Troll in Reviews

As has been noted, there is a troll in reviews spamming guest reviews and trying to frame people by writing their name in the name slot. Just ignore it. It's not worth the effort of paying attention to and I'm only writing this message so people are aware.

He's also pretending to be me by writing my name in guest review slots. I would only ever review something from this (logged-in) account.

Cover Art: Mystery White Flame

Chapter 52

Jaune stood on the walls of Atlas, blue coat billowing behind him like a cape, Crocea Mors point down, his hands resting atop it nonchalantly and his sharp eyes peering out at the oncoming horde of Grimm. Beside and slightly behind, Glynda and Roman stood, the former reading something on her scroll and the latter smoking a cigar and twirling his cane, each unconcerned with the army bearing down on them. A little further along, cameras flashed and wartime reporters took in the sight of absolute heroism they posed.

"This pose feels unnatural."

"Hold it," Roman gritted out. "You look badass."

"I can't lean on my sword like this. The tip doesn't exactly dig through solid metal walls."

"They're coated with metal but stone on the inside," Glynda replied. "I know since I have the Atlapedia entry open right now. Did you know the original plan was to build them right up to the floating parts of Atlas? That was shelved when the economic crisis hit."

"What, not before they realised that'd mean no sunlight or fresh air?"

The reporters saw them speaking and continued to photograph, no doubt trusting that such well-known and powerful huntsmen were discussing the battle ahead, their plans or the safety of the general populace.

"I'm just saying that's a stupid idea. A dome sounds awesome until you think of the cost and the risk. What happens if a bird flies into it and breaks a pane of glass? You know what kind of mess a window falling from a tall building makes of a person." Roman grinned and clapped his hands together. "Like a jam pancake. Now imagine if it came from the sky itself."

"No one was suggesting a glass dome."

"Yeah, they wanted a stone one. Talk about dense."

"Look, I'm just reading the entry…"

"Children," Jaune said with a faint smile. "If you don't stop, I'll turn this invasion around and we'll go home."

"Can we?" Roman asked.

"No." Jaune's smile fell. The Grimm were closing in at last and everyone on the wall was nervous, himself included. For the last two days, the artillery had rained down on the horde and Raven and Ironwood continued the evacuation of the people. Almost all were out now. Almost. To hear the reports in the daily meetings he was invited to, less than ten per cent remained.

Acceptable numbers, someone had said. Even if they all hated to think it, they knew that was true. The decision had still been to defend the mostly empty city, though. Ironwood said it was to ensure people had a home to come back to and because of the military hardware down there that'd make it easier, but he'd confided in private to him and Ozpin the real reason.

Salem.

If the Grimm truly were a mindless horde of unrestrained destruction then Atlas could have retreated, let the city fall and then reclaimed it later. Or started anew. Those left behind could retreat up into the floating parts of the city powered by the Relic of Creation, dealt with the limited aerial threat and then stayed safe knowing the Grimm couldn't reach them.

The horde wasn't mindless, however. It was led by someone who could reason – and if they presented Salem with an unassailable fortress, she would naturally find a way to get around it. Flying Grimm, carrier Grimm or perhaps even an attack to bring the Academy down. Ozpin and Ironwood had decided that rather than force her hand and lose that advantage, they should fight her on the ground and maintain somewhere to retreat to if things got bad. So long as Salem thought she was winning, she wouldn't expend unnecessary energy to take the Relic.

Therein laid the problem.

Salem thought she was winning.

The military council had already decided that while the horde was a danger, it wasn't an Atlas-ending catastrophe. Thousands were going to die, that was inevitable, but the outcomes were going to be an Atlas victory either way, with the scale simply deciding how costly that would be. Ozpin had agreed and even he thought the Grimm wouldn't be enough to take out the fortified city with its vast military might, armaments and hardware, not to mention the incredible battleships currently docked on the northern coast of Sanus and ready to come reinforce.

Salem had to know that as well, and she was still here, which either implied a complete lack of any military sense – Ozpin assured him that was unlikely – or a plan. Either her objective wasn't to destroy Atlas, or she had something else in store which she knew would tip the odds and let the Grimm win. When he shared the fear with Ironwood and Ozpin, they'd admitted to having come up with the same, so at least a gambit from her wouldn't come as a complete surprise.

