"Alright, kid. Tomorrow, The Gambler will appear in town to hunt Cinder down. Since Salem's traitor is aiding their protector, he might not curb-stomp her, but you and Ruby...well, just keep an eye on her during the fight."
As the rest of the day flew by in a haze (with the only highlight being Weiss being checked out of the hospital and brought to the hotel), the moon hung quietly in the starry sky, shattered as always. In one bed lay a young, tired girl with red and black hair, while in the other, a much more awake blond laid there in worry. Turning to Ruby, Jaune cleared his throat and asked "...Hey, Ruby? You awake?"
"Yeah," she said, turning to face Jaune before sitting up with her legs under the sheets, "I am. Can't sleep?"
Jaune shook his head quickly, a quick "No," leaving his lips as he showed his denial. "I'm...scared. About what's going to happen tomorrow."
"Hmm?" Ruby hummed, adjusting her position under the covers to be more comfortable as she looked at Jaune.
"I mean, this guy's job is killing people like Cinder. She's, like, one of the most powerful people we've ever met, and this guy is apparently worse. I just don't know if we can do it." Jaune elaborates, letting his anxiety show through each word.
Thinking for a moment, the optimistic Ruby says "Well, they're powerful enough to take Cinder, right? Well, it's not just Cinder. We can both fight pretty well, and I don't think this Ferris guy can take us all on like that. Besides, if just one's good enough to solve Salem's problem, why do they need seven?"
Jaune focused on Ruby's words, soaking in each syllable and honestly thinking about their chances. Finally, he says "Well...alright, but I bet he's still really strong. Let's keep our guard up, okay?"
"Alright!" Ruby says, before practically slamming her head onto her pillow and saying "Goodnight, Jaune."
"'Night." was Jaune's only response before he closed his eyes and attempted to sleep. And sleep he did…
It was dim and very early in the morning, the sky still a very dark blue as the sun slowly rose to take the shattered moon's place. Stood next to large, iron door were Ruby and Jaune, decked out in their travel clothes from their venture to Mistral. Sand softly kicked up and the younger Huntress tapped her foot impatiently, while Jaune sat on the sidewalk, his Scroll open to see something. A new text message showed, Yang being the one sending the message, which said "We're all out of the way. Go get him, Jaune." After a quick explanation to the rest of the group (which took a fair bit out of the last few hours of darkness), Jaune and Ruby got Yang to hide everyone in the hotel, and thus out of the way of the conflict.
Suddenly, the door opened, revealing the disheveled Cinder Fall in all her fallen glory. She was no longer wearing her red and orange dress, instead dressed in a very simple black shirt and grey skirt that was likely provided to her by the Military who had custody over her. The sleeves were long, which still hid her missing hand, and her bangs still covered her grey eyepatch as if she were ashamed to hide her injury. Any anger bubbling up in Jaune's heart gave way to pity, as she looked so far removed from her seductive and manipulative roots. "She looks nothing like she did." Jaune thought, as he turned to Ruby. Her brow was furrowed and her gaze showed suspicion, but when Cinder looked to her, her remaining eye full of worry, Ruby softened up.
"Cinder, let me get something straight," Ruby began, "Jaune told me you were forced into what you did. Is that true?" Her tone was questioning, though not confrontational.
Cinder looked to the pavement, and gasped out a "Y-Yes...Without Salem, I...would be dead." Ruby let out a breath she didn't know she was holding in, taking a step towards the girl.
"I will never forgive you for Beacon...for Pyrrha," Ruby said, her voice still not full of malice, which surprised Cinder, "But...Jaune says that he thinks you can change. If that's true, I know you can. I can't bring myself to let what you did just slide...but I don't have to hate you, and neither does Jaune. Maybe one day, I can even call you a friend…" Her voice trailed off, and what she said made Cinder's head whip towards her. "Always an optimist." Jaune mused in his thoughts.
"H-How can you ever…?" Cinder said, too stunned to go through the pain of finishing her words.
"Don't get me wrong," Ruby explained, "As I've said multiple times, Pyrrha was my friend and I can't let that slide. But if what you said is true, you were just a pawn in her little game. Like I was saying, maybe one day I can call you a friend, but right now, I still see you as nothing more then another murderer. I need to trust you, I need to believe you. And that means helping us stop Salem and these "Guardian" guys. Okay?"
