Hey all! Welcome back to two straight chapters of "Reality" a quick break for "The Challenge of a Lifetime"! We've gotten through a third of the story of thus far, and the next few chapters of this adaptation are bound to be pretty good.
This one in particular is a good episode from RWBY, albeit a bit on the nose with its message. I'll explain more when the chapter actually ends, but this is still a pretty good episode for the volume itself. So with everything all set, let's get into this!
REALITY
Have you ever heard the tale of a girl locked away by a cruel stepparent? Doing housekeeping and practically becoming a slave? Having no freedom whatsoever?
It's a story that's been told in several universes. The tale of the princess known as Cinderella. It's quite frightening to think that her story could have been just like Salem's, had it continued toward a darker path. But there's with an upbringing like Cinderella's that grew even darker.
Whereas she was able to rise and become a beautiful princess, Cinder Fall fell into the darkness and became mad, hungering for power and freedom. You'll see more soon enough. Just know that she, even without Salem, would likely still be the same person she is now…
Seeing the color-patterned screen on Blake's Scroll, Ruby's eyes widened in fright. The warning message had gotten cut off. It was just as she was giving out her hopes that everyone could come together and unite against Salem.
"No…" she uttered out in shock.
"Ruby, hey…" Peter chimed in as he approached, putting a hand onto her left shoulder to get her attention, "It's alright," he assured, "Most of the message got out anyway," he pointed out.
"But what about what's going on at Amity?" Kim wondered aloud in concern, "Something could've happened…" she noted grimly.
"I'm trying to contact Jenny right now," Genji affirmed, standing off in the corner of the room.
"Pietro and Maria aren't responding…" Danny mentioned with his Scroll held in his left hand, "They might just be out of range, but…" he continued, looking over to see Ruby lower her head as she tucked her legs in.
"This is all my fault…" she whimpered out as tears pricked her eyes, "I should've gone to Amity to help out in case something happened and…" she kept going, breaking down as she cried into her hands.
"Ruby…" Weiss uttered sadly. She and Blake had no idea how to properly console her at this point. All they could do was hug her and tell her that things would be okay. Just then, the door opened.
"Looks like most of your message got out," May commented as she walked in, "So… now what?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Now… we just have to wait," Peter answered.
"Have you gotten in touch with Fiona and the others in Mantle?" Kim asked of the Happy Huntress.
"Yeah," she replied, pulling out her Scroll, "Good news is that evacs to the crater are pretty much done," she confirmed to the group, as most of them sighed in relief.
"What about Yang and the others?" Blake inquired on.
"No word on them…" May answered, "Sorry," she apologized simply. The cat Faunus lowered her head sadly. Meanwhile, Kim checked on Nora as she groaned in her sleep upon the bed.
"There has to be something that we can do in the meantime," she affirmed to her colleagues, "I get the feeling that we can still do some good here for the sake of Mantle and Atlas," she added seriously.
"You're right," Peter agreed, throwing on his mask, "Let's check around the city and see if there's something we can do to give us an edge," he insisted of his teammates. Danny and Genji shared a glance before following their teammates out of the room. The former looked back at the others.
"You're not coming?" he inquired of them.
"Someone needs to stay here and keep an eye on Nora," Weiss replied.
"And… we need to be with Ruby right now," Blake mentioned, rubbing her team leader's shaking shoulders. Danny gave them a sympathetic look. He then turned to May.
"Yeah, I'm down," she admitted with a shrug of her shoulders, following the half-ghost teen out of the room, letting the door shut behind them.
"Huh…" Weiss sighed, "It… really feels like everyone else is solving our problems for us…" she confessed guiltily.
"They're all selfless," Blake commented, exhaling her own sigh, "I guess that's what Ben probably sees in them, one way or another…" she added as her cat ears flopped over slightly. The ex-heiress recalled how angry she was back in Mantle about Ben leaving to go after Salem. She took a deep breath.
"When Ben gets back, you should tell him how you feel," she advised of the cat Faunus, causing her to perk up in surprise, "Otherwise, he's just going to keep taking on our burdens like you said before he left," she pointed out, "We should be in this together," she insisted firmly.
"R-Right…" Blake stuttered, wiping away a tear that pricked her left eye. She and Weiss then looked to see that Ruby had fallen asleep in the midst of her crying, snoozing soundly.
"Huh," the latter exhaled in relief, "She was up all night after what happened…" she pointed out. The cat Faunus reached over and pulled her team leader closer for warmth.
"Weiss, you should go with the others," she insisted of the ex-heiress, who blinked in surprise, "I'll look out for Ruby and Nora," she promised.
"But—"
"Don't worry," Blake insisted, interrupting her teammate, "Obi-Wan and Tifa are here, too," she pointed out, "Go help the others figure out what we can do next," she advised on. Letting out a small sigh with a smile, Weiss stood up and walked out the door. The cat Faunus grabbed Nora's left hand gently, rubbing her thumb along the skin. She hated the fact that she and her friends were in this situation. But she would do her best to comfort them while also trying to hold herself together. That was all she felt she could do now…
X
In her younger years, Cinder was nothing more than a peasant girl scrubbing wooden floors of a farmhouse, letting her tears drip onto the soapy water she brushed upon the surface, haggard and underfed. Someone wearing red heels was approaching her, though she didn't take notice. She was still reliving her miserable life thus far, being bullied by other children on the farm, watching them play as she grew tired from her constant chores, and not being able to fight back. It was too much. And then, she was given a way out of that life.
