Winter. In a strange way, it was Mother Nature's manner of killing off everything before starting over with a new slate in the spring. It was poetically appropriate, in the same way, that nature cleansed all things with winter by forcing them to start anew, the radical extermination of the White Fang by the Atlas Military and Team RWBY had coerced Neela into doing the same. It was a struggle at first, Neela only wanted her mother and father, longing for the warmth of a meager campfire that had been haphazardly thrown together, alone and sheltered from the rest of the world in the woods. Away from the humans that hated them. But much like the regrowth of spring, Neela had come to accept what had happened. Perhaps it was cynical but there was the possibility that she was content deep within her subconscious with the fact that her parents had died.
Yang and Blake Xiao Long, the best parents that she could have asked for chose to adopt her, but it was long before her knowledge of the fact. At first, she was afraid that they had only done it because they could find no one else to do so, a terrible and senseless notion. But she was young and fear had been integrated into her body and soul so deep that she had only known that surviving meant everything, and the fear drove them to survive. Winter to spring. From a naïve child to a huntress. She would become a warrior that would stand against those who elicited such fear, she would pay back her mothers tenfold! She would make them proud by surpassing them, by taking away the fear that they hid away in their hearts, but were too proud let it show.
Winter again. This time it came in the form of Raven and a new Fang. Neela was holding up okay, but the idea that the White Fang was back toyed with her, even if she refused to admit it. Her grades had slipped, her 4.0 now closer to a 3.7, and though she was able to hide it well from Blake and Yang, Eliana had noticed. That was nothing compared to her mothers' behavior, to say the least, Yang thundered through the campus on most days like an angry Beowulf, and Blake normally spaced out during lectures, shouting at random corners of the room when she would snap out of it. When would it all be over? When would it be spring again? Would they make it this time?
"Neela," said a familiar voice in the back of her mind and she shook off the deeper thinking that had crept in, turning slowly to face Fox and smiling sheepishly at him before dropping the act and sighing. "If you keep letting your mind drift like that you're going to be here until tomorrow morning." He was right, each day the news of the Fang's return affected her more and more. She tried not to think about it, but she could hardly remember the last time that she felt this threatened, though threatened was a strong word to use. No one had seen any members of this new group. The Atlas and Mistral Military had followed every lead to this point, but despite having a strong general idea of where the ruffians were hiding, they were unable to find them.
"I know," Neela replied. "There's just a lot going on at home." It was a half lie and Fox shook his head, gently taking the scanner from her and holding his hand out for the book underneath her hand on the countertop.
"The White Fang is a dangerous bunch Neela, but it's nothing that you can't handle," Fox reassured her. She stared into his eyes for a long moment, of course, he knew. The council had finally decided to make the announcement, deciding to risk the possible panic of the news in order to keep the public informed of the situation. Neela wanted to say that she agreed with her Aunt Ruby's decision, but even something as simple as the announcement had already brought about minor backlash. Fear. People distrusting the Faunus, as though nothing had ever changed, as if the Faunus hadn't integrated themselves into society and had lived with them in harmony for close to twelve years. "I'll finish up here. Go home."
Neela's eyes remained on him and she slowly nodded as the words finally reached. It would be good for her to leave early. Early being a relative term, she hadn't finished her duties for the day, but it was already dark out and Fox was ready to close up shop. She clocked out, taking her school bag with her and headed out into the blowing cold, the snow was coming down heavy, blowing, but not so hard that she couldn't see where she was going. It was bone chilling, she contemplated taking the bus once she reached the main strip, not wanting to have to walk all the way down the hill to the docks. She moved along, checking her wallet and counting her lien to make sure that she'd have enough for the bus and ammo until she got paid in a few days.
