Chapter 8 – Fleeting Joy
Cinder
Moments earlier…
Pyrrha was sat down by the window, her head rested on her hand as she gazed out at the landscape. She had just eaten the lunch that was made for her – some of it anyway. Cinder looked at her, noticing how little she was eating. Pyrrha was in an awfully bad place right now, it was reminding her of how Blake and Weiss were when she first found them. Cinder finished cleaning the dishes and turned when she saw Blake walking with Amber through the house. "We're gonna go and tend to the horses. A certain someone demanded it." Blake said as she gestured towards the thirteen-year-old.
"Oh I wonder who that could've been?" Cinder sarcastically wondered.
"I have no idea either. Strange isn't it?" Amber asked.
"So strange." Cinder agreed, the two then chuckled and Amber gently patted her head. "Go on then. I know you just wanna pet them."
"Hey, you don't know that… I could be… um… eh… yeah." Cinder smiled, shaking her head as the two of them left the house and went to the larger barn where the Horse Stables were. They only had five to stable, but to Amber it was like a Personal Zoo. She loved Horses, and to be honest, the horses loved her as well.
Amber skipped through the doors with Blake following the sound of her steps. Cinder glanced at Pyrrha again who got up from the window and carried her plate to the sink and started to wash it. Cinder stopped what she was doing, and she pressed her hands against the surface of her counter. "Look… I know you don't trust me; you have no reason to. The last time you and I met I tried to kill you and everyone you knew. But… don't shut people out. I've been seeing you lately and I saw it with Weiss and Blake after Beacon was destroyed. Blake was in a very dark place, but Amber helped her get out of it. I may not have agreed with the risk of letting you stay, but you're here. That means it's my job to make sure you're safe here. So… when you're ready… just talk to us, okay?" Cinder asked, and Pyrrha paused washing the plate and looked at Cinder.
She scoffed. "It's like you're a completely different person."
"You can blame that little one for that."
"Hmm… yet I thought you were someone else once as well. And I have the scar on my heel to show for my stupidity for falling for it. I don't know what you're planning, whether it is to just give me up or something… but I ain't waiting around to find out. I'm leaving tonight." Pyrrha said, Cinder looked completely baffled.
"What about Weiss and Blake?"
"They'll get over it. They lost me once before they can lose me again."
"Where the hell is this even coming from? I know you're in pain right now, you lost the man you loved. And for you it hasn't been six years, so it is still fresh… but going out there on your own? You might as well ask me to do what the old me would have done to you."
"Salem is still out there. Arthur Watts, Killian, Adam Taurus, Hazel Rainart, Tyrian Callows… they're all still out there. I won't stop until they're all dead." Pyrrha walked away, not even noticing the Brother of Darkness watching her from the shadows with his arms crossed. Cinder followed him.
"Looks like I'm not the only one who's changed. Did you know that most of the Children of Salem are bound to Salem through some kind of lust for revenge? Hazel against Ozpin for creating him as a monster? Adam against Jacques Schnee? Watts against Jacques Schnee for taking the Hereditary Schnee Riches from him? Killian for what happened to his parents? All of them are the way they are because it all started with revenge. It won't help you… it will make you just like them."
Pyrrha was stood in the doorway and she turned back to Cinder. "What about you and Tyrian, huh?" Pyrrha asked.
"Me? I wanted power… I came from nothing; my semblance was telekinetic but was so weak that I could only lift grains of sand. Salem promised me more power… and you saw what I became. And Tyrian? Well… he'd do anything for her. Out of all of them I think he's the most unique. He doesn't care for revenge; he is just in it for the violence… for the killing. The guy is a lunatic and will stop at nothing to serve his Queen."
"Well… I will stop at nothing to avenge the killers of the man I loved. They took the one good thing I ever had from me… I don't care what happens to me now. I thought about constantly every single day you let me stay here… I want them all dead. It's as simple as that."
Cinder stared at Pyrrha, and yet despite it being her face, she seemed like a completely different person. Cinder could not see the Brother of Darkness looming over Pyrrha's shoulder… but she could feel that something was off about how Pyrrha was. The door to the shower opened and Vernal came out of it.
"Ah… that's better. Hey what's up?" Vernal asked as she threw the towel to Weiss who was about to go in there next.
"Just chatting, is all." Cinder assured, keeping Pyrrha's secret for now.
"That's good, I'm starving." Vernal said with a smirk.
Then they heard the sounds of cars and trucks pulling up outside of the Farmhouse, and the roar of Airships flying overhead.
"CINDER FALL! GET OUT HERE WITH PYRRHA NIKOS!" The voice of Adam Taurus boomed from outside. Pyrrha's eyes widened with shock and Cinder pointed down at the same locker that Cinder hid Weiss and Blake in when Killian showed up searching for them six years ago.
"Get down here, now!" Cinder demanded in a hushed voice, Pyrrha snapped out of her state of hatred, but inside? She was fuming… hearing his voice again? She wanted to rip him apart, but she did as Cinder said, and dropped down into the cellar beneath the living room. Cinder slammed it shut and covered it with the carpet.
"Weiss stay in here. Vernal, are you ready?" Cinder asked.
"Yeah, where's Oscar?" Vernal asked with concern in her voice.
