A/N: Sorry for the delayed release of this one. I've been sick as a dog for the last week or so, and writing has been a bit of a struggle.
Raud blinked in surprised and lowered his axe as Yang toppled to the ground.
He looked up at Yang's attacker and grimaced. "I'm handling it. Go back inside."
Nora spun around—only now becoming aware of the new enemy's presence—and immediately gasped and staggered back in shock. "Y-You… What?"
"Yeah, yeah," the attacker said, rolling her eyes as she sheathed the short sword she'd incapacitated Yang with. "Shock, horror, outrage. Can we be done with this? Raud, if you were 'handling it', then you'd be inside by now."
Nora gaped in shock; Magnhild clattered to the ground, slipping from her nerveless fingers. "Kelly?"
Kelly, standing over Yang's unconscious form, drew a dagger from her belt and glanced at Nora. She stuck the point of the dagger under her finger nail, digging out a small wad of dirt.
"Raud…" she said, looking up at the mercenary. "Hurry up."
Nora cried out in anger, grabbing Magnhild from the cobblestones and charging towards the woman. A flash of light blinded Raud for an instant, and then Kelly was gone, leaving a small scar on the ground where her sphere of light had sheared through the stone. Nora, already swinging, staggered as her hammer met nothing and almost tripped over Yang.
Raud sighed and stepped back, putting some more distance between him and Nora. The orange-haired Huntress knelt for a moment and checked on Yang. Raud could see from where he was that she was still breathing.
Which is almost worse, he thought. He'd heard the loud crack as Yang had gone down. The sound of someone's aura cracking under strain. She'd live, but aura shock—for a dedicated Huntress—could be worse than death.
Nora got back to her feet and turned to face Raud. With a sigh, he hefted his axe and locked eyes with her. Nora was angry. Her shoulders heaved as she gasped breaths in and out, trying to contain herself. With a smooth motion, Raud transformed his axe into its shield form and brought it up, leaving enough leeway to watch her over the top of the shield.
She was going to snap. They always did. Raud had seen enough people lose friends—or have friends injured—in battle to know what happened next.
Resigned to what he had to do, Raud called out to Nora. "Sorry about this, fuzzball! You heard the boss. I don't have a choice."
Nora didn't respond.
She attacked.
Her hammer collapsed and she dropped to one knee, firing two grenades at Raud. He raised his shield to cover his face and grunted as both grenades detonated against it, pushing him back a step. As the sound of the explosions faded, he threw himself to the side. Nora flashed past him, screaming a furious war cry, and Magnhild slammed into the ground where he'd been standing not two seconds before.
As soon as he regained his feet, he leapt to the side again, angling forward, so that when he rolled to his feet, he stood behind Nora. Her head snapped around to look at him, and Raud felt a flash of fear. Her eyes were crazed; the whites of her eyes were tinged with red. It looked like there was a thin trail of blood running from her bottom lip to her chin. Raud narrowed his eyes. What the hell—
Nora seemed to appear right in front of him, swinging her hammer. He pushed his shield forward and deflected the blow to the side. With a loud roar of his own, he pushed feeling of fear aside and shoved Nora back a step. As she back-pedalled, he collapsed the shield into an axe and swung at her knees.
The haft of her hammer caught the blow as she pressed the head of the hammer into the ground and jumped up and over, still holding the hammer. The axe blow knocked the hammer out from under her, and she used the momentum to flip upright and bring the hammer down towards Raud.
He flung himself to the side, but the hammer caught a glancing blow on his leg, and he cried out in pain. His aura had lessened the damage, but gods did it hurt. He looked up in time to see Nora's grin as she swung Magnhild in an oversized uppercut. The hammer took him in the chest and sent him flying back. Raud heard a crack as it hit him and—for a moment—was terrified. Then he realised that it wasn't aura shock—he'd been prepared, bolstered—instead, one of his ribs had cracked under the force of the blow.
He slammed into the ground near the grove of trees and cried out in pain as it jostled his broken rib. He could feel his aura beginning to knit it back together—which was always unpleasant—and grimaced. With his aura preoccupied with that, he couldn't risk getting hit until it was finished.
