I've been looking forward to writing this chapter. It's been in my head for a while now and was originally going to be the previous chapter, but I decided to change things around a bit. Anyway, enjoy.
Cinder dashed through a thick forest, both scimitars unsheathed and at her sides as she ducked under branches while hoping over logs and rocks.
Two years have passed since she began traveling with Qrow. She was currently sixteen, almost seventeen. During that time she's grown quite a bit. Her body's obviously matured since the time she was only fourteen. Growing a bit taller and gaining some muscle here and there while still maintaining a womanly figure. She also changed up her outfit from the white work clothes she was given, going for a black tunic with a wide yellow sash around her stomach and waist. Along with combat tape wrapping around her forearms down to her hands. She had short black baggy pants that ended just after they hit her knees, but long boots with clasps on her upper thighs. Her hair grew thicker and was still styled to emulate Qrow, though she certainly put more time into it than his bed head.
Though what really changed was her combat prowess.
On both sides of her, a Beowolf kept up with her pace with another leaping on the treetops from behind. "Only three. Easy enough." she thought and then the Beowolf to her right jumped at her, fangs ready to rip through her skin. Though rather than flinching, Cinder leaped over the beast, right foot stepping down on its head. She used it as somewhat of a bounce pad to make a greater leap than she would normally be able to achieve and landed on one of the thicker tree branches above.
"Don't just let yourself get surrounded. When you're outnumbered try to single them off and deal with them one by one." Qrows teachings echoed in her head as she continued to make her ascent upward, ignoring the two Grimm below. It will take a few moments for the two Beowolves on the ground to catch up to her now, so she'll deal with them after the one up here.
Speaking of which, the Beowolf that was atop the trees pounced towards her from a nearby branch. They really were more agile than they looked. However Cinder knew it would attack directly like this. A Grimms intelligence, or rather it's self-preservation stemmed from how old it was, and this was no Alpha.
She smiled as the beast closed the distance and instead of dodging or cutting it with her blades, she fell backwards. The Grimm sailed over her as she coiled her legs around the branch to be upside down. She quickly slammed the butt-ends of her swords together and twisted, the twin scimitars combined and a light-dust string connected their tips together turning it into a mecha-shift bow. Cinder activated her semblance while grabbing an arrow from the quiver on her waist. The heat from her hands spread to the metal stem of the arrow and she pulled back then fired. It flew true and stabbed into the Beowolf's stomach. It was a solid hit but didn't seem to do much damage. The Beast hit into another tree and used its claws to cling into it so it wouldn't fall.
Cinder flung her body weight forward to lift herself into a sitting position on the branch. Once she did so, the Beowolf she shot suddenly exploded. She turned her head to see black particles mixed with tiny embers while making a mischievous grin. "Works like a charm."
Qrow told her to think of ranged weapons when they began traveling together. A few months after that she picked up archery. Qrow was skeptical about it, saying it lacked the range or power a gun had, but she stuck with it regardless. Eventually she modified her scimitars, which she named Midnight as a reminder to the night that changed her life.
The first modification was adding mecha-shift capabilities and a light-dust bow string which could be set to different lengths depending on how far she wanted to shoot. She could essentially shoot arrows as far as any close to medium range gun reasonably can so the issue on 'range' was taken care of.
The newest and very recent additions to her bow was actually to her arrows. She still has normal arrows of course, but also specially made ones with dust-crafted arrowheads which she kept in a separate slot in the quiver. The stem of the arrows were made with thin metal and inside was a fuse. She could heat up any part of the stem with her semblance and the fuse would light at the length she chose. She could heat up the bottom of the stem and delay the detonation for a duration, or ignite the fuse lower on the stem to make it occur sooner. She could even use them as make-shift grenades if she wanted and light the fuse close to the arrowhead then drop it. They were quite flexible in their use, which is how she solved the 'power' issue.
Cinder glanced down to see the two Beowolves get more than halfway up the trees. One was currently on a thick tree branch. They were pretty fast climbers considering their build. She could just shoot them with arrows from here but... What's the fun in that? Now standing up, with a quick twist, her bow broke apart and turned back into her twin scimitars with the light-dust string fading away.
One of the Beowolves managed to climb high enough on the tree to leap towards her. However unlike last time, Cinder kicked off her branch towards the Beowolf instead. The Grimm lifted it's claw up to swipe at her mid-leap. But Cinder stabbed her scimitar through it's large paw and used it as an anchor to swing around the heavier beast to be on it's backside. Without missing a beat, she used her other scimitar to slice through the neck of the Beowolf as she swung around it. Then before its body vaporized into black particles, she leaped off it to land on the branch that it came from. The entire motion only took about a second, but she performed it expertly.
Two were gone. Only one remained. She looked down to see the final Beowolf still climbing up the tree. She smiled confidently. It was only about a yard below her, but in its current position it couldn't threaten her quite yet. However that didn't stop it from lunging upward, claws at the ready. Cinder leaned back on the branch and the Beowolf's claws missed. She used this opportunity to lift her right leg up and kick into the Grimm's underbelly which flung it backwards a few feet away from the tree.
As it fell, Cinder leaned forward and kicked off the tree branch aiming towards the falling Beowolf. When she got close, it began to swing it's claws wildly, however Cinder cross-slashed in front of her to cut it's arms and fling them to the side before lifting both scimitars up, flipping them upside down in her hands, then stabbed them into the Grimm's chest.
The creature let out a yelp as it slammed into the ground, Cinder using it as a cushion for her own fall. It was no longer moving and she saw black particles around her, signaling that it was dead. So she pulled her scimitars out, spun them around, and then sheathed them on her belt.
Suddenly a sharp growl came from behind her. She turned to see another Beowolf just a couple yards away, charging towards her. However she just started at it without care. After it took one more step, Qrow with his large sword stabbed through it's back and out it's chest. The creature collapsed instantly and Qrow stood up straight, pulling his blade out. He rested it on his shoulder and cracked a grin towards Cinder. "Ya' missed one." he said but Cinder didn't look impressed.
"I'd take a step back if I were you." was her reply. She then saw his eyes immediately widen and he leaped backwards just before an explosion blew up the distance between them. It kicked up a bunch of dirt and some leaves.
Qrow walked around the small dirt cloud that formed to see Cinder smirking towards him confidently while spinning one of her dust arrows in her hand. "They're pretty good land mines. I would have killed it if you didn't get in my way." she glared towards him.
Qrow looked from Cinder to the small crater to the quickly vaporizing Beowolf. He shrugged and spun his sword around while it shrunk into its compact form so he could attach it to his belt. "Ehh, we'll call it a draw." he said and turned then started walking away.
Cinders eye widened. "A draw?!" she questioned and watched him leave. "Wha-" she jogged real quick to catch up to his side. "I killed more than you, admit it!" though Qrow just shook his head. "Ah, but that ain't true. See, I killed the last one. You were there, don't you remember?" he looked at her with his questioning face dripping with sarcasm.
"No... You stole the last kill." she argued and he turned away looking thoughtful. "Hrm... Yeah... Yeah, I guess I did." he mumbled but shrugged again. "Well, a kill's a kill. Doesn't matter how I got it." he said and turned towards her. "I think you should be more grateful for the draw I offered.
