Smoke and rising flames, the cries of those she was meant to protect cut short. Tears brimmed in Ariel's eyes as she desperately moved to the final Grimm, piercing her blood stained sword down through its neck with reckless abandon. After Cinder had vanished, the monsters had begun ignoring her entirely, spreading out to ransack the town itself and all those within. She had done the most she could, killed what she could…
It just hadn't been enough to save them all.
Arms and legs trembling from exhaustion, Ariel withdrew her blade from the Ursa's neck in a spray of black ichor, eyes surveilling the numerous bodies that surrounded her. Some dissipated, breaking apart into black ash that trailed up into the sky above. Others didn't belong to the Grimm, but to her friends and neighbours, townsfolk that had trusted her to protect them in her father's place.
Ariel fell to her knees, sword clattering loudly across the stones to rest in front of her. Her hand clenched into a tight fist, and she pounded into the dirt as her tears fell freely. So many… She could no longer look, no longer stare into the eyes of those she'd been too late to save. Their screams of terror and pain, frozen in place forever.
'I'm sorry!' Ariel curled tighter, drawing her arms in and closing her eyes while sobs racked her chest. 'I couldn't save all of you! You trusted me… and…'
And Cinder had left her alone. Left her to deal with a sea of Grimm while the younger woman ran off to Gods know where. Blindly, Ariel's hand scrambled through the dirt, fist closing around the hilt of Crocea Mors, pulling it slowly back towards herself. She needed answers, and justice for the lives that had been taken. What reason could Cinder have had for deserting her post? Had it been to teach her a lesson for attempting to help her earlier?
'Inexcusable…'
The lives of others shouldn't be treated with such disregard. Ariel grit her teeth, and roughly brought herself back to her feet. Her eyes opened, taking in the carnage and devastation left in the Grimm's wake. In Cinder's wake. Dozens of her people that hadn't known today would be the day they'd breath their final breath.
Ariel's eyes raised to the storm that crashed and thundered across the town, leaving crackling branches of light burned into her retinas. Her feet began to move of their own accord, firmly striding in its direction.
Whatever Cinder's reasons…
Ariel would make sure she paid for them.
Widow let out a deep breath, focusing on her sixth sense while in the midst of combat. She'd been extremely mistaken in believing that fire was all Cinder had hidden up her sleeve. Giant stalagmites of ice shot up from the ground, lightning flashed from the sky, wind whipped through all of it, and fire burned all around.
Widow reacted on instinct alone, given only the barest hint through her senses before another spike of ice would shoot up from beneath, or lightning would strike from above towards where she'd been standing only a moment before. She was constantly on the move, incapable of closing the few dozen feet between herself and Cinder.
Cinder hovered a few feet above the ground, the wind whipping up a torrent around her, eyes ablaze. She smirked at all of them, laughing deeply whenever one of the children that had joined was less successful in their attempts at evasion. Fox was already down for the count, taken out by a bolt of lightning that had caught him off guard. Neo stayed at his side, fending off the stray blasts of fire that Cinder unleashed in her direction, if only to to keep up appearances.
"Don't you have any ammunition for that thing!?" Widow shouted at the fashionable one, Coco. The girl was doing her best to dodge but little else, weapon returned to its ridiculous purse form instead of a weapon worth wielding.
Coco rolled out of the way of a streak of ice and returned Widow's gaze with an angry scowl of her own, "You think I wouldn't be using it if I did!?"
'Fair point,' Widow hid her smirk while slicing a fireball in two. Though she was beginning to tire, she had yet to take any actual damage. Widow had known Cinder was going to trust her to appear the most skilled between both Coffee and Carmine. She couldn't help but think the girl had stepped it up a notch because of their earlier disagreement, though.
To her surprise, it appeared that the other most resourceful person there was her fellow faunus, Velvet. The girl's senses and combat abilities were dialed to eleven, each spike of ice or blast of fire met with a steadfast defense, each bolt of lightning met with empty air. Widow could still see the effect it was having on her, wearing her down to the point where her chest heaved and legs trembled at each step. Even so, Widow had to give respect where it was due.