Neela bumped into someone, stumbling off of them as she crashed into their torso, but they refused to move. She glanced up at the woman as she threw her wallet back into her backpack, frozen with a sudden but unexplainable fear. The woman didn't smile at first, her yellow eyes piercing Neela as she stared at the girl, long black hair that came down to the small of her back but looked thin drifting in the slight wind and collecting the occasional snowflake. Her first thought was that maybe she was a prostitute, her black leather pants clinging tightly to her form without any room for error, and her top covered with a burgundy colored corset with a silver floral pattern, the area covering her navel and the sleeve leading up to her long black armored gloved made of a mesh material. What was this sudden feeling? Was she overreacting? This woman could be anyone, and all she did was accidentally run into them. The woman smiled softly, looking Neela over. Neela felt violated, as if the woman was undressing her with her eyes, or sizing her up for battle. Get a grip Neela. She threw her bag back over her shoulder and quickly shuffled past the woman who continued gazing at her.
"I'm sorry!" Neela more or less blurted out to her as she moved quickly through the storm to the bus stop. She glanced back, the woman was nowhere to be found, and that gave Neela relief as she used her abilities and noted no sign of her. There had been nothing to worry about, and for all Neela knew, it might have been a figment of her imagination. She took a deep breath, removing her scroll and checking the messages, mostly quick and abrupt prompts from Eliana wanting to know when she'd be back for the night, but making sure to let Neela know that she wasn't bored and was doing fine without her. It was followed by some nonsense about meeting one of Ilia's boyfriend's friends and… Neela's eyes scanned the image repeatedly.
Her worst nightmare was in the process of coming true, wasn't it? That girl with the wings, she looked amazing! Neela wasn't sure she would compete with looks like that! Had she waited too long? Get a grip Neela, you know how bubbly and innocent Eliana is, it's probably just a harmless group date… Double date… Ilia and Vincent… Eliana and… Neela trembled as the bus stopped and an old man with an apron who waited on the bench beside her climbed up the stairs. I waited too long! I need to get back to the school now and tell Eliana everything!
"Hey, kid!" The driver called to her. She looked at him blankly before shaking her head. She needed to get on the bus and she needed this man to drive like he had never driven before.
"Coming!" She shouted almost frantically, throwing lien at him. "Can you make it quick? I need to get back to Beacon as soon as possible!" He looked at her with a raised eyebrow and motioned for her to sit with his head.
"Listen, kid, this storm is only getting worse and these roads are crazy slick. How about I just get us to the dock in one piece, okay?" He asked. She looked at him, not understanding how her sense of urgency was lost on him. This is life and death! If I'm too late, what will it matter?! Will anything matter!? She moved back and took a seat, tapping like a psycho at her scroll, sending a message to Eliana, telling her that she needed to meet her at the dorm as soon as she got back, and to stay away from… She stopped typing. What was she doing? Eliana would get carried away, think that they were in grave danger or something crazy like that. Neela deleted the message and opened a new correspondence to Ilia instead.
*** Ilia, you know how much Eliana means to me, why did you set her up with- ***
"What the hell?!" The driver cried out. Neela glanced up in time to see what appeared to be a disc, though it was impossible to know through the snowfall, slide through a car driving down the hill in front of the bus. A flash of red light ignited, ejecting outward from the disc through the vehicle and towards the park, exploding. The few people on the public transit gasped and one woman with a baby in the back screamed, the driver slamming the breaks, but the snow proved too much and they slid down the hill, another car exploding as the same disc appeared. Neela watched the second with her semblance, a fire Dust string attached to a rotating dagger, or perhaps two connected at the handle. "We're going to crash!"
Neela closed her eyes, taking a deep breath, focusing her mind before opening them once more, her instincts kicking into overdrive and moving her body before she could realize what the solution was. She moved quickly to the back, kicking the emergency door open and firing her grappling hook at the closest sizable tree in the park. She leapt back, removing the band from her arm and quickly strapping it to the last pole in the aisle. She activated her scroll quickly, calling for her locker and giving the park's coordinates as the drop-off. As her tow cable rapidly reached the end of its length she panicked for a moment, doubting its ability to stay together once the sudden added weight would be realized.
