A Cosmic Journey

A/N: Wheeze…I made it. Two chapters by the weekly deadline. Not a lot to say here that wasn't mentioned last chapter, but I'll thank the readership again for sticking with me thus far, and hope that holds true until my return after finals. Until then, enjoy the next bit of Year 5.

Chapter 16: Where Angels Fear to Tread

Chapter Date: 12/02/19

'No, nonono! Run faster, damnit!'

I was covering ground as fast as I could, but this far out from Vale, the only feasible method of transportation was my own two feet, lest any vehicle that I borrowed from Junior encounter unwanted attention. Considering that I'd changed into my Specter attire to disguise my identity, anonymity was vitally important at this stage. I may have only been a day or so behind Roman, but with those odds, that was all that was needed.

'What the hell happened to cause this? Sure, having Roman and Neo along to take Amber down would make things safer for Cinder and her crew in the moment, but they didn't need either of them in canon. Considering Roman's penchant to just absorb information like a sponge and plan off it, why involve him in the ambush if…Qrow. Aw, Grimmshit!'

Things were slotting into place, in the worst possible way. 'I spoke to Qrow about his semblance…without his worry about its effects, he must've stuck closer to Amber. With the threat of both of them, no way Cinder, Mercury and Emerald alone could take them. Can they do it with Roman and Neo though?'

It was a good question, and that made things all the scarier. Needing every second possible to formulate a plan, I kept my eyes open and let the world slow around me. With the distance I had to travel to get to the ambush point, I'd be dealing with the mental perception of being awake for days. With that kind of fatigue, what would I be able to do once I arrived? What would I come to?

… … …

"But Qroooooooow! We're almost through the whole region! Can't we just clear these last few villages, and then go back to Beacon?"

"C'mon, Amber. You know the drill. We have to check in with Oz at least twice a year, and the deadline's nearly up. Besides, you'll still have plenty of time to check out the rest of the kingdom once we're done."

"Yeah, and only the kingdom," Amber grumbled, gripping the reins of her horse. "Not a toe into Vacuo, or else I'll probably blow up by divine intervention or something."

Qrow winced. "Look, I get this isn't ideal, but Vacuo in particular has got some shady things happening behind the scenes. Stories say a lotta people with unique and powerful semblances have been disappearing to who knows where. Last thing we need is for someone to get ahold of you and find out what they're dealing with."

"Let them. I'm the Fall Maiden after all, I might as well bring to bear the power that comes with that title occasionally," Amber replied hotly. "And that kind of reasoning goes for the other kingdoms too. With Mistral, it's the disappearing Huntsmen. With Atlas, the White Fang. You can find problems with any kingdom, and that's exactly what Ozpin is doing to keep me trapped within Vale's borders."

"It's not being trapped. Really," Qrow protested weakly at Amber's unamused expression. "Oz just wants to make sure that things cool down in the kingdoms before letting you see the sights elsewhere. He's got his crew across the kingdoms working on it, believe me. In the meantime, it never hurts to shore up your maiden powers for when the time comes."

"And when will things 'cool off', hmm?" Amber bit back. "Unless Ozpin finds a solution to Faunus prejudice, power-hungry criminals or the Grimm, I don't really see any end in sight." Maneuvering the reins, she moved her horse ahead of Qrow's. Letting out a heavy sigh, Qrow reached behind him and pulled out his flask.

They'd had this conversation close to a hundred times by now, at least, the same points going round-and-round in a loop of frustration. Being stuck in a cage, even one as big as a kingdom, stifled. But orders from Oz were ironclad, so they just had to stay the course for now and-

Qrow nearly choked on his pull as he stopped his horse behind Amber's. Up ahead, there was a colorfully dressed girl crouched down on the road, bawling her eyes out. Predictably, Amber dismounted and started making her way over to the girl.

"Hold on a minute," Qrow called out. "Let me do a sweep first, see if we can't find her parents."

"She's just a little girl, Qrow. Have a little heart," Amber rebuked, reaching into her bag for an apple. "I'm just going to calm her down and see if we can find out where she came from or where she was heading."

