CHAPTER XVI
No Greater Love
Athena looked around. She was in the Third Layer of the Labyrinth, but fortunately no monsters were nearby. This manifestation of Mistral was as grisly as she remembered it being, with the solid walls and floor replaced by grating which showed the ducting and other innards of the building. Beneath her feet, the darkness seemed to extend forever.
Okay, she thought. You've been through this before. You can't be fooled by this shit a second time.
She wandered around, shining her flashlight ahead. Of course, beyond fifteen yards, this tool was all but useless. Still, it was better than walking in pitch black.
Stubbing a toe is way too easy when you can't see where you're going.
Raspy breathing came from up ahead. She neared a corner, where the breathing was loudest. She had no idea what would be around the bend, whether it would be a single Corrupted or a hundred of them in a row. Since she was alone, she opted for caution, memorizing the layout of a nearby map before switching off her light, progressing forward using nothing but her awareness of her position in the environment.
The hoarse breaths were far behind her when she switched on her light again, but she nearly fell against the wall when the beam landed on a Corrupted, the grotesqueness shocking her almost out of her skin. Her knuckles went white as she gripped Pallas tightly. The monster did not see her; its eyes appeared to be stapled shut. It stood in place, breathing normally, making no noise. Every so often, it would convulse violently before standing still once more.
Athena was as quiet as a rock. She looked back, considering a retreat, but decided against it with that other Corrupted there.
Forward, she thought. Press forward.
She tiptoed around the Corrupted, which failed to notice her presence. When she was past it, she let out a long sigh of relief, allowing her blood to flow normally throughout her body once more. She was out of the hallway and in a multi-story atrium of some sort. From the layout, she guessed that this room might correspond to a lobby in the real world.
Without any idea which way to go, she tried the nearest door, which was locked. She looked more closely at the door. From what she could tell, it wasn't just locked.
Did someone glue this thing shut? she thought.
She went to the next door. Same thing. Another door. Also sealed tightly. Finally, she came across a door that looked like it was recently used. She opened it quietly and slowly, stepping through when she was sure the coast was clear. Thanks to the property of light in this world, however, she failed to see the thing so big that it blocked the entire hallway.
What the hell is an Übersoldat doing in the Labyrinth? she thought as she brought up Aegis to block the muscular Grimm's heavy punch, which sent her sliding back so far that her light no longer reached him once again. Her shield continued to ring, as if crying out in pain and she looked at it. There were no cracks, fortunately. The massive Grimm's footsteps thudded toward her, nearing her with each second.
There was no way she was going to be able to stand toe to toe with this thing in such a confined space. She watched as Penny fought one of these things. Each one was roughly on par with a fully seasoned Huntsman. Even their instructor couldn't take them down as easily as the cannon fodder Grimm.
She ran back the way she came, but there were two Corrupted waiting for her in the atrium. She quickly stabbed one in the neck before shoving the other one over the railing with her shield. She looked behind. The giant Übersoldat smashed the doorway—frame and all—as it steadily marched toward her. As she ran, she loaded an Explosive Dust shell into her weapon and transformed it into rifle mode, taking a shot at the Übersoldat, but the grenade-like blast had zero effect on it.
"Damn it," she said, continuing to flee. More Corrupted barred her path as she darted through one doorway after another. Dealing with them slowed her down too much and the Übersoldat caught up to her, grabbing a nearby Corrupted and hurling it at her. She barely dodged it, but another Corrupted snagged her by the ankle and she fought with it, breaking free only a fraction of a second too late.
The Übersoldat's fist connected with her gut and she lurched forward, coughing out blood. Her aura was still intact, but it hit her with enough force to damage her through her protective shielding. Another punch to the face sent her flying back and she rolled several times on the ground. Her vision was blurry and she relied on the steady thudding to locate her enemy. She tried to move, but her entire body ached and her head throbbed.
The monstrous Grimm abomination picked her up off the ground before punching her again and then throwing her through the wall. The entire world spun around as Athena drifted in and out of consciousness. There was another painful strike to her side, though she couldn't figure out whether it was a punch or a kick. It could have been either. Or both. It didn't matter, though. All that mattered was that it hurt like hell.
