"Power's like a fire,"

"Fire loves to burn..."


"Take us down as close as you can."

It almost looked like a normal night at Beacon. At least Ruby thought so.

If one could look past the mostly dark buildings, abandoned sidewalks and deserted court yards. The places where it looked like Grimm had dove in or crashed and shattered roofs. The signs of explosions all across the grounds where students and teachers had several small skirmishes with the androids left at the academy.

Completely normal.

The bullhead wings curled up as they neared the ground and touched down. Directly on the wide steps of Beacon Tower. The engines slowly spooling down. The green glow far above them bathed everything in an eerie light, as the girls and two men stepped down from the aircraft.

Ozpin took a moment to look around at the sorry state of his school.

And glance at the soft orange glow coming from the city.


Kad swung cutting through the blasts of Warp fire with his blade and pushing them away with semblance as he rushed the monster.

Lesser Grimm ignored the Primarch. Charging past the giant at the Hunters as Kad pounded up the gentle slope of rubble the Grimm was standing on.

He brought Ignis back over his head and struck a two handed blow downwards. The Grimm brought its staff up to meet the blade. The thunder crack and shockwave of their weapons striking split the night.

It pushed the spiked end forward, punching at the giant who leapt up closer to the beast. Kad kicked down as hard as he could on its bent knee left. At the same time as he turned and punched the Grimm in the face as he leapt off its leg and pushed the staff away with Ignis in one hand. Throwing it off balance.

Then grabbed on its pointed beak. And in one motion the Primarch twisted, pulled and threw the Daemon against itself to the ground behind them.


Weiss heard the light noise of some energy drive echoing over the empty walls of the campus, coming right towards their little group. Her team turned looking for the source. The Heiress and Blake stood close to Ruby at the foot of the steps. Farther up the dark haired Huntress hanging close to Yang tightened her grip on the red sword she held.

A single girl in a violet hoodie with black short shorts, boots and a little protective gear riding a hover-board came around the corner of one building and skated towards them. The girl Reese hopped off her weapon and kicked the board up under her right arm when she drew near and pulled the purple hood off her head of green spikey hair.

"Thank God..." She managed to say, slightly leaning over and trying to catch her breath.

"Miss, what has happened?" Ozpin asked,

"Droids, Grimm all day. They've been coming up that big path from the Emerald forest."

She paused for a moment thinking of all that had transpired, "There's not many of us left sir."

"Bring everyone left back to the tower," Ozpin said, "We shall be leaving within the hour."

"Is Vale safe now?" Reese asked, "Did the Huntsmen make it?"

"What Huntsmen?"

"Some passed through not long ago, broke off from skirmishing in the woods. Said something about the Marshal and coming to help."

The Headmaster didn't respond to that directly, filing it away for the uncertain future.

"Time is of the essence young one," He pointed out in the direction of the path, hinting at a suggested course of action.

Before the girl could get back on her board, the whole campus seemed to shake.

As the Dragon started to crack the last of its rocky shackles in the distance.


Some distant part of Kad's mind registered the quake.

More through hearing then feeling as he leapt, stabbing his sword down at the Grimm on the ground.

It reared its bone white head and burst into smoke seeing another death coming down. Ignis sank through rock effortlessly, and back out again as Kad raised the blade above his head in his right hand. The left coming down to his belt and drawing the knife sheathed there.

Eyes in the smoke around him came from dozens of directions faster than he could blink. Ignis blurred as he cut through the spectral cloud.


"Doctor, work quickly."

Ozpin turned around in the elevator. Pressing down on a holographic switch to hold the car open. He looked down at the waiting team leader.

"Ruby, come with me. The rest of you be on your guard," He commanded.

The young scythe wielder stepped in the carriage. Nodding once to her team and friends before the doors closed as Ozpin sent them up to the top of the tower where his office lay.

The Doctor adjusted his glasses, "Penny, come with me. We need to get to the server rooms four levels down. Miss Schnee?"

"Yes?" Weiss answered.

"Are you at all familiar with Atlas communication systems?"