"I'll take her," a woman said one day. From there, the little girl's life changed. Instead of living on a farm in Mistral, she was now standing out front of an enormous, luxurious multi-story hotel situated in the city of Atlas. It appeared to have five floors, including a lobby and various kitchens. The hotel's ceiling was made of glass. The walls were golden and brown in color, and it had red carpets along the floor.
Cinder peered up at the building in wonder. It was like a castle compared to where she lived. In fact, the people were nothing like the ones she remembered either. They were much fancier than those who bullied her before.
"Come now," a voice beckoned, belonging to the woman who had taken her in. She was middle-aged, wearing a dark red dress with white sleeves and a corset, along with her red heels. She opened the front door of the hotel, enticing her newly adopted daughter to follow her inside. The lobby was crowded and ornate. There were various glass sculptures of Grimm positioned about, and a large clock hanging over the lobby desk.
Cinder slowed down to get a general sense of her new surroundings, seeing the people bustling about inside. A drunk, blushing woman took a swig of beer at a table. Two women were talking on a landing. The atmosphere seemed so positive.
But that all changed once Cinder found herself led into an employee-only room behind the front desk. Her new stepmother cleared her throat to get her attention, causing her to turn around to see her standing at the door at the other end of the room. Standing near her were two girls, both with similar color patterns to their clothing. One wore dark grey leggings with bows, while the other had a long skirt. The former's hair was a dirty blonde, being wavy with a black hair band. The latter's hair was a lighter blonde, curled elegantly as she also had a black hairband. The two could easily be told apart by their looks. But their behaviors seemed identical. The lighter blonde-haired girl cleared her own throat.
Cinder looked at them curiously, wondering how they were related to the owner of the hotel. She then perked up upon noticing a basket of steaming rolls behind them. She reached out, evidently hungry and tired.
"You're to make sure the laundry is folded, the dishes are spotless, and the floors are clean enough to eat off of," her new stepmother listed off in instruction, startling her a little as she meekly took a step back. The hotel owner then turned around and started to walk away. Cinder held her stomach as she stepped forward.
"F-Food?" she stuttered out. The madam's daughters gasped. The straight-haired one raised an eyebrow at her, and the curly-haired one giggled mockingly. Their mother went ahead and picks up a roll from the basket behind them, tossing it onto the floor in front of Cinder.
"Now hurry and get to your chores," she requested of newly adopted daughter, "The floor looks filthy…" she muttered before departing the room with a smirk. Cinder dropped to her knees and picked up the roll, eating away. She hadn't had anything good in such a long time. All the while, her new stepsisters laughed to each other as they left. Even in a new home, the little girl still felt isolated.
Her new outfit that she had been given consisted of a white shirt with grey laces, as well as grey pants and shoes. Her hair was still worn in two messy bunches, which left short, dangling bangs over her left eyebrow. She also had been given a necklace with a yellow crystal embedded into it.
She tried to make the most of everything, providing service with a smile. But even that didn't matter to hotel guests, who just shrugged off her kindness. Even as she was doing her best and just looking to take on as little food as possible, her stepsisters tormented her. When she tried to take a strawberry from a cake she had been decorated, her curly-haired stepsister smacked her hand away, followed by taking the cake on its tray and skipping off. Her straight-haired sister came over and took a strawberry for herself, completely unimpeded.
All Cinder could do was eat scraps and drink whatever was left behind. She wasn't as haggard or gaunt as she was before, but she still felt like she was suffering. She was unclogging toilets, dusting off the glass statues, and carrying stacks of towels. Sooner or later, she would end up overworked. And unfortunately, it came sooner.
She tripped in the lobby, causing her to drop the tray she had been carrying as some dirty dishes upon it fell off, shattering against the floor. She groaned as she reached to her hurting head, only to see her stepmother approach with a cross look upon her face. The stepsisters laughed mockingly.
Watching the scene while seated nearby was a tall, dark-skinned man with dark, greying hair and brown eyes. He wore a Prussian blue shirt which was covered by a bronze and navy blue vest, alongside straps over his chest and arms. His left shoulder was covered by a bronze pauldron. He turned away from the scene, but still had a guilty look upon his face. He was worried for the overworked attendant.
Sometime later, Cinder was scrubbing the carpet of one of the second floor walkways, doing so angrily and rapidly. It was the very thing that she thought she had left behind at the farm. And it was frustrating. However, she slowed down and started to grow calmer. This wasn't worth getting upset over. Not when she was in much better health than before. She sat up on her knees, wiping the sweat off of her brow with her left hand.
"Pretty nice, huh?" a man below said, getting her attention. She looked down into the lobby, seeing the dark-skinned man from before showing off a shortsword he had to patrons. They sounded really impressed. Cinder watched on curiously through the gaps in the railing, smiling a little. Just who was that man? And why could he have a weapon like that on his person?
Her thoughts immediately ceased when she heard something squish nearby. She turned to see her stepsisters there. And they had tracked their muddy shoes all over the carpet. The straight-haired one stomped her foot onto the floor.
"You missed a spot…" she mockingly remarked, grinding the mud into the carpet. At this point, Cinder was having enough, hearing her stepsisters laugh. She gripped the wet scrub brush in her left hand. Steam suddenly started emitted from it as her palm was glowing orange with heat. She angrily threw the brush down, causing a cloud of steam to erupt. Her stepsisters shrieked in surprise, while everyone below found themselves shocked by the sudden event.
