Before starting with the story, one last point of clarification: This has spoilers about RWBY Volume 9. Also, things are not how it seems and nothing here is that straightforward okay?
And with that dire warning, let's start the story...
"You found a… talking cat… in a fairy tale castle… in the middle of nowhere… in Patch? Mr. Xiao Long, have you been drinking like Qrow or is this some kind of prank? I hope you realize that I have better things to do than to entertain such nonsense." Glynda said while her eyes narrowed, speaking with a tone of disbelief mixed with sternness to the other person she is talking to in her Scroll.
"N-no, no, Glynda, I swear, I haven't been drinking and this is not a prank. Look, I'll send you some pictures right now." Taiyang said with a nervous tone on the other side of the call.
"Just… Just let me tell you how I found them," he continued, hoping to convince Glynda of his sincerity. He proceeded to recount the strange events that had led him to this situation.
o-O-o
Taiyang was walking home on the island of Patch, after saying goodbye to her daughters, now going with an airship to Beacon Academy. He decided to take a stroll through Patch near the clearing in the forest that her daughters tend to keep clean of Beowulfs.
Taiyang takes a deep breath of fresh air as he walks through the clearing, taking in the peaceful scenery around him. He nods at the occasional passerby, his eyes scanning the area for any signs of Grimm. As he nears the edge of the clearing, he notices a group of Beowulfs lurking in the shadows, their yellow eyes glowing in the dim light.
Taiyang tenses up, ready to fight, but then he remembers that he's supposed to be taking a break. He decides to take a detour and walk around the clearing instead, giving the Beowulfs a wide berth. As he walks, he takes out his scroll to start recording a voice memo, like all the cool dads on Vale do, to remind himself to come back later and clear out the Grimm with Zwei. He started fumbling with his scroll trying to find the voice memo app. Until he gave up with a sigh and opened the camera app, to record a voice memo with the video recorder function.
But then founds himself looking at a view from a fairy tale while looking at the clearing, he sees a small castle tower in the distance, and around the castle tower, the vegetation looks like a jungle in full bloom, which is extremely weird since it is currently Spring, not Summer, and the trees in the area are a different type. It looks like the world was cut out in a hexagonal area and replaced with something else.
Taiyang stops in his tracks, his eyes widening in surprise and confusion as he stares at the strange sight before him. He takes a few cautious steps forward, still on high alert, and squints his eyes, trying to make sense of the bizarre landscape.
"What in the world...?" he mutters to himself, his mind racing as he tries to come up with an explanation for what he's seeing. He flexes his fingers, ready to fight if need be, but he holds back, knowing that rushing into a situation like this could be dangerous.
He takes a few deep breaths, trying to steady himself, changing into his work mode. Then he speaks into his scroll, recording his observations. "I'm seeing some kind of... jungle or something. It's like nothing I've ever seen before around Patch. And there's a castle tower in the distance. I don't know what's going on, but I'm going to investigate further. Just in case, I'm recording this."
He wasn't, since he forgot to press the record button.
Taiyang then starts to make his way toward the strange jungle, his senses on high alert, ready for anything that might come his way.
Taiyang approaches the strange tree, his curiosity piqued. He studies the large seeds hanging from its branches, his mind working overtime as he tries to make sense of what he's seeing. He leans in for a closer look and takes a deep breath, his nose twitching as he detects a familiar scent.
"It smells like... cocoa beans?" he mutters, his brow furrowing in confusion. He reaches out to touch one of the seeds, his fingers grazing its rough surface. "This is definitely strange."
Taiyang uses his scroll to snap a few pictures of the tree and its seeds, documenting everything he can for further analysis. He spoke into the device, to record his observations… or so he thought, instead he pressed the photo button again while pointing down at his feet...
"I've come across a strange tree with large seeds that smell like cocoa beans. I'm not sure what to make of it yet, but I'm going to keep investigating. Something doesn't feel right about all of this."
And he presses the button to stop the recording…. but instead takes another photo of his legs.
Taiyang then continues his investigation, his senses on high alert as he tries to piece together the mystery of the strange jungle and its bizarre vegetation.
Taiyang crouches down to examine the normal-looking plant sprouts on the ground, hoping for some clarity. He reaches out to pull one of the sprouts out of the earth, expecting to find a typical plant, but instead, he's surprised to see a cheese radish in his hand.
He stares at the odd vegetable in confusion, turning it over in his palm as he tries to make sense of what he's seeing. "A cheese… radish?" he mutters, scratching his head. "What is going on?" Poor Taiyang was having a lot of problems coping with the situation.
Taiyang stands up and looks around, his eyes darting from the strange tree to the jungle-like vegetation around. He's completely lost and confused, not understanding what's happening around him. He takes a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves, before pulling out his scroll once again, this time he did manage to start recording.
"I just pulled a cheese radish from the ground. This is definitely not normal. I don't know what's happening, but something strange is going on here," he says into the device, his voice tinged with worry.
Taiyang then takes a moment to steady himself, his mind racing as he tries to figure out his next move. He knows he needs to get to the bottom of this mystery, but he also needs to be careful. He continues his investigation, taking note of everything he sees and hears, hoping to unravel the bizarre puzzle before him.
Taiyang decides to investigate further and approaches the castle tower cautiously, keeping an eye out for any potential dangers. As he gets closer, he takes in the details of the architecture: a medieval-looking castle tower, with a wide chemise foundation leading to the chess-colored walls leading up to the battlement, ending on rectangular indentations.
He mutters to himself, "That… looks like a rook chess piece…. " He scans the area for any signs of life or movement, but it appears to be quiet and deserted. Taiyang can feel his heart pounding in his chest as he continues to explore the mysterious castle.
"Heyyyy! Heyyy!" A female voice calls from the top of the tower.
Taiyang quickly turns his attention towards the top of the tower, where he sees a young girl with brown wavy hair calling out to him. He shields his eyes from the glare of the sun and strains to see her more clearly. "Hello!? Who are you?" he calls back, his voice echoing through the empty surroundings. He starts making his way toward the tower, hoping to get a better look at the girl and figure out what's going on
Without any response from the girl. He gets closer to the tower and gets closer to the double chess-themed sturdy doors of the tower.
Taiyang pulls on the doors with all his might, but they don't budge. He looks around for any other way to get inside the tower, but all the windows are too high up for him to reach. He starts to feel frustrated and confused, wondering how he ended up in this strange place and why the girl on top of the tower won't respond. He takes a deep breath and decides to take a step back to assess the situation and come up with a plan.
Then Taiyang heards the sound of something unblocking from the inside, he gets closer and sees a four and a half feet tall black diamond-spotted, white cute cat upstanding in his hind legs making a frown.
