The sun set further down on Vale, the kingdom basking as the clouds aided the sun in painting the sky like a canvas. Cardin's luxurious home enjoyed one of the best views, the millionaire leaning on the railing of his deck by his forearms, one foot kicked over the other, and drank in the view. "Oh, Neo," he began, "how can someone as me be so blessed yet still fill not feel it?"

"What's a matter, Cardin?" Neo pondered.

"We as humans are such strange creatures. When we have too much, we grow greedy and never feel satisfaction. Yet, starving kids the world over are grateful for every clean drop of water, every morsel of food, every moment their lives are extended. And, here I am, having it all and feeling as though I have nothing for one specific reason. Do you know what that is, Neo?"

Neo merely shrugged, hooked on Cardin's every word. "That one thing, that somehow outweighs life or death itself, is love, Neo. I long for a companion to call my own and my other half."

"Oh, Cardin..." Neo cooed.

"Please, don't mock me," Cardin drew off, turning his face as from Neo as possible as his voice trembled, facing the ground, "I'm very fragile right now."

"Don't worry, Cardin, I'm sure there's someone in your very near future. In fact, they're probably much closer than you think." Neo said, blushing.

"You think so?"

"I know so. Don't give up hope, Cardin, just do it now."

"You're right," Cardin turning and walking straight past Neo as he headed inside, calling back, "Thanks so much, Neo. That confidence boost you gave me will hopefully serve me well on the town tonight."

Cardin slid the glass door shut behind him as Neo looked on in shock, jaw practically hitting the ground. Her shock was compounded by the inability to breathe, a black ribbon tightening around her neck. Neo clawed and struggled to get free, the figure choking her spinning her around and throwing her over their shoulder, slamming Neo face-first into the deck. The figure pressed their knee into Neo's upper back, arching her back further and expediting the process. Cardin exited his home, staring down at his phone before heading for his silver Infernus, waving back at her as he shouted, "Have a great night, Neo, I won't be long."

As Cardin pulled out of the driveway, the headlights revealing Blake strangling a flailing and coughing Neo. Cardin paid no mind as he looked out the rear window and back out, his gate opening and closing automatically for him. Neo finally passed out, her face red and eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. Blake effortlessly slung the diminutive secretary over her shoulder and leapt off the balcony, sprinting down the hill to the city. Finally, Blake made it to the road where her and Ruby's cars sat. Ruby rose from her driver side and popped the trunk, Blake placing Neo inside as Ruby spoke in a hushed tone, "Alright, good work, Blake. Now, do me a favor. Go home and stay home until I get in contact with you, alright. We're hitting them hard, Cardin, Roman, and the Schnees."

"Ruby, I appreciate your concern but I'm in this just as much as you guys. Those fuckers want me dead, they blew up my home, they killed my aunt. I'm not letting them get away with this. And I especially want to be the one that puts a bullet in Maria's head after I cut off everything that hangs from her body."

"We will, Blake, we're putting every one of them in the fucking ground. But you still have a chance. You're not as far in as me and Yang and Weiss. You keep your nose clean and, who knows, if an opportunity comes for you to get out, take it. I did. And look where it got me when I got back in."

"I would never..." Blake began.

"You say that, Blake, but if that opportunity comes, I want you to at least think about it. No matter what."

Blake and Ruby stared at each other for a time, Blake lowering her head and gaze as she relented, "Okay."

"Good." Ruby replied, slamming her trunk with the solid thunk of the roof hitting a risen Neo over the head, knocking her out again.

Just as Ruby readied to get back in her vehicle, Blake asked, "Ruby, what are you doing?"

"Blake, I told you, don't worry."

"It's kind of hard not to when you tell me your house got raided and you need me to get this girl. Where are you going?"

Ruby sighed, saying, "Look, I'm going to find Yang. I have a good guess of what she'll be up to. We need her just as bad as anybody to be with us to pull this all off. Until then, I'll call you when we're moving forward, got it?"

