Cinder cast aside her mask and was now armed with Midnight, she responded shakily, "I know…"
In spite of the tears in her eyes she raced forward, bringing Midnight down almost too quickly to perceive.
In that moment, time almost seemed to slow down, text flashed in my vision, superimposed over Cinder's emblem, two red heels pressed together.
CINDER FALL
Top Lieutenant of The Evernight Court
A Woman Torn
The text vanished almost as quickly as it appeared, and time sped back up. I was able to side-step her attack and thrusted Dawn out in my own attack, causing her to jump backwards. She yelled at me, "Why won't you just let me get what I want?! You could be working with me, and I could have you too!" She was trying her hardest to not sob as she spoke.
Cinder Fall
20/100 - Betrayed (Tier 2)
20/100 - Heartbroken (Tier 1)
She lunged at me again and struck out, only for me to bring Dawn up to block her strikes, as we clashed, our blades pressing against each other, I was able to stare into her eyes as I tried to steel my voice, "I could say the same to you! You don't need to do this, Cinder! We could be out there dancing right now, if it weren't for Salem."
I would be lying if I said my voice wasn't as shaky as hers. She kicked out and managed to connect with my stomach, causing me to stumble backward, my back connecting with the terminals behind me as she closed in on me. I dodged a strike from Midnight, causing her to smash into the terminal behind me, which made sparks fly out. I slashed at her side and managed to connect, her aura blocked it but she still yelped in shock from the pain.
It tore at my heart even as she yanked Midnight free from the terminal and whirled around, slashing out at my chest. My aura raised and blocked the strike but the pain still tore the air from my lungs. I retaliated by bringing Dawn up and connecting it to one of her wrists while Midnight was still extended outward.
Cinder Fall
5/100 - Betrayed (Tier 2)
2/100 - Heartbroken (Tier 1)
Cinder gritted her teeth, "Don't be an idiot! I owe my life to Salem! She gave me everything!" She jumped back and channeled fire dust into her blades before swinging out and sending a wave of fire in my direction.
I retaliated by channeling dust into Dawn and sending out my own wave of ice, the fire and ice connected and left a large puddle of water on the ground between us. She started to race towards me and I reacted, channeling more ice into one of my blades and sending it into the water while I jumped away to my right, towards the middle of the room.
As the ice froze over the water, she leapt towards me and our blades clashed again while I retorted, "Did she give you love?! A family?! Warmth and a home?! You have friends here, Cinder! You have me! You don't have to do this!"
Cinder Fall
40/100 - Betrayed (Tier 2)
45/100 - Heartbroken (Tier 1)
Cinder began to constantly make attempts to strike at me, and every time I blocked with my blades as I started to backpedal, keenly aware that we were drawing closer to the elevator, she retorted, "You don't know what she's given me! She promised me the power to live my life, to stop running!"
As I reached the back wall, I side-stepped yet another strike she made, this one connected with the elevator panel and destroyed it. No getting down that way, it seemed. I slashed at her right side, her aura blocked it but she still gasped in pain, then she whirled towards me and slammed her blade into my shoulder.
I gritted my teeth in pain and checked my aura, 80/140, I was losing it fast. I wished at that moment that I could have checked Cinder's, but I wasn't able to, I just had to guess. She tried to swing at me again, horizontally towards my head, but I ducked and was able to stab outward with both blades, connecting with her stomach. I heard her grunt in pain, and as she tried to strike downward at me, I rolled to my right, channeling ice into my blades as I struck at her legs.
It connected, the ice frosting over, but it was only temporary. She used her maiden powers, as diminished as they were, and sent out a pulse of flame around her. It connected with me, the force sent me flying back as I connected with the wall. The terminals and consoles were all heavily damaged, some of them were on fire.
My aura was much lower now, 40/140, she ran towards me, her eyes still brimming with tears. I shouted at her, "I know exactly what she's given you! Emotional abuse and promises of power, what will all of that matter in the end?! You'll still be her slave! You deserve better!"
Cinder Fall
90/100 - Conflicted (Tier 2)
98/100 - Conflicted (Tier 1)
That was a massive jump! I didn't have time to think about it though as she closed the distance to me, she was slower than before, but so was I. She stabbed outward towards my stomach while letting out a desperate battlecry. I managed to side-step towards the left, but stumbled as I did. She stopped herself before connecting with the wall and I barely had enough time to regain my footing before she started clashing with me again, she yelled, her voice cracking and breaking the more she did, "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!"
She mixed fire magic and dust into her strikes, sending licks of flame against my aura and my skin. I could feel the searing pain of the burns, the only reason my clothes hadn't caught on fire was the dust reinforcements. That didn't spare my hands or arms, unfortunately, the searing pain was almost enough to make me drop Dawn.
I yelled back between clashes, "Cinder! It doesn't have to be this way, you know that! You're not perfect, but you're still the most wonderful person I've ever met! I've thought of you every day since you left! You have no idea how much you mean to me!"
Cinder Fall
130/100 - Conflicted (Tier 2)
130/100 - Conflicted (Tier 1)
In hindsight, I should have tried to use magic, but my mind was too lost in a torrential sea of painful emotions to think clearly.
Instead we continued to circle around the room as it became increasingly covered in fire, the heat was starting to get to me. Every so often I would get a strike on Cinder, and she would get a strike on me.
Finally, we both struck out at each other at the same time with both our blades. We both managed to connect one blade to each other, and our auras dissipated. However, Cinder's immediate retaliatory strike to Dawn sent both blades flying from my hands. We stood in the middle of a blazing inferno, the only part of the room left that wasn't on fire. The sprinkler systems had been damaged in the onslaught of fire and flame, so there was nothing to quench it. As we stared into each other's eyes, her score changed again.
C̷̮͐i̴̲̋ṇ̴̍d̵̫͘é̷̪r̵͎͗ ̷̺̈F̵̞͂ạ̸̈́ĺ̶̼l̵̛̠
̷̖̄1̸̣̌4̶̬͗0̴̳̃/̷͘ͅ1̴͕̔0̶̊ͅ0̸͇̃ ̷̭̈-̶̒͜ ̷͍̃C̴̛̤ơ̶͓ǹ̶̝f̸̪̍l̵̛̞ị̸̌c̴̢̿t̷̺̆e̴̠̋d̵̞̀ ̶͙͊(̶͇͊T̸͓̋ĭ̸̗e̵̟̔r̶̙̄ ̵̲̐1̵̘̾)̷̹͠
Finally, she let out a desperate yell as she raised her blades and brought them down towards me. In a last ditch effort to get through to her, I brought both my hands up and caught her blades in them. The stinging pain compounded on the already terrible burns, but I held firm, even as my hands started to bleed. Her eyes widened, and yet she didn't relent. I clenched my teeth and checked the corner of my vision for my aura and health.
H̸̼́P̶̢͂
̵̭̐7̵̫̋0̶͎̀/̶͋͜1̸͉̊0̸͉͛0̸͈̉
̵͕̏Ă̵̹u̶̼̍r̷̪͘ă̵̹
̶̪̚0̸̖̇/̸̪̇1̴͍̃4̸̨̂0̷͙͆
It was hard to read, but I could see my health was dwindling. I glared into Cinder's eyes, "God damn it Cinder!" I almost didn't notice that the embers in the air began to diminish, in spite of the heat I saw mist coming out of my mouth as I breathed. I yelled, my voice filled with passion as I finally spoke the unrelenting and uncompromising truth, "I love you!"