Taiyang looks at the cat with a mix of confusion and surprise. "Uh, excuse me?" he says, raising his eyebrows. He takes a step back and looks around, trying to make sense of everything.
Taiyang had a lot of crazy moments in his life, but this one was topping it.
"Am I dreaming or is this really happening?" he mutters to himself. He looks back at the cat, trying to gauge its reaction.
"You're excused! Your Honorary Highness is waiting at the top of the tower" the black and white cat says while using a paw-hand to point in the direction of spiraling stairs that go up into the tower.
Taiyang blinks a few times, still trying to process what is happening.
He looks at the cat, then back at the inside of the tower, then back at the cat again.
"Uh, okay..." he says, still unsure of what to make of the situation. He takes a deep breath and starts climbing up the spiraling stairs, wondering what kind of person or creature he might meet at the top.
Tayiang goes up the stairs until he reaches the top.
There, he sees a young girl with a rusty brown and white knight close helmet with brown long wavy hair falling from its back, wearing a rusty brown and white quilted gambeson armor, thick knight finger gauntlets, and boots, sitting in a clockwork chair throne.
The girl says "Hello!" moving her head closer and tilting it innocently to the side with a perhaps too cunning attitude.
Taiyang looks at the girl with a confused expression on his face and asks "Who are you?".
o-O-o
Taiyang took a deep breath before speaking again to Glynda, trying to steady his voice. "Glynda, I know this is going to sound even crazier, but the girl, she told me that she came from another world. The 'Ever After', like in that old fairy tale…. And I don't entirely believe her, Glynda, but... I've seen the things she can do, the way she can manipulate the world around her... it's definitely not a Semblance, it doesn't add up. Glynda, I think it may be magic... I think she may be the missing Spring Maiden."
Glynda listens to Taiyang's words with a look of disbelief on her face, but then she remembers that Taiyang is not one to make up stories like this. She takes a deep breath and speaks with a serious tone.
"The Ever After? Mr. Xiao Long, that world is make-believe, it comes from a book…. However, if what you say about the girl is true, and she is the Spring Maiden, then this is a matter of great importance. I suggest we bring this to the attention of Ozpin immediately."
"I tried to call Ozpin but he is not answering. That is why I am calling you. I brought them back to my home on Patch, I couldn't just leave them out there" can be heard from Taiyang's side.
Glynda nods, understanding Taiyang's predicament. "I see. I will contact Ozpin and inform him of the situation. In the meantime, I suggest you keep the girl and the cat there and make sure they are safe and secure."
She then turns on her heel and heads towards the elevator, her mind already formulating a plan of action. Once inside the elevator, she presses the button for the general meetings room in the tower and waits patiently for the doors to open.
As soon as the elevator doors slide open, Glynda strides purposefully toward Ozpin's current location. She knocks on the door and waits for Ozpin's voice to invite her in before she enters.
o-O-o
Ozpin was finishing a meeting with the instructors in preparation for tomorrow's Initiation of new students at Beacon Academy.
As the meeting with the instructors comes to an end, Ozpin watches them rise from their seats and prepare to leave. Just as they start to make their way to the door, there is a sudden knock. Ozpin takes a deep breath and calmly approaches the door, opening it to see who is there.
Glynda seems surprised to see Ozpin himself opening the door.
"Hello Glynda, how can I help you?"
She sees the instructors behind him and nods respectfully to the instructors as they pass by, before making her way inside the room.
She takes a moment to collect her thoughts before addressing him.
"Ozpin, Taiyang just contacted me with a rather... peculiar situation. He claims to have found a talking cat and a girl on Patch who says she came from another world, the 'Ever After'." she says with chagrin at the ending words.
"And not only that, but he believes the girl may be the Spring Maiden given that she saw her do magic."
Glynda gives another small sigh, knowing that dealing with this is no small matter. "What do you suggest we do, Ozpin?"
Ozpin listens carefully as Glynda explains the situation with Taiyang's discovery. He raises an eyebrow at the mention of a girl claiming to be from the Ever After, but keeps his expression neutral. He knows that this is not a matter to be taken lightly and that they must investigate further before making any decisions.
"Well… Glynda, this is certainly an… interesting development... It would be wise for us to investigate further before taking any action. Have you gathered any more information on the situation?" Ozpin asks calmly, his tone measured and thoughtful.
Glynda nods and takes out her Scroll, opening the messages from Taiyang and forwarding the photos and videos to Ozpin's Scroll. She waits patiently for him to review them.
Then Ozpin starts scrolling through Taiyang's photos and videos, most of them pointing to Tai's legs, eventually, Ozpin puts the only decent video on a holographic computer.
o-O-o
The video shows a recording from Taiyang's Scroll displaying a four and a half feet tall black diamond-spotted, comically fat white cute cat, this cat was wearing a black humeral veil decorated with white diamonds, a black bishop mitre with white decorations, black shorts and tiny black boots. He was using a black crosier staff to scratch its back. The Bishop Cat was enjoying his time lounging on the green sofa in Taiyang's wooden cabin.
Suddenly he was interrupted by the appearance of a small black, gray, and white dog. The feline's eyes narrowed in disapproval as the dog chomped on his staff, which he had been using as a makeshift back scratcher.
He glared at the dog with a paw raised, offended by the dog's behavior. "What! Clawful! This is my staff, fur your information, pup" he hissed at Zwei.
There were two other cats carrying bags around, they were wearing a black hard hat with indentations like a rook tower, a black quilted vest and tiny black boots. They carried a black hammer with a wrench on the opposite side and a black bazooka each on their backs.
One of them tried to intervene and make the dog go away. "Paws off, pup!" he meowed, but the dog was too excited with his new chew toy and didn't want to let go of the stick.
As the bishop cat struggled to free his staff from Zwei's grasp, the dog started to playfully move it around. The cat's body was lifted into the air as the staff moved around wildly in the dog's mouth. "Meelpp! I'm being furrcibly carried away!" He cried out.
The rook cats looked alarmed at their friend's predicament and quickly went into action, preparing their Bazookas to shoot the dog. They had to protect their friend from this unruly pup!
With their paws gripping tightly onto the bazookas, they were ready to shoot the dog to save their friend. However, the words of a female voice halted their actions, and they looked up with curious expressions.
"Wait. Waaiitt!" the brown-haired knight had snapped, running fast hurrying to take the bazookas away from their paws. Despite her efforts, the cats refused to let go, and as a result, they were lifted into the air with their tiny legs dangling helplessly, while the bishop cat was mercilessly shaken from left to right in the air.