"A little," She admitted.

"Will you accompany us then? In case we require assistance?"

Raven stepped forward and grabbed onto Weiss left arm, "Don't go, we'll need your help."

The Heiress shrugged off her grip, "What? The Grimm are nowhere near here."

"No," Raven said. "Not from…"

"Go Weiss."

All five other heads present turned to Yang when she interrupted the dark haired Huntress. The blonde locked eyes with her other half-sister.

"The sooner you get done," She pointed over to the service stairs, "The sooner we can leave."


The Daemon appeared again.

Its black feathered wings threw shadows over the Primarch as it loomed behind him. Roaring with fury Kad swung and slashed back at the beast.

The right clawed hand came up catching his forearm in a vice grip. White nails ran red when it squeezed and broke skin with its claws. Kad's knife was already jabbing for its stomach.

But the Daemon was faster.

The scepter cracked into the back of Kad's knees, and all in a single moment his feet left the ground and the Daemon raised up its staff and slammed it into his stomach.

The iron spikes pierced his aura and skin, Kad barely had a moment to cry out in rage and pain before the Grimm released his arm, swept and pushed him up along the rocky ground and straight through a wall. The Grimm beat its wings and took to the air. Looking down to where it judged the Huntsman had stopped.

The ringing sound of steel hit its ears moments before its ascent turned into a violent descent as Kad threw his chain out and bound the Grimm's clawed feet together. And the Primarch pulled down with all his strength.

Dust and shards of pavement shot out from beneath the beast. But the monster was up on its feet again the moment Kad charged and lunged for its heart. Freed by the growing slack in the chain as the Primarch closed in.

The black medallion caught the tip of Ignis between two iron bars and twisted it right to the ground.

Kad jumped forward, springing high and kicking up left. The sole of his boot crushed into the Daemon's throat, snapping its head back. The Grimm lashed up blindly with its left arm. Clawing the back of Kad's leg and flipping him backwards.

The giant pulled his sword free of the twisted circle as he fell. The Grimm lunged,

Kad smacked down its strike and swung back up with his chain. The end links struck and broke its jaw. He spun hacking down with Ignis. The black staff darted out and blocked, Kad pulled back his blade now being driven across the field by the whirling weapon.

The staff struck again. Kad jumped backwards, dodging through the air. Swinging again as he fell.

The two circled and struck, the giant ducking down and smashing away the Grimm's blows. While the beast blocked the whirling chain and darting sword as Kad looked for an opening.


Ruby's vertigo finally calmed as the elevator came to a halt.

The lights in Ozpin's office came on immediately when the two of the triggered the motion sensors. The Headmaster groaned as he stood up from leaning against the back wall and moved towards his desk.

Ruby walked over to the north wall window and looked out over the city. What little she could see was all outlined by smoldering piles of embers and tall pillars of smoke.

Ozpin spoke walking around his desk, "I swore this would never leave the school."

The young girl turned, Ozpin slowly swept his right hand over the desk and the many cogs laid within.

She raised her voice in question, "Professor?"

Ozpin didn't answer.

He only closed his eyes and laid one palm flat on the glass desk top.


The lights far above them flickered.

Yang, Blake, and Raven all shared a look of confusion.

Black muscles flexed far, far away. Shaking the city again.

The three of them all turned in different directions to try and see where the roaring crack of a distant mountain splitting open rolled over the school. Listening to the Dragon's screech of freedom cut through the night.


The bullhead pilot looked up to the sky, leaning forward over the joystick and scanning the dark clouds. The sound of boots hitting the rear ramp made him half turn in his seat.

"What the hell was-"

But the pilot never finished his question. Unexpectedly cut off when an unseen boot crashed into the back of his helmet and slammed his visor into the control panel. Knocking the man unconscious.

Mercury quickly undid the safety belts and dragged the pilot out of the chair. Pulling him back through the passenger compartment and dumping him out the starboard side.


"The old man better hurry," Raven hissed quietly.

The three of them continued to look into the black sky. Their backs to the inside of the tower.