"Amber, wait," Qrow called out, but Amber continued walking forward. Something about this didn't seem right. Regardless of how peaceful this region was, to have a girl all on her own? Something in his head was tingling…

"Here you go. I hope you're not allergic to apples, because I-oh!" Finding the treat in question, Amber pulled it out of her back, but the fruit slipped from her fingers and sailed forward. "I'm-"

At that moment, with a sound of shattering glass, the apple sailed through the air and landed at the feet of five very stunned strangers in the middle of the road, armed to the teeth.

"DAMNIT!" Qrow swore, and for once in his life thanked his semblance. "Amber, get back!"

With a heavy volley of fire from the chick in the red dress, the mint-haired crop top, the grey-haired kid with guns on his legs and Roman Torchwick of all people, it was all Qrow could do to deploy Harbinger and soak up some of the projectiles. "What the hell is all this? Torchwick, are you behind this?"

Before the career criminal could retort, the woman in the red dress piped up. "Oh no, Roman is just the hired help. If you want to know who is responsible for your demise, that would be me."

"Lady, I've fought a lot of people who claimed they'd be my last opponent. To date, I've been theirs." Qrow shifted Harbinger to scythe mode, and hefted the blade towards the cadre assembled before him. "I don't know how you knew to find us or what you're after, but this is your last warning. The two of us are more than capable of taking the five of you on. You sure you wanna play this game, Torchwick?"

Torchwick looked whelmed, but the woman in red waved a casual hand. "Now now, little bird. No need to get so defensive. And don't worry about us; I made sure to bring a little extra insurance."

"Aahhh!" Qrow watched Amber hit the dirt beside him, her Aura flickering angrily from what must've been a sneak attack. A quick look behind him had his eyes widening at the approaching figures, one who he'd have to be brain-dead not to recognize.

"If you like your odds against five of us," the woman purred, "how about seven?"

Adam freaking Taurus approached from the side as if out of nowhere, though Qrow couldn't figure out for the life of him where he'd come from. Next to him was a masked White Fang member, though dressed differently than the grunts he'd encountered before, meaning she was definitely trained, likely by Taurus himself.

Qrow moved to guard Amber's back as the Fall Maiden grunted in frustration, pushing off the ground to level her staff at the seven figures who began to circle the duo.

"Now, why don't we try this again?" Cinder asked gleefully. "Give us the girl, Qrow, and you might be allowed to escape with your life."

"Over my dead body, bitch," Qrow growled as the smile slid off the seductress' face. Then he felt it, and smiled. "You know Ozpin won't let any of you get away with this. I've seen all your faces, so you can bet for sure that you've tossed your lot in with Salem."

"I work only for the betterment of all Faunus, human! And-" Adam paused as Cinder threw arm out to cut him off, her confident smirk returned.

Just a bit more time…

"False bravado, Qrow. Your only chance of reporting information back to Ozpin depends wholly on whether you abandon the girl. So you can either take a loss and attempt to salvage some benefit out of it, or you can remain here and die with nothing to show for it."

A few more seconds…Qrow laid a hand on Amber's shoulder, feeling the poor girl shaking, before looking back at the ensemble before him. "Or…I can show you what a bit of stalling can do. NOW!"

Qrow grabbed Amber and dove out of the way, as he heard the telltale sound of Kindred Link. From the portal behind him streaked a blur of red and black towards the woman in the red dress.

CLANG

Raven managed another foot of forward momentum before stopping, glaring at the red-haired Faunus whose red blade halted her own.

"Cinder!" the girl in green called out, before realizing what she'd said and inwardly cursing.

"Quiet!" Cinder called out, before turning to Qrow, a wary look in her eyes now. "So, the Branwen twins stand united on this one issue. I'm surprised that you would be so quick to fall in line with Ozpin again, Raven Branwen. I thought you valued your freedom, and your life, more than that."

"Oh believe me, my life has quite the high premium on it," Raven replied conversationally, before shoving Adam back and stepping back towards Qrow and Amber. "I just believe that having Salem capture another one of Ozpin's pieces would endanger my family's safety, and therefore mine. Don't take me foresight as obedience toward becoming just another piece for Ozpin again."

"Uhh, Rae, can we save the Oz-bashing for after the life-or-death fight?" Qrow questioned.