Cinder stopped walking and just stared at him with a shocked and angry expression while he continued to walk away. "You comin' or what?!" he called out to her and waved. Cinder clenched her teeth into a growl and started to stomp after him.
During the time Cinder traveled with Qrow, she learned a lot... About him. For one, his hygiene was terrible. The most he would do is brush his teeth but other than that go days on end without showering. If it wasn't for the stench of whiskey that surrounded him, he would stink of sweat and odor. Though she quickly got used to it because due to how often they traveled, she also stunk of sweat and odor... If there was one thing her step mother did right it was giving her access to a shower. It was probably only so Cinder wouldn't stink up the whole hotel though.
The toilet paper rule was another one. They had an entire backpack dedicated to just toilet paper. Using more than five pieces of it per... 'Incident' was strictly prohibited. It was probably the most important thing they carried according to Qrow other than booze. She thought it was silly until they ran out of it once and had to use leaves. Neither of them speak of that week anymore.
But Cinder couldn't hold it against Qrow. They really did travel a lot and would occasionally find themselves at small third world villages. In the beginning Cinder couldn't believe she was seeing people live in wooden houses and old farms while the technology in Atlas simply existed. Though as she got to learn more about the world she found herself less and less surprised. It was hard out there. Grimm threatened expansion from kingdoms and getting more advanced technology into the outer settlements took time, money, and dust. It was survival of the fittest out in the world, something Cinder could relate with.
Finally, there was his semblance. He always avoided the subject before, but told her that since they're traveling together, she should know it. 'Misfortune', he called it. He was bad luck incarnate. He didn't get into too many examples while he informed her, but she could tell he didn't enjoy talking about it. The fact that he couldn't turn it off, even if he ran out of aura made it even worse. He warned her that being near him would have unforeseen consequences, and at a moments notice she could trip, fall, drop her weapon, even something as subtle as not seeing something she should have, and it would be because of his semblance. It actually made her look back on some of their training sessions together and could remember a few times where something happened or felt 'off' in some way.
They would usually travel and take local Grimm slaying requests. He sometimes let her go out alone if the threat wasn't that high. He would also give her the freedom to take her own requests while he wasn't around, with the logic that she would do whatever she wanted even if he told her otherwise. In which case she agreed that she would.
Speaking of him not being around, sometimes Qrow would lead them to Vale every few months. The first time she entered the city, she was surprised at how different another kingdom was. It was... More free than Atlas. It didn't have a slums, and there were shops all over the place. Qrow said he was there to visit family, even invited her to come along. But she declined every invitation. She assumed it was those people he tried to pawn her off to before he agreed to let her travel with him. It wasn't like she thought he was going to leave her there... But she didn't really want to be around people like that. 'Friends'... 'Family'... She didn't want any of it. Not again. But that didn't stop Qrow. He would usually leave her in Vale for two or three weeks alone while he spent time with them. She once asked what he did over there and he just told her to come along and find out for herself.
She stopped asking after that.
There were also times that Qrow would leave her at a settlement and go out on a mission alone. They would happen a bit randomly. She assumed Hunters were more like freelancers, but could only assume he was getting missions from his 'boss' or something. If she tried to question him on what he was doing or where he was going, he deflected the questions. If she was really persistent then he just outright told her not to worry about it. There were a few times she tried following him but eventually he just vanished or his trail abruptly ended. He was the one who taught her how to track but it was like he just flew off into the sky sometimes, she didn't know how he did it.
This was one of those times.
Cinder pushed a tree branch out of the way and walked out of the forest onto a dirt path feeling annoyed. She lost track of him again. Qrow somehow managed to just erase all his tracks and disappear entirely. Just like every other time he's taken one of his 'secret missions' in the past. Though this time she was even more curious about what he was doing.
Because he said he was coming back with someone.
It was strange. The two of them haven't seen anyone in the last two years who would be connected to any of his missions. She couldn't help but wonder what he was actually doing out there.
She sighed. There was no point in thinking about it any longer. She failed to follow him again. For now, it was better to head back to the village he initially left her at. He said he would be back in roughly a week.
She frowned. "Dammit Qrow..."
Five Days Later
The village Qrow left her at was... 'Fine'. It was on the far outskirts of Vale and had the necessities. Food, water, people... No indoor pluming, unfortunately. She could probably count the number of buildings on both hands though. However villages like this loved it when hunters stayed there. She got free lodging and meals for just being there to defend in case of a Grimm attack. Officially she shouldn't since she's not a licensed hunter, but it turns out people on the outskirts don't actually give a damn about what's 'official' as long as you can kill Grimm.
There were the occasional two or three Beowolfs or Boarbatusks. Spread out along the week at least and only around the village. She didn't let them get close enough to be a threat. A village like this was small and didn't attract Grimm easily. They also had some defenses around the village in case of small attacks. Such as wooden walls and spikes jutting out of them. Most wild Grimm around these parts were weak and would get hurt running into those. Turns out the smaller the village the easier it was to defend. However Cinder knew if just one Alpha found itself attracted to this place with no trained Hunter present, it would be the end.
But that wasn't her problem. For now all she had to do was keep this place safe for about a week. Nothing more. Even then, if a serious threat occurred like a overwhelming stampede of Grimm or multiple Alphas, she would just leave and let the village get overrun. She wasn't about to die protecting a bunch of random peasants in no man's land after all.
It was currently a bit passed noon and Cinder was sitting at a table inside the local tavern. Despite selling liquor, the place accepted anyone. Underage or not. She wasn't surprised by that, everyone in the village knew each other after all. Besides, with her defending them all from Grimm she bet she could ask for alcohol and they would serve her it anyway. Not that she would, she's not a drinker. She's had some of Qrow's whiskey on occasion and can confidently say it was disgusting.
No, she was just here for some lunch. It was the only place that served food in the whole village. The rest of the buildings consisted of a couple small farms, a tiny library, a blacksmith, and some houses. The bar also served as an Inn, so she got to eat and sleep here. It wasn't too bad, aside for the lack of real pluming that is.
A waitress walked over and placed a dish in front of her. It was a chicken leg. Nothing fancy. She doubted anything fancy could come from this place. They walked away without saying a word. Most people did that. While they appreciated her work, they rarely paid her any mind. It was like they were in different worlds.
Maybe they were.
Cinder lifted up her fork and knife then began to dive into her food. She could nit-pick about some things, but food and a bed was really all she needed. This place was nice, quiet, and-
"Bandits!"
Cinder paused in her eating. "What?"
Bandits? Here? She almost didn't believe it until she heard a sound that could only be described as someone being impaled followed by a bloodcurdling scream and a lot of ruckus coming from outside the building.
Cinder dropped her fork and knife, standing up. "Crap. How'd they get inside the village? There's walls and people are on lookout for Grimm. They shouldn't miss a bandit invasion."
It didn't make sense. There was no way a group of Bandits could have just waltzed right in without any forewarning. Especially not into the very middle of the village undetected.
Cinder first noticed the bartender pull out a gun. Looked like some kind of shotgun. He held it tightly and aimed it towards the door. Looked like he knew how to use it. "At least he's got the right idea." she thought and scanned the room quickly to see about four others run and huddle behind the bar. The rest of them seemed like average civilians. The waitress, an old man, middle-aged woman, and her young child.