"He was in the Garage where the Airship is. Probably getting ready to make his move as we speak." Cinder said. "We'll just talk to him first, like last time…" Cinder said as she approached the door, but just before she opened it, she overheard Adam softly speaking to his Feral Ones.
"Give 'em to the count of five then give 'em everything… actually… LET 'EM HAVE IT!" Adam barked.
Cinder gasped, her amber eye widened, and she dove down to the ground. "GET DOWN!" Cinder screamed as the bullets suddenly shredded through the windows and the wooden walls. The walls splintered, throwing sharp chunks of wood all across the floor. Weiss and Vernal were crawling across the floor with Cinder. "The Barn… we have to get to the Barn! Blake and Amber are in there!" Cinder called out with fear in her voice.
A massive explosion erupted upstairs, and the staircase was blown apart, throwing huge chunks of debris across the room. Fire started to spread across the house from upstairs after that Tank fired its cannon directly into it. Cinder gritted her teeth with anger.
This is our home… we built this place… Adam Taurus you fucker… you are gonna regret crossing me boy.
Cinder ducked her head down against the floor, just as more bullets from the machine guns came ripping through the building, tearing the drawing that Oscar made of Raven Branwen to pieces. Photographs of Amber growing up were shattered from the gunfire, all these memories being purged.
The closer they got to the back door… Cinder began to seethe with hatred. She heard a yelp, and she saw their Golden Retriever whimpering with fear as he hid in the corner. Cinder whistled to him. "FIND OSCAR!" She screamed at him, the dog sniffed the air and he bolted through the back door, swinging it open, headed directly for the Barn. The Feral Ones were too focused on destroying their home to even notice the dog that was sprinting towards the Barn where Oscar was taking cover.
Adam outside, still stood atop the tank, smirked sadistically as he watched the house start to crumble from the amount of damage it had suffered. The tank fired into Amber's bedroom, thank the gods she was not there, and the fire was spreading fast through the house. In a few minutes, the whole place was going to be completely consumed in the flames, and the six years of happiness spent in this house would be erased completely.
Icarus grabbed Adam by the shoulder, yanking him back. "Adam what the fuck are you doing?" Icarus roared with fury in his mechanical voice. His eyes were wide and despite lacking his jaw – being replaced by the mechanical one that Watts made him – Adam could see the real furor in his face. But Adam just smirked and pulled away from Icarus.
"What should have been done six years ago. Killing this little runaway family once and for all. And I will find my Blake… She will be the one I will not kill." Adam stated with a sickening grin. Icarus touched his Khopeshes, part of him wanted to cut Adam down, but he knew he had orders. He knew this operation was doomed for failure, and he needed to be the witness.
But seeing him do this? He knew Adam's punishment was going to break the Horned and Hooved Maniac. But as Adam watched, he turned his eye towards the Horse Stables. "No! Don't go out there." He ever so slightly heard a little girl yell.
"Well, well… my darling… are we playing hide and seek?" He asked, dropping down from the tank and walking towards it.
"Adam? The hell are you doing now?" Icarus questioned.
"Keep destroying the house. I'll be right back." He arrogantly answered, making Icarus narrow his eyes and clench his hands into fists.
Blake
She kept her head low as the horses brayed and panicked, snorting as they tried to escape the barn. The constant gunfire and occasional explosions were startling the poor animals trapped inside. Blake stayed close to Amber, and she felt around the room, and she took cover. She then drew Gambol Shroud, holding it in its pistol form.
The hell am I gonna do? I can't see… I might be able to walk around now but I can't fight anymore… and… Adam… he's here… he's here…
Why won't he just leave me alone?
"Stay close to me, okay?" Blake whispered, gently holding Amber's hand. She felt around the room, touching one of the horses, but then the large double doors opened. The Horses neighed and they all suddenly galloped out, narrowly missing him as he stood there in the sunlight. Blake and Amber were hiding behind one of the worktables. She could hear the sound of the metal tools hanging from the walls clink against each other as the wind rushed inside. The gunfire was deafeningly loud, and Adam walked inside, closing the doors behind him.
He smirked sinisterly as he walked, the sound of his Grimm Hooves clopping were so loud in here. "Little girl? I can hear you… who were you talking to?" He asked as he looked around. "Is it my dear love, Blake Belladonna? You should be careful with her, she gets in your head… makes you think she is someone, when in fact she is just a pathetic coward. Nothing More. Nothing Less."
Amber looked at Blake with concern, but Blake just hugged her close. Amber knew who Blake was, there was nothing Adam could say to prove otherwise, and besides – Adam Taurus was a known monster. Why would anyone believe a word that left his disgusting mouth? Blake listened carefully, using her Feline Ears to full effect, focusing past the gunfire outside, past the rattling tools inside the barn. Only the sound of his clopping hooves to figure out how close he was.
He tapped Wilt and Blush against the chains. "Hmm… these would do very nicely." He softly said with a smirk, Blake shuddered with fear. She knew he wanted her alive… but she did not even want to try and even picture what he had in store for her. He then dragged his sword across the concrete floor, creating a long scraping sound that made Amber softly whimper with fear. But she noticed him glare in their direction, he couldn't see them yet… but something caught his attention.
He sniffed the air, closing his eyes, both blue and red. The red eye scarred over and blinded by the S.D.C Brand seemed to glow as the sunlight shined upon it. He smiled as he stood in the light. "Perfume… did you think I would forget your scent, Blake?" He asked as he looked around.
