Summary/Disclaimer: Time for another chapter of A Lingering Ember. Enjoy the 1500-word chapter. I don't own RWBY, Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth do.

(Mistral.)

Ms. Malachite wasn't startled by the doors being blown off the hinges. She watched Desmond walk through the rubble and flames. He cracked his fingers and glared at her.

"Mr. Torchwick." Malachite said as Desmond rested on Melodic Cudgel.

"Where is she?" Desmond questioned, fury in his eyes as Malachite's henchmen approached.

Desmond paid them no mind. He would win or die, and he sure as hell didn't plan on expiring here.

"Your aware that girl is a wanted criminal?" Malachite questioned, ignoring his own statement entirely. "She's been through so much… Honestly, she should have expired in Vale." Malachite added, taking a puff of her cigarette.

Desmond looked at the henchmen and then her. Malachite was cocky, she believed she had already checkmated him before he even tried.

He didn't really care. He planned on making sure she knew who she tried to threaten.

"GIVE. ME. NEO." Desmond hissed, every single world carrying as much venom as the last.

One of the thugs started to approach him only for Desmond to hum and blink before realizing this. They only respected force.

"Did you seriously think you could just walk…" The man got out before the end of Melodic Cudgel met his stomach.

The man didn't even get a second to collect himself before Desmond sent him flying into two of the guards. He rushed the remaining ones, spinning his cane to block any and all shots directed towards him. He lowered his shoulder and smashed into the woman before pivoting and firing a shot which threw a man with a bulky rifle through a window. He then turned, gripped the woman's arm with Melodic Cudgel's handle and tossed her into the table with Malachite.

A fifth goon went to shoot him only for a bullet to hit them in the leg, downing them instantly. Desmond turned to look at Malachite as 2 of his men entered the building.

"Now, let me talk business in a language you seem to understand." Desmond stated as he flipped the cane and aimed it at Malachite. "You probably think I'm worthless trash, you have ten thousand guys and I have nothing. That you could snap your fingers and I'd be dropping dead." Desmond added while the sounds of gunfire was heard in the distance.

"I might not be a match for your army, but I don't have to match it." Desmond added and leaned on his cane. "I didn't COME to take your turf; I didn't COME to try and shake you up. I came because you took one of the FEW people who actually seemed to trust me… AND you locked her up in some damn warehouse." Desmond stated, his gaze seeming to cut through Ms. Malachite like paper.

The woman knew more of her men were coming, but Desmond would probably fight them. Win or lose? He'd still take down many of her spiders before she gained any sort of advantage.

"You came here JUST for her?" Malachite questioned, dusting herself off and casually staring down the rival criminal. "ALL for some girl that you barely even damn know?" Malachite asked, a sneer seeming to envelope her very face as Desmond rolled his eyes.

He didn't need to answer that. She had already known it, he walked towards the back. Neo was probably being kept in some secretive location.

"You probably have thousands of men down there and around us." Desmond stated, leveling a glare at Malachite. "If you're under some sad little delusion I give even an OUNCE of a damn about you currently? Your more arrogant than you think. You want Mistral? Have it, I'm not going to let you stand between me and who I choose to care about." Desmond added before departing through the back door.

Malachite listened to the various gunfights around the bar. There were more gunshots than she expected, more fighting than she anticipated.

She hoped the remainder of her men she had hidden downstairs would dispose of Desmond. She'd not stomach his brass behavior more than another second.

(With Desmond)

Desmond crept slowly down each step, tapping each floorboard. A gunshot rang out which caused him to hum as the floorboard was blown into pieces. He blinked and shook his head, cracking his fingers.

"Where are you, Neo?" Desmond asked himself aloud as he blinked as he slowly walked down the stairs.

Another gunshot rang out, drawing Desmond's attention towards it as he lifted up his cane. There were more gunshots ahead of him, making him question what was going on.

"Crap, the girl is fre…." Desmond heard before that gunshot went silent.