Nora giggled.
Raud looked up and saw Nora standing ten metres away, leaning on her hammer, chuckling under her breath as she panted. Her eyes looked even more bloodshot than before, and Raud could see a vein throbbing at her temple.
All bad signs.
He scooted back, ducking behind a tree for a moment to catch his breath. That made Nora laugh even more. Raud heard a clanking of steel and, a moment later, a tree to his left was hit with an explosion of pink.
He shied to the right, covering his head with one arm. He continued the motion, turning it into a spin around the tree and a charge at Nora—roaring as loud as he could. She gave him a wicked grin as she saw him coming, and began to charge towards him too.
'Hurry up, Raud. You're taking too long,' Raud thought to himself in a high-pitched mockery of Kelly's voice. Not as easy as it looks, you know. This chick is going mental.
They swung, and their weapons slammed into each other. Nora fired out of Magnhild's head as their weapons met and the resulting explosion knocked them both back several metres.
Raud dragged himself to his feet, shaking his head. He looked up to see Nora doing the same and dragged himself to his feet. Just get a hand on her, Raud, he told himself. Shaking his head, he sucked in a breath, and then charged once more into battle.
Blake and Ren stepped onto the landing pad at Beacon and looked around in horror. There was a makeshift camp set up near where they'd landed, and nurses and doctors were tending to dozens of wounded—Huntsmen, Huntresses, and students alike.
Velvet stepped off the airship and patted Blake on the shoulder. "Good thing you got our attention; looks like they need all the help they can get."
Blake nodded, lost for words.
Halfway to Beacon, Blake had spotted an airship flying up behind them, towards the school. Using an emergency channel programmed into the scrolls of every Huntress, Huntsmen, and Beacon student, she'd gotten into contact with the pilot and—after a brief overview of the danger—had convinced him to pick them up. It was a happy coincidence that Velvet and Yatsuhashi had flown across the city to inspect the far wall early in the morning. Blake had been thankful for the stroke of luck that got them to Beacon even ten minutes faster.
But she hadn't expected any of this.
They'd come to Beacon hoping to warn the faculty of the impending attack and stop it before it started. But, by the look of things, it was already underway.
Ren put a hand on Blake's shoulder and nodded towards the school. At the end of the landing pad, some rudimentary fortifications had been slapped together. Roughly cut trees and pieces of broken furniture had been cut and broken up and placed in a rough, shoddy wall. Ozpin and Goodwitch were standing a table set in the shadow of the wall.
Blake nodded. Ren was right. If the attack had already begun, then they just needed to deal with it. It was best to report to Ozpin, and see how the defence was going.
They waded through the cries of the wounded and the grieving. There was a row of covered bodies set away from where the wounded were being tended. Blake swallowed down a lump in her throat. People were already dying; they hadn't made it in time to warn them.
Ren touched her arm. "Hey, focus, Blake."
Meeting his gaze, Blake sniffed, dashed away the tears that were welling in her eyes and nodded. No time for anything of that. It was time to fight back, to rid Beacon of the attackers.
Ozpin was standing over the table, resting his hands on it and looking over a map of Beacon. He looked up as they approached and nodded a silent greeting.
"What happened?" Ren asked.
Ozpin stepped back from the table, folding his arms. "We still don't know. They seemed to appear inside the school, ready to attack. There was no siege, no defence of the walls; they began the attack from the inside. We were caught off-guard, unarmed and unprepared, and nearly lost right then. Somehow we rallied and managed to survive long enough to get outside"
Blake looked behind her. "So all these wounded, and the dead…"
"All collapsed out here, or died once we got out. It's far worse inside." Ozpin took a moment to look at the dead, sighed, and turned back to the table. "We have our troops holding a line just beyond the main hall, but we've been getting pushed hard, and we're struggling to hold it. We need to push back, make some more ground—or at least give them something else to think about for a little while."
"We've been thinking about what we could do," Goodwitch interjected. "And we've decided that an all-out assault is all we have left to us. Isn't that right, Professor?"
She gave Ozpin a pointed look.
