V3E12: Final Round, Last Hand Dealt


The Vale City police station was a huge place, but even it had a limit on population capacity. Thus, the small camp that was meant to temporarily house the refugees had to be expanded into the far corners of the station's courtyard. Luckily, the bullhead pilots were efficient enough in their transit and refuelling that the camps always had a manageable population level. There was a constant stream of bullheads coming in and out of the station's landing pad, always leaving with dozens upon dozens of people onboard. Of course, as the catastrophe evolves, the problem was surely to pop its head out eventually. For the moment, they were fine, and Hope saw that it was good.

On his end, after returning from Ashes to Ashes, the Otherworldly Seer had kept himself busy doing something that he had sworn he would never get caught dead doing again.

Paperwork.

Well... workforce reassignments, bureaucratic optimization, huntsman assignment...

In short, desk jokey jobbering.

Oh goody, that brings back some memories.

Luckily, his so-called desk was a cool holographic table with a digital assistant that made all the laborious and tedious research nonsense a sinch. Huntsmen after huntsmen came to him to be given assignments but Hope only let Teams do any real dangerous work so as to not waste individual huntsmen's lives. Hope smiled when his friends came in, eager and ready for action. One such friend came in looking like he wrestled in the mud.

"Yo Anon!" Sun exclaimed jubilantly. "Wassup?"

The seer chuckled at the appearance of the monkey king.

"You look like you had fun."

"Yeah, man! It was awesome! There was this twin taijitu that were scaring a bunch of babes and I-!"

Hope held his hand up to silence him, to which Sun acquiesced obediently.

"It actually sounds like a cool story, but we still have work to do." He smirked. "Tell you what, we'll brag about our exploits around a pint or two once this is over. Deal?"

Sun's mouth gapped happily.

"Heck yeah!"

The rest of his team caught up with him, looking about as badly as their boss did.

"Why are you always running ahead?!" Scarlet complained.

"Cuz I hate waiting when there are people that need help!" He retorted passionately.

Scarlet's mouth opened and then closed.

"Understandable... Kinda."

Hope fingered the holographic display for a few seconds before the screen showed the current emergencies in need of resolving. He sucked on his teeth nervously once he noticed a certain alert that had gone ignored for an instant too long for his taste. The King Ozwald Central Hospital was a stronghold that ferried the heavily wounded to be stabilized and evacuated. Unfortunately, some Fang rats had infiltrated the defences and caused a breach in the defences before being apprehended. Worse, a large amount of Grimm had been attracted by the negative emotions that were caused by the realization that their safe haven was compromised.

"Fuck." Hope cursed. "Change of plans, lads!"

The four members of Sun's posse stood at attention. Hope pressed the alert's icon, displaying the hospital.

"Listen up! We have a code orange at the hospital, the defences that were set up were temporarily breached. Your guys' job is to escort the defence specialists and their supply truck and defend the perimeter until they plugged the hole. Your job won't be too hard because an Atlas patrol is helping, but I'd rather we be safer than safe."

"Got it!"

"It's not just the equipment that's paramount, the doctors, the surgeon and the patients too." His expression hardened. "I know you won't let us down, but I still need to say this. Civilian loss of lives is Unacceptable, lethal force is wholly recommended and let not one of those sons of bitches through."

Sun saluted wholesomely.

"No, sir! we won't let you down, sir!"

"If the Hospital gets overrun, send a distress signal and I'll update your mission perimeters and send a full squad to stabilize the situation.."

"We won't let that happen!"

Hope flicked the screen, sending the coordinates to SSSN's scrolls.

"Good. Now, go!"

"Gone!"

Sun dashed out of the office, hollering like a hyped child. Sage was close behind while his other teammates hadn't had the time to see Sun dash. Scarlet and Neptune sighed, sprinting away to catch their really fast leader. It wasn't long until more and more Huntsmen came to be sent out, many among them were familiar faces from Canon.

"Team NDGO, we received an alert that the first wave of Atlan relief aid has arrived but one of the bullheads full of supplies crashed in the suburbs of Orderly. Your job is to secure it until a truck can take the supplies out. If you can't secure it, escape with the pilots."

"Gotcha, boss man." Nebula, leader of NDGO, assured casually.

"I'm not gonna waste my time telling you to destroy any Grimm who get in the way but I must warn you of something else. The cargo in question is mostly made of first aid supplies, but there is also a lot of ammo. There shouldn't be any Fangs in the area but the supplies must not end up in their hands. Destroy it if you must."

Dew, Nebula's partner, spat in a nearby trash can disdainfully.

"We won't let these crazy bastards leave with even one bullet!" She swore.

Hope smirked.

"I don't doubt you." His mirth disappeared. "Don't forget, lives are paramount, so value yourselves properly."

Nebula grinned.

"Don't worry, boss man!" she reassured. "We're reckless, not stupid!"

Hope had a snort.

"That makes five of us!" He gave them a two-finger wave. "You got this, ladies."

Nebula mirrored Hope before waving her team to follow her out. Next came Team ABRN looking winded, but otherwise intact.

"Welcome back." Hope greeted.

"Greetings once more." The leader Arslan greeted back after a puff of air.

"I just received the report from the orphanage. The evacuation was a complete success."

"Yeah, just in time too." Arslan's teammate Reese rolled her shoulders. "A minute longer and the Grimms would have flattened us."

"Well then, good thing they didn't then, huh?"

Hope pressed a few buttons on his scroll and a minute later, a young Atlas student came with a cooler full of ice-cold water bottles.

"Serve yourselves and take a minute to breathe."

"Many thanks." Arslan thanked, bowing her head reverently.

Her team retired from the office after downing a bottle each to go sit down for a minute. As soon as the doors close, a large metal hand swung it open to reveal the general from Atlas flanked by Ciel Soleil.

"James." Hope greeted quickly. "Good to see you haven't collapsed."

"Same could be said for you," Ironwood replied, concerned.

Hope shook his head dismissively.

"Mercy's little angel patched me up real well and Pride's making me too arrogant to care about the pain. I'll be fine for a while still."

The seer felt his scroll vibrate and held a hand up.