Cinder nodded, and quietly said, in a voice as clear as it was in her prime, "I won't let you down."
"You better not!" Ruby said, "I would hate to do some grand speech only to get shot in the back. And not even by you, if I'm being honest." At that, Cinder let herself grin a little, and to her surprise, Ruby actually grinned back, if only at her own joke and less at the levity from the mage.
Turning to Jaune, Cinder breathed in before saying, "D-Do you...feel the same?"
Caught off guard by the question, the blond knight thought deeply about his response, knowing he had a very limited amount of time to answer before The Gambler arrived. Standing up, he explained "Pyrrha was closer to me then I even realized. It's not impossible, but it's not just trust or proof. I need to know, for a fact, that you're nothing like the Cinder that took her away from me. I need to look at you, and not even see you do it. Like I said, it's possible. But it's going to take a lot more than belief before I'm ready to move on. Got it?"
Nodding, Cinder said "Understood," as she seemed to show remorse and regret through her eye. As Ruby and Jaune walked off into town, Cinder walked with them, keeping a ways away from them as they looked through the front gate. They finished their conversation at the right time, it had seemed, as walking through the town's front gate stood the man (at least formerly) known as Ferris Violeta, still wearing his purple suit. He stopped walking and let a devilish grin emerge from his lips as he reached inside his coat pocket. As the three prepared to draw their weapons, The Gambler pulled out five playing cards and showed them to Jaune, Ruby, and Cinder, all of whom now had their weapons out. Knowing that a dangerous fight was going down, the citizens all turned tail and ran, with the elite guard wanting to back the Huntsman and Huntresses up, only to feel a strange urge to run as they came close to The Gambler's perimeter.
"So," The Gambler said, his voice raspy and deep as though he smoked cigars made with sandpaper for years on end, "there's the Traitor, a girl with Silver Eyes, and a...noodle with armor?" At that, Jaune lowered his stance and a look of exasperation plastered itself on his face. Ruby snickered at this, while Cinder looked at Jaune with an amused glare. "Well, at least I know it's a fair fuckin' fight," he snarked, before taking a step closer. "How about a wager? I can kill all three of you with one hand." he said, before pulling out a sixth card and adding it to his deck. His sadistic grin didn't lessen, in fact it seemed to grow with the passage of time.
Before Jaune could even ask about what would happen if he won, The Gambler throws one of his cards out towards the Hunters, the golden and glowing icon of an explosion emblazoned on it. The card stabs into the ground and, immediately realizing what it is, Jaune yells "OUT OF THE WAY!" before the three dive for cover. The explosion is large and a brilliant orange, blowing a crater straight out of the ground as it kicks dust out into a cloud of ash. While Jaune is distracted, The Gambler rushes forward at him, managing to kick him across the face before clamoring on top of him and beginning to rain down blows. Punch after punch connects with Jaune's face, taking small but numerous chunks out of his Aura, before Jaune's sheath whacks The Gambler across the face. When he stood up, Jaune's sword was back in his hand, which he slashes across Ferris's body, taking more Aura. He connected three slashes, but as he raises Crocea Mors over his head, hs opponent gains a second wind, as before the blade connects, he claps it into his grasp before headbutting Jaune, knocking him to the ground.
Just then, a Magnum-sized Dust round whizzed past The Gambler's head, causing him to turn his attention to Ruby, who then racks the bolt back. He pulled out, and threw, a card with what appears to be a sigil of a puddle with bubbles over it towards Ruby, who quickly ducked it. The wall behind her, however, began glowing green before it starts melting right through the wood. No splinters or debris emerges as the acid burns a wooden beam apart, which then falls right towards Ruby. Even with the aura tanking that, the acid continued to burn more and more debris towards her, while she sat none the wiser. "RUBY!" Jaune yelled out, which makes the sniper turn to see the debris fall. Using her speed Semblance, she escaped the rubble in a flurry of rose petals, but before either of the other two can attack, a Dust spear suddenly launched itself at The Gambler, catching his jacket and flinging him straight through a brittle building. It looked similar to the attack Cinder did during the Dust shop robbery, which Ruby confirmed when she turned to Cinder, who had her arm outstretched, her hands and remaining eye glowing a vibrant orange.
