V3E14: Cards on the Table (Volume 3 Finale)


The ascent up the tower was slow, slower than Hope remembered. Maybe it was partially damaged, making the ascent slower than usual. Or maybe the Cosmos was want to make the moment more climactic. Who's to say, really? But it gave the seer from another world ample time to think back over his journey so far. In the end, he came to a simple conclusion.

He failed. He failed to change the story.

Sure, Pyrrha is still alive but a sinking feeling told him that this wouldn't change much. If anything, he's sacrificing himself, taking Pyrrha's place so that she could live and help Jaune conclude his original arc.

"The page will become the knight much sooner..." Hope mused aloud.

He wanted to scoff cynically but a proud smile ended up where a biter frown would be. Sure, the Fall still happened, Ozpin still died and so did Amber.

Yet, he still accomplished much.

The preparations he made for the Fall and the countless lives it saved. Getting Penny to update her self-preservation protocol and in turn saving her life and sparing Pietro from losing more of his soul. Saving Ruby from the Nevermore and pushing her and all the other present Huntsmen into action. Saving May from the talking Grimm. Saving Blake, Yang and Weiss from Adam and showing Blake that there was still hope for him. All of that made all the pain, blood, sweat and tears worth it.

He let out a cloud of cigar smoke as the elevator doors opened and Hope entered the last arena.

The roof of Beacon Tower was one level higher than Ozpin's own office and only really existed because it gives a better view of the sky than the giant glass paned clock that was the Headmaster's office. Hope looked to the skies one last time, the darkness that clouded it now seemed even deeper than before, although Hope imagined that it was because Zadkiel wasn't there to illuminate the skies anymore. He stopped wasting time and walked to the edge of the tower, setting his foot on the railing and taking out his cannon. The Jabberwock looked around in utter confusion and furor, its patience at its end. It was clearly looking for something and Hope had an idea of what it was. He couldn't help but snort at the thought that Cinder, being the predictable dramatic bitch that she was, probably wanted to summon the Jabberwock to her as some sort of intro to her final boss fight.

"It's quite unfortunate then that I have pressed the skip cutscene button."

Hope took aim through Morrigan's iron sights at the giant target standing on its hind legs, looking around. He took aim at the back of its skull, hoping that it would be a kill shot even despite the thick bone plates covering it. Holding his breath, he slowly squeezed the trigger.

A cold wind blew, and the Jabberwock turned around and looked up at He Called Hope.

The bullet ripped through the air with a hyper-sonic crack. The dark beast had no time to react and as soon as it laid eyes on the mortal human standing atop the tower, it went half blind and an unbearable pain permeated its head. The bullet caught on the wyvern's mask where its snout met its brow, shattering that part of its mask and sending tons of shrapnel into its eye.

The beast tumbled to the floor, screaming like a maimed animal, as dark ichor poured from its now vacant eye socket. Hope heard the elevator go down. Knowing that it was Cinder, he completely ignored it and went back to shooting. The seer fired again, hitting the beast right in its chest and breaking its ribcage. The beast stumbled unto its back before quickly rolling unto its legs. It took in painful breaths as it bellowed an ear-piercing roar of absolute wrath. It's only eye locked onto the one responsible for its new infirmity. It galloped towards the tower as Hope fired again, missing his mark. The beast leaped upward with a mighty flap of its wings, making Hope miss a second time. It passed him, unfolding its full frame in the sky before plunging to meet its would-be assassin.

The otherwordly seer jumped back and braced himself to hip-fire once the Jabberwock was at eye level. The elevator doors dinged but Hope was too busy to deal with the new arrival. The Jabberwock landed on the edge, towering and looming over Hope. The beast glared at Hope with its unique eyes, its defiant prey holding up the bird reflecting in its yellow ocular. The Jabberwock opened its maw and let loose a high-pitched roar that sounded like a mix of strings being violated and a tyrannosaur's howl. Hope levelled Morrigan at the Jabberwock's sternum as it lurched its head back to bite him in half.

A single word uttered by its dark queen's servant turned the tide of their lop-sided duel.

"STOP!"

The Jabberwock froze, Hope's head between its teeth. He smirked, firing Morrigan point-blank into the monster's chest. The 14.5mm bullet tore its way through the Jabberwock's solar plexus, barely missing its heart but blowing through its back and dislocating its shoulder blades. The beast jolted back, its wings incapacitated, as it clumsily stumbled down the tower and ultimately crashed to the ground. Hope grinned as he looked down the edge of the tower as the monster that almost ate him struggled to stay upward, its wings completely unresponsive. It yowled impotently as it squirmed on the ground like a worm.