Yang brought up her gauntlets, "If we even have any time left to waste."

Small footsteps echoed through the cavernous room.

Blake's Faunus ears twitched.

Dim light danced across the arches and the crackling sounds of a million sparks coming to life spun them all around to stare at the black haired woman in a red dress pulling her glowing palm away from the service stairs that she had just welded together. Separating Doctor Geppetto Weiss and Penny from their friends.

"No…" Cinder said with a small laugh. "I'm afraid you have no more time at all…'


Raven was the first to move. Swinging her sword up and aiming straight at the pyromancer. The younger Huntress's voice low and full of venom.

"You…"

Cinder was slightly confused, "Have we met?"

Raven clasped the black beaded hilt with both hands, raising the blade up higher angling for an attack. Yang dropped into a ready crouch, bobbing on her toes sensing the threat. Blake mirrored her partner's position, taking hold of Gambol Shroud sticking up over her left shoulder.

Yang narrowed her eyes. And suddenly she put a name to the woman's face, running through her memories of the visiting students who had been at the school for months now.

Cinder's eyes flicked right.

Yang turned on instinct, the sound of a gunshot echoed from the steps.

Mercury flipped and kicked up sending a blast straight for the blonde.

The blonde barely brought her arms up in time to block the white ball which still sent her flying backwards.

Blake spun tracking her teammate.

But two short knives chained to something unseen flew out of the darkness behind them. Wrapped around the Faunus's stomach once and yanked her away.

Cinder laughed.

Fire shards followed her rising hands as she manifested her bow. Holding out the joined blades in front of her. Waiting for Raven to move.


Blake's back hit a stone support pillar hard enough to crack the concrete. And the air explosively left her lungs when her aura took the hit. She slid to the floor, the twin green blades rattled away back to the hilts in Emerald's hands. The thief spun her revolvers and opened fire.

One hazy shadow clone took the bullets as Blake jumped away. Springing off the pillar to her right and dodging out through one of the empty window arches lined with jagged glass. The dark skinned thief kept up her barrage.

Up until Blake heard the telling click of empty guns.

She pulsed her semblance once again, and back flipped up into the air. Drawing her slender katana and cleaver sheath as she fell down at the other girl.


Mercury's boot snapped at Yang again and again.

Yang punched and blasted away his attacks with ease. Mercury flipped to the ground on his hands, spinning and kicking out white balls of energy. Up at the blond, and into the air to swirl around them.

The Huntress's eyes began to shift in tones. And with a screaming roar she fired at the ground behind her and launched at her foe.

Mercury kicked up from his hand stand. Brushing the punches and shotgun blasts away with ease. Yang shifted her aim, firing at the easier target. Mercury tucked and rolled away.

The circling streaks of Dust closed in. Smashing into Yang from every direction. And the assassin's son jumped off another blast, kneeing Yang straight in the stomach. She grunted in shock.

But then started to grin.

Her fist swung up, backed by the strength of Mercury's blows into the underside of his jaw with a sharp crack. Mercury cried out in shock and pain as he flew backwards, but nimbly rolled back again when he landed. Then skipped forward kicking up.

Closing in again, Yang ducked or punched away his lightning fast kicks. Matching hit for hit, blow for blow. Each brawler knowing what one fatal slip would mean when one got tired enough.


Cinder hadn't split her bow. She twirled the linked sabers around on the tips of her right hand. Blocking and cutting back against the slender red blade Raven was desperately trying to get past that guard.

Their feet shuffled back and forth as the two black haired Huntresses dueled. Raven swung in long sweeping circles. Putting all her frenzied strength into the strikes forcing Cinder to give ground.

Raven twisted, jumped and tried every move she could think of to gain that perfect killing angle she knew would appear. She spun again kicking high to the right.

But Cinder raised her arm and stopped the black heel mere inches from her palm in a ripple of light.

A small smirk flashed across her face.

She pushed down on Raven's leg then brought her palm up trailing wisps of fire. Pushing a fireball out at the other Huntress. Raven threw up her left hand. Two portals shimmered open, one swallowed the ball of fire, the other burst open behind the older woman.

