Waking up and immediately having an idea on what to write feels glorious, I tell ya.
Getting a bit apprehensive now since I have a rather nasty streak of being unable to publish more than three installments to my stories. But, thankfully enough, I do have an idea for what the next one will be so that shouldn't happen.
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Cinder Fall was a woman on a mission. And currently, that mission was to get her breakfast from the cafeteria in order to shore up strength for yet another day of dealing with children. She knows that she had to work for the maiden powers, but she expected to fight, kill, and to bleed for it – not sit in a classroom for hours listening to things that she already knew from under Watts' tutelage. The only saving grace there is that Beacon's lessons wasn't like being 'tutored' by Watts.
So imagine her surprise when, as she opened the doors to the cafeteria, she immediately spotted a grenade rolling at her feet.
"What-" Cinder cuts herself off as her confusion is replaced by instincts honed from years of dealing with Tyrian's 'pranks'. Her body moved before she could think to do so, and she backflipped in a way that would've earned her a ten from any competition. Emerald, who had been following her, scrambled away in confusion at her mistress' impromptu gymnastics.
"Cinder? Why did you-"
An explosion erupted from the doorway before the green-haired girl could finish her question, surprising her and causing her to pull out her weapons from its sheath. Cinder, meanwhile, recovered on her feet and immediately did the same with Midnight. She was tense, why would someone attack her with a grenade? Had she been found out? Did some stupid student just leave explosives lying around?
The doors slammed open once more before Cinder could answer that question to herself. She prepared herself to face many potential enemies – A squad of Atlesians here for her arrest, Qrow who had set up an ambush after finding her out, and even Ozpin himself! Even though she wouldn't like her chances against the last one.
But, to both her and Emerald's surprise, the person that stepped out of the doorway is no one that they could've expected. On one hand, they have a pistol; on the other, a frying pan; and on their face is a stitched-on and ever present smile in what seems to be a polar bear costume.
A torn-up and bloody polar bear costume.
"Still alive!" The muffled voice of the suit's wearer sounds out as they looked at both sides of the hallway, "Holy fuck, I ate a grenade and I'm still alive!"
The polar bear rushed forwards, but neither was it towards Cinder nor Emerald. Instead, the polar bear left the two confused 'students' alone and rushed down the hallway, screaming out something about bandages and first-aid kits all the while.
Cinder and Emerald shared a glance with each other, neither one exactly sure what to make out of what just happened. But they then turned their attention back towards the door when, with a loud ruckus, a man wearing nothing but what seems like a bullet-proof vest and his underwear stepped out into the hallway with a machinegun in-hand. He scanned both ends and had a wild look in his eyes, like someone whose high on adrenaline, and Cinder could see twitchy fingers hovering over the trigger. Cinder and Emerald backed away, not quite sure if the man is looking to shoot up someone specifically, or just intended to fill the general area with lead.
Eventually, the man's eyes landed on the retreating polar bear's back and he started to cackle. "There you are!" He said as he cracked back on the handle of his weapon and started to run after his costumed target, "I'd like to see you outrun bullet!"
All hell broke loose as machinegun fire erupted down the hallway. Cinder briefly considered taking shelter in the cafeteria to get away from… whatever insanity had taken hold of Beacon, but all it took was a single glimpse past the doors for her to see a bunch of corpses and more of those psychopaths shooting at each other with automatic weapons.
"C-Cinder!?" A confused and slightly terrified Emerald speaks from where she's also staring into what was a cafeteria. "What do we do!?"
Breakfast is certainly off the table now, what with the food and cafeteria splatted with blood and corpses. However, since this also likely means that there wont be any classes, that can only mean that they have one place to go.
Cinder turned to speak to Emerald, but jumped back after a stray burst of bullets raked the door and impacted the wall beside her. "Head back to our dorm!" She commanded after the dust had settled and ran back the way they came, "If Mercury knows what's good for him, he'll be on his way there too!"
Emerald nodded and followed her mistress. It didn't take long for them to encounter yet another one of those psychopaths, this time with two of them riding a yellow motorcycle down the halls while a banana riding backseat shoots a pump-action shotgun at whichever gun-wielding psychopath unfortunate enough to be in their way. A girl who is literally on fire chased after them, colorful language coming out of her mouth all the while.
Fortunately enough, they didn't encounter yet another group of psychopaths around the next corner; unfortunately though, Cinder found herself bumping into, and then scrambling back up to find herself face-to-face with the last person she wanted to see.
Ozpin.
The man looks beleaguered, with his already messy silver hair somehow managing to be even messier. The usual cowl around his neck is also missing, and the man had forgotten to button up the lower section of his shirt. It's almost as if he just got out of bed, rushed to put on his clothes, and then immediately found his school descending into chaos.
