Clang! Slash! Crash!
The air of normal quietness of the dock was split apart as Cinder and Adelaide repeatedly. Both dual blades welders slashed and stabbed trying to get the upper hand on their opponent while remaining cautious of not letting the other get an edge.
Unfortunately, that was significantly more difficult for one than the other.
"Gah!" Cinder cried, staggering back as she just barely dodged her opponent's swipe. This was so frustrating! Adelaide's semblance had dropped the temperature around the woman so much it was hard for the girl to even breathe. On top of that, the older woman was just straight up more experienced and was in better condition.
And if that wasn't frustrating enough.
"Not again!" Cinder screamed in frustration as her swing got caught in the area between Adelaide's two blades, getting stuck yet again giving the older woman a perfect opening where she quickly slashed her multiple times on the chest before Cinder was able to free herself and leap backwards, putting distance between them.
Adelaide's weapons seemed like they were designed for dueling huntsman, not fighting Grimm as every time she struck, the woman would always try to catch her blade to lock her in place and get an opening where she'd launch a lightning fast barrage of attacks to chip away at her aura until it would eventually break. Combined that with the freezing air that took her breath away every time she got close, it was rapidly wearing her down to the point she was already gasping for air.
But the annoying part was that wasn't even the problem here.
The problem was that Adelaide's ice armor had so many spikes, Cinder couldn't get at her sides, legs or back, forcing the girl to only attack head on or risk being impaled or getting her sword caught on the spikes anyway.
"Damn it all!" Cinder screamed as Adelaide moved in, launching a volley of fast slashes and stabs, forcing the girl to dart to the side where she tried to counter. However, all the woman had to do was shift slightly, letting her catch her sword on one of her spikes before shifting her weight and shouldering Cinder, sending her flying back to the water's edge, her blade still stuck to the ice.
"Oh come on!" The dark haired girl groaned as she saw her weapon fall to the ground from Adelaide's armor. Now her bow, her only defense against that ground freezing semblance was gone. Which meant she no longer had a way to stop the women if she-!
Before she could finish her thought, Adelaide shot forward, immediately closing distance between where she began slashing and kicking at the girl in a lightning fast barrage, one she was more than happy to return.
But with one weapon down and her opponent being much more experienced, her defense was lacking, letting Adelaide land several attacks before kicking her right at the base of her ribs, knocking her away right to the docks edge.
"Is that the best you can do?" The woman asked as she advanced on the girl who was struggling to get to her feet, only to end up falling on her hands and knees, gasping for breath. "If so, I'd advise you to stay down. That way, I can make your death as painless as possible. Continue to fight me, and you'll die screaming in agony."
Looking up, Cinder slowly managed to crawl to her feet, her limbs shaking as she went. But despite this, a grin was spread across her face. One filled with mocking confidence and pride.
"Bite me." She said, sliding back into her fighting stance as she leveled her one blade at the woman.
Adelaide didn't even bother sighing this time. She knew this girl was incredibly stubborn. It wasn't a surprise she chose the hard way.
And so, without a word, the woman shot forward, her weapons poised to deliver a killing blow onto the girl.
However, right as she got close to Cinder, the dark haired girl used her free hand to punch the ground, immediately creating a massive steam cloud that covered both of them, bringing the woman to a screeching halt.
"Hmph. She doesn't learn." Adelaide thought, immediately releasing her semblance, letting it take hold of the water in the air. Once she located her opponent, she would freeze her in place just like before and then she'd be able to end this waste of-.
However before she could do anything, Cinder shoved her face right into Adelaide's, catching the woman off guard and making her step back in surprise.
But due to the sudden nature of this move, her weight was momentarily off balance, leaving her vulnerable for a split second, something Cinder immediately capitalized on by planting one leg in between her's and grabbing her by the arm. In this position, the older woman was defenseless as the dark haired girl turned and threw her over her shoulder, sending the woman crashing into the sea just behind her.
"How's that for my best?!" Cinder yelled triumphantly. "Not so tough now that the tables have turned! Who needs a weapon when I have good old fashioned brain pow-!"
The girl was cut off when a wave, one that should have swept Adelaide out, suddenly froze right as it crashed against the dock, creating a ramp right from the sea onto the land, one easily accessible as the entire area around that part froze solid as well.
"Oh shit." Cinder snarled, turning and racing back up the dock, skidding to a halt next to her fallen sword and scooping it up.
And not a moment to soon as the next second, Adelaide launched herself out of the frozen water and back onto land, charging at unbelievable speed straight towards Cinder, her one working skate letting her move effortlessly across the ground as she froze it, and combined with the still working rocket, the dark haired girl barely had enough time to throw up her swords as a guard before she was crashed into, sending her flying backwards, forcing her to dig her blade into the ground to stop herself.
Gasping, Cinder once again found herself on her knees and at her opponent's mercy. However this time, as her gaze lifted up to see Adelaide charging at her again, forcing her to roll out of the way just barely dodging the lethal attack. And as the woman shot past, the girl had a second to think before could strike again, giving her a chance to quickly glance at the sun above her.
"Just a little longer." She thought. "I just need to last a bit longer!" But as she was forced to throw herself out of her opponent's way once again, even this felt like an impossibility when compared to the overwhelming power she was facing.
And Adam's fight wasn't going much better.
"Aaahhh!" Adam screamed as Igor whipped him in his bare face with the weighted end of his chain, immediately drawing blood from the Faunus.
Staggering back, Adam reactivated his aura, shielding him from any more damage and began to heal himself. But it was short lived as the next second, Igor shot forward his hand glowing purple as he tried to grab the Faunus.
Seeing this, Adam tried to dodge, but Igor just swung his weapon wide, tangling it around the Faunus' ankle, making him trip and leaving him completely vulnerable as the man grabbed hold of his face.
As Igor's aura started to invade Adam's, the Faunus quickly turned his cloak off, stopping the spread before it could begin. But without his protection, he quickly found a sickle being driven down towards his face.
"I-! I can't keep up!" Adam thought as his hands flew up, catching his opponent's wrist stopping the blade from reaching his head as he reactivated his aura, only to be forced to turn it off as the tendrils lash against the back of his hand.
"Hahahaha! What's the matter?! I thought you had a plan to beat me!" Igor laughed gleefully as he watched his blade slowly lower closer and closer to his opponent's face. "Is this all you got! I'm so bored and I thought you could at least entertain me for a few more minutes! Don't tell me your big plan was-!"
Before he could finish, Adam drove his knee into the man's crotch, immediately causing the man to let out a cry of pain, weakening his grip long enough for the Faunus to toss him off before rolling away and discharging a burst of his semblance, knocking the chain on his leg off.
Quick as he could, Adam got to his feet, but even that wasn't fast enough as the next second, he was forced to duck the glowing purple blade that was swung at his head, forcing him back even more.