Cinder was turning before Raven could even swing her sword again. In the blink of an eye the pyromancer caught the blaze and brought it back, hurling it once again straight at Raven.

The white hot ball crashed into Raven's chest, stripping away her aura and sending her flying into one of the far pillars.


Blades flashed against each other, Blake slid under the green haired girls sweeping strikes, trying to punch through her guard. Emerald was fast, blocking and swaying to dodge the black steel.

Emerald threw her chained sickles out at Blake's swords. The little links rattled as they spun and wrapped around the blades. And Emerald pulled back to her left, Blake tried to pull her weapons free but they were bound firmly together.

Raven flew past on the edge of her vision.

The Faunus turned her gaze to try and check on the other Huntress. Wincing as she heard Raven crash and break stone.

Emerald grinned. Reaching out with her mind.

The thief brought her weapons close, swinging first out right and then back as hard as she could to the left.

Blake's swords slid free. She stumbled only for a moment, now crouched and holding up her cleaver to block any blow coming down. But Emerald wasn't pressing her advantage.

She slowly stepped back away from Blake, casually twirling the sickle in her left hand. Blake pulsed her semblance and jumped forward swinging off a shadow clone. Her blades coming down hard at Emerald who seemed unconcerned as the Faunus attacked.

Only to double over when the real Emerald appeared from the side, spun and sent a round house kick as hard as she could into Blake's stomach.


Cinder watched her apprentice throw the Faunus to the ground, but the troublesome girl sprung up again. A look of fear and surprise across her face.

Mercury continued to dodge around the blonde in an exchange of hammer blows and weapon blasts. Gambling on his speed and agility outlasting the fiery fighter's endurance.

Cinder raised her bow, summoning an arrow to the string. Taking aim at Yang's back.

But behind her, sparks shot out around the edges of the door to the tower's maintenance level. The seams glowed brighter and brighter as something from the other side burned its way through.

Cinder turned, more curious then alarmed.

The thick metal slab fell hard to the ground. Penny pushed down the door with one hand. Her web of swords floating limply in the air after burning through with their lasers. Weiss stood behind her, Myrtenaster up and ready.

The red dressed Huntress lowered her bow.

And her eyes began to glow.

"You should have stayed put," She told the two of them.

Penny held her arms out low at her sides, "I'm combat rea-"

Blue fingers of electricity ran around Cinder's hands. And before the robot girl could finish her statement Cinder stretched out her left palm to the heavens and her right at the two girls.

Far above them the air hummed with power. Dark clouds flashed with lightning.


The white flame arched down onto the campus. A bolt of power flew through one of the arching doorways and hit Cinder's left arm. Penny raised her swords in a crisscrossing web. Weiss raised her left arm up to shield her face as the wind pushed at the two of them.

Thunder shattered every window left. Shards of rock broke from the walls and fell through the air. And the lightning struck out from Cinder's right hand to Penny.

The current ran through her blocking blades. Up the cables and into her body. Penny's eyes shot open in panic as she fell wracked by spasms and overloads coursing through her systems. Her back hit the floor. Penny began twitching in fits, her swords clattering on the ground.

Weiss looked to her friends still battling the others, and down to the ginger girl. Cinder smiled and curled the first two fingers on her right hand back, taunting the Heiress. The white haired girl snarled, Myrtenaster's cylinder spun and came to Burn. Weiss shouted and spun clockwise casting three bolts low at Cinder.

The woman in red raised her taunting hand up. The Dust shots suddenly shifted course and struck Cinder's palm. Weiss could only blink in shock as the smoke settled around her target's now glowing palm. Cinder raised her other hand, the bow in it disappeared and she curled the fingers in a fist.

The Dust cylinder's glowed,

Weiss's rapier shot out of her hand.

The slender blade sank point first into the ground at Cinder's feet. And the pyromancer smiled.

She circled her arms over and under each other close to her chest like she was dancing. Then Cinder took one step forward and sent the three bolts hurtling back towards Weiss from both hands.