The device held up, a sudden jerk which threw the people riding forward into the seat in front of them as another car exploded. Without warning, they were all thrown back and Neela turned back in time to see that the metal rod she had chosen had broken free. It bounced once and Neela leapt quickly to catch it, planting her feet and angling it upward, deflecting it from taking out the woman and child. It dragged her to the back, catching against the back siding and stopping once again, the passengers groaning and crying out in confusion as it all ended.
"Out now!" Neela yelled pointing to the door. They all shoved past each other as she stood to the side, watching them leave as she realized a throbbing pain in her left hand. It looked bruised, most definitely from the pole glancing off of her hand. She pressed it between her legs, using the grip to gently pull on it, seething. Her aura would take care of it to be sure, but it still hurt unimaginably… What was that sound? Her semblance activated and she could see the daggers spinning with uncanny speed through the air for the bus. Neela detached her wristband as the last rider exited, she grappled the driver and let her hook do the rest, throwing them towards the park as the bus erupted behind them.
"Thank you! Thank you! Oh, Oum! Thank you!" The driver shouted over and over as Neela rolled off of him. She pointed to the far end of the park.
"Get to safety!" She commanded him. He nodded and took off, sliding and slipping on the ice and deepening snow. Neela looked at her scroll, scanning it for an estimated arrival time for her locker when the same daggers from before slammed the device out of her hand. Neela rolled out of the way, the line attached this time was gravity and the force was enough to keep Neela off of her feet. She planted into the cold snow, using her grappling hook to assist her in standing. As she found her feet, she noted that several masked figures were beginning to close in on her. She swallowed hard. Please… No… Please! White Fang. Winter.
"You," said a voice that Neela didn't recognize, but she could hear the anger and disbelief rolling like smoke off of the single word. Neela slowly looked back, noting the woman that she had run into before, she had a cockeyed smirk, the same as before, and she drank Neela in again. Neela sniffed the air, her body trembling from fear and the chill of the winter wind that blew across the city, they watched each other, playing their game of mental chess as they both gathered all the information that they could. Neela almost thought that the woman's scent seemed familiar, it had a certain musk, a kind of hatred to it that wouldn't be quenched easily. Was this not the same feeling she'd felt when Raven had arrived during the party?
"So it's true," Neela spoke, gathering all of the strength she could muster. "The White Fang is back." The woman didn't answer right away, her men, six to be exact, all awaited their orders to attack. They all glance back and forth between each other, looking eagerly at the woman, as though they were actual animals, and were waiting impatiently for their master to send them in for the kill. "I'm guessing that it goes without saying that you blew those cars up on the main drag back there…"
"Shut up." It was all she replied with. What was she waiting for? Why was she doing all of this, to begin with? Neela couldn't be sure that it mattered, but her ears picked up on her locker coming in quickly, and she contemplated her choices. Her scroll had been destroyed, so an immediate escape was out of the question. Besides, it probably wasn't the best idea to leave these radicals out here to continue destroying the city regardless. She couldn't call for help. She'd have to fight her way out, or die trying. Just a few more seconds. One of the masked men with a snake's tongue hissed and laughed in amusement. Neela's mind crashed through a wall, placing her back at the campfire with her parents.
Humans are not to be trusted Neela. Your mother and I only want what's best for you, and if you join the humans, you'll get hurt.
She shows so much promise for being this young. The last time they talked this much about a child with aura in the Fang was Taurus.
She will bring the world to the balance that we've desired for so long. She will kill many humans. Neela will be the one that makes them pay, the one that opens their eyes.
Snow. Blood stained snow. Her parents slain before her. The fear crept in again. The humans had stolen her parents from her. The White Fang had been right all along. Why had she ever agreed to leave them? Why…
"Hey, Neela!"