"Shit! I can't get close to him!" Adam thought as Igor swung his weapon around over his head, slicing through the air making a loud whipping sound. "Still, that's not important right now. I just have to stick to the plan and buy a little more time! If I can avoid his semblance, things should go smoothly. He won't have the destructive force to break my aura that quickly. Just stay back and play defensively, that's all!"
But that was easier said than done.
"Hahahaha!" The madman laughed, swinging wide with both his sickles, making Adam duck to avoid getting his or tangled. However, the blades stuck themselves into two support pillars behind the Faunus, lodging deep inside them. Then, before he could realize what had happened, Igor used the chains on his weapon to slingshot himself forward, flying at the Faunus so fast, he didn't have time to react.
"Aahh!" Adam screamed as both of Igor's feet slammed into his face, sending him flying back, blood flying from his nose, telling the madman everything he needed to know.
"Ha! Now I got ya!" He screamed, pulling his weapons from the pillars and, before Adam had even hit the ground, swinging them both toward the Faunus, their blades glowing with a bright purple aura.
Seeing this, Adam spun midair, swing his own blade at the advancing sickles, releasing a burst of red energy that knocked the blades away, clattering harmlessly to the ground as both him and Igor landed, both poised for their next move.
And as the madman recalled his weapons, Adam bit his lip as a bead of sweat ran down his face as the reality of the situation truly sunk in.
Defense or not, there was no way he was going to last.
Explosions rocked the docks at Music Fest. During the fight, Cinder had landed on top of a warehouse and was firing a barrage of exploding arrows down on the docks below. Being unable to pull them from her quiver fast enough, she had settled instead on holding them in the hand she used to draw her bow, letting her nock and fire one a second!
But even with that, it wasn't enough.
Cinder let out a scream of frustration as Adelaide gracefully dodged her barrage, moving as if she was dancing, closing the gap between herself and her opponent.
"Damn it, damn it, damn it!" Cinder thought as she felt her arrows diminish. She was wasting so much ammunition! But Adelaide was so fucking fast! And with the way she was moving, she couldn't trap her in between three shots, which was probably the only way to do damage!
"Fang, what the hold up?!" She thought angrily. "I can't hold here much longer! Hurry up and do your damn job! This is about to get-!"
Cinder was ripped from her thoughts when Adelaide suddenly lashed out with her leg, kicking her arrow out of the air and making a frozen slash that became solid in the air, immediately making the girl's eyes widened. This was her chance! Adelaide had stopped moving! And even if it was just for a second, this was the opening she had been-!
Before she could finish that thought, the woman suddenly activated her rockets, laughing herself forward and off the frozen slash, using it as a ram to propel herself into the air and right at the dark haired girl on the roof.
"Shi-! Aahhhh!" Was all the girl got out before Adelaide slammed into her, slashing an X into her chest and knocking her off the roof where she sailed several feet through the air before slamming against the ground where she rolled several feet before coming to a stop her aura flickering.
"Gah." Cinder groaned, coughing as she crawled to her hands and knees. The attack had been so powerful, it had knocked her blades from her hands, leaving them laying at either side of the warehouse's base.
""Not bad, but still far from enough." Adelaide said as she leapt from the roof, landing gracefully before advancing toward Cinder. "You fought well. But now it's over. Normally, I would say I'd spare you if you agree to stay out of my way, but."
The woman came to a stop right above the girl, looking down at her as she slowly got to her knees and looked back up. For a split second their eyes locked. Then, before the younger girl could react, Adelaide's hand shot out, grabbing Cinder by the throat immediately cutting off her airway.
"I think we both know that won't happen." She said as she activated her semblance, immediately making the girl let out a weak scream as she felt an unshakable cold fill her throat.
Frantically, Cinder began hitting Adelaide on her arms, aiming for the joints to try and force her into a disadvantageous position. And when that failed, she reached out, grabbing the older woman's neck and returning the favor with her semblance.
However, instead of the woman's throat turning red or blistering, Cinder's hand was met with cold resistance, creating a small trail of steam to rise from their point of contact as the cold skin effortlessly fought her back.
"You can only release heat from your hands it seems." Adelaide said calmly as she watched the girl's neck start to turn blue and each ragged attempt to breath released a puff of steam. "Unfortunately for you, I can control the temperature of anything in contact with any part of my body. Not only that, but you need to use twice as much aura as me to get the same result. And even then, it's nothing more than a mockery of the real power of a temperature semblance."
Black spots were appearing in her eyes and Cinder could feel the cold from Adelaide's neck seeping into her hand. Needing to change tactics, she released her grip and tried to stab her in the throat with a spear hand instead, only for the woman to grab her wrist right before impact.
"You think the power of this semblance is pure destruction, but that doesn't even do this power justice. If all you do is scrape the surface of a power, you will forever remain insignificant." Adelaide said, tightening her grip on the girl. "The real power is forcing your power into a living being. That way, instead of wasting time beating them on the outside, you can do real damage instantly, and without needing to destroy their aura. A child like you, who does nothing but flail wildly at her opponents, is unworthy of this kind of power."
Everything around Cinder felt like it was disappearing down a long dark tunnel. Her vision was getting fuzzy and darkness creeped in the edges. She couldn't even tell if it was the woman or the cold that was choking her anymore. Every single part of her neck was screaming in agony, and she could feel the cold seeping down to her chest, making its way dangerously close to her heart. She knew she had to do something before it was too late.
With her only free hand, she tried to push the woman off, even beating against her face, but the cold had sapped her strength, and with the woman's aura still more than intact, it was the equivalent of throwing paper at a rock. Completely hopeless.
Unfazed by the girl's attempts to free herself, or the ugly shade of blue she was turning, Adelaide pushed her hand harder against her neck, slowly squeezing the life out of her. She could see the light starting to fade in the girl's eyes, telling her this fight was already over.
"You probably can't hear me, but this is the true power of our ability." She said, dropping the temperature of the girl's neck further. "Had you lived long, you might have learned how to use this yourself. Shame, I truly believe you had potential. This is a waste, unfortunately, I don't have time to mourn you. So hurry up and die!"
With that, she activated her semblance in her other hand, immediately sending a chill straight through the girl's arm, drawing a rasp from her immediately. The cold had already set in and there was no doubt part of her skin had already frozen, rendering her in an unfeeling agony her body just couldn't comprehend.
And in just a few more minutes, the girl would die.
"Shit!"
Adam's scream was cut off as Igor wrapped his chain around the Faunus' ankles, immediately whipping him into the air before slamming him into the ground, winding him and forcing him to use his aura to avoid broken bones.
"Damn it!" Adam snarled, spinning and releasing his semblance, launching a powerful wave of energy back at his opponent who was now charging at him. However, Igor immediately just raised his hand, wrapping it in his purple aura, effortlessly letting him swipe the attack away by eroding the center.
