AN: Sorry this took a little bit of time. I got busy with work, and my friend came up since he was on leave from the Navy.
I would once again like to thank Lord Maximus for the help with this chapter.
Chapter 106
"What's wrong, Riku?" Mickey asked, the white-haired teen having stopped in their hike through the Realm of Darkness. Master Xehanort, after well over a decade, had finally made his move, and begun gathering his thirteen Seekers of Darkness to re-enact the Keyblade War. It was time for them to gather up their 7 Guardians of Light. Except they were two short. They already had Sora, Riku, and Mickey, plus Lea and Kairi had begun training with their Keyblades, but that only left them with 5. Thus, while Sora was off trying to find the Power of Waking, Master Yen Sid had sent the two of them, both being Masters, into the Realm of Darkness to find Aqua and bring her back. She was the only one who knew where to find Ventus, and the two of them alone would help to round out their numbers.
Plus, Mickey remembered Aqua had a daughter that was pretty proficient in the Keyblade herself. If anything went wrong, it wouldn't hurt to have an extra Guardian.
"Are you tired?" the diminutive King asked his friend. "Do you need a break? We can stop."
"No, just…" Riku said. He was wearing the new battle clothes that Yen Sid's fairy friends had made for him: a black short-sleeved coat worn over a white tee-shirt, blue shorts with a checkerboard pattern near the bottom, and black combat boots. "I've been here. I should know this place. But that all seems like another life."
"Well, gee," Mickey said, walking towards him. "Think of all you've seen! All the feelings you've felt. Why, you've done years of growin' in almost no time at all."
"I remember my first time here," Riku said. "I was so scared. But now my doubts and fears are gone. If anything, I feel exhilarated. And it's not because there's darkness in me. I know too well what that rush is like. This is different. And it's not adrenaline either. I know we have an important job to do, and I'm ready. I'm in control now. Maybe it's because you're with me this time."
Mickey shook his head. "It's not me. I think it's because you've finally found inside you that special strength to protect what matters."
"What?" Riku asked.
"Sometimes you care so much for somebody that other feelings disappear. And then, there's no room for fear or doubt."
Riku looked at his hand inquisitively. "Is that it?" He remembered that day on the beach, all those years ago, when a man with a Keyblade visited Destiny Islands, and shared his ability to wield the Keyblade with Riku. "'Strength to protect what matters'… It reminds me of a promise I made."
"To who?" Mickey asked.
"Just someone I once met. Can't tell."
"Sounds like a good memory."
"Yeah. While we're reminiscing—Mickey, does any of this look familiar?"
Mickey took a look around. "Sort of. But the realm of darkness has changed since I was here with Aqua and those girls."
"Yeah, it's different from what I remember," Riku agreed.
"Last time, I just followed my heart, and Aqua showed me the way. But our connection is getting really hazy."
"You said she'd been living on a world down here, right?" Riku asked.
"Yup. She said it was called 'Remnant'. After we parted ways last time, she probably went back there. We need to find a way in."
"Right," Riku said with a nod, and the two of them continued onwards.
Eventually, Riku and Mickey's travels brought them to a landscape that looked like a rocky beach perpetually at night.
It was one Riku recognized.
"This beach…" he said, stopping near the water's edge.
"This was where Aqua's trail felt the strongest," Mickey said. "But I can't feel her anymore."
"I've been here, too," Riku said. "With Sora." It was right after they defeated Xemnas, the two of them briefly found themselves stranded here.
"Really?" Mickey asked in surprise.
"This is where we found our way back to the realm of light. Hey, maybe Aqua did, too!"
Mickey shook his head. "I doubt it," he said. "The last time I saw her, she refused to come back with me. She has a family in that world. In Remnant. She's married and has two daughters, and she told me that she couldn't leave until they brought the entire world back into the realm of light. She probably hasn't left yet. The problem is, Remnant seems to be even deeper than I thought, and I don't think we're equipped to go any deeper than we already are."
"So then…" Riku said, but before he could keep talking, he and Mickey were suddenly surrounded by Shadow Heartless. "What?!" he exclaimed, summoning his Keyblade, the Way to the Dawn, while Mickey summoned his Kingdom Key D
"Riku, be careful," Mickey said. "Even the least threatening Heartless are stronger in this realm."
"I got it," Riku said. Weirdly enough, the Shadows chose not to attack, instead all gathering in… one place.
Oh, no.
They all huddled together, eventually forming a tower-shaped mass of Heartless.
Riku took a battle stance and charged.
Raven perched on the windowsill of a large manor in her bird form, taking a look through the window. After exiting the bar, she decided to follow that Daniel guy. After all, apparently he worked for Midas, and Midas had some kind of a plan for Yang.