The owner stepped out from behind the check-in desk to see what all of the commotion was about, having heard the screams of her daughters. She looked at the steam cloud before giving off a cross look. She held her hands behind her back before walking off, passing by a sign at the desk that read 'WE DO NOT SERVE FAUNUS' underneath a crossed out image of a cat's head. Meanwhile, the dark-skinned man looked up curiously at the steam cloud. It seemed like there was more to the young attendant than met the eye…
Later that evening, Cinder cried out in pain, dropping to her knees in the storeroom behind the front desk. Her necklace wasn't just given to her for decoration. It was a collar, which was zapping her with an electrical shock. And holding the control was none other than her stepmother.
"Now that wasn't very ladylike, was it?" she inquired rhetorically of the dark-haired girl as she approached, gripping the remote she had tightly before turning the collar off, "I suggest you remember your place," she advised, while her stepdaughter fell onto her hands and knees, panting, "Say it!" she commanded, pressing the yellow button of the remote, shocking her once again. She hung her head afterward.
"Without you… I am nothing…" she responded exhaustedly. This was her life now. It was still miserable, but she at least had a semblance of desire in her heart. She wanted to be like the man she saw earlier, wielding his sword in public without being chastised.
"Alright, what gives?" the dark-skinned man questioned one night, sounding frustrated, "Someone took my damn sword!" he pointed out. In the meantime, Cinder was sneakily opening vents, crawling her way into an abandoned storage room.
"I-I apologize for the inconvenience!" one of the stepsisters apologized with a stutter of nervousness, "Uh, um… We'll help you look for it!" she promised. They didn't realize that the young attendant had gone into the storage room, carrying a bundle of fabric in her arms. She walked over and laid it onto a mat where she slept, which included just a pair of pillows. Unwrapping the fabric, she picked up what was inside, being the man's sword. She stared at it in wonder.
"Now…" a familiar voice chimed in, causing her to gasp in surprise, "that's not yours, is it?" he inquired. Cinder whipped around and chucked the blade at the dark-skinned man behind her, but he quickly drew a pair of maces from his back to deflect it, as it pierced into a wooden beam. The young attendant widened her eyes. The man before her had such quick reflexes.
She stared at his dual weapons. They were ornate, decorated with small spikes. But they also seemed to have features not usually seen with maces.
"I'm not here to hurt you," the dark-skinned man affirmed, getting her attention. He dropped his weapons, rolling them over to Cinder. She picked one up, holding it defensively as she had no idea what the man was planning. He just cracked a small grin, letting out a huff. The young attendant ran forward and swung the mace at him, but he caught it in his left hand, having coated it in metal beforehand as sparks flew from the contact. "I've seen you around," he noted to her, "and I think it's safe to say you're not getting the most… fair treatment," he assumed, "Yeah?" he said, trying to gauge a response from the girl, "I can't really blame you for what you're thinking," he pointed out.
"You don't know what I'm—!"
"But hurting them isn't going to make your life any better," the dark-skinned man noted, interrupting her as she blinked in surprise. She lowered her head and exhaled a soft, sad sigh. "You can run, but… you're going to be running for the rest of your life," he told her, removing his grip on the mace as Cinder let it lower onto the floor due to its weight, "Or… you could find another way to handle it," he mentioned assuredly. The young attendant hung her head as she started to cry, with her tears dripping onto the floor.
"Like you?" she questioned back rhetorically, "You can do whatever you want…" she pointed out, "go wherever you want…" she added sadly.
"Ah…" the dark-skinned man sighed, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly, "How old are you?" he asked her.
"…Ten," she answered after a moment, looking away.
"And you want to be like us?" the man before her assumed, "You want to be a Huntress?" he guessed. All Cinder did was nod. "Heh," he chuckled, "Then we've got about seven years," he concluded, walking over to where his sword was still stuck in the wooden beam.
"For… what?" the young girl questioned, starting to grow confused. The dark-skinned man pulled the blade out from the beam.
"To train you for the Huntsman Exam," he answered, tossing the sword to her. She caught it, blinking in surprise. "By the way," her new instructor continued, getting her attention, "what's your name?" he asked as he approached.
"…C…Cinder…" the attendant stammered, glancing away out of embarrassment.
"Rhodes," the man introduced, picking up his dual maces, "Don't worry," he assured to his new student, "We'll get you ready in no time," he promised. For the first time, Cinder actually felt like she was being cared about. She wasn't going to remain a slave, but become something more. In due time though, that fate would soon change…
X
Rhodes was teaching Cinder night after night at the Glass Unicorn hotel, showing her the basics in sparring with hand-to-hand as well as with weapons. Time was short between the two of them, however. And each time the huntsman had to leave for his next assignment, his student would feel saddened about his departure. He tousled her hair reassuringly.
But it didn't stop her from getting continuously abused over and over again by her stepmother, using the shock collar to harm her for any mistake she would still make, no matter how small. She pressed on, watching time pass as Rhodes would leave for a mission and then return successfully later, being greeted by cheering patrons in the lobby. That at least let her smile, if only a little.
She and her mentor would spar time after time, with the broken moon in the sky changing phases. Cinder was getting better. And Rhodes could see that, grinning at how well she was doing.
But even as she continued to do her best, cleaning, dusting, and the like, her stepmother would continue to abuse her. Just failing to fully dust a small statue atop a table in the lobby was enough to entice the hotel owner to shock her again with the collar. She smirked as she walked away, while Cinder seethed. She was getting closer and closer to having enough of this torment.
Years went by. Rhodes would come and go, and Cinder would still be working. She had grown slightly taller, having tied her hair into a single bun on the back of her head. As she carried a stack of towels out from a room, she saw her mentor enter the hotel. She grinned, glad to see him again.
That evening, the two of them were in the abandoned storage room as the broken moon shined outside. Rhodes walked up to Cinder and pulled out the sword she had once taken from him. He knelt down and handed it to her. She was surprised, but smiled.
