Chapter 10 – Punishment
Pyrrha
"Get up! Pyrrha! Pyrrha Get Up!" The voice of Weiss Schnee seemed to echo in her mind, but she could barely hear her at first due to the ringing in her ears. She groaned in pain, pressing the palm of her hand against the sticky hot pain that dripped from her forehead. She felt like she had been thrown into a tornado, everything was spinning, and she felt sick to her stomach.
Oh… that's not good… that's a concussion… I think…
Pyrrha turned her gaze to the cockpit where she saw and heard Cinder coughing violently, spitting out blood as she wheezed. Cinder wiped the blood from her mouth with her wrist. "Hey! Invincible Dumbass! Get the fuck up!" Cinder coughed, stumbling through the destroyed Airship, which was quickly flooding with smoke. The fuel cells of the Airship had been critically damaged from the crash, which meant this thing was about to explode. And judging from the building heat in there? It was a certainty, not a probability.
Pyrrha shook her head and coughed, instantly finding and grabbing the snapped remnants of Crocea Mors, using the broken blade to force herself back onto her feet. She bumped off the walls, thankful to see that outside – Amber, Blake, Vernal and Oscar were also okay. Weiss grabbed Pyrrha and helped her out of there whilst Vernal did the same for Cinder. They stumbled out the back of the ship.
"Go! It's about to go!" Cinder called out. Everyone ran as fast as they could, and they dove away, hiding behind some of the rocks and pieces of debris that was left impaled into the sand. The Airship suddenly burst, creating a thunderous explosion. A huge fireball erupted from the hull, glowing gold shards of metal bounced across the beach, narrowly missing them or getting stuck into the rocks that they hid behind. Plumes of sand blew past them, and Amber covered her ears from how loud that blast was.
Cinder lifted her head slowly to see the remains of what was once the Airship they used for the past six years. "Thanks for all the great rides, old pal." Cinder sighed.
That ship got us out of the Branwen Tribe… it kept us safe for so long. Hell, even when it died it managed to hold out long enough for us all to get out.
Damn good Ship… gonna miss you.
"What do we do now?" Blake asked.
"It's cold…" Amber shivered, hugging her arms. Cinder looked up at the sky and she clenched her hand into a fist. She could not see it, but the roar of the Gyrfalcon echoed across the landscape. It was near, no doubt about it. They just had to stay out of its line of sight… but that would not be easy. It had Thermal Imaging and Night Vision cameras on it, and she knew that Watts was using them.
He would never take the risk of assuming they died in the crash.
"We need to keep moving. It's gonna get dark soon, and we do not want to be out in Anima at night on our own like this. It's bad enough having the Gyrfalcon hunting us, but being out here in the dark? When it's freezing cold and the Grimm are out here? We'll be dead by daybreak." Cinder explained.
"Agreed. C'mon, there's gotta be some shelter nearby." Vernal said, Pyrrha shook her head and touched the wound on her forehead. It was not too bad, but the blood was obscuring her vision in her right eye. They all started to move onward, and Cinder picked up Amber and carried her.
They walked for a few miles, always hearing the sound of the Gyrfalcon nearby. Vernal gasped, her eyes widened. "Get down." She told them, and they all hit the deck. Pyrrha watched it as it soared overhead, powerful thrusters roaring with bright blue and orange flames emanating from them. The thing was massive, for some strange reason Pyrrha never really realised how massive this thing was until she saw it hovering over the trees. It was at least three times the size of a normal bullhead.
Pyrrha had seen the many monsters of war crafted by the Atlesians, but this was something else. If Atlas had fleets of these things during the Great War? Remnant could be a vastly different place because this thing seemed to be almost unstoppable. It was fast, manoeuvrable, armed to the teeth and tough as nails. It scanned the forest, a large glowing blue ray of light was cast upon them, scanning every little thing, every organism. It slowly hovered across the landscape, the downdraft from its superheated thrusters was even burning the grass and the leaves of the tree.
It was like a descendent from hell, everywhere it went, destruction was always left in its wake. Cinder looked around, and she saw something. An old Schnee Dust Company Mining Facility, it looked abandoned, but the main building looked like it could keep them safe. "Over there, that mine!" Cinder whispered. "Just take it slow, don't draw attention to ourselves. We do not want that thing to figure out where we are."
They kept low to the ground, moving as fast but as quietly as they could towards the Mineshaft. Cinder approached the door and pressed her hand against the handle, heating up the metal slowly so then the lock would melt. "C'mon. Cinder… it's gonna find us." Amber whimpered as she watched the huge Gyrfalcon searching the area for them.
"I'm going as fast as I can." Cinder calmly assured as the heat built higher and higher. Then she suddenly switched to ice, blasting it into the metal, and the sudden shift of temperatures caused the metal to snap, and she forced the door open. Everyone ran inside and Cinder closed the door behind them, and Oscar propped a piece of wood against the door to keep it closed.
The two of them turned when they heard everyone gasp in shock. "Oh… by the gods…" Weiss gasped, covering her mouth with horror. Cinder and Oscar both stood beside them, and they saw what was in here.
There were bodies, old bodies, most of them looked skeletal. Broken, slashed and ruined from whatever killed them. There must have been hundreds of them in here. "What happened here?" Pyrrha asked, but Weiss whimpered, and she walked away from what she was looking at. Vernal covered Amber's eyes, hugging her close so she did not have to see this.
