A/N: Hathor Isatari and Diana Mirai belong to my friend, decode9.
Anne and Penny followed the other girls to the bedroom where Weiss's butler, Klein Sieben, was taking care of Nora. Nora was waking up when they arrived.
"No need to worry, Miss," Klein told Nora reassuringly. "You and your friends are going to be just fine."
"Penny's being hacked!" Ruby shouted as she and the others went in.
"Hacked?" Klein asked. "I'm sorry, but that is well above my level of technical expertise. I'm not sure what I can do to help."
Nora glared over at Anne. "You betrayed us! This is your fault!"
"Yes, yes it is," Anne admitted shamefully. "But I promise, I'll do everything I can to help you guys fix her."
"But how?" Blake asked.
"We'll have to get her back to Pietro somehow," Anne replied. "He's the only person who will know how to make her antivirus strong enough to resist Watts' virus."
"It…it's too dangerous for me to try to fly to him in this condition," Penny told Anne.
"Well, that's just great!" Weiss shouted in frustration. "What will we do now?" Just then, everyone heard something that sounded like a large explosion. After that, the power went out.
"Oh, that's just rich," said Weiss's younger brother complained.
Just then, Ruby's scroll rang. She pulled it out and answered. "Everyone okay back there?" Asked the voice of May Marigold. "I just saw another bombing run light up the kingdom."
"Looks like part of the city lost power. We're okay, though." Ruby looked out the window to see May piloting a stolen Atlesian airship.
"Sorry I couldn't stick around, but time is running out for everyone in the crater."
"No, we're sorry. Once we know what's wrong with Penny, we'll…we'll do something."
"Don't beat yourself up, kid. At this point, I don't know how much is left to be done."
Ruby hung up, and then tears started to well up in her eyes. "It's all just…too much. The Grimm, the crater, Nora, Penny…how do we fix all of it?"
"You can't worry about fixing everything," Klein told her. Simply focus on what's in front of you. If you'd like some place to start, I'd be able to work faster if you bring the power back on."
"Well, how would we-"
"We have a generator near the west side of the estate," explained Weiss's mother Willow, who entered the room.
"So kind of you to join us, mother," said Whitley.
"Believe it or not, I'm above drinking in the dark." She looked over at Klein. "Oh, hello, Klein." He nodded toward her, and then Weiss spoke up.
"SDC executives have their own auxiliary power supplies in case of a city-wide blackout," Weiss explained. "It's extremely unfair, but perhaps now isn't such a bad time for company perks."
"We don't just have perks," Whitley added.
"Hm?" Weiss asked.
"We have the company. The people you mentioned in the crater need a way out, right? There are rows and rows of cargo ships just sitting in the hangar because of the embargo."
"And our own automated drones, just like the ones at Snowshoes Shipping," Weiss added, thinking that her brother was onto something.
"We can order as many as we need to pilot our ships down to the crater and get the people out safely, while the Grimm are occupied with the General's forces."
"We can?" Blake asked.
"I can. I just need father's computer."
"Then we definitely need to get the power back on," said Ruby.
"Alright, let's go turn it on," Blake said.
"I'll go with you," added Anne. "It's my fault that Penny is in this state, and I want to help you guys help her in any way I can."
Blake sighed. "Fine. But if you betray us again, I'll cut your throat."
"Understood," Anne replied nervously.
"Let's just go," Ruby said impatiently.
Meanwhile, in the streets of Atlas…
The members of Team COAL plus Hathor and Diana rushed out into the streets, slaying every Grimm they encountered. A Beowolf charged at them, but Lily shot it with her arrows before it could even get close to them. More Grimm charged at them from the streets that intersected theirs, but they used their melee weapons to cut, smash, and stab their way through the seemingly endless hordes. Everyone in Colby's group was very impressed at Diana's skills with her glaive. Despite having no formal huntsman training, or at least none that she had told them of, she proved herself to be quite the capable fighter.
The street they were fighting on opened up onto a much larger one, where Grimm were running amok. The Atlesian soldiers were doing their best to hold the creatures off, but it looked like they were being overrun. In addition to the common Grimm such as Beowolves, Ursai, and Boarbatusks, they were dealing with species that they hadn't seen since they arrived in Atlas such as Centinels.
"Alright, everyone!" Colby called out. "Let's help the Atlesians hold off the Grimm."
"But they tried to kill us just a few hours ago!" Hathor protested.