A few more cameras flashed from nearby, many focused on the brave soldiers but the majority on the three of them.

"Why are we the celebrities here?" Jaune asked.

"Because we have faces," Roman replied. "We're known figures. Symbols."

"Everyone here is willing to fight and die for Atlas."

"Yeah, and that's morbid news. This is being watched by helpless people all over Remnant. They don't want to see people preparing for death. They want to see badasses confident in victory, cocky huntsmen without a shred of fear." He slammed his cane down. "Heroes."

Jaune snorted. "I'm no hero."

"And I am?"

"None of us are," Glynda said, shaking her head. She put her scroll away. "Still, and as much as I hate to admit it, Torchwick is correct."

"Love you too, bae."

"Huntsmen stand both as a force against the Grimm and a symbol of hope. Our very presence is designed to calm down the people we help, which is why the Kingdoms work to foster our at times unrealistic reputations." Glynda waved a hand toward the Grimm horde. "Not so that we can defeat an army like this, but so that people believe we can – because belief is a potent weapon against the Grimm, who hunt and expand based on our negativity."

"It's why we're all dressed like peacocks," Roman chimed in, taking over with a wink. "You ever see a huntsmen or huntress in camouflage? Not likely. We're meant to stand out, draw people to us and look larger than life. It's also why our fighting can be flashy at times. You can't say the Nikos girl needs all those acrobatic flips and shit to fight. It's bad fighting, but she does it because it inspires people. Entertains them. We're actors on a grand stage, kid, trying to keep the audience happy because if those curtains ever fall, it's curtains on the human race."

Glynda chuckled. "I never took you for a philosopher."

"You can blame Oobleck for that one."

"Hmm. Huntsmen are both image and combatant," Glynda finished. "It's why Ozpin drinks so much – beyond his coffee addiction, the sight of a huntsman casually drinking coffee in front of the Grimm like it's another day in the office inspires confidence. It lessens the threat, but of course that is nothing if you cannot back it up. We are both all talk and all action."

"But for now, we're actors," Roman said. "So act the part, kid."

Actors, huh? That fit him to a tee given everything he'd accomplished was based on a lie, but if they were right then they were saying that was fine. As long as everyone was fooled, that was all that mattered. Right now, the people didn't need a strong huntsman. The walls were chock full of them and soldiers ready to do battle. One more wouldn't make a difference.

What they needed were larger than life figures to look the part and inspire confidence.

"I'm about to do something stupid…"

Glynda looked startled. "What?"

It was the only warning he was going to give her, because his heart wasn't going to hold firm if he didn't act at once. Before he could think better of it, or think at all, Jaune stepped up onto the metallic wall and swept Crocea Mors up into the air.

"No further!" he roared, making soldiers nearby jump and then stare at him in awe. He forced his eyes ahead, the better to not see their reactions and crumple in embarrassment. He swept his sword down, cutting a line along the wall. "This far and no further!"

Hundreds of voices raised in a single bark, boots stamping down along the wall. It spread like a wave, people soon stamping and shouting at the tops of their lungs. Jaune hopped back, face burning red, back turned steadfastly to the cameras.

If a hole would open in front of him, he'd have jumped right in.

"Well." Roman grinned. "Guess the challenge is set. This far, huh?"

"The Grimm will breach the walls," Glynda said. "We don't want to hold them for too long."

"Yeah, but no one is going to remember that when all is said and done. All they'll remember is that Beacon declared we should hold the line, and that the brave men and women of Atlas did just that. Nice one, kid. Stealing more of Ironwood's thunder."

Jaune groaned, face twisted in abject mortification.

"Shut up, Roman…"

/-/

"This far and no further!"

Some of the teams from Atlas whooped at the bold claim, while others began slamming their hands on tables to rattle the wood and metal, drum rolling their support. Ruby clapped and Weiss nodded, while Blake only rolled her eyes.