He set Morrigan against the railing as he took a drag out of his cigar. He turned his head, smug as could be, to see a cross-armed pouty Cinder.

"You're late!" she accused.

"Thanks for playing along, Cinderella."

A tick mark appeared on the Fall Maiden's forehead, her cheeks puffed.

"We were supposed to meet in Ozpin's office!" She complained. "I had a speech prepared, I was going to blow the top of the roof with the Jabberwock and we were going to have a really climactic battle!"

Hope blinked, licking his lips conspicuously.

"And that is why I avoided going there."

Cinder humphed as she turned away, mad that she didn't get to be theatrical. Hope had a chuckle at her reaction.

"Honestly, did you really think I wouldn't get rid of the big fucking health hazard that's guarding the most prestigious Huntsman Academy in the world? Optics on leaving that fucker alive were dimmer than Mercury."

She grumbled quietly, mumbling about him running her fun. Hope shook his head and took one last drag of his cigar before flicking it into the void. He exhaled the smoke and turned to face Cinder. Despite her annoyed expression, one of her hands was absentmindedly playing with multi-coloured balls of fire.

"Nice fireworks." he complimented sardonically.

Cinder stopped being sour, instead smiling sadistically.

"I'm so glad you noticed~" she purred. "I've had half of it for months and finally, it's complete!"

She enveloped herself in a cloak of flames, changing its shape, colour and intensity with but a thought. She laughed breathlessly as the flames scorched the ground beneath yet didn't burn her.

"This power is overwhelming!"

The flames snuffed themselves out with a flick of her wrist.

"And yet... Absolutely controlled!" she paused before pointing at him dramatically. "All thanks to you, my dearheart!"

Hope cringed with a sigh.

"This fucking girl, I swear..." He mumbled.

Cinder maintained her pose, either not knowing or caring about how ridiculous she looked.

"I must thank you for showing me the way and saving me from my own mistakes."

Hope waved his hand dismissively.

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Hope admitted.

Cinder raised an eyebrow.

"Do you?"

"If you had killed Goodwitch, you'd've been in trouble. If you had killed Ironwood, You'd've been in big, BIG trouble. If I had died back when you kidnapped me, you'd've been utterly fucked. All of that because you think you're hot shit and that you can take on the world even if the time is not right."

Hope tapped his temple.

"Impatience, short-sightedness, arrogance. All, proven by your actions. Even if I hadn't known you were the one responsible for everything, I'd have thought twice about the shady trio of second years from Haven, led by some weird two-faced asshole who switches her tune depending on who she talked to."

Cinder put her hand to her hip, smiling knowingly.

"And if you had forsaken Ozpin from the start instead of trying to work with him, you would have probably had a better chance of stopping my plans from the get-go. Same if you had let Ironwood die, you could have leveraged your position and forced Ozpin to act."

Hope just shrugged.

"Guess no one's perfect."

"Indeed. But I have to admit... I envy you."

"Oh?"

"You've tried so hard, and gone so far... And here you are, at the finish line. All on your own power."

Hope shook his head.

"Nah, I had help." He smiled mysteriously. "Some... Less natural than others."

Cinder chuckled.

"I guess that makes us birds of a feather then, Anon Hope... How I which you could join me."

Hope shook his head

"Not in a million years."

"Maybe in another life then."

"Sorry, hun..."

Hope unsheathed his Shatterslash, its blade singing with every motion. The sky cleared, its dark cloud parsing to reveal a blood-Red Sun as it set against He Called Hope.

"That timeline has already sailed. But even knowing this..."

Cinder nodded sadly, unsheathing her twin Midnight blades.

"It won't change what's going to happen next." she completed.

She pointed her blades forward, engulfing them in sunlight yellow flames. A light, almost sad, smile crossed her lips.

"A shame really, I had grown fond of you."