Blake merely nodded as Ruby continued, "Good. You left your scroll at home, right?"

"Yeah."

"Good, they've got nothing on you then. Take your time, Blake, see what life is like without the bullshit that got you here for a bit. Then you'll see why I'm pushing you like I am."

"I will, Ruby, thanks."

"Take care."

With that, Ruby got into her car and sped off to the interstate, Blake left watching and pondering all that had just happened. With nothing else to do, Blake followed the orders and went home.

Yang sat in her rusted, beaten red truck, her eyes red with her mounting fury, drumming on the door with her fingers. The lights of her truck rested against the wooden door of a fort, the walls made of logs sharpened to a point. Finally, Yang turned threw her truck in drive, her tires squealing before catching traction and shooting ahead. The truck slammed through the gate, the rotten wood shattering on impact as she bulldozed her way in. Yang charged from her vehicle and had her head on a swivel, looking for any sign of movement. "Maria!" she shrieked.

The camp was merely a few log cabins, a large watch tower looming overhead. A light at the furthest cabin atop the hill lit up, the armor-clad woman meandering out the door and stretched, letting out a prolonged yawn as she said, "Yang, can we please do this some other time? The sun's going down and we both need our beauty rest. Plus, you've clearly had barely any time to grieve..."

Yang threw her fist in Maria's direction and blasted the door off the hinges as Maria dodged the attack. Maria sighed in annoyance, mocking, "You really want to join your friends that quickly, Yang? Fine, I'll send you straight to Hell to meet them."

Maria stomped on the edge of a scutum at her feet, the shield shooting upright before her as the multi-barreled boss began to rapidly spin. The shield began to spew a hale of bullets, forcing Yang to duck behind her truck, letting her vehicle absorb the bullets. Smoke began to billow from under the hood, Yang acting fast as she turned and grasped the frame of her truck. She threw her arms up and stood up straight with a scream, heaving the truck through the air, spiraling at Maria. Fire began to erupt from the hood, absorbing the bullets doing nothing to slow its flight at Maria. The soldier ducked behind her shield as the car crashed at the foot of her steps, exploding and sending fire and shrapnel in all directions. The jagged, hot metal merely bounced off her shield and the flames blew around her, leaving her unscathed.

Maria stood up to survey the surroundings, only for Yang to baseball slide into the bottom of her shield and her feet, sending her wheeling over Yang, the queen pin cocking her fist back to end the fight immediately. Maria braced her shield before her and was blasted up into the wooden awning above. Sandwiched between the wood and the force, Maria plummeted down to a waiting Yang. Yang brought her knee to her chest and shot her foot out into Maria's back, nearly folding her over herself as she shot ahead. Her ankles caught the burning husk of Yang's truck, making her lose balance and tumbled onto the back of her head, her helmet jarring loose to reveal her brown, flowing hair.

Maria whipped her hair back as she flicked her head up to a shouting Yang, the criminal plummeting to her with a fist ready. Maria once more propped her shield against her, Yang slamming into her with a vibrant orange blast. The blinding light vanished to reveal the two frozen in place, neither having lost or gained an inch. Yang's brow furrowed in fury as she hissed, "How the hell..."

With that, the boss of the scutum once more began to spew rounds, this time finding their mark and riddling Yang's midriff with holes. Yang arched back from the unrelenting force, Maria smirking as she looked on her foe. Finally, the turret boss turned red and smoked, ceasing fire as it overheated. Yang stumbled back, much to Maria's surprise, as her wounds were no longer visible, yet a single trickle of blood ran from the corner of her mouth. Yang seethed and heaved in rage, her air completely aflame and illuminating the darkened camp more than the burning car. "So, you really are as tough as they say, Yang. I wonder, has anyone ever shot you in the head when you're like this? Take your head off?"

Yang only continued to glare at Maria, the centurion responding, "I'll take that as I'll need to do it myself."

