Here we go

Cover Art: Mystery White Flame

Chapter 33

As far as he'd come and as hard as he'd worked, the fight between Tyrian and Neo was on another level. They blurred and tore their way through the clearing, bending at angles that didn't seem possible, deflecting attacks with the barest of warnings and staying perfectly silent the entire time. Even Tyrian, who had been running his mouth all through their fight, didn't waste a single word against Neo.

It was a stark reminder that, position or not, he was a middling huntsman at best. How could he be anything but with barely a year under his belt? It was a miracle he'd gotten as far as he had, but hard work wouldn't let anyone catch up with a monster like Tyrian. Not a single year of it.

I'll only be a burden if I get involved. He checked his scroll. Damn it. No signal. They must have been taken further out by Tyrian and the signal booster from the Bullhead was obviously destroyed. His scroll was sending out repeated pings as part of its emergency system, any of which could be picked up by a passing aircraft or any Beacon scroll that came close enough.

Tyrian stabbed his tail down into the thick loam and used it as a pole vault to get up and over Neo. The strength required was ridiculous, not to mention how he caught a low hanging branch and hauled himself up onto the boughs. In return, Neo dashed to the tree and jumped, planting one foot down and kicking off. She frog-hopped between two trees, reaching the same boughs and landing with nary a pause, lunging forward with her sword. Tyrian's laughter echoed the clash of their weapons, but again he refrained from speaking.

Should I run…?

The cowardly thought would have filled him with shame if it wasn't so logical. Neo was fighting to protect him, which meant that once he got out of danger, she'd be able to disengage and escape. With her Semblance, that shouldn't be a problem. Of course, that also meant taking his eyes off the fight. If she was clipped or hurt, she'd die here alone without his help.

If she's beaten here, she dies anyway. I can't fight Tyrian. He stood with one hand on a nearby tree. I have to trust her. The only reason she's here is because of me.

Time to remove that motivator.

Even without signal his scroll still had its usual functions, including a compass. Keeping North to his right, he headed west – pushing through thick bushes and over roots away from the fight. There was no doubting they'd seen him; Tyrian wouldn't let him go so easily and Neo would have heard. Hopefully, she chose to escape once he was far enough away.

A loud `caw` from above preceded a flutter of feathers and black wings. Jaune almost screamed before he realised the talons were heading for his shoulder and not his face. The Nevermore squawked angrily, demanding to know by what right he did not hold out his arm as a convenient perch. Jaune did so and the thing came in to land, tucking its wings into its side.

"Did Neo send you?"

The Nevermore ran a beak under its left wing and ignored him. Neo had trained it well.

"Guess you'd be no use against Tyrian either. I know how that feels." He pushed on, using his sword to cut down several vines. It'd tell Tyrian where he was going, but right now he wanted distance. If Tyrian had stolen the scroll off the pilots he killed, that would lead him to Jaune's no matter how well he hid his trail. "Neo will be okay. No one's been able to get the drop on her. Hell, she's probably stronger than me and Roman combined. Not to mention her Semblance is complete bullshit."

The ridiculousness of talking to a Grimm wasn't lost on him but the sound of his own voice kept him calm. He scanned his surroundings as he went, half hoping a Grimm would appear just to give him something to vent on. Occasionally, he checked his scroll, hoping to find Sienna's signal.

"All she has to do is catch him with some illusions and escape. Or blink out."

"Kaw!" the Nevermore said.

"Yeah, I know. I hope she's okay."

"Kaw."

"You think I should have fought? I'd just get in the way…"

"Kaw…"

"Yeah well, you're a Grimm."

Argument won, Jaune checked his scroll one last time. A single bar on the top flickered on and off – the barest and briefest of signals. Still weak, but slowly growing stronger. He pushed on, keeping it ahead and held up, as if by giving it more fresh air it would grow into a beautiful signal-tree and let him connect with Beacon.

There was no lucky there – but he did receive a ping announcement from several hundred metres, according to the tool tip, to the north-west.

Sienna…? It was as good a guess as any, and unless Tyrian had beaten Neo and somehow looped all the way around to get in front of him, a fair assessment. He changed path, cutting in that direction and watching the numbers dial down. They were doing so at a faster rate than his pace alone, telling him that whomever it was, they were also heading his way.

Please be Sienna. Please be Sienna. Please be Sienna.

What if it was Adam?