Slamming through wall after wall, the spear eventually got stuck in the wall of a nearby, three story house, with The Gambler following suit, his jacket ripped away in the ensuing chaos. Rolling on the ground with a thud, he slowly stood up and looked around. In front of the building sat a small clearing, with some stray crates and boxes stacked around. As he heard footsteps approaching, Ferris rushed over to the crates, hiding behind one and waiting. Turning the opposite corner, Jaune and Ruby stopped at the clearing, looking around the area for the Guardian. Just as he reached for another card in his hand, the feeling of a metal point derailed his train of thought. When he turned around, Cinder was right there, her swords pointed to the back of his neck which left him at an impasse. "H-Hey!" Cinder choked out, which got the attention of the other two. With weapons drawn, they made their way to The Gambler, who stood there, thinking. Looking over the other two, he let go of the card he had a hold of, which floated uselessly to the ground. Ferris raised his hands with a smile, as the card gained a golden sigil of what appeared to be a cloud. Suddenly, a cloud of smoke burst forth from the card, blinding the three Hunters. As they coughed in the gas, the sound of a door opening and closing gave them enough of a clue. "R-Ruby." Jaune coughed out, and Ruby burst from the smoke in a sea of rose petals.
"The things I do for that witchy broad," The Gambler thought, clamoring up the stairs in an attempt to gain a new vantage point. As soon as that thought crossed his mind, rose petals began floating in through an open window, with some scattering across the floor. Suddenly, bursting forth from the petals, Ruby launched herself from them and slashed him with her scythe in his legs, sending him up into the air. Ruby followed up with several more slashes in the air, juggling him with Crescent Rose, before finishing with a downward strike that sent him into a nearby crate, splintering wood across the floor.
Coughing slightly, The Gambler quipped "Speaking of witchy broads…", before rolling over the floor, scrambling to his feet. Pulling out his fourth card, The Gambler whipped his hand out, sending a card with a sigil of fire towards the young Huntress, which sticks itself in the wall. It activated instantly, a sea of burning fire taking the wall as embers danced across the sky. Ruby, having dodged the initial blast, raised Crescent Rose up to attack, but The Gambler had rushed forwards in the chaos. Wrapping his hand around Crescent Rose's barrel, he swept up and kicked the reaper in the face, causing her to lose her grip, as she smack into the ground, the fire dangerously close to her body. Dropping Crescent Rose on the ground, he grabbed Ruby by the hair and began to slam her skull against the ground, taking large enough chunks out of her Aura to give him the edge. Eventually, enough of her Aura broke that the repeated slams broke the skin on her forehead, blood leaking out of her face into a twisted, crimson mask.
Picking her head up by her hair, The Gambler seemed poised to slam her head into the fire, but before he could, a sharp pain in his side caused him to drop her near the blaze. His now broken Aura sparked across his finger as he looked down to see an arrow, made of purple obsidian, jutting out from his body, near his hip. As he wrapped his fingers around the arrow with the intent to pull it out, he was stopped by a sudden kick to the face, which sent him flailing back to the wall behind him with a satisfying crack. As he regained his balance, he heard something drip to the floor below him. With two fingers pressed to his now-broken nose, he found blood pouring out of his nostrils onto the wooden floor, and his blood began to boil.
Before anything else could happen, the blade of Crocea Mors pressed itself against his throat, it's wielder having a look of violent anger take over the majority of his features. "Cinder," he said, his voice eerily calm, "get Ruby back to the hotel." Cinder nodded and walked over to Ruby, pulling her up and beginning to walk her out of the building. The fire raged behind Jaune and The Gambler, with wood and stone beginning to fall from now-damaged supports.
"I don't want to kill you," Jaune said, making his statement clear by getting his blade closer to Ferris's jaw, "but I won't let you kill anyone I care about...or Cinder, for that matter. How about, you leave and no one has to die?"