He held under her gaze for a moment, and then caved. "She's right. We have no other choice. If we wait, we'll be overrun. Our only option—as risky as it is—is to push as hard as we can and hope that we can force them out of the school. Once we're within the walls, we can recover, regroup, and get ready to repel whatever they throw at us."
Ren nodded and inspected the map. "Force them out the side entrances?"
Ozpin nodded. "If we can push them back from the main hall, we can split our forces into two teams, pushing down both wings of the school, and hopefully push them out through the north and south side entrances. Their forces will be split for a while, giving us time to regroup while they do the same."
Blake frowned and glanced at the wounded and the dying. They'd already suffered so many casualties. Could they risk more? Could they even accomplish their aim with the numbers they had left?
"It's all we have, Blake. We can do it," Ren said in a reassuring voice. She nodded, trying to put him at ease, but she didn't really believe it. Gods knew how many were in there… How did they even get in? Ozpin had said they'd appeared inside the school? How?
Shaking her head, Blake pushed the thoughts aside. It wouldn't help to worry about this now. They could try and find how the enemy had gotten inside once they reclaimed the school.
"Are you two ready to fight?" Ozpin asked, drawing Blake's attention back.
She and Ren shared a look, then nodded.
What choice did they have? Their school—their home—was under attack; it needed to be defended.
"What are our orders?" Ren asked.
Ozpin leaned back over the table and inspected the map of Beacon. "We're holding them off here." He pointed to the main corridor coming off the main hall. It branched into two just past where he pointed, and split into the north and south wings of the school. "If we can push them back to the here—" He pointed to the first corners of each branch, where they turned to once again run through the school. "—then we can split our forces in two and force them back. Both teams will be at a major risk, and will need to succeed. If one of them fails, and the enemy can come back, they'll attack the other team from behind, and we're finished."
A shiver ran down Blake's spine. They really couldn't be risking any more on this move. If they failed, they all died. Taking a breath, Blake steeled herself. Then we can't fail, she told herself.
Ozpin stepped away from the table, said something quietly to Goodwitch—who immediately left, heading towards the wounded—and looked towards the school. After inspecting it for a minute, he looked down and glanced at Blake.
"There's one other thing I feel I should tell you, Blake…"
His tone made Blake's heart leap to her throat. She looked around in a sudden panic. Oh gods, where's Yang?
"Kelly's inside. We don't know if she's okay."
Oh thank the gods… Blake sighed in relief that he didn't mention Yang. Then his words sank in. "Wait… Kelly?"
He nodded. "Some people have said that they saw her fighting, defending herself, but we can't be sure. She's not here, so we know she's inside, but other than that… I'm sorry, Blake."
Blake hesitated, then nodded. They were going in anyway, she'd just save Kelly along the way. The woman had been Blake's assistant for only a year, but Blake had grown fond of her. They'd spent many a night talking about their lives and gossiping. She'd never really fit in with the rest of Blake's friends, but the Faunus had certainly grown close to the woman.
Ozpin saw the determination in her eyes and nodded. "Very well," he said, turning back to face Beacon. "Best get your weapons ready… It's time to take back our school."
Raud threw himself backwards, narrowly avoiding a massive steel uppercut. He lashed out with his axe, aiming for Nora's side. She spun with the swing of her hammer and leapt back a few metres before immediately rushing him again.
Her assault was relentless. Raud was struggling to catch a breath in between exchanges of blows. She just never slowed down.
So he gasped in half a breath and stepped forward to block her next attack. They'd been fighting for almost ten minutes now, and he still hadn't managed to mark her. She was too quick. How could someone lugging around a hammer that size move so damn fast? It was all he could do to keep up.
Then why not let me try?
Raud winced as a lance of pain shot through his head. He rolled forward and to the side, avoiding Nora's attack rather than meeting it, and came to his feet just in time to catch her follow up attack on his shield.
Damn it, he thought. Not now.
As Nora's hammer skittered off his shield and swung up, over her shoulder, Raud pushed forwards. His shield slammed into her ribs, and he kicked at her knee. It buckled, and she went down. But before he could take advantage of the opening, she threw herself away from him, coming to her feet and firing two grenades at him.
