Torchwick sat in his chair, eying the door. Neo hadn't told him she was going out, no note, no text. Nothing. He looked away from the front door, and to the small table next to his chair. A box of cigars sat next to a cutter. He pulled a cigar out, cut it, and set it to his lips, lighting it.

He smoked the cigar, letting the flavorful smoke fill his mouth before exhaling as he watched the door.

The door burst open, Neo running in.

"There you-!" Cinder ran in after Neo, a body slung over each shoulder. "What the hell is she doing here?" Cinder grunted, tossing the two bodies onto the table. He heard them groan; one was dressed in red, the other white. "Why the fuck do you have the Malachites?"

Cinder and Neo ignored him. Cinder turned to Neo, motioning to the Malachite twins. "Find some rope or something, I don't want them trying to fight us."

Neo nodded, heading for the hallway. Torchwick followed her, grabbing her arm. "Neo, what the hell is all this?"

Neo yanked her hand free, frowning at him. "I got into some trouble in the Upper Levels, and Cinder helped me," she signed.

"What kind of 'trouble'?"

Neo hesitated before signing "The cops found out I killed that noodle guy, and they attacked me. Cinder helped me, and then those two bitches attacked us, and we beat them too."

"Did you go to Lil Miss Malachite?"

Neo crossed her arms, her eyes looking around the room, at anything but him. "Maybe," she finally signed.

His fingers curled and he pressed them against his forehead, beating them against his head before swinging his hands down, yelling. "Fuck!"

"Neo! Rope!" Cinder called from the other room.

Neo didn't look at him as she turned and ran down the hallway, reaching a closet and rummaging through it. She darted past him, carrying a thick rope.

Fuck! If that fat cunt knows we're here she can hand us over to the cops whenever she wants! And Neo pissed her off and kidnapped her brats!

Torchwick entered the living room, taking a smoke from his cigar; the smoke usually calmed his nerves. The Malachite twins were tied back-to-back, their legs bound, and their blades resting nearby. He could hear them groaning, Miltia shaking her head and mumbling.

Cinder crouched down, tapping them each on the cheek, causing them to jolt as they woke up. Their glanced around, as much as they could with their bindings, glaring as they saw him and Neo.

Torchwick exhaled, smoke drifting out before he chomped down on the cigar again. He tried to keep his voice low, and steady. "Why are you here, Cinder? Why did you bring the Malachite's to my house?"

Cinder looked over at him, and he inhaled, coughing, and sputtering at the smoke. Half of her face looked like that of a Grimm. Her voice was raspy as she spoke. "Neo told me we could hide here for the night. I don't think we should stay here long."

He shot a look at Neo, who looked away, her lips pursed like she was whistling.

"Neo's been looking for me. She said she wants to work with me again." Cinder cocked her head. "I take it that you disapprove."

"You nearly got us killed."

"And I protected you from Nero."

"After threatening to rat us out to him," he sneered. He looked at Neo, motioning to Cinder. "She ever tell you that, since you didn't believe me when I said it?"

Neo shook her head and looked at Cinder. Cinder sighed as she met Neo's gaze. "I did. But things are different now. I need your help," Cinder looked from Neo to him to the Malachite's, who glared back at her. "All of your help."

"Like, I don't know who you are, but you can go fuck yourself," Miltia said. Melanie nodded.

Cinder ignored them, looking back at Neo. "I'm no longer working with my employer, the one who had us orchestrate the Fall."

"Why not?" Neo signed.

Cinder motioned toward her face, her arm a Grimm claw. "She did this to me. And it took someone trying to kill me for me to realize how much of a leash she has me on. How much of myself I've lost." She looked away from Neo, her gaze focusing on Torchwick. "I want to be free, for the first time in my life, to do whatever I want without a master."

"So, buy some make up and hide that ugly mug of yours and leave us out of it," Melanie said.

Cinder growled, her lip curling as she looked at the twins. They were unfazed by the look, glaring back at her.

"Why do you need our help, just go do this on your own," Torchwick said.

