Black Widow

Chapter 8

The two of them came bursting out of the warehouse and onto a war zone. All around them, Vale burned – fires rose high into the night, blocking out the sky with inky-black smoke. The shattered moon cut through the tendrils of black soot just enough to illuminate the scene around them.

It was a massacre. Bodies littered the streets – soldiers, Huntsmen, White Fang members, civilians… all of them lined the ground, all of them dead or dying. Grimm rampaged all around, be they lowly Beowolves or King Taijitu. Trifa allowed herself just one moment to be taken aback by the carnage around her before leaping into action, Jaune at her side.

Together, the two of them dove into a pack of nearby Beowolves. Despite their low aura and injuries, the Grimm didn't stand a chance. It was over in seconds, Trifa's dagger and Jaune's sword making quick work of the monsters. But there was no time to recover – off in the distance, one of Ironwood's airships exploded, then began to fall out of the sky. Trifa stared, wide-eyed, as the ship came crashing to the ground, then erupted in an enormous fireball that leveled a city block.

"We're out of time," she growled. "Jaune, we have to get to Beacon, now!"

Jaune nodded, and the two of them took off, sprinting through Vale's streets as fast as their legs would take them. All around them, there were pockets of resistance – Huntsmen and soldiers, and even the occasional civilian who'd scrounged up a weapon from somewhere, all of them fought for their lives. Trifa's heart ached at the knowledge that they were leaving them behind, but she could only hope that they managed to hang on until the two of them could get to Beacon and help clear out the epicenter of the attack.

Together, they came sprinting around a corner, only to be forced back around it when a mounted machine gun opened up on their position. Hot lead impacted the asphalt where they had stood just a split-second before. Trifa took deep breaths to calm her pounding heart, though it didn't help, especially not when she saw the determined look on Jaune's face.

"Stay behind me," he ordered, hefting his shield.

"Jaune!" Trifa exclaimed. "What are you-"

He didn't give her time to finish, instead popping out of cover hunched behind his shield. The gun opened up on him again, and Trifa screamed, fearing the worst… but Jaune's shield and his Aura held. He grit his teeth as he advanced upon the machine gun nest, Trifa falling in behind him. They got within a few yards, and then…

"Now, Trifa!"

Trifa jumped over him, landing right in the middle of the group of three White Fang. They all gave surprised shouts as she began to tear her way through them, her dagger flashing silver in the moonlight, the blade still stained with Yuma's blood.
It was almost too easy. Compared to her, the White Fang recruits were untrained amateurs. She tore into their Aura with ease, parrying or avoiding every incoming hit, while seeming to almost dance through the group of them.

Almost simultaneously, their Aura gave out. Two of them fell to the ground, clutching at superficial wounds, but one of them – the man who'd been on the machine gun – stood standing. Trifa cocked her fist back to knock him out, only for him to cut her off.

"I know you," he realized. His eyes narrowed behind his mask. "So, you really have betrayed us."

"I have," Trifa confirmed without hesitation. "And believe me, I don't regret it."

With that, she drove the hilt of her dagger into the side of his head, shattering his mask and sending him sprawling to the floor. With the three of them taken care of, Trifa motioned for Jaune to follow her, and they took off once more.

The closer they got to Beacon's grounds, the more intense the combat became. Just outside of the gates, it was like something out of the Great War – some of the stands from the festival had been piled up along the gates, serving as improvised barricades to keep the Grimm out. The Grimm were lined up outside the gates, clawing at the walls or rushing at them to try and smash through, all while a small crew of defenders poured fire onto them from behind cover. Bodies and spent shell casings littered the ground. All around them, the air reeked of blood and gore, and people screamed for help or in pain.

Trifa didn't hesitate. Without missing a beat, she rushed the horde of Grimm, falling into them from behind. Her blade sank into the side of a Beowolf's neck, and the Grimm stiffened as the life left it, but Trifa didn't pause for a moment. Instead, she moved on to the next one, an Ursa that had taken notice of her. The Grimm reared its claws back for a strike, but Trifa managed to catch it off-guard with a glob of webbing fired into its eyes. The Grimm stumbled, its incoming attack missing her by inches, and Trifa closed in, sinking her blade up into the roof of the Grimm's open mouth before roughly yanking it free.