Raven at least owed it to herself to see what he wanted with her daughter.
Through the window, she could see two teenagers chained to chairs in the center of the room, with the girl having significantly more chains than the seemingly-unconscious boy. The girl was doing her best to thrash around and growl angrily at Midas, who was standing in front of them, but she was wrapped head-to-toe and couldn't move a muscle.
Raven recognized the girl as one of Yang's Beacon classmates, but she didn't know who the boy was.
Midas walked up to the girl and leaned forward, looking her directly in the eyes with a wicked grin on his face. The girl stopped trying to thrash to just glare at him. Midas straightened his posture, turned his fist into gold…
And punched her in the face.
"That was for throwing me off the highway," Midas said. Despite having just been punched in the face, the girl never lost that fierce look in her gaze.
Raven thought with amusement that this girl likely would have done well in her tribe.
"I can't believe how lucky we were that you were one of the ones we caught alone," Midas said tauntingly. "That electricity of yours was a huge problem. Not so tough now, are you?" The girl growled at him again, all that she was capable of right now with a strip of golden tape over her mouth. "Yeah, that tape isn't coming off anytime soon, so I'd stop that if I were you before you hurt your throat. Now, ordinarily, I'd add someone like you to the collection, but thanks to Blondie, I lost a lot of men and expensive equipment. So, I've had to come up with ways to…diversify my income. So, instead of turning you to gold and being done with it, the two of you are going to make me a lot of money. Especially you, my dear." The girl grunted angrily. "The boy is less valuable, but I'm sure I can find a buyer. For now, just sit tight. Hopefully, I'll be able to grab some more of your friends soon." Midas chuckled as he left, leaving the girl fuming.
Raven had seen enough.
"So, if you're the student of a Keyblade wielder, then you must be one, too. Makes sense. Only a Keyblade Wielder could possibly have a chance of summoning a great and powerful guardian dragon like me," Mushu said to Weiss, gesturing proudly to himself. Everyone was in the living room, the girls having changed out of their kimonos. Ruby, Jaune, and the ex-heiress herself were sitting on Dumbo's back, while Simba was lying on the floor and letting Yang use him to prop her head up like a pillow. Aqua and Qrow were cuddling on the couch, and Ren and Cloud were each sitting in lounge chairs. Nora and Oscar still weren't back yet.
"Uh… While Aqua was my teacher, she was teaching me to be a Huntress, not a Keyblade wielder. That was for her daughter, Ruby," Weiss said, gesturing to Ruby, who waved hello to the tiny dragon.
"What? A Keyblade Wielder teaching people without Keyblades? Man you learn something new everyday? Are you at least strong, famous, and well-connected?" Mushu asked.
"Actually she is. Weiss is the heiress to the Schnee family, one of the richest families in Remnant," Ruby butt in.
"Uh…" Weiss cleared her throat. "Ex-heiress actually. I was kicked out of the family."
"Really? So I'm a guardian of an outcast? Well, that's not a bad thing. Last person I was a guardian dragon to ran from her home to join the army so her father wouldn't have to," Mushu commented.
"Really?" Weiss raised an eyebrow.
"Oh. I was sent to actually bring her back, but she wouldn't take no for an answer. Saying she needed to protect her father, so I helped her get into the army. The real problem was disguising her as a man since there was a 'No Girls Allowed' policy," Mushu explained.
"What?" all the girls in the room said.
"Yeah it was kind of a thing there. The women look pretty for their potential future husbands and look after the homes while the men go off to war and hope to come back with a face full of manly scars to attract all the pretty ones," Mushu continued.
"Hmph, so the world you came from is sexist." Weiss scowled.
"Hey, I was against it. In fact, Mulan did so well she got praised by the Emperor himself after saving his life. That was all from me teaching her how to fit in, disguise herself and act like a man so she wouldn't besmirch the family honor and boom! She became a warrior," Mushu finished.
"Well actually Weiss, Mushu might be a good fit for you," Aqua commented, causing Weiss to look at her. "Think about it. This Mulan ran away from home to be a warrior like you did, and even though she cared more about saving her father, she still protected the family honor, like how you wanted to redeem your family's honor. You know, minus the sexism once you got where you were going."
Weiss stared down at Mushu. "I admit there are some similarities."
She just wondered how much Mushu might have exaggerated any of his contributions.
Weiss felt Jaune shift next to her, and looked over to see him checking the time on his scroll.
"Man, it's getting late. Oscar and Nora still aren't back yet," he said. "I wonder what's taking them so long."
"Maybe Oscar got lucky and the two of them are off somewhere getting frisky," Yang said. Her tone was joking, but Weiss genuinely couldn't tell if the blonde was being serious or not. She rolled her eyes all the same.