The horrifying thought struck him right as the number came down to `six` metres – at a point where it was far too late to do a damn thing about it. The bushes to the side rustled and parted. A lithe and dark-skinned figure with stripes came pushing through.

"I hate forests," she growled. "Everything is either barbed, poisonous or out to kill you. Why do you look like you're about to pass out?"

"Just… relief…"

"Hm. Sure." Sienna brushed some insects off her shoulder and grimaced. "I see you have the bird. What about the girl?"

"Fighting Tyrian. I escaped while I could."

"Heroic of you."

"Neo can get out now that I'm gone," he said defensively. "I can't beat Tyrian in a fight. Can you?"

"Doubtful. Embarrassing as it is to admit, I was never the strongest in the White Fang. That was always Adam. I much preferred being the one to orchestrate things from the back."

Like him. Wonderful – so they were both planners and leaders without the combat experience to take on Tyrian, leaving Neo to carry their sorry asses. Jaune wasn't even sure the two of them going back to help her would be any more likely to grant victory. The White Fang were already a known quantity in the area; Tyrian could have any number of reinforcements around. If Hazel was among them, they were well and truly in trouble.

"We keep on toward Beacon," he decided. "I trust Neo."

"You're the boss."

/-/

"I don't know anything about it!"

"I will push your face back into your skull," Yang threatened, one fist held back. "I'll ask again, where did they take them!"

Ilia's face scrunched up. "I don't know!"

"Yang." Blake caught her fist and held it. "She doesn't know."

Angrily, Yang considered punching the girl anyway – even if she didn't, it was her fault for being here and dragging them out in the first place. Ruby was watching, however, so she scoffed and pushed the handcuffed girl back. Ilia fell onto the grass with a soft cry and lay there, unwilling to make herself more a target than she already was.

The prof was gone. So, too, were Neo and Sienna, which just so happened to mean everyone who could make a decision was gone other than Weiss' sister, who was being her usual cold bitch self and refusing to do so. Yang looked over, hearing Weiss trying in vain to convince Winter to set out and find their missing teacher.

"I cannot make that call, Weiss. There are prisoners to secure and potentially dangerous weapons to be taken into custody."

"But the headmaster-"

"Is the headmaster. He can look after himself, I'm sure." Winter held a hand out to stop one of her soldiers, asking him to wait. "I understand your concern, Weiss, but I'm not in a position to make a decision that could cost you your lives. You're a Beacon team and thus not under my jurisdiction."

Yang picked that moment to chip in. "Doesn't that mean we can head off on our own?"

"No. Your vehicles are grounded and currently being used for transport of prisoners and weapons."

Yang hissed. While she was right and a sensible part of Yang acknowledged that, it could have been delivered with a little more tact. An "I'm deeply sorry but", or a "I know you want to help but" would have come across better. Could she have made it any clearer this was a purely political decision? If it was General Ironwood or Weiss in trouble, she'd be out there in an instant.

"Leave and you grant the White Fang a prime opportunity to escape," Winter continued. "We know for a fact there are sentries we may have missed. Without us here, they can attack, rescue their allies and continue an assault on Vale. Do you imagine Headmaster Arc will be happy about that? Do you think he will celebrate that decision?"

"We get it!"

Winter looked unfazed by Yang's outburst. "I'm glad." She turned back to her soldier and started talking to him, ignoring them entirely.

"Bitch," Yang spat.

"That's a Schnee for you," Blake whispered. "Weiss is the exception, not the rule."

"I'm sorry," Weiss said, returning. "I tried."

"I know you did; we saw you. Not your fault your sister is a frigid bitch!" Yang said the last part loud enough for Winter to hear, though she didn't respond. "Damn it. I can't believe this. The prof was stolen right out from under our noses and there's not a thing we can do about it."

"We should have faith in them."

Yang both agreed and didn't. It wasn't that she didn't believe he could look after himself – he'd more than shown he could. It was more that faith alone didn't make up for shit going wrong. She'd had faith in Summer; faith didn't take into account outliers. Sometimes things went wrong; sometimes bad things happened. Just because someone was strong didn't mean you left them to handle everything on their own. The bad guys would obviously try and separate the strong person from the herd and kill them. That just made sense.

"What's taking reinforcements so long? I expected Miss Goodwitch and Torchwick to be here already." If they were, then they could take the prisoners while Team RWBY went after the headmaster. Or vice versa. It didn't really matter who did so long as someone was helping.