C̸̬̮̋͠i̴̧͇̹̖̓͐̊͐͝n̷͓̙̤͇̫̈́͝ḑ̵̭̗̺̟̬͌̔̓͑̿̚e̶̳͆͋͊r̶̨̻͉͕̫̿̈́͗̿̍ ̸̳͍̩̦̠͈̋͐̆̆̏̅F̷̤̽̎̋̌̾ą̷̹̗̤̣̿̒̎̽͝l̶̨͙͕͚̼̦͎͑ḻ̷͖̤̌͐̌̀̊
̴̞̬͓͈̉2̵̝̞͉̣̫͋0̸̡̰͎̿̈́̚0̵̖͙̮̗́͜/̵̢͖̤͍̺͆͛̾͋1̸̡͕̣̟̣̟͐0̵͕̉̿͘0̸̻͎͕̤͙͔̏̈̑͛͛͊ ̷̯̹͝-̴̢̨̛̹͙̼̤̃̔̎̇ ̴̡̛̼̆̌̽Ç̷̡̫͕̰̥̋͒͑͠͝ớ̴̭͇́̏̓͒̔n̶̝̮̿͝f̸̲̟̖̳̹͒̊̏̐̆̾͜͝ļ̴͕̦͚̩̞̋͆̊̽̋i̵̖̰̞͝c̸̠͍̜̮̻̼̎͠t̶̡̯̯̪̖̠̰̋͆̓͊͐e̶͎̭͛̀́͠͠ḏ̴̡̛̘̭̆͋̄͑͠ ̶̢̈́̄̒̊̚(̶̱͇́̊̆Ț̷̠̅̅̌̑͜į̴͚͓̺̞͇̥̊͒͋͋ȇ̶͓͙̙̝͚͇̳ŗ̷̉̊ ̶̱͔̺̹͔̀̿̽̃̇͘͝2̵̡͓̤̯̍̃͊̓͆)̶̛̭̠͖̜̹̓͛̃
̴̩̯̮͕̯̑͌̓̈̈̿2̶͉̽̒͗0̶͈̬̲̠̤͖̤̓̽̂̈̚0̸͚͕͚͉͘͜ͅ/̷̖͇̞̤̇̈́ͅ1̷̧̢̙̭̯̤̯̏͑̽͘0̸̳̖͒̓̀̏͗̔0̸̯̒̓͂̇̅ ̷̡̧̖̫͍̮̀̍͋͆͌̚-̶̨͕̦̮͑̏ͅ ̵̛͔̉C̶͖͑̂̉̂̿̚ò̸̡̤̪͔͙̫͛̄͑͜ň̶̻͉͖̪̿̀̇͊̎͊f̸͎̂l̵͉̜̰͎̹͓̒͂͑̋i̶͈̹͑̔̀̈́͐̒c̸̬̓ṫ̷̢̐̾̀̈́̆͑e̶̖̜͛̽̽d̸̡͓͔͈̹̔͊̽͂̿̌̇ ̸̳̥̌̈́̓́̕̚(̴̧̡͚͚̯̖̲͋͛̿͘T̴͎̻̞͔̖̣̍̅í̸̱̘̭̪̤̍͌̓̿ͅȇ̷͚̫͈̌͗͝͠͝r̶̜̋̐̄̉̔͛ ̷̢̳̭̖̮͠͝1̸̮̣̗̃)̶̢͚̭̠̖̊
She hesitated, I continued, around us the fires began to die, "Why can't you just accept that all I want to do is spend my life with you?! I don't want to know what life without you would be like, but I can't be with you so long as you're with her!"
All at once, I noticed the blades of Midnight begin to ice over, and then in the blink of an eye the temperature dropped significantly. Cinder dropped one blade before it could be damaged. Suddenly, the fires around us were snuffed out, Cinder's hands turned red, and her blade became so brittle that the top half shattered against my palm. In shock, she dropped the remaining bit and watched as the rest of it shattered into nothing.
I would later learn that the desperation of that evening unlocked my semblance, but at that moment all I could focus on was her. In spite of all of our wounds, she staggered forward and threw her arms around me.
C̶͇͍̑̈ĭ̷̭n̵̗͆d̸̙̈͋ë̵̳́̚ṟ̵͂͘ ̴̪͗F̶̟̽͘ă̴̯l̶̘̗̈́l̴̛̰
̶͔̓1̵̥͊͛0̵̻̼̑̉0̴̲̻̌͝0̶̯̞͛/̵̱̏1̷̧͝0̸̹̝̈́0̶̥̠͂ ̷̫͎͒̂-̶͍̘͛ ̵̱͑̋L̴̦͂͠o̸̰̱͊v̵̦̤̉̊e̶̪̓̅ś̶̰ṫ̶̛̰ȑ̵͍̜͠u̷̘͙͂c̵̬͆̕k̶͉̄ ̷͙͝ͅ(̷͔̝̈́̏T̷͕̑ǐ̵̯̉ẽ̴̪ŗ̵͕͐̓ ̵̨̕2̸̰̹͝͝)̴̜͐
And for a split second, the message changed.
Ç̶̟̽i̵̝̻̻̩͙̓͆̈́̀͊n̶͍͕̲̟̗̰̳̺̏̂̃̆̎͠ḏ̷̰̥͌͆͊̽̅̓͝ē̶̠̇͘͝r̶̮͙͉͇̥̽̉̾͌͛̌͊̚͝ ̴̰̺͔̞͉͍͓̮̥͑F̸̡͇̠͕̘̝̓̔̂̊̑͑̑͗̿̄a̷̛͓̝͇̞̝̩̿̏̊̒̈́̚l̸̛͇̓́̀͊̒̂̍͝l̴͔͎͍͐͊̈͋̾̓̈̄
G̵̢͇̯̥͕͌͐̓͊͘ͅǐ̶̫̜͕̬͋̾̈́̆̈́͊̾̽̑̀̐̀͠r̴̡͕̰͈̹͓͓̮̬̀̆́̈́̓̊͊̆̆̕̚͠͝͠ļ̶͓̯̖͔̼͓̲̳̊f̶̼̭̲̦͈̖̭̣͗̉̋̐̀̆͜͜r̸̢̡͈̙̥͕͕̱̬̟͂̊ͅi̷̼̝̻̲̖̤̠͙͙̤̝̤̘̓̀̂̈́̂͘e̴̮̫̘̹͕̭̓̇̊̿̉͋͂̆́́͝ṉ̴͕̲͙̈̀̆̉͌̿͛̈́̋͐ͅd̶̳̘̏̀̇͐̉̿̆̐̂̇͠ ̶̠̦̘͉͎̖̟͓̠̖͗͌͂͋͒̔͝-̷̭͔̲͖̀̋̈́̄̌̒͛ ̷̞͖̝͉̲͎̥̎͂͋̊̽̄͒̽̏̽̀͋̒̋̕1̶̧̨̟͓̠̪̩̬̓̑̄͌́̑̇̓͛̂̅̌͘͝ͅ0̵̤̻̤̟̼̤̹͓͕̩̼̃͜͜͝ͅͅ/̵̡̤̹̭̠͈͓̫̳̺̔̌̍͑͐̏͗̊̽͐̿̕̚͝͝1̵̛̛̳̙͓̘̮̯̃͌̄́̍̈̎͋͒̕͜0̶͔̱̽͛̉̾̐̋͐̅̈̌͠0̵͓̈͑̇̀̿̿ ̸̧̛̦͎̈̉̌̾̂̃̾͠(̸̧̧͔̗̬͖͙̮̻̌̿̿̋͂̌̔̕͜T̶̨̛̤͇͖͖̜̫͇͍̠̯̤̰̪̉͋̈́̉̽̽̈̀͑̑̑̕͜i̵͓̗̳̳̱̇̌̔̅̈́͐̾̀̍̀͛͛͜͝͝ȩ̵̭͎̘̝̦̑̓̑̍̈̈̇͝͠͝r̴̢̘̞͕̝̖̥͓̠̪̱͙̊͜ͅ ̷̱̱̀̍͗̈́̌̓͗̈͋̎2̴̤͖̞̺̾̍͐͛͆)̵̨̛̼̗͎͕̹̭̯̞͉͎̜̟͎̻́̎̊̉̾͛̊̕̚
After that message, the system abruptly shut off, being overtaken by static before vanishing. For the first time since I arrived on Remnant I was without my HUD, no health or aura display, no pivotal information, nothing. At the time, though, I didn't think about that. My attention was on the woman in my arms.
