Authors Note: Hey ho here we go!
Yang ducked under the strike towards her head before sending a fist back in retaliation. Her opponent yelped but fell to the ground as the strike hit. While most of the train had been abandoned up to this point it seemed their luck had turned.
She spared half a second to look back at the door, expecting Blake to come through at any point before she was forced to focus on the fight at hand. If one could even call it that.
The half dozen terrorists that had been in the room were now mostly on the ground, or were quickly on their way there.
As the fight finally finished Yang found herself running ahead towards the door. She kicked the door open and moved into the room.
She heard Ruby call out a warning as a sound hit her ears. She felt the wind displayed by the attack, an attack that only missed because she had rolled forward the second she had opened the door.
As her momentum came to a stop Yang turned her head to get a look at her opponent. The man was big and carried a large chainsaw that acted like a sword. He wore a face mask like the rest of the White Fang but his uniform had no sleeves, instead his muscles were exposed for the world to see.
He hadn't turned around to face her yet, instead he had kept his eyes on the two who had yet to enter the train car.
Yang rolled her eyes as she launched forward, planting a fist in his still exposed back. He was thrown forward but managed to bring his own weapon back around and attempt to strike her. He never hit however as a glyph appeared beneath his feet, holding him in place as a sudden blur of rose petals flew by him.
He fell back this time, but was able to block Yang's punch before she could finish him. He forced her to the side before disengaging and getting behind her. He didn't try to attack, instead he fell back further and put some distance between them.
Silence fell over the train car as everybody regained their bearings. In that time, Yang was able to come to the conclusion that this guy had not been ready for so many of them.
He was surprisingly the first one to speak. "I always wanted to kill a Schnee." His words were not the most impressive she had ever heard. It was more than confidence, it was just plain crazy. He couldn't win against three of them, he knew that.
Once again Yang cursed under her breath at the reminder of the time limit they were on. He didn't have to win. She was starting to get frustrated with that fact. They were right and all but it was still annoying.
She looked to Ruby, waiting for her to decide what to do. Her face was twisted in a look somewhere between horror and realization for a moment before a look of acceptance fell over it.
"Yang… go on ahead." She kept her voice low as she spoke. "Weiss and I can handle this and get up to you. Torchwick should be on the other side of that door."
"And he might have who knows how many thugs with him as well." Weiss warned . Yang had to admit she made a point.
"I don't think so." Ruby looked so certain however and it was enough to force the other two to listen. "Why would he hold back now? This is the last place he can really make a stand without having to fight himself."
Yang thought for a moment and nodded at her younger sister before turning to Weiss. She didn't look as convinced but when no counter argument came it was settled.
She would leave the two of them behind much like they had with Blake. Yang took a breath to steady herself, struggling to keep her emotions under control. She hated leaving people behind just as much as she hated being left behind, but she knew they could handle it. She couldn't let her own fears hold them back however, they didn't have the time for that.
Ruby rushed forward, the sheer suddenness of it catching their opponent off guard slightly. He managed to pull his weapon up and deflect her scythe but wasn't able to counter as another glyph appeared in between the two, forcing him back.
Yang took that chance to slip behind Ruby and move to the end of the car. She thought about taking the chance to attack but refused.
They had a plan and it could work. Ruby was strong, so was Weiss, but together there was no doubt in Yang's mind they would win. Despite all their arguing and bickering they worked better together than most other students in their year.
Still, it took sheer force of will to make her go through the door. Leaving her younger sister and teammate to fight alone.
As she entered through the door it was to find an almost empty room, save for a single idividual. Torchwick didn't look concerned but he also didn't look his normal cocky self. If anything he looked frustrated and a little surprised.
"You were supposed to take longer getting here." He leaned on his cane a bit, attempting to seem relaxed. "I'm afraid this train isn't quite ready to stop just ye-"
Yang bit back her reply and instead launched forward at him. He seemed caught off guard by the sudden attack barely managing to step backwards in time to dodge but otherwise left unprepared for her follow up.
Her fist caught his arm, forcing him to dodge backwards yet again. She stepped forward launching a strike towards his chest, he was able to bring his cane up in time to bat her fist aside but her advance still left him on the back foot.
She knocked his cane to the side with ease and attempted to strike at his chest again. A second later she felt her right leg be ripped out from under her and she fell to the ground.
Yang attempted to get back up but Torchwick pulled the hook of his cane free causing her leg to be pushed to the side. He reared back with his cane, attempting to use it as a bat, but she rolled out of the way as it struck the ground.
She pushed herself up into a low squat before Torchwick was once again attacking her. She felt his cane strike her arm and she winced at the pain before feeling something familiar.