A slash from behind sent her sprawling, and she quickly twisted to find an Alpha Beowolf looming over her. The Grimm bared its teeth at her, but didn't get a chance to do anything further, as Jaune plowed into it with a yell, his sword cutting so deeply into the monster's neck that he nearly decapitated it in a single blow.

With that, the fight was over, at least temporarily. The defenders stared at them, a mixture of awe and relief visible across their faces, but Trifa and Jaune paid it no mind. Instead, they pushed their way through the barricades and into Beacon's grounds.

If Vale was bad, then Beacon was even worse. It was clearly the epicenter for everything, just as the White Fang had planned it – bodies littered the ground, and destroyed buildings and airships were scattered all across the campus. Still, it seemed that the worst of the fighting had mostly died down, probably because most of the people there had already been injured or killed.

For the first time since leaving the warehouse, Jaune and Trifa chose to slow down, cautiously creeping through Beacon's ruined grounds, wary of an incoming attack from anywhere. All around them, the sounds of combat raged, though they were much more subdued – gone was the constant gunfire, explosions, and roars that blanketed downtown Vale; in its place were the occasional sounds of battle, pockmarked with moments of eerie silence.

They walked, weapons at the ready, looking around for anyone they recognized. They found nobody, even as they drew closer and closer to campus, and the bodies began to really pile up. Trifa furrowed her brow as the stench of blood and guts hit her nose, and had to hold herself back from vomiting.

"Be on the lookout," she warned. "This was always the White Fang's objective. It looks like most of them have been taken care of by now, but there are probably still some holdouts scattered around."

"This doesn't make sense…" Jaune muttered. "Why attack Beacon? Surely even the White Fang has to know what this means for them. They're making themselves into pariahs, and for what?"

Trifa shook her head. "I don't know. I just-"

"Trifa?"

The sudden familiar voice took her by surprise. Trifa whirled around, her knife at the ready, and a scowl crossed her face when she saw who it was.

"Deery, Perry," she carefully greeted in turn.

Behind his mask, Perry frowned. "Took you long enough," he growled. "Where have you-"

He was cut off by Deery stretching out her arm to block him. She turned towards Trifa, surprised.

"Trifa…" she began. "Who is that? Is that-"

"It's exactly who you think it is," Trifa said without missing a beat. "This should be obvious to you, but I'm out of the White Fang, Deery."

"You can't be serious! You know what-"

"Yes, I'm aware. I don't care."

"This is ridiculous," Perry stated. "Whatever leverage he's got over you-"

"There's no leverage," Trifa promised. "All he did was show me exactly where I've gone wrong."

"And you think he'll just accept you?! That after everything you've done, he'll just take you back?!"

"Why are you asking her?" Jaune questioned. "I'm right here. And I can tell you, now that I know the truth, I don't care. All I want right now is to make sure that my friends are safe, her included. Now, are you going to move out of the way, or are we going to have to make you move?"

Perry let out another growl and went to step forward, but Deery stopped him.

"Don't," she said. "There's no way we can beat them."

"Deery-" Perry began.

Deery just shook her head, then looked back at the two of them. She let out a sigh of resignation.

"...You realize this makes us enemies," she pointed out. "You're allying yourself with humanity, Trifa. Surely you understand what that means?"

Slowly, Trifa nodded. "I know, and I don't care. I've made my choice. Wherever it leads me, I'm better off there than I am with the White Fang."

"Even if it kills you?"

"Yes."

Deery let out a low exhale, then motioned to Perry. "Let's get out of here. There's nothing more we can do."

Perry shot Trifa one final, hate-filled glare from behind his mask, and then followed after Deery as she began to leave the campus.

"Friends of yours?" Jaune asked as they began to step through campus again.

"They never were," Trifa said without hesitation.