"I know, Hathor. But they have the same goal as us. They're protecting the people of Atlas from these monsters. Now, let's get fighting!"
They split off in two directions, Colby, Autumn, and Diana going one way and Ouranos, Lily, and Hathor going the other. Autumn went ahead of her group, using her guitar to blast away several Beowolves before Colby and Diana rushed in to eliminate the survivors. An Ursa lunged at them from the right, but Colby and Diana spread out and attacked its forelegs. Colby struck the left leg, and Diana struck the right. This caused the beast to cry out in pain and drop onto the ground before Autumn smashed its head in, causing it to evaporate.
An Atlesian soldier walked up to them. "Team COAL," he said. "I'm surprised you all came out to help us. You know, under normal circumstances, my guys and I would have shot you on sight."
"We're just doing our jobs protecting the people of Atlas," Colby replied with a smile.
"And if you shoot at us," Autumn added, "we'll make you wish you'd been fighting these Grimm."
"I uhh…I'm sure you would. Anyway, let's get back to fighting."
"Yeah, let's go!" Colby replied before charging back into battle.
Meanwhile, Lily's group engaged several Centinels. Ouranos used his weapon's rocket launcher form to blow up several of them, then Lily and Hathor finished them off with arrows and bullets. More came at them, attempting to surround them, but they drew their melee weapons and cut down every Grimm that went anywhere near them. They fought back to back, and the Atlesians looked on in awe at their teamwork and fighting capabilities. Once they were all dealt with, a Deathstalker approached them. Ouranos fired a rocket at the creature, blasting it over on its back, before rushing in and finishing it off with his weapon's axe form.
Before long, the tide had turned. Thanks to the efforts of COAL's group, the Atlesian forces were able to drive the Grimm back. Many were killed, and soon the street was full of the dark mist that Grimm turned into when they died.
"Looks like we got em!" Autumn cheered.
But she spoke too soon. No sooner had she said that than a giant spider Grimm came into view. It roared loudly, then spat acid at the group. They all jumped out of the way to avoid being hit by the acid, then put their weapons in gun mode.
"Concentrate all fire on that spider Grimm!" Colby shouted out.
Meanwhile, inside Monstra…
The members of Yang's group managed to infiltrate the giant Grimm whale, pushing their way through one of the long corridors inside the beast in order to save their friend, Oscar.
"Well, that was harrowing," Yang said while taking time to catch her breath.
"We're not in the clear yet," Jaune added. "We have to search this whole thing and find Oscar before the Ace Ops blow us to pieces."
"How are we supposed to find Oscar?" Yang asked. "It's going to be like finding a needle in a…giant…whale. Why did we think this was a good idea?"
Ren looked down the corridor before turning back toward everyone else. "I might be able to help. I can sense spikes in people's emotions, I think. It happened on Winter's ship. If I focus my aura, I can keep it up."
"Really?" Kent asked. "Well, I guess that explains how you were able to convince the Ace Ops to let us do this. I didn't think we'd be able to reason with them."
"Alright, I'm picking up some emotion, but I can't tell who it's coming from. We'll need to go further in. Then, maybe I'll be able to find the sources of this emotion."
"You don't have to drain yourself," Jaune told him. "I can help too." He was referring to his semblance, which he could use to amplify Ren's.
"Yeah, good thinking. Thanks."
"Well, lead the way."
Kent stayed behind with Yang. "You know, I have to admire your courage and your willingness to risk your lives for your friend. If it were just me, I don't know if I would have had the courage to do this."
"None of us would have had the courage to do this alone," Yang replied. "That's what we have each other for. We're a team."
"Oh, I know. I wouldn't be where I am now if it weren't for my own teammates back at Haven. I'm glad to have had them…and I'm glad to have you, Yang."
Yang smiled. "Aww, thank you! But where are your teammates now?"
"I…don't know," Kent replied sadly. "Huntsmen started turning up dead back in Mistral, and I haven't heard from my teammates since. They could be dead or hiding or in another kingdom somewhere for all I know."
"I'm sorry," Yang told him. "It's tough to lose a friend, I know. I knew Pyrrha Nikos before she died."
"Oh," Kent said in response. "I never knew her, but I heard she was quite the fighter."
"Yes. And quite the friend too. But I'm not giving up. We've got a job to do here."
"Yes, you're right. Let's keep going."