Typical Blake, there. Yang watched the screen with red cheeks.

Tch. Just when I was starting to get over you, you go and pull something like that. Her chest fluttered a little and she looked away, brushing the hair from her face and looking around the cafeteria to see how the locals were taking it. Atlas Academy's cafeteria was packed full of people, mostly for the fact it had the biggest TV and enough seats to handle them all. The official advice had been to rest to prepare for their shift but telling them to rest when the Grimm were coming wasn't easy.

No students were involved on the front lines – instead, they were stationed on the floating parts of Atlas to deal with the Nevermore, but since that could be happening for days, they'd been split into three different shifts that would swap constantly to let people rest. Their shift wasn't first, which left them all anxious.

The Atlas students weren't much different. Yang recognised a few, Flynt Coal and Neon Katt standing out easily. They were all watching the screen and were eating up the prof's words. Not that I can blame them. He looks like a god out there.

Blonde hair swaying behind him, long coat, gleaming sword and broad shoulders. The angle didn't catch his face but she could imagine a hard bitten and angular jaw, burning eyes and a small, confidant smirk that would set any woman's heart aflutter.

"He's good," Yang said. "Real good."

"He is, isn't he?" Oscar said, smiling mysteriously. "He's very inspiring."

"Heh. You should have seen him before you came," she said, happy to chat about brighter topics. "He was just the counsellor at first but he was always helping out. I still remember the first time we saw him fight. He went up against Cardin and took him down without drawing his weapon. It was insane!"

"Unarmed?" Oscar had trained with Cardin. "That's amazing."

"It is. I don't want to talk ill or anything, but he's way stronger than the old headmaster."

Oscar's eye twitched and he leant forward, cradling his forehead. "Ugh. I – well, I mean, the old headmaster was probably super strong as well, right?"

"Ozpin? I guess." Yang shrugged. "We never really saw him fight. I bet Jaune was better."

"I – ow – sorry, got a headache." Oscar kept flinching and muttered something under his breath. "I-I don't think you should insult the old headmaster that way. I'm sure he was also super strong and just as cool."

Yang raised an eyebrow. "I mean, he probably was. I'm just saying we never saw it. That's all."

"Okay." Oscar sat up normally again, rubbing his head but no longer looking in pain. "Team RVNN are in the first shift, aren't they?"

"Yep. Miss Goodwitch had an idea with P-money's Semblance."

"Where does that leave Cinder? I thought someone had to watch her at all times…"

"Neo is doing it." Yang shrugged. She didn't like Neo per se, but she didn't hate her either. She was more envious than jealous because while Neo could be bitchy at times, she wasn't a bitch. It was hard to explain but Neo didn't pick on her specifically or flaunt having Jaune over hr. She was just a bit of a bitch to everyone.

Hence, she was bitchy but not a bitch.

"The prof trusts her and I've seen her fight. Cinder won't be able to do much when she lost most of her power and there aren't many who hate her more than the prof, Torchwick and her. They're the ones who fought her on the tower."

Oscar appeared relieved by that and mumbled something under his breath, nodding to himself. Poor kid must have been terrified with everything going on. Yang hooked an arm around and dragged him into her side. He protested, eyes wide and cheeks stained red.

"It'll be okay. We're the last line of defence and surrounded by the strongest people in the world. And if worst comes to worst, stay close to me. I'll look after you."

"Y-Yeah. Thank you."

"Heh. No prob." She ruffled his hair fondly. "Same goes for you as well, Rubes."

"I'm sixteen. I can look after myself."

"Here it comes," Blake warned. "The battle is starting!"

Everyone went silent, even those drumming on the tables. The Grimm weren't at the wall yet but they'd reached the point at which flares burned on the ground. The cameras, manned by wartime reporters, panned away from the professor and the defenders on the wall and moved to several huge weapon arrays.

Blue lights flashed and the weapons twisted, groaning loudly as they brought themselves to bare, adjusting their angles and standing silent for a long, ominous moment.

"Thoom!"

The sound could be heard both loudly from the TV and distantly from all around them, as the canons slammed down, seemingly retracting on themselves, while a burst of fire exploded from the tip. They fired in concert, ten or so in the footage of the camera, but many more by the sheer sound of it all around them.