"What do you mean?" Ren asked, his eyebrows knit in confusion.
"What do you mean, 'what do I mean'?" Yang asked, as if Ren's question was silly. "That boy has been practically drooling all over himself when he's in the same room as Nora for, like, ever."
"Don't be ridiculous," Ren said. "They wouldn't be doing that. Nora doesn't like him that way."
"I don't know…" Yang said. "Pretty girl, cute, sweet boy, girl's upset about something, they go off alone. Boy offers a shoulder to cry on, the next thing you know, they're swapping spit."
"Ew!" Ruby exclaimed.
"It could happen."
"Or, they're just friends and decided to go to a festival together," Ren said. "And even if Oscar likes Nora that way, that doesn't mean they're… 'swapping spit'."
"Sounds like someone's jealous," Yang said teasingly.
"About what?" Ren asked. "There's nothing between them."
"Oh, then you're just in denial. Got it," Yang said, giving a thumbs up.
"I'm—" Ren tried to say, before he was interrupted by the doorbell ringing.
"That must be them," Jaune said.
"Why would they use the doorbell?" Qrow asked, getting up from the couch. "They have keys to this place." He walked towards the door, only for a piece of paper to slip through the mail slot. Qrow's eyebrows knit together in confusion, and he stepped over the paper to open the door.
"Who is it?" Aqua asked.
"I don't know," Qrow answered, stepping back inside. "There was no one there."
"Well, what does that piece of paper say?" Ruby asked. Qrow bent down to pick it up, and after reading it, his eyes widened.
"Oh, you've gotta be kidding me," he said.
"What is it?" Aqua asked.
"According to whoever left this note, Nora and Oscar were kidnapped," Qrow said, presenting the letter for everyone to see.
"What?" Ren asked. "By who?"
"Apparently, Midas."
"That dickhead that kidnapped me?" Yang asked. "I thought we already took care of him."
"Me, too, firecracker," Qrow said. "I guess he just couldn't take the hint."
"We're going to go get them, right?" Ruby asked.
"Of course," Weiss said.
"Hold on," Qrow said. "This might be a trap. I mean, whoever left this for us even told us where he took them."
"So, go check it out," Aqua said. "If someone that works for Midas really did send that, there's no way they could know that you can turn into a bird. So fly over there, see what you can find out, and come back."
"Yeah, that makes sense," Qrow said. "In the meantime, you all get ready to go. We might need to stage a rescue mission."
Riku watched as the tower of Heartless fell apart. But there was no time to relax, as more Shadows began appearing around him and Mickey.
"It's not over," Mickey said. "Be careful!" A sudden noise from behind caught Riku's attention, and he turned around to see the Shadows forming into another tower, but this one was shaped like a tunnel.
And it was headed right for him.
"Oh, no!" Riku explained, bracing himself right before the Shadows engulfed him.
"Riku!" he could hear Mickey call out in concern.
It felt like he was drowning.
Riku clutched his throat, desperate for air. He couldn't see or feel anything but absolutely suffocating darkness.
"Didn't expect to see you again," a voice said, surprising Riku.
"What?" Riku asked, trying to look around for the source of the voice.
"Why did you even come here?" the voice asked.
"Because somebody needs me," Riku answered.
"Do you want some help?"
"Who are you?"
"Me? I'm…"
Riku didn't get to hear the voice finish before he lost consciousness.
It was surprisingly easy to figure out which opulent mansion belonged to Midas.
The gold kind of gave it away.
Qrow perched on a tree in the mansion's courtyard in bird form, looking down over two armed guards. They didn't seem to have Huntsmen training. They were just hired thugs with guns. Qrow was going to move on to do some more reconnaissance when one of them started talking.
"Hey, did you see that girl the boss had brought in?"
That got Qrow's attention. That note may not have been lying after all.
"Nah, I didn't get the chance to," the other thug said. The first one to speak whistled.
"Man, you have seen her. I haven't seen a rack on a girl like that in a while. And those thighs are gifts from the gods themselves. If it weren't for all the noise she makes, I'd try my luck and ask the boss for five minutes with her."
Qrow wasn't sure it was possible for a bird to scoff, but he may have just found a way.
"Like you'd know what to do with a woman," the second thug said.
"Hey!"
Qrow had decided that listening to these perverts was going to get him nowhere, so he needed to move on to a different part of the mansion.
But not before dropping a little parting gift on the thugs.
"Ah! Aw, man! I just had this washed! Stupid bird!"
"Riku… Wake up. Riku!"
Riku slowly opened his eyes to see Mickey standing over him. The small mouse gasped happily at seeing him awake.
