Alright guys, here's Chapter Ten. Sorry for the delay, as with all the other things taking up my time right now I just turned twenty-one Saturday and of course that means I got hammered. The 107 fever I got the next day however was not as much fun. Yikes! Anyway, I managed to finish off this chapter this morning and figured I'd get it out to you guys. Be warned, I haven't looked it over as thoroughly as I usually do so spelling errors will more than likely be more prominent than usual. Hope you guys like it!
Disclaimer: I own nothing!
"Speech"
Thoughts
Chapter Ten: Knowledge
The full moon illuminates the night sky above Haven Academy. On the school grounds, Qrow takes the lead as the currently present members of Team RWBY, the remaining members of Team JNPR, and Oscar follow close behind. Ruby stops and looks up to admire Haven's CCT tower, before following the rest of the group to a nearby building. They enter the building and are greeted by Lionheart, who is standing on a terrace at the top of the stairs that is being held up by a statue.
"Why hello. Thank you for... coming" he greeted nervously "There... seems to be more of you than last time" he adds with a nervous chuckle. Qrow and the rest of the group stop to look up at Lionheart.
"Eh, you know what they say, "The more the merrier" Qrow shrugged "So what's going on with the council?" he asked feigning curiosity.
"Why... did you bring your weapons?" Lionheart asked in surprise.
"What?" Qrow looked back at the group for a second before turning his attention back to Lionheart "Leo, we're Huntsmen" he answered confused "You okay?" he asked concerned.
"Of course! Of course, sorry. Just haven't had my evening coffee" he waved dismissively.
"Look, it's nice to see you, but we got work to do. Are we getting support from the council or not?" Qrow tried to move the conversation along.
While the two talk, Yang notices from the corner of her eye a black bird perched on a balcony railing "Mom?" she asked surprised. Everyone's attention is turned to the bird. It flies away just as Qrow shoots at it, but he misses. The bird flies down behind Lionheart, transforming into Raven, donning her mask. Everyone glares at her.
"Raven..." Ruby breathed out.
Raven removed her mask "If you're going to shoot me, shoot me. That was insulting"
"What are you doing here?!" Qrow asked displeased to see her there.
Raven made her way down the stairs as she answered "I could ask you the same thing. You've been scheming, little brother. Planning to attack your own sister"
"Leo... what have you done?!" he asked betrayed.
"I-" he tried to answer.
"Leo did what any sane person would in his position; he looked at all the information he had in front of him, assessed the situation, and made a choice. And it seems you all have too" she explained.
"You have the Spring Maiden" he pointed out angrily.
"I do" Raven admitted.
"Then hand her over and let's work together! We can beat Salem!" he tried to convince her.
"All that time spent spying for Ozpin and you still have no idea what you're dealing with. There is no beating Salem!" she argued.
"You're wrong" Ruby proclaimed as she stepped forward "We've done things that most people would call impossible, and I know the only reason we were able to do it is because we didn't do it alone! We had people to teach us, people to help us, we had each other. Work with us. At least I know we'll have a better chance if we try together. Please" Ruby holds her hand out. Raven glares at it.
"You sound just like your mother" Raven growled. Suddenly, Raven draws her sword and creates a portal with her Semblance. From the portal, a fireball is launched and hits Ruby square in her torso. She lands several feet back.
"Ruby!" Yang called in concern. While Yang runs to her little sister, Cinder Fall steps out of the portal.
"Hello boys and girls" She is then joined by Vernal, Emerald and Mercury as they too step out from the portal.
"Cinder..." Ruby glared with seething hatred
Cinder and her group line up alongside Raven, while the rest gasp in shock "C'mon guys, is that any way to greet your old friends?" Mercury asked feigning offense, causing Yang to growl at him
"Everybody, stay calm" Qrow ordered.
Suddenly they hear the doors behind them open up "Oh no..." Oscar gasped.
Hazel is seen closing the doors behind him as he enters "The White Fang is prepping demolition and securing the school grounds. No one's getting in, and no one's getting out"
Just outside the walls of Mistral, Slade could be seen leaving with his hood covering his face and a bottle in his hand as he approached the peak of a nearby hilltop. Stopping as he reached the top he turned to see the city behind him bustling with activity, he sighed with a shake of his head.
There's nothing to be gained back there. Stop second guessing yourself he told himself.
Slade looked down as he pulled out a small silver pocket watch from his coat and opened it up, there was a picture of his family on the inside behind the clock and a picture more recently placed on the opposite side of the watch with a picture of Team SHDW I am doing what's best here... I cannot bear to see what happened to them happen to you and your friends, Yang. I'm sorry he closed the watch placing it back within his jacket before moving forward, he opened the bottle and began drinking from it. Finishing off the contents of the bottle, he stared at it as he continued to walk. Slade's expression changed to one of anger as he smashed the bottle against a nearby tree trunk.
"Pull it together, you idiot" he berated himself "You've been working alone this long, you'll be fine without her and she'll be fine without you... until... she isn't" he stopped in place before turning back toward Mistral one last time "You should've walked away when you had the chance, Yang... you've only brought this on yourself" he turned his back on the city for the last time and continued walking.
Back inside Haven, everyone watches Hazel slowly approach them. They turn their attention back to Cinder.
"This was all just a trap?" Weiss asked.
"It appears so" Ren answered disappointed.
"Raven, tell me... how long have you been with them?" Qrow asked with disappointment clear in his voice.
"Aww, don't take it personally, little bird. Your sister was a recent addition. The lion on the other hand... Entrance into the Vytal Festival was a real treat, Leonardo's been sending Salem all sorts of information for a very, very long time. Isn't that right, professor?" Cinder explained mockingly.
"Stop it" Lionheart pleaded shamefully.
"It was you... you sit on the Mistral Council. You had information on every Huntsman and Huntress in the Kingdom, and you gave it all to her?" Qrow asked in disbelief.
"I-"
"I couldn't find any of them, because you let her kill them!" he continued "Years ago... when we sent Slade after Salem's infiltrators... you told them he was coming didn't you? You're the reason they didn't stand a chance!" he shouted enraged causing Yang's anger to boil just thinking about his betrayal.
Lionheart doesn't say anything, only still having a sad expression on his face "Aw now, don't beat yourself up about it, Lionheart, I'm sure Tyrian and Hazel would've found them on their own eventually" Cinder assured him "Be honest with yourself, there's no way Slade's team would've survived regardless"
"What is wrong with you? How can you be so broken inside... to take so many lives, and then come here and rub it in our faces like it's something to be proud of?! Jaune asked as his anger continued to boil.
"Jaune-" Nora tried
"All with that damn smile on your face!" he yelled enraged as tears stream from his eyes.
The rest of the group draw their weapons "Everybody, stay calm!" Qrow restated.
Cinder just glares at Jaune "I'm gonna make you pay for what you did! Do you hear me?!" he yelled at her.
"Kid!" Qrow yelled.
"Well?! SAY SOMETHING!" he shouted taking a step forward.