The two of them continued their cautious walk through Beacon, stepping over bodies and rubble alike. The occasional Grimm or group of White Fang passed them by, both of which were easily dealt with as quickly as they came. But for the most part, the battle was over, save for some mysterious green flashes and jets of flame coming from the top of Beacon's tower.

Jaune stared up at the tower as a large burst of fire erupted from it, tensing as he watched.

"What the hell is happening there…?" he questioned.

"Come on," Trifa said, tugging on his sleeve to get him to follow. "Follow me and we'll find out."

They broke into a sprint, aiming for Beacon's tower as the deadly light show up on the top floor intensified. Their mad dash ended just short of the tower, however, when they happened to cross in front of the cafeteria, and the very last person Trifa wanted to see came into view.

Trifa instantly skidded to a halt, grabbing hold of Jaune before he could take another step. Jaune gave her a questioning glance, but didn't argue as she held him back, instead raising his shield as Adam Taurus stepped out. He stopped in front of them, resting a hand on the hilt of his sword as he stared them down, his eyes narrowing behind his mask.

"Trifa," he said. His eyes drifted to Jaune. "Hm. Suddenly, it all makes sense. But it doesn't matter – you're too late."

Adam shifted slightly, enough that they could see into the cafeteria behind him. Trifa's heart skipped a beat when she saw Blake and Yang lying there motionless in a pool of blood. Jaune let out an angry roar and went to rush forwards, but she held him back again.

"Jaune, wait!"

He rounded on her, rage etched across his face. "He killed them!" he shouted. "Don't tell me to-"

"If you rush in, he'll kill you, too!"

Jaune let out another shout, but stayed to his spot, instead turning on Adam Taurus. "You bastard," he growled.

Adam didn't react at all, instead turning back towards Trifa. "What changed, Trifa?" he asked. "You were always so dedicated to the cause, and yet here you are, standing before me as a traitor."

"You already know," Trifa answered. Adam began to walk, circling them with his hand still on his blade. Her and Jaune mirrored his movements, all of them waiting for an opening. "Spend enough time around someone and you'll start to sympathize with them. For all the things you had to say about humanity being evil and deserving to die, they simply didn't hold up once I got to know an actually decent human. Turns out that it's hard to continue that downward spiral into radicalism once you've gotten to know the other side."

"Is that what you're calling it?" Adam asked. "Getting to know the other side? You slept with the enemy, Trifa, like a common whore."

"You didn't seem to have a problem with it when I was killing them afterwards."

"Hm. So he knows."

"He does," she confirmed.

"And what does he intend to do about it?" Adam looked back towards Jaune. "Your girlfriend is a murderer, human. She's killed dozens of your kind. That doesn't bother you at all?"

"It'd bother me a lot more if I didn't understand why," Jaune retorted. "She's done wrong, yes, and she'll have to pay for that in full. But she knows that already, and she's accepted it. That's what makes her special – she knows the consequences that await her after this, and she doesn't care, because she still wants to do the right thing."

"Then it's unfortunate that neither of you will live to see what happens to her."

Then, Adam lashed out, ripping his sword from its sheath faster in the blink of an eye and rushing forwards. Jaune raised his shield to guard himself, but Adam went low, sweeping his legs out from beneath him and bringing him crashing to the ground. He was about to stab his blade downwards into Jaune's chest when Trifa managed to catch it with her webs and redirect it enough that the sword ended up in the dirt instead. Adam didn't miss a beat, however – he reached and grabbed her webs, then pulled on them as hard as he could, sending her flying over to him. The only thing that saved her from his incoming attack was Jaune stabbing upwards into Adam's groin with his sword. Adam's Aura protected him, but he was still forced to fall back, yanking his sword out of the ground and severing Trifa's webbing in one move.

He sheathed his sword again as they both unsteadily picked themselves up off the ground. Trifa exchanged a glance with Jaune, and in that moment, they both realized how outmatched they were. They had no hope of defeating Adam Taurus, she knew – Adam was strong enough to take on fully-trained Huntsmen, and no matter how many glancing blows they were able to land on him, it wouldn't matter in the end. He'd wear them down in the end, and then it'd be all over in a flash.