"Don't make a sound." Cinder called out and reached for her belt, unsheathing her scimitars. "I'll take a look through the window." she said then turned to the bartender. "If anyone walks through that door, shoot. It doesn't matter if you miss, I'll take care of the rest." Just the distraction would do fine. The man nodded silently.
Cinder did as she said and leaned against the wall to try and hide her presence while leaning to peak outside the window. Sure enough, there were bandits. And a lot of them. At least thirty, but most likely a little more. She could only see so much from this angle. "This many? How the hell did they get in here without so much as making a sound?!" Cinder began to suspect a traitor in the village but quickly pushed those thoughts away. This place was barely worth ransacking and even if there was one traitor, the bandits wouldn't have been able to make it this far into the village without some kind of uproar. So that left... "Either they snuck through some secret passage or a semblance was involved."
She gritted her teeth. Fighting Grimm were one thing. They were mindless beasts with little care of their own preservation aside for the rare alpha here or there. And even then would act with reckless abandon if provoked. But Humans were something else. They were smart, intelligent, they grouped together and used strategy.
"I didn't sign up for this." She told herself. There were a lot of enemies out there. As she continued to watch through the window, she saw one woman at the center of the bandits. She wore some strange white mask, it looked Grimm in some ways. She was pointing towards buildings and her gesture indicated she was in charge.
"I don't stand a chance against all of them at once... But if I take out their leader, maybe they'll scatter." It was a hope. Though she wasn't sure how much she wanted to bet on it. She could always leave through the back exit of this bar and escape. Though she shook her head at the thought. Escaping away from Grimm was one thing. They were mindless beasts. Almost akin to nature. But people? She would not run away from anyone like a coward.
Cinders eyes widened as she noticed a couple of men walk towards their building. She turned to the bartender then held up two fingers hoping he got the message. He nodded and Cinder crouched down, taking position beside the door where it would open and hide her from immediate view.
Sure enough the door swung open. "Hey! Whoeve-"
BLAM
The bartender shot his gun. He missed vitals but hit the bandit in the leg. "ARGGHH!" the bandit screamed. Cinder took that moment to spring forward and drive her right scimitar through their back and out their chest, killing them instantly.
In the moment it took to end that mans life, she took notice of the citizens hiding behind the bar. They were staring forward, eyes wide in horror at what she just committed. Was it really that bad? This person could have killed them after all. They should be grateful if anything.
However, she couldn't dwell on that. There was still one more. Without pulling her blade out of the bandit's back, she turned her head to the one still in the doorway. They also had a look of shock, but it also turned into one of fury. Too bad they wont get the chance to act.
Cinder swung her other scimitar to slice the mans stomach while pulling the opposite one out of the others back. It hit, however a shimmer appeared. This bandit blocked her attack with aura. Fine. That was fine. Her other attack was underway. She knew a gut strike wouldn't kill immediately, so was always planning on ending his life with a sideswipe to his neck with her other blade.
But he blocked it with a shortsword of his own. There was a clash of metal vs metal and he tripped backwards, out of the doorway. Cinder scoffed and used her foot to kick the door shut then ducked to the side. Chasing him outside was suicide and she couldn't risk him having some sort of quick ranged weapon.
"Dammit. Aura. Of course they have aura!" They were bandits living in the wilds. Though they seemed a bit unpracticed. The bandit she killed likely had their aura unlocked as well, but they didn't react well to surprise attacks. While the other got hit by her, but managed to shield himself at the last second. This just got a lot harder.
Raven Branwen led a tribe. The Branwen Tribe. It was well known on the far outskirts of... Well, wherever they wanted to go, really. Her semblance along with the power to turn into a bird made it easy to relocate to nearly anywhere. Currently it was on the Sanus outskirts. A near lawless land for the simple reason being Hunters rarely came out this far.
Though they had a quota. They didn't just ransack villages for no reason. Food, water, supplies. Sometimes just recruitment was necessary. And when they didn't meet that quota for some reason? Well, then they had to scrape the bottom of the barrel in tiny villages like these. They didn't have too much to offer, but could keep the tribe happily fed for hopefully a week or two.
It was the same routine regardless of the settlement size though. None of these villages were on the scale of kingdoms. Kill the first person who tries to stand up to them and the rest just surrender. It was a mercy, really. She could just let her men pillage the place after all. With how this was going, it would only take a short time befo-
BLAM
Raven's eyes snapped towards the bar. She just told two of her men to check it out, not thinking there would be too much resistance. Regardless of the ruckus around her, she focused on the bar and her trained ears managed to pick up a small quarrel occurring inside. Eventually she heard a clash of blades and one of her men stumbled out of the building followed by the door slamming shut.
"Two go in and one comes out... It seems we have a fighter." She smiled behind her mask.
The bandit who stumbled out of the bar ran towards her. "Ch- chief! There... There's..."
Raven rolled her eyes, though no one could see it behind her mask. "Out with it." she ordered.
He took a deep breath and spoke. "Lance is dead, some... I'unno, girl killed him."
Raven stared forward. "Some girl?" She wasn't so much upset that the one named 'Lance' was dead as much as surprised someone had the will to kill them so quickly. "How did it happen?" she asked.
"Stabbed through his back... It was right in front of me, but it happened so fast!" he explained.
Raven turned to look towards the bar. "What did they look like?"
"Uhm... Well, they had short black hair and... Oh, they used two swords!" he answered
Raven snapped in his direction and he flinched backwards. "That's it? One of us just died right in front of you and that's all the information you gleamed? Clothing? Age? Human or Faunus? Color? You had to have got something else."
His eyes widened and he shivered a bit. "O- oh... Uhm... They were white. Maybe... kinda young?" he answered but Raven simply kept staring at him. "Th- that's all I got! It happened so quick I didn't see anything else!"
Raven grabbed his shoulder and shoved him aside. "Useless." Most of them were. But there was benefits in having numbers, regardless of how worthless they were individually. She took some steps forward then turned towards the bar. "I know you're in there. Come out and this wont be any harder than it has to be!" she called out. Though honestly? She could just storm the building single-handedly and take whoever was in there out... But she wanted to see how they acted to her provocation.
"Shit." Cinder cursed while taking her previous place, glancing out the window. She was not going out there. It was certainly a death sentence. But she wasn't sure what to do right now. The numbers advantage was theirs, most or all of them had aura, their leader definitely did. Was running the only option? With just herself she could likely escape.
But she didn't like that. She could see the anger and fear in that bandits eyes when she killed his ally. He didn't make a strategic retreat, he was terrified he might die and fled. He was weak. They all likely were. What good was gaining power if weaklings like these banded together and overpowered her? No, she had to defeat them and claim victory. Otherwise all her training up to this point held no meaning.
"Ya' tend to have a bit of an ego. That's fine an' all, but don't ever stop thinking. Everything and everyone around you can be an advantage if you use it, or them, correctly." Cinders eyes widened as she remembered one of Qrow's teachings. He was likely talking about other hunters at the time, and she didn't like the way he worded it, but it still helped. She turned towards the bar. But not at the bartender, but the people hiding behind it. Scanning the four of them, one stood out. The waitress. She had short black hair, just above her neck. It wasn't styled like hers but it would work. "You." she said and pointed at the waitress. The young girl's eyes widened and she tried to slump away. "Come here. I've got a job for you." Cinder smirked.