Yang felt her eyes flash red as her hair caught flame. Torchwick being pushed back by the sheer force and suddenness of it.
With him on the back foot she pushed forward bringing her knee up into his stomach as she flew at him. He doubled over slightly but grabbed a fist full of her hair and pulled back, forcing her head back.
She brought her fist around vaguely where she knew his face to be, it struck true and her opponent released her hair a moment later.
Yang brought her elbow down on his back, attempting to force him to the ground but was quickly thrown off balance when he practically tackled her to the ground.
She attempted to flip over to avoid landing on her back but was unable to due to him forcing her down. The pain that lanced through her back only lasted a second but succeeded in knocking the breath from her lungs.
She brought her arms up instinctively as he began to claw at her face. Her lungs burned as she struggled for breath. All the meanwhile Torchwick kept her pinned to the ground, attempting to cause as much pain as possible.
He grabbed her hair once more and pulled her head up before swiftly pushing it back down, smashing her head into the cold steel floor.
This wasn't like any fight she had ever fought before. Torchwick didn't use style or technique, his technique was pain. Everything he could do to cause as much pain as possible to make the other person give in.
Yang grunted as he drove his fist under her rib cage.
It was an effective strategy, one she hadn't truly been prepared for. She knew she'd have to do something different than she normally did in order to win.
He attempted to throw her arms to the side and strike at her face, and as he did so she reached up to grab his throat.
She smashed his face into the ground next to her, before rolling over onto him. She made sure to keep a tight grip around his throat as she did so.
He clawed at her hands, causing her to wince slightly but otherwise her aura held. When that didn't work he went for her own throat, but she had the advantage now and she drove her free hand into his stomach.
His scrambling grew weaker as he slowly began to fall unconscious. A few more seconds and she would be able to let go. As much as she hated him for what he had done to Jaune she didn't want to kill him.
Torchwicks hand fell to his side while the other tried to desperately pry her grip from his throat. A second later he had something in his palm before crushing it into a fine dust and throwing it in her eyes.
Yang instinctively closed her eyes, she cursed herself even before the fist to her face followed by a blow to her ribs. It wasn't a strong strike but it succeeded in forcing the breath from her once again.
She managed to force her eyes open just in time to see the cane smash into her nose. Dazed and out of breath she instinctively loosened her grip and he threw her off of him.
Neither of them moved for a moment as both struggled to regain their breath. Yang forced herself to sit up and onto her feet.
Torchwick coughed but made no move to get up. She forced her way over to him on shaky legs, feeling her strength come back to her along with her breath.
Torchwick attempted to sit up, before Yang planted a foot in his chest and kicked him back down "Had enough?"
He didn't say anything for a moment, instead he simply sat there wheezing and attempting to breath. "Fine." He held his hands up in surrender. "You win."
It took a moment for the words to process in her mind.
He had… given up?
Just like that?
Yang kept her arms up, expecting an attack but none came. The engine car felt strangely quiet for a moment as her semblance finally fully subsided.
A second later the door behind her flew open and she felt her blood freeze. There she was caught between an known crook, one who could probably still at least put up a bit of a fight, and some unknown.
In the end she turned part way, looking over her shoulder at whoever had just entered, before breathing a sigh of relief.
The rest of her team looked at her with a mixed look of shook and pride. Ruby's face was lit up brighter than she had ever seen it.
Yang turned back to Torchwick with a grin on her face. They had won, now all they had to do was stop the train and it would be over. She looked over to the console where the brake would likely be, only to have her eye's be drawn to the main window.
She could practically feel Torchwick's smugness radiate off of him as her face fell to a look of horror.
The tracks ended only a few hundred feet ahead of them. Yang heard a yell from behind before she was dragged backwards by someone, a large ice dome forming around them.
The next thing she knew her world went white.
Authors Note: And with this we approach the end of the Mountain Glenn arc, still got a bit left though. I am a little concerned that I may have dragged it on too long and thus ruined some of the pacing but I leave that up for the reader to decide.
In real life news this coming week might be a hectic one, depending on how busy I actually end up being. I have to attend some CLS classes and to my understanding those will take all day. I should still have time to write but there is a chance that next week might not get a chapter. I'm gonna try but I make no promises.
I currently have a poll up on my pat reon to help decide what comes after A Simple Bet Between Friends, we aren't near the end by any means but I like to plan ahead. I have a couple ideas but I want to know what the audience thinks.
You don't have to be a patron to vote, and it really would help me out.
I encourage you to review, as always, and hope you have enjoyed the chapter.
SIncerely SE