With that, Maria drew a pistol from her shield and leveled it at Yang, striking her in the forehead and making her head fling back. Maria's grin turned to a sneer as Yang's chin slowly tilted down as she faced her, the bullet falling from her skull as the wound worked itself out. "You're not fun, you know that?" Maria scoffed.

Yang lunged after Maria, fully intent on strangling her with her bare hands. Maria responded by shooting her iron-studded sole into Yang's chin, cutting her momentum dead. Yang had a short, throat-first drop onto Maria's shield, stunning her as she sit there. Maria stepped to her side and brought her sword high overhead, bringing it down like a guillotine. Yang responded by punching the blade, shooting it back and making Maria stumble from the force. Maria only gained her footing before Yang brought her arms behind her and fired her gauntlets, rocketing her at Maria and folding her over her fist as it flew into her stomach. Maria smashed against the wall of a cabin, jarring it very frame loose. Her armor was heavily dented in, the centurion left reeling as she fell to her knees and wrapped her arms around her stomach.

Maria had little time to breath as Yang drove her foot into her face, smashing her skull into the unforgiving logs behind her. Yang held her their, pinned by her foot, as she said, "I'm gonna make sure you suffer every last moment. Just like you made them all suffer."

"In your dreams, Yang."

Maria reclaimed her gladius and jammed it up through the back of Yang's knee, the criminal throwing her head back and growling through her teeth. Taking advantage of the distraction, Maria slid her head free and thrust her sword back behind her, driving it into the wall and pinning Yang by her leg to it. Yang turned and backhanded Maria across the temple as she rose, taking her off her feet from the blow of the metal gauntlet to her skull. Angered, Maria drew a dagger from her boot in an inverted grip. She rose as Yang threw her elbow at her, responding by jamming the blade clean through her elbow and its front. Yang let out another shout, Maria taking her by the back of the head and ramming her head into the wall. Quickly, Maria ripped the gladius free from Yang's leg and drove it through the back of her hand on the same arm. Maria turned and flung Yang over her shoulder, skewering her to the ground by her arm. Yang reached for the sword in her hand but her efforts were met with a boot to the temple, pinning her head to the ground as Maria taunted, "Oh, Yang, you've done quite a number on me. Look at my armor."

"Fuck you."

Maria stomped on her head in response, continuing, "I've not even had a scrape on this armor since my days in the academy. What gives you the right to damage what other people value?"

"Go fuck yourself, you bitch."

Maria laughed at her foe's discomfort, stomping on her free arm as she ripped the pugio from Yang's elbow and dug it into the opposite hand, crucifying Yang to the ground. "I'm kinda sad, Yang, I didn't think it would be this easy. But, eventually, your semblance will time out and then I can have some fun with you."

Maria stepped off of Yang and headed back to her shield, the barrels finished smoking from their earlier overuse. Yang thrashed and struggled to get free, rearing back to come face-to-face with Maria, aiming her shield at her. "Let's see how you handle this."

Maria once more dumped a horde of bullets on Yang, the rounds passing through her head and chest in scores. Finally, the firing ceased to another overheating, the smoke and dust clearing to reveal Yang somehow still breathed, gasping as she faced the ground. All around Yang, red pulses of electric-like energy randomly sparked off, her powers pushed to their very limits. Maria was shocked by this, yielding, "I'm not gonna lie, Yang, I'm actually impressed. But how much longer to you think you can take this?"

Yang chuckled at this, joking, "All night long, just like I always like it."

Maria muffled her laugh in the back of her throat, musing, "Oh, Yang, that was a good one. Know what, how about I let you up? Binding really isn't my kink, y'know? This isn't fun, I can pin anyone down and have my way with them. But I wanna fuck you standing up, Yang," Maria said, ripping the sword from Yang's hand, "So, what d'ya say? Let's finish this right."