"What do you think you are doing?! Don't use the Bagzookas inside a house!" the girl scolded them. Meanwhile, Taiyang called out to Zwei, who was happily shaking the bishop cat's staff.
"Zwei! Leave that alone and come back here! Sit! Stay! Stay!" Taiyang's voice echoed through the cabin trying to give orders to Zwei. The dog's ears perked up at the sound of his owner's voice, and he abandoned the staff, causing the bishop cat to fall face-first onto the ground.
The comically chonky cat bounced off the ground and ended up face-planting into the sofa, causing the staff to fall onto the back of his head.
Zwei reached Taiyang's side happily moving his tiny tail, jumped into Tai's hands, where the Scroll was located, and the video was cut off.
o-O-o
Glynda looks perplexed as she watches the video. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. "What..." she mutters to herself, her brow furrowing in confusion.
Ozpin watched the video with a mixture of surprise and amusement, observing the comical antics of the talking cats and their interactions with Zwei.
He takes note of the appearance of the girl, narrowing his eyes in recognition.
After the video ends, Gylnda turns to Ozpin, her expression still one of disbelief. "That was.… certainly unexpected," she says. "I'm... It seems Taiyang has a rather interesting group of... companions."
Ozpin turns to Glynda and says, "Well, it appears that Taiyang's claims are indeed true. These cats are certainly unlike anything we've seen before. And the woman from the 'Ever After' is… intriguing as well. We should investigate this further, but with caution."
Ozpin leans back in a chair, his fingers steepled in front of him as he considers the situation. After a few moments, he looks up at Glynda and nods thoughtfully.
"I think we need to speak with these visitors as soon as possible," he says. "Please prepare a Bullhead for tomorrow afternoon, after the Initiation. We'll transport Taiyang and his guests to Beacon so we can have a conversation with them."
He pauses for a moment before continuing, "I want to make sure we approach this situation with caution, Glynda. We need to be careful and considerate with the woman".
Glynda nods in agreement with Ozpin's plan and stands up from her chair. "Understood, Headmaster. I'll make the necessary arrangements for the Bullhead" she says before turning to leave the room.
As she reaches the door, she pauses for a moment and turns back to Ozpin. "Headmaster, just one thing... Did you refer to the girl from 'Ever After' as a 'woman' just now?... I thought Taiyang had mentioned she was a young girl…. What aren't you telling me about her?" she says, a hint of confusion and curiosity in her voice.
Ozpin raises an eyebrow in surprise, realizing his mistake. "Ah, my apologies, Glynda. You're correct, Taiyang did say she was a young girl. I misspoke. Thank you for bringing it to my attention," he says with a small calm smile.
Glynda sighs and again turns to leave, saying, "It can be difficult to operate with a picture only half filled in. A picture which, I presume, you have a different perspective on than myself." Ozpin nods in understanding.
Ozpin waits until she's out of the room before allowing himself a small smile. Glynda was becoming more astute as she aged, and he appreciated her ability to pick up on even the smallest discrepancies in his speech. It was a trait that would serve her well in her role as his right hand.
He turns his attention back to the video feed and pauses on the image of the female knight with brown wavy hair.
"Could it be her?" he wonders to himself. "It's been ten years since the Alyx and Lewis incident. Only Lewis made it to Remnant, and Alyx never returned. This woman looks similar, taller, probably more grown up and her armor... could it be the Rusted knight's?"
He lets the video continue and takes a moment to think, his mind racing with possibilities. "If that's the case, does that mean she killed him?" he muses. "Her personality was selfish and even outright cruel and evil. It's…. not impossible."
He shakes his head, trying to clear his thoughts. "But what about the spring maiden? Did she die when she ran away in Mistral, and her power ended up on Alyx? It's not entirely impossible that she's been feeling lost and alone in a whole new world, as had happened many times before when part of the truth about Remnant was revealed to someone, identifying with the Alyx in the book 'The Girl Who Fell Through the World', a favorite of everyone, in her last thoughts.…"
He frowns, considering another possibility. "But it's also possible that Alyx, a normal human, found a way to acquire magical powers in the Ever After, probably by stealing them, given her personality. It's too similar to what happened with Amber"
"Both possibilities are undesirable," Ozpin muses, furrowing his brow deeper in thought. He needed to find out more about this girl in their meeting tomorrow.
o-O-o
The female knight and Taiyang were now in front of Beacon Academy, on its main avenue, with the cats between them. Taiyang looked around the garden, taking in the hanging street lights and the towering form of Ozpin's tower in the distance. The afternoon light was giving the academy a warm and inviting glow, making it seem like a beacon of hope in the world.
Taiyang smiled to himself and turned to the female knight and the cats, gesturing towards the academy. "Welcome to Beacon Academy, the finest combat school in all of Remnant. This is where we train the next generation of Huntsmen and Huntresses to protect our world."
The bishop cat was being escorted by one of the rook cats of before and two knight cats now. They were wearing a white feathered black armet helmet with a black plated jacket and big plated black boots. each wielding a black rapier with an ornamented handle.
The cats looked at the tall tower in the distance, looking stunned and with their mouths hanging open.
One of the knights lets out a low whistle, "Furmidable tower, indeed! It must take some serious clawpower to maintain it."
The other knight nods in agreement, "A true feat of feline architecture! I'm sure the lord of the tower must be quite pawerful."
The bishop cat, with a mischievous glint in his eye, taps his staff on the ground and asks Taiyang, "And who might be the master of this towering furtress? I bet they're quite the clawver lord."
The female quickly snaps to look at the cat, disapproval radiating from her body language and gesturing no with her head to Taiyang.
Taiyang chuckles at the cat's puns and replies with a smile, "That would be Headmaster Ozpin of Beacon Academy, a wise and powerful leader who has trained many Huntsmen and Huntresses to protect the world from the Grimm. You could say he's the cat's meow around here." says Taiyang while winking one of his eyes and tilting his head to emphasize the bad joke.
The female knight now was groaning and double facepalming while looking up to the sky.
The bishop cat rubbed his paws together, a sly grin forming on his face. "Thank you for showing us such a purrfect place, Taiyang," he said with a purr. "But I can't help but wonder...how could one acquire such a pawsome tower?"
The knight cats exchanged glances, both knowing their fellow feline's penchant for getting into trouble. The rook cat looked a bit nervous, his tail twitching with anxiety.
Taiyang raised an eyebrow at the cat's question. "Acquire the tower?" he repeated, a bit puzzled. "I'm afraid that's not possible, my furry friend. The tower belongs to the headmaster of Beacon Academy, which is Ozpin himself."
The bishop cat's face fell slightly, but he quickly recovered. "Oh, I see," he mused, rubbing his chin with his paw. "Well, I suppose there's no harm in dreaming…. right?"