Cinder crossed her arms. "I can't. I need you four." She uncrossed her arms and pulled out her scroll. She set it on the table, next to the Malachite's weapons. Torchwick's eyebrows raised in shock as a picture of Ruby was displayed.

"Red's alive? How? I threw her off a bloody ship in Grimm infested skies."

"Ruby has a bad habit of surviving things she shouldn't." Cinder said. "My employer might have done this to me, but Ruby is the cause of it happening. She's going to Atlas, and I plan on killing her."

"And what will you do after she's dead?" Neo signed.

Cinder shrugged. "I'm not sure. Might just watch the world burn, god knows it deserves to."

"It really sounds like you don't need us for that, Ms. Edgelord." Miltia said.

Cinder rounded on the twins, slapping Miltia across the face. "I need you two so Lil Miss will keep the police off us for a bit."

Miltia spat, glaring at Cinder. "That cow didn't even care when we ran away from home, you think she's gonna care that you have us?"

"She said that she missed us, and that she tried looking," Melanie said. Miltia moved her head, trying to look at her sister, and failing to do so.

"Now's not the time, Melanie."

Cinder grabbed Miltia's face, turning her head to look at her. "Besides that, you two will be doing the legwork in Atlas."

"Fuck you."

Cinder tightened her grip, causing Miltia to groan. "I need you alive, I don't need you in one piece. I'll break that pretty little jaw of yours if you don't be quiet."

Miltia said nothing, exhaling through her nose as she glared at Cinder. Cinder relaxed her grip, barely caressing her chin.

"Torchwick and I are wanted criminals with known faces. Neo can blend into any crowd with her semblance, but you two? Nobody knows or cares about you two. You'll be the ones finding out where Ruby is."

"What the hell makes you think I'll be helping you?" Torchwick said. Cinder looked over her shoulder at him, her Grimm eye a burning orange.

"Because we need a way into Atlas. You smuggled Dust, you know how to fly a ship, and" Cinder smiled, the teeth on the Grimm side of her face sharp. "Do you really want to be left alone here in Mistral? Alone with the police and Lil Miss when they find out one of Vale's most wanted terrorists has been living here? And that he doesn't have the twins or the two fugitives who stayed in his house?"

Fuck

Incense wafted through the air as Robyn prayed before the murti of Krshi. She could hear the chanting of the other Faunus as they prayed in Ishvi before the other murti's.

She turned away from the murti after finishing her prayer, looking around the room. It was cramped, an abandoned apartment building they had found a bit out of the way for normal Atlesian patrols. Fiona stood by the window, Joanna by the door, watching the dark streets.

She went to Fiona, clasping her shoulder, smiling at her when Fiona looked back at her. "If you want to pray, I'll take your watch."

Fiona shook her head. "I'm the one who has to carry all of this once we leave, I don't want to risk getting distracted and letting any soldiers see this."

Robyn nodded, pulling her hand free. She went to the door, Joanna nodding appreciatively as she went to a murti.

Fiona shifted, standing a bit straighter as she peered out the window, her sheep ears turning. Fiona looked over at her. "Patrol."

Robyn turned toward the room, cupping her hand around her mouth. "Soldiers!"

The Faunus in the room looked back at her, fear in their eyes. They quickly finished their prayers, and hurried toward the door, keeping their heads down. Robyn held the door open for them, peeking outside as they passed.

The streets of Mantle were dark, but she could see a faint light down the road, and if she strained her ears, she could hear the rumbling of an engine.

She closed the door once the last of the Faunus left, watching as Fiona briskly moved throughout the room, her hand glowing as she absorbed the murtis and incense stands. Joanna hung by the window, peeking out of it.

"Done," Fiona said, heading for the door. Robyn followed, Joanna tailing them. They hurried across the street, disappearing into the shadows of an alley. Robyn held up a hand, Fiona and Joanna stopping. She crouched down, pressing against the cold wall as she watched the road.