"Come to think of it, they should be." Weiss frowned and looked back. "Ruby!" she called. "What's holding up aircraft from Beacon?"

Ruby looked agitated. "I don't know. I can't reach them…"

"Crap." Yang hissed. "No signal?"

"No, there is. It's just I can't get through. Calls aren't being answered."

The three of them shared a nervous moment. Beacon wasn't just some school that ended at four and where teachers might be too busy teaching to answer; it was an academy for huntsmen and a hub of activity for logistics, operations and supplies. People calling in might very well be reporting the end of humanity and an army of Grimm marching on Vale. You didn't just not have someone manning communications. It was unheard of.

"You don't think the White Fang are attacking, do you?" Blake asked.

If it were any other time Yang would have bopped her partner around the head for instantly jumping to the White Fang. This was not any other time.

"I don't want to think it but there is a chance." Weiss gnawed on her lip. "Could this have a distraction? We took the camp all too easily. Winter!" she shouted. "Winter, we can't reach Beacon! Something is going wrong!"

"I'm aware." Winter Schnee stood with one hand to her ear, apparently talking to someone else at the same time. She held a hand to them, asking for silence. "Evacuated?" she asked out loud. "Why?" A second or two passed. "I see. The timing is too convenient. What of Torchwick and Miss Goodwitch? They've entered the school? Good. Your orders are to accompany them. Use any means at your disposal to deal with the threat. Winter out."

"Who was that?" Yang asked the second she was done.

"That is operational security-"

"Winter!" Weiss yelled. "If Beacon is under attack, we need to know!"

The Specialist held their gaze for a long moment before conceding the point with a stiff but resigned nod of the head. "That was Penny – and the school is not to our knowledge under attack. There has been an evacuation called due to spontaneous fire alarms across the building. Cameras and communications have been jeopardised and the main systems are down."

Yang swore.

Blake hissed. "Tell me they don't think that's an accident! I refuse to believe a fire did all that!"

"Of course not. The faculty are aware of the danger but couldn't ignore it. If not fire, there's something far more dangerous afoot. The students still needed to be evacuated before any could be harmed. According to Penny, the school is in lockdown and the teachers have entered the academy to locate and neutralise the threat." Winter looked to Blake. "There is no indication it is the White Fang at this time, or that this was a diversion."

Yang relaxed, though only for a moment. "This was a little too easy though…"

"Yes. So easy you could have handled it on your own." Winter gestured to the captured White Fang. "That's why it would not serve as a distraction. We mobilised because we feared Adam might be here. Had we known he was not, Jaune, Sienna and I would not have left Beacon. A diversion must be powerful enough to complete that goal. If the White Fang truly wished to draw the headmaster out, they would capture a village and demand negotiation. This? They would have had to know you had a mission in the area, and that you would react to a loud noise and investigate. You could just as easily have not."

She had a point, as much as Yang hated to admit it. Finding this place had just been bad luck on the White Fang's part and they'd have gotten away with it if it wasn't for the Oobelisk they'd been sent out to deal with. That wasn't to say the White Fang hadn't taken advantage of the attack to do something in Beacon, but it couldn't have been planned this way.

"No one's coming to relieve us, are they?"

"I'm afraid not. Until Beacon is secured, we will be on our own. That won't be a problem securing the area – we have enough Bullheads to take away both the prisoners and the supplies."

But it was enough to stop them going after the headmaster, Sienna and Neo.

Yang hissed under her breath.

"Guys!" Ruby cried out suddenly and skidded to a stop in front of them, kicking up grass and dirt. "Have you seen Oscar?" she asked, eyes wide. "I can't find him anywhere!"

"What? I thought he was with you."

"He was!" she wailed. "But I took my eyes off him to call Beacon and now I can't find him."

/-/

The halls of Beacon were deserted.

"We're running on a tight schedule," Watts said, powerwalking down a corridor with Cinder sloshing behind, dripping water with every step. "My interference in the control systems of the school will buy us a little time, but not unlimited. Fortunately, I've disabled the security systems."

"You hacked the academy…?"

"You sound surprised." Watts chuckled in that infuriatingly smug way he did. "I was able to make you a worm capable of taking over and shutting down the CCT. Did you think Beacon itself would be immune?"

She had. Cinder refused to say it. Alarms blared throughout the school and lights flashed on and off. Automatic doors were sealed in places, with Watts opening each manually. A robotic voice called out for the immediate evacuation of students.