Then the female reached with one hand to the cat's neck forcing him to move its head to look at her. She looks at him directly and says only one word filled with gravitas: "Don't"
o-O-o
Taiyang then leads the group to the elevator at Beacon Academy, his eyes scanning the area to make sure no one was watching. As they approach the elevator, he gestures for them to step inside so they can go to the last floor where Ozpin's office is located. The elevator doors slide open, revealing a sleek, modern interior.
He presses the button for the last floor, Ozpin's office. The girl follows his lead and steps inside the elevator, the cats following closely behind.
Taiyang looks around, making sure everyone is comfortable, then he steps out of the elevator before the doors close. He nods at the girl, who nods back, before turning and walking away. As he passes by the Amphitheatre, Taiyang can see groups of people leaving the area, chatting excitedly. Taiyang can't help but smile, proud of the bustling energy that surrounds Beacon Academy.
"Rubes! Look! It's dad!" Taiyang hears Yang's voice calling out to her sister Ruby.
He turned around to see the two girls running towards him, their hair flying in the wind. "Dad!" exclaimed Yang, jumping into his arms for a hug. "What are you doing here?"
Taiyang hugged her tightly, then released her to give Ruby a hug too. "Just passing through, thought I'd stop by and check on my favorite huntresses in training."
Ruby beamed up at him, her silver eyes shining with excitement. "Guess what, Dad? We're on the same team! And I'm the leader!"
Taiyang's eyes widened in surprise, then he grinned broadly. "That's amazing, Ruby! Your mom would be so proud of you. She was the leader of her team too, you know."
Ruby's smile grew even wider at the mention of her mother. "I know, Dad. And I'm gonna do my best to make her proud."
Taiyang's expression softened. "I know you will, Ruby. And I count on you, Yang, to keep your little sister safe. You know, she jumped two full years ahead."
Yang nodded solemnly. "Don't worry, Dad. I've got her back."
Taiyang ruffled their hair affectionately, then stepped back to admire his daughters. "I have no doubt about it. You two are gonna do great things."
o-O-o
Ozpin fidgets with his cane as he waits for the young girl to arrive. "Glynda, we need to follow the agreed-upon plan. We must extract as much information as possible from this girl," he says, glancing up at her.
Glynda nods in agreement. "Of course, Headmaster. We will handle the situation with the utmost caution," she replies, her eyes fixed on the door.
As they wait in silence, Ozpin's mind wanders back to the image of the female knight with brown hair. He wonders if this young girl could be the same person. He can feel a sense of excitement and apprehension building within him as he contemplates the possibilities.
Ozpin checks his computer and notices that the elevator is taking longer than usual to reach his office. He frowns, wondering if there is an issue with the elevator or if the girl and Taiyang have been delayed for some reason.
Glynda notices Ozpin's expression. "Is there a problem, Headmaster?" she asks.
"The elevator seems to be taking longer than usual. I hope there isn't an issue," Ozpin replies, tapping his fingers on his desk.
After a few more moments, they hear the sound of the elevator arriving. As they waited, they could hear the sound of shuffling and commotion coming from the elevator. Then, the doors opened to reveal the female knight, holding the large fat bishop cat under one arm and raising another slightly slender but still fat cat, a knight cat, from its neck with the other hand. Her eyes were locked on another knight cat on the ground, glaring menacingly at it. And a rook knight was standing calmly behind her.
Ozpin and Glynda were caught off guard by the surprising sight. The girl and the cats looked at them, and they looked back. They blinked.
Then the female knight dropped the cats to the floor and quickly straightened up as if trying to regain her dignity. She cleared her throat and spoke in a formal tone.
"Ahem! Hello headmaster Ozpin" she said with a friendly tone.
"Welcome," Ozpin says, his voice calm and measured. "You must be the young lady Tai spoke of. Please, have a seat." He gestures to the chair in front of his desk.
The young girl looks around the room before taking a seat, her face now fixed on Ozpin. The cats stayed up standing behind her back.
Glynda takes her place beside Ozpin and addresses the young girl, "Can I offer you something to drink? Hot cocoa, tea, or coffee perhaps?"
The girl fidgets in her seat a bit and calmly shakes her head, "No, there's no need."
But Glynda insists, "Please, it's the least we can do to make you feel comfortable. It's chilly outside, and a warm drink can be quite soothing."
The girl looks around before giving in, "Okay, tea would be nice."
Ozpin nods and Glynda pours the girl a cup of tea. As she does so, Ozpin can't help but hope that this will make her take off her helmet, allowing them to gather as much information from Alyx's expressions on each carefully planned question as possible and show her eyes in the upcoming tests, to see if in any moment her eyes become surrounded by a fiery glow that matches her Aura color, as is characteristic of all maidens.
Glynda brings the cut of tea closer to Alyx, both Glynda and Ozpin take a drink from their respective cup and mug as if forcing the girl to do the same by social pressure.
She reaches with her armored hands to lateral straps that secure the bevor of her close helmet and unfasten them. Then, with both hands, she pulls her helmet up only to reveal two cute and fluffy folded brown wolf ears ending in brownish violet tips. The ears happily perked up doing a 'plop'.
"Ghg! Gg!" And Ozpin started to choke on his favorite hot cocoa.
Ozpin does a double take, looks at the wolf girl's brown violet-pointed ears, notices she has dark blue eyes and not hazel ones like Alyx, looks at her now brown hair with brownish violet tips, different than in the previous video, looks back at her ears, her eyes and her hair.
Then he asks "Who… are you?" with confusion and curiosity.
The wolf girl, having put down her helmet on the table and picked up the tea to drink, looked at Ozpin and said "I am Sohpie! I am a half-Afteran" beaming a big wide friendly smile while her ears softened and fell a little, relaxing.
Glynda's attention was drawn to Ozpin's reaction, and she could tell that he was taken aback by the revelation that she wasn't who he expected. She quickly recovers and turns to the girl.
Meanwhile, Ozpin was trying to recover from his stupor, a lot of thoughts were racing through his mind.
"Hmm, half Afteran?" Glynda says, intrigued and trying to push deeper into her mind the insane confirmation that the make-believe world of the book was real, "What exactly does that mean?"
Sophie's ears moved up and in Gylnda's direction, she took another sip of her tea and set the cup down," I mean Afteran as being born in the Ever After, like creatures that live in the Acres around the Great Tree. I am half human and half Seasonfolk''
"Season…folk?" uttered Glynda in visible confusion.
The girl takes her cup of tea to raise it, her ears pitter-patter while she thinks deep in thought "Yes, hmmm…. Perhaps the most simple way to explain it would be comparing it with Remnant's seasons, as my parents told me about… In Remnant the Seasons make the plants change, animals hibernate or migrate. The world changes and people adapt to the changes right?"