A patrol of soldiers marched past, escorting an armored vehicle. A floodlight and machinegun turret took up the top of the vehicle. The ground trembled as the vehicle rumbled by, the floodlight panning over the apartment they had just been in. The vehicle slowed to a stop, the floodlight on the door. A few of the soldiers approached, pressing against the walls as one kicked the door in. They funneled into the apartment; their rifles drawn.

Robyn looked back at Fiona and Joanna and motioned for them to head down the alley. They nodded, moving on silent feet through the maze of alleyways.

They reached a different side of Mantle, the empty streets illuminated by lamps. Joanna crossed her arms as she turned toward Robyn.

"We should have fought them."

"With what? We've been cut off from the rest of the Fang for months now, and we don't have the manpower to try and rob a military base."

Joanna grunted, looking away. "I'm tired of this. Of hiding, scurrying around in the dark like a rat hiding from a hawk."

"This is the best that we can do for now," Fiona said. Joanna looked at her. Fiona rubbed her arm, glancing over at Robyn. "We're keeping the faith alive, giving Faunus hope when they need it most. I think Robyn is letting us fight as well as we can right now."

Robyn smiled. Joanna sighed and ran a hand through her hair.

"Let's hope the others make it back alright. Sneaking all of that back to the base without a semblance like Fiona's is taxing."

Robyn nodded before heading out, walking down the cold, empty streets and toward the White Fang's base.

Robyn exhaled, her breath misting in the air. The base looked like any other building in the slums, nothing to give it away to the Atlesian military. The base was dark; they were the first ones back.

She reached the door, holding it open for Fiona and Joanna. She entered after them, closing the door, and reaching for the nearby light switch "The rest should be back soon, then we ca-"

The lights flickered on, and Fiona yelped. Robyn spun around, gasping.

There was no mistaking the ivory white hair, or the piercing blue eyes. Whitley Schnee sat in a chair in the middle of the room, his legs crossed and a polite smile on his face. A book, Can the Faunus Speak, sat in his lap. "Hello there," he said.

Fiona's hand glowed, a long staff materializing. She gripped it, scowling at Whitley. His smiled didn't falter as Joanna drew closer to him, her hands curling into fists.

"What are you doing here? How did you find this place?" Robyn asked.

"Was rather easy to find you. Did you forget who employs most of the Faunus in this kingdom?" he replied. He uncrossed his legs, moving the book aside. "And I wanted to offer the White Fang a proposition."

Joanna laughed, her lip curling. She slammed a foot onto the arm of the chair, glaring down at Whitley. "What makes you think we'd ever work with you, Schnee?" she growled.

"Because we need each other."

Fiona stepped forward, aiming the end of her bladed staff at him. "You have nothing to offer our people."

Whitley held up a finger, his eyes on Robyn. "Except for the means to freedom."

His gaze was unwavering, and cold. Robyn looked away from his piercing eyes after a moment, motioning for Joanna and Fiona to back down. She crossed her arms. "What do you mean?"

Whitley reached for his pocket, causing Fiona to raise her staff. He pulled his scroll out and held it up. A picture of an intricate eye was on the screen. "Ironwood has claimed that this is the symbol of the Faunus religion. That all the sightings of it in the slums and in the Frontiers is due to religious fundamentalism from the White Fang. That the strings of murders are because of your kind." He lowered his scroll. "I know that is a lie, and so does Ironwood. This is not the symbol of the Ishvara faith, and he's relying on the average Atlesian being too stupid to know any better. He's using the Faunus as a scape goat for something he's not sharing."

"We already figured that out. Every Faunus knows this," Joanna said.

Whitley nodded. "He's justified the iron curtain he's put around this kingdom by claiming that war is coming. That the armies of Vacuo and Mistral march upon us at this very moment. That we need to keep our borders closed and end all contact, and trade, with the rest of the world.

"But Vacuo and Mistral have no armies with which to march. They've never had the need for them like we have. He's hoarding what little resources we produce naturally for the military out of fear of something that won't come."

"And?" Robyn asked.