"I would have gone for something a little more subtle," she said. "Or do you expect the teachers to believe this a simple computer glitch?" There was no keeping the sarcasm out. Even being rescued, she hated Watts.

"Oh, I expect they will know something is wrong, but by that time it will be too late to do anything about it. For all they know, the real danger is to the students. How bad would it look if hundreds of aspiring huntsmen were torn down in a hail of gunfire? All those innocent children." He laughed and opened another door, stepping through. "They will have to think of that before dedicating time to scouring the school. That time is our opportunity."

He intended to play on their sense of responsibility. While every teacher here would know she might be the target of a breakout, they had to weigh the consequences of that against those of leaving the student body undefended. A risk of keeping her at Beacon, though not one that could be mitigated; it would have been folly to keep her at some exterior prison facility and not expect her to be free within the week. Beacon was the only place that could hold her.

And with the maiden power taken from me, it's an easy decision on their part. I'm not a tenth the threat I used to be.

Not that she could tell Watts that, of course. He had to weigh his options as well and if he knew she no longer had that power Salem craved so much, he might decide it better to cut losses and escape himself, leaving her behind. Cinder wasn't fool enough to believe he'd help her out of some sense of loyalty. He was here on orders.

Salem's orders. Cinder's lips drew down, eyes scanning left and right as she followed behind him. What would Salem say upon her release? How could she spin her failure in a way that wouldn't seen her thrown to the Grimm? Or worse, to Tyrian? She could play dumb and suggest she'd failed to mention it to Watts, but that wouldn't change the fact she was no longer valuable.

In fact, she was worse than useless. With her name, identity and face known across all Remnant, she would be a hunted figure for the rest of her life. Changing her hair colour would be easy enough but hiding the lost eye and scars Jaune had given her would be far more troubling. Her ability to move around the Kingdoms and operate on Salem's behalf had been neutered. Without even the maiden's power to sweeten the deal, what value did she have? In what way would Salem not be better simply taking on a new and unknown woman of maiden age and training her?

The time it would take, perhaps, but Cinder could already think of someone who would fit the bill nicely. Not of maiden age, but currently a maiden herself and all too happy to pick the winning side. Raven even had that brat, Vernal, who could become Cinder's replacement and host for the other maidens. It was a two-for-one deal with a discount on international portals and a whole tribe of loyal followers thrown into the pot.

Better still, Raven could make a portal to Ozpin at any time she wanted. It was frankly a mystery as to why Salem hadn't recruited her already – probably because Raven was a two-faced bitch who would stab them in the back at the earliest opportunity and had in fact already done so. And yet she would still be a better asset to Salem than me right now. So, this was what it felt like to be worthless.

It wasn't a pleasant experience at all!

"Does Salem wish me continue my work in Vale?" she asked.

"No. You're to return to the Grimmlands. With Beacon so active and Ozpin having a competent successor, she wishes to push our schedule ahead. It's time to collect the maidens. Adam and the White Fang are already active in Atlas."

"I thought the attack was planned here."

"Merely to draw Ironwood's eye. Adam sent someone he saw as having faltering loyalty to cause a ruckus here; make it seem like Vale is the target. Everyone expects it to be, what with Adam's various issues." Watts chuckled. "We banked on that."

With some success, it seemed. Winter Schnee was here and wasting time on her, and presumably that was being overseen by Ironwood himself. How far it went, she wasn't sure. A far more pressing concern was how much Jaune knew.

And whether she was really escaping at all.

I'm useless to them. Jaune knows that. Even if he didn't plan for this, it wouldn't impact his plans too greatly to let me escape. At best, Salem kills me. At worst, I'm a recurring but significantly weaker opponent. Cinder bit the inside of her cheek. Her genius hadn't been enough to defeat him before and likely wouldn't be again. If he could outwit her when she had the power of the Fall Maiden, what hope did she have without it? Not much. Not much at all.

Were they outsmarting Jaune?

Watts' plan was to take her and leave, and right now that would happen without a single student being harmed. No doubt Watts saw himself the grand architect of such a masterful stroke but looking at the results she couldn't help but think Salem didn't benefit.

The White Fang would lose troops. Beacon would gain legitimacy. Ironwood might suffer from an attack on Atlas, but who would he turn to for aid?

Beacon. Jaune.