Another camera took control of the TV, looking out over the Grimm horde as trails of light span lazily through the sky. Yang watched with bated breath, as did everyone else, as the languid dots of glowing yellow and amber drifted down like snowflakes.

And then the explosions began, ripping Grimm asunder in their hundreds.

The sound of cheering and banging fists on tables drowned out even the distant sound of the artillery bombardment.

/-/

"Boom! Headshot."

Ka-chunk.

"Boom! Headshot."

Ka-chunk.

"Boom! Head-"

"You hit its shoulder," Ren interrupted. "I saw that."

"Keep your scope on your own Grimm," Nora growled. "Boo-!" Nora squawked suddenly. "Velvet, no! Kill stealer!"

"Boom," Velvet said, grinning. "Headshot."

Pyrrha shook her head with a wide smile, stood on a balcony on the floating fortress that was Atlas Academy with her team and several others, some from Beacon but most from Atlas. They'd all been granted rifles with long-distance optics to aid with the defence from relative safety. Even if not all of them were trained in the use of such, the Grimm were coming in such numbers that missing wasn't an option.

From their high position, the battle below was like a high-octane fireworks display. Artillery blasted giant holes in the formation while gunfire from the walls created a blanket of yellow light that scythed down the front ranks of Grimm, building a wall of Grimm bodies faster than they could dissolve and disappear.

The Grimm weren't even getting close to the walls and the build-up from the Grimm being halted was making them clump together, which probably had the artillery crews salivating. As she thought that, another huge explosion rent at least three hundred Grimm to their constituent parts, leaving behind a vast crater torn into the landscape.

"This is so amazing!" Nora gushed. "Ruby is so right. Ren, I need a sniper attachment on Magnhild."

"How would that even work?"

"I don't care. It can fire hammers. Gasp! Or explosive hammers!"

The sad part was that Nora probably would try and make that happen, then be in tears when it failed. Maybe they could talk to Ruby and work something out. Later, of course. It was her part to shine now, and while she hadn't yet mastered the maiden's power, that wasn't all Pyrrha Nikos had under her umbrella.

Weaving her hands in the air, she summoned forth ten metallic orbs from a crate that had been prepared especially for her. The high-impact grenades, all metal, hovered in the air. Using her finger, she drew the pin from each slowly, knowing they wouldn't explode unless they hit something. Maybe with more fine control she could have removed the pins with her Semblance but controlling individual metal parts was a little outside her ability.

If it wasn't, she could have had fifty rifles following her around at all times, firing, reloading and using them against her opponents. If her old challengers had thought her a pain to fight before, she couldn't imagine their faces if she had that kind of control. I'd be a walking arsenal, she thought with a smile. That's hardly fair.

Either way, her limited control was enough. With each grenade armed, she drew a hand back and then thrust out, launching them far out over the heads of the defenders and into the wild mass of black.

"Pyrrha!" Nora wailed. "My kills!"

Summoning up ten more, she began removing the pins. "You're just going to have to try harder if you want to beat my score, Nora."

"Oh, you are so on right now, missy." Nora began firing and cranking her rifle like she was trying to discover an automatic firing mode. "You think you're hot stuff, huh? I'm queen of this castle!"

"We'll see, Nora. We'll see."

Once I get a chance to bring out the maiden powers, you won't have a chance, Nora.

Pyrrha grinned.

"Again, Velvet? I had him!"

Velvet laughed. "Sorry not sorry."

"Grrr!"

/-/

"I'm feeling rather useless right now," Jaune admitted, having to yell to be heard over the gunfire that blazed down the Grimm from a good two hundred metre's distance. "Why are we here again? I have a sword. Why do I have a sword and shield? Why didn't one of you tell me to bring a gun?"

"All I'm hearing from you is `wah wah wah`," Roman shouted back, firing Melodic Cudgel by resting the barrel on one arm crossed before him and using the other to pull the trigger. "I know I got you into Beacon, saved your bacon more than once and literally wipe your ass for you, but you can decide to get a gun attachment on your sword yourself. I'm not your dad."