"They… they're the Slaughtered Huntsmen and Huntresses from Haven." Blake said, she may have been blind, but she knew what she was stood in front of. "There are mass Burial Sites like this in all the Kingdoms, where the Black Gallows dragged their bodies, tossed them in places like these and just left them here to rot. They were closed off because of the diseases in the air… we… we shouldn't stay here." Blake explained, she pulled her scarf up and wrapped it over her mouth and nose.
"Yeah, don't touch anything and cover your faces." Cinder agreed, everyone started wrapping whatever they had on them over their mouths and noses, some of them had bandannas, others had scarfs or just their shirts. Pyrrha stopped and noticed something as she wrapped her scarf over her mouth and nose.
"Wait… there's more than just Huntsmen and Huntresses here. Look… there're civilians here too." Pyrrha commented, she could tell just from the old clothes. They were all slashed or riddled with bullet holes, but the clothing differences were clear. The Huntsmen and Huntresses all had their stylish outfits, emblems imprinted on them and places for ammunition and such. Or… their school uniforms…
Seeing such young innocent souls in here was just terrifying and heartbreaking at the same time.
But then there were the civvies, it was easy to tell the difference. Normal clothes, normal accessories. "I know why." Vernal said, sighing. "Things weren't always this way. When Salem slaughtered the Academies and assumed control, many fought against her ideologies. Were enraged and wanted to avenge the lives lost in those Academies, families who lost loved ones. Parents who lost children. Lovers who lost their significant others. It was a small-scale war in the streets as they tried to overthrow Salem – but Salem unleashed the Black Gallows, the Feral Ones… and the Grimm… on them all. She made sure it was all recorded, making it very plain and simple where things stood. Thousands died, and after a few days of slaughter – nobody dared stand against Salem. They were too afraid to, and the ones who liked what Salem was pitching? Well they just became more powerful." Vernal explained.
"I remember that day… it was cruel… and now it looks like all those brave men and women were all just tossed in these mass graves as well. To be forgotten." Cinder stated.
"This is sick." Pyrrha stammered, unable to wrap her head around it. "Should we… do something?"
"Do what? They're dead, Cinder. Nothing we can do for them now. And besides, we need to leave this place. Locations like these? Filled with all this darkness? I can imagine there must be some really evil things lurking in those tunnels." Cinder explained, pointing into the open mineshaft. It was pitch black in there, and you could hear them. The roars of unspeakable Creatures of Grimm.
There had to be hundreds or maybe even thousands in there.
Weiss stood by the door and she slightly cracked it open, peering outside. The Gyrfalcon's thrusters roared even louder as the Four-Winged Bullhead ascended back up into the night sky, searching elsewhere for them. "Okay… the Gyrfalcon is gone. We can get to the Foot of the Mountain now." Weiss assured, opening the door. Vernal walked with Amber outside, whilst everyone followed. Pyrrha remained there, staring at the bodies just left there.
No gravestones to remember them by.
No names.
Just death.
Cinder waited for her, gently touching her shoulder. "C'mon." Cinder assured.
Is this what happened to them? To Ren and Nora? Ruby and Yang?
Everyone back at Beacon? I saw lots of bodies there, but what about the other Academies? How many other places are there like this? With so many bodies just left to rot.
These were people.
People who had entire futures ahead of them, and it was all snatched away.
This cannot continue.
Pyrrha finally walked with Cinder, and the two of them stepped through the door, closing it behind them. Pyrrha walked with them to the foot of the mountain, and she lifted her head to see the Brother of Darkness sat on a rock, in her head of course. He had his arms crossed as he stared at her with that featureless face. "Do you still have doubts on which side you are on?" Darkness asked her.
Pyrrha had learned that she could still communicate with the Brothers Grimm simply by talking in her head. "I always knew which side I was on; I want Salem dead. But it doesn't mean I am doing it for you." Pyrrha snarled, which made Darkness chuckle, and he hovered over her shoulder as she walked.
"We shall see, my dear. We shall see." Darkness assured, before disappearing once more.
A couple hours later…
Walking up the Mountain was always going to be a long journey, but they all felt like it was just going on forever. Amber was struggling, she was hardly unfit, the girl was one of the most hyperactive creatures Cinder had ever seen. She could run a full marathon and not even get winded, yet this Mountain was beating her.
In her defence, this had been quite a long day, and it was now midnight…
"There must be some shelter… nearby… soon." Amber stammered.
"Yeah… surely. This is a big mountain. Someone must have a shack or something." Vernal agreed as she stayed close to her. Cinder's eye was aflame, keeping the weather from getting any worse up here, but even then – there was not much she could do for the cold. They were high up now.
Blake kept walking, using Gambol Shroud's blade like her old Stick she used to tap anything in her path. Every now and then it would clank against one of the large rocks that stuck out from the snow in front of her. She felt her legs wobble as she walked, but she kept pushing forward. Weiss was also using Myrtenaster to keep moving.
Pyrrha stayed focused on the task, staring up at the rocks that were in front of them, following Cinder. "Bring back any old memories?" Pyrrha asked her, and Cinder glanced back at the Invincible Girl.
"Yeah… we're getting close to the Claim, I know it." Cinder assured; her cheeks were starting to go pink from the cold air.
"H-How can you possibly be sure of that? It's a mountain… it just… keeps going…" Pyrrha panted.
Cinder pointed ahead of them, it was hard to see in the darkness, but Pyrrha managed to spot it. Vernal, Oscar and Amber caught up and the little Amber smiled. "Yes… I remember this…" Amber said.
"What is it?" Weiss asked.
