Volume 1, Chapter 1: In the Pale Moonight
Three figures were running from rooftop to rooftop, stopping for nothing. Two young girls, one with a pale complexion, short Ashen-black hair and bright amber eyes and the other with medium-brown skin, dark-red eyes, and a light, Mint-green cut that was tied in a ponytail, along with a pale, well-built young man with gray eyes and Gray hair that was partially slicked back while unkempt at the front.
The young Ashen-black female was pissed. She had finally possessed all the pieces needed to obtain the unfathomable power of the Fall Maiden, to obtain the abilities that would strengthen herself tenfold. And in an instant, everything fell apart. All because of ONE Huntsman. That damned Qrow, always there to spoil her plans. She knew Ozpin was behind this. Qrow Branwen and Ozpin, two of the best Huntsmen in the entirety of Remnant. She knew she could not win against them, and accepted the fact that she had to cut her losses. But losing always left her feeling bitter, and this was no exception.
She looked at her pawns. Emerald Sustrai, the Mint-green lady, and Mercury Black, the Grey-haired individual. Despite fighting one of Vale's finest, they had proved useful. Mercury Black was nowhere near the deadly assassin his father was, but was still excellent in combat, and his mechanical legs proved more useful, being able to deal massive damage without feeling any pain. And Emerald's Semblance was useful in obtaining the power of the Fall Maiden. But they were pawns. And sooner or later, their usefulness would have reached their end.
They entered a deserted building. Finally taking a break.
"Ow… Are ALL the Maidens this strong?" Mercury winced as he rubbed his shoulders.
"What did you expect, nimrod?… But I'll admit, I didn't expect that. If that damned Huntsman hadn't gotten in our way..." Emerald scoffed.
"It makes no difference" Cinder said, deep in thought. She felt the powers of the Fall Maiden coursing through her. It felt… addicting. This much strength, and from only a PORTION of the Maiden's power. Imagine what would happen if she acquired ALL her powers. And the other Maidens… what about them… She would get their powers. ALL of their powers.
All they needed to do was to plan carefully and wait.
"...It's a beautiful night, isn't it?"
The three teenagers turned to see the speaker. A young man, dressed in a trenchcoat with his hood up. As he turned to face them, Cinder could see underneath the man's helmet a pair of bright red eyes staring back at them, full of curiosity. Was he a Huntsman? Upon closer inspection, she could see a set of plate armor underneath his coat. How'd he get there? She would've sensed him if he got close to them. Cinder couldn't put her finger on it, but something about him seemed off... In any case, he was trouble. She had to dispose of him, fast.
"And who are you, young huntsman?" Cinder asked, voice full of mockery. The three of them readied their weapons, preparing to strike. Mercury struck first, dashing forward for a dive kick. The masked adversary simply sidestepped, dodging Mercury's strike, and kicked his back, sending him flying into a pile of bricks and rendering him unconscious.
"...I'm actually a huntsman-in-training. But forget about me. What's a girl like you doing here?" the boy said monotonously. He dashed forward, charging at Cinder, only to be intercepted by Emerald.
The two broke apart, staring at each other, daring the other to move. Emerald struck first, circling around her opponent while emptying magazine after magazine from her SMGs, trying to hit the man. the masked opponent was dancing around, doing flips, rolls and other movements to dodge the volley of lead projectiles that were aimed at him. This continued for some time until Emerald ran out of bullets. She switched to her sickles and began engaging in close-combat.
And so the dance resumed. Swing, dodge, counter, parry. No matter how fast Emerald struck, the man would always avoid the blow. Eventually, she made a mistake, going for an outward cross-cut, leaving her wide open. The man closed the gap, struck her with his palm, and said...
"Volt".
Emerald was struck with lightning coursing through her body, and went limp.
Cinder's eyes widened. She had never seen that. Did he use dust? No, there would have been a glyph.
"What are you?" She asked. She got into her combat stance, weapons ready.
"... I'm a completely normal person. Just a young Huntsman roaming at night..." he said, looking at the moon "...You know, I kinda like the sky like this. A thousand stars staring down at us in the pale moonlight. A shame we're fighting right now".
Both combatants looked at each other. Cinder decided to test her new powers. Sheathing her weapons, she focused inwards, trying to unleash it. She could feel the flames within her bursting to come out. She opened her eyes, feeling her power at the tips of her fingers.
She started first, throwing flames at the masked Huntsman, who dodged with ease. Feeling more confident in her newfound power, she started summoning pillars of flames, cornering her opponent before hurling the biggest fireball she could conjure. She smirked. She won.
Or so she thought.
The masked man sliced the ball of flames in half. Now in his hands was a Greatsword. The tides had now turned. As he stood up straight, he raised the sword above his head with both hands, and with the sword being enveloped in a holy light, he shouted.
"Excalibur!"
And brought the sword down in one mighty swing.
The impact of this attack was powerful. Hitting Cinder at full force, she fell to the ground, unable to move.
And she lost consciousness.
HEY! This is my very first ACTUAL chapter in my very first Fanfiction. If you have any issues, please voice it out. Don't hold ANY punches when reviewing. I'm always open to criticism. Until the next chapter!~Kaage