The wind stopped and silence took over, their heartbeats drumming in their ears. The pair stood off, blades extended and eyes sharp. With a smirk, Cinder's blazing cape burst apart in a sudden blinding flash. Hope covered his eyes with a groan, giving Cinder the opportunity to strike first. She took a running start before leaping into the air to deliver a dropping swing of her Midnights. Hope jumped back in time to avoid her obsidian sharp blades, only losing a few hairs instead of his head. Hope lunged with his blade pointed forward, a move Cinder easily deflected and countered with a sideways heel-kick to the hip. Hope bounced off the floor with a pained grunt, rising back up while holding his hip. Cinder frowned, looking at her foot in confusion.

"Strange..." She commented. "I barely felt your Aura."

Now understanding how counterproductive a straight head-to-head fight with Cinder was, Hope put the idea of stabbing her on the back burner. Unholstering his gun, he opened fire on his enemy. Cinder grinned as she summoned a new Mantle of Fire, safe in the knowledge that the bullets would melt and bounce off her skin in the event they reached her. A foregone conclusion that shocked her in its inaccuracies. The bullets crashed into her stomach, only partially melting and instead of safely bouncing off of her, turned into widder projectiles and making the impact worse. Cinder stumbled back breathlessly, feeling as if she had been shot in the stomach with a rubber slug. Hope rushed her while she was down and slashed a gash into her Aura. Cinder was, once more, shocked at how devastating Hope's attack was as she felt her Aura chunking. She let loose a torrent of flame to put some space between her and Hope and the seer scrambled away to not get torched. Cinder took in some deep breaths before holding her stomach. She looked down her dress and saw a large bruise form, accompanied by a large thin one between her breasts. She couldn't help but chuckle.

"Twice now you've bruised me, dear."

She groaned as her Flame Mantle undulated and shrunk. Her bruises steamed as they slowly vanished.

"I'm starting to think I should take your toys away." She threatened.

His eyes squinted as he winced at the heat wave coming from his adversary. He took a step back and started shooting again but Cinder learned her lesson. Hope's gun was special, and so was his blade. If she wanted to avoid getting bruised again, she would avoid coming into contact with his tools of destruction. She dodged his shot with great difficulty as the bullets themselves seemed to aim toward where she was going instead of where she was. Either Hope was a smart shooter or his weapon had a mind of its own. Which one it was, the Fall Maiden did not know and was too busy being shot at to care. A mechanical clunk resounded where a bang was expected and Hope let his muscle memory take over. The magazine slid out and clinked on the floor. Cinder dashed forward, a ball of flame swirling in her hand like a fiery vortex. Hope took out a new magazine and slid it into his gun, racking the slide with practiced ease. Hope held out a hand to cover his face as both took aim in a slit second before firing their mutual projectile. Hope's bullet pierced through the side of Cinder's fireball, almost coring it and detonating it right next to his face like a grenade. The flames ignited his jacket and Hope screamed as the left side of his face caught fire. Cinder was hit square in the chest by the bullet, further draining her Aura and halting her momentum completely, sending her flat on her back. Both hit the floor at the same time, with Hope immediately rolling around trying to put out the fire as Cinder was once again winded. Hope tore his jacket off and whimpered as he held his burned face. Cinder groaned before vomiting, the trauma to her torso being too much for her stomach. She staggered to her feet just as Hope looked up, revealing the extent of the damage she had done. His left eye was caught in the detonation, the pressure and heat of the attack shattering his iris and rupturing the blood vessels in his sclera. His left arm sizzled and trembled as massive burns charred the limb from the back of his hand to his shoulder. He whimpered again as the pain shot up his arm and face, exacerbated by his damaged nerves. What would already be an atrociously painful wound felt like he was flayed and then salted. Hope's vision was partly blurred, his now damaged eye unable to focus. He fought the urge to crawl into the fetal position and forced himself up despite the pain, breathing through his clenched teeth.

Hope and Cinder stood before one another, both worse for wear and looking miserable. Cinder groaned as her bruises steamed away, her Mantle disappearing. Hope's breathing became heavy as he pushed through the pain. He held his gun up to shoot but as soon as he fired one round, the recoil impulse shot up through his damaged arm. Hope screamed as the pain made him drop his handgun.

"Son of a bitch!" He cursed, gripping his trembling arm as melting fat and blood dripped down. "Not this shit again!"

Hope rolled away as a Cinder extended her arm forward, unleashing a torrent of flame that stuck to the floor like a burning oil slick. He spat, his gun now engulfed in fire.

"Damnit!"