"Keep it up! If we don't stop her here then the town falls!" Widow cried out, hoping to incite more panic.
Her words appeared to take effect, rejuvenating the students into pressing harder and taking more risks despite their failing strength. Yatsuhashi charged forward through a barrage of flames, swinging his massive blade to create a gust of air that saved him from the heat. Coco grimaced and followed after, swinging her purse to shatter spikes of ice in their tracks and protect her teammate's flank.
The replica weapon in Velvet's hands shattered on contact with a bolt that fell from the sky, but ultimately saved her from taking that damage headfirst. She dove out of the way of the next, creating a new weapon in the process. Widow narrowed her eyes minutely, recognizing the reverse curved blade that she now held.
Velvet rose back to her feet and drew her arm back before hurling the weapon through the air. It flew true, on a direct course for Cinder who was too busy with Yatsuhashi and Coco to notice.
"Watch out~" Widow warned, using her semblance to speak directly to Cinder alone. The younger woman raised her eyes quickly and spotted the streak of vibrant blue energy headed in her direction. She raised one hand contemptuously, meeting the hard light blade with a torrent of flames that disintegrated it on contact. Once it had been dealt with, Cinder's eyes flashed in her direction, a silent thanks before returning to the battle at hand.
"We miss much?" Mercury asked, finally arriving with Emerald on his heels.
"Not really. Your classmates should fall soon enough. You're just in time to pick up the pieces~"
As if to prove her point, Cinder unleashed a much larger torrent of flames than any she had before. The members of team Coffee that still remained were caught up in the wave, thrown back by the blast to sprawl roughly across the ground. Coco lay motionless, her brown aura crackling for a few moments before fizzing out entirely. Yatsuhashi stumbled to his feet, throwing himself in front of Cinder's follow up attack on Coco's downed form. The bolt of lightning shattered his aura as well, a rush of bright green light flaking off his body from head to toe.
"Show time~" Emerald smirked, drawing both her weapons to charge in front of the two downed hunters. She was joined moments later by Velvet, the girl's body quaking from exhaustion. Even so, she hefted a hard light shield in one hand and spear in the other, steadfastly protecting her teammates.
"You ready?" Widow quirked an eyebrow to Mercury at her side.
Mercury took a moment to look over the surrounding hellscape, returning Widow's gaze with a quiet snort of barely suppressed laughter, "Would I ever be?"
Widow grinned, "I suppose not," and took off in a low sprint, daggers held out at her sides. Mercury fell into step behind, following her lead through the chaos.
Cinder pretended not to notice them, instead focusing on Emerald and Velvet. Widow watched her raising her hand once more, flames building in preparation to 'end' the faunus and her teammates. With a quick swipe of her left hand, Widow sent one of her own blades streaking out. It collided with Cinder's arm in the same instant as her attack was unleashed, knocking it to the side and sending the long line of flames on a path that narrowly avoided Emerald and the members of team Coffee.
In the next moment, both Widow and Mercury were upon her, turning the tides in their favor and forcing the 'maiden' to defend herself. With Velvet as the last still conscious, and Emerald perfectly positioned to use her illusions, their fight was sure to appear far more grand in the misled faunus's mind. They kept up the act however, continuing their battle and slowly retreating into the safety of the forest.
"Keep watch over the others! We'll take care of this!" Widow called out, trusting Emerald and Neo to keep team Coffee from following in their wake and seeing the true conclusion to their 'fight'. 'That might have not even been necessary.' Widow could feel Velvet drop to her knees, shaking from head to toe even as she checked on the health of her teammates.
Widow used her semblance to send both Emerald and Neo a final message, one that hadn't been part of Cinder's original plan, but one that she looked forward to the most.
'Better for them if they listen~...'