And when Jaune responded, coming to Atlas and dealing with Adam, he would well and truly be the most powerful man on Remnant. With Vale under his control and Atlas in his pocket, the other Kingdoms would fall. Mistral already owed him a debt for Lionheart. Vacuo? Who even knew what grand schemes he had in place there? For all she knew, he could have complete control of the desert kingdom already.

They were naught but pieces on a board, each playing their part and role, each dancing to a tune they thought was their own – and Watts was the greatest fool of all for believing himself the playwright. He pranced and flounced about as though the world was his, but the only one who benefitted from today's actions was her nemesis.

The question was, what part did Jaune have in stall for her?

And would she play it?

Escape and she would come face to face with Salem and be forced to tell of her failure. An unknown future awaited her, though it was not too hard to guess how her loss would be taken. If she could predict that, so too could Jaune.

"All too easy," Watts said, laughing to himself as he cracked open a secure door that led them out the school building. Noise from around the corner spoke of hundreds of people nervously chattering, audible over even the blaring alarms from within.

Ahead of them, several Bullhead lay untouched.

"So much for the genius strategist. Well, I suppose it's only fair he falter against someone as well-travelled as I. Compared to me, he is at best above average."

"He's a mastermind," Cinder warned. "You shouldn't underestimate him."

"Really, Cinder? You say that now!? Look at us - look at what lays before you. It is done; I have won. Your fears exist only in your mind. What you see as genius is naught but self-aggrandising on your part. You mistake his having bested you for genius! You're not as infallible as you think, my dear."

Could that be the case…? Had she overestimated him?

Was it possible that she'd allowed her ego to get the better of her?

Had she been blinded?

"We're free," Watts laughed. "I have bested him."

"No." Realisation set in. An epiphany. Sudden clarity. It struck her like a lightning bolt. "No, you haven't."

Their victory was assured, all but certain. The faculty were distracted, Jaune himself out of Beacon. The Bullheads were undefended, and no one would be able to react in time, particularly with communications down. There was simply no way for them to fail now. They could not lose. Everything had fallen perfectly into place.

Suspiciously so…

"This is a trap." Cinder took a step back, eyes wide, heart racing. "We've already lost."

"You – what?" Watts turned, scowling. "What on Remnant are you blabbering about now?"

"He's played us. Even now – how, Watts? How!? How does one beat him?"

"We've already defeated him. Tyrian is right now killing him. I'm breaking you out." Watts explained it slowly, like he was talking to a dumb-witted child. He didn't understand that she wasn't the only child here. They were all children compared to Salem's vast intellect, and they were children compared to his as well. Watts held out a hand. "Cinder, you're not thinking straight. Come with me and return to the Grimmlands. Things will make more sense there."

"We're all just pieces. Pieces on a chessboard. I… I thought I was a Queen. That I was the most powerful, yet that's not true, is it? Even if it's powerful, the game is only won if the King falls. A Queen can be sacrificed. It often is!"

"Cinder. For crying out loud, stop ranting an-"

"I won't be played. I won't fall for your games!" she shouted it to the heavens, to Jaune. Her eyes grew wild as she only course of action filtered through. The one way she could defeat him. "If I can't beat you at chess-"

"Cinder!" Watts gripped her shoulders. "Damn it, Cinder! Snap out of it!"

"Then I'll change the game!"

/-/

"Look out!"

Sienna pushed Jaune away suddenly, diving in the opposite direction. Something crashed down between them – a body, feet first, striking the grass where they'd stood. Tyrian's wild eyes flickered over Sienna first and then him. They widened gleefully on seeing him.

His heart exploded with pain. Neo…

A second shape blurred from the treeline and struck Tyrian's back, also feet first and this time kicking off so hard both she and Tyrian were launched in different directions, him into a tree and Neo up in the air. She flipped and landed unsteadily, panting harshly with her boots scuffed her distinctive grin nowhere to be seen.

"Neo!" he gasped, pure joy rushing through him.

Her mismatched eyes met his but there was no smile. She darted at Tyrian, bending low under a knife thrust and twisting on one heel, holding her sword up behind her back to parry a second. Completing her spin, she drove a heel cruelly into the back of his shin, forcing him down on one knee. His tail swept behind him before she could stab him in the back of the head.