After a short pause, Cinder replies "Who are you again?" mockingly.
Jaune transforms Crocea Mors to its two-handed form and advances forward. Cinder summons an obsidian scimitar and blocks Jaune's attack.
"Jaune!" Ruby yelled concerned, she leaps into the air, but a chain wraps around her and she is pulled to the ground by Emerald.
"You're not getting near her" she growled.
Jaune is then pushed back by Cinder and the two begin their duel. Yang runs forward to join the fight, but Mercury lands in front of her.
"Hey there, Blondie. I'm thinking you owe me an apology for my leg, don't ya think?" he taunted. Yang growls and uses Ember Celica to propel herself toward him.
"Take out the heiress. Don't bother wasting your power, she's not worth it" Raven ordered Vernal, she then draws her sword as Qrow uses Harbinger to lock blades with his sister.
"Running away was one thing, but this... you've crossed the line!" Qrow growled.
"Sorry, brother. Sometimes family disappoints you like that"
"We're not family anymore" he spat.
"Were we ever?" she asked solemnly.
"I thought so, but I guess I was wrong" The two then proceed with their fight, while Vernal confronts Weiss.
"Let's see what the Schnee name really means" Vernal draws her weapons, while Weiss holds Myrtenaster en garde.
"I'm more than a name"
"Hm, prove it"
Weiss activates a glyph below her and projects herself forward to fight the Spring Maiden. Meanwhile, Oscar sneaks up the stairs to Lionheart while Hazel confronts Ren and Nora, who hold up their weapons defensively.
"I don't wish to fight either of you" Hazel claimed in a bored tone.
"Nor I you" Ren replied.
"But we will if you're with her!" Nora shouted.
Hazel cracked his neck and knuckles "Very well, then" He proceeds forward. As Lionheart nervously watches the fights going on, he then notices Oscar walk up behind him.
"Young man, I don't know who you are or what you think you're doing, but for your sake, I suggest you leave. Now" Oscar defiantly remains stationary before taking a few more steps toward Lionheart "I'm warning you!" Lionheart holds out his wrist-mounted weapon, while Oscar prepares to draw something from behind him. "That's enough!" Lionheart rotates his weapon, having a glyph appear above it which then conjures a flaming rock that launches at Oscar, who holds out his arms in front of him defensively as the attack explodes. Oscar is unscathed, though his Aura shimmers. He continues to proceed up the steps and draws his cane. Lionheart's eyes widen in shock "Ozpin?"
"Not quite" Oscar smirked, he then proceeds forward as his attacks force Lionheart on the defensive. He manages to whack Lionheart back a few steps.
"This can't be... I knew you would be back, but... you made it here! You found Qrow! How?"
Leo... what happened to you? Ozpin wondered in disappointment.
"Wait. You can't have had this form for long. You're... not really Ozpin right now. Boy. Child. If I deliver you to Salem, she'll have to be pleased with me, and I can finally get out of all of this! I can finally be free!" Lionheart, now determined, preps his weapon again.
"What do I do?" Oscar asked Ozpin.
Fight he answered dryly, Oscar proceeds forward.
Meanwhile, Weiss leaps around on her glyphs, dodging Vernal's weapons as she throws them like boomerangs. Weiss is then forced on the defensive and creates a large ice wall. She then stabs Myrtenaster into the ground as her Arma Gigas summon crawls out of her glyph. Suddenly, a large beam destroys the ice wall as well as the Arma Gigas before it could be fully summoned. One of Vernal's weapons knocks Weiss back several feet.
Vernal spoke while catching her weapon "Don't think I'm going to let you take the easy way out" Elsewhere, Jaune is knocked to the ground.
Cinder chuckled "I'm starting to remember you, you're the dense one that can't tell when he's out of his league"
Jaune gets back up and clashes blades with Cinder again. Ruby watches them fight but is snapped out of her distraction by Emerald. She then transforms her weapons into their revolver forms and fires at Ruby, who twirls around Crescent Rose blocking Emerald's shots.
"Why are you doing this?! Salem's-" Ruby tried to ask.
"I don't care about Salem! But I owe Cinder everything. You want to fight her that bad? Be my guest" she answered.
Emerald then activates her Semblance, creating a wall of fire which Cinder emerges from and charges at Ruby. Suddenly, Cinder's form disappears, while Emerald trips Ruby. Ruby fires a bullet that narrowly misses Weiss, who is blocking Vernal's shots with Myrtenaster. Weiss attempts to summon, but Vernal is too quick and prevents her from doing so. Eventually, Weiss manages to launch Vernal out of the way and prepares to summon again. Suddenly, Vernal appears in front of her and lands an attack that depletes Weiss' aura. Weiss lets out a pained scream. Jaune hears this and looks in her direction as tears well up in his eyes.
"Are you going to let her die too?" Cinder asked mockingly.
"Stop messing with me!" he shouted back enraged.
"If that's what you want"
Cinder then ignites her scimitar, which is now fully coated in flames. Cinder and Jaune proceed forward to clash. Ruby looks behind her and notices this. She briefly thinks back to the moment when Pyrrha died, and her eyes start to shine bright again.
"NOOOOOOOOOO!" she yells A bright light engulfs the area but dies down when Ruby is knocked unconscious by Emerald.
Suddenly, Cinder falls to her knees, holding her arm in pain. She looks up, and barely misses Jaune's attack as it chips her mask that conceals the left side of her face. As Cinder moves out of the way, Jaune trips and falls. Cinder gets back up enraged, activating her Maiden power while doing so. She then steps on top of Jaune to hold him down.
"Did you think you actually had a chance against me?! You?!" Jaune struggles to reach for his weapon while Cinder calms herself and deactivates her Maiden power "You're just a failure with a death wish"
Jaune continued to struggle "If I die buying them time, then it's worth it. They're the ones that matter"
Cinder looks to Jaune's comrades as they fight against their respective foes, before smiling evilly back down to him "You think so?" She then notices Weiss get knocked back several feet away, and begins to slowly proceed toward her while she conjures an obsidian spear.
"No" he watches helplessly while Cinder continues to advance towards Weiss "NOOOOOOO!" he shouted.
Cinder throws the spear and it impales Weiss through her abdomen. She gasps in shock as everyone stops their fighting and stare in shock as well. The spear then disintegrates as Weiss goes motionless and slumps forwards.
"WEISS!" he screams.
Cinder smirks triumphantly. Jaune quickly gets up and runs past Cinder. Oscar watches Jaune approach and pick up the unconscious Weiss from his position. He then looks over to the unconscious Ruby. Angered, he smacks Leonardo with his cane, causing him to fall down the stairs and into Hazel , who remains unfazed as Lionheart falls to the ground. Oscar quickly runs over to Ruby, with Nora joining him.
"Ruby, get up! Get up! We need you!" he pleaded.
Hazel picks up Lionheart by his collar, lifting him off the floor "You're lettin' that boy make a fool of you"
"That's not just a boy! It's Ozpin" Hazel's eyes widen when he says this "He's already reincarnated!"