"Yes…." said Glynda, getting closer and narrowing her eyes, intrigued and confused.
"Well, it works the opposite way for us!" The wolf girl happily chirped as if that explained everything.
"I…. see..." And now it was Glynda's turn to be broken. She raised a hand to lower her glasses and massage her nasal bridge, trying to calm down the fervent headache she was experiencing.
Ozpin clears his throat and interjects, "Excuse me, Sophie, but could you elaborate more on how the seasons work for your kind?"
The wolf girl's ears lowered and softened as she explained, entering a zen-like state, "Yes, we Seasonfolk change with the five seasons and so we change the world around us."
She closes her eyes and inhales deeply. The brownish violet-colored tips of her ears and hair glow with a bright violet color. She exhales the air, now with a slightly violet hue and she stopped glowing, but now her fluffy ears tips and hair tips were permanently a more vibrant violet hue than before.
Suddenly, her fluffy ears perked up, "It is 'Leap' in Remnant isn't it? Ah! Sorry, you call it 'Spring'? Right?" she beamed happily with a wide smile while cutely tilting her head to the side.
Ozpin blinked, he.… just… blinked.
Nor Ozpin nor Glynda were handling well all the Ever After's craziness in front of them.
Then, the bishop cat cleared his throat and stepped forward, bowing politely to Ozpin and Glynda. "My feline companions and I are truly purrvileged to be in the presence of such esteemed and clawsome individuals'' he began, his voice dripping with false sincerity. "And may I just say, what a meownificent tower you have here, Ozpin. The craftsmanship and design are truly pawsome and furtastic."
He paused for a moment, allowing his words to sink in before continuing "As world-travelers, we have seen many furmidable structures in our time, but this tower stands out as one of the most pawsome and awespurring we have ever laid eyes on. It is truly a testmeowent to your vision and leadership, Ozpin."
The bishop watched Ozpin closely for any signs of weakness or vulnerability, but the headmaster's expression remained impassive, now looking at the cat. Nevertheless, he pressed on, hopping over Sohpie's legs, to be closer to Ozpin before continuing "We would be honored to learn more about your academy and your methods of training Huntsmen and Huntresses," he said, extending a paw forward expecting a handshake.
"Perhaps we could even assist you in some way, as a gesture of goodwill and camaraderie between our grgrg-" he tried to finish when Sophie opened her legs, the cat fell to the ground and was suddenly trapped between Sophie's now closing legs.
She moves her head a little closer to the cat, her ears full of emotion, going backward and pointed up like the horns of a demon. She points with a finger to the cat and says "Behave" with gravitas in her tone.
"Gentlemen, please," Glynda interjects, looking sternly at the cat as he continues to misbehave. "And Miss Sophie, could you please explain who or what these... companions of yours are?" she asks, gesturing towards the cats.
Sophie looks apologetically at Glynda, her ears going down and flat, "Sorry, they tend to be a bit... unruly. They are chess castle cats summoned by my semblance, they-" and before she can say more the bishop cat interrupts again "Meowvelous apologies, Miss Glynda," the fat cat says, trying to smooth things over, still trapped between Sophie's legs, trying to use its arms to disengage. "We are chivalrous cats accompanying our honorary highness, Sophie. I am the Baron Bartholomeow Balthazar Blackwhiskers, and these are my esteemed companions: Roland Rockpurr, Sir Simon Swiftclaw, and Sir Sylvester Swiftclaw."
Roland, the rook cat, chimes in, "We are purrfessional builders and fighters, always ready to lend a paw to those in need." looking both proud and a bit apologetic about the situation at Glynda's.
Sir Simon, the first knight cat, adds, "And we have traveled far and wide, encountering many a creature and challenge along the way." looking at Bartholomeow and trying to get closer to him without attracting attention.
Sir Sylvester, the second knight cat, finishes with a flourish, "It is a pawnure to meet you." and does a reverence in Glynda's direction.
Ozpin's eyebrows furrow slightly at the antics of the cats, but he doesn't say anything further on the matter, only nodding at them. Instead, he turns his attention back to Sophie, his tone serious and measured.
"Miss Sophie," Ozpin said, his voice serious and measured. "As an Afteran, even if only partially, what is your Purpose?" he asked, remembering the term that the Ever After's inhabitants used to refer to their roles, doing the probably smartest move in the entire meeting.
He watched Sophie closely, trying to gauge her reaction to the question. He knew that her answer could reveal a lot about her intentions and motivations, and he was curious to see how she would respond.
Sophie watched funnily at Opzin and started to talk, "Well, we SeasonFolk wander around with the change of the five seasons, the Great Arc of time, or 'Year' as you call it. Some of us are wolves, deer, goats, hawks, and so on… But, all of us have a common purpose"
She picks back her tea cup from the table and continues, "Our Purpose is to wander around changing the world around and helping others based on each of the Seasons and based on our Care"
She drinks her tea while closing her eyes, deep in thought, her ears relaxing and falling down, then she continues while looking at her reflection in the tea, "Our Care is part of our nature, it is what we are at an individual level and how each one has decided to achieve our purpose"
She looks back to Ozpin and continues while shifting her head from left to right while she explains, "For example one with a Care that is consistent, prompt, and in small packages could be a messenger moth tender, or one with a Care that is measureless, watchful, and gentle could be a bread bumblebee shepherd, another with an eloquent, well-prepared and delicious Care could be a clay cookies salesman, and so on.."
Ozpin listens intently to Sophie's explanation, nodding in understanding. When she finishes speaking, he leans forward and asks, "And what about your Care, Sophie?"
"Me?!" Sophie's ears stand up in surprise, "I suppose my care is... clever, bonding, and learning.. Yeah!" she says with happily perked ears and a happy smile.
Ozpin looks warmly at Sophie's response and nods. "Ah, well you're in luck then, Sophie," Ozpin replies with a small smile. "Beacon Academy is an institution for learning, and if you'd like to stay and study here, I'm sure we could make arrangements."
"I will appre-'' Sophie started to say but was cut off by Bartholomeow, hearing Ozpin's offer, jumping at the opportunity. "Yes, yes, we would be honored to study at Beacon Academy!" he exclaims.
Meanwhile, Sir Simon stealthily creeps closer to Sophie, attempting to rescue Bartholomeow from her grasp. However, as he gets close, Sophie catches him in the act.
"Got you!" she exclaims proudly, ears perked up in excitement, raising Sir Simon by the back of his neck.
Ozpin exchanges glances with Glynda, who shows her disapproval with a "Hmmph" and rolls her eyes.