Raud jumped back, raising his shield once more. The grenades slammed into his shield; the force of each detonation knocked him a bit further away from Nora, giving him more room to breathe.
I'm fine, he hissed mentally. Don't need help.
He heard a deep chuckle and grit his teeth, trying to block it out. Nora stood where she'd stayed after firing her grenades, breathing heavily. Raud was glad for a moment's respite.
Nora looked as exhausted as he felt, but he knew it would have no effect on her. He'd fought berserkers before. Nothing stopped them. They kept fighting until either they, or their opponent, died. And by the look in her eyes, she was too far gone now. Nothing would snap her out of it but his blood.
He wasn't even sure if marking her would do anything now, but he still had to try. It was his best bet. Once she was marked, he could…
Yes…
Raud shuddered as the voice filled his mind. A sliver of fear wormed its way through his heart, and didn't disappear. He tried to quash it, but it remained. It always did.
But it always works, doesn't it?
Shut up!
Nora was stepping towards him now, approaching gradually. Raud stepped to his right, towards the trees, and she stepped to her right, turning their slow approach into a wide spiral. They'd reach in the middle, and then they'd battle again.
Raud took a moment to inspect Nora, and was horrified by what he saw. The whites of her eyes were almost entirely red, there was a line of blood running from her mouth and dripping off her chin, and her breaths her ragged and sounded pained. She was hurt, but she wasn't letting herself feeling—wasn't allowing her body to face the pain.
Is this what I look like when…?
No. We are the visage that strikes fear in the hearts of the fiercest fighter, the deadliest monster. She is a yapping lapdog to our mighty wolf.
He shuddered. Shut up, he whispered. Please…
Let me fight. Let me win.
NO!
They were barely three metres away from each other now, and their circling stopped. He could hear Nora's breaths gurgling in her throat. Whether it was spittle or blood that was making the noise, he didn't know.
At some unseen, unheard signal, they attacked.
Raud's axe seemed to swing ever so slightly faster than Nora's hammer, and it nicked her cheek—drawing blood—a fraction of a second before the hammer slammed into his right shoulder. It was like being hit with a wrecking ball. Something cracked, and Raud felt his aura struggling to protect him, and then immediately shifting to healing the damage. The force of the blow spun him around, and tore his right hand away from the handle of the axe.
As he spun in a full circle, he felt his right hand brush against Nora's arm. His mind cleared, dispelling the fog of pain, and he sent a pulse of his aura down the arm and into Nora's arm. He leapt away as he finished his full rotation and smiled at the sight of a small black mark appearing on Nora's arm.
Got you, he thought. Now I can—
LET ME OUT!
For a moment, Raud struggled. Nora charged at him, disregarding the mark on her arm—or maybe not knowing what it meant. He watched her approach for a moment and, closing his eyes, made his decision.
Yes.
Yes.
When his eyelids opened again, the eyes behind them weren't entirely his.
Blake stood side by side with Ren, metres away from the only barricade they had holding back the Black Talon. There was an army—or as much of an army as they could muster—standing behind them. Huntsmen and Huntresses—even students—stood ready to do battle. A lot of them were wounded, but had insisted they could still fight. Ozpin had been willing to let them go, just this once. Retaking Beacon was of the utmost important, and if they were willing to fight—knowing the risk—then he was willing to let them.
Ren drew his guns, checking their magazines and barrels. He rolled his neck and looked towards the front, ready to go. Blake couldn't understand how he was so calm, she was almost having a nervous breakdown.
Before the forces had entered the school, Blake had looked around for Yang, sure that her wife would be around the camp somewhere. But Yang and Nora were both nowhere to be seen. Ren had seemed unconcerned—"Nora can take of herself," he'd said—but Blake couldn't help but worry about Yang. Why hadn't the two made it to Beacon yet? Gods forbid, had they just made it inside when the attack started and were both inside wounded, or dead…
She shook her head. Can't be thinking like that, Blake. But try as she might to convince herself of that, she didn't worry any less.