In one swift motion, she locked her lips with mine, and I didn't think twice before I returned the kiss with all the passion my tired body could muster. In spite of my exhaustion and pain, my heart pounded and the butterflies in my stomach swarmed like never before. We remained in that tired embrace, the fires having been replaced with ice, for what felt like an eternity, even if it was only for a few moments.
She pulled away after that, her face stained with tears, soot, and pieces of ice. The look in her eyes was needy, desperate. She spoke in a soft, weak voice, "I…I love you too. Y-You have my answer." Her voice gained a needy edge to it, "You, you, you… Always you."
The moment shattered like glass not a second later as suddenly her eyes widened and she twisted in pain, she yelled and pulled away from me, grabbing at her head. I was shocked and reached out my hand, "Cinder?!"
That was when I saw it, the white and red outline that overtook her form. A cold realization hit me as I remembered the Grimm Beetle and the Grimm Glove that had melded with her skin. I had anticipated it being a problem, but never like that.
I felt so powerless as she screamed in pain and agony, those bloodcurdling shouts would haunt my dreams for months to come. However, just as it looked like it was going to get worse, her eyes began to catch with the Maiden Fire around her eyes. Her irises began to glow in a way I'd never seen them glow before, far brighter.
She continued to scream, but her voice was layered, it wasn't just her own anymore, and I was even more confused. As she fell to her knees, I looked around, the white outline around her was growing more pronounced, and I knew that the Beetle would be escaping from her.
In spite of how messed up my hands were, I grabbed up one blade of Midnight and one blade of Dawn, having found that the left blade of Dawn was damaged during the fighting.
I grabbed the blades just in time, as in one final push, the beetle ripped itself from her essence, Cinder collapsed on the ground and the bug floated in the air. I didn't give it a chance to do anything, instead I slashed out at it. I had no idea what it was capable of doing other than stealing maiden powers, but I didn't want to find out.
One slice was all it took to cause it to dissipate. I sheathed the blades behind my back and looked to Cinder, kneeling down and inspecting her injuries, face down as she was.
I turned her over, she was unconscious. Terrified but trying my hardest to remain calm, I checked her pulse. It was there, but it was faint. If I had to guess, that bug was meant to kill her when it separated itself from her, but whatever the Maiden Soul did, it saved her life. At least, for the moment.
I tried to bring the rising fear in my heart under control. The elevator wasn't working, I knew that much, with all the destruction that was caused up here I wouldn't have been surprised if the CCTS signal was weakened if not totally dropped.
I was sure that Ozpin, Ironwood, and his Atlesian soldiers would have noticed everything that had been happening. As if to confirm my thoughts, I heard a series of footsteps hurrying up the steps. I almost panicked, but ultimately I decided to do what I did best.
I cast Dancing Lights and directed two orbs of lights to smash into one of the large windows, shattering the glass and then disappearing. Then, I took hold of my amulet, closed my eyes, and focused.
When I opened them again, it seemed the magic worked. I had managed to activate the dust in Cinder's infiltrator outfit, during it back to its formal attire. Just in time, too, because not a few moments later the door burst open and a flood of soldiers entered the room, holding up their rifles and scanning the room. They didn't regard Cinder or I as a threat, thankfully.
In came General Ironwood and Ozpin. They both approached me, and Ironwood asked, "Who did this?" He sounded calm and even-toned, but I knew he must have been panicked at the idea of this place being infiltrated.
I looked up at him, into his eyes, and lied, "I don't know. They were wearing a disguise, black mask, black outfit… Cinder and I fought them, it got… bloody." I stated the obvious, showing him one of my hands, "Cinder took the worst of it though… She needs help."
Ironwood nodded, "We'll get more of the details later, you both need medical attention." He looked at Oz, they shared a nod, then Ironwood went further into the destroyed room.
Oz smiled at me, "You've done good work today, Neve. Can you carry her?" I nodded and slipped one arm under her legs and one under her back. I lifted her up in a bridal carry and he promptly turned, leading me down the stairs, "You may not feel like you've done well, but if someone had intended to sabotage the CCTS, it's far more preferable to need to repair one comm station than to risk the entire system being compromised. Once you both are in the infirmary, I will see to it that you receive all the medical attention you need. If you would like, I could exempt you from shadowing a huntsman for the next week."
It was tempting, especially with Cinder in this state, but I knew that if Mountain Glenn went as I expected it to, I would only be gone for a day or two, as opposed to a week, "Thank you, Oz, but I think I just need to get my burns treated. Once my aura's back, it should take care of the rest…"
Oz chuckled, "You should seriously consider taking a break, Neve. I'm offering you a week of vacation, and after a battle like that, it might be warranted. If you make a mistake because you're injured and tired, it could end badly for everyone, not just yourself."
That was much the same thing Torchwick had told me, and I knew just how right he was. Yet still, knowing how Mountain Glenn was going to go, I couldn't shake the feeling that I should be there. For now though, I just sighed, "I'll think about it. If I'm still too injured come tomorrow, then I'll stay here. I don't want to have to leave my team to do a mission without me."
Oz nodded, "That's an understandable desire, but sometimes these things are necessary. If necessary I will pair your team with another to avoid any unnecessary complications that come from being down a man. I will allow you time to think, but if I deem you too injured, even if you feel you're fine, I will have to make you stay here using my authority as Headmaster. I cannot in good conscience allow a student to go on a mission if they're in a dismal state. I know you understand."
I rolled my eyes, thankfully he couldn't see that. He was one-hundred percent in the right to want to keep me back, I felt and looked awful, if Cinder wasn't so light there was no way I'd have been able to carry her. I might have considered letting someone else do it, but some part of my mind very much hated the idea.
We eventually reached the bottom of the steps and then started for the infirmary, the dance was still going, I had to assume because Ozpin didn't want to cut something like that off, especially after all the work that went into it.
I was sure that everyone would have been more than a little upset if he did, after all. Besides, I didn't need anyone worrying about me, or about Cinder. It would be better if we were just given the opportunity to rest.