"Too slow!" The madman yelled as he leapt into the air above the Faunus, pulling his sickle out as he went. "You were fun, but it's time to end this little game! You entertained me for too long as is! But don't worry, I'm sure I'll remember you for at least a week! Ahahaha!"
With that, he fell, blade aimed right at Adam's head. Reacting fast, the Faunus raised his blade, blocking the blade from stabbing him through.
"Not yet!" The redhead snapped, trying to push the older man off. "I'm not done! I've still got some fight in me yet!"
Igor, looking down at his pinned prey, licked his lips as a horrible smile spread across his face.
"Good."
Before Adam even had time to process, Igor slammed his pal into the Faunus' stomach.
Immediately, Adam let out a horrified scream as he felt the tendrils of aura infect him, running much deeper than before. This time, instead of fire, it felt like acid was being forced into his intestines, dissolving them from the inside out.
"Aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!" The young man's blood curdling echoed through the area, reaching all the way up to the many highways above him as he began to writhe in agony, his last bit of consciousness desperately trying to shut his aura off.
With a chuckle, Igor got off the young man, grinning as he watched his claw at his own stomach, as if trying to pull his own organs out.
"It's no use." He said, a horrible smile across his face that had a deep blush across as he relished Adam's pain. "When the body faces near certain death, their aura locks itself on, washing over the area in a desperate attempt to heal it. It won't turn off even if you lose consciousness. An effective defense mechanism that has saved many a huntsman. Shame it backfires when facing someone with my particular abilities."
Calmly, Igor raised his hand, extending his aura tendrils and making them wiggle around as if in dance, watching them with a squirm with almost a sense of pride to it, as if he was happy to have such a horrific power.
"See, my semblance is like a parasite." He explained. "I can start the corruption on the inside and let it spread out. Much more effective in battle then the little love tap I've given you and the knight before. Though with that said, I don't really like having to use it like that. A person's internal organs tend to liquidate so fast, they don't scream and suffer anywhere near enough to get me off."
The young Faunus tried to open his mouth to say something, anything. But instead found something working its way up his stomach and into his throat. Turning to the ground just in time, he vomited out a horrible mix of bile, blood, and something slimy covered in both. And while he didn't know what it was, he knew he probably shouldn't be throwing it up.
Slowly, the purple aura began spreading up his body, encasing his chest, immediately causing him to collapse onto the ground as it infected both his heart and his lungs, making each breath feel like he was swallowing needles and each beat pump acid through his body. Screaming itself began a trial and his writhing weakened, then became weak twitching. Slowly, darkness overtook his vision as his eyes rolled upward into his head. At the same time, his mind started to slip away as foam started to bobble out of his mouth.
Every nerve in his body felt like they were going to burst as they screamed in agony. At this point his consciousness was already slipping through his fingers. He couldn't breath, couldn't see, couldn't feel anything beyond the agony of his existence. And as he was swallowed whole by darkness, Adam gave one final, desperate push back towards the surface, desperately trying to pull himself out of the shadow tightening embrace.
But it wasn't enough. And slowly, he was dragged back into the darkness, this time swallowing him entirely.
Igor let out a sigh as Adam's body stopped twitching. His eyes were still open, but there was no light in them, and while his pollution hadn't completely spread up the Faunus' face, it was clear its work would soon be done.
"Fun's over. What a shame." The man grunt as he made his way over to Adam, idly spinning his sickle over his knuckles. "It was fun, especially the part where you began screaming, but unfortunately a man's cries just don't have the same charm as a woman's. Aw well, I guess beggars can't be choosers."
Calmly, he approached the now barely moving Faunus, coming to a stop right above him, a horrible grin spreading across his face.
"But then again, I just thought of a wonderful idea of how to use your corpse. One that will give me all the delicious screams I could imagine." He said, grabbing Adam by his hair and placing his blade against his throat, licking his lips as a crazies look appeared in his eyes.
"I bet I'll be treated to a plethora of cries that will reach all the way up to Beacon if I send your severed head to the White Fang! Mhahahah!"
With that insane cackle, he pulled his arm back, winding up to put all his strength into his next swing. He didn't need to make a clean cut, as long as the head came off and was recognizable, that was all that mat-!
Suddenly, the man froze as something blew off the highway and landed on his nose. Going slightly cross eyed to look at it, his confusion mounted as he saw it was a flower petal. A rose, to be exact.
That was odd. There weren't any rose bushes in the middle of Vale's freeway. So where had-?
Before he could even finish his question, he got his answer as a sudden blizzard of petals surrounded him, completely blinding him from his surroundings.
"What the hell!?" He screamed, dropping Adam and leaping back, readying both kusarigama to defend himself.
However, before he had even planted his feet properly, a figure suddenly shot from the blizzard, drop-kicking him right in the face sending him flying back and out of the blizzard. They had appeared so fast he couldn't even react to them! Nor had he been able to sense their aura until they were right on top of him!
And as he flew backwards, a grin spread across his face. There was only one huntress he knew who could pull a move like this!
Spinning in that air, he dug his sickles into the ground to bring himself to a stop, letting him look up and grin as the rose petals that had surrounded him disappeared in beautiful sparkles that blew away in the wind.
And as the person inside the blizzard came into focus, his suspicion was confirmed, making him chuckle.
"Summer Rose. What an honor." He said, standing up to leer at the woman. "I must say, when I heard you lost an eye to some no name nothing, I was afraid you'd lost your touch. Glad to see that isn't true."
As he rubbed his chin, Summer said nothing, simply glancing over her shoulder to Adam who was still laying on the floor, blood dribbling out of his mouth as the pollution spread.
"Aww. Getting all sad over the injured roadkill?" The man mocked, drawing her attention back to him. "Well don't worry. You'll be joining him soon enough. I bet you have a lovely screaming voice. Such a beautiful woman such as yourself will undoubtedly finally get me off! And when I have you on the ground coughing up blood, I might even treat myself to the beautiful garden between your legs. Having to child might have made you a bit lose, but I'm sure I'll still get plenty of joy out of making you cry." The man-. No. Thing, licked its lips hungrily, eyeing her body as if it was a chunk of meat at the fish market. It's tongue darting in and out of its mouth as it pictured all the things it wanted to do to her.
However, the professional huntress remained unfazed. Simply looking down at it with pure disgust.
"Actually, I was remembering my time fighting on the front lines. How many innocent children died there for a cause they couldn't even understand." She said, fixing the man with a stern gaze. "I also wanted to remember that there are monsters on both sides, creatures far worse than any Grimm that wear the skin of people and walk on two legs. That they act and can think like us to hide their hideous truths, but when the chips are down, they always reveal their true nature. As well as the vile beast that lays beneath their skin. Creatures like you."
Calmly, she took a step forward, leveling one of her blades at Igor. Her eyes narrowed and a dark expression spread across her face as her mouth opened in a snarl that showed her teeth.