In an attempt to stop thinking about Yang, Blake focussed on the sounds of battle before her. She forced herself into her battle mindset, ready to fight. She could worry, but she couldn't let it impair her in the battle to come.
She looked to her right, at Ren, and then directly behind her, at Velvet and Yatsuhashi. Those two, being among the most able-bodied fighters, had been chosen to lead one of the teams to drive enemy from the school, while Ren and Blake were to lead the other.
So no pressure, Blake thought bitterly.
Ren patted her shoulder and nodded towards the barricade. At a signal from Ren, the men and women holding the Talon off unleashed the largest volley of fire they could. Bullets tore down the corridor, dozens of Dust grenades were thrown around the corner, and—gradually—the sound of the enemy faded as they pulled back.
Blake whistled and gestured for the men and women behind them to charge, and then her and Ren led the rush over the barricade. At the fork, they split to the right, leading their team to the south wing of Beacon, while Velvet and Yatsuhashi split off to the north.
Blake drew Gambol Shroud as they rounded the corner, folding it into its pistol form. They were met with a hail of gunfire as they charged down the corridor. Blake felt bullets hit her, though her aura protected her, and she opened fire herself. The corridor became a hellish storm of lead and Dust as Huntsmen and Huntresses rushed their attackers.
At the last moment, Blake jumped and extended the pistol back into a katana before slashing down at the first enemy she could reach. They fell upon the Talon like a wave, breaking up the line and sowing chaos in their ranks.
Blake didn't stop either. She and Ren led the charge through the bulk of the enemy, cutting and slashing at anyone that got within reach of their blades. The enemy tried to rally, and form ranks to hold them off, but Blake began shifting back and forth, leaving shadows in her place. With nothing to hit, and no idea where she was from moment to moment, Blake was able to cut through their defences like a sickle through a sheaf of wheat.
It was tiring though. Very soon, she had to drop back and let Ren take her place. Using her semblance so much, and so quickly, in such a short space of time wore her out. She needed a few minutes to let her aura rejuvenate. So, letting Ren take the lead, they continued to push through, leaving the stunned and confused enemies for those behind the pick off.
Ren was a storm. His guns fired in rapid bursts, tearing through clothes, and spraying blood. Most of the enemies were unharmed by his attacks—his guns were never made to dish out massive amounts of damage—but the tired ones, or the unlucky ones, were hit when their aura's faltered. He leapt in front of Blake and up onto the wall, using it as a springboard to soar up and over the mass of soldiers in front of them, sending a hailstorm of bullets down on their heads.
As he tired, someone else took his place at the front, a Huntress that Blake recognised from around campus, but couldn't put a name to. She launched bursts of Dust into the enemy ranks, freezing them in place, igniting their clothes, stunning them with bolts of electricity, and knocking them down with gusts of wind.
Slowly, but surely, the Talon began to retreat. It would be a long push, but Blake began to feel confident that they'd be able to make it.
They reached the end of the corridor and came out in an open room, a junction with doorways that led to other areas of the building. It was a rectangular room, and the door that they had to push the Talon through was at the far end.
The enemy formed ranks ten metres from the doorway that the soldiers of Beacon were issuing from, and began another heated battle. Blake threw herself into the fray, trying to avoid getting hit to give her aura time to strengthen. Her semblance had gotten them through the corridor, and she felt like it'd be needed again before this battle was done. So she fired her pistol at the ranks of enemies, hanging back until she felt recharged enough to attack with her sword.
Huntsmen and Huntresses fell around her, screaming in pain. She gritted her teeth and blocked out the voices. They knew the risks, she told herself. And we have a job to do. So she pushed, leading the remaining troops in a desperate charge to rid their home of the enemy.
He pushed off from the trunk of a tree and rocketed towards the woman, screaming his fury and bloodlust. She stood in place, watching him come, giggling. Her shoulders shook as she sucked in another ragged breath and swung her hammer.
Magnhild slammed into his chest and sent him flying backwards. He felt his ribs break, and heard her laugh even louder as the agony shot through her. She hunched forward, as if in pain, and then rushed after him, swinging her hammer in a vicious arc.