The infirmary was well equipped, several medical beds lined the left and right walls, the floor was sterilized linoleum, there were privacy curtain around every bed (although none of them were pulled closed, revealing that we were the only ones who would be here), and there was more medical equipment around that I couldn't quite name.
There was a doctor there already, a woman with short orange hair, tanned skin, green eyes, and two red panda ears atop her head. She wore a doctor's coat over scrubs. I didn't need to think too hard to guess who she was. Ozpin gestured to her, "This is Doctor Xia, she will take good care of you both. Get some rest, Neve."
Oz left after giving me a smile, and the doctor quickly got to work, gesturing to one of the patient beds near me, "Set her down there, and then sit yourself down, and we can get to work." I nodded and did as she asked, laying Cinder down on one of the beds and then sitting on the one next to her.
The doctor didn't waste any time on getting to work on Cinder, checking her vitals, her injuries, and other medical things like that. She asked me while she was working on treating the frostbite by putting Cinder's hands into two separate small tubs of warm water. Then, she moved over to me, "Take off your jacket and shirt."
I explained as best I could while doing as she wanted me to, "Someone tried to break into the CCTS, we were there to stop them, but… they were tougher than we thought they'd be."
She nodded, and once I was without a shirt, jacket, or tie, she started to treat my cuts and burns, "They must have been, these injuries could have been worse but they're still serious… You're going to need regular treatment for a few days, even with your aura healing you. Otherwise, you could get an infection."
I repressed the urge to sigh, knowing she was right and knowing that meant I was probably going to have to miss the assignment. I was going to have to let the others know what the plan was so they could join Team RWBY.
While I was planning that, Doctor Xia seemed to recognize me, "Wait…I've seen you before, haven't I?"
I smiled, "We met at that bar, but not for very long. I was getting patched up then, too." I joked, "We need to stop meeting like this."
Recognition finally fully set in, "Oh! Neve! How could I forget? You saved Shi's life!" She smiled warmly at me, "You know she still talks about you almost every day. She even had me download some footage of you fighting dust robbers to her computer so she could watch it. She said it'd help her learn how to fight."
My smile grew warmer, that was immensely flattering, "I had no idea I left such an impact on her…" There were a million other people that would have been better heroes to idolize, but I supposed that you couldn't decide what other people thought of you. The best I could do was try to live up to how she saw me.
Doctor Xia rolled her eyes lightheartedly, "Seriously? You saved her! She wants to become a huntress when she gets older, we've already decided to enroll her to Signal once she's old enough. Should just be a couple years from now. She's gonna have her tenth birthday on the 15th next month."
September, I would be off during that time, Fall Break was just a few weeks compared to the several months of Winter and Summer, but it was still a welcome respite that lasted until October, when the Vytal Festival was scheduled to kick off.
I smiled, "Well, if you want, I could come. School's gonna be out then, so I'd have the time. I might even be able to convince some of my friends to bring her some gifts."
Doctor Xia's eyes lit up, "Oh, you're so sweet! Shi really picked a good role model." She smooched my cheek in a way best described as 'motherly', "She'd be absolutely over the moon. Once you're all healed up we can work out the details."
My smile turned bashful, "Ah, I just want to encourage her. The world needs people who are willing to be heroes, and she's got the spirit of one, I can tell just by looking at her. A fire like that needs kindling, I'm happy to provide some."
She was grateful regardless, and after that she focused on bandaging up my arms. Once my arms and some wounds on my chest were bandaged up, she left to get some water and food for me from the cafeteria. She gave me a bowl of rice and said to just knock on the door to the doctor's office down the hall when Cinder was awake so she could be evaluated again.
That left me alone to eat and drink, which helped my aura begin to replenish a bit faster. I was curious about the system still, it took about thirty minutes of sitting on the patient bed for something to happen.
I had finished the bowl of rice and was drinking some water when suddenly the elements of my HUD flickered back into my vision and some text appeared in front of me.
System Reboot Successful!
Mission Complete
The Eleventh Hour
The dance has been a success, and though it took a lot of effort, you managed to stop Cinder from sabotaging the CCTS.
Rewards
Increased reputation with Ozpin and Ozpin's Circle, Decreased notoriety and reputation with the Evernight Court, Cinder is now your girlfriend, Cinder has defected from the Evernight Court, Massively increased reputation with Cinder, Several bug patches, the annoyance of The Assistant, and an Enchantment: Kindred Link!
Kindred Link
When a weapon or item is enchanted with this spell, you can link it to another similar item or weapon, when both are used within 100m of each other at the same time, they become empowered.
…Huh? An enchantment? I knew those were a thing, but I didn't expect to get one this soon. I had no idea how I'd apply it to my weapon, but I supposed that could wait until I could ask Ozpin.
Once I dismissed the text, I noticed the Assistant standing next to my patient bed, causing me to start, they looked and sounded annoyed, "Well, well! If it isn't the loverboy, sitting pretty enjoying a drink of water! You and your lover there are real pains in my neck, you know that?"
I blinked a few times, "Wh-What? What'd we do? And what was all of that with the system breaking down and needing to restart? That's never happened before!"
The Assistant facepalmed and stomped their foot, "What DIDN'T you do?! I don't expect you to understand, but I'll try." She walked to the middle of the room and reached into her jacket, pulling out a full sized whiteboard on a rolling stand that she set on the ground, "Look here, jackass!"
Their outfit changed to them wearing a blue button-up shirt and a pencil skirt, making them look paradoxically more feminine. They also donned a pair of glasses, completing the 'sexy librarian' look that was incredibly off-putting on them, in my opinion.
They created a graph of a bell curve ending in two lines, "This is how the system judges stats, and this-" she pointed to the hump of the bell, "Is thirty, the average of all people on Remnant, and this-" she pointed to the right side of the bell curve, "is the extreme, one-thirty, literally the furthest away from average possible! To go beyond this, you have to break fucking PHYSICS ITSELF to become LITERALLY NEGATIVE AVERAGENESS! You have to be INFINITELY more of whatever the stat is to get here."
They pointed their marker to Cinder, who was still unconscious, "Your girlfriend there-" she pointed back to past the one-thirty mark on the bell-curve, "is here!"
I was left dumbfounded, "Wh-What?! How is that even physically possible?" Their explanation just left me feeling even more confused.
Assistant frowned and placed their hands on their hips, "You fucking tell me, idiot! Your girlfriend somehow loves you enough that she broke a normal distribution! She literally, mathematically, liked you infinitely more than the average person! It shouldn't be possible, and you bet your ass the God of Light is up there scratching his head right now too!"
They threw their hands up as the whiteboard and marker disappeared, they returned to their normal puffy coat and jeans getup, with the glasses disappearing as well, "I swear to fuck, when the God of Light gave me this job, I didn't expect to have to deal with people who can literally break physics with their fucked up emotional problems! It's like some dumbass chick flick!"
They started returning to the talisman, turning to blue smoke, their annoyed voice becoming increasingly more echoey and hard to hear as the smoke disappeared into the talisman, "I'm leaving! I'm fuckin' leaving! Putting in my two weeks, I'm out! Okay, I literally can't quit, but I'm pissed! You're gonna make this up to me later, Snowboy!"