Somewhere else in Monstra…
Emerald was walking down the hallway when she happened to notice Oscar and Hazel holding the Lamp of Knowledge. "What are you doing?" She asked them.
"Let's find out," Hazel replied.
"Jinn," Oscar said to summon the being inside the Lamp. A few seconds later, a giant blue spirit appearing as an almost-naked woman appeared in front of everyone.
"Why, hello again, old man!" The woman said to Oscar. "Did you have a question for me?" Oscar chuckled, waved hi to Jinn, and then turned to Hazel.
"Actually, I think all my questions are answered now," Hazel said.
"What are you going to do?"
"What Gretchen would have done. And that starts with getting you away from here. Both of you."
"I'm going to need something before I go," Oscar told him.
"So just to be clear, none of you have a question for me?" Jinn asked.
"No," Oscar answered. "But we'll be bringing you with us."
"The moment we move that thing," Hazel told Oscar and Emerald, "this whole place will be on high alert. Better to get you out first."
"But…"
"I'll come back for it. Not like she knows the password anyway." They left, and Jinn went back into the lamp. Little did any of them know that they were being watched by a pink and brown haired girl with differently-colored irises.
Meanwhile, outside the Schnee Manor…
Ruby, Blake, and Anne went out to the west side of the Schnee Manor to get the generator up and running. Ruby threw a lever up, and then the words "STARTUP SEQUENCE-POWER BACKUP appeared on a screen.
"Oh come on, come on…" Ruby said nervously.
"Don't worry," Blake told her. "It'll work."
"Nothing else has."
"I know you don't always know what to do, but that's never stopped you from doing something. I was like that as a girl, but time and... a lot of other things, took their toll on me. Then I wasn't sure if that kind of girl could actually survive in the world... until I met you. It was a little strange at first because you were younger, but I've always looked up to you, Ruby. And I still do."
"Thanks, Blake…" Ruby told the cat faunus as her silver eyes began to tear up.
"I have to say the same thing," Anne told Ruby. "When I was a kid, I thought I could save the world. My parents called me stupid, but that didn't stop me from enrolling in Atlas Academy. But then the Fall of Beacon happened, and I haven't been the same since. I let fear control me. I betrayed my best friend because of it…But you, Ruby…You're stronger than me. Stronger than either of us."
"Thank you, Anne. It's easy to let fear control you, I know. Ironwood fell victim to it. I wish you hadn't betrayed us, but I'm glad you decided to help us now. We can save the people of Atlas. We can save Penny."
Anne nodded. "Yes. We will, just you wait. I'll make everything right, I promise."
The Schnee Manor's power was restored just as Anne finished speaking. But just then, there was a flash of lightning. Ruby saw the silhouette of the Hound Grimm that Yang's group had encountered before. The one that had kidnapped Oscar.
"What?" Ruby asked fearfully. Just then, Weiss called them on her scroll.
"Ruby! Blake!" Weiss shouted at them.
"Weiss!" Blake yelled back. "There's a Grimm that- Look out!" But then, the beast charged at them and knocked Ruby out of the power shed through a hole in the wall. Blake tried to strike at the creature, but it blocked her attack and then charged at Ruby, who used her semblance to avoid it.
"What is this thing?" Ruby asked.
"It's just a Grimm! Just focus!"
Ruby took a deep breath and prepared to use her silver eyes against the Hound, and Blake jumped off a wall to attack the creature but was knocked aside.
"Take the girl…" The Hound growled before charging at Ruby again, but Anne intercepted the Grimm and slashed at it with her swords. The Grimm then turned its attention toward Anne, swiping at her with its claws. Anne dodged them and kept striking at the thing, and Ruby and Blake joined in. But even when outnumbered three to one, the beast managed to hold its own. None of the three girls could penetrate its defenses, and the thing hit them like a freight train.
"How do we…hurt this thing?!" Anne asked in frustration after being knocked to the ground one too many times.
Just then, Weiss ran out and joined the fight by using her semblance to try to summon a Nevermore. Unfortunately, Centinels arrived on the scene and destroyed the bird before it could be fully summoned. A moment later, everyone saw a green glow coming from the Manor. This was Penny's Maiden powers. The Hound stared at it, and Ruby soon realized what its true purpose for coming to the Manor was.
"It's not here for me, it's here for Penny!" The beast confirmed her suspicions by charging at the Manor after the Winter Maiden.