"Hold on."

Upon answering, he was greeted by the sight of a fuzzy Coco looking livid. The image quality was absurdly bad, he could barely make out the shape of her face. So far, his bet was on an egg with a wig and sunshades.

"YOU OWE ME A NEW BERET, YOU ASS!" She berated, her audio equally as terrible as the visuals.

"Tell that to the asshole who ruined it." Hope retorted disinterestedly. "This is Velvet's scroll, did something happen?"

"We got ambushed by some WF punks and Vel's out cold. They were jobbers so that wasn't much of an issue. I'm sure Velvet's gonna be mad as heck when she wakes up but otherwise, we're fine for now."

Hope exhaled gladly.

"Good."

He heard Coco smile.

"I wish you'd be as worried about me as you are about her though~"

"I worry more about Yatsuachi than I do you and he's the Team's tank."

Hope heard Fox giggle on the other end.

"Oi!" Coco scolded. "You're my partner, you're supposed to back me up!"

"Nah!"

Hope smiled, seems he was worried for nothing.

"Good to see you guys are still in high spirits. The mission is still on, just make sure Velvet's taken care of until she's awake."

Coco chortled evilly.

"Oh, I'll take care of her alright!"

"Coco..." Yatsuachi sighed. "No sexual harassment on the unconscious bunny."

She clicked her tongue.

"Party pooper."

Hope heard a tonal drone before discarding his scroll and looking back at the General.

"Apologies. You were saying?."

"A came to give you an update on some things," Ironwood informed. "Ciel can take over while we talk."

"Gotcha, lead the way."

Ciel glanced at the man she was replacing.

"Take your time, I'll be sure to put all your files in proper order."

Hope snorted.

"Bitch, I worked at an office. You can't beat my filling skills even if you tried."

She scoffed.

"We'll see soon enough."

Hope left the office with Ironwood just as Team FNKI came by. They stopped to salute their general before going into the office to be given their mission.

"What's the situation?" Hope asked as they walked.

"So far so good," Ironwood stated. "Huntsmen all across the globe are volunteering to come to help Vale."

"And your troops?"

Ironwood puffed out his chest, full of pride.

"My soldiers are cleaning the streets and have set up kill zones to herd Grimms toward."

"Good. Morale?"

"After your speech, everyone's morale is through the roof. Although I don't doubt that more than a few people have caught some of the despair that the refugees are suffering."

"Can't blame 'em too much, situation's dire."

"Indeed."

"Anything else important of note?"

Ironwood scratched his head, apparently still baffled by the development.

"Vale's less than savoury sorts have been a tremendous help in the more indisposed regions of the city."

Hope's steps staggered as he looked back in confusion.

"Pardon my English but what the goddamn are you on about?"

"The many gangs of the so-called 'BadTown' have been helping the evacuation efforts." the general explained. "Their representative, a man calling himself Junior, has told us that we could bill them later."

Hope snorted incredulously.

"Junior did?"

"You know him?"

"He's an info broker and a fixer from downtown. Guy has lots of connections across the Kingdom, if not Kingdoms. Most of them are the gray sort of 'barely legal' type of connections. At least, the one he'll tell you about."

Hope smiled to himself, rubbing his chin pensively.

"Looks like he took my warning seriously... Maybe I should bill the bastard."

He looked back to his ally, a burning question on his tongue.

"What about Amity?"

Ironwood frowned dimly.

"Quite a few civilians were trampled in the panic, with many still in critical condition. We couldn't save a lot of them from the sudden Grimm attack."

Hope nodded grimly.

"And the Colosseum?" he asked. "Is it secured?"

Ironwood shook his head, confused by the question.

"No, we had abandoned that place as soon as we completed the evacuation. For some reason, a large chunk of the horde has nested themselves there."

Hope groaned.

"Fuck!"

The pair arrived at a large meeting room where the big wigs of the operation are currently discussing the situation. The guard stationed at the door saluted the General.

"ATTENTION!" The guard announced. "GENERAL IRONWOOD HAS ENTERED THE MEETING!"

Everyone looked up from the holo-table at the centre of the room and to Ironwood. Everyone of import was present; Glynda, Winter, the police chief, Port, Oobleck and a cowboy man Hope didn't recognize. Only Peach wasn't present but Hope had a hunch that if she wasn't busy at the hospital, she was busy at the station's infirmary. Glynda lit up upon seeing Hope.

"Thank the gods you're here." she sighed in relief.

Hope sat down next to her with a grunt.

"Thank my good Seraph's agent instead. She's the reason I'm still standing."

He felt a prod on his cheek from a very jealous devil.

"And my good Devil too..." Hope sighed

The devil stopped prodding and pouting, beaming proudly. Hope leaned forward on the holo-table, pressing the icon for Amity. The image expanded into a detailed map of the Colosseum.

"I already heard the situation from Ironwood," Hope announced before groaning at the sight of the situation. "Jesus, this looks worse than you made it out to be."

"Indeed." Glynda agreed, pressing an icon on the table. "The place had been utterly overrun, but the question remains: Why are they attracted to Amity?"

The unknown cowboy grumbled.

"I don't know why we're wasting time worrying about the arena when there are other things we should worry about."

Port sighed sadly, worrying Hope. If the boisterous and jubilant Peter Port was down in the dumps, something awful was afoot.

"There are many reasons why Amity is important, Mister Gray."

Hope leaned to Glynda, whispering into her ear.

"Who?"

Glynda leaned back.

"Gray Dillinger, he's a big shot at the Vale Huntsmen Association and the current council representative of the Huntsmen in Vale." She whispered. "He's the trusted contact I told you about."

"Gotcha."

Port continued.

"For one, it is a symbol of unity among the many nations of the world. If Amity were to fall, this symbol would fall along with it."

"What, you think people from different kingdoms will stop cooperating because some floating island's a Grimm nest?" Gray debated. "That's absurd!"

"That's only the symbolic end of the problem." Port continued. "But the practical end is just as you said, it is becoming a floating Grimm nest. If we let them fester there, they would be able to launch devastating attacks across the city, if not the continent."

Gray nodded.