"How dare you do such horrible things to a child! You are far beyond redemption or saving!" She said, thrusting her blade at his chest, as if trying to skewer his heart. "Huntsman are on route to this location with medical staff as well. But they're coming to arrest you, put you back behind bars. I think we both know that won't do anything to you. Something like you is far too dangerous to risk getting parole or escaping! And while I'm not normally the self righteous type, I think this calls for more drastic measures. So, before they arrive, I'm going to have to kill you!"
With her declaration, her pink aura flared up. Immediately becoming visible to the huntsman who was forced to shield his face with his arm as the force it generated felt like a wave that was about to crash over him, threatening to drown him in a tide of raw fury and power.
"So this is the power of the Bringer the Garden World, huh?" Igor murmured, his eyes wide as they fixed on the huntress. Then, a smile slowly spread across his face. One that was of sadistic joy and unhinged anticipation as a gleeful laugh ripped through the air.
"AhahAhaHahA! Finally, a challenge!" He roared, throwing his arms out to either side as his back arched, tipping him skyward. "Kill me!? Good! That's it! LEt's hAve sUch A bLoOdy fiGHt it'Ll bE wOrtH reMemBeRInG! AhAhahaHAhA!"
With that, his own purple aura flared up, batting Summer's in equal intensity, something that didn't go unnoticed by the huntress. Gripping her weapons tightly, the woman prepared for the battle to come.
And as the aura came back down, there was half a second of calm. Then both shot forward, filling the highway with the sounds of clashing steel.
Meanwhile, at the same time as Summer showed up, the docks of Vale were also getting emergency services charging through the event.
A scream of surprise alerted Adelaide that something was wrong. Looking up, she saw a man clad head to toe in armor, charging across the docks toward her at high speeds. Reacting immediately, the woman released Cinder's arm, letting her fire several rounds from her gun gantlets at the approaching man.
However, without slowing down, he grabbed the sword and its scabbard that hung at his waist, raising it in front of himself as he drew the blade. And the second it was out, the scabbard of the weapon expanded, changing into a shield that blocked all of the bullets without getting a scratch.
But to Adelaide, what caught her attention was the shield itself. White with what looked like two golden crescent moons, one on top of the other. A gold highlight sat at the top of where the sword would go when it was in scabbard form. Overall pretty average.
But what stood out about it was how little modification had been made to it. It didn't have a chamber or muzzle to shoot out of, nor did it have anywhere to insert dust to power it up. In fact, it looked like it had been made back in the time of when the Great War had started. Back in her father's generation, maybe a bit further back. But either way it told her that this was a weapon passed down through the family and was entirely reliant on the skill of the welder. And she could only think of one family who would do something like that.
Meaning, she already knew who its wielder was!
Dropping Cinder immediately, Adelaide spun on the spot and ran at her new opponent, opening fire with both her gauntlets forcing the knight to keep his shield raised as he charged. Then, the second she was in range, she leapt up, landing on his raised shield before kicking off it as she activated her semblance, creating a massive slab of ice on the shield rendering it too heavy to use.
Or at least she tried.
Instead, the moment she leapt, the knight shifted his weight, digging his feet into the ground as he moved his shield out of the way, swinging his sword at the woman's point of attack. And as the connected, While ice did shoot from Adelaide's feet, the knights effortlessly slashed through right it, landing a direct hit on the woman, batting her away and sending her flying through the air before landing back by the warehouse.
As for the knight, he slid to a stop next to Cinder, immediately planting his shield between her and Adelaide in a protective manner.
"You okay?" He asked Cinder as she coughed violently, her hand pressed against her raw throat, both in an attempt to ease the pain and using her semblance to heat her freezing neck.
"I'll live." The girl rasped, as she activated her semblance in her other arm too, warming that one to form the deathly cold of her opponent's grip. "But please tell me you brought something more impressive than that little thing. Because one sword isn't going to be enough to-."
"You really are ignorant, aren't you?" Adelaide cut in, drawing Cinder's attention. "Nicholas Arc. The supreme general of Vale's army and the war hero who earned the name, The Sacred Sword. A title he earned through his ability to win just about any fight with sword skill alone. Many consider him the greatest swordsman in the world."
Immediately Cinder felt her mouth drop open. The greatest swordsman in the world? Did that mean he was better than even Summer? Qrow? No way! Like hell this little weeny man was stronger than those two. She refused to believe it.
Regardless of if it was true or not, it was clear that with him here Adelaide was now forced to take this fight seriously. She was now facing someone who was her equal, maybe stronger. Either way, the momentum of the fight had shifted, and not in her favor.
And yet, something was bothering the woman. Something that didn't sit right with her.
"What are you even doing here?" She asked Arc, her eyes narrowed, scanning his face. "I can't imagine you were out with your family just spending time here in full armor. What's more, dealing with low level gang crime seems a bit below the pay grade of Vale's supreme general. Surely you have better things to do than show up and fight in the place of a bunch of kids."
Nicholas calmly waved Cinder back, an order the girl surprisingly obeyed without question. "The Vale military received a tip that three fights between huntsmen would break out today in three very specific locations. At first, we wrote it off as a prank call, but after receiving several 911 calls not even five minutes after, we realized something must be up. So after rounding up some local and visiting huntsmen, we came to investigate and low and behold, here you were."
At this news, Adelaide's eyes widened in shock. Someone had tipped them off in the exact location where they'd be fighting? No way. That was impossible! All signals save for hers were being jammed in Music Fest. There was no way any of those kids could have contacted the cops as they were all inside the zone!
And even if they found a way around it, Howard's contracts on the inside should have warned him about the coming reinforcements while slowly responding time and ensuring only weaker huntsmen were called! So how on Remnant did she find herself face-to-face with one of the strongest huntsmen in Vale?
Wait… did he say three locations?
Immediately the woman's mouth fell open as the realization of what had happened dawned on her. This, all this, had been planned from the start! Her fight with Cinder right as the car left, which ensured she'd send Igor after it! They must have stalled him in the second location, which by now was almost guaranteed to have a pro huntsman there to take him down as, due to the wait for backup, he wouldn't have known it was a trap. And with both her and him tied up with their fights, that meant Howard-!
Seeing the look of shock on Adelaide's face sent a smug grin across Cinder's. After the woman had made such a fool of her and her team, being there when they got even was such sweet revenge. How she wished she could taunt her, rub it in her face. But Amber had been insistent that they do nothing to make it seem like this was a set up, even though it very much was.
Thinking back to when she had been kicked off the mission, she remembered her conversation with Fang and how she had called him the smart one of their class. And while she had yet to see his tactical ability, this would be a tough act to top.
Now if she could just get the two to stop quoting Sun Tzu at her, she could celebrate their victory in peace.
1:30am early this morning.