Cinder finds her eyes locking onto the Headmaster's, and despite herself, she couldn't help but feel fearful of what might happen next. What if he knows? What if he knows and thinks I initiated this attack? I can't fight him yet, I still need the maiden-
"Miss Fall!" Ozpin exclaimed, unexpectedly sounding relived at the sight of her. He then reached out a hand and placed it on her shoulders, making Cinder tense as he pulled her along. "I apologize for this, but I urgently need your help!"
"Y-yes?" Fight or flight instincts making a mess of her thoughts, it was all that a confused Cinder could let out.
"I need you to help defend something-" The headmaster started as he turned around the corner, only to immediately backpedal when, with a roar, the yellow motorcycle from earlier sped through the hall but this time it's wobbling precariously as the fiery girl wrestled for the controls with the driver. "-something important."
Unable to fully take in her bizarre situation, Cinder absently nodded and she and Emerald followed the Headmaster through the battleground that are the ruined hallways of Beacon. Blood was splattered across the walls, and more corpses of the psychopaths who for some reason are fighting in the school litter the place. Students, confused by what's happening, rushed to and fro like headless chickens, none of them exactly sure as to what is going on.
Eventually, the Headmaster reached a set of ruined doors that seemingly had been blown open. Stepping inside, he then led Cinder and Emerald into an elevator which, to their surprise, went down.
And they were on the ground floor.
Before Cinder could form her words and voice out her questions, the elevator stopped and opened its doors once more to reveal an extremely large and cavernous room. Momentarily amazed, Cinder and Emerald were quickly snapped out of it when the Headmaster stepped out to reveal a number of bodies seemingly belonging to the same group as those psychopaths above ground.
"Ozpin?" Cinder heard the familiar voice of Ms. Goodwitch from further down the room. "Thank goodness that you're finally here!"
"Glydna." Ozpin nodded as Cinder and Emerald stepped out of the elevator behind him. "Another group came by?"
Stepping off to the side, Cinder could finally see the state of Ms Goodwitch. Compared to Ozpin, she isn't faring too badly – her hair is only a bit frazzled from presumably needing to rush about but not much else. Her riding crop is out and in her hands too and, evidenced by the bruised bodies surrounding them, had seen much use.
"Yes." Glydna replied with a sigh. "They aren't too hard to deal with, but I had to stick close to Amber or else risk a stray bullet getting through me and killing her."
Wait… Amber?
Cinder's eyes roamed further down the hall, and then widened when she saw her prize – the reason why she's in Beacon in the first place – placed in a machine and stuck inside a metal tube that could have no other purpose but to keep the dying girl alive.
"Miss Fall?" Ozpin's voice shakes her out of her stupor and Cinder's shock is immediately replaced with suspicion. Why did he bring her here? To her? Does he not know? Or does he actually intend to reclaim the lost part of the girl's soul? Should she run? Should she fight? Or should she call up a bow and chance killing the girl and claim her power for herself?
Although very much tempting, the last option was taken out of her hands when Ms. Goodwitch stepped in-front of the machine with her riding crop at the ready. Cinder internally curses. She knows of Goodwitch's semblance; the woman would just send her arrows away leaving her with no other avenue of approach but to engage in melee, and she does not fancy her chances against her and Ozpin combined. Not yet anyway.
Ozpin, seeing Cinder's suspicious expression, spoke up. "I know that this must be the most unusual sight, but I assure you that this is for a good reason." He placed a hand on Cinder and Emerald each, and Cinder had to push down the urge to just push him away and chance her prize. It is oh so tempting, but she knows that she'd likely end up dead with Goodwitch standing guard.
Unaware of Cinder's thoughts, the Headmaster continued: "What I need you to do is to stand guard here, near the elevator. Glydna will stay back to ensure that any stray shots don't damage anything and I… I have a call to make."
Cinder absently nodded in reply. She can't reveal her cards just yet, but at least now she knows where the fall maiden was being kept. After this insanity is done with, perhaps she can work out a plan to take down the CCT and take away the fall maiden's powers on the same night.
Just as the Headmaster pulled out his scroll, the elevator doors slid shut as it was called back up. Knowing that there's no one else supposed to come after them, Cinder shared a glance with Emerald and they then prepared their weapons.
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Ohokay, remember that thing I said about me having an idea about how the next installment should be? Well, I kinda ended up integrating it in this one.
*Sigh* Fuck me, at least I got this time just in time for breakfast.
Oh yeah, P.S. the center of the safezone is the tower, that's why everyone's scrambling to camp the vault. I literally thought this up yesterday but only remembered just now and almost didn't type it in.