They disappeared and I was left bewildered and scratching my head.
I managed to get some sleep that night, thankfully. The hospital beds were actually far more comfortable than you'd be led to believe.
When I woke up, it was around nine AM. Pretty early, but much later than I usually woke up. I checked my hands, indeed they were still bandaged, I was still not wearing a shirt. I wanted to get a T-shirt, but I couldn't exactly leave last night.
I was about to take my scroll and text Lunus to bring me a shirt when I heard shifting on the bed next to me.
I had pulled the privacy curtains closed for Cinder and I last night, so I pulled mine open and then did the same for hers.
Standing was difficult, I hadn't expected my legs to be as sore as they were, but they weren't spared from damage last night. I had to remove my pants last night so they could get covered in gauze much like my chest and arms had. I started to feel like I was an incomplete mummy, embalming optional. Luckily, I was wearing a patient gown, so even if I only had my boxers on other than that, I was still decent.
Cinder was starting to wake up, the doctor had changed her into a patient gown as well last night, thankfully behind the privacy curtain. Her hands were already looking better, although she still had scars, cuts, bruises, and gashes all across her body.
In spite of all of that, she still looked beautiful. I couldn't help but feel a smile growing on my face as I remembered the events of last night; it was touch and go, but now I could call Cinder my girlfriend. It was all I had ever really wanted, up to that point.
Slowly, her eyes began to blink open. She looked weak still, I was probably no better. Eventually, she looked at me, barely moving her head as she did, "Neve…? Wh-What…"
I leaned down and gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek, then I spoke softly "You're free from her, now… The Grimm that was bound to you ripped itself away, and I killed it."
Understanding crossed her face and she nodded, "I…I remember now." Her voice was hoarse, I knew she needed water, I luckily still had some on the table next to my bed. I grabbed it and tried to give it to her, but she was too weak to raise her arm. She whined a complaint, "Can't… move… too well…"
I pressed a button on the patient bed that lifted the top half, so she was able to be in a sitting position. Then I tried again to help her drink the water, holding it up to her lips. She was able to drink, it was awkward and a bit embarrassing for both of us, but she was able to drink, and that was all that mattered.
It mattered more than the fact that we were the ones who did these things to each other, that didn't matter at all to me, nor to her. It mattered more than how, up to that point, she'd done plenty of evil in her life, I was no saint, and I would never be one, because I wasn't a hero like Ruby or Jaune.
She'd killed four people and mortally wounded a fifth, but I didn't and don't care. If that made me a sinner, then so be it, because I had her at last, and I wasn't going to let go. It wouldn't be a magical fix, we were still going to have our disagreements, on a fundamental level our ideals were different, but just as we did many times before, we would find comfort in each other's arms regardless.
Cinder drank the rest of the bottle, down to the last drop. I tossed it into the nearby trashcan, before I returned to her side, staggering slightly as I did so. She was looking into my eyes, and I was looking into hers, she spoke in a voice slightly stronger than before, "S-Stupid… Coffee… Boy… T-Trying to stop M-Midnight with your hands…"
I smiled, looking down at my still bandaged hands before I looked back at her, "It worked, didn't it?" She rolled her eyes and my smile grew, "I'll get someone to bring us some food…"
She nodded silently to that idea, her voice was still much too weak to be using flagrantly. I sat back on my patient bed and texted Lunus.
Me: "I'm awake, did Ozpin tell you what happened?"
His response didn't take long.
Lunus: "Yeah, we're all worried about you."
I couldn't help but smile at that. Of course they'd be worried… I'd be worried too, in their position.
Me: "I'll be fine. Listen, can you bring me that cane I took from Torchwick, and some clothes? Something to eat for both of us would be nice, too."
Lunus: "Of course! Violet and Jeanne are still asleep, but I'll bring it all over to you. Is there anything else?"
Me: "On your way in, let the doctor know Cinder is awake. Thank you, seriously."
Lunus: "Thank me by getting better."
I chuckled at that before closing my scroll and looking over at Cinder, who regarded me curiously, I explained, "Lunus is going to bring us some food and other stuff. The doctor will be checking on you as well…" I sighed as I looked at the ceiling, "I'm going to have to miss the mission shadowing a huntsman, I'm way too beat up for that…"
Cinder spoke in a sorrowful tone, "I-I'm… sorry."
I shook my head, "Nah." I looked at her, her gaze was as sad as her voice, but I smiled regardless, "I did what I did on my own volition, and I'd gladly do it again. Although, I hope you won't give me a reason to."
She smiled, "I don't… know if… playing hero is… my style."
I chuckled, "It's not mine either. There are other ways you can do good without being a hero." A question came to mind, "What do you think you'll do, now?"
Cinder gained a contemplative look, "Think… I need… to get power… a different way. Salem… is not going to… defeat herself."
I clicked my tongue, "Power isn't everything, you know." Still, I found myself considering her words, "Although we're definitely not in any position to take Salem down now… I don't think we will be anytime soon… how're you going to get more power?"
She frowned, "I… don't know yet. I won't… be stealing anymore… maiden power."
Well, that was a relief at least.
Cinder closed her eyes, I could tell she was still awake but she was still so weak that I understood the need for rest. I hobbled back over to my patient bed and sat there while I waited for Lunus' arrival, likely with Doctor Xia in tow.
After about fifteen minutes the door to the infirmary opened and in came Lunus, carrying a backpack full of stuff, with Melodic Cudgel in his hand. I had to admit, he pulled it off pretty well, although I felt like he'd probably look better with a staff of some kind. Not that he needed anything like that, he wasn't a wizard.
He smiled at me and Cinder, "There's the heroes of the hour." He walked over, and as Cinder blinked open her eyes, he nodded to her, then looked back at me as he took the backpack off and set it on the patient bed, "I got some food from the cafeteria wrapped up in there, and some chips." He set Melodic Cudgel against my bed, "And your walking stick, old man."
I scoffed as he grinned, yet still I smiled, "Thanks, I'm gonna have to miss the mission." He nodded, and I continued, "But, listen…I need you to try and get a mission to Mountain Glenn if Ozpin doesn't put you with Team RWBY, if he does, then you should be fine."
Lunus furrowed his brow and sat on the empty patient bed to my right, "Something going on over there? That place is a ghost town."
I nodded, I could feel Cinder's curious gaze on me as I continued to explain, "Blake and I figured it's probably the White Fang's base of operations. Only way to find out is to go looking, right?"
Lunus nodded, his scroll buzzed and he looked at it, "Ah, yeah, we gotta choose a mission now." He stood up, "I'll try and get us a mission at Mountain Glenn, you just try to rest okay?" I nodded and he chuckled, "I can't believe it took you getting put up in the infirmary to take a break. Try to take it easy." Then he turned and left with a wave.
Doctor Xia came in not long after that to check on Cinder, there was a lot of writing on a clipboard, lots of basic medical checks. At the end of it all, the doctor decreed that Cinder was going to be bedridden for at least a week, give or take a few days depending on how fast her aura heals her, apparently it was slightly different for everyone.
After she left, I was finally left alone with Cinder again. She appeared slightly stronger now, Doctor Xia had given us both some painkillers to help us along. After we both took them, I checked the bag Lunus had left.