Hazel drops Lionheart and looks over to Oscar, who is still trying to nudge Ruby to wake her up. He then notices Ozpin's cane being held in the young farm boy's hand.
"Ozpin?" he asked in disbelief. Suddenly, the usual calm demeanor of Hazel slowly turns infuriated. Ruby stirs for a bit.
"Ruby! You-" Oscar tried.
"Ozpin!" Hazel shouted enraged.
Oscar looks up Oh no Ozpin gasped.
"You thought you could hide from ME?!" Hazel rips his coat off, and then grabs a pair of lightning Dust crystals from a couple of pouches on his legs. "You'll pay for what you did! You'll die over and over again! He stabs the lightning Dust into his arms, with his blood vessels turning yellow and popping out from his skin as well as having some lightning coat them. His eyes glow yellow, and he lets out an intimidating roar. Oscar slowly backs away, holding his cane up cautiously.
"Do- do we fight?" Oscar asked No, run! Ozpin answered fearfully.
Hazel leaps forward to charge into Oscar, but Qrow gets him out of the way in time. Qrow transforms Harbinger into its scythe form while Cinder watches. Raven and Vernal walk to her sides.
"Ozpin is here?!" she asked angrily.
"Is that a problem?" Raven asked.
"I'm not sure, but right now we got the upper hand. Let's not waste it" she answered.
"You're afraid of little old Ozpin?" Raven smirked "He's in the body of a small boy" she chuckled.
"I'm not afraid of him" she growled "I'm the one who killed him last time"
Jaune uses his hands to apply pressure on Weiss' wound, while Ren holds her wrist checking her pulse "Ren, talk to me!" he ordered.
Ren sadly shook his head "This is bad"
Jaune's eyes widen in horror "No, no, no, no, not again! Weiss, c'mon, please!" Oscar dodges out of the way as Hazel slams his fist into the ground.
Oscar Ozpin pleaded.
"No!" Oscar dodges another attack from Hazel.
Oscar! he pleaded more urgently.
"I told you, no!" Oscar gets punched back by Hazel several feet into a column.
Please, let me take over! I can handle him! he begged.
"You told me I needed to fight for myself!" Oscar stood back up "So I will"
This is not your fight! Ozpin tried to explain.
"What does that mean? Why is he so upset with us?" he asked confused.
"He didn't tell you my tale, did he, boy?" Hazel asked as he approached Oscar menacingly "I thought you looked familiar, to think that evil was inside you when our paths first crossed" he holds his fists in the air "Your blood won't be on my hands, it'll be on his"
Qrow jumps in the way to block Hazel's attack, but he slams his fist into the ground, the shockwave knocking both him and Oscar back. They both get back up as Qrow engages Hazel.
"What was he talking about?" Oscar asked.
"Tell him, Ozpin! Tell him how you KILLED HER!" Hazel demanded.
"Her?"
Gretchen Rainart was Hazel's sister. Despite her brother's wishes, she enrolled at Beacon Academy to become a Huntress and tragically lost her life on a training mission. Hazel... holds me responsible. Please, let me fight. I know Hazel. He's wounded in a way that cannot be healed he explained.
"You know now!" he tossed Qrow aside easily "You can forgive me for what I'm about to do" he approached Oscar.
"Did she know?" Oscar asked stopping Hazel in place at his inquiry "Did she know the risk of being a Huntress?"
"She was only a child! She wasn't ready!" he answered.
"She made a choice! A choice to put others before herself!" holding his cane up defensively "So do I"
Hazel just glares at him "Then you've chosen death!" Oscar glares back, determined.
I'm sorry
"What?" Oscar asked confused before his eyes suddenly glowed and his body falls to the ground as Ozpin takes over him. Ozpin looks up, and Hazel looks back at him, enraged.
"OZZZZPIIIIIIIIN!" he screeched in anger.
Meanwhile, Jaune and Ren continue tending to Weiss "She's hardly breathing. I... I don't know what we can do" Ren claimed horrified, The both of them look down to Weiss as she struggles to breathe, before suddenly stopping.
"No, it wasn't supposed to be like this! Please!" his voice breaking as he spoke "We can't lose anyone else" Jaune sadly closes his eyes. Suddenly, a faint shimmering sound is heard and a white aura starts to coat over Weiss' body. Weiss suddenly gasps for breath again.
Hazel and Ozpin fight each other intensely. Lionheart tries to intervene by launching another attack from his weapon, but is stopped by Qrow. The two of them fight each other, with Qrow blocking Lionheart's projectiles. Ozpin and Hazel engage against each other again. Hazel tries to smash him with his fists, but Ozpin is too fast for him. Eventually, Ozpin manages to knock Hazel down on all fours. Ozpin then twirls his cane and prepares to deliver the finishing blow, but Hazel roars and smashes his fists into the ground, creating another lightning shockwave. Meanwhile, Weiss starts to gasp and breathes normally again as the white aura encoating her continues to glow.
"Huh? Wha- what's happening?" Jaune asked.
"Weiss!" Ruby called as Nora helped Ruby up on her feet, who then quickly runs over to her teammate's side "What happened? What's going on?!" Ruby asked concerned.
"I think she's going to be okay! She seems to be stabilizing" he claimed with a smile.
With Weiss breathing again, Ruby smiles, relieved that her friend's life is not endangered anymore. Ruby then hears her sister struggling, she looks over her shoulder to see Yang getting knocked back by Mercury. Yang charges forward, but Mercury's form disappears as a result of another one of Emerald's Semblance hallucinations. Emerald then creates an image of Raven, which Yang is hesitant to attack. Yang then blocks another attack from Mercury, but she is then knocked down again. Ruby then looks over to Oscar fighting Hazel, with the latter's attack becoming too wild and unpredictable for the young boy. Oscar is then hit by one of Lionheart's projectiles and holds his shoulder in pain. Hazel is about to punch at Oscar again, but Qrow pushes Oscar out of the way and takes the blow in his back, launching him upwards. Ruby then lifts Jaune's hands up to see that Weiss' wound has closed.
"Whatever you're doing, don't stop!" She ordered.
"I won't" he spoke with determination.
"Good. Oscar needs help"
"I'm on it" Ren prepared to fight.
"Jaune and Weiss still need cover! Ruby yelled.
Nora approaches his side holding Magnhild "No one's gonna touch 'em" she smiled confidently.
Ruby smiled back "Okay, make it happen, RNJR!"
Ruby stands back up, transforming Crescent Rose into its scythe form and flips over. She lands to her sister's side, knocking Emerald back. Emerald's Semblance copies of Mercury then disappear, reforming back into the main Mercury.
"Thanks, sis" she stood back up "You okay?" she asked concerned.
"No, I'm angry" she answered before proceeding forward.
Ruby and Yang face off against Emerald and Mercury. The sisters switch positions and leap forward to take on their opponents. Yang knocks into Emerald while Ruby takes on Mercury. He uses his left boot to kick Crescent Rose out of her hands.