Emerald and Neo both shared a worried glance, but with the battle moving its way into the treeline, didn't have time to argue against her orders.
The battle continued for a minute longer. Cinder waited until they had gone far enough into the woods before holding her hands up with a sigh of relief. The trees themselves were thick and numerous, entirely blocking them from the view of those that still remained in the field. Widow slowed to a stop, as did Mercury, each breathing out heavily and glad for the mock fight to finally be over.
Cinder smirked, a pleased twinkle in her eyes.
"I don't believe that could have gone any better~"
Ariel rounded the corner of the final building, eyes widening in horror upon seeing what remained of the southern fields outside town. It appeared as if gods themselves had battled along the outskirts, scorching the earth itself and leaving the enormous spires of ice in their wake.
'Where's Cinder?' her eyes scoured those that remained, not seeing the woman among them. It seemed as if most of the younger team was down for the count, while two of their elders stood guard over them.
Ariel continued on, running across the twisted landscape until she'd caught the attention of the faunus. Her ears perked up, and she spun on her heel with a shield raised in defense of her fallen comrades. Upon seeing who it was though, her shoulders fell slack once more, legs giving way as she sat down heavily in the muck.
Emerald turned as well, seeing Velvet's reaction to what she hadn't yet heard. Her eyes fell on Ariel, relief washing across her features, "They went further in! Please, go help them!" She pointed into the forest, in the direction of where the scorched earth led.
Ariel noddly grimly and continued past, hefting her sword and shield higher in preparation for what was to come.
"Neo, can you go with her? I'll keep watch over team Coffee…"
Ariel slowed long enough to look back and see the shorter girl give an uncertain nod before following. She caught up to Ariel, running only a few steps away as they entered the treeline. Flames licked up the sides of the trees, and leaves shook loudly in the gale above. The path the fight had taken was easy enough to follow, until…
All signs stopped, though the winds continued and the flames remained behind them. The forest ahead was clear, not a hint of battle nor stone overturned. Ariel frowned, and held a hand up to signal Neo to slow down with her. The girl complied, hunkering down as they continued forward cautiously.
"Now all that's left is for us to report the outcome~"
Ariel's eyes narrowed, recognizing Cinder's voice. Had they defeated the enemy? She crept closer, using the foliage ahead of herself to get closer in order to hear more clearly. Neo bit her lip, following her lead to the edge of a small clearing.
"Can you take it a bit easier next time? You nearly singed off my eyebrows," Mercury laughed with a note of trepidation.
"Oh Mercury~ Anything I did to you would surely be an improvement. Have some faith~"
Ariel peeked her head around the edge of the tree, confusion palpable and anger ignited. 'How can they be enjoying themselves after all that!?' Her eyes fell on Mercury first, his back turned away. She leaned further, trying to get eyes on Cinder as well, only to find… 'Two?'
Ariel blinked, trying to clear her vision. Surely there weren't…? But there was. One Cinder stood next to Mercury, back also turned, while the other stood further away.
The Cinder next to Mercury raised her hand, letting out a small 'Ooh!' and getting the other's attention, "By the way. I hope you don't mind, but I made sure to bring you a gift~"
Cinder raised a questioning eyebrow, "I wouldn't have expected something like that from the likes of you… but I'll certainly accept. This is a momentous occasion after all."
The Cinder next to Mercury laughed, "Oh, I'm sure you'll enjoy it." There was a momentary pause before the woman's voice changed completely.
"Oh Neooooo~"
Ariel gasped, spinning to face the shorter girl at her side. She was too late to defend against the boot that connected with her chest, knocking her through the bushes to sprawl across the ground. Ariel scrambled to her feet, now in the middle of the clearing and surrounded on all sides by the four of them.
Cinder glared, turning to stare at her double with cold fury, "What's the meaning of this!?"