"Well, okay." Ozpin finishes.
o-O-o
Ozpin sat in his office chair, deep in thought. His mind was filled with a myriad of thoughts, all vying for his attention. However, the most prominent among them was regret. He heavily regretted not having fully explored the Ever After, instead concentrating solely on protecting the Relicts' Vaults there. He realized there was much more depth to the creatures living in the Ever After, and he had missed out on discovering all of it.
As he reflected in silence, memories of the disastrous meeting with the girl came flooding back to him. Her chaotic and unpredictable nature had caught him off guard. He couldn't help but cringe at the thought of the walking cognitive hazard to his and Glynda's minds. The mere recollection of it gave him a strong headache.
Ozpin shook his head, feeling like this was yet another mistake to add to his long list. However, he also couldn't help but wonder if this was an opportunity to correct it. Perhaps he could make up for lost time and delve deeper into the mysteries of the Ever After, now that he had a chance. He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes, lost in thought.
Suddenly, Glynda steps out of the elevator and into Ozpin's office, her expression still stern and her movements sharp as she strides across the room toward Ozpin's desk.
"I've moved the girl to the surveilled room, as you requested," she begins, her voice firm. "And I gave her several Beacon brochures for new students…. That's the only thing that went according to plan tonight."
She then slams her hands down on Ozpin's desk, her eyes flashing with anger.
"But what was all that?" she demands. "The Ever After, Alyx, all the events of the book... Are they real? You need to explain to me what in hell is going on, Ozpin!"
Ozpin nods as Glynda speaks, taking in her words and her anger. When she finishes, he leans back in his chair and takes a deep breath before responding.
"Alyx entered the Ever After after fleeing from the consequences of a choice," he begins, "And rather than learning from her mistake, she ends up spreading her failure."
He then takes a sip from his mug and looks up at Glynda, his expression pensive.
"As for your second question... I wish I knew," he admits.
o-O-o
Later on, Glynda was lying in her bed, wearing her pajamas and wrapped up in a comfortable blanket. Her eyes were closed, and she was breathing deeply, enjoying the peace and quiet of her quarters.
Suddenly, her scroll begins to ring loudly, emitting a high-pitched tone that wakes her up with a start. She groans in frustration, realizing the tone means it is an important alert. She reaches over to her nightstand and picks up the scroll and her glasses, her bleary eyes scanning the message.
As she reads the text, Glynda's frustration grows. The message informs her that the girl, Sophie, has left her room in the middle of the night.
Glynda can feel another headache coming. She had hoped that Sophie would be able to stay out of trouble for at least the rest of the day, but apparently, that was too much to ask.
o-O-o
In a shadowy room filled with shelves and a desk in the back, Roman Torchwick is getting a call on his phone. The muffled conversation ends, and Roman angrily slams the phone down, sighing….
He holds a cigar to his mouth and puts his symbolized lighter to the end, just as a White Fang man in a gray mask and black hood comes and tells him something.
Roman takes a puff from his cigar and narrows his eyes at the White Fang man. "You lost a crate? And you're telling me this now?"
He takes another puff and blows the smoke in the man's face. "Find it. And make sure it's in one piece. I don't have time for your incompetence." He flicks the ashes off his cigar and turns away dismissively.
Suddenly, a greenish smoke is coming from the warehouse's main doors and is rapidly filling the warehouse. The White Fang goons that worked in the warehouse start falling to the ground like flies and don't get back again.
Roman quickly covers his mouth and nose with his sleeve, trying to avoid inhaling too much of the greenish smoke. He surveys the situation, watching as his men fall to the ground. His eyes narrow as he realizes that something serious is happening. He takes a step back and reaches for his cane, holding it at the ready. "What the hell is going on here? Get everyone out of here, now!" he barks at the remaining White Fang members, gesturing for them to evacuate the warehouse. He keeps his guard up, ready to fight or flee if necessary.
The green smoke continues to expand and the remaining White Fang members drop to the ground. Now Roman is alone with clouds of green smoke around. It seems he is unaffected by the smoke itself.
Roman keeps his cane at the ready and moves cautiously through the smoke, keeping an eye out for any signs of danger. He can hear the sound of his own breathing echoing in the emptiness of the warehouse. His eyes scan the area, looking for any signs of the cause of the green smoke.
"Whoever did this is going to pay," he mutters under his breath. He takes a deep breath and steps forward, his cane tapping on the ground with each step. He moves slowly, trying to avoid any traps or surprises. As he moves deeper into the cloud of smoke, he keeps a hand on his weapon, ready to use it at a moment's notice.
And yet, no matter how much he searches, there is nothing and nobody around, just the crates of dust and the White Fang members that have fallen to the ground.
Roman scowls as he realizes that he's not going to find any answers here. He moves to check on the fallen White Fang members, making sure that they're really down and out. They were dead, they had no vital signs at all.
"Damn it" he mutters to himself, running a hand through his hair. "Whoever did this is good. Too good." He looks around the warehouse one more time, but there's no sign of anyone or anything out of place.
With a sigh, Roman turns to leave the warehouse. As he steps outside, he takes a deep breath of fresh air, glad to be away from the poisonous green smoke. He pulls out his phone and starts dialing a number.
"Get me Cinder," he says into the phone, his voice low and dangerous. "We've got a problem, and we need to figure out what the hell is going on."
o-O-o
An hour later, Cinder, Mercury and Emerald arrived at the warehouse with White Fang goons to clean the mess.
"What happened here, Roman? Why are our men poisoned? Who did this?" Cinder speaks with a demanding and authoritative tone, looking down on Roman with a cold expression. She wants answers and will not tolerate any lies or excuses.
Meanwhile, Mercury stands by Cinder's side with a smug grin, observing the situation with amusement, but also on high alert in case there is danger lurking.
Emerald stands slightly behind Cinder, looking around cautiously, ready to act if necessary. She appears calm and collected but also on edge, knowing that anything can happen in this situation.
Roman turns to face Cinder, his expression calm and collected despite the chaos around them. He takes a drag from his cigar before responding in a suave and confident manner.
"Ah, Cinder my dear, it seems we have a situation on our hands. I'm just as perplexed as you are. My men were doing their job, but then this mysterious green smoke came out of nowhere and knocked them out cold. As for who did this, well, your guess is as good as mine."
Roman pauses for a moment, looking around at the fallen White Fang members before continuing.
"But rest assured, we'll get to the bottom of this. And in the meantime, we'll clean up this little mess and make sure our next job goes off without a hitch. Isn't that right, boys?"
Roman turns to the new White Fang goons, his tone authoritative and commanding.
"You heard her. We have work to do. Let's get to it."