Her heart sank. Fuck…
"Come on out, my darling. After everything you have done to me… this is the least you could do to make things right." Adam softly spoke.
Everything I have done? You took everything from me! You always wanted control over me when we were together… it sickens me to think I actually loved you once.
"Last chance to come out." Adam sung, but Blake stayed down with Amber. "Alright… suit yourself."
Blake felt Amber's hands grab hers, pulling her in a certain direction. Blake trusted her and moved, and they quickly but quietly moved behind the wall, using the stables as cover from him. Adam suddenly fired the shotgun in his Scabbard right where they were hiding, blowing a while in the worktable. He approached it and found nobody was there… but there were some strands of black hair, shorter black hair. "My, my… you've cut your hair. A new look? I guess if it doesn't suit you, you will have plenty of time to grow it back."
I'm never going back with you, you son of a bitch.
He walked around the corner, just as Amber and Blake hid behind one of the stables, and Amber watched him through the crack in the wooden planks. He moved around, and suddenly slashed straight through one of them, his hair and jacket glowed red, alongside the blade of Wilt and Blush. The room darkened black and red as well when he did it, turning the wood to ash. He did the same at ever stable, one by one, whistling a creepy song as he got closer and closer.
He scraped Wilt and Blush across the floor, and moved it up slowly, banging it against the chains with a smirk, approaching the stable they were hiding inside of. Blake held Amber close, there was nowhere they could run to now, they just had to close their eyes and accept it.
Then the gunfire stopped.
Adam paused and turned, he looked furious and stormed away from the stable and kicked the doors open with his hoofed foot. He stormed out there, and approached Icarus who was stood beside the tank, turning to him. "The hell are you doing? Keep firing!" Adam commanded.
"No! I ordered a sweep of the house; nobody is in there. We're not wasting ammo on a house, Adam. Cinder is out there, and we all know what she is capable of. Everyone be ready, we've got one hell of a pissed off Fall Maiden out here now." Icarus commanded, having more strength in his voice than Adam ever did.
He gritted his teeth with anger as he paced back and forth, but then he calmed his nerves and stood waiting whilst Feral Ones started to search the house for either their bodies, or them hiding.
Back in the Barn, Blake suddenly gasped when she felt a hand grab her shoulder. But Cinder hushed them. "It's alright… Amber, sweetie? Are you okay?" She asked her with concern in her voice.
"Y-Yeah… that man… it's him. Adam Taurus… the one who blinded Blake." Amber stated, Blake didn't even have to say it. Even if Adam didn't even mention her name, she could have known immediately that it was him. Matched the descriptions Blake gave. Weiss and Vernal were right behind Cinder, and Weiss tended to Blake, checking her over for any injuries.
"You okay?" Weiss inquired.
"Y-Yeah… damn it…" Blake sighed. "He finally found me."
"He's not here for you… well… at the very least you're not his and Icarus' priority. They're here for Pyrrha." Cinder assured.
"What? How do you know?" Amber asked.
"I heard that bastard literally demand it of me. Right before he immediately opened fire on the house. We've gotta get out of here, get to the Airship and go." Cinder explained.
"But this is our home." Amber argued.
"Amber… honey… you need to listen to me. The house is on fire, and there are too many of them for me to beat. This isn't going to be like it was back at the Branwen Tribe. Those two could easily match me, hell Adam could match me on his own in combat. And on top of all that we are up against trained killers with Anti-Aura tech." Cinder explained.
"The Electrified Cables?" Weiss asked.
"Definitely. Even I won't be able to stop them from taking me down with one of those if it hits me." Cinder explained.
"If only Nora were here." Blake sighed.
"Well… she's not. We've gotta get to the Airship. Last I saw Oscar was in that Barn, he probably still is. Just waiting for a perfect opportunity. It's how we taught him when he was a kid. Ambush has always been one of his greatest attacks." Cinder explained. "Amber, Blake. The two of you need to get to the Airship as quietly as you can, go around the back."
"Wait about the rest of you?" Amber asked with worry in her voice. Cinder looked at Weiss and Vernal. Weiss luckily had Myrtenaster on her at all times, ready for something like this to happen. They all did. Vernal spun Wind and Fire through her fingers.
"We're right beside you." Vernal assured.
"Where's Pyrrha?" Blake asked.
"Underneath the house. We'll get her out of there when we have an open window. But until then she's a burden, she has no weapons to fight with. Only that snapped sword. Trust me, she'd be more useful down there than anywhere else." Cinder explained, and Amber nodded her head as she stood with Blake, ready to get moving. Weiss and Vernal stood beside Cinder. Vernal took cover by the wall, and Weiss did the same on the other side.
Vernal furrowed her brow. "Wait… he's spouting off again." Vernal said, Cinder approached the wooden door and looked the crack between them, staring directly at Adam.
They all still think they are in the House.
"You mistook Killian's mercy as weakness! Now I will show you strength and you may mistake it for brutality! There is no escape for any of you! I shall hunt you to the ends of Remnant and the end of time!" Adam yelled, pointing to the house.
You bastard… this isn't on Pyrrha. This is on me. I was the one who brought you into all this, when I needed you and the White Fang to carry out the Attack on Beacon. And here you are, attacking my family and destroying my home.