A crack heralded Sienna entering the fray, whip snapping down on Tyrian and missing as he rolled forward. Neo stamped down on it and launched herself up, kicking twice toward Tyrian's head and forcing him to block. As the whip sailed back, she snagged it with one hand, riding it up and around to evade his tail. She let go and landed in a crouch, then rolled left as Tyrian's tail stabbed down.

Tearing Crocea Mors free, Jaune rushed in.

With a flicker of light, Neo appeared in front of him. He almost crashed into her back.

"Neo-?"

She shook her head and backed into him, herding him away like an animal might its young.

"Oh, it looks like Hazel was right," Tyrian said. "You keep yourself surrounded with strong people because you can't fight. Looks like she knows it."

"I can-"

Neo shook her head again, glaring back with one eye to tell him in no uncertain terms that this wasn't the time for him to rush in. He gritted his teeth but accepted it; Neo had always been the better of them when the fighting started. This wasn't like Cinder. She'd been powerful but indiscriminate and there'd been no running away. He could and had tanked hit after hit with his aura, only winning out because of a fluke.

If Tyrian nicked him with that tail, there was a good chance he was dead. That was all too obviously what Salem was gunning for. Remove him before he became too much of a problem.

Tyrian grinned at him, snapping one hand out to catch Sienna's whip. The barbed tip sparked in his grip, but he held it with his aura, even as she tried to pull it free. Even then, he kept his attention on Neo. He knew where the threat lay.

Neo backed into him again, bumping her back into his stomach and herding him away.

"You want me to keep running?"

Her head bobbed up and down.

"What about you?"

Neo clicked her tongue and rolled her eyes. That was all he got as Sienna realised she was being pulled into her death and relinquished her weapon. It flew forward and Tyrian whipped it down, making the handle crack toward them. Neo parried it and jumped in, ducking under the barbed tip he threw her way and stabbing for his gut.

"Sienna!" Jaune yelled. "We're leaving!"

"About ti- get down!"

Jaune threw himself to the floor. Tyrian's tail stabbed through the space he'd occupied, the faunus having skipped Neo entirely to attack him. Their eyes met for a brief instant before Neo was on him again, spinning and flipping, literally backflipping up under his guard to drive both feet into his chin and knock him off his feet. He cartwheeled in the air but managed to fire a hail of shots back. Some hit the ground and leaves, one struck Jaune's shoulder and pinged off his aura. At least six struck Neo, though she warded her face with one arm and let her aura tank the damage.

"Afraid I can't allow that," Tyrian said, giggling. "You see, my Goddess has asked me to deal with you once and for all – and I do so hate to disappoint her."

"You want to take us on three at a time? That's too much, even for you."

Unless he had reinforcements. Jaune waited with bated breath but no one appeared. When Tyrian charged in against Neo again, still keeping an eye on him, Jaune realised the man didn't have reinforcements at all.

He's insane. He fully intends to take us three-on-one. Is he that confident?

He couldn't be; he was holding on against Neo, but it was a fight that looked like it could go either way. Neither him nor Sienna were great fighters, but they could hold their own. Together with Neo, the odds were heavily in their favour. If was confident, it was because he was an idiot, and Jaune didn't dare doubt on that.

Tyrian's objective wasn't to win. It was to kill him.

Neo caught an elbow to the face and bent with it, bleeding off the force and falling back. She whipped one leg up to kick the hand away and defend, only to be left one-footed and lost as Tyrian broke off and lunged for Jaune instead. Her eyes grew wide.

Jaune slammed his shield up in time to block the knives. The tail, he had to dodge entirely, breaking off and leaving himself open. It missed by a few inches and Tyrian drove a foot into his stomach, bending him double. Eyes clenched shut against the pain, Jaune threw himself into a tackle, pushing as much aura to his back as he could in case the stinger came around. Tyrian was so wiry that he probably weighed more, especially with his breastplate. He hauled the faunus up and carried him a few paces.

Heels landed on his back, he felt them through his coat. There was a brief moment to ponder why Neo was standing on him before Tyrian's laughter turned into pained grunts. She kicked off Jaune and planted both feet in Tyrian's face to knock him away. Before he could follow, Neo caught his collar and yanked him back, separating them again and shooting him a furious glare.

"I'm trying to run!" he yelled. "He won't let me!"

The proof of that came as Tyrian lunged in again. Neo tensed her legs to dodge but then glanced back and held her ground. Tyrian was bigger and heavier than her and leaned his weapons down onto hers, pinning her arms in place. He pushed her down onto one knee, all the while bringing his tail around.