"That's your plan!?" Jiao snapped before rolling back, pressing both hands against stomach as he roared with humorless laughter. His entire body shaking with each guffaw that made Cinder want to break his face.
"Do you know how moronic that sounds?! Do you?!" He asked, sitting up straight to glare at the dark skinned girl. "Maybe you hit your head in the car crash, but you four couldn't take those guys at a hundred percent! No way in hell are you beating them injured, exhausted, and with limited aura. It's ludicrous to even think you could!"
"And that's why we aren't going to try." Amber replied, her voice cheerful as ever, those now Cinder could hear how fake it was. "We just need to hold out long enough to get Howard out of range of his radio and wait for the pros to arrive. Winning isn't necessary, we just need to buy time."
"And when playing on the defensive, when you're not going to knock your opponent out, you make significantly less openings for a counter attack. Meaning you're less likely to take damage." Fang added. "That means while normally they'd lose in a heartbeat, if they follow this strategy they might just survive. It's risky, obviously. But right now, it's probably the best option available right now. And even if there's an inside man, I'll bet he won't risk his job and potentially being linked to the crime. So if we can get Howard out of scroll service, we should be in the clear."
Jiao let out an irritated grunt at the white haired boy's reply, but couldn't find any counter point. So instead, he turned back to Amber, still not backing down from his views.
"Well, fine. Let's say by some miracle you last long enough for help to arrive. What am I supposed to be doing?" He asked pointedly, holding up his hand when Amber opened her mouth to reply.
"Yeah, I heard you, but I kinda wanted you to specify what you mean by, wait in the dressing room. Because by my count, that means I'll be unguarded and left in a boat filled to the brim with gang members who will be more than willing to invade my privacy to drag me back to that stupid machine to…whatever it does. Sorry to say, but I'm really not a fan of that idea." He said, folding his arms and glaring at the team leader, who let out a sigh before responding.
"Like I already said, the gang members should be trapped in the belly of the ship. Meaning they won't be able to get out. And even if they do, by then, they'll have seen me in your costume and will have given chase. Nobody would ever think to check your dressing room after an incident like this. So it's perfect as long as you don't do something stupid."
"Define something stupid for me please." The singer said sarcastically. "Because if memory serves, it's a pretty long list. No going on the internet, turning on my scroll, making to much noise, leaning the room, coughing or sneezing, making the furniture squea-."
"Jiao, shut up." Cinder said exasperatedly, her patience finally running out. "Look, it's the best option we have. Besides, I'll be right outside. So if you need me, just scream and I'll come running. No way those clowns can't beat me in a fight. Even if I have to protect your sorry ass." The girl paused for a second, then gave a shrug as she continued.
"And besides, it's not like you have a choice. It's either this and might end up getting captured or actually getting captured. I think the odds are much better hiding you than defending you. You're pretty useless in battle."
"How reassuring." Jiao said sarcastically, rolling his eyes pointedly at the girl before stomping back down on the couch. "But like you said, I guess I really don't have a choice, do I? You quit, I'm dead in the water. So fine, what happens next?"
Smiling, Amber began quickly drawing a diagram on a large sheet of paper that had been up on the table.
"Howard might have connections to the police, but I'll bet he won't have called in favors with his contacts in the army, so if we go directly to them instead. We might be able to bypass his information network and keep them in the dark right until reinforcements show up." She said as she drew up the path leading from the aircraft carrier to the highway. "However, once Fang tips the army we'll have to move fast. Trapping them in the specific location long enough for them to arrive. I suspect they won't take the first call seriously, but once people get out of Music Fest and flood the police with calls, that should make them realize that it wasn't a prank and call for professional huntsmen to get involved. For there, well, best case scenario, they all get arrested and during the investigation, their other crimes will come to light. But…"
"That's pretty unlikely." Cinder finished, crossing her arms and looking to Amber, who nodded in response.
"Yes. And even after I take the brunt of the blame, I expect heavy criticism to come after you guys too. And that's the easy part." Amber said, her head dropping with a sigh. "After this mission, regardless of what the trail's outcome is, the three of you will have to watch their backs for a good long time. I doubt anyone will take drastic measures to get back at you, especially given some of your reputations, but still, I strongly recommend keeping your heads on a swivel for the next few years."
At her words, Cinder found herself frowning. Something about the way Amber was phrasing things was making her uncomfortable. Although she couldn't place what.
"What about you? What are you going to do?" The dark haired girl asked, crossing her arms as she stared down her partner. "If you take all the blame, you're going to be target number one. I wouldn't be surprised if Howard sent assassins after you to get revenge or something. How do you plan on dodging all that?"
At her question, Amber turned and smiled at her partner. "Worried about me? Aww! I knew you'd warm to me eventually." She said, her sickeningly sweet tone making her partner want to punch that stupid fake grin off her face.
However, before she could act or comment, Amber turned her attention back to the map, her expression falling to a much more serious and somber tone.
"Don't worry, I'll be fine." She said quietly, her tone too quiet to be heard from the boys who were on the other end of the room making explosives. "Howard isn't the type to want revenge, at least not for something this petty. I'm sure once this is over, he'll move on with his life and forget about me. As for the court of public opinion, seeing as I'm not a very notable huntress. I suspect they'll try some kind of Beacon should've known better then to let me in. As for the rest, I plan to leave Vale. Find a place to lay low for a bit before trying to take some professional huntress' jobs, then apply for my professional license when I'm ready. Who knows, I might even beat you guys to it! And I'll have even dodged the massive backlash from the public for daring to have named one of the most beloved people in the kingdom as a criminal, so in all honesty, I'm probably getting the better deal out of this!"
"Why though?" Jiao asked, still pouting off to the side. "I thought people hated corporations and anyone with even a modicum of success. What makes you think they'll side with that old man instead of the underdogs?"
"Because, Howard isn't just another greedy CEO of a corrupt company." Adam chimed in from across the room where he and Fang were making the explosives. "Just ignoring his war hero status, he's an active member of the community who doesn't just donate to fix problems, but actually builds the solutions. It's his company that made the Saints children's hospital that treats kids for free, as well as helping unions make contact with companies that otherwise ban them. On top of that, he's gone to hundreds of Faunus right protests as well as paying them equal to their human counterparts before it was made into a law and has made cheap, yet decent housing for them. As well as a long string of jobs for the uneducated. And if that wasn't enough-."
"Okay, we get it. Howard sucks off the Faunus. Shut up and stop returning the favor." Cinder called, irritatedly rolling her eyes, making Amber laugh.
"Well regardless of who's sucking who, it's too late to turn back now." She said with a light chuckle. "The only way forward is forward, so let's make this something to be talked about when we next meet up as adults. That way, it'll be something to bind us even after years apart."
