Heart of Glass 15
Cinder didn't fear much. Like pain, once you are exposed to too much, you begin to become numb to it. And Cinder had feared, for many years she had been afraid of the Madame, of punishment, of being left without food for a week.
However, the eerie atmosphere of Mountain Glenn was undeniable. Under the moonlight, the abandoned city stood like an open wound in the Kingdom of Vale. The mountain was visible, as it stuck closely to the city in order to give it it's name.
Every step she and team RWBY took seemed to upset something deep within it, as if disturbing a sacred site. Cinder looked around, keeping the rear guard safe. Darkened buildings with broken windows, destroyed parks with brown, decayed dirt; vehicles bent and twisted by the Grimm. Not a single body was in sight, at least not in the empty street the group traversed. Even so, Cinder felt that if they wanted to, they could dig up a skeleton or two that the Grimm hadn't eaten completely. It was almost like walking on a graveyard.
Almost. Graveyards at least were peaceful and smelled decently. Mountain Glenn smelled stale, damp, as if it had been left with water inside and never cleaned.
A roar resonated. Out of a building jumped three sabyrs, bearing their fangs against the huntresses.
"Weiss!" Ruby shouted, readying Crescent Rose. Her voice resonated throughout the entire area, as if repeated by the ghosts of the deceased. Yang and Blake pulled their weapons out, while Weiss held Myrtenaster pointed up with two fingers on it's steel blade. Four black glyphs pinned the Grimm to the ground, just enough for Ruby, Yang and Blake to jump in and hit their most vulnerable spots. One swipe of Ruby's enormous weapon was enough to tear at least two in half.
As quickly as it started, it was over. Cinder hadn't had to interfere, and RWBY weren't even winded. They had improved massively, and their coordination was top notch despite their difficulties earlier that day. She felt her chest grow warm, a smile threatening to come out.
"Alright. That's it," Ruby shifted Crescent Rose back into a more portable form.
"Good Gods, glad it's over," Weiss commented, sheathing her own weapon as well. In a second, Ruby was hugging her. "Uh, what are you doing?"
"It's okay to be scared, best buddy." Said Ruby, beaming after being forcefully shoved back. Although it had all been in good nature, Cinder almost moved to teach Weiss not to touch Ruby.
"I'm not scared! If you suggested that I will–!" Cinder wanted to sit back and enjoy Weiss lose her mind, but these last few months in Beacon had her stuck on her teacher routine. And so, she felt the need to step in.
"There's nothing wrong with being afraid. Eventually, you won't be anymore. So just bear with it, alright?" Cinder said, placing a hand on Weiss' shoulder for a moment. The heiress looked up at her with wide eyes, before coughing into her hand.
"You're right, professor. I'll keep my composure at every moment." She replied, almost like a soldier.
"Wow. What happened to letting us do everything, sis?" Yang asked, smiling a little with her hands on her hips. As always, she shone bright even in a place as dark as Mountain Glenn.
"The situation changed, Yang," Cinder replied. Yang frowned.
"No Ms. Xiao Long? What happened to being formal and detached?" Yang leaned forward, as if trying to make her words get under her. Yes, Yang was still angry, although she had switched from openly showing her displeasure to making quips and jabs. Cinder was not playing that game.
"You really want to do this now, Yang?" Cinder asked, frowning as well. Yang looked down, as if deep in thought.
"Yeah, You're right. Might compromise the mission." Cinder balled her fists, otherwise she might have accidentally activated her semblance.
"Come on, Yang..." Ruby said.
"Relax, Ruby. I'm focused, always looking for my next prey." Yang replied, her usual cocky demeanor back.
"Can we stop this nonsense and focus? We haven't seen a single White Fang member in hours!" Weiss said.
"Are we sure there are White Fang here? This place looks worse than dead," Yang said, gesturing wide into the open plaza where they stood. The entire area was only lighted by the moon.
"There are too many Grimm. If they really wanted to operate here, they would need to clear them out." Ruby said.