"Uh oh, what're you gonna do now?" he asked sarcastically.
Mercury tries to throw a left cross, but Ruby ducks and headbutts him upwards - in a similar manner to what Ozpin taught her what to do. Mercury steps a few feet backwards and holds his nose in pain, before growling at Ruby.
Ruby picked up Crescent Rose "Whatever it takes to shut you up"
Meanwhile, Nora holds Magnhild up defensively protecting Jaune, who is still healing Weiss "You guys doing okay?" Nora asked.
"I- I think so. She's coming to. I just wish this would go faster" he said impatiently.
"How about you don't complain and just be thankful you unlocked your Semblance when you did" Nora pointed out.
"My Semblance?" Jaune asked confused.
"How else do you think you're healing her, dummy?" she asked like as if it was obvious.
Jaune stares back at her in disbelief before looking back down at Weiss "No. I don't think I'm healing her. Our Aura heals our bodies. It feels... it feels more like I'm using my Aura to amplify hers!"
"Wait, aren't you worried about running out?" Nora asked concerned.
"Pyrrha once told me I've got a lot of it. I still believe her" he explained confidently.
Suddenly, Weiss opens up her eyes, stirring "Jaune?" she asked surprised.
Nora smiles before standing guard again. Meanwhile, Lie Ren is taking on Hazel, who punches the former back into the wall. Hazel then launches an electrical charge from his lightning-Dust enhanced arm, electrocuting Ren, causing him to scream in pain before falling to the ground.
"Ren!" Nora called concerned.
"Go! I've got her!" Jaune ordered, Nora nods at him before proceeding forward
"Jaune... what's happening?" Weiss asked confused.
"You took a heavy hit, you need to stay with me while the others fight" Jaune explained.
"That's..." she sighed "Annoying"
"Heh, good to have you back, Weiss" he smiled down at her.
Meanwhile, Qrow is knocked back into the wall and then falls to the ground next to the downed Ren, who struggles to get back up as well. Oscar Pine uses his cane to block flaming rocks being fired from Leonardo's weapon.
Hazel charges forward and punches Oscar several feet back "Hiding behind the face of a child? A monster like you must be stopped!" Hazel shouted.
Nora charges at Hazel with a loud battle cry. She leaps into the air, but Hazel catches Magnhild and slams Nora into the ground. Hazel then grabs Nora's head, electrocuting her with his lightning Dust-enhanced arms. She screams out in pain "How many more children must die for you?!" he asked angrily. Suddenly, Nora grabs Hazel's wrist "Huh?"
Nora, inadvertently enhanced by Hazel's electricity thanks to her Semblance, stands back up and flips him over her shoulder. He rolls back several feet away. Nora then holds Magnhild up defensively, before Ozpin gets her attention.
"His Semblance... he can block out pain. It's how he is able to handle injecting so much Dust into his body" Ozpin explained to Nora.
Nora stares back at Hazel, who stands back up "I don't need him to hurt..." she says darkly as Hazel screams and charges forward again "I just need him to GO DOWN!" she yelled.
As Hazel nears her, Nora preps to swing Magnhild. She then swings her hammer right into Hazel's chest, her counterattack launching him into the closed doors, he slammed into them and fell forward onto his knees as he struggled to catch his breath.
"Gotcha!" Nora yelled triumphantly.
"Not quite" Hazel growled as he stood back up "It's gonna take more than that to take me down" he embedded red dust shards into his arms "Now the real fight begins" he charged forward easily knocking Nora out of his path as he continued toward Ozpin.
Yang and Mercury fought, trading blows before Emerald tied her arms together with her weapon's chains "Yang!" Ruby called prepared to help only to have Hazel grab her by her hood and toss Ruby aside.
"Ruby!" Yang called concerned as she was forced to her knees.
"Eyes up here, Blondie" Mercury laughed as he kicked his boot toward her face, a gunshot rang out from it, Yang closed her eyes preparing for the hit. She was surprised when it never came, she slowly opened her eyes to see Mercury's boot caught in the hand of the last person she expected to see.
"You alright?"
"Y-yeah" she answered shocked.
"What're you doing here?!" Mercury growled angrily.
"What I should've been doing from the beginning"
"S-Slade?" Ruby asked confused as she caught a glimpse of him.
"That's right" he chuckled "It's time someone showed you how a real Huntsmen fights" he twisted Mercury's boot around before slamming his own into his back throwing him through the air, into Emerald, knocking her over. Yang freed herself as Emerald lost focus, standing up with a grin on her face.
"I knew it"
"Don't act like you knew I was gonna be here, I only decided to come save your ass minutes ago" he replied indignantly.
"Oz!" Qrow called with concern as Hazel pulled his fist back while he charged toward him to strike, Slade flew past Yang and Ruby stopping in front of Ozpin as he came closer. Slade pulled his hand up to catch his fist as he struck sliding back a few inches as the ground crumbled beneath his heels. Hazel looked on in shock of his strength, unaware his Semblance was the only reason he was able to take the strike, having used it to slow down Hazel's momentum enough for him to handle.
"You'll have to do better than that" he chuckled, angering Hazel.
Releasing Hazel allowed him to strike with his opposite hand, Slade slammed his fist into his neck stumbling him then his abdomen before slamming his elbow up into his face, throwing Hazel backward as he rolled to a nearby pillar. Slade appeared in front of him before he could even move, twisting violently before kicking Hazel in the face through the pillar and into the wall behind him.
"Hazel!" Cinder called in shock.
Hazel quickly got back up charging Slade angrily, swinging for his head as he ducked under his arm. Slade slammed his fist into his abdomen then took a step back to avoid another strike before striking Hazel in the face twice causing him to stumble. Slade jumped back as Hazel swung his arm to avoid the attack then flipped over his back and rolled forward as he rammed his shoulder toward Slade. Hazel slowly approached him with his hands up defensively, he stuck forward as Slade ducked around it and struck for his abdomen. Hazel slammed his knee into Slade's face, then his fist into his chest just as Slade blocked the second strike with his gauntlets before being thrown backward by the force of the strike, rolling back to his feet.
"Not bad" he spit to his left.
Hazel charged forward as Slade grabbed the splintered fragments of wood from the broken pillar in his hands and threw them in his face, disorienting him. Slade then jumped forward and slammed both of his boots into his abdomen, landing on his back before rolling backward into a standing position. Slade then rushed forward as Hazel fell to his knees, he held up his hands in front of his face defensively. Slade flipped forward and kicked him in the back of the head before rolling into the landing away from him.
"Stop running away and fight me!" Hazel shouted.
"You asked for it" Slade smirked.
Slade charged forward jumping toward him and kicking Hazel in the abdomen as he spun through the air kicking him twice more before using his hand to catch himself and punching Hazel in the face as his fist came up to hit him. Slade stepped to the side slamming his fist into Hazel's side twice before rolling behind him to his left as his fist came back down to strike him. Slade slammed both of his fists into Hazel's back ducking under his arms as he spun around to strike him and tilted his head back to avoid a third strike.