The other Cinder smirked, raising her hands in a shrug, "You wanted it to be believable, didn't you?" She flicked a hand towards Ariel nonchalantly, "Well, now you'll have a body to display~"
'A… a body…?' Ariel raised her weapons, glaring back at the Cinder whose voice had changed into one that sounded far more mature, "Were you the one that left me!?"
"Indeed I was~"
"Why!?" Ariel cried out, keeping her body tensed. "So many… so many of them died because of you!"
The smug grin on Cinder's face slowly faded, replaced by narrow eyes that promised death, "They died because of you. Because you were too weak. I gave you an opportunity. An opportunity to show me that good always prevails. That my own search for strength was a meaningless endeavour compared to your 'justice'." She reached down to her hip, stepping forward with deadly purpose as her dagger whispered from its sheath, "This was your one and only chance to prove it."
Panic suffused Ariel at the sight of the woman's approach. The blade gleaming in what rays of light managed to filter through the canopy above. The other three simply stood, watching and waiting as the scene unfolded in front of them. Whoever they were, none of them had ever truly been her allies.
'I… I won't die here. I refuse! My town, my family needs me!'
Ariel stared back at the false Cinder, feeling her heart trying to beat itself out of her chest but breathing out all the same in an attempt to calm herself. She grit her teeth, focusing solely on her semblance, dumping her aura into it in order to maximize its effect. Once Ariel felt it taking hold…
She sheathed her sword.
The false Cinder stopped in her tracks, mind certainly under the effects of an overwhelming desire for peace. Ariel cleared her mind of her anger and hate, exuding as much goodwill through her semblance as she could muster. 'No matter what you've done, no matter the blood on your hands... you want to turn yourself in. Admit to everything you've done. Come peacefully…'
"What are you doing!?" the false Cinder spoke through gritted teeth, hand limply refusing to fully drop the dagger she held. Ariel heard something plop to the ground behind her, and turned to see Neo's parasol laid at her feet. The girl was attempting to fight the effects as well, but wasn't having nearly as much luck as her peers.
Ariel remained calm, refusing to give in to the anger quelled deep within, "Did you think my earlier attempt was the extent of my abilities? That I'd thrown my semblance at you full force, right before a battle against Grimm when I would need my aura?"
The false Cinder's face tried to work itself into a sneer, but couldn't even accomplish that. She continued to try, anger trying to build but now suffocated by Ariel's semblance, "So this is the ace up your sleeve, is it? How long can you hold this up?"
"Long enough," Ariel replied, then crossed her arms. She focused, adding more into her desire to tell the truth, and only the truth, "What's your real name? I highly doubt you're Cinder's twin."
She struggled against the effects, fighting every step of the way as her mouth betrayed her, scowling deeper as the truth was forcefully revealed.
"Garnet."
"Well then. I have a few questions for you Garn-"
"DON'T call me that!" she seethed. Her veins were beginning to protrude, popping out along her forehead and neck. Her arms trembled with suppressed fury, dagger still held, if only by two fingers.
Ariel paused, taking the request into consideration. 'Peace… Don't intentionally do anything that might cause harm, either physical or emotional...'
"Alright. What do you want me to call you?"
"Widow," she seemed to almost breath out a sigh of relief before catching herself, resuming the fight against her own muscles to so much as glare at Ariel.
"What were your intentions here?" Ariel expanded the effect to the other three, including them in the desire to tell the truth.
The true Cinder spoke up first, caught in the swell of Ariel's semblance, "We needed to fool the other team. The entire attack on the town was merely a means to an end." She snapped her teeth shut a moment later, refusing to continue.
Ariel frowned, troubled by what she had heard. She turned to Mercury next, raising an eyebrow, "And the Grimm?"
Mercury twitched, "Controlled by us. We only wanted to cause enough damage to the town so that it would be believable. We planned on killing our fair share, then saving the other team from Cinder."
"So you were responsible for all that destruction outside town?" Ariel directed her next question back to the real Cinder.