"They could be using them as cover, to make people look like you do." Weiss replied.
"Nah, people have tried many times. It never ends well," Cinder raised an eyebrow at Ruby's thoroughness.
"Huh, so you really studied," at this praise, Ruby let her smile show, along with two fingers on her forehead and one leg raised.
"Of course I did." She replied with unusual smugness. "If I'm gonna be the best huntress ever, I gotta know my stuff about Grimm, right?"
"Right," Cinder said. She truly admired Ruby's determination. It reminded her of one of the few things she was proud of about herself.
"So, what now? Do we keep wandering around without aim?" Yang asked. Ruby and Weiss grabbed their chins at the same time, and apparently equally deep in thought. Yang then seemed to take notice of something. "Where's Blake?"
The entire group turned around, looking for their missing member. Blake stood a few meters away from then, looking around the entire area, head quickly jerking from one place to another, yet never betraying anything but calmness.
"Blake?" Ruby's voice seemed to catch her attention.
"We shouldn't be here," she said simply, going back to them.
"Cheerful," Yang commented, which simply earned her a glare.
"I'm serious. There's nothing in this place but Grimm and desolation. We're disturbing." She said. Cinder crossed her arms.
"So you're superstitious now?"
"No! But the longer we stay here, the more Grimm there will be."
"Are you sure there is nothing?"
"Yes!"
"Absolutely sure?" At Ruby's question, Blake froze for a moment before looking away in embarrassment.
"I've… got one more thing…" She said, pointing to her bow. With a swift motion, she undid it, and from under it to fluffy cat ears sprung out like springs. Upon seeing them, Ruby squealed with delight, which caused them to twitch a bit.
"So a cat faunus. I guessed it." Cinder replied with that would almost be a smile.
"Yes. Now please," Blake kneeled down and closed her eyes as if in deep focus. She lowered her head, and felt the floor with her hand. Her ears twitched in various directions before settling northwest. "There's something… going on underground."
"Underground?" Ruby asked, putting a hand on her own ear.
"Mountain Glenn had a tram system, if I recall, built in some kind of underground tunnels. When Mountain Glenn fell, the survivors took refuge there. It also fell, and the tunnels were sealed off of Vale to prevent Grimm incursions." Cinder explained, the knowledge coming to her mind from a lesson she had given.
"That's where the White Fangs is then," Weiss said.
"And Uncle Qrow!" Ruby added.
"Then let's go in there and save them," Yang said.
"I agree. But what if they sealed the entrances, or have them guarded?" Blake asked.
"We'll deal with the problem one at a time, right?" At Yang's words, Cinder stepped up.
"Charging in is going to be complicated. They may have set traps. We need another approach," She said. Yang seemed ready to argue, but then she stopped and took a breath.
"You're right. But then what do we do? How do we locate Qrow?" Nobody said anything. All members of RWBY plus Cinder were deep in thought. It was Ruby who broke the silence.
"We can break the floor," she said a little too casually.
"What?" Cinder asked.
"Yeah, break the floor. Skip any entrances that may be guarded. Maybe…" Ruby fidgeted for a moment before looking at Cinder. "...Is that alright?"
Again, she was looking for her sister's approval. Cinder had other ideas, but first and foremost, she was here to teach her sisters. She had to guide them in the right direction, but also see where they were heading.
She took a deep breath. "If you feel it's for the best," she replied. Ruby smiled.
"It's a bold plan. Maybe too bold. And a little brutish, don't you think?" Weiss asked, joining the conversation, placing herself near Ruby.
"I say we do it. As long was we get it right, things will be fine." Yang added.
"It's risky… I don't know, maybe we should–" Blake began, before she was interrupted.
"–Well, well, but if it isn't red!" A voice echoed through the empty city. Loud enough for everything to feel like it was shaking. It seemed… disembodied. In second RWBY and Cinder had drawn their weapons and stuck their backs together.
