Can I just leave an unspecific warning here? Sorry, if I say more it will be a massive spoiler
The deeper they descended, the harder it became to breath. Years of concealment and desert-like heat had made the air stifling. On all but the Maidens, beads of sweat quickly formed, staining their clothing darker hues.
None of the hostages bothered to concentrate on the route they'd taken, majority of their attention being taken up but their concern for headmaster Theodore, who they had just been forced to leave above ground, seriously injured and possibly dying if he did not receive medical help soon.
For Bellamy and Valerian each step away the headmaster filled them with anxiety and fear for the man but also with recognition. This part of the Vault had not been entirely erased from their minds by the Relic of Destruction, the gaps in their memories slowly filling in. Although Bellamy was really the only one that knew the second password, both knew what awaited them beyond that. Theodore's plan may have been the result of an overzealous paranoid man but neither one could question his aim. Although he had brought the enemy to their door, he had also brought them to their final chance to escape. If they failed now, they'd all be killed and Salem would get both the Maiden and Relic that had been kept safe at Shade.
They could not let that happen. They just hoped that Nora would be able to react fast enough not to get caught in the crossfire.
Nora's own mind was all over the place, emotion upon emotion piled upon itself within her. However none were as prominent as that of the hopelessness that threatened to overwhelm her. Watching Cinder stab Headmaster Thedore as she had, had drudged up too many painful memories. She'd barely known the headmaster but she'd lost too many friends in that manner.
That was a wound that refused to close.
It was too much
Nora barely noticed when they reached the bottom of the flight of stairs. Here, after moments of complete darkness, except that made by Cinder's flames, golden light began to spread from their feet, reacting to the presence of the Summer Maiden. Like a river of molten gold, the light split and spread to reveal a wide, cream coloured room. The Vault door, which seemed to be made of numerous overlapping triangles, shone brightly in anticipation of the Maiden's presence. A soft hum filled Nora's ears, nowhere as intense as when she'd opened the Atlas Vault but, just like at that time, the Vault called to her, begging her to open its doors and grasp the treasure behind it. Nora half wondered if Valerian and Cinder could sense the same thing as her but, if they did, the two women hid it well.
Several metres ahead, a short terminal stood out, it's dark metal a contrast to the soft browns that made the rest of the chamber. Across its surface, facing the new arrivals, were a series of dimly lit buttons.
"This place is littered with traps." Bellamy plainly explained, forcing the group to stop. "I'm the only one who knows how to reach the terminal and disable the traps."
"What if I just fly to the Vault with the woman?" Questioned Cinder, exasperated.
"You could try, but you won't make it very far." Bellamy warned, his face emotionless once again.
"Then get going." Mercury ordered, pushing the doctor forwards, taking a step after him.
"Unless you wish to lose an arm, it may be best to let me cross the final distance alone." Carefully continued to explain Bellamy, his words cautious.
"Yeah, right." Scoffed Mercury, rolling his eyes but Cinder ignored the younger man.
"Fine, but remember, if you try to escape, these two are as good as dead." She warned, twirling her two blazing blades between Nora and Valerian, the two women within striking range.
Bellamy didn't bother answering the woman. He knew the stakes, he could not afford to make a mistake here.
Nora watched as the doctor walked slowly away, his steps wide as he made an obvious show of stepping on particular sections of the ground. The doctor maneuvered easily enough, and he stopped only when he reached the terminal. He faced for a moment before his fingers became a blur as he began to type. The sound of keys being pressed echoed through the quiet chamber. However, before he pressed the final key, he lifted his head once again, his eyes meeting Valerian's in a silent exchange the others did not fail to notice.
"Hurry it up!" Cinder ordered impatiently. "Unless you really don't care about your brother."
Nora watched the pair, ,sensing that something was being exchanged in their glances. However she could not understand what, not until Bellamy pressed the final key of the code.
"Nora"! Valerian shrieked, startling the Huntress as, in those moments, vibrations began to pulsate from the gorun. "Fly!"
The Maiden's powers responded to Valerian's command before Nora could even understand her words. It encased Nora's legs just as the ground beneath her feet fell away to a deeper layer, revealing spikes which would have impaled any that had fallen with the floor.
Nora hovered several feet above these spikes, struggling against the weight of the Necrogrimm. His piercing arm had, thankfully, fallen away from her neck but, with the other, Clover was gripping one of her arms. His pointed nails dug into her flash as gravity tried to pull them apart. While Nora struggled against Clover, the beating of heavy wings filled the air. Through some method Nora didn't didn't know of, Mercury had shifted his appearance into the winged faunus, Pluto, that they had been traveling with since Knowhere.