"Then what should we do about it."

"I say we destroy it," Ironwood proposed. "We can not allow these monsters to establish such a powerful outpost, symbol of unity be damned!"

"I second this decision," Winter added, holding up her hand.

Glynda crossed her legs, sighing.

"Send the soldiers there, destroy this, blow that up... You really have a one-track mind." She complained despite raising her hand. "But in this instance, I don't see why we shouldn't."

Oobleck shook his head vigorously.

"I categorically refuse to destroy such a historic monument!" He held his wrists up into an X. "I will not aid in this barbaric endeavour!"

Port huffed, doing the same.

"I have to agree with my friend Bart. But also on the account that destroying the whole island would send debris into the city and possibly crush people."

Upon hearing the possibility that his city could be further demolished, the Chief of Police joined Oobleck and Port.

"I get that if it becomes an ambulatory nest, it'll be a problem. But there are still too many people out and about. I have made an oath to protect and serve, and I won't be one to risk those I'm sworn to. and if there's a chance that it won't, I'll bank on that."

Gray Dillinger scratched his head, unsure how to proceed.

"Honestly, I don't know how to proceed." He admitted. "I hate hypotheticals and I'd rather not be partly to blame if everything goes pear-shaped because of a hunch. I think I'll abdicate my vote."

Everyone turned to Hope, the last who's yet to vote and now, the tiebreaker. Hope pulled out his phone and looked at it for a solid moment, thinking back to the glitched video he showed Penny.

Maybe I could...

He opened a lore article on Amity and noticed that a new hyperlink suddenly appeared, its borders glitching. Hope smiled.

My phone's not normal anymore...

He chuckled to himself.

"Looks like I got myself a plot device..."

Everyone looked confused at his statement as he put the phone on the table. Everyone leaned to examine the strange, scroll-like object until Hope opened the hyperlink. The whole table glitched as it connected to the unknown device and displayed a detailed plan of Amity, now heavily modified into a multi-satellite platform.

"What's this?" Winter asked, inspecting the strange blueprints curiously.

Hope smiled.

"This," he pointed at the blueprints. "Is the future of wireless communication, here on Remnant."

"What is it?"

"A space-capable launch platform that can send multiple linked transmission satellites across Remnant's orbit."

Glynda's glasses slip off halfway as Oobleck's completely fell off. Gray shrugged, not understanding the importance of the revelation.

"Ok? And?"

Ironwood rubbed his chin, his eyes wide as he understood the purpose of the satellite.

"With this, the whole world will remain connected even if the CCT towers are out."

Hope nodded.

"Currently, Vale is completely disconnected from the rest of the world. The only source of net signal being local low-speed hotspots. We're basically locked to using close-range talkie-walkies." He pointed at the blueprints again. "With this, the problem's going to be a thing of the past, and the CCT towers will become massive signal boosters for super-high-speed connection across the kingdoms."

The Chief of Police scratched his beard pensively.

"But why is Amity so important?" He wondered. "You say that it's space capable, but Dust engines don't work in space. Dust becomes completely inert once it leaves the atmosphere."

Hope smiled mysteriously.

"Amity doesn't use Dust to remain airborne."

The Police Chief tilted his head in abject confusion.

"Pardon?"

Hope waved his hand dismissively.

"I get that you have a lot of questions, but they'll have to be answered later."

Hope took his phone off the table, returning the picture to Amity's current predicament.

"But to return to the debate at hand, I propose a third option."

Ironwood crossed his arms, looking downward thoughtfully.

"Reclaim Amity." He revealed.

Hope nodded.

"With this, we won't have to suffer another crippling attack like the infiltration of Vale CCT tower. Or at least, it won't cripple us too badly. We would reclaim the world's symbol of unity AND its future." He smiled knowingly at Ironwood. "And once we get the Honourbound back, we can use it as a second command center to better coordinate the evacuation."

Ironwood nodded slowly, still in thought.

"It does have the facility necessary to house our personnel... and we could easily convert the countless rooms into whatever we need most at the moment..." He nodded again. "This could work."

Winter looked doubtful despite the uplifting atmosphere.

"It would give us a tremendous edge but... the manpower necessary to take Amity back..."

"Will not be an issue." Gray cut in. "I'll talk it over with my Huntsmen and once I have all the volunteers, they'll be at your command."

The police Chief smiled through his thick beard.

"I'd happily give you some men, but I have the people of my fine city to protect. I won't sit on my hand, so I'll see if I can scrounge some supplies and maybe some of my elite officers to give you backup."

Ironwood rose to his full height, facing Hope.

"My soldiers and students are at your command."

"As are ours!" Glynda added.

Hope smiled warmly.

"Once on the defence..."

His smile grew vicious.

"Now on the counterattack."


There wasn't much else that Ruby's Team wanted to do than to see their best friend and their leader back by their side. Yang especially craved the sight of her little sister, of her sweet smile and unwavering optimism. However, ever since the attack began, Ruby was nowhere to be seen and her absence tolled on her team. The team minus their leader approached one of the offices repurposed to give out urgent assignments. Oddly enough, Winter was standing outside, holding her face tiredly. Weiss lit up.

"Winter!"

The specialist looked up and smiled warmly.

"Weiss!"

The sister embraced closely. Upon separating, the younger sister looked up, confused.

"Is everything alright?" Weiss asked. "Why are you just standing outside the office?"

Winter's face lost the smile, exchanging it for a grave frown.

"I was waiting for you, actually."

Weiss cocked a brow but before she could ask, Winter opened the door to the office. She was met with Hope and Ciel sat around a holo-desk. On the surface, it looked as though they were simply glaring at each other passively-aggressive. However, upon closer inspection, they had their main hands on their weapon and ready to draw. Weiss leaned to her sister.

"What's happening?"

"I don't know but it started when me and Hope came into the office. He had a look at the files and they started arguing over, of all things, filling and formatting standards."

Yang glared in disbelief.

"you're joking!"

"I wish I was."

Hope stopped glaring at the bitch who reorganized all his files wrong to give his dear friends a loving smile.

"Glad to have you back."

"Same here." Blake smiled back.