Midnight was in bow form as she scanned every nook and cranny of the buildings around them, looking for hostiles.
"Was that…?" Ruby narrowed her eyes at Blake's question.
"Torchwick," she said, voice dripping with what Cinder could only describe as Ruby's version of anger, which was an uncharacteristically deep and serious voice.
"I certainly expected real huntsmen to come. But you? I'm impressed! And annoyed." Cinder looked around again, trying to pinpoint the origin of the voice, but it came from all around them.
"Speakers," Blake whispered. "On the lampposts," Cinder drew her eyes to the place Blake mentioned. Indeed, there were minuscule speakers on them, probably for public announcements.
"Where is Qrow!" Ruby shouted into the air. She sounded desperate and afraid. Cinder was afraid Ruby would loose her cool soon. But once again, she had to tell herself that she could trust them, even if… she didn't trust them with her own past.
"He can't hear you," Weiss whispered.
"Actually, I can," the voice of Roman Torchwick replied. "Nifty tech, if a little old. So… bird man is family, I suppose? Thanks for the bargaining chip by the way,"
"Damn," she heard Ruby curse, which angered Cinder a little. No one made Ruby curse.
"You better hand him over, Torchwick. Maybe we won't hurt you too bad if you do," Cinder said, stepping out from their tight circle a little, eyes still looking everywhere for potential attackers.
"Oh, the lady from the warehouse. So you hang around with those hero wannabees. Still, I'm a fine gentleman, so I'll give you a chance. Go away and pretend nothing happened, I'll even throw bird guy as an extra. How about it?" Cinder lowered her bow for a second. Leaving… it was an option. There was no shame in retreating and trying again later. Additionally, if they left, both Qrow and her sisters would be safe. The idea of accepting a bargain from… anyone really, still made her sick to the stomach.
However, Ruby didn't seem to want to negotiate. "We won't negotiate, and we won't allow you to keep helping the White Fang!" She replied.
"Ruby," Cinder hissed. "Let's just think about this,"
"I'm with you, Ruby. We can't leave Roman alone. It's our duty as huntresses," Yang said.
"It's not about that," Cinder tried to argue, but Weiss joined the fray.
"We can't just leave the Fang like this. Whatever they're doing, it has to be stopped." Weiss said.
"Maybe Cinder is right. As much as I hate it, we should retreat," Blake said, voice a little shaky. Finally a sound mind, even if it came from a place of fear.
Before Ruby could reply, Torchwick spoke again.
"A shame. Well, in that case, I hope you've made peace," he sounded somber now, all traces of excitement gone. Then the voice cut off. An attack was coming.
"Get behind me," Cinder whispered before she could stop herself. She needed to protect her sisters at all costs. The group stuck itself closer together.
For tense moments, nothing happened. The city was silent, with only a the sound of drops of water and their own breaths reminding them they were not deaf.
"What is–?" Before Ruby could finish her question, the earth shook for a second, making RWBY stumble a bit.
"What was that? Centinels?" Asked Yang, eyes now trailing the ground.
"Centinels move much more on the ground. This is different," Weiss replied. Another shaking.
"Then what is–?" A loud strike was heard, north of their position. Then another, almost like steps of a giant. Cinder narrowed her eyes, and switched her normal arrow to a fire one.
From behind a building, a black, white and grey walking machine came into view. Huge and thick limbs, armed with what seemed to be machine guns and missile launchers. It's center was a reinforced dome, possibly housing a pilot. An Atlesian Paladin came into view. The new armament Ironwood had designed for his forces.
"Is that–?" Yang asked.
"Yes," Replied Weiss as Myrtenaster's barrel began to spin.
The vehicle emitted a loud sound as various hatches began opening.
(A/N: Play "Rules of Nature" from MGR)
"Scatter!" Ruby screamed, using her semblance to move away. As everyone dashed away, the Atlesian paladin began firing volleys of missiles at them, shaking the very earth as they hit where each member had been a second ago.