"Anne, Weiss, go after the Hound!" Ruby told Anne and Weiss. "Blake and I will deal with these Centinels!"
Anne and Weiss ran into the Manor to find it suspiciously empty. Just then, Weiss's phone came to life.
"Above you!" Shouted the voice of Willow Schnee. Moments later, the Hound dropped down from the ceiling. Weiss dodged it as it fell, but it struck at her with its claw and knocked her back toward a piano. She fired ice projectiles at it, but it jumped out of the way and roared before moving out of sight. Weiss pulled out her scroll.
"Mom?" She asked.
"I…I can see it outside of Winter's old room," Willow told her daughter. "You can kill it, can't you?"
"What is it doing?" Weiss asked.
"I'm not sure, it's acting strange. Why is it here?"
"It doesn't matter," Weiss told her mother as she and Anne went up the stairs with their weapons drawn. Weiss had her rapier ready, and Anne had her weapons in their gun forms. "Just keep an eye on it so I can track it down."
"Right, right," Willow replied, taking a breath to calm herself down. "Okay, it's moving again. It's headed towards…oh dear no."
Weiss quickly deduced where the Grimm was headed. "It's going after Whitley!" She told Anne. "Let's go!" They ran toward Weiss's father's study as fast as they could, as that was where Jacques Schnee's computer was and where Whitley would be ordering the drones to evacuate people from Mantle. When they arrived, they saw Willow and Whitley running out of the room while being pursued by the Hound. It pounced at them, but Weiss created a wall of ice to block it.
"I didn't forget you," Weiss told her brother. The Hound then began clawing at the ice wall.
"Go!" Weiss told Willow and Whitley. They ran away, and Weiss faced the Grimm and prepared to summon something with her semblance. Anne put her weapons back in sword form and prepared to face the Grimm once it broke through the ice wall. But suddenly, they heard a scream coming from Weiss's room.
"Penny!" Anne shouted in horror.
Weiss pulled out her scroll and contacted the others in the mansion. "It's coming!" She told them. Klein tried to stop Penny from leaving Weiss's bedroom, but she pushed him aside and entered the hallway. Her eyes were glowing red as she went into the hallway.
"What are you doing?" Whitley asked her fearfully.
Penny's reply was in a cold, emotionless voice. "I must open the Vault. And then self-terminate."
The Hound showed up, grabbed Penny, and then started slamming her into the ground. With each slam, it said a word of what Salem had told it to do. "Take. The. Girl." When Penny was unconscious, the Hound grabbed her. Just then, Ruby entered the mansion.
"Penny!" Ruby cried out. But before she or any of the other girls could do anything, the Grimm held a claw to Penny's throat. This caused the girls to stop, but Ruby still had one more trick up her sleeve.
"That's…enough…" She said in an uncharacteristically low voice, showing just how angry she was at the moment. Her silver eyes activated and blasted the Hound, causing it to drop Penny. The Hound crawled back toward them, and this time everyone saw a gruesome sight. In the place where the creature's head used to be, there was the head of a male fox faunus. He had veins all over his face and dark fluid seeping out of one of his eyes and ears.
"Take…the girl," the Hound continued to growl. "Take the girl. Take the girl. Take the girl!" Everyone backed up slowly as the Grimm continued to repeat this phrase. Willow and Whitley spotted a suit of armor nearby and pushed on it as hard as they could. As the Grimm approached, its head regenerated, covering the faunus's face again.
"TAKE! THE! GIRL!" The Hound roared. But just before it could attack, Willow and Whitley pushed the suit of armor on top of the creature, killing it. Everyone looked on in horror as it disintegrated.
"What was that?" Weiss asked in horror.
"That was…a person…" Was all an equally horrified Ruby could say in response. As the Grimm's body disintegrated, the skeleton of its faunus host remained.
Meanwhile, in the streets of Atlas…
Team COAL and its allies were struggling against the giant spider Grimm. It had the worst combination of traits that an enemy could have. It could move fast, hit hard, and take a lot of damage.
"How can we beat this demonic spider?!" Colby asked the others in frustration and he and the others kept firing at it, dealing minimal damage, if any. To make matters worse, more Grimm of various kinds were rushing into the street to divide everyone's attention. Many of the others spread out to deal with these lesser Grimm.
"Take THIS!" Ouranos called out as he dodged the Grimm's attacks and closed in on the thing, aiming his axe at one of the beast's eight legs. But with its lightning-quick reflexes, the Grimm hit him fast and knocked him several feet back first.