The goons nod and get to work, clearing the fallen members and checking the crates of dust to ensure nothing else has been tampered with.
Cinder follows closely behind Roman going back deeper into the warehouse, keeping a watchful eye on the surrounding area. Mercury and Emerald flank her on either side, their weapons at the ready. As they move deeper into the warehouse, Cinder looks around for any signs of danger or potential threats and unleashes her blades.
"Keep your guard up, everyone," Cinder says in a firm tone. "We don't know who did this or if they're still around. Stay alert."
Mercury smirks, his eyes scanning the area. "Relax, boss. We can handle anything they throw at us."
Emerald nods in agreement, her eyes darting back and forth as she looks for any signs of movement.
Cinder narrows her eyes, not entirely convinced. "Don't get cocky. We can't afford any mistakes."
As they approach the area where the White Fang members had fallen, Cinder surveys the scene, her eyes taking in every detail. She kneels down to examine one of the fallen men, looking for any signs of what had caused their demise.
"What kind of gas was this?" Cinder asks Roman, her voice stern.
"I don't know," Roman replies, his voice tinged with frustration. "I already told you, I didn't see anything more than a green gas. It just appeared out of nowhere."
Cinder stands up, her expression thoughtful. "We need to find out who did this and why. We can't leave anything to chance."
Mercury steps forward, his eyes gleaming. "I'll go scout around and see if I can find anything."
Emerald nods in agreement. "I'll go with him. Two pairs of eyes are better than one."
Cinder nods, her expression serious. "Be careful. We don't know what we're dealing with."
Mercury and Emerald nod, and head off to investigate the surrounding area. They move with stealth and caution, keeping their eyes and ears open for any sign of danger.
Emerald taps Mercury on the shoulder, gesturing towards the empty space where the White Fang goons had been working. "Where did they all go?" she asks, her voice low.
Mercury looks up, scanning the area. "I don't know. They were just here a minute ago," he says, his expression wary.
Emerald nods in agreement. "We should report this to Cinder. Something isn't right."
Mercury nods, and they quickly make their way back to where Cinder is waiting, but before they can report to Cinder, everybody starts to hear soft creaky sounds as if it were plastic.
Then the sounds became footsteps, now coming from all around them, from the direction of every outside door of the warehouse.
Cinder's eyes narrow as she hears the footsteps, her hand tightening around her weapon. "Stay alert," she orders, her voice low but commanding. "We're not alone here."
Mercury and Emerald both nod, their weapons at the ready as they scan the area for any signs of movement.
Roman looks around nervously, his hand reaching for his own weapon. "What do we do?" he asks, his voice barely above a whisper.
Cinder takes a deep breath, steeling herself for whatever may come. "We stand our ground," she says firmly. "And we fight if we have to."
As the footsteps grow closer, the tension in the warehouse becomes palpable. Whatever is coming for them, they are ready to face it.
Suddenly Mercury notices the sound that something gets too close to him, he realizes that the enemy is invisible and kicks it away.
Only to reveal that one of the invisible enemies is a cute lion, but not any type of lion, it was a construct that looked like a cute toy made of wood bricks assembled together and painted in lime tones, with a mane made of plastic-looking leaves forming a dandelion flower, a tail ending in a dandelion seedhead and two vibrating big saber-like teeth protruding from its mouth. A cute lime sabertooth dande-lion living toy.
Everyone freezes in shock as they stare at the bizarre lion toy construct that had just revealed itself. Roman takes a step back, his eyes widening in disbelief. "What.… the hell... is THAT?" he exclaims, his voice shaking.
Cinder's expression is one of both confusion and surprise as she stares at the construct. "I.. I've never seen anything like it," she says, her tone low.
Mercury and Emerald exchange a look, both of them equally stunned by the appearance of the strange creature.
The dande-lion toy shakes itself off, a few leaves of its dandelion mane falling to the floor, its eyes flashing as it lets out a low growl. It looks around at the group of humans before it, seemingly assessing them.
For a moment, no one moves, unsure of how to react to the strange situation. But then, the sabertooth lion construct lets out a fierce roar, its vibrating teeth adding an eerie sound to the already tense atmosphere. This roar was then echoed by all the invisible enemies around them. Hell has just got loose….
All the invisible toy lions can be heard charging at them. Roman focuses on the sounds around him and deflects the Lions' attacks with his cane, firing explosive blasts around the group, making several approaching lions visible. Cinder combines her blades to form a bow and fires arrows that detonate on impact, taking out multiple Lions at once. Mercury uses his acrobatic skills to dodge the dande-lions' attacks and counter with kicks from his boots that send them flying. Emerald ensnares several Lions in her chains and swings her kama sickles to take them down once close.
The Lions, despite their numbers, can't seem to take down the four. But as the fight goes on, the Lions' attacks become more coordinated, jumping over each other to confuse and surprise the team.
Roman notices the Lions' teamwork and calls out to the others. "We need to break their coordination!" he yells.
Cinder nods in agreement and creates several fiery blasts that scatter the sabertooth lions and disrupt their coordination by shooting in a straight continuous line separating them. Mercury takes advantage of the moment and unleashes a barrage of air blasts from his boots that send the Lions flying.
Emerald tries to use her illusions on the Lions, but they don't work. "Wha-?!" She realizes that the Lions are immune to her semblance.
As the fight continues, some Lions start to melt under Cinder's flames, but instead of stopping them, they continue to fight and try to set her on fire as well. She extends her hand and extinguishes the flames and glares at the Lions with fury.
Mercury jumps into the fray, using his boots to dodge and counterattack the Lime Lions. He unleashes a flurry of kicks, each one precisely aimed to hit their heads. Meanwhile, Emerald takes aim with her pistols, firing accurate shots at the incoming lions, but they are too agile to be hit easily.
Cinder uses her half-maiden powers to shoot several fiery blasts at the approaching lions. The blasts knock a few of them off their feet, but most of them keep coming, undeterred. She then switches to her bow and fires a volley of arrows at the approaching lions, detonating them on impact and knocking them back.
As Lime Lions close in, Roman steps forward, twirling his cane and firing explosive blasts at the lions charging. He deflects several incoming attacks with his cane, using it to parry and counterattack. Despite their best efforts, the Lime Lions keep coming, overwhelming the team with their sheer numbers.
Emerald meanwhile, uses her chains to ensnare a few of the lions and reel them in, separating them from the rest and supporting her group, hoping to control the lime crowd attacking them. She swings her kama sickles and slashes at a few incoming lions, but they dodge her attacks with ease.