Sienna hurled herself onto it, wrapping both arms around the stinger and her legs further down around the tail. Tyrian yelped, obviously not enjoying his tail gaining a full human body worth of weight. The barbed tip tried again and again to scratch her face, but Sienna was holding on grimly, keeping both hands on the stinger tip like she was warding away a knife.

"Nice," Jaune panted, dashing over. "Keep it there – I'll cut it off!"

"I think not!" Tyrian slammed through Neo's guard and kicked her away. The small girl went skimming over the rocks with a crackle of pink aura and sparks. Twisting to the left, Tyrian lunged for Sienna, aiming to slit her throat. Jaune got in the way in time and blocked his body with his shield but could do nothing as Tyrian placed his gun-knives over the top of his shield, aimed them down onto his head and pulled the triggers.

"Arghhh!"

The rapid-fire tore into him. Without aura, he'd have been reduced to a mess of blood and brain matter. With aura, he buckled and stumbled onto one knee, keeping the shield against Tyrian's chest through willpower alone. Aura flashed and flared before his eyes, dropping hard as Tyrian unloaded everything into him.

If he got out the way, Sienna would be defenceless. They'd be one fighter down and Tyrian would have his tail back. If Sienna moved, she had to let go of the tail – and Tyrian would stab it into Jaune's back and kill him. Jaune released Crocea Mors and sent it skidding back with one hand, desperately hoping she'd catch his plan.

Tyrian tracked it with his eyes.

"Son of a…"

His knee drove up into the bottom of Jaune's shield without warning. Having been struggling to keep it up, suddenly having Tyrian help with that caused it to fly high and out his hands. Tyrian then slammed the barrels of his empty guns into Jaune's forehead, then clapped both hands over his ears.

A loud pop echoed and the world swayed. All hearing faltered – including his own scream. He fell back as Tyrian round housed him, and for all that his aura was still in one piece, he couldn't decide what was up and what was down. My eardrums. He ruptured them. Even if he couldn't hear, he could only hope he could be heard.

"Sienna! Watch out!"

She only had the time to tense her body as Tyrian came in. With Crocea Mors in hand, she swung down for the tail, grimly holding on even as he closed in. His foot caught the blade before it could hit and Crocea Mors soared away, slamming into a tree point first. Disarmed, she had no defence. Tyrian drove his heel into the side of her head and knocked her down. He stamped again and again, then another time for good measure, stamping on her until she slipped out of consciousness and released the tail she'd been doggedly holding onto.

Jaune groaned and reached out for Neo's sword, touching the hilt with his fingers.

A boot slammed down on them with a crunch.

"Arghh!"

"I don't think so! Hee." Tyrian stepped over his body and brought his tail up over one shoulder, stinger dripping green liquid. "Maybe if she didn't have to cover for you, she could have given me a proper fight. Oh well, that's not my problem."

Shit. Jaune kicked at Tyrian's legs but he didn't have the strength or footing to move him. Tyrian rocked a little but otherwise ignored it. Jaune's free hand came up over his face, as if it alone could stop the stinger. It could if he caught it. And if he had the upper body strength, while laying down, to force off the full weight of Tyrian Callows.

"Nighty-night headmaster! Salem sends her regards."

The stinger stabbed down.

White flashed from the edge of his vision.

Neo covered him, face down, one hand on his shoulder and the other his chest, balanced over him on her hands and knees. Her face was right before his, bruised and bleeding from her lip. His eyes stared into mismatched pink and brown.

Those eyes bulged. Her body jerked.

"N… Neo…?"

Her mouth opened and closed. No words ever came from it, but for once he heard a sound – a gurgling and desperate rattle of breath. The whites of her eyes turned red.

"Oops." Tyrian's tail bulged as his venom pumped down and into her back. "Well, I guess it doesn't matter which of you goes first. There's plenty to go around."

Neo's mouth opened in a silent scream.

"NEO!"

Nooo. Not Neo. Anyone but the Neo.

Almost feels a little mean to have an omake when Neo's life is on the line (best girl, no…) but here we go.

Omake:

"My Queen, are you sure this is wise?"

Salem spared a glare for the underling that dared question her. Watts had become mouthy of late without Cinder to bounce his ego off. There were times her minions frustrated her so much she considered killing the lot and starting afresh. Except Hazel, of course. He was a darling. Always so quiet and to the point.