"To be fair, you're not the only one doing nothing," Glynda said. She had her Semblance, but the distance must have been too great, or she'd just decided that by throwing chunks of rubble at the Grimm, all she'd be doing was granting them cover from the gunfire.

Be visible, he reminded himself. That's all they need.

Ironwood wasn't being visible, but he was the General of the army, so presumably the fact his army could be seen was enough `visibility` in that regard. Plus, he had to orchestrate things from above and with a clear view of the battlefield. He couldn't fault the man's absence.

"Nevermore!" someone yelled in warning.

It was a black cloud from the current distance, a storm on the horizon drifting closer. They'd provide a natural shield from the artillery for a while, causing shells to explode in the air and giving the Grimm beneath a chance to advance. The students would be doing their best but they weren't an instant cure for thousands of small, avian Grimm darting in to peck and slash at the defenders on the wall.

Already, anti-air batteries were being turned or wheeled into place, some portable and others attached to trucks and flat-bed tanks pulling up behind them. Rows on rows of missiles, flak canons and dual and quad-linked machine guns angled up toward the sky. Atlas' finest came and went, scurrying over them like white ants.

With any luck, it would be enough to cut the Nevermore down to size.

/-/

Fria closed her eyes as the doors swished open.

"You're not supposed to be here."

"We're not," the dark-haired woman entering said, but made no move to leave. She was accompanied by another wearing the uniform of a Specialist, but far too small and with mismatched eyes. That one took guard at the door, closing it behind them. Fria watched the woman with black hair approach without too much fear. "You are the winter maiden, yes? It's a pleasure to meet you. I am Cinder Fall."

"The once fall maiden." Fria chuckled. "I heard about that."

"Yes." Cinder scowled but tossed her hair back, revealing a grisly scar down her face and the absence of a single eye. It looked to have been cut out by a sword or long knife.

"You've come for my power."

"I have."

Fria chuckled, amused at how easily she admitted it. "James wants it to go to Winter. She's been spending every spare moment here getting to know me. Quite obvious really, though the poor girl tries to be subtle about it."

Winter was nice, but it was painfully clear she was trying to be nice. Trying and, in some cases, failing. Their earlier talks had been awkward to say the least, more a case of her gently drawing Winter into conversation than the other way around. James seemed to think it was as easy as throwing Winter at her as often as possible and hoping something stuck.

Silly boy. Silly girl as well, for Fria felt little more than pity for Winter Schnee.

"I may be old but I'm not weak, young lady."

"I'm aware." Instead of moving to attack, Cinder took the chair Winter often used and sat. "I was a maiden myself so I know what you're capable of. If I tried to kill you in an enclosed space like this, you'd end my life easily enough. I'm not here to fight you."

"But you are here for my power."

"I am."

"Hmmm. Honest of you." Fria closed her eyes and leant back, chuckling to herself. "Tell me, how are things outside? Winter tries to hide it, but I'm not deaf and these walls don't entirely block out the noise."

"The Grimm are arriving in a force over two million strong. The battle has just begun." Cinder recounted the scene for her, painting a vivid image and supporting it with images and snips of video on her scroll.

Fria held it and watched the news reports with a mounting sense of dread.

"Atlas will hold," Cinder said. "Or so everyone believes, but the casualties will be vast in number. And that's assuming this attack is as straightforward as it appears. There's a good chance it will be worse. Maybe not enough to put Atlas in danger, but… well, you're not an idiot."

"I'm not." Fria gave the scroll back. "I'm surprised they haven't killed me already."

"It's because they're weak. They're afraid to make the necessary decisions."

Fria cracked one eye open, smiling. "Oh? Some would say they're humane. Tell me. If you were in charge of Atlas, what would you do right now?"

"I would wheel you out of here, stand you on the walls and tell you to fight until your death."

"Hmm. How callous of you. You'd have me use my powers to defend Atlas even if that killed me, then trust that the power would transfer to someone useful when I died, allowing you to do it again and again. Is that right?"

Cinder nodded.