"Are you okay?" Mickey asked, and Riku slowly picked himself up, noticing that he didn't feel hair as far down as he did.
Did the Heartless cut his hair?
"Where'd the Heartless go?" Riku asked.
"I got more than half of 'em," Mickey said. "And the rest vanished. But, they spit you out first."
Riku slowly stood up, holding his head. "Thanks. I owe ya."
"I know ya feel invincible, but we're not."
"Are you all right, Mickey?" Riku asked.
"Yeah, thanks to the new gear," Mickey said, before his face fell. "But… your Keyblade…"
Confused, Riku looked down at his Keyblade still in his hand.
"Oh," Riku said, realizing that he was actually looking at what was left of his Keyblade.
Somehow, it had been snapped clean in half.
He didn't even think that was possible.
Riku looked just sheepishly down at Mickey, giving a nervous laugh.
"The Heartless here are stronger than what we expected," Mickey said. "I guess we probably should have powered up our Keyblades before we came in here, huh? I think we need to go back to Master Yen Sid's tower so we can regroup."
"… I guess," Riku said, walking up to the shore and stabbing the remains of the Way to the Dawn into the sand. "Can't use this Keyblade anymore. Might as well leave it here. For the other me."
"Wha…?"
"I checked around the place, and I think it's safe to assume that Midas really does have the kids. And he hired some new muscle," Qrow said, bringing up his scroll and then projecting an image of someone. "That is Daniel Robitalle, a mercenary from Vacuo, wanted for several assassinations of people in high places through the kingdoms."
Qrow showed the next image.
"This one is Hidekazu Kobayashi, leader of a gang known as the Tetsu Kirazu." Qrow then flipped to the last one. "This guy… Chuck Hector."
Ruby perked up at that. "Wait, did you say Chuck Hector? As in the Mighty Hurricane of Justice Chuck Hector?"
"Yep." Qrow nodded.
"I'm drawing a blank with this guy. Who is he?" Jaune asked.
"Chuck Hector was one of the greatest Huntsmen to ever live. He graduated from Beacon when he was a teenager," Ruby explained sounding excited for a second. "Before he… turned bad, I guess."
"18 to be exact," Qrow corrected.
"You know him?" Cloud asked.
"Nah, he was before Team STRQ, but word has it he used to work with Ozpin before we did. Oz mentioned when he heard that he had become a criminal here in Mistral. He was an inspiration to many Huntsmen, even Summer idolized him. Sadly, like everyone in life, tragedy struck, and it struck hard," Qrow sadly explained. "His wife was murdered by some enemies he made, and later the rest of his team was killed defending a village from Grimm. He was already hitting the drinks hard back then, but the death of his team, his wife, and the loss of his arm while trying to save his team drove him over the edge. Opin arranged for him to have a replacement for his lost arm, much like Yang's, but by then he had enough. He believed Oz, James, and the rest of the kingdoms were too weak to properly defend everyone, so he went off."
Everyone was silent as they considered Qrow's tale before Ruby finally spoke. "Is there a chance we can speak with him? Get him to see reason and turn him back into the man he used to be?"
"That's easier said than done," Simba said from Yang's side. "One's pain and anger can change them greatly, much like how it changed this Chuck Hector."
Qrow walked up to Ruby and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Nice of you to think that way, kiddo, but some people can never change, no matter how hard you try."
Ruby was silent as she looked at the picture of Chuck.
"Well, we know where they are, and we know what we're up against," Aqua said. "We don't have any time to waste."
"Before we go," Simba said. "It might be wise to dismiss myself, Mushu, and Dumbo."
"How come?" Yang asked.
"We only have enough energy to stay manifested for a certain period of time. While we're just here to relax, the amount of energy we use up is very small, in battle is a different story. You should use us sparingly, only when you need us, and let us rest before going to Midas's mansion."
The girls that had summons looked at each other for a second, and then nodded.
"Okay," Ruby said, and the three summoned animals turned into particles of light, which traveled back into their charms.
"Let's go," Ren said. "Like Aqua said, we have no time to waste."
The group stood on a rooftop overlooking Midas's gaudy mansion, but far enough away that they wouldn't be spotted.
"Midas has called in a lot of help. He's posted guards at every entrance of the mansion.
"So how do we get in?" Ren asked.
Aqua smiled. "Simple. I walk through the front door."
"And how exactly does that work?" Cloud asked with a raised eyebrow. Aqua smirked and held her Keyblade high.
In a flash of light, she vanished into thin air.
Ruby gasped happily. "I knew it!"
"What did she do?" Weiss asked.