I should have killed you a long time ago.
Time to make that right.
"I killed your friends! Your lovers! I enjoyed killing them!" Adam laughed.
"This bastard is really starting irritate me!" Cinder growled.
"And now I will enjoy killing every last one of ya!" Adam concluded, but Cinder's eye ignited as she stood before the doors. The sky darkened with stormy clouds, Icarus noticed the rain start to fall on the ground and on his shoulder.
"Here we go…" Icarus sighed.
Oscar watched from his Barn, smirking as he extended the chains of his Hammers – finally naming them.
Thunderous Deception.
And it had a few new upgrades to boot.
Cinder roared, and a powerful lightning bolt eviscerated the wooden doors, and the rain fell hard upon the soldiers. Burning wood flew towards the Feral Ones and Adam spun around with wide eyes, cutting down the door which flew towards him with Wilt and Blush. She launched herself directly at Adam with rage.
Oscar burst through his door as well, launching Thunderous Deception towards the Feral Ones, smashing one of them in the head with the Head of the Chained Hammer, killing him instantly. He then clicked the button on the handle, activating the fire dust inside of it, spinning flames around the air, before slamming both hammers against the ground so hard it created a fiery explosion.
Cinder
Icarus' wings extended outwards, and he drew his Khopeshes, spinning them through his fingers before blasting up into the air, hovering over their heads. Adam slammed Wilt and Blush against Cinder's Obsidian Axe, and the two of them stared directly into each other's damaged eyes. Cinder forced her Axe downwards with great effort, staggering Adam, and she swung her electrified fist up his jaw, creating a flash of lightning from the impact. Adam landed on both feet, but then shot forward with multiple black and red shadows of himself, hacking and slashing at her aura with savagery.
Cinder blocked a couple incoming blows but the third hit her aura, then he swung around and kicked her in the chest. The hoof created a loud cracking sound upon impact, and Cinder flew straight through the damaged wall of her house. It broke apart around her, and she tumbled across her carpet. She stared forward as Adam jumped inside and charged towards her with a demented laugh.
Cinder launched her axe towards him, but he rolled forward, narrowly dodging it and he suddenly grabbed her by the throat and ran with her, slamming her up against the wall. Cinder fell onto the floor, landing upon the hatch where Pyrrha was watching through a crack in the wood, seeing Cinder staring down at her… with those all too familiar burning flames around her eye.
"My precious Blake. Where is she?" Adam asked her with a smirk, Cinder gritted her teeth, suddenly launching a fireball directly at him. He drew Wilt and Blush, using the red blade to absorb the fire, causing his hair, clothes and blade to shine even brighter with red energy. Cinder formed two obsidian Falchions in her hands, and she pointed one at the madman.
"She does not belong to you, you fucking psychopath!" Cinder barked, Adam grinned, and drew Wilt and Blush Fully, pointing it at her as he circled her. They both lunged for each other, striking at one another with their swords. Cinder slashed at him, but he quickly darted back and forth, blocking her blows before suddenly slashing towards her gut. He then thrusted forward to try and run the sword through her, but she crossed the Falchions over one another, and caught the sword in the blades.
Cinder smirked, before suddenly swinging her swords upwards, breaking his stance, and backflipped flawlessly, kicking Adam up the jaw with both feet, and sticking the landing. Adam impacted against the ceiling, then Cinder flew towards him, and drove both swords down towards him, one of them shattered against Wilt and Blush, but then Cinder grabbed him by the throat and threw him into the next room. Fire started to burn more and more of the house down around them, and Cinder launched multiple icicles from thin air at him.
Adam cut one of them down from mid air, and then jumped off the side of the wall and drove the sword into the ground. The light in the world around them darkened as his hair, clothes and sword glowed bright red. He blasted raw energy towards her, which burned against her aura. Cinder stood her ground, then Adam shot forward once more, slashing across her aura, before throwing his Scabbard in the air and firing the shotgun into her face. Her aura flickered from that sudden strike, but Cinder stopped Wilt and Blush from striking her once more but forming a Magma Replica of Milo, stopping him in his tracks.
She then spun the Spear through her fingers, before dropkicking him in the chest and throwing the spear directly at him. Adam slashed the sword forwards, and the Spear cut clean in two upon impact, before crumbling into embers around his sword. Cinder felt the heat build and build inside of their home, and the ceiling started to crumble as flames crawled down towards them both. Planks of smouldering wood collapsed before them, smoke filled the house slowly and flames began to creep across walls.
"You keep on running from your past, but you can only run for so long. Salem should have done this a very long time ago." Adam stated.
"Did she even command you to do this or did you come here just for Blake, you animal?" Cinder snarled.
"Salem is nothing more than a liar, filled with unfulfilled promises." Adam stated.
Cinder couldn't help but laugh at him. "You sound like a child with a wounded ego. Oh Mommy Salem, I didn't get the toy I wanted so I'm gonna whine about it. Salem's gonna punish your ass something terrible after this… this isn't how she operates." Cinder stated, knowing all too well what happens to those who either defy her… or fail her.
"I don't care about Salem or about what she wants. I just want who belongs to me." Adam stated.