Horrible. Cruel. Effective. Fria hummed to herself, cupping a mug of tea between her weathered hands. It was a strategy designed for a harsher time, a colder world and one where lives had to be sacrificed for the greater good. Outside, the battle continued to rage.

"Tell me about yourself, Cinder. Not your past, but who you are. Your dreams. Speak the truth, please. Neither of us has time for half-baked lies."

Cinder regarded her closely and then nodded. "Very well. I'm a cruel woman. I'm a sociopath, or some might even call me a psychopath. I joined with the evillest creature on Remnant because I sought power, and I still want it. The only difference now is that I've realised the greatest chance of success lays with Jaune Arc instead."

"You always look after number one, then?"

"Yes. I won't lie and say other people's lives are more important than my own. They're not, at least to me. I'm selfish and I admit it."

"Everyone is selfish, girl. We're all the centre of our own little universe, knowing and caring about but a fraction of the people on the planet, those we know and love. There may be different degrees of it, some dedicating their lives to charity or good causes, but at the end of the day our perspectives are limited. How can they not be? We only see a fraction of the world…"

"I'll do what I need to in order to survive," Cinder said. "I joined Jaune because it was my only hope of survival. I'm hunted now. Salem seeks me and won't stop until I'm dead."

"You have nowhere else to run."

"I do not."

Someone with no options. It was said that a rat backed into a corner was at its most dangerous. The message was clearer than that. Cinder could not flee, could not escape and had no hope of going back to the one she had betrayed. Knowing about the magic of the world, Fria knew of Salem.

"Winter is not a bad person," Fria said. "Brave, loyal and dedicated. While I'll be the first to admit she lacks in social environments, she is someone who would defend Atlas until her last breath. Do you disagree with that?"

"You know her better than I do. You're probably right. She'd die for this Kingdom."

"And you…?"

"I couldn't care less about Atlas. I don't plan to die here."

"Isn't that cowardice?"

"Anyone can die, Fria. There's no courage in that. Winter is loyal and brave, but also inflexible. She follows orders. She would be forever held back by what she's told – what others decide for her. If they choose wrongly on how to utilise her powers, she will follow those orders regardless, because it's what a good soldier does."

"Whereas you would ignore such orders…"

"Yes. I would survive. I'll achieve my goals no matter the cost, and anyone who thinks otherwise is free to get out of my way." Cinder leaned forward. "I joined Salem. There is no length I will not go to, no line I won't cross. My defeat at Jaune's hands hasn't changed that. I will not die. I will win!"

The girl by the door slammed her hand three times on the wall, drawing their attention. She didn't speak but shook her head, pointed to the door and then jerked a thumb over her shoulder. Cinder stood, brushing her dress down over her legs. Her furious expression slowly came back under control and she nodded politely.

"It appears it's time for us to leave."

"I'll refrain from mentioning your visit," Fria promised, leaning back. "I would enjoy it if we could talk again sometimes. Having Winter as my only visitor hasn't been easy. It's nice to find someone with a different opinion. How about tomorrow?"

"I'll come tomorrow morning," Cinder promised. "Farwell for now."

The two slipped out and away, and Fria leant back, waiting for her next guest. It would be Winter. It had to be. No one else was allowed to see her. Sure enough, the door opened not five minutes later and Winter Schnee walked in.

"How fares the battle?"

Winter froze. "What battle?"

"Come now, Winter, I'm not deaf. I can hear what is happening and you're clearly exhausted. Your boots are smudged as well." Fria smiled. "You normally take such care with your appearance but I can see the bags under your eyes."

All true, but she'd not have easily spotted them without the context clues. They were only obvious because she was looking for them. Winter stood uncertain, trying to decide if or what she could say. That was her to a fault. Rigid and loyal, good traits by any means, but also inflexible. Winter was someone who was probably excellent at any task when given clear orders and instructions.

She's not so good at thinking for herself. Intelligent, but intelligence without wisdom means little.

"Well…?"

"The battle goes well." Winter strode forward and took her seat. "How are you, Fria? Would you like some more tea?"