"Just a few more years and you won't need your guardian's permission," the huntsman affirmed to her, letting her grab the blade by its hilt, "You'll be free," he said. Freedom. Hearing that sparked a new hope in the attendant. That was the thing she longed for most. The freedom to be the person she wanted to be, all while shoving away her terrible past.
She raised her new sword high, prepared to do whatever it took to obtain that freedom. But that was before she was put into a vice. One night, her stepmother was standing behind the check-in desk of the hotel lobby. All of a sudden, she heard a door slam behind her before her daughters rushed over.
"Mom, come quick!" the straight-haired one yelled, getting her attention, "We found something!" she noted emphatically as her curly-haired sister grinned, "It's Cinder! She has a weapon!" she pointed out.
"Hmm," their mother huffed in frustration, following them toward the storage room. The clock was at 11:38 P.M. Almost twenty minutes passed. Rhodes entered through the front door, now having a scar on the right side of his face; a slash mark.
"Hello?" he called out, finding that no one was at the front desk, "Anyone?" he said, wondering what was going on. As late as it was, one would assume that there would at least be someone on the staff working just in case. And then, there was the sound of a crash.
Rhodes quickly ran through the open door behind the front desk. He rushed into the storage room… and found Cinder's stepsisters lying dead upon the floor in puddles of their own blood. At that very moment, the clock struck midnight. He gripped his sword by its hilt, prepared to fight whoever killed them. But then he heard a familiar chuckle.
"You're right…" Cinder said, getting his attention as he looked over in disbelief to see her holding her stepmother by her throat up in the air. She was continuously pressing the button on the remote in order to activate the shock collar upon her stepdaughter, but she was enduring the pain. "Without you, I am nothing…" she noted as her stepmother gasped for breath, "But because of you…" she continued as she started to smile, "I am everything…!" she exclaimed. With that, she squeezed hard on her stepmother's throat. There was a crunch, and her body went limp and lifeless, dropping the remote. Cinder tossed her aside onto the floor.
That was it. That was what she wanted most. Not just freedom for herself. But to give her tormentors the same pain she suffered. The bell ringing in the background continued as Rhodes stared at her in disbelief.
"Cinder…" he uttered out. She looked at him with a wide-eyed broken smile. She felt freed from everything.
"I don't have to run now…" she proclaimed happily, thinking that with her stepfamily gone, this would all be over. The huntsman looked at her sadly. He closed his eyes.
"That's all you'll ever do," he responded amidst the ringing bell, shaking his head. He reached back and drew his dual maces in his hands. The broken smile on Cinder's wide-eyed face slowly shifted into one of sad realization. She… was now his enemy. And her expression changed into an angered one.
The midnight bell continued to ring. Rhodes and Cinder stared each other down before the sound finally died out. The former spun his maces into a firm grip, engaging them as the club portions shifted slightly. His foe charged first, leaping up and swinging her blade down at him fiercely. He blocked by crossing his maces, forcing her to jump back.
That gave him an opening to strike her squarely in the chest, knocking her away. She managed to bring herself to a stop, rushing at him again. The two traded blows, clashing fiercely. The training was paying off, but not in the way either of them expected.
As Cinder dodged the swing of his maces, she hopped onto his back, trying to bring her sword to his throat. He was able to stop it with his left mace, but knew that if she broke through, she would land a critical blow to his body. He quickly had a metallic sheen spread along his neck to defend himself.
But that proved to be a mistake as his student grabbed him by the throat, producing a strong heat through her palm. He cried out in pain from the immediate burning sensation, quickly throwing her off of him as she crashed into a dresser. A small bag dropped down onto the floor with her, which she noticed and then picked up.
Rhodes went ahead and aimed his maces, unleashing red, fiery blasts from them toward his foe. She ran at him, dodging and blocking the shots. She then threw the bag she obtained at him, which he reflexively swiped at with his weapons. A cloud of grey powder erupted as the bag broke, veiling his sight. It allowed for her to sneak behind him and snatch the other shortsword he had upon his person.
He was surprised, but then took on a lunging stance as he dashed forward. Cinder ran at him herself, clashing her blades against his maces as sparks kept flying between them. He held out his weapons to fire onto her, but she ducked under them, kicking off his chest to make him stumble back.
That gave her an opening as she rushed in and slashed quickly at his chest, causing his purple Aura to start flickering before it broke apart. He winced for a moment, going on the offensive as he thrusted his maces out at his opponent. She dodged his first two attempted strikes, but he struck her in the stomach as her eyes bulged, followed by slamming her aside across the room. She crashed against a chest as her orange Aura shattered apart.
Thinking that she was finished, Rhodes dropped his maces and started to approach her. He was still willing to give her the benefit of a doubt in spite of her crimes. But as he reached out to her, her eyes jolted open. She gripped her blades and pierced them through his stomach as his eyes widened.
He breathed shakily… but still reached out to his student, touching her hair again like before. She looked to see the sad expression upon his face. And with a quick slash, Cinder killed him as he fell onto the floor. His blood stained her blades as a small puddle formed where he lied.
The free girl put both of her bloodied swords into her right hand before reaching up to grab the shock collar, breaking it off. A scar had been underneath it from the many times her stepmother had zapped her. It was a grim reminder of what she had endured. But now, she was free. She looked back to the broken moon, shedding a tear with a small smile on her face.
Are you truly free?
Cinder gasped, looking around the room. The disembodied, feminine voice startled her so much. It didn't sound familiar at all.
You could've been something greater than this. It would've been easy for you. Yet you still find yourself at the feet of others.