"Watts, my plan is absolute," she said, drawing the thick shawl tighter around her hair. "I have considered the best way to destabilise Remnant, and I believe my plan to be perfect."

"What about Headmaster Arc?"

"What about him?" she asked with a dark chuckle. "My plan shall use him – the man that Ozpin intended to unite the people. I shall turn him from their greatest weapon into their greatest weakness! The people shall see what monster I twist him into and recoil, and under the strain of such horror, Vale shall crumble and fall."

"You would use him against them?"

"I would, Watts. I would."

"But… But how…?"

"Wait and see."

Salem fixed a smile onto her face as she knocked on the door to the headmaster's office. It took a few minutes for him to answer. He was a youngish man with roguish blond hair that was swept to the side. His smile, she noted, was just a little strained. He did not recognise her, for she had prepared her disguise excellently. Her distinctive marks that ran across her face and to her eyes were covered with makeup and her eyes themselves were hidden behind thick glasses. To disguise her gorgeous hair, she'd worn a wig in a most clever disguise.

She believed the people called it an `afro`.

"Um. Hello." The headmaster's attention was above her head and not on it. "Can I help you?"

"I am here for the appointment." Salem handed over the white card on the end of a blue lanyard. On it, a crude photo of a woman not her smiled back. The words `Image Consultant` were written beneath.

"Notsalem," he read. "Is that Vacuan? How do I pronounce that?"

"Grimmish," Salem answered politely. "And I answer to Queen, Mistress or Lord of all Evil if the name is too difficult."

Beside her, Watts whimpered.

"Oh. Okay." Jaune Arc scratched his cheek. "Can I ask why you're here, Miss Notsalem?"

"I was hired by your colleague Miss Goodsnitch."

"Goodwitch?"

"That is most certainly what I said. Gladys-"

"Glynda."

"- was concerned that with your increase in responsibilities and becoming more of a public figure, that your image could be improved to better reflect that and inspire the mindless victims that dwell within this rotten city."

Jaune blinked. "What?"

"I'm here to give you a makeover. This is my assistant, Wattsie."

"H-Hello there," Watts greeted weakly.

"Hey. I'm… Is this really necessary? I mean, aren't I doing a good enough job already?" Jaune touched his face as if to check and in that action, Salem sensed weakness. With a smile, she pounced.

"Oh, you cut a dashing figure, Jaune Arc. Very dashing. But is it not said by the vapid masses that one can always improve? As far as you humans seem to think you can approach the perfection that is Salem, of course."

"Did you say Salem?"

"No." Salem brushed over him. "The point is, you can always do better. Do you think General Bronzewood doesn't have his own legion of stylists and consultants? Every outfit he wears is carefully planned to provide a certain image. To make him seem taller, more rugged and, dare I say it, inspiring. We must do the same with you."

Jaune stroked his chin.

"Huh. I never thought about it that way."

"That is why I am here. Allow me, the great Notsalem, to take all your worries away."

"Well, if Glynda says it's a good idea…"

/-/

Vale was burning.

The people were screaming.

Finally, after so long, she had won. Salem stood upon the roof of a burning car with her hands in the air, cackling at the top of her lungs. Beside her, Watts watched in awe as cars violently swerved and crashed, as Bullheads fell from the sky and skyscrapers toppled under their own weight. The city was collapsing, and without a single Grimm having set foot within.

"Incredible," he breathed. "How – I can't… Such power…"

"Oh Watts," she howled. "This is my true power. My true victory!"

And at the centre of it all, Jaune Arc stood. Alone on a stage, cameras recording him, ready to take his speech out to the people of Vale. He looked confused, dressed as he was in his typical dark blue coat, breastplate and jeans. His sword and shield were strapped at his side and he looked, for the most part, the same as he always had.

The only change was his hair…

Gelled up at the front and spiked on top, his new hairstyle, crafted by her, stood before the people.

"Why!?" a young voice screamed. Ruby Rose's face appeared in the camera, hands dragging down the side of her face. "Why does such evil exist? My eyes! My eyes! Someone gouge out my eyes! Arghhhhhhh!"

And thus, Vale was destroyed forever. Yes, this is Jaune's Season 7 hair. Such horrific evilness could only have been made by Salem herself.

Pyrrha died for this hair!

Next Chapter: 7th November

P a treon . com (slash) Coeur