Her words were received with a quiet cheer from the members of Team AACE. Each one in agreement with their leader. And as they did, Fang let out a quiet, unnoticed chuckle. Back at Beacon, the team was at the bottom of their teamwork exercises. Always failing as they all did whatever they wanted, never listening or coordinating with each other, and as such were always in the others way. The only reason they had passed at all was thanks to the skill of the individual members.
But now? Now he was watching something different. Now they were actually working as a unit, a highly competent one at that. And if they kept that teamwork up, they might just survive this fight after all.
Back in the present.
Cinder stood there smirking at Adelaide, who shot her a death glare. However with the general between them, there was little she could do to enact her rage. So instead, she turned her attention back to her main opponent.
"So, how is this going to play out?" The woman asked the knight, her eyes narrowing as she shifted back into a ballet stance. "You might be one of Vale's most skilled combatants, but think you can win against me with that little girl holding you back? You of all people should know how that would end."
Calmly, she took a single step forward, leveling her weapon at him. Yet despite the obvious threat the woman made, general Arc remained stoic.
"Humph, you might be right on that front." He admitted calmly, gesturing at her with his blade. "However, that was assuming I came unprepared. And while you may have, I certainly haven't forgotten how terrifying war is. And so, allow me to reveal my ace in the hold."
With that, he raised his sword to the sky, flashing the light of the sun back into the air three times, before coming to a complete stop, confusing both girls. What was he-?
But the next second they got their answer as almost immediately, several armed men emerged from behind warehouses and trees. Several even emerging from the water on either side of the dock, completely surrounded the area and forming a ring around both of them, guns leveled at the women as they took their positions.
"As you can see, I brought some backup." He said calmly, lowering his sword very slightly, immediately making his men put some pressure on their triggers in response to the nonverbal signal. "Now, I know how stubborn you can be, but I think even someone like you can see how futile resistance is under these circumstances. So, will we bring in a criminal, or a corpse?"
Carefully, Adelaide's eyes drifted to the men that surrounded her. She noticed they had gathered outside her effective range. Meaning she couldn't just freeze them. On top of that, they were all in full body armor with military grade weapons, not the BB guns the cops used.
Damn it, Arc had done his research. To learn her effective range so quickly and to arm his force so efficiently was a testament to his skill. He had removed any hope to escape and while in a fight, she knew there was no way she could take out them all or escape before her aura was exhausted and she was taken down.
And even if she could, doing so would leave Vale even more danger. If their military was decimated, when the Eternal Dynasty attacked, they would effectively be defenseless. And General Arc knew that. He had brought his men here not to act as offense, but to put her in a compromising position. One he knew she would be spilt on. He had effectively just asked her which was more valuable to Vale, her Seraphim, or his army, forcing her to weigh her options based on that one, simple question.
And unfortunately for her, both of them knew the correct answer to that question.
With a sigh, she retracted her blade as her ice armor fell to the ground, shattering on impact. Then, she calmly raised her hand in surrender.
"Good choice." General Arc said, lowering his sword. "I'll make sure it's on the record that you surrender peacefully. Now, stay still and let me men disarm you. Prison transport is on the way, so sit tight until then."
With that, he turned back to Cinder as several of his men went to restrain the former huntress.
"You okay?" He asked, kneeling down next to her to examine her injuries, those as her aura never broke, she technically didn't have any. "You are very lucky, without that tip, I don't know if we'd have been mobilized in time. More importantly, medical staff will have already arrived and can tend to you if you-."
"I'm fine, never mind me!" Cinder said, pushing the man away as she changed her voice and expression to one of fear. "My team has been continuously harassed by these guys for a while now and currently we're all split up! I need to regroup before any of them-!"
"Shhh. Calm down." General Arc said as he tried to ease her to sit on the ground, completely falling for her act. "Don't worry, we got three more tips and have sent several notable huntsmen to those locations. One has arrived while the other will be there any second. If those are your friends, I'm sure they're going to be fine."
At this, Cinder let out an internal sigh of relief. Looks like Amber's plan had gone off without a hitch. That was good. She hadn't said anything before as she didn't have a better idea, but knowing everything worked out as it was supposed to was a weight off her shoulders.
Out of the corner of her eye, she could already see medical personnel rushing toward her. Immediately, she pretended not to see them and kept her attention on the General, asking one more time just to get some relief as her heart was still hammering against her chest.
"But I d-don't even know where they a-are!" Cinder cried, still playing the shocked and distraught little girl, fighting her urge to roll her eyes at how pathetic she sounded. "C-can you check? Just make sure it's them and that they're okay? Please?"
General Arc smiled kindly as stood up and let the doctors crowd around the girl, checking her all over to assess her condition.
"Of course." He said calmly, reaching up and pressing buttons on his helmet that was connected to some kind of radio as not only did he speak into it, but Cinder could literally hear what the person on the other end was saying.
"Arc to Beta team. Has the target been secured?" He asked, and in a matter of seconds, he got a response from a terrified male voice.
"Negative! Target is still resisting!" He cried as in the background, Cinder could hear the sound of automatic gunfire and the clash of steel. "Target is currently clashing with Huntsmen one! Too hot to offer aid! What's more, one civilian is in the danger zone, but can't extract without risking the target fleeing! Requesting reinforcements at once! Recommend one or two huntsmen at least!"
Cinder felt her stomach drop at the information that one of her teammates was injured. Going off the distance between them and the military base, she would guess it was probably Adam, which would also explain why the military was reluctant to step in. Even she'd need some serious coaxing to willingly enter a fight with Igor.
But still, not even being willing to step in and help an injured kid? That was a level of cowardice that turned her stomach! They were there to save lives, not stand on the sidelines as someone's internal organs melted into jelly!
Clearly General Arc felt the same way, immediately reaching up to give commands to his subordinates.
"Give the order to the huntsman engaging to try to drive the target away. Then, move in and rescue the civilian and get them to a hospital. I'll be there as soon as the prison transport arrives. Until then, keep others away from the fighting. What's the situation at location Delta?"
At his question and orders, a "yes sir" came from the first man. Then, after a short pause a new voice came on, this one Cinder recognized.
"I'm almost there!" Tai said from the other side of the com. "ETA less than a minute. Quiet so far, no gunshots or anything, but that rarely means much."
At this report, Cinder felt her breath hitch. This was it! The biggest and trickiest battlefield was about to be discovered. Now, everything rested on Amber's shoulders as she'd need to convince Tai that Howard was the aggressor, not her. It was a shame that her semblance couldn't show memories, but the dark haired girl knew if anyone could pull it off, it was her partner.
Time seemed to slow for Cinder as she waited for her father's report. Each passing second feeding like an eternity to the girl as she waited for the outcome, her heart hammering in her chest making her feel light headed with anticipation.
Then, after what felt like a million years, she heard her father speak again.
"I'm almost there! Have backup on standby just in case!" He said, making his daughter sit up straighter. "Entering the combat area in three….two….one!"