"It's Mom's Vanishing Spell," Yang explained with a confident smile. "She can become invisible for a period of time."
Aqua walked right up to the mansion, jumping over the wall and landing perfectly and quietly on the lawn. She then walked up to the mansion and jumped up to a window, slipping in. She stepped into the hallway, looking around and came upon a room filled with golden statues. Aqua scowled, knowing these were victims Midas had turned to gold, but luckily none of them resembled Oscar or Nora.
Following Qrow's directions, Aqua proceeded to look around the place, following the guards and even came upon a room packed that were apparently on break from the drinks they were having and a few even smoking.
Smiling, Aqua revealed herself to the group. "Hello."
"What—"
"Huh?!"
"Intru—"
"Sleep." Aqua raised her Keyblade and cast a sleeping spell that caused all the guards in the room to fall asleep.
Once the guards were all down, Aqua walked over to a nearby desk and saw the desktop computer showing all the security cameras, including the basement where Midas was. Aqua could see a certain black bird sitting atop the gate and nodded. She moved quietly to the front doors, knocking out any guards she came across, and then used her Keyblade to unlock the front doors. Two guards were standing outside when the doors opened that Aqua knocked down before they could even blink.
She then headed to the front gates and unlocked them as Qrow landed in front of her in human form. "You know, those spells really make me feel inadequate."
"How so?" Aqua raised an eyebrow while smiling amusedly.
"Well, it's my job to be the stealthy one. Gathering information and all that, and you just walked in and opened the front doors for us like you weren't even trying." Qrow rubbed the back of his head as the others came in through the front gates. "Really makes me feel small."
"Don't worry." Aqua padded Qrow on the cheek. "I'm sure you would have done it more dramatically than me. Now let's hurry. Midas is down in the basement, but I haven't found Nora and Oscar yet."
"He's probably keeping them close." Qrow pulled out Harbinger.
Just as the group entered the front lobby, a swarm of bees surrounded them, coming from all directions. The cloud of bees then came together and solidified into one man: Daniel Robitalle.
"Very clever of you to make it this far." Daniel held up his sickle. "But this is as far as you go."
The doors behind them shut and the windows were sealed next. Daniel grinned as he opened his coat and released the bees in his coat at the group.
"I got him!" Ruby shot forward with her Semblance, dodging the bees and appeared behind Daniel, swing her Keyblade.
Daniel spun and blocked with his sickle arm before kicking Ruby into the next room.
"Ruby!" Yang shouted, running after her sister.
Daniel stepped in, just as the door slammed behind him. They were trapped in the same room as the mercenary.
Aqua raised her Keyblade to force open the door when a shot from above made her jump back.
"Going somewhere?"
They looked up to see Chuck Hector standing on the upper floor, pulling out his short orange sword and then jumped down, landing on the ground in front of them.
He stood up with a grin. "Qrow Branwen. I heard you were Ozpin's new right hand. It's going to be a pleasure killing you."
Aqua frowned as she stood next to her husband. "That won't be as easy as you think."
Weiss, along with Cloud, Ren and Jaune, looked ready to help when a door on the right opened and in walked Hidekazu Kobayashi, wielding his staff and holding up several Dust crystals. His hair came to life as he crushed the crystals and sprinkled them into his hair. His long pink hair changed, becoming a mix of red, grey, white and green.
"Schnee…" Hidekazu growled.
Weiss raised an eyebrow. "Do I know you?"
Hidekazu snorted. "Of course, why would you know me? After all why should the great Schnee heiress know of any of the people whose lives were ruined by her family? You and your father's company tore down my father's theatre so build another Dust shop over the rubble! My own father died of heartbreak after the theatre was destroyed and now… I'm going to take one of Jacques's children!"
Weiss's eyes widened. "Oh… Look I'm sorry. I didn't know, but that was Jacques. Not me."
Hidekazu chuckled dangerously and walked forward. "Close enough."
Daniel grinned once the door closed behind them, raising his sickle/right arm. "You really thought you would sneak in here, undetected?"
Yang raised her fists while Ruby summoned her Keyblade. "Doesn't matter either way. You're still going down."
Daniel smugly as he stepped forward while Yang shot at him. He ducked and dodged her first few punches before grabbing her left arm and twisting it.
"Sloppy." Daniel raised his sickle and swung it.
Yang managed to move enough that she avoided the sickle piercing her armpit and going right through her shoulder. It did however snag her jacket, and Daniel took the chance to flip her over his head and slam her into the ground.
"Yang!" Ruby shouted and shot forward.
Just as Daniel raised his sickle to strike Yang, Ruby shot in and blocked with Crescent Rose. Daniel raised his hand and from the sleeves came a swarm of bees that flew straight at Ruby, who jumped back and pointed her Keyblade at the swarm.