What did that mean?
How could Mercury manage such a thing?
Where was the real Pluto?
Had there ever been a Pluto to begin with?
Mercury swooped towards the spikes, catching the only figure that had been falling towards them.
Tyrian's hold on Valerian had been iron tight so, when she'd utilized her power to fly, like Clover, he had continued to hold on to his captive. The biggest difference however was that Val had not hesitated to conjure her own weapons. She brought billhooks dangerously close to her own neck in an attempt to free herself from Tyrian's hold.
They had had the desired effect.
He released her, the faunus choosing to face the spikes rather than Valerian without his stinger. his fall was annoyingly short however as he was caught by Mercury before he was in any real danger. Bellamy shifted on the small platform that had remained unaffected around the terminal and that ended at the foot of the Vault door. The chasm of spikes he'd conjured was impressively large given the space available but, to his dismay, none of their foes had met their demise below.
Valerian had responded as efficiently as he had anticipated and the Huntress, Nora, had done alright, although she had yet to fully free herself from Clover's hold. That traitor, Tyrian, had been rescued by the shapeshifter, leaning Cinder Fall to save herself. The Fall Maiden did not hesitate to propel herself through the air towards Valerian in retaliation. However Nora too, quickly read the situation, spinning in midair as quickly as she could. With a kick in the gut, she sent Clover flying towards Cinder's general direction, silently apologising to the man for the mistreatment. The Necrofrimm collided with the Fall Maiden, her advance halting as she released both an indigent and angry 'umph'.
Nora twirled to a stop, her movement still somewhat shaky. Flight was still her most recent discovery and, while some of the other uses of her powers had become quite easy to use, maintaining altitude as well as speed and direction was taking up all her concentration. Her hand grasped at the empty air, begging for a weapon, any weapon, to Manifest for her. But the power was being stubborn and refused to comply.
Fine. Nora thought to herself as she saw Cinder Fall struggle to regain her balance as she, not so gently, lowered Clover to the platform in front of the Vault that had not collapsed. Mercury did the same with Tyrian, the Faunus annoyed that he would not be able to take part in this aerial battle.
But his dark, crazed eyes fell on Bellamy who was still standing beside the terminal. However no fear showed on the doctor's face but rather determination. This would be their final stand. This was their final chance to foil Salem's plan.
Thedoroe had bet his own life for this.
"I've got them." Yelled Bellamy, pressing a button at the side of the terminal. It triggered the release of a slanting compartment in which a pair of gauntlets and a small knife were hidden. Bellamy smiled solemnly as he retrieved the weapons. Theodore's paranoia might just get them through this. He looked back at Tyrian and Clover, their advancement slow. He was the least threat, a real waste to send two fighters against. But, they had just been grounded and maybe, if they captured him again, they could use him as a hostage against the Summer and Winter maidens.
Not this time
He had been used against Theodore and his brother was now lying dying on the surface.
He would not allow himself to become a handicap for Valerian as well.
He may not have been a Huntsman for many years but he'd helped heal enough to know where it would hurt.
Swiftly, Nora flew to Valerian's side, light blue flames tailing behind her. It took her a moment to come to a complete stop but Valerian nodded her head at her, pleased to have her support once again.
"Think we can handle them? Valerian enquired, clenching her fists and allowing two billhooks to Manifest in them, the sapphire flames darker then those that surrounded Nora.
"If we don't, who will?" Nora answered back, her aquamarine eyes following Mercury as he pushed through the air, his wings struggling to hover beside Cinder. Crimson flames surrounded the Fall Maiden, causing her companion to keep a safe distance away from her, her anger causing the flame to go out of her control, lickign at her flesh hungrily. She did not care if it were friend or foe she burnt.
"Cinder, do we have a plan?" Mercury whispered, mentally noting how off the tracks their plan had been pushed.
However, if the Fall Maiden heard him, she did not respond. A feral scream left her lips as she cut through the air towards Valerian and Nora.
Nora clenched her fists before eher, ready to block or counter Cinder's attack. However Nora was not her primary target at the moment. Valerian crossed both bilhocks, the ethereal weapons colliding in a wave of heat that would have sent Nora spiraling backwards had she not used the Winter Maidens powers to steady herself. Both Cinder and Valerian faces were contorted in concentration, each woman pushing against the other. Cinder's crimson flames crashed into Valerian's sapphire ones.
However, Cinder had an advantage over Valerian- she still had complete control of her legs.
