"Blake!"

The warning didn't give Blake enough time to block or evade the knife. Above on her own platform, Ruby cursed and tightly held back the dart on the strong rubber band. Precisely, the pointed missile pierced the gang member in the eyeball.

From the direct hit, Ruby grimaced. I really didn't want to do that.

The goon dropped like a sack of potatoes before the sharp point could graze Blake. A blood-curdling scream reverberated through the massive warehouse in an echo chamber. Briefly, all eyes landed on the man on the floor that writhed in pain. He covered his pierced eyeball as blood oozed down and onto the dirty floor.

Blake gazed up at her girlfriend and nodded in understanding. Ruby looked like she regretted it, but she had no choice. It was either that or Blake would be stabbed. The faunus silently thanked her for the save and scanned her surroundings with labored breaths.

Three bodies lay on the floor, unconscious from the ladder falling earlier. The other goon was out of commission thanks to the lethal dart as he writhed on the floor. There was no way he would recover from that anytime soon. In relief, Blake grasped her throbbing ribs and controlled her breaths.

While Blake composed herself, Ruby looked back over to Yang.

She's exhausted, Ruby noted her slower movements. Hang in there a little longer, sis.

Yang narrowly dodged a kick and jumped back for space. She stared at the four defeated gang members and sent her opponent a smirk.

"Looks like… you guys are in trouble… heh…" she finished and wiped her face of the smeared blood.

Jacques sneered at the impish blonde. "They're worthless."

By the looks of it, Jacques was worn down. Smeared crimson tainted white shirt. Bruises scoured his face and his mustache was painted red. During their fight, Yang noted he was slower. She bit her lip when her body weighed like lead.

"You're a real piece'a shit," Yang scowled.

She thought he would at least care for his underlings, which was foolish. He executed his eldest and tried to kill his other daughter. He only cared about himself.

"And you, a mere child."

Like a bulldozer, Jacques hurdled at her with unbridled strength. He was on her in seconds and she didn't have time to block when his fist yanked back. It was like a train collided into a soda can when his fist screwed into her head.

"Yang!" Weiss exclaimed and tried to wiggle out of the ropes.

Yang soared back and rolled to a stop in silence. A punch like that was heard on the other side of the warehouse, so it was no surprise the lights were knocked out of her. With his prey vulnerable, Jacques pounced after her.

"Yang!" Weiss shouted desperately. "Wake up!"

Not even a dart to the back of his neck stopped his stride. Jacques simply tossed it to the floor with his eyes locked onto his target. Loud footsteps thudded in his approach as Ruby scrambled for a better view.

Dammit! Ruby cursed. I don't have a clear shot of his face!

"Ugh…" Yang groaned as her vision swam.

A beast was going in for the kill and Yang only had seconds to react. In that short time, she rolled backward to switch directions.

Fortunately, Jacques didn't know why as he bent down to grab the blonde by the throat. The immense pressure forced Yang to sputter in an attempt to breathe as her body steadily left the floor. It was like a snake constricted her lungs. With every gasp, her air supply faded.

Jacques strengthened his iron grip as she feebly coughed. "Whitley wanted you to live so you'd forever have the pain of losing my daughter. I was willing to entertain that idea, but I've changed my mind."

"Yang, Yang!" Weiss screamed, voice cracking in misery. "Put her down!"

Jacques scoffed from the command. "Say goodbye."

Despite feeling lightheaded and the darkness clouding her vision, Yang managed to choke out. "Fam'ly of asses…'xcept her…"

His grip somehow tightened after the remark, which left Yang to blackout. She dangled limply from his one hand until a tiny missile nailed him in the cheek. It almost pierced Jacques' eye, which made him drop his prize. Yang thudded loudly on the floor with strained gasps and coughs.

Not the best angle, Ruby thought. His eyes are just out of reach.

When Jacques raised his foot to finish Yang off, a war cry rang out from behind.

"Leave her alone!"

Poised, Blake slashed his back with her katana. His shirt ripped open when a new gash devoured the entirety of his back. The sound of skin ripping tore through the building, which was followed by the gushing of blood. For him, Blake didn't hold back. He needed a more ghastly wound to be taken down.

After Jacques screamed and endured the pain, he whirled around and grabbed the blade with his bare hands. Since Blake wasn't expecting that, she gasped and tried to keep her footing. Powerfully, Jacques grappled the sword away from her and tossed it to the side.

"That's it?" Jacques mocked, unimpressed.

Before Blake could move, Jacques simply kicked her in the chest. The faunus felt a couple more ribs crack as she flew back with an anguished cry. When he moved to finish her off, a determined shout echoed.

"Your opponent's me, don't you forget it!"

A punch to the back of his head blindsided him. The brass knuckles were steel, but the strike wasn't enough to force him to fall. Instead, Jacques jumped back to gain space and analyze the situation.

To everyone's surprise, Yang was already back on her feet and scowling. Blood streamed down the side of her face as she held up her fists. She was beyond shocked that he didn't fall from the blow. It was a wicked sucker punch that would have anyone off their feet. They drifted into silence from the realization. Rather, Jacques stood tall like an impenetrable brick wall. At least his movements were slower.

"What the hell…" Yang wiped the sweat from her forehead. "Is this douche invincible or somethin'?"

Jacques popped his knuckles and spit out blood. "Do you finally understand? The difference between you and me? Be a good girl and drop dead!"

When he charged, Yang braced herself for an onslaught of punches. With her bones creaking in protest, she held her ground and slipped in a few jabs. He was the toughest opponent she fought by far, which would make it even more satisfying when she wins and hears the victory bell in her mind.

Above, Ruby watched the fight on high alert. During the fight, Blake finally moved to sit upright and assess her injuries. With her safe, Ruby hastily pulled out her cellphone to check the time.

We have a couple of minutes. We can do this. Yang can hang in there for a little longer.

Ruby glanced at the pillar where Weiss was still bound. The ropes were red as she hung limply. She must've been in and out of consciousness for the duration of the fight. The only enemy who was a threat now was Jacques and he proved to be more of a pain than they could imagine.

Wait, who's that?

A figure loomed behind the pillar.

Someone's trying to get to Weiss.

Instinctively, Ruby readied her slingshot and adjusted her position. It appeared the person was trying to cut through the ropes to free Weiss. That's when Ruby noted the new arrival was a woman with white hair.

Is that her mom?!

Lyrics from Redo: "I'll come back. To your future. But I haven't given up just yet!"

Stay dandy,

~Toto