"And what happens when winter comes, and I run out of Red Dust for the slums and frontiers?"

Fiona and Joanna glanced at each other. Robyn frowned.

"What are you proposing?"

Whitley smiled. "I need Ironwood to be removed from his position as Consul and the Council restored, and this blockade ended. My smugglers won't be able to keep up with the heating demands of Atlas once winter comes, and freezing people become desperate, angry people. You need Ironwood to be removed from his position as Consul so the Faunus can go back to worshipping their gods in peace. I think it would benefit us both if we worked together."

Robyn rested a hand on her hip. "What's in it for the Faunus outside of that?"

"Whatever you wish from me."

Robyn motioned him forward, and he did so. She looked down as he stood in front of her, he barely came up to her chest. She held out her hand; he looked at it before taking it. A lilac glow surrounded their hands.

"If the White Fang helps you, you'll give all of your Faunus employees equal pay?"

"I will."

The glow turned green. Robyn saw Joanna's eyes widen in surprise.

"You'll allow Faunus in the SDC to be more than just miners?"

"It's what my grandfather would have wanted."

The glow remained green.

"You'll force the other mining companies to treat the Faunus better, and help Council candidates who are friendly to our people's plights?"

"I will."

The glow remained green.

Robyn pulled her hand free, eyebrows raised in surprise. Whitley pulled his hand back, resting it behind his back. He turned away, going back to his chair, and picking up his scroll. He turned, a holographic image in the air above his scroll. It showed a young woman with short blue hair, light skin, and yellow eyes.

"Speaking of Council candidates, she is someone I believe we should… keep an eye on."

"Who is she?" Fiona asked.

"May Marigold. Former heiress of the Marigold Mining Company. Left her family due to their reactions to her… figuring herself out. She's been a vocal critic of Ironwood, the dissolution of the Council, and the treatment of the Faunus since separating from her family. She's been living here in Mantle. I would think it wise to place her under the Fang's protection, and to help spread her message to as many people as possible."

"How do you propose we do any of this? We haven't had any contact with the rest of the Fang for months, we can't exactly go out fighting soldiers in the streets or have armed guards protecting her." Robyn said.

Whitley smirked, a chill going down Robyn's spine at the sight.

"After the Fall, the SDC stopped being the main arms supplier to the military. I have buildings full of armaments that are just sitting around, waiting to be used."

"You give us the location, and we take what we need," Joanna said.

Whitley nodded. "Precisely."

Robyn rubbed her chin. "Once we're armed, we take the fight to the Atlesian's, and provide a voice to those condemning Ironwood."

"And if we drag this out to winter, the elite in Atlas will start getting nervous that they might be affected by wartime rationing and start listening to those calling for the return of the Council," Fiona said.

Whitley nodded. "Glad you understand. So, we have a deal then?"

Robyn looked at Joanna and Fiona. They nodded. She looked back at Whitley. "We do."

Tai climbed down the stairs, stretching his arms and neck. The morning sun filtered through the windows, casting everything in a golden light.

Raven was asleep on the couch, her mane of black and gray hair covering her face. Omen rested on the nearby table. The blanket he had given her the night before was scrunched up and barely covering her.

"Do you make a habit of watching people in their sleep?" Raven asked. Her hair covered her face, but it didn't look like her eyes were open.

Tai crossed his arms. "Just checking to see if you're still here."

Raven grunted before sitting up, brushing her hair out of her face. She opened her eyes; she looked no less tired than the night before. She was quiet for a moment, her hands going to her knees, gripping them. She exhaled.

"Thank you, Taiyang."

Tai blinked in surprise. "What did you say?"

"I will not repeat myself," she said. She got up from the couch, grabbing Omen and its sheath and buckling them to her waist. She turned away from him, not looking over her shoulder as she spoke. "Why are you here, Tai? If you know Yang is in danger, fighting Salem, why do you stay here on Patch?"

Tai rubbed the back of his head. "My kids need something to come back too."

Raven said nothing, and a black and maroon portal materialized before her.