Maria withdrew the dagger from Yang's other hand, the criminal getting to her knees as she responed, "Let's," from under the cascade of her hair. Yang sprung up at Maria with an uppercut, the centurion going wide-eyed as she barely flung her head back to avoid the blow. Maria lashed out and sliced Yang's armpit with her sword, Yang merely wincing as she fired off her other gauntlet and used to momentum to nail Maria across the side of the head with a reverse roundhouse. The centurion skidded across the ground and up the hill, rolling to a stop as she struggled to her knees.

She was immediately left unable to draw in air as Yang seized her by the throat, flinging her up against the wall of the nearest cabin as she compressed her neck with all her might. Maria gasped and struggled to wriggle free, to no avail. Finally, she began to stab at Yang's neck with her dagger, the wounds barely healing before Maria plunged her dagger in once again. Finally, annoyed and feeling the semblance drain more with each blow, Yang turned and hurled Maria down the hill, the centurion rolling onto her hands and knees as she gasped for air.

Her attempts to catch her breath were hampered further by Yang punting her in the ribs, denting the length of her she and rolling her down the hill even further. Yang paced down the hill after her, the grimace on her face slowly parting to a sick, twisted grin. Maria had managed to get to her feet, doubled over with her arms wrapped around her mid-section. Just as Yang was in striking distance, Maria shot up and slammed her sword down on the crown of Yang's skull. The blow had merely gotten within millimeters of her skull before a massive, orange blast engulfed them both. The duo were flung to opposite sides of the camp, Yang's hair no longer glowing. The criminal's woozy state was ended when the rage boiled up inside her from hearing Maria laugh. "So that's all you've got, Yang? Really? Come on, that's just pathetic. We've only been at it a few minutes and you're already out of gas."

Yang managed to pull herself back up to her feet, finding Maria having already done so, blood coursing down her cheek from a gash on her temple. "Come on, Yang, let's do this, one last round."

Yang brought her fists back and fired her gauntlets once more, propelling herself up at a ready and waiting Maria. The criminal brought her fist back and swung forward with all her remaining strength behind this haymaker.

The slice of flesh hit the air like lightning, all sound seeming to cease to exist after. Yang's breath broke the silence, shaky and labored. The criminal stood frozen, her fist extended and most of her weight on her forefoot. Maria stood before her, hunched over, one hand on the hilt of her sword and the other on the pommel, having driven it through Yang's stomach. Blood drained out of the wound and Yang's mouth, exhaustion masking her pain on her face. Maria chuckled before rearing back and smacking her elbow into Yang's chin, knocking her off her sword and sending her stumbling back. Yang took one step at her foe before collapsing to her knees, unable to will herself any further. "Predictable, Yang, I saw that coming a mile away. Well, let's end this the way we started it."

Maria strolled down the hill and reclaimed her shield, making her way back up as she taunted, "You know, Yang, it didn't have to end this way? I have a level of respect for you I can honestly say I haven't had for anyone besides Pyrrha. Well, before she became a pathetic addict, that is. All that talent to waste, sad, really. And you ended that by cracking her skull under your boot, like she was a bug. Disgusting."

Maria struck Yang upside the back of the head with the pommel of her sword, knocking her to her hands and knees before continuing, "But, despite all that, Yang, I respect you because you're competition. Not only that, look at what you've accomplished these past years, let alone the last few weeks. You put everyone under your thumb. But I'm the king of the hill around here, Yang, and I am sick of second place. Like I said, I didn't want it to end like this. I wanted to give you the chance to be my vice president of the reformed Beacon MC. But, knowing you, Yang, you're like a rabid dog. You need to be put down."

The turret began to whir back to life as Yang managed to get back to her knees, staring at the revolving barrels with indifference. Suddenly, a thunderous shot hit the air, a blast of red exploding from the impact of a massive round shattering against Maria's shield. The centurion was blasted to the top of the hill, flat on her back and groaning from the pain in her shoulder. Regaining her surroundings, she shot upright to find Ruby glaring up at her, sights trained on her head as she called out, "Keep your hands off my sister."