Stepping forward he ducked his head to the left as Hazel struck slamming his fist into his side's between dodging attacks as Hazel continued to try and land a hit on him. Slade sidestepped the final strike before smashing his right fist into Hazel's side and his left into his face stumbling him back. Ducking under another strike he uppercut Hazel then punched him in the abdomen twice before slamming his right boot into his chest. Slade jumped up grabbing Hazel's head and pulling it down, slamming his knee into his face before receiving a fist to his face, throwing Slade backward as he slid to a stop.
"He's awesome!" Nora shouted enthusiastically.
"Why do you think I told you he was one of our best?" Qrow asked with a smirk "He's not even using his Semblance, he's just toying with Hazel"
Slade quickly hopped from one foot to the other, left and right as he approached Hazel confusing him enough to miss his strike. Slade slammed his fist into his abdomen then planted his hands onto the ground and raising his right leg backward to kick him in the face before sliding behind him and grabbing his arm to slam Hazel over his shoulder and into the ground. Hazel rolled away from his as he slammed his boot down toward his face, Slade then kicked again for his chest only to have him catch his leg in his hand. Slade picked up his other leg as Hazel slammed his elbow down toward his leg, and kicked his fist into his own chest, knocking Hazel back and winding the man.
"Leo!" Cinder called "Open the vault" she ordered frantically.
Leonardo quickly opened the path to the vault as Raven, Vernal and Cinder all stepped onto the platform and descended into the vault.
"No!" Qrow shouted angrily.
Hazel sprinted toward Slade, leaping into the air and kicking for his face. Slade dropped onto his knees as he soared overhead. Turning around quickly he slammed his fist down as Slade rolled away from him. Slade leapt back from the ground and punched him in the face and kicked him in the abdomen before catching himself on the ground and upercutting him as he turned slamming his boot into Hazel's abdomen once more. Slade jumped up slamming both of his elbows into Hazel's shoulders, dropping him onto his knees. Hazel grabbed Slade around the abdomen, he slammed his elbows into Hazel's back before being lifted into the air, he slammed his knee into his abdomen as Hazel slammed him onto his back.
Hazel struck for his head as Slade blocked with his gauntlets then punched him in the face before blocking two more and rolling onto his side. Slade elbowed Hazel in the face before punching him with his opposite fist as he rolled back and pushed himself out from underneath Hazel. Flipping backward he slammed his boots into Hazel's face, throwing him onto his back.
"I'm not impressed" Slade shook his head as he crossed his arms "I'd have thought one of Salem's servants would be tougher. I haven't even used my Semblance yet" he taunted.
"You little-"
"Augh!" Ruby yelled being thrown by Mercury's kick to her chest.
"Ruby!" Yang yelled concerned.
"Looks like my friends need some assistance" Slade pointed out before slamming his boot into Hazel's face, throwing him onto his back once more "Stay down would you?" he asked with a smirk.
"C'mon, Blondie" Mercury chuckled "Let's dance" he gestured for Yang to attack him as he stepped into his battle stance.
Yang growled stepping toward him, she stopped short as Slade stood by her side "You'll be dealing with both of us" he crossed his arms over his chest. Yang grinned with a nod toward him as she prepared to attack.
"Two against one?" Mercury asked surprised "I thought you Huntsmen liked fighting fair"
"They do" Slade answered "Unfortunately for you, I'm not a real Huntsman"
"If that's how you want to play it" Mercury chuckled.
Yang leapt toward him only to be knocked away by his right leg slamming into her chest, throwing her backward considerably. Slade turned to catch her before she could be hurt but was stopped as Mercury leapt toward him, striking Slade across the face with his fist. Slade backhanded him quickly as he focused on his opponent, Mercury twisted around kicking Slade's gauntlet before being stuck in the face by Slade's opposite fist. Slade wrapped his arm around his neck, keeping him trapped in his grip as he suffocated.
Mercury fired his boots to the left simultaneously, propelling them both to the right, slamming his fist into Slade's chest as they made contact with the ground. Quickly pinning Slade to the ground by his throat, Mercury began relentlessly striking him in the face only for Slade to easy block the strikes with his gauntlets. Yang leapt toward them, clasping both hands together to strike his back, knocking Mercury off of Slade. Mercury fired his left boot at Yang as he slid to a stop forcing her to block the round with her prosthetic arm.
Mercury quickly stood as Slade rose to his feet charging Yang and swinging his right leg toward her face. Yang ducked beneath his leg, placing herself behind him as he turned to face her again, slamming her metal fist into his face and kicking him in the chest pushed him back toward Slade as he backhanded Mercury once again. Yang swung her fist toward his face once more as he recovered from Slade's attack using his own hand to push Yang's fist away from him before blocking Slade's with his opposite hand. Yang kicked the back of Mercury's left knee dropping him down onto it as Slade slammed his opposite fist into his face. Yang slammed her metal fist into his gut, knocking the wind out of him before his face crashed into the ground from the force of Slade's strike to his head. Mercury then fired both his boots at Slade, throwing him backward into the nearby pillar.
Yang punched him in the face as he stood before being struck across the face twice in retaliation. Blocking Mercury's next strike with her arm she then pushed his arm away from her with the elbow of her opposite arm as she spun to elbow him in the face only to meet his forearm instead. Mercury struck for her chest only to have Yang catch his arm before slamming her metal fist into his chest throwing him backward with the strike into Slade's grip around the back of his neck slamming him into the ground.
"I'd stay down if I were you" Slade advised.
"Nice to see we can still work together so well" Yang pointed out with a small smile.
"Imagine if we actually practiced" he chuckled. Slade's expression changed to a serious one as he caught sight of the entrance to the vault lying open "Someone needs to get down there, we cannot allow Cinder to get away with one of the relics"
"None of us could stand against Cinder and my mother at the same time alone, not to mention the Spring Maiden is with them-"
"It doesn't matter who goes down there, they just need to keep them occupied long enough for the rest of us to wrap up here. I get the feeling Raven and Cinder aren't exactly the best of friends, it shouldn't be too hard to turn them against each other-"
"Slade!" Ruby shouted just as he caught sight of Hazel charging toward him from the corner of his eye. Hazel roared angrily as he slammed into Slade, his rage quickly changed to confusion as he felt nothing, instead passing right through Slade as if he wasn't even there.
"Nice" Yang smirked as Hazel tumbled to the floor from his own momentum.
Using his Semblance, Slade lifted Hazel into the air and threw him into the front door to the room they stood in smashing through it with tremendous force onto the academy's quad. Adam Taurus and White Fang soldiers look on "What's going on in there?" one of them asked Adam.
"None of your concern..." Hazel answered from his place on the floor.
Adam and his followers stare in amazement as they watch Hazel get back up. He then takes out a pair of red Dust crystals and stabs them into his arms. He lets out another roar as Ruby watches from inside the building. She then looks back to her friends and allies, all of them looking tired and worn out from the battle they've endured with the exclusion of Slade, having only recently joined the battle.
"More Dust?" Slade asked exasperated.