"Enough posturing. Even the three of you cannot hope to best the seven of us." Qrow and Amber readied their weapons as Cinder and her allies readied theirs. "I'm sorry that your timely intervention amounted to nothing more than-"

"Dangit Raven, you know I can't fly, so why'd you put the portal so far away?" Firm footfalls registered, and a head of light blond hair appeared through the portal. Cracking his knuckles, he turned to survey the battlegrounds, before his playful look turned deadly serious. "This could've been bad for you, Qrow."

"It still is!" Qrow growled in reply. "The hell are you doing here, Tai? I only asked for Raven to back me up if she sensed I needed help. The girls need you-"

"And they sure as hell need you too. Both of you," Taiyang shot back as he walked towards Qrow, Raven and Amber. The rest of Cinder's allies had backed up a more or less single line, looking with varying levels of anger, fear, astonishment, and frustration. "Plus, Raven said that me showing up lessens the amount to which you owe her."

"And believe me, brother, you do not want that number to go any higher than it already is." Raven brandished Omen as she gave her seven opponents a calculating once-over.

"Yeah, well, you'll need me alive if you ever wanna see that debt settled," Qrow replied, his body feeling more at ease than it'd been in over a decade, despite how tense the situation was.

"No more games, no more interruptions. You all die NOW!"

… … …

"Haaah…haaah…think I'm close now…" I panted, making my way through the forest. My research of Vale's geography had pulled through, thankfully, because the surroundings seemed familiar. Now I just needed…'There!'

Faint gunfire in the distance zeroed me in on the proper direction. As a fresh round of adrenaline dumped into my veins, I rocketed past the trees as the delayed sounds of battle become louder. Through the thicket I caught flashes of dust, which was a good indication of serious battle going on. 'Please, please let me make it…'

I broke through the treeline atop a hill, and the sounds of battle carried up towards my position. More important than the sounds however, I now had an unobstructed view of the fights going on below.

Fights that had my jaw dropping.

'How…why…when…what did I do?'

… … …

Adam Taurus. A formidable foe.

CLANG

She needed to give this fight her utmost focus and thrash the swordsman, but she had to do it normally. With so many factions present, least of which being Salem's and Ozpin's, she could not afford to reveal her Maiden powers.

TSING

Not to this Cinder, not to Qrow, not even to Tai. Not yet.

CRACK

Adam flew back and flipped onto his feet, inspecting his weapon for any signs of damage. Nearly twenty yards away, Raven stood looking at the shattered red blade of Omen. Ejecting the remains, Raven unsheathed a Yellow Dust blade as its replacement.

"Raven Branwen, the Bandit Queen of Anima. Or so they used to call you. Recently, it appears tales of your fearsomeness have faded." Adam got into an iaido stance, almost exactly like hers. "I wonder if your skills truly have dulled or not."

"Believe me, Adam Taurus, I have been cutting through bodies before you were born, and will do so long after you've died." Raven grasped Omen with both hands and lowered her body. "The White Fang and their kind hold no candle to me or mine."

BOOM

Taurus' blade shot out from its sheath, and Raven blocked its hilt with the flat of Omen. As the chokuto spun around in the air, a powerful kick off Omen gave Adam the leverage he needed to snatch his weapon and slice down. Omen's superior range met the bull Faunus' charge and swept him to the side, and he landed snarling.

"We shall see, human."

… … …

"Amber, hang on! I'm-shit!" Qrow blocked a kick from the silver-haired wannabe breakdancer, then pivoted as the brat's foot fired multiple shots out of the heel. Where the hell did he get that kinda- "ARGH!"

Qrow staggered as he felt a blade slice across his back, his Aura shimmering. Turning around, he caught no sight of his attacker, all the others occupied by either Raven, Tai or Amber. The silver-hair was smirking though.

Illusions? It'd explain how he and Amber were caught off-guard by Cinder and her crew, and the little green-haired girl was missing from the bunch. But they could be broken.

The kicker charged forward again, and Qrow weaved in and out of the brat's attack pattern. Side kick, high kick, axe kick, backwards, front, low, side.

"Jeez brat, you need to back off," Qrow growled with two forceful swings of Harbinger. The first to force the kicker to the side, and the second to cleave all around him. The brat jumped back, and Qrow swung in a circle, feeling for any resistance or impact, either from a person or an illusion. Nothing revealed itself, so Qrow rechambered his stance.

