"Master told me that you weren't as good as me, but I thought maybe he was still bitter about something that had happened in the past," Aurora pointed out. "He said that the two of you used to work together for Salem, but you betrayed them for some reason."
"I decided to do what I thought was best for me," Emerald explained. "I had to watch out for myself."
"Oh," Aurora giggled. "It doesn't matter to me. What matters is that Master told me I could do whatever I wanted today. He figured that you'd all show up, but he didn't expect that you'd be in the room listening. I suppose you probably already told your friends where Blood is, huh?"
"You did know I'd be here, didn't you?" Emerald asked. Aurora shrugged.
"I'm bored of talking, let's fight," Aurora insisted. Emerald turned to leave but the ball and chain from Aurora's weapon wrapped around her ankle and pulled her off of her feet. Emerald grunted in pain as Aurora pulled her in and swung the second ball for Emerald's temple. Emerald deflected it with her guns at the last moment, firing at the girl. She blocked the bullets with the second weight as Emerald managed to free herself, swinging her own chain around to trap the girl and make a run for it. The attack was easily blocked, and Aurora's clone knocked Emerald away, her body slamming against the foreman's desk. "You really don't get it, do you? Your illusions don't work on me! You wanted me to see you still standing there and talking to me instead of escaping, right? Master wouldn't be happy if I didn't get to have a little bit of fun first."
"Have you had enough yet?" Emerald asked.
"What?" The clone chimed in. "You haven't even played with us yet."
"You've got to be better than this, right?" Aurora added.
"Show us what you can do," the clone pleaded.
"Besides," Aurora laughed.
"You're still by the door," they declared in unison. Emerald stared at her for a long moment before pushing up off of the desk to find everything in the room shifting, fading out like the northern lights as she was returned to the spot she'd started in. Her illusions were similar but different? Was she using her aura in tandem with hard light Dust? Emerald didn't completely understand how it worked, but she knew that she needed to get out.
"Why do you all stay with Mercury? Salem is only using you and has nothing but empty promises to show for it," Emerald explained. "She kept promising us that we'd have great power too someday if we stayed by her side, but it never happened."
"That's where you're wrong," Aurora giggled. "During Abigor's last visit, he shared with us some of Salem's power. That's why we're stronger than we were before." Emerald's mind shifted violently as she digested the words. It couldn't be. It was a scare tactic. Or it was a hoax to drag them along. Or… or it was true… It couldn't be, could it? Sure, Coco had told her what Ilia had seen at the 'ritual', but that meant that Salem either wasn't truly dead, or her power was still lingering… "If you're scared, you could always come back. I know that Master would be very happy if you did."
"Whatever they did… or she did… or whoever, she only means to use all of you before throwing you away once she's done with you!" Emerald shouted. Aurora's clone nailed Emerald in the jaw before dissipating.
"You're scared," Aurora noted as she approached Emerald. "Good. Those that get in Salem and Master's way should be scared. Master says that once Salem comes back, I'll get to rule over all of Vale with him, and we can't have anyone standing in our way." Aurora spun her meteor hammer once again, this time successfully nailing Emerald in the temple. Emerald's illusion disappeared and Aurora found herself wrapped up with Emerald's chain. "What?!"
"I guess you underestimated me after all," Emerald noted.
"No! Not fair!" Aurora screamed. She created another clone of herself as well as Mercury. Emerald slid back as the Mercury kicked at her, kneeling to allow Aurora's clone to launch off of him at Emerald who was forced to free the real Aurora to block. The two weapons tangled together before the two clones disappeared and Emerald caught the real one coming at her from behind. She pulled Aurora in, the small girl leapt and kicked Emerald in the chest, launching herself back towards the back of the room as Emerald stumbled towards the large window that watched over the warehouse.
Coco, can you hear me? Emerald tried the telepathic link. Aurora began laughing again as she rushed Emerald, her weapon snagging Emerald's arm and throwing her to the right as the other hammer slammed into her ribs. Aurora laughed harder, starting to cause Emerald concern as she pulled back against the girl and stuck her sickles into the girl's shoulders. Coco! Please!
"You don't even know anymore, do you?" Aurora offered as she shook her head and threw it back, laughing even harder. "You've been great for seeing just how strong my semblance is now! Do you know exactly how it works yet? Are you aware that I'm using it again right now? I have been this whole time, you've never left it since Master left the room." Emerald's mind began to shift and she felt panic setting in. What should have been a relatively easy infiltration was turning into a game of illusions with some she wasn't sure that she could beat. Was the illusion Emerald had been able to fool her with limited to Aurora's illusion or was Aurora still aware of what was going on outside of it, and that's how she knew what Emerald had planned?
This is bad, Emerald thought. I have to get out.
"How long will it be before your friends get here to rescue you?" Aurora questioned. "They'll have their hands full now that Master's followers are stronger. Not to mention we were expecting you to show up at some point, so there's back up on the way too. Maybe we're not even in the room anymore. Maybe you've already been detained and Master or Jett is taking you somewhere so they can interrogate you." Her illusions… her illusions feel real to me… but… they wouldn't towards my own illusions! I'm bound to this illusion, but my semblance is bound to reality, I can use it to feel my way out!