"Then you're gonna beg her to kill you… because you will regret what you have done today. That is of course if I don't kill you first for destroying our home and attacking my family!" Cinder roared, she formed her Falchions once more, and she threw one of them towards Adam, but he deflected it with his Scabbard, before firing it at her once again. Cinder blocked the incoming shotgun shell shrapnel with a small wall of flames, before sprinting towards him.
She punched him in the face and then Adam blocked her sword with Wilt and Blush, pushing his hand against the back of the blade, forcing her backwards. Cinder then ignited fire from her feet and the two of them flew straight through the window behind them, crashing into the Cow Pen outside. Cinder grabbed Adam and threw him against the fence, so hard that it shattered. The Cows stampeded over him, beating his aura down one hoof at a time, and eventually the herd all fled away into the woods.
Bye-Bye Cows…
It hurt to see everything they built here come crumbling down, but at least all the innocent farm animals got to escape. Now it was just her family and their dog, who was obediently waiting by the Airship.
Cinder turned, to see Icarus flying across the sky whilst he fought against Oscar, and Weiss was battling against the Feral Ones. Oscar roared, launching Thunderous Deception up towards Icarus as he fired his submachine guns down at him. The Hammer wrapped around one of his legs and Oscar yanked him down from the air. Icarus grunted, crashing down into the ground. He tumbled towards Oscar who rushed towards him, but swiftly spun his Khopeshes through his fingers and swung his mechanical wing directly into Oscar. The skilled Ex-Highwayman flew backwards, crashing back into the grass.
Icarus flew directly towards Oscar and grabbed him by the side of his face, dragging him into the floor, slamming him against the soil repeatedly, before he drove both feet into his chest. He stomped against his chest and landed on the grass ahead of him with his wings extended outwards. Oscar gritted his teeth, with dirt and grass stuck against the side of his head.
"Careful with his wings, the feathers are sharp." Ozpin advised.
"Shut up." Oscar mumbled under his breath, trying to focus on the battle at hand.
"I do wish it hadn't come to this. But I do as my Queen demands!" Icarus yelled, and he suddenly blasted towards him and swung the two Khopeshes down at Oscar, spinning through the air and landing behind him. Oscar narrowly dodged them, and Icarus launched one of them towards him, but Oscar retracted his hammers and smashed the heads of them against the Khopesh, knocking it out of the air. But he opened his hands and the Gravity Dust in his gauntlets summoned it returned right back into his hands.
Icarus sprinted towards Oscar, blasting faster with the jetpack built into his wings, and he slashed not only his Khopeshes at him, but also his large mechanical wings. The razor-sharp feathers sliced through the air and across his aura. But Oscar dodged most of his strikes. Oscar jumped over his head and fired one of the hammers down towards him. He then wrapped the chain around his neck and slammed Icarus down against the ground with force, before jumping above him once more and swinging his hammer down towards his head with all his strength.
Icarus rolled aside, before slashing across Oscar's face with hid Khopesh. Oscar tumbled across the floor, staring back at Icarus as he jumped in the air and his wings opened up once more, flying directly at him. He withdrew the Khopeshes, switching suddenly to multiple grenades he threw towards Oscar, and his wings opened back up as he hovered before him, drawing his standard issue Submachine Guns once more, firing them repeatedly at him. His thruster and wings kept him hovering in position, swinging them back and forth over and over.
Oscar retreated but the grenades exploded and threw him against the wall so hard his green aura flickered. He groaned, struggling to get back up. "We need to retreat, Oscar. You cannot win this fight, not against him."
"Shut up… I can beat him." Oscar strained.
"No you cannot. He is an elite fighter; you were merely a bandit. Yes you were indeed trained by Raven. But he was trained in the art of killing for his entire life. You are no match for a man like that. You have to leave this place." Ozpin laid it plain for him to understand.
"But… it's our home…"
"And it will become your grave if you stay here. What's more important? A house or your family? We need to flee." Ozpin explained, but Icarus was not attacking him. Oscar stared at him and he pushed his hands against the floor.
He turned to see Weiss still battling against the Feral Ones on her own. She was handling it, but she knew this was merely prolonging the inevitable. They were never going to beat them all, there was an army of them. They had to get away.
Weiss shot across the road, driving Myrtenaster directly into the heart of one soldier, before ripping it out and jumping off his dying corpse, blood sprayed from his body, then she blasted across the road and cut through the necks of four soldiers. The blood splattered across the side of her face, but Weiss was no longer that girl who did not want to kill anymore.
These people… killed so many people… and took her boyfriend from her.
The time for mercy was at an end in her eyes, and these people deserved everything they got. Weiss jabbed another soldier repeatedly in the chest with her Fencing Sword, poking hole after hole into his body. Vernal was fighting alongside her now since she was occupied against some other soldiers across the field from her. Vernal launched one of her Discus Blade Guns towards the soldiers, beheading two of them and shooting three more in the head. But then one of the soldiers firing a grenade at her. The explosion threw Vernal across the ground, and her aura flickered. However it did not break, and she swiftly blasted two constant lasers around her in a perfect twirl, cutting the soldiers around her clean in two, killing the ten of them instantly.
Weiss drove Myrtenaster through the eye of one soldier and used him as a meat shield against the soldiers that were constantly firing their guns at them, shredding his body. Weiss reached down to the grenade dangling from his belt and he bit onto the pin and yanked it off, throwing it down the road towards them. The explosion threw multiple soldiers up into the air with a collective scream.