There was muffled shouting coming from all over the place. Something dragged her this way and then that way before she began to float. No, someone was carrying her. Her delirium continued for another few minutes—that's what she figured, anyway—until her senses slowly started coming back. The Übersoldat's heavy footsteps never went away, but it didn't seem to come any closer.
She looked down. The grating beneath was moving rapidly. She finally realized that someone was carrying her over their shoulder. She looked to the right. Echo was running alongside, firing one Explosive Dust arrow after another at the pursuing Übersoldat. At the very least, each blast slowed it down enough for them to maintain a comfortable distance from it.
"I've got the front!" Xanthus yelled. "Echo, keep shooting!"
"Are you okay, boss?" Perseus's voice sounded.
"I'm good," Athena said.
"Thank god," Echo said. "I thought you were done for."
"I almost was. C'mon, dude, put me down."
Perseus chuckled before setting her back down on the ground.
"I'm taking this asshole out," Athena said, turning her attention to the approaching Übersoldat.
"Wait!" Echo said. "Your aura!"
They all watched as her aura reconstituted right before their eyes.
"Cover!" Perseus yelled, transforming his sword into a shotgun as he began firing away at the Übersoldat.
"Leave it to me!" Xanthus yelled. "Echo, you two help Athena kill that thing!"
"Right!" she said, relocating to a better vantage point to attack the massive Grimm.
Athena's encounter with this thing earlier told her everything she needed to know about it to put it down for good. Its physical strength was incredible, there was no doubt about that. The added durability of its aura made ranged attacks less effective as well, but nothing in this world was indestructible. Apply enough force to even the strongest wall and it will crumble before long.
She exploited her speed advantage over the hulking monster, dodging its grasp as she slid between its legs, snatching a thick metal chain before kicking off of the ground with the chain in tow, vaulting over the Übersoldat. It struggled with the chain as Athena continued jumping in various directions to further wrap the monster in that heavy chain.
"Yo," Perseus said to Echo. "That footwork."
"I think I know what she's doing," she said.
"Yeah. Her Semblance."
Once Athena was satisfied with how well-wrapped the Übersoldat was in those chains, she stowed her spear and shield on her back, reaching out with both hands to fully exert her Semblance on the metal chains, tightening their grip on the monster. With the increasing tension, its ability to fight back diminished until it was mummified behind a ton of steel.
Perseus, Echo, and Xanthus watched in awe as the massive Übersoldat crunched to death in the steel chain coffin Athena had custom fashioned for it. They looked over at their team leader, whose face was masked in hatred.
"Did any of you guys see Penny?" she asked without taking her eyes off of her dead prey.
"No, but Echo's been locating all of us with her Semblance," Perseus said.
"She's over that way," Echo said, pointing down the hall.
"Let's go," Athena said, leading the way.
—
"Three against one, huh?" Penny said.
"No," Cinder said. "Emerald and Mercury are here only to make sure no one interferes with our fight."
Penny immediately dashed at the Fall Maiden. "Good! I was hoping to have you all to myself!"
Cinder grinned as Penny closed in. She called on the full power of the Fall Maiden, floating in the air as she launched fire and lightning attacks at Penny, but the one with the artificial body was incredibly fast, managing to dodge every single projectile with relative ease. Cinder formed her own swords, clashing with Aequitas and Veritas with a resounding explosion of power.
"Upgrades?" Cinder said.
"Maybe?" Penny said, smirking. "Either that or you're just relying too much on your stolen power, False Maiden."
Cinder's face soured. "Careful."
"Oh, I'm not worried."
They broke off into another rapid exchange of slashes and parries and the occasional magical attack from Cinder and Dust attacks from Penny's built-in Dust casters.
—
"She's in danger," Echo said, her Semblance lighting up Penny's location like a beacon. "Down this way!"
Team APEX headed through a decrepit hall, slaughtering swaths of Corrupted in their path.
"Did you all spawn into the Labyrinth separately, too?" Athena asked her team.
"Yeah," Perseus said. "Echo was the one who brought all of us together thanks to her Semblance."
"Every time someone ran into trouble," Echo began, "I picked up on it. Yours was the quietest for a long time, which I figured was because you went for stealth instead of fighting from the start."
"On the other hand, I fell right into a fucking room full of Corrupted. Thank goodness for my shield. Shit. Plus, she wasn't all that far off."