"Stay focused! Our friends are almost done here" Adam ordered.
"ADAM!" a voice calls out to him as they returned to work.
They all look up and see Blake standing proudly on top of the roof of a nearby building "Blake?" Adam asked confused.
"Who is that?" Hazel asked in slight annoyance.
"Stand down!" she ordered.
The White Fang soldiers aim their firearms at her "Wait!" Adam ordered putting his hands up as the White Fang soldiers stand down, before laughing evilly "To think that I went through so much trouble to find you, only to have you deliver yourself to me"
"This isn't what's right for the Faunus! Stop what you're doing and we can end this peacefully" she pleaded.
"You're wrong, Blake, and you can't stop us" he replied.
"No, I can't. Not by myself" she admitted.
"That's why she didn't come alone!" Sun called out.
Adam and his followers turn to the left in surprise, seeing Sun Wukong standing in front of a massive legion of Faunus all armed with blunt weaponry, their shields bearing the old White Fang symbol "What?!" Adam shouted in surprise
"Who's there?" one of his men asked.
They then turn to the right, and see Ghira leading another massive legion of Faunus "Your brothers and sisters" Ghira answered
One of the White Fang Soldiers lowers his weapon, recognizing one of the Faunus in the crowd "M- Mata?" he asked in shock.
Mata is in the crowd holding a club and shield "Please... stop this..." she pleaded
Adam and his followers look all around them assessing the situation "Make no mistake, brothers! These are our enemies! And we will not let them ruin-" Suddenly, Adam is interrupted when a Mistral airship shines its searchlight down on Adam and his group. The Mistral police captain is seen on the airship with Kali.
"Adam Taurus, this is the Mistral Police Force! Lower your weapons and surrender peacefully" the captain ordered over a P.A.
More Mistral airships arrive. Back inside, Ruby knocks Emerald back a few feet. Emerald then hears the sounds of the Mistral airships as their searchlights shine through the windows. Everyone stops what they are doing. Weiss leans up as Jaune continues healing her.
"What's happening?" she asks
"I'm not sure. How are you feeling?" he asks concerned.
Weiss sat up "Better" Weiss activates a summoning Glyph in her hand "Much better. Keep it up"
Back outside, Blake lands to the ground from the roof "How?! How did you do this?!" Adam asked enraged.
"Adam, it's over" Blake replied, ignoring his question.
Adam looks around as the crowds of Menagerie Faunus get closer to him and his group. He then pulls out a detonator "Then it's over for all of us" he yelled.
"Hey wait!" one of his followers shouted in shock. Adam's followers hold up their arms as they brace for the impending explosion. Adam presses the button, but nothing happens.
"Huh?" He presses the detonator button a few more times, nothing happens.
"What are you doing? Trying to get us all killed?!" one of his followers asked angrily.
Suddenly, Adam grabs his collar enraged "I am making humanity pay for WHAT THEY'VE DONE!" Adam let's go and pushes the White Fang soldier back when Blake speaks.
"We sent someone over to confirm your explosives, and once we did, she disarmed them" Blake explained.
Ilia walks out from around the tower, dropping her black camouflage as she holds the wires in her hand that disabled the bombs. Adam seethes, realizing that the situation is no longer in his favor.
"What do we do?!" Adam asked Hazel frantically.
Hazel cracked his knuckles "This... is your business. Not mine. Fix it" he answered. Adam just glares back at him before turning to Blake.
"I told you, Adam. It's over..." Blake called out again.
Adam, not having any of it, yells out in frustration and charges forward toward Blake. He takes out Wilt from Blush to slash at her, but Blake uses her Semblance to get out of the way and she knocks him down by balling her fists together and hitting his back. Adam falls to the ground on his knees, before yelling out to his followers.
"KILL THEM!"
And thus, the battle between both Faunus groups begin. The White Fang soldiers draw their weapons and attempt to fire at the Mistral airships. Sun leaps around twirling Ruyi Bang and Jingu Bang in its staff form, while Ilia fights with her whip. Hazel observes the situation in front of him but is then suddenly impaled by a white, glowing stinger. He is then pulled back inside the building and sits up to see that Weiss is back on her feet with a summoned Queen Lancer flying above her. As she prepares to fight again, she gasps as she notices someone entering the building. Yang and Ruby look back as well and gasp when they see Blake, her eyes widening as she sees all of her teammates in the same place.
"Yang?" Blake asked in shock
Yang stares back at her in disbelief, before her sister snaps her out of her trance.
"Yang! Go!" Ruby shouted pointing in the direction of the vault entrance.
The ground suddenly shook violently, causing everyone to stumble slightly from the tremors managing to gain their footing as they came to a stop "That doesn't sound good" Slade noted as Yang ran toward the entrance, Emerald and Mercury try to stop her.
"No!" Emerald yells trying to stop Yang, but fails to and falls to the ground thanks to Slade's Semblance pulling her legs out from under her. Mercury grabs her prosthetic arm. Yang's eyes briefly turn red before turning back to normal. She detaches her arm and continues forward, causing Mercury to lose his balance for a bit. She jumps down the hole leading to the vault. Emerald and Mercury attempt to give chase, but they are stopped by an ice wall that suddenly appears in front of them. They turn around and see Weiss with her Queen Lancer summon as she prepares to fight the both of them. Jaune watches from his position and smiles. Ruby then turns back around to look at Blake, and both nod at each other as she goes back outside to join the battle.
"I take it that's Ms. Belladonna?" Slade asked Ruby as she prepared to fight next to him.
"Yeah, I'm as shocked to see her here as anyone" she answered.
"I'm not shocked, I knew she was coming" Slade smirked.
"What? How-" the ground shook once more stumbling everyone in the room.
"Nevermind! We need to get down there and help Yang, Raven and Cinder are able to fight on a whole different scale than her and she's alone with only one arm" Slade explained.
"You can pass through people and you're one of the strongest fighters we have right now. We can get you in there" Weiss said as she joined them.
"Sounds like a plan" Ruby smirked.
"Easy enough" he agreed.
"Then let's get to it" Qrow said joining the three of them with Harbinger pointed in Hazel's direction.
They charged toward their enemies with determination. Ruby swung Crescent Rose toward Emerald clashing her own weapon with hers as Weiss's blade clashed with Mercury's boot. Hazel brushed Qrow aside easily, having seen through their plan and attacked Slade. Holding his palm up toward Hazel, Slade used his Semblance to throw him backward into a nearby pillar. Turning toward Mercury and Emerald he rushed toward them, slamming his fist into Mercury's chest forced him to drop onto his knee's releasing Yang's prosthetic arm into Slade's hand. Twisting around with it in hand he backhanded Emerald with the metal arm before rushing toward the vault entrance.
"No!" Mercury yelled pinned to the ground by Weiss's heel as Ruby caught Emerald into a chokehold using Crescent Rose "You're too slow" Weiss smirked. Slade leapt down the entrance following after Yang just as another tremor tore through the building.