"Who's there?!" Cinder shouted out in question, "Answer me!" she yelled on, gripping her swords tightly.
You think you are everything, yet you're not free from Salem.
The dark-haired girl widened her eyes. All of a sudden, she found herself within a starry void that rippled as she took a step. She was starting to panic.
"Wh…What is all this…?" she questioned with a stutter.
Maybe in another timeline, you endured and pressed on. We might never know.
Cinder found herself in her present day outfit, though with both of her eyes intact and no scars. Not to mention that her Grimm arm was gone, with her original still there. She didn't know what was happening.
But that's all come to pass. And you've made your choice.
"Shut up!" the Fall Maiden roared out angrily as her eyes flared with energy, "I won't be toyed with any longer!" she proclaimed.
"That's just it, Cinder," a voice much closer responded, being none other than Xiaomei as she stood behind her, "You are being toyed with," she confirmed. The Fall Maiden turned around to see her. "And you will never feel truly free until you recognize that…" the time oracle added, walking away.
"W…Wait!" Cinder called out, taking a step forward, "Who—?!" She suddenly found herself submerged in the starry void as if she had stepped into a lake. Xiaomei looked back and sighed.
"Forgive me…" she apologized, "This is all I can do for now…" she noted to herself.
X
Cinder gasped as she awoke. Her dream filled with memories had turned into one of complete confusion and chaos. Who was that woman? Why was she saying all those things about her not being truly free?
She sat up, finding herself sitting on a bony bench in a section of the Monstra. She felt that her left eye was still missing in reality, along with her actual arm as the Shadow Hand had taken its place. She looked about her surroundings, not noticing Emerald entering the room. She gasped upon seeing the Fall Maiden up.
"You're awake!" she exclaimed, going over and kneeling down in front of Cinder, taking her Grimm hand into her own two, "I was so worried…" she noted, sounding relieved, "How are you feeling?" she asked.
"You…" she uttered out in a bit of a growl, "You brought me back here…" she realized, pulling her hand away as she looked off to the side. She remembered it all. Penny managed to defeat her in the end. An upset expression came across her face. "We failed…" she concluded sadly.
"Cinder…" Emerald uttered in surprise, shocked that she thought that they could still do anything back at Amity, "you were hurt!" she pointed out, pausing for a moment, "I-I… was just trying to help…" she mentioned with a stutter as she looked away.
"I think she's had enough help," Mercury's voice chimed in, getting their attentions as they turned to see him enter the room, "Besides, she went against our queen," he pointed out, "I'd be careful who you back…" he advised, folding his arms over his chest.
"Cinder's hunch was right!" Emerald argued in response, "If we'd had support then maybe we would've—!"
"Would you stop trying to protect her already?" Mercury requested, interjected her, "She doesn't care about you," he noted. The Fall Maiden started to grow annoyed, with her lone eye manifesting the flaming energy of her power.
"Both of you… get… out…" she commanded of them, much to Emerald's surprise as she looked to her with widened, sad eyes, "I'll let you know when you're needed next…" she snarled on as the green-haired girl looked away.
"Yeah… about that…" Mercury began as was looking at his fingernails, "Salem's got other plans for me," he noted, "I'm not gonna be taking orders from you anymore," he affirmed, causing Cinder to blink in surprise as her flame went out, "She wants everyone on the bridge," he pointed out to his colleagues, "Something big is about to happen," he added. Emerald looked back at the Fall Maiden, who glanced away sadly in contemplation. With a sigh, she stood up and left the room with her grey-haired comrade. He smirked, while she was saddened.
Cinder hung her head low. Was she really free? No, of course not. That woman she saw in her dream confirmed that. But she still wanted to be worth something to Salem. She stood up from the bench.
'I'd like to express again that this is my burden to bear,' Ozpin noted through Oscar's mind, 'not yours,' he affirmed, 'His grudge is with me,' he added on.
"No, it'll be even worse…" the former farmhand pointed out through a wince, "He's holding back with me. I can tell…" he mentioned. He was basically bruised and bloodied, sitting in the torture chamber still. He had a black and blood smudged under his nose by the left corner of his mouth.
'I understand. I do,' the former headmaster replied as Oscar wiped the blood off of his nose, 'But you've done so much already,' he said emphatically, 'The least I can do is give you a break and try to get us out of here,' he told the former farmhand, who took quick breaths as his lungs were hurting.
"We can't leave yet…" he insisted with a shake of his head, "This is our chance…" he affirmed through another wince.
'Hmm…' Ozpin hummed, 'maybe you've taken one too many hits…' he remarked worriedly.
'Are you guys gonna fill me in already, or am I just gonna have to sit and wait for you to reach out to me?' Ben's voice suddenly echoed in Oscar's head, causing him to blink in surprise as he looked over to the Omni Force leader, who was seated nearby, 'It's good to know you're back, Oz,' he said, 'Though from what I heard, you kinda made enemies out of everybody…' he recalled on.
'Sadly, that was the case…' the former headmaster confirmed, 'I assume you know my story then?' he assumed of the Biomnitrix bearer.
'Bits and pieces,' he responded, 'But I think I get the gist for the most part…' he mentioned assuredly.
"Uh… how are you doing this?" Oscar asked aloud, getting Ben's attention as he chuckled.
"Let's just say I'm not exactly Ben right now…" he replied, "Well… I am Ben…" he confirmed, "Just not human Ben…" he corrected awkwardly.
'So you're able to take on a form of a creature that can both shapeshift and speak through telepathy…' Ozpin noted, sounding fascinated. Meanwhile, the former farmhand blinked twice before widening his eyes in realization.