Cinder ducked, causing Valerian to fall forward slightly to meet a jet enforced leg in the stomach. It sent her flying towards the Vault door. Cinder was about to fly after her to continue her attack but Nora swooped into her path, blocking her advance before she zoomed forward to strike the Fall Maiden. Cinder blocked her fists, the flesh should have burned from the fire but the Winter Maiden's power cooled Nora's skin to the point the burning could not be felt. Steam rose from the impasse as Nora forced Cinder back.
Valerian raised a hand to her head momentarily dazed as the fest the hard Vault doors began to shift behind her back. They opened slowly in response to her presence to reveal the Relic hidden within. Valerian didn't spare it a second glance. The Relic could wait.
She shot off the ground with such power that a hot wave of air erupted, threatening to unbalance those that were defending the Vault's platform. She was a streak of blue, crashing into Cinder, the blue and red flames eating at each other as the two Maidens shot away from Nora. The latter blinked momentarily, struggling to read the women's movements. However, their movements were blurs, streaks of fire momentarily interrupted by sounds of supernatural weapons colliding. It was a sight to behold, like a mesmerising dance, neither letting up. Their each movement was fluid and precise. It would be years before she could even dream of reaching their level. However that wouldn't mean Nora would just stand by and watch.
Mercury hovered in the air, watching perplexed as a streak of light blue mingled with the already colliding sapphire and crimson. He knew better than to get in their way, one Maiden had already been above his pay grade, but two? He was an assassin, not self-destructive. He also knew that, no matter how skilled Cinder was, she would not be able to win against the Winter and Summer Maidens. However the Fall Maiden would be too stubborn and rage-fueled to allow him to intervene. Mercury even doubted he could do anything more than singe his feathers amongst those women.
The air had begun to rush past him, swirling around the fighting trio as wind of different temperatures collided, slowly but surely creating a funnel that would soon become impenetrable to them. Then Cinder would truly be alone and, if she fell here, he and Tyrian would have to suffer the wrath of that immortal witch and he doubted she'd be so forgiving of losing her favourite play thing. Emerald's words concerning Salem's plans for Cinder and the world whispered through his mind, but he shrugged them off, he'd deal with that after they'd solved their current predicament.
From the platform below, he saw small bursts of explosive Dust expelled from the gauntlets Bellamy had aimed at Clover and Tyrian. Those must have been Theodore's choice of weapon for they seemed bulky in the doctor's hands. He was no master but it was impressive how much he could get done with the right motivation. Clover was stalking closer to the man but could never cover the last few feet without getting blasted.
Mercury had only begun to wonder where Tyrian was when he saw the Faunus standing precariously close to the platform edge, waving him done with a smile that warned him he was up to no good.
Nora overshot her last attack, her breathing strained and pained as she quickly turned to look back at Cinder and Valerian whose blades only parted for a few seconds at a time. Her own clothing was stained with soot and soaked with melting ice. Her flesh blistered from the heat and yet were blue with cold. Her muscles were yelling at her to stop, that she'd reached her limit of her use of the Winter Maiden's powers that day. That morning she'd been fighting the Grimm over the Strait of Petaha Harbour. She'd somewhat recovered from that but she'd had little rest since the battle with Tyrian and Clover back in the gardens and now there was this battle against Cinder.
Her whole body was screaming to stop but she could not… would not.
Valerian needed her help and, with the Vault door now open there was nothing stopping Cinder from killing her, taking the Summer Maiden's power as well as the Relic in Salem's name.
She impatiently waited for an opening to return to the battle but Nora let out a yelp of surprise as she felt a cold metal surround her neck, the sudden weight dragging her to the ground, gasping and choking.
"Time to stay put!" Tyrian's breath against her ear sent a chill down her spine. She felt the tip of his pincer press against her temple but she continued to struggle, determined not to be captured again. Behind him, still huffing from the effort of carrying and swinging Tyrian, Mercury was struggling to hover in the air.
"Let me go, you freak!" Nora yelled, clawing at the stinger, trying to freeze the structure with her hold, frost already spreading across the surface but Tyrian could not feel it through his metallic stinger.
"Nora!" yYelled Val, turning to the woman in the distance having heard her cries of outrage.
Valerian, in that moment, turned her attention away from the Fall Maiden.
That had been her most dire mistake.
She felt the warmth befores the pain.
It spread from her chest across her limbs, the pain surprisingly quickly being replaced by a welcome numbness. When she looked down to try to identify the cause, all she could see were burning tips glowing under the material of her shirt. She raised a shake hand to the lights, feeling a warmth as they faded. When she drew her hands away, warm, sticky blood coated her finger tips.
As she moved, the Maiden's power and her Semblance spluttered around her, she felt three shafts embedded in her back. She looked back at her attack, the light of a fiery bow still echoing in Cinder's hands as she watched the Summer Maiden begin to fall. A triamphant smile spread across her lips.