"Damn…" He said in frustration as he got back up. "How do we kill this thing?"
"We need a plan," Lily said as she stabbed a Beowolf with her sword, killing it. "Hathor and I have an opening. We'll provide cover fire while Colby climbs up that thing's legs and delivers a finishing blow. He's faster and more maneuverable than you. That's why he's called the Gray Lightning."
"Sounds good enough for me!" Colby replied. "Let's do it!" He rushed the gigantic spider while Colby came at it, using his quick maneuverability to dodge the acid and webs that the creature shot at him as he approached. He then activated his semblance, and in a moment, he became a lightning bolt and shot up to the creature's back. Once there, he began sinking his axes into it. But the monster's skin was tough and would take a lot of effort to penetrate.
"He's doing it!" Hathor called out triumphantly.
"Keep going at it, Colby!" Lily cheered. "You can do it!"
But just then, before anyone could react, a Teryx Grimm swooped down and pushed Colby off of the creature's back. He got back up, but before he could attack again, the beast shot a web at him, which immobilized him.
"Colby!" Lily cried out. She tried to help him, only to get webbed too. The others were struggling against the spider and the other Grimm, and it looked like Team COAL's luck had finally run out.
"So this is how it ends," Lily thought to herself. "We beat the odds time and time again, but now reality has finally caught up to us."
But before the spider Grimm could finish everyone off, a red-haired huntress jumped up on the Grimm's back from behind and stabbed her sword into the creature. It screamed and struggled, but in the end it died and disintegrated into a dark mist. With this, the huntsmen were able to gain the upper hand. When the fighting died down, the huntress who saved them approached with a smile on her face. They couldn't believe who they saw.
"Hello again, you guys," she said.
"Pyrrha Nikos?!" Lily asked in disbelief. "Jaune told us you were dead! How can you be alive? The probability of this is 10,003 to 1!"
"It's a long story, Lily," Pyrrha explained as she cut Lily and Colby out of the webs. "I can explain when we get to somewhere safe. For now, all you need to know is that I never really died and I heard Ruby's message and decided to come help Atlas."
"Well, thank the gods for that!" Autumn said. "But we still have a job to do! We need to get to Schnee Manor! Ruby, Weiss, and Blake are there!"
Pyrrha laughed. "I knew those girls were something else. And you are too, to have come so far and accomplished so much. I'll make sure you all get to Schnee Manor safely. And then I'll explain everything, I promise."
"Alright," Diana said. "Now let's get moving before more Grimm show up!" But as they left, they saw a horrific sight: the Grimm monster they had slain withered away to reveal the body of a blonde, silver-eyed woman. Like the fox faunus inside the Hound, she had veins on her face and black liquid pouring out of her eyes.
"Oh gods," Lily said in horror. "What is this? Has Salem been making human-Grimm hybrids?!"
"Looks like it," Hathor replied. "The others will want to know about this. Now, let's get going!"
Meanwhile, in the military compound...
Marten Steinbrecher had been imprisoned with Qrow Branwen and Robyn Hill. He wasn't surprised to see Robyn when he arrived.
"So, Ironwood threw you in here too, Miss Hill?" He asked. "Figures. Those Atlas elites will do anything to preserve their power. They murdered my wife and framed me for it!"
"I'm sorry about your wife, Steinbrecher," Robyn told him. "But the guards said you tried to destroy Atlas Academy!"
"That is true. But a few students from the Academy that more violence isn't going to solve anything. I chose to surrender."
"I would have liked to see some Atlesian bastards die," Qrow said bitterly.
"This isn't the time for that, Qrow!" Robyn snapped at him. "I'm glad you did the right thing, Steinbrecher."
"I guess I did. But I hope we'll find a way out of here."
"Me too," Qrow answered with a sigh. "Me too."
Their escape would come the next night when the battles at the Schnee Manor and inside Monstra were taking place. Cinder Fall blew a hole in the wall of the prison to free Arthur Watts, and in the process created an escape route for Qrow, Robyn, and Steinbrecher. Much to Robyn and Steinbrecher's amazement, Qrow used the magical powers that Ozpin had given him to turn into a crow and dodge the rubble. A few guards came to move them to another cell, but they quickly overpowered the guards and started making their escape.