"Vernal! Cover me! I'm gonna get us some help!" Weiss called out, stabbing Myrtenaster down into the ground, closing her eyes. Vernal stood beside her, firing shot after shot like a Western Shooter, nailing each of the soldiers that rushed them every single time. She kept Weiss covered as the giant Glyph formed and spun on the ground behind them, and the Arma Gigas rose from it. It held its huge sword in its hands as Vernal threw Wind towards the soldiers, and it returned to her like a boomerang.
The Arma Gigas sprinted towards the soldiers, crushing one of the trucks, and it swung the sword across the ground, killing multiple savage Feral Ones in the impact. One of the Gunships hovered above the Arma Gigas, firing the machine guns down at it. The Arma Gigas took the impact of the bullets with its armour before grabbing onto one of the crushed Military Jeeps and throwing it directly at the Gunship. The Airship erupted into flames from the impact, and both burning wreckages came plummeting down in a giant fireball.
The Tank suddenly shot the Arma Gigas in the back which dropped it down onto one knee. But it was not destroyed yet, six years ago that shot would have destroyed it, but Weiss had become much stronger thanks to being able to meditate and train herself in her free time. The Arma Gigas raised the sword and used it to block the shells fired from the tank as it marched towards it, and then when it was close enough, the giant Knight grabbed the barrel of the tank and yanked the turret clean off the vehicle. The Arma Gigas used the Turret like a Hammer, smashing the Tank like it was a nail, breaking it apart, before throwing the Turret directly into one of the other Gunships, blowing it to pieces. The Arma Gigas finished the Tank off by driving the sword straight through the Tank, hitting the fuel cells which led to a powerful explosion.
The Feral Ones looked terrified of the Arma Gigas, but then suddenly Icarus flew towards it, and slashed his Khopeshes under the arms of the knight, injuring it. He flew back and forth, slashing it arm by arm, cutting them off, before he flew up into the air and held multiple grenades in his hands. He activated them and dove downwards, cutting a hole into the light and ramming them into the hole, before diving down and landing on the ground. The grenades exploded from within its chest and travelled up into its head.
Weiss screamed in agony, pressing her hands against her head. The major problem with her putting so much energy into using the Arma Gigas was that it felt like she could feel its pain. She nearly passed out, but Vernal caught her. Icarus walked towards Vernal and Weiss, and Vernal fired a powerful laser towards him, but he raised one of his wings, still walking forward. The wing deflected the laser, then she launched her other gun towards him, but he batted it aside with the other wing.
He grabbed Vernal by the throat and stared down at Weiss, grabbing her by her long-braided tail of icy white hair. "Come on." He commanded, dragging them towards the front of the nearly completely aflame house. He threw them across the front garden, pointing his machine guns at them.
Oscar was on his knees as well, beaten to a pulp by Icarus after Oscar tried to fight back despite Ozpin's warning, during Weiss and Vernal's assault against the Feral Ones. Oscar spat out blood, hearing him once more. "We still have a chance." Ozpin assured.
"There is no chance…" Oscar wheezed.
"Blake and Pyrrha are still out there. Cinder too." Ozpin said.
"Blake's Blind… and Pyrrha's got no weapons." Oscar said, he turned, and he saw Adam with Cinder looking at them with wide eyes. But then they realised she was looking past them.
They turned to see Feral Ones with guns to Blake and Amber's heads, taking them out of the Garage. "GET YOUR HANDS OFF HER!" Cinder screamed, but then she felt Wilt and Blush kiss her neck.
"Not another step, unless you want to see her brains be splattered over this nice garden of yours." Adam threatened. Cinder trembled with fear for Amber's safety, but then Adam saw her… Blake. He smirked as he forced Cinder to the middle of her family on their knees. Blake was forced down onto one knee and he crouched down in front of her, gently caressing her cheek. Blake shuddered, looking away. "Well… look at you. If there is one thing I can compliment you for… it is that you are still as beautiful as I remember." He said, before rising back up and standing behind her, grabbing her by her short hair and pulling her head back, so then she was looking forward. "Now… Eyes up. So to speak." He sneered.
"I wish things hadn't gone the way they did, this could have all been avoided." Icarus said, looking directly at Adam since he was the one who started this whole thing. All their dead soldiers and spent resources was on his order. "So we're gonna try this again. Cinder Fall – Killian came here recently, and he politely asked you to give up Pyrrha Nikos. But you lied to us and therefore you lied to Salem. That… is something that cannot go unpunished. However I do know that you do have a weakness… one that will give her up." Icarus explained as he walked around her.
He gestured to the Feral Ones and they brought something out of the truck whilst twenty soldiers went into the house to find anything else. They knew she had to be here somewhere.
Cinder stared at what was being brought out – it looked like a coffin. But when opened, they saw the Seer rise from within it. Adam's eyes widened with dream because Salem's face appeared in the Dome. Her eyes red and she did not look a day older since the ten years since Cinder ran, or even more lately, the six years since they spoke in the ruins of Beacon Academy. "Cinder." Salem greeted, everyone felt a light sense of dread whenever she spoke, and Adam felt it stronger than ever.