"Maybe I don't need rescuing," Emerald noted as she looked at Aurora who disappeared from the end of her blades.
"You don't even know what's real or not! And I'm keeping an eye on you, so don't think you can fool me into thinking that double is you," Aurora scoffed. Emerald had a good idea of where the door was, she just needed to figure out how to move her real body…
"I've been waiting for this moment for a while now," Jett grunted as Neela caught her blades with the limbs of her bow before throwing the woman back. Mercury charged in, spinning around in a tight rotation before swinging his foot up for Neela's chest. She had just enough time to block it, redirecting his boot to the floor as she flipped her bow back into its sword form and knocked him away, allowing Jett back in.
"This is the best you got?" Neela asked. Out of the corner of her eye, Neela spotted Eren racing back into the fight, ignoring Neela's plans and instead asserting himself with complete disregard for his teammate. Neela planted herself, barely dodging Jett's attack as she grappled Eren and dragged him past, throwing him away from Mercury and Jett.
"What the hell!?" He shouted at her.
"If you can't learn to work with me you're just in the way!" Neela told him, firing a smoke screen arrow at Jett to give her a moment to deal with Mercury. She turned to find him coming down on her and she took the brunt of the kick to her weapon, taking a second kick to the jaw that sent her reeling backwards towards the smoke. She fired a lightning arrow that struck Mercury in the leg but seemed to have no effect.
"Didn't think I'd learn my lesson?" He asked. She shrugged.
"Just want to see the look on your face when you realize it's an arrow with multiple Dusts," she replied. The gravity exploded, removing the mechanical leg at the knee cap and knocked him onto his back as it bounced away.
"Come on!" Jett shouted through the smoke. "I want to see that semblance of yours!"
"Hard pass," Neela replied. Guys… any time now…
*Mercury, we're here, but we've got company!* Came a voice over Mercury's radio on his hip.
"What, Coco? No sweat, just get ready for a fight," Mercury barked back.
*It's way more than just Coco*
"How many more?" Mercury growled as he attempted to make his way to his leg.
*It looks like she pulled out all the stops! It might be that entire damn school!* Mercury's eyes narrowed as he frantically crawled to his leg and reattached it, watching Neela and Jett go at it.
"Jett, we've got to go!" Mercury shouted at her.
"Not yet," Jett huffed as Neela met her blow for blow. This girl could keep up without her Semblance? She knew that Abigor wanted an eye kept on her for some reason, but Jett never anticipated Neela to be this much of a natural.
"Hey!" Mercury yelled. Jett ignored him. "I will leave without you."
"Do what you have to!" Jett called back. Mercury turned towards the opening loading bay door to leave, two large cargo trucks pulled up unloading more of his own men, Paris leaping out of the one that was closer to the door and moving to the back of his own truck, opening the tailgate.
"Come on!" Paris demanded of Mercury. Mercury glanced between Paris and Jett.
"She won't leave!" Merc told him. Paris groaned and shook his head, the back of the truck lifting drastically as Quake leapt down from the back, chuckling as he cracked his knuckles.
"I can make her come with us," Quake insisted.
"Not the best idea," Mercury noted. He could feel his body filling with anxiety as he looked back at Jett. "Jett! Please!"
"I have to see it in action, even if I can't use it!" Jett screeched. She used Eren's semblance one last time to keep an attack from Neela's blade from landing, just missing gripping the girl by inches as Neela slid back, breathing heavily. Her aura was intact for the most part, but the two of them were beginning to wear down on a physical level. Mercury looked the fight over at the back of the warehouse.
"Hey, Neela," Mercury addressed her. "Where's your girlfriend at?" Neela paused for a moment, the question took her off guard and left Jett with an opening. Neela watched, trying to get herself moving again as Jett's hand came in, approaching her face at what seemed like a crawl, her eyes lighting up as she grabbed the woman's wrist, twisting it hard and driving her to the floor before batting her away in the face using her bow limbs. Jett crashed across the floor, her eyes wide as Neela deactivated her semblance and exhaled. The woman stared at her for a long moment, not entirely sure of what had just happened.
"How?" Jett stuttered. It was her understanding that the semblance let her see seconds into the future, but what had just happened was far different from what she'd been told. It was like she suddenly knew exactly what to do and how to execute it to avoid danger and attack. She hadn't activated it until Jett was already inches from her, she wouldn't have had time to anticipate how to dodge or counter. Her body had taken over with inhuman speed. "He was right…"
"Happy now?" Mercury asked as he helped her up.
"Police! Hands up!" Yatsu yelled as several squad cars showed up. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way, but you're severely outnumbered!" He held his sword out towards them, Cerise stood next to him with her mace at the ready.
"Now what?" Paris asked, slowly raising his hands. Jett walked out of the building with her hands up, joining Mercury, Paris, and Quake, a smirk on her face as she sauntered out far enough that she stood beside Paris, staring hard at Yatsu.