"Give it up old man. You're all clearly outnumbered," the silver-hair sneered.

Despite the situation, Qrow couldn't help smirking. "Heh, that's cute brat. But you should know…you're clearly outmatched."

"As if!" The kicker dashed back into Qrow's range, and Harbinger warded him off.

BANG

A slice with Harbinger cut through a bullet, fired from nowhere.

"The hell? Physical interaction would've shattered the illusions before, so what's different about a bullet?" Qrow wondered, going into his death spin routine with Harbinger. The kicking brat couldn't get close enough with the difference in range, and the green-haired brat couldn't get in range either without shattering her illusion. The problem was, he was stalemated till he found a way past these two.

And how long could Amber hold out?

… … …

WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH-WHOOSH

"Alright girls, there's no need for violence. If you could allow me to pass-"

TSK TSK TSK

"Okay, guess not…" Taiyang stood across from two of the seven ambushers, both of whom looked young enough to be his students. One was the near completely-silent girl whose theme resembled Neapolitan ice cream, and the other was the White Fang ally of Adam Taurus, given the mask and furiously twitching feline ears atop her head.

"Look, I really would rather avoid having to hurt you two, considering you look to be around my oldest daughter's age. Can't we all agree that ambushing an innocent young woman and her bodyguard is slightly overkill, and against what the White Fang stands for? I mean, she clearly isn't part of the SDC, and isn't traveling around the open countryside of Vale for protection." The White Fang girl paused in her assault, her chain sickle-firearm weapon hanging down by her feet. The other girl, though…

TSK TSK

"Look, I'm sorry if I said something to upset you, but your expression is kind of unsettling me a little," Taiyang added, glancing away from his diminutive opponent's parasol at her bloodthirsty expression. "Could you at least mention who you're here with?"

The girl didn't reply, at least verbally, but an involuntary glance behind him had Tai sneaking a peek at another one of the fights, at…Roman. That meant there were at least three separate groups allying to ambush Amber for her Maiden powers, and potentially two groups besides Salem's that might know about the existence of the Maidens. For those groups to be Roman Torchwick and the White Fang…

Taiyang took a moment to glance at the other fights. Raven was facing Adam Taurus alone, and seemed to have the edge over him. Meanwhile, Qrow was in his continuous death spiral routine with Harbinger and fending off the silver-haired striker and green-haired kama user. Considering Raven's towards facing children in fights, he wasn't confident in giving her the reins against the two girls to fight Adam Taurus. And Qrow's skillset was perfect for facing off against a melee opponent and a shooter. Meaning the only person he could exchange opponents with…

Taiyang rushed towards Amber, but ran into something that shattered like glass, revealing the cat Faunus' chain weapon heading for his face. Deflecting it with a backhand, Taiyang whirled around to see that Amber and her two opponents were on the opposite side of where he'd been looking. Meanwhile, his ice cream-themed adversary stood directly between them and him.

"Illusions…I don't suppose that's your semblance?" Taiyang asked, receiving a gleeful nod from the girl. "And I don't suppose you'll let me get to Cinder or Roman?" A vigorous head shake.

Taiyang sighed, lowering his head and rubbing his hair. "Hah…I really didn't want to do this, but there are lives at stake here." There was a soft shimmering around the man, like roiling heat waves were dispersing from him. A warm yet intense yellow glow of Aura appeared on Taiyang's skin, and he took a serious stance.

"If asking won't work, I'll have to make you move."

… … …

"RRR, stand still!" Amber fired off another blast of fire from her staff, but Cinder leaped over the blaze and launched another wave of glass spikes at her. Twisting around, she sent a gust of wind across the field to repel the projectiles, but had to stop when Roman Torchwick closed in.

Left-right-left, top-bottom-thrust, twist and sweep. Both staff users engaged in a furious exchange of strikes and blocks, but Amber had the advantage in weapon length and having both ends capable of shooting Dust blasts. Shoving the Fire Dust end towards Roman's chest, Amber fired a blast off to drive the man back.