"When we were making the climb up here six years ago, we reached this point, and it was where we first met Icarus. He attacked Ren and Eryka, and they fought down there. Whilst I fought this big Troll up here. Bastard was a tough too." Cinder assured, coughing a couple times.
The damage from the battle could still be seen, shattered boulders and slashed in the stones. "It's crazy… it all feels so long ago now… like it was a different life. I kinda miss the one we had for those good six years though. Not liking this feeling of always being hunted." Cinder admitted as she walked onward, using a flame like a lantern.
"Are we sure the Gyrfalcon won't see the flame?" Weiss asked.
"Don't worry, Airships can't travel this high up. The Dust starts to go haywire, needs oxygen to run properly, and as you can tell from our breathing – it's not great up here." Cinder chuckled.
"If the oxygen is… so low… how can people survive up there?" Blake asked with confusion.
"No clue, some think it's some kind of old magic that protects the place. It predates the Great War; nobody really knows how old the place actually is. Those old Monasteries are really old… like so old that nobody even knows which civilisation they belong in." Cinder explained, the idea of buildings being that old always seemed to be baffling to even comprehend. How could something that old still be standing and in perfect condition?
Perhaps always having people living there was a good reason behind it.
"These people? Can we trust them?" Weiss asked.
"Well they took our asses in. A bunch of savage Bandits and Criminals, sure Eryka was injured when we got there, and she was trained there and all that… but they had every reason to turn us away. Especially if they knew about the things Shay was capable of doing. But they're good, and I doubt they'd try to turn us in. They've always existed outside the laws of society, in their own little bubble. I'm sure they'll take us in." Cinder assured, and Pyrrha shook her head with doubt.
"If this world has taught me anything it's that you shouldn't trust anyone." Pyrrha sighed.
"Well we took you in, even though I knew it was a bad idea." Cinder said.
"Cinder…" Vernal started to feel more and more concerned.
"You got something to say to me?" Pyrrha asked her.
"Pyrrha, please just drop it. We can't be distracted." Weiss sighed.
"No she's been giving me these looks all day. You wanna say something to me? Then go ahead, say it. Say what I know what you want to say."
Cinder stopped, and she clenched her hand into a fist, snuffing the flame. And snow started to blow around them as Cinder's eye stopped burning, letting the storm start to form once more. Cinder slowly turned around, glaring straight at Pyrrha, her fists tightly clenched.
Then she said it.
"I should have killed you that night. I should have let that arrow kill you once and for all." Cinder snarled.
Pyrrha wasn't expecting her to say that, not at all.
We should have thrown you out the second you showed up at our doorstep.
That was what she expected to hear, not hearing the voice of the Old Cinder Fall, the one who attacked Beacon and tried to kill her all those years ago. Hearing her say those words sent a completely different kind of chill down all their spines. Pyrrha's eyes were wide, then her green eyes narrowed, and she gritted her teeth, not noticing Darkness sat on a rock nearby, watching the tense exchange.
"Okay, that's enough. The two of you just cut it out." Oscar told them.
This is bad. We cannot let this divide us more than we already are.
Oscar heard Ozpin's words in the back of his mind, and he could not agree with him more.
Pyrrha held out her arms as she walked towards Cinder. "Take it then! Take your best shot!"
"Pyrrha, just ignore her!" Weiss grabbed Pyrrha's arm and pulled her back to try and defuse the situation but Pyrrha shoved the White Haired Schnee back.
"Go on! Here I am, Cinder! Do what you should have done in the first place! Go ahead, do me a favour! I've already lost everything! The only thing I have left is this!" She yelled, showing the snapped Crocea Mors still in her hand. Tears welled up in Pyrrha's eyes, and Cinder stared straight at her, her expression never changed, there was still anger towards her. "So do it. If you wanna do it so bad, then do it. But I promise you this, it better kill me on the spot otherwise you're gonna have to see a side of me you didn't know existed." Pyrrha threatened.
Both Weiss and Blake were gobsmacked, Pyrrha truly was different. This was completely unlike the Pyrrha they knew when they were at school – it was actually scaring them. But Cinder was scaring them as well, that glare in her eyes was one that they hadn't seen since she was last at Beacon Academy. That fact alone scared them just as much as what Pyrrha was becoming.
Cinder slowly started to form something in her hand until Amber rushed in between them. "Stop it! Both of you! You're both better than this! What happened back then, it happened! But neither of you are the people you once were!" Amber shouted, they still stared directly at each other, but Cinder paused in forming her weapon. "Cinder! You're not that person anymore! I know you continue to insult yourself because of who you once were, but you are not that person! And Pyrrha? Yeah… maybe in hindsight taking you in was a bad idea. But I don't regret it! I was the one who made that choice, not Cinder. I convinced her to take the risk, and if we hadn't? You wouldn't have been there to save my life." Amber explained.
The two of them started to ponder on her words and Pyrrha lowered her arms and Cinder let the ash fall into the sand. Amber lowered her hands down as well. "We need to keep going, okay? Don't let all this we could've, should've, would've scenarios weigh us down. It doesn't matter, all that matters is that we get to the Summit's Claim." Amber explained, and Vernal smiled proudly as she looked at the young lady.
"How did you grow up so fast?" Cinder chuckled, and Amber smiled.
"I had good role models." She said back with a bright smile, which made Cinder smile back. Cinder looked at Pyrrha and she just kept walking ahead, whilst Pyrrha stood there. Blake stood beside Pyrrha and looked at her.
"And for the record – you haven't lost everything. There are still people who care about you, Pyrrha. Just think about that." Blake said, walking ahead, and Pyrrha stood there alone. She clenched her hands into fists, she felt like she should just walk away. Like she was some sort of curse on these people, and that leaving them would make them safer.