Raven stood looking over the edge of the path leading to the relic as Cinder's body plummeted, slowly freezing solid as she descended "Thank you, Vernal" she whispered shutting her eyes deactivating her Maiden power.
Turning toward the vault door with the relic sitting behind it she slowly approached, a look of determination adorning her features. Placing her hand onto the door of the vault as her Maiden power activating once more, caused the door to become covered with light blue leafy vine symbols from top to bottom glistening brightly. Removing her hand from the door, Raven leaned toward the door, cautiously listening to the low hum emanating from it. She quickly jumped back grabbing the hilt of her blade in response to the door clanging loudly, the door opened quickly, the individual petals of the flower shaped outline retracting into the base before it shifted into the frame of the door. Raven's Maiden power deactivated once more as she relaxed, releasing her grip on her blade. Looking into the vault she spotted the relic not too far away but was confused by the appearance of an entire desert surrounding it, she began to step through the doorway.
"I knew you were hiding something" Slade's voice said from behind her, causing Raven's eyes to widen in shock at how close he had gotten without her noticing. Raven twisted around striking her arm up toward his face only to crash into his gauntlet matching her strike perfectly, stopping her arm in place. Suddenly, a combat knife slid out from his sleeve into his hand thrusting it toward her face as his arm easily glided over her own from their position. Raven unsheathed her blade, barely managing to block the blade mere inches from her face, she could feel the chill on her cheeks from the metal. Slade pulled his arm back and tucked his opposite arm beneath hers before bringing it back up and trapping her arm in his grip with his other arm. Slamming his foot up toward her face caused her to use her blade to block the attack as his opposite foot came up with the strike pushing the blade away from her face. Using his other foot he slammed his boot into her face, using her arm to balance himself in the air pushing himself upward.
Raven managed to get her footing before slicing her blade at him forcing Slade to flip over it to avoid the attack. Twisting her blade around she swung back toward him as he descended to the ground, he flipped again managing to get over her blade before placing his left hand onto the back of her armor getting a firm grip as he planted his feet on the ground. Slade pulled Raven by her armor and thrashed her around forcing the blade from her hand and throwing her back away from the open vault door, she rolled to her feet painfully. Raven's blade embedded into the ground as she stopped, forming lightning into her hand as she activated her Maiden power. Raven charged forward grabbing her blade as the lightning chained to the blade and swung at Slade.
"Stop!" Yang shouted as she struck.
Raven was stuck in place just as her blade was inches away from Slade's neck, he stood unfazed by her assault looking toward Yang "Took you long enough to get down here, I came in after you and I still arrived first. Slade stepped around Raven approaching Yang with her Prosthetic arm tucked in his coat, he removed it, holding it out toward her "I believe this belongs to you"
Yang accepted her arm back from him before turning her attention back to her mother "Thank you... Where's Cinder?" she asked quietly as she noticed Vernal's corpse on the floor between them.
"She fell" Slade answered with a smirk "Mommy dearest froze her after throwing her over the edge" he explained further.
Yang nodded in understanding "I watched from afar to see what she would do with Vernal dead... I didn't know she was going to be the Spring Maiden" she sighed.
"That's why I arrived first" Slade chuckled "Guess it doesn't really matter now" Slade released Raven from his Semblance allowing her to move once again.
Raven turned to face Yang as she sheathed her blade once more, deactivating her Maiden power "I warned you, Yang. I gave you every opportunity to walk away from Qrow and Oz. So you can believe me when I say this wasn't personal"
"You opened the vault" Yang pointed out with a glare.
"Thanks to the chaos you and your friends caused upstairs. I knew you could handle it. You're my daughter after all"
"Qrow and Oz told me how the Maiden powers are transferred. The girl you found... she would've had to have trusted you if you were in her final thoughts, cared about you a lot" Yang concluded.
"I'm sure they told you plenty, and you just sat and obeyed" Raven rolled her eyes.
No, I'm starting to ask questions like you said. So tell me... what happened to the last Spring Maiden? Did she die in battle? Was it sickness?" she asked accusingly.
"What does it matter to you?" Raven asked.
Yang's eyes widened "I can already see the answer. It's all over your face. How could you?!" she asked in disbelief.
"She was scared when we found her! Weak. No matter how much training I put her through, she never learned! She wasn't cut out for this world! And with those powers, she would've been hunted her entire life! What I did-" Raven explained defensively.
"Wasn't personal" Yang quoted.
"It was mercy!"
"Which is it, Mom? Are you merciful, or are you a survivor? Did you let me walk into that trap because you knew I could handle it, or because it meant you could get what you wanted?!" Yang yelled angrily.
"It's not that simple. You don't know me, you don't know what I've been through, the choices I've had to make!"
"You're right. I don't know you. I only know the Raven Dad told me about. She was troubled, and complicated, but she fought for what she believed in, whether it was her team or her tribe! Did you kill her too?" Raven's eyes widen and looked away, before turning back to face her daughter again only to see her eyes widened in shock. Slade watched the two intently, unsure if it would be better for him to speak up or bite his tongue. Eventually he decided the latter was the better option.
"I've stared death in the face over and over again!" in her anger, her Maiden power activated with a flare "And every time I've spat in that face and survived, because I'm strong enough to do what others won't!"
"Oh, shut up! You don't know the first thing about strength! You turn your back on people, you run away when things get too hard, you put others in harm's way instead of yourself!" she balls her hand into a fist, shaking "You might be powerful, but that doesn't make you strong"
She's got you there Slade stifled a laugh
Raven was enraged "Who do you think you are, lecturing me?! Standing there, shaking like a scared little girl?!"
"Yeah, I'm scared. But I'm still standing here!" she begins approaching Raven "I'm not like you, I won't run, which is why you're going to give me the Relic"
"And why would I-"
"Because you're afraid of Salem! And if you thought having Maiden powers put a target on your back, imagine what she'll do when she finds out you have a Relic" Raven turns away, seething "She'll come after you with everything she has" Raven's expression then turns solemn "Or she can come after me" Raven's eyes widen when she hears her daughter say that, before turning back to her "And I'll be standing there, waiting for her"
After a tense moment, Raven deactivates her Maiden powers "You don't want to do this, Yang" she said somberly.
"Nope. But I'm gonna do it anyway"
Yang walks forward, bumping her mother out of the way as she passes her. Raven looks down before turning to see her daughter approach the Relic chamber. A tear drips from Raven's eye.
"I..." holding her arm as tears well up in her eyes "I'm sorry..."
Tears well up in Yang's eyes as well "Yeah... Me too"
Yang then hears the sound of one of Raven's portals as well as the sound of flapping wings from behind her. She looks behind her and sees a black feather fall gently to the ground with Slade silently staring at Raven's previous position. Yang proceeds forward and enters the Relic chamber, She approaches the Relic of Knowledge, an ornate, gold and cyan lamp, as it rests on the stone pedestal. Yang grabs the Relic by its handle, and small, indistinct whispers can be heard when near it. Tears then stream from Yang's eyes, before she falls to her knees as she breaks down crying.
