder Fall, her head completely encased in a block of ice, if there was any doubt she could be dead it would be guaranteed in a few seconds. Just enough for her heart to get the message. Amber remained there for a while just trying to keep herself from collapsing to the ground when the doors to the medical ward blew open.

Thankfully there was no threat, but Pyrrha looking on is recognition and surprise a see in Amber here. Then mirroring Roland's concern likely from the signs of battle and a lack of Jaune.

"Jaune is in there!" She stuck her thumb in the direction of the double doors. "I'll be fine, he needs you guys right now!"

Amber knew what she saw and more than understood that they needed a hospital and proper medical staff. Nikos hesitated until the maiden let out a cry of 'GO' and she and Roland booked it into the operating room. Soldiers also flooded the room and checked the body of the fallen Headmaster. They are relatively safe now, they'd probably need to get off this ship but the people nowhere could take over. Amber's back slowly slid down the wall. Unable to support her weight especially after what she had just done. Sighing, the brown-skinned girl spent her final moments fighting to keep her eyes open until the exhaustion finally took. All while a shocked feminine gasped came from someone in the other room.

All she could do was hope to wake from this slumber.