"…I'll keep an eye on them, and make sure your daughters make it back home."

She walked through the portal, disappearing from his life once again.

Ironwood sat in his chair, looking through the window in his office. The lights from Atlas and Mantle glowed across the mountain, the shattered moon and aurora borealis lighting up the sky. He watched the aurora's dance for a moment before glancing at his watch.

He turned back toward his desk; a holographic panel sat in the center. He swiped a few of the keys, a holographic display materializing on his desk. An old man in a spider like wheelchair was hunched over a computer, typing away at it. Ironwood cleared his throat. The old man didn't seem to hear him.

"Doctor Polendina," he said.

The Doctor looked up from the computer and looked over at him. His wheelchair scuttled toward the display, the Doctor's face blank. "Yes, Consul?"

"I was wanting a report on Project Maschinenmensch."

The Doctor rubbed the back of his head, his hat tipping forward a bit. He readjusted his hat before speaking "Physically, she should be fine. We've repaired all the damage she endured during the Fall. Her CPU and RAM didn't receive any damage so she should function the same once we get her up and running."

"Should?"

The Doctor looked away. "We've been having issues finding her aura. Sometimes I can detect…something floating around in her body, and others it's just gone. Like a dang ghost. Physically, she will be the same, with the upgrades you requested. But I don't know what will happen when we turn her on."

Ironwood took a breath, trying to keep his face a mask. If her soul is no longer in that body, I have truly lost her.

"Will she be operational without aura?" he asked.

The Doctor shrugged. "Yes, in theory. She would have access to her memory banks and core functions, a personality should theoretically be possible to be developed based off past experiences. If she sees one behavior as 1, then she would repeat 1, as she would behave if she still had her soul."

"And if her memories were altered? How would she behave?"

Polendina blinked, surprise etched on his face. "Why would I alter her memories?"

So she doesn't have to experience the pain of dying, or remembering the truth of where her soul came from.

Ironwood set his jaw, his voice firm. "Because I'm ordering you to. I want her memories after her escape from Atlas erased. Her time in Beacon, her death in the arena. All of it. Replace it with her having been a student here the entire time."

"But, that-!"

"Do not question me, Doctor."

Polendina's lip trembled, and he exhaled, closing his eyes. "Understood, Consul. I will do what you ask."

"Good. See to it that she is ready before winter."

The Doctor nodded solemnly, and Ironwood waved a hand over his panel, the display fading.

He hit a few keys, a new display popping up. A group of scientists bustled about, blueprints for a large bomb visible on one of the computers in the room.

"Doctor Zelenyy," Ironwood said.

One of the scientists perked up, looking over at the display and rushing over. "Yes, Consul?"

"How is the First Lightning program progressing?"

"Very well, Consul. The general shape of the payload has been determined, but we are having difficulty creating a detonation with the power that you are requesting."

"Why?"

"Dust isn't powerful enough. We've run simulations of various chemical reactions of splitting Red and Yellow, with even bits of White to feed more oxygen and Purple to aid in the implosion, but nothing reaches the level of power you asked for."

Ironwood was quiet for a moment, before he glanced at the bomb schematics behind the Doctor. "Continue your work, Doctor. Make sure the blueprints stay up to your most current models. When you believe it is powerful enough for a test, let me know."

"Aye, Consul."

He waved a hand, the display fading. He rested his chin on his clasped hands and closed his eyes.

If Dust won't do the job, then perhaps… other means must be utilized.

Fria ran her brush over the canvas, filling the landscape with green. She looked around her canvas, seeing the field of swaying grass, the rainbow of flowers, the dark mountains in the distance. Summer. When Atlas was at its most beautiful, when the snow melted, and the sun shone, and life filled the frontiers.

She heard a door slide open and looked aside.

Where was she?

The fields of grass where gone, the winds touch no longer on her cheeks. The room was sterile, the air cold. Utilitarian furniture was organized neatly throughout the room. A woman with white hair and icy eyes was approaching her, a tea tray in hand, two cups steaming.