"Petal!"
The bees ran into a blast of rose petals that scattered them. Daniel slashed his sickle at Ruby, who hastily blocked.
"Gravity!" Ruby shouted.
An orb of darkness appeared over Daniel, pinning him as Yang rushed up behind him and started punching him savagely, while Ruby hit from the front. Daniel growled as bees exploded from his coat, trying to swarm around both girls. Yang covered her face as her Aura held out against the bees while Ruby shot through the swarm attacking her, slamming her feet into Daniel's face. The mercenary was sent flying back as the gravity spell holding him broke.
Daniel got us as Yang attacked, trying to hit her with his sickle while Yang blocked with her arms and fought back with a flurry of punches.
"Yang! Blitz!" Ruby called from behind.
Yang grinned as she pointed Ember Celica down at the ground and fired, blasting off the ground as Ruby settled into a stance as her Keyblade shifted into its scythe form. Ruby then shot forward, rose petals appearing behind her as she jumped forward and delivered a powerful slash that knocked Daniel back, despite the fact that he blocked with his mechanical arm. Yang was still in mid-air as Daniel flew back and cocked her fist back, slamming it onto Daniel's back.
Daniel grunted as he was sent flying at Ruby, who spun and slammed the blunt end of Crescent Rose into his chest. Yang's eyes flashed red as she readied herself. Daniel managed to adjust himself as he flew at her again and swung his sickle at her head. She ducked and delivered a powerful blow that sent him crashing right up into the ceiling.
He crashed right through it, leaving a rather large hole.
Yang grinned as her eyes returned to normal and looked at Ruby. "Just like old times, huh? When Mom and Uncle Qrow took us on their missions. The bad guys always thought they were going to get an easy win?"
"Still works," Ruby said, smiling back.
There was a firing sound before the sickle shot down. Ruby and Yang flipped back as it hit the floor in front of them. Daniel jumped down and landed in the center of the room, revealing his sickle attached to his mechanical arm through a cable. He started to swing the sickle around the room at amazing speed with enough force to tear through walls, the ceiling and floor while also causing the present furniture to sly around.
Ruby and Yang dodged the hook multiple times as they jumped and ran around the room. Ruby even ran along the walls with her Semblance while Yang used the recoils from Ember Celica to jump around while firing at him, but Daniel either dodged or blocked with his mechanical arm. Daniel soon realized he was getting nowhere with this tactic and retracted his sickle, which then flipped over to reveal a Dust cannon, which he immediately fired. The first few rounds were made of Ice Dust that upon exploding, froze everything they touched.
Ruby managed to dodge, btu Yang found her legs frozen to the ground. "Damn it!"
Daniel then fired a blast of Wind Dust at Ruby as she jumped off the wall, attempting to swing her scythe at him. The blast sent her crashing into the wall, rather hard. Daniel then rushed at Yang, slashing at her multiple times with his sickle as she tried to block before Daniel fired another blast of Wind Dust at her, breaking her free of the ice and slamming her into the wall next to Ruby.
"You really thought you could beat me?" Daniel asked, grinning as he aimed his cannon at them.
Ruby glared up at him. "Still can. Vine!"
She slammed her Keyblade into the ground and vines shot up from the ground, wrapping tightly around Daniel's arm.
"What the-?!" Daniel grunted as he struggled to break free. "What is this?!"
"That." Yang stood up, her hair flaring and eyes blazing. "Is our trump card."
Daniel watched as Yang charged at him and made the reckless decision to fire his cannon, breaking him free from the vines. The explosion destroyed the vines along with Daniel's mechanical arm as he jumped out of the way of Yang's fist.
Daniel stepped back, glaring angrily at the two young Huntresses-in-training as they faced him. "…Another time then."
The bees from before swarmed around him, becoming so thick that Daniel was no longer visible. A second later the swarm departed and Daniel disappeared. Yang huffed and turned to Ruby, who was picking herself up. She came over and helped her siter up, both taking a moment to assess themselves and each other.
After a few seconds, they nodded, and turned to head back towards the others.
"Chuck Hector." Qrow greeted, keeping Harbinger in its sword form while Aqua stood next to him, holding the Master Keeper at her side.
"Qrow Branwen. Ozpin's new right hand." Chuck took a few steps forward as he pulled out his weapon. "Don't look very tough. Guess Oz was pretty desperate."
"Like you're one to talk," Qrow retorted.
Aqua rolled her eyes, just wanting to get it over with. Why do they always stop to chat?
"You two are out of your league. I can rip a while Goliath in half. What can you do?" Chuck asked as he got his weapon in its blade mode.