Cinder's struggle was ultimately pointless, no matter how many seconds she managed to delay, "Yes. I was disguised as someone else… Courtesy of Neo's semblance."
Ariel turned to Neo next, gesturing over to 'Widow', "And you did the same for her?"
Neo nodded.
"Can you undo it?"
She nodded once more.
"You wouldn't want that," Widow interjected, managing to work a smirk on to her face.
"And why is that?" Ariel demanded.
The smirk only grew more fierce, "You won't like what you see~"
Ariel frowned, hesitating. Her curiosity was piqued, but Widow had likely admitted so much on accident due to Ariel's own desires. 'If what I see will make me upset…' On the other hand, she needed to know what the woman truly looked like. She could hardly let this farce continue...
"I want you to drop your semblance, Neo."
A cascade of brilliant pink glass shimmered down the form of the false Cinder, revealing a woman that was a few inches taller, with long, dark red hair and dressed in black leather. Even her weapon changed, shifting into a form that was far more twisted. It looked like it was meant for causing pain, just as much as it was for killing.
Her eyes though… They sparked a memory in Ariel's mind, one that she struggled to place. She had seen this woman before, but where?
Widow's smile only grew along with the doubt in Ariel's mind.
'Ariel… Ariel…. Ariel!... Ariel!... ARIEL!'
Ariel gasped, throwing her hands up to cover her ears as the sound of her father and brother's voices began. They rose in volume and urgency, demanding her attention, pleading to be heard despite how desperately she tried to shut them out.
"S-Stop! Stop it!"
The voices cut out, but Widow's smile remained. She raised a single eyebrow, tilting her head slightly to the side, "You wanted the truth, didn't you? I could see you were struggling to remember me. Think back… I arrived at night. The same day as your father and brother left… All I had was one, simple question… Weren't you the one that gave me the answer I was looking for?"
Ariel gasped, the pieces of her jumbled memory falling into place. A knock at the door, a huntress trying to find her father. Telling her that he had left for Vale that same day in pursuit of her younger brother…
"D-Did… Did you-!?"
'She did it, Ariel! She killed us! Please! Get revenge!' her brother's voice returned, shouting directly into her ear before falling once more to a pained whisper, 'It hurt so much… my body felt so cold… Just one cut across my neck… My hands were chained to the wall… I couldn't even stop the bleeding… She made dad watch me die… Then she finished him off too...'
'KILL HER, ARIEL!' her father's voice, demanding that blood be spilled.
Anger welled up in Ariel's heart. She knew the voices weren't real, knew that her family couldn't possibly be speaking to her from beyond the grave, but her heart ached more and more, and with each passing moment, the tentative grasp she maintained on her semblance slipped further.
Widow's hand no longer shook, her grip firm upon the sickening dagger in her hand. 'That was it… that was the one that killed them…' Ariel's hand trembled, moving across her body to rest on the hilt of Crocea Mors. Her father's sword, and for one short day, her brother's…
The voice that belonged to Jaune devolved into a quiet, echoing sob... 'Why, Ariel…?'
'Why weren't you there for me…?'
'It's your fault we died…'
Ariel's hand pulled the first few inches of Crocea Mors free from its sheath...
Even as Widow's dagger buried itself in her still beating heart.
Ariel gasped out in shock, tears streaming down her face, staring into the furious gaze of the older woman. Her hands left her weapon, raising up to futilely hold Widow's arms, to stop what had already happened. Her mind struggled to process it. The pain blooming in her chest. The heat of her own blood running down across her skin, staining the white she wore.
"Only the strong survive," Widow whispered between clenched teeth. Then, with a heart-wrenching twist of her dagger…
Everything faded to black…
Neo let out a trembling sigh and bent down to recollect her parasol, Hush, from where it lay near the recently deceased. They had all heard the voices created by Widow to torment the other woman into relinquishing her semblance, if only for an instant.
That's all it had taken in the end.