THHK

Amber looked down to see an arrow stuck in the dirt, right before it erupted in a fiery blast, sending her onto her back. Scrambling to her feet, she glared at a smirking Cinder, who separated her bow back into swords as Roman stepped parallel to her, coat ruffled and looking irritated. Well, that made two of them.

Concentrating, she channeled her Maiden powers to rise off the ground, before waving a hand at the nearby trees. Keeping her eyes on Roman and Cinder, she raised her other hand to block Roman's flare shots and Cinder's arrows. Bringing one arm high above her head, she felt tens of thousands of leaves congregate high in the air, before freezing solid in the chilled air she'd created up above. Swinging her arm down, she watched the leaves descend towards the battlefield, and bore witness to the havoc it caused.

Raven and Adam paused in their deadlock to watch the deadly leaf fall, before mutually springing back. Both sword users twirled their blades around to block the leaves, but Raven's longer sword length made it more difficult to shred the projectiles, allowing some through to cut against her Aura. Meanwhile, Adam Taurus was able to deflect nearly all the leaves, and bared a smile as his blade began glowing red.

Qrow saw Amber's attack coming almost immediately, and whirled his scythe above his head to cut through the leaves. His opponents both leaped back in an attempt to avoid the plant-based hail, but both were cut numerous times within the attack's wide area. However, the attack revealed the silver-haired kicker's robotic prosthetics that he used to hide from the projectiles, and fired off a couple dust blasts that caught Qrow unawares, hitting him in the gut.

A sound of shattering glass originating from Taiyang's side of the battlefield, the razor-sharp leaves sliced down upon the man and his two opponents. Taiyang merely braced himself upright, as soft heat waves around him softened the frozen leaves before hitting his body. His two female opponents appeared to be much more agile, flipping and twisting to actually avoid most of the leaves while using their weapons to block much of the difference.

A swarm of glass shards broke through her Aura barrier while she wasn't looking, hitting her side as she plummeted to the ground, rolled back upright and glared angrily at a coldly furious Cinder and shaken Roman.

"To be so distracted by the extent of your power…" Cinder smirked despite her narrowed eyes. "My, did the monster delude herself into thinking that she was normal? That she could avoid hurting those around her?"

Raw magic flared around Amber's eyes as she rose back up into the air, teeth gritted. An arm raised itself once again, but this time it was not the trees that responded, but the clouds.

"RRAAAAH!"

… … …

"Holy…is it over?" I loosened my vice grip on Mirror's Edge, both blades buried deep into the ground and into a nearby tree. After watching Amber levitate off the ground and raise her arm into the air, I knew what was coming next and had buried my blades in order to stay grounded. As it was, the whirlwind affecting the trees had nearly sent me airborne, which would've revealed my presence to all eleven combatants on the battlefield, each a dangerous individual to expose myself to.

'Gods, what the hell happened? Amber, Qrow, Raven and Tai against Cinder, Mercury, Emerald, Roman, Neo, Adam and Blake? Why did Cinder bring along Roman and the White Fang, when she didn't bring either faction the first time? For Qrow? It would've worked, but the White Fang refused to help in canon, and Cinder wouldn't have trusted Roman to help in such an important part of the plan. What did she promise to Adam and Roman, and what did she give up in exchange for their help? Not to mention Raven showing up, and even bringing Tai. If all three left in Team STRQ die, Ruby and Yang will be alone, damnit! But at least with the three of them and Amber, that should be enough even against those seven, right?' I watched as Amber took to the skies again, her arm raised as the skies moved to her beck and call. 'Ohh damnit!'

I dove for cover, reached for my back holster and for my pouches. As I pulled out my own contingency plan, the thought occurred to me; after seeing the matchups, and witnessing the indiscriminate destruction Amber's use of the Maiden powers could cause, I was no longer sure of Team STRQ's victory.

… … …

The heavens themselves roared under the girl Amber's will, and Adam swore to get the information regarding her power from Cinder after this conflict was resolved. First, however, a more pressing matter occupied his attention.

Raven Branwen. A swordswoman likely without equal on Remnant. He was not ashamed to say that the raw strength, sheer speed and polish of the Bandit Queen's techniques were better than his. Had they both been fighting one another to the death, he would've surely perished by her blade.