Eliana's voice rang out in Neela's thoughts louder than the doubt and the fear. Neela looked deep into the soul of the woman behind her. This woman intended to put an end to everything that Neela loved. Eliana, Yang, Blake, Shadow, her teammates, everyone… That was the Fang's goal. They'd prove that Faunus should be feared, no matter the cost. Neela remembered the woman and child she had saved only moments ago. Her breathing steadied. This was it. This was the opening to her spring. One of the assailants behind her flinched and the locker slammed into the ground. Now!
Neela grappled the door off of her locker, launching it behind her, it slamming into one of the men as she grappled the locker, allowing her hook to pull her quickly in. She came to a stop in front of it, the other two Faunus that she now faced drew their guns, Neela used the locker to shield any attacks from the other three and the woman leading them. She grabbed her bow and quiver, slipping it on as she loaded two arrows. She drew back the bow sideways and let them fly, striking both of the men in the chest, the tip erupting as lightning Dust left them paralyzed. A quick use of her Hunter's Gaze and she could see that the woman had moved in quickly, standing behind the locker. Neela loaded an arrow, rolling out of the locker as the leader's knives sliced through the metal horizontally. Neela wanted to take a moment to appreciate the artificial claws, but such novelties had no place in this battle.
The gravity arrow struck the inside of the locker, dislodging it and throwing it through the woman who had disappeared. Night had set in, and if not for Neela's night vision and the somewhat distant street lights, she would have no hope of seeing anything, but somehow she'd lost sight of the woman. She flipped her bow into its sword transformation and deflected bullets as she charged in at the men. She could tell from the sudden use of her ability before that they had no aura, and she took care not to kill them, instead opting to stun them. A bullet slid across her forearm as she reached of them, her aura mending the wound quickly as she used him as a human shield, holding her blade to his neck.
"You stupid little girl," the Faunus grunted, struggling against her. "Are you not a Faunus too? Why do you resist the Fang? You can join us and become more." She gripped him tighter and he grunted in discomfort.
"Tried that once, wasn't really my thing," she told him. Before she could toss him forward and reach into her pouch for a flashbang arrowhead, the woman rose up from the ground in front of them and stabbed him hard in the chest, laying into him like a lunatic, Neela releasing him in shock and watching as her opponent dropped him. There were less than a few feet between them, and they had once again been reduced to this game of staring. The mystery huntress looked upset, as though things weren't quite going the way they planned. "More than you bargained for?" Neela was shocked at the words that had escaped her mouth. She wasn't normally one to be full of herself.
"This whole notion is ludicrous," the woman ranted. "The fact that I need to kill a huntress who has half of my skill and refuses to kill those that threaten her and everything around her. I could end you right now, it would be over by the time you blinked. Yet here I am, following some unwritten rules that I've forced upon myself to not slaughter you entirely. Athena and her lap dog question my loyalty, and they've sent me out to kill you. Pathetic." Neela's heart stopped and she felt a new chill fill her. Athena.
"Then why don't you?" Neela asked. She could feel the guns of the last two militants focused on her as they moved in slowly. "Why don't you kill me?" Ebony finally broke character, moving in a flash, Neela blocking her daggers with her sword and guiding her counter blow away with her free hand. They struggled against each other. Ebony chuckled and shook her head, her face becoming redder as she grunted and struggled against the girl.
"Do you wish to die?" She asked. "I don't want to kill you, because killing you will prove nothing. They still won't trust me and I will have spilled blood that could have been spared."
"Like the people in the cars that you murdered?" Neela asked as she shoved Ebony back. Neela struck quickly three times, Ebony meeting each one with her daggers, moving in after the third to counter, attempting to wrench the blade away with her claws. Neela grappled it in as it flew from her hands, ducking under a swing from Ebony's left hand clutching the daggers. Neela swung the sword at the end of her cable, slicing through Ebony's aura and causing her to leap back, disappearing into the shadows. She can become a shadow? Neela swiftly brought her sword in, flipping it out into a bow again and using a flashbang on the remaining gunmen, a solid blow to each of their heads knocking them out.