Yang felt a hand on her shoulder, she turned to see Slade staring back at her, his hood and mask finally removed "I'm sorry you had to go through that, Yang"
"It's alright... I'm used to disappointment by now" she replied wiping her tears away.
"That doesn't make it any easier" Slade sighed "Trust me, no matter how many times people let you down. It only gets harder"
"Why?" she asked confused "Wouldn't it get easier the more it happens?"
"No... the more you're let down, the harder it is to trust people, and when you finally do trust someone again, when they let you down... it's worse than the last time someone did" he explained.
"I..."
"You don't have to say anything, Yang. I can't imagine what you're going through right now, though I can sympathize"
Yang grabbed Slade into a hug "Thank you" was all she said as another tear streamed down her face. Slade wrapped his arms around her protectively.
"It's going to be alright" he whispered as he rubbed her back soothingly "I promise it'll be alright"
Yang and Slade ascended the vault using the elevator with the relic in Slade's right hand, as the elevator came to a stop they took in the scene around them. Emerald looks at them in surprise as Cinder didn't come back up.
"Yang" Ruby smiled with her friends joining her soon afterward.
Hazel seethes while tears stream from Emerald's eyes. Yang smiles back down to her friends and shares a brief glance with Blake, who looks down for a bit before looking back up to her. Emerald falls to her knees and begins to sob. Mercury and Hazel slowly back away "Emerald, get up, we need to go" Mercury said urgently.
Emerald shakes her head and remains stationary "Emerald!"
Emerald looks around as her breathing gets frantic. She holds her head and lets out a loud scream, activating her Semblance. Suddenly, the room turns dark as black smoke rises from the ground nearby. From it, a giant effigy of Salem, limbs bent and deformed, towers above everyone in the room. The giant Salem opens her eyes, and lets out an ear-piercing scream as it swoops down over everyone. The room is blanketed with darkness for a short time. Afterwards, everything returns to normal, Ruby shakes in fear as she comes to terms with what she had just witnessed. Everyone in the room is still present, with the exception of Emerald, Mercury and Hazel, who have disappeared.
"Wha- what was that?" Blake asked in shock.
"An illusion. But an accurate one. That... was Salem" Ozpin answered through Oscar.
Slade scowled "Was hoping that face would never spoil my view again" he sighed.
"What happened?" Qrow asked as Yang and Slade descended the stairs.
"I don't know exactly. When I got down there, Cinder was gone, and Vernal was dead" Yang answered.
"And Raven?"
"Gone"
"Well, we're all glad you're still here, firecracker" he said placing an assuring hand on her shoulder.
"From what I caught while I was there, Raven is the Spring Maiden and she defeated Cinder before opening the door to the relic. Unfortunately she escaped with the help of her Semblance" Slade explained.
"I can't believe it-" Qrow sighed with a shake of his head but was interrupted by Ruby falling to her knees, Weiss caught her.
"Are you okay?" she asked concerned.
"I feel like I should be asking you guys" Ruby sighed. They both look up to see Blake approaching them. Yang walks over and drops to her sister's side "So Blake, what're you doing here?" Ruby asked curiously.
"I... I was gonna ask you three the same thing" she answered with a small smile.
Ruby, Weiss, and Yang, share glances with each other "That's... a looooong story"
"Well... I'm not going anywhere" Blake replied.
"That's all that matters" Ruby giggled "That we're all here together. Right?"
Ruby looks to Yang as she says that. Blake briefly looks away with a sorrowful expression on her face. Yang looks up at her and smiles "Yeah"
Blake looks back over to them and smiles. Weiss offers a hand out to her, and she eagerly joins in to Team RWBY's first group hug after a long time of being apart. The four girls embrace each other while their friends look on smiling. Slade watched the four of them with a broad smile on his face, despite his reservations about helping them, the happiness he saw in front of him told him he made the right choice.
Qrow then approaches a panting Oscar, who is kneeling on the ground "I don't know how, but we did it, Oz. You okay?" he asked.
"I'm alright" Oscar replied.
"Kid?" Qrow asked surprised he was speaking to Oscar.
"He's resting. Too much energy fighting" he explained.
"Hey, wizard, don't strain yourself!" Qrow warned concerned.
"No! He had... a message..." taking a few more breaths "We must... get the lamp to... Atlas" Oscar groans and falls, but Qrow catches him.
Slade stood over them with a look of contempt the relic still in his grip, he looked down at the cane next to them and growled at the sight of it "I knew I recognized that thing"
"Slade-"
"How long were you going to keep that from me if I stuck around? Did you think I wouldn't find out?" Slade asked accusingly.
"I wasn't going to tell you because I didn't think you'd stick around, I thought you'd leave the minute you got what you wanted" Qrow explained.
"You would've told me had I stuck around then?" Slade asked raising his eyebrow knowingly.
"Honestly I don't know if I would've told you, I was concerned you'd try and kill the kid if you found out Oz was in there-"
"You thought I would kill a fourteen year old?" Slade asked shocked "What kind of a monster do you think I am? I became a Bounty Hunter I didn't join a cult to murder children"
"I-"
"Do you really think so poorly of me that you think I would've hurt Oscar because Ozpin is in there too? You should know by now I'm not the vengeful type"
"Prove it" Qrow replied standing up, looking him dead in the eyes.
"How?" Slade asked never averting his gaze.
"The relic" Qrow answered holding his hand out to him.
Slade looked down at the lamp in his hand "First you don't trust me about Ozpin and now you wont trust me with the relic?" he asked "You're not helping your situation, I'm not here for you-"
"Then why did you come back?" Qrow asked "You didn't even need to be involved and yet here you are... the past year you've only done things when you were getting paid to do them and some of those things were morally questionable"
"I did what I was hired to do, nothing more and nothing less"
"So you admit to doing those horrible things?"
"If you shoot a man with your gun, do you blame the gun for killing him or the shooter?" Slade asked.
"Excuse me?" Qrow asked confused.
"I am merely a tool for those that hire me. I am not the one responsible for the deaths of those I was sent to kill, my employers are"
"That's an extremely dangerous way of thinking. Guns don't have emotions or conscious thought, they aren't able to comprehend their actions because they're not living beings" Qrow sighed deeply "But you've also put a lot of bad people behind bars, more so than people you've killed-"
"I've never killed anyone who didn't commit a crime, it may not have been a violent crime but it was a crime nonetheless" he explained before handing Qrow the relic "Keep the stupid lamp. I'm only here for one reason anyway" he turned away from him before walking back toward Ruby and her friends.
"Thank you" Qrow called after him as he walked away, Slade gave a slight wave back acknowledging his words.
"Why do you think he came back?" Oscar asked "It's not like we offered him money or some kind of reward"
Qrow pondered the question deeply for a short time before frowning "Yang" he breathed.
Thanks for reading guys! I really appreciate everyone who's sticking around for the long haul and hope you like how it turns out. Hopefully won't be too long before I have another chapter out for you to read again in the near future. Thanks again.