Hope waved them over and the four women flanked the duo.

"Whatta you got for us?" Yang asked.

Hope took out his scroll and sent a new file to the holo-table. Amity appeared on the screen, as well as a detailed battle plan.

"Right now, an operation has been greenlit regarding the retaking of Amity." Hope explained.

"Yes," Ciel continued, having been previously briefed by Winter. "A joint task force between Atlas elites and Valen auxiliaries will engage the nascent Grimm nest."

Blake hummed.

"I'm assuming we're part of the auxiliary then?" She hazarded a guess.

Hope sighed nasally, his expression melancholic.

"Yes and no."

Hope swiped across the screen, revealing a faint signal in the middle of the arena grounds. Hope leaned back as Penny's portrait appeared on the screen.

"This is a more... Personal request, on my end."

The four combatant's expressions soured with pity while Ciel's remained neutral, though tainted with an emotion foreign to the girl in question. Hope groaned as he rolled his shoulders, the morphine finally starting to wear off.

"Your main objective is to help clean up Amity of any Grimms before they can turn it into a nest, or worst, a hive." He frowned. "the secondary objective is to recover Penny's body."

They each nodded their head, understanding the reason behind his request even if each had their own interpretation. Winter put her hand on his shoulder.

"I'll get her back." She vowed. "I promise."

Hope put his hand on hers and smiled.

"Thank you."

His smile left his face as it became more serious.

"I dislike the idea of sending a team without their leader, let alone a three-member squad." He looked at Winter. "You'll company them as a temporary member. I trust no one else for this mission."

They all nodded, with Winter saluting.

"I'll be sure to lead them properly."

Yang's eyelid twitched.

"Excuse you?" She asked abrasively. "You're joining our team and you want to be in charge?"

Ciel and Hope facepalmed.

"Goddamnit..." Hope cussed.

Winter frowned.

"With all due respect, your leader is currently missing."

"I'm all too aware of that fact!" Yang retorted angrily. "That still doesn't give you the right to take over!"

"And why wouldn't I? I'm the eldest of this group, I have the most experience and I have led Teams back at Atlas." Winter enumerated. "I believe that I rightfully-"

Hope clapped his hands loudly, jolting everyone to attention. He clicked his tongue.

"If, I may make a suggestion..." He interjected. "I personally believe that the best choice would be to elect Weiss as temporary Team leader."

Everyone blinked slowly before turning to Weiss, who pointed to herself, just as confused as everyone.

"M-me?" The snow princess in question bumbled.

Hope nodded.

"Yes."

"Why?"

Hope smiled.

"Remember last semester when we had tea and talked about team dynamics?"

Weiss smiled nostalgically.

"God, it feels like so long ago." she reminisced. "It's hard to think it was only a few months ago."

"Yeah, you were an annoying little shit back then." He snacked.

"Like you were any better, you blithering jackass!" She scoffed.

Hope smirked.

"True enough. Anyways, like I was saying. Back then, I told you that you weren't fit to be Team leader. But things have changed considerably since then, so I think it's time for that hypothesis to be reevaluated."

He held up three fingers.

"Pedigree, Legacy, Chemistry." Hope recalled. "Before, I would have said that you had none, maybe one if we count your sister, but you've shown through your own hard work that it didn't matter anymore. The only legacy worth talking about is that of your sister and your grandfather, Nicolas. But again, it doesn't matter anymore. All that's left is Chemistry."

His smirk became a smile.

"Care to tell me if you get on with your team?"

Weiss shared a look with her team members and smiled warmly.

"Nah!" She shrugged confidently. "No need!"

Hope's smile grew.

"That's three for three, boss." He crossed his legs and laid them on the table, much to Ciel's aggravation. "You might as well be wearing the crown."

Weiss waved the idea away.

"I'd prefer the commander's armband." she jested. "I can't be bothered with overdone jewelry!"

Winter looked to her sister, and now leader, with a critical eye. It's not that she didn't trust her per se but she didn't know how their team worked, let alone if Weiss would be a good leader. She looked to Hope.

"Are you certain of this choice?"

Hope shrugged.

"Iunno." he slurred. "All I know is that I trust Weiss to do an admirable job."

Weiss crossed her arms and held her nose up, looking incredibly confident and smug. Hope swore he saw a twinkle next to her face. He looked over to the other members of Team *WBY.

"No objections?"

Yang waved down, looking annoyed yet immensely amused.

"Bah! She gonna work us to the bone!"

Weiss snorted.

"I'm gonna make your lazy bum work an actual role, you mean?"

Yang scoffed.

"Bruisin' a good job, I'll have you know!"

"Sure it is."

Blake chuckled.

"I don't see why not," she said, looking at her beloved friends.

Hope nodded, looking back at the wintery specialist.

"There you go."

Winter nodded to herself, holding her face while deep in thought.

"I see..."

Winter walked over to her younger sister, looking at her intently. Weiss stood firm, a confident smile on her face.

"I won't let any of you down!" She assured.

Winter let go of her face and smiled, pinching Weiss's cheek gently.

"You better not, or else big sister will send you to boot camp."

Weiss cringed.

"Oh god no."

Winter giggled, loving the reaction she got. A sudden roar shook the whole building, shocking everyone in the room. Hope jumped to his feet and sprinted to the window, cursing up a storm.

"Oh god fucking hell! No, no, fuck no! Not fucking now!"

Once at the window, he flipped it open and threw his head out, looking up. An angry, fearful expression marred his face as he saw the Jabberwock's shadowy self approach over the horizon. Yang looked out the window with him, terrified.

"What is that?!"

Weiss and Blake's eyes widened in shock as they caught a glimpse of the draconian menace.

"Is that..." Blake muttered fearfully.

"A really big problem, yes." Hope uttered through clenched teeth.

The improvised team looked at their friend as he left the window and walked to the door.

"Luckily," he said, a dark tone in his voice. "I have just the solution..."


An hour passed until Hope was comfortable with the reorganization of personnel, at least enough so for him to leave without worries. once out of the building, he smelled the air. Once so pure and fresh and now tainted with acrid smoke and the scent of blood. He sighed sadly.