But she couldn't…
… she wanted to make sure that at the very least, they all made it.
They continued up the mountain, and they happened upon something rather interesting. An Old Town, it looked like something out of a Cowboy Movie, which made it even stranger, considering it was up here on a mountain. "Huh… I don't remember seeing this here when we were making our way up here." Cinder stated.
"Look, the path we used collapsed, looks like someone must have changed the path to go through this town." Amber explained. "I still remember how close to the edge we were when we got this close."
"How much further is it?" Blake groaned, rubbing her thighs.
"Not much further, but we could still check this place. Could be something here we could eat, canned food or something. Give us a little boost to get us the rest of the way." Cinder explained.
"Ugh, why did Ren's dad have to live at the top of the frickin world?" Weiss whinged.
"It's not a bad idea. Nobody can fly up here, not even Grimm. Unless Salem made specific modifications to make them survive up here. But… the Summit's Claim keep to themselves, so they are no real threat to her. So why should she even bother with all the trouble?" Cinder explained, shrugging her shoulders.
"But… you're saying that… she could?" Vernal asked.
"I dunno, anything's possible. I've seen the things she's made and… well… you tend to keep an open mind after you see them." Cinder explained.
"You mean the Praetorian Knights?" Oscar inquired.
"Exactly. I remember when I first saw them – She told me that they were just Ancient Geists… but… the fact they could speak? It always struck me as odd, those things always felt like they were more. At first I didn't believe in some things… but after I met them? Well… I became a bit more open minded." Cinder chuckled.
"That's understandable. I still can't believe there's Thirteen of the bastards. It took everything we had ten years ago to kill one. ONE." Blake explained. "How the hell are we meant to kill Thirteen of them?" Blake explained.
"You kill the one who controls them." Cinder explained. "At least… I hope that's how it works."
Pyrrha could not help but turn to Darkness as she saw him stood there. "Is it true? If we kill Salem will the Grimm die?"
"Not… exactly." Darkness answered. "I will resume command of them, and I will have them return to their primitive function."
"You mean they won't die?" Pyrrha spoke aloud that time, which got Cinder's attention.
"No. They will serve me."
"Then get rid of them, surely we'd earn that much after killing her." Pyrrha questioned.
"No. The Grimm serve a purpose; they keep Humanity and Faunuskind where they belong. Remove the Grimm and the Food Chain collapses, and life will grow too far and become parasitic." Darkness explained.
"Who the hell are you talking to?" Cinder questioned.
"The Brother of Darkness." Ozpin suddenly answered through Oscar.
"Whoa! Gods… could you give us some warning next time before you just possess my buddy?" Cinder gasped, jolting from her skin as she heard the weird mixed voice of Oscar and Ozpin's tones.
"Ah, my apologies." Ozpin chuckled. "But I could tell from the moment I heard it. You are communicating with him, aren't you?"
"Y-Yeah… sorry… I forgot to do it in my head." There's the old Pyrrha, always apologising for the most unnecessary things.
"No need for an apology. I have experienced it as well, Oscar has not yet – but whenever Light chooses to, he will return for another conversation." Ozpin explained.
"Wait, so the Brothers Grimm are literally in your heads?" Cinder asked with shock.
"Yeah, he's really annoying." Pyrrha stated, which actually made the Brother of Darkness chuckle. "He said… that even if we kill Salem, the Grimm won't die. They will just return to his command, but he won't remove them for us. They will just go back to how they used to be."
"Well, that's not totally bad." Vernal shrugged.
"How is that not bad?" Cinder asked with confusion, and Vernal crossed her shoulders.
"Well the Grimm now are almost militaristic; they use strategy and can pop out of anywhere and even patrol the cities. I gotta admit I do miss the old days when they just lurked in the woods." Vernal explained, shrugging her shoulders.
"Well… I'd rather them just fuck off for good if I'm being completely honest." Cinder huffed.
"Hey, take any silver lining you can ge-AAAHH!" Vernal suddenly screamed in agony as the Cybernetic Scorpion Stinger of Tyrian Callows stabbed her right in the back and lifted her off the floor.
"VERNAL!" Cinder screamed, and Tyrian laughed maniacally as he threw her across the floor. Blood poured from the major wound in her back, alongside the venom that just got pumped into her. She started to shiver from the pain she was feeling, as the venom started to flow through her bloodstream. Tyrian's eyes glowed purple and he fired the Queen's Servants at them, jumping up and landing on the tiled roof of the building.
Everyone engaged their auras, and Cinder's eyes erupted with flames. "TYRIAN!" Cinder bellowed, blasting towards him, and he jumped towards her. Cinder grabbed him by the throat and slammed him against the wall, cracking the stone behind him. She punched him repeatedly in the face, but he continued to laugh at her. His Mechanical Scorpion Tail coiled around her arm and he twisted hard and fast, and the two of them crashed down against the ground. Tyrian jumped off her body and landed on both feet, sprinting through one of the open buildings.
Cinder shook her head, and she started to get back up, spitting out blood. "Your peace has failed you!" Hazel's voice suddenly boomed from above, Cinder swiftly looked up and saw him stood atop the building next to her.
"Oh fuck!" Hazel jumped down towards her, but she rolled out of the way just in time, narrowly missing his fist and knee which pummelled into the hard floor beneath him, sending cracks through it. The Monster rose back up, driving a pair of Fire Dust Crystals into his sewn together arms, and flames burned through his dead flesh.