"Wait, you can still transform?" he questioned, sounding surprised, "Well, how come you're still here?" he inquired on.
"Huh…" Ben sighed out, "The watches did conk out from that lightning blast I took, at least for a few hours," he explained to the former farmhand, "By the time they booted back up, Salem told me that she was after you," he mentioned, "So I knew I couldn't leave," he affirmed.
"Why not?" Oscar asked.
'Because he understands that there may yet be a way to turn the tides of this battle…' Ozpin answered for the Omni Force leader.
"Yeah…" the former farmhand agreed, letting out another wince, "Salem…" he uttered out, "She knows she can't take on the whole world at once," he noted to his colleagues, "So she doesn't…" she pointed out, "She has her followers work their way in, sabotaging us from the inside out…" he told them.
"Maybe we should do the same," both he and Ozpin suggested simultaneously.
'We certainly are similar, you and I,' the latter of the two noted through his vessel's head, 'Maybe we have been presented with an opportunity,' he added, making Oscar smile a little.
"And if worse comes to worse, we can just bust our way out," Ben mentioned, "I don't want you to have to take more pain than you need to…" he added seriously. The former farmhand glanced off to the side in thought for a moment. He then took a deep breath.
"When I met up with everyone after things went down in Atlas… I heard about why you left," he pointed out, making the Omni Force leader perk up a little, "I guess I didn't think much of it back when you left from Mistral to tell the general about us…" he recollected, "But…" he continued, balling his gloved hands into fists, "I didn't realize just how much of a burden you were carrying…" he admitted, "especially for us…" he added sadly.
'Neither did I…' Ozpin confirmed, which Ben heard as he looked away.
"Guys, stop," he insisted, "I… don't need pity right now," he said, closing his eyes.
"Then why keep putting all those burdens on yourself like Blake was saying?" Oscar asked, making the Biomnitrix bearer's jolt open, "Why are our problems suddenly just yours?" he inquired on. The Omni Force leader sighed, putting his right hand up to his eyes. The former farmhand looked to him sympathetically.
'...You didn't want any more bloodshed from all that happened before,' Ozpin suddenly chimed in, making his vessel blink in surprise, 'Is that right… Ben?' he guessed. The Biomnitrix bearer lowered his hand in defeat.
"…I don't wanna lose anyone else…" he confirmed in response, "And no matter how hard I try to keep things from getting worse, it just…" he tried to say, letting out a frustrated sigh, "It just gets hard… even for me…" he admitted, "How's everyone doing?" he finally asked. Oscar hesitated to answer, remembering how upset Kevin and Blake specifically were.
"They're—" Before he could fully respond, the membrane door squelched open. They looked over and saw Hazel entering the room. "Great…" the former farmhand muttered, rolling his eyes. He was about to endure another round of torture.
'Oscar, please…' Ozpin begged of his vessel, not wanting him to have to go through more pain and suffering. The brawny man walked over to him, but stopped as Ben stepped out in front of him. He narrowed his eyes.
"Move," he said.
"Make me, ponytail…" the Omni Force leader remarked back with a glare. At that moment, a pair of hooks lashed out and latched around his shoulders, pulling him back in a yell as he was held against the wall. He tried to break loose, but to no avail.
"Ben!" Oscar cried out. All of a sudden, Hazel picked him up by his charred shirt, slamming him against a bony spike.
"You don't need to fight this war, kid," he told the former farmhand, "Tell me what I need, and we can be done," he confirmed to him.
'Oscar, just say the word and I'll brain blast him right now…' Ben telepathically assured to his colleague. However, he decided to go for another option.
"Hello…" he greeted, though in a different tone, "Hazel…" he said, having his eyes glow momentarily, indicating that control had gone over to Ozpin. The brawny and scarred man's eyes widened in realization and anger.
"Coward!" he bellowed, gnashing his teeth together, "All this time, it could have been you…" he growled out, "but you let him suffer…" he noted angrily, tossing the former headmaster onto the floor. He tumbled across it to the other side of the chamber.
"Stop it!" Ben yelled out.
'Ben, don't do anything…' Oscar pleaded through his head, getting his attention, 'Let us at least try…' he insisted.
"Now…" Hazel continued as he walked over to the downed Ozpin, "tell us how this damned Lamp works," he demanded, punching his left hand and cracking his knuckles, "The boy has suffered enough…" he pointed out, seeing him stand up with his right arm wrapped around his hurting stomach.
"Why do you follow her…?" he asked, only to be kicked hard by Hazel, knocking him down again as he tumbled onto his right side.
"Oz…" Ben uttered out, not wanting to watch this anymore as he clenched his eyes shut.
"I know…" the former headmaster began, coughing up blood, "I know how you see me…" he affirmed to his torturer, "But her?" he questioned, looking up Hazel with narrowed, angered eyes, "Look at what she does. How is she the answer? Why not stop her?!" he emphatically questioned, causing the brawny man to slowly come to a stop as his eyes slightly widened. He then looked away.
"Salem can't be stopped…" he retorted, walking across the room to a bone spike, "She's a force of nature," he noted as he grabbed the spike with his left hand, "I've seen it firsthand," he recalled, "But you…" he growled, breaking the tip of the spike off before starting to walk back toward Ozpin, "You send children to their deaths…" he pointed out, sharpening the spike on the metal plating upon the back of his gloved hand, "For a cause that you know has no victory!" he exclaimed, "No end!" he bellowed on.
"Someone has to try!" the former headmaster shouted as his foe approached, "Salem isn't a force of nature because she can be fought!" he affirmed on, "Unless she brings the Relics together…" he concluded, lowering his head, "If that happens…" he continued, causing Hazel to perk up slightly in confusion. Just what was he trying to tell him?