Seeing no other option, Hope engaged in disadvantageous melee. He swung as best he could but Cinder parried his strikes with ease. Despite the apparent buff that the flame cloak provided being no more, Cinder was still the superior fighter. Her Aura-aided strength was greater and so were her skills with her weapon of choice, unlike Hope who hadn't been able to practice since the Breach. However, something told him that even with all the training in the world, he would still come up short. Cinder backflipped away, showing off, while joining her blades together. She summoned a torrent of flame at her feet, the heat of which began to melt the floor. Hope was forced to back off, desperately not wanting to get burned again.

A mistake by any other name.

Cinder made the flames disappear and with a wave of her hand, moulded the melted concrete into arrows of volcanic glass. Hope saw in a split second what she had done and braced himself, anchoring his feet to the ground. Cinder let fly a small volley of a half dozen arrows, firing all of them in an arc from the crystalline bow string of Midnight. The predictable trajectory of the projectile helped Hope dodge one, but sadly, even the training Blake put him through wasn't enough. Two arrows were backhanded away and three sadly, found their mark. As he backhanded one of the arrows, another found itself in his left shoulder. Before he could scream, another pierced to the right of his stomach. The final arrow found its home neatly between Hope's shin and foot, severing the cartilage and damn near tearing his tendon in twain. Hope collapsed to a knee, instinctively trying to tear the arrow out but only for them partially disintegrated, leaving rods of glass inside him. Hope growled before jabbing his thumb into his new shin hole and pushing the rod out, ditto for the other two. Cinder's expression went from one of savage glee, of a warrior enjoying the thrill of the fight despite being deeply uneven, to one of pure fascination as Hope rose back up with a limp.

"You're still going?!" She exclaimed. "Such valiance!"

Hope walked forward, his damaged shin absolutely disagreeing with this decision and making it incredibly painful to put any pressure on it. Hope roared as he ran, one last desperate charge to try and pull one over on the Fall Maiden. His wounds spurt blood and his nerves screamed as Hope clashed pathetically with Cinder, who overpowered him immediately. She began laughing out of pure amazement.

"Incredible!Incredible, Incredible, Incredible!" She kept exclaiming repeatedly. "Your willpower is utterly baffling! I've maimed you and not only do you refuse to run, you CHARGE at me?!"

Her face reddened slightly as she cackled.

"Why must you do this to me, Anon?! Why do you make this so damned difficult!? The more we fight, the more I want to keep you for myself!"

Hope struggled, trying his hardest to push back.

"Go! Fuck! Yourself! You! Crazy! BITCH!"

With a mighty howl of effort, He called Hope pushed Cinder back and slashed at her exposed neck. Only for his blade to bounce off her Aura as if it were rubber. Cinder, on reflex, slashed at her opponent's exposed limb and severed Hope's right arm right below his elbow. Time went slow as Hope saw his limb fly to the floor limply in a geyser of blood. In the same motion that severed his limb, Cinder drove her blade into Hope's chest, its razor-sharp, burning edge sinching the very edge of the thin space between his lung and heart and barely missing his spine. Hope gasped as his body went limp, falling to his knees. Hope looked down at his chest, stunned at the chunk of steel piercing him from front to back. Hope looked up to Cinder, seeing that not a drop of sweat tarnished the arching brow that framed her widened eyes.

"Why... Why don't you have an Aura?" She asked breathlessly.

The seer coughed wetly before smiling with bloodied teeth.

"I was born... Under an intact moon..." He revealed, taking in strained breath between sentences "In a world drowning... In discord... Where Man is it's own... Worst enemy..."

He stroked her face, a sad smile on his lips.

"A shame... You never saw it... Because then... You'd understand... Why I tried to... To save this world..."

His hand descended to Cinder's now cold blade.

"Well done... You've won." He praised. "Now reap... The consequences."

Cinder looked down, not understanding what Hope was saying. Him, from another world? That's nonsense... But he did tell her previously that he wasn't from Remnant. What was it again? Eden? Cinder shook her head. No... No, this is stupid. It can't be that... With a flourish, she turned away, tearing her blade from his torso. A final gasp accompanied the disgusting squelsh of her Midnight ripping its way out of his chest. Cinder swiped the blood off her weapon before turning her head to see Hope's kneeling body become motionless, his wounds bleeding softly.

"He's... Gone..." She noted quietly.

Cinder walked away slowly as her heart throbbed with an emotion she hadn't felt in a long time.

Emptiness.