Always the same introduction. Always. It was polite, but Fria had a suspicion it was more because the act of making her tea helped break the ice. It was an action Winter could do that didn't involve having to keep up a conversation.

"I'd love some, please." And where Winter always asked, she always accepted, not because she wanted tea – honestly, by now she was sick of it – but because she didn't want to be a bother to the obviously out of her depth woman.

Their relationship was pleasant, but that was all it was. Winter was a good person, but that could only be said in a distant way. They were friendly but not close, like two colleagues in an office talking about the latest holiday. They knew one another, but neither would have attended the other's wedding. Fria sipped at her tea and watched the young woman take more time than strictly necessary with her own.

"Tell me, Winter. Would you die for Atlas?"

"Where did this question come from?"

"Curiosity. Indulge an old woman's wish…"

"Of course." Winer's eyes narrowed as she thought. "I would die for Atlas if it was required," she said all too quickly, and the worst part was that Fria was sure she was telling the truth. "I don't want to die, obviously, but if my life would secure the freedom of Atlas and its people, then it is a cost I will pay. Any soldier would say the same."

"I couldn't care less about Atlas. I don't plan to die here."

They were night and day, quite literally. It felt childish to make the distinction, but even from the short time she'd spoken to the other woman for, she felt confidant saying Winter and Cinder could count as good and evil respectively.

Winter would give her life in the battle if it benefited Atlas, whereas Cinder would do whatever she needed to in order to survive. Fria frowned down into her tea.

"Death is an end that comes to all eventually, Winter, but there's no need to rush into it. You can't very well serve your Kingdom while you're dead."

"I agree, but we are at war, Fria. Sacrifice is going to be required and I would not ask someone to make it if I wasn't willing to myself."

An honourable sentiment. Cinder would no doubt throw as many people as she could in front of danger to protect her own life, but given that Cinder's survival depended on Atlas coming out of this in one piece, was that a bad thing?

Atlas didn't need another dying maiden.

It needed someone prepared to make the most difficult of decisions, someone who would prioritise survival over honour, fairness or anything else. Someone flexible. "If General Ironwood decided to send you on a mission that was certain death, but assured you it would help end the war, would you follow those orders?"

Winter's answer was immediate.

"Of course."

A simple person. A loyal person. An inflexible person.

"You could kill me now, Winter. I'm thinking of you and there's little I could do to stop you." Deceit on her part, though if Winter drew her sword right now, Fria was content to lower her aura and accept the blade. "You could take my power and use it to fight back the Grimm."

"I'm not going to kill you, Fria. Atlas isn't so weak that it would resort to murder. Our men and women can hold the walls and fight back this attack."

"You could fight it better with my power. Why not kill me and grasp it?"

"Because it's wrong."

"It's because they're weak. They're afraid to make the necessary decisions."

Fria closed her eyes and laid back.

"I'm tired, Winter. You are as well. Go to sleep. Perhaps we can talk more tomorrow."

"I'll come in the morning."

"No." She shook her head. "Come in the afternoon."

Winter looked confused but nodded and stood. "Very well. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yes."

Fria smiled sadly, and poor Winter had no idea what it meant.

"Goodbye Winter…"

Bit of a longer chapter, but I'm about to balance that with a short ass omake. At least, it's longer compared to what I managed Sat, Sun and Monday. I knew I'd be struggling so I did a little of this yesterday to compensate and make sure this wouldn't end up as short as the others.

Just a reminder that it'll be TWO WEEKS until next chapter due to work commitments and my event.

Omake:

"You!"

"Damn it," Cinder swore, standing. "Neo, you were supposed to warn me."

Neo looked up from where she was sat cross-legged on the floor, playing a game on her scroll. She glanced at Winter, then at Cinder, shrugged once and went back to spinning the GACHA with Jaune's credit card.

I knew I should have asked for Roman's help on this. Ass that he is, he's not half as bad as her.

"I see your game, Fall," Winter accused. "You want to steal the power of the winter maiden! Is that it?"

"Yes."

"So, you admit it!"

"Yes."

Winter stammered. "J-Just like that?"