Cinder took cover behind a wall and shot a fire arrow at her target. The projectile hit and exploded, coating the mech in flames. But it simply continued moving forward. Worse, she had made herself a target for it's machine gun.
Bullets were not a concern for Aura users, at least, the lowest calibers were not strong enough, and even high ones would have trouble punching through an Aura without it being lowered. The problem was when thousands of bullets came at you in short succession. Now that was a death by a thousand cuts. The Paladin did just that, as it's machine gun revved with a deafening sound.
But it have her time. Cinder grabbed a low wall she had used as cover and heated it up. The bigger and larger the object, the more Aura her semblance drained. In the end, she barely melted and remolded the stone wall to block them.
With a barrier between her and the hail of bullets, Cinder looked for the rest of RWBY. She could see Ruby shooting at it from the ground respectively. It was not enough to damage it, but at least it was a distraction.
Cinder felt the bullets stop, and ran for it while shooting lightning arrows at the mech. That seemed to work a little, as the machine stopped for a few seconds on each hit.
She reached Ruby, who stood on the street.
"That things though!" She replied, reloading Crescent Rose. "I tried to slash at it, but it did nothing."
"It must have a weakness. Everything has." Cinder said. Unfortunately, she was not very invested in Atlas designs.
Soon, Weiss, Yang and Blake engaged the Paladin, slashing at it and forcing it to turn to different directions in sluggish moves that were extremely ineffective.
Ruby used her semblance to reunite with her sisters. "Okay, so bullets are not working." She said as she shot another round to no effect. "Blake, Weiss, regroup! Put an ice barrier between us!"
Both fighting members nodded, disengaging and going to their teammates. Before the machine could do more, Weiss planted her sword on the ground and swatted at the air. A gigantic barrier of ice sprung fort, protecting them for a time.
"Alright. What now?" Blake asked, panting.
"It must have a weakness, right?" Ruby said, looking at the others for suggestions. The wall shook, a crack becoming visible on it.
"All Atlas machines have one design flaw, despite how perfect they are. Gotta cut costs," Weiss said between pants. "These thing exposes itself when attacking, and it's legs are very weak if not attacked from the front."
"Right. It seems to sway easily when attacked from behind. Maybe because Grimm aren't very smart." Another shake. Another large crack.
"Alright. So we gotta distract it. Cinder, you can heat anything right?" Ruby looked at her sister, who raised an eyebrow.
"Yes," she replied simply.
"If you can get near it's cockpit, you could heat it up and force the pilot out, right?" Cinder could. It would not be a problem.
"I can,"
"Good. But no killing please." She said. Cinder rolled her eyes.
"Whatever. Think you can keep it distracted?" She asked.
"Sis, my second name is distraction." Yang said with a smirk. As she did, the wall broke into pieces and the Atlesian paladin stepped into scene once again.
"Okay! Blake, Weiss. Execute monochrome!" Both girls nodding as they dashed towards the paladin's legs.
"Yang, go for the arms! Cinder, use them to climb up!" Humoring her sister, Cinder nodded.
Weiss and Blake slashed and stabbed the Atlesian Paladin's legs at high speeds. Each hit shook it. Apparently annoyed, it raised an arm to swat them away. That was when Yang stepped in, putting herself in front of Blake to… punch it back? No… she was not doing to do that.
But she did. The metal arm crashed into Yang, and sent her flying into a building at high speeds. Cinder felt her heart stop for a moment. Yang, her sweet sister, had been sent into a building, her aura breaking mid air.
"YANG!" She screamed. Would she live? Would she be injured? Would she be able to walk or fight again?
Her normally calm and focused mind was invaded by these thoughts, and she hated it. The Atlesian paladin was still a danger. She could not afford to be distracted, but even so, a rage, a fire swelled within her.
However, from the now even more ruined building, a yellow shooting star came flying. Like a meteor she struck the cockpit in an explosion of flame and light, denting it, before it was all over and a girl with golden locks and crimson eyes turned to look at her elder sister.