She dragged out a sigh as she walked to the edge of the tower, mulling over what she had done. She gazed upon her work with unexpressive eyes. In the distance, she saw a building collapse. She saw the Honourbound close in on the Police Headquarters, with Amity doing much the same. But worst of all...

She saw no army closing in on her.

Hope had come alone. He threw himself at her to delay her, to distract her from unleashing her power against his allies. To kill the dangerous Jabberwock and hold her back. Once again, her hopes and expectations were dashed by one man, who didn't even have an Aura, who had no Semblance. An emotionless chuckle exited her lips.

"And here I was... Hoping for a climactic final battle... One where I'd vanquish your champions before you... I guess... I should have seen that one coming."

She sighed again, taking her hands off the railing.

"I need to move. That crippled mess at the base of the tower can't cause havoc anymore, I'll at least try to salvage this mess."

She turned, expecting to go to the elevator and pass by Hope's corpse one last time...

But she was met not by a corpse, but by a dead man standing.

Anon Hope stood before her, his face veiled in shadows as he held in his hand a strange device with a hinged cap and an antenna. Her eyes shone at the sight of her rival still breathing and a smile crossed her lips.

"You... You're alive?" She exclaimed joyfully.

His eyes shone through the darkness, contempt and rage animating the black spark that shone in his now broken eye. Behind him was a shade-like entity with a crown of horns atop his head, his violent red eyes glaring at her vengefully. Hope held out the device in his hand, One that Cinder now recognized as a detonator.

"No. But neither are you." he croaked.

Her pupils rescinded as the seer popped the cap off and activated the detonator with a press of the red button. The tower rumbled and shook violently as the base began collapsing. The walls fell inward as the tower began to fall. Cinder tried to keep her balance before scrambling to the floor. She stumbled to her feet before enveloping herself in a Mantle of Fire. Her feet began drifting off the ground as she rose an inch off the floor. She wobbled in the air unevenly, almost falling back to the floor.

Ample opportunity for Hope to strike.

As she tried to stay upward and flee, Hope dropped the detonator and walked towards Cinder. The red-eyed Belial kicked Shatterslash off the floor, the blade flying into Hope's hand. The Devil flew to his side, one hand holding his side to keep him balanced and counteract his damaged tendon. Belial sneered as he pushed Hope into rushing her before she could flee. He would help Hope make her pay. He would not let her crush Hope without Retribution.

Vengeance will be Hope's, Wrath will see to that.

Cinder managed to balance herself in the air and turned to flee but it was too late. Shatterslash twinkled in the light of the Red Sun and screamed a dirge as it cut through Cinder Mantle of Fire. Its keen, wicked edge slashed through flesh, sinew and bones like warm butter. Cinder gasped as a symmetrical line opened her back, going down her spine and slitting it two-thirds of the way through. Her flames disappeared as a spray of blood doused the fire and she collapsed motionlessly to the floor. Her eyes trembled as she tried to lift herself up. Nothing moved, not her arms nor her legs, let alone her torso. Belial smirked cruelly at the crippled Maiden, an expression of contempt that disappeared once Hope did as his enemy had and fell to the floor next to her. The Lord of Wrath knelt next to Hope, shaking him frantically and trying to help him up. But Hope couldn't, his body barely responsive and refusing to move. The floor cracked, fuelling Belial's attempt at helping Hope. Hope smiled at the Lord of Wrath.

"It's fine. You've done your part..."

Belial's fist quaked, blood spurting from his claws digging into his palms. He went to drag Hope away once more but his time was up, like Pride and Mercy before him. The pull of Hell wrapped around Belial like black iron chains, dragging him into a fissure in Reality where the Hell-Bounds' call could be heard. Belial clenched his fanged teeth, letting out a despaired roar as his form melted into the wind, leaving behind naught but the smell of brimstone.

Hope smirked, staring at the powerless Cinder as the ground crumbled behind them. She craned her head slowly to look into Hope now vacant eyes.

"And now, for me to end my part of this tale..." He muttered.

Hope closed his eyes as the floor gave in and both he and Cinder disappeared in a cloud of dust and rubble...


Ruby tapped her foot impatiently on the floor of the Bullhead's cockpit.

"How long until we're at Beacon?" She asked for the umpteen time.

The Bullhead pilot checked the coordinates, himself looking vexed.

"Our systems are taxed and the air traffic's a nightmare from all the damned Grimm Flyers clouding the way." He blithered. "I can get you to the entrance but I saw that big freaking thing flying around and I'm not risking my bird for some fool's errand!"