Had they both been fighting to the death. For whatever reason, doubt clouded his opponent's mind, and it showed in her actions. Her strikes were more reserved, footwork more passive, techniques more conservative. The lethal intent was still intact, but without the force necessary to execute the will, Adam Taurus would not be cut down by such half-hearted swordsmanship. And so, although he was not strong enough to best Raven Branwen, he in turn would not be bested.

And he was content with that. As part of Cinder Fall's insurance to secure this Amber away from her protectors, he was content to hold off what was likely the strongest of them alone, and gather information on his temporary employer's goals.

The planned destruction of an SDC cargo train would be recouped by equivalent Dust and weaponry, albeit supplied by the odious Roman Torchwick. The Faunus cause would be furthered, and the SDC would still suffer from a shortage of dust thanks to copious robberies performed by Torchwick.

Now that he was present on the battlefield though, he was reconsidering bringing Blake along. Initially considering the mission a more private affair to relight Blake's passion towards the White Fang's cause, he now saw that the allies and enemies he had carried her towards could prove deadly to Blake's safety. So long as she had the ability to run, however, Adam knew Blake would be able to avoid the attacks by her more merciful opponent. Which brought him back to his own.

He should be glad that Raven Branwen wasn't willing to take that extra step to reach the girl Amber. A deadlock between the two of them benefitted him more than it did her. But perhaps it was his desire to safeguard Blake. Perhaps it was the energy he'd absorbed for Moonslice. Maybe it was even the affront to his pride as a swordsman. Whatever the case was, as flashes of lightning tore across the darkened sky, his body and clothing lit up with its own glow.

And the world within his view began to descend into red.

… … …

KRAKOOOOOOM

Emerald flinched as lightning struck the ground not a hundred yards from where she stood. The only reason it wasn't closer was because all that destructive energy was aimed at that creep Roman and Cinder.

Roman could burn for all she cared, but if Cinder got hit…

"FIGHT ME SERIOUSLY, YOU COWARD!" The roar had her turning away for a moment to look at the glowing Adam Taurus, his blade, hair, and even coat and mask red markings lighting up with stored energy. Facing him was an impassive, yet apprehensive Raven Branwen.

"Emerald, focus! This old bastard's this close to getting one over on us!" Mercury backflipped to avoid a slash from Qrow's scythe, firing a couple rounds from Talaria to get some more distance and force Qrow to defend.

Emerald shook off her hesitation, and quickly approached the old Huntsman, his back turned to face the incoming mass of Mercury's projectile twister. Conjuring up an illusion to camouflage herself just in case, he switched Thief's Respite to her sickle form and closed in.

CRUNCH-SNAP

Emerald gasped as she stepped on a group of intact frozen leaves, ones that shattered loudly even under her light footfalls. Realizing her mistake, Emerald rushed to make her attack, but it was too late.

A lightning fast reverse-slice with the weapon's heel swung her in the path of Mercury's last few Dust blasts, slamming into her. In her pain, her concentration slipped, and cost her as a wiry hand grasped her throat.

"Sooo, this' where you've been hiding…" Qrow Branwen drawled, getting a close look at Emerald's face as he squeezed her windpipe. "Seems like you've got a different kind of illusion than the one at the beginning of your little ambush. I wonder why that is?"

Emerald clawed and kicked for breath, even created illusions to trick Qrow into thinking he wasn't holding her anymore, but his grip remained ironclad.

"Nice try, kid, but I've tangled with illusion users before. Just making me think I've let you go ain't gonna make that happen." Qrow paused to whip his scythe around and knock Mercury away one-handed. "Now, I'm normally against giving brats like you two such rough treatment, but it's kind of an emergency." Against her best efforts, Emerald's vision began to darken.

"So take a nap. I'll be sure to send your little friend your way too."

… … …

A monster. There was no other way to describe the beast in front of Neo.

No melee weapons. No ranged weapons. Nothing substantial to call armor. The man she faced at the moment had nothing to bring to the table but his body, mind and will.

And he was terrifying with those resources.