"Come here and let us show you," Qrow dared.
Chuck just laughed to himself before lunging forward with a roar and slashing at the two. Qrow and Aqua managed to jump out of the way but Chuck didn't give up as he charged forward again, only to be assaulted by bullets from Qrow. Chuck held up his robot arm, blocking the bullets as he charged at Qrow. Aqua landed in front of her husband, conjuring a barrier that Chuck ran right into. The mercenary was stunned as the barrier shattered and knocked him back.
Chuck stumbled back but remained standing and growled at Aqua. He raised his oversized robotic arm with long prong like fingers and changed his sword into its gun mode, aiming and shooting at her. Aqua started spinning her Keyblade, easily deflecting Chuck's bullets as he rushed in and tried to crush her with his robot arm but Aqua dodged, spinning past Chuck and slashed at his back. Chuck's Aura took the blow and he spun around, swinging his robotic fist which Aqua ducked under.
Chuck was then kicked in the face by Qrow before he swung his Furious Stinger at Qrow who dodged every hit except the last one, stunning him for a moment. Just as Chuck swung his blade again Aqua teleported in front of Qrow, deflecting the sword as Chuck started savagely slashing at her. Aqua managed to block every slash and stepped back as he tried kicking at her shifting his sword into its gun mode and started firing Earth Dust rounds. Qrow rolled away in one direction while Aqua cartwheeled in the other and Qrow fired from his weapon in its pistol form.
Chuck just blocked them with his robotic arm before charging straight at Qrow, knocking him back. "You don't stand a chance! I've been a master Huntsman for thirty years! Even if there's two of you, you can't win!"
Qrow got up and changed his sword into its scythe mode. "Tough talk from a has-been."
Chuck growled at that and tried punching Qrow in the face but Qrow dodged, spinning his scythe that managed to hook itself onto Chuck's robotic arm and pulled forward, allowing Qrow to slug him in the face. Chuck snarled as swung his arm up, sending Qrow flying over him and kicked him away. He moved to shoot Qrow but Aqua jumped in, swinging her Keyblade up and causing Chuck to miss the shot. Chuck tried bashing Aqua's face in but she somersaulted back, avoiding the metal fist as it slammed into the ground and created a hole.
He raised his robot arm as it changed into a cannon, aiming at Aqua and fired a small grey energy beam. Aqua quickly summoned a barrier, successfully blocking the attack.
Chuck narrowed his eyes at her. "You have magic."
That caught both Aqua and Qrow off guard.
"Yes, Qrow was Oz's new right hand and you're married to him so of course you would be special in some way." Chuck remarked, looking at Aqua's Keyblade. "I don't know where Ozpin found you but it's clear now you're just another one of his pawns."
"I do not work for Ozpin and I don't need to explain myself to the likes of you." Aqua retorted. "You will step aside and let us save our friends or pay the price. That is your only warning."
"Oh, your only warning." Chuck chucked before laughing out loud. "Girl, you have no idea who YOU ARE MESSING WITH!"
He gave out a large roar that could almost be taken as a Grimm's. Qrow and Aqua watched in stunned silence as Chuck started to form himself into a small but powerful hurricane. The wind coming from Chuck's hurricane form was so strong that despite its size it almost blew them both away. The hurricane flew at them and winds became so strong now they were lifted up off the ground and pulled into the hurricane.
This must be his Semblance! Both thought as they were then sent crashing in opposites of the room after spending the last few minutes spinning in the hurricane.
Chuck then changed back into his normal self and rushed to strike down Qrow with his Furious Stinger. "Tell Oz if he isn't back from the dead yet, Chuck said hello!"
Qrow quickly changed into his bird form, barely avoid the slash from Chuck's blade. But Chuck managed to catch him with a punch, slamming him into the wall. Just as Chuck was about to finish him off, Aqua called out from behind.
"Stop!"
Suddenly Chuck found himself frozen and Aqua quickly slashed him several times before unleashing a fire spell that knocked him away.
She then turned to Qrow. "Heal!"
Qrow grunted as he changed back into his human form. "Have I ever mentioned how much I love you and your healing spells?"
"Not now, Qrow." Aqua said, facing Chuck as he got back up. "We still have to take him down."
"He recharges his Aura so fast, I can barely believe it." Qrow remarked.
Chuck growled as his robotic fist was covered in gusts of wind and lightning as he charged again. "DIE!"
"Hercules!" Aqua shouted.
She summoned the Demi-god hero directly in Chuck's path as he swung his fist but Hercules easily caught the fist, dispelling the wind and lightning made from Chuck's Semblance.
"What?!"