"Give me a timeframe!" Ruby demanded. "We'll run the rest of the way if we have to!"

Their conversation was interspersed with the symphony of gunfire, as the rest of Ruby's team took charge of giving any Grimm that came too close a lead lobotomy.

"We'll be there in a few minutes," The pilot warned. "then I drop you off and fly around for five minutes, top! Then, whether you're there or not, I leave! Any complaint?"

Ruby nodded.

"None."

Ruby left the pilot to his device, anxious but satisfied with the plan. She sat down with a huff next to Yang, who was taking a break from punching the air where the Grimms would be. Yang wrapped one of her arms around her little sister's shoulder.

"We'll get him."

Ruby nodded dourly.

"We will..." She told herself. "We'll save him..."

...

The Bullhead landed at the very edge of the campus, where the city meets the academy. The girls quickly rushed out of the aircraft just as the bullhead immediately began to pull back into the air.

"Remember!" The pilot announced through the craft's window. "Five minutes! No more!"

Ruby waved him off before facing toward the Tower of Beacon.

"We don't have much time," Weiss commented. "We'll have to do this fast."

"Yeah. Let's-"

The ground shook violently and all eyes landed on the tower as it began crumbling. Their eyes widened in horror.

"ANON!" Blake shrieked.

"LEG IT, DAMNIT!" Yang yelled as she hit the ground running.

Ruby and the rest joined their brawled in a mad dash towards the tower. Where the fate of their best friend, lies in suspense.


Emerald Sustrai never was one for graphic violence. Copious blood and gore always disgusted her to no end, even worse when it was her own blood. Luckily, despite her boss' propensity to get her hands bloodied, she never really was sent to deal with situations where she had to soil her own digits with another's vitae.

Which was the polar opposite of her partner.

Yes, Mercury Black was not a very disdainful worker. Whether it's trudging in a sewer to aid White Fang insurgents or doing "clean up" on Cinder's order. No, covering his entire body in filth, let alone his hands, did not bother him in the least, much to other people's despair as his body odour had a habit of being rancid as a result.

Sitting not so pretty in the academy's cafeteria, both waited semi-patiently as Cinder finished up getting the Maiden's power.

"This is taking too long," Emerald noted. "It shouldn't take this long to kill some crippled girl."

Mercury shrugged, bouncing his leg up and down, his own limited patience running dry.

"She's probably still busy killing Ozpin. He is down there with Amber."

"Do you really think it she would take that much time to deal with him?"

"I doubt the old man's easy to kill. He's been alive longer than anyone in the world, even older than Salem. Guy's gotta have a few tricks up his sleeves."

Emerald hummed boredly.

"Maybe."

"Still doesn't stop her from being slow."

"I said it fir-"

A sudden detonation shook the ground and threw the dastardly duo to the floor, a deafening sound rigging in their ears.

"Crap!" Mercury cussed. "What was that?!"

Emerald helped herself to her feet, then the footwork to his.

"I don't know, but something tells me Cinder's plan went pear-shaped." Emerald hypothesized.

Mercury took his partner's hand before dusting himself lightly with a sneer.

"Let's hurry," Mercury counselled grumpily. "I doubt she would like it if she learned we did nothing while she was up gods know what kind of creek."

...

The pair arrived at Beacon Tower, witnessing the result of Hope's desperate gambit. Emerald looked around, amazed and disturbed at the destruction.

"Good grief!" She exclaimed. "What happened?!"

They wandered around the rubble, looking for any signs of life. Both were hit with fright as a large pile of rubble shook, a loud but muffled roar resonating amidst the shattered stone. Mercury grimaced in disbelief.

"Is that what I think that is?!" He asked, baffled. "Is that the Jabberwock?!"

"I think it is?" Emerald admitted, herself unsure. "What happened to it? It sounds like it's having trouble getting out."

"I don't really want to know... Whatever happened to it, it's pissed the heck off."

The pair looked around knowing that, somehow, Cinder was at fault for the destruction of the Tower. Emerald pulled out her scroll and sent a signal ping using Beacon's compromised router. after a few aggravating minutes of low-speed search, her scroll received two signals. She poked her comrade to gather his attention then pointed to her scroll. Mercury nodded and they took a sprinting start toward the signal.