There were two plastic containers holding what looked like Vacuan refried beans, always a favorite, along with two plastic spoons so we could eat. Folded neatly inside as well was my regular huntsman gear. I set the containers on the nightstand before closing the privacy curtain and changing into my regular clothes. I was going to have to change the bandages I had on my arms and hands later, but that could wait.
Once I was back in my normal getup, minus my sheaths because at the moment Dawn and Midnight were sitting off to the side, I pulled the privacy curtain back to see Cinder waiting expectantly. I tilted my head, "Not hungry?"
She hummed, "You know, my arms are still weak… I don't know if I'd be able to eat on my own…"
She was very clearly exaggerating, if the light blush and almost imperceptible smile on her face was any indication. Still, I smiled, "Is that so?" I took up a plastic fork and a container of beans, "Here, then. I can feed you while I tell you what I promised I'd tell you."
Cinder looked intrigued at that last bit, although her blush grew at the first. I hobbled over to her and rested my knee on the side of her bed. We settled into a rhythm as I helped her eat, it would have been embarrassing if anyone else was around, but luckily it was just us.
I began to speak, "So… it's kind of hard to explain, so I'm just going to come out and say it… I'm blessed by the God of Light." Her eyes widened, luckily I said that after she swallowed a bite or else she might have choked on it, "Yeah… and this… isn't my first life. I had one before… but not on Remnant."
She looked as if she'd just seen someone get hit with a truck, complete and utter shock seasoned with disbelief, "Y-You said you'd tell me the truth, Neve. There's no…" She looked into my eyes and her words died.
Now, I lie, I lie a lot. If that isn't obvious by this point, then I urge whoever is reading this to get their brain checked.
Although if you are somehow reading this, you probably know Cinder and I personally, and we don't generally hang out with stupid people, so… good for you. If it's Violet reading this, then... I'm impressed you've read this far. Proud of you!
The point is, in that moment, as she looked into my eyes, she saw nothing but unrepentant truth. I promised myself I wouldn't lie to her anymore, and while I knew I wouldn't be telling her everything that day, I would certainly be telling her it over time.
Cinder swallowed a lump in her throat, "You're…you're not joking, are you? Do you… do you have proof?"
I contemplated exactly how I would do that, "Well… the system, as I call it, kind of behaves like a… video game." She looked bewildered, and I smiled, "Sounds stupid, I know, but apparently the God of Light did it because he felt it'd be intuitive to me. I guess I could-" Before I could finish speaking though, I got a notification.
The Party System!
You've told someone about the system! This means that now, you can invite them to your party through simply willing it, and so long as they are within fifteen feet. Party members enjoy increased experience gain, similar to that of the 'host', however they cannot create new skills. They can continue to use skills they themselves have unlocked, but the host will not unlock them by proxy.
Once someone has joined the party, they will remain in it indefinitely until the host decides to make them leave. However, if the distance between party members exceeds ten miles, then anyone who is not the host will have slightly impaired experience gain, and will be unable to gain any extra rewards for completing quests while within a party.
…Well, that made it easy.
"Here, I'll show you." I dismissed the text box and imagined Cinder joining my party, and suddenly an azure blue bracelet manifested itself around her wrist. It was beaded, and it looked nice on her, if I said so myself,
She blinked in surprise, "A… bracelet?" Then suddenly, she gasped. I saw a text box appear in front of her, and I leaned over slightly so I could read it with her.
Welcome to The System™
The System™ is your one-way ticket to enjoying all of the benefits that come with being in a party with the Host! You will now be able to check your stats, see what people feel about you and about others around you, and much more!
The textbox went on to describe everything about being in a party that it had told me, Cinder's expression remained one of shock, even as she closed the textbox. Then, she looked at me, "O-Okay, you're telling the truth, but… how do you know so much about… everything?"
I smiled awkwardly, "Eh, well… that's because in the world I'm from, there's a version of Remnant that's… a show on our equivalent to the CCTnet." She looked shocked, but I just nodded, "It's… not this world. There's a lot different about this world, you're in your mid-twenties in the other timeline, nobody on my team… exists. A lot of people I've met don't exist." It was chilling to say that now, "But, anyway… I died. I don't know how, but… when I did, the God of Light took me from my old world and brought me here. No memories of who I was, or even who my family was, just… basic things, and memories of the world that I watched unfold through the looking glass."
Cinder was silent for almost a minute as she processed everything, "That's… insane, but… I believe you." Then, she looked into my eyes again, "What do you know about your old life?"
I hadn't expected her to ask something like that, it drew out a sad smile, "Very little. There's pictures, memories with blank spots in it, when I dream, sometimes…" I took a deep, shaky breath as I looked at the ceiling, "Sometimes I can see them. My family. I… know I had to be around the same age I am now. I can't see their faces, and I worry about them, even if I can't even remember their names. I wonder how they're doing, every night…"
I could feel tears forming in my eyes, I tried to fight them down, "I wish I could see them. It's funny, isn't it?" My twisted mockery of a smile grew a bit larger as I tried to make light of the situation, "I'm given all these gifts, these powers, I meet… such wonderful people. Like you, like my team, like Teams RWBY and JNPR, but…" I sniffled, "All I want is to see them again. Even if it's just one more time."
I couldn't fight the tears anymore. They started to stream down my face even as I kept smiling, "Isn't that funny?" I repeated my earlier sentiment as I met Cinder's gaze again, "That I just-"
I didn't finish that statement, with great effort Cinder moved her arms and pulled me into a hug, my ear was over her heart, I could hear it beating, she spoke softly, "No, Neve… It's not funny. It's not stupid. I… I won't pretend to know what it's like to have a family, I won't pretend like I ever want to meet my mother, but-" she ran her hand through my hair, "if I lost you, if I lost Emerald, or Mercury, if I even lost your team… I would miss them, and if it was you… I'd give anything to see you again."
I was surprised to hear such a raw admission from her, and all I could do was close my eyes and let her hold me for a few minutes.
When I finally gathered myself up again, she let me go. I sat on my bed, Cinder was eating on her own now, it seemed she'd gained enough strength back for that.
I ate my own food as well, and the time was spent in comfortable silence. Eventually, we both finished eating and settled into just talking about nothing in particular, just idle musings about the past few days, as emotionally fraught as they had been.
The rest of the day went by much the same, with nothing happening that was noteworthy. Cinder mused that she wished we had danced together, I told her once she was feeling better we still could. Mercury and Emerald visited, with Mercury acting disinterested while Emerald fretted over Cinder's state. She was surprised to see me there with her, but ultimately didn't pry too much. Cinder didn't tell her that she'd defected, not yet, she wanted to save that for when she was feeling better.
Late at night, we were back to just whiling away the hours. Until the door to the infirmary opened and Ozpin entered. He smiled at both of us, "Mr. Cadere, Ms. Fall, I'm glad I didn't interrupt your rest. I hope you are progressing well?" I nodded, and so did Cinder, he smiled, "Good. Unfortunately, I didn't come here just to check on you both. I came to let you, Neve, know that Roman Torchwick has escaped captivity." My eyes widened and he explained, "Just a couple hours ago, it is believed that he had the assistance of his associate, Neopolitan. Now, I don't expect you to go looking for him, I just wanted you to be aware-"
I stood up before he could even finish his sentence, "I'm going." In a flash, I was going to grab my sheaths so I could put them under my cloak, followed by one half Midnight and one half Dawn. This would need a new name.