"Yes." Cinder shrugged. "To be fair, I doubt this comes as a surprise to anyone. Denying it would be fairly pointless."

"And this is all Jaune's plan?"

"Oh, of course. Everything is Jaune's plan." Including this meeting, which meant Jaune must have planned for it. Hmm. He obviously trusted her to find a solution – and she would, not only because she was a genius but because Jaune would have planned for her to find a solution if he planned for Winter to interrupt, so by virtue of this event happening, she was going to find a solution.

Q.E.D

"Well I won't let you," Winter said, wielding her sabre. "I'm prepared to-"

"Enough!" The shout came from Fria, startling them both. "How am I meant to rest with you two blabbering on?"

"Miss Fria, you shouldn't be exerting yourself."

"Posh on you, girl!" Fria yelled, waving a fist cantankerously. "Think you can tell me what to do just because you're young and pretty and your tits don't sag like shopping bags full of apples. I tell you, in my day I was twice as pretty as you are, and I knew how to flaunt it!"

"I'm sure you were-"

"Don't you patronise me, girlie. Do you know how hard things were back in mah day? You have things easy with your doohickeys and your scrolls and your CCT-"

"The CCT was made over fifty years ago," Cinder pointed out. "You had it as well."

"Back in mah day, things were different!" Fria said, ignoring her entirely. "If ah wanted to send a message to Vale, I'd have to get up at six, cook breakfast for sixteen children, weave their clothing from the silk from a spider Grimm and cross a ravine filled with lava to get them to school, and that was before ah could even think of leavin' for Vale-"

Cinder looked up to the ceiling hopefully.

Winter started inspecting her nails.

"-Of course, that was before dust had even been discovered, so we had to use rocks and sticks to fight Grimm. And the Grimm back then were bigger too! None of this piddly little Grimm you whipper-snappers face. I had to tame wild squirrels and teach 'em to build rafts so we could sail past the Goliaths, and that was only because the river monsters were easier to fight!"

Cinder flicked out a mirror and started adjusting her makeup.

Winter was exchanging contact details with Neo so she could make use of her whale tendencies to build a decent support team.

"-and then ah'd deliver the message by hand, and that was all before lunch! You think you have it so hard, with your emails and your messages and your dick pics. If ah wanted to send a picture of mah dick to some fine young man, I had to find said young man mahself, drop mah keks and shove mah-"

"Miss Fria."

"Hah? What? Where was I?" Fria's eyes widened. "Where am I? Who're you?" Her eyes narrowed on Winter. "Whatever you're sellin', I don't want any!"

"I'm not a sales rep."

"And you!" she spat at Cinder. "Dirty Atlas scumbags thinking you can come here and steal all our jobs!"

"I'm not from Atlas." Cinder frowned. "And you are."

"What? Speak up, girl. Always whispering."

"I'M NOT FROM ATLAS!" Cinder yelled. "AND YOU-OOF!" The pillow that had struck Cinder in the face flopped to the ground.

"STOP YELLING!" Fria screamed, hand outstretched. "I'm right here, you daft cow! I'm old, not deaf!"

"Look." Cinder turned to Winter. "How about we just kill her and see what happens? Spin the wheel. At this point, I'm game if you are…"

"Spin the wheel? In mah day we didn't have wheels! We had triangles!"

Winter sighed. "What if it ends up going to the wrong kind of person?"

"You want to sit here and keep listening to that?"

"-had to lay logs under our cars, an' they weren't called cars, they were called runners. Now, the reason they were called tha' was because of the mice. You might think mice wouldn't make sense to run a car – and you'd be right. I said it should be mouse faunus, but apparently that's not PC. And that's another thing. You and yer PC this and yer PC that. Nuttin' wrong with sayin' a mouse faunus in a wheel should generate power. Tha's not racist! We gave 'em plenty of cheese-"

Winter's eyes met Cinder's.

"Spin the wheel. Spin it hard."

Could have been worse. Maybe her full name is actually Fria Port! And soon, Beacon itself fell before their might, driven into a coma from which no student ever wanted to wake.

Next Chapter: 2nd April

P a treon . com (slash) Coeur