"You must be Ruby. Tell me, did everyone think Thatch and Francois' corpses were Halloween decorations? I'm surprised no one cut them down before you got home. But hesitation is everyone's greatest weakness, even my own," she said, unscrewing the hilt of her sword, "But I won't make that mistake again."

Maria bit onto the pin of her hidden grenade and tossed it at Yang's lap, the battered criminal merely looking at it. "Yang!" Ruby shouted, blurring up after her sister in a flurry of roses.

The blast engulfed the camp in a fiery haze, the cabins going up like they were soaked in gasoline and the palisades doing little but containing the flames. Soon, the the base of the already sketchy watchtower gave way and collapsed to earth with an earsplitting crash. Maria's purple RH8 flew down the hill from the engulfed base, the centurion seething in her head as she sped down the windy, treacherous dirt road, Fucking bitch. Well, there goes by lab. Whatever, there's no way they survived. I'll take that airstrip of Yang's and do something with that hanger.

Back at the base, a silhouette appeared in the flames, Ruby walking out from the fire, unscathed, as she held Yang aloft in her arms before her. Ruby released her legs and Yang braced herself against Ruby's shoulder as she opened the back door, Yang muttering, "Why the fuck are you here?"

"Because you'd be dead if I wasn't."

"Isn't that what you wanted? I'd finally be as dead to you as you were to me all these years."

"We need you, Yang. And, no matter what, you're my sister. We fight, we bitch, and we're at each other's throats no matter what, but nothing will ever change that."

Ruby helped Yang lie down in the back, closing the door as Yang sniffled, "Goddammit, why'd you have to make me feel emotions like a person, Mel?"

Ruby got in the driver seat and made her way down the mountain for the freeway. "I don't think you'll mind if you stay with me and the kids, right?" Ruby offered.

"How'd you find me?"

"Well, I saw what happened to your place, no one was at your lab, and I asked around to see where Maria could be."

"So, how is everyone?"

"Well, about as well as can be expected. Weiss is staying with Blake. I gave Blake time off while we're up to our own shit."

"And that would be?"

"Oh, you'll see, we've got a big few days ahead of us. Guess who's flying into Vale tomorrow?"

"The Atlesian army? Goddammit, Ruby, I already crashed one plane, and there's no way Weiss is going to make it up to me for doing it again."

"We're crashing a plane, Yang, but you won't be on it this time. And it ain't the army. It's Weiss' sister, Winter."

"Oh, you evil, evil bitches. I love the fratricidal fantasies we're finally acting out." Yang laughed, clutching her stomach and letting out a moan.

"You gonna be alright?"

"Oh, it's just a flesh wound. What do you think?"

"Alright, take it easy. We can't take you to the hospital but I'm sure all we gotta do is wait until we can piss you off sometime tomorrow and you'll be good as new, right?"

"I don't know, Ruby, I've never had my semblance overclocked."

"Then I'll make sure you're okay, even if I stay up all night."

"Fuckin' hell, Ruby, I'm almost touched. But that's just the Schnees. What about Cardin? Roman? Fucking Maria?"

"Oh, we already left a bag of burning shit on Cardin's doorstep and we got time to kill while we wait for Winter to come to town. So, in the meantime, we'll make sure Roman has a very interesting series premiere for his self-fellating show."

"You know just how to make me feel better, sis." Yang laughed.

"You know it, sis. Here, get some rest and we'll be home before you know it."

"I will," Yang replied, turning her head and closing her eyes before asking, "Hey, Ruby, what did you do to Cardin?"

Ruby cracked a smile, simply replying, "I don't want you to lose your appetite, Yang."

The lights to Cardin's abode flicked on, revealing the frustrated millionaire with his suit jacket flung over his shoulder. "Neo, I'm back. And, once again, these women don't know a good time nor who the supreme gentlemen, like me, are. So, what do ya say, wanna order in and stream some movies? Neo?"

Cardin made his way to the kitchen and found a crockpot cooking on the stove. On it was Neo's scroll, a video saved on it and one tap away from being played. "Huh, probably another one of her kooky cooking vlogs or something. Ah, ya gotta love her spunk and spirit. Let's see what she made."