As he finished, the dark haired girl practically shot up, throwing the medical personnel off her and immediately drawing the General's attention. But she didn't even notice, her eyes were fixed on where the earpiece was as she waited to hear the fate of her partner.
However, instead of confusion, all she heard from the other end of the line was a strange, dead silence. And while it only lasted a few seconds, to the dark haired girl, it felt like an eternity.
But when she finally heard her father, she almost wished it had lasted longer.
"I'm not seeing anything here." He reported, confusion in his voice. "No signs of a fight, or one that happened recently. In fact, I'm not seeing anything out of the ordinary at all. We sure we got the right coordinates?"
"A hundred percent." General Arc replied with confidence. "Look around and make sure there's no underground tunnels or something, then secure the area. Whoever it might have been could have gotten wise to the tip, or the one supplying it might have miscalculated something. Still, two out of three isn't bad. Much higher than average, I'd say."
As the General gave a few more instructions to Tai, Cinder slumped back down to the ground, her eyes wide and mouth hanging open.
No way Howard had dealt with Amber that quickly and left no trace of the fight. Tough as he was, subtly wasn't his strong suit, obviously. But then what had happened!? Amber had spent hours without sleep calculating the exact locations to use! Far away from civilians so they wouldn't get dragged in, yet close enough that they could be easily found. No way it could have been wrong!
Had Fang reported the wrong coordinates? No, that was also impossible. He had an incredible recall ability he had picked up from playing chess. He wouldn't have gotten the numbers mixed up so easily! Not after he went so far as to say them back to Amber.
Then the military must recorded it wrong! Those lazy bastards must have put in the wrong place and instead of double checking the recording, they had just lazily dumped whatever they thought was right and called it a day!
Panicked, Cinder immediately began trying to come up with a way to tell the General that he had the wrong location. She had to do it without giving away this was a plan. Otherwise everything else would be for nothing! But how?! She couldn't ask them to double check the tip, that would be suspicious. Maybe she could pretend she was scared shitless for her teammates? That might work! Sure, they'd probably just deploy police on a manhunt, which wasn't helpful on its own, but if she gave them the correct location, they might just bumble into them by pure accident.
"Umm, sir?" She asked, pushing some of the medical staff off as they tried to treat her. "I don't know about what these tips you're talking about, but it's my teammate I'm worried about. She was supposed to be in the industrial district. She was saying something about an-."
"An old building where the police had cornered several suspects a little while ago?" The General asked, silencing her immediately. "Yes, that was the location we were tipped about. Sorry, but I think someone set you up. All three of these locations were told to us in advance and while we thought there was nothing to them, two of them, this one and under the freeway were right. However, it seems your friend managed to dodge whoever was waiting for them at the warehouse as a huntsman just confirmed it was empty. Lucky them, huh?"
Immediately all the blood drained from the girl's face. The location they had was right? Then why wasn't Amber there!? Had Howard gotten to her before she had arrived? No, that didn't make sense. She would be going by the main roads the whole way! Not only to make her easy to track, but to ensure Howard couldn't just attack out of the blue!
Terror filled the girl's stomach and she collapsed back into the arms of the medical staff, her breath coming out in fast, ragged gasps.
What was happening!? They're plan had been far from foolproof, but even with the massive margin for error, going completely missing wasn't on the table!
Falling forward, Cinder's hands flew to her chest, clutching the area right above her heart. All around her, medics were trying to calm her down, shaking her even to try to draw her back from her panic attack. But Cinder wasn't even aware of what was happening around her anymore.
What the hell was going on?! Amber had thought of everything, she always did! So why had she gone missing?! It didn't make sense! How could she, of all people, not stick to the plan?! Something dramatic must have changed for her to pull something like this, but what! Thinking back, she hadn't had a major incident since their talk on the roof of the hotel! And even then, why on Remnant would she go behind her team's back? It served no purpose, right? So then what had-?!
Before she could finish that thought, something fell from her pocket, hitting the ground before rolling right in front of her where it spun in circles a few times before falling to the ground face up. It was Amber's broach, the one she had given the girl last night.
And as she stared at it, her stunned mind began slowly putting all the scattered pieces and little hints of everything that had happened together, slowly painting a very vivid picture of what was going through her partner's head. Ever since their talk at the hotel, she had been acting strangely. Sure, she had put up her more lighthearted persona, but it had felt a little off, like something was missing.
At first, she had assumed it was just because she had seen the real Amber, a girl so lost in pain that screaming or crying wouldn't even ease the ache. But thinking back, she now saw it was that Amber just wasn't putting as much effort into her performance, something that held true even when she had been giving her final speech.
Looking at all her actions and words, Cinder had definitely noticed they seemed different than before, but either hadn't had the time to ask, or just thought she was growing closer to her partner. However the reality of the situation was much more grim. It wasn't that Amber was opening up or getting attached to the dark haired girl, it was that she no longer cared about her appearance.
And why did she no longer care? It was because she was still in that dark pit she had been in since she had lost her family, her village, everything she had ever known. She had been stuck in there for years, all alone and with nobody either noticing or being able to pull her out. And now, she no longer saw, or believed that escape was possible.
Cinder's maturity hadn't been some magic spell that had given her hope to see something in tomorrow, it was the final touch telling her she was no longer needed! Once Cinder was in a position where she could lead, or could grow into one, that was when she knew her position on the team was completely replaceable! And with it being replaceable, she had successfully passed on all her remaining responsibilities.
And now that she had no more responsibilities…
"!"
"Oh no." She breathed out, her face going pale as she realized what Amber was planning. All the hints were so obvious, but in typical fashion, she had been to stupid to see it. Last night hadn't been her goodbye to her team, it had been her goodbye to everything that had ever meant anything to her! That girl, probably even before they had rescued Jiao, she had been coming up with this scheme and now she was executing it!
Immediately, the girl stood up, practically pushing the medical staff off as she snatched the broach off the ground, ignoring their states of confusion and worry. Then, without so much as an explanation, she turned and began sprinting toward the ship.
"Sorry, something just came up!" She called back to the General without so much as looking at him. "You're going to have to wait for my testimony about what happened! I have something very important to do right now! So just give me a call later, okay?! Good!"
With that, she ran to the side of the boat, using her bow to blast herself back onto the deck before she ran into the interior, sprinting into the employee area where she made her way to the dressing room where she threw open the door not even waiting to knock.
"Jiao!" She screamed at the confused boy band. "I need you to locate Amber right now!"
"I-! Wha?!" The singer stuttered, completely taken aback by the normally stoic girl's desperate domineer.
However, no matter how baffled he was at first, it was nothing compared to what happened next.
Clearing the room in a few quick strides, she reached the singer and instead of punching or insulting him, she grabbed his hand with both of her's and fell to her knees, staring up at him with pleading eyes that were shining with barely restrained tears.