"Reminds me of the Plague Riots..." He lamented. "I just hope they'll do a better job of building back up than we did."

He groaned to himself, an intrusive thought burrowing in his mind.

"Goddamn! How the hell are we gonna rebuild all this shit?" He sighed. "We better find some private investors early to secure funding for the rebuilding efforts. With some luck, we could avoid the Corpo Rats before they sink their teeth in the city..."

Hope looked over to the other side of the streets, where an upturned bike rumbled impotently. The morphine's effect had already begun to degrade and Pride's time in the limelight of Hope's struggle would have to end soon. It was already a stretch for him to come to another world, let alone manifest in it for long. Pride groaned in annoyance, but also worry as it gripped Hope closer, almost hugging him. The seer gently rubbed his good devil's arm.

"I know I downplayed your part but thank you truly, great Archduke. Your aid was most useful."

For once, an honest smile crossed the devil's face as he cuddled Hope despite his annoyance at the devil's rough true face grinding against his. Hope set the bike back up and straddled it. He worked the throttle and was delighted by the smooth roar of the engine. Hope looked to the skies, to the blue hopeful light slowly dimming. He frowned sadly.

"Looks like the two of you aren't long to remain in this world..."

Hope looked down, clutching his aching sides.

Maybe even the three of us...

He looked forward at the sight of two white-clad persons escaping from the smoke and ruins of an old mechanics workshop. Hope unholstered his handgun, its sight set on the Fang-looking blobs. The duo approached, unaware of the imminent threat as their vision was still clouded by the smoke. As soon as they approached, Hope could discern that one was considerably taller than its companion.

"Gah!" The tall figure complained. "I told you that cutting through the smoke was a bad idea!"

The smaller person hacked and coughed in response, agreeing with its ally.

Hope kept his sights up despite having uncovered the person behind the familiar voice. The two figures emerged from the smoke, revealing themselves as the criminal duo that had kidnapped Hope under Cinder's orders. Torchwick helped Neo out of the smoke as she doubled over coughing. He tapped on her back, still unaware that he was being aimed at.

"Easy does it, Neo." He encouraged gently. "Breathe deep, we're out of the smoke."

The criminal not-so-mastermind softly rubbed the girl's back until an audible click froze the blood in his vein. He looked up and his eyes met Hope's.

"Hey, buddy..." Torchwick cringed. "How's it going?"

Hope rolled his sore shoulders, the feeling of Pride's grip slowly slipping. Satan had to readjust his grip several times to not fall off. Neo looked up, her eyes widening.

"Awful." Hope admitted. "City's on fire, White Fangs are everywhere causing havoc, Grimms are pouring out of the woodwork... And I woke up on the wrong side of the bed."

Torchwick stared off with Hope, his whole body refusing to move. The memories of the last time he was held at gunpoint by the seer haunted the criminal, especially at that very moment.

"Frankly," Hope said slowly. "I've not a single fuck left for you to take."

Hope's barrel lingered on Torchwick before dropping down and returning to its holster.

"So I'm not gonna bother, and pretend you were not here."

Torchwick and Neo blinked, slowly processing that Hope was sparing them and letting them go. Hope worked the throttle of the bike and slowly rolled towards them, before passing them and setting the bike's kickstand down.

"I recommend you disappear," he advised as he leaned against the bike. "This is way bigger than either of you can handle."

Roman nodded slowly, a disturbed look on his face.

"Yeah... We know."

"Junior's been a shockingly good help, you'd best go to him if you want to cover your tracks."

Roman blinked multiple times, his unnatural fortune still baffling him.

"So you're really letting us go?" He asked tentatively.

Hope strained out a smile.

"You're a prick and Neo's a fucking nutcase. But I can't help but want to root for you too."

Torchwick's mouth gapped open dumbfoundedly whilst Neo just smiled lovingly, even despite the insult.

"Why?" The criminal asked.

"Cause I don't go back on my word," Hope answered. "I said I could save you, so I told Neo how to do just that. And now, even with all the grief you gave me, with you at my mercy; I choose to let you go."

Torchwick couldn't help but laugh as he collapsed on his ass. He pointed at Hope, his hand framing the seer.

"Fuck me! You really are a godsdamned hero!"

Hope shook his head.

"No, I'm just an asshole trying to keep this world from dying."

Roman looked down, still incredulous that even after everything that happened, he was going to live.

"I... I owe you..." Roman admitted sheepishly. "I owe you my life."

Hope looked back, a sigh escaping his nostrils.

"If you can't keep yourself out of Cinder's sight, I'll make sure to cash in."

Torchwick scoffed.

"Don't worry! Me and that bitch are done!"

Roman pulled himself back to his feet, his short accomplice helping him up and dusting him.

"Godspeed, scumbags." Hope saluted. "Take care of each other."

He kicked the stand back up but before he could roll, Neo appeared in front of him. She stroked his cheek and set a kiss on his lips. Her arms wrapped around his neck in a tight hug. Roman rolled his eyes as the girl that helped him up shattered to pieces.

"I'm starting to think you like him more than me."

She held her hand up, opening and closing it mockingly. Hope, for once, hugged back, much to her delight. She pulled out her scroll after letting go of his neck.

Me: 'I knew you liked me!'

Now it was Hope's turn to roll his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah, just don't go screaming it to the neighbours. I really don't want to get noise complaints again."

A mischievous smile crossed her face.

Me: 'No promises.'

Hope pushed her off the bike, only for her to shatter again. Hope looked around, but both she and Roman had disappeared without a trace. Hope scoffed with a shake of his head.

"Fucking illusionists."

His scroll beeped, much to his surprise. Upon checking it, he was greeted with an entire folder of lewds courtesy of Neo. The last image was her in some very slutty-looking lingerie blowing a kiss to the camera with a message scrolled in elegant handwriting. The message said 'See you later, stud. Love, Neopolitan XoXoX'. Hope paused as he looked at the scroll. When did she download this unto his scroll? How? Hope looked up and saw a local router on a roof.

"How convenient..." He mumbled before shrugging. "Well, whatever."