Raven considered herself a patient person. One has to be when leading others. Mistakes are made here and there or just labor time always made things take a while on occasion. So after two minutes passed and not a sight or sound of the one inside the bar was made, Raven decided to go in there herself and get this over with. However after she took one step towards the tavern, its door began to open.
A hooded young woman walked out holding a single scimitar at her side. Her steps were slow, almost a bit shaky as she took her place opposite of Raven, around 6 yards away. The hood covered her head, but she could see strands of black hair. Though seeing any expression was a bit difficult from this distance.
"Who are you?" Raven question loud enough for them to hear.
Silence. They didn't even move let alone answer. "Something's not right here." She turned towards the one who was attacked. "Is that her?" she asked him. But he just nodded. "Ye- yeah. I mean, it's gotta be."
Ravens eyes narrowed behind her mask while she analyzed the girl standing before her. She had the correct traits listed. Black hair, white, and judging from her skin she wasn't 'old'. However she was missing a second scimitar. He said there were two earlier...
Raven then noticed something else. This girl. Her leg was shaking. Not only that, but the grip on her sword was all wrong. She was in no stance and Raven didn't even feel the slightest bit threatened by her. That wasn't right, her instincts never betrayed her. There was no way this girl killed a man.
Raven smirks then suddenly ducks to the side just in time for a blade to scrape against her Grimm mask. A couple seconds later and that would have been the back of her head. Her assailant was a young woman with short black hair. She was still in the air, a bit above her and defenseless with a shocked expression. They obviously didn't expect to miss. Raven could finish this here and now, her hand already gripping Omen's hilt. One powerful upward strike and this girl would be sliced in half, aura be damned. This would be over. However instead she opted for a non-lethal approach.
Raven spun her body around the girl while lifting up her leg then kicked the midair assassin in their side. They made a pained grunt while their aura flickered and were tossed nearly four yards away towards the impostor from the force of the kick. Despite taking a hit, Raven couldn't help but notice how expertly they managed to collect themselves and land. They hit the ground, made a quick roll, and stopped their momentum, already starting to stand up.
"Impressive." Raven though.
"Well that didn't work." Cinder clenched her teeth and stood up on both feet. Her plan, use the waitress as a decoy and sneak out back, climb onto the building's roof and attack from above in a blind spot.
Maybe she should have used arrows instead? Perhaps, but she doubted it would have mattered. Going by how quickly that woman dodged her strike, she would likely dodge an arrow just as easily. Though she could have gone for not getting kicked...
There was some pain in her side, she blocked most of it with her aura. But still, she couldn't believe how fast that woman moved. That was no easy thing they just did there. "How did she even know where I was?" Luck? Did they just duck and hope for the best?
No... Her blade still made contact, just a scrape, but still. If she dodged in any other way then Cinder's sword would be lodged into that mask, likely shedding blood.
This lady wasn't just good, she was an expert. Probably as good as Qrow is. She's only ever seen him dodge an attack last second like that. He said there was a sixth sense to it that just comes with time and experience.
"Tch." Cinder scoffed and glanced at the waitress she used as a decoy, lifting her hand out.
The Waitress blinked and flinched backwards but then looked down at the sword they were holding and clumsily tossed it towards her. Cinder reached up and grabbed the blade's grip despite it's twisting and turning midair.
Her eyes then settled back on the woman before her while the Waitress ran off beside some other villagers. Meanwhile she was surrounded, outnumbered, and out-skilled. Definitely not the ideal situation to say the least. "What should I do? Escape?" her eyes darted left and right, looking for some kind of opening. She was against the idea earlier, but being quite literally in the center of danger could change anyone's mind.
"What's your name, girl?"
The words made Cinder snap her eyes back at the bandit leader. But didn't answer, instead glanced a bit upward to see if going above a building could assist in any escape.
"You know, you would do best to play along and answer. I'm being nice giving you time to look for an exit." Cinders eyes widened and snapped back to her. "Learn to multitask and talk to me at the same time, should be easy for someone like you."
After speaking the lady reached up and took off her helmet. Long black hair, red eyes, good complexion taking age into consideration. They didn't have the combat experience to be younger than thirty, likely a bit older though.
They stared at her expectantly.
"Ugh..." Cinder internally groaned. "What's it to you?" she ended up asking.
The lady smirked. "Well, I just want to know the name of the one who killed off one of my men. I don't really take kindly to that thing after all." she handed off her helmet to one of the other bandits. "Here, I'll start. I am 'Raven', now it's your turn."
Cinder's eyes narrowed. She wasn't sure if she should be answering anything to this woman. But one thing was for certain, she needed to come up with some kind of plan before a fight broke out. Despite not wanting to play by this persons rules... She couldn't think of anything else to do.
"... Cinder." she answered after a moments pause.
The woman's expression grew a bit more lax. "Cinder, hm? A strong name. I like it."
Cinder rolled her eyes.
"Oh come now, don't be sassy. It was a compliment." they said. Though Cinder was half convinced it was a taunt. She just didn't know what they were after.
Cinder lifted her left scimitar up and pointed it towards Raven. "Why are we talking? What do you want from me?" she demanded. It just didn't make sense.
Raven nodded. "True. I could take you out easily if I wanted to." she smirked again. "We both know that much as this point, don't we?" It was infuriating.
Cinder scowled. "I said, what do you want?!" she demanded again more forcefully.
Ravens smirk vanished and she took a couple steps forward. Steps that made Cinder retract her blade and settle on a stance awaiting to be charged. They seemed to notice this. "Relax, I'm not going to attack you. At least not yet." she shook her head. "No... That would be a waste."
That confused Cinder. "A waste?" she questioned.
The bandit leader nodded. "Yes, a waste. Just from our quick exchange earlier I could tell you're a strong warrior. You almost had me with that attack." she glanced over at the waitress who flinched backwards. "If your actor over there was a bit more convincing, I might've actually been hit." she glanced back at Cinder. "So color me impressed."
Cinder sighed. "You really like to hear yourself talk, don't you?" she jabbed.
Though Raven took it in stride. "Well, considering me talking is the only thing keeping you alive right now, I'd say you should like it even more."
"Dammit she's good." Cinder did not have a rebuttal to that and just clenched her teeth in frustration.
Raven seemed to notice Cinder had nothing to say and continued on. "Anyway, I guess we should stop and get on with this already."
That made Cinder tense up and prepare for some kind of assault. But Raven just dismissively waved her hand. "Oh relax, I say we make a deal."
Cinder didn't relax. Instead her eyes narrowed. "What kind of deal?" she asked.
Raven continued smirking. "The kind where you don't die. Now doesn't that sound nice?" she asked.
But Cinder stayed suspicious. None of this made sense. Why was this woman bargaining with her? Was her dodging earlier really all luck? Had she no confidence she could win? Was all this a bluff?
Those were the thoughts that plagued Cinder's mind. However they were countered. Not by words or actions. Just from the woman's... From Ravens poise and stature. She wasn't nervous in the slightest. She wasn't scared or stressed. This was a woman who didn't have confidence, she was confidence.