"Now, Sis!" She screamed. The Paladin fell on one knee, it's entire frame sent into haywire.
Cinder ran at top speed, firing lightning arrows at her prey. Slowly and intermittently, the Paladin recovered. It was far too late, Cinder had already climbed on it's arms. Dodging a multitude of missiles, she jumped off it's shoulder and into it's cockpit to then sheathe Midnight and place her hands on it.
She focused her aura, her entire being, into her hands. She imagined herself being a furnace, a wild fire, an unending source of heat. Soon, the plate protecting the pilot was a red hot chunk of metal melting away. The heat was even getting to Cinder herself. Alarms flared from inside it, and it finally ejected it's pilot to avoid it's certain death.
Her mission accomplished, Cinder jumped away, her body sluggish due to expending most of her Aura. The Paladin fell backwards, shaking the entire city. In front of it, RWBY stood, stunned.
But behind them, landed a small woman, even shorter than Weiss, wielding a simple umbrella and looking at them with a smile and eyes that were colored one brown and one pink, juts like her hair.
(A/N: Song end.)
Team RWBY recovered, standing in a ling against the new opponent. Cinder joined them, exhausted beyond belief.
The girl did nothing for a moment, eyeing them like a cat.
As usual, it was Yang who broke the silence. "What's wrong? Aren't you gonna come fight!?" She asked the short woman, standing with her arms spread open.
The woman's smile grew as she twirled her umbrella around.
"W-What should we do?" Asked Blake, lowering her weapon.
"Keep your guard up," As Cinder said this, the multicolored woman brought two fingers to her ear. RWBY heard nothing, but soon, the ground began to shake in the same manner as when the Atlesian paladin moved.
"Oh man," said Yang, returning back to her team with her gauntlets raised. Soon, many more Atlas Paladins began to appear around corners and archways.
This was not good, they were surrounded in open terrain.
"Okay. We need a new plan!" Weiss said, raising Myrtenaster.
Cinder's eyes dashed from side to side. North, west, south, east, Paladins were in all directions. All least six, maybe even more. How did they steal all of this from Ironwood and Winter? There was no way to fight off all of them.
No, they could. At the very least, Cinder was sure she herself would survive. Her sisters and their teammates? That wasn't guaranteed. And thus it was unacceptable.
Capture was… something Cinder was not comfortable with. She had allowed herself to be a few times, and every time it was unpleasant. But she was used to enduring torture, mistreatment and malnourishment. And if she was right, then the White Fang would capture them in a cruel and ironic way.
She took a deep breath. Her plan could work, they would be free, and her sisters unharmed. Or so she hoped. It still didn't make thinking about it pleasant.
"Drop your weapons," she said, leaving Midnight on the ground. Team RWBY looked at her as if she had gone insane. Cinder's eyes narrowed. She wasn't in the mood for arguments. "Do it!" She yelled at them.
Although all of them flinched a little, none seemed ready to drop their weapons except for Ruby, who complied as Crescent Rose was put gently on the ground.
"Sis, what are you doing?" Yang asked. Ruby simply lifted her arms with a deadpan look.
"I trust Cinder," she said, looking at her elder sister dead in the eye. Cinder felt a pang of guilt in her chest.
"I'm not getting captured by some… ruffians!" Weiss said with indignation. Blake glared at her as she dropped her own weapons.
"It'll happen sooner or later. Better get it out of your system now, don't you think?" With an annoyed grunt, Weiss also let her weapon fall to the ground. Soon after, yang had strapped Ember Celica off her forearms.
As soon as they all surrendered, regular members of the White Fang began to come from staircases leading to the subways.
"Well! Red is smart for once!" RWBY turned their heads to a particular Paladin, which now had Torchwick riding atop it's head.
The orange haired man jumped off with a smirk, landing neatly at the woman's side.