He stopped to see a bullet casing at his foot, next to it was a spider who held the weapon in his hand. The men back had a slash across it.

"What the hell?" Desmond muttered, slowly keeping forward and sweeping his cane back and forth.

"What the hell is she!?" Desmond heard as the sound of metal hitting flesh was heard.

That as well went silent, he noticed more bodies, weapons scattered about. There was several dozen steams of bullets and cuts on the walls along with over half a dozen spiders. Every single one of the criminals were dead, either stabbed or looking like they had been cut somewhere on their bodies.

"STOP IT, STOP!" Desmond heard before the sound of assault rifle fire caused him to look ahead.

A woman with a nasty cut on her eye stumbled out of the room. Desmond raised Melodic Cudgel in the direction of the sound before he blinked.

Neo clung to the woman's shoulders, bruises covering her face and cut along her stomach. She wrapped her bare feet around the woman's throat, Hush held in her hand as Desmond watched another spider struggle to his feet.

Desmond lifted his weapon and popped open the barrel before firing a single blast from the weapon.

The blast flew over Neo's head, seeming to singe her hair for a moment before striking the wall behind her. She paused to see rubble rain down on a spider who she thought she had killed before.

"Neo." Desmond said as the woman blinked before the girl, she was attacking fell unconscious to the ground.

Neo collapsed to the ground, her aura glowing pink as the sound of footsteps approached her. She leaned on Hush before looking up to see Desmond who leaned down to greet her. He put a hand under her chin.

"You, ok?" Desmond questioned while he looked at her. "That piece of trash kidnapped you… I told you I'd have your back, didn't I?" Desmond asked the woman who nodded before she pointed at the room.

"Hmm? Did you find something in there?" Desmond questioned before he slowly walked into the room. "Oh, I see what you meant." Desmond stated and turned to look at his friend.

(5 minutes later)

"What's down there, you old hag?" One of Desmond's henchmen questioned as the woman chuckled.

Before she could respond with a snarky response that their boss was dead? The door blew into splinters.

"Hold that for me, ok?" Desmond's voice asked as he slowly appeared. "We're leaving, boys… Leave the spider in her broken web." Desmond ordered as he looked at the captured criminal leader.

In his arms was Neo, her boots, Hush, and Desmond's scroll and hat in her lap. She stuck her tongue out at Ms. Malachite as Desmond walked, Melodic Cudgel slung around his arm as he turned to Malachite.

"You EVER come after my friends or HER again?" Desmond stated before he narrows his eyes. "I will have a Bullhead burn this place to the ground. I'd also hire better men, your last soldier squealed like a Boarbatusk… So did I to a little help." Desmond said before a sound of sirens slowly started to approach.

Desmond smirked and carried Neo out bridal style, the girl looking at her savior before one of Desmond's bullheads landed.

"Everyone aboard, we're leaving." Desmond ordered his men while looking at the VTOL which landed in front of him.

Desmond climbed aboard, placing Neo in the seat next to him. He brushed off his jacket while he nodded and then gently slumped into the seat next to her. Desmond hummed as he blinked and sighed.

"You good?" Desmond questioned Neo who nodded. "I told you I'd come back for you." Desmond which caused him and shook his head.

Neo leaned into her friend, a strange sense of comfort settling over her.

Author Note

Phew. Another chapter done! I want to point out that next chapter will start the Atlas arc and such. Next chapter will be 1500 words and will show Neo and Desmond slowly moving to Atlas. Until 2-10 months, Lighting Wolf out!

P.S: Pyrrha is 1500 words Saturday, Ruby 900-1200 Monday or Friday. Yang 900-1200 Thursday, Penny 900 Sunday, Elm 1200 words Saturday, Blake 900-2500 Tuesday. Winter 1200 Tuesday, Raven 1200 Sunday, Cinder 1200 Friday, Emerald 1500 Wednesday or such.