"What's so funny?" Yatsu demanded.
"What good is your army if they've become complacent over the years?" Jett inquired. "We've been fighting for our lives for as long as we can remember. This won't be the end for us. Does Coco think she can keep up with us still? She's been chasing us for so long…"
"Just shut up and come quietly. Your goddess can't get you out of this now," Coco thundered as she stepped past Yatsu with Jaune at her side. Jett frowned.
"You'll regret everything you've done once she comes back," Jett noted. "Goodbye, Coco." Jett reached over quickly and grabbed Paris's arm as Coco's purse transformed. Jett opened the portal, trapping herself and the other three inside with her as Coco opened fire.
"Dammit!" Coco shouted. "Give it a moment! They can't get far before they have to exit!"
"I can look for them!" Neela told Coco as she ran up to them. "I used my semblance a moment ago without any issues."
"I think you should take it easy, Neela," Coco informed her.
"Let me try, please?" Neela asked. Coco rubbed the bridge of her nose.
"Fine, but be careful," Coco sighed.
"Sure!" Neela exclaimed. She activated her semblance at its lowest level but didn't see any trace of them. Could going all out reveal them? Neela still felt fine and decided to give it a shot. Immediately something went wrong, and Neela found herself in the cafeteria staring down her White Fang persona. The twisted Neela looked up at her, Athena's mangled body at her feet with Crimson's nearby, hoisting Ebony's head up by its hair.
"Did you really think you could escape me?" Her doppelganger chuckled, eyes dark as she swayed slowly from side to side.
"Why are you here?" Neela asked. The double stopped moving, only looking up towards Neela with her eyes, the corners of her mouth twitching.
"Isn't it obvious?" The fake inquired. "You've overdone it again. If you'd stayed with us, Athena could have better taught you how to control this ability of yours."
"And I'd also be a murderer," Neela argued. The dark Neela shook her head and rolled her eyes.
"Who cares if a few humans die?" she questioned. "Remember. That one that you loved left. You didn't even do anything wrong. Not to mention she almost got your sister killed. She sounds like the worst."
"There's more to it than that," Neela shouted. Her opposite dropped the head and it rolled to her feet, changing into her own.
"We should have died here," the clone noted. "We've done nothing since then of value."
"That's not true!" Neela bit back.
"Please… really?" The double scoffed. The White Fang Neela walked out of the cafeteria and bade Neela to follow her with a gesturing of her pointer.
"Don't go with her!" A voice shouted from behind. "You need to get up and help your team!" Neela turned around to see Eliana. She began running for her friend, the room growing longer in front of her and drawing her closer to the door.
"Elli!" Neela called out.
"She left us!" The doppelganger reminded her.
"So what?" Neela asked. The evil Neela stared for a long moment before Neela felt herself returned to the real world.
"Neela!" Coco yelled at her, catching her just before her knees gave out. Neela gasped and gripped her godmother. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah!" Neela replied frantically with a nod. "Sorry, I won't try that again."
"Did you see anything?" Coco inquired. She shook her head.
"I don't know where they are…" Neela began before she was cut off. Quake was dumped from the portal in the middle of the warehouse, slamming his sword down and forming rock walls at every entrance, trapping Titus, Ilia, and ONYX in the building with the Stardust Gang.
"What!?" Coco shouted.
"I hate to run before we have a proper chance to talk to each other," Jett said standing beside Cerise and stealing her semblance. "But I'm afraid it's time we leave." The two trucks that had dropped off more Stardust members began backing up quickly without warning, smashing through the barricade of police cars and officers that had formed, Paris operating one and backing all the way down the street without slowing as Mercury swung his around nearly rolling it, allowing Jett to leap in as she held back their opposition with shock waves.
"Nora, Paris is heading your way!" Coco informed her over comms. "Yang, any chance you can come give me a lift?" Yang slid into the parking lot on her new bike, winking at Coco.
"Thought you'd never ask," Yang laughed.
"Neela, see if you can't get back in and find a way for the police to get into the building and help out with the Stardust Gang," Coco informed her as she hopped on the back of Yang's bike. "Jaune, follow us."
"Are you sure you want all of us to stay here?" Yatsu asked her. Coco nodded.
"Trust me, we can handle Mercury and Jett. Even if they get away, capturing their lackeys will definitely slow them down," Coco explained. "Let's go!" Yang took off as she whipped her bike around, Jaune retreating back to his vehicle and giving chase, leaving Neela with Yatsu and Cerise.
"Guess I should get on it then," Neela chuckled nervously.
Can Emerald handle Aurora? Next week, Chapter 15: Quake
A big thank you to AG_Nonsuch, Helihi, Cadhla182, Carlomontie, Nliast, Y8ay8a, Sa-Dui, Diyaru4500, Demize00Zero, TheCipherNine, SketchHungry, Ookaminoki, Lightning-in-my-Hand, and Dishwasher1910. The artwork can be found at Deviantart, you can search Silent-Celica and under my favorites tab, I have a collection for NITE.
Until next week, stay safe, stay healthy, and stay classy!