He pressed the backup option on the folder just in case his scroll gets smashed. Probably by Blake if she ever finds out... And Ruby, probably. The seer put his scroll back in his pocket and set his hands on the handlebars. Hope let himself speed off down the road, for the wind to take him where he was needed. To Beacon Academy, where his blade and handheld cannon rested, waiting for him to wield them once again.


A good day, Headmaster Ozpin was not having. First thing in the morning, he gets spat on by that foul-mouthed oaf. Then Ironwood's little pet project got torn apart, a pirate broadcast took over and sunk his reputation right through the floor and into the basement, all the defences of the city and kingdom he had spent literally over a century building went down all at the same time and finally, said city gets invaded by the forces of darkness and a racial supremacist group.

And, of course, the men and women he had painstakingly trained into the warrior they are today were nowhere to be seen. They probably all left him to join Hope's side. At the thought of the seer, the oldest soul grumbled.

"What a mistake you turned out to be..."

He was alone, with no one to turn back to. As always... Ozpin could only hope that Qrow go his message before communications broke down. Hopefully, they can extract Amber before the false maiden can find her. He stared ahead, at the life support machine that held the Maiden of Autumn. He softly stroked the glass separating her from him. His dead stare lingered on the glowing light enveloping the comatose young woman. He sighed, his eyes aflame with regret.

"It seemed I failed you again, Autumn..." He despaired. "If only..."

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the elevator going up. Ozpin walked away from the pod and stood before the elevator doors as it went down. He leaned on his cane, poised like the gentleman he hasn't been for a long, long time. His indifferent frown became one of surprise once the door parted and he was met with a group of Atlas's elite soldiers. The elites were clad in black skinsuits overlaid with bleeding edge exo-armour. Their faces were hidden behind balaclavas and high-tech tactical visors. Behind them was, to further his surprise, Ruby Rose.

"Professor Ozpin." The leader of the elites, a woman of pronounced stature, enunciated with an accent of unknown origin. "General Ironwood has ordered that you be evacuated to the Police HQ."

Ozpin felt compelled to ask the obvious.

"How did you find this place? You shouldn't have been able to find the hidden switch."

"General Ironwood told us that if we didn't find you in your office or room, you'd be down here and told us how to descend to the subbasement."

He nodded, thinking that James thought this little rescue through. His sight set itself on the only splash of colour in this darkened place.

"Miss Rose, glad to see you've finally come."

Ruby flinched at being called out.

"Y-yeah..."

"Where were you?" He asked, his tone harsh and reprobate.

Ruby stood out of the Elite's shadows, staring defiantly at her headmaster. Ozpin flinched at her scornful and insulted expression.

"I was doing what I was being trained to do!" She scolded. "While you were hiding down here, I was helping people!"

The unit's leader nodded.

"Quite, it would have been much more difficult to get the Honourbound back without your help." She turned to Ruby. "I thank you once again for that."

Ruby smiled.

"'My pleasure!"

The leader turned back to Ozpin and approached him.

"Let us make haste and leave this place."

Ozpin nodded.

"I understand. But first, we need to transfer Autumn's power."

Ruby felt a cold sweat on her back as Ozpin offered a hand.

"Miss Rose, If you would."

She looked at the hand offered to her and a visceral revulsion deep in her gut demanded that she not take the hand. She looked inside the pod where the barely alive corpse of a woman clung to life, her half-burned carcass breathing with great difficulty. She cringed in anguish, thinking that her traumatized soul would live in her head like a roommate straight out of a nightmare. All the pain, the suffering, all flowing into her mind and body. A presence not born from her, but alien with knowledge she didn't want to know. Ruby shook her head.

"No."

Ozpin moved one step his hand still outstretched.

"Miss Rose, we must hurry. Take my hand."

"Didn't you say that I had a choice before?!"

Ozpin's dead gaze darkened.

"Yes, but now whether or not you want to be the maiden is irrelevant."

"You lied to me!"

"My hands are tied, I no longer have a choice. Do not make this harder than it has to be."

Ozpin moved forward to grab Ruby but two of the Elites flanked him and the leader walked in front, holding her hand out to Ozpin's chest.

"Headmaster, I know not of what's happening and frankly, I do not care."

Her men raised their weapons and levelled them at the headmaster, who glared at them.

"Either you let us escort you to safety, or we will bring you in by force."

The oldest soul stared at the tall woman, his furious dead stare glaring into her hidden eyes.

"Lower your weapons," Ozpin ordered.

"you are not my superior."

"I am the headmaster of this Academy!" He boomed. "And I demand that you-"

The leader threw her head back and sent it rocketing into the headmaster's face. The man was knocked flat on his ass with half a dozen guns aimed straight at him.

"You are not the boss of me, old man!" She admonished. "I am a proud soldier of Atlas and I will only ever bow to the demands of my commander or my general! KNOW YOUR PLACE!"

Ozpin growled until a ding alerted the group that the elevator had arrived. The half-dozen soldier redirected their aims and spread out. Ruby and Oz stood alone in the middle as the door opened to reveal a smiling Cinder.

"Greetings." She rolled with a velvety voice. "We meet at last, Infinity Man."

Ozpin winced, now faced with the fact that Hope had been correct once again.

"Cinder Fall." Ozpin named as he got up. "I should have known."

Her smile disappeared, replaced by an unimpressed sneer.

"I do believe that Anon Hope has told you, you just elected to do nothing."

She looked into the darkness of the massive room and made out that six people all armed and armoured to the teeth had their weapons levelled at her. She couldn't help but chuckle.

"Six on one?" She smiled like a predator. "This will be a nice warm-up."

A scalding heat wave burst forth from her form, searing the two nearest elites and sending Ruby and Ozpin flying across the room. The burnt elites screamed in pain as they were burned to the third degree and cooking the dust inside their weapon's magazines, detonating their weapons and sending shrapnel everywhere. Only one move and two of Ironwood's best soldiers were sent into the hereafter. The other four opened fire and as the storm of lead sped towards the false maiden, the metallic projectile turning into liquid in mid-air. Cinder hissed as the melted lead flaccidly skidded off her Aura, leaving small red marks on her naked skin. Once out of ammo, Cinder brushed herself off nonchalantly as she confidently approached them. The leader and her remaining three men charged the woman responsible for the nightmare they were living through, their own razor-sharp blades at the ready as she flourished her angled blades.