"I have to admit, I sort of expected you lot to die fighting. Would have been more amusing too," he said as he ordered a few White Fang members to collect their weapons. Cinder simply rolled her eyes at his demeanor. She had met more than enough sociopaths in her life to know when to ignore them. Sadly, Ruby did not.
"So this is all for fun?" Ruby asked, giving him a glare.
"Oh no. This is all to prove a point," he then made a gesture, and RWBY plus Cinder were forced into cuffs around their forearms. They were strong cuffs, made to restrain a huntsman's explosive strength. However, Cinder could also spot yellow crystals strapped to them. It was as she feared. "Come on now. Get moving,"
And so they were pushed from the street. Cinder hated every second of it. Every restrained step, every push to keep moving, every snicker of superiority from standby White Fang members. It all brought back unpleasant memories she tried to suppress, lest she lose control of herself.
After a few minutes, they finally reached the underground labyrinth of Mountain Glenn's subway. It was a large cavern, adorned by old buildings that had sunk, new ones made from scrap and debris, and a few tents that were freshly made. The air smelled as stale as the city, along the putrid smell that Grimm gave off. There were many around, if out of sight.
As they began advancing through was she supposed was a street, Cinder spotted a few trains being loaded with Dust crates by the Paladins.
"What kind of point would be worth all this? Why not do it without harming people?" At Ruby's naive question, Roman chuckled.
"Oh, you want me to be good? A law abiding citizen? A hero?" He asked as he began walking backwards while staring at Ruby.
"Why not? Would that be so hard?" Ruby asked. Cinder narrowed her eyes.
"Oh red. So innocent, so naive, so foolish," he said the last word with venom in his voice. "Being a hero is a luxury!"
"What?" Ruby asked.
"Like I said, a luxury. You were probably born in a normal family, a normal home, and were given all support you needed to get to Beacon. Am I wrong?" Ruby said nothing. Cinder knew that was not true. Ruby had lost as much as anyone else, even if it didn't let it bother her.
Regardless, Roman continued his charade. "One day you'll learn that not everyone is as lucky as you. People such as me and Neo over here…" he ruffled the small woman's hair, who simply smiled at him. "… have to survive somehow. And turns out, we're actually pretty good at this."
That seemed to set off Ruby, if not by much. "And what about the people you hurt?"
"What about them? They are just numbers red, they don't care about you. None of those faceless people you are trained to save do. It's pointless." Roman's response seemed to make Ruby shrink a little. Cinder wanted to say something, and she was about to, but Blake beat her to the punch.
"It's not pointless. Turning your back to the suffering of others is the hallmark of a coward, which is exactly what you are." Blake said, glaring at Torchwick. Ruby looked at her with amazed eyes. "Ruby, on the other hand, is the bravest person I know. You are nothing compared to her."
Roman looked at her for a long while, with an expression Cinder couldn't read. She began to imagine his potential reactions, and any one of them would make her smile in satisfaction. However, his face didn't change.
"You…" he turned, pointing his cane at Blake. Yang stepped up to defend her. "… there's someone that wants to see you." At this, Blake became as pale as a ghost. Cinder could see her body shake for a moment. "Now come on,"
They were brought to a large, triangle shaped building in the middle of what Cinder guessed used to be a main street. Each step they took, the air grew damper, and the sounds of faunus working and talking became louder. Something was going on, Cinder could feel movement all over the area.
Once they entered through a pair of metal doors to what seemed to be a lobby repurposed into some sort of planning room, Cinder was able to witness a map from the underground, laid with photos, pins and red marker. They were planning an attack on Vale.
Worse still, at the side, she spotted a very familiar weapon. A large, segmented sword with a clockwork mechanism. Qrow's signature arm, Harbinger. Cinder heard Ruby and Yang gasp upon seeing it.
"I was not lying, you know? Don't worry, soon you'll join him," Footsteps were heard from a staircase leading to a superior level, and then a dark and red figure wearing a white mask and a sword began descending. "Wow. You really have nothing better to do huh?"