"Ozma…" Salem's voice suddenly chimed in, getting everyone's attention as they looked to see her standing at the doorway, with her shadow being cast over the steps, "You have wonderful timing," she pointed out, "The show is about to begin," she said. At that moment, the hooks around Ben's shoulders retracted, dropping him onto the floor as he landed on his hands and knees.
"What show?" he asked with a glare. The Master of Grimm merely smirked back.
X
A short time later, Salem was sitting on her throne with the Hound lying next to her. Lined up and kneeling in front of her were Oscar, Ben, Hazel, Tyrian, Cinder, and Mercury. Kneeling off to the side were Emerald and Neopolitan. The two prisoners were being forced to kneel alongside the brawny man, grimacing all the while. They could only watch as the Master of Grimm stood up from her seat, walking over in front of the Fall Maiden as she gave her a look, right before moving to stand in front of the scorpion Faunus.
"We have good news," she confirmed to her followers, "Tyrian has heard from our dear colleague, Watts," she noted to them, reaching out to pet him as he chuckled happily, holding his Scroll in his right hand, "Although he remains in captivity, it seems that he has worked with Ironwood to gain some control over the puppet masquerading as the Winter Maiden," she told the group, "I suppose he remains useful after all," she concluded.
'Puppet?' Ben uttered through the telepathic link he shared with Oscar and Ozpin.
'Does that mean they've got Penny, too?!' the former farmhand inquired in disbelief, while the former headmaster grimaced again.
"Speaking of which…" Salem began, turning her attention to someone in particular as her smile faded, "Cinder…" she uttered. All of a sudden, the Fall Maiden's Shadow Hand started to hiss and smoke, causing her to grunt. She cried out in pain, trying to hold her Grimm appendage as everyone watched on in shock. "You chose to disobey my specific instructions…" Salem pointed out as her follower continued to writhe, having memories of times that she was electrocuted by her stepmother, "just to fail again…" the Master of Grimm added, "And I've realized," she continued, "it's all my fault…" she concluded.
Ben and Ozpin blinked in surprise. Cinder felt the pain slowly subside. She looked up in fear to see Salem stand in front of her.
"You've fought your whole life unwaveringly for what you want…" she noted, "and here I am holding you back…" she kept going, "instead of lifting you up…" she affirmed, extending her right hand out to the Fall Maiden. She hesitantly lifted her Grimm hand up as it shook, having it rest in her master's palm.
Emerald was shocked. The Master of Grimm was seemingly willing to forgive their failure and disobedience. And she had Cinder wrapped around her finger.
"You deserve so much more than I've given you," she pointed out as the Hound approached both Neopolitan and Emerald, sniffing at them as they flinched with disgust, "Go to Atlas, recover Watts," Salem instructed of the Fall Maiden, who stood up, taking on a determined expression, "He can lead you to the girl," she confirmed as the Grimm trotted over to Cinder, "Whether you or my Hound get to her first," she continued as her loyal pet sniffed at the Fall Maiden, who tensed her shoulders as she looked at it, "you will finally have the Winter Maiden's power, and I will have my Staff," she declared, balling her right hand into a fist confidently.
"You'll only be helping her bring about the end!" Ozpin yelled out, getting their attentions, "For all of you!" he bellowed. That enticed Hazel to slam him down against the floor.
"Hey!" Ben shouted, attempting to punch his captor, only to wind up shoved onto the ground himself. Salem exhaled a sigh, but smiled as she approached. Hazel lifted Ozpin up to her. She leaned in.
"You're too late…" she whispered ominously.
X
Over the Solitas tundra, Marrow piloted the Manta flying through the partly cloudy, dusk sky. Winter was seated next to him in the co-pilot seat, having her arms folded over her chest. Everything about this felt… somewhat wrong. James was acting so irrationally just to try and get Atlas as far away from the conflict as possible.
"Did the hack just not work?" Elm inquired in the ship's hold, standing with Vine and Harriet, "How do we even know we can trust Watts?" she questioned on.
"We have confirmed visual of her leaving Amity," her tall colleague responded, "She appeared to be malfunctioning," he noted.
"This is why I don't trust technology!" Elm growled out in frustration, "Now we're wasting our time searching for broken junk!" she yelled. Winter, who had been tuning out the conversation until her burly colleague raised her voice, finally turned back to look at them.
"Enough!" she shouted, "You're Atlas elite," she pointed out to them, "Act like it," she insisted firmly.
"Um, ma'am…?" Marrow chimed in, getting her attention as she saw him with his fingers to the communicator in his left ear, "We're picking up an open comms broadcast," he confirmed.
"Play it," Winter immediately advised. The canine Faunus pressed an icon on the touch screen. Static could only be heard at first. But there was a familiar voice speaking up soon enough.
"It's headed straight for Mantle!" Jaune exclaimed, "I repeat, a large mass of Grimm is headed straight for Mantle!" he communicated again as Elm, Vine and Harriet walked forward with interest, while Marrow and Winter looked to each other in concern, "Please, anyone!" he pleaded on.
Out on the tundra itself, the two hover bikes that Yang and the others still had drove along slowly. Jaune and Ren were with the blonde-haired huntress upon hers, while Kevin had Sabo and Wendy as passengers. Walking ahead of them were Gaara, Enji, and Raven.
"You sure it was a good idea to relay on open comms?" the Spring Maiden asked out of concern.
"We don't have another option with what's at stake," the Hellflame Quirk user responded, glancing over to the river of reddish-black liquid flowing along toward the kingdom in the distance.