"Let me welcome you all into the Everafter!" Cinder challenged.

Ruby slowly got up, her face red and warm from the infernal heat Cinder emanated, the shockwave that Cinder let loose having knocked the air out of her lungs. She shot to her feet and witnessed in horror as two more Atlan elites fell to the ground in heaps, dead from the false maiden's burning blades. Her hopes lingered as Cinder wasn't in the best state, as a large bruise darkened her forehead. Cinder smiled like a mad woman as she drove her blade into the elite leader's thigh, completely bypassing her Aura with brute strength. Undeterred, the leader grabbed Cinder by the head and repeatedly smashed her head into the half-Maiden's face, further blackening her face. Cinder threw her arm back, a huge heatwave forming in her hand before smashing it into the leader's face and unleashing her vengeance. The leader screamed in agony, the fierce heat cooking her entire head until the heat ruptured her skull and her brain blew through the back of her head like a microwaved egg. The last elite jumped onto Cinder's back, stabbing and slashing wildly, tearing chunks out of her Aura. Cinder let out a roar as she once again unleashed her incomplete Maiden, sending out a massive heat wave that lit the last elite on fire. The man grunted and squirmed as he rolled on the floor to extinguish the flames. Cinder stormed over to the burned and weakened man and stomped down on his throat with her high heel, taking his life by piercing his windpipe. Cinder wiped her nose, smearing her visage with blood. She let out a sigh, resetting her broken nose before moving her rogue locks back into place.

"Warm up's over." She looked around the room. "Where are you, old man?"

Ruby stood by in horror as Cinder walked over, then past her, all with a cruel and sadistic smirk. She couldn't help but laugh at Ozpin's absence.

"Did he run away? After all of this, the coward finally gave up?"

Her smile turned into a contemptuous sneer.

"How insulting." She turned her gaze to Amber, her cruel smirk returning. "Well then, let the ascension process begin."

Cinder paused as someone stood between her and her destiny, a single rose-coloured girl with a large scythe. Cinder smiled warmly.

"Ooooh!" She cooed mockingly. "Does the little girl want to play hero?"

Ruby flinched but didn't budge an inch, clutching her Crescent Rose. She wasn't going to move, she wasn't going to let her get what she wanted without a fight. Cinder shook her head in amused disbelief.

"Oh dear, you're serious." she scoffed. "You really are your mother's daughter."

Ruby's grip tightened.

"You knew my mother?" Ruby asked nervously.

Cinder's gaze darkened and her smile grew bitter.

"She gave me hope, once. Then I saw her draw her last breath, and how pointless the hopes she gave me truly were."

Ruby's eyes began to grow wet as her breath quickened, her grip quaking. Cinder ground her blades' edges together, creating a shower of sparks.

"And now, I'll get to end her line myself."

Ruby stood firm as Cinder rushed her, blades at the ready. Her Midnights crashed into Ruby's Crescent Rose and the smaller girl buckled under the hit. The half-maiden's power, despite her grievous wound, was tremendous. Despite her lithe frame, Cinder held a hidden strength to rival Ruby's sister. The notion itself, along with the heat, made the red reaper sweat. She pushed back and swiped her scythe, an action that was countered by Cinder grabbing her weapon by the haft and throwing her like a ragdoll. Cinder scoffed.

"Is that all?" She asked, genuinely confused. "I knew you were green but had I known, I wouldn't have bothered."

Ruby dashed around the room, leaving rose petals everywhere. Cinder let a single laugh out as she let her maiden powers run rampant. An omnidirectional heat wave knocked Ruby out of the air and as she shot to her feet, Cinder roundhouse kicked her in the stomach. Once more, the red reaper was sent flying and she crashed into Amber's pod, her head bouncing against the glass and cracking it. Ruby struggled to her feet, her brain case rattled, and tried to stay upward by leaning against the glass. She held her head as Cinder approached, her blade sparking as she dragged their sharpened tips on the floor.

Out of nowhere, streaks of green light emerged from the darkness of the subbasement vault. Ozpin leaped out of the darkness with cane held high before striking downward on the inattentive Cinder. The half-maiden cried out as she was sent to the floor and rolled over just in time to avoid a thrust meant to crush her ribcage. Cinder spat as she jumped to her feet.

"Laying in wait in the dark?" She mocked. "You really are a coward."

"Weren't you the one who engineered a terror attack on an innocent city?" He retorted stoically.

Cinder lunged into a clash with the headmaster.

"Innocence is an excuse perpetuated by soft weaklings who can't handle the cruel realities of life!"

Ozpin snorted, aggravating the false maiden.

"What's so funny, old man?!"

"Just the fact that you talk of weakness and yet you can't control the maiden powers."

Cinder pushed back, forcing the headmaster on the back foot.

"Incomplete power equals incomplete control." She argued. "That's what Salem told me."

"And you believed her?"

Cinder scoffed at Ozpin's transparent bluff.

"Who am I to argue with the woman who co-developed the magical architecture of the maidens?"

Ozpin pushed Cinder off with a punch to the face. She skidded off the floor, her hand melting a track in stone. With a flick of her wrist, spines of melted stone shot up and solidified into arrows of volcanic glass. With a wave of her blade, the arrows snapped off the floor and Cinder joined her weapons together. Her twin blades became a bow as a crystalline string joined at each point. With arrows in hand, the false maiden began hailing arrows at the oldest souls with unnatural speed and accuracy. The headmaster's body began glowing a deep green and time slowed for him. With a lazy swipe of his cane, each arrow that came towards him was reduced to lingering dust. Cinder had a small chuckle at the sight of a super-sonic immortal swiping his cane in the air to shatter her ammunition.

It simply looked stupid.