They leapt back and forth, to and fro, across one of Beacon's courtyards, exchanging blows. Both of them were battered and bloody. He felt no pain, but knew that most—if not all—of his ribs were broken, one of his shoulders had dislocated, and there were several fractures and broken bones spread throughout his body. And yet he fought on.
And she was little better. Blood ran down her body. None of the wounds were fatal on their own, but her clothes were now stained with red, and she looked horrific. He couldn't tell at a glance how many of her bones were broken, but it had to be a few. They were both so exhausted that their auras were working overtime to protect them, and had nothing left for reparation of damage. The bones would take a long time to mend.
Raud looked on in horror, watching the madness unfold.
He watched as if through a murky lens, and had no control over his own body. He'd let go. The battle was no longer his to fight. All there was now, was to sit back and watch his body get smashed to pieces.
Every blow that Nora dished out would feel like she was hitting herself; the mark was still visible on her forearm. She felt his pain, making it easier for him to fight, and exponentially harder for herself. But she never faltered. And it was frightening. Every time she struck, every time she felt her own hammer stroke, she only laughed louder. As if she knew the pain was all in her head, and she disregarded it. Or maybe she just didn't care. Either way, it barely slowed her down.
Another blow landed, and blood ran down Nora's arm. It was a shallow cut, but the blood ran into her hand and made it hard to grip the hammer. He smiled. Not long now. With a bloodcurdling scream, he pressed harder. The axe swung back and forth, the blade glinting in the sunlight, and humming through the air.
Nora deflected the first few blows with the haft of her hammer, then her hand slipped. She ducked under the next strike and slammed a shoulder into his chest, grunting in pain before letting out another mad giggle. He toppled back, flipping backwards to regain his footing. Nora's hammer came up in a wild, one-handed swing, catching a glancing blow on his leg.
The Huntress took a gasping breath and chased after her opponent. He backpedalled a few steps before attacking once again.
Nora was beginning to lag now; she was too tired. The battle was slowing down. It wouldn't be long before it over.
Die…
They'd pushed through the large room, and had forced the enemy back into the corridors. Many of the Huntsmen and Huntresses were hanging back, recovering from the battle before. In the corridors, only a few could fight at a time, so they took the chance to rest and recover as best as they could before the next battle started.
Blake was about halfway back, with Ren, panting heavily, but forcing herself onwards. They were still making progress, but it was slowing down.
Now they were battling through a corridor on the edge of the building. There were windows looking out on the south side of the school, giving Blake a pleasant view of the gardens while she waited for her turn to start killing people again. She shuddered at the thought. It needed to be done; they all knew that. But that didn't mean she liked it.
The Talon was a group of rogue Faunus terrorists. These were her people… She'd become a Huntress in order to help the Faunus, if she could, and here she was being forced to kill them.
Someone screamed up the front, and the limp body of a Huntsman was carried to the back. Blake didn't get a close enough look to tell if he was alive, but it didn't look good.
As her eyes followed the incapacitated Huntsman, she met Ren's eyes. He looked even more exhausted than she did. He'd been pushing himself harder than anyone else here, and it was beginning to show.
"How are you holding up, Ren?"
He shook his head. "I'll be fine."
"Ren…"
"We've no choice, Blake. I need to be fine."
She nodded and turned away, looking towards the front. They were getting close to the next room, and the next all-out battle. Picturing Ozpin's map in her mind, she figured that they were almost halfway to their objective. She hoped that Velvet's team was doing as well.
Huntsmen and Huntresses pushed past them, heading to the back, their turn at the battle over. Blake and Ren shuffled closer to the front.
She closed her eyes and sucked in a deep breath, clearing her mind. Time to fight, she told herself.
"Blake…" Ren's voice distracted her, but the horror in his voice was enough to catch her attention.
She opened her eyes and followed his gaze. He was looking outside, at the gardens. She narrowed her eyes as she noticed a hint of movement near a grove of trees in the distance. Is that…
It was Nora, definitely. A burst of pink gave it away. Nora, fighting. But who…
Then her heart skipped a beat. Lying on the ground, not far from Nora and whomever she was fighting, was a heap of yellow.