It was no bluff. For some odd reason, Raven wanted to get on her good side. What that reason was is a mystery, but Cinder would certainly abuse it for more time. She's been glancing around, looking for something, anything to use which could assist in either combat or escape, but found nothing substantial.
Sure, she could run. But she also witnessed Ravens speed and agility first hand. She would get caught. If she wanted to escape, she would need some sort of distraction. As for fighting them and coming out victorious... Well, nothing's impossible... But the odds were nowhere near her favor.
Part of Cinder wondered where all her confidence went. It was as if the woman before her stole all of it somehow.
Cinder scoffed. "Well what do you have in mind?" she asked. There was no escaping and attacking was... Not the best option. She hated to admit it, but Raven was right. Keeping the conversation going was her best bet.
Raven... Relaxed. Well, she was always relaxed but it looked like she was suddenly at ease now. No longer was she 'ready' in case Cinder suddenly attacked... Which made Cinder even more hesitant to.
It was like she could read her. Like she could tell when she was telling the truth or not. This lady 'sensed' that Cinder wasn't going to attack and let her guard down. She trusted that sense.
And it was correct. Cinder stayed put and didn't move a muscle.
"I say we hold a duel." Raven spoke aloud, for all around her to hear. "If you win, we will leave without harming another person or stealing anything." she paused and then glared at Cinder. "But should you lose..." she smirked. "We'll still leave without hurting anyone or stealing anything. However... You join us."
There was a silence. Cinder couldn't really believe what she was hearing. But It made sense. Why this woman was talking and negotiating with her. It wasn't because she was scared or bluffing. It was because she wanted her.
She wasn't the only one who realized. Many of the other bandits started a commotion, speaking aloud their displeasure with accepting someone to the tribe who killed one of their own. It spread to the lot of them as they all began shouting.
Raven frowned. "Silence!" she shouted. They all stopped talking and she continued once the murmurs ended. "This girl is far better than you lot. She's strong, quick, smart, talented,-" their eyes then linked with her own. "-and a killer." her smirk turned into a full grin.
Meanwhile Cinder suddenly felt a chill go down her spine. She does look back on the people she's killed in her life every once in a while. Her step-'family', the man just a few yards away inside the bar. Even those thugs that tried to mug her a couple years ago. She didn't kill them, but she also wasn't against the idea. But the way Raven spoke of it... It was like she was proud of her. Proud that she ended lives to achieve her goals. Qrow never expressed any kind of satisfaction, but he didn't show discontent in her either. He just... Accepted it. Part of Cinder suddenly wondered if he would be upset that she killed one of the bandits.
Raven continued speaking. "If any of you want, go ahead. Try and fight her. But you'll lose. She could kill half of you before you get to her." She spoke those words with confidence. Confidence in Cinder. It was strange having an enemy speak highly of you.
None of the bandits moved or spoke a word past that. They seemed to accept their leaders judgment. Cinder could tell their respect for this woman ran deep. If she actually killed her with that first attack... Would they have retreated? Honestly, she wasn't so sure anymore.
However Cinder didn't like this. She was just being strung along by this woman's words and actions. "You don't know the first thing about me." she growled, glaring daggers at Raven.
This made Raven smirk. "Oh? Well then, let's see..." she began. "You're young... Likely around sixteen to eighteen, too young to be an official Hunter. You're properly trained despite being in the outskirts, which only means there's your teacher close by. I would say he was in town, but you wouldn't be as nervous as you are now if he was. Which means you're hoping he gets here in time to help you."
Cinders teeth clenched shut. This lady was really starting to piss her off.
"Your practical clothes indicate that your teacher actually knows what he's doing, your battle sense and instincts are sharp... Though you're a bit hardheaded from what I've seen so far." Raven smirked. "And you would let everyone here die if it meant getting out of alive."
That gave Cinder pause and looked at Raven like she was insane. "Let everyone die? No, I wouldn-"
"Don't give me that look." Raven interrupted. "You sent some civilian girl out to the wolves, shaking. I could have cut her down the second she stepped foot out of the tavern."
Cinders eyes widened. Raven continued speaking.
"See? You didn't even think of her well being. Because you don't care about her, and why should you? Honestly, it's a good set of traits to have. You, Cinder, are a survivor."
Cinder relaxed her stance and lowered her weapons. Though her glare she directed at Raven was as furious as ever. "Fine. Let's do this. I can't wait to beat you and get this over with." Cinder was angry now.
Raven chuckled. "Fight me? C'mon now, that would be no contest. I consider myself a fair woman after all." she said and turned her head to the said. "Vernal, come here."
Cinder examined a young woman walked out of the crowd of bandits and took her place beside Raven. She look around the same age as herself, maybe a year older perhaps.
"This is Vernal." Raven said and turned back towards Cinder. "I've trained her myself. She should be a fair opponent." she then turned around and walked away to make some distance, giving them room to fight. "Begin whenever you want." she called out while taking her place at the front of the crowd of bandits.
Vernal reached behind her back and pulled out two crescent shaped blades. With what looked like a handgun in its center as well. At first glance hey were essentially exaggerated daggers with quickfire capabilities. But who knows if they had some other functions.
Cinder spread her legs, both scimitars at her sides ready to charge forward and strike at a moments notice. During which she glanced at Raven sitting in the back, enjoying the show. How dare that woman try to control her. "Dammit. When I get my hands on her... Wait." Cinder's eyes narrowed and focused back on Vernal.
This was it. Her chance. What better distraction could she ask for than a fight? Sure, she was involved in said fight but that didn't matter. Raven was a spectator. She was watching, didn't have her sword drawn, and seemed fairly lax all things considered. If Cinder had any chance of taking her out, it was now.
Vernal smirked and twirled her weapon in her hand. "You ready? Tell you what, I'll give you the first shot." she said smugly.
Cinder scoffed. "Oh, you'll regret that." she said back. And if she did this correctly, Vernal certainly will. Cinder flipped one Scimitar upside down and slammed them together to make a bow. Then quickly reached behind to grab a dust-arrow. However didn't use her semblance to ignite the fuse. She saw Vernal's eyes go wide as she nocked the arrow and fired. Vernal sidestepped and the arrow flew passed her, losing altitude and spiked itself into the ground, just a couple feet away from Raven.
"Perfect." Cinder thought and then began to shoot off a couple more normal, non-dust arrows while Vernal closed the distance. All of them being dodged or deflected. Vernal got close and swung her pincer-like weapon. Cinder spun her bow to clash against it, then rolled off to the side. She pulled out another dust-arrow and this time used her semblance on it while firing. Vernal dodged that one as well, though it kept going and struck itself into one of the wooden buildings a few feet away from Raven.
"I've got about thirty seconds now." In that time the fuse will reach the arrowhead and explode, causing another explosion with the dust-arrow beside Raven. Hopefully that would damage and disorient her to make an opening for a killing blow. But first she had to push Vernal back and get into position before then.
She detached her bow back into scimitars and charged her head on. She lowered her right scimitar to her left side while swinging her left horizontally to the right. It clashed with one of Vernal's pincer-weapons. But then she made a diagonal slash with her right scimitar. Vernal couldn't block it well enough in time and took a step back to parry it away.