His raw power made direct hits a detriment to continued survival. His speed had her balking and scrambling to avoid those hits. His endurance seemed limitless, and he shrugged off what strikes Neo was able to capitalize on. But what made him truly monstrous was his technique, his fluidity. Although not as flexible or agile as Neo, his grace was apparent and a marvel all its own. His attacks never ceased, and offense switched to defense switched to offense beyond seamlessly.

Lightning flashed again, further illuminating the yellow glow that highlighted the monster's form, and emphasizing the heat waves that still rolled off his body into the air surrounding him.

All fighters had that switch they could flip, where they cashed in some of their strategy in exchange for greater strength, speed and durability. The raging bull Faunus facing down the also-terrifying Raven Branwen was one such example. But the cargo shorts-wearing fighter engaging her now appeared to have forgone flipping that switch. Meaning that all the strength, speed and durability he'd brought to bear was his own, and he was fully in control of it.

He hadn't said a word since re-engaging Neo and her temporary ally, but Neo could tell every ounce of his focus was on the two of them.

A monster of a fighter. A martial artist beyond any other Neo had encountered.

The other fights slipped away from her purview. The timid White Fang girl ceased to exist. Even Roman, ever-present in her thoughts, took a backseat, along with his warning to watch whatever happened to the Amber girl.

There was only now, only this fight. Monster against Monster. And she would be the one to draw first blood.

… … …

KRAKOOOOOOM

"Uhh, Cinder? Any-" BOOOOM "-bright ideas?" Roman hung onto his hat and dove to avoid a targeted lightning blast, before firing multiple rounds at Amber. Seeing them harmlessly impact against an Aura barrier, he turned towards his current employer. 'Current' meaning until he either completed his job and she killed him, or he failed and she killed him.

Not much incentive to work beyond prolonging his life, but then again, that was all that was needed.

"Take the job, I said. The pay's spectacular, I said. What could go wrong, I said. If we make it out of this mess, I'm taking Neo to Mistral and retiring there. Let Neo handle the planning." Roman stopped for a second, and nearly got fried by another lightning strike. "No no, we'd get kicked out within a week from Neo eating all of Anima's ice cream."

"Roman, if you're done muttering to yourself, we have work to do!" Cinder shouted above the gale and sounds of thunder. "We need to get close to her and circle her!"

"I'm sorry Cindy, but it sounds like you just said to get closer to the walking natural disaster!" Roman snarked, gesturing at the metaphorical witch hovering in the air. Seriously, he'd seen Glynda Goodwitch in action, and even she was beneath this chick!

"You heard my order, now follow it!" Cinder yelled, and Roman's admittedly shallow well of patience ran dry.

"I'm not following jack, not when it'll get me killed!" Roman roared. "If you wanna off yourself that badly, be my guest, but I'm not sticking around to be another statistic!"

"Leave now, and I'll ensure you will be." Cinder's eerily calm voice stopped Roman in the midst of turning his back, before more continued lightning roused their attention. "There is a certain range where she cannot call lightning down, lest she risk electrocuting herself. Circle her closely, and the abundance of superheated ground from her own attacks will become ample fuel for my own, one that Amber will be unable to block."

Still in motion, Roman remained silent as he raced through possible variables, before sighing. Turning back, he tilted his bowler hat. "If we live through this, mine and Neo's cuts are going up threefold, and we're getting some answers outta this whole fiasco."

Cinder glared at Roman, before curtly nodding. "Fulfill your end of the deal, and you will have earned those modifications."

"Good enough for me!" Roman followed Cinder as the two dodged strike after strike, closing to within a few feet of the floating girl. Around and around the two circled, until the ground under his feet crackled with residual heat. "Alright Cindy, I'm pretty sure that's enough-GAAAAH!"

An omnidirectional burst of wind exploded down and outwards from above, pushing Cinder and Roman to opposite sides of Amber. The wind continuing, it took everything Roman had to remain upright while staying this close, and he saw that Cinder was in a similar spot. "Gotta move before-AAAAAAGGGHH!"

Raw electricity pierced down, and Roman powered his Aura into his Aura shield to stay alive. "CINDER!"

Through eyes open by a slit in the blinding light and pain, a massive ring of red and orange appeared as thousands of glass shards formed, before shooting upwards. A thick Aura barrier attempted to repel them all, but the sheer number was too much as Amber hit the ground and the lightning ceased.