Yang.
Before Blake knew what she was doing, she drew Gambol Shroud and fired into the window, shattering the glass. In a blur, she threw herself out the window and onto the grounds outside.
The sound of footstep behind Blake told her that Ren was following. He'd seen Nora too. She felt a moment's regret: the people fighting inside would have to hold their won without them. But the sight of Yang lying motionless on the ground drove her on regardless.
The battle raged on, both in front and behind them. Blake heard echoes of screams and gunshots from inside, and heard Nora roaring in anger as she fought.
Halfway across the grounds, Blake recognised who Nora was fighting. It took her a moment to comprehend, and, even then, she found it hard to believe. Raud was dead, wasn't he? Apparently not, she told herself. Because there he stood, roaring just as loud as Nora.
They were both battered and bloody, and their movements were sluggish. They must have been fighting for a long time. The sight of Nora covered in so much blood was terrifying, and it was only made worse by the fact that she was still fighting. How was she even still standing?
Blake stopped for a moment as she reached Yang's prone form. Her heart cried out for her to tend to her fallen wife, but the Huntress in her knew that Nora needed help first. Raud needed to be dealt with. From where she stood, Blake could see that Yang was still breathing. That would have to do for now.
She looked up as Raud issued a loud bellow, and saw Nora falling to her knees. Magnhild hit the ground a few metres away, out of her reach. The enraged mercenary raised his axe and began a lethal downward swing. Something bumped Blake and everything seemed to slow as Ren barrelled past her, firing at Raud. The bullets struck the mercenary, but had no effect. With a roar of his own, Ren covered the last few metres in the blink of an eye and slammed into Nora, shoving her out of the way.
Raud's axe struck home.
Blake cried out in horror as the black-bladed axe sank into Ren's side, and blood poured onto the ground. The Huntsman toppled onto his side, holding a hand to his wounded flank.
Nora blinked in shock, and all her rage and fury was gone.
"Ren…" she whispered. "Ren?" She fell to her knees, patting him on the shoulder. "No… Ren, no!" Her words became frantic, hysterical. She screamed in anguish as she saw his blood.
Blake took a step forward, readying her sword. Raud looked down at the mortally wounded Huntsman, a look of horror on his face. The battle rage that had enthralled him until now as gone, and all Blake saw on his face was regret, pity, and guilt. A strange combination, but she was too furious to care.
He looked up at her as she approached, and took a hesitant step back. Blake raised her sword and was about to charge at him when a flash of white light blinded her. She hunched over, covering her eyes with one hand until it faded away. When she looked up, Kelly was standing next to Raud, looking down at Ren and Nora.
"K-Kelly… What are you…?" Blake murmured.
The woman turned her gaze on Blake, and the Faunus felt like a knife had pierced her. It was the look of utter disdain and contempt in her eyes that shocked Blake.
"Time's up," Kelly said. "We have to go."
Raud looked up at her. "Is he…"
She nodded. "And I'm sure he'll be ever so pleased to hear about how utterly you failed to kill them… Though this one looks close to it," she added, looking down at Ren.
Raud looked down, his long hair casting a shadow over his eyes. He opened his mouth to speak, then closed it again. He put his axe away and straightened up, standing at Kelly's side.
"Kelly, what the hell is going on!?" Blake cried. It couldn't be. Not Kelly…
Her assistant met her gaze once more and sneered. A sphere of light wrapped around her and Raud and then they were gone. Blake stared at the empty space where they once were, lost. It can't be true… She lowered her gaze to the ground, and finally realised how completely they'd been fooled. There was a tiny crater in the cobblestone ground, where the sphere of light had touched the ground before vanishing. It was a round, clean, perfect cut, like a section of stone had been removed from existence.
Just like the one she'd seen on the floor in the prison cells when their prisoners had been found dead.
Blake staggered back, putting Gambol Shroud away. As she turned, she froze again. Nora was holding Ren, sobbing, and rocking back and forth. Yang was lying still a few metres behind them. The sounds of battle were still echoing from Beacon.
Everything was falling apart right in front of her eyes, and Blake couldn't think of any way to stop it.