"THERE WILL BE NOTHING LEFT!" He roared as he sprinted towards Cinder and grabbed her by the throat, he carried her by the neck in his massive hand through one of the buildings, shattering the door, and throwing her through the window. Cinder crashed straight through the glass, and she felt dazed whilst everything became weightless. But she turned and saw the steep incline beneath her, and her eyes hardened.
And the fire reignited once more, Cinder blew back towards Hazel and punched him in the face. She passed by him and drove her boots into the snowy floor, slowing herself down.
Behind her, Tyrian bounced off the walls as he dodged the incoming shots from Weiss' Glyphs. She stood beside Vernal whilst Amber and Blake tended to her wound. They rolled her over and saw the veins were darkening and becoming discoloured. "Oh gods, he's poisoned you."
"You don't say?" Vernal gritted her teeth, taking the pain.
"How far is the Claim?" Blake asked.
"It's… just up there…" Vernal strained.
Blake suddenly lifted Vernal up and put her arm around her shoulder and extended her other hand to Amber. "Amber, sweetheart, can you guide us there? We need to get her there, and maybe get some help!" Blake asked, and Amber smiled – nodding her head. Amber took Blake's hand to guide her and they started to run as fast as they could, leaving Cinder, Oscar, Pyrrha and Weiss to fend off Tyrian and Hazel.
Vernal coughed from the pain as they rushed as fast as they could, and they both ducked down as Fire burned overhead from Cinder as she battled against Hazel, getting punched directly in the chest which smashed her against the wall. Then Tyrian leapt out and Weiss pursued, sliding across the ground on her Glyph, firing firebolts up at him but he swung towards her by his tail and kicked Weiss in the face. He then lunged directly for Amber, only for Pyrrha to suddenly throw her fist directly into the side of his face.
They kept on running, hopefully help could get there in time.
Tyrian swiped his fist across Pyrrha's face and then pinned her against the wall, staring directly into her eyes with an insane grin on his face. "Give yourself up, and they live. Last chance." Tyrian snarled, but Pyrrha suddenly extended her reach with Polarity, and launched an old Drainage Cover into him. The metallic bang rang out for miles, and he tumbled across the floor, driving the Queen's Servant's into the ground, sparks bounced from the contact of his blades. Pyrrha held the Snapped Crocea Mors tight and clenched her fist, she may not be as strong as she once was… but she was still Pyrrha Nikos.
Weiss landed next to her and nodded her head at her friend. Weiss blasted off the Glyph she casted behind her, thrusting Myrtenaster forward to try and stab Tyrian in the chest, but he ducked down and kicked Pyrrha in the chest as she jumped towards him. But Pyrrha stuck the landing and quickly slashed Crocea Mors down towards him. He stopped her arm with his tail and fired both machine guns into Weiss, slowly withering down her aura, but then Weiss blasted a powerful gust of Wind from her Glyphs which forced him backwards. Weiss shot forward once again, and she rolled across his back and grabbed onto his long tail of hair.
He yelped from the pain and she launched him towards Pyrrha who held out her arm to close line him. Tyrian tumbled across the ground but stood back up and he rushed towards Pyrrha once more, she swung her fist at him, but he suddenly launched his tail forward and wrapped it around her arm, yanking her forward and he slashed at her, before jumping and flipping forward, slamming Pyrrha down against the ground with immense force. He then landed on her chest, blocking the incoming Icicles with his mechanical tail.
He stomped down at Pyrrha's head, only for Weiss to stop him by deflecting his tail with Myrtenaster, and she then jumped up and kicked him twice in the face. He stumbled off Pyrrha, but Weiss continued. She dashed forward, jabbing the pointed blade of Myrtenaster at his chest over and over again, widdling away at his aura, before stabbing the sword down into the ground, suddenly blasting huge spikes of ice from the ground at him.
He crossed his Pincer Blades over, and they blocked the ice, but the impact still threw him backwards. He dropped but spun across the floor, landing on his tail. He jumped up in the air and landed back on his feet. Weiss had learned to do many other things as well with her ever-evolving Semblance, and she channelled her aura into the tip of her sword, closing her eyes, and she suddenly blasted a powerful beam of white energy towards him. But Tyrian's bulb caught the beam, and he started to refract the beam by slowly moving his tail, causing it to carve through one of the windows, before turning it back at Weiss.
She gasped, and the beam threw her backwards, slamming her against a wall. Pyrrha gasped. "Weiss!" But his insane cackling turned her gaze as Tyrian charged towards her and jumped, he dove down and slammed both Queen's Servants down at her throat, but she held Jaune's Old Sword up, stopping the impact. They stared into each other's eyes, and she saw what he was.
Evil.
Nothing More.
Nothing Less.
Hazel punched fast and hard at Cinder, but suddenly Thunderous Deception wrapped around Hazel's muscular arm. He turned to see Oscar who smirked at him and he suddenly pulled him backwards, before retracting the hammer's chain back to the handle. Hazel roared, throwing a punch towards Oscar, but he dove down and slid under his fist, spinning around and smashing his hammer up Hazel's jaw. He grunted from the strike, and he crashed through the roof of the building.
Hazel growled savagely as he climbed out from the building, ripping out a piece of rebar with ease and throwing it down at them like a spear. Oscar's eyes widened when he looked at the building, hearing screaming. "Wait…" He gasped, seeing little kids inside, a whole family. He then looked around at the whole town, realising something shocking. "Oh shit, this place isn't abandoned!" Hazel suddenly dove down and threw Oscar against the ground. "There are people here… stop this…" Oscar winced.