Meanwhile, inside Monstra…
Yang and the others travelled through the gigantic Grimm whale, but they were all getting very tired. Jaune's aura was running low, and he put his hand against the wall to rest for a little while.
"Sorry," he told the others.
"It's not your fault," said Ren. "I'm masking and tracking at the same time."
"Do you guys need a minute?" Yang asked.
"We don't know how much longer we have," Jaune replied. "Why don't you give masking a break? Give me directions, and I can scout ahead."
"Thanks. We should be heading straight for a while."
"I'll go with you," Kent told Jaune. "We don't know what's ahead, and it's too dangerous to go alone."
"Thanks, Kent," Jaune told him. "Let's go."
They went ahead to scout the area for any enemies. "Jaune, I have to admire your determination and your bravery," Kent told Jaune. "Even though you cheated your way into Beacon, you could have either given up or chosen to try to become the huntsman that you claimed to be. I'm glad you chose the latter."
"Thanks," Jaune told him. "But you know, I still have a long way to go before I become the huntsman that I claimed to be."
"You've already come farther than most huntsmen would."
"Thanks. You too. You could have easily stayed behind in Mistral, where you would have been…at least safer than where you are now, but you chose to come help Atlas because that was the right thing to do."
"That's just part of being a huntsman."
They kept walking for a while, but eventually spotted something: a tentacled jellyfish-like Grimm called a Seer. Not wanting to be seen, they quickly rushed back as fast as they could.
"Mask us, Ren!" Jaune shouted when he and Kent approached Ren and Yang. They fled into a nearby corridor. The Seer did not find them at first, but eventually Ren's aura gave out from the constant drain that his semblance was putting on it. The Seer made a loud screeching noise, and soon more Grimm came after them. Beowolves, Ursai, Boarbatusks, Centinels, and others. They drew their weapons and made quick work of the Grimm that had come after them, but they knew that their cover was blown.
"What now?" Ren asked.
"Let's do what we do best!" Yang replied. "Charge blindly into danger!"
"Would've gone with 'keep moving forward,' but sure. Ren?"
"Forward, no matter what."
They all ran down the hallway as fast as they could until they rounded a corner and came face to face with Emerald and Hazel.
"You…" Yang growled at Emerald. Emerald raised her weapons and pointed them at Yang. Meanwhile, Kent drew his katana and turned his attention toward Hazel.
"You're the giant who tried to kill me in Mistral!" Kent shouted threateningly. "This proves that Salem was responsible for the deaths of all those huntsmen! And my teammates! I bet you killed them too!"
"I don't know if any of the huntsmen who died were your teammates," Hazel told him. "But yes. I was involved in those murders, and I am the giant who tried to kill you in Mistral. But I'm going to make amends for my part in the murders in the only way I can. By helping you bring Salem down."
"And why should I believe that?"
"Because I brought your friend here. I'm helping him escape." He gestured over to Oscar, who was bruised but happy to see his friends.
"Careful, Kent!" Yang told the Samurai. "That green-haired girl's semblance creates illusions! We don't know that Oscar is really here!"
"No," Oscar told him. "I can guarantee you that I'm 100% real." He ran over and hugged his friends to prove it.
"How do we know this isn't a trick?" Yang asked Emerald. "Why should we trust you, after everything you've done?"
"Because she's scared," Ren answered.
"And because I know the way out of here," Emerald added. "Now, let's go!"
They followed Emerald toward one of the Grimm whale's exits, from which they could see the city of Atlas. But before they could leave, they all felt the ground shake.
"What is that?" Jaune asked.
"It's her," Emerald replied. There was a loud screech moments later, and everyone covered their ears. A huge blast of purple magic then knocked everyone off their feet except Emerald. Out of a hole in the wall appeared what looked to be a hybrid between a human woman and a Grimm. Everyone knew in that moment that they were looking at Salem herself. Emerald tried to run away, but Salem extended her arms to grab the green-haired girl.
"You really have been honing that semblance of yours," Salem said to Emerald.
Jaune and Ren attacked Salem, with Jaune drawing his sword and shield and Ren firing his guns at the Grimm queen. Salem retaliated with another blast of magic, knocking both boys off their feet. Yang kept going, managing to punch Salem in the chest a few times with her explosive gauntlets and managing to rip open her chest, but Salem shot a sticky substance out of one of her hands that grabbed Yang's gauntlets and reined her in as her body regenerated. Kent then charged forward with his katana drawn, but Salem jumped backward and avoided his attack before blasting him to the ground with magic as well.