The Gambler chuckled at that, his voice trembling from the pain, before he clutched his nose and said "Kid...I appreciate your values...but the fight ain't over, see?" Rushing a hand under his jacket, he smacked a card against Jaune's nose, which glowed blue before the blond was suddenly encased in vibrant ice. Looking at the sculpture in a mockingly critical light, his fingers under his chin like he was in thought, The Gambler slid out from under Jaune's sword and began to back away from the frozen Jaune before weighing his options. "He could unfreeze before the fire gets him...in fact, I think he will. If I chase after Cinder, well, my Aura's gone, so that's out. Leaving...escape."
Rushing up to the stairs in a mad dash, his suspicions were confirmed as the ice Jaune was trapped in began to crack and snap. Once up to the third floor, he could hear the ice shatter apart as Jaune's footsteps echoed through the building, eventually growing closer to the stairway. Leaning against the wall of the top floor, The Gambler drew his final card, with the sigil of what looked like breaking glass burning on top of the illustration of the enigmatic King of Hearts. As Jaune made his way up each step, the Guardian slowly counted up, each number being another second to prepare. "One...two...three," he whispered under his breath, as he could tell Jaune was getting closer. "Four...five...six…" he inched away from the door. "Seven...Eight...Nine…" Jaune was right outside the door, his hand turning the knob as The Gambler lied in wait. Finally, Jaune opened the door and, not seeing him, took a few cautious steps forward. Creeping out behind him, The Gambler shouted out his last number, flinging the card out at the same time.
"TEN!"
The card flew out and struck Jaune and, within seconds, his Aura seemed to shatter. Lightning danced across his body, and he felt less powerful, like a part of his being faded away. In the confusion, Ferris rushed towards him and punched him in the face, sending him sprawling to the floor which was teetering on the edge due to the flames below. Picking up Crocea Mors, The Gambler walked towards Jaune and, with no hesitation, swung the blade right at Jaune's face. The blond Huntsman raised his shield up in time to stop a decapitation, but the blow merely redirected. He felt searing pain across his face, and he turned towards a window to find his cheek and nose sliced open, a vicious cut now bleeding over his features. "I wouldn't be so worried," The Gambler says, making Jaune turn to face his opponent, "I mean, after all, chicks dig scars. Just a matter of you surviving to meet any." He swung the sword again, only for Jaune to then block it against his shield. Blade and shield were practically locked into a standstill, as The Gambler drew closer, his teeth bared in a twisted grin.
"Just back off!" Jaune yelled, trying his best to push his own blade back, "I don't want to kill you, y'know! Just please stop this!"
"Are you afraid?" Ferris mockingly asked, the blade of Crocea Mors going dangerously close to his head and shoulders. "I won't just stop, Mr. Arc. There's still the matter of Cinder Fall, after all."
"How do you know my name?" Jaune asked, pushing back against his own sword with a single footstep, his hand gripping the Guardian's wrist as he continued to fight against his attacker's strength.
"I was told it by someone…'s not important, now!" said The Gambler. With his own strength on display, The Gambler attempted to overpower Jaune, but before he could, Jaune gave one last mighty shove. With the shield over his eyes, he waited for another attack. But it never came.
Jaune looked over his shield to find his opponent, with the blade of Crocea Mors dripping with blood. There was very fresh, new gash across Ferris's throat, with the familiar crimson essence leaking out as if his body were a barrel full of the liquid. He stood there, dumbfounded, before the rapid blood loss finally caused The Gambler to sink to the floor, down on his knees. Dropping the blade to the ground, he gave Jaune one last look before falling and landing on his back, his mouth still open in shock. Jaune gave the corpse a shocked gait, before he picked up Crocea Mors and went down the stairs. While the inferno raged on, there was still somewhere he could go safely. Thus, exiting the door, Jaune had only a few seconds before he himself sank down to his knees and hands. "I-It was just an accident…" Jaune thought, feeling sick from the experience, "I didn't mean t-to…" Closing his eyes and letting all his thoughts scream at him, he clutched his head in sorrow.
"I need to get back to the hotel," he thought, "Maybe I can talk to someone...a-and they can help m-me." Standing up, he began to make his way back to the hotel, with each step heavier than the last.