Cinder took the opportunity to take a full step forward. Closing in on not only Vernal, but her real target, Raven as well. While her right scimitar was parried, she swung once more with her left, this time a vertical slice which made light contact with Vernal's aura. Their aura shimmered a brown color then quickly died down. It wasn't enough to push them back though as they stood their ground and stabbed one of their weapons forward.
Cinder shoved her right scimitar into the pincers to block it. She could then see Vernal smirk and suddenly the pincers closed inward, locking together while trapping her Scimitar in them. She yanked hard, but it didn't come out.
"Tch. Annoying." she thought quickly.
Vernal was already on the move and stabbed her opposite pincer forward just like before. Instead of blocking or deflecting them though, Cinder let go of her locked down scimitar and dodged to the left. Vernal's stab missed.
Cinder then slunk down and did a leg sweep. The movement apparently caught Vernal by surprise as she was hit and fell sideways onto the ground. They released the vice grip on Cinder's blade and instead got ready to defend against another attack.
CLASH
KLING
SWOOSH
Raven was smiling while she watched the two fight. It wasn't everyday she saw someone with potential. And going by what she was seeing, this person was as good, if not a bit better than Vernal. She still had faith Vernal would win, however. She trained the girl herself and just because Cinder here might have more potential, doesn't mean it was tapped correctly.
"Hah, look at me getting all excited about training someone. I wonder if this is how old Oz felt when he saw me and Qrow all those years ago?" she couldn't help but wonder. The memories of her time in Beacon were still there after all.
Raven watched as Cinder then tripped Vernal onto the ground. Impressive, though it was far from over. Vernal could easily fight and get back up at the same time. It was then that she allowed her attention to stray from the fight momentarily.
She looked down towards one of the arrows Cinder shot earlier. "A bow and arrow though? Rather odd choice for a ranged weapon... Hopefully I can talk her out of it, but it's not the end of the would either way." she shrugged. People had strange weapons from time to time. A bow would be far from the weirdest... Its time has just passed is all.
She then turned to look at the other arrow she fire, it was still lodged into the building to her left. Her eyes narrowed... The stem of the arrow... It was singed? How did that happen?
"RAVEN LOOK OUT!"
Ravens eyes widened and turned to see Cinder charging towards her with both Scimitars at her side, ready to attack.
She smirked. "A trap."
The moment Cinder knocked Vernal over, they released the vice grip on her scimitar. Cinder caught it mid-air before it could hit the ground then entered a charging sprint towards Raven.
"This is it. Now or never." somewhere around 30-35 seconds have passed during that exchange with Vernal. She had to attack Raven now or the plan was over.
Vernal got ready for an attack that never came and instead saw Cinder dash towards Raven. She opened her mouth and shouted. "RAVEN LOOK OUT!"
Ravens eyes widened and turned to see Cinder charging towards her with both Scimitars at her side, ready to attack. She reached down and grabbed her katana.
BOOM
Cinder's fire-dust arrow exploded, which caused the other fire-dust arrow beside Raven to also explode. The building's roof was now in flames and there was smoke everywhere. Cries from the citizens and bandits could be heard, however Cinder didn't end her charge. A blow like that would, at best, knock someone's aura to low or nothing. Raven wasn't dead yet!
Cinder pulled bother scimitars to her right and swung them horizontally through the smoke. They moved at such a speed that they cut into it, separating the fumes until-
CLASH
Cinder's eyes widened as both her blades hit and slid against anothers. Sparks flew until she finished the swing and both blades were at her left side now.
"What?" she thought in disbelief. That was impossible. Raven should be either down or at the very least too disoriented to block... How then...?
Cinder took a step back and watched as the smoke dissipated. She saw a figure inside, obviously Raven. As it continued to clear, she saw them holding their... Fire-dust katana in a blocking position. That was how she defended against her attack... But how did she...
It was then that Cinder saw something strange. She saw a glimpse of Raven's face through the smoke. Her eyes had... Some weird fire around them. The smoke wafted too hard to get a better look though, and once it dispersed completely whatever fire Cinder saw was gone. Did she imagine it? Was it just embers from her explosion?
That didn't matter though, she was in a bad position right now. Standing between Raven and Vernal while surrounded by bandits.
"Correct choice." Raven said.
That stopped Cinder out of her thoughts and she relaxed her muscles a bit to look at Raven who slowly lowered her katana after the smoke fully dissipated. She was smirking.
"Raven! Are you okay?!" Vernal ran up from behind and Cinder spun around to have one scimitar facing each of them.
Raven nodded. "I'm fine Vernal, stay back. I'll deal with the rest of this myself." she told her then looked at Cinder. "I'd say it's only fair to accept her invitation to fight after all that."
Cinder gritted her teeth. "Dammit... Nothing's working!"
Raven kept her gaze on Cinder though, wearing an amused and happy... Almost proud expression. "You can't trust me." she stated and Cinder turned her attention fully to Raven now. She knew the other bandits listened to her, Vernal wasn't a threat for the moment.
"Even if I said I would leave should you win, why would I honor that deal?" she questioned. "You're correct to be suspicious. And so you devised a plan to take me out and assure that you're victorious." she chuckled. "Oh, I really like you. I even suspect you held back in your fight with Vernal just to set all this up."
She then looked over towards the ground, then the building which was currently on fire due to the explosions. "Explosive arrows? Fired at Vernal but aimed to miss... All while having the timing down perfectly... That is... I don't think 'impressive' is good enough." she admitted... But then lifted her katana up, pointed at Cinder. "Come then, you've earned the right to face me. I'm the one you really want anyway, right?"
Cinder let out a growl. "Fine. This was getting old anyway!" she shouted, swinging both scimitars to her side and charged towards Raven. Though the older bandit just had a calm, amused smile.
"There's... One more thing I can try... Her sword looks to be made of dust... Which makes it more fragile than a normal blade." Cinder thought. But it was more than a long shot...
Cinder closed the distance quickly and swung her left blade vertically upward. Raven sidestepped it perfectly then swung their Fire-bladed katana. It was now or never, waiting would just make her waste stamina.
Cinder activated her semblance on her scimitars. The blades suddenly came to life in a metallic heat. She swung her right scimitar to clash directly with Raven's fire-dust blade. It shattered it to pieces.
"NOW!" Cinder screamed at herself and spun completely around. Pulling back would just take too much time, she had to continue the assault. Raven should be at least a little surprised by Cinder's fire-blades cutting through her own.
When she finished turning, she was ready to swing both blades horizontally into Raven.
However Raven was wearing a calm expression... In fact, her entire posture changed. Her katana's hilt was already sheathed. "What?" Cinder thought but didn't have time to stop the motion of her attack.
Raven's hilt 'clicked' and her blade began to unsheathe. This time it was yellow. A lightning-dust blade came out of the sheath and was swung horizontally as well, opposite of Cinder's blades. However theirs was moving much faster.
Cinder's eyes widened. "Crap."
The lightning-dust blade hit into Cinder's side, her aura shimmered, taking the blow. However the force of it launched her off her feet and she flew into one of the building's walls. Her aura shimmered once again.