The Heiress flinched, raising her right hand. A white glyph shimmered to life in front of her. The first blast struck the shield. Weiss grunted and almost fell to her knees, one blow had nearly drained her strength and semblance dry.

The second blast hit and smashed the glyph into a million spiraling pieces of light and fire.

The third drilled through this cloud and struck the Heiress full in the chest. Weiss shouted in pain and fell back. Shimmers of light ran across her body as her aura failed.

Cinder swept her hands back towards her body.

The glowing fragments lying around Weiss and the still twitching Penny glowed even brighter for a moment. The bright shards moved under the invisible guiding hand of Cinder. To Weiss's unprotected back where they pushed her up off her rear and hard towards Cinder.

She rolled hard across the floor, smacking her head again and again against the unyielding concrete until she struck the base of another pillar and collapsed on her stomach next to the slowly stirring Raven.


The Faunus was on her last legs, trying to explain the illusions her eyes kept showing her. The green haired thief would start to appear from one direction but then come in and strike out of nowhere.

Blake crossed her swords to block when she saw her assailant swinging down from the peak of another high leap. The Faunus bracing for a blow that could be coming from any other direction,

But this was the real Emerald.

Her sickle chains wrapped around the blades in Blake's hands once again. Emerald spun both of her arms wide in a clockwise move. Dragging the Gambol Shroud out of position. Leaving the Huntress wide open for a hard kick to the guts.

Now flickering aura lights ran across Blake's body as she shouted in pain and surprise. Flying backward and skidding along the floor right next to her beaten teammate.

Blake tried to rise, but one dark skinned hand gripped her scalp and hair tight pulling her up to a sitting position.

She almost cried out in pain from the iron grip between her cat ears and defiantly reached up to grab onto the restraining hand. But Blake quickly fell silent and went still when she felt the icy sting of the curving green blade in Emerald's right hand wrap around her throat.


The campus shook and the city trembled again.

Cinder could hear the approaching monster's screech on the wind. But she was unconcerned, far more focused on the duel between her prodigy and the last remaining Huntress.

Fist and kicks flew with blurring speed sparking off dimming auras. Yet Cinder could plainly see as they drew closer to the atrium again.

The blonde was starting to slow.

Yang kept pushing her muscles. Eyes burning red and hair aflame, she drove Mercury back across the steps. Sensing victory in her grasp. But the assassin's son was merely biding his time. Watching her pattern, drawing her in.

Ember Celica cracked into his ribs, his aura took the hit. Mercury tilted his head and dodged the next left uppercut. Fueled with rage and her semblance Yang screamed in fury snapping up her right leg aiming to smash her knee straight into Mercury's groin.

He saw his moment.

Her bare knee slammed into his cupped palms. Mercury pushed down, springing high up off her bent limb and failed strike. Crashing his own knee into her chin.

Yang's whole world went black for a heartbeat. She blinked and came to as her feet left the ground. Mercury still rose in the air, turning as he passed over the Huntress. Snaking his right foot up under Yang's chin. Pushing his left heel down on the back of her neck.

Mercury stretched out his hands to dive as he felt gravity start to pull on him. His palms struck the stairs, his ankle pressed into the Huntress's throat. And the grey haired youth rolled and flipped Yang head over heels back into the atrium.


Emerald raised the sickle up from Blake's neck and hammered the hilt down right between the Faunus' amber eyes. And Blake crashed backwards flat on her back right next to Weiss just as Yang struck the earth, rolled once to her stomach and elbows then collapsed next to Raven.

Cinder allowed herself a little victory smile as she approached the four of them. Four sets of eyes attempted to focus on the woman. Cinder held up her left hand and summoned her bow once again, while her right gently drew back the black string bringing a razor tipped arrow ready to fire.


The sudden lightning bolt passed right in front of the window Ruby was looking out of,

She flinched and raised an arm, blinking away the colorful spots flash frozen on her retinas. Ruby didn't have any time to ponder where it came from.