"They were human," Ebony replied. Her voice was all around Neela, she didn't know how to counter someone with such an ability! She felt Ebony as she left the shadows, the daggers dancing across her back. She arched her back and yelped in pain, turning and firing blindly but she was gone once again. "Their lives don't matter."
"Hey, Neela!"
"They're lives matter just as much as ours!" Neela shouted in reply. The air around Neela shifted and she felt an evil presence growing around her.
"Athena never told me you were delusional," Ebony stated. "Maybe she was right, maybe you do deserve to die." What did Athena know about her? As far back as Neela could remember, she had never met Adam's sister once. Neela used her semblance again but was only able to see Ebony as she was reappearing from her shadow phasing ability, and she narrowly escaped being hit again, grappling behind her and being pulled to the street, her hook had found a street lamp. Neela needed to get away, she couldn't do anything and the woman could hide in the… darkness! Neela looked up at the light above her. That was it! Ebony threw her daggers which Neela shot an arrow through the middle of the ring that connected them, Ebony let go at the risk of being jerked back with the weapon, the arrow pinning them to one of the trees.
Ebony phased out in a collapsing cloud of smoke as Neela ran through the blowing snow down the hill. As long as she was able to defend against the daggers and stayed under the street lights, she'd have no problem getting to the dock and using the emergency phone to at least contact the police. Granted, running to the actual police department would have been ideal as it was closer than her decided solution, but it was also a poorly lit path, and that's where her enemy thrived. Ebony appeared, glancing back at Neela who was sprinting away. She grumbled, pulling the arrow out to free her weapon and the tip detached from the shaft. Ebony looked it over in her hand for a moment before the tip exploded, throwing her onto her back.
Neela sprinted down the sidewalk, the icy path took her for a moment and she slid, allowing the ice to assist her escape, but left her feet as a car to her right erupted in flames, followed by three more. She spotted four more masked members and made a hard left into an alley which was less than desirable, but at this point, Ebony had to find her once again anyways. Neela slid to a stop, firing an earth arrow towards the direction she'd come from and filled the gap between the buildings with a large stone pillar. It should be enough to buy me more time. She was satisfied with her handiwork and ran once again.
At that moment her destination changed. They'd expect her at the dock, which meant she had one option left, but it was on the far side of the city and to prevent the Fang from harming anyone else, she would have to avoid areas of high population and traffic. She'd have to risk it, she had no other choice. Grandpa Tai! Nice to see you! Funny story why I'm here actually… You see…
"There you are!" Ebony exclaimed as she formed up from the shadows in front of Neela, blocking her exit back to the road. Neela scanned her surroundings, turning over every option in her mind. She could stay and try to fight the woman, the odds were against her, but they had an even playing field as far as remaining aura went, or at least Neela assumed so. She couldn't have been much older than Neela herself, but there was a crazed hunger similar to that of an animal that has meat dangled in front of it, only to constantly have it taken away, never once tasting it. Ebony watched Neela carefully. She knew good and well that the girl would make a move to grapple up to the rooftops, it would give her apt time to tie her up with her dagger and Dust string, she would force her violently back into the alley. Neela formed her sword.
"You remind me of someone," Neela said, her voice unwavering. Ebony was at the very least impressed by this girl's ability to remain strong despite the fact that she was far more powerful, and she knew that the girl had been traumatized by the Fang at an incredibly young age. "A woman with black hair and an awful attitude." Ebony's face crumpled in disgust and she phased forward quickly, moving faster than Neela had seen anyone move before, baring Ruby. It was as though her body had become a shadow itself, reforming in the instant before her daggers struck Neela's weapon, the woman fueled by too much rage and Neela didn't resist the blow but instead let it slide off of her sword, throwing out her foot. Ebony stumbled, Neela's hook gripping her leg and pulling her in, leaving her moments to phase into the shadow below in the dark alley, Neela sword swiping through the smoke remains.