"Please, I'm begging you, please use your semblance to find Amber." She said as she bowed her head, her voice quiet and submissive, completely different from her normal demanding tone. "I won't ask for anything else, not now, not ever. I promise I'll do whatever you want whenever you ask it, I swear. So please, I'm begging you, please find Amber before it's too late!"
Jiao stared down dumbly at her for a few seconds, unsure of what was even happening anymore. But as his wits returned to him, his gaze softened and a gentle, uncharacteristic smile spread across his face.
Looking down at the girl, he remembered his time training to be an idol and how he wished for someone to come and save him from the pit of hopelessness and despair he was falling into. And how when nobody came, he had lost himself to resentment and anger.
All that time, bullying others just because he could, had allowed himself to not only give up on his dream, but because the exact opposite to what it had been. Sure, he had never cared much for the selfish sacrifice stuff, but even at their lowest, he knew huntsmen jobs were to save people with their power. To any degree they could.
Yet when he had awoken a useless semblance, he had told himself that it was only the luckiest who truly made it in this world. And convinced himself that he was right to justify the fact that at the end of the day, he just hadn't been willing to try. Preferring to just sit idly on the side and become resentful towards others.
And while he knew he couldn't climb out of that hole anymore, team AACE didn't need to share his fate.
"Of course." He said, immediately making Cinder's head shoot up. "I'll help if I can, but in case you forgot, I need blood. Without it, I'm as useful as a dry bar of soap."
They stood there for a second, their eyes locked as they tried to read the other. Then, slowly, Cinder's confusion became understanding. She might not have the whole picture, but she knew enough that he was being honest and truly trying to help.
And so, she slowly opened her hand, revealing the bloody broach sitting in her palm.
"Is this enough?" She asked quietly, and the singer replied by placing his hand on her's.
"Yes, it is." He said. Then, he took a deep breath and his aura snaked off his arm and onto the broach, attacking themselves to the spots of blood on the jewelry piece. "I have enough info to use my semblance, but with this amount, it won't last long. So make sure to take everything in, understand? This is your only chance."
"I understand." Cinder replied with a nod to Jiao, who returned the gesture. Then, taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and tightened his grip on her hand.
The next second, his eyes shot open as the room became a blur of colors. Then, the colors settled into place, revealing an overhead look down on the docks. They could see general Arc waving a prison transport vehicle towards the dock next to a rapidly disappearing red dot below the deck of the ship.
Not wasting a second, Cinder turned her gaze toward the city, eyes desperately scanning for the pulsing red figure of Amber, her own heart hammering in her chest from the terror that gripped her. She refused to lose her partner under these circumstances! Not after they had finally started forming a real bound!
And soon enough, she spotted the glowing figure of her partner.
"Over there!" She screamed to Jiao, pointing in the figure's direction. And as the singer turned his head, the world below them spun until they had an overhead view of an old junkyard, one that had clearly been shut down years ago, but people kept using regardless.
And there, they could see Amber, desperately dancing to and fro, trying to keep pace with the mountain of a man that was Isaac Howard, who was swinging his boomerang with such force, he was generating powerful gusts of wind that kept blowing Amber off her feet.
Rage filled Cinder as she saw the man capitalizing on the situation by slamming his weapon down on her spine as she tried to get to her feet. A move that would have broken her back if not for her aura!
But before she could show any signs of anger, the world around suddenly shimmered, then became a swirling vortex of colors once again before the dark haired girl found herself back in the dressing room of the ship, Jiao on his hands and knees gasping for breath, the broach in her hand now completely clean of the dry blood.
"Man, never used it on something like that before." He gasped as his fellow band members rushed to his side, checking on him to make sure he was okay. "I'm almost surprised it worked. It did work, right? You did manage to get her location, didn't you?"
"Yeah, Vale's old scrap yard." Cinder replied with a nod, her expression gentle as she looked down at the singer. "Thanks, Jiao. I couldn't have done this without you. I-. Thanks."
With that, she turned and quickly made her way to the door, reaching it in seconds and was about to step out when she heard the young man call to her from behind.
"Cinder, you know that finding her was the easy part, right?" He asked, sitting up with some aid from the other band members. "I helped you with that, but saving her is a different matter. You are going to have to do that on your own. You know what that means? It means it's up to you to pull her out of that pitch black hole she's trapped in, one she can't escape on her own. So, I'm asking, as a friend, can you pull her out?"
Cinder paused for a second, weighing the question in her mind. She was a bit surprised that he had figured out her plan as well, but she also appreciated the feeling that she wasn't completely alone.
She knew what he was talking about, what the implication of that question was. This wasn't an enemy she could drive away with swords or strength. To save someone from themselves was a challenge completely different from anything she had faced before, one she wasn't entirely sure she had even managed to do for herself.
But still, her answers didn't change.
"I don't know if I can, but I have to try." She said, not turning around or looking back at the singer. "I'm probably the worst person for a job like this, but I know that it has to be me. Like it or not, I'm one of the major reasons she was pushed to this decision. So it's my responsibility to help her. Even if I can't."
A silence fell between the two, neither one speaking as there was nothing left to be said. And so, without breaking that almost sacred bound, Cinder ran out of the dressing room and back toward the exit of the ship, her new mission the only thing on her mind.
Her decision was final. She wouldn't let Amber kill herself just to put Howard behind bars.
So, yeah. How many of you saw this coming? Amber actually going through with a suicide plan.
Not much I can say on the subject as I don't want to put my foot in my mouth, but just a heads up, if someone is giving away important items or keepsakes, that's a big red flag they might be losing the will to live.
As for the battles, I'm sure someone is going to be upset by how I handle them. But let's be real here. Team AACE already lost to them not long ago. And it's not like they went through a training montage or something. They haven't gotten strong enough to fight at that level yet.
And on that note. Yes, that is Jaune's father who saved Cinder (Ironic). I've actually been dropping hints that he'd show up at one point or another. He's also the one who found Amber after her village was destroyed and she slaughtered the bandits who kidnapped her.
So, before I sign off for the night, I wanted to let you all know that once the music fest arc is over, the Burning Rose is going to not be my priority anymore. I'll still be updating it, but it won't be the one I'm always working on.
The reason I hear you ask. Two reasons. 1 Burn out. plain and simple.
However, the second reason I'm slowing down is because I'm happy to announce I'm starting a new series after about 3 months of planning. If you like my work, I highly suggest you read it when it launches. Not saying anything here, but don't roll your eyes at the franchise when it comes up, it's nothing like the traditional fanfics you'll find surrounding it. In fact, in all my searching, I haven't found one that quite scratches my itch for this in the franchise.
The first chapter's done and will be launching the same days as when Music fest ends, so if you're interested, at least give the first chapter a read. No experience in the franchise required, I'll be explaining everything has it comes up.
And with that shameless plug out of the way, I hope you enjoyed and I hope to see you all next time. Bye!