"Well, what do we have here?" Salem asked Kent as she looked down at him with a grin. "The legendary Samurai has decided to join Ozma's little war against me. I'm impressed that you managed to escape Hazel. You won't get away from me, though."
"You must be Salem," Kent said mockingly. "We've been trying to reach you about your whale's extended warranty."
"I have no time for your nonsense, boy!" Salem replied in an irritated tone. "I need to find out what Emerald here did with my Lamp." She summoned shadow hands to hold everyone in place, then went over to Emerald. A ball of magic appeared in one of her hands as she went to interrogate Emerald.
"What did you do with the Lamp?" Salem asked threateningly.
"Nothing," Emerald answered nervously.
"It's missing. Where is it?" She moved the orb closer to Emerald.
"I didn't do anything with it." Emerald closed her eyes and looked away from Salem, who then turned toward Oscar. The shadow hands binding him moved him into an upright position. Salem sighed and approached him.
"Look at how much you've diminished. How you've lessened yourself, and for what? For these children? This ruined world?" She put her hands on the sides of his head and moved her thumbs threateningly close to his eyes.
"Why…do…you…keep…coming…back?"
"Why do you?!" Yang asked defiantly. Salem turned her attention to the blonde girl.
"All this endless death because something bad happened to you once upon a time?" Yang continued as Salem walked toward her. "Nobody gets a fairy tale ending! Everything I've lost, every person I've lost is because of you!"
"And who is it that I've taken from you, girl?"
"Summer Rose," Yang replied. "My mom!"
Salem chuckled. "Hm, her again…"
"And my teammates!" Kent added. "I don't know where they are now, but they're probably dead because of that giant's killing spree in Mistral!"
"Oh, you mean Hazel? He didn't do it alone. He had help from Tyrian, and your very own headmaster! You huntsmen so easily betray one another when you're afraid. First the coward Lionheart, and now Ironwood."
"They may have betrayed their friends, but I never betrayed mine and never will!" Kent shouted back defiantly He thought to himself that this "Tyrian" must have been the crazy laughing scorpion faunus that Dalia Norwood mentioned. Just then, everyone heard footsteps. Hazel had entered the room.
"Ah, speak of the devil," Salem said smugly. "Hazel, I found our guests. Emerald was helping them."
"No!" Yang cried out as the shadow hands covered her mouth. The hands holding Oscar let go of him, dropping him on the ground.
"Take the boy back to his chamber," Salem ordered. "I have work to do with this one."
"Yes, of course," Hazel replied. He walked behind Salem to pick up Oscar before whispering something in the boy's ear. None of the others could hear what he said. Salem prepared to cast her magic on Emerald, but Hazel punched her before she could do it. The shadow hands binding the others retracted, allowing them to escape.
"Go!" Hazel told everyone. "Now!" He used his semblance to channel the powers of several elemental crystals.
"Hazel…" Emerald said while facing him. Hazel looked back.
"Go," he repeated before looking back at Salem, who had risen several feet in the air.
"So, you've decided against vengeance for your sister after all this time?" Salem asked Hazel.
"I'm just doing what Gretchen would have done!" The two fought each other, using a combination of magic and dust to attack their opponent. Everyone else fled as fast as they could.
"Come on!" Jaune shouted. "Everyone out!" Everyone raced past him but Oscar, whom he noticed had stayed behind. "Wait, Oscar?"
Oscar turned to him while holding Ozpin's cane. "She'll just come after us." He ran back toward Hazel, who was grappling with Salem. The giant man was making a valiant effort, but Salem had summoned a bunch of shadow hands to bind him. In one more desperate act, Hazel used a fire dust crystal to set himself and Salem on fire. Hazel looked over at Oscar.
"Do it!" He shouted.
Oscar flipped the lever on Ozpin's cane, causing it to glow gold. A sphere of green magic appeared around him, and soon the whole area was engulfed in a bright yellow light.
A/N: Pyrrha was originally going to be dead like in the show (I don't even remember why, I think it was just because I didn't think she would have much impact on my story even if she lived), but then I regretted it. Then, I realized that Pyrrha's "death" happened off-page in the first Team COAL fic and decided to use that loophole to bring her back. There are more major changes coming in future chapters.
Also, my friend Persona1 came up with the "extended warranty" joke.