But that wasn't going to stop her, at least. If she had to die to bring down Adam Taurus, so be it.

And so, with a shout, Trifa sprinted towards him, her knife at the ready. Jaune called out to her as she ran, trying to stop her, but it was no use. She closed the distance, and as Adam went to draw his sword, she fired off more of her webbing, aiming for his dominant hand, trying to lock his blade in place. For a moment, it looked like she'd succeeded, but he managed to break through the webbing with relative ease. Her eyes widened when she saw the first bits of his blade clear the sheathe, and in that moment, she knew it was the end for her.

Or at least it would've been, if a round shield hadn't flown through the air and struck Adam square in the face.

Trifa suddenly found her movements stopped, and to her surprise, she felt herself being pulled back towards Jaune. Looking down, she found that a black aura had surrounded all the metal she was wearing, and was being used to pull her back to him. For a moment, she thought he'd unlocked another part to his Semblance, but a flash of red out of the corner of her eye told her the truth.

Pyrrha had just arrived.

Pyrrha closed in on Adam Taurus, her blade flashing in the moonlight. Adam wasn't concerned; he went to block her incoming strike, but that same black aura surrounded the metal of his blade and redirected it, leaving him open to her. Pyrrha lashed out, her sword carving through his Aura from chest to hip, and he was forced to fall back again.

"Pyrrha!" Jaune called.

"You two need to go," she called. "Leave him to me."

"We're not leaving you alone!"

Pyrrha went to respond, but found herself forced to parry an attack from Adam. He took advantage of her momentary distraction and kicked her in the stomach, sending her skidding backwards the ground. Jaune, seeing his friend in trouble, surged forwards, his sword at the ready; Adam went to punish him for his carelessness, but Trifa and Pyrrha were able to save him, Trifa webbing his feet together and Pyrrha pulling Jaune back with her Semblance.

Trifa stood there, her knife at the ready as Adam again began to circle them, like a predator watching his prey. "Why are you doing this?" she asked. "You know you can't win, Adam."

"Win?" he asked. "Look around you, Trifa. I've already won."

"Won how? Do you really think this is helping the White Fang?" She shook her head. "This is the end of the White Fang, Adam. Do you really think anyone is going to want to listen to you after this? They'd sooner just shoot you and be done with it. You're all going to spend the rest of your lives running away, and for what? What does this accomplish?"

Adam glared at her from behind his mask. "You truly are far gone, aren't you? All it took was for the right human to come along and you so readily abandoned the cause you'd dedicated your life to. Do you really think there's a place for you in their world, after everything you've done?"

"What's he talking about, Trifa?" Pyrrha demanded. "What did you do?"

"I made mistakes," Trifa insisted. "And I am fully prepared to pay the price for all of them if that's what it takes to earn my redemption. I wouldn't expect someone like Adam to understand."

Adam let out a shout, then rushed them down. Pyrrha tried to push him aside with her Semblance, but a quick draw of his sword and use of his Semblance sent her scrambling. Trifa raised her knife in a futile gesture to try and block the incoming attack, but it was too late. He was going to make impact, and then she was dead.

She heard the blade cut through her torso before she felt it. A pained gaps escaped her as she felt her flesh tear, and blood spurt through the air. She fell to her knees, gasping futilely at the gash traveling diagonally from her right hip up to her left shoulder. Behind her, Jaune gave a shout of rage and went to charge Adam, only for Pyrrha to yank him back using her semblance.

Adam flicked his sword, flinging the blood off the blade and onto the ground next to her. Trifa stared, numb, as the pool of crimson around her continued to grow. The knife in her hand came clattering to the ground, and a low, wet, bloody gurgle bubbled up from the depths of her throat as black began to encroach on her vision.

Adam stood above her, glaring down at her. He sheathed his sword and then turned back towards Jaune and Pyrrha, who were standing several yards away, her staring with wide-eyed shock and him thrashing against Pyrrha's Semblance that held him back.