After a moment, I decided on Daybreak. Half the darkness of the night sky, and if Cinder let me keep her obsidian blade, I could paint the metal half sky blue, to make it look like… well, daybreak.
I was sure she'd love the idea. Besides, she could make a new weapon of her own! The broken blade that used to be half of Dawn was laying at my bedside, just like the actual functioning weapons were.
I decided she'd be pleased with that idea. Ozpin, meanwhile, didn't move to stop me, he just sighed, "Be careful, Mr. Cadere, you don't want to risk opening your wounds."
I took hold of Melodic Cudgel after I finished my preparations, "Don't worry, Oz. I have a cane, see? Like you." I smirked, The Long Memory was nothing like Melodic Cudgel, but the sentiment was there, playful as my statement was.
He chuckled, "Yes, I suppose so. Well, I won't try to hold you back." He turned on his heels, "Good hunting." Then, he left.
Before I could follow suit, Cinder cleared her throat. I stopped and looked at her. She was pouting at me, an adorable look in her eyes like she was trying to do what Jeanne did and give me puppy dog eyes. It looked kind of funny to see someone like Cinder doing that, but I relented, walking over and giving her a smooch, which appeased her. She waved me off, "Don't get yourself killed, Coffee Boy." If anyone else had said my nickname like that, it would have sounded condescending, but coming from her it only sounded affectionate.
So, armed, dressed, and ready to go, I exited the infirmary and started for the door. I toyed with my scarf as I did so, thinking to myself. The Atlesian security must have either been lax or Neo was even more daring than I gave her credit for, which was impressive all things considered. Still, I had to find them, not to fight them, but to see what they were up to.
Well, I might have had to fight them, if they were up to no good.
There was only one reasonable way out of Beacon, and that was the Bullhead landing. There was only a single Bullhead that ran this late, which meant all I had to do was wait at the terminal and activate focus. I rested on Melodic Cudgel, keeping it at the center of my person and resting my hands on top of it. It helped me keep balance, and my legs, while mostly improved, were not all the way there yet.
It took about thirty minutes of waiting, but eventually I saw Neopolitan and Roman, disguised by Neo's semblance as regular students. Yet their outlines didn't lie, and once they were close enough to the entrance to the station, I eyed them. They looked at me, and I knew that they knew I had them, "Neo, Roman. It's good to see you two."
Roman sighed, even though he was disguised, his voice sounded the same, "Oh come on, kid… Do we gotta do this?"
I scoffed, "It depends. Are you going to try and get to Mountain Glenn?"
They both looked surprised and my smile grew. Yet, eventually, Roman just deflated and sighed, "No. No, I think that ship sailed, kid. After that business with the mech, I think this whole White Fang stint has run its course. Regular crime pays much better in the long run."
I was pleased to hear that, "In that case, no, we don't gotta do this." I mirrored his inflection, earning a smirk out of Neo, and I tossed my head back to the Bullhead station, "Well, come on."
They were both surprised again at that, I was a student of Beacon after all, I should have been trying to stop them escaping, not going down to Vale with them. Honestly, though, between the fight I'd had just two days ago and my most recent talk with Torchwick, I just plain didn't feel like it.
The three of us boarded the Bullhead without issue, it was only when we had landed and left eyesight and earshot of the station that Neo dropped the disguise. Torchwick fixed his bowler hat as he looked at his cane, "Can I get that back?"
I chuckled, "In a bit, I kind of need it to help me keep balance. I had a pretty nasty brawl the other day."
Roman nodded his head, "Right… I heard the guards talking about that. Some schmuck tried to break into the CCTS and who else would be there to stop him but Neve Cadere… and Cinder Fall." He regarded me suspiciously, "You know, Snowfall, I'm starting to think there's something off about you."
The nickname made me grin, "You're just now starting to think there's something off about me?"
Roman laughed and shook his head, "No, I knew that a long time ago. I just never realized how deep it went. Since when were you and Cinder doing things like stopping sabotage together?"
I scratched my cheek, did I want to tell them the whole story? How I met her, how complicated it all was? I would have to skip over some more intimate parts, as well as the part with me knowing about her past, but…
I hummed, "Well… It's a long story. How about we go get some coffee? I know a place."
So it was that I took Torchwick and Neopolitan to The Changing Seasons Cafe, something I had never thought I'd do. It was closed because of how late it was, but I had my key, which surprised both of them. I just told them I knew the owner, and pointedly left out that I lived there. They didn't need to know that particular detail.
I got Roman some coffee while Neo aggressively pointed at the unicorn sparkle cotton candy frappe, which I gave her. Of course, leave it to the woman named after ice cream to have a sweet tooth to rival Jeanne's.
We ended up going through a few drinks, actually, because it was a long story. I left out my lack of memory and instead picked up from where Torchwick had first met me. I weaved a story of half-truths about how I had worked at the coffee shop, met Cinder, and having no idea what she was capable of, started to crush on her.
She trained me to fight and prepared me for the Beacon examination, and I claimed that I only discovered her connection to crime after Neo showed up at her place one day. In spite of Neo's teasing and Torchwick's smirk, I assured them that nothing untoward happened. Torchwick gave me the benefit of the doubt, but Neo didn't seem to believe me.
I continued on, eventually finishing with catching her at the CCTS. We had it out, and then I discovered my semblance, we reconciled our differences and now she was recovering after an intense battle, as was I, but less so.
By the time I finished telling the story, thanks to several spin-off conversations about things like what initiation was like these days, the sun was already starting to rise. That was when I decided that I'd see them off before returning to Beacon.
My walking was better, but I still had Melodic Cudgel, honestly it just felt nice in my hand, maybe I should get a cane… I entertained that thought as we made our way towards one of a few town squares.
That was when, before we even properly made it into the square, all hell broke loose.
The ground practically exploded, civilians were thrown like ragdolls from the square if they were anywhere near the center. A train crashed and came to a stop after decimating a set of large stone steps and a fountain. At once, Grimm started pouring out of the hole, and I suddenly remembered exactly what I had feared would happen today.
How could I have forgotten?!
I was careless, that's how.
I gritted my teeth and looked towards Torchwick and Neo, the latter of whom was already drawing Hush. I cleared my throat and got Roman's attention, tossing him the cane, "You're not with the terrorists anymore, right?
He grinned and twirled his cane, "Nope, and this is looking like a fine way to stretch my legs. Try to keep up, Snowfall! I can go back to robbing places after I show you kids how a professional works."
There were way more Grimm than we could have taken on alone, yet luckily we weren't alone. I saw Team RWBY and the rest of my team already engaging with swathes of the things. However, my attention was drawn to a pack of Beowolves charging towards the three of us, there had to be at least twenty of them! I drew Daybreak in preparation for what was to come.
The three of us charged to meet them, with Torchwick firing a round from his cane and sending five of them flying. He met another one head on, easily dodging the swipes and bites the creature tried to land as he expertly smashed into the thing with Melodic Cudgel several times, not even breaking a sweat as he killed it.
Neo was next, blocking one as it charged at her by opening Hush, then in one smooth movement she pulled free the blade hidden within her parasol. She twirled gracefully before slashing the thing and bringing it down quickly and with a smirk on her face. Next, two more ran at her. She used her semblance to make them attack a fake her that shattered like glass the second they struck out at it. Neo was off to the right of both beasts, stabbing one straight through the neck before front flipping and cutting the beast in half with her swift moves, landing on the other side of the second one before easily dispatching it with another slash.