The woman went to a pair of chairs and set the tray on a desk between the two chairs. She sat, looking at her.

"Do I know you?" Fria asked.

The woman smiled at her. "I'm Winter Schnee, Fria. I come to visit you every day at two o'clock to have coffee. Yours has no caffeine, the way you like it."

Coffee. A warm cup after time in the snow, the aroma of the beans.

She went to the chairs, taking the one next to… Winter, was it? She tentatively took one of the mugs, taking a sip. Not too hot, but not cooled. Winter took the other cup, taking a sip.

Fria situated herself in the chair, closing her eyes, exhaling.

"What were you painting?" Winter asked.

Fria opened her eyes, a canvas sitting a little ways over. She cocked her head, looking at it. "I was painting?" she asked, looking over at Winter.

Winter nodded. "You paint a lot, Fria. You're very good at it."

"I-I'm sorry, I don't remember what I was painting, then."

Winter smiled. "It's okay."

Fria drank from her mug, savoring the bitter taste.

A warm wooden cabin, the windows rattling as the blizzard gusted outside. Coffee brewing in a metal pot on the stove, the fire blazing in the hearth. Her toes digging into the warm, fur rug. She looked over, smiling at her daughter, Nysnö, with her gentle blue eyes.

She blinked.

The room was sterile and cold, the eyes of the woman she was looking at warm despite their icy color. She looked down, there was a cup of coffee in her hands.

"Where am I?"

"You're in a special hospital room, Fria. My name is Winter Schnee. I'm a friend of yours who brings you coffee in the afternoon."

"Do you know my daughter?"

Winter shook her head.

Fria looked down at her coffee, frowning as she saw her reflection. When did she get so many wrinkles? She traced a finger over her skin, feeling the folds. She ran a hand through her thin, short, white hair. How old was she? When did she get this like this?

There was a buzzing and she looked over at Winter. Winter set her coffee on the table, and pulled out her scroll, frowning as she looked at its screen. She swiped and put it to her ear.

"Yes, sir?" Fria couldn't hear the other voice on the line. Winter's face drained of color, her eyes darting toward her before looking away. "Sir, I-" She bit her lip; Fria could hear the voice now, but the words were indistinct. Winter closed her eyes, squeezing them shut as the voice went on. "Yes, sir. Understood, sir."

Winter pulled her scroll away, letting it rest in the chair, her eyes still squeezed shut. Winter opened her eyes and looked at her. Tears started to well, and she sniffed as they started to slide down her cheeks.

"What's wrong?" Fria asked.

"I… I'm going to be losing a friend of mine, very soon."

"Ah," Fria said.

Loss. The dull ache of the heart, the time spent looking over the old photos. Memories of the times that can never be gotten back.

She held Life and Death in her hand, trailing the end of it against the floorboards of the bridge. The wind blew around her, the scent of sand and night in the air. She perked up, feeling the winds change.

An avian shriek pierced the air. She turned her head toward the sound; it was the same direction the change in the wind had come from.

She gripped Life and Death, separating the scythe blades, dual wielding them as she faced the Nevermore. She could feel the beat of its wings on the air, the sound of the wings thumping. She tensed her legs, crouching.

She back-flipped off the bridge, hearing it splinter apart, and the Nevermore shriek. The wind whipped around her as she fell, the thumping of the Nevermore's wings thunderous. She hurled Death, hearing the Nevermore shriek.

Life tugged upwards, hurling her up into the air, toward Death. She turned in the air, avoiding the Nevermore's beak, and zipping forward, snatching Death's staff, and yanking it free. Hot blood sprayed over her as she shot into the air. She turned, flicking the triggers on the staves, shooting down, spinning with the momentum.

Blood sprayed onto her hands, the Nevermore screaming as she embedded her scythes into its feathered hide. She flared her semblance.