"Athena," Xanthus said, turning to her. "Are you sure you're all right? That Übersoldat thing was really hitting you hard."
"I'm fine," she said. "Quit fucking asking me already."
"I apologize."
They burst into a cavernous room in which light behaved properly. A light haze persisted in the air, but for the most part, vision was not obscured so much.
"When the hell did we ascend to the Second Layer?" Perseus said.
"It's because of her," Athena said, glaring at their floating enemy, who exchanged ranged attacks with Penny.
"C'mon!" Xanthus yelled.
Their path was blocked by Emerald and Mercury.
"Sorry, private function," Mercury said.
"Get out of our way!" Xanthus demanded.
"You feeling confident, Emerald?"
"I am, but I'm not trying to take any chances," she said before holding out her hand, which glowed dark indigo.
"Boring," Mercury said, doing the same. "Ugh, I still have no idea how to use these Gate Runes. Those guys never taught us anything."
"You weren't paying attention, then."
Two runes appeared on the ground, runes dark indigo in color. From each one emerged two monsters. One was an ogre-like monster while the other took the form of a large, jellyfish-like creature which floated over the ground, intermittently spewing toxic clouds of gas and emitting flashes of electricity.
"What the hell did I just summon?" Mercury said, recoiling from the monstrosity.
"That's gross," Perseus said. "Do I have to fight that thing?"
Athena went straight on the offensive, dodging both the jellyfish monster and the ogre, heading directly for Emerald and Mercury, who were shocked with her ability to assault them both at once, though her focus was more on Mercury. Emerald was about to engage when she turned to dodge an incoming Fire Dust arrow, which came from out of nowhere. She located Echo, drawing both of her pistols and firing at her and forcing her to move.
Meanwhile, Perseus and Xanthus engaged the two summoned monsters together. Unlike Lilly's summoned knight, these two were not insubstantial.
"Are these damn things real?" Perseus yelled, blocking against repeated hits from the lesser ogre.
"Perseus, can you handle these things on your own?" Xanthus said.
"Where the hell do you think you're going?"
"Penny needs help."
He looked over to their instructor, who was on the defensive now. "Damn it. I'll do what I can, man. Go help yo girl."
Xanthus hesitated for a moment before heading toward Penny. As soon as he was within range, he activated his Semblance, sending a wave of fire from his Sword of Chaos. Cinder barely managed to block the attack with a force field and Penny nearly succeeded in taking advantage of the distraction, but Cinder's speed had increased since they last fought and she nailed Penny in the face with a well-timed punch.
"Senpai!" Xanthus yelled. The use of his Semblance just now at such a high level left him slightly more vulnerable. Even now he could feel his aura at the breaking point.
"Xanthus! Stay back!" Penny said. "She's more dangerous than any of your enemies up until now!"
"That's right, boy," Cinder said before launching a massive fireball at him, sending him flying back.
"Xanthus!" Penny yelled before resuming her attack. "You bitch!"
In the meantime, Xanthus was dazed from the explosion. He tried to stand up, but dizziness overtook him and he fell back to the ground. Blood was streaming down the side of his head. That's what he surmised the warm feeling was, anyway.
Xanthus.
"Is someone there...?" he managed.
There was no response.
"Am I...hallucinating already?"
He gave his aura a few minutes to recover and when everything was back in working order, he stood up, looking up at Cinder, who had Penny by the throat. That wasn't what made his blood run cold and his eyes to open wide, however.
"Penny!" he yelled. She was dripping white blood everywhere. Her right arm was missing and her right leg was mangled beyond recognition, wiring and artificial muscle mingled together in a mashed up mess. The whole right side of her body was severely damaged, including her face, from which skin was burnt off to reveal the hardened steel skull beneath.
"Oh, you're finally awake," Cinder taunted. "You're probably wondering what just happened. "You've actually been unconscious for a while now. Maybe fifteen minutes or so. Your friends aren't doing so well either.
He looked over at his team. Perseus was seated against a pillar, shield broken, and he was bleeding from his ear. He had somehow defeated those two monsters, but it didn't look to be easy. Echo was shouldering Athena as they hid from Mercury and Emerald, who hunted them down.
"You picked the wrong battle, kid," Cinder continued. "You would've been better off sitting this one out. Penny's only in the state she's in because she shielded you from my attack. I thought you of all people would've already put that together given your surroundings."