What didn't look stupid was Ruby Rose, who shot her in the back. Cinder jolted forward as the high-calibre slug crashed into her Aura. Ozpin, seizing the opportunity, darted forward and rapidly stabbed the villainess with the blunt end of his cane. With the final strike, Ozpin swung his cane sideways into her torso and towards Ruby. The red reaper shouted as she slashed, twirled and kicked in unison with her headmaster, who similarly stabbed, struck and punched. Cinder growled before parrying one of Ruby's slashes and kicking her away back toward's Amber's pod. Cinder jumped over the Infinity Man, creating a trio of arrows from the still airborne dust of her previously crushed ammunition. She fired them all simultaneously in a narrow arc. Ozpin lazily dodged with his time dilation, only realizing his error once it was too late. Ruby stumbled back to her feet in time to see Cinder's arrows flying toward her. Purely acting on reflex and instinct, Ruby turned herself into a cloud of roses which the arrows passed through harmlessly. The arrows struck the glass and Amber gasped, her eyes opening for the first time since she was brought to death's door. Ruby returned to her solid form and looked back, gasping and holding her mouth. Amber looked on in shocked horror as three arrows pierced her body. One pierced her heart, another, her neck. The last arrow pierced her stomach, causing blood and stomach fluid to seep through the wound. Amber choked on her blood and gasped desperately, weakly gripping the arrow that opened her jugular. Her eyes lidded and with one last painful breath, the Autrumn Maiden finally passed after so much suffering and grief. On her last breath, an orange spark flowed out.

"NO!" Ozpin decried.

Amber's murderer grinned venomously as she inhaled the spark and her eye became enveloped in flame. A heat wave formed around her before igniting the air in a shockwave of fire and flames, knocking over her two enemies. Cinder's bruises faded away in a cloud of steam and her nose straightened as if it was never broken. Surrounded by a halo of pure magical flames, Cinder let herself bask in the overwhelming power and laughed jubilantly.

"Yes! At last, it is whole! MY ASCENSION HAS COME TO PASS!"

Ruby stared in fear and awe as Cinder began to float, the fires that came into existence lifting her as if they were hot wind under invisible wings. The Fall Maiden's eye glowed a fittingly fiery orange. Ozpin struggled to his knees, using his cane as support.

"Damnation!" he cursed.

Cinder giggled like an excited child, summoning flames ex nihilo of different shades and colours.

"Do you know how long I've waited?!" She muttered out loud with an immense smile. "Do you know how much blood I've spilt to get this?! It's finally all mine!"

Her gaze descended on the headmaster and her eyes narrowed with malicious intent.

"And now... I will extinguish your current flame with the power you've helped create!"

Ozpin stabbed his cane on the floor, creating a front-facing barrier with his Aura. Just in time, as Cinder waved a single finger down at him and a barrage of flames assaulted his bulwark. Ruby winced as the flames and the heat licked at her. This battle was lost, they had lost. There's nothing else she could do now.

Except warn everyone.

She turned into a cloud of petals and dashed to the elevator. Cinder glanced at her for a moment and debated if she should burn her down. An oddly inappropriate chill wind hit her nape and reminded her that she was dear Hope's little friend. Knowing the little love puppy, she was going to run and get him to make big bad Cinder go away. Cinder smiled at the notion, of Hope coming to face her to defend his friends... Maybe even bring an entire army...

One that she will crush before him.

Cinder giggled again as Ozpin tried desperately to weather her storm of flames. The headmaster grunted from the exertion.

"You! Will not! Win this day!" He exclaimed defiantly. "I won't! Let you!"

Cinder groaned in honest annoyance.

"You honestly think you can win?" She scoffed. "You're utterly delusional! You're a stepping stone, a mere speed bump!"

With a forward wave, the barrier broke and Ozpin screamed as he was engulfed in flame. He collapsed unto his hands and knees and Cinder descended unto the ground with her Midnight drawn. She grabbed the Infinity Man by the throat and droved her wicked blade into his heart. The headmaster gasped and choked as blood poured from his mouth. Cinder looked into his dying eyes disdainfully.

"You were never a threat!" She admonished. "Only an inconvenience."

Ruby arrived at the elevator and repeatedly smashed the button that led to the ground floor.

"HurryuphurryupHURRYUP!" She blurted stressfully.

"No, Hope was the only one who stopped me in my tracks! He was the real threat, not you!"

Ruby paused and looked on at the gruesome scene before her, her eyes focused on the Fall Maiden. She saw the sick smile on her lips and a pit formed in her stomach.

"I cannot wait for him to witness the result of my ascension!" Cinder finished.

The doors of the elevator closed just as the entire room became engulfed in flame. Ruby yelped as she stumbled back from the now red-hot doors. She breathed rapidly as she slid down the elevator walls.

"Anon..."

She wanted Hope to face her. She wanted to take Hope away from everyone, from her. Ruby stood back up as the elevator doors opened. She walked out of the elevator with a hurried step. She needed to find Hope, she needed to find her team and as many huntsmen as possible to put between her and Hope. She needed help as to make she would never hurt Hope or anyone else ever again.

"No... I can't let her." Ruby swore. "I won't let her have you!"


Cinder let the ashes of the headmaster gather in a pile before her with a satisfied smile. She sheathed her blades and moved her locks back.

"Such a fool." she insulted. "So unlike him..."

She sighed pleasantly as she made flames dance in the palm of her hand. She looked to the elevator, content in the knowledge that that foolish girl was going to bring Hope to her whether she like it or not. And knowing Hope, he'll bring back up. She threw her arms to the side and laughed evilly.

"COME THEN, MY DEAR HOPE" She challenged. "SEND MORE MEN! SEND ENTIRE ARMIES!"

She walked over the ashes of the headmaster and toward the elevator.

"I will destroy them all and finally, we will be alone."

She grinned.

"Just the two of us!"


As Cinder basked in her power, a dark presence with violent red eyes squinted from the shadows. Its purpose seen through, the vengeful shade now set its dark gaze on the Fall Maiden. Its time in this world was limited, but it would see this through as well where Pride and Mercy fell short.

Belial, Lord of Wrath would not let this insect crush Hope without Retribution.


V3E12: END!

NEXT ON PLAYLIST: V3E13 - PLAY?