The new arrival simply grunted at Torchwick's comment and slammed him on the shoulder on his way towards RWBY, which caused Neo to glare daggers at him. This man seemed possessed, seemingly watching a single point in his view. Cinder heard someone shudder behind her.
"Adam…" Blake whispered. In her voice was something Cinder expected to hear from civilians in small towns from Anima. Sheer, unfiltered dread.
"It's been a long time, Blake." He said, stopping a few meters ahead from the group, only looking at the cat faunus.
Blake said nothing, trying her best to hide herself, which caused Adam to chuckle.
"Alright, though guy. Back off," Yang said, putting herself between her partner and Adam. His smile disappeared, replaced by pursed lips.
"Nobody talked to you." He replied.
"And I don't need permission. Touch her and I'll beat you into a pulp!" Yang's eyes glowed red, and as they did, her cuffs blowed. Yang's body convulsed as it was ravaged by lightning dust.
Hearing her sister scream, like Cinder once did when she was a child, made her chest grow cold. Her breath caught up in her throat as traumatic memories resurfaced. She was left paralyzed, even though she should be doing something, anything.
"Yang!" Ruby kneeled at her side as the shock stopped, leaving Yang panting.
Seeing her, Adam laughed audibly.
"What the hell is your problem?!" Now it was Weiss who spoke up. Once again, Adam became silent.
"A Schnee dares ask me that? I can't wait to have you all to myself. Or maybe I should let the others decide what to do with–"
"Wrap it up, Lord Edge. We have a schedule. Either kill them or leave them in the cells," Torchwick said as he and Neo left the building.
Cinder looked at Adam. Her previous fear had been replaced by cold fury. This man was as much of a monster as the Madame. And Cinder was good at killing monsters.
"Take them to the cells." He said. At least, everything was in place for Cinder's plan. Spotting the one member carrying their weapons, Cinder decided to set it in motion.
"Let me guess," she began, drawing all attention to her. "You think that because a human mistreated you, you are entitled to exert any amount of violence on them. Am I right?" Adam looked in her direction for a minute. His mask made it impossible to distinguish his expression.
"You have no idea what you are talking about. Only a Faunus can understand," Cinder closed her eyes, mentally preparing herself for the next step.
"You're right. I can't ever know what a Faunus feels like," her gaze wandered to Blake for a moment. "But I've suffered too. And I won't allow anyone to suffer as I did. Much less my sisters!" With that, she channeled her Aura, trying to activate her semblance.
The cuffs reacted, sending an amount of electricity trough her body that nearly made her vision go white. The Madame's amount did not compare, but this wasn't made with the expectancy of many shocks either.
"You really are stupid aren't you?" Adam asked, apparently delighted at her suffering. Cinder grit her teeth, keeping her consciousness through sheer force of will. She felt the cuffs heat up, from both her semblance and their constant output.
Cinder dropped on her knees, convulsing from the pain. Her vision became red as images from her past came up full force.
Without me, you are nothing
Without me, you are nothing
Say it
Say it
Without you, I am nothing
Without you, I am nothing
But because of you…
It all stopped, her vision became white. A smiling woman of black hair appeared in front of her.
Say… do you want to come with me? I have a home with two girls. I'm sure they would be delighted to meet you.
She screamed, louder than ever before. She pulled the red hot cuffs, and they broke. Immediately, the pain stopped, though her wrist were beyond ruined.
"What?! No way…!" Adam gripped his sword, but Cinder was already on him. Reaching into her gauntlet, she retrieved her firecrackers and blinded the White Fang guards. A kick to Adam's stomach using her full strength. He was sent into a wall, cracking it.
Next, Cinder took the woman that held their weapons. She was down with a kick and an elbow to the head. She grabbed her own, and Blake's.
"Blake!" she threw her the weapon, which Blake used to cut her restraints along with the others'. Soon, all of RWBY was armed and ready to battle the room of White Fang members.