"Gah!" Cinder cried out. The blow was received by her aura, but getting slammed into a solid wall still knocked the air out of you.
After hitting the wall, she fell down. Though barely caught herself on one foot and somehow managed to keep her balance instead of collapsing.
Her aura took a very serious hit there... One more like that and...
An image of her getting cut in half flashed across her mind.
Cinder shivered. She couldn't fight this woman. She was stronger, faster, smarter. She had technique and experience that put her to shame. Even trying to fight her head on like this was laughable at best.
The grip on her scimitars tightened so hard that blood actually began to drip from her hands. "Dammit... DAMMIT!" she began to shake in anger. Not towards her weakness, but Raven's strength.
Raven let out a sigh. "Now now... Don't lose your cool." she told her.
However Cinder shook her head, activating her semblance once more and her swords ignited again, making them hotter. "Shut up!" Cinder yelled and glared at Raven with a hatred. "No more talking!" she screamed afterwards and began to charge towards the woman.
Raven sighed and held her blade with both hands, ready for her strike.
Cinder swung her left fire-imbued scimitar into another vertical-upward slash just like the first time. Raven sidestepped it, just like the first time.
However unlike the first time, Cinder let go of the scimitar. It was tossed into the air, spinning. She then went low and swung her opposite scimitar at Raven's legs while she was sidestepping.
Raven calmly lowered her lightning-dust blade and parried Cinder's leg swipe with enough force to knock her scimitar out of her hands and keep going until it would hit her.
However Cinder let go of her scimitar so it wouldn't interfere in her next action. She leaped upward to not only dodge Raven's own slash but also grab the hilt of the Scimitar she left spinning mid-air. With it she ignited it full charge and swung it downward, adding the force of her body falling to her slash.
Raven was able to block it in time, but her expression was that of surprise. "She's... better... She's more focused... Even while enraged?" Raven's seen a lot of things in her days, but losing your cool in battle usually meant you were destined to lose... But in Cinders case, she was getting stronger... More agile from it. She was feeding off her fury. What kind of life has this girl lived to be able and do something like that? But she smirked. "I might actually have to try a little..."
When their blades clashed together, sparks of fire and lightning flickered between them. But Cinder wasn't done just yet. Now she had to-
Cinder's eyes widened and rather than doing what she wanted to, landed and both herself and Raven leaped away.
What they were avoiding was a large sword which came from the sky and slammed itself into the ground where they just were. A very familiar sword. Harbinger. Following it was a man.
Qrow.
He landed beside his sword and reached down to grab it, lifting it up until it rested against his right shoulder. He smiled with his cocky grin, in the middle of everyone. Cinder, Raven, the townsfolk, and the bandits. "Hey, did I miss the fun?" he gave Cinder a look and then turned to face Raven.
"Qrow!" Cinder shouted happily. Her expression and feelings doing a complete flip to what they just were.
"Qrow..." Raven growled. Her expression also made a drastic change to what it just was.
However the two's eyes then widened and they looked at one another. Confusion gracing both their faces.
But it was Raven which recovered first. She groaned and stood up straighter, sheathing her katana. "Ugh, I should have known... No wonder she was so good."
Cinder turned and looked at her teacher. "Qrow, who is this lady?!" she prodded him.
Qrow however didn't turn away from Raven but answered her question. "This... Is my dear old sis." he revealed.
Cinder's eyes widened in shock... But then they squinted. "Wait... Qrow and Raven..." she mumbled and lowered her weapons while groaning in irritation. "Ugh, that's so stupid!" she grumbled.
Qrow let out a laugh. "Yeah, our father had interesting names for us..."
Raven continued to glare at Qrow while he seemed fairly lax all things considered. "So Raven, looks like you've been busy." he said to them.
She however shrugged. "As busy as any other day I suppose."
"Yeah, life of a bandit. Ya' never really stop being a pest, do ya'?"
"You calling someone else a pest? You should look in a mirror sometime."
"Oh, haha. I bet you don't even have any mirrors in that garbage dump you call a camp."
"We would have plenty if you looking into them didn't shatter them all."
The two of them continued to bicker like childish brats for the next couple minutes. Cinder now sheathed her weapons and watched the two of them do so... As did many of the bandits, including Vernal. In fact the two actually made eye contact and then shrugged, not knowing what to do at this point.
Raven reached down and grabbed Omen. "I've had enough of this Qrow, what's it that you're after?" she questioned.
Qrow however just shrugs. "Oh, I'unno. Maybe for you and this rag-tag team of bastards to get the hell outta here." he rolled his eyes.
Raven clicked her togue. "Tch, and why should I do anything you want? We could raze this place to the ground before you can do anything about it." she told him, however he didn't look impressed.
"Oh, please Raven. I know how you work. You might be spiteful but you're also efficient. Taking this town out would take too long for it to be worth it." he told her and then gestured his hand in a 'shoo' motion. "So just get outta here already."
Raven's eyes frowned. "Oh you would like that wouldn't you?" she taunted and then kicked off the ground and headed straight for Qrow in a fast dash forward.
Qrow swung harbinger down to clash with Raven's now ice-elemental katana. His sword's heavy weight forced Raven's dust-blade to shatter. Though Raven twisted around and dodged a hit while sheathing Omen. With a click, the blade changed to a different element and she was now at his side. She unsheathed her blade for it to be a fire-elemental katana now and swung it at his mid-section. Though Qrow quickly kicked his left foot forward and narrowly dodged it while twisting his body around to make his own vertical slash at Raven's head.
Raven knelt down to delay when the strike would hit and then tumble to her left. Qrow's sword hit into the ground. Normally that would mean it stabbed itself into the earth, however Qrow hit with such force that it actually caused the ground to splinter and crack until it broke into an uncountable number of pieces.
Raven took the opportunity to strike once more and swing her katana at Qrow's legs. But Qrow easily leaped for the sky and avoided it. He leaped nearly 15 feet into the air. His sword made a 'click' and began to transform into it's scythe while he did so.
That didn't go unnoticed by Raven. She knew how long it took for Qrow's weapon to change forms and took the opportunity to leap up and strike him while it did. However she suddenly slipped! Mud from below caused her to fall to knee when she tried to jump. By the time she collected herself, Qrow's Harbinger finished changing shape into it's scythe form. He held it mid-air and backwards with it's blade prodding out behind himself and leaned downward into a nose dive towards Raven.
He spun his entire body to use a spinning rotation and increase the force of his strike. Raven thought knew how to deal with this and instead of dodging or retreating, dived directly towards him. She herself used her leg muscles in a knelt position due to that unlucky tumble to push herself upward and meet him mid-way.
Doing so resulted in Raven's katana getting in between Qrow and his scythe. However Qrow quickly pushed the staff of his scythe forward to clash into Raven's dust-blade. Her katana was able to keep shape instead of shattering that time and she was simply forced to disengage from him while he was forced to do the same.
Since both of them used such force to push against one another, they landed around 4-5 yards away. Raven quickly sheathing her blade to get a strengthened one and Qrow spun his scythe around his body, preparing for another attack.
Cinder stared with her mouth wide open. Never in her life had she seen such expert movements! Sure, she trained with Qrow, even saw him fight Grimm. But this was something else. His movements were a blur, as was Ravens. The most she could do was tell where they were, not what the were doing.