Soon the power would be hers. This time no one else would steal it from her.
"Val!" Bellamy yelled, watching as the blue flames extinguished themselve, the woman crashing to the ground. Forgetting his own battle with Clover, he ran towards Valerian, his blades clattering to the ground in his haste.
Clover made to run after him but Mercury landed between him and Bellamy, shaking his head gently.
The doctor would not be going anywhere after this. The deed was done. Cinder had just added another name to her ledger, no amount of healing could save the Maiden now. Mercury scolded himself- his time with those brats must have softened him. It was foolish of him to allow the captive to get away, irrespective of how harmless they may have been, but he couldn't bring himself to keep the man away from the dying woman.
"No!" Bellamy yelled, his voice echoing around the chasm. The woman had crumpled to the ground as if suddenly, the strings that had held her in the air had been cut.
"You monster!" Nora shrieked looking up at Cinder as she ruefully looked down at the woman, watching as dark spots of red continued to spread across her chest.
"Hush little one." Tyrian purred into her ear, causing the Huntress to shiver, both in revulsion and discomfort. She could feel his hold around her neck tighten as the tip of his stinger caressed her skin. "You're trun will be next."
Valerian coughed against her hand, feeling as fiery pain spread from her chest. She blinked, her vision blurred but there was no question that it was blood that coated her hands. Her own blood. She could feel the life sapping away from her, the pain insufferable. However she gritted her teeth against it, struggling to sit up but almost crashing into the ground again as her strength fled her. A metallic hue filled her mouth.
She urged her body to stand. She was a Huntress, she refused to let it end like this, not when there were people who still needed her help. She'd been only a burden, playing the role of the key to the Vault and nothing more. She couldn't let it end like this, not again. She had already failed once before, she couldn't let it happen again.
However, years of sickness had paid their toll. Valerian Carrie's Aura was no longer what it used to be. Her strength had been stolen from her long before this battle.
As she pushed against the cold floor, her arms gave way. She would have fallen face first into the course surface hadn't Bellamy reached her just in time.
"Bellamy, please help me up." She coughed out, blood trickling down the side of her mouth as she used him as a support. It was with wheezing breaths that she struggled to sit up, the pain intensifying as she moved. But she worked through the pain until she was sitting on her knees. "I can still fight that…"
"Don't move, please." Bellamy begged, the doctor's eyes falling to her injuries. "You've got to lie down…"
"You and I both know that won't do any good now." Valerian answered, turning to face the man. Her words had not been harsh but simply held the weight of one who had accepted her faith. She sighed, just as she knew she had no chance against Cinder, the pain that had spread around her body had already begun to be replaced by a welcome numbness.
"Please!" Tears streamed down Bellamy's cheeks. When had been the last time he'd shed such tears? Possibly at his daughter's funeral. It felt as if his chest was constricting, making it impossible for him to breathe. But he forcefully blinked away the tears, wishing his vision to remain unobscured as he looked at her. "You cannot leave me as well!"
Valerian smiled softly at the man, feeling her breaths becoming more hollow, her own vision darkening. Just a few more seconds, that's all she wanted, to permanently imprint his face into her mind so that, whatever had to come after this, she would never forget it.
"Don't you dare think of following me just yet, Bellamy Dell." She commanded, putting as much strength in her voice as she could muster. "Live a long life. There are still people that need you.. Your brother needs you..."
"P-please… don't go." Bellamy choked. Every person he'd ever cared for in this godforsaken world had been taken from him… Amelia… Eleanora and now it would take Valerian away from him as well. Was it his destiny to always be the one left behind? Was it his destiny to fail at saving even a single person he cared for?
Valerian smiled again, her eyes now feeling heavy. She leaned forward slightly, allowing her forehead to touch Bellamy's.
"Idiot." She whispered, her eyes closing but he could still hear the smile in her voice, her bloodied hands resting on his. "I'm not going anywhere. I'll just be waiting for you… with Eleanora."
Valerian continued to smile as she breathed her final breath.
Valerian Carrie had been a child of the woods.
She had been a Huntress of Remnant.
She had been the Summer Maiden baptised in battle.
Death had followed in her shadow for as long as she could remember, long before sickness or battle had plagued her life.
Valerian Carrie did not fear death for she knew that, beyond its embrace, she would finally reunite with her beloved daughter.
And I can't believe this chapter's finally published! I've had this one and the next two written for months and I can't believe the fic has finally made it this far! Thank you so so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed the chapter (or as much as you could given what happens). I'll see you all on Friday :D