Mercury leaps into the air, using his boots to fire a blast of air that sends several Lime Lions flying. He lands on the ground and charges at the incoming lions, executing a series of quick and powerful kicks that knock them back. However, he soon finds himself surrounded by more Lions, and he's forced to retreat by doing an acrobatic jump.
With the team being overwhelmed, Roman comes up with a plan. He calls out to the others, "Focus on hitting as many as possible to stop their invisibility, then let's focus on one group at a time!"
Cinder reluctantly nods in agreement, and the elaborate designs on her arms and chest of her dress glow, she fires a liquid burst of fire behind the Lions, trapping them in a circle of flames and separating them from their reinforcements. Emerald jumps into the air and fires a barrage of shots at the trapped Lions, hitting them with deadly accuracy. Mercury uses his boots to fire a blast of air at the Lions, knocking them off their feet.
Roman charges forward using his cane-hook on the warehouse ceiling, he unhooks, twirling his cane and firing explosive blasts at the Lions. He deflects several incoming attacks with his cane, using it to parry and counterattack.
The fight continued, the team slowly whittling down the Lions until there were only a few left. The Lions attacked with renewed ferocity, but the team fought back with everything they had. Finally, the last Lion fell, dissipating into a Lime-colored smoke.
As the team catches their breath, they look around at the wreckage of the warehouse. The shelving units and dust containers were knocked over and spilled, the warehouse in shambles. They are tired and frustrated, but victorious.
Cinder looks around at the destruction, her expression furious. "What the hell was that?" she seethes, her eyes flashing with anger. "We were supposed to get the dust and get out, not fight off an army of fucking dande-lions toys."
Emerald looks around, still in shock. "And why did they…. dissipate…. like Grimm?" she asks, her voice quivering.
Roman chuckles, the smell still in the air. "Well, at least they smelled good," he quips, a small smile on his face. "Licorice. Reminds me of an old cigar brand that used to make candy."
Cinder shoots him a withering look. "This is not a time for jokes, Roman," she snaps. "We just fought off a wave of... whatever those things were. We need answers, and fast."
Roman holds up his hands in surrender. "Hey, I'm just trying to lighten the mood. We can't be serious all the time, can we?"
Cinder doesn't respond, lost in thought as she surveys the wreckage around them. The team remains silent, each lost in their own thoughts, wondering what kind of enemy they are facing.
And suddenly, the small dim lights of the warehouse went out. "Oh, for fuck's sake," Roman mutters. He takes out his signature lighter and flicks it on, casting a dim glow around them. "This just keeps getting better and better."
Cinder glares at him. "We need to find out who's behind this and make them pay," she growls, her eyes flashing with anger.
Mercury interrupts, pointing to the scattered nails on the floor. "Hey, guys, check this out," he says, gesturing to the nails. "These weren't here before. Someone put them here."
Then, Emerald shouts "Cinder! Look at this", while pointing a short distance far away, behind the Bullhead. There lay a big pile of raw dust crystals, where electrical lines sparking small lime lightning arcs lead to an electrical socket making a soft humming sound. Emerald picks a nail from the floor and throws it towards the pile, only to hit something invisible that now becomes visible.
They see a huge lime ladybug, bigger than the dande-lions, it was a construct that looks like a cute toy made of wood bricks assembled together and painted in lime tones. Its legs looked like licorice roots with tiny plastic flowers sprouting from it. Its antennae were licorice flower branches and they were near a socket, sucking electricity from the electrical lines in lime lightning arcs. It had 2 big plastic-like leaves as elytra, they were raised to reveal its abdomen, where a hollow chamber was located.
Inside this chamber, a bed of wood engravings lay, over it a cylinder with rainbow leaves on a paper sheet rolled forwards and backwards, pressing the rainbow leaves into the wood engravings as if they were molds. The 2D engravings were molding the leaves into 3D brick pieces, dande-lion brick pieces, with a cute 'pop' and a little lime smoke coming out.
The pretty lime lightning ladybug living toy then inclined her lower back to make the letterprinted brick pieces fall and with her back legs it started to ensemble the pieces as they were falling by kicking them, giving life to a new lime dande-lion, while its front legs were raised into the air and lightning passed between one antenna to another, like if saying "It is alive!".
Cinder, Mercury, Emerald and Roman were standing near one another, frozen in place after seeing the otherworldly scene, they could take so much weirdness before they broke after all, and the situation was already past that point.
"wat" was the only thing Cinder managed to whisper. Then, Roman snaps out of it saying "Things just keep getting weirder." and shoots the new dande-lion into pieces, dissipating into lime licorice smoke.
The huge, now grouchy, ladybug turned to look at them with its glowing fluorescent lime eyes while clasping her licorice branches mandibles angrily like saying "Revenge!". Tiny leaves from her mandibles separated and floated closely encased in lime lightning arcs.
The group took position for another fight, even if they were tired from the one before. But instead, the ladybug pointed lower with its mandibles, to the pile of dust it had been standing on, while lightning traveled from its mandibles like they were railgun rails.
Emerald's eyes went wide with surprise while she looked at Cinder and shouted "Cinder! The dust!". Only for Cinder to look around at the dust scattered around, raw dust crystals knocked out of the containers in the previous fight and the nails in the floor.
Cinder then realized: the warehouse had been converted into a gigantic grenade made of dust, warehouse wreckage and nails…. and they were standing in the center of it.
Cinder hurriedly unleashes her half-maiden powers creating several glowing rings around herself and the group standing close, when the grouchy ladybug shoots the leaves like electromagnetic projectiles…
The dust under it ignited, exploding, the Bullhead filled with dust exploded, the nearby raw crystals of dust exploded, more containers exploded, everything in the warehouse exploded and the nails were shot accelerated in all directions…. it was chaos… and when the smoke caused by the explosion finally cleared….
It showed a mess…. Cinder was barely standing bruised all over and with a few nails embedded into her left arm and right leg, blood dripping from her wounds, and the others didn't fare any better with Roman and Mercury knocked out with the Bullhead wreckage over them and a bleeding Emerald kneeling near her asking "Cinder! Are…ughg!… you ok?".
Cinder realized that the only reason they didn't die that night was because of Emerald's fast thinking and Cinder's fast reaction.
Someone has just orchestrated an assassination attempt on them, made a trap with their own warehouse, used the dust they had stolen against them, and used their own men's deaths as the bait, in a single night, in a single move.
Someone has just done the equivalent of throwing a grenade inside the fox's hole only to give it a message: Hi!
And Cinder was pissed beyond belief, "I AM GONNA FUCKING KILL YOU! YOU ARE DEAD! YOU HEARD ME?!", she was spitting fire and shouting in the air to whoever may be the one to have orchestrated this.
Coming next: First day of classes at Beacon.