She could feel everything, the grains in the wood beneath the leather wrappings of her scythes, the individual stitches of her dress as it rustled around her with the wind, the prickly feathers stabbing into her boots. The winds around her moved and twisted, going around the various stones and pillars of the canyon. She turned her head, feeling the wind moving differently nearby. She yanked Death free and hurled it, feeling Life pull in her hands, yanking the Nevermore aside, following Death's course.

She grabbed a hold of Death as the Nevermore slammed into a stone wall in the canyon; she heard its beak shatter, its screams of agony garbled. She turned, hurling Death down, yanking the Nevermore down to the ground with Life.

She felt the Nevermore tense beneath her and leapt, turning off her semblance as she tumbled and rolled through the hard, stone ground, hearing the Nevermore crash behind her. She got up, turning toward the sounds of the Nevermore. She held out her hand, catching Death.

Maria took a step forward, her scythe blades dangling from each hand.

Her doting father.

Maria stopped before the Nevermore, feeling the silver flames spring from her eyes.

Every friend she cherished.

The flames shot out, the Nevermore screeching as it was immolated.

She exhaled, closing her eyes, feeling the ashes drift past her.

Gravel moved behind her, and she swung Life behind her, hearing the gunshot a second later. The bullet split apart, landing in the dirt beside her. She flared her semblance as she turned.

She could feel their footsteps as they came out of hiding, each step vibrating against the stone floor. Three of them in total. She cocked her head. Wait. She looked behind her shoulder.

Four.

"Fancy trick there, love." There was a metallic clink as she said each word, as if her teeth were made of metal. "Surprised you can even use your powers; with the way your eyes are."

"If you know who I am, then you know I'm going to kill all of you."

The one with metal teeth laughed. "You Demons are so arrogant. There hasn't been a single one of you that ol' Tock hasn't been able to kill." Maria cocked her head, hearing a clock being wound up. "Let's see if you can last the entire sixty seconds."

Metal on wood as blades were drawn from scabbards, dust being kicked up and gravel sliding as Tock lunged forward.

She felt the air moving upwards, and swung Life down, catching Tock's blade, yanking it to the ground, feeling the steel grinding against each other. Wind rushed past her, and she swung Death, catching the other blade, holding it at bay.

Maria grunted, yanking her scythes free and spinning, feeling one of the blades brush past her. She swung Life down at Tock. A jolt ran up her arm, Life flying from her hand, and embedding itself in the stone. She gnashed her teeth, hearing aura crackle around Tock.

An impenetrable aura shield

Tick, tock, tick, tock.

Sixty seconds. Have to drag this out

Tock lunged at her; Death caught her swing. Tock yanked her blade free before kicking Maria in the gut, launching her back.

Three of them behind her, gravel moving as they took their stances. The mechanical clicking as they started to pull the triggers. She held out her hand, catching Life.

Two of them started firing, the sound of each shot a thunderclap in her ears. She weaved through each of their shots, dancing between the bullets, feeling the sparks leap over her as her scythes cut through the ones she couldn't dodge.

She swung Life, knocking the rifle of one of the merc's aside, the force from the shot vibrating down her arm. She slashed with Death, hearing their aura shatter, before latching onto their leg with Life, yanking them to the ground. She could hear the air leaving their mouth, the frantic huffing. She swung for their head, feeling the telltale squish and the hot spurt over her hands as Death found its mark.

She yanked her scythe free, ducking low, feeling the air whoosh past her as something heavy swung past her head. The third merc had joined the fight.

She dodged their next swing, and hurled Life behind her, hearing the other rifle merc yelp as they were knocked off their feet. She leapt back, sliding against the gravel, catching Life, hearing the thud of the third mercs weapon hit the ground at where she had been.

She leapt forward, weaving behind the third merc, swinging Life against their leg, hearing their aura shatter as she hamstringed them. They cried out, dropping to the ground. She swung Death, hearing their cry cut short, and their head roll against the dirt.

She looked up, lifting Life and Death, grunting as Tock's blades crashed against her own. Tock pushed against her. Dust and gravel flying into the air, footsteps against the hard stone behind her. Maria yanked her scythes free, leaping backwards, soaring over the remaining merc.