She knew… she knew the whole time…
That realisation made him feel sick, because that meant he was going to be punished for this. "This does disappoint me, it really does. I was hoping you would hold your end of the bargain we made. I held mine, Adam Taurus knew the whole time where Blake was hiding yet he never dared try until now." Salem stated, the Seer slightly turned towards him, and the glare she sent his way made him pale. "But… this can all be restored. Give me Pyrrha Nikos, and this does not have to become… worse… than it already is."
Cinder stared at her, then glanced at Weiss who shook her head desperately. Cinder then stared at Salem. "You're too late. She ran, she told me she was done hiding and was coming for all of you next for what happened to Jaune." Cinder stated, remembering what Pyrrha actually said to her earlier. Salem stared at her and she sighed, pinching the bridge of her brow.
"Okay…" Salem sounded sad, almost. "Icarus. Use the girl."
Icarus suddenly grabbed Amber by the hair, and she screamed in pain. "Ow get off me!" Amber screamed, before he threw her against the floor so hard it gave her cut on her cheek which drew blood.
"No! Get off her!" Cinder screamed desperately. Her eye ignited but then she saw Icarus swiftly draw that Khopesh and hold it against her throat, able to slit it with one swift motion if she tried anything. Cinder turned her desperate gaze to the Seer once more. "Salem, please no. I'm begging you, do whatever you want to me. Just don't hurt her, okay? That's all I am asking of you. Please, take me for a punishment. But don't hurt her." Cinder begged as tears started to well up in her eye.
"You have ten seconds. Where is Pyrrha Nikos?" Salem warned.
"Okay, okay! She's in the house, there's a cellar in the living room. I stowed her away there, I swear to god! Now let her go!" Cinder begged, and Adam turned to one of his soldiers.
"We searched the whole place, no sign of any Hatch." The soldier said.
"Five seconds." Salem warned once more.
"I'm telling you the truth! She's in there! Let her go!" Cinder screamed.
"Ow… it hurts… p-please…" Amber cried as she felt the blade cut against her skin, feeling his boot pressing against her back was hurting really badly too.
"I'm telling the fucking truth! There is a hatch! It's a wine cellar! Please don't hurt my girl!" Cinder screamed desperately.
The soldiers walked in the burning house looking around, unaware of the hatch that was covered in smouldering rubble. And inside was Pyrrha, her eyes darted back and forth as she heard the desperation in Cinder's voice. And Amber crying. "Moooooom!" Amber cried out, and Pyrrha felt something incredibly cold a dark overcome her as her eyes shimmered a dark purple behind the green.
Soldiers were right on top of her and they didn't even know it.
Salem stared at Cinder then the Seer turned to Icarus. "Kill her." Salem commanded.
"NO!" Cinder screamed, and Icarus went to slit her throat.
Until the howls of Pyrrha Nikos erupted from the cellar.
Pyrrha
A massive pulse of dark purple energy erupted from beneath the house, the floor and the roof of the entire house erupted into the sky, and the Feral Ones screamed in shock and agony as their bodies crumbled into ashes as the Pulse passed through them. Salem turned with Icarus and Adam, her eyes widened… and Oscar could feel the disbelief in Ozpin in his own mind.
"Impossible…" Ozpin gasped.
The pulse wiped out the soldiers, reducing them to ashes. Their screams echoed around them, and they saw Pyrrha stood in the flames as a shadow that was not her own was cast behind her, with curved horns. She leapt through the wall as it exploded, and she rolled across the floor, using her polarity and yanking an Automatic Shotgun from the hands of a Feral One, and she spun around, firing shot after shot at them. Their heads exploded into bloody fountains.
"HERE I AM!" Pyrrha roared, before yanking a shovel from the floor and launching it directly into the chest of one of the soldiers. Pyrrha continued to fire, hitting Adam in the chest which threw him backwards. Icarus folded his wings forward, but Cinder blasted all the elements into him, which sent him flying into the barn that Blake and Amber were hiding inside of earlier. Cinder immediately grabbed Amber and carried her, checking her cheek.
"Are you okay?" She worried, and Amber stammered.
"Y-Yeah." Amber sniffled, still in shock from Icarus being milliseconds from killing her. Cinder and Weiss helped Blake up after the shockwave knocked her over, yet it didn't even hurt her. It was focused on the Feral Ones. It did not kill them all, merely the ones in and closest to the house. They looked at Pyrrha with shock, as they saw… someone completely different.
Pyrrha dodged their incoming strikes, stopping the sword of one of the Feral Ones with her Polarity, and she yanked the sword from his grasp and threw it into his face. She then held her hands out to one soldier who aimed at her, and he started to wail in agony. He started to rise from the floor… and Pyrrha's outline was surrounded by a dark black shadow… using her Polarity at its darkest form. She held him by the iron in his blood, and she roared with fury, and ripped him in half, spreading blood across the floor.
Pyrrha grabbed his rifle and fired shot after shot at the enemies, before throwing it on the floor when she was out of ammo and rammed the snapped blade of Crocea Mors into the throat of another soldier.
Who are you?
This was not the Pyrrha Nikos they knew, and Oscar couldn't stop watching her, as if he and Ozpin both felt the same feeling. "Run! They're gonna kill you! Get to the Airship!" Pyrrha yelled as Adam sprinted towards her, but Pyrrha lifted the corpse of a soldier by his armour and threw him at Adam so hard it knocked him on the floor. Icarus stood back up and glared at her, snarling deeply in a metallic growl. He fired his Submachine Guns at her, but she held out her hand, stopping the metal bullets with her Polarity, before blasting all of them right back at her enemy. He folded his wings together, stopping them from hitting him.