Xanthus glanced around. The environment around him had been scorched, all except for the space where he had been lying. "What do you want?" he demanded, gritting his teeth as he realized what Penny had done for him.
"Nothing anymore. You've helped me kill my target already."
His blood was on fire now and he gripped both of his swords so tightly that his hands began to hurt.
"Let her go," he said sternly.
"Or you'll what?" Cinder said, mild annoyance in her voice. "What can you possibly do right now?"
"I said, let her go!"
"You're beginning to irritate me."
Xanthus yelled as he unleashed both halves of his Semblance at her, sending a combined wave of fire and ice, but even this mighty attack had no effect on the barrier surrounding Cinder's body.
"Were you really gonna blast away Penny at the same time?" Cinder said, incredulous.
He gritted his teeth as his aura broke from the stress of overusing his Semblance. "Damn it, let her g—"
Cinder silenced him with a fireball, which sent him to the ground in pain. "Do you understand now?" she said. "Do you understand how powerless you are?"
Xanthus coughed, rolling over to try and get up, but his strength failed him.
"I've said it before and I'll say it again. What can you do without might? You can save no one if you're too weak, let alone yourself."
"Xan...thus..." Penny managed.
"It's time to put you out of your misery," Cinder said, holding a hand to Penny's head, building up thermal energy.
Xanthus looked up, tears streaming down his eyes, but something was odd. The explosion of fire never came. He looked over at his teammates. Athena and Echo were frozen mid-run. Perseus was in the midst of wrestling with Mercury.
"What's...happening?" Xanthus muttered.
Xanthus Xenon. That is your name, is it not?
"Who are you?"
I am Sir Percival of Kameloth. It seems your heart has called out to me.
"My...heart?"
Mmm, yes. You and I are kindred spirits, it seems. We both possess an insatiable thirst for knowledge and a certain feeling of responsibility for others. This is why you became class president, is it not?
"How do you know these things?"
As I said, your heart has called out to me and I have answered. I was once called the Knight of Wisdom in my time. Now, Xanthus Xenon, it seems it is your time. Do you wish to possess the power to save your friends?
"Of course I do," he said, "but what's the cost?"
The cost is pain unlike you have ever felt in your life. The power of the shadow is great, but it is also wretched to the core. If you can tame it, it is yours to wield.
"You are the Knight of Wisdom, and yet you took this power for yourself?"
It is true. Perhaps it would seem unwise to possess such a power. However, this was a price I was willing to pay to serve my king. Besides that, where I come from, one's Wraith exists regardless of who you are. All of us who possess magic also possess a Wraith, the dark half of the soul for those born with the gift of magic.
"And you're saying that this power can be mine?"
By proxy, of course. I believe your friend has already formed a pact with my fellow Wraith-Knight, Sir Elyan of Kameloth.
"Yes, that's right. But it's not going so well for him. He can only use his magic in the Labyrinth."
As I expected. After all, Wraiths are beings native to the World of Shadow, where we now stand. The world of light rejects them outright.
Xanthus looked back up to where Cinder and Penny were frozen in time. "I don't think this is a thing I should be meddling with."
And it is that doubt, that hesitation to embrace the shadow, which leads me to believe that you are worthy to receive this dark and awesome power. I truly believe that you can wield it without allowing it to corrupt you.
"I do want to save her. To save everyone."
Your words resonate with the heart of this knight. I would go so far as to call you a fellow knight. What say you to the title of Sir Xanthus Xenon of Remnant?
Xanthus looked down at his hands, hands which were powerless to save Penny. Cinder was right. Without might, he could save no one. But this power that Sir Percival offered him was a power born of a nightmarish world. He wrestled with the idea for but a moment. His heart was resolute on saving Penny and the rest of his team. Even if the cost was unfathomable pain and a burden like no other, he was willing to pay that price.
"Sir Percival," he said. "Let's form a pact."
Very well. I am Sir Percival, Wraith-Knight of Kameloth, servant to Arthur the Pendragon of Albion. Do you, Xanthus Xenon, swear to uphold the knight's code of justice, honor, valor, and mercy?
"I swear it."
Then, I, Sir Percival, swear my undying allegiance to you, Sir Xanthus Xenon of Remnant. Thou shalt command my destiny and wield my sword. With my power, lay waste to thine enemies.