"I know who you are…" Hazel growled, glaring at his face. "You're his new form… and you will die like all the rest." He threatened. Cinder drove her Spear she forged straight through Hazel's back, twisting it to pull him backwards from Oscar. She then blasted flames from her feet and ripped the long spear from his spine and threw it down towards his face. Hazel raised his hand and the spear stabbed straight through his hand and pinned him down against the ground.
Cinder saw them as well. "The hell? You're right! I thought this place was abandoned." Cinder shook her head with confusion, something did not feel right.
The buildings… they're old, broken and falling apart. How could there possibly still be people here?
She stared at one of the families, and she noticed something… they shimmered for a few moments.
"No… it is abandoned… someone else is here. Focus, don't let anything distract you." Cinder told him as she looked around.
Emerald? Is this you?
No it can't be… yes she is good with her illusions, but showing the same thing to multiple people? For a long time? No… this is someone else.
Cinder could no longer ponder, because Hazel suddenly jumped up towards her and grabbed her by the shoulders, pummelling her down against the floor with brute force. He lifted her up and smashed her down repeatedly. Oscar jumped overhead and the Chains of Thunderous Deception wrapped around his throat and Hazel choked on them as Oscar pulled him off his friend. He then launched the other Hammer forward into Hazel's face, before yanking him forward so hard it made him fall flat on his face. Oscar charged towards him and spun the chain hard and fast, jumping up and slamming the momentum built up directly into Hazel's face.
He grunted, thrown up into the air, and Cinder jumped up, forming her Obsidian Battle Axe and slamming it down into his chest with all her might. He crashed down against the ground and snarled, crushing the axe down into embers, getting up without a scratch. "Gods this dude is tough."
"He's a monster – the dude in your head? Ozpin? Well he was the one who made him, he wanted to find new ways to challenge Salem, and creating a monster from dead people was one of his ideas. Something that could not be killed… except he didn't expect that monster to join Salem instead. So if you're wondering why this bastard hates you so much? It's because of that." Cinder assured.
"Whoa… okay… not gonna lie, can't say I can blame the big dude. But I'm not interesting in paying the price for Ozpin's mistakes." Oscar yelled, and he charged towards Hazel and launched his Hammer towards him, only for Hazel to suddenly catch the chain and yank him towards him. He then punched him in the face, creating a fiery explosion upon impact. Oscar crashed to the ground with a groan, his aura took one hell of a beating there, it even flickered when he hit the ground. Cinder flew around him, blasting icicles down from above, but he raised his forearm, taking the spikes of ice, melting them down into steam.
He stomped down against the ground, and the flames channelled through his boots into the ground, sending fire bursting from the cracks he forced. Cinder dodged each of the pillars of fire that came after her, but one of them collided into her, knocking her out of the air. Cinder gasped and she shuffled backwards on the ground, Hazel started to go berserk, pummelling the ground repeatedly with vicious rage, shredding the ground around her, only narrowly missing her. Cinder then closed her eyes, and the roots in the earth swiftly came from the snow and they wrapped around his body. Oscar and Cinder both charged towards him and they jumped for him, only for Hazel's veins to glow bright red.
Hazel howled deafeningly as his eyes glowed red, and he created one hell of a pulse of hot air through his body. The vines burned to ash and the blast knocked the two of them out of the air. Cinder held her ground but both she and Oscar could not hold off against the sheer heat, and it shredded their aura until it broke. They both collapsed to the ground, groaning in pain from their burns. But luckily his pulse ended before the burns could be too serious.
Pyrrha and Weiss turned with wide eyes, and they quickly returned back to Oscar and Cinder who needed backup.
Pyrrha raised her fist and the broken sword whilst Weiss kept her sword on Hazel. Tyrian landed in front of Pyrrha with that same mad smirk on his face.
But then…
… red petals shot behind Tyrian.
A shocked smile of disbelief formed on Weiss' face, and Hazel and Tyrian both looked past Pyrrha and Weiss. There she stood in the shadows with her hood pulled up. Hazel gritted his teeth and channelled fire into his fist, blasting a fireball towards her. But then the figure spun two razor sharp One-Handed Sickles through her fingers, blocking the fireballs from hitting her. Hazel's eyes widened because he now realised who it was as well.
When she opened those silver eyes.
She stepped out into the lunar light, and Ruby Rose smirked at the two Villains. Cinder couldn't help but chuckle. "Oh you two are so fucked."
An Altum Eagle unexpectedly shrieked and dove down towards Tyrian, slashing his talons across the side of his face. Yang blasted through one of the old buildings towards Tyrian and punched him across the face, breaking his stance, and Tyrian stabbed down at the Blonde Brawler as Ruby, Eryka, Winter, Nora and Ren all charged towards Hazel Rainart. He blocked the incoming bullets from Stormflower as he slid down the icy snow, and Nora launched Magni towards him.
His eyes widened as the small hammer crashed into his chest so hard he had to dig his feet into the ground. The hammer called back to her hand, whilst Eryka slid underneath Tyrian's legs whilst Yang laid a beating on him punch after punch, she slashed Slice 'n Dice across Tyrian's leg, then drove the sword straight through Tyrian's gut when Yang broke his aura. A bone chilling roar of agony erupted from Tyrian. Yang proceeded to punch Tyrian in the face so hard it broke his nose and he tumbled to the ground as Eryka pulled the blade from his stomach.