My turn. I may not have been in the best condition to be fighting, but that wasn't going to stop me! I channeled bright orange dust through the obsidian blade and fire dust through the other. There were ten of them running towards me, nothing pyrotechnics couldn't solve!
I slashed the bright orange dust out first, allowing it to splatter over the approaching Grimm before hitting them with a blast of fire dust. The effect was immediate as the beasts exploded in a fiery blaze, luckily the explosion wasn't too large or else I'd have been knocked down as well!
There was only one Beowolf left thanks to our combined efforts, at least in this pack, there were still plenty more elsewhere. Neopolitan dispatched the final Grimm easily and gave me time to assess the rest of the battlefield.
Team RWBY were working expertly to dispatch Grimm in their own ways, while my team was no different. Lunus was sawing through Ursa, Violet was guiding her chakram true while firing her gun and allowing Aura to take out any that got too close. As my attention turned to Jeanne, who was the furthest away out of any of them, across the square, and what I saw made my blood run cold.
Jeanne was squaring off with an Ursa Major, the massive beast was far larger than her, and she was doing it while standing protective in front of a man, a woman, and their child. She growled and bared her teeth at the thing before she charged it. She managed to stab into the beast's stomach, but she was too slow to react to what came next.
It swatted at her and sent her and her claymore to the ground. She was scrambling to get back up quickly, of course she was, but it swatted her again and sent her rolling. I gritted my teeth and started running to help but as she struggled to stand again, but before I could, the unexpected happened.
A new challenger entered the arena, a fair skinned woman that stood tall, although at the time I didn't know just how tall she was. She had long, luxurious black hair, her eyes were a reddish pink and they burned with fury at the beast. She was wearing a dark red cloak, a black vest, a white shirt underneath that, and a pair of black slacks.
Most noticeable though was the giant sword she wielded, it was both similar and dissimilar to the one Thana wielded. It had a black finish with a clockwork cog where the crossguard and blade met, a design that reminded me of a certain other weapon that was a large sword. However, the one she wielded was at least a foot longer and much broader, somehow!
Her aura glowed dark purple as she activated what I assumed was her semblance. Whatever it was, it must have helped with what she did next. She brought her massive sword to bear and with one thrust, pierced straight through the Ursa Major's heart.
The beast fell and the woman, who looked to be about my age, turned to help Jeanne up.
I was so caught up in watching this development I almost didn't notice the Beowolf Alpha sneaking up on me. As it charged towards me and I whirled around to meet it, a sudden shot from a dust round sent it flying to my right and into a building. I saw Torchwick to my left, holding up Melodic Cudgel with a smirk, "Now you owe me, kid."
I smiled back at him, and once again we returned to the fray.
The fighting continued for some time, but not too much longer. Team CFVY's arrival was more than enough to finally turn the tides completely. Although the help of my team, Torchwick, Neopolitan, and the mystery girl meant that things were in far better shape than they were before.
Jeanne had recovered well after getting knocked around a bit, she seemed to be emboldened by the other girl, striking down Ursa and Beowolves alike with precise strikes.
When the dust had finally started to settle, we were all fairly spent. Torchwick and Neo, once everything had seemed to die down, took the opportunity to vanish, which I figured was to be expected.
I joined the others, who were surprised to see me up and about so quickly, but I assured them that I was fine. Jeanne was hanging around near the new girl and asking all sorts of questions about her sword skills, not surprising. The woman looked a mixture of stoic and confused, like she was trying to maintain some semblance of composure while internally being completely unsure of what to do about Jeanne's constant questions. I sympathized with her on that front.
Violet had found a non-destroyed park bench to lie on, and Lunus was being fretted over by Ruby, despite the fact that both of them were hunters-in-training and definitely didn't need to be fretted over.
The new arrival made me feel uneasy. Not because I thought she was a threat, but because looking at her made my talisman start to almost pulse, not literally, but it sent these strange magical pulses out and into my chest, almost like it was a beating heart of its own. It never became too much of a burden, but it did seem to react to her presence. I was going to have to find out who she was, later, along with what caused this strange reaction.
Yet, there were more questions on my mind than just the identity of the newcomer. While I was satisfied this had been solved quickly and cleanly, I couldn't help but wonder…
If Torchwick and Neo didn't spearhead the Breach, then who did?
Elsewhere in Vale
A girl aged about eighteen sat in a hotel bedroom brushing her blonde hair that fell to her shoulders. Blue eyes inspected herself in a small mirror placed on the wall, she wore a white sundress that stopped just above her knees. A pair of pure white dove wings were folded on her back, making her appear to have angel wings. Her smile was pleasant, especially as she gazed upon the notebook that sat on the desk she had situated herself at. The page she was on was written not long ago.
"Thus did the heroes do battle with grand warriors and beasts of parchment. The grand colosseum they did battle in gave way to reality only when the train broke through to Vale, allowing the heroic maiden and her knight to escape without notice."
It was simple, really, she could only admire her beautifully written prose while brushing her hair, already thinking about what she could write next. That, and her primary object of affection…
The door to the hotel room opened, and in came a new figure, causing the girl to stand up with a smile on her face.
Whereas the girl was 5'1'', this new figure stood at a towering 7'2''. He wore armor almost identical to that of the famed Arma Gigas, the helmet concealing his features. On his back were two intricately designed greatswords, seemingly made of bronze.
The girl smiled sweetly at him, "Haimon, my love, your strength of arms was truly something to behold against those buffoons."
The newly named Haimon shook his head, "Your brilliant planning and quick use of your semblance is what made it all work, Astra."
Astra giggled, "Oh, you're too humble. Orchid was correct to trust us with this mission, I believe once she has finished her preparations we shall be clear to move forward."
Haimon crossed his arms, humming, "Do you think she can do it?"
She nodded, keeping her smile, "Of course, she's one of us after all."
Her partner shook his head, "One of you, you mean. No amount of loyalty will erase my origins, it seems."
She placed her hands on her hips, "And yet they still call you the 'Minotaur of Argus'. That's a compliment, if you ask me! Now take that armor off and get ready, we're going to a confectionery I saw on our way here and it wouldn't do to have you hide your charming features beneath that helmet any longer."
The boy nodded and removed his helmet, revealing fair skin and a lack of facial hair; he had strong facial features, the kind that Astra equated to the heroes of legend from years past. His eyes were closed as he shook out his red hair, which was best described as a 'fluffy mane' that fell to his nape and covered his ears. He blinked open his green eyes, "It is always refreshing to look upon your beauty undeterred by my helmet."
The Deserts of Vacuo
Orchid watched as the corpse of the woman fell backward onto the ground. Her work was done, and she produced her scroll and dialed a number. Once the person on the other side picked up, she said, "Yes, I've obtained it." There was a pause, "All of it. Yes, your former maiden was truly pathetic." She smirked as the other person spoke, "I will gladly deliver your message to her prior to sending her to her grave."
She had never fully intended on following this mysterious benefactor's every order, but if it meant she could get powers like these to further her cause with the Fang, then she was not going to complain. Her smirk grew as the other person asked a question.
"It burns within my heart. It feels… wonderful."