"ROMAN!" The gentleman thief jerked his head up to see Cinder, sooty and literally smoking like he was, struggling to aim her bow with three arrows nocked. Between Cinder and himself was Amber struggling to her feet and about to flee.

"Sorry about this kid." Roman aimed Melodic Cudgel, and the hook of his cane shot out and grabbed the girl's corset as she made to flee. His weapon's mechanized hook strained against Amber's prodigious strength, but before the deadlock could break three arrows hit the ground.

BO-BO-BOOOOOOM

Fiery earth became scorched, and Amber went flying to the side, orange Aura dispersing as it shattered.

"Alright, what's-hah-the plan now?" Roman gasped, leaning on Melodic Cudgel.

"You, are to bind and hold her. I," Cinder replied, pulling a pristine white glove from a pouch, "have something to obtain."

… … …

"No…no No NO!" I jammed the magazine into Corona as I stared down in horror. Raven locked down by an empowered Adam. Qrow desperately trying to finish off Mercury and Emerald in time. Taiyang doing his best to hunt down Neo and Blake. And Amber defeated, broken on the ground. All unfolding over a half-mile away.

This wasn't as bad as the events of canon. This could end up far, far worse…

'And all because I wasn't smart enough to account for the changes! DAMNIT!' I lowered the light filter in my Specter mask to transparent and flooded my eyes with Aura for Chronometry. 'I can make this shot! I have to make this shot!'

I wouldn't allow Cinder and the rest to triumph in this battle. I wouldn't let Amber die. I wouldn't let the rest of Team STRQ and all that's left of Ruby and Yang's family to die here. I. WOULDN'T.

My eyes burned as Chronometry was set to full power, the world moving sluggishly around me. But after having kept my eyes open for over a day after keeping them closed for nearly a year, my eyesight was fading from going straight into overuse after prolonged lack of use. 'But I've got enough…for this…'

I gripped Corona, feeling the gun and its modifications weighing on my hand. New adamantium parts to reinforce its structure, along with two conductive rails added to the sides. Custom-made bullets with a smaller slug carefully placed into a shell of cut Lightning Dust. An orichalcum grip to increase the connectivity between Corona and the attachment holding Luna under the barrel. Dust, magnetism, and two passive semblances. With all elements being Aura-reinforced, this was a hitherto unknown weapon, and one that I hadn't had the time, or mettle, to test until now.

With magnified vision, I saw Roman bind Amber with Melodic Cudgel, just as I saw Cinder slip on the glove. I raised Corona, ready to take the shot…

The shot? To distract her? Stop her? Beat her? Cripple her? Kill her? In all my time as the Specter and with Nora and Ren, I'd avoided ending a life by my direct actions. With Corona modified as it was, I couldn't guarantee that would remain true.

Was I ready and willing to take a life? Even one such as Cinder's?

I looked down at the battlefield and flinched as Cinder was nearly in front of Amber.

'NO…I DID NOT SPEND FIVE YEARS SURVIVING ON REMNANT JUST TO LET THINGS GO OFF THE RAILS HERE! I DON'T CARE WHAT I HAVE TO DO TO KEEP THIS WORLD SAFE! IF I HAVE TO DARKEN MY SOUL BY TAKING A LIFE, SO BE IT!'

Cinder stopped in front of Amber, and raised her arm.

Eyes searing, soul raging, Aura pulsing, my arm raised in turn, and I pulled the trigger.

… … …

"Goodbye Amber," Cinder smirked, feeling the essence of Grimm stir to life.

A flash of blinding light, swift and terrible.

"WHAT?!" Cinder jumped back, but a bleeding arm pulled her back.

"Too bad." Amber smirked, closing her eyes and tightening her grip.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM

…

…

…

…drip…drip…drip…

A/N: I know, I'm an asshole for cutting it there, but the pacing ended up working better if the next parts are left for the next chapter. Rest assured, if you've got a bone to pick with me for the chapters or my writing in general, I'll still be spending a bit of time looking at PM's and reviews. That also goes for those who may not wish me ill. In any case, good luck to those with finals, and hang in there for those working up until the week of Christmas. We can do this.

-SE

Next Chapter Date: 12/23/19