Ruby slashed Black Thorn repeatedly across Hazel's chest, dodging his punches, and Ren fired the blades of Stormflower into his shoulders, firing himself forward and kicking Hazel in the chest. Winter also drove her sword down into the ground and the impact sent huge spikes of Ice towards Hazel, impaling the invincible monster. "Heads up!" Nora called out, firing Stormur Skeggox' Grenade Launcher into Hazel, and the explosion threw him across the ground.
Hazel turned and grabbed Tyrian. "Get up!" Hazel yelled.
"I… argh… I can't…" Tyrian winced.
"If you're expecting mercy from us, guess again." Winter assured.
"You will be begging mercy from our Queen soon enough." Hazel assured, Ruby turned and gasped.
"Look out!" She yelled, as the last thing they ever expected to see up here came roaring towards them.
The Gyrfalcon.
The massive Assault Ship banked around the Spiring Peak of the Mountain, and it fired its missiles towards them. Winter drove her sword into the ground, forming a protective barrier to keep them all safe, but the Gyrfalcon descended low enough for Hazel to carry Tyrian aboard. Ruby stared through the bubble at Watts who smirked sinisterly at her, before the rear door closed, and the Gyrfalcon's Thrusters blasted the Airship away into the horizon.
"Looks like he's managed to upgrade that thing…" Ruby stated.
"Li's gonna need to hear about this development." Yang said. They all turned to Weiss, Pyrrha, Cinder and Oscar. Nora and Ren stared at Pyrrha with utter disbelief at who they were looking at. But no words were shared, and despite everything – the two of them quickly ran to Pyrrha and embraced her in a warm hug. Pyrrha looked just as shocked, she believed they were dead as well.
They were gonna have to talk… and it would not be a pretty one… but for the moment… it was just joy to see each other again.
Tears welled up in Weiss' eyes as she sprinted to her big sister and jumped into her arms. They both cried tears of happiness, and Winter fell to her knees as she held her close. Ruby and Yang both approached Weiss and they held her as well, turning to see Blake and Amber coming down here. Amber guided their friend down the steps, and Yang's eyes widened with shock at her friend's eyes.
"Blake…" Yang softly said.
"Yang…" Blake stammered, Yang immediately got up and wrapped her arms around her former partner.
Eryka smiled as she saw them all reunited, but… part of her was sad. She really hoped she would see Neptune's face among them… but no… not everyone got to be reunited with lost loved ones.
"Come on… let's get you all somewhere warm, and something to eat." Ruby said with a smile.
Watts
Tyrian growled in pain as he held his gut, feeling the blood leaking from the injury. "Hold him still, Hazel." Watts commanded as he held the vial in his hand, the swirling Grave Dust rose up with his Golden Rings which shone blue. He then gave Tyrian a piece of leather. "Bite it, unless you want to lose your tongue."
Tyrian did as he was told, and the Grave Dust descended down to his wound and he roared with immense pain as the dust started to close the wound as originally intended. Stopping the bleeding and sealing the injury. That was the original idea behind this dust, a device that keeps people stable long enough for medical teams to arrive so they can actually patch them up without them bleeding out. It took a few seconds, but it was agonizing, but he stayed conscious, and took the strap from his mouth, with the indentions of his teeth left behind.
Tyrian laid on the floor, recovering from his injury. "Damn it… we were so close." Hazel growled.
"Do not despair, Hazel. We will have our chance. Besides, we know for certain where they all are now." Watts explained.
"Yes, the Summit's Claim. That place is like a Fortress and no Grimm can get up there. Yeah the Gyrfalcon can but even then… I don't think this thing could destroy it alone. Not with all those damn kids down there." Hazel explained.
"We won't need the Gyrfalcon. Salem has plans for an Army of Grimm specifically designed to take the place down. Now that we know the Summit's Claim has been where they have been hiding for the past six years… we can eliminate them and get our hands on that Relic." Watts explained.
"But… we still failed… our Queen." Tyrian reminded, and Watts gently held his shoulder.
"No we did not. Salem told us that all she asks of us is that we try. The one to blame is back at Evernight, and we are about to witness his punishment for what he did." Watts explained.
Tyrian could not help but giggle. "About time."
Salem
Hours later…
She held her hands together, glowing red eyes glaring across the long table. She did not move and did not say a single word to him. Adam was on his knees before the very end of the table, whilst the Children of Salem, Mercury and Emerald were sat at their seats. And stood around the room were the Fourteen Praetorian Knights. All in the Shadows, awaiting their orders.
Tyrian was laid back in his seat, bandaged up by Watts, but he still was listening and ready to do anything for his queen.
Then…
… Salem spoke.
"I would like you to explain… to me… what specific part of my order you could not understand?" Salem asked him, staring directly at him.
"I…" Adam fumbled for words. Salem's expression did not change, she just stared at him with her hands together. "I wanted to carry out your will, to show that Cinder Fall was wrong to challenge you."
"More… lies…" Salem whispered, staring directly into his eyes.
Salem fell silent once more, it made the other Children of Salem feel uncomfortable. Emerald gently tugged at her arm as she sat there. Then something seemed to brew up in Adam's eyes, and he glared back at her. "Yes… that was a lie." He admitted. Watts raised a brow. "I did what I did because your way of doing things is not working. You let her live-in safety despite being the very thing you sought to destroy. How are we supposed to carry out your will if you do not let us?" He barked; Salem just glared directly into his eyes.
No anger.
Nothing at all.