"This is the end for you," Cinder said, but she was interrupted by yelling that came from below.
Everyone turned their attention to Xanthus, who was screaming at the top of his lungs while putting both hands to his head, which caught fire on the left, freezing on the right. Flames and ice continued to spread to the rest of his body, immolating the left half while the right half was covered in frost. The flames turned black along with the icicles forming all over him. His screaming turned into maniacal laughter as the black ice and fire intensified.
"I don't think so!" Cinder said before hurling a powerful fireball at him.
It exploded on contact, but did zero damage. Xanthus continued to laugh, his voice accompanied by another not his own. An explosive force ripped his body to shreds. A black mist covered the area where he once stood, taking the nebulous form of a vaguely humanoid, winged being. The apparition began to congregate at the center of this storm and eventually, all of the black mist dissipated, revealing a fully intact Xanthus standing, his clothing all black in color with hints of yellow detail, wisps of black mist rising from beneath his feet. His natural eye color was buried beneath a flame-like ring of gold emerging outward from his pupils.
Meanwhile, Cinder gritted her teeth. She knew exactly what was happening. She might be able to fight against this newly emerged being, but the question was whether she would live long enough until this surge of power finally subsided or if he would kill her before that happened.
She gasped as Xanthus decided the outcome for her. He held out his left arm to her, projecting a massive column of fire in her direction. She released Penny and evaded before launching her own fire attack, but Xanthus countered with his right hand, projecting a blizzard-like force which extinguished her flames with little effort.
"We gotta get out of here," Mercury's voice sounded in her headset.
Swallowing her pride, Cinder poured all of her strength into speed and fled. Mercury and Emerald were already gone. Xanthus let out a heavy sigh of relief before closing his eyes, fighting the near-animalistic rage that burned in his soul right now. Fortunately, Sir Percival's assessment had been correct. Xanthus managed to tame this power, decreasing the output until the black mist at his feet disappeared. His eyes continued to glow with those golden rings of light, signifying that his magical power was still very much active.
He ran straight to Penny, who was in critical condition. She coughed out white blood as he cradled her in his arms.
"Xan...chan..." she managed. "You're safe..."
He assessed her entire body, but the damage was catastrophic. It was a wonder she was still functional.
"We need to get you back to the Forge," he said, turning to his teammates, who had just arrived. "Athena, you're seriously injured. I can tell with just a glance."
"Penny's priority," she said. "Now that you've got the same powers Yuan has, get to it. Heal her."
"Her body is beyond magical healing. I need to get her back to the Forge."
"So, let's get back. Do you know how to drag us all to the real world?"
He closed his eyes. "Yes. Everyone get closer. It requires less exertion if we're all closer in proximity."
—
Penny winced in pain as Xanthus and the others wheeled her into the Forge, which had been retaken by Hillphire Innovations and the Mistral Army. She looked to the distance, where Jerry Brimstone, Sara Windfield, and Ariel Hillphire coordinated alongside Hollie and a number of other city officials. She drifted in and out of consciousness as error messages popped up all around her vision. The safety measures put in place kept her from bleeding to death, but there was so much damage throughout her body that the integrity of her neural network was also in danger. Her systems rerouted all resources to her artificial brain, maintaining it as much as possible.
She blacked out for a moment, imprisoned within her own mind, unable to interact with the outside world. This was the hell she had been trapped in all those years ago, when her body was first destroyed. Being an inorganic person, her soul had not been permitted to leave her metal chassis and she had been confined in an iron coffin until Qrow managed to locate her remains and deliver her to Hillphire's lab. It was not until Bedivere connected magically with her soul that she had any hope. He had pulled her back from the brink of despair. Even now, she maintained the hope that Hillphire would be there to rescue her once again. He did promise, after all.
Her backup Dust reactor in her lower abdomen kicked in, but that was damaged as well and was providing only enough power for critical systems to remain active, which included her neural network and a few muscle groups. The rest of her body was motionless, a bid to conserve as much energy as possible. Her auxiliary Dust reactor was only providing 5% power at this point. The primary one in her chest was no longer functioning and her heart was also damaged, barely pumping any of her white blood to the rest of her body, fluids that were crucial for all of her hyper-organic functions.