Ozpin hissed in pain as his strength kept draining away, the muscles in his hand cramping and shaking while his aura drained away.

Ruby's silver eyes were drawn back out the window. Far away over the city. Tips from a pair of wings the size of an airship slowly dipped through the clouds. The dark vapor clouds spiraled away in the Dragon's down draft.

She slowly began to back away from the glass, her voice quaking with fear and unformed words of warning. The Headmaster said nothing,

The gears in the desk began to rotate faster than ever. The whole room, and the entire tower started to glow green as the last locks disengaged on the most hidden place in Beacon. Deep mechanical clanks and rumbles shook the floor.

Ruby looked down to her feet. Through the glass and spinning clockworks, she could see the dark outline of what looked like a box slowly coming up.

The Dragon roared into the black of night and began to dive.


The girls looked up at the deafening noise. And then to the west out one of the shattered doors, the great black Dragon skimmed low over the campus.

Sighting its targets.

Emerald restlessly shifted her grip.

"Cinder," the thief said looking sideways, "What are you waiting for?"

Mercury spoke from over in another archway, ignoring the Dragon,

"Do you want us to do it?" He asked their mentor.

Nervous eyes flashed to each other and to where their weapons lay. The girls on a razors edge of indecision. Paralyzed where they lay. Until the artificial horizon of Beacon was suddenly lit ablaze.

The Dragon had opened its cavernous maw and belched a torrent of flame down on both the last remaining defenders and lesser Grimm alike. Daemons and Hunters screamed in panic before they turned to ash and were swept away on the wind while the Dragon beat its wings and soared above the clouds once again.

One corner Cinder's mouth curled in a grin of triumph before she turned her head back to the Huntresses.

"No, don't kill them…" She said as she lowered her bow. The weapon folding back into nonexistence.

"Not yet. Let them watch."

Cinder's own amber eyes began to glow. Flames danced across her pupils and up into wings around the bright orbs. Then the wind began to howl.

Dirt was swept into the cyclone forming around her. Emerald and Mercury backed away from their teacher. She wove her right hand backwards and then in a flash forward. And all the girls before her were swept off the ground and high up into the ruined walls by the fist of wind willed forth by the dark Huntress.


Weiss was the last to go unconscious. Gazing through the black haze over her eyes as the woman turned around.

Cinder flicked her left hand to the side, Mercury and Emerald sprinted away to follow the silent direction. Her hands glowed as she raised them up, pointing at the elevator doors. The thick door panels slowly began to glow. And the sharp smell of burning metal hit Weiss's nose.

Cinder slowly turned her hands, more metal cracked and warped as she flexed her will. Tearing the elevators open from ten feet away. Cables were cut by her unseen hands sending the car crashing down into darkness and whatever lay far below the tower. Cinder stepped up to the edge of this void, completely unafraid.

The wind came screaming in again.

The last thing Weiss saw before her eyelids shut and her head hit the floor was the Huntress walking over the precipice onto nothing and start to rise up the shadow filled shaft.

Up to where the Headmaster and partner stood, unaware of the sorceress' approach.


The great gears started to align. The rising silhouette under the blue-grey glass smoothly passing through their centers.

Ruby glanced back over her shoulder, convinced the Dragon's nose was going to come crashing through the windows at any moment and take off the top of the tower. But the Daemon had risen back above the clouds,

Called by an otherworldly voice of power.

Invisible lines in the transparent floor suddenly hissed open with a rush of escaping air. A circle began to turn in the middle of the room.

Ruby looked back to Professor Ozpin, his breathing was steady but the old teacher was very, very pale. Still he managed to cast his eyes onto the rising box, coming out of a square five footsteps in length and width folded open on the floor.

The smooth grey box slid up to chest height on the young scythe wielder. Ozpin took one more breath and then exhaled it loudly back out as he sank down hard into his chair.

A hand-span along the top of the seamless vault cracked open,

Light slowly began to stream out from under the lid.

Ruby walked out in front of the Ozpin's desk, leaning forward and edging her red trimmed boots into the white light. Until she mustered the courage to reach out her trembling hands. The ajar lid swung up and back on its own.