"You think the Happy Huntresses might get ahold of our message first?" Sabo inquired.
"Don't think so…" Kevin admitted in response, feeling the wind start to pick up around him and the others, "Especially with that…" he pointed out additionally, glancing up. Everyone saw a Manta approaching, moving in to land.
"Shit…" Raven cursed, grabbing the hilt of her Omen.
"Wait," Gaara advised of her, "The last thing we need is to provoke a fight," he pointed out seriously. They watched as the airship landed, with its landing gear deployed on the snow and cargo door opening to reveal Winter and the others inside. Both Sabo and Wendy slightly widened their eyes at the sight of the special operative.
"Winter…" the former uttered out. The hover bikes slowed to a stop, with Ren, Jaune, Sabo and Wendy disembarking from them. They watched as Winter and Harriet hopped out from the airship onto the snowy ground.
"Great…" Yang muttered out sarcastically, "you guys…" she grumbled on, getting off of her vehicle as well.
"Xiao Long, that is not helping…" Enji reprimanded as he glanced back at her.
"Did you hear our message?" Jaune assumed as he walked over, while Yang and Kevin hopped off of their bikes, "It's right there," he pointed out, gesturing to the river of Grimm that flowed beside them, "We need to hurry," he added desperately. Harriet glanced over to Winter for a moment, then back to the blonde-haired huntsman.
"Where's Penny?!" she commanded in question.
"Are you serious right now?!" Jaune asked back with widened eyes of annoyance, "There are people in danger!" he noted worriedly.
"There are people in danger because you kids are acting selfish and—!"
"Selfish…?" Wendy growled out in question, stepping forward and shoving Yang aside, "Selfish?!" she repeated angrily as she balled her hands into fists, "We're trying to help everyone!" she shouted, "You're the selfish ones!" she argued.
"Wendy…" Gaara uttered worriedly.
"Kid, you better shut your mouth before I break it…" Harriet threatened back, deploying her Fast Knuckles over her arms.
"Harriet…" Winter said, trying to get her to calm down.
"Make me…" Wendy snarled, taking a ready stance as the wind started to swirl at her feet. The mohawk-haired Ace Operative was prepared to lunge at her. They both took off in an instant, about to strike.
"Tch," Raven scoffed, drawing her Omen from its scabbard as it had a white blade of Wind Dust. She sped in between the two, causing them to widen their eyes before she brought her blade down, resulting in a burst of wind that blew them back in opposite directions. Elm was quick to hop down and catch Harriet, while Gaara caught Wendy. The Spring Maiden turned to the Atlesian officers. "Enough," she said commandingly, "If we start fighting, we just agitate what's right next to us and end up all dead," she pointed out, "So let's stop acting like little kids," she insisted, sheathing her blade. Winter blinked twice in realization.
"Wait… you're…" All of a sudden, the ground started shaking. Tremors were occurring all around Mantle, frightening people in both the city and in the crater. Grimm were getting drawn to that fear as lampposts were coming down.
The shaking died down for a moment, but soon returned even stronger. Out on the tundra, everyone watched as a geyser of the Grimm liquid shot up high enough to hit Atlas, making its Hard-Light shield visible. Everyone watched on, wide-eyed with horror. Enji took on a determined expression.
"Raven!" he called out. Acting quickly, the Spring Maiden drew her sword again, slashing open a red portal. She looked back to her biological daughter, who stared at her in surprise.
"Sorry, Yang…" she apologized as the Hellflame Quirk user ran into the portal, "I know you can handle this…" she affirmed before departing into the rift herself.
"Wh—?! Wait!" the blonde-haired huntress cried out, only for the portal to disappear as she ran up to it. Where were her mother and Enji going? Meanwhile, the geyser of reddish-black liquid continued until it forced its way through the Hard-Light shield of Atlas, creating a mass that stuck to the surface. Centinels spawned from the liquid.
They crawled up to the pylons helping generate the shield, burrowing into the earth. Meanwhile, the broadcast of what was occurring could be seen by everyone, with those in the Schnee Manor and at the Atlas Military Compound watching in sheer shock. James was in the command center, widening his eyes out of horror. Grimm had gotten into Atlas. And things were about to get worse.
As the fleet surrounding the floating city tried to shoot down the Centinels, they failed to stop them from continuing to burrow into the earth. Their tunneling destabilized two of the pylons for the Hard-Light shield. As they fell, the shield itself faded away completely.
Yang and the others on the tundra watched in horror. Atlas was now vulnerable. And there was nothing they could do to stop what was next. From within the Monstra, Salem smiled. Her eyes and the gemstone at her forehead glowed red.
"It's time…" she declared. The dark clouds that her army of Grimm were within closed in on the floating city. The Monstra was the first to arrive, landing upon the farmland at the west side. Dust billowed up from its impact. It then opened its mouth, having reddish-black liquid flood onto the grass. A variety of Grimm spawned from it, including Manticores, Teryxes, Megoliaths, Boarbatusks, Apathy, Ursai, Beowolves and winged Beringels.
All Ben and Ozpin could do was watch in horror. Their failures had led to this. And now, everyone was going to pay the price…
The tragedy of all this… is that it could have been avoided. Sadly, not everyone was on the same page with how to fight back. And thus, it's come to this.
So what will our heroes do? Well, sometimes… it's best to fight back against reality.
END
And that brings an end to honestly a better episode than I really remember. I liked Cinder's backstory, even if it was a bit on the nose. But even more so than that, I enjoyed how Salem broke into Atlas. That was quite the show to watch.
Hope you all enjoyed the chapter! Next time, we head into what ended the first half of this volume! Stay tuned!