"Don't compare me to Raven!" Ebony yelled, her voice once again enveloping Neela. Ebony struck out from the darkness, hitting Neela several times, the strikes were less than powerful enough to deter Neela or cause her body to move, but they were solid and each blow threatened her life, taking some of her aura every second. Neela grappled the top of a brick building to her left, swinging around at an awkward angle and letting her grapple do the rest. She drew her bow, shooting the daggers before they could snare her foot, another arrow missing Ebony by a few feet. "Get back…" Ebony was cut off by an explosion, screaming as she dove to the ground, the "misfired" arrow had struck a flashbang arrowhead that Neela had dropped on purpose in the confusion.
Neela knelt for a long moment, catching her breath and gazing up at the storm that was blowing harder than before. Visibility was low and if anything, would give Neela the advantage as long as she could avoid any more shadows. She had no way to check her aura without her scroll, but judging by how labored her breathing was, she got the idea that it was running low. She hadn't felt so much adrenaline pumping through her since she would train almost daily with Yang and Blake back on Patch. Oh, Oum. This is bad. I can't tell Blake about this or she'll probably die of anxiety. I'll have to tell Yang though, she'll want to know. I made you proud mom, I kicked her ass!
Neela's body shivered, her adrenaline allowed to slow as she'd given herself a moment to think, now realizing how cold out it actually was. The weather hadn't been bad that afternoon when she'd left for work, so it had never crossed her mind that she might need a coat that night. Through the snow, she could see fractals, fractured memories of her life with the Fang. She looked at her hands. These weren't the hands of a murder, they were the hands of a huntress. She would do what was right. She would protect the people that she loved. She would protect everyone. It was her duty under the mantle of Huntress. Neela made her way across the roof and used her hook to lower herself down to the street.
"You're clever," Ebony spoke. She was right behind Neela, giving Neela no time to turn around. The claws slammed into Neela's back and she cringed, jerking forward and swiftly moving away, spinning back to fire an arrow. Ebony snatched it from the air, snapping it in half and tossing it away. "I can see now why Athena was so angry about how things turned out. If your mothers hadn't been there, Athena would still have her brother. And now I will repay them for what they did. I will steal their pride and joy from them as well." Neela fired several more arrows rapidly, each deflecting off of a large orb that had formed around Ebony, pitch black. It slowly expanded and Neela ran once again for Tai's.
"Help!" Neela shouted. She had been calm and collected the entire rest of the fight, but she was sure that if the darkness emanating from Ebony reached her, something bad would happen. It seemed to be swallowing everything, Neela terrified at the thought of what was happening inside of the sphere. "Please! Help!"
"Your parents are weak," Ebony's voice thundered. "If only you had been trained by someone who had realized your full potential, your semblance might have already been at this level. This is my ultimate attack. A darkness that blinds everything that it surrounds. You will exist inside of it, but you will see nothing. And then, I will kill you." Neela stumbled, firing her hook and missing the lamp post, her body trembling too much for her to aim properly and the sphere opened past her, swallowing her up. She closed her eyes tight.
It was like I could see what he was going to do before he did it… It's my only chance, but what if it does permanent damage? What if I lose my semblance? Will I still be able to live up to my potential? Will I still be able to protect the people I love? In the madness that rampaged through her mind, a memory drifted to the forefront and took control.
"Neela!" Yang called out as she ran across the yard and checked her over. Neela had fallen out of the tree that she was playing in and had landed on her back, the wind knocked out of her and causing her to cry out in confusion. Yang scooped her up and carried her towards the cabin, setting her on the picnic table in the backyard and looking her over. "Little bird, what were you doing?" Neela grunted and looked at her knees which were scraped up, sniffing hard and wiping her eyes.