Ruby raised both of her arms up in shock. Blinded radiance.

It was surreal.

All her fatigue and fear were banished in an instant.

Thoughts of the battle and everything else in the world were washed away by the shining glow. She felt fresh as the dawn, and stronger than she ever had in her life.

The young girl lowered her arms and finally took a good look at the shining shard laid in black velvet which had been hidden at the heart of Beacon for years.

The crystal was long, if Ruby had to guess she would have said around four of her small hand lengths. The ends were as sharp like pointed spear tips, she could only guess at the width of its body. The Dust appeared to change hue every few moments. Cuts and mirror facets ran in infinite spiraling lines through its shape. Casting a rainbow of deeper reflecting lights in sparkling showers wherever she could focus.

She stretched out her hands.

"Don't touch it!"

Ozpin's shout of warning stunned Ruby out of her trance and restored her racing heartbeat. She quickly closed her hands into fists and looked back at the old man.

"Its power is too great," Ozpin continued, "All who have ever laid their bare hands on that have been destroyed... None have ever been strong enough."

"Then how?..." Ruby started to question.

"Later… At your feet," Ozpin said. "There'll be a box. Fold the…"

The Headmaster paused, gazing over Ruby's head at the elevator doors.

Sensing the approaching aura.

He tried to rise up in alarm. But the moment Ozpin placed is hands on the armrests what little strength he had regained disappeared. Ruby drew her scythe in the usual flurry of motion and mechanical noise, alerted by Ozpin's reaction.


Slowly the metal doors iced over on Cinder's side, sheets of penetrating cold covering the sealed barriers, rippling out from her stretched out hands on her side of the shaft where she hovered what should have been an uncomfortable distance over nothing at all.

With a single blast of aura she shattered the frozen walls and door. Razor sharp pieces of ice flew through the office. Smashing themselves to pieces against the giant bay windows. Tiny stinging shards bounced off their aura fields.

Her eyes glowed with power, Cinder floated down until her black heels touched back on solid ground and she began to walk towards the two of them.

Ruby reached back for her scythe. Unfolding and spinning the giant blade up and out to its full form.

She racked the bolt and went to a crouch, focusing her semblance and judging the leap and swing she would make. The pyromancer however showed no real concern, the only look that crossed her face was one that a cat would give to a mouse that suddenly bared its teeth and snarled.

With a scream and a flurry of rose petals Ruby aimed her weapon back, fired a single shot and launched forward over the crystal's box.

"Ruby! No!" Ozpin shot to his feet and shouted, but far too late to stop the girl.

In the blink of an eye both older Hunters raised their right hands.

Cinder drew on her power. A fiery whirlwind burst into life directly in Ruby's path.

Ozpin pulled on the last dregs of his strength, green light wrapped around his fingers.

The dark haired Huntress flicked up her fingers. A bright red torrent of flame leapt at Ruby, and swallowed her whole.


But the barrier sphere cast by Ozpin held.

Even against the glass window the young scythe wielder was hurled against and through, out and into the now smoke filled sky.

Ozpin's hand slapped down against his desk. The old man was breathing heavily again, curling his fingers into shaking fists.

Cinder finally spoke, "Do you see now Professor? You were wrong, weak and untrusting… All this time… All this death and suffering, we can have the power to end it all."

Ozpin growled, "You can't control it."

"You won't even try."

She quickly waved her left palm down at the many jagged ice splinters littered around them. Once again her eyes glowed, she circled her hand stretching out her will. And with a ripple of aura light sent them shooting at his face.

Ozpin's right hand moved in a blur too fast for any eye to track. Two fingers blocked every Dust touched piece, a rain of broken particles drifted down around him.

Again, Cinder smiled.

The Headmaster brought up his open hands in a fighting stance.

The wind roared in from the broken window. Cinder began to rise again off the ground, arms held out and eyes glowing brighter than ever.

Even more so in the shadow of the Dragon's wing that passed over the tower.