"That was far too close for comfort, Widow," Cinder spoke up in annoyance, glaring at the woman as Widow wiped her dagger clean on Ariel's cloak.
Widow shrugged, showing none of the emotion she had previously, "So it was a tougher gift to give than I'd originally planned. Are you going to accept it or not?"
Cinder struggled for a moment, caught between berating Widow further and making up for lost time. With a sigh, she finally gave up. "And I suppose you're going to take this woman's place to continue the ruse?"
"At least until you're all gone. I'll make sure the body 'disappears' once team Coffee and some of the townsfolk have seen it. They'll certainly be able to corroborate your story with a bit more authenticity by then."
"And your explanation for Ariel's disappearance shortly after the fact?"
Widow smirked, "She wanted to track down her father and brother's murderer. What better time than after the Grimm have all been cleared from the area?"
Cinder sighed, shaking her head before directing her attention to Neo, "Get it done. The others will surely start to worry if we aren't back soon."
Neo made as if to groan, despite no sound coming out of her mouth. She rolled her shoulders and crouched down next to the dead woman first, creating a shimmering dance of pink glass across her form that turned her into a replica of the woman Cinder had been disguised as. She stood back up, feeling her aura take another sharp dip, but still with enough left to do what needed to be done. In only a few short moments, Widow was once more obscured, now the spitting image of Ariel Arc.
"Mercury, if you would be so kind…" Cinder gestured down to the body.
"Yeah, I've got it," he huffed, grabbing the body near the hips to heft her across his shoulder. "Pity the illusion doesn't make her armor weigh any less."
'Oh, right-' Neo grabbed Mercury's attention and tried to pantomime that he should be careful in handling the body.
He frowned, "Are you offering to carry her?"
Neo slumped dejectedly and shook her head, taking a moment to pull out her scroll and type a quick message, "Be careful with the body. She doesn't have any aura to protect the illusion. Don't drop her!"
"Ah, gotcha," Mercury replied after reading the message, shuffling the body a bit further up his shoulder.
"Remind me never to pick you as my partner for Charades."
"Ha. As if I'd ever bother trying with our team. You'd never know whether or not Emerald was cheating."
Neo frowned in thought, then shrugged her begrudging acceptance. It wasn't as if they could trust the thief not to try and give herself the upper hand.
Cinder and Mercury started to lead the way, with Neo falling into line next to Widow a few paces behind them. The woman's face was nearly unreadable, if not for the clouding of her eyes that showed she was deep in thought. Her gaze swept up to Cinder's back as they began to walk back past the flames, remnants of their earlier battle that were yet to be extinguished.
Widow glanced to Neo, catching her eye for an instant before the younger girl could look away, "I'm going to need your help with something in a few days. Will you be free this weekend?"
Neo raised her hands palms up, waving them up and down slightly as if juggling scales. 'I might be able to make time.' She raised an eyebrow. 'Why?'
Widow stared at her quietly, seeming to carefully weigh whatever she wanted to say next. Seeing the treeline approaching, she made her decision, "I don't suppose I'm the only one that wants to know more about the powers that Cinder possesses? I'll admit, I was curious when I saw them the first time. Now that I know their full extent, though…"
Neo couldn't convey her response well enough through gestures alone, so instead pulled out her scroll once more, "She hasn't trusted me with that information. I am curious…"
Widow smiled secretively, "In that case, I think we may be able to help each other out… I could even put in a good word with my daughter when it comes to your dear Roman's standing... Do we have a deal?"
Neo stared at Cinder's back for a few moments. Her own chances at changing Lotus's mind were slim, at best. If the assassin's mother was the one doing the convincing… She turned back, staring directly into Widow's eyes for any hint at deceit. Widow returned her gaze unwaveringly.
Neo gave a sharp nod in return.
Going to try and get a chapter of The Lonely Goddess out within the next few days, and keep BL on Mondays consistently.
Thank you for reading, and thanks for your patience,
Sybaen