"This is Qrow's best?" she asked herself. But the answer was obvious... It wasn't. She knew Qrow. He was a good man. Someone who always did the right thing despite whining about it from time to time. If this was his sister then he would only use as much force as necessarily to ward her off. Though she wasn't sure if Raven was holding back, it was safe to assume she was though.
That being said... "This is the woman I was picking a fight with?!" Cinder panicked towards herself. Raven could have cut her head off without trying apparently. What the hell were with these two monsters? Could aura actually bring someone to this level? It was absurd.
It seemed many onlookers thought the same as well. Civilians as well as the bandits just stared in awe, none of the likely even following where they were. Vernal was the only one capable of following their direction from the looks of it as their eyes followed the same movements her own did.
Cinder clenched her teeth and fists. She was still weak. Still worthless. She thought she gained power but it was only a small glimpse of it... The world was actually larger than she originally thought despite traveling it.
Raven suddenly let go of her sword and Qrow noticed then relaxed his stance. "Fine, we're done here." she says.
Qrow smirks and swings his scythe to the side where it begins to transform back into a broadsword. "Why the change of heart? Afraid you'll lose?"
Raven scoffed. "I've got more important things to do than sit here all day and fight the likes of you." she tells him and turns around to walk back towards her tribe.
Cinder takes a few steps forward. "You're just leaving?! Get the hell back here!" she calls out.
Raven does stop and turns her head to glance at her. "Cinder... Right?" she asks but continues anyway. "I'm sorry our little engagement got cut short... But just know..." she said and then turned to face them fully. Their expression seemed... Serious, and maybe even a little sad. "There will come a time where you realize you can trust no one... Where all the people you did trust have betrayed you... When that time comes, search me out." she grabbed the hilt of her sword and pulled it from her sheath, shooting some kind of blast out beside her which turned into a strange... Portal. "I'll answer all your questions." she told her and then turned towards the strange portal she made. "We're moving out everyone, let's go." she called out and went into it while the other bandits followed her.
Cinder tried to run forward and stop them. "Hey!" she shouted out. But Qrow reached out with his arm and she hit into it, stopping her. She turned to glare at him angrily, however he just stared forward towards the bandits and shook his head. "Just let her go." he told her.
He sounded... Sad. She didn't press the subject and simply sighed, relaxing.
That Night – Camp
Cinder currently sat beside a campfire with Qrow a few feet away taking a bite out of some meat he got from town. All along with some unconscious woman laying in a cart beside them. Qrow wouldn't give any details. She was just left leaning against one of the houses on the edge of town and they picked her up after the bandits were dealt with. She was close enough to be warmed by the heat of the campfire but far enough that it wasn't too weird.
A lot happened, but to make it short the bandits left, order was restored, and then the town kicked Qrow out for being the sibling of Raven. Apparently the Branwen Bandits were actually rather well-known around these parts. News to her.
At least they didn't throw their business away and sold them supplies, a cart, and horse for their travels.
But it didn't help Cinder's mind siphon through everything. The bandits, Raven, this weird woman with them. It all gave her too many questions. She continued to stare into the campfire until she simply couldn't bare it any longer.
"Qrow." she said and he lowered his chicken leg to look over at her. She didn't look in his direction however but kept talking. "Who's this lady?" she asked.
He shook his head. "Don't worry about it."
Cinder didn't listen to him. "Why are we bringing her with us?"
"It doesn't matter." he told her and took another bite of his food.
Cinder gritted her teeth and reached over to angrily swat his chicken leg out of his hand and stand up. She glared at him. "What are we doing here? What are you doing here? Why are we doing it? Are you lying to me?!" she suddenly shouted out to him.
He didn't flinch when she hit his food away and didn't even look at her afterwards. They just sat in silence while the fire flickered. However eventually he did look up at her. "... I'm keeping secrets... I think that's obvious by now... But I'm not lying to you Cinder." he told her.
Cinder clenched her fists. "What secrets?!" she shouted out. "Why am I left in the dark?! What the hell do you do that's so important?!" he was now breathing heavily.
Qrow sighed and waved his arm. "Okay, okay... Just sit down, will ya'?" he asked.
Cinder narrowed her eyes but obliged and sat back down in front of the campfire.
Qrow took another moment but then spoke. "... I'm not your average hunter, Cinder." he started with. "I don't just do freelance missions or even public ones. At least not most of the time." he reached over and grabbed a stick to start poking the fire and keep it going. "I work with the higher ups of... Well..." he shrugged. "Everything."
Cinder's angry expression turned to confusion. "What do you mean?"
Qrow let go of the stick for it to hit the ground. "I mean exactly what I mean." he said and looked at her. "Do you really think it was luck that I managed to get us to leave Atlas all those years ago? That no one pursued us or held an investigation on that motel?" he questioned and turned away.
Cinders eyes widened. She never really liked thinking about that night. Only occasionally looking back on the lives she took.
"Well it wasn't. I'm the kind of Hunter that only gets secret missions. Lien is a non-issue. I shake hands with the Headmasters of the academies... I have drinks with the Atlas General." he finished with.
Cinder turned away and stared into the fire again.
He sighed. "That's the kind of life I live... So yes, there's secrets. There will always be secrets... But I don't lie, okay?" he asks and looks over towards her.
However Cinder frowns and continues to stare angrily into the fire.
Qrow groans. "If it makes you feel any better... You'll learn about it all someday... The things in this world that don't make sense." he assured her.
She looked at him and he smiled. "You're my student after all... You'll have an opportunity to learn... Someday... Just know that once you do, there's no going back." he tells her.
Her angry expression falters, trying to think about what he said. To understand it and perhaps gain a glimpse of what he's talking about.
Qrow yawned, breaking the tension. "Anyway, it's time we talk about other issues." he tells her.
Cinder raises an eyebrow. "What kind of other issues are more important?" she questions.
Qrow looks over to the woman in the cart beside them. Cinder follows his gaze as Qrow speaks. "Things have... Progressed... Negatively." he says. "I'm going to need to go solo from now on."
Cinder's eyes widen and she quickly turns to glare at him. "Solo?! But I'-"
Qrow lifts his palm up, stopping her from speaking further. "You can't come with me Cinder. This kind of stuff... What you saw between me and Raven earlier was just the tip of the iceberg."
That made Cinder clench her teeth as she remembered Qrow's fight with Raven. They way they moved... The speeds at which they did. Their basic technique and agility were at a multitude of levels higher than hers.
It was infuriating.
Qrow seemed to sense her frustration and sighed. "I'm not just leaving you alone though." she said and he anger took a step back. She focused on him again.
"... I'm going to enter you into Beacon Academy." he told her.
Cinder's eyes went wide.
"What?!"
AN:
And there we go. Took a long while to get it out because I'm lazy and only write when I feel like it. But, I like to think I write better when I feel like it rather than force myself to write when I don't. So take that for what you will.
I rushed the final part of the chapter, as in... I didn't write them actually leaving down. Just because it doesn't matter. I'd rather simply stick to the interactions, discussions, and conflicts that I want to write than add in filler b/s in between them. Ya'll have imaginations, you can fill in the blanks.
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