She then held her hand towards a piece of metal from the house and she launched it towards Icarus, and it stabbed straight through one of his wings, pinning him to the wall of the burning house. He roared in rage as he tried to break free, but that wing was busted and needed repairs. Pyrrha ran with the others, but then another Tank roared towards them, firing towards the Garage Shed where the Airship was waiting for them.
Pyrrha felt the Darkness come over her once more and she screamed with rage, and the Polarity forced down onto the Tank. They watched as the barrel started to bend backwards, and they heard the agonised screams of the soldiers inside as the tank crushed them slowly. The tank shells in the vehicle detonated which caused the tank to blow itself to pieces.
But then… Pyrrha felt her body weaken, and everything went dark as she collapsed and passed out from the overuse of all that power. The last thing she felt was Vernal and Weiss dragging her to the Airship.
Adam
Adam shoved the dead soldier from his body, and he watched with wide eyes as the Airship broke through the roof and Cinder spun the ship around and fired its machine guns down at them before it turned and blasted away from the Farm. Inside of the Cockpit, everyone looked back with sad eyes as they watched their home collapse, and the flames consume what remained. Cinder wiped a tear from her eye as she flew the Airship, looking back once, but not again, focusing on their survival and nothing more.
Now they were hunted by Salem.
Once again.
Adam could not describe the anger he felt, and he could do nothing but roar with rage as he watched the Airship get away from them. And his prey managed to escape – once again. Failure had become quite the trademark for Adam Taurus.
"I bet you wish you could see my face right now." Icarus snarled, Adam turned and stared at him. Icarus yanked the pole from his wing and slammed it down on the ground. The wing was completely busted, sparks bled from the mechanical feathers and he knew that it needed serious repairs. He could feel his hairs stand on end… and he turned to see the Seer. Salem's face was no longer there, but the clicking Seer was just glaring directly at him before it just floated away.
"Well, well… Mr Taurus. I've heard you've really cocked up, haven't you?" Watts asked him suddenly, he heard him on the comms, and he touched it on his ear.
"Watts? How did you…"
"Quiet, boy. Get your ass back to Evernight with Icarus. We are going to see if we can try and clean up the mess you have caused." Watts stated.
"We?" Adam stammered, then he heard Tyrian's insane laugh appear.
"You didn't think our Queen kept us out of the loop, did you?" Tyrian laughed, and Adam winced. He was gonna pay big time for this screw up, he knew it in his bones.
"Try not to mess anything else up." Hazel also said. Adam looked up as he saw the Gyrfalcon roar overhead, the massive Four-Winged Assault Bullhead named – the Gyrfalcon.
And it was hunting them down.
They were not out of the woods yet.
Cinder
Cinder had no idea that Watts, Tyrian and Hazel were following their trail, but she kept on flying across Vale. Oscar was crouched down in the cargo bay beside Pyrrha who was still unconscious.
Weiss, Blake and Vernal were in here as well, with Amber asleep on Vernal's lap whilst Cinder was flying them somewhere they could repair the wing of the Airship. It got damaged when they flew through the roof, wouldn't take long to patch, but they needed somewhere safe to fix the injury.
"What the hell happened back there? I have never… ever… seen Pyrrha like that before. And what did she do? Her semblance… it's polarity… but those guys turned to ash." Weiss explained with disbelief in her voice.
"And she lifted a guy off the floor and ripped him in half… I thought it was only metal she could lift?" Vernal asked.
"We've seen her do that before… but she never went that far. It was like she was a totally different person." Blake stated as she gently caressed Amber's head as she slept with plasters on her cheek and neck.
"We'll ask her when she wakes up. We need to get somewhere safe to lay low so I can repair the wing… then we go somewhere I know is safe. Where Salem cannot find us." Cinder explained.
"Where?" Weiss asked.
Cinder looked at them. "The Summit's Claim. When I was with the Rogues and the Tribe, we went there on our way to get Amber back from Lavinia Vasillias. Leader of the Vasillias Cartel… they always take in people in need. If anyone will help us, it will be them." Cinder assured.
"I hope so…" Vernal sighed.
Oscar stared at Pyrrha, and he heard Ozpin say something… something that was unnerving yet familiar.
"I have seen that kind of power only once before… it scared me before… and it definitely still scares me now." Ozpin said.
They all saw it for a few moments.
Her shadow… it was not her own…
… it was the Brother of Darkness.
Author Note - God I love this chapter so much, such a fun, epic yet saddening chapter.
Was sad to see the Farmstead go, but at least nobody died (except for a fucktonne of Feral Ones XD). And at least all the animals were safe (and yes, the doggy is with them) But the fights were really cool to write, Cinder Vs Adam and Oscar Vs Icarus were good examples. And of course, Pyrrha unleashing the Power of Darkness upon the Feral Ones was awesome. Especially seeing both Salem and Oz stare at the pulse with recognition. I think we all remember that pulse in the canon show.
And Adam... you dumb creepy disgusting fuck... are about to get punished. And I think EVERYONE is happy to see that.
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Please review, follow and favourite!
Stay tuned for the next chapter - The Gyrfalcon
- Matt