"I climbed the tree because I thought it would help me get stronger!" She exclaimed. "I want to get as strong as you and Blake so one day I can protect both of you when you're old and wrinkly!" Yang smirked and tickled the girl. "Hey!"
"Wrinkly huh?! You think I'm going to get all wrinkly?!" Yang growled playfully tickling her and making sure she stayed put on the table. "Did you have to climb the tallest tree little bird?"
"I have to get strong right away mom!" Neela exclaimed. "The small trees won't make me stronger." Yang laughed softly and picked Neela up, putting her on her shoulders.
"Hey!"
"Pretty tall up there?" Yang asked. Neela nodded and laughed.
"Yeah!" Neela exclaimed. Yang stepped up onto the bench and stood on it.
"Taller now?" Yang asked her.
"Of course!" Neela exclaimed. Yang sighed thoughtfully and set Neela down.
"So if being on my shoulders made you taller, why do you need to be on the table right away too? It's further to fall, and if you're not ready, it's harder to stay up that high," Yang explained. She knelt so that she was eye level with Neela. "Small steps Neela. Falling out of the shorter trees are still going to hurt, but it's not as far to fall. You can't get stronger if you get hurt too bad, you'll have to give up."
"As long as I have my semblance I'll be fine, mom!" Neela replied before bouncing away in excitement.
"You'd be just as amazing without it!" Yang called after her. "You're amazing no matter what."
I'm sorry, Yang. I know that you said not to push myself too hard, but if I don't here I might die, and that's a tree too tall to live from falling out of. Neela found her feet as both of Ebony's daggers slammed into her chest, one on each side of her clavicle.
"Let this be a lesson to everyone who knew you," Ebony spoke. "Faunus and humans should not, and cannot live together in peace." Neela felt the warmth of her blood trickling from the site of the stab down her cleavage and across her stomach. She gritted her teeth and held her sword between the two of them, pointing it towards the ground and holding the hilt at chest level.
"I lived for far too long as a child in fear, wondering with every moment that passed if the humans were going to show up and put an end to our peaceful life in the woods. And they did. But then they did something unexpected. They spared me. Saved me. Held me. Made me feel safe. Put me back together. Loved me. And protected me… from people like you," Neela explained. "Here's what's going to happen. You can try and activate the lightning Dust in the string attached to the daggers before I get my attack off, or you can leave and I'll act as though this whole thing never happened. It's up to you." Ebony laughed.
"Desperation so soon? Is your aura really so fragile? I can feel it… hear it even. So close to giving out. Once it does it'll only take one well-placed blow from either of my weapons to kill you. So I think that I'll take my chances with my attack-" Before Ebony could finish her taunting Neela activated her weapon. It flipped out into a bow, the limb impaling Ebony as it swung out and Neela maneuvered out of the way. Neela lifted her high into the air, hoisting her up above her head before completing the arc and slamming Ebony on the ground behind her. She moved in a terrifyingly calculated manner, removing her bow from the woman and drawing an arrow, but Ebony faded into the darkness, becoming one with it.
"I will not die here!" Neela shouted. She activated her semblance, her body shaking as she focused, seeing Ebony rise up and attack her from behind before it happened. Neela spun around, her bow's limb slicing through the woman's shirt as she released the arrow on her follow through, planting it in the middle of her chest as she rolled away loading another arrow. Ebony grasped at it in shock, Neela firing a second that split the first, driving the initial tip deep in. Ebony faded again.
"You bitch!" She shouted. Neela waited, on her guard, knowing that Ebony was waiting for her aura to take care of the arrowhead, but also armed with the knowledge that Ebony's aura would soon be broken. Neela felt light-headed, stumbling to her left but remaining on her feet. She was pushing her eyes too hard, her semblance was draining her physical strength. She saw Ebony attack her from in front this time and she clumsily tried to attach a flashbang tip as Ebony leapt up from the shadows. Neela got it off but it sailed past Ebony, only to return a moment later and strike her in the right shoulder. It exploded, breaking her aura and deafening her in the process.