Yet Adam's heart was pounding. "Ma'am…" He softly said, his voice breaking. Yet Salem still fell silent, he then looked at them all. He couldn't help but laugh at them. "Look at you all. How can you all not see things the way that I do? We follow her blindly, doing whatever it is that she asks! She always tells us she will give us the things that we want, but what has she given any of you? Huh? Have you got the revenge you wanted, Hazel? How about you, Killian? Are you able to live your peaceful life alongside being a Tyrant? The only person she cares about is herself!" Adam barked.
Salem's eyes tracked him as he dared to walk towards her, and Tyrian gritted his teeth, ready to pound, but Salem gently put her hands down and touched his knee to calm him. "She is nothing more than… a liar." He snarled, standing right in front of her. Salem smiled kindly, tilting her head.
The Silence was agonizing.
Then… her kind face changed… her eyes started to glow…
… and then she bolted upright and grabbed him by the throat, lifting him off the floor like he weighed nothing at all. He choked and gasped for air, kicking his legs back and forth. "Oh Adam… round and round we go with this… how many times must we have this conversation?" She sounded like she was speaking to a petulant child. "You disobeyed me, lied to me – and now you insult those loyal to me… and call me a liar?" Salem questioned as her nails dug into his neck. She sapped him of his aura instantly, breaking it.
She stared up at him, her eyes furious now. "You served me well in the past, but this? This is something I cannot let go unpunished." Salem glanced down at his Grimm Hoofed Legs. "I gave you those legs, do not forget how easily I can take them away." Adam suddenly felt a burning hot tormenting pain in his legs, as the black limps evaporated into smoke and blood began to pour out from the stumps.
He shrieked from the pain and Sale, released him, letting him fall on the floor. He grabbed his legs and writhed from how much it hurt. That was when a Blood Red Glyph formed beneath him, and the blackened Apathy Hands reached up and grabbed his arms and body, holding him still. She smiled down at him with her hands held together. She then lifted her head to the Fourteenth Knight.
"My Knight… please educate Young Adam Taurus on what happens to those who disobey me." Salem commanded politely, Adam screamed from both the agony and the pain.
"No! Please! Your grace! I beg of you; I won't disobey you again! I understand now! I understand!" Adam pathetically cried out, tears streamed from his eyes and down his cheeks.
The Knight stood over him, and suddenly brought his sword down towards his face. The blade cut his cheek, driven down into the marble floor right next to his head. Adam shrieked with terror, feeling the heat from the Relic of Destruction that burned the floor next to him. He whimpered and stared at the Knight.
It was no Praetorian Knight.
It leant down from the shadows, revealing its face. "You're scared… and weak!" Jaune Arc snarled, with a demented grin across his face, his eyes glowed purple. His skin was pale like Salem's with cracks of purple embers spreading from his eyes. Clad in heavy impressive armour.
The Children of Salem, Emerald and Mercury all shared the same look of total shock and awe.
Jaune… was alive… and turned into a monster…
Jaune pulled the Relic of Destruction from the ground and walked over Adam, his heavy boot stomped over his gut. He gasped and cried with terror on the floor, snivelling pathetically. Salem stood there as Jaune stood beside her. "Bring me my Lamp… and my Sword." She commanded with glowing red eyes.
Adam stared at his legs as the Hooves returned and he could stand once more as the Apathy Hands released him. He stumbled back upright, hunched forward with fear of his Queen. "I will! I promise… I promise I won't fail you again! I pro-mise!" He wailed, sobbing as he hobbled away. Salem smirked and she turned back to the Children of Salem.
She walked back towards her Throne with Jaune following her.
"The time of our Victory is near, my children. It is time we find the final two pieces of the puzzle. Icarus take Adam Taurus and one of my Praetorian Knights. I have created a grand force of Grimm which can survive the trek up to the Summit's Claim. Burn it to ash." She commanded.
"It will be done." Icarus bowed his head.
"Killian, I want the Black Gallows at the ready. Make sure we have no loose ends trying to uncover any secrets about us."
"Consider it done."
"Watts, Hazel, I want you to take Emerald and Mercury, and when he is recovered – Tyrian – and you must find the final Relics. If Ruby Rose manages to escape Icarus and Adam's assault, find them and eliminate her, and bring me the Lamp. If Icarus manages to get the Lamp in his attack, then find Creation. We must find the Relics… and finish what we have started." Salem ordered.
"Your wish is our command, your grace." Watts assured.
The Children of Salem all stood up and departed to carry out their duties as ordered by Salem.
The Dark Queen sat down upon her throne and leant back against its spine, with Jaune stood beside her. She smirked sinisterly as they all left.
Knowing – everything was going according to plan…
Author Note - So... THAT HAPPENED
To all the people who have been asking me if the old Salem Knight artwork David did years ago was ever gonna be in the story? Well... I am so glad to finally show I hadn't binned it. David and I came up with this twist revelation ages ago and my god does it feel awesome to finally publish this chapter. I have said this for a few chapters in the past - but legit - THIS is the chapter that made us wanna bring this story back. I remember when David and I came up with this moment and we both were just in love with the idea. Of Jaune dying, everyone thinking it was gonna stay that way, and then suddenly, he's back in such a scary way.
Also, getting to see little pissbaby douchebag Adam Taurus get tormented is always great XD
Apart from the epic ending, I loved the rest too! With the Farm Survivors getting ambushed by Tyrian and Hazel, and of course - Finally being reunited with the rest of the gang! Obviously things are gonna be tense considering what happened at the end of the last Act, but I felt they deserved to be happy in this moment.
Poor Eryka, I wanted to hug her there :(
I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I SURE DID ENJOY WRITING IT! Please review, follow and favourite!
Stay tuned for the next chapter - The Salem Knight
- Matt