Cardin lifted the lid and was hit by the steam, his nostrils filled with the scrumptious smell of well-cooked beef. "Oh, roast beef, a classic."

Cardin slapped a few slabs between a bun and dug in. A little tough but so juicy and well-seasoned, a perfect sandwich meat if he ever had one. "Oh, Neo, goddamn, can you cook. How does she do it? Well, why ask, Cardin, and watch what she left ya? I wonder where she is?" Cardin mused, shrugging it off before hitting play.

Instead of being greeted by Neo's bubbly personality, the screen was instead occupied by Ruby, her regular attire muddled by a plastic rain poncho. Cardin nearly choked on his sandwich, finally managing to get it down the right pipe with a few coughs and sputters. "Hey, Cardin, remember me? The girl you and all of your cronies decided to fuck over when we wouldn't be your war dogs? Yeah, good times, I especially like how you little pussies couldn't fight us on your own and had to bring in a criminal psychopath. But, what less can we expect from how low our government and elites will sink than employing immoral mercenaries? But, like Ozpin told me, if you guys aren't fighting fair and attacking our loved ones, why should we?"

Cardin meticulously chewed another bite of his sandwich, wondering where she was going with this. "So, Cardin, as vain and self-absorbed as you are, I can assume that there's at least one special person in your life, right? Well, why don't you just say 'hi' to them, she's right here."

Ruby switched to the rear camera and caught Neo, strung up by her wrists from chains hanging from the ceiling of what appeared to be a hanger. Cardin once more nearly choked on his final bite of sandwich, hammerfisting his chest to force it down his esophagus. "What the fuck?" Cardin shouted.

"See, Cardin, you're too big of a coward to get your hands dirty. I, on the other hand, am not. Neither is Yang or any of us. So, consider this a warning, we're coming for you all in due time. And you're all going to end up like Neo. Speaking of, hey, Chef!"

"Yeah, Ruby." a man called out, the camera panning over to a bald man in a crop duster.

"Let 'er rip!"

"You got it." the man gave the thumbs up, starting up the duster.

Cardin looked on in confusion, unsure of what they were getting to. That was until the duster approached Neo, her shrieks and pleads nearly drowned out by the plane. Cardin looked away from the screen, tears streaming down his face as he could do nothing but listen to the sounds of Neo's bloodcurdling screams and her body being mulched by the propellers. He only forced himself to look back as Ruby began, "See, Cardin, if you hadn't done what you did to all of my loved ones, Neo would still be alive. You'd all still have long lives ahead of you. But you fucked up, Cardin. We're coming for you. But, until then," Ruby drew off, rotating the camera to face Chef once again, brooming all of Neo's remains into a pile, "Chef, you wanna take over, I've gotta get to Yang?"

"No problem." Chef replied, strolling over to the clop of his galoshes and taking the scroll in his gloved hand.

The instant he blotted out the camera, it cut back to the crockpot, Chef stirring the meat within with a wooden spoon. "You know, Cardin, we actually got this idea from an old associate of my boss', Vlad Tepes, I'm sure you've heard of him, did this to faunus during the war. He'd feed them their kids. Sick fuck, right? Well, you gotta question the parents, who'd eat their kids?"

Cardin's eyes were as wide as dinner plates, Chef tapping the wooden spoon against the crockpot before placing the lid on it again, continuing, "But then, I got to thinking. What if they didn't know what they were eating? What if they didn't know they were eating their loved one until it was too late? I'll let you ponder the meaning of that."

Carding fell too his hands and knees and began to vomit on the floor, Chef going into a violent coughing fit on the phone before summarizing, "Like Ruby said, Cardin, you fucked with the wrong group of people. I'll see to it we wipe each and every one of you from the face of the earth for her. I hate to cut our chat short, Cardin, but I've gotta make sure my boss is okay. Who knows, might even get a little bold and see what her ring size is. Ta-ta."