Ruby's heart raced as she came too, upside down and half way down the tower.

The woman's attack had knocked her out cold. Now she had only seconds to act before she hit the ground. Ruby turned herself over arms splayed out and catching the wind. She saw Crescent Rose spinning end over end just out of arms reach in front of her.

As she looked Ruby let out a panicked gasp seeing the hard grey ground racing towards her. But with a twist of her body and a flurry of red petals the young Huntress spun. Breaking free of gravity's hold, catching her scythe and landing in a crouch down on the front steps of the tower.

Inside in the darkened lobby she saw a flash of white moving through the shadows. Dr. Geppeto's lab coat flailing behind him as he rushed to his daughter.

Lightning flashed overhead.

And the tail of the Dragon disappeared up into the clouds. Gouts of flame and bursts of emerald light exploded through what few windows remained.

Ruby pulled her cloak up to shield herself from the rain of glass that fell from the battle far overhead. Once the rain of glass had stopped she dashed up the last few steps and laid eyes on what happened to her team and friends.

Geppeto was running his scroll over Penny's finally still body. The other four girls were slowly crawling up on their hands and knees clutching whatever bruise hurt the worst at that moment.

An explosion sounded up above.

The whole tower shook to its foundation.

Raven stood and clenched her shaking fists, "Dammit! No!"

But the sudden violence wasn't from the raging duel.

A deep thud of white claws and a black scaled foot smashing into concrete made the girls put their backs together, cold adrenaline running through their veins. The clatter of rock shards had barely faded when the five girls whipped their heads over to the chorus of rending metal from their airship crumbling beneath the immense weight of the beast's black tail.

Another foot sank down, pushed deep by the multi ton form. Each could feel the deep shaking rumble coming from the daemon simply breathing. But none of them could break the iron grip of fear to move as they watched the spiked head of the Dragon slowly descend to cast one giant red eye into the atrium.

Its white lips split in a deep rumbling growl,

But the wet noise of its hunger and hate ceased, swallowed down as the beast drew in a breath.

A glow of Warp fire building deep in its throat.

The Dragon Grimm raised up its head,

And drenched the tower in flames.


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A/N Hmmm... What to say...

Oh I know!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!

Yes what the fuck took me so long, two of you thought I was dead I figure. (Pretty much the ones who I saw leave with the follows count)

Only dead on the inside.

Yeah fucking finals kicked my ass, I went back to work at my fucking minimal wage shit summer job. Finally my overbearing dick older brother left for something, but now he's back, (sigh) I'm telling you I'm fucking tired.

... Huuh... And now here's the part where I would put something else down about motivation if every time I started thinking about it I didn't sound like a big whiny asshole.

Just fairly big turning point sorta these last chapters and I... There I go again, I already feel like a son of a bitch.

Yeah, I'm sorry for the wait people. Me being busy is an understatement.

Here in this neck of the interwoods, I tried to go back and do some editing on the first chapters, I got like five, sorta revised. (No that does not mean go back and write something on those, Nemris,) I got plans to do more sometime in between chapters. And I was also pitching around ideas with this other dude I met here awhile ago on another collab project,(Too embarrassed to link it, post Vol 2 mania whatnot.) about starting a RWBY fic before Vol 4 comes out and I am compelled by my cannon Nazi nature to not do it.

And yall would probably crucify me here for going to something else.

Douchebag feelings coming back...

Anyway, dodododododo... Most of my thoughts on how RWBY would play out where from you probably know when after Vol 2, I read a wiki blog and decided to borrow some points. And then worked in a little bit else of stuff from when we thought Dust was going to be a bigger thing then it is looking to be.

Want to know more, just think a bit if you read the actual published novel series, The Last Hunter, by Jeremy Robinson and you'll get an idea.

If you want a more cannon friendly RWBY Primarch story go checkout/bug Magisking.

Not much else to say really, I gonna trust my beta did a good job looking for typos, and that he didn't try and gouge his own eyes out from my phrasing things. so, yeah.

Share, if you care... Review, as you do... I got nothin else... Rant Over!