Hercules then crushed Chuck's metallic fist like it was made of tissue paper and followed up with a punch that sent Chuck crashing through the wall.
"That should keep him out for a while." Aqua said dismissing Hercules. "Let's hurry and check on the others before we go after Midas."
"YOU WILL DIE THIS DAY, SCHNEE!" Hidekazu aimed his large Khakkhra at Weiss.
Weiss glared back, aiming her sword at him while Cloud, Jaune and Ren did the same. The man took out several Dust crystals and crushed them, sprinkling the pieces all over his long pink hair as it came alive. His hair then changed into multiple colors like a constantly shifting rainbow. He then shot at Weiss, swinging the buzz-saw end of his Khakkhra at her which she blocked. Sparks began to fly as the two weapons blocked.
"You're not the first brute that I have faced with a chainsaw." Weiss grunted.
"No, but I will be your last!" Hidekazu growled.
Jaune and Cloud jumped to the sides, slashing their swords but a Light Shield appeared around Hidekazu, protecting him from their slashes. The shields dropped and the air wrapped around their swords, sending electricity through them that shocked Cloud and Jaune. Cloud grunted, gritting his teeth as the shock went through him enough to light his body up but Jaune let out a pained scream. Hidekazu spun his Khakkhra and knocked them both back before attacking Weiss again.
She continued her sleek and elegant fighting style against Hidekazu's lethal skills but Hidekazu easily gained the upper hand from his strength and sheer brutality, managing to hit Weiss several times, sending her back. Ren aimed and shot at Hidekazu but the man's hair easily batted away the bullets. Weiss got up while Ren was attacking, using her glyphs to jump around and gain some room before creating an ice wall and then plunged her sword into the ground, attempting to summon her Arma Gigas. Just as the armed reached out, a red burning fist made of made of hair smashed through the ice wall she had made.
Hair tendrils that were red, yellow, green, grey and blue stabbed through the Arma Gigas before it could be completely summoned. Weiss looked up in time to see a foot kick her and send her stumbling several feet back.
"You're weak, Schnee." Hidekazu growled. "I suppose since I am now winning the fight, this is the part where you try to bribe your way out like the rest of your rotten family."
Weiss glared as she got back up. "You're describing the man who sired me. I am nothing like that snake and I'm fully capable of beating you."
"Then prove yourself, heiress..." Hidekazu growled.
"She's not the only one!"
Snarling Hidekazu had to use his hair to block incoming attack from Jaune, Cloud and Ren as they all surrounded him. Hidekazu slashed and clashed with them, firing the sniper end at Ren which knocked him back and clashed the buzz-saw end with Cloud's Buster Sword. Just as Jaune tried slashing at his back his Aura easily blocked.
"Nice try. I've spent years honing my Aura to be strong enough to hold off a blast from a dozen Atlas Paladins!" Hidekazu grunted as he Jaune back.
Lightning dust surged through his staff as he clashed with Cloud and his hair tendrils wrapped around the sword again and it was suddenly covered magma, the result of Earth and Fire Dust being combined. Cloud grunted as he pulled his sword back but the sudden weight made it a little awkward for him to move but he managed to block an attack from Hidekazu that sent him skidding back.
Hidekazu then turned to Weiss and charged at her. "Nothing will get in the way of my revenge!"
Weiss pointed her sword and a black glyph appeared under Hidekazu, launching him into the air. Taken off guard, Hidekazu launched tendrils of his hair into the walls, suspending him in mid-air. He glared down at Weiss but she wasn't the problem. Cloud jumped up and slammed his still magma covered sword into Hidekazu, sending him crashing through the walls. Hidekazu's Aura had managed to protect him but he was still sent crashing into the courtyard of Midas' mansion.
Weiss looked and saw Qrow, Aqua, Ruby, and Yang had finished up their fights and were rejoining the group.
"Is everyone okay?" Aqua asked. Everyone answered in the affirmative. "Let's go. Midas is in the basement."
The group descended the stairs into the manor's basement, finding the space completely pitch-black.
"Sure would be nice to have a Faunus here about now," Qrow muttered. "Anybody got a light?"
"I got it," Ruby said, summoning her Keyblade.
Before she had the opportunity to do anything, a bright light suddenly shone in the center of the room. It took everyone a second to adjust to the sudden light, but what the light illuminated made Ren's knees feel weak.
"No…" Jaune said, and Ren could hear some of the others gasp.
In the center of the room was a single golden statue of a teenage girl. Her face was frozen in surprise.
It was Nora.
AN: This felt like a good place to end things.
Yes, Nora has been turned to gold. Something clearly went very wrong in Midas's mansion, but what happened? Find out next time.
As always, thank you very much for reading, and I'll see you all next time!