The epicentre of the ruined tower was comprised of yet more rubble, though this time, rubble stained with blood. Emerald let out an involuntary yuck as she walked toward the signal's origin. Her foot snagged on something, tripping her with a painful sound exiting her lungs.

"Oh, come on-"

The thief froze as her eyes landed on a dismembered arm wreathed with rings. She let out a disguised squeal as she rapidly crawled away, much to Mercury's grim amusement.

"Ha! That was a cute sound!" He mocked lightly.

"Oh, screw you!"

Emerald grunted as she whipped out a handkerchief to clean her now bloodstained shoe. Mercury meanwhile took hold of the severed forearm, inspecting it curiously.

"Merc!" Emerald decried. "Don't just pick up body parts, that's disgusting!"

"Oh, please! It's just some dude's arm!" He said flippantly while inspecting the rings. "Urgh, they look like they're made of iron! That's worthless!"

Emerald's brows rose.

"Iron?"

"Yeah! I mean, at least get silver rings if you can't afford gold! What kind of cheap-ass gets iron rings?!"

Emerald could think of one person who'd own iron rings. The puzzle of what happened began to make sense if she added Hope to it. she checked her scroll again, thinking about the two signals she was getting.

"I have a serious feeling that Cinder just bit off more than she could chew."

"Wouldn't surprise me," Mercury commented. "Although I'm pretty sure she's peachy, if scratched up. I swear, that girl's more tenacious than a honey badger."

"Yeah..."

The pair began the arduous process of digging through the rubble of the collapsed tower. Luckily for them, they didn't have to work long as after only a few minutes of digging, they found the source of the signals. a tuff of soft, milk chocolate-coloured hair stood out from the light shade of the broken stones covering it. Mercury grunted as he removed another piece of rubble covering the tuff, revealing Hope's upper torso and head.

"Called it..." Emerald murmured quietly.

Emerald looked over Hope's shoulder, finding Cinder's head poking out from under Hope's body. Hope had inadvertently protected Cinder from the rubble by covering her body with his own. The maiden lifted her head slowly from the crook of the seer's neck to see her two lackeys digging both of them out of their hole. Once most of the rubble was off of Hope, Mercury grabbed him by the shoulders and tossed him aside like a bag of garbage. Cinder's eyes quietly followed Hope as his body tumbled down the veritable mound of debris that the tower of Beacon had become. Mercury squatted over his boss, smirking like a prick.

"Need a hand boss?"

Cinder blinked, still in shock, before slowly nodding. Mercury held his hand out but Cinder didn't move.

"Well?" Mercury asked, getting impatient. "Take my hand."

Cinder looked at his hand blankly.

"I... Can't feel... Anything." Cinder admitted.

Mercury sighed as he took hold of his boss' arm and lifted her out of the rubble. Once he did, he came to the realization of what was wrong with Cinder, her sliced-open back now visible. Emerald paled as she instinctively backed away.

"Dark! Her spine's split in half!" She observed with revulsion.

"Ah, shit..." Mercury cursed. "This is bad... Salem's not gonna be happy."

"let's hurry back to Evernight. Maybe Salem or Watts can fix her back."

Cinder blinked slowly as Mercury took her into his arms like a princess.

She really, really didn't like it.


Hope felt his soul trying to leave his body, his limbs feeling like static ran through them. He tried to pull himself to his feet but his body felt heavy, too heavy. His trembling arm collapsed under his weight. His breathing was ragged and difficult, his rapidly paling face drained of blood growing paler by the moment. And just when all seemed lost...

Things got worse.

A mound of rubble before him exploded outward, a massive winged form bursting from its stone cocoon. The Jabberwock stood on its hind legs, a powerful, hateful roar of pain erupting from its throat. Black smoke covered its back as a sickening crunching sound resounded, as the beast's shoulder blades were painfully relocated back into their proper place. The best fell back unto its now working wings, groaning in pain as its wounds calcified. Its lone eye landed on the mass of pain and distress that was hope, its empty eyesocket filling with bonelike material. The beast lumbered slowly, savouring Hope's pain as he fruitlessly tried to stand, only succeding on kneeling. His body swayed side to side as the monster Hope had previously crippled approached. The Jabberwock stood over He Called Hope, sniffing him contemptuously. The beast leaned back, slowly opening its sharp, fanged maw.

Hope sighed quietly.

"Goddamnit..."


V3E14: END!

TO BE CONCLUDED...