There were fuzzy voices all around her, some familiar, others foreign. Hillphire's voice was not among them.
"Liam..." she managed, her voice weak. "Liam..."
"Senpai," Xanthus said gently.
She could feel his touch in her only remaining hand, but she could not return his grip. Her body would not move. After all, her backup reactor was barely providing power for her to remain conscious and at least move her eyes and head.
"Senpai, I need you to remain calm," Xanthus continued. "We're in the Forge right now, hooking you up to life support. Your reactors are both critically damaged and your auxiliary is about to give out. Please, conserve as much battery life as you can."
"Where's Liam, Xan-chan?" she managed to ask.
Xanthus didn't answer, turning away from her. She noticed tears forming at his eyes.
"Where is he?"
"He's right here," he said, his voice cracking. "So is Leon."
Penny managed to turn her head to the left. Leon was in a hospital bed, unconscious. He was on oxygen and several IVs ran out of his arm. Yuan was sitting on his own hospital bed, apparently dazed and confused, but conscious as Ingrid tended to him.
"What...happened to Leon?" she said.
"He was poisoned by Tyrian's stinger," Xanthus said.
A pit began to form in Penny's stomach and she slowly turned her head to her right, dreading to see who was there. As soon as she laid eyes on him, she began to panic. Had she control over her body right now, she would be thrashing, but all she could do was cry. Hillphire's body was a mess, probably more so than hers. The doctors had controlled the bleeding, having amputated his left arm and patched up his right eye, but he was unconscious and his aura was not recovering. She didn't have to be a medical doctor to know what the monitors were saying. Heart rate was low along with his blood pressure and respiratory rate. In addition, his ECG graph was abnormal.
"Xanthus," she sobbed. "Tell me what's wrong with him."
"Gottfried tried to kill him," Yang said, walking up to her bedside. "He nearly killed Winter and Nora, too, but Ren and I managed to push him back. No one knows where the hell he is. Mom's out looking for him now along with Uncle Qrow."
Penny noticed the tinge of pain in her old friend's face. "Where are the rest of your team?"
Yang turned to the side, failing to mask the anguish in her face. "That son of a bitch killed Lucia and Aurora."
Aurora. She was the young girl on the team. Fourteen, if Penny remembered correctly.
"He wouldn't even let her make it to her fifteenth birthday," Yang seethed.
Everything seemed to be coming down like a house of cards in the middle of a hurricane. Penny closed her eyes for a moment. "Is Liam gonna make it?" she mumbled.
Xanthus didn't answer for some time. "His heart has been damaged," he finally said. "If he does not get a transplant soon, I don't know if he'll last."
"Xanthus!" an engineer said, arriving with a metal box. "We've got the part you asked for!"
"Okay. We'll begin repairs to her body as soon as we can stabilize her."
Penny shut her eyes as the hustle and bustle began.
"Penny," Xanthus said, "the first repairs we're gonna make are to your heart and Dust reactor. We need to make sure those are both functioning before we can proceed to work on the rest of your body."
She looked over at the replacement heart she was going to receive. She blinked a few times. Was she hallucinating? "That looks like a real heart," she said.
"It is," Xanthus said. "It's as close to a real heart as Dr. Hillphire was able to build. He intended to give it to you since that was the last part of you that wasn't at least partially organic just yet. Aside from your neural network."
"Xanthus. Do you have the skill to put it in Liam's chest instead?"
He hesitated. "Penny?"
"Liam needs that heart more than I do."
"But—"
"I don't care what happens to me. He needs to live. Xanthus, please. Don't fight me on this."
"Penny, think about this. I don't know if his body will be able to withstand the pumping power of this heart. It was meant for your body, after all."
"Do whatever you have to do to make it compatible with his body, Xanthus."
He closed his eyes, squeezing out tears. He turned to the surgeon. "Can we place this heart in Dr. Hillphire's body?"
"It's possible," he said. "It does contain the correct anatomy. But it's just as you said. This heart is not a normal human heart."
"I'll do what I can with the hyper-organic matter programming. You just make sure he can get it."
"I will do my best as well, young man."
Penny managed to give Xanthus a smile. "Thank you, Xan-chan," she said.
He squeezed his eyes shut. With the last of her strength, Penny overrode her system and reached up with her hand, gripping his tightly before finally losing consciousness.