"You…" Adam got up from his little crater, gritting his teeth. "… I'll make sure…" Cinder readied her swords, a murderous rage alight in her chest. However, a White Fang member was soon at his side.
"We gotta move, boss." he whispered. Adam looked at him, then back at RWBY, and smiled.
"Well!" he said, as if addressing the whole room. "Lucky for us, I'm not a coward like you, Blake! I know when I'm needed! And I know where our case lies! See ya around!" With that, he used his weapon and sent a red wave of energy at them. RWBY and Cinder were forced to dodge as the wave hit a wall and table, cutting them neatly in half.
When they recovered, each member of the White Fang was gone from the room. They were alone.
"Where… where did they go?" Weiss asked. Cinder wanted to answer, but found herself on one knee, out of breath.
"Sis!" At a second's notice, she saw Yang and Ruby at her side. "You're… really hardcore." Yang had something else on her mind, and as always, she tried to lighten things up with a joke or a quip.
"Are you alright?" She asked Yang. For a second, her sister was stunned.
"What? Yes I'm fine. It hurt like nothing else, but I'm fine." Cinder nodded, then looked at Ruby. She eyed her with strained eyes.
"Cinder… I–"
"Guys! Come quickly!" The three of them heard Blake yell. Yang helped Cinder up while Ruby was at her teammate's side, watching the map on the wall.
"What is it?" Cinder asked. Her wrists were burning.
"This tunnels are infested with Grimm," Ruby said, her voice even. "Vale destroyed them so they could not use that route to enter. Every defense in the city is built taking that into account."
"So?" Yang asked. Ruby looked at her.
"What if someone unblocked it?" The question hung in the air as each member of the huntsman team processed it.
"Gods…" Blake said, covering her mouth.
"That's insane! They are completely out of their minds!" Said Weiss.
"Agreed Weiss cream. This is too much. Would they really bring down a kingdom to… what? Prove a point? How would this help the faunus? There's gotta be more to it." Yang said. Cinder felt some of her strength return, and stopped leaning on Yang.
"It doesn't matter what they want. A lot of things happen without reason." She said, looking at each girl. "We don't need to think now. We need to act." At her words, each girl nodded.
"Let's find Qrow." Ruby said, strapping the now abandoned Harbinger onto her back.
He almost had it. His nails were ruined, his fingers bleeding, but he was nearly there. He could see the side of the light barrier generator.
"Just a little…" of course, his luck could not last. He heard footsteps echoing down the hall. He left the barrier, and went to sit as if he hadn't moved at all. "So, got any food for me?" He tried to sound nonchalant, but the moment his visitors appeared, he jumped from his position.
His three nieces, looking a little worse for wear, were in front of him.
"Hey uncle Qrow." Ruby said, smiling from the other side. "Did you miss me?" Qrow chuckled. He always did. Ruby was like a light in the darkness, much like Summer. How he missed her.
"Nope," he responded. His eyes then latched onto Cinder's.
"Hey Drunkle Qrow," she smiled, pressing a button on the wall. His chest felt tight when he noticed her wrist and forearms were burned red. Immediately, the barrier was gone, with Ruby and Yang hugging him. Sadly, it also pressed against a sensitive spot.
"Ow! Hey, I love you as well, but I'm kinda hurt," the girls separated with sheepish looks.
"Sorry uncle. What happened?" Qrow looked away. Right. How was he supposed to explain something to Yang he couldn't even process himself? But he had to tell them. Or at least…
He looked at Cinder, then to Yang.
"That's a story for another time. For now–"
"We gotta stop a train," Said Ruby. Qrow chuckled.
"All caught up huh? Good. Then let's go," he said, accepting Harbinger from Ruby's hand.
"Yeah. Let's stop the White Fang. For good."
A/N: Alright, I had honestly no idea how to tackle this chapter. Next one, things will get heated up with Roman, Raven, Neo and Adam as our potential threats. Will our heroes stop the Breach this universe?
Again, sorry for the lackluster chapter. See you next week. Chiao!