She lunged at them, slashing with her scythes, hearing them grunt. She kicked them aside, hearing their aura shatter as they landed.

She swung Life and Death, catching Tock's swings. Maria yelped, feeling Tock's foot slam into her face. She dodged, gritting her teeth as sparks leaped from Death as she caught one of the blades, the other slashing across her chest. Tock's foot slammed into her chest, launching her back.

She slammed into a rock, her aura shattering.

The world became so much quieter, her senses so much duller.

She heard the merc cough as they got to their feet. She snarled, and slammed Life and Death together, forming her double-sided scythe.

Tick, tock, tick, tock.

Tock lunged at her, her clock telling where she was. The other merc yelled as they charged her.

She swung her scythe, using its longer reach to keep her distance, parrying their blows, twirling with her blades, keeping them at bay. She ducked, and swung her scythe, feeling it slice through the merc's legs, hearing them cry out as they collapsed to the ground.

Maria yelled as Tock's boot slammed into her face, knocking her back. She could feel blood dripping from her nose as she turned toward the ticking. She threw up her staff, feeling Tock's blades slam into them.

Tock twisted her blades further down. She heard wood splinter and felt her arms yank aside. Tock had bitten through her scythe.

Tock's blades stabbed through her stomach. Maria felt her body shudder, felt the familiar feel of warm blood spread across her dress.

Maria screamed as Tock yanked her blades free. She collapsed, feeling her body shake as the blood gushed out.

Tick, to-

The clock began to ring, and Tock exhaled, her aura shattering. "You put up a better fight than the others, I'll give you that, Grimm Reaper," she said.

Maria threw Life at the sound of Tock's voice. She heard Tock giggle and her scythe skid against the stone.

"A fighter to the end. I like that."

She could faintly hear Tock's footsteps as she approached. She grit her teeth, her head swimming. She waited till she heard Tock stop and pressed the trigger on Death.

She heard Tock gasp as Life embedded itself in her spine. She felt Tock collapse toward her and swung.

Death found her.

Maria rebound her eyes, the ends of the cloth whipping with the wind. "After that, I went into hiding. Started going by different names to try and keep Salem off my trail."

"You…" Ruby looked over at her uncle. His mouth was agape, his eyes wide as he stared at Maria. "You're the Grimm Reaper. You were the greatest Hunter alive. Everyone, including Salem, thought you were dead after you disappeared."

"Well, that's good at the very least. Means I did something right." Maria said.

Ruby rested her hands in her lap. "Maria?" Maria looked at her. "Can you train me to be like you?"

Maria scoffed. "You don't want to be like me, kid," she said.

"Why wouldn't she want that?" Blake asked.

"Because I abandoned my duty as a Hunter. When we make our vows, we pledge to defend the innocent and fight the Grimm to the death. I went into hiding; I haven't fought in decades. Who knows how many innocent people have died because I wasn't out there protecting them?" Maria shook her head. "The Grimm Reaper is a coward who valued her own life after nearly dying. Too afraid of being found by Salem again instead of dying fighting her like every other Warrior."

Ruby offered a comforting smile, before letting it fall; right, blindfold. "Well, if you had died fighting the Grimm, we would have died back at that farm. You might not be able to fight like you used too, but you can still help people now. If you teach me how to use my powers, we can help a lot more people too."

Maria said nothing, looking away, staring blindly into the snowy forest.

The trees thinned out as they rode on, the ground becoming steeper. The scent of sea salt became more and more noticeable the higher they climbed. Yang slowed the bike to a stop when they reached the top. Yang whistled, sitting up.

A giant wall stretched between two mountainous cliffs, fields of dozens of farms leading from the hill to the wall. The tops of various buildings peeked out over the wall. A tunnel was carved through the left cliff, a railway snaking its way out and through the farmlands. The ocean glittered around the city and cliffs, the water a golden orange as the rays of the setting sun hit. Ruby sat up, leaning over the railing, feeling a smile form as she took a breath, the cold, salty air comforting.

We made it