What did she do? What was that? If my semblance picked up on everything else, why didn't I see how she did that? It doesn't matter. The pain is too much. Luckily the explosion of light and sound is what broke my aura and I won't have a scar. Why am I worried about that? This is where I die, isn't it? I don't feel so good…
Ebony slowly made her way over to Neela, her chest heaving as she held a dagger in each hand, ready to deal the killing blow. She had nearly been destroyed by a child, but that didn't matter. All she cared about was winning. She would go back to Athena and report her victory… and perhaps kill Crimson before the week was through. Ebony inhaled sharply and brought down her blades, both of them striking a long narrow blade that swung up in a blinding flash, knocking the weapons away. Ebony glanced up and leapt back as she saw who had attacked.
"Raven?!" She shouted. "What the hell are you doing here?!" Raven looked down at Neela before returning her gaze to Ebony.
"I was taking a walk because I couldn't sleep, and here I find you all alone and close to death from fighting this frail little girl," Raven told her. She nudged Neela with her foot, but the girl didn't respond. "I'm disappointed in you. If the clan would have survived, you would have been my successor, but it appears you have much to learn at this point. Not underestimating your enemy would be a good place to start. She was strong enough that you freed your tail I see. Too distracting in a battle to leave it tucked between your legs I suppose, but I'm guessing you like how it feels rubbing against your-"
"Enough!" Ebony yelled enraged. Raven cocked her hip and smirked as she sheathed her sword, finding amusement in her old protégé as the girl used her Dust strings to draw her daggers back in.
"You're not going to fight me in that condition, are you?" Raven inquired. "I could put an end to your pathetic life blindfolded right now. Or do you plan on using that 'ultimate attack' bullshit on me? Go ahead then, let's finish this."
"We will return soon Raven, and I will kill you," Ebony explained. Raven rolled her eyes.
"I know. Besides the council, Benjamin and I are the only major threats, and whatever else is being said." Raven took a step forward which prompted Ebony to step back. "You're so afraid, and yet I still see a determination in your eyes. Is it that you're more worried about what will happen when you return to Athena a failure?"
"As if," Ebony spat. Raven placed her hand on the hilt of her katana.
"If we meet again, I will strike you down," Raven told her. She unsheathed her sword and swung as Ebony cast out both of her daggers, destroying the street lights and allowing her to disappear into the seemingly endless shadow cast by the storm. Raven sheathed her blade once more and looked down at Neela for a long moment, an image of Yang as a baby flashed through her mind and she could only bring herself to stare.
"Neela!" Came a shout that caught Raven's attention. She looked up at the alleyway to see Coco and Velvet coming towards her. Both of them stopped for a moment, looking at Raven and unsure what to do, Coco training her gun on her. Raven looked back down at Neela, slowly lifting her and carrying her to Coco. Coco lowered her weapon, taking Neela in her arms and watching Raven, unable to find anything to say.
"This was the work of Ebony, a young girl that I trained who is now working with the White Fang," Raven said quietly. She stared into Coco's eyes. "Don't tell Yang that I was here."
"Wait!" Velvet called out, but Raven had already disappeared through a portal and left them in a stunned silence laced with confusion. "Now what?"
"We take her to the hospital first," Coco told Velvet. "Thank Oum I installed the trackers on the lockers and that you were here to sniff her out." Velvet gave a single nod and they headed for the hospital.
Neela made it out by the skin of her teeth. Will the White Fang attack again before Neela can properly prepare herself? Next week, Chapter 44 - Nonsense and Pep Talks!
A big thank you to Y8ay8a, Sa-Dui, Diyaru4500, Demize00Zero, TheCipherNine, SketchHungry, Ookaminoki, Lightning-in-my-Hand, and Dishwasher1910. All of their artwork can be found at Deviantart, you can search Silent-Celica and under my favorites tab, I have a collection for NITE.
Until next week, stay classy!