"None of you seem to understand," Adam growled. "This is the first step of a new revolution. You two-"

Trifa tuned him out as he continued to rant. The blackness creeping up on the corners of her vision was growing; it was becoming hard to see anything. Still, she knew she had to do something, before it was too late. With the last of her strength, she felt around for her knife, and eventually found it. Her hand closed around the hilt, and in one fell swoop, before Adam could do anything, she plunged it into his left Achilles tendon.

Adam's speech was cut off by a pain-filled shout, and he went to draw his sword and drive it through her, but he never got the chance. He was distracted for just a moment, but that was all Jaune and Pyrrha needed.

Pyrrha acted first, throwing her shield at him from a distance. Adam had no way to dodge with Trifa's knife still impaled through his leg, and was left wide open when the shield impacted directly against his head. Adam reeled from the hit, but recovered quickly, drawing his sword as he faced them again. But it was too late.
He was just in time to see Jaune's blade come flashing through the air.

Recognition passed through Adam's eyes for just a moment, and he tried to move, but he wasn't fast enough. Crocea Mors all but sang as it cut through the air, the blade glinting in the moonlight. There was a sickening sound of steel against flesh as the Arc family sword cut through skin and muscle and bone, and when it was over, Adam's head rolled across the ground, a look of confusion forever frozen on his face.

His body collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut, and for a moment, nobody moved. Jaune and Pyrrha stayed rooted to the spot, both of them still in shock at what they had done. Slowly, painfully so, Trifa reached out and took hold of one of the legs of Jaune's pants. Instantly, his gaze flew over to her, and Crocea Mors fell to the asphalt below as he crouched down and began to use his Semblance to try and heal her.

"Stay with me," he pleaded. "Trifa, c'mon, don't leave me like this…!"

Trifa opened her mouth to say something, but all she got was a wet cough. Unable to speak, she did the only thing she could.

She gave him a faint smile, and then let the blackness take her.

Agonized over this chapter for awhile, trying to get it right. Ended up scrapping and rewriting it eventually. Still not completely happy with the results, but I figure it's say on my hard drive long enough that I need to get rid of it already. This is probably about as good as I can make it, and frankly I'm tired of looking at it, so I'm putting it out there so you all can roast me for it.

In all seriousness, I don't completely hate this chapter, I just think I've done what I can with it in terms of satisfaction. I'm quickly learning that the longer I work on a chapter, the less I like it in the end – it starts to feel more artificial and less raw and visceral the more time I sink into it, which I know sounds weird as hell, but that's the best I can explain it. I write basically everything stream-of-consciousness style these days, so maybe that's why. The obvious solution is to plan more, but I've tried various methods of planning and the only two that really work for me are either going super in-depth or going barebones and improvising everything except the key story beats and scenes, and between the two, I think I do much better with the latter than the former.

Anyway, this is basically just me coping with the fact that I'm not completely satisfied with this chapter, and I doubt I ever will be, but I've been working on it for way too long and I don't think there';s anything necessarily super wrong with it, so fuck it, I'm putting it out there and moving on. Sometimes that's all you can really do.

Side note: I've got a project in the works for Halloween. My man Sunset Hunting floated the idea of doing a Halloween-themed Knightfall one-shot and I thought it was a cool idea, so I figured I'd try to challenge myself a bit and see what I could come up with. It'll be posted on Halloween, I think; it's a Knightfall-themed romantic comedy centered around Jaune summoning a demon to try and get a date for Beacon's Halloween dance; no points for guessing who the demon is. Sunset Hunting's also doing a fic with a very similar premise – makes sense, because it is his idea, after all – only his is going to be more of a straight-up rom-com than mine is, because mine is going to be straight crack with some romantic elements, kinda like Problems With Dating the RWBY Girls was. Definitely suggest checking out his story when it comes out, along with everything else he writes, because he's a fantastic writer and a really cool person.

Aside from that, I've got nothing else. Hope you all enjoyed the chapter, and I hope to see you next chapter for the finale to this story. It